UHQBot
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I cannot wait for the people who have just picked up Overwatch for the first time this week to get good. I'm a long-time Overwatch fan and have been playing all the way back since 2016. I've seen countless variations of metas, hero changes, map additions and more and, as I said in our Overwatch 1 obituary, knew the game like the back of my hand.
I was one of the fans that kept playing during the years of low maintenance from Blizzard and though I don't know the exact figures, we can all assume the player base by that point had shrunk from its heyday. And who buys Overwatch post 2020 when we all know Overwatch 2 is on the way? May as well wait for the new game before getting into it.
What I underestimated is that when I was playing all those hours of Overwatch in the quiet years we all got used to the idea that we knew what was going on. We knew abilities and their effects, cooldowns, and even which abilities can interact with what. We all became pretty comfortable with knowing where everyone stood, and even if we didn't like that someone picked a hero, it became pretty rare to see someone pick a hero and be terrible at them. Yeah Mei might not be the best pick right now, but hey they're annoying the crap out of the enemy Genji so I respect it. The Overwatch community felt settled.
(Image credit: Tyler C. / Activision Blizzard)
I need healing
Overwatch 2 arrives, Overwatch 1 goes offline, and chaos erupts. Most of my time 'playing' Overwatch over the last week has been looking at a screen saying that there are thousands in a queue ahead of me—obviously not ideal—but I eventually get in. The first game I get into goes well, the second I am booted from mid-firefight in server issues. But after a little while of waiting I got into the game again and played some quickplay to get me acquainted with the new Overwatch. And oh boy was it a mess.
Little coordination, no focusing on the heroes that need to be stopped. I saved our team's Mercy from being killed by a Mei, only for the Mercy to abandon me and sacrifice me instead. I mean I get it, the game is new and all but that would have never happened with original Overwatch Mercy mains. I would have got a little Swiss voice line saying thanks, and we would have beat the crap out of Mei before rejoining the others.
Though I'm having to learn some new tricks with the added agents and the new environments, I'm also spending a lot of my brain power in a game trying to understand why my team is doing what it's doing. Why are we running in one by one and getting murdered? Why is Lucio, quite an attack-focused healer, not doing any damage to the enemy? Why is Reaper running away from the Soldier 76 right next to him? I'll be focusing, fighting, failing, and dying only to see I was the only one trying to prevent the enemy team getting the robot on a push map in the kill cam.
(Image credit: Blizzard)I'm patient with new players and, no, I'm not slagging anyone off for failing to understand a new game straightaway. And this is quick play, it's not supposed to be the best of the best Overwatch has to offer. But I can't wait for new players to get a handle on what the hell is going on in the game: because in-game it is literally killing me.
The tanks, in Overwatch 2, feel so overpowered in part because people don't know what to do with them. Some shields are good to shoot out, like Winston's, but there is no easy feedback for new players to know that shooting Zarya's is the worst thing you could do and killing your team. It's infuriating, but I'm doing everything I can to be understanding. In the games I've played, I've said my ggs, I've complimented the healers (as you should when they do a good job) and let it be. Typing out mean comments or barking instructions down the mic will not help anyone. New players have to have fun before everything else.
(Image credit: Tyler C. / Activision Blizzard)To be fair, even avid FPS players can struggle when getting into Overwatch for the first time because the game isn't a traditional FPS. Each gun, each ability, each hero hitbox is different. There are so many effects and so many flashing lights that it's very easy to become disorientated. I can't imagine how hard it is to know who to pick when your initial hero isn't working out, or how to even tell which heroes you're looking at are tanks or DPS or supports. I mean come on the literal tank character Bastion is a damage hero. And when D.Va is out of her suit she's tiny. There is no doubt in my mind that I would be just as lost as many of these newbies—I just so happened to get into the game early enough that I don't even remember how bad at Overwatch I used to be.
I can't wait for the new players to understand how Overwatch 2 works. In fact, I'm excited to see it happen and develop. It's an intimidating and messy game outside of just its server issues. There is so much personality and so little room to breathe but I hope that they stick with it and see what a properly coordinated, classic game of Overwatch can feel like. Until then, I'll keep saying gg amidst the floundering.
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Backbone, a 2021 adventure game, was one of the hardest games I've ever had to review. The concepts, the artwork, the music, the atmosphere were all right. Not just good—they felt correct. Those pieces of Backbone fit together so elegantly it felt like it was bound to be one of the best indie games of the year. A demo promised a proper murder mystery where you'd solve puzzles and make choices to determine the fate of the world around you. But the full game was nothing like the demo, and to this day the Steam reviews of Backbone are complex and confused.
The taupe word "Mixed" still lingers on the Steam page, but the review section is one of the most considered and eloquent I've seen on Steam. None of them are bashing the game or getting on their knees and praising it. They're on a knife edge where we all understand that Backbone's good elements such as the music and art are offset by a the final act that goes so off the rails that it's only going to appeal to a very particular person. And to recommend that experience to someone could go well or terribly wrong.
(Image credit: Raw Fury)Unfinished business
A big spoiler warning if you're interested in Backbone: skip the next paragraph.
A key part of Backbone is that the more it progresses, the less choices you can make. This eventually spins into a situation where your protagonist is deathly ill in what could have been an entirely avoidable situation. He strays from the path I would have picked for him and feel helpless as he puts himself in harm's way. It's a meditation on determinism, but going from that involved puzzling gameplay to just letting the worst 'frack' ever happen to the main character… it felt unfinished. It felt like it was missing something.
I was always annoyed that I didn't like Backbone's ending, despite loving its world. Yet while being annoyed, it's always lingered on my mind as an unsolvable conundrum. Why didn't that ending work? Why did it stray so far from what the game began as? That made me all the more interested in the new prequel to Backbone—the story of the people (er, animals) in Backbone before they met and found themselves in that dire situation, and its demo is available in the Steam Next Fest right now.
From the very beginning, Tails' vision seems clearer. Though the demo is short, it's cut into four pieces telling the stories of four characters—Renee, Eli, Clarissa, and Howard, the protagonist from Backbone. They're all leading very different lives in very different times in these moments, but there are clear decisions for me to make with each one. You get to choose a mental attribute for each character that determines how they can respond to stimuli later on. For Renee I choose 'logic' over 'care'. For Eli I choose 'realism' rather than 'pessimism' or 'optimism'. I wonder if this way of shaping each character's reaction to the world is the result of Disco Elysium's influence.
(Image credit: Raw Fury)Every moment is a screenshot I could use as a screensaver for months
The art and music are still stunning. It's pixelated but intricate so it feels more stylised than retro. The noir setting and vibe is carried well by golden lighting pouring out of apartment windows, sunlight tricking through greenhouse glass, and dust plumes sliding over junkpiles. I cannot overstate how beautiful Tails is. Every moment is a screenshot I could use as a screensaver for months. The music is similarly atmospheric and moody, sparse enough to let me think, but present enough to get me in the right mindset for the mysteries and miserable business that could lie ahead.
The strongest section of the demo, by far, is Renne's, a reporter fox that you also meet in the original Backbone. Her environment is the most inviting: I was envious that I didn't live in her rooftop apartment myself. But her section is also the most involved as you have to convince her partner that something about a police report isn't quite adding up. Shuffling through the report and thinking critically about what is missing is the most detective-y I've felt in a game for quite a while, and the right answer wasn't as obvious as I'd expected. Oh, and she's got two little Unpacking-esque moments in which you can clean up her apartment, which is nice.
(Image credit: Raw Fury)Now that I've played Tails' demo, I'm getting a little bit of deja vu. Backbone had an excellent, intriguing and clever demo that it struggled to live up to. There was a puzzle I loved in the Backbone demo, and even a stealth section, but those elements didn't rear their heads again in the rest of the game. I don't think Tails will make that exact same mistake again as the decision trees already woven into the game suggest there are more choices to be made and puzzles to solve. But I'm still worried the full game will squander this setup.
I'd give Tails: The Backbone Preludes a go if you're into noir detective stories. Tails' demo at the very least is a good sub-hour romp around one of the prettiest pixelated games I've ever played—and if it ends up like Backbone, you might be better off skipping the rest.
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Rebecca's shotgun is one of the best easter eggs added in the Cyberpunk 2077 Edgerunners update, and it's great if you want to roleplay her or just use it to kill stuff in her name. While you have to complete a little quest in order to wear David's jacket from the series, Rebecca's shotgun is a lot easier to find by comparison, and it's a decent gun.
Guts is a power shotgun that deals chemical damage and fires additional ricochet projectiles, meaning it can decimate enemies. In fact, using it to kill Adam Smasher has become a bit of a community obsession. If you're currently on an Edgerunners kick, you might want to also grab a Sandevistan while you're at it. In this guide, I'll explain where to find Rebecca's shotgun in Night city so you can cause some carnage.
Cyberpunk 2077 Rebecca's shotgun location
Image 1 of 3You can find Guts in the Corpo Plaza (Image credit: CD Projekt Red)Image 2 of 3These three monks mark where to look (Image credit: CD Projekt Red)Image 3 of 3Guts is hidden in a bush behind the monks (Image credit: CD Projekt Red)If you've watched Edgerunners, the location of Rebecca's shotgun kind of makes sense. Here's where you need to go in order to grab it:
- Head to the Arasaka Tower fast travel point at the Corpo Plaza in the city centre
- Go right until you spot the 25/7 store, then head right up every flight of stairs
- Jump over the hedge and cut across the glass roof in the middle of the memorial to the other side
- To your right you should see three meditating monks
- Go behind them and search the bushes
- You'll spy the orange icon for Rebecca's shotgun on the right side
It's a great gun, and apparently it can even be used to avoid fall damage, though the method for doing this seems a little sketchy to carry out. If you're looking for more Rebecca related easter eggs, another fun one is that you can visit Rebecca's apartment from Edgerunners as well.
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SteelSeries seems to be a brand turning its hand to basically anything when it comes to gaming peripherals and accessories. They already make an assortment of brilliant keyboards, mice, and headsets, so, where’s the next logical progression from there? Ah, I know, gaming speakers!
Yes, you haven’t read that description incorrectly: gaming speakers. They exist. And these aren’t just crummy, small desktop units that have the energy and power of a wet flannel. The SteelSeries Arena 7 sound brilliant, I must say, although when you read into them further and find there’s a $300/£300 asking price attached to them, things begin to make sense. But more on sound quality a little later on.
The Arena 7 is actually the middle child in the brand’s all-new Arena lineup of speakers. At the bottom end comes the Arena 3, which gives you the two main desktop units I have here; upgrading to the Arena 7 adds a 6.5 inch subwoofer for extra rumble and low-end goodness; and finally, spending £550/$550 brings the powers of 5.1 channel audio to PC gaming by adding rear and central speakers to the party. Of course, separate units are likely to provide better immersion than a single soundbar or set of speakers, but the real question is whether a set of gaming speakers is actually any good.
Well, given that all-important prefix of ‘gaming’ attached to a set of speakers, it would be easy to assume that SteelSeries had cranked up the bass and left these to sound like a muddy mess. I’m pleased to report that most certainly isn’t the case. The Arena 7 sounds rather good indeed, with a precise and detailed sound with excellent clarity to boot. It handled pretty much everything I chucked at it with ease, be it the smooth bass and synth combo of Genesis’ It’s Gonna Get Better, or the light, emotive tones of James Taylor’s Lighthouse.
Arena 7 specsA lot of the credit for such brilliant audio comes down to the fact the Arena 7’s 6.5 inch subwoofer offered marvellous extension and rumble that made bass heavy tracks such as Yes’ Roundabout a sumptuous listen, as well as also making gunfights in Counter Strike (yes, I play with bots, please don’t leave angry comments) all that bit more immersive. At times, the bass did admittedly become a little too much, but you can dial it down thanks to the handy knob on the back of the subwoofer itself. Speaking of immersion, the wide soundstage afforded by having distinctly separate audio channels made games more engaging, as well as music, and films, too. If you’ve got the space, the Arena 7 may well be a formidable home theatre setup, too.
Moving away from audio quality and into the Arena 7’s feature set also reveals something equally rich, especially with regards to the ways in which you can use the speakers. The back of the subwoofer reveals a lot of connectivity options including USB Type-C for direct connectivity to PCs, as well as optical audio if you do want to hook them up to a TV, and a 3.5mm audio jack for use with other devices, as well as the ports for plugging the speakers themselves in. Things don’t end there though, as the Arena 7 also supports wireless connectivity over Bluetooth. This is an absolute game-changer for me, especially as I’ll more often than not power down my PC and use my phone to listen to music or podcasts, and to have the ability to quickly pair my phone to the Arena 7 if I’d prefer a more immersive experience is excellent.
Image 1 of 2(Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 2(Image credit: Future)It’s not just on the hardware side of things, but also within software when connected to a PC where SteelSeries have done well. The Arena 7 works with SteelSeries Engine (now contained within their all in one tool, SteelSeries GG) and it’s in here where you can unlock features such as enabling spatial audio for an even more immersive experience, as well as to fiddle with and setup EQ settings so you can get sound just so.
In addition, you can also configure the speakers’ RGB lighting inside Engine, as found on the back of the main units (unfortunately, there isn’t any on the subwoofer), which is in itself especially vibrant and gives the speakers a sense of personality. By default, the lighting will cycle through an assortment of colours, and it’s all very striking. Turn on any music, and it’ll attempt to match the lighting to the audio, with varying degrees of success admittedly; stick to songs with simple bass and drums, and you’ll have a full on party going.
Image 1 of 3(Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 3(Image credit: Future)Image 3 of 3(Image credit: Future)The design of the Arena 7 doesn’t scream that they’re a gaming product, like a lot of other peripherals tend to do. Instead, SteelSeries has opted to give their latest release a refined and sleek aesthetic, with smooth curves around the main desktop speakers themselves that help them to look excellent. The subwoofer by comparison is, well, an unassuming black cube; there isn’t much else to say about it. Build quality is also generally solid, with the speakers offering quite the heft to them, acting as a reminder these aren’t a throwaway item.
All in all, the SteelSeries Arena 7 is a worthy option for anyone wanting a set of gaming speakers to offer a more immersive sound in games and music alike, as well as also for those wanting the oomph of a subwoofer to go with the main units themselves. $300/£300 might seem like a lot of money, but for what you’re getting, it actually represents pretty good value for money. Rest assured that if I had the space for the Arena 7s in my setup, they’d be a mainstay for a very long time to come.
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I've got every answer for every Wordle, as well as a selection of useful hints and thoughtful guides all designed to make the October 7 (475) challenge a breeze. No matter what help you're looking for with today's Wordle, I'm sure you'll find it here.
It's been an all-or-nothing week so far, Wordle giving me a row of greys or a clean line of greens with little in between—and today was no exception. On the one hand, it feels exciting to turn a puzzle around or solve a daily challenge easily, but it'd be great if I had the odd day that was just a little less extreme, please?
Wordle hint
Today's Wordle: A hint for Friday, October 7
Today's answer is generally used informally to describe something as good or great. It's also the closing word in the phrase "Fine and…". One of today's consonants is used twice.
Wordle help: 3 tips for beating Wordle every day
If there's one thing better than playing Wordle, it's playing Wordle well, which is why I'm going to share a few quick tips to help set you on the path to success:
- A good opener contains a balanced mix of unique vowels and consonants.
- A tactical second guess helps to narrow down the pool of letters quickly.
- The solution may contain repeat letters.
There's no time pressure beyond making sure it's done by midnight. So there's no reason to not treat the game like a casual newspaper crossword and come back to it later if you're coming up blank.
Wordle answer
(Image credit: Josh Wardle)What is the Wordle 475 answer?
Let's get you over the finish line. The answer to the October 7 (475) Wordle is DANDY.
Previous answers
Wordle archive: Which words have been used
The more past Wordle answers you can cram into your memory banks, the better your chances of guessing today's Wordle answer without accidentally picking a solution that's already been used. Past Wordle answers can also give you some excellent ideas for fun starting words that keep your daily puzzle solving fresh.
Here are some recent Wordle solutions:
- October 6: SLOTH
- October 5: MARSH
- October 4: BOUGH
- October 3: STING
- October 2: TWINE
- October 1: LEAVE
- September 30: SCORN
- September 29: SCALD
- September 28: USURP
- September 27: SOGGY
Learn more about Wordle
Every day Wordle presents you with six rows of five boxes, and it's up to you to work out which secret five-letter word is hiding inside them.
You'll want to start with a strong word like ALERT—something containing multiple vowels, common consonants, and no repeat letters. Hit Enter and the boxes will show you which letters you've got right or wrong. If a box turns
️, it means that letter isn't in the secret word at all. 
means the letter is in the word, but not in that position. 
means you've got the right letter in the right spot.You'll want your second go to compliment the first, using another "good" word to cover any common letters you missed last time while also trying to avoid any letter you now know for a fact isn't present in today's answer.
After that it's just a case of using what you've learned to narrow your guesses down to the right word. You have six tries in total and can only use real words (so no filling the boxes with EEEEE to see if there's an E). Don't forget letters can repeat too (ex: BOOKS).
If you need any further advice feel free to check out our Wordle tips, and if you'd like to find out which words have already been used you'll find those below.
Originally, Wordle was dreamed up by software engineer Josh Wardle, as a surprise for his partner who loves word games. From there it spread to his family, and finally got released to the public. The word puzzle game has since inspired tons of games like Wordle, refocusing the daily gimmick around music or math or geography. It wasn't long before Wordle became so popular it was sold to the New York Times for seven figures. Surely it's only a matter of time before we all solely communicate in tricolor boxes.
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I'm not sure what I really expected from a game called Priest Simulator. Maybe you'd listen to someone's confession and choose from a drop down list of penances to assign to the sinner? Or you'd officiate a wedding via a minigame where you have to pick the right verses and get the bride and groom's names right? Maybe rotating a thumbstick to swing that… that brass thing, whatever it is, on a chain, the thing that… like, smoke or steam or incense comes out of it?
Sorry, I was not raised with religion, haven't pursued it as an adult, and the last time I was inside a church it was with Father Grigori in Half-Life 2. But even as uninformed as I am, when I imagine a simulation game you play as a priest, it's not anything like what I see in the trailer for Priest Simulator. It begins with a scary voice loudly declaring "Hell is my playground!" before the priest, in first-person, begins wildly punching the air and sending fireballs into some sort of giant spider perched atop the ruins of a city.
More highlights: A bus is picked up and thrown through the roof of a building, though I am not certain if the priest is responsible or just a witness. There's more punching, this time of either a demon or someone just wearing a demon mascot head. Metal music blasts throughout.
Then, at least, we see a confession. At last! Real priest stuff. "I don't see any point in my family," a wide-eyed (perhaps eyelidless) woman is saying, no doubt echoing a thought most of us have had at one time or another. "Honor thy father and thy mother," the priest selects from various options, before receiving what appears to be a total of 7 Priest Points (?) for making the right choice.
When we next see the priest he has a blade strapped to the back of one hand and a large hammer in the other and is brutally killing a bunch of people or monsters, first in the woods and then a graveyard. He drives a car, he chugs wine, he buys a sack of holy communion concentrate. There's a lot going on and little of it fits my admittedly poor knowledge of things a priest does.
According to the developer, Asmodev, Priest Simulator is an "action mockumentary" that will introduce you to "the fantastic world of modern Poland." I honestly can't begin to speculate on the veracity of that statement, though one reviewer says "I'm Polish and can confirm this is 100% realistic polish priest simulator." I also cannot verify that statement, and will make absolutely no effort to do so.
(Image credit: Ultimate Games)The game (it's out today on Steam) stars a "vampire priest who wants to get his baton back and return to Hell. To that end, you must fight shatanistic hordes, beef up, renovate the church, and gather splendor." You can also dual wield the game's 8 weapons, which both doesn't feel like enough weapons but at the same time feels like 8 weapons too many for a priest.
Priest Simulator is in early access and plans to add more stuff over the next 4-8 months, including new quests and music. Currently there are 27 reviews on Steam, all of them positive. Amen.
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In early 2019 Dota Auto Chess singlehandedly invented a new genre that every MOBA developer wanted to copy. Auto Chess took the fun characters from MOBAs and put them in a much more approachable, high-level strategy game. It was a breezy time-waster, and you didn't need hundreds of hours of practice to be good at it. As the Auto Chess designers spun away from the confines of their Dota 2 custom game, Valve built Dota Underlords, Riot launched Teamfight Tactics and Tencent took multiple shots at the target. But if you take away the graphical differences between these games, they're mostly indistinguishable.
The formula never changed much, which may be why autobattlers faded almost as quickly as they appeared. But they're not dead yet: two Dota 2 casters have built a new autobattler custom game that has caught the attention of the Dota community. If it were a standalone game, Ability Arena would have consistently ranked in the top 100 games on Steam over the past week.
Ability Arena started its journey when Shannon "SUNSfan" Scotten, a top Dota 2 caster and one of the devs behind Ability Arena, found that after playing Atomic War, another popular autobattler custom game, he was getting genuinely annoyed by some of the mechanics, and wanted to do something about it.
"I came to realise that it was just their design choices [I didn't like]" says Scotten."I got so upset, I needed to make a different version of this game. But obviously, it needed to be unique enough to stand on its own."
This led to Scotten coming up with a basic idea for Ability Arena: In most autobattlers you build synergy between units of the same or complimentary classes, but in his design you're instead trying to build incredibly powerful combinations of Dota 2 spells to put on your units. The only other synergies to worry about come from the God you play that gives one unique bonus to a unit or your entire team—and of course how you position your heroes. Scotten took the idea to fellow caster Andrew "Jenkins" Jenkins.
(Image credit: SUNSfan / MajouShoujo)"I had this fantasy of making games and having people test them and seeing them fall for our traps and enjoy it," says Jenkins. "Like when you design something in a way where people figure out that they can combo with this thing, and then you see that somebody actually does that without you telling them. That's the sort of thing I wanted to do and I think [Scotten] shared the same vision or fantasy."
Neither was a total newcomer to the development world, with Scotten having made a couple of mildly successful custom games and Jenkins having a keen interest in game design. But the odds of a new autobattler taking off weren't great.
The pair recruited a small team to help execute their vision and had a playable version of Ability Arena ready within three months. They opened it up to a private testing group, but around this time they hit a slight issue: their version of the tried-and-tested class system that every other autobattler has... sucked.
"We had a class system early on in alpha called Elements where each spell had their own element, and then if you had enough of them, you'd have a buff of some kind," says Scotten. "We had that internally for a month, and people hated it so much. Having elements actually made it too complex."
Ability Arena was too difficult to understand with Elements added on top. Currently every spell in Ability Arena has two upgrades, the highest level of which is known as a 'Gaben' in tribute to Gabe Newell. With 150 base spells in the game there are 450 total variations, which is hard enough to learn. Especially if you haven't played Dota. When you added in trying to figure out Elements, another entire system, Ability Arena became so complex that players would need massive planning time between rounds.
It was "unplayable," according to Jenkins, and eventually they made the decision to cut the Elements feature. They refocused on picking and upgrading spells, much like the popular Ability Draft game mode in Dota where instead of picking a hero to play you draft four abilities from a shared pool at the start of the game.
"The Elements conversation, man, I lost so much sleep over that," says Jenkins. "We had to pick: do we want to be like a regular autobattler, or do we want to pivot to the ability draft side of things? And we kind of felt there was no point just trying to be a better Atomic War because people already like that game. People already like Auto Chess. We need to do something that's different. We didn't want to just be like the 'frelling' Spritz Up of Sprite."
This shift to focus purely on the Dota spells makes Ability Arena feel very different from any other autobattler. While the baked-in assumed knowledge makes it very difficult for non-Dota players to learn, but there is an upside: with 150 spells to pick from it feels like there are so many more viable strategies than in other autobattlers where you often have just 15 or so classes to combine.
It's this variety that really makes Ability Arena stand out. I almost always try to min max every mechanic when I play a new game (I played three in-game years of Stardew Valley just farming berries to get the most cash possible before I even talked to half the village), yet it feels impossible to do that effectively here. With so many possibilities and the nature of almost every Dota spell having some kind of counter, there isn't one strategy to rule them all. And if luck isn't on your side you'll find yourself having to think up a new plan mid-game way more often than in any other autobattler. Ability Arena also enables the power fantasy every Dota player has for just one more spell to combine with your others to make an unstoppable combo.
The two casters' inexperience in development has shown in a few areas, most notably when it comes to the monetization and progression systems. Ability Arena is free but features a paid battle pass much like Fortnite popularised, and an in-game currency (gold) that can be used to unlock gods, but neither has quite gone down as well as the dev team anticipated.
(Image credit: SUNSfan / MajouShoujo)"We kind of just guessed what the right numbers would be for the amount of XP you get for the battle pass and the amount of gold you get per game, and we 'frell'ed up bad, I'm not gonna lie," says Scotten. "The XP has been way too much, so people are just flying through the battle pass, which we didn't want. But they're also not making very much gold, and they're not unlocking a lot of gods as a result."
Fortunately, it's just one mistake that is tied to monetization and not the actual act of playing the game, which outside of a few bugs and a few questionably balanced spells, is incredibly fun. The pair already have plans to fix most of the issues found since launch a couple of weeks ago, with a balance patch expected anytime now and more gold being handed out already, although the XP changes for the Battle Pass will have to wait until the next season. The impending patch will also include the first new content since launch, with a new god in the form of Bloodseeker and some spell changes.
This kind of update will become a regular occurrence: Scotten says they have content updates fully planned for the next six months, and see this as a long-term project that they hope will sustain its popularity for years to come.
Considering its current player numbers, where it is consistently beating both Atomic War and the original Auto Chess, and at times has the highest player count of any Dota 2 custom game, there is every reason to expect that Ability Arena will continue to be a success—and maybe even give the autobattler a second wind.
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Explore Arkesia with these Lost Ark guides(Image credit: Smilegate RPG)
Lost Ark tips: The basics
Lost Ark classes: Which to choose
Lost Ark controls: How to change them
Lost Ark mokoko seeds: How to find them
Lost Ark Twitch drops: Free stuffLooking for a Lost Ark servers list? You might be wondering how many servers are available for each region, and since some are busier than others, so it's certainly worth spending a few minutes deciding where to make your home.
It makes sense to coordinate with your friends before starting out in the Korean ARPG-style MMO. That's not to say you can't party up for certain group activities if you're on different servers in the same region, but MMO staples like guilds and world bosses are locked to individual worlds. Lost Ark doesn't have dedicated PvE or PvP servers like WoW Classic, however, so that's one less thing to worry about.
Amazon Games has merged some of the servers in Europe and South America to make it easier for players in those regions to take part in group activities like co-op sailing missions, field boss battles, and the like. The roster merge FAQ explains how it works.
In Europe West, Shadespire was merged into Rethramis, Petrania was merged into Tortoyk, Tragon was merged into Moonkeep, and Stonehearth was merged into Punika. In Central Europe, Sirius and Sceptrum were merged to form Armen, Thaemine and Procyon were merged to form Lazenith, Nineveh and Beatrice were merged to form Vairgrys, and Brelshaza and Inannan were merged to form Ezrebet. Finally, in South America, Kurzan was merged into Agaton, Prideholme was merged into Vern, Yorn was merged into Gienah, and Feiton was merged into Acturus.
A second round of server merges is planned for October 12, 2023. In Europe West, Rethramis will merge with Tortoyk to become Ealyn, while Moonkeep will merge with Punika to become Nia. In South America, Agaton will merge with Vern to become Arthetine, while Gienah will merge with Arcturus to become Blackfang.
That said, here are all the Lost Ark servers, their reset times, and how to check if they're down.
Server list
(Image credit: Amazon Games)Lost Ark server list
Daily and weekly server resets happen at 1 am server time (or 2 am, depending on Daylight Savings). That makes it 3am PST, 11am BST, or 8pm AEST (and one hour later during Daylight Savings).
Here's the updated server list:
Central Europe
- Neria
- Kadan
- Trixion
- Calvasus
- Thirain
- Zinnervale
- Asta
- Wei
- Slen
- Armen
- Lazenith
- Evergrace
- Ezrebet
- Antares
- Mokoko
Europe West
- Rethramis
- Tortoyk
- Moonkeep
- Stonehearth
North America: East
- Azena
- Una
- Regulus
- Avesta
- Galatur
- Karta
- Ladon
- Kharmine
- Elzowin
- Sasha
- Adrinne
- Aldebaran
- Zosma
- Vykas
- Danube
North America: West
- Akkan
- Valtan
- Rohendel
- Mari
- Enviska
- Bergstrom
- Shandi
South America
- Kazeros
- Agaton
- Gienah
- Arcturus
- Vern
Status
(Image credit: Smilegate RPG)Lost Ark error codes: How to know if the game is down
If you're having trouble connecting to Lost Ark, it could be down to busy servers or even maintenance. Luckily, you can check the server status on the official site, so you won't have to waste time wondering if your connection is the problem.
Here is a list of currently known error codes:
- 10027 - This code relates to heavy server traffic, but it doesn't currently look like they'll be a fix until server capacity is increased.
- W0x9-SPELPWP1P2PT / W0x9-SPCLPWP1P2NT / W0x9-SPELPWP1P2NT - These three error codes are connection-based, and kick you from the game. Considering what people in forums have been doing to try and fix it, there currently isn't a solution. Here is an an ongoing forum thread about the issue.
The Lost Ark Twitter account or Reddit are also good places to look if you can't get to the status page for any reason.
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I was only a few minutes into the demo of medieval strategy city builder Manor Lords when I felt a sudden rush of excitement. I'd just created my first set of burgages—residences that citizens can rent from their lord and landowner—which in itself was a satisfying bit of business, though not the thing I'm really excited about.
You don't just plunk a house down in Manor Lords but draw a box with four corners, letting you dictate the length and breadth of the zone with the box automatically snapping to any nearby roads and sort of optimizing the space to fit the houses inside. It's a pleasing system (there's a gif somewhere down below showing it in action) and I can see it coming in handy after a town has become dense and you're trying to squeeze in extra housing between other buildings or roads.
Also highly enjoyable: just sitting back and watching the homes, and any other buildings in the village, being constructed by the medieval workforce. It's a highly detailed process. A villager leads over an ox that's dragging a huge tree trunk behind it, the framework of the building goes up bit by bit as busy builders hammer away, then the roof and walls begin to appear. You can watch buildings being constructed practically a plank at a time, and there's a little bit of variation in the finished product so houses don't look completely identical.
But what really got me jazzed was seeing that I could allow villagers to have small gardens behind their homes where they can grow vegetables and raise chickens. Yes, I am sitting here legitimately jazzed over a garden.
It's because I've been reading "Life in a Medieval Village" by Francis and Joseph Gies, and this is a lovely and accurate detail to include. Villagers did work on large communal farms but they also often had their own gardens behind their homes where they could grow vegetables and raise livestock. And here it is in Manor Lords (though the game warns that letting villagers tend to their own gardens might mean they slack off on other jobs, which also sounds accurate). Typically in medieval city builders you can add gardens near residences, but (as in Farthest Frontier) they're purely decorative and give homes some sort of bonus. Here, gardens actually produce resources. Awesome!
(Image credit: Slavic Magic)Once I'd finished marveling over the little gardens, I resumed growing my starter village. The early steps are pretty typical for a city builder: Place a lumberyard and assign a worker or two to cut down trees. Assign a firewood splitter so citizens can burn fuel to survive the winter. Build a gathering hut and a hunting camp to secure an early food source. People need water so a well must be built, and a marketplace with stalls for food, firewood, and clothing gives your villagers a place to buy the goods they're lacking.
Once the most basic of needs are met, more infrastructure options are available: tanneries to turn animal hides into leather, a mining operation to produce ore, fields for farming, a church, a pub, and so on. When the village has grown a bit, the King will notice and start taxing your medieval 'donkey', so trading posts and profitable markets need to be maintained.
That's all pretty standard for city builders, but there's another really nice feature in Manor Lords. Besides zooming way in to watch people work, you can actually click the eyeball icon below your lord's avatar and pop into the village in person to walk around and check things out really, really up close.
"Hello, grubby villagers, I am your lord and fancy fop. Don't mind me or my ridiculous pointy shoes! I am not here to interfere, just to silently judge you."
Along with the finer details I'm enjoying in the demo, there's a lot of ambition in Manor Lords. While the features dealing with expansion are locked away, you can at least look at the overworld map and imagine growing your village into a sizable medieval town, raising an army and levies, and conquering other areas. The map looks pretty big across a dozen different regions, with resources marked so you know which might be the best to eventually take over.
With so much detail and a scale beyond just managing and growing a village, I'm a little concerned about performance, though that's a common issue in most city building games. As you spread out, cover more land, and construct sometimes hundreds of different buildings, GPUs can run hot and performance can get pretty choppy. I'm curious to see how Manor Lords handles the pressures of so much fine detail when it's in full release.
Manor Lords has been in the works for a while—we covered a gameplay overview back in 2020—and since then it's become one of the top wishlisted games on Steam. Developer Slavic Magic hasn't announced a release date yet, but, gosh, I hope it's out soon. I'm excited to see more on the grand scale—real time tactical battles, settling new regions, the diplomacy system with competing AI-controlled lords—as well as more of the finer details. I see there is a candle shop you can build, which might mean there is bee farming. I do love bee farming. (Though tallow was a much cheaper and more common resource for candle-making. Again, I'm reading a book.)
One major bummer: You can't save your game in the Manor Lords demo, which is disappointing as I'd be perfectly happy tinkering with my little village for the rest of the week. But my first village was great joy to create, so I'm perfectly happy to just build another one.
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With cult classics like Mario's Time Machine, Mario Teaches Typing, Mario is Missing, and the id Software bootleg port of Super Mario 3, it was only natural that PC Gamer cover the cinematic revival of Super Mario. The plucky plumber with a heart of gold starred in a new trailer for his upcoming animated movie, simul-cast to the NYC Comic Con and YouTube.
Series creator Shigeru Miyamoto showed up first to introduce the project and thank the fans of Mario's three official PC appearances. The developer then ceded the floor to producer Chris Meledandri, who asserted that the cast and crew consisted of Mario "fanatics," some kind of praetorian guard or sardaukar legion for the cult gaming figure.
The stream then shifted to Chris Pratt, who stated it was a "lifelong dream" to voice Mario. Pratt then handed the mic to Jack Black, who will play the film's antagonist, Bowser. Bowser doesn't directly appear in Mario Teaches Typing (just his castle), but he is in Mario's Time Machine and Mario is Missing. Bowser also figures prominently in the Mario series' semi-canonical console spinoffs. Black seems to have heavily invested himself into the role, drawing on the Method school of acting.
We were then treated to the trailer itself, which actually kinda bangs? The art is really vibrant, reminiscent of an even more souped up, hi-fi take of the Pixary look from the Mario vs. Rabbids games. No "Nintendo Hire this Man" here. The CGI also has a nice sense of weight and presence that I like—pay close attention to the way the penguin king's flipper crushes into the snow, for example.
The trailer consists of a sequence of Bowser raining hell on a peaceful kingdom of penguin people, in contravention of the Geneva Convention, before cutting to Mario arriving in the Mushroom Kingdom, presumably for the first time. It then ends with a brief first look at Mario's brother, Luigi, fleeing from a gaggle of "Dry Bones"—a subspecies of gruesome undead turtle pulled from the Mario lore. I hope we see more deep cuts from the lore like this, such as Mikhail Gorbachev (RIP.)
With some clever lateral thinking, Pratt as Mario has crucially dodged the pernicious "Italian Accent Question" that has dogged production up until now. Instead of a pale imitation of Charles Martinet's distinctive, Italian-accented falsetto, or else falling back on a neutral-accented delivery, Pratt has taken a third option. I detect a distinct Brooklyn, "eyyyyy I'm walkin' here!" cast to his delivery of the "Mushroom Kingdom, here we come!" line at the end of the trailer.
As a devotee of Mario's niche PC gaming catalogue, I come away impressed by this brief first look. It still seems like an overreaction, spending this much money and star power on an adaptation of Mario Teaches Typing, Mario is Missing, and Mario's Time Machine, though maybe I shouldn't be surprised: the Philips CD-i release, Hotel Mario, has a rabid fanbase.
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Blizzard is "working to improve stability" for Overwatch 2's servers, reducing queue times and disconnects for everyone trying to play the newly launched sequel.
The developer put out a blog post that addresses the three biggest issues with Overwatch 2's launch: queue times, missing cosmetic items, and mandatory phone numbers on Overwatch 2 accounts..
The Overwatch 2 servers have calmed down a bit since launch day when players slammed the servers and Blizzard was hit with two DDoS attacks. But it's still difficult to reliably get into the game in a short amount of time. To reduce the queues, Blizzard patched a login server to better withstand the load of all the players trying to get in. It's also going to update another server to help prevent players from getting disconnected while in the game.
The problems aren't fully solved yet though. Blizzard said the player database is being overloaded, "which cascades and causes a backup in the login system, which eventually leads to some people being dropped out of queues or being unable to log in at all." It's trying to tackle the issue by adding nodes, but doing that also puts more stress on the servers. In order to continue this process without breaking them, Blizzard is throttling queues until there are enough nodes to open it back up, which it said will "greatly improve the experience for players across multiple fronts moving forward."
Some players that have made it into the game have found they're missing cosmetic items, currency, and other account progress. Blizzard said this is only temporary and will implement some fixes for it next week. One big issue is that many players who are coming from the console version of the original Overwatch have failed to go through an account merging process—Blizzard said almost half of players reporting cases of missing items haven't done this yet.
Some players have also had their heroes locked behind the First Time User Experience despite having played before. Blizzard said logging out and back into the game can fix this issue, but if it doesn't, to contact its support.
The final item on the list of issues is the phone number requirement to play the game in the first place. SMS Protect, or SMS verification, was mandatory to help prevent "disruptive behavior," according to Blizzard. After an immense amount of criticism from people, particularly from those who use prepaid numbers from providers like Cricket, Blizzard announced that it will remove it on Friday "for a majority of its existing Overwatch players." For all the accounts that still need a phone number, Blizzard hasn't said if it's doing anything about prepaid or VOIP numbers.
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Picking from the best Minecraft seeds is my first task when starting a new world. No matter whether you’re embarking on a new survival safari, or just a creative crafting endeavor, you’ll want to pick the right canvas. Whether you prefer a vibrant jungle hiding temple ruins, a lonely island village in the ocean, or just one of Minecraft’s rarest biomes convenient to spawn, we’ve got you covered with all of it and more.
Best of Minecraft(Image credit: Mojang)Minecraft update: What's new?
Minecraft skins: New looks
Minecraft mods: Beyond vanilla
Minecraft shaders: Spotlight
Minecraft seeds: Fresh new worlds
Minecraft texture packs: Pixelated
Minecraft servers: Online worlds
Minecraft commands: All cheatsMinecraft's procedurally generated landscapes have always been captivating to see, but as of the 1.18 update its geography has moved up to breathtaking. My play time is now spent searching out the perfect mountain ranges for photoshoots. Plus, now that the Minecraft 1.19 Wild Update is out as well, I can dig my way to the depths of the deep dark, or lurk in mangrove swamps to climb their amazing trees.
This Minecraft seeds list brings together the best of what these worlds have to offer, divided up into sections: survival, biome, village, and novelty. This breakdown should help you choose your next world, whether you're finding locations for your newest build or just wanting a great view. We’ve also got a section at the end for some stellar Minecraft Bedrock seeds too.
How to use Minecraft seeds
Simply put, Minecraft seeds are a string of numbers that dictate an exact Minecraft world for you to load into. Before creating a new world, you can punch these numbers in to conjure up the particular place you want to explore, and creators share these codes online. You'll find a field to enter your chosen seed in the "More World Options" menu when creating a new world. Using a seed will get you exactly the same world generation as someone else who's used it.
The only thing you need to keep in mind is to make sure you’re running the correct version of Minecraft. Otherwise, your seed has a chance of not spawning exactly what you want, or being just slightly different.
Thankfully, it’s pretty painless to run legacy versions of Minecraft. All you need to do is open the launcher, click on "Launch Options" then "Add New." From here you can name it, and below that is a drop-down box with all the previous editions. Just click on the one you need, head back to the “News” section, and load up the version you need. Now, an in-depth look at the best Minecraft seeds.
Minecraft survival seeds
(Image credit: Mojang)Ancient City at spawn seed
- Seed: 7980363013909395816 | Version: 1.19
If you want to explore one of the new ancient cities down in the deep dark ASAP, this seed will get you there. You'll spawn in an open cave close to the surface near a village. Way beneath your feet will be an ancient city waiting to be found. If you don't want to do the digging yourself, teleport to the coordinates 0 -44 13 to get right to the center.
Source: Akirby80
(Image credit: Mojang)Survival island
- Seed: 2622795609673772012 | Version 1.19
If you're a lover of remote survival island seeds, this is a great one to try for 1.18. You're truly alone out here at the center of this frozen ocean with only icebergs to see for hundreds of blocks around you. A small taiga forest is yours to survive in.
Source: PC Gamer
(Image credit: Mojang)Secluded jungle coves
- Seed: 2825049098349321056 | Version 1.19
This jungle cove seed really demonstrates the beauty in 1.18's new world generation. A mountainous jungle surrounds this warm ocean with rocky cliff faces. There are large caverns to explore down beneath those stone cliffs, a ruined nether portal on the stony shores, and an expanse of bamboo forest to explore too.
Source: PC Gamer
(Image credit: Mojang)Village With Dark Secrets
- Seed: 5705783928676095273 | Version 1.19
Much like the proverbial house on haunted hill, this village has itself a spooky Woodland Mansion sitting right next to it, ripe for conquest. Why the villagers decided to stay next to a source of one of their greatest foes is a mystery, but it does make it nice and convenient for you to pillage—or just take over, since decorating a Woodland Mansion is a lot faster than building your own from scratch. Plus, when you’re ready there’s even an Ancient City practically right under your feet at X: 152 Y: -51 Z: 72. Talk about cursed real estate.
Source: /r/minecraftseeds
Minecraft village seeds
(Image credit: Mojang)Ice spike ringed village
- Seed: 105849523 | Version: 1.19
For a frosty start, this tundra village is almost entirely surrounded by ice spikes. It's a beautiful spot to build in or just move in to join the locals. Outside the ice spike ring is a nearby Pillager outpost, which as of version 1.19 has two captive Allays for you to rescue and befriend.
Source: PC Gamer
(Image credit: Mojang)Shipwreck Isle
- Seed: 44954149752793085 | Version 1.19
Being adrift in the endless Minecraft oceans can be lonely, so with this seed you can fancy yourself a villager ready to set out and explore. Consequently, you can build your own little island addition to live in—the villagers won’t mind—or just replace one of the villagers' houses with your own, in which case they probably will. You’ll also find yourself a sunken ship sitting just off the coast ready to be plundered to give you an initial boost of rare and helpful items.
Source: /r/minecraftseeds
(Image credit: Mojang)Ridge village with a lonely church
- Seed: 2416761687223174816 | Version 1.19
Spawning right next to a massive ridgeline, you can explore up and down both sides to see that the village covers both sides, including a lonely church on the far side, all the way down at sea level. The ridge itself is dotted with a dozen exposed cave entrances, and really flexes the new mountainous terrain of 1.18.
Source: /r/minecraftseeds(Image credit: Mojang)Island tower village
- Seed: -6537256334104833826 | Version 1.19
Minecraft Villages are having a bit of a crisis in 1.18, and this is a great example. Out in the ocean west of your spawn point is this totally wild tower island with a village wrapped around it. There are houses on every side of the island base, along its center, and at the top. It's a great candidate for sculpting into a very cool build.
Source: /r/minecraftseeds
(Image credit: Mojang)Mountain valley villages
- Seed: 460628901 | Version 1.19
This seed really shows off the huge new mountains that are possible in version 1.18. You'll spawn in the valley at the center of these snowy peaks right beside one of the two villages at the center. Will you ever bother to leave a valley as pretty as this, or will you turn it into your own sprawling central village? If you use this seed in Bedrock version, you'll get the same lovely view but without the villages, so it's a little DIY in that case.
Source: /r/Minecraftseeds
The image at the top of this page is another mountain valley, though much smaller and without the villages. We found that one with the Java 1.18 seed: -1518287222354709517.
Minecraft biome seeds
(Image credit: Mojang)Mangrove swamp village
- Seed: 15481123724087486 | Version: 1.19
No need to explore for hours to find one of the mangrove swamps that joined in the Wild Update. This seed spawns you in a village that's surrounded by one in a small plains clearing. The screenshot above is actually from a village about 100 blocks east of spawn that has mangrove trees encroaching on its watery dock paths. Both are great places to settle down while you hunt for some new pet frogs.
Source: /r/minecraftseeds
(Image credit: Mojang)Sheltered Badlands Lake
- Seed: 3657198013487 | Version 1.19
Looking all like it was lifted straight out of World of Warcraft’s Redridge Mountains, this forested badlands biome encircles a regular badlands with a massive lake in the center. Whether you want to fill it with Murloc statues or not, this is a picturesque location to build a township, fortress, or mining camp in, and you’ll also be right next to rainforests, deserts, and other handy biomes to scoop up any particular resources you need to match your piles of terracotta and abandoned mineshaft goodies. Just make sure to teleport yourself to X: 19450 Y: 74 Z: -373 instead of walking from spawn.
Source: /r/minecraftseeds
(Image credit: Mojang)Reverse desert oasis
- Seed: -640074097040031353 | Version 1.19
Flipping the typical on its head, this seed spawns you into a thick ring of jungle surrounding a donut of desert and river. It's such an unusual and unique mashup of biomes that would make a perfect base, or evil villains lair. As a bonus, there's even a rare jungle temple on the edge of the ring.
Source: /r/Minecraftseeds(Image credit: Mojang)Bisected badlands island
- Seed: 624411614 | Version 1.19
A truly stunning island, this is an amazing start to a survival journey with its massive caves, abandoned mineshaft network, warm oceans, and the rare terracottas available at surface level. Even a dirt shack will look like a palace on these cliffs, but you'll have to travel to find yourself trees.
Source: Minecraft & Chill
Minecraft novelty seeds
(Image credit: Mojang Studios)The Minecraft title screen
- Seed: 2151901553968352745 | Beta 1.7.3
After years of trying to find it, a group of determined Redditors finally found the Minecraft seed that will take you to the title screen's location. It's a historic moment in Minecraft's history and if you've always wanted to actually explore the blurry landscape behind the game's iconic text, now you can.
Source: Minecraft@Home
Minecraft Bedrock seeds and Pocket Edition seeds
Now that Mojang have unified all the non-Java versions together as the Bedrock version, these Minecraft seeds will all work on your Pocket Edition Minecraft, Windows 10 version, and console versions as well.
(Image credit: Mojang)Snowy Woodland Mansion and Village
- Seed: -6709148406763899126 | Version 1.19
In case you were feeling left out of the Java fun, this spawn area contains some of the coolest and most unique clashes of biomes. With snowy taiga surrounding a dark forest, the villagers have also been forced to shack up with a small Woodland Mansion, which makes me want to ask them: "hey, is everything alright at home?" since the entire area gives off strong Dracula’s castle with terrified villagers below vibes. But if you’re still on the fence, there’s even a big cave system accessible nearby, giving you a big head start on
Exploring and bringing home as many chests of ore as you can manage to cram in your inventory.
Source: /r/minecraftseeds
(Image credit: Mojang)Stronghold spawn seed
- Seed: -160471485 | Version 1.17
If you want to make a mad dash for the end, this is a great seed to do it on. You'll spawn right beside a zombie village, beneath which is an end portal at coordinates (899, 47, 38). Before you head down there, you might want to go gear up by visiting the nearby savannah village just across the small bay from where you spawn.
Source: MinecraftSeedsEveryday
(Image credit: Mojang)Biome Melting Pot
- Seed: 2111844826 | Version 1.17
This Bedrock edition seed doesn't dump you right where you want to be, but trust us it's totally worth teleporting to. After you spawn, use the /tp command to send yourself to the coordinates (-185, 64, 117). You'll find yourself right at the edge of a mushroom biome looking across a very small ocean at a badlands biome, a jungle, some mountains, a tundra, and even some ice spikes. It's quite a lot of rare, desirable biomes all tucked into one area—perfect for anyone looking to sample just a little bit of almost everything Minecraft has to offer. If you head into the ice spikes, you'll find a tundra village not too far away too.
Source: /r/Minecraftseeds
(Image credit: Mojang)Arctic Survival Island
- Seed: 1669737730 | Version 1.17
If you really liked the look of that isolated arctic survival island seed for Java, here's one for Bedrock edition too! You'll spawn on this medium-sized island surrounded entirely by a frozen ocean and icebergs. There's more than enough trees and space on this one island to keep you busy, especially with several underwater shipwrecks and ocean ruins nearby. Once you've conquered all that, there are a few dark forests to find on further shores. You're rather far from civilization though, so don't expect to find a village unless you take a very, very long boat ride.
Source: /r/Minecraftseeds
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Sometimes something terrible happens to something beautiful. A speedrunner sneezes three hours into a no-hit perfect run and gets tagged. Your favorite MMO shuts down, ending an entire world. The corporate overlords of the least corporate RPG of all time get rid of its creators. Something terrible happened to something beautiful when Valve let Team Fortress 2 fall into ruin. For years it was virtually impossible to play a casual game of TF2 without being overwhelmed by automated snipers who would headshot anyone in sight, spam hate speech, and even drop links to child pornography.
Not content with just killing everyone on the map, the bots started evolving.
The bots owned TF2. It was really, really, bad. Fed up after years of neglect, the community finally decided to do something about it.
And they might just have #SavedTF2.
One of the most influential shooters of all time, Team Fortress 2 has a long and storied history. Developed over nine years from the bones of an old Quake mod, it was one of the first class-based FPS games and remains one of the most popular. Released in 2007 with Half-Life 2 and surprise hit Portal in the legendary Orange Box, it's a big part of the reason Steam has become the juggernaut it is. TF2 is still a regular on Steam's most-played charts, even though it's been five years since its last content update.
It wasn't just a lack of updates that turned TF2 into a bot-infested wasteland. In April of 2020, Valve confirmed that the source code for TF2 and CS:GO had been leaked. Despite a post from the official Twitter account for Team Fortress reassuring players that they had nothing to worry about, almost immediately players started noticing a disturbing trend. While cheating had long been an issue in TF2, it tended to be the kind that plagues many online shooters—wall hacks, aimbots, and the like. But this was different. Automated bots choosing the sniper class would join games, guns pointed toward the sky, and start killing everyone.
It didn't end there. The bots became more and more toxic. Not content with killing everyone on the map, they started evolving. They spammed horrible static over comms. They posted links to all kinds of questionable nonsense in the chat. They changed their names to match actual players', banded together and votekicked real humans who joined the game. They made the game literally unplayable.
Frustrated, players took to social media and posted video after video about the situation. Unable to play on Valve's official lobbies, players migrated to community servers like Uncle Dane's Uncletopia and hunkered down for what would end up being a long, long winter. Gone were the good times of the Jungle Inferno update (a glorious month for Pyro mains), gone were easy breezy 2Fort sniper fests, gone were demomen sticky jumping off cliffs. What had once been Valve's greatest multiplayer game was adrift, and no update arrived to right the ship.
Dedicated members of the community tried to make the best of it. Even during the worst of the crisis, TF2's average players per month never dipped below 65,000—although there is some question of just how many of these were, well, the bots. Resilient fans did find ways to keep playing, patiently waiting for some kind of an update from Valve. A tweet, a blog post, a patch. Anything. But the players got no updates in 2020 or 2021, and were left instead with a burning question:
Why?
Call to arms
Why were these bots so prevalent? Why wasn't Valve doing something about it? What was in it for these sociopathic bot wranglers that saw fit to ruin everyone's fun? In a video posted in February 2020 that now has over a million views, YouTuber Toofty interviewed a number of cheaters to answer those questions. "It's not some conspiracy theory," he told me. "It's kind of quite mundane at the end of the day. They would come into the comments section on my YouTube channel and talk about cheating quite openly. It didn't take long before I found some good leads I could follow."
The cheaters gave a number of reasons, none of them very satisfactory, that ultimately boiled down to one thing: They thought it was fun. Some claimed to have a grudge against certain developers, or to only use hacks to fight certain strategies, but most just thought it was funny to get a rise out of people. "I was hoping for some crazed, genius hacker with an agenda, but instead I just found some bored and sometimes lonely kids messing about."
Annoying, to be sure. But in most cases, people like this are a minor irritation—they mess up a game or two, ruin the occasional server, then end up getting banned or bored. Valve's negligence, however, was letting them run rampant.
Over two years after the source code leak, an idea began to crystallize. On May 7th, 2022 a YouTuber named SquimJim posted a video calling on the community to reach out to Valve via email, even supplying a form letter. A group of content creators collectively known as Chucklenuts (after the legendary Scout voice line, or perhaps his adorable squirrel?) saw this and decided to take it one step further. They put their heads together and came up with an idea for a peaceful protest—an outcry from the community that loved the game so much. They would get together every video maker, every fan on Twitter, every Heavy with a minigun and an email account to raise their voice.
#SaveTF2 was born.
I asked ElMaxo, one of the founding members, about the process. "SquimJim made a video, and we ended up adding him to a Discord to talk to him about it, and it kind of birthed out of that. Weezy had the idea of starting it, and we were all really on board. The worst we were doing was trying." The YouTubers called on their audiences to reach out to Valve respectfully and ask them to address the situation, to post positive things to Reddit, to tweet with the hashtag.
On May 7th, 2022 they posted their call to action, released a bunch of heartwarming videos, and got #SaveTF2 trending at #1, breaking 400,000 tweets. They didn't have to wait long for the universe to answer them.
Two days later, in the first tweet from the official account since 2020, Valve said "TF2 community, we hear you! We love this game and know you do, too. We see how large this issue has become and are working to improve things."
Action followed soon after. In June and July, Valve pushed a number of updates to Team Fortress 2. It fixed an exploit where players could use cheats on secure servers. It fixed the Ap-Sap and its godsforsaken noise spam. It changed it so both teams could have a kick vote running simultaneously, which helped clear out bots players were able to identify. Slowly bots became less frequent, to the point that in researching this story I didn't once have a game ruined by them (just by my inability to hit the broad side of a barn).
Then the final domino, at least for now, fell. On August 19th, Valve took the TF2 servers offline. The server message read "The item and matchmaking servers will be unavailable for approximately five minutes due to reasons." Players started reporting VAC bans targeting bots, and it looked like thousands of accounts had been banned in one great purge. The crisis had finally ended.
(Image credit: Valve)I asked Maxo how it felt. "It's insane," he said. "Just the whole movement that emerged out of a 15-year-old game. It was beautiful seeing the community rally that well, people who haven't played in years. It was really beautiful to be honest. If you ask anyone about #SaveTF2 they will credit ShorK for organizing it really well. He made all the posters and got everyone together, did so much of the work behind the scenes to make it all function. It was really special."
Since the updates started in June, Team Fortress 2's concurrent users have skyrocketed. From 68,000 in May to 130,000 in September, fans of rocket jumps, sticky traps, and knives in the backs of snipers have flocked back. There is still a bit of uncertainty—players still see a few bots in games, but not nearly the number there were before. The fight against cheaters in games seems to be one of the constants of the world, along with taxes and me missing headshots.
Things are stable for now, but the community is still holding its breath. They've been burned before. Hopefully this marks a new beginning for TF2, though. Maxo, at least, believes it will. "I think TF2 is gonna have a renaissance. I think it's gonna spike even higher. It's gonna be big again!"
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Debates over which new mob should be added to Minecraft have started earlier than usual this year, and will probably get just as bitter and bloody as ever. But after just a few hours this one is already starting to feel like a landslide because players (and I) have already fixated on the obvious winner.
The annual mob vote is actually taking place next week—in Minecraft's finest tradition, players get to democratically choose a new creature to come to the game in the next year's game update—and Mojang has announced the choices with animated introduction videos on Twitter today.
The Rascal is a sneaky mine dweller who enjoys a bit of hide and seek and will reward players with enchanted items for finding them three times. The Tuff Golem is a tiny golem who will hold an item and sometimes come to life to wander around. The Sniffer is an ancient turtle-like creature who will locate plant seeds and will also bring new (but also ancient) plants to the game.
I'd assumed that the mob vote options would be announced sometime next week, giving us just a few days to mull them over. This mulling period is even bigger than past years, when Mojang would announce a selection of three creatures about five days ahead of the Minecraft Live livestream and announce winner during the event.
But an entire nine days? That's less of a mulling period and more of a mustering period. There's no way this doesn't turn into a social media bloodbath.
At least Dream (who notoriously voted for the Glow Squid over the Moobloom in 2020) may be busy after his face reveal earlier this week, but other YouTubers and big-following fans are sure to get their opinions in the mix too. The informal polls from players are already rolling and unless things change, this might be a landslide vote.
And now I will participate in the very campaigning I'm side-eyeing, because I think the Tuff Golem just does not hold a candle to the other choices. Sorry little fella, but statuesque item holders aren't quite as exciting as a creepy mine friend or nice plant turtle thing.
If I were to be extremely impartial: vote for Sniffer.
The Minecraft mob vote actually opens next week on October 14, and the winner will be announced during Minecraft Live on Saturday, October 15.
i_drew_a_sniffer from r/Minecraft
#SnifferSupremacy #SNIFFERSWEEP sniffer supporters unite
vote this great mob into existence, we don't need a Rascal, get the Sniffer!! pic.twitter.com/ljrlFtzVgnOctober 5, 2022See moreThe Sniffer - Minecraft Mob Vote
#minecraft #minecraftmobvote #minecraftsniffer #sniffer #minecraftlive #minecraftmobvote2022 pic.twitter.com/IQjXcKWyYDOctober 4, 2022See more -
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When EA started putting games on Steam again in 2019, I immediately forgot my Origin password as an act of rejoicement. That may have been premature. The era of many PC gaming clients was not coming to an end, as it turned out: EA did stop cloistering its PC games on the Origin store, but the Steam versions still launched the Origin client when you started them.
That hasn't been true for every new EA-published game on Steam, though. I was surprised to find that F1 2021 doesn't require Origin, for instance. Another exception will be the Steam version of the Dead Space remake, which releases in January.
"Dead Space is native on Steam," said an EA rep when reached for comment.
EA didn't say whether or not the decision is part of some broader plan to phase out the Origin client for Steam releases, but I doubt it. The upcoming Star Wars Jedi: Survivor will require Origin, according to its Steam page. Speculation on Reddit that EA "finally looked at the Steam reviews" might be prematurely optimistic.
For Dead Space, though, EA's statement confirms that the usual third-party DRM notice wasn't just forgotten, or temporarily missing because EA is in the process of transitioning away from Origin to the new EA Launcher, as some in that Reddit thread speculated. It's a regular Steam game with no extraneous client.
That probably won't make much of a difference to our in-game Dead Space remake experience, but I'm glad to be spared the discomfort brought on by watching pointless DRM-on-DRM draw even a tiny fraction of my system's resources. A PC gamer's natural and unavoidable aversion to unnecessary background processes is indifferent to their significance. Taskbar icons are enemies.
Regarding that in-game experience, the Dead Space remake got a new trailer the other day, and the revised USG Ishimura and necromorphs look about as spooky and grotesque as I'd hoped. The only thing I'm not sure about is Isaac having a voice: I preferred him as the silent Gordon Freeman type he was in the original. I can't be too self-righteous about this appeal to the way things were, though. Isaac was voiced in Dead Space 2 and 3, so remake developer Motive hasn't exactly taken a drastic departure from the overall source material.
Dead Space will be out on January 27.
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After a long delay, Valve has launched its official docking station for Steam Deck, and it looks like you won't have to wait long to get your hands on it. In even better news, the depressingly long wait times for ordering a Steam Deck may be coming to an end, too. Valve announced that the Steam Deck will now be available for orders without needing a reservation.
We first saw the official Steam Deck dock at the Tokyo Game Show a few weeks ago, and it looks like its design hasn't changed much. The inputs for the docking station include 3 x USB-A 3.1 Gen1 Ports, DisplayPort 1.4, and HDMI 2.0. Unlike the Nintendo Switch dock, the display of the Steam Deck isn't covered, so you can use it without connecting it to an external display.
While $89 feels a bit steep, the one thing Valve's official dock offers that you won't see on others is a full-sized DisplayPort connection. This will let you connect your Deck output to monitors in 4K at 120 Hz and even 8K 60Hz, though I doubt any of us will use that ability. The docking station doesn't give the Steam Deck a boost in performance; it's all about charging and connectivity.The Steam Deck Docking Station is available for $89 (£79) through Steam, with an expected delivery date of 1-2 weeks for North America and the UK.
Steam in your hands(Image credit: Future, FromSoftware)Steam Deck review: Our verdict on Valve's handheld PC.
Steam Deck availability: How to get one.
Steam Deck battery life: What's the real battery life of the new device?
How loud is the Steam Deck? And will it pass the Significant Other test?
Steam Deck - The emulation dream machine: Using Valve's handheld hardware as the ultimate emulator.Once we get one in-house to check out, we'll let you know if the dock seems worth that $89. Until then, there are plenty of cheaper Steam Deck dock alternatives you can check out, like this Jsaux docking station for only $40 (and the upgraded version is only $50).
At the time of writing this post, it seems like the 256GB Steam Deck is the only one you can order without reservation right now, with an expected delivery date of 1-2 weeks. The 64GB and 512GB Steam Decks are currently taking reservations and will ship out at some point between late October and December.Valve has said in a blog post that "if order volume for a specific model of Steam Deck grows higher than our ability to ship it in a timely manner," it will revert back to the reservation model, which looks like the case with two out of the three Deck models currently.
However, at the rate Valve seems to be producing these things, I wouldn't be surprised if these orders ship out sooner than advertised. -
Over on ModDB, a creator by the name of PinkyDev has revealed that Codename: Loop, their project to create a top-down, twin-stick shooter spinoff of Half-Life, has gotten the go-ahead from Valve to be listed on Steam in the near future.
Probably the most impressive thing about Loop is its compatibility with the original Half-Life's BSP file format. This allows Loop to utilize GoldSrc engine assets, preserving the look and feel of Half-Life on the Unity Engine. Loop is also set to support an over-the-shoulder perspective, and even come full circle back to a first-person view for any mapmakers who want to create FPS levels within this new framework.
The BSP compatibility gives Codename: Loop the potential to support a strong modding community of its own, as level designers can use pre-existing tools like Crystice Softworks' J.A.C.K. level editor for Half-Life and Quake to create maps and campaigns in Loop. Preserving that classic Half-Life DIY spirit seems to be a major priority for PinkyDev, who wrote in the project's latest update: "I will be doing everything I can to support the Steam Workshop, this way everybody will be able to share and download campaigns and levels and maintain this game alive forever."
The ambition to become a new modding hub is certainly intriguing and ambitious, but Codename: Loop's core premise of a Half-Life twin-stick spinoff strikes me as an inspired riff on the classic FPS all on its own. An early gameplay video from last year shows that the assets and enemies of HL1 translate well to a new perspective, and it's funky to hear those classic sound effects and see the soft halogen glow of Half-Life's signature UI in this context.
PinkyDev seems to have originally conceived of Codename: Loop as a Half-Life roguelike, and while that ambition is still there, PinkyDev has shifted focus to developing a linear campaign and building in support for other modders. There is currently no release date specified for Codename: Loop, and its Steam hub has not yet gone live. Until then, the fan game's ModDB page is the best way to stay up to date on development.
Image 1 of 5(Image credit: Valve, user PinkyDev on ModDB)Image 2 of 5(Image credit: Valve, user PinkyDev on ModDB)Image 3 of 5(Image credit: Valve, user PinkyDev on ModDB)Image 4 of 5(Image credit: Valve, user PinkyDev on ModDB)Image 5 of 5(Image credit: Valve, user PinkyDev on ModDB) -
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is still a few weeks away from launch, but that hasn't stopped Activision from rolling out the official launch trailer today. The new video is a rough-and-tumble tale of manly men and unflinching women, complete with an appearance by that guy who plays a competent-but-irritated military officer in practically every movie he appears in.
That's Glen Morshower, by the way—the guy who wants to know "how many they have and where they intend to use them"—and if you think I'm kidding about his oeuvre, here's a look at some of his work:
- General Hayes in Madam Secretary
- General Morshower in Transformers: The Last Knight
- General Lane in Supergirl
- General Jacobs in Agents of SHIELD
- Major General Holtz in The Men Who Stare at Goats
- General Cook in Fire From Below
- General Washington in Disaster!
- Admiral Hawley in Scandal
- Admiral Halsey in Pearl Harbor
- unnamed generals in The 4400 and Delta Farce
That's not to mention performances of various lower-ranked officers in other films and TV shows, and roles in games including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Battlefield 3, Black Ops 2, and even Wolfenstein 2—although he didn't play a military officer in that one, but BJ Blazkowicz's abusive father. Which is pretty close, really.
The man clearly has a type, is my point, and he's filling it out nicely in this trailer just as he did in 2009 in the original Modern Warfare, with an impatient demand for answers that can only be provided by cool customers with sweet hardware who are willing to do what the rest of us are not.
What is that, exactly? I really don't know. I've enjoyed the previous Modern Warfare singleplayer campaigns and I'm looking forward to Modern Warfare 2, but I'm never entirely sure what went on when they're over. Quite frankly, they turn into a blurry haze of gunfire and explosions 30 minutes after the credits roll. Which is fine: Like a good action movie, Modern Warfare 2 doesn't need to stimulate heavy intellectual discourse in order to entertain. Sometimes, bullets, 'splosions, and machismo are all you really need—and when Captain Price said, "'These things' take violence and timing. I can do both," that's when I was sold.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has a bit of a complicated launch schedule, but it really comes down to a couple of specific days: Those who preorder will have access to the campaign on October 20, while the full release will take place a week later on October 28. It'll be available for PC on Steam and Battle.net.
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Last week came the news that several key figures behind Disco Elysium, arguably the best game you can play on PC, had left developer Studio ZA/UM. The news came via a blog post from Martin Luiga, a founding member of the studio, who said that Robert Kurvitz, Helen Hindpere, and Aleksandr Rostov had all left: Kurvitz and Hindpere being the driving forces of Disco Elysium's lauded script, with Rostov's impressionistic art style a defining feature.
Now Luiga's said a little more. "It happened late last year," he told Gamepressure in an interview. "They were fired on false premises and the entire ordeal has been very traumatizing for both them and people close to them."
Luiga is apparently subject to an NDA that means he can't talk about certain stuff. "Anyhow, I am super worried," says Luiga, "but I am still not disclosing all information I have, and there is also information which I don't have, and I am rather sure that we will not have the full picture before the final judgment.
"I think already the fact that three prominent figures have been fired, while the fanbase would expect them to go on, is vital information, and it hadn't been held a complete secret either. The thing is, I love truth, beauty, and justice."
Luiga's mention of a 'final judgment' suggests that there is legal action going on which is yet to be made public, which in the case of people being fired under false premises one would perhaps expect. And yes Disco Elysium fans at this point are probably wondering how ironic all this is going to get. The game itself is hyper-critical of capitalist structures, the petit bourgeois, and the compromises that people make in their lives to accommodate such systems.
"I even see it as fair, if not entirely intentional," says Luiga of such thoughts. "Why should we get to make a successful critique of capital in a world of suffering, and not suffer for it? People suffer all over the industry and all over the world. The question is what we will do about it."
Luiga nevertheless goes on to say that he announced the news because "fans had a right to know", and reiterates that "it doesn't make sense to be offensive against the current workers of the company."
"It pays to remain polite, even if it's hard," he said, "and I know that I have not been a very striking example at times."
Luiga mentions being unsure about whether ZA/UM in its current form will be developing the sequel to Disco Elysium, and also doesn't know exactly how many people who worked on the original have
There is, however, one little spot of light for fans of Disco Elysium. "I think the three [Kurvitz, Hindpere and Rostov] will continue making games," says Luiga. "As for myself, I haven't decided the level of my involvement as of yet. Right now, it is mostly the phase of pondering ideas and managing our problems."
ZA/UM issued the following statement after news of the departures first broke:
"Like any video game, the development of Disco Elysium was and still is a collective effort, with every team member’s contribution essential and valued as part of a greater whole. At this time, we have no further comment to make other than the ZA/UM creative team’s focus remains on the development of our next project, and we are excited to share more news on this with you all soon."
The studio has told us it won't be saying anything further on the matter. If this does end up in court, though, expect fireworks.
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Hardware manufacturer Fractal Design is halting sales and issuing a recall of its Lumen AIO-series watercoolers following "user reports of an increase in CPU temperatures."
Two factors may be causing the spike in CPU temperatures, according to Fractal Design (via HotHardware): the "soldering material used in the aluminum radiator" and "impurities introduced during manufacturing."
The company says that these elements may cause "a reaction with the chemical composition of the cooling fluid," which can lead to "sediment build-up" in the CPU block, causing an increase in CPU temperatures. It says that Lumen AIOs that don't have any thermal issues are still safe to use, but that it will pull them all from store shelves until quality standards improve.
Fractal Design added that it will be "working on a new version with an updated radiator and a new liquid formula, produced following revised processes and guidelines for assembly."
Last year, Fractal Design had to recall the fan hub of its Torrent Case because of an issue that could potentially cause a short circuit. Fractal was quick to handle that situation.
Fractal Design is asking any customers with potentially affected AIO coolers to fill out this webform to request a replacement; all you need to do is track down the serial number of the Lumen located on the short side of the radiator. It hopes to send replacements out to customers, distributors, and resellers in about six weeks.
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Brazil has become the second country after Saudi Arabia to wave through Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. In a decision released yesterday, the country's Administrative Council for Economic Defence (CADE) approved the merger "without restriction," clearing the way for the deal to proceed in Brazil.
It's another win in Microsoft's quest to acquire one of the biggest and most recognisable games companies, but just as interesting is the reasoning that CADE provided to justify its approval. In a lengthy accompanying document, CADE's analysis concluded that Sony's complaints about losing Call of Duty didn't have much merit. The reason? Call of Duty wasn't on Steam for years, and still isn't on the Nintendo Switch, and it's not like either of those platforms is gasping for air.
"The absence of Call of Duty in recent years," says the CADE report, "did not prevent Steam from occupying a leading position in the ranking of digital stores," especially in the Brazilian market. As for the Switch, CADE says that "the relevance of Activision Blizzard games" to the platform's success is "minimal".
CADE does accept that Sony could, "in theory," be harmed by losing Call of Duty (and it's worth remembering that Microsoft keeps saying it won't take the games off PlayStation). Unfortunately for Sony, the company is unique in that regard, and CADE is straightforward that its mission is "the protection of competition as a means of promoting the well-being of the Brazilian consumer," and not "the defence of the particular interests of specific competitors". So it won't be swooping in to protect Sony from Microsoft's encroachment.
So no matter how much the Microsoft/Activision deal might threaten Sony's position, it's a specific risk to one company, not a threat to the Brazilian games market as a whole. That gets it Brazil's stamp of approval, and one more hurdle to Microsoft's $68 billion acquisition has fallen. That's not the end of it, of course: the UK has yet to conclude its in-depth investigation into the merger, and many more countries have to reach decisions, too. As for Sony? It'll just have to be more like Valve and Nintendo, I suppose.
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Amazon Prime Day laptop deals(Image credit: Future)
Jump straight to the deals you want...
1. Gaming laptop deals
2. Office laptop deals
3. UK gaming laptop dealsIf you're in the market for an Amazon Prime Early Access gaming laptop deal, you may have to look pretty hard. Since Prime Early Access is pretty new, we're still not overly sure what to expect. While we're likely to see a few gaming laptops on sale, the deal's aren't likely to be as immense as those you'll find when Black Friday rolls around.
Still, we've been searching around for gaming laptops and work laptops in what's currently a highly competitive scene for portable machines, so you can get on with whatever you do best. We've spotted a few good'uns even before the Early Access is set to hit us midnight on the 11th. We've also got our bots scouring for anything that might be classed as a deal, but it's still important to know what constitutes as a bargain for yourself.
The general rules of thumb for identifying a gaming laptop deal tend to hinge on the GPU. A gamer in this age needs an Nvidia RTX 30-series card, or AMD equivalent to run modern games at top frame rates, so that's the bar we're using to measure what counts as a deal price.
I'd recommend not paying any more than $900 for an RTX 3050 or RX 6650 XT-powered machine, or $1,000 for one packing an RTX 3060 or RX 6700 XT. At the top end, RTX 3090 Ti and RX 6900 XT machines shouldn't set you back more than $2,300 as an absolute maximum. At that price it should at least come with a high refresh rate, 1440p panel. Check out our gaming laptop and PC guide for Amazon Prime Early Access.
Keep in mind too, that it isn't just Amazon we'll be seeing discounted goods showing up on, the whole tech retail industry will likely want a piece of the action. So be sure to check everywhere for a bargain.
If you're after something more powerful, the Amazon Prime Early Access gaming PC and Prime Early Access gaming monitor deals might provide a more apt solution. There's also a page with our top picks, and the full selection of Amazon Prime Early access PC gaming deals around today, from TVs to peripherals, and more.
When is Amazon Prime Early Access 2022?
Amazon Prime Early Access will begin at 12 am PT, Tuesday October 11, and will run all the way through to 11.59 pm on Wednesday October 12. Expect 48 hours of potential PC gaming deals, before we get into the meatier discounts expected to drop on Black Friday—that's November 25 for anyone willing to wait that long. Truly, Amazon isn't messing around when it says Early Access. In fact, let's just have a deal event every month.
Where are the best Prime Early Access gaming laptop deals?
- Amazon - RTX 3050 laptops are on sale already, starting at $769
- Asus - $100 off Asus ROG gaming laptops
- MSI - RTX GF65 Thin with RTX 3060 for $852
- Gigabyte - Reductions on Gigabyte gaming laptops at Amazon
- Walmart - The place to go for budget laptops, including a GTX 1650 laptop under $600
- B&H Photo - Over $300 off Lenovo, Asus, & MSI gaming laptops
- Target - Laptops great for office or school laptops at decent sale prices
- Staples - Lenovo and HP office laptops over $200 off
- Lenovo - Chunky savings on workstations and Chromebooks
- Newegg - RTX 3050 Ti gaming laptops under $1,000
- Microsoft - Up to $900 off last-gen gaming laptops
- Dell - Up to $369 off RTX 3050 Ti gaming laptops
Amazon Prime Early Access gaming laptop deals
MSI GF65 Thin | Nvidia RTX 3060 | Intel Core i5 10500H | 15.6-inch | 1080p | 144Hz | 16GB RAM | 512GB SSD |
$909.99$851.62 at Amazon (save $58.37)
It may come in at the lower end of the gaming spectrum, but this is a dependable machine that's lighter than your average gaming laptop. It falls down a little when it comes to storage space, but the CPU is still pretty relevant today. It's a good price for a portable gaming machine with a current gen GPU, either way.View DealGigabyte A7 K1 | Nvidia RTX 3060 | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H | 17.3-inch | 1080p | 144Hz | 16GB RAM | 512GB SSD |
$1,299$999 at Amazon (save $200)
A nice wide view with this 17-inch gaming laptop, and though it may not be the most powerful thing around, you still get a current-gen GPU with ray tracing ability, coupled with a sweet Ryzen CPU. It has a good mid-range gaming spec to back it up, though some more SSD space would've been nice.View DealGigabyte G5 | Nvidia RTX 3060 | Intel Core i5 11400H | 15.6-inch | 1080p | 144Hz | 16GB RAM | 512GB SSD |
$1,299$1,199 at Amazon (save $100)
This RTX 3060-powered machine sits a little high on the deal scale, but it's a neat machine even for that price. That CPU is only last Gen, and it's backed up with 16GB of RAM as well as a nice 144Hz monitor that's great for competitive gaming. The SSD is a little lacking for the size of today's games, but you can always upgrade it later.View DealMSI Pulse GL66 | Nvidia RTX 3070 | Intel Core i7 11800H | 15.6-inch | 1080p | 144Hz | 16GB RAM | 512GB SSD |
$1,499$1,399 at Amazon (save $100)
There's a lot to say about a machine with an RTX 3070, and while it's not the best deal ever, this one comes suped up with a powerful last Gen Intel mobile CPU, and has a speedy 144Hz monitor to top it off.View DealRazer Blade 14 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 | Ryzen 9 5900HX | 15.6-inch | 1440p | 165Hz | 16GB RAM | 1TB SSD |
$2,799.99$2,264.60 at Amazon (save $535.39)
An absolutely intense machine here with a ridiculous saving. It's actually cheaper than it was on Prime Day, but before that you wouldn't have seen it below $2,400. We're in love with the Blade in general, though this isn't our fave config; it's a little noisy and has the potential to throttle under heavy loads, but its still a super speedy machine for a great price.View DealAmazon Prime Early Access laptop deals
ASUS VivoBook Pro 16X OLED | Nvidia RTX 3050 | Intel Core i7 11370H | 16-inch | 3840 x 2400p | 16GB RAM | 1TB SSD |
$1,399.99$1,099.99 at Newegg (save $300)
That's a decent saving on a last Gen Intel Core i7 lappy. That's a great CPU for productivity and with an RTX 3050 in there you'll be able to get a little bit of gaming in too. A fancy, high-res OLED screen and a nice chunk of storage never go amiss either. Plus, 3 months free Adobe Creative Cloud subscription.View DealAmazon Prime Early Access UK gaming laptop deals
Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 | RTX 3060 | Ryzen 5 5600H | 15.6-inch | 1080p | 120Hz | 8GB RAM | 512GB SSD |
£899.99£724.99 at Amazon (save £175)
This is the cheapest RTX 3060 gaming laptop we've found, and it's cheaper than it was Prime Day, too. Granted there are some sacrifices made to deliver the GPU performance at this price. Notably the RAM and SSD are pretty miserly, but compromises always have to be made, and the CPU and GPU combination will deliver great gaming performance on the 120Hz 1080p screen.View Deal
Woman confesses to murdering sister for flirting with her boyfriend in Valorant
in Gaming News
Posted
An Orlando woman has admitted to murdering her sister for flirting with her boyfriend in Valorant, the Orlando Sentinel reports. 21-year-old Fatiha Marzan was arrested by Orange County deputies on the evening of September 26, after calling police to report and confess to the crime about 15 hours after it happened.
Marzan is reported to have shared a room and bed with her 20-year-old sister Sayma, who was a Valorant player. Investigators say that Marzan regularly witnessed her long-distance boyfriend and her sister playing the game together, and perceived chat messages between the two as inappropriately flirtatious.
Although Marzan repeatedly confronted them both regarding their relationship, it seems that she never stopped regarding the pair's bond as a threat. After learning—or at least coming to believe—that her boyfriend had told her sister that he loved her, Marzan purchased a "dagger-style knife set" from Amazon and hid it for weeks, planning to attack her sister while the rest of the household slept, according to the arrest affidavit. She eventually murdered Sayma in the early hours of September 26.
The story is another episode of videogame-related violence in a series stretching back decades. Whether it's people dying in swatting 'pranks', death threats to developers, or murders over trivial hardware arguments, there have been a fair few of these kinds of stories in the last few years alone.
Marzan called police on the evening of her sister's murder, around 15 hours later, to report the death and confess to her crime. Sayma was declared dead by Orange County fire rescue about 20 minutes after they arrived, and Marzan was arrested. She is currently being held without bond and faces a first-degree murder charge.
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