How To Prep For Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree And More Of The Week's Gaming Tips

Elden Ring is known for its challenging combat and hazardous exploration, so it’s reasonable to expect its Shadow of the Erdtree expansion to be an ultra-difficult experience. With dozens of hours of new exploration and battle ahead, you’ll want to be certain you’re well-prepared for all of the horrors that await you. As such, you may be asking yourself what level you should be before starting Shadow of the Erdtree. - Billy Givens Read More

On June 6th, Square Enix announced that both Octopath Traveler games are now available on more platforms. Not only is Octopath Traveler available on PlayStation, but you can play Octopath Traveler 2 on Xbox and Xbox Game Pass. Square Enix released a trailer celebrating the new ports, but eagle-eyed RPG fans noticed something curious about the footage shown. Namely, why is there a shot of the protagonists from Octopath Traveler fighting the cast of Octopath Traveler 2? When did that ever happen in the games!? - Timothy Monbleau Read More

Elden Ring’s first and only expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, features an exciting new storyline with dozens of hours of gameplay to experience—but accessing it isn’t a walk in the park, and data suggests that there are crucial steps many players haven’t yet taken. If you want to see what the challenging new DLC has to offer, you’ll have to find your way to a well-hidden section of the main game and defeat multiple optional bosses, including one of the toughest in the game: Mohg, Lord of Blood. - Billy Givens Read More

It’s been ten years since Dragon Age: Inquisition, the third entry in BioWare’s fantasy RPG series, and so it’s likely that a lot of people who are intrigued by the upcoming Dragon Age: The Veilguard have never touched a game in the series before. If you were enticed by the early gameplay or quippy-ass cinematic trailer, you might be wondering if you can jump into the game without any prior knowledge. BioWare is adamant that you can play the game formerly known as Dragon Age: Dreadwolf without playing the three original games, but should you? Let’s unpack 15 years of lore and character development, and get to the meat of what you should probably actually play before The Veilguard arrives. - Kenneth Shepard Read More

Following June 9’s Xbox Showcase, Starfield finally got its Creation Kit and Creations suite, allowing PC and Xbox players to download official and community-built mods directly in-game. It’s still early days for sure, but there are already a number of great mods worth your time that you should check out ASAP. - Claire Jackson Read More

Soon after Xbox’s big (and quite good) showcase on June 9, 2024, Starfield got a nice healthy update that finally delivered on the promise of quick and easy access to mods. While Starfield has had many mods on PC, it hasn’t been the most approachable for folks who aren’t used to installing mods manually or using custom-made mod launchers. - Claire Jackson Read More

It may have taken two years, but Elden Ring is finally receiving a highly anticipated expansion that is certain to take the world by storm all over again. Shadow of the Erdtree is landing on June 21, and it brings multiple editions and pre-order bonuses for players seeking to get the most out of their purchase. Here’s everything you need to know about pre-ordering Shadow of the Erdtree. - Billy Givens Read More

Last year, Halo Infinite saw the inclusion of campaign bots such as grunts, elites, brutes, and more into the game’s expansive and customizable multiplayer. Using the game’s map creator, Forge, fans have crafted a wide variety of different experiences such as original campaign ideas and recreations of old ones, like Halo CE’s “Assault on the Control Room.” - Claire Jackson Read More

Animal Well, Shared Memory’s excellent metroidvania, is a natural conversation starter, thanks in no small part to its “layers” of progression. The term at least partially stems from this list of tips from the game’s developer Billy Basso, in which Basso discloses that “Animal Well is designed with three different layers.” Layers that lay over one another, revealing themselves as you play and your perspective grows. Confused? We’ve got you. - Timothy Monbleau Read More

Hey, do you remember that really neat Star Trek-esque quest in Starfield where you had to help some long-lost colonists find a new home, but the game thought killing children was an acceptable outcome, while doing the same to the corporate execs who have power over those children and their relatives was just out of the question? Yeah, it’s definitely one of those moments that made me realize Starfield was far more on rails than it should be. But there’s good news, as modder cognimancer has delivered a mod on the Creations’ suite. - Claire Jackson Read More