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The Halo app for Windows is no longer operational. Microsoft announced on its website that the app–which served as a hub for Halo news, game stats, and more–was officially decommissioned on August 16.

Microsoft decided to shut down the Halo app for Windows because it was “no longer a key component of our future plans and aspirations.”

“As the 343 Team looks ahead and works on the future of Halo, we periodically take stock of everything we currently operate and support across the entire franchise ecosystem. As time goes by, various applications and services fall out of scope and are de-prioritized as they are no longer a key component of our future plans and aspirations,” Microsoft said. “Ceasing support and operation of these legacy offerings frees up resources that can be re-deployed on better services for the future.”

All of the content hosted on the Halo app for Windows can now be found on the Halo website–Halowaypoint.com and also Halo.gg. In addition to Halo news, the Halo app hosts game stats for Halo Wars 2, and these will continue to populate until February 16, 2020. However, all of these stats can also be seen in Halo Wars 2 itself and on Halo Waypoint.

The Halo app for Windows also served as the launcher for Halo Wars 2 and Halo 5: Forge. However, players will now need to launch the games from the client. “Please note that this will have zero impact to your ability to play and enjoy these games and has no impact on performance,” Microsoft said.

In discussing the Halo app’s usage, Microsoft only said that “a number of people” used it over the years, which makes it sound like it was not very popular.

“We hope the content it delivered helped to enrich your enjoyment of all things Halo,” Microsoft said. “We appreciate your support and look forward to bigger and better things in the future.”

In other Halo news, Microsoft also announced this week that it would no longer release new updates for Halo Wars 2 as the team moves on to other projects.

Microsoft’s Halo development team, 343 Industries, continues to work on Halo: The Master Chief Collection (including bringing it to PC), in addition to the next mainline instalment Halo Infinite.

Another round of PC games are free for Epic Games Store users this week, and they’re good ones. Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is free to claim now, and because it’s an M-rated game that may be blocked behind parental control settings for some players, Epic is also giving away Hyper Light Drifter. To claim the free games, all you need is a free Epic account if you don’t already have one. Once you add the games to your account, they’re yours to keep.

Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden places you in a post-apocalyptic world where nature has taken over the earth and only mutants are left to scavenge and survive. Together with your team of mutants, you’ll explore the fallen world, using stealth and turn-based, tactical combat to take down enemies. The game earned a 9/10 in our Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden review.

“Juggling all the demands of combat, from patiently surveying the field beforehand through to learning how to best counter each enemy type and improvising a new strategy when it all goes horribly wrong, make for an immensely satisfying tactical experience,” wrote critic David Wildgoose.

An action-adventure RPG influenced by 16-bit classics and Studio Ghibli films, Hyper Light Drifter follows a character known as the Drifter, who wields an energy sword and utilizes other special abilities to defeat monsters. Similar to Journey, there’s no dialogue; the story is conveyed more through visuals and music. The game also earned a 9/10 in GameSpot’s Hyper Light Drifter review.

“Hyper Light Drifter’s setting is so beautiful, so haunting, that I long to know all I can about it,” wrote Kevin VanOrd. “I wish to hear the stories its citizens tell of the world it once was, and the one it might become. I want to hear the music that they sing, and see the places they have been. As stunning as it is, Hyper Light Drifter’s greatest triumph isn’t in the story that it tells, but in the stories that it doesn’t. I don’t know this place’s entire history, but its desolate elegance inspires me to fill in the gaps myself.”

Get this week’s free games at Epic

Both Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden and Hyper Light Drifter will be free to claim from Epic until Thursday, August 22, when they’ll be replaced by Epic’s next freebie, Gomez.

During Square Enix’s press conference at E3 2019 back in June, the company announced a remastered version of Final Fantasy VIII would be coming to every current-generation platform later this year–as well as showing off more of Final Fantasy VII: Remake, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, and Final Fantasy XIV.

Final Fantasy VIII is one of the more divisive entries in the long-running series, namely due to a contentious magic system that required you to “Draw” spells from enemies as opposed to using a traditional MP gauge. It was, however, notable for a drastic increase in audiovisual fidelity and a more realistic art style.

It also spawned a hilarious meme.

There’s a ballroom dance scene early on in Final Fantasy VIII’s story. Protagonist Squall meets his future love interest Riona for the first time, and she pays him a nice compliment.

Now, Square Enix has ruined this glorious moment in Final Fantasy VIII’s remaster by having the gall to make it look too good.

We’ll give them props for showcasing a remaster’s graphical enhancements by acknowledging a five-year-old meme, even if it is a crying shame.

Diablo 3 might be more than seven years old at this point, but Blizzard continues to support the action RPG by frequently adding new updates and seasonal events that keep the game feeling fresh. After recently sharing the company’s plans for the future of Diablo 3, we’re now getting our first taste of those plans as season 18 kicks off on August 23.

The new season introduces the Season of the Triune, “a call-back to an ancient cult forged over three millennia ago by the Prime Evils of the Burning Hells,” the press release states. These Prime Evils sought to tilt the odds of the Eternal Conflict in their favor by masquerading as three benevolent deities to infiltrate the hearts of men. Though they were ultimately defeated by Uldyssian during the Sin War, “the remnants of the Cult of the Triune still operate today as the more well-known Coven, whom continue the work of Adria and Magdha even after their deaths.”

What this means in gameplay terms is that players will benefit from the Power of the Triune buff throughout the duration of season 18. This effect periodically summons circles around the battlefield that provide one of three randomized buffs:

• Triune of Love (Power): Players in the circle receive a 100% damage bonus while active
• Triune of Determination (Resource Reduction): Players in the circle receive a 50% discount on resources spent while active
• Triune of Creation (Cooldown Reduction): While standing in an active circle, any skills currently on cooldown come off of cooldown more quickly

Blizzard says it wanted to try something different in season 18 by providing a tangible change to gameplay from the moment you begin your journey. The Power of the Triune buff alters gameplay from level 1 to level 70 and beyond, incentivizing you to move around the battlefield in order to leverage these powerful boosts.

As far as cosmetic rewards go, after re-introducing previous seasonal rewards in season 17, Blizzard is bringing back awards that were originally available in season 6 for season 18. “In addition to the Chest and Gloves slots of the exclusive Conqueror Set, players will be able to earn a series of portrait frames bedecked with the mysterious beauty of Blood Shards. A ghastly All Hallow’s pennant will also be available, allowing you to proudly proclaim your love for all things grim and creepy.”

For Season Journey rewards, the latest update will let you earn an additional stash tab by finishing the Conqueror tier, up to a maximum of five:

• Guardian of Sanctuary: Finish a level 70 Nephalem Rift on Torment XIII within five minutes
• Gem of My Life: Level three Legendary Gems to level 55
• All I Do IS Win: Complete two Conquests this Season
• Disarm You: Kill Rakanoth at level 70 in under 15 seconds on Torment XIII difficulty
• Money Ain’t A Thang: Slay Greed on Torment XIII difficulty
• Take U There: Reach Greater Rift level 60 Solo
• Power Amplification: Use Kanai’s Cube to augment an Ancient Legendary item with a level 50+ gem
• Cubic Reconfiguration: Use Kanai’s Cube to reforge a Legendary item

Seasonal Conquests, meanwhile, add a host of new challenges for you to test your mettle against. “Push your way to Greater Rift level 75 to complete Divinity/Lionhearted. On a Good Day/I Can’t Stop guides you to get your Legendary Gem grind on; level three Legendary Gems to 65 to complete this challenge! For the speedy, Speed Demon/Need for Speed requires the fastest nephalem to complete a Nephalem Rift at level 70 on Torment X or higher in under two minutes. For Curses!/Stars Align, pick any Cursed Chest event that requires killing monsters and defeat over 350 or more at level 70 on Torment X or higher. For the fiercest demon slayers, Boss Mode/World’s Apart is a speed challenge where you’ll need to eliminate the following bosses at level 70 and Torment X in under twenty minutes:

• The Skeleton King
• The Butcher
• Zoltun Kulle
• Ghom
• Cydaea
• Rakanoth
• Diablo
• Adria
• Queen Araneae
• Maghda
• Belial
• Siegebreaker Assault Beast
• Azmodan
• Izual
• Urzael
• Malthael”

Last but not least, Haedrig’s Gift class set rewards have rotated once more. “Completing Chapters 2, 3, and 4 of the Season Journey will reward you with three of Haedrig’s Gifts. Each Gift contains a few pieces from one of your Class Sets. Players can only unlock one Class Set in this manner per Season across Hardcore and Non-Hardcore, so choose wisely!” Whichever set you receive will depend on the class of character you’re playing as when you open Haedrig’s Gift, so you’ll need open all three with the same character to collect a full set.

Below are the full patch notes for the latest update, Patch 2.6.6.:

Note: All changes apply to all versions of Diablo III, including PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC unless otherwise indicated.

General

• A pet has been added that will be available for players who pre-purchase Warcraft III: Reforged Spoils of War Edition (PC Only)

Seasons

• The buff for Season 18, the Season of the Triune, has been added
  • Triune’s Will: All abilities have a chance when hitting an enemy to spawn a circle that gives a power. Only one circle can be active at a time.
    • Triune of Love (Power): Players in the circle receive a 100% damage bonus while active
    • Triune of Determination (Resource Reduction): Players in the circle receive a 50% discount on resources spent while active
    • Triune of Creation (Cooldown Reduction): While standing in an active circle, any skills currently on cooldown come off of cooldown more quickly
  • Developer Comment: The last couple of Seasonal buffs have been focused primarily on end-game content. We wanted to try something different this Season with a buff that was more beneficial to players regardless of where they might be in their Season Journey. Triune’s Will can come into play as early as level 1 and continue to make an impact on your game experience from the beginning to the end of the Season, and we’re looking forward to seeing how players leverage this ever-changing boost throughout their adventures!
  • Developer Comment: In addition, we received feedback from players during the PTR about colorblind accessibility. We’ve changed one of the blue-tinted circles to a darker, green earth tone that should stand out a lot more for affected players. We greatly appreciate your feedback!

Items

• Developer Note: There are additional specific notes below, but broadly for 2.6.6, we wanted to introduce a handful of new item powers targeted at two audiences: (1) certain classes with long-standing requests for balance/quality of life adjustments and (2) the broader player base for experimenting with Kanai’s Cube. This means fewer class-specific new additions, but more additions that everyone has an opportunity to play with. We also experimented with making some of the craftable sets from Haedrig more appealing for fresh level 70’s or players looking to maximize their farming runs. We hope to see some interesting new theorycrafting and tactics out of 2.6.6 and can’t wait to see what the community does with this new loot!
• Updated Item Notes: There are a number of notes below clarifying the intention of certain item functionalities. In a couple cases, such as with Flavor of Time, the item wasn’t behaving properly during PTR per our intentions (which has been fixed). For others, we just wanted to provide more clarity about exactly how these items behave.
• Flavor of Time
  • New Legendary Power: Pylon effects last twice as long.
  • Note: Only wearers of this item gain this effect. This is intended.
• The Executioner
  • New Legendary Power: Attacks will slay enemies with less than (5-10%) health.
  • Note: This item’s power does not work on followers. This is intended.
• Stone Gauntlets
  • New Legendary Power: Getting attacked will slowly turn you to stone… (You gain 50% more armor, but your movement speed is reduced by 15% and attack speed is reduced by 20%. This effect stacks up to 5 times)
  • PTR Update: This item now displays a buff icon and has a clearer in-game description. Thank you for the feedback!
  • Note: Immunity to control-impairing effects can work against the reduced attack and movement speed penalties. This is intended.
• Echoing Fury
  • New Legendary Power: Slaying enemies engulfs the wielder into a Frenzy. (Killing enemies increases your attack speed by 15% and movement speed by 5%. This effect stacks up to 5 times)
  • PTR Update: This item’s power now works on kill assists and pet kills. Thank you for the feedback!
• Squirt’s Necklace
  • New Legendary Power: While not taking damage, your damage is increased by up to 100% and damage taken is increased by up to 50%.
  • PTR Update: This item now displays a buff icon. Thank you for the feedback!
• Messerschmidt’s Reaver
  • New Legendary Power: Reduce the remaining cooldown of one of your skills by 1 second when you slay an enemy.
  • PTR Update: This item’s power now works on kill assists and pet kills. Thank you for the feedback!
• Mortick’s Brace
  • New Legendary Item: Wrath of the Berserker gains the effect of every rune.
  • Developer’s Note: If you played during the Patch 2.2.0 PTR, you’ll recognize this as an item that was later removed from the game before it went to live servers. At the time, Mortick’s Brace gave too much power for a single item slot. However, the power curve of Diablo III has changed significantly since then and we’re comfortable with bringing it back.
  • Developer’s Note: We’re not done with Barbarians, either. However, this is a change that required less testing and could be easily added to 2.6.6, so rather than waiting for a larger batch of changes, we saw no reason to hold this one back.
• Spite
  • Note: This item can be crafted from the Blacksmith and is not a normal loot drop
  • New Legendary Power: Non-cleaving Gargantuans gain the cleave and chilling effects of the Humongoid rune.
• Legacy of Dreams
  • New Legendary Gem:
    • While you have no set bonuses equipped, every Legendary item you have equipped increases your damage dealt by 3.75% and reduces your damage taken by 2%. (Max level 99)
    • Rank 25: This bonus is doubled for Ancient items.
  • Developer’s Note: The end game opened up significantly with Season 17’s Legacy of Nightmare’s buff (and the community was clear about how much these new options were appreciated), but wanted to make this addition a more permanent fixture in a more streamlined way than simply making it baseline. This Legendary Gem should open that path up even further and at more opportunities than just late game Greater Rift pushing.
• Crafted Sets
  • Note: The following sets have been significantly revised from their existing level 70 counterparts. Items crafted prior to 2.6.6 will continue to exist in their old forms but will not be updated after the patch. In addition, after the patch, the old recipes will no longer be available to craft and all players will need to re-acquire these recipes by finding the plans again through Horadric Caches or by killing Odious Collectors.
  • Sage’s Journey
    • A Belt has been added to this set.
    • Haedrig the Blacksmith now automatically learns how to forge this set at Rank 12.
  • Captain Crimson’s Trimmings
    • (2) Set Bonus
      • Regenerates 6000 Life per Second
      • Reduces cooldown of all skills by10% 20%.
      • Now also reduces Resource Costs by 20%
    • (3) Set Bonus
      • Set bonuses have been replaced
        • Damage dealt is increased by your total percentage of Cooldown Reduction
        • Damage taken is reduced by your total percentage of Resource Cost Reduction
  • Aughild’s Authority
    • (2) Set Bonus
      • Set bonuses have been replaced
        • Reduces damage taken by 15%
        • Increases damage dealt by 30%
    • (3) Set Bonus
      • Reduces damage from elites by 15% 30%
      • Increases damage against elites by 15% 30%
  • Cain’s Destiny
    • (2) Set Bonus
      • Attack Speed increased by 8%
      • +50% Experience. (5.0% at level 70) (Moved from (3) Set Bonus)
    • (3) Set Bonus
      • When a Greater Rift Keystone drops, there is a 25% chance for an extra one to drop.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an error that occurred when reporting a player via a friend request
• Fixed an error that occurred when saving an existing Friend Note without making changes

PTR-Specific Bug Fixes

• Squirt’s Necklace
  • Fixed an issue where the damage taken increase was not reaching the 50% cap
• Captain Crimson’s Trimmings
  • Fixed an issue where the bonus provided by this class set was subject to snapshotting

New information regarding Pokemon Sword and Shield‘s battle system was revealed during the opening ceremony of the Pokemon World Championships in Washington D.C.–including a new trailer.

Sword and Shield director, Junichi Masuda, told the attending crowd that the 2020 championship would use Sword and Shield. To drum up even more interest in the upcoming title and next year’s competition, a new trailer revealed some new Pokemon attacks and abilities, as well as some of the new held items trainers can use in battle.

Galarian Weezing’s mystery ability has been revealed as Neutralizing Gas, which has the power to nullify all other abilities on the field, including your teammates. The trailer shows Gastrodom’s Storm Drain and Rotom’s Levitate abilities being negated as examples. Elsewhere, Corviknight’s new ability is called Mirror Armor. This allows the flying Pokemon to reflect any stat lowering effects back at their opponent.

In terms of attacks, the trailer shows Breaking Swipe, a brand new attack that can hit two Pokemon at once, lowering their attack. It’s not known what type of attack this is, but the trailer shows Flygon using it.

The trailer also reveals two new held items. The first of which is Room Service, which lowers the speed of the Pokemon holding it during Trick Room. The other is Jet Pack, a useful item that switches out a Pokemon if its stats are lowered. The trailer shows Duraloden using what looks like Draco Meteor to dismiss Kommo-o.

Lastly, some interesting new information was revealed about Dynamax Pokemon. These gigantic Pokemon can shrug off moves that would otherwise cause flinching, allowing them to attack freely. Their Max Moves, meanwhile, have powerful secondary effects. The electric-type Max Move creates Electric Terrain on the field, the fighting-type effect increases the attack of every Pokemon on your side, the ice-type one cause Hail to fall–damaging Pokemon not of the ice type–and the flying-type Max Move removes walls and other traps.

Pokemon Sword and Shield launches November 15 for Nintendo Switch.