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Final Fantasy XIV is bringing back its limited-time Final Fantasy XV crossover event “A Nocturne for Heroes,” and with it comes another chance for players to score a mount modelled after the Regalia Type-F.

Just like in Final Fantasy XV, which saw Noctis and friends embarking on a road trip across the world of Eos while riding in a car that eventually became capable of flight, the version of the Regalia Type-F appearing in Square Enix’s MMO can fit up to four players and also flies. The event begins September 13 and lasts until October 18, and will only be the second time the mount has been available, with the first chance happening back in 2019.

Players will need to be at least level 50 and have completed the main scenario quest “The Ultimate Weapon” before being able to participate in the crossover event’s questline. After completing the questline, players can then purchase the Regalia from the Gold Saucer. Those who completed the quests back in 2019 can replay them this time around, but won’t be able to earn quest rewards a second time. Other items coming as part of the event include armor and hairstyles modeled off Final Fantasy XV’s Noctis.

Final Fantasy XIV in 2021 is more popular than ever before, breaking concurrent player records and resulting in some of the game’s most populated servers no longer accepting new characters. With Final Fantasy XIV’s population booming, the event is a great opportunity for newer players to score some of the rewards that veterans have had for years.

The game’s uptick in popularity comes in part thanks to major World of Warcraft streamers playing Final Fantasy XIV for the first time. The game has since become a haven for “WoW refugees” who have left Blizzard’s longrunning MMO behind over the state of its Shadowlands expansion and a recent state of California lawsuit that alleges Blizzard has a history of harassment and discrimination towards women.

Final Fantasy XIV’s next expansion, Endwalker, is set to release November 23.

The latest update for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will be available this week and will feature a number of extras such as a punishing new mode for players looking to take on the ultimate challenge in ancient England. Title Update 1.3.1 will be between 25-35 gigabytes in size depending on your platform and will add three waterways to the River Raids game mode, the Erriff and Berbha rivers in Ireland, and the Rhine rivers. Lugh’s Armor and five weapons can be pillaged from these locations, including the new one-handed sword.

A new difficulty option called Aesir is being introduced and features reduced healing, +200% more damage inflicted on a player, and the window for successfully parrying an attack has been reduced by 38%. The amount of healing that Eivor can activate will also be based on a player’s selected difficulty setting, and ranges from 100% health restored at Easy up to 60% on Very Hard and Nightmare mode.

Eivor will have new skills to acquire, and some new tattoos to collect. This Nordic ink will be available for free, and players can grab them from the Ubisoft Connect store after the update goes live. While there won’t be a new Assassin’s Creed game this year or even in 2022, Ubisoft plans to keep supporting Assassin’s Creed Valhalla with extra content in its second year.

This includes a new expansion that teases a trip into the underworld, as well the scenic Discovery Tour mode that allows players to explore the medieval countryside and not have to worry about being ambushed by wolves or brigands. Currently, fans have had the chance to venture beyond England in Irish and French-themed expansion content.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Title Update 1.3.1 Patch Notes

Activation time

• September 7, 8 AM ET, 5 AM PT

Patch sizes

• Xbox Series X|S: 34.05 GB
• Xbox One: 26.23 GB
• PlayStation 5: 14.31 GB
• PlayStation 4: 30.00 GB
• PC: 26.49 GB

River Raids Update

• Added 3 new Rivers to the RIVER RAIDS game mode. (Erriff, Berbha, Rhine)
• Face 2 River Champions and the new Champions of the Faith. Defeat them to get your hands on new weapons.
• Added new rewards to River Raids (Lugh’s Armor and 5 weapons – including a short sword)
• Jomsviking Hall can be upgraded to Level 4-5, allowing players to hire Jomsviking of Level 4-5, respectively.
• Jomsviking of higher rank can carry more rations and do more damage to enemies.
• River Raid Longship cargo can be upgraded to Level 4-5.
• 3 new abilities can be found in River Raids monasteries:
• Spinning Harpoon = Eivor performs a spinning attack that can be combined with other harpoon-based abilities. Enemies caught in the spin are knocked back
• Percussion Arrow = Hit an enemy’s Shield to create a shockwave that staggers and damages nearby enemies.
• Precision Axe Throw = Eivor performs a devastating axe throw that targets an enemy’s weak point.

Rune Perk Changes

• Targeted Rune socketing – This update means that RUNES will only affect the weapon they are socketed in, allowing players to create more targeted loadouts.
• For example, you could fill your left-hand weapon with Attack runes and your right-hand weapon with Stun runes so that both weapons have very different effects.
• Some stats will stay global (example: Assassination damages, Fire damages, etc.).
• No changes have been made to Runes slotted on armor; they will still impact your character as a whole.
• Perk & Rune Perk Cap removal – We also removed the CAP that prevented Perks & Rune Perks (diamond shape) effects from stacking beyond a certain threshold.
• Players will now always see the impact of their Perks and be able to create more specialized loadouts.

Difficulty Setting Adjustments

Added Aesir (Nightmare) combat difficulty to the game.

• +200% damages received
• Standard damage inflicted
• -40% rations heal
• -38% Parry timing windows

Players will now heal according to their selected difficulty setting:

• Easy & Default = 100%
• Hard = 80%
• Very Hard = 60%
• Nightmare = 60%

Odin’s Blessing – Community Tattoo Contest

Added Community Tattoo Contest items to the game

• Elfydil on Twitter – Torso/Chest
• OuterDesert on Instagram – Head
• Le_Papillon08 on Instagram – Torso/Back
• SherllyzArt on Instagram – Arms

Game Improvements

Miscellaneous

Updated the below skill nodes to include the new weapon types as follows:

• Short sword = Greatsword skill node
• Scythe = Spear skill node
• Sickle = Seax skill node

• Players who cannot upgrade their settlement to level 6 due to lack of supplies will now be able to purchase supplies at the settlement merchant. (Only available at Level 5 and once a specific amount of supplies have been collected)
• Players didn’t take damage from fire after destroying a boat.
• Players not receiving XP after completing daily quests in Ireland & Francia.
• Longship missing or could be seen spawning in River Raids, Expansion 1 & 2.
• (PC) Photos deformed when taken in non-native aspect ratio in Borderless window mode.

The Siege of Paris – Expansion 2

Addressed:

• Players could re-enter the Île de la Cité through unintended means. Sorry folks
• The church gatekeeper from The Rot in the Slums is not at the gate, causing the investigation to disappear.
• (SPOILERS) Addressed several issues with the boss fight in Madness of King Charles.
• Longship sails to be opened during the dialogue scene upon arrival in Francia.
• Quest marker is misplaced on the Atlas for Homecoming.
• The Duelist remained stuck on the mount and did not fight the player.
• Numerous issues with the Barn bull fight.
• Sigfred could get stuck in The Rot in the Slums if players placed a horse on the stairs.
• World map isn’t opened after pressing the relevant key during the Rebel mission tutorial.
• The player cannot exit Little Mother’s sanctum if the conflict is initiated with either of the two NPCs in the tunnel before the dagger room.
• Confirm kill scenes missing for The Duelist, Hunter, Cavalier under certain circumstances.
• The Duelist cannot be completed if the dead body is being carried around after taking them down.
• The Duelist’s sheep follow his dead body if the player carries it around.
• Players could interact with the door from the other side in the Gisacum Ruin.
• Cannot progress in Little Mother after distracting her with Explosive Corpse, triggering the event.
• Addressed an issue that caused the Finisher camera to not be disabled in The Siege of Paris despite turning it Off in the menu.

Wrath of the Druids – Expansion 1

Addressed:

• Bed in Dublin was no longer accessible.
• Courting the Kings doesn’t update after freeing prisoners.
• Trial of the Morrigan cannot be started if it has been completed in a previous playthrough.
• Dublin’s Reach couldn’t be completed as Azad was dead.
• Black Shuck attacked the player before the start cinematic camera ends.

Main Quests, World Events, and Side Activities

Addressed:

• Daily Quest Dialogue Scene takes a long time to load and will end up having the camera underground when the Daily Quest menu opens.
• Basim was missing at the beginning of Severing the Lines.
• Unable to complete Under the Skin as Vili was stuck in the water.
• Quest marker missing in Smashing the Compass Probably shouldn’t have smashed that compass
• Unable to speak to Soma after regrouping in An Island of Eels
• Unable to go fishing with Ceolbert in Bloody Path to Peace. Ceolbert will never know peace
• Unable to complete the world event King of the Hay People.
• Unable to complete the investigation of the three clues in In the Absence of an Ealdorman.
• Unable to complete the quest Walls and Shadows as the cinematic didn’t start. * it’s all walls and shadows*
• No stones around to complete the Stoneman mystery.
• Unable to complete the Eurvicscire arc as player received Road to Hamartia after completing This Son of Jorvik.
• Old cellar mystery couldn’t be completed as the tablet wasn’t there.
• Unable to interact with NPC in Goddess of Birth.
• Players sometimes didn’t receive Orphans of the Fens after completing the quest The Great Scattered Army.
• Unable to access the quest The Way of the Berserker (with Ubisoft Connect overlay disabled)
• The duel with Dag didn’t trigger after sleeping during A Storm is Brewing.
• Hunwald doesn’t follow Eivor if they meditate after a drinking mini-game in Homecoming.
• The boss in Extended Family could get stuck under certain circumstances.
• A Plague of Rats not working during the last phase of the fight with Dag.

River Raids & Mastery Challenge

Addressed:

• Enemies disappear from some River Raids locations after looting a chest, or it resets.
• Looting resource chests does not award Fabrics after fully completing at least 1 Mastery Challenge shrine.
• Unable to return to the settlement after a River Raid.
• Unable to start the River Raids tutorial after loading an auto-save twice during A River to Raid.
• NPCs fell from their stations occasionally and died in Mastery Challenge.
• Oil jars exploded before entering the Templebrough Fort Ranged Challenge if exiting and restarting the trial after destroying them.
• The alert level didn’t increase when raiding a Fortress.
• Mastery Challenge achievements and trophies didn’t transfer between platforms.
• Gold medal couldn’t be obtained anymore during stealth trial in Calleva Outpost, under certain circumstances.

Graphics, Audio, and Animation

Addressed:

• Numerous graphics or lighting issues.
• Various animation issues.
• Numerous Menu Narration issues.

Gameplay, Combat, and AI

Addressed:

• Numerous NPC behavior issues.
• Finisher Cameras for some animal takedowns isn’t disabled while the option is turned off.

World

Addressed:

• Instances where Eivor, NPCs, or the longship would get stuck.
• Instances of misplaced or floating objects or textures.
• Fast travel to Viewpoints while disembarking could cause Eivor to offset from the location.

User Interface/HUD

Addressed:

• Numerous UI/HUD issues.
• Numerous VFX, GFX, UI elements weren’t adapted for colorblind modes.
• The Sort By call to action in the runes section will now display the next sorting option available and not the one that is currently applied.

Skills & Abilities

Addressed:

• Paladin perk for increased stamina consumption on attack didn’t apply
• Scythe of Tribulation Perk wasn’t working correctly.
• Couldn’t sprint while on the mount after acquiring Heidrun Slam.
• Moon’s Cut perk activated if the player shot any object.
• Auto-pathing is not functional on main skill nodes.
• Eivor kept an arrow in their hand after using some range abilities.
• Crescent Shield’s perk activates only once after a parry and doesn’t stack.

Performance and Stability

• Improved performance and stability.

We are not an experiment.
We are the underdog; the underestimated. We are the ceiling-breakers. We are the celebration of culture and joy that will persevere after an embattled year.
We are the surprise.
I’m fired the f**k up to make history on September 3rd; JOIN US. pic.twitter.com/IcyFzh0KIb

— Simu Liu (刘思慕) (@SimuLiu) August 14, 2021

Call of Duty: Vanguard‘s multiplayer is set to be formally revealed today, September 7, as part of a livestream. Ahead of the event, we’re rounding up everything you need to know as Activision prepares to reveal the next generation of Call of Duty multiplayer.

How To Watch The Call of Duty: Vanguard Reveal:

The multiplayer reveal will take place live on Twitch and YouTube through the official Call of Duty channels. The action begins at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET–you can see more start times below.

Start Times:

• 10 AM PT
• 1 PM ET
• 6 PM BST
• 3 AM AEST (Wednesday, September 8)

What To Expect At Call Of Duty: Vanguard Reveal Event

The big event will serve as the proper introduction to Vanguard’s multiplayer package. One of the modes, Champion Hill, was playable during an alpha test for PlayStation users in August, but the event on Tuesday promises more details across the board for Vanguard’s multiplayer.

In terms of what we know already, Activision has said Vanguard will have 20 multiplayer maps at launch, which is the most in the history of the Call of Duty franchise.

Whether or not today’s livestream touches on the battle royale game Warzone remains to be seen. As announced previously, Warzone is getting a new map later this year, presumably around the time that Vanguard launches in November. Activision is also launching new anti-cheat software for Warzone to help get rid of cheaters.

For many, multiplayer is the bread and butter of the Call of Duty series, so expectations are high for Activision to deliver the goods during the Vanguard reveal today. The game runs on the Modern Warfare engine, which also powers Warzone. This is a big deal because 2020’s Black Ops Cold War used a different engine.

Following the multiplayer reveal today, Activision will host a PlayStation-exclusive beta test September 10-13 for people who preorder Vanguard. Open betas for everyone, across all platforms and regardless of preorder status, will take place later in the month.

The reveal of Vanguard’s multiplayer and the beta tests are happening at the same time as a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard, in which the state of California alleges a culture of sexual harassment and discrimination against women.

Denis Villeneuve has spoken about his journey translating Dune from page to screen and has revealed that there is one particular reference he wishes he could have included in his movie.

IGN’s Jim Vejvoda recently attended a roundtable interview with Villeneuve, in which the director discussed the challenge of making his film adaptation accessible to both hardcore fans and Dune newcomers. He explained that he focused on “some specific elements” from Frank Herbert’s seminal sci-fi saga, which unfortunately meant others had to be omitted.

“From the start, I knew that I would like to focus on some specific elements,” Villeneuve said of his approach. “Because when you adapt, necessarily you transform. The idea was to be as close to the spirit of the book as possible, to be as close to the poetry. I am a massive fan of Dune. It’s a book that stayed with me for over 35 years, and it’s a book that I deeply know.”

Villeneuve admitted it was difficult to find the equilibrium in order to satisfy fans of the book as well as mainstream audiences. Ultimately, he had to decide what to include and exclude from the book for his movie and as a result of that process Gurney Halleck’s nine-stringed musical instrument, better known as the baliset, ended up on the cutting room floor.

“I will say something to you guys… there’s one thing that it’s painful for me,” Villeneuve confessed at the recent roundtable interview. “It’s Gurney Halleck’s baliset. It’s something that I shot. It’s something that exists. Josh [Brolin] was awesome, but for several reasons, I wasn’t able to put it in Part One.”

Josh Brolin portrays Duke Leto’s gruff chief officer in the upcoming movie. As a warrior and poet-musician, Gurney instructs Paul Atreides in the military arts, including the use of energy shields and daggers to combat their mortal enemies, the Harkonnens, but we now know that the multi-talented master-of-arms will be saving his baliset-playing for another day.

The lute-like instrument did, however, make an appearance in the extended release of David Lynch’s 1984 movie, which starred Sir Patrick Stewart as Halleck. In this version, Halleck, much like the character from the book, toted around the musical zither so that he could occasionally swap swords for strings and break out into a freestyle jam session.

While Villeneuve’s Dune will be baliset-free, there is a chance it could appear in Dune Part 2 if Warner Bros. greenlights the project. Villeneuve has already stated that he would love to bring the follow-up to the screen “as soon as possible” and is planning to shoot Part 2 in 2022, should the movie get the approval it needs to move out of the starting blocks.

As it currently stands, however, Dune Part 1 is set to simultaneously release in theaters and on HBO Max on October 22. The movie had its world premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival on September 3, and the first impressions of the star-studded sci-fi epic have started to emerge. Read IGN’s review of Dune by clicking here.

Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

George Mawle, a former gameplay engineer at Sony Santa Monica described as one of the “fathers” of God of War’s much-loved Leviathan Axe, sadly died on September 2.

Mawle worked at Sony Santa Monica as a programmer during the studio’s work on the 2018 PS4 exclusive, God of War. His work on the game’s signature Leviathan Axe, as well as a number of other gameplay features, will be remembered by fans and co-workers for years to come. Sony Santa Monica creative director Cory Barlog described Mawle as “an amazingly funny, smart and warm human being. He was one of the fathers of the Leviathan feel. Without his curiosity and intellect those moments of pure joy recalling the axe would never have existed. “

Studio lead combat designer Mihir Sheth worked with Mawle during his time at Sony Santa Monica and was just one of many who paid tribute to the late engineer on social media.

In a thread on Twitter, Sheth explained, “If you’ve ever enjoyed throwing & recalling the Leviathan Axe, or twirling the chains of the Blades of Chaos in GOW’18, please take a moment to recognize that it was possible in large part to the engineering and energy of George Mawle.”

Like many others throughout his 20+ year career in game development, I sat next to or near George everyday for over five years, have worked with him through thick and thin, and have been hit hard by the shocking news.

— Mihir Sheth (@youtheremehere) September 4, 2021

Sheth continued elsewhere in the thread, “At SMS, he worked on Kratos’ weaponry, navigation, RPG systems, a myriad of combat behaviours, improvements to the scripting system to empower designers, and SO much more. He was a veteran on the team who played a huge role in closing out the game and squashing bugs.”

Whilst God of War was the last published title that Mawle left his mark on, his career spanned a number of other games including but not limited to Prototype 2, Crash of the Titans, and Scarface: The World is Yours. According to Sheth, the programmer enjoyed taking up a number of side projects in his time away from the studio too. The lead combat designer went on to say that Mawle would proudly show others his own homemade cookbooks, carpentry projects, and homemade films.

I had a chance to visit him and his wife Lisa at his home in Acton (named “The Snugglebug Ranch”) and experience the legendary fully branded home theater he had built. He was extremely proud of it and pictures don’t do it justice. pic.twitter.com/d6TZqmRHtS

— Mihir Sheth (@youtheremehere) September 4, 2021

In addition to Sheth, a number of other former co-workers and fans of Mawle’s work across social media also took to social media to pay tribute to the late programmer. You can read a collection of some of their comments about him below:

If you loved God of War’s gameplay George had a huge hand in it: he was the man who made the axe happen, driving nearly all the programming on it start to finish.

But his career was decades long. Across all sorts of projects he would excitedly tell you about in loving detail.

— Sam Handrick (@MDSVeritas) September 4, 2021

George was such an amazingly funny, smart and warm human being. He was one of the fathers of the Leviathan feel. Without his curiosity and intellect those moments of pure joy recalling the axe would never have existed.

Absolutely breaks my heart that he is gone.

RIP brother💔 https://t.co/ILpeSQUsk0

— cory barlog 🖖 (@corybarlog) September 6, 2021

The only good part about him leaving SMS a few months back was that it gave us the opportunity to say goodbye and say how much we’d miss being around each other.

I’ll aim to work more like Furious George and try to impact younger devs the way he impacted me. RIP, bruv.

— Anthony DiMento (@DiMentoXP) September 4, 2021

All of us at IGN offer our condolences to Mawle’s family and friends.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN.

2K Sports has revealed more information about NBA 2K22 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, and the next-gen consoles are getting the most expansive experience, it seems.

NBA 2K22 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S will feature an upgraded version of the social hub called The City. In the new game, players can take on quests that advance their story career and upgrade their homes. As an example, 2K said players can attach a zipline to their penthouse so they can travel directly to a specific basketball court, because why not.

Overall, The City’s player population limit is increased with the aim of making it feel as if it’s “teeming with life.” There will be new NPCs in the game world, too, to help it feel more alive. New buildings have been added as well, including Club 2K, which is where players can listen to the new music that comes to the game with each of its seasonal events.

Players can also earn rewards in The City, including go-karts they can use to get around faster. New emotes, custom name plates, and animations can also be unlocked.

The race series also returns in NBA 2K22, and this time with huge rewards. Each week, there will be a new racecourse set in The City and players will ride a skateboard, BMX bike, or another mode of transport with the aiming of finishing first to claim a prize of 1 million VC.

The City also introduces new matchmaking buildings that players can enter to jump into different playlists such as 3v3 against other human players or against AI. There is also an option to play a 1v1 match to find out who has the best skills.

For players on PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC, they can look forward to a social hub of their own in the form of the “Cancha del Mar.” This is a giant cruise ship featuring different basketball-related activities to take part in. And as part of NBA 2K22’s new “seasons” approach, players can visit a new location–with its own distinct events and rewards–each time a new season rolls around.

This is just a small sampling of what’s new in NBA 2K22 for its social spaces. Be sure to read the full Courtside Report blog post to see a full rundown of what’s available.

NBA 2K22 launches on September 10 across PS4, Xbox One, and PC, as well as PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. Preorders for NBA 2K22 are now available.