Valve Revamps Dota 2 Battle Pass With Subscription-Based Dota Plus

Valve has announced a major revamp of Dota 2‘s Battle Passes. In the past, these have taken the form of limited-time compendiums that centered around major Dota 2 esports tournaments, including The International and Majors. However, Battle Passes for Majors are now being replaced with what Valve describes as an “ongoing, uninterrupted service” called Dota Plus.

Dota Plus is a subscription service that features a variety of perks, some of which stem from what you’d expect to see in a Battle Pass. Each character now gains XP and can level up across games, granting Reward Shards and responses for use with the new Hero Chat Wheel. Additionally, characters get their own challenges that are designed for that specific hero and their mechanics; challenges feature different tiers of difficulty and reward XP based on what you complete. And characters also get Relic slots; these allow various stats to be tracked and display on the post-game screen.

The service also grants access to the Plus Assistant, a tool that provides various helpful information as you play based on “data gathered from millions of recent games at each skill bracket, ensuring your builds stay current in the ever-evolving meta.” This includes suggestions for your pick during a draft or what item or ability to choose during a match.

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Furthermore, Dota Plus grants a new weekly reward of 1,000 shards for winning three games. Those shards can then in turn be spent on, among other things, new items that are only available for Plus subscribers. Finally, Valve is bringing back the weekend Battle Cup tournaments, which Plus members will receive free access to. Non-subscribers will have to buy tickets for $1.

Despite having only just been announced, Dota Plus is already available. It’s priced at $4 per month, with some small discounts available if you lock in a subscription for six or 12 months.

Ready Player One Reviews: First Twitter Reactions Arrive For Steven Spielberg’s New Movie

At long last, an audience has seen Ready Player OneSteven Spielberg’s next movie–after it premiered at the SXSW festival. As the trailer and the novel it’s based on have shown, Ready Player One is an explosion of nostalgia for those who grew up in the ’80s and ’90s. How did the film adaptation turn out, though?

The first reactions on social media are promising with the keyword running throughout being “fun.” Film critic Scott Weinberg writes, “Ready Player One is a whole lot of fun. Those who are stuck in pre-release hate mode better prepare to be disappointed.” Adds Rooster Teeth’s Eric Vespe, “So yeah, I LOVED Ready Player One. It’s perhaps the geekiest movie ever made. So so so happy right now! Spielberg just said he makes many films, like The Post, from behind the camera. He made Ready Player One from the audience. That’s the perfect summation of this experience.”

“[Ready Player One] is classic Steven Spielberg,” Fandango’s Eric Davis says of the movie. “It’s got the references, the ferocious effects and the great ’80s soundtrack, sure, but also the charm, the heart, the humor and a fantastic Alan Silvestri score.” Meanwhile, Indiewire’s Eric Kohn gives the movie what fans of Valerian and The Fifth Element will see as the highest praise. “[Ready Player One] feels like Spielberg watched a ton of Luc Besson movies and decided to outdo them. In terms of pure spectacle, it’s the most astonishing thing he’s done.”

Not everyone was as dazzled by Ready Player One, though. One person in attendance for the premiere enjoyed the movie but sees it as far from perfect. “[T]he film suffers from a script that has a LOT of convenient plot devices and never really manages to make you care about the characters,” the audience member writes.

Pajiba’s Kristy Puchko, on the other hand, is afraid that Spielberg is doing damage to his own career with movies like Ready Player One. “I’m genuinely angry that Spielberg is so careless with his own legacy, slapping in references to Jurassic Park with all the care of a monkey slinging feces,” she writes. “Just. These movies matter so much to people. To just slap on iconography and references like they are stickers on a bedroom door. It’s such shallow use. It exploits your love for these things instead of earning it.”

In the end, though, it’s up to the audience to decide whether Ready Player One is a good movie. They’ll just the chance to do just that when it hits theaters on March 29. In the meantime, though, let this clip of the audience giving the movie, its cast, and Spielberg a standing ovation after the premiere screening give you an idea of how the world will react.

EVO Notifies the FBI After Mass Shooting Threat

EVO tournament director Joey Cuellar has notified the FBI and Twitch about a mass shooting threat made by a Twitch user.

After Street Fighter pro Chris Tatarian tweeted about the surprising lack of security at these fighting game tournaments,  Twitter user Dankadillas replied with a screenshot of a Twitch user making the alleged threat.

Cuellar later tweeted that EVO organizers are taking the threat very seriously. “We are aware of the threat that was made against Evo 2018, and have contacted the FBI and Twitch regarding this matter,” Cuellar tweeted. “We take this very seriously, and they will be punished to the full extent of the law.”

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Aspiring Web Developer? Check out Code Foo!

TL;DR: http://www.ign.com/code-foo/2018

Hello internet!  We are pumped to open up IGN’s annual Code Foo program for applications!  Code Foo is a paid, six-week, software engineer internship program at IGN’s headquarters in San Francisco.  We’re looking for impassioned coders and IGN fans to learn and work alongside us on a site that is seen by millions of people.

Our goal is to not only give you a hands-on, mentored experience, but to set you up for success by helping you grow as a developer and allowing you to find what you’re interested in.  You’ll have the opportunity to work on and explore a variety of products, from general web development, to API and CMS systems, video players, comments, and mobile apps. Many of IGN’s engineers have been part of our Code Foo program, and now, so can you.

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Assassin’s Creed Origins DLC 2, The Curse Of The Pharaohs, Launches Soon On PS4, Xbox One, And PC

Following a slight delay, the second and final DLC expansion for Assassin’s Creed Origins is nearly here. The Curse of the Pharaohs launches for PS4, Xbox One, and PC tomorrow, March 13, introducing a new story, environments, and other content to the stealth-action game.

Unlike Origins’ previous DLC expansion, The Curse of the Pharaohs features a brand-new storyline that’s set four years after the events of the main game. Players again assume the role of Bayek, who has embarked on a journey to the ancient city of Thebes to investigate a curse plaguing the region. Along the way, he’ll battle a variety of mythological beasts and famous Egyptian pharaohs, including Nefertiti and giant scorpions.

“The Curse of the Pharaohs immerses players in Egyptian mythology, challenging them to battle famous pharaohs and mystical beasts as they investigate the temples of Karnak and Luxor, and the secret tombs of the Valley of the Kings to uncover the cause of the curse that has brought dead pharaohs back to life,” reads Ubisoft’s press release. You can watch the launch trailer for the expansion below.

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On top of the new locations and storyline, The Curse of the Pharaohs introduces additional outfits, gear, and weapons. It also raises the game’s level cap to 55. You can watch half an hour of gameplay footage from the expansion here.

The Curse of the Pharaohs was originally slated to release on March 6, but Ubisoft delayed it by one week in order to “deliver the best experience possible to our players.” Those who’ve purchased the Assassin’s Creed Origins season pass will receive the DLC at no additional charge; everyone else will be able to download it separately for $20.

Ubisoft recently rolled out a New Game Plus mode for Assassin’s Creed Origins, which features a “unique reward” for players who are able to overcome its challenges. The publisher also released the combat-free Discovery Tour mode, allowing players to explore the world of Egypt at their own pace and take guided “tours” that were created with the help of history experts.

Kerbal Space Program: Making History Will Probably Be Elon Musk’s New Favorite Game

The first mission I tried to build in Kerbal Space Program’s upcoming Making History expansion resulted in spectacular failure. Somewhere along the way I forgot to link the success condition to the rest of the mission, so even though I’d rescued the stranded Kerbal I’d stuck on the Mun (i.e. Kerbal’s Moon) the game’s logic didn’t realize I’d finished and I was stuck in orbit wondering what I forgot for a solid 20 minutes or more. I guess that’s just the life of a budding rocket scientist-turned mission architect.

Kerbal Space Program’s first and only DLC Expansion, Making History, is out this week for $15 and aims to bring some impressive new updates to the insanely popular years-old PC game. For those unaware, KSP is an extremely realistic (other than the little Kerbal alien guys) rocket simulation experience in which you take control of a budding space program. You’ll need to understand actual rocket science, physics, and orbital dynamics to play it well. The core Kerbal is awash with tons of missions and scenarios to play out, as well as an extremely active modding community, that keeps it from ever getting too old.

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Marvel Is Going to Explain Hulk’s Resurrection This Week

With dozens of comic books to choose from, let us show you which are the best coming out this week. Take a look at this list spotlighting our favorite comics that we know are money-well-spent and new books that look cool and are backed by some top-tier talent.

Once you check out our picks, head to the comments to let us know what you’ll be buying this week!

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Writers Mark Waid, Al Ewing, Jim Zub | Artists Joe Bennett, Paco Medina | Cover Mark Brooks (Marvel Comics)

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Karl Urban ‘Pretty Confident’ Star Trek 4 Will Happen

Star Trek 4 might still be in the cards, according to Karl Urban.

In an interview with JoBlo, Urban was asked whether he’ll reprise his role as Doc McCoy in another feature-length Star Trek movie ever again. Urban answered by saying he is “pretty confident” production on the fourth entry will begin quite soon.

“It’s really a question for Paramount (laughs),” Urban said, when asked about the status of Star Trek 4. “But, that being said, I have such a blast working on those Star Trek movies. You know, that cast, we’re like family at this point. I’m pretty confident within, hopefully the next year, that we’ll be back on the set.”

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Steam’s Warhammer: Vermintide 2 Gets Off To A Very Fast Start

Warhammer: Vermintide 2 has been out for just a few days on PC, and has already reached a notable milestone. After releasing on March 8, the game has sold more than 500,000 units as of March 12, developer Fatshark announced.

“We are proud and happy that gamers worldwide have taken Warhammer: Vermintide 2 to their hearts…500,000 games sold was a milestone that we had, but not less than a week after release,” said Martin Wahlund, CEO of Fatshark. The company is also celebrating the game’s streaming success, with more than 200 million minutes of gameplay watched on Twitch already.

Vermintide 2 takes place during Warhammer’s apocalyptic End Times. Your heroes hack, slash, and shoot their way through 13 levels are you take on the combined forces of the Skaven army and the barbaric Chaos faction.

You’re given your choice of five characters for each level, and the game allows you to choose four to take with you into battle. Each of your heroes has three careers to choose from, with each career providing them with a set of passive and active abilities, along with a talent tree to advance your characters’ abilities. The original Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide was praised for its tense, frantic action and mechanically diverse characters, two gameplay features that have returned in this sequel.

Warhammer: Vermintide 2’s numbers could see a second big jump in the future. The game will also be released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Fatshark has said players can expect console betas this spring.

The Best Smart Watches

Be sure to visit IGN Tech for all the latest comprehensive hands-on reviews and best-of roundups. Note that if you click on one of these links to buy the product, IGN may get a share of the sale. For more, read our Terms of Use.

Smartwatches may not be as ubiquitous as their phone counterparts, but there are still more than a few options that provide plenty of utility for those who want to stay more connected. Whether you’re looking for something fashionable, affordable, or sporty, there’s a watch model that’s exactly what you’ve been looking for from a smartphone companion.

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