Sekiro Guide: How Death Impacts Your Journey

Death is an old friend to fans of From Software’s Bloodborne and Dark Souls games, as the Soulsborne titles all implement mechanics and features that relate to dying. From Software’s newest game, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, is no different. However, death works a little bit differently in Sekiro.

In the following guide, we go over all the ways that death impacts your journey in Sekiro. Whether you want to know when the best time to use the revive mechanic is or how to deal with the effects of Dragonrot, read ahead to learn more.

Sekiro is available on Xbox One, PS4, and PC. If you’re still on the fence about whether you want to buy the game, read our review-in-progress. In it, Tamoor Hussain gives the game a 9/10, writing, “Sekiro marries From Software’s unique brand of gameplay with stealth action to deliver an experience that is as challenging as it is gratifying.”

In Comparison To Dark Souls And Bloodborne

First and foremost, you need to treat death in Sekiro differently than what you may have experienced playing Darks Souls or Bloodborne. When it comes to death, the only similarity Sekiro shares with From Software’s previous titles is that its world is filled with innumerable ways to kill your character.

Upon death, your character, Wolf, loses some of his experience and half of the in-game currency in his possession. The former is used to upgrade Wolf’s abilities and unlock new moves, while the latter allows you to purchase items. You cannot recover what you’ve lost upon death, so it’s in your best interest to flee from fights you think you can’t win. To counter this, Wolf has the ability to receive Unseen Aid–providing a chance to keep your experience and coin upon death. You can see your probability of receiving Unseen Aid–which will decrease if Dragonrot has begun to spread–by either pausing the game or resting at an idol.

Dragonrot — What It Does And How To Cure It

Speaking of Dragonrot, this deadly disease is also closely tied to death in Sekiro. Pretty much anyone Wolf meets and interacts with has the potential of contracting Dragonrot, which causes them to suffer violent coughing fits. The game will inform you whenever someone contracts the disease.

The more you die in Sekiro, the more the Dragonrot disease spreads. Die only a few times in your playthrough and only a couple of individuals will catch it. However, if Wolf falls in battle many times–which is much more likely as Sekiro is a very difficult game–then eventually everyone he knows will begin coughing. As stated before, you do not want this. With every character that contracts Dragonrot, Wolf’s possibility of receiving Unseen Aid diminishes. That’s not all, though. You won’t be able to complete questlines for characters who’ve caught the disease, as their coughing fits don’t allow them to properly answer you when you try to talk to them. Some of these questlines unlock new skills and prosthetic upgrades that help with the minibosses and bosses in the main story, so doing them is in your best interest.

Thankfully, Dragonrot isn’t fatal (or at least as far as we can tell), and there’s a cure. So you shouldn’t lose anyone and their respective side quests to the disease while you’re busy collecting the ingredients to make medicine.

In order to first discover the cure, you’ll need The Sculptor to fall ill to the Dragonrot. You’ll know when it happens because you’ll get a cutscene that highlights how sick he’s becoming. Go outside and talk to Emma about it and she’ll give you a quest for a cure. You just need to bring her the blood of someone else who has Dragonrot. When you get the notification that someone else is sick, go and talk to them. They’ll cough up some blood that you can take back to Emma. She’ll use the blood to synthesize a cure, called a Dragon Tear. Using the tear at an idol cures everyone plagued by the Dragonrot. However, if you die enough times, the disease will begin to spread once again. You’ll need to buy more Dragon Tears from specific merchants in order to cure the rot again. As far as we can tell, there isn’t an infinite amount to purchase, so save those tears for when you really need them.

In Sekiro, Shadows Can Actually Die Thrice

Despite Sekiro’s title, you can actually die up to three times on one life. In the bottom left corner of the screen, you’ll notice two pinkish red orbs. They represent how many times you can revive. The first orb is filled by resting at an idol, and the second is filled by executing enemies with death blows.

When you die, you’ll have the choice of accepting death or reviving yourself. Choosing to revive uses your first orb and puts a black smear through the second. You’ll need to land a deathblow to remove the smear. Doing so allows you to revive a second time upon dying again.

You’ll need to be strategic about reviving a second time though. Remember, your second orb is filled through landing deathblows on enemies. So if you use your second orb during a boss fight and then die a third time, you’ll have to go out and farm enemies to recover a second revive for fighting the boss again. If you don’t think you have the necessary upgrades to beat the boss you’re currently fighting, you might want to just let the Wolf die and save your second revive for another run at the boss.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/sekiro-guide-how-death-impacts-your-journey/1100-6465755/

Blizzard Is Making World Of Warcraft Free This Weekend For People With Inactive Accounts

If you’ve let your World of Warcraft subscription go inactive, Blizzard really wants you to come back this weekend. To encourage players with inactive accounts to return, the publisher is upgrading those accounts with all expansion packs through Legion and offering a three-hour trial of the latest expansion, Battle for Azeroth. World of Warcraft is free to play now through Sunday, March 24.

To take advantage of the limited-time offer, all you have to do is re-download the Battle.net desktop app, log into your account, click on the World of Warcraft tab, install or update the game, and hit Play.

If you haven’t been keeping up with all the expansions, there’s a lot of new content to check out, such as new worlds, classes, races, and mechanics, and you likely won’t have time to dive into all of it this weekend. As another incentive to bring old players back, Blizzard is offering $20 off on both the Battle for Azeroth expansion and the World of Warcraft: Complete Collection through March 31. Select game services are also marked down by 30%: character transfer, faction change, and race change.

Even if you’ve never purchased Battle for Azeroth, you’ll gain access to a free three-hour trial of the expansion this weekend. You can also repeat the trial with up to twelve different characters. Battle for Azeroth introduced two huge new features: level-scaling, which means the levels of creatures and quests are scaled to your character level, and Allied Races, design twists on the main races unlocked after meeting certain in-game requirements. Check out our World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth review for a full breakdown of what to expect from the expansion.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/blizzard-is-making-world-of-warcraft-free-this-wee/1100-6465752/

Mortal Kombat 11 Beta Time, Characters, And Modes Detailed

NetherRealm has detailed the upcoming beta for Mortal Kombat 11, including when it’s coming and how much meat will be on its proverbial bones. The beta will begin on Wednesday, March 27 at 8 AM PT, and run through Sunday, March 31 at 11:59 PM PT. It will be open to anyone who pre-ordered a copy of the game on PS4 or Xbox One.

The beta will include five playable characters: Baraka, Jade, Kabal, Scarlet, and Scorpion. That’s just a taste of the much more expansive character roster, some of which has yet to be officially announced. Most recently the studio confirmed Kotal Kahn.

The beta will include online multiplayer matches and the single-player Towers of Time mode, along with an exclusive preview of the Custom Character Variation System. That system will let you choose from various cosmetic options for your character, including their skins, gear, special abilities, taunts, brutalities, and intro and victory cinematics. You’ll need a Gold or PS Plus membership to play online, but you can play with the Towers of Time or Character Variation offline.

Pre-ordering not only gets you the beta access, but also Shao Kahn as a playable character. That bonus will be across all platforms, including PC and Nintendo Switch, while the beta is limited to PS4 and Xbox One. The game releases on April 23.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/mortal-kombat-11-beta-time-characters-and-modes-de/1100-6465753/

Xbox One’s Critically Acclaimed Game Sale Includes Red Dead 2, Celeste (US, UK)

It’s a great week for Xbox One deals–in addition to discounted Square Enix games and wireless controllers, Xbox Live just launched yet another sale you won’t want to miss. The Critically Acclaimed Sale went live today and includes some of the best game titles released in recent years, including Red Dead Redemption 2, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Celeste, Dead Cells, and more. This batch of game deals has markdowns up to 75% off, and you can claim them for the next week.

Every one of these games is worth picking up (depending on your interests), but let’s take a quick look at the most notable deals. Mountain-climbing platformer Celeste, which was one of the best games of last year, is marked down 50%; you can grab it for $10 right now. Red Dead Redemption 2 has been going on sale frequently, but if you’ve been waiting to get it on Xbox One, you can pick up its standard edition for only $40.19. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has been out for nearly four years but is still considered an RPG masterpiece–so if you don’t own it, consider picking up the standard edition on sale for $12 (or the Complete edition for just $15). Rogue-inspired metroidvania game Dead Cells is also marked down to $17.49.

Several excellent puzzle platformers are also marked down, including a bundle for Playdead’s acclaimed titles Inside and Limbo. Little NightmaresComplete edition is only $9 and includes the DLC Secrets of the Maw. The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories is a wild, emotional adventure with a surprising ending–and it’s on sale for $19.49.

Quite a few of these game deals also overlap with the indie games sale happening in the Nintendo Eshop right now–if you own a Switch, you may want to take a glance at that sale too.

Shop the Xbox One Critically Acclaimed Sale »

And see the full list of game deals below!

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-ones-critically-acclaimed-game-sale-includes-/1100-6465749/

Apex Legends’ Battle Pass Can Pay For Itself

The first-ever Apex Legends battle pass, this one for Season 1–Wild Frontier–released earlier this week. It clearly takes some inspiration from the battle passes popularized by Fortnite, and much like the ones offered by Epic, EA and Respawn have designed Apex’s so that it can pay for itself, provided you play enough.

The Season 1 battle pass costs 950 Apex Coins. You can also buy a bundle for 2,800 Apex Coins that includes the battle pass and gives you a head start by advancing you through 25 levels of battle pass progression (and unlocking the corresponding rewards). The pass itself includes a variety of rewards–such as skins, stat trackers, Legend voice lines, and Apex Coin and XP drops–with rewards unlocked by earning XP.

More importantly, you can actually earn 1,000 Apex Coins in total through the battle pass, which, EA notes in a blog post, can be “put towards unlocking the next Battle Pass.” Alternatively, you could put it toward unlocking a character, such as the new Legend, Octane. Whatever the case, if you level up the battle pass enough, you can make back the Apex Coins it costs to buy it in the first place.

The battle pass essentially gives players a second set of rewards to earn alongside those you get by leveling up your player profile. Whether or not you buy Octane or Apex Legends’ new battle pass, Season 1 lets you unlock some rewards for free: 18 new stat trackers, five Apex Packs, and a new skin for Octane. Although your battle pass level is separate from your player level, they are both increased by playing matches and earning XP. There are no Fortnite-style challenge to complete, although Respawn has suggested that future seasons may work differently and that it’s open to feedback from players.

Octane, the ninth and newest Legend to join Respawn’s battle royale game, is also out now. Octane is not a part of the battle pass though, and you’ll need to buy him with additional Legend Tokens or Apex Coins. Much like Mirage and Caustic, Octane will cost 12,000 Legend Tokens or 750 Apex Coins.

If you’re playing Apex Legends on PC or Xbox One, you might have a cheaper option for picking up Octane or the battle pass. Origin Access and EA Access, respectively, provide subscribers with 1,000 free Apex Coins in addition to a few other rewards. As such, if you aren’t already a member, you can subscribe for one month and get that bonus for less money than you’d spend on 1,000 Apex Coins

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/apex-legends-battle-pass-can-pay-for-itself/1100-6465648/

Fortnite Week 4 Challenges List: Use Baller, Search Buried Treasure, And More (Season 8)

We’re now in Fortnite Season 8, Week 4, which means there are new challenges to complete. By now, you should know how it goes: knock out these challenges and you’ll unlock Battle Stars, which will level up your Battle Pass and grant you access to all manner of cosmetics that you can use to customise your character.

[Update: One thing to be aware of upfront is that one of the challenges, the one tasking you with outlasting 60 opponents, is currently bugged. Epic confirmed in a tweet that it’s “aware of an issue preventing players from receiving credit.” It added, “We are investigating potential solutions and will provide a status update once we know more.” There’s no estimate for how quickly this might be fixed.]

This week’s Free challenges, which are available to everyone playing Fortnite, task players with using the Baller vehicle in five different matches, getting an elimination with a scoped weapon and a suppressed weapon, and then doing a five-part challenge that begins with landing at Tilted Towers.

If you’ve spent V-Bucks on a Battle Pass, you have an extra set of challenges waiting for you. These involve launching yourself through structures using the pirate cannon, searching for buried treasure, eliminating enemies at Happy Hamlet or Pleasant Park, and then doing another three-parter that begins by outlasting 60 other players in a match.

No Caption Provided

Free

  • Stage 1 of 5: Land at Tilted Towers (1) — 1 Battle Stars
  • Use The Baller in different matches (5) — 5 Battle Stars
  • Get an elimination with a Scoped weapon and a Suppressed weapon (2) — 10 Battle Stars

Battle Pass

  • Launch yourself through structures with a Pirate Cannon (25) — 5 Battle Stars
  • Search Buried Treasure (2) — 5 Battle Star
  • Eliminate opponents at Happy Hamlet or Pleasant Park (3) — 10 Battle Stars
  • Stage 1 of 3: Outlast 60 opponents in a single match — 3 Battle Stars

This week’s challenges arrive hot on the heels of Fortnite’s 8.11 update, which introduced yet another new weapon to the battle royale game: the Flint-Knock Pistol. The gun deals heavy damage at close range, but it has “significant damage falloff” at longer distances, and you need to go through a three-second reloading animation after every shot.

Along with the Flint-Knock Pistol, this week’s Fortnite update reintroduced the Impulse Grenade to the game after it had previously been vaulted. It also marked the start of a new limited-time mode called One Shot, which features low gravity and restricts player health to just 50. You can read the full patch notes for update 8.11 here. For tips on all of this season’s trickier challenges, be sure to check out our full Season 8 challenges guide.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/fortnite-week-4-challenges-list-use-baller-search-/1100-6465747/

First Battlefield 5: Firestorm Battle Royale Gameplay Revealed

Battle royale games are all the rage right now, with stalwarts like PUBG and Fortnite being joined by up-and-coming whipper-snappers like Call of Duty: Black Ops 4‘s Blackout and Respawn’s free-to-play Apex Legends. Now, DICE is getting involved with Battlefield V: Firestorm, and the first gameplay has finally been revealed.

In the video above you can see an entire match in Squads mode, culminating in a win for team GameSpot. Matches begin much like other games in the genre, with each player dropping from the sky. They then progress like you’d expect, with squads scavenging for weapons and supplies while battling to be the last team standing.

DICE have certainly put their stamp on the genre, with vehicular combat a much bigger part of Firestorm than similar games’ versions of battle royale. Watch the video above to see how matches develop, or watch the one below for the thoughts of our battle royale experts, Dave Jewitt and Will Potter. You can play the mode for yourself when it launches for free on PS4, Xbox One, and PC on March 25.

We enjoyed Battlefield V at launch; critic Michael Higham awarded the game an 8/10 in our Battlefield V review. “The Battlefield series has a winning formula that Battlefield V doesn’t deviate far from, at least for now,” he wrote. “Conquest and the map roster don’t mesh well together, however, Grand Operations–and the other modes within it–steal the show and foster some of the greatest moments the franchise has offered. You might be surprised by the impact of the slight changes made for this entry, especially when you’re deep into pushing or defending objectives in Frontlines alongside teammates fulfilling their roles. That’s when Battlefield V is at its best.”

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/first-battlefield-5-firestorm-battle-royale-gamepl/1100-6465748/

Mortal Kombat 11 Confirms Kotal Kahn Is Playable

Mortal Kombat 11‘s roster continues to grow. This week, NetherRealm confirmed that Kotal Kahn, the Emperor of Outworld, is a playable character. Unfortunately for Kotal fans, though, his reveal trailer inflicts some serious pain on the character.

The trailer focuses on a fight between Kotal and Jacqui Briggs, another returning character from MKX. And while we get to see some brutal Kotal transformations, it’s Jacqui’s moves that are really given the spotlight. We see her fatal blow and Fatality, leaving poor Kotal a bit beside himself. This is not how the reveal trailers usually go, so we expect to see Kotal’s own moves detailed sometime later.

Mortal Kombat 11 just ran a very limited online stress test, in preparation for its open beta later this month. That one will run from March 28 through 31, and feature Scorpion, Skarlet, Jade, Kabal, and Baraka. It’s open to anyone who pre-ordered on Xbox One or PS4. Putting your money down early on any platform will net you Shao Kahn as a playable character.

The game will release three editions: the standard game, a Premium Edition that comes with the Kombat Pack for extra characters and skins as they’re released, and the Kollector’s Edition that comes with all sorts of extra goodies. That one is exclusive to GameStop. For more detaills, check out our pre-order guide.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/mortal-kombat-11-confirms-kotal-kahn-is-playable/1100-6465746/

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Review Roundup

From Software’s latest game, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is nearly here. Its March 22 release date is just around the corner, and reviews are starting to go live across the web. So what do the critics think of the highly anticipated follow-up to Bloodborne and the Souls series?

GameSpot’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice review-in-progress awarded the game a 9/10, with critic Tamoor Hussain calling the stealth-action title “an experience that is as challenging as it is gratifying”–it is a From Software game, after all.

For more on the critical consensus of Sekiro, check out the selection of reviews below. Alternatively, take a look at GameSpot sister site Metacritic.

  • Game: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
  • Developer / Publisher: From Software / Activision
  • Release date: March 22
  • Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
  • Price: US $60 / £60 / AU $100

GameSpot — 9/10 (Review-In-Progress)

“Sekiro marries From Software’s unique brand of gameplay with stealth action to deliver an experience that is as challenging as it is gratifying. At the time of publish I haven’t completed Sekiro. While I have invested upwards of 30 hours into it, there are still a few more locations I need to explore and bosses I need to beat before the credits roll, and I’m excited to do it.” — Tamoor Hussain [Full review-in-progress]

IGN — 9.5/10

“Sekiro evolves From Software’s formula into a stylish stealth-action adventure that, naturally, emphasizes precision and skill in its combat. It walks the line between deliberate and patient stealth and breakneck melee combat against threats both earthly and otherworldly. Its imaginative and flexible tools support a more focused experience that shaves down some of From Software’s overly cryptic sensibilities without losing its air of mystery. Sekiro is an amazing new twist on a familiar set of ideas that can stand on its own alongside its predecessors.” — Brandin Tyrrel [Full review]

Polygon — Recommended

“I have to put in a lot of work and effort to meet Sekiro on its own terms, but what might feel ponderous in a lesser game becomes rewarding in one created with this much care. Sekiro meets me with just as much effort and enthusiasm as I’ve put into it. It lets me know I’m capable and skilled, and that I can figure it out. And then it hands me my ass again.” — Dave Tach and Jeffrey Parkin [Full review]

Game Informer — 9.0/10

“Sekiro’s story moves in strange and compelling ways that defy the initial adherence to the trappings of feudal Japan, and allows the player to discover multiple endings and confrontations depending on choices and secrets. It’s a challenging journey through a weird and wondrous world that forces you to learn and master its punishing combat to succeed. However, the sweet thrill of victory keeps you pushing forward despite myriad disheartening deaths. Sekiro is one of the most difficult games I have ever played, but for those seeking adventure, exploration, and a truly realized ninja fantasy, the trek is worth the high demands.” — Daniel Tack [Full review]

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/sekiro-shadows-die-twice-review-roundup/1100-6465744/

God Of War Wins Game Of The Year At GDC Awards

Sony’s PS4 exclusive action game God of War has won yet another Game of the Year award. Tonight at the Game Developers Choice Awards, Sony’s PS4 game went home with the top prize. This is just the latest win for God of War, as it also won Game of the Year at December’s The Game Awards and in February at the DICE Awards.

Other winners tonight included Celeste for Best Audio, Into the Breach for Best Design, and Red Dead Redemption 2 for Best Technology. Australian developer Mountains won Best Debut for Florence; that game also Best Mobile Game. Amy Hennig, an industry veteran who directed Uncharted, took home the Lifetime Achievement Award.

You can see a full rundown of the categories and winners at the bottom of this post.

“The Game Developers Choice Awards represent the most refined games of the year, and the sheer variety of games honored tonight showed that games can still represent wholly new and unique creative visions,” GDC general manager Katie Stern said in a statement.

“A number of independently developed titles like Celeste, Gris, and Florence helped prove how internal or deeply personal turmoil can make for massively appealing games for millions of fans. While games like God of War and Red Dead Redemption 2 capture our imagination with poignant moments juxtaposed against epic tales of staggering scale and technical prowess. We embrace and accept all these amazingly creative works, and we’re proud to recognize these nominees and winners alike for the imagination and hard work that brought them here.”

Also at GDC this week, Google announced its new game-streaming technology, Stadia, which is set to launch later this year. Former Microsoft and Sony executive Phil Harrison is heading up the Stadia team, and he believes latency won’t be an issue.

GDC 2019 continues all week, leading directly into PAX East in Boston at the weekend, so keep checking back with GameSpot for lots more.

More reading

2018 Game Developers Choice Awards Winners

Best Audio

Celeste (Matt Makes Games)

Best Debut

Mountains (Florence)

Best Design

Into the Breach (Subset Games)

Best Mobile Game

Florence (Mountains)

Innovation Award

Nintendo Labo (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)

Best Narrative

Return of the Obra Dinn (Lucas Pope / 3909)

Best Technology

Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)

Best Visual Art

Gris (Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital)

Best VR/AR Game

Beat Saber (Beat Games)

Audience Award

Beat Saber (Beat Games)

Game of the Year

God of War (Sony Santa Monica / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Pioneer Award

Rieko Kodama

Lifetime Achievement Award

Amy Hennig

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/god-of-war-wins-game-of-the-year-at-gdc-awards/1100-6465743/