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Last week, Sony officially opened up preorders for Horizon Forbidden West ahead of the game’s release on PS4 and PS5 in February next year. Curiously it was bound to be the first exclusive from Sony without a PS4-to-PS5 upgrade path, forcing you to purchase the $80 Digital Deluxe edition if you needed both. Sony has since reversed that decision, which has inadvertently made the PS5 version of the game a less sensible purchase, especially if you’re buying digitally.

Right now, the PS4 version of Horizon Forbidden West retails for $60, while the PS5 version is listed for $70. This isn’t too surprising–all of Sony’s exclusives outside of launch titles that are also cross-gen have followed this pattern, including Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut most recently. Unlike those, however, the PS4-to-PS5 upgrade for the PS4 version is going to be free following Sony’s announcement over the weekend, making the $10 premium for the base PS5 version a costly option for what it gets you.

In fact, paying $70 outright for the PS5 version might be a worse value proposition too. With the PS4 version of the game and its inherent free upgrade, you are getting Horizon Forbidden West for two consoles. The base PS5 version is only for Sony’s new console, so you lose out of that additional platform while also paying $10 more, which makes little sense. If you’re buying the physical version, you do get the PS5 case and disc, which might be important to you if you’re proud of your physical collection.

It’s clear that this is something Sony might address in the coming weeks, since it’s a little confusing now to those without context as to why one version is more expensive than the other (especially since the PS4 version on PSN doesn’t make the free upgrade option that clear). It could be that Sony is devising a method to compensate for preorders that occurred before its reversal before aligning the prices of both versions.

Either way, take this as a PSA to only preorder the PS4 version if you are planning to before launch, since there’s no reason to pay any more than that for the standard edition.

It’s hard to say exactly when Epic Games began developing the Fortnite lore bible, but one thing is certain: No season of Fortnite has ever put its narrative in as bright a spotlight as Season 7. With Fortnite Season 8 just around the corner, it’s time for a Season 7 refresher.

Even with the emphasis on the story this season, there are details Epic does not outright confirm, leaving me to infer some plot points from things like battle pass cosmetics, seasonal quests, and environmental clues. To be honest, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Lost has been off the air for over a decade. I need a new mystery-box in my life. Here’s everything that happened in the Fortnite Season 7 storyline, just in time for Fortnite Season 8.

Aliens Attack – The Last Reality

At the end of Season 6, Raz’s plans to wield the Zero Point for his own gains backfired, and in toying with the island’s lifeforce as he did, he mistakenly alerted an alien civilization named The Last Reality, who previously either did not know of the island or had been leaving it alone.

Small-scale abductions of individual loopers began toward the end of Season 6 before the aliens eventually attacked in full force. The Mothership arrived and cast a dark shadow over the entire island. Emboldened by their successful infiltration of the Imagined Order (IO)–the mysterious organization that seems to maintain the island’s functionality–the aliens hijacked the IO’s technology and used it to abduct the Zero Point, leaving only a crater where the all-important orb once glowed. It also sent The Foundation–a cryptic character in his own right who was stuck inside the Zero Point–flying into the ocean somewhere. We haven’t seen him return just yet.

With control of the island, the aliens began monitoring all regions of it, even as the Imagined Order set up camp at Corny Complex as well as satellite stations all across Apollo to conduct their own research. Patrolling the streets with their ray guns while intimidating players from above with their flying saucers and Abductors, the aliens seemed insurmountable for many weeks.

The Stalemate

In the first few weeks following the takeover by The Last Reality, the island entered a period of prolonged tension. The aliens had a vise-grip on the people of Apollo, while the Imagined Order didn’t seem equipped to understand their plans–never mind thwart them. We know from her battle pass loading screen that Doctor Slone had trained her whole life, in body and mind, to find herself in her role as IO leader. She was made for this. So little by little, she plotted.

With the player’s help, Slone conducted a number of surveillance missions for several weeks. She set up dead drops in Weeping Woods to communicate clandestinely. She set up scanning devices around places like Retail Row to spy on the aliens remotely. She exhausted every resource to learn more about The Last Reality. If she could figure out who they were, she could figure out what their weakness is, or so she seemed to think.

For several weeks, her efforts were not in vain. The existence of new weapons such as the Plasma Cannon, the Grab-itron, and the Prop-ifier were each the result of Slone’s studious efforts. The IO was able to translate the alien technology, like their saucers’ offensive weapons and their shape-shifting abilities, into new handheld firearms for their own counterattacks. But these weapons would not cast out the aliens permanently, especially with a traitor in the midst.

The Traitor

Just as Slone was making progress gathering more intel on the aliens, she became aware of a possible mole within the Imagined Order’s ranks. With the player’s help, Slone investigated this leak, hoping she could patch it before it sank her proverbial ship. After closely inspecting all of her underlings, it was revealed that Maven was the mole who had been aiding the aliens with their mission of total dominance over Apollo. It’s bad enough that characters like Sunny were throwing pro-invasion parties all season long at Believer Beach, but Maven had direct access to the IO’s inner workings. That’s a whole other level of disloyalty.

Interestingly, Slone did unmask the mole successfully back in July, but appears to have withheld that knowledge from Maven herself, who has continued her operations out of the dish station near Craggy Cliffs. Only this week will players finally confront the mole according to the Week 14 challenges. It seems Slone turned her security flaw into an advantage, perhaps feeding Maven faulty intel that she knew would be passed on to the alien overlords. Slone later went on to woo Joey, another double agent, turning her into a triple agent. With Joey’s newfound allegiance and her own internal leaks patched up, Slone put her long-stewing plan into action.

The Abductions And The Countermeasure

The aliens ramped up their efforts and began outright abducting not just loopers, but entire buildings. First it was Slurpy Swamp, then it was Coral Castle. In both cases, the regions that once hosted signature places of interest such as the Slurp factory and Atlantian towers were swept up into the Mothership. Their next target is Corny Complex, and it’s being swallowed up by the tractor beam of the Mothership this very week.

What the aliens don’t seem to know, however, is that Slone likes it that way. Under Corny Complex is the IO headquarters, and it’s there where she developed and built the Countermeasure Device. This curiously named object has not yet revealed its function, though many Fortnite lore chasers suspect it’s a Trojan Horse-like bomb that the aliens will unwittingly detonate after abducting it this week. One thing is for sure: The Countermeasure Device is very much meant to be abducted. What comes next is anyone’s guess. It’s also exactly what players will take part in during Operation: Sky Fire, the season finale interactive event that begins this Sunday, September 12 at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET.

Fortnite Season 8

We expect the Sky Fire finale to lead directly into Fortnite Season 8, and perhaps more than usual. Typically, seasons of Fortnite are only loosely related to one another–the overarching story is there but themes and characters are largely refreshed completely. But a recent tease by Donald Mustard indicates Season 8 might be more of a sequel than a refresh. Recently asked to describe the upcoming season in one word, Epic’s Chief Creative Officer instead gave three: “The Last Reality.”

Given that’s the name of the alien civilization in Fortnite, that suggests we haven’t seen the last of the aliens. What could that mean for Operation: Sky Fire? Where did these aliens come from? Is Farmer Steel still sitting in his bunker eating corn cobs? There’s still so much to learn, and in due time we’ll begin to piece together a whole new set of clues and plot points. Fortnite Season 8 is upon us.

Rainbow Six Siege’s Operation Crystal Guard update is live now, bringing Croation operator Osa into the fold along with a new battle pass, a number of map reworks, and a major change to the game’s armor system.

Osa, an attacker and the game’s first transgender operator, carries the versatile new Talon-8 shield. Made out of a transparent, bulletproof material, Osa can carry the shield for personal defense, or plant it to grant protection to her team. Osa is available for use immediately for players who purchase the Year 6 Season 3 battle pass, or can be acquired for free starting September 21 either with in-game currency or Rainbow Six Siege’s premium currency.

Major map changes have come to Coastline, Bank, and Clubhouse as part of the update, with each map receiving more destructible elements, new bomb placement sites, and more modifications. Several operators will be receiving updates too, with significant changes to operators including Fuze and Twitch. Fuze, for example, can now deploy his cluster charge through reinforced surfaces (albeit at a slower speed), while Twitch’s shock drone is now only usable during a match’s action phase but comes with the ability to destroy, rather than simply disable, enemy gadgets.

The map and operator updates come alongside a major change to how the game’s armor system works–it’s actually being removed. Operators that previously sported higher armor will now have that armor converted into additional health. Players will also have more personalization options when it comes to Elite skins, which will now allow players to mix-and-match uniforms and headgear from Elite sets as long as they are both owned and able to be equipped by the same operator.

For a full breakdown of all the new additions and changes, be sure to check out the complete patch notes. Rainbow Six Siege will be free-to-play from September 9 to September 12 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and on PC via the Epic Games Store and Ubisoft Connect.

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.