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Elden Ring patch brings new quest lines, bug fixes and nerfs

Bandai Namco and FromSoftware have released a new patch for Elden Ring. Patch 1.03 offers new questlines, a new NPC, and map tracking for characters you’ve met. Additionally, the patch includes a nerf for the Mimic Tear Spirit Ashes (😢) and added bug fixes.

You’ll be able to add an icon and the name of an NPC that you meet on the map. The new NPC is named Jar-Bairn, who you can learn more about here.

FromSoftware also says that it has added some summonable NPCs in multiple situations — hopefully that means you’ll be able to summon an NPC before fighting Malenia, Blade of Miquella because that was one tough battle.

Elden Ring has also fixed a bug with stat scaling on some arcane weapons, and added questlines for Diallos, Nepheli Loux, Kenneth Haight and Gatekeeper Gostoc.

Here are the full patch notes below:

Changes

  • Added a function to record an icon and the name of an NPC on the map when you encounter that NPC.
  • Added NPC Jar-Bairn.
  • Added new quest phases for the following NPCs: Diallos/ Nepheli Loux/ Kenneth Haight/ Gatekeeper Gostoc.
  • Added some summonable NPCs in multiple situations.
  • Increased the number of patterns of objects player can imitate when using Mimic’s Veil.
  • Added night background music for some open field areas.

Bug fixes

  • Fixed a bug that prevented summoned NPCs from taking damage in some boss battles.
  • Fixed a bug that sometimes prevented the player from obtaining items after a boss battle.
  • Fixed a bug that causes dialogue to be skipped when talking to NPCs and using custom key configurations.
  • Fixed a bug that causes the player to freeze when riding.
  • Fixed a bug that causes arcane to scale incorrectly for some weapons.
  • In situations where the player cannot obtain more than 2 talisman pouches, added talisman pouch to Twin Maiden Husks shop line up.
  • Fixed a bug that prevented the user from warping to sites of grace from the map at the end of the game.
  • Fixed a bug that prevented the player from moving to the next area after the battle with the Fire Giant.
  • Fixed a bug which causes some weapons to have incorrect scaling after strengthening.
  • Fixed a bug which causes some weapons to not use stat scaling.
  • Fixed hang-ups in certain occasions.
  • Fixed a bug which incorrectly displays multiplayer area boundary when playing online.
  • Fixed a bug that allows players to activate Erdtree Greatshield’s weapon skill without absorbing an attack using a special combination of item and incantation.
  • Fixed a bug which causes Fire’s Deadly Sin incantation to have a different effect.
  • Fixed a bug with the Ash of War, Determination and Royal Knight’s Resolve, where the damage buff will also apply to other weapons without that skill.
  • Adjusted the visual effect of Unseen Form spell.
  • Deleted the Ragged armor set from the game which was mistakenly obtainable in previous patch.
  • Fixed a bug that causes some hostile NPCs to drop Furlcalling Finger Remedy.
  • Fixed a bug that causes incorrect sound effect to play in some situations.
  • Fixed a bug which causes visual animation and hitboxes to not be displayed correctly on some maps.
  • Fixed bugs which cause incorrect visual and behavior for some enemies.
  • Fixed a bug that causes incorrect stat parameter for some armor.
  • Text fixes.
  • Other performance improvement and bug fixes.

Balance changes

  • Increased the drop rate of Smithing Stone for some enemies.
  • Added Smithing Stone to some early game shop line up.
  • Increased shield’s effectiveness.
  • Increased the damage for all offensive cracked pot items.
  • Increased the damage for the following items: Spark Aromatic/Poison Spraymist.
  • Increased the effect duration for the following items: Uplifting Aromatic/ Ironjar Aromatic.
  • Increased HP healing for Torrent when using the following items: Rowa Raisin/ Sweet Raisin/ Frozen Raisin
  • Reduced FP consumption and increased the damage of the following sorceries: Glintstone Cometshard/ Comet/ Night Comet
  • Increased the damage of the following sorceries: Gravity Well/ Collapsing Stars/ Crystal Barrage
  • Decreased FP consumption of the following sorceries: Star Shower/ Rock Blaster/ Gavel of Haima/ Founding Rain of Stars/ Stars of Ruin/Greatblade Phalanx/Magic Downpour/ Loretta’s Greatbow/ Loretta’s Mastery/ Carian Greatsword/ Carian Piercer/ Shard Spiral
  • Raised projectile speed and range of Great Glintstone Shard
  • Decreased Ash of War, Hoarfrost Stomp’s damage and increase cast time.
  • Increased Ash of War, Bloody Slash’s self-inflict damage while slightly lowering the damage and increasing the cast time.
  • Decreased weapon skill, Sword of Night and Flame’s damage.
  • Increased FP consumption and lower duration of Ash of War, Barricade Shield.
  • Changed FP consumption timing of Ash of War, Prelate’s Charge.
  • Decreased the damage of spirit summoned when using the item Mimic Tear Ash and changed the spirit’s behavior pattern.
  • Other enemy and weapon balance changes
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Google may have a solution for running Windows games on Stadia

While debate rages about whether or not Stadia will land in the ‘Google Graveyard,’ it appears the search giant may have prepped something that could save its struggling game streaming service: a solution for running Windows games.

According to The Verge, Reddit users spotted a session at Google’s upcoming Games Developer Summit titled “how to write a Windows emulator for Linux from scratch.” Google Stadia’s porting platform lead, Marchin Undak, will head the session. It promises a “detailed overview of the technology behind Google’s solution for running unmodified Windows games on Stadia.”

In other words, it appears Google may have made its own Windows “emulator” for Linux.

It’s worth noting that Google’s Stadia is based on Linux, which means this could open the door for easily porting games designed to run on Windows over to Stadia. Although Google has worked with companies like Unreal, Unity, and Havok to improve the porting process, game developers still had to do some heavy lifting to get titles running on Linux.

If Google’s solution works well, it could remove some of the biggest hurdles for getting games running on Stadia. That could lead to an influx of new titles on the platform.

As The Verge points out, Google calls the solution an emulator, but it’s likely the solution is more of a compatibility layer. Emulating apps can cause performance issues, which aren’t ideal in things like games. Compatibility layers, on the other hand, can translate apps to run on different platforms without as significant an impact on performance.

Valve’s Proton compatibility layer is a great example of this. Proton, for those unfamiliar, uses a modified version of ‘Wine’ and maps Microsoft’s Direct3D graphics APIs to Vulkan, allowing Windows games to run on Linux. Proton is key to the Steam Deck, which runs a custom Linux distribution called ‘Steam OS.’

Of course, Google and Valve aren’t the only companies looking into ways to get Windows games running on Linux-based systems. Amazon has been trying to hire developers with experience in Proton for its Luna gaming service (which isn’t available in Canada yet). Luna is powered by Windows, but Amazon’s hiring attempts suggest it could shift to Linux.

Whether Google’s Windows-games-on-Stadia solution is an emulator or compatibility layer remains to be seen. Whatever the case, it could be a great way to expand the content available on Stadia. We’ll likely learn all the details at the Games Developer Summit on March 15th.

Source: The Verge

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Canada is the 17th best Wordle nation in the world: study

According to a new study by Wordtips, Canada is the 17th best nation in the world when it comes to solving Wordles, one spot ahead of the United States. And if that wasn’t enough, the data also reveals which Canadian cities are better at Wordle than the others.

Wordtips analyzed Twitter data from all over the world to deduce which countries and cities host the most proficient Wordle-rs, and it turns out that Swedish people are great at guessing words. On average, it took only 3.81 guesses from Swedish Wordle-rs to solve the puzzle. Canadians, who come in at the number 17 spot globally took about 3.90 guesses on average per Wordle.

Within the nation, Toronto Wordle-rs should be considered wordsmiths as it only took them 3.81 guesses on average per wordle, with Vancouver coming in a close second at 3.84. Ottawa, Montreal and Edmonton follow to close out the top five spot at 3.87, 3.91 and 3.92 guesses on average, respectively.

Don’t get too ahead of yourself though. On a larger scale, Toronto comes in at spot 25 when compared to cities around the world, with Canberra, Australia coming in at first with 3.58 guesses per puzzle on average.

Cities that follow closely are Jerusalem, Malmö, Durban and Paris at 3.63, 3.66, 3.66 and 3.69, respectively.

Wordtips gathered this data by analyzing 195,248 Tweets with “#Wordle” in them using the Twitter API in January 2022. As a collective, the worldwide score comes in at 3.919 guesses per wordle.

Check out this Wordle-inspired battle royale game below:


We have a battle royale version of Wordle now


We have a battle royale version of Wordle now

The head-turning crossword-like word guessing game Wordle now has a battle royale version. But instead of eliminating others with guns and grenades, you use your wit and agility.


Read now

Image credit: Wordtips

Source: Wordtips

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Get games and fund cancer research with Humble Bundle’s new ‘F*ck Cancer’ bundle

Humble Bundle is back with an excellent new ‘F*ck Cancer‘ game bundle that will net customers 13 titles valued at about $347 CAD while helping fund cancer research.

For those unfamiliar with Humble Bundle, the platform regularly offers bundles of games with a ‘pay what you want’ model. The amount people pay for the bundle gets divided up between Humble, the game developers, and a charity. Typically, customers can choose things like the charity and how the money gets split up (i.e. if you want most of it to go to the charity instead of the developers and Humble).

Additionally, most Humble Bundles have a minimum spend amount that customers need to hit in order to unlock all titles in a bundle. The ‘F*ck Cancer’ bundle requires a donation of at least $12.56 CAD to unlock all 13 titles from the bundle, but customers are free to donate much more as well.

All of the money spent on the ‘F*ck Cancer’ bundle goes towards ‘Cancerfonden,’ the Swedish Cancer Society, for cancer research. According to the bundle description listed on Humble’s website, the bundle celebrates former Starbreeze Studios CEO Mikael Nermark, who passed away due to cancer in October 2021.

“To celebrate the life and legacy of father, husband, and former Starbreeze Studios head Mikael Nermark, friends, family, and colleagues across the game industry rallied together with Humble to grant him one final birthday wish. The result: an epic bundle of games dedicated to Mikael and everyone whose lives have been affected by cancer,” reads the Humble site.

Several of the titles included in the bundle were developed or published by Starbreeze. You can view a full list of games in the bundle below:

  • World War Z: Aftermath
  • Dead by Daylight
  • Payday 2
  • Magicka
  • Dungeon of the Endless
  • theHunter: Call of the Wild
  • Homeworld Remastered Collection
  • Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak
  • Little Nightmares
  • Brothers – A Tale of Two Sons
  • Peppy’s Adventure
  • Red Faction: Armageddon
  • Hamilton’s Great Adventure

Learn more about the bundle here.

Source: Humble Bundle Via: RedFlagDeals

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Mobile Syrup

3-month PlayStation Plus membership is 50 percent off for new subscribers

From now until February 13th PlayStation is offering50-percent off a three-month PlayStation Plus membership.

Currently, the subscription costs $14.99, and on the 14th the price goes back to $29.99.

Unfortunately, this deal is not available for existing PlayStation Plus subscribers.

PlayStation Plus memberships allow users to play free monthly games from PS4 and PS5 titles. Additionally, users with PS Plus members have access to multiplayer games online and exclusive game discounts.

Source: PlayStation

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Mobile Syrup

3-month PlayStation Plus membership is 50 percent off for new subscribers

From now until February 13th PlayStation is offering50-percent off a three-month PlayStation Plus membership.

Currently, the subscription costs $14.99, and on the 14th the price goes back to $29.99.

Unfortunately, this deal is not available for existing PlayStation Plus subscribers.

PlayStation Plus memberships allow users to play free monthly games from PS4 and PS5 titles. Additionally, users with PS Plus members have access to multiplayer games online and exclusive game discounts.

Source: PlayStation

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Mobile Syrup

Xbox sale discounts Assassin’s Creed, Watch Dogs bundle by nearly $100

Microsoft currently has a surprisingly good deal on a Ubisoft game bundle that will save you almost $100 on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Watch Dogs: Legion.

Spotted by RedFlagDeals, the bundle typically costs $145.99 CAD on the Microsoft Store, but thanks to a $97.82 discount, you can get the bundle for just $48.17. It’s worth noting the games are for Xbox, not for PC.

If you don’t have these games already but want to pick them up for cheap, this is a great way to do it. If you already own one, Microsoft also has the games on sale individually, along with a few other Ubisoft titles and other games:

Finally, if you’re not interested in buying any of these titles, several are available through Microsoft’s Game Pass subscription (either for consoles, PC or both). Several of the Ubisoft titles will join Game Pass in the future as well.

Via: RedFlagDeals

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Mobile Syrup

Fortnite is down as Epic Games investigates an issue

If you were planning to spend some of your holiday time off playing Epic Games’ Fortnite, you’re out of luck — the game is currently down.

In a post to the ‘Fortnite Status’ Twitter account, Epic said it’s investigating the issue and that the game is “currently unavailable and players are unable to log-in.”

People have been experiencing issues with Fortnite as early as this morning, with several players reporting spotty connections or receiving messages saying they “do not have permission to play Fortnite.”

Some have also noted that the Epic Game Store is having problems, although those issues appear to have been resolved.

If you’re waiting to get back into Fortnite, you’ll likely want to keep an eye on the status Twitter account for updates.

Source: Fortnite Status (Twitter) Via: The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

Save up to 75 percent on select Ubisoft titles at Amazon Canada

Amazon Canada has a bunch of deals on Ubisoft games across multiple platforms. If you’re hunting for a last-minute gift for a gamer, or you just want to pick up something new to play over your holiday break, there are some great options to check out.

You can find some highlights below:

  • Assassin’s Creed Valhalla – $29.95 (regular $79.99) | Xbox / PS4
  • Watch Dogs Legion – $19.95 (regular $79.99) | Xbox / PS4 / PS5
  • Immortals Fenyx Rising – $29.95 (regular $79.99) | Xbox / PS4 / Switch
  • Rainbow Six Siege Deluxe Edition – $29.95 (regular $49.99) | Xbox / PS5
  • Far Cry 6 – $39.99 (regular $79.99) | PS5 / Xbox
  • Just Dance 2022 – $29.99 (regular $59.99) | PS5 / Xbox / PS4

You can check out more deals on Ubisoft games at Amazon here, or view Ubisoft’s Amazon store page here.

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Save up to 75 percent on select Ubisoft titles at Amazon Canada

Amazon Canada has a bunch of deals on Ubisoft games across multiple platforms. If you’re hunting for a last-minute gift for a gamer, or you just want to pick up something new to play over your holiday break, there are some great options to check out.

You can find some highlights below:

  • Assassin’s Creed Valhalla – $29.95 (regular $79.99) | Xbox / PS4
  • Watch Dogs Legion – $19.95 (regular $79.99) | Xbox / PS4 / PS5
  • Immortals Fenyx Rising – $29.95 (regular $79.99) | Xbox / PS4 / Switch
  • Rainbow Six Siege Deluxe Edition – $29.95 (regular $49.99) | Xbox / PS5
  • Far Cry 6 – $39.99 (regular $79.99) | PS5 / Xbox
  • Just Dance 2022 – $29.99 (regular $59.99) | PS5 / Xbox / PS4

You can check out more deals on Ubisoft games at Amazon here, or view Ubisoft’s Amazon store page here.