The Bloodborne community is organising a month-long Halloween event where players must dress in costume, head to Yharnam, and invade as much as possible.
The unofficial “Official Return to Yharnam” party runs from midnight on October 5 to November 5, and the rules are taking shape based on which suggestions get upvoted the most on the Bloodborne subreddit.
So far the rules include: Create a new character, dress from a list of costumes (like the Grim Reaper – made from a crow hunter outfit with the foreigner hood and burial blade), and invade as often as you’re able.
Australia is home to a lot of things. Cute mammals. Deadly insects. Good coffee. It also has the honor of being the only country outside of the USA to host a PAX. This year, PAX Aus is happening again in Melbourne, Victoria from October 11-13. And, for the fourth year running, GameSpot’s Australian team (with some help from our friends at CNET) are hosting the GameSpot Theatre!
GameSpot Theatre at PAX Aus 2019 will be full of weird and wonderful stuff. This year, we have the fine folks from CD Projekt RED stopping by to show off Cyberpunk 2077, as well as the team from Sledgehammer Games giving us a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. The GameSpot staff will appear to argue about very important things like which Bioware love interest is the best (with Dragon Age Lead Writer David Gaider!), and which Fire Emblem: Three Houses character would survive a battle royale, and which Pokemon we would “Pet”, Marry, or Kill.
Below you can find the PAX Aus schedule for GameSpot Theatre. If you’re in Melbourne, come on down! If you’re not in Melbourne, bookmark the heck out of this page and come back to check out our livestream! All the panels will also be published separately when PAX Aus ends.
Developers from Sledgehammer Games will be giving us a behind-the-scenes look at Call of Duty: Modern Warfare on October 11
Friday, October 11
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Super Mario Maker 2: The Speed Fun Run
Nintendo has built an exclusive PAX Aus 2019 Super Mario Maker 2 course to test out your skills! Come along and watch the GameSpot crew succeed (or not) and then give it a go for yourself!
Featuring Jess McDonell [GameSpot] and Dan Crowd [Formerly of GameSpot, but we’re bringing him back for this one]
From taking down the mighty Golden Gate Bridge and drop podding into Seoul in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare to recreating Operations Neptune and Cobra in Call of Duty: WWII, creating the signature “Big Moments” in a video game is no easy task. Join the Art Direction leadership of Sledgehammer Games to take a deep dive into the planning and execution of some of their biggest game moments from concept art and storyboarding, to lighting vfx and polish.
Featuring Joseph Salud [Art Director, Sledgehammer Games], Sandy Lin-Chiang [Associate Art Director, Sledgehammer Games], Gareth Richards [VFX Art Lead, Sledgehammer Games], Josh Caratelli [Software Engineer, Sledgehammer Games]
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM | Fire Emblem Three Houses Battle Royale: There Can Only Be One Teacher’s Pet
There are a lot of students at Garreg Mach Monastery, and not all of them are going to make it out of this time jump alive. With your help, we’re going to pit individual students from Fire Emblem: Three Houses against each other in a battle to argue over who, in fact, is the actual best boy or girl. It’s going to be an unpredictable battle, and a lot of feelings are going to be hurt. But one thing’s for sure: Lorenz ain’t going to win.
3:30 PM – 4:30 PM | Behind the Scenes of Call of Duty with Sledgehammer Audio
How do you go about reinventing the audio experience for a well-established game like Call of Duty? How do you make the audio sound fresh, next-gen and state of the art in the 14th installment of a franchise? Members of the Sledgehammer Games Audio Team will take attendees behind the scenes of Call of Duty to discuss and challenge proven, yet potentially outdated, development practices. Attendees will walk away with innovative, but more importantly, replicable development techniques for field recording, room calibration, audio production, and mixing designed to benefit both the big-budget AAA franchises and the small indie teams alike.
Featuring David Swenson [Sr. Audio Director, Sledgehammer Games – Activision], Michael Caisley [Expert Sound Designer, Sledgehammer Games – Activision]
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM | Horse Beats Train: The Great Legend Of Zelda Debate
The Legend of Zelda series is over 30 years old, and in that time we’ve seen some wild stuff. Demon trains. Hats that look like birds. Tingle. If you ask me all of these things are great, but we all know that Zelda fans can never agree on anything. Join us as we argue over the series’ best and worst weapons, outfits, sidekicks, antagonists, powers, and more—and get ready to tell us how wrong we are.
Featuring Edmond Tran [GameSpot], Mark Serrels [CNET], Shona Johnson [Zelda Universe], Ginny Woo [Prima Games], Olivia Haines [Game Developer and Artist]
6:30 PM – 7:30 PM | Wrestlevania 2K20: Giving Wrestlers The Power Rating They Deserve
You know how in every wrestling game, each wrestler has a power rating? Well, they’re all wrong. It’s time to give wrestlers the correct power ratings they deserve.
Featuring Daniel Van Boom [CNET], Mark Serrels [CNET], Jackson Ryan [CNET], Joab Gilroy [Red Bull]
On October 12, we argue over the best Bioware love interests with Dragon Age Origins lead writer David Gaider, which won’t be awkward at all
Saturday, October 12
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Peeking Behind the Curtain with Summerfall Studios
Join Summerfall Studios’ David Gaider and Liam Esler as they explore their rich history with narrative games and what that have in store in their future.
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM | Are We The Baddies?
Everyone loves a hero. They are good, they are brave, and they ALWAYS triumph over evil. But do we only believe this because history is written by the victors? What if the good guys were actually the bad guys? Their time is over- we see through their do-gooder facade. It’s time to find the Worst Good Guy.
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM | Dolphin Tub: Pitch Us Your Excellent/Terrible Game Ideas!
Think you have a great idea for a video game? Come pitch it to a panel of professional critics, developers, and marketing people to see whether you need to drop everything you’re doing in your life immediately to run off with the video game circus.
3:30 PM – 4:30 PM | Fakin’ It Part II: The Reviewerning
Your favorite panel from PAX Aus 2017 is back, with a twist! Professional game reviewers attempt to trash universally beloved, and here’s the twist: one of the panelists actually hates it. Can you pick which panelist is a godforsaken heathen? 10/10 games, 10/10 hilarity (review-in-progress score).
Featuring Jess McDonell [GameSpot], Joab Gilroy [Red Bull], Dan Van Boom [CNET], Nic Healey [ABC Radio], Angharad Yeo [Good Game: Spawn Point]
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM | Falling For Bioware: Love Interest Battle Royale
Ship up or shape out! Or something! Everybody who has ever played a Mass Effect or Dragon Age game will undoubtedly have their favorite romance option, but what happens when you can only pick one? We pit Thedas heartthrobs directly against lovers from outer space in a bangin’ bracket to determine the singular best Bioware love interest of all time.
Featuring Jess McDonell [GameSpot], Nicole Archer [CNET], Ginny Woo [Prima Games], Nic Healey [ABC Radio], David Gaider [Summerfall Studios]
6:30 PM – 7:30 PM | Extra Life: Games as a Service And What Keeps Them Growing
With the launch of Overwatch on the Switch, we try to unpack what kind of magic brings people back to persistent games. Between community, expansion packs, and special events, what is the key to giving games like Overwatch, Final Fantasy XIV, Destiny 2, Monster Hunter World, and Fortnite longevity?
Featuring Edmond Tran [GameSpot], Rich Lambert [Zenimax Online Studios], Dean Woodward [League of Geeks], Domino Jack [Overwatch Streamer/Caster], Tamsin Wood [Destiny Content Creator]
CD Projekt RED are giving us a look at Cyberpunk 2077 on the last day of PAX Aus. We can’t wait.
Sunday, October 12
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM | “Pet”, Marry, Kill: Pokémon Edition
There’s one thing we can all agree on—there are too many damn Pokémon. You know it, we know it, Nintendo and Game Freak know it. So what better way to spend an hour of PAX killing off a good chunk of the 800+ strong Pokédex and making sure we celebrate our favourites in our own, uh, special way?
Featuring Daniel Van Boom [CNET], Edmond Tran [GameSpot], Nicole Archer [CNET], Leah Williams [Kotaku Australia], Jackson Ryan [CNET], Dan Crowd [Professional Petter]
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM | CD Projekt Red Presents Cyberpunk 2077
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2:00 PM – 3:00 PM | We Rate Video Game Dogs, Again
How do scientists use games as a laboratory for human behavior? Do video games really cause addiction? What if the way we play and develop video games could fight global inequality, or even climate change! We live in a scary, post-truth world and games often provide a safe space for us to escape to. But can games be a powerful tool to fight the tide of “alternative facts”.
Featuring Tim Young [Astrophysicist, Guerrilla Astronomy], Megan Pusey [PhD Candidate, Murdoch University], Phill English [Resource Scientist, [redacted]]
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM | GameSpot’s Infamous Trivia Hour Mark III
Answer questions about games! Win cool stuff! It’s just that easy! Come hang out with us for an hour of video game trivia intended to get cool merch directly into your paws.
Featuring Jess McDonell [GameSpot], Eddie Makuch [GameSpot], Nicole Archer [CNET]
The new comic book movie Joker is one of the most talked-about films of 2019, and it is expected to enjoy a massive opening at the box office around the world.
According to Deadline, Joker–which stars Joaquin Phoenix in the title role–is tracking to make $155 million worldwide for its opening frame. That would make it the second-best October release in the history of movies, only behind 2018’s Venom ($207.4 million).
In the US and Canada alone, Joker is expected to make more than $80 million to surpass venom ($80.25 million) to set a new record for best domestic October opening in cinema history. A previous estimate had Joker making $90 million in the US/Canada for its opening.
Joker was produced on budget of only $55 million, which is significantly below the budgets of other comic book movies. That was by design, as director Todd Phillips pitched Joker as something completely different than the standard comic book movie fare.
Phillips originally pitched Joker as a movie that exists inside a new label of standalone, more character-focused films. If Joker is a commercial success, you can imagine Warner Bros. looking to make more, though nothing is confirmed at this stage.
“The original idea when I went to Warners was not just about one movie but a label, a side-label to DC where you can do these kind of character study, low-rent, low-budget movies where you get a filmmaker to come in and do some deep dive into a character,” Phillips said.
Joker’s $55 million budget does not include marketing expenses. If you’ve existed in the real world or been on the internet, you have likely seen ads for Joker, suggesting the marketing spend on Joker has been not insignificant. Still, if Joker can make $155 million for its opening weekend that would presumably make it a commercially successful movie.
Joker has found itself in the middle of controversy, including concerns about real-world violence. Speaking at the New York Film Festival on Wednesday, director Todd Phillips said he continues to be surprised by the reaction to Joker. “To me, I thought, ‘Isn’t it a good thing to put real-world implications on violence? Isn’t it a good thing to take away the cartoon element of violence that we’ve become so immune to?'” Phillips said, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Phillips said he doesn’t agree with how some people are saying he was “irresponsible” to make Joker, a movie that some are saying may inspire real-world violence. In fact, Phillips said, “It seems actually very responsible to make it feel real and make it have weight and implication.”
“I mean, it’s a complicated movie and I’ve said it before, I think it’s okay that it’s complicated,” Phillips added. “But I didn’t imagine the level of discourse that it’s sort of reached in the world, honestly. I think it’s interesting. I think it’s okay that it sparks conversations and that there are debates around it. My mantra’s always been the film is the statement. It’s great to talk about it, but it’s much more helpful if you’ve seen it.”
Adding on to that point, Phillips said a lot of the discussion surrounding Joker has come from people who haven’t seen the movie. “There’s been so much conversation around the movie by people who haven’t seen the movie,” he said.
Joker premieres on October 4. For more, check out GameSpot’s Joker review, which awarded the film a 10/10 rating.
After negotiations between Disney and Sony over the future of Spider-Man movies stalled, it was believed that Spider-Man would leave the MCU and the two companies head their separate ways. However, a new deal announced on September 27 confirmed that Marvel will produce a third Spider-Man film for Sony, with Spider-Man appearing in one Marvel movie (or more). Now, more details about the deal have emerged.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney will get 25 percent of the box office net gross for the third Spider-Man film starring Tom Holland, which comes to theatres in July 2021. The terms of the deal also reportedly specify that Disney will pay 25 percent of the movie’s budget.
According to sources, Disney originally wanted even more favorable terms. The House of Mouse reportedly asked for a 50-50 co-financing deal before the two sides agreed to 25-25.
The report states that Disney originally made the 50-50 offer in January, and Sony didn’t come back with a counter-offer for nearly six months. In June, Disney’s top movie boss, Alan Horn, “abruptly broke off negotiations” just before the release of Spider-Man: Far From Home, according to the report.
So what helped the two sides finally come to terms? The report states that Spider-Man actor Tom Holland himself–who is only 23 years old–contacted Disney CEO Bob Iger and Sony film boss Tom Rothman multiple times to help encourage them to make a deal.
According to the report, Holland held some additional sway because he is attached to star in another major upcoming Sony movie, Uncharted. A potential partnership between Disney and Sony for a third Spider-Man movie was “100 percent dead” before Holland stepped in, according to the report.
The Hollywood Reporter’s sources said Disney earned a “nominal” producing fee of less than five percent of the box office grosses for the previous two movies, Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home. With the new terms giving Disney 25 percent of net grosses, the company is earning 400 percent more money in the new deal. Adding to this, Disney already owns the lucrative merchandising rights to Spider-Man.
Far From Home, which made more than $1 billion at the box office, ended on a massive cliffhanger. For more, check out GameSpot’s spoiler-filled video in the embed above.
With the start of Season 3: Meltdown, Apex Legends received the largest update it ever has–implementing so much new content that the game is almost unrecognizable from what it was in Season 2. Whether a conscious decision or not, the new changes make for an experience that’s more accessible to those who haven’t played the battle royale in a while or are looking to start.
Fundamentally, Apex Legends is still the same game. You still team up with two other players in a 20-team battle royale match. Every previous Legend is still playable as well, giving a leg up to those who’ve been playing the game since launch. However, with Season 3, a lot has changed, giving newcomers time to get acclimated to how Apex Legends works while veterans get readjusted.
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For one, the map is completely different. Everyone plays on World’s Edge, as Kings Canyon has been (most likely only temporarily) removed. So all the strategies that tie into knowing the terrain–whether it’s ideal drop spots, best sniping locations, or secret hiding nooks–all have to be discovered again. For the first time in a while, veterans don’t have an advantage when it comes to knowing the map inside and out because everything is brand-new.
World’s Edge is also huge, easily more than twice the size of Kings Canyon. This provides two benefits for those who aren’t used to Apex Legends’ fast-paced firefights. For one, there are now way more viable places to land and find decent loot, so it’s easier to avoid dropping next to another squad right at the start. And second, because the map is so big, you’re not going to run into other squads nearly as often in the beginning of the match. There are now long stretches of nothingness between firefights–something that almost never occurred in Kings Canyon–providing numerous opportunities in a match to safely heal and loot for supplies. The vastness of World’s Edge means you’re likely to see enemy squads before they can ambush you too. You have to contend with snipers more often as a result, but the new map has certainly made Apex Legends matches play out a lot more slowly.
All of which isn’t to say the fast-paced battles are gone. For those looking for a more traditional Apex Legends experience, you have options. The blue circle that highlights high-tier loot areas is back and the loot-heavy dropship has been replaced by an equally loot-filled train. Both spots are clearly marked on your map, making them both easy to find and avoid.
Weapon loot has also been changed to better appeal to new players. Respawn has redesigned many of the weapons so that you no longer need to know which guns are objectively the best, you just have to find the firearms you’re best with. Two of the stronger weapon attachments in the game–disruptor ammo and skullpiercer rifling–have been removed, affecting every weapon that utilized either hop-up. Specifically, the Alternator and Wingman have dropped in utility, no longer being nearly as dominant as they previously were. Both guns were almost unfairly powerful with their corresponding hop-up attached, but only if you were a decent shot; the Alternator has a powerful recoil and the Wingman requires an exceptionally steady and patient hand under pressure to be effective. It’s not easy to be proficient at either one at first, especially if you’re new to first-person shooters, presenting a significant advantage for those who’ve been playing Apex Legends for a while. Now that advantage is just gone.
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In place of those weapon attachments, a bunch of guns that are fairly easy to use have brand-new hop-ups in Season 3. The two easiest assault rifles to use in the game, the R-301 and Flatline, (as they have no wind-up time and possess fairly low recoil and decent range) have a new attachment, the anvil receiver, that increases their semi-auto damage. The easiest sniper rifle to use, the G7 Scout (as it has low recoil and semi-auto fire), and the far easier of the two shotguns to use, the EVA-8 (as it fires very quickly), have a new double tap trigger hop-up that allows them to fire two shots with every trigger pull. Respawn has also implemented various buffs and nerfs across most of the library of firearms in Apex Legends, all of which have seemingly created a more balanced experience.
The new weapon, the Charge Rifle, is also a nice addition, presenting a fairly beginner-friendly option for long-range combat. Though it requires time to charge, the weapon fires a targeting laser as it’s warming up. Provided your scope has a powerful enough zoom to see what you’re shooting at, the targeting laser assists in pinpointing your shot. The laser itself also does minor damage, so even if your shot misses its mark, you’re still assisting your team just by pulling the trigger in the right direction.
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One of the cooler new features added in Season 3 is the brand-new audio cues, specifically warnings for when you’re being attacked by more than one squad. Apex Legends’ firefights can be hectic once the playable safe area becomes small enough, so it’s occasionally difficult to discern one enemy team from another. For anyone who’s worried about holding their team back by not knowing when to retreat, there’s now an audio cue to help you out. If you’re fighting an enemy squad and another squad suddenly tries to flank you, a teammate’s character will call it out. Bangalore, for example, might yell, “Ambush! Ambush! There’s another squad!” or Caustic may call out, “We’re being attacked by two different squads!” It’s a small change, but it makes it so much easier to understand how much the odds may be stacked against you–a boon for those who struggle with situational awareness.
However, more than anything, Crypto’s addition to Apex Legends provides the easiest way to join your friends and not have to worry about knowing how everything works. Crypto is at his best when he’s tucked away in the corner and using his tactical to get eyes on enemy targets. Playing as Crypto actually gives you an excuse to not jump headfirst into a firefight because you benefit your team most by initially pinpointing targets with your drone. You might not rank as high as your teammates for your post-game stats, but playing as Crypto allows you to contribute without being adept at shooters–so you don’t have to worry about your teammates being too angry at you if you’re still learning. Crypto is a great addition to Apex Legends as a result. He’s certainly not the best character for aggressive styles of play, which is common if you decide to participate in Gold or higher ranked play, but he’s definitely the easiest of the current eleven Legends to grasp. At the very least, simply playing as him helps you get acclimated to Apex Legends’ role-centric gameplay as well.
And once you do reach level 10 and go into ranked play, you don’t have to worry about being judged for a low kill count at the end of a match. Ranked matches now also keep track of your assists, rewarding you for your performance if you manage to shoot an enemy a few times before your teammate finishes them off. It’s immensely satisfying to know the game rewards you for fulfilling a support role. In Season 2, it was very difficult to engage in ranked, knowing you were primarily rewarded for only surviving and kills, as it then curated a competition within your squad to get the kill shot over winning together. Apex Legends–which has remained entirely squad-based save for a limited-time solo mode during Season 2–finally feels more like a cooperative experience. If you’re just jumping into Apex Legends with Season 3, you don’t have to immediately be good enough to get kills. And, of course, this new assist system means veteran players will most likely be more willing to come to their less experienced teammate’s aid as well, now knowing their own performance and rank will get a nice boost even if they don’t get the kill shot.
There has never been a better time to get into Apex Legends. Crypto is the most beginner-friendly Legend ever introduced and the distance between veterans and newcomers has been shortened by evening the playing field in terms of guns and forcing everyone to drop onto a brand-new map. Some of these perks will diminish as the season goes on and new patterns settle into old habits but, for now anyway, Season 3 is the most accessible Apex Legends has been for new or inexperienced players since the battle royale game launched.
Once you’ve gotten a foothold on the moon in Destiny 2‘s new Shadowkeep expansion, you’re going to want to get down to business and track down some of that sweet moon loot. To do that, you’ll want to complete the story campaign to gain access to the Lectern of Enchantment, where you can turn a new item, a Nightmare Essence, into a special moon-themed weapon or piece of armor. Once you find the Essence of Brutality, you can convert it into the Loud Lullaby hand cannon–provided you can find another item called a Necromantic Strand. Here’s where to go and what to do to get it.
If you check your Quests log for info about the Essence of Brutality, you’ll get a hint as to where you need to go to get the Necromantic Strand–it’s located in the Hall of Wisdom, which is a location somewhere on the moon. Unfortunately, the spot isn’t marked on your map, and you’ll only know you’ve reached it when the area’s name pops up on your screen. This one isn’t too tough to locate, however, provided you know where to start. Use these step-by-step instructions to get where you need to go:
Where To Find The Necromantic Strand
Spawn in at the Sanctuary landing zone, where you’ll find Eris Morn
Hop on your sparrow and head left toward Archer’s Line
When you enter the area, look up to the right. You’ll spot a broken dome building. Head up toward that.
When you reach the dome, head through it to the other side. Ahead you’ll see a Hive building you can enter.
Head down and into the structure, and keep descending. When you hit the bottom, the first room you’ll enter is the Hall of Wisdom.
Kill the enemies and move forward toward the small square outcropping of Hive architecture, just before you enter the next big room filled with enemies. The Necromantic Strand is on the ground right in front of it.
Where To Find Other Essence Weapon Components
You’ll need to complete two more steps to cleanse the Essence of Brutality so it can be converted into a weapon.
Essence of Brutality Quest Steps
Activities Completed (Lost Sectors, patrols, public events on the moon)
50 Hand Cannon Kills
Collect Necromantic Strand
With the Essence of Brutality fully cleansed, take it back to the Lectern near Eris Morn to unlock the weapon. Once you’ve done that, you can repurchase the Essence of Brutality again from the Lectern, should you want to try for a different roll on the gun. Just note that buying the Essence will cost you a Phantasmal Core, which can be hard to come by. You can get them from completing some of Eris’s bounties, or by purchasing them at the Lectern. They’ll run you either 20 Phantasmal Fragments, which you get for killing Nightmares, or 25 Helium Filaments, the planetary material you’ll find on the moon.
Destiny 2‘s new moon location includes a series of quests you can repeatedly undertake to acquire certain armor and weapons. Through the Lectern of Enchantment and other means, you can acquire Essence quests such as the Essence of Vanity, which nets you the Tranquility sniper rifle. This process involves one tricky step, where you have to find the Horned Wreath in the Chamber of Night. Here’s where the Wreath is located.
Unfortunately, reaching the Horned Wreath is a much more complex process compared with the Captive Cord, for instance. The Wreath is found under the surface of the moon, deep in the series of tunnels that the Hive have constructed. It takes several minutes to get where you need to go. Once you do finally reach the correct area, you’ll receive an objective marker once the Wreath is nearby. Here’s a rough outline of what’s involved.
Where To Find Horned Wreath
Spawn at Sanctuary and hop on your sparrow, making your way out the right exit
Go straight through the Anchor of Light into the Hellmouth
Continue straight until you enter a Hive structure through a hole in the side
Turn left and make your way down the stairs, then turn right to go down another set of stairs
Continue advancing through the ensuing areas until you go down a hallway with a high ceiling and an exit on the left
Move forward and then take a right down the hallway in the next area
You should now be moving through a series of caves, enter a room, and then exit into another set of caves
Proceed into an area with platforms suspended high above a chasm; make a jump over the chasm to go through a door, which should trigger a message saying you’re in the Circle of Bones
Move through the tunnels and the room to enter a wide-open area; head right until you see a doorway with what looks like a bright Hive chandelier above it
Continue along the path and you should be notified you’ve entered The World’s Grave
Take a left and go through the large doorway, then keep advancing until you enter a dark corridor that should trigger your flashlight; you’ll be notified you’re now in the Chamber of Night
Move straight through a series of rooms and hallways filled with enemies until you come into a more wide-open room, and you should–finally!–see an objective marker for the Wreath
As with the other quests like this, finding the Horned Wreath is the trickiest part, but it’s only one of three steps you’ll need to complete.
Essence of Vanity Quest Steps
Activities Completed (patrols, public events, Lost Sectors on the moon)
Sniper Rifle kills
Horned Wreath found
Once you knock out all three steps, you can return to the Lectern to receive Tranquility, a kinetic weapon slot sniper rifle. As with other weapons obtained through Essence quests, you can reacquire the quest from the Lectern to try getting a different roll. Thankfully, the Horned Wreath step only needs to be done the first thing you ever do the quest.
You can purchase Essence of Vanity at the Lectern for a Phantasmal Core, which can be earned from some Eris Morn bounties or bought for 20 Phantasmal Fragments. The Fragments themselves are earned by killing Nightmares, or you can buy them (again at the Lectern) for 25 Helium Fragments.
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When it comes to sales, nothing really surpasses the mania surrounding Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which together make up the biggest shopping weekend of the year. Whether you’ve got your eye on a new console, game, or piece of tech, there’s no better time to snag the products on your wishlist at a discount. But if you’re planning to do your shopping on Cyber Monday, it’s still important to have a plan and know what to expect. While you may not see the other shoppers grabbing things off shelves and tossing them in their carts, know that the best deals will still sell out quickly online. Here’s everything you need to know to prepare for Cyber Monday 2019.
What is Cyber Monday?
Cyber Monday is basically an extension of Black Friday, except you’re sitting at a desk pretending to work while browsing deals instead of physically shoving your way through crowded stores (although many Black Friday deals are, thankfully, available online as well). The online shopping holiday is relatively new, dating back only to 2005, and it was created to encourage people to shop online and to compete with brick-and-mortar stores’ sales on Black Friday.
The online-only deals may not be as good as the doorbuster sales on Black Friday, but since those brick-and-mortar deals tend to have low stock and long lines, you really can’t beat the ease and convenience of shopping on Cyber Monday (and online shopping in general).
When is Cyber Monday 2019?
Cyber Monday is always the Monday after Thanksgiving, and this year, that falls on December 2. Because of Black Friday, many sales will run that entire weekend and even into the following week, but certain deals will become available only on that Monday.
Best Cyber Monday 2019 deals to expect
Cyber Monday deals will likely be on par with what we see during Black Friday 2019, and you can check out our full Black Friday 2019 preview for a guide to what we expect for holiday deals. For now, here’s an overview of the kind of deals you’ll likely see:
Games
Nearly any game from recent years will be marked down, but releases from early 2019, like Resident Evil 2 and Devil May Cry 5, should see some nice discounts in the $15-$30 range. More recent releases, like Zelda: Link’s Awakening and Borderlands 3, may drop as low as $40.
Consoles
Don’t expect to see any crazy deals on the Switch Lite or newer Switch model with better battery life, though we may get some good console bundles during Cyber Monday. We do expect the original Switch model will get discounted to $250 or even less–and that’s not a bad option if you’ve yet to invest in a Nintendo Switch, if you don’t want to commit to handheld-only play.
The PS4 and Xbox One are nearing the end of their lifespans, and as a result, discounts on those systems are common these days. If you’re looking to pick one up during Cyber Monday, you can expect to see the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X as low as $300; meaning, the base consoles may go for less than $200. Keep an eye out for some great console bundles, too, which will throw in a game along with the system.
Other deals
Aside from games and consoles, Cyber Monday will also be a great time to snag a discounted membership for PlayStation Plus, Nintendo Switch Online, or Xbox Game Pass. You’ll also find discounts on VR systems, controllers, headsets, memory cards, computers, Blu-rays, and much, much more.
How to get the best Cyber Monday deals
The same way you get the best Black Friday deals: by paying attention to retailers in the weeks leading up to the event and having a plan. Some retailers will promote their upcoming deals for Cyber Monday, but you can also find leaked Cyber Monday ads online to get a heads-up on what products will be on sale. Of course, you’ll want to stay tuned to GameSpot, as we’ll be covering all the leaked and officially confirmed deals in the weeks leading up to Cyber Monday as well as during the event itself. And remember: If you spot a good deal, hop on it fast, as the hottest products will sell out in the blink of an eye. For the most up-to-date information, be sure to follow GameSpot Deals on Twitter–we’ll keep you posted on the best deals in gaming and entertainment as we spot them.
The Call of Duty franchise is no stranger to mobile gaming. In years past I have fought Call of Duty zombies on a phone, and even used a Nintendo DS stylus to aim down the sights (I don’t recommend it) in similarly scaled-down and unambitious games designed for the limitations of those platforms. But the succinctly titled Call of Duty: Mobile is different. It represents a concerted effort from Activision to make a mark on the notoriously difficult-to-crack and overcrowded mobile market that now includes the likes of Fortnite and PUBG, and it wants to bring in people for the long term. You won’t find a campaign, but the multiplayer modes are substantial and even include a full battle royale. What’s put forth is impressive, though the controls are iffy and the free-to-play microtransactions are a dark cloud on the horizon.
