The full Extra lineup is Space Marine 2 (PS5), Persona 5 Royal (PS5 and PS4), EA Sports Madden NFL 26 (PS5), Blasphemous 2 (PS5 and PS4), Metal Eden (PS5), The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria (PS5), and Astroneer (PS5 and PS4). Premium subscribers get one additional title on top of that: the PSP classic Tekken: Dark Resurrection, which is joining the Classics catalog.

Most of these were leaked earlier in the week by Dealabs' Billbil-kun, who correctly called six of the seven Extra titles. Blasphemous 2 was the one the leak didn't include, though that's consistent with how Billbil-kun typically operates; their PS Plus leaks have never claimed to be exhaustive. At this point the leak-to-confirmation pipeline is so reliable it barely registers as a surprise, but Blasphemous 2 is a genuinely welcome addition. The Game Kitchen's follow-up is a tight, confident Metroidvania that flew under a lot of radars when it launched, and it deserves more eyes on it.

Space Marine 2 is the real draw here, and honestly it's a bigger get than it might look on paper. Saber Interactive's game only launched in September 2024, and for a title of that size to land on a subscription service this quickly says something about how Sony is positioning Extra. Last month's headliner was Marvel's Spider-Man 2, which is a first-party exclusive. Space Marine 2 is a third-party AAA release that sold extremely well, and it's arriving at a price point that makes the Extra tier look a lot more attractive to anyone who hasn't played it yet.

What You're Actually Getting

If you missed Space Marine 2 at launch, the short version is this: it's a third-person action game where you play as a Space Marine fighting off overwhelming Tyranid swarms, and the cooperative Operations mode is where it really clicks. The campaign is solid, but dropping into three-player co-op and carving through hordes with friends is where the game earns its reputation. It's loud, it's violent, and it commits completely to the Warhammer 40K aesthetic in a way that fans of the setting will appreciate immediately.

Persona 5 Royal is the other title here that warrants attention if you've somehow never played it. The PS5 version runs noticeably better than the original PS4 release, and the Royal edition adds a substantial third-semester storyline on top of an already enormous base game. If you have any interest in JRPGs and a spare hundred hours, this is not a difficult recommendation.

There's also a quiet but notable shift in how this lineup is structured. PlayStation Lifestyle flagged that Sony announced a year ago it would begin prioritising PS5 titles for PS Plus in 2026, and this month's batch reflects that. The majority of additions are PS5-only or cross-gen, with PS4-exclusive entries becoming rarer. That transition has been slow, but March is the clearest sign yet that Sony is following through on it.

For Premium subscribers, Tekken: Dark Resurrection is a PSP-era fighting game joining the Classics catalog. It's not nothing, but it's clearly not the reason anyone is upgrading their tier this month. Space Marine 2 is. Everything else is a bonus.

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

On the map side, Dust II gets a pixel gap fix on the door Outside Long. Small, yes, but pixel gaps on Dust II have a long history of being exploited at the highest level, so credit where it's due for closing it. Alpine also receives an update pulled from the Community Workshop, keeping the map current with its latest version.

This one is light on gameplay changes, so if you were hoping for balance tweaks or competitive fixes, this isn't that update. The Dead Hand Collection will drive most of the attention here. Full patch notes below.

[ DEAD HAND COLLECTION ]

• The Dead Hand Collection is now available, featuring 17 finishes from community contributors, and including 22 all-new gloves as rare special items.
• Access items in the Dead Hand Collection via the Dead Hand Terminal, available as a weekly drop.

[ MAPS ]

Dust II

• Fixed a pixel gap in a door Outside Long. 

Alpine

• Updated to the latest version from the Community Workshop (Update Notes)

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

Giardino was careful to acknowledge that $100K means different things to different teams. For a solo developer, it might be life-changing. For a studio with 20 staff and a three-year budget, it's a rough year. But his point wasn't that everyone's getting rich; it was that the pool of games finding any meaningful commercial traction is growing faster than the platform itself. "The number of games finding success on Steam is generally keeping pace with user growth," he said, noting that both peak concurrent users and in-game concurrents have also roughly doubled over the same five-year window. Steam hit 42 million peak concurrent users just weeks ago, with in-game concurrents reaching a new record of 13.9 million.

The Discovery Problem Valve Is Actually Solving

The saturation panic has always been less about the number of games and more about visibility. If 19,000 new titles hit Steam in a single year, how does anything find an audience? Giardino's answer was the Daily Deals overhaul, and the numbers behind it are genuinely striking. In 2025, over 1,500 games featured in Daily Deal slots, with 69% of them never having appeared in one before. That's not the same 200 titles rotating through a promotional calendar; that's the platform actively surfacing games that haven't had their moment yet. Chris Kerr's thread from inside the room captures Giardino's framing well: Valve gave developers direct access to Steam's internal calendar so they can claim slots that actually fit their release window.

The result was 8.2 million customers buying a Daily Deal in 2025, up 125% year-on-year. Developer revenue from those slots increased 274% year-over-year. That last number is the one worth sitting with, because it substantially outpaced both Valve's own revenue growth and overall user growth. Credit where it's due: that's a platform deliberately leaving money on the table to make the ecosystem healthier for developers.

Giardino also addressed the structural reason Valve can make that call. Private company, no investors, no stock price. "A lot of companies are structured in a way where the number go up is kind of the driving force," he said. "That structure of problem solving creates a lot of short-term thinking." Whether you find that self-congratulatory or genuinely reassuring probably depends on how many live-service games you've watched get sunset to hit a quarterly target.

To be fair, the $100K figure includes games released before 2025 that are still generating revenue, so Counter-Strike 2's case income alone is doing some heavy lifting in that 5,863 count. The raw number isn't a clean read on how many 2025 releases broke through. But Giardino's point about the trend lines holding at $500K and $1 million thresholds suggests this isn't just the long tail of legacy titles padding the stats. More games at more revenue levels are finding audiences, and the full slide deck shared on Bluesky backs that reading.

The indie saturation panic was always partly a visibility problem dressed up as a supply problem. These numbers suggest Valve's discovery work is starting to address the actual root cause, which means the developers who should be worried aren't the ones making good games for a specific audience. They're the ones making forgettable games and hoping the algorithm does the work.

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

Gay was clear about his position from the start: he's a fan of the game, his story has nothing to do with it, and he doesn't have the money or energy to fight a legal battle. He was prepared to rename the book and move on. That's the part that stings. A fan of your work, an independent creator, ready to capitulate not because he was wrong but because he simply couldn't afford to be right.

To Sandfall's credit, the studio didn't let that happen. On March 9, the developers acknowledged publicly they were in contact with Gay and his publisher. Then, on March 10, they posted a full statement explaining that the legal action was initiated to protect the studio against counterfeit products, but that it did not reflect their values or their desire to support fellow artists. The action was withdrawn. Sandfall wished Gay and his co-author Grelin success with the book.

Gay's own response was generous. He thanked the studio, specifically naming co-founder and COO François Meurisse as someone he spoke with directly. He said the conversations were warm, mentioned they even talked about the Simon fight, and confirmed L'Académie Clair-Obscur will continue under its original name. He closed with a line from the game itself. The man handled this with more grace than most people would.

The Gap Between a Studio's Values and Its Legal Department

This is a story that plays out constantly in creative industries, and it rarely ends this well. A studio builds a reputation on craft, on passion, on being the scrappy team that made something beautiful against the odds. Then the IP portfolio grows, the lawyers get involved, and suddenly cease-and-desist letters are going out to people who were never a threat. It's not malice. It's institutional reflex. Legal teams are paid to protect assets, and without direct creative oversight, they will cast a wide net.

The problem is that the damage lands before the correction does. Gay went public on March 6 feeling like he'd been blindsided by a studio he admired. The internet noticed. Sandfall's response came four days later. Those four days matter, because that's when the narrative sets.

Make no mistake, Sandfall did the right thing here. Pulling the action, reaching out personally, letting Gay keep his title, that's the outcome that needed to happen, and they got there. Developer Joe Wintergreen noted on Bluesky that the situation highlighted how quickly legal processes can run ahead of a studio's actual intentions. Others in the community pointed out that this kind of thing is exactly why independent creators often feel exposed when their work brushes up against anything with a larger IP footprint, regardless of who got there first.

Sandfall is still, by most measures, one of the better studios in the industry right now. A sub-40-person team that shipped one of the most polished RPGs in years deserves that reputation. But the gap between "we support fellow artists" as a stated value and "we sent a lawyer's letter to a fan-author with no resources to fight back" as an action is worth naming. The fix here wasn't complicated. It just needed someone at the studio to actually look at the situation and make a call. Credit where it's due: François Meurisse apparently did exactly that.

Gay ends his statement with the game's own motto: "For those who come after." It's a good line. Hopefully the lesson here travels with it.

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

The headliner is the Starbloom Festival event, which gives players a seasonal reason to log back in. More consequentially, this update includes Region Merges and Server Consolidation. If your server has felt quieter than it should lately, that's exactly the kind of problem this is meant to fix. Spreading a playerbase too thin kills open-world MMOs faster than bad content does, and consolidation is the right call.

Balance changes round out the update, though the specifics matter more than the headline. If any of those adjustments touch PvP or endgame content, expect the Throne and Liberty subreddit to have opinions by the time servers come back up.

Full patch notes below.

Throne and Liberty update 3.25.0 downtime will begin at 9 a.m. PT (4 p.m. UTC) on March 11 and last approximately 30 hours. It includes the Starbloom Festival event, Region Merges, and balance changes.

Merges

There will be a Region Merge and Server Consolidation following maintenance. These changes will help improve player distribution around your favorite activities throughout Solisium.

• The Eastern Americas, Western Americas, and South America regions will be merged into a single Americas region.
• Europe and Japan servers will also undergo server merges.

For complete details on these merges, visit the official article here.

Starbloom Festival

The Starbloom Festival Event celebrates the arrival of spring and runs until maintenance begins on April 1. Join us for Morph Races, Oremong Hide and Seek, Star Bloom Gift Chests, and more!

• Receive Starbloom Festival Chests through daily login rewards containing Starbloom Coins and various Event Meals.
• Earn additional Starbloom Coins by participating in Morph Races, up to 10 times weekly.
• Collect Starbloom Gift Chests that spawn in Kastleton, Canina Village, and Herba Village at the following times daily:
  • Monday - Friday (UTC): 01:30, 05:30, 12:30, 21:30
  • Saturday - Sunday (UTC): 01:30, 05:30, 12:30, 16:30, 21:30

Oremong Hide and Seek

Find Explorer Oremong in a new location each day during the event to access exclusive offers:

• 1,000,000 Sollant - Cherry Blossoms in Full Bloom Profile Frame
• 1,000,000 Sollant - Magical Blue Orb Furniture
• 1,000,000 Sollant - Round Floral Pattern Cushion Furniture
• 500,000 Sollant - 1x Relic Analysis Crystal, 10x Total Limit
• 100,000 Sollant - 1x Starbloom Festival Chest, 3x Daily Limit

Rewards

Visit the Event Exchange Merchant in any major city to exchange Starbloom Coins for the following rewards:

• 200x Coins - Flower Egg Decoration Furniture
• 200x Coins - Leaf Egg Decoration Furniture
• 200x Coins - Beneath the Cherry Blossoms in Full Bloom Title
• 10x Coins - 1x Relic Analysis Crystal, 20x Total Limit
• 100x Coins - 1x Entropy Shard, 4x Total Limit
• 50x Coins - 1x Chaos Prism, 8x Total Limit
• 6x Coins - 1x Unlockstone, 100x Total Limit
• 3x Coins - 1x Conversion Stone, 200x Total Limit
• 3x Coins - 1x Extraction Stone, 200x Total Limit
• 50x Coins - 1x Noble Chaos Rune Selection Chest, 10x Total Limit
• 6x Coins - 1x Noble Weapon Growthstone, 25x Total Limit
• 3x Coins - 1x Noble Armor Growthstone, 50x Total Limit
• 3x Coins - 1x Noble Accessory Growthstone, 50x Total Limit
• 1x Coin - 10x Quality Stellarite, No Limit

Morph Madness

Support your morph of choice until the very end, even if it means betraying a beloved, inferior favorite. How far will you go to make your morph the last one standing?

Rep your morph, protect them both inside and outside of Solisium, and determine which one will receive a new skin. Welcome to Morph Madness, an elimination bracket where the most popular morphs will compete for supremacy over Solisium. Any Dash, Glide, Swim, or Special morph can win, but it is up to you to rally support around your champion.

• Round One: Castle Gate (March 9 - March 16)
  • The qualifiers are entirely in your paws, claws, or mouth. Regardless of category, the top 16 morphs with the most time equipped in-game will reach the castle courtyard for round two.
• Round Two: Castle Courtyard (March 16 - 23)
  • Get ready for the first elimination round featuring your top 16 qualifying morphs. In-game morph equips still matter, but Starbloom Festival races, community shares, and social media polls will also influence the results moving forward. Good luck breaking into the final four.
• Final Round: The Throne Room (March 23 - 30)
  • The final four. Maybe your favorite is still in it or you’re seeking vengeance against the morph that struck down your dreams. Either way keep that momentum going and aspire for the throne.
  • Alongside announcing the event’s winner on March 31, we will also highlight our favorite community shares from throughout Morph Madness. We look forward to watching your treasured morphs shine.

Check out the announcement article for more information.

Combat Balance

• Increased the duration of various Shield Health Reduction and Healing Reduction effects from 6s to 9s:
  • Greatsword: Guillotine Blade
  • Dagger: Knife Throwing
  • Dagger: Vampiric Strike with the Shield Health Decreased Specialization
  • Longbow: Deadly Marker
  • Crossbow: Weak Point Shot with the Weaken Shield Specialization
  • Staff: Focused Fire Bombs
  • Staff: Infernal Meteor/Hellfire Rain with the Health Recovery Slowed Specialization

Dagger

• Mastery: Primal Strike now grants an additional 100% increased damage against shielded targets.
• Mastery: Fixed an issue causing Venomous Edge's effect to work while Inject Venom was inactive.
• Knife Throwing: Fixed an issue causing damage to not be applied while Daggers were equipped in an off-hand slot.

Greatsword

• Valiant Brawl: Added a new Specialization requiring 3 points.
  • Applies a debuff decreasing Shield Health by 80%.
  • Effect lasts for 9s upon being applied and stacks with other Shield Health debuff effects, except the new Specialization for the Spear's Cyclonic Fury.

Longbow

• Ensnaring Arrow: Added a new Specialization that removes the most recently applied shield from the target upon Bind hit.
• Purifying Touch: Adjusted the skill description to include Decreased Recovery effects as the 4th debuff removal priority.

Wand

• Blessed Barrier:
  • Adjusted the cooldown effect so targets cannot receive Blessed Barrier from another caster for 20 seconds while the Targets Expanded Specialization is active.
  • Decreased the duration of the effect from 6s to 4s.
• Invincible Wall: Adjusted the "Evasion, Endurance Increase" Specialization description to state that it only applies to the caster.
• Touch of Despair: Fixed an issue causing damage and duration values to be swapped in the skill description.
• Mastery: Fixed an issue causing Battle Spirit to not apply its effect properly.
• Mastery: Corrupted Obliteration and Obliterating Swamp are now considered as curses.
• Mastery: Corrupted Obliteration, Obliterating Swamp, and Slothful Cage are now considered as curses.

Orb

• Distortion Veil: Reduced the base Shield duration from 6s to 3s.
• Summon Guardian Satellite:
  • Targets receiving the Distortion Veil effect cannot receive it from another caster's Summon Guardian Satellite skill for 20 seconds.
  • When receiving the Distortion Veil effect via Summon Guardian Satellite or Guardian Satellite Copy, the "Guardian Satellite" effect is now removed.
• Mastery: Fixed an issue where Attack Speed percentage and Duration values were swapped in the Galactic Acceleration Mastery description.
• Restoring Constellation: Fixed an issue causing some Cooldown Reduction effects to also reduce the Restoration buff duration.

Spear

• Cyclonic Fury: Added a new Specialization requiring 3 points.
  • Applies a debuff decreasing Shield Health by 80%.
  • Effect lasts for 9s upon being applied and stacks with other Shield Health debuff effects, except the new Specialization for the Greatsword's Valiant Brawl.
• Deluzhnoa's Serrated Shard / Deluzhnoa's Chilling Spear of Frost: Fixed an issue forcing players out of a defensive stance when hit by Rising Slash and changed the effect to be considered as a Fury attack.

Crossbow

• Multi-Shot: Added a new Specialization that removes the most recently applied shield from the target upon Collision hit and increases the skill cooldown by 12s.
• Weak Point Shot: Fixed an issue where the Weaken Shield debuff from the respective Specialization was not affected by the target's Debuff Duration stat.
• Reckless Repeaters of the Abyss: Fixed an issue causing damage dealt to be higher than the Weapon Skill description states and added a Weaken Resistance check when the effect is applied.

General

• Added a new Battle Pass: Vernal Vibrance.
• Guild: Recovery Crystals can no longer be used while in a Golem Morph.
• Housing: Added a new tab in the Workshop displaying all available Walls and Fences.
• Guild: Fixed an issue causing the Wave of Corruption Guild Skill to incorrectly spread to resurrected Guild Members.
• Archboss:
  • Increased the quantity of T1 Archboss Materials dropped from Tevent and Queen Bellandir Peace events.
  • Decreased the quantity of T2 Archboss Materials dropped from all Ascended Archboss Peace events.
• Controller:
  • Amitoi and Morph item tooltips now display when hovering over items in the Shop.
  • Fixed an issue where some button shortcuts lost functionality after leaving a Battlegrounds match.
  • Fixed an issue causing Skill Bars to occasionally not activate when L2/LT or R2/RT was set as the Active Skill Presets button.
• Morph: The 'Hold Left/Right Mouse Buttons Together to Auto-Move' setting now activates the 'Speed Up' function while in Glide Morph form.
• Equipment: Fixed an issue where Veiled Concord's 2-piece set effect bonus displayed as 14% increased Critical Damage instead of the correct 12%.
• Equipment: Fixed an issue where the Errant Scion Boot Extract item icon did not match the actual equipment item icon.
• Mastery: The Indomitable Stance and Windy Veil Overall Mastery Effects now properly have a shared cooldown.
• Mirror Boutique: Fixed an issue where headgear was misplaced on the character when changing body types in the Mirror Boutique.
• Character Info: Fixed an issue causing the Combat Power tooltip to display an incorrect maximum achievable value for Accessories.
• PlayStation 5: Fixed an issue where players were occasionally kicked automatically upon joining a party.

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

The Mac support is the headline that deserves a moment. Mechabellum now natively supports macOS, no workarounds, no compatibility layers. That's not nothing for a game that's been PC-only in any practical sense since launch. Credit where it's due to Game River for actually shipping this rather than leaving Mac players in the unofficial-fix wilderness indefinitely.

The Vortex is the obvious thing to watch from a balance perspective. New units always shake up the meta, and after the groundwork laid in 1.9.1.3, it'll be interesting to see how the community adapts. Full official patch notes are below.

Update 1.10 is here! This update brings the brand-new Season 7, a new Vortex, and many performance optimizations. Additionally, starting from 1.10, Mechabellum will natively support macOS, allowing Mac users to enjoy the game without relying on workarounds. This update will take place at 08:00 UTC (4:00 Eastern Daylight Time, 9:00 Central European Time) on March 12, 2026, during which the servers will undergo approximately 4 hours of update maintenance.

Below is the detailed contents of Update 1.10:

New Unit: Vortex

Vortex is a robust, low-cost frontline unit. Costing 100 supplies each, it can withstand a significant amount of damage and excels at electrifying enemy medium-sized units at medium range. Vortex has many unique Tech, enabling it to fulfill different battlefield roles such as tank, damage dealer, and support. Below are the Techs of Vortex:

• [Mobile Power Station] Increases Vortex's range by 10. Increases ATK of ground friendly units within 100m by 20% (Does not stack).

• [Electromagnetic Cloud] Attacks inflict Electromagnetic Interference on the target and enemies within a 10m radius.

• [Electromagnetic Twin] At the start of battle, spawns a Level 1 Vortex Mirage behind itself. The Mirage has 1 HP and 30% of a standard Vortex's ATK.

• [Accumulator Shield] Accumulates energy while attacking. Every 13 attacks, deploys a 40m radius energy shield at the current location. The shield has a base HP of 4,500, increasing by an additional 4,500 HP per Vortex level.

• [Grid Integration] Links with other Vortex within 25m. Increases ATK by 15% for each additional linked unit.

• [Emergency Armor] When HP first falls below 50%, activates Emergency Armor, resisting all damage and becoming untargetable for 4 seconds. Emergency Armor will not activate if HP reaches 0.

• [Range Enhancement] Increases range by 40

New Anomaly

• [Vortex Surge] Starts with 2 additional Vortex.

Developer's Note: To help players get familiar with the new units more quickly, the new Anomaly [Vortex Surge] will appear very frequently in the Rift Mode within a week after the update.

Mac Support

Starting from 1.10, Mechabellum will run natively on Mac computers.

Feature Improvements

• The equipping time of tournament medals is now longer. The equipping time of weekend tournament and 2v2 tournament medals has been extended to 2 weeks, and the equipping time of monthly and quarterly tournament medals has been extended to 4 weeks.
• Adjusted the calculation method for Rift Scores to allow high-skill players' Rift Scores increase faster.
• Adjusted the calculation method for 4-Player Brawl matchmaking scores to avoid long matchmaking times.

Developer's Note: This adjustment mainly affects players with a 4-Player Brawl MMR greater than 2500.

Season 7 Rewards

Season 7 brings a host of new rewards including avatars, avatar frames, emotes, and unit skins.

New Skins

New Avatars

New Avatar Frames

New Emotes

New Medals

Balance Adjustments

This balance adjustment primarily focuses on buffing weaker Techs and units.

Melting Point

• [Electromagnetic Barrage] Shield damage from 4,000 to 6,000

Developer's Note: This adjustment will allow Melting Point to counter Fortress shields more effectively.

Sledgehammer

• [Armor-Piercing Bullets] Attack Speed modifier -40% → -30%

Developer's Note: After the nerf of [Mechanical Rage], the Sledgehammer's [Armor-Piercing Bullets] was a bit too weak.

Phantom Ray

• [Stealth Cloak] Price 200 → 100
  
  

Void Eye

• ATK 947 → 995 (+5%)
• [Charged Shot] Price 150 → 100

Abyss

• [Wreckage Recycling] ATK modifier +20% → +35%
• [Disintegration] Price 400 → 350

Mustang

• [Culling Rounds] Execution threshold 300 → 320

Fangs

• [Grenade Launcher] Attack Range modifier +15 → +10

Crawler

• [Subterranean Blitz] damage reduction 50% → 45%

Developer's Note: With the addition of more 100 Supply cost units, we have decided to gradually reduce the importance of Crawler.

Hound

• [Chamber Compression] Attack interval +0.6s, ATK modifier +35% → +60%

Developer's Note: This adjustment increases the Hound's effectiveness against high-HP targets while reducing its efficiency at clearing low-HP ones, better aligning the tech with its intended role.

Starter Packs

• [Sabertooth & Hound] Player HP modifier -200 → -300
• [Fire Badger & Void Eye] Player HP modifier 0 → +200
• [Tarantula & Void Eye] Player HP modifier 0 → +200

Tournament

The Siege map was removed from 2v2 Tournaments

Performance Optimizations

• Improved performance of Arclight [Shockwave]
• Improved performance of Fang [Grenade Launcher]
• Improved performance of Fortress [Anti-Air Missile]
• Improved performance related to Phantom Ray
• Improved performance related to Farseer
• Improved performance related to Sandworm
• Improved performance of Battlefield Power [Lightning Storm]
• Improved performance of Battlefield Power [Photon Emission]
• Improved performance related to unit production during combat
• Improved performance related to Core Buildings

Bugfixes

• Fixed the issue where unit reinforcements were sometimes not recorded correctly.
• Fixed the issue where the game's graphic settings would sometimes be reset.
• Fixed the issue where the prompt sound effect did not play correctly after a match was found

Wrapping Up

That's all for Update 1.10 and Season 7! See you on the battlefield, Commanders!

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

The headliner here is a preview of upcoming changes to how Starchrom and blueprints are obtained, which will be worth reading carefully if you've built your progression loop around either. Beyond that, the update adds new Custom Server features, improves mod drop rates, and introduces the limited-time Lightforge Loot Crate called "Ravenous Gear." The mod drop improvements are the most immediately useful change for most players; if the grind for specific mods has felt unrewarding lately, this should help. The Starchrom adjustments are flagged as a preview, so expect more detail on those before they fully roll out.

The rest of the patch covers optimisations and bug fixes. Full patch notes below.

The server maintenance and update is planned for March 11, 2026, at 4:00 (PT) and expected to last about 2 hours (actual time may differ). Please plan your game time accordingly for the best experience. The update size is approximately 10.1 GB on PC launchers, 64 MB on the PC client (NOTE: If the update is delayed on Steam, it may be downloaded more than once), 241 MB on Android, and 251 MB on iOS (actual size may differ). We recommend downloading the update over Wi-Fi.

This update includes a preview of upcoming adjustments to how Starchrom/blueprints are obtained, new Custom Server features, the limited-time Lightforge Loot Crate "Ravenous Gear," mod drop improvements, and a range of other optimizations and recent bug fixes.

After this maintenance ends, you will receive Starchrom ×1,000, Mitsuko's Mark ×100, Starwish Token ×300, and Colorful Badge ×30, plus 3 Mod Compensation Crates (open to randomly obtain one Level 14-17 mod).

Below are the details of this update:

Content/Feature Updates

Preview: Changes to Starchrom and Blueprint Acquisition

Dear Metas, Starchrom and blueprints have always been at the heart of Once Human, but the current system still has several problems. Blueprint acquisition is too restrictive, the progression paths are too complicated, and the Wish Machine draw system is hard to understand. Because of that, we plan to adjust how Starchrom and blueprints are acquired after the March 25 update (PT), so you can obtain and develop gear more easily and more freely, and spend more time enjoying exploration and combat.

Here is a preview of the main changes:

1. Blueprint system overhaul: Use Starchrom to activate and upgrade directly (takes effect after the March 25 update, PT)

1) Simpler blueprint unlocks and upgrades

Blueprints will now be activated directly from the Blueprint screen using Starchrom. You will no longer need to draw and combine blueprint fragments. Both weapon and armor blueprints can be unlocked directly with Starchrom, with costs varying by type. Blueprint upgrades will also be handled directly on the Blueprint screen using Starchrom. The expected Starchrom cost to unlock and upgrade blueprints will remain the same. This change is mainly meant to make the rules simpler and the process clearer.

You will still be able to use the Blueprint Conversion feature to transfer star levels between blueprints of the same rarity.

2) Wilderness reward updates

In the wilderness, exploration points, crates, and other sources that previously awarded blueprint fragments will now award Starchrom directly. This includes mysterious settlement treasures, first-clear dungeon rewards, tasks, and other gameplay sources. All blueprint fragment rewards will be replaced with an equivalent amount of Starchrom.

3) Blueprint Shop will close

With blueprint acquisition being fully streamlined, the Blueprint Shop will be removed. If you plan to use it, please spend your Starchrom accordingly before the update.

4) Stellar Stairway system changes

Stellar Stairway and Asterism will be removed. Sources that previously awarded Asterism and Asterism Crates will now award Starchrom and Starchrom Crates directly. The monthly Starchrom acquisition rules will remain unchanged. You will be able to check the Starchrom cap for the current cycle on the Blueprint screen.

* Starchrom earned from events, the Battle Pass, Collection Level, and similar sources will not count toward the monthly Starchrom cap.

5) Conversion of existing materials

Once these blueprint-related changes go live, affected items in your backpack will be automatically converted at equivalent value. Details are as follows:

- Blueprint Fragments: Converted into different amounts of Starchrom based on rarity and slot. Formula: Starchrom = Fragment Exp × 1.85

- Asterism: After the Stellar Stairway adjustment, the current month's Asterism acquisition rate will be directly converted into the current month's Starchrom acquisition rate. Any unclaimed Stellar Stairway Starchrom Crates will also be converted directly into Starchrom.

- Wish Stones will be converted into Mitsuko's Marks.

2. Wish Machine rework

The Wish Machine is one of Once Human's signature features, and as developers, we also love how it looks and feels. But using it to draw blueprints is clearly too complicated, especially for newer players. So we plan to rework the Wish Machine while keeping the mini-game interaction and the fun of random rewards, and shift its focus to activity rewards instead. This rework is expected to go live after the April 22 update (PT).

1) Wish Machine draws will be temporarily disabled after the March 25 update (PT)

After the March 25 update (PT), the Wish Machine will be temporarily disabled, and it will no longer provide blueprint fragments. It will also no longer be unlocked through Memetic Points. Metas who have already obtained the Wish Machine formula can still build it.

2) New activity rewards will be added to the Wish Machine on April 22 (PT)

After the April 22 update (PT), the Wish Machine will offer a new set of activity rewards that do not consume Starchrom. By taking part in daily gameplay and completing activity tasks, you can earn draw chances and get useful supplies and cosmetic rewards. The Wish Machine formula will also be unlocked by default, making it easier to build whenever you need it.

If you have any questions, please send us feedback through the feedback platform (https://www.oncehuman.game/grfkpt/). We look forward to hearing your suggestions.

Securement Pod Interaction Upgrade

To make managing secured Deviations more flexible, we have added a Split and Withdraw button to the Securement Pod.

New Territory Asset Category

A new territory asset category has been added to the Appearance Gallery.

Building support increased in RaidZone Mode

To make building in RaidZone easier to understand, we have increased structure support so it is easier to build multi-level territories, and removed the old system where pillars provided support. Foundation support has been increased from 3 to 7, allowing buildings up to 7 floors tall. We have also removed pillar support inheritance to prevent unlimited height.

New Custom Server Features

1. Mobile now supports settings for Memetic Restriction and RaidZone Echoite bonus drops.

2. Server hosts can now set the Deviation level and attributes found in RaidZone weapon crates and storage crates.

3. When "building costs no materials" is enabled, collectible furniture will not follow that rule. Its cost will still depend on how many you own.

New Shop Arrivals

Lightforge Loot Crate "Ravenous Gear" is now available, with a limited-time discount on the Ultra vehicle.

"Violence is rehearsed, wear is calculated, destruction becomes the path of evolution."

Available: After the March 11 maintenance update (PT)

The "Ravenous Gear" Lightforge Loot Crate features the Ultra vehicle skin "Voidstar," the Legendary fashion set "Bloodthirsty Mecha," the Legendary weapon skin "Doom's Embrace - SOCR," and the Legendary territory collectible "Skyguard." Born for destruction, made whole by destruction...

• "Voidstar" comes with two signature features: an exclusive permanent trail with a black hole effect, and a devouring transformation effect triggered while speeding at high velocity. At top speed, all things converge, all things are destroyed, and all things are reborn!

• Limited-Time Offer: The Ultra Legendary vehicle skin "Voidstar" is 16% off for its first release, costs 10 Lightforge Gems. It will return at full price in future returns.

For more details, please check the announcement >>> https://www.oncehuman.game/news/update/20240815/40780_1174367.html

Upcoming Shop Updates

Available: March 19, 6:00 AM (server time)

"The world is an ocean, offering boundless vision."

The Epic theme pack "Island Cruise," the Epic outfit set "Golden Drifter," the makeup preset "Ember," and more will go on sale at the same time. Free as the sea!

• Limited-time offer: the "Island Cruise" theme pack is 22% off for its first week, and the "Golden Drifter" outfit set is 15% off for its first week. Don't miss the one-week sale!

"A modern and minimalist new storage solution."

The Rare facility cosmetic bundle "Minimalist Storage Bundle" is coming soon. The goal of organizing is simple living.

• Limited-time offer: The bundle and individual facility cosmetics start at 17% off during their first week. Check them out under Territory - Facility Cosmetics!

"Time only begins to flow when the last grain of sand falls."

The Shifting Sands - KVD, Shifting Sands - DE.50, and Shifting Sands - EBR-14 weapon skins (Epic), as well as their Combo Gift Box, will be available for a limited two-week run! Give your guns a stylish look!

• Limited-time offer: the gift box and individual skins are 17% off for their first week. Limited-time draws cost only 30 Crystgin each!

Meta Bounty Update

"Three, two, one. Freeze!"

Available: After the March 11 maintenance update (PT)

New medals have been added to Meta Bounty. Go to Shop > Meta Bounty tab to check out and unlock them.

Under the Challenges category, two new rewards have been added: "Trophy: Always Watching You" and "Iron Trophy: Beyond Surveillance." When eyes meet, time stands still.

Experience Optimizations

Mod Drop Optimizations

1. The gameplay reward details screen now shows Legendary crate types.

2. A guarantee system has been added to random mod drops across all levels to improve the drop experience.

Shop

1. Adjusted the Shining Newbie Pack sale slots and added a Super Value Deals section.

2. Optimized the quantity selection pop-up when purchasing certain shop items.

Tasks

Removed the "Open Exploration Notes" task from the scenario journey in Endless Dream.

Construction Sharing

Optimized the category and filter display on the Construction Sharing management screen.

Pollution Zones

Optimized monster respawn frequency in the Illusory Pollution Zone to improve the combat experience.

Deviation “Invincible Sun” Mechanic and Value Adjustments

We’ve noticed that in the open world multiplayer environment, the fire zone created by the Deviation “Invincible Sun” can intermittently cause server lag due to its high-frequency stacking mechanic, impacting combat smoothness for all Metas.

To resolve performance issues while ensuring this Deviation’s core combat value—“quickly applying max stacks of Burn”—remains intact, we’ve made the following adjustments to its detection logic and values:

1. Spawn logic optimization: Meteors can now be used normally in tight spaces, improving adaptability across different terrains.

2. Value balance adjustments:

1) Burst DMG Boost: The direct-hit DMG Multiplier for meteors has been increased from 900% to 1100%.

2) Fire zone duration: Reduced from 10 seconds to 8 seconds.

3) Fire zone Burn application: Adjusted from “apply 1 stack every 1.5 seconds” to “apply 2 stacks every 3 seconds.”

4) Meteor count: The maximum number of periodically spawned meteors has been adjusted from 5 to 4.

5) Fire zone damage: The single-tick DMG Multiplier of the fire zone has been significantly increased from 400% to 800%.

Market Bounties

Now, once your character reaches Level 50 or completes the Market Bounties tutorial task, you can summon V to quickly open the entrance and join more easily.

Online Trading

Please note that you can no longer purchase items while your character is dead.

Item

Optimized the icons for plant seeds so they are easier to tell apart.

Bug Fixes

Shop

1. Fixed an issue where the female outfit "Blazing Resonance" could display incorrectly on some devices.

2. Fixed an issue where the female top "Origin Zero" could display incorrectly when paired with certain bottoms.

Events

Fixed an issue in Unstable Secure where armor acquisition tasks were counted incorrectly.

Class

Fixed an issue where the Greenhouse Core could be incorrectly saved into a blueprint.

Combat

1. Fixed an incorrect trigger condition description for Pathfinder and Pyroclasm Starter. It now correctly reads "when a shot hits."

2. Fixed an issue where Pathfinder's charged form did not properly reduce Frost Vortex cooldown on hit.

Deviation

Fixed an issue where Invincible Sun had an incorrect battle skill multiplier.

Territory Construction

Fixed an issue where item rarity would not display when scrolling rapidly in the disassembly screen.

Camera

Fixed an issue where locally saved photos could disappear after logging in again.

Tasks

Fixed an issue in the Manibus scenario where commissions could unlock incorrectly under certain conditions.

RaidZone Mode

1. Fixed an issue where the Armed Patrol Unit's HP bar could display incorrectly at long distance.

2. Fixed an issue where crates on the ship near the edge of the Ship Graveyard settlement could not be interacted with.

Other

Fixed an issue where equipping too many badges could block the invitation code.

Once Human Development Team

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

The sole change addresses a bug preventing the game from loading when a player's username contains non-ASCII characters. That's the kind of thing that doesn't affect most players until it does, and when it does, it's a complete blocker. Credit where it's due for turning this around fast.

As always, the devs recommend starting a fresh save with no mods after any Unstable update. If you haven't opted in yet, right-click Project Zomboid in your Steam library, go to Properties, and select Unstable under Game Version & Betas. Full patch notes below.

As always it is recommended that you create a new save with no mods after updates. Updates fix bugs and introduce new changes that may not be compatible with any older saves, especially ones older than the last patch.

How do I subscribe to the Unstable beta branch?

Right-click PZ in your Steam library.
Select "Properties".
Under "Game Version & Betas" select "Unstable".


FIXES
- Fixed game not loading when the username has non-ascii characters

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

The health changes are worth paying attention to. Players now start with 150 base health and 150 armor across three slots, and tiered Armor Vests found in loot offer damage mitigation ranging from 25% up to 50%. That top-tier vest effectively doubles how long you can survive a push, which is going to completely reshape how late-game fights play out. Trauma Kits add an overheal on top, pushing max health to 250 temporarily. Longer TTK, more deliberate engagements, and no golden loadout path to fall back on. Honestly, that's a meaningful design shift.

On the events side, the Altitude Tactics Event runs alongside the new Warzone Ranked Series, with the Counter Skies Event Pass kicking off March 17. Free track rewards include the Swordfish A1 Marksman Rifle and Echo 12 Backlash Launcher Kit.

Full patch notes below.

GLOBAL

EVENTS

• Altitude Tactics
  • Get hyped for the arrival of Black Ops Royale with the Altitude Tactics Event. Progress through all four game modes to earn new Mid-Season rewards including the new Voyak KT-3 Assault Rifle plus the “Rainfall” Weapon Camo, “Pinnacle” Weapon Reticle, “Pinpoint” Calling Card, “Gliders” Emblem, and other altitude-themed items showing you’re ready for the next drop.
  • Rewards Include: Voyak KT-3 Assault Rifle

• Counter Skies Event Pass
  • Amass XP across all four game modes to progress and unlock key items like the Swordfish A1 Marksman Rifle and Echo 12 Backlash Launcher Kit in the Free Track or purchase access to the Paid Track for additional rewards like the “Waylay” DS20 Mirage Assault Rifle and “Field Hunt” RK-9 SMG Weapon Blueprints.
  • Rewards Include: Swordfish A1, Echo 12 Backlash Launcher Kit
  • Dates: March 17 to April 2

• Warzone Ranked Series Season 02 Event
  • Show your dominance in Resurgence Ranked Play with the first Call of Duty: Warzone Ranked Series Event. Compete against 50 other players in your rank, earning Weapon Camos and Emblems based on our final placement plus rewards earned through Event Win Challenges.

CALL OF DUTY: WARZONE

BLACK OPS ROYALE

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to Black Ops Royale, the next evolution of Call of Duty: Warzone. Rooted in the iconic Black Ops universe, this version of Warzone introduces signature gear, world events, and thematic elements that fans will recognize, ranging from futuristic tech to the dangers of Cradle Gas. In this mode, every match emphasizes discovery, adaptability, and survival. Built around exploration and emergent moments, this experience challenges players to adapt as they scavenge for loot, upgrade weapons, and confront new threats across the map. With no Loadouts or golden paths, progression happens during the match, rewarding squads that stay on the move and take risks.

Season 02 Reloaded begins Wednesday, March 11, with Black Ops Royale launching Thursday, March 12 at 9 PM PT / Friday, March 13 at 12 AM ET.

For a full review of the content releasing in Black Ops Royale, check out the official Deep Dive blog here.

BASIC OVERVIEW

Basic Overview

MapSquad SizePlayer CountMatch Time

Avalon

Quads

100

20-25 Minutes

MAP

First introduced as the large-scale Endgame map in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Avalon arrives as the newest large map experience in Call of Duty: Warzone. Avalon showcases vibrant environments ranging from dense urban sectors and layered interior spaces to exposed traversal routes and long sightlines that reward strategic positioning.

Avalon has also been carefully adapted to support the needs of both Black Ops Royale at launch and Battle Royale, which will arrive on the map in future rotations. To ensure the map performs at the highest level across multiple experiences, our teams conducted a full design pass on traversal routes, pacing, sightlines, combat spaces, and more. This work ensures Avalon can support a variety of  experiences while maintaining the level of quality and balance that Call of Duty: Warzone players expect.

We’ve also worked closely with Treyarch to adjust water levels by adding new land connections and exposed sand paths between islands, helping streamline movement and improve overall pacing.

For a full tour of Avalon in Black Ops Royale, check out the official map blog here.

GAMEPLAY

» MOVEMENT «

A core part of the Black Ops DNA is movement. With that in mind, Black Ops Royale has been intentionally designed to give players greater freedom in how they traverse the AO - whether that means rapidly repositioning across the map or escaping danger in unexpected ways.

• Wingsuits
  • The traditional parachute has been replaced with Wingsuits, allowing players to glide quickly across considerable distances. Wingsuits are available to all players by default from the start of the match.

• Wall Jump
  • Wall Jump allows players to bound off vertical surfaces, providing access to areas that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to reach during combat. This mechanic builds upon the Omnimovement system introduced in Multiplayer with the launch of Black Ops 7, and is enabled by default for all players in Black Ops Royale.

In addition to the above, we’ve implemented the Grappling Hook as a core part of our Tactical Equipment lineup, detailed later in these patch notes.

» HEALTH & ARMOR «

Our approach to survivability is built around creating longer, more deliberate engagements all while maintaining the importance of progression through looting. We’ve given players the default durability needed to survive initial encounters, while offering advantages to those who consistently scavenge and build up an arsenal of resources to leverage in more challenging engagements later into the match.

Players begin each match with:

• Base max health of 150
• Passive health regeneration when out of combat for more than 5 seconds
• Base max armor of 150 (x3 slots)

Players can find the following while looting:

• Trauma Kits
  • A consumable Field Upgrade that overheals, regenerating lost life and granting an additional 100 health, for a total of 250.
  • The additional health provided is lost once a player receives damage.
  • Use time: 3 seconds

While exploring ways to balance our health and armor systems, we found that introducing Blackout-style bandages created unnecessary overlap with the existing Armor Plate mechanic, which already fulfills the role of manual healing and sustain. Instead, we’ve reintroduced Trauma Kits as a consumable item found in loot that acts as both a full heal and a powerful buff, offering a strategic option for squads preparing to push or survive intense fights.

• Armor Vests
  • Equippable vests that come in three tiers, each with successively better damage mitigation to plates.
    • Tier 1: 25% damage mitigation
    • Tier 2: 35% damage mitigation
    • Tier 3: 50% damage mitigation

Armor Vests are back and play a central role by mitigating all incoming damage directed at armor. As we explored different ways to slow down time-to-kill, Armor Vests proved to be an effective solution that extends engagements without fundamentally changing our core health and armor systems. To maintain progression and reward players who take on greater challenges, Armor Vests are not part of the starting loadout.

» REDEPLOYMENT «

Our approach to second chance mechanics in Black Ops Royale was one we carefully considered throughout development. The goal was to give players from across all experience levels a balance of comeback opportunities to keep the mode fun yet meaningful. We feel that we’ve found a combination that gives players the ability to recover from unlucky, early-game setbacks without removing the tension that makes later engagements matter.

• Redeploy Token
  • Allows an eliminated player to redeploy after a 45 second timer.
  • Players spawn with a single, free token at the start of each match.
  • Can also be found in rare circumstances via looting.
  • Redeploy Tokens do not stack and cannot be dropped.

• Redeploy Tower
  • Interactable towers found throughout the map that allow players to bring eliminated squadmates back into the fight.
  • How to use one:
    • When a player with eliminated teammates interacts with a Redeploy Tower, a capture zone with a 30 second countdown will activate around the tower.
    • Multiple teammates inside the capture zone will speed up capture progress.
    • Successfully capturing the tower will redeploy all currently eliminated squadmates.
    • Redeploying through a tower does not consume a Redeploy Token.

» CIRCLE «

Circle collapse pacing in Black Ops Royale has been tuned to encourage earlier movement and more mid-game engagements while still allowing squads time to recover. Early circles close more deliberately to support exploration and Activity completion, while later circles accelerate to push teams into decisive endgame fights.

Circle Pacing

1

100 seconds

210 seconds

2

60 seconds

120 seconds

3

60 seconds

120 seconds

4

45 seconds

105 seconds

5

45 seconds

105 seconds

6

30 seconds

105 seconds

7

10 seconds

75 seconds

8

10 seconds

60 seconds

9

0 seconds

60 seconds

10

0 seconds

30 seconds

11

0 seconds

30 seconds

» INTERFACE «

The "Cerebral Link" HUD in Black Ops Royale remains largely familiar to Call of Duty: Warzone players, with several adjustments to support the mode’s systems.

The HUD consists primarily of the following elements:

• Compass direction and current location name
• Mini-Map with the next Circle Collapse timer and any active Activities
• Squad health and armor, including equipped and reserve plates, Redeploy Tokens held by your squad, and your current health displayed both as a bar and numeric units.
• Quick Inventory Menu with five indicators showing your active Perk slots.
• Weapon & Equipment Display showing your current weapon, its rarity, and equipped Tacticals, Lethals, Field Upgrades, and Killstreaks.
• Additional HUD details include white base health, yellow temporary bonus health, and visual indicators for weapon rarity, build type, and attachment progression.

» INVENTORY «

We’ve reworked the inventory system to support the looting and combat engagements of Black Ops Royale. The result blends familiar elements from traditional Warzone with inspiration from the classic Blackout interface, providing quick-and-easy access to both information and activatables. The inventory menu provides insight on:

• Armor Plates
• Tacticals
• Lethals
• Killstreaks
• Field Upgrades
• Weapons
• Ammunition
• Consumable Perks

» WEAPONS «

Our approach to Weapons in Black Ops Royale centers on in-match progression. Instead of securing a fully optimized Loadout early, players build power over time by finding base Weapon Archetypes and upgrading them from one rarity to another via Weapon Attachment Kits. As Weapons increase in rarity, they gain additional Attachments and stat bonuses, gradually transforming basic loot into a powerful endgame arsenal. This system rewards exploration, map knowledge, and adaptability as players make their way through the match. With all of Black Ops 7’s weapon classes, you can expect over 40 Archetype themes, with over 20 initially available as ground loot.

• Weapon Rarity
  • Weapons come in five color-coded rarity tiers. As a weapon’s rarity increases, it gains additional predetermined attachments.
    • Common (Grey): 1 Attachment
    • Uncommon (Green): 2 Attachments
    • Rare (Blue): 3 Attachments
    • Epic (Purple): 4 Attachments
    • Legendary (Orange): 5 Attachments

• Weapon Attachment Kits
  • Weapon Attachment Kits are lootable items that upgrade your currently equipped weapon once picked up.
  • They can be found as ground loot, inside Supply Boxes, or as rewards from Activities.

• Weapon Archetypes
  • A Weapon Archetype determines the identity, playstyle, and upgrade path of a given Weapon.
  • A narrative-inspired theme name on each Weapon allows you to gain an initial understanding of what type of the Attachment upgrade path it will follow.
  • Weapon Archetypes are as follows:

Assault Rifle Archetypes

ArchetypePlaystyleWeaponsUpgrades

CQB

• M15 MOD 0
• DS20 Mirage
• Peacekeeper Mk1
• EGRT-17
• ADS Speed
• Sprint to Fire Speed
• Sprint Speed
• Aim Walking Speed
• Horizontal Recoil Control
• 45 Round Mag
• Red Dot Optic

Recon

• M15 MOD 0
• AK-27
• MXR-17
• Maddox RFB
• EGRT-17
• Vertical Recoil Control
• Horizontal Recoil Control
• Bullet Velocity
• All Damage Ranges
• Flinch Resistance
• 3x Scope
• 60 Round Mag

Covert

Focuses on staying off the radar, moving through Avalon and maintaining accuracy.

• AK-27
• MXR-17
• DS20 Mirage
• Peacekeeper Mk1
• Maddox RFB
• Suppressor
• Mid-Damage Range
• Aiming Movement Speed
• Vertical Recoil Control
• Non-Sprint Speed
• ADS Speed
• 45 Round Mag
• 2x scope
• Laser

Submachine Guns Archetypes

ArchetypePlaystyleWeaponsUpgrades

Burner

Close quarter combat, with fast movement and impressive reaction times.

• Ryden 45K
• Razor 9mm
• Kogot-7
• REV-46
• ADS Speed
• Sprint to Fire Speed
• Rate of Fire
• Sprint Movement Speed
• Hipfire Spread
• Iron Sight
• 40 Round Mag

Stalker

For those who wish to tactically flank and stay off the radar.

• Ryden 45K
• Razor 9mm
• Dravec 45
• Carbon 57
• Sturmwolf
• Kogot-7
• REV-46
• Suppressed Fire
• Aiming Movement Speed
• Horizontal Recoil Control
• Non-Sprint Speed
• Damage Range
• Hybrid Scope (1x vs 2x) or MM Optic
• 40 Round Mag

Mantis

Transforms the SMG into a mini Assault Rifle while focusing its effectiveness at the longest range that SMGs can be effective at.

• Dravec 45
• Carbon 57
• Sturmwolf
• Suppressor
• Mid-Damage Range
• Aiming Movement Speed
• Vertical Recoil Control
• Non-Sprint Speed
• ADS Speed
• 45 Round Mag
• 2x scope
• Laser

Shotgun Archetypes

ArchetypePlaystyleWeaponsUpgrades

Raider

Aggressive rushing in to overwhelm the enemy.

• M10 Breacher
• Echo 12
• Sprint Speed
• Sprint to Fire Speed
• Aimed Walking Speed
• Hipfire Spread
• ADS Speed
• Fire Rate

Bug Out

• M10 Breacher
• Damage Range
• ADS Pellet Spread
• Vertical Recoil
• Aiming Movement Speed
• Magazine Size

Striker

• M10 Breacher
• Aiming Movement Speed
• ADS Pellet Spread
• Damage Range
• ADS Speed

Light Machine Gun Archetypes

ArchetypePlaystyleWeaponsUpgrades

Lockdown

• Sokol 545
• Suppressed Fire
• Aiming Movement Speed
• ADS Speed
• Horizontal Recoil
• Movement Speed
• Rate of Fire

Patrol

Focusing on faster, more mobile engagement.

• MK.78
• XM325
• Sprint Speed
• Sprint to Fire Speed
• Aimed Movement Speed
• Vertical Recoil Control
• Hipfire Spread
• Red Dot Optic

Heavy Metal

Maximized for long range engagements.

• MK.78
• XM325
• Sokol 545
• Vertical Recoil
• Horizontal Recoil
• Damage Range
• Flinch Resistance
• ADS Speed
• Bullet Velocity

Marksman Rifle Archetypes

ArchetypePlaystyleWeaponsUpgrades

Scout

• M34 Novaline
• Damage Range
• Magazine Size
• Aiming Idle Sway
• Flinch Resistance

Widow

• M34 Novaline
• Suppressed Fire
• Aiming Movement Speed
• ADS Speed
• Vertical Recoil Control
• Fire Rate

Sniper Rifle Archetypes

ArchetypePlaystyleWeaponsUpgrades

Viper

• VS Recon
• Bullet Velocity
• Flinch Resistance
• Aiming Idle Sway
• Vertical Recoil Control
• Rechamber Speed

Redacted

• Hawker HX
• Suppressed Fire
• Bullet Velocity
• Damage Range
• Rechamber Speed
• ADS Speed
• Flinch Resistance

Pistol Archetypes

ArchetypePlaystyleWeaponsUpgrades

CQB

• Jäger 45
• ADS Speed
• Sprint to Fire Speed
• Sprint Speed
• Fire Rate
• Magazine Size

Akimbo

• Coda 9
• Dual Wield
• Hipfire Spread
• Sprint to Fire Speed
• Sprint Speed
• Damage Range
• Magazine Size

Sentinel

• Velox 5.7
• Suppressed Fire
• Damage Range
• Vertical Recoil
• Aiming Movement Speed
• Magazine Size
• 1x Optic
• Global Weapon Class Benefits
  • In addition to Archetype attachments, Weapons gain Global Class Benefits as their rarity increases. These 10% incremental bonuses apply to all weapons within a class and are independent of the weapon’s Archetype.
  • Global Class Benefits apply at the following upgrade tiers:
    • Common (Grey): No Global Class Benefits
    • Uncommon (Green): One set of Class Benefits
    • Rare (Blue): Two stacked sets of Class Benefits
    • Epic (Purple): Three stacked sets of Class Benefits
    • Legendary (Orange): Four stacked sets of Class Benefits

• Ballistics
  • Ballistics refers to the motion, behavior, and impact of Weapon’s projectiles. More specifically, in Black Ops Royale, we’ve noticeably adjusted bullet velocity and subsequently bullet drop compared to other Warzone modes.
  • Upgrading a weapon with Attachment Kits improves and increases overall effectiveness. Weapons also gain improved ballistics at certain rarity tiers:
    • Most weapons will see around 30% Improved Bullet Velocity at Rare (Blue) and Legendary (Orange) rarity. 
    • Sniper Rifles will see reduced Bullet Drop and increased Bullet Velocity at Uncommon (Green) and Epic (Purple) rarity.

• Recoil
  • The base version of fully automatic weapons has 15% increased recoil at Common (Grey) rarity compared to the same weapons in other Call of Duty: Warzone modes. Upgrading a weapon will have a significant and noticeable impact on recoil reduction as you climb from one tier to another.

• Launchers, Specials and Melee
  • While Launchers and other weaponry are also in Black Ops Royale, they do not feature Archetype themes. Note that your Infil Pistol can be upgraded as well.

• Exotic Weapons
  • Exotic Weapons are extremely rare, powerful weapons that can be found via the Mystery Box.
  • These are the only weapons with 8 attachments in the entirety of Black Ops Royale.
  • Only 1 Exotic Weapon can be looted over the duration of a match. A match-wide announcement is made to inform players once it’s been found.

» LOOT & ECONOMY «

We set out to blend the looting experience of the original Blackout with lessons learned from years of evolution in Warzone. In standard Battle Royale, players often reach their optimal loadouts and equipment very early. Here, we are designing the experience to emphasize the importance of looting across the early, mid, and late game.

• Cash is not available in loot
• Buy Stations are removed
• No basic, legendary, or reusable Supply Boxes

Two new types of Supply Boxes are being introduced including:

• Guild Supply Boxes
  • These close and refill like reusable supply boxes, but have a longer refill timer

• Cradle Supply Boxes
  • These chests are available only in dangerous cradle gas zones, but contain higher-tier items than Guild supply boxes

» ACTIVITIES «

Unlike traditional Battle Royale modes that rely heavily on randomized loot, Black Ops Royale emphasizes Activities as a primary way to earn rewards. Activities follow a clear risk-versus-reward structure, with more difficult challenges offering higher-value loot. They are not visible on the Tac Map at the start of a match and must be discovered through exploration, appearing once players get close to their location. Unlike Contracts in traditional Warzone, squads can also engage with multiple Activities at once, allowing courageous teams to pursue several objectives simultaneously.

• Surveillance Drone
  • A roaming Guild surveillance drone can be found moving across the map.
  • Engaging the drone will cause it to attempt an escape while calling in support to defend its intel.
  • Destroying the main surveillance drone will cause it to drop supplies and reveal other nearby Activities on the Tac Map.

• Surprise Shipping
  • Abandoned Guild cargo containers are scattered across the map.
  • Approaching one will cause the container to open and release hostile Guild combatants.
  • Eliminate all enemies to secure the reward, including a guaranteed Armor Satchel.

• Strongbox Crack
  • Breachable Guild strongboxes can be found across the map.
  • Players must first locate a Safecracker Drive in order to begin the breach.
  • Once activated, the strongbox will trigger an alarm and perform a local radar scan, revealing nearby players on the Tac Map.
  • After a short delay, the breach will complete and the strongbox will drop valuable loot, including a guaranteed Armor Vest.

• Target Uplink Terminal
  • Interacting with one of the terminals throughout the map will attempt to identify and mark a nearby enemy player as a termination target.
  • The targeted squad will receive a warning that their teammate is being hunted and will see the approximate distance between the target and the nearest member of the hunting squad.
  • This also provides a single short range ping when you kill the target.

• Relay Antenna
  • Interact with an antenna to activate a capture zone around its location.
  • Multiple teammates inside the zone will accelerate capture progress.
  • Once captured, the antenna will perform a local radar scan to reveal nearby enemy players and deploy a Redeploy Drone.

• Supply Drops
  • Supply Drops will be airdropped into the field as the match progresses.
  • Secure these crates to obtain valuable supplies, including an Armor Vest and a high-quality weapon.

» CRADLE BREACHES «

Cradle Breaches will begin dropping into the field as the match progresses. These bombs release a gas that creates dangerous zones filled with powerful rewards that eventually dissipate. Operators who venture inside can take on unique challenges and search for high-quality gear left behind by the explosion, but be warned: these zones are full of risk and can leave your team exposed to other players.

• Mangler
  • A high-value elite threat that spawns inside the Cradle Breach.
  • Eliminate the Mangler to earn high-value rewards, including a guaranteed Armor Vest.

• Mystery Box
  • A special crate that spawns in the Cradle Breach and can be unlocked by eliminating zombies within the area.
  • Successfully doing so grants high-value rewards, including the possibility of an Exotic Weapon.

» CONSUMABLE PERKS «

Consumable Perks introduce temporary power spikes that allow players to adapt to engagements as needed. Rather than locking players into permanent selections, these consumables create temporary, advantageous windows for those who time them correctly. The Perks that can be found via looting include:

• Awareness
  • Improves detection of nearby enemy movement.
    • Improves focus on enemy footstep audio.
    • Gain the ability to track Enemy Footsteps.
    • Duration: 120 seconds.

• Brawler
  • Enhances close-quarters combat effectiveness.
    • Gain 10 health on melee attacks. Provides bonus health if fully healed.
    • Increases melee damage by 100%.
    • You can tactical sprint.
    • Duration: 210 seconds.

• Engineer
  • Improves interaction with enemy equipment.
    • See enemy equipment, killstreaks, and vehicles through walls.
    • When you are a driver or a passenger in a vehicle it will repair itself over time.
    • Duration: 180 seconds.

• Iron Lungs
  • Reduces weapon sway and improves aiming stability.
    • Increases Hold Breath with Scopes and while under water by 150%.
    • Reduce Flinch by 50%.
    • Reduce Isle Sway by 50%.
    • Duration: 240 seconds.

• Looter
  • Increases efficiency when looting items.
    • Loot crates within 25 meters are outlined.
    • 20% increased chance to find special items.
      • Trauma Kit, Psych Bomb, RCXD, Deadeye Drone, Armor Box, Reinforced, Paranoia, and Skulker.
    • Duration: 120 seconds.

• Medic
  • Improves healing speed and support capabilities.
    • Downed allies you revive come back with 100 bonus health.
    • Insert plates 30% faster.
    • Revive yourself and others 25% faster.
    • Duration: 240 seconds.

• Mobility
  • Enhances movement speed and agility.
    • Take no fall damage.
    • Swap Weapons faster.
    • Reload 30% faster.
    • Duration: 240 seconds.

• Outlander
  • Improves survival in hazardous zones.
    • Reduce damage while in the collapse by 10%.
    • Increase movement speed while in the collapse by 10%.
    • Duration: 180 seconds.

• Paranoia
  • Provides alerts when targeted by enemies.
    • Sense when an enemy is looking at you.
    • Duration: 240 seconds.

• Reinforced
  • Reduces incoming damage effects.
    • Explosive and Fire damage is reduced by 65% and cannot down you when at full health.
    • Resistance to Flash and Concussion Grenades.
    • Reduces damage from Hand Cannon, War Machine, and Death Machine by 50%.
    • Duration: 240 seconds.

• Skulker
  • Improves stealth movement.
    • Increases base movement speed by 10%.
    • Increase crouch and prone speeds by 30%.
    • Increases swim speed by 55%.
    • Duration: 240 seconds. 

• Squad Link
  • Enhances awareness of squadmate positions.
    • When you ADS enemies they are auto-pinged.
    • Shooting enemies will outline them briefly.
    • Downed enemies within 40 meters will be visible through obstacles.
    • Duration: 120 seconds.

» LETHAL EQUIPMENT «

We’ve mix-matched lethals to provide players with powerful tools that reward creative use in both direct combat and objective-focused encounters. While the majority of these will be familiar from earlier Black Ops 7 seasons, we’ve curated the list to feel authentic to this mode's Blackout roots.

• Cymbal Monkey New
  • Attracts nearby zombies for a short duration before detonating.
  • Explosion: 235 - 200 damage
  • Explosive Radius: 2.5 meters

The iconic Cymbal Monkey can be found as loot. It is highly effective at distracting zombies and can also be used to divert enemy players.

• Cluster Grenade
  • Explosive that detonates into multiple smaller blasts over an area.

• Combat Axe
  • Thrown axe capable of eliminating enemies with precision hits.

• Frag Grenade
  • Standard timed explosive grenade.

• Needle Drone
  • Thrown drone that seeks targets and explodes on impact.

• Psych Grenade
  • Gas grenade that disorients enemies and creates hallucination effects.

• Sticky Grenade
  • Sticky explosive that adheres to surfaces or targets before detonating.

• Point Turret
  • Deployable automated turret that targets enemies.

» TACTICAL EQUIPMENT «

Tactical Equipment in Black Ops Royale focuses on information, disruption, and mobility. Used well, these tools can create openings that turn the momentum of a fight without relying solely on raw firepower.

• Grappling Hook New
  • Allows rapid movement by grappling to surfaces.
  • Max Ammo: 5

• Sensor Dart New
  • Dart that will stick on objects and show nearby enemies.
  • Duration: 15 seconds
  • Radius: 65 meters

The Sensor Dart returns in an updated form, allowing players to quickly throw it onto surfaces or objects where it will stick in place. Once deployed, it provides valuable intel by revealing nearby enemy positions.

• EMP Grenade
  • Disables electronics and equipment within a small radius.

• Flashbang
  • Blinds and disorients enemies.

• Smoke
  • Deploys a smoke cloud for visual cover.

• Stim Shot
  • Provides rapid healing and recovery.

• Concussion
  • Slows and disorients affected enemies.

» FIELD UPGRADES «

Field Upgrades encompass situational tools that primarily improve a squad’s chances of survival, whether through attrition or by directly impacting a fight. In addition to the new Trauma Kit outlined in the Health & Armor section above, players can expect to see:

• Bubble Shield New
  • Deployable shield dome that blocks incoming damage.
  • Shield Health: 1500

The Bubble Shield, first introduced in Endgame, arrives in Battle Royale. This deployable dome provides temporary protection from incoming damage, giving squads a chance to hold key positions or recover during intense engagements.

• Deployable Cover
  • Portable ballistic cover for defensive positioning.

• Echo Unit
  • Creates a decoy copy of the player to confuse enemies.

• Munitions Box
  • Provides ammunition resupply.

• Trophy System
  • Intercepts incoming projectiles within its radius.

» KILLSTREAKS «

In Black Ops Royale, we’ve also introduced a series of Killstreaks designed to create short bursts of combat dominance, capable of dramatically shifting the momentum of an engagement in your squad’s favor.

• D.A.W.G. New
  • Robotic ally unit equipped with turret and rockets.
  • Turret: 20-10 damage per shot
  • Rocket: 180-100 damage

Calling in a D.A.W.G. deploys a robotic support unit that follows your squad and actively engages nearby enemies. Armed with a burst-fire turret, it will pressure hostile players and automatically deploy rockets when vehicles or clusters of enemies are detected.

• Death Machine New
  • A devastating mini-gun.
  • Ammo: 200 Rounds
  • Damage: 15 per round

The Death Machine is a 200-round minigun capable of unleashing a sustained torrent of bullets. It excels at suppressing enemies, providing cover fire, and dominating close-range engagements.

• War Machine New
  • A devastating grenade launcher.
  • Ammo: 15
  • Explosive: 160-30 damage
  • Explosive Radius: 5 meters
  • 3-Round Burst fire

The War Machine is a three-round burst grenade launcher capable of firing up to 15 explosive rounds. It excels at clearing enemies from cover and is most effective in close-to-mid-range engagements.

• HKDs New
  • Deploy several Hunter Killer Drones.

These drones deploy at your call-in location and begin actively searching for nearby enemies. They are ideal for pushing buildings or deterring incoming attackers.

• Psych Bomb New
  • A bombardment deploying gas in a circular pattern.
  • Deploys several payloads of psych gas.
  • Explosive: 75 damage
  • Explosive Radius: 5 meters

The Psych Bomb deploys psych gas across a wide area, beginning with multiple impacts at the target point before expanding outward in a circular pattern. It creates chaos and disorientation for enemies, though it has low direct lethality.

• Deadeye Drone
  • Remote-controlled drone with a small caliber Sniper Rifle.

• Hand Cannon
  • A devastating handgun.

» VEHICLES «

• ATV
  • A fast and agile quad built for quick rotations.
  • 1 Driver, 1 Passenger
• Light Heli
  • A mobile helicopter capable of rapid repositioning across the map.
  • 1 Driver, 4 Passengers
• Cargo Truck
  • A slow but durable transport vehicle with heavy armor.
  • 1 Driver, 1 Passenger
• Dirt Bike
  • A nimble single-rider designed for fast traversal.
  • 1 Driver
• RHIB
  • A boat designed for navigating rivers and coastal areas.
  • 1 Driver, 3 Passengers
• LTV
  • An armored tactical vehicle with strong durability.
  • 1 Driver, 3 Passengers
• UTV
  • The Polaris RZR Pro R 4 is a balanced off-road vehicle that offers good speed and handling.
  • 1 Driver, 3 Passengers
• TAV
  • A lightweight vehicle built for speed and repositioning.
  • 1 Driver, 1 Passenger

» CHALLENGES «

• Operator Orders
  • Inspired by Blackout’s Operator Unlock Missions, these are objectives that players can find during a match with unique rewards.
  • Rewards include:
    • “Desolate” Operator Skin for Kagan
    • “Landfall” Operator Skin for Mason
    • “Bootcamp” Operator Skin for Dempsey
    • “Bogey” Weapon Camo (Animated)
    • “Spotted” Weapon Camo (Animated)
    • “Topo” Weapon Blueprint for the Maddox RFB AR
    • “Primed Pistol” Emblem
    • “Readied Blade” Emblem
    • “Armed and Dangerous” Emblem

CLOSING STATEMENTS

All of us across the Call of Duty: Warzone teams are incredibly excited for players to drop in and discover this Blackout-inspired experience. Black Ops Royale has been built to feel fresh and exciting, with a completely different focus than our traditional modes.

As always, we’ll be keeping a close eye on community feedback as players jump in. Be sure to share your thoughts with us on social media and tag @RavenSoftware.

CALL OF DUTY: WARZONE [CONTINUED]

MODES

• Extreme Resurgence Weekend LTM
  • One hundred Operators. Twenty-five squads. The map is packed and the firefights never stop. Crowded map, crowded action.
  • Map: Haven's Hollow
  • Players: 100
  • Squad Size: Quads
  • Live Dates: March 13 to March 16

PLAYLIST

As previously mentioned, Season 02 Reloaded begins Wednesday, March 11, with Black Ops Royale launching Thursday, March 12 at 9 PM PT / Friday, March 13 at 12 AM ET.

PERKS

New

The following new Perks are available in Battle Royale and Resurgence with the launch of Season 02 Reloaded.

• Momentum Replaces Alertness
  • This Perk improves acute combat motions in tight spaces while improving weapon handling to get the jump on foes and follow through accurately.
  • Reduces Consecutive Jump penalties.
  • Reduce Fire Delay when sliding by 20%.
  • Reduce Hip Fire Spread by 20%.
  • Increase ADS Movement speed by 13%.
  • Crouch and Prone 20% faster.

• Berserker Replaces Bomb Squad
  • This perk rewards aggression with deftness. After eliminating an enemy player, gain a short burst of enhanced action speed, allowing you to chain engagements and reposition quickly before opponents can respond.
  • After eliminating an enemy player gain 30% speed to the following for 7 seconds:
    • Equipment Deployment
    • Weapon Swap
    • Reloading
    • Plate Insertion
    • Gain 30% Flinch Resistance
    • When at low health your screen is less obstructed

• Hunter Replaces Tracker, merging Alertness
  • This Perk is designed for players who hunt, track, and anticipate enemy movement rather than react to it.
  • When shooting an enemy briefly Outline them based on range.
  • Gain the ability to track Enemy Footprints. When you shoot an enemy others can see their footprints for 10 seconds.
  • Sense enemies that are within 30 meters of you.
  • Sense when you are being aimed at.

Adjusted

• Ghost
  • The grace period before Ghost ends was increased to 5 seconds, up from 1.5 seconds.

RANKED PLAY

• #1 Top 250 Rewards
  • We’ve made visual improvements to the Operator Skins received for placing #1 on the Top 250 Leaderboard.

LOOT & ECONOMY

• Buy Stations
  • We have added Advanced UAVs as a purchasable Killstreak at Buy Stations for $40,000.

With UAVs now requiring four uses to activate an AUAV, and based on player feedback, we are experimenting with adding the AUAV directly to the Buy Station. This approach changes how players access the streak compared to the previous multi-use method. We will continue monitoring feedback and make adjustments as needed.

• Specialist 
  • Price has been increased to $35,000.

WEAPONS

New Weapons

• Voyak KT-3 Assault Rifle
  • Full-auto assault rifle. High damage and excellent handling, with slower fire rate and moderate to high recoil.
  • Unlock: Altitude Tactics Event Reward
  • Prestige Attachment: Laser > MFS Anti-Dispersion Module
    • Quickly tightens spread during ADS transition and improves overall spread. Prevents spread from expanding when moving, firing, and jumping.

• Swordfish A1 Marksman Rifle
  • 4-round burst marksman rifle. Fast cyclic fire rate and minimal recoil, but slower mobility and handling.
  • Unlock: Counter Skies Event Pass Event Reward
  • Prestige Attachment: Fire Mods > MFS Penta Burst Mod
    • Refitted burst mechanism adds one bullet to each burst and provides additional ammo. Slightly harms recoil control.

New Attachments

• Echo 12 Backlash Launcher Kit Event Reward
  • Conversion kit fires fast-moving explosive projectiles that can bounce off surfaces. Explosive damage is increased if detonation occurs after bouncing.
  • Can be acquired via Counter Skies Event Pass

• MXR-17 ANVL Conversion Weekly Challenge, In-season
  • MXR-17 conversion provides a very fast starting fire rate with high recoil that tapers off the longer it’s fired. Packed with extra ammo, lead with merciless firepower that morphs into an easy to control and hard-hitting weapon.
  • Can be acquired via Weekly Challenge Reward

Weapon Adjustments

Assault Rifle Adjustments

WeaponAdjustments

M15 MOD 0

Attachment Adjustments

• Monolithic Suppressor
  • Bullet Velocity benefit reduced from 20% to 10%
  • Damage Range benefit reduced from 12% to 6%
• Bowen Linchpin Stock
  • Recoil Control benefit reduced from 15% to 10%

MXR-17

MXR-17 Damage Adjustments

Damage RangePre-PatchPost-Patch

Maximum Damage Range

— Damage —

48

— Range —

0 - 35m

— Damage —

48

— Range —

0 - 35m

Medium Damage Range 1

— Damage —

41

— Range —

35 - 52m

— Damage —

41

— Range —

35 - 52m

Minimum Damage Range

— Damage —

36

— Range —

>52m

— Damage —

38⇧

— Range —

>52m

PEACEKEEPER MK1

Attachment Adjustments

• MFS Counterforce-C1 Stock
  • Recoil Control benefit improved from 25% to 30%
• 25" EAM Heavy Barrel
  • Recoil Control benefit improved from 20% to 25%
• 19.4" Stimulus Barrel
  • Horizontal Recoil Control benefit improved from 18% to 25%

SMG Adjustments

WeaponAdjustments

CARBON 57

Attachment Adjustments

• K&S Compensator
  • Vertical Recoil benefit improved from 15% to 20%
• Goliath Steady Grip
  • Vertical Recoil benefit improved from 15% to 20%

KOGOT-7

Kogot-7 Damage Adjustments

Damage RangePre-PatchPost-Patch

Maximum Damage Range

— Damage —

33

— Range —

0 - 12.5m

— Damage —

33

— Range —

0 - 13m⇧

Medium Damage Range 1

— Damage —

28

— Range —

12.5 - 21m

— Damage —

28

— Range —

13⇧ - 21m

Minimum Damage Range

— Damage —

22

— Range —

>21m

— Damage —

22

— Range —

>21m

Additional Adjustments

• Rate of Fire increased from 952rpm to 968rpm
• Aim Down Sight speed improved from 170ms to 160ms

RAZOR 9MM

RAZOR 9MM Damage Adjustments

Damage RangePre-PatchPost-Patch

Maximum Damage Range

— Damage —

31

— Range —

0 - 12.5m

— Damage —

31

— Range —

0 - 13m⇧

Medium Damage Range 1

— Damage —

27

— Range —

12.5 - 21m

— Damage —

27

— Range —

13⇧ - 21m

Minimum Damage Range

— Damage —

20

— Range —

>21m

— Damage —

20

— Range —

>21m

Attachment Adjustments

• H-9mm Precision Comp
  • Vertical Recoil benefit improved from 18% to 25%

REV-46

REV-46 Damage Adjustments

Damage RangePre-PatchPost-Patch

Maximum Damage Range

— Damage —

26

— Range —

0 - 13m

— Damage —

26

— Range —

0 - 12m⇩

Medium Damage Range 1

— Damage —

23

— Range —

13 - 22m

— Damage —

21⇩

— Range —

12 - 20m⇩

Minimum Damage Range

— Damage —

18

— Range —

>22m

— Damage —

18

— Range —

>20m⇩

Additional Adjustments

• Recoil increased by 8%
• Headshot multiplier decreased from 1.2x to 1.16x
• Aim Down Sight speed slowed from 160ms to 175ms

Shotgun Adjustments

WeaponAdjustments

SG12

• Increased Aim Down Sight Pellet Spread from 3.26° to 3.65°

Attachment Adjustments

• Akita Full Bore-12
  • Reduced Tac Stance Aim Down Sight Pellet Spread improvement
• Beadline Tactical Pad
  • Reduced Tac Stance Aim Down Sight Pellet Spread improvement

LMG Adjustments

WeaponAdjustments

MK.78

MK.78 Damage Adjustments

Damage RangePre-PatchPost-Patch

Maximum Damage Range

— Damage —

35

— Range —

0 - 52m

— Damage —

36⇧

— Range —

0 - 52m

Medium Damage Range 1

— Damage —

32

— Range —

52 - 75m

— Damage —

32

— Range —

52 - 75m

Minimum Damage Range

— Damage —

30

— Range —

>75m

— Damage —

30

— Range —

>75m

Additional Adjustments

• Vertical Recoil reduced by 8%
• Horizontal Recoil reduced by 12%
• Recoil Deviation reduced by 15%
• Bullet Velocity increased from 910m/s to 930m/s
• Lower Torso and Leg multipliers increased from 1x to 1.04x

XM325

Adjustments

• XM325 Titan Wield
  • Fixed an issue causing damage to be lower than intended

Marksman Rifle Adjustments

WeaponAdjustments

M8A1

Attachment Adjustments 

• M8A1 Auto Strike Conversion
  • Recoil increased by 20%
  • 10% Bullet Velocity benefit removed

UI/UX

• Resurgence Mini-Map Elimination Ping
  • We’ve made adjustments to the icon that appears on the mini-map after eliminating an enemy in Resurgence modes.

• Squad Hunt
  • The icon and animation have been reduced to enhance visibility.

BUG FIXES

• Fixed an issue where players could become stuck in a broken spectating state after their last living teammate gets eliminated. 
• Fixed an issue that caused players to be automatically muted when entering a match from the Front End. 
• Fixed an issue where the Daily Challenge reset could cause players to be missing a challenge. 
• Fixed an issue where the NX Ravager was not tracking the challenge requiring eliminations while aiming down sights, preventing Mastery Camo progression. 
• Fixed an issue where the camo tracker displayed BO6 weapon camos instead of BO7 camos. 
• Fixed an issue where the “Neon Pulse” Win Streak camo would not unlock after ten consecutive Battle Royale wins until the client was restarted. 
• Fixed an issue where a white placeholder box appeared instead of the player’s current rank icon on the Match Summary and Winner’s Circle screens. 
• Fixed an issue where a weapon could drop inside the Buy Station after cashing in a Key Card. 
• Fixed an issue where players were unable to jump into a slide in the Firing Range when Combat Roll Assist was set to Partial. 
• Fixed an issue that allowed players, in isolated cases, to fall through map geometry in certain areas, which could be exploited.

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

The single fix targets a bug where certain weapons weren't properly benefitting from their Weapon Foundry Sponsorships when those perks were active. If you've been running a Foundry-specific loadout and feeling like something was off, that wasn't in your head. Sponsorship bonuses are built into how those weapons are supposed to perform, so having them silently not apply could skew damage output, handling, or reload in ways that were hard to diagnose mid-session. Credit where it's due to Bungie for catching and shipping this quickly.

It's a surgical patch rather than a sweeping update, but if Foundry weapons are part of your current build, it's worth logging back in and seeing how they feel now. Full patch notes below.

General

• Fixed an issue where some weapons were not benefitting from their Weapon Foundry Sponsorships when active.

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

This is the second round of softlock fixes in quick succession, which tells you these edge cases are proving tricky to fully stamp out. Credit where it's due, Mega Crit is moving fast and actually acknowledging the reports rather than going quiet. For an Early Access title that tripled the original's Steam peak within hours of launch, keeping that player trust intact matters.

Full patch notes below.

Another small hotfix which resolves some more softlock issues. Thanks again to everyone reporting issues like this!

BUG FIXES:

• Fixed more instances of players getting stuck at the timeline

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

The headliners are the Flip Reset Indicator and Visible MMR, two features that serious players have wanted baked into the base game for years. The Boost Timer Visualization is a nice addition too, giving you a cleaner read on boost pad respawns without relying on third-party overlays. That's not nothing, especially for players grinding ranked. There's also a new Override Boost Audio option, Queue Menu changes, Custom Training Settings updates, and Playlist Population Numbers so you can actually see where the player base is sitting before you queue.

Credit where it's due: this is a genuinely useful patch that addresses real friction points rather than just dropping new cosmetics. The Nintendo Switch DLC update and new Quick Chats round things out. Full patch notes are available on the official Steam announcement page. Here's everything that changed:

ocket League v2.66 prepares the game for Season 22!

Version: Rocket League v2.66
⁠Platforms: Epic Games Store, Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo
⁠Scheduled Release: March 10, 2026 4 PM PT / March 11, 2026 12 AM UTC

THE HEADLINES

• Playlist Population Numbers
• Flip Reset Indicator
• Visible Matchmaking Rating (MMR)
• Boost Timer Visualization
• Override Boost Audio Option
• Nintendo Switch DLC Update
• New Quick Chats
• Custom Training Settings Update
• Queue Menu Changes 

NEW CONTENT, CHANGES & UPDATES

Playlist Population Numbers

Good news, everyone! A really great feature has made its return, and it’s an amazing day to check the queues.

Playlist Population is once again visible in the Play Menu.

• View total Rocket League player population.
• See playlist-specific population when you’re hovering on a mode.

Now you’ll know exactly how packed the pitch is before you queue up.

Flip Reset Indicator

We’ve introduced a new audio and visual cue to signal when a player has achieved a flip reset, which is when the player has regained their dodge by touching the ball with three or more wheels.

• The visual effect is designed as a quick burst to reinforce the moment of reset without disrupting gameplay clarity.
• The flip reset indicator is only visible/audible to the player performing the flip reset or for spectators, but appears for all players during replays, when the option is enabled.
• You can disable the flip reset indicator in the settings.
  • Disabling the flip reset indicator also turns off the effect while you spectate.

Visible Matchmaking Rating (MMR)

Players now have the option to choose to display their MMR in Competitive Playlists. Enable this option in the settings to:

• Show your MMR on Competitive Playlist tiles.
• Display MMR on the scoreboard at the end of Ranked Matches.

This setting does not affect Casual Playlists.

Boost Timer Visualization

Large boost pads now display a visual recharge indicator so you can play more strategically. 

• Large boost pads take 10 seconds to respawn, with the visual indicator gradually refilling over those 10 seconds until the pad is fully recharged.

Override Boost Audio Option

Players can now set the default, Standard Boost sound to any Boost they have equipped.

• The Override Boost Audio check box can be found in the Audio tab in the settings.
• Only affects your in-match audio, not replays or menus. Other players will still hear the sound associated with the equipped Boost.

Nintendo Switch DLC Update

If you bought Rocket League DLC on Nintendo Switch or Nintendo Switch 2, you’ll now have it on other platforms that the DLC is available on. Just make sure your platform accounts are connected to your Epic account.

New Quick Chats

We’ve added several new Quick Chats to give players more ways to communicate in-game.

• Informational
  • “One more”
  • “Back Post”
  • “Leaving”
  • “Oops, wrong quickchat!”
• Reactions
  • “Unlucky”
  • “This isn’t Rocket League”
  • “Oof”
  • “…”
  • “Be careful!”
  • “Let’s lock in”
  • “Brutal!” has replaced “Savage!”
• Apologies
  • “All good!”

Jump in and let your teammates (and opponents 👀) know exactly what you’re thinking.

Custom Training Settings Update

In Custom Training, new adjustable randomization options create more dynamic scenarios, helping players refine mechanics and build adaptability in unpredictable situations.

These options can be found by opening Custom Training, playing a custom training pack, then opening the settings.

• New settings:
• Ball Speed Modifier (0%–100%, Default: 0%)
  • Applies random variance to the ball’s initial speed. 
  • For example, at 50%, the ball’s speed can randomly increase by up to 50% or decrease by up to 50%.
• Ball Location Modifier (0–1000, Default: 0)
  • Randomizes the ball’s spawn location within a radial distance from its original position.
• Ball Height Modifier (0–1000, Default: 0)
  • Applies a random vertical offset to the ball’s spawn position.
  • Ball may spawn higher or lower within the defined range.
• Vehicle Location Modifier (0–1000, Default: 0)
  • Randomizes the vehicle’s spawn location within a radial distance from its original position.
• Vehicle Rotation Modifier (0°–100°, Default: 0°)
  • Applies a random rotation variance to the vehicle’s starting orientation.
    • For example, if you choose 30°, the vehicle’s forward direction will vary between -30° and +30° from the original setup.
• •Other new training settings:
  • Spawn Vehicle on Ground (Default: On)
    • When enabled, the vehicle spawns grounded.
    • When disabled, the vehicle spawns using legacy Custom Training behavior (a little bit above the ground).
  • Skip Goal Replay
    • When enabled, goal replays are skipped during Custom Training.
  • Round Start Input Delay (0–0.1 seconds, Default: 0)
    • Changes how immediate a round begins after detecting player input
    • 0 seconds allows for faster, more immediate control at the start of each round.
    • 0.1 seconds is the legacy Custom Training behavior.

Queue Menu Changes

The menu displayed while searching for a match has been updated to better support players who want to stay in gameplay-focused activities while queued.

• “Freeplay” and “Challenges” now replace “Item Shop” and “Garage” in the Queue Menu. “Training” remains unchanged.
• “Freeplay”
  • Instantly loads Freeplay on your last selected map, no confirmation required.
• “Challenges”
  • Opens directly to the first tab of the Challenges menu, serving as a quick-access shortcut while queued.
    • “Claim” notifications won’t be displayed.

BUG FIXES

Gameplay

• Removed an unintended piece of wall graffiti in The Block (Hoops) that obscured visibility of the net. 
• Fixed an issue where the cage on Beckwith Park Arena’s variants could obstruct the player’s view. 
• Fixed an issue that could prevent Custom Tournaments from being created. 
• Fixed an issue where the in-match notification feed displayed duplicate messages during a demolition. 
• On Nintendo Switch, fixed an issue where the Play Again button would occasionally not appear in the Post-Match Menu after a Competitive match. 
• Fixed an issue where a Rumble power-up could be granted too early when using a power-up soon after getting demolished. 

Cosmetic

• Fixed an issue where the Magnifique Car Body Trim color would override selected paint colors and finishes. 
• Fixed an issue where applying certain Decals caused the rear panel of the McLaren P1 to appear white. 
• Fixed an issue where the Deep Space Trail did not consistently appear during goal replays. 
• Fixed an issue where the Gravity Bomb Goal Explosion would demolish cars. 

KNOWN ISSUES

For a complete list of known issues in Rocket League, check out our Known Issues page.

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

Nakanishi kept the story expansion details deliberately vague, saying the team will " deeper into the world of Requiem" and asking for patience because "it will take some time." That's not much to go on, and honestly, it doesn't need to be. The confirmation alone is what fans were waiting for, and the framing of the video, complete with a theatrical fake-out where Nakanishi pretends to reach for the wrong document, suggests Capcom knew exactly how much weight this announcement carried.

What's Coming Before the DLC

The story expansion is clearly the furthest out on the roadmap. Before that, Nakanishi flagged two nearer-term additions: photo mode, which the community has been asking for since launch, and a minigame described as a "surprise" arriving around May. He didn't name it, but the speculation around Mercenaries Mode is already running hot. Credit where it's due, previous Resident Evil games have received similar modes as free updates, which sets a reasonable precedent. If Capcom holds that line here rather than charging for it, that's the right call.

The Mercenaries angle makes a lot of sense given what Requiem is working with. Leon's combat in this game is the best it's been since the RE4 remake, layered and precise in a way that rewards repetition. Grace, the new protagonist, is a different story. Her toolkit is built around evasion and resource management rather than straight aggression, which would make for a genuinely interesting Mercenaries variant if Capcom leans into that contrast rather than just bolting her onto Leon's framework.

The game is available on PlayStation 5.com/en-gb/games/resident-evil-requiem/), Switch 2.com/us/store/products/resident-evil-requiem-switch-2/), Xbox Series X/S, and PC. No platforms are being left out of the post-launch support, which is worth saying plainly because it isn't always a given. Siliconera also noted that Leon and Grace amiibo are planned for Summer 2026, though no exact date has been set for those either.

The real question is what "extra story content" actually means in scope. A short side chapter focusing on a secondary character is very different from a full narrative expansion that adds several hours to the runtime. Nakanishi's wording, " deeper into the world of Requiem," leans toward something more substantial than a bonus cutscene, but Capcom hasn't committed to specifics yet. Given how the main campaign ended, there's no shortage of threads worth pulling on. How much of that they're willing to put into paid DLC versus leaving for a potential sequel is the question that matters most right now.

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

Capcom told Diskin the project would not go union. Full stop. He pushed back, offered to work on a lower-budget SAG-AFTRA contract if that's what it took, and was told with certainty that Capcom's position wasn't changing. The studio did offer written AI protections, promising his voice would never be used for AI development. Diskin's problem with that isn't cynicism about Capcom specifically. It's math. Without a union contract behind him, enforcing those protections means personally suing one of the largest publishers in the industry. As he put it: "I don't have the mental, emotional, or monetary strength to survive a protracted legal fight."

That's not an unreasonable position. It's the exact position SAG-AFTRA spent nearly a year on strike to address. The union's strike ran from July 2024 until a deal was ratified in June 2025, with AI protections as the central issue. The agreement that came out of it requires informed consent for digital replica use and gives performers the ability to suspend that consent during a strike. Diskin's logic is hard to argue with: he didn't hold out for eleven months to get enforceable protections and then immediately sign them away on a handshake.

SAG-AFTRA Already Pulled the Alarm

This isn't just Diskin's word against Capcom's. SAG-AFTRA issued a Do Not Work order for Mega Man: Dual Override the day before Diskin's post went up, stating that Capcom "has failed to initiate the signatory process" required before the union authorises members to work on a project. Members who perform on the game while that order stands risk disciplinary action. So the union saw this coming before Diskin even went public.

Capcom hasn't responded publicly. Game Informer reached out and got nothing back before publication, and as of now there's been no statement. That silence is a choice, and it's not a flattering one. The studio is bringing back one of gaming's most recognisable characters after an eight-year gap, Dual Override was announced at The Game Awards 2025 and is slated for 2027 across every major platform, and the lead-up to launch is now going to include questions about who's voicing the title character and why the guy who did it last time isn't there.

Credit where it's due to Diskin for how he handled this. He didn't go scorched earth. He wished the development team well, said he hopes the game outperforms Mega Man 11, and signed off with a line of in-character dialogue. He clearly wanted to be there. The real question is why Capcom decided that avoiding the SAG-AFTRA signatory process was worth losing him over, especially when he explicitly offered to take less money to make it work.

The answer, almost certainly, is that going union on one project sets a precedent for others. Capcom is making a business calculation. Diskin is the one paying for it.

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

Reddit user 'FredOnToast' spotted the listing after going through a March 9 breakdown from Toy News International covering new figure listings from McFarlane Toys. The product in question is described as an "Elite Edition 7in - Fallout 3 Remastered - #13 T-45B Nuka Cola" figure, priced at $51.37. The listing on Bro Depot is live right now, accepting pre-orders, with a shipping estimate of August 31, 2026. The product image is a blurry Nuka Cola bottle placeholder. Very professional. Very real.

The name does a lot of work here. T-45B is a variant of the T-45 power armour, the suit that's been on Fallout 3's box art since 2008. The "Nuka Cola" tag likely points to a Nuka Cola-branded paint job, similar to what Fallout 4's Nuka World DLC did with T-51 armour. There was no Nuka Cola armour set in the original Fallout 3, which suggests this figure is tied to new content or a remaster-specific cosmetic, not just a re-release of an old product under a new label.

The sceptic's argument is that this is one listing from one distributor with no images and a placeholder release date. Fair. But as one user in r/GamingLeaksAndRumours noted, McFarlane has a reputation as an "S tier leaker" precisely because these distributor listings are mundane logistics, not marketing. Nobody invents a product name for a pre-order page. And it's not just Bro Depot; other retailers/comments/1rpr9rd/fallout_3_remastered_is_mentioned_by_mcfarlane/) are listing the same figure, with July and August flagged as potential ship windows. Toy News International's own read is that these listings generally turn out to be true.

This is also the second time a McFarlane figure has front-run a major Bethesda-adjacent announcement. The Assassin's Creed Black Flag remaster, now confirmed, leaked through a premium figure listing before Ubisoft said anything official. The pattern is consistent enough that you'd be doing mental gymnastics to dismiss it.

The broader context makes this feel inevitable anyway. Oblivion Remastered was a massive success last year. The Fallout TV show sent player numbers on Fallout 76 through the roof and reminded a whole generation why they loved Fallout 3 and New Vegas in the first place. Bethesda has a gap in its release calendar and two beloved games sitting there, unplayed by anyone who came to the series through the show. A Fallout 3 remaster is not a creative risk; it's a spreadsheet decision. The real question is whether New Vegas follows, and whether both projects are being handled in-house or farmed out the way Oblivion was.

Bethesda hasn't commented. They won't, probably until they're ready to make it a moment. But a $51 T-45B figure with "Remastered" in the product description, pre-orderable right now with an August ship date, is doing the announcing for them. Three Dog would be proud.

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

This is the second major legal action against Valve in under two weeks. On February 25, New York state sued Valve demanding full restitution for players, arguing loot boxes constitute illegal gambling. Now consumers in Washington are making a similar case, and the full complaint goes further than most critics have. It doesn't just claim loot boxes are gambling in spirit, it walks through Washington state's legal definition of gambling word by word and argues Valve's system clears every single bar.

Washington law defines gambling as "staking or risking something of value upon the outcome of a contest of chance or a future contingent event not under the person's control or influence." The complaint's response to that is blunt: "Valve's loot boxes satisfy every element of this definition." You pay real money for a key, you get a random item, and that item can be sold on Valve's own marketplace for real money. The value is there. The chance is there. The lack of player control is there.

The Slot Machine Accusation Is the One That Stings

The mechanical comparison is where this lawsuit gets specific in a way that's hard to dismiss. The complaint describes loot boxes using "the same psychological techniques as casino games, rewards delivered on unpredictable schedules to keep players spending, visual and audio effects designed to mimic the excitement of a slot machine, 'near miss' animations that create the illusion of almost winning, and around-the-clock availability." That last one is worth sitting with. A casino closes. Steam does not.

Steve Berman, founder and managing partner at law firm Hagens Berman, put it plainly in a press release: "We believe Valve deliberately engineered its gambling platform and profited enormously from it. Consumers played these games for entertainment, unaware that Valve had allegedly already stacked the odds against them." The word "deliberately" is doing a lot of work there, and intentionally so. The complaint frames the Steam Community Market not as a side effect of the loot box system but as a core part of it, evidence that Valve knew its virtual items had real monetary value and built infrastructure to support that value while maintaining plausible deniability.

The children angle is the most damaging part of all this. Berman's statement goes on: "What makes this case particularly egregious is that Valve knew children were on the other end of these transactions. Rather than protect young players through age verification or a parental consent mechanism, we believe they rigged the game to extract more money from them." Valve has faced this criticism before and, to be fair, has never meaningfully addressed it. There is no age verification on Steam. There is no parental consent gate before a child opens a case. For a company sitting on one of the most profitable storefronts in PC gaming, that's a choice.

Legal analyst Daniel McGinn, who is unaffiliated with either case, has noted that previous loot box lawsuits in the US largely hit a wall in federal court. What separates these new cases is the argument that Steam items aren't just subjectively meaningful to players, they're convertible to real money through a publicly visible marketplace. That's the crack in the wall. Courts that previously dismissed loot box claims often did so because the items couldn't be cashed out. On Steam, they can be.

Valve is simultaneously facing a £656 million class-action lawsuit in the UK over its 30% platform fee, and the UK's Performing Rights Society has just announced separate legal proceedings over music licensing on Steam. Make no mistake, Valve is not having a quiet spring. But the loot box cases are the ones with the broadest consumer impact, and the Washington complaint's slot machine framing is the kind of specific, visceral accusation that tends to stick, in courtrooms and in public perception. The question now is whether Valve responds with silence, as it usually does, or whether back-to-back lawsuits in two states finally prompt something that looks like accountability.

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

Beyond the party decorations, Rondo gets a structural change worth paying attention to. Crowbars and their dedicated storage spawns are gone entirely, replaced with standard doors. That's a quiet but real shift to the map's looting flow. Secret Rooms also get a significant loot injection, with Jammer Packs, Mortars, Mountain Bikes, and Zipline Guns added to the pool.

Intense Battle Royale sees crate rebalancing too: three shotguns added to Red Supply Drops, Level 2 armour now appearing in Yellow drops, and the DMR/SR Random Weapon Crate scope bumped from 6x to 8x. That last change alone will affect how those weapons play at range. Full patch notes below.

Live Maintenance Schedule (UTC)

※ The times shown below are subject to change.

• PC: March 11, 00:00 - 08:30 
• Console: March 19, 01:00 - 09:00

Map Service

Check out the Map Service Report - Update 40.2 for the latest info on regional map preferences and rotations!

※ Please note that the features and updates described below are subject to change or removal due to issues such as bugs, in-game problems, and community feedback. The images are intended as visual references only; the actual game may look different as the builds are continually developed and refined before release.

PUBG: 9th Anniversary

Hello players!

PUBG is turning 9 and it’s time to jump in and celebrate with us. Thank you to all the players who have stood by the battlegrounds for the past nine years! Through countless battles, victories, and unforgettable moments, you’ve shaped PUBG into what it is today. Now, all of those moments come together as the Battlegrounds turn into a celebration. Drop in, gear up, and be part of the party!

Party on the Battlegrounds

A special 9th Anniversary statue awaits you on the starting island!

Before the match begins, throw a Holographic Stun Grenade at the statue. After a certain number of successful hits, the statue will transform into your character’s appearance.

• The 9th Anniversary character statue and Holographic Stun Grenade can be found on the starting island of all maps.
• Applies to Normal Match and Ranked.

• Look to the skies! A spectacular drone show will light up the battlefield in celebration of PUBG’s 9th Anniversary, adding even more brilliance to the festivities.
• Applies to Normal Match, Ranked, and Custom Match - Normal Mode.

Celebrate the 9th Anniversary in Rondo

Experience the festive atmosphere all across Rondo!

• A mysterious Chicken Man has been sighted throughout Rondo. Hunt down the runaway Chicken Man and secure a Lucky Egg as your reward. 
• Spin, Spin, Spin the 9th Anniversary Draw! In addition to defeating Chicken Man, Lucky Eggs can also be obtained randomly through the 9th Anniversary Draw. The 9th Anniversary Draw can be found at all three Rondo 9th Anniversary Pop-up Store locations, so be sure to stop by and spin!
• Lucky Egg allow you to obtain one random item out of a total of thirteen, including weapons, Level 3 gear, and a special 9th Anniversary Ghillie Suit (Party).
• Applies to Normal Match, Ranked, and Custom Match - Normal Mode.

• To commemorate the anniversary, containers and Care Packages across Rondo have been specially decorated.Don’t miss the celebratory touches scattered throughout the Battlegrounds!

* Specially decorated Supply Crates celebrating the 9th Anniversary can now be found across all maps.

• Commemorative billboards in collaboration with ALLDAY PROJECT and our partners have been added.Additionally, be sure to look above Rondo Stadium for a special gift prepared by the Director.Keep an eye out for 9th Anniversary celebration messages throughout the map!

World: Vikendi

Area Modifications

• All locked doors that were originally designed to be opened using Crowbars in certain buildings have been replaced with standard doors.
• Crowbar storage and Crowbar that spawned within them have been removed.

Spawn Changes

• We’ve rebalanced item spawns across the map
• The items below have been added to the list of items that spawn in Secret Rooms.
  • Jammer Pack
  • Emergency Pickup
  • Folded Shield
  • Mountain Bike
  • Mortar
  • All-In-One Repair Kit
  • Stun Gun
  • Zipline Gun
  • Emergency Cover Flare
• Applies to both Normal Match and Custom Match - Normal Mode.

• Overall item types and spawn rates from Cabinets across Vikendi have been adjusted.
• Applies to Normal Match, Ranked and Custom Match

(PC) UGC Alpha

Creator Information Feature Added

• A new feature has been added allowing creators to designate and verify the original author of a mode (file)
• ‘Edit Manager > Settings > Creator’ tab has been added. ‘Creator' tab provides the following settings.
  • Take Creator Role
  • Mode Name
  • Mode Version
  • Mode Description
  • Mode Tags

※ The previous ‘Edit Manager > Load > CREATOR tab’ has been removed.

• Subzero items have been added to UGC Mode
  • BZ Grenade Launcher
  • 40mm BZ Grenade
  • Frost Zone Bomb
  • Thermal Protection Suit

Arcade

Team Deathmatch

※ The following updates apply to Custom Match as well.

• Map selection probabilities have been readjusted.

Intense Battle Royale

※ The following updates apply to Custom Match as well.

• To enhance the Intense Battle Royale combat experience during matches, we have adjusted the contents of certain crates.
  • Three shotguns (S686, S1897, and S12K) have been added to the list of items obtainable from the Red Supply Drops.
  • Level 2 Helmets and Level 2 Vests have been added to the list of items obtainable from the Yellow Supply Drops.
  • The scope provided when using the DMR/SR Random Weapon Crate has been changed from 6x to 8x.

Workshop

New item sets have been added to the Hunter's Chest and Archivist's Chest.

• Honey Bee
• Survivor Pass: Moghoul Rampage

Workshop: Aston Martin

The iconic British automobile manufacturer Aston Martin has returned to the PUBG: Battlegrounds Workshop! 

Check out the March Store Update 2026 announcement for all the ins and outs!

Pass

EVENT PASS: ALL DAY PARTY

March marks PUBG’s 9th Anniversary, and you can get the party started with a free Event Pass and special rewards! 

Simply log in during the event to receive ‘Event Pass: All Day Party’ for free!

Check out the upcoming PUBG 9th Anniversary Events announcement for all the details on this and other great events and giveaways!

Bug Fixes

Gameplay

• Fixed an issue where Smoke Grenade’s smoke color would change abruptly depending on the character’s position.
• Fixed an issue where watching an AI group emote on the starting island would not end properly, causing the emote BGM to continue playing after the AI stopped.
• Fixed an issue where placing an Emergency Pickup in terrain gaps would place it below the surface and fail to call the plane.
• Fixed an issue where playing your own emote while ‘Join / Watch Group Emote’ with another player’s emote would result in both emote BGMs playing simultaneously.
• Fixed an issue where the Folded Shield skin was not applied when obtained via ‘Load Gear Set’ in the Training mode.
• Fixed an issue where the “Eject” interaction would not appear if the Recall flight path was located in a non-playable area when returning to a match via Blue Chip registration.
• (PC) Fixed an issue where prone players were momentarily displayed as floating in midair.

World

• Fixed collision, texture, performance, and some other general Vikendi issues.
• Fixed an issue where the mini-map in the Boatyard area of Erangel in Team Deathmatch mode was incorrectly displayed as the Erangel: Subzero mini-map.

UX/UI

• (PC) Fixed an issue where changes made in ‘Settings – Key Bindings – Vehicle’ were not reflected in the Key Guide.

Items & Skins

※ Clipping issue: Graphics that are shown outside the visible part of an image/object.

• Fixed an issue where the back of the character’s head became transparent when wearing the Aston Martin Jacket with the Snowbound Mask.
• Fixed an issue where the male character’s ankle became transparent when wearing XingHun's Tiger Starfire Cargo Pants with Snow Angel Boots.
• Fixed an issue where the character’s thigh became partially transparent when wearing Ailee's Leggings with certain pants.
• Fixed a clipping issue on the character's waist when wearing the Toon Raider Denim Pants with certain tops.
• Fixed an issue where the penguin ornament was displayed abnormally when riding in the passenger seat of a Buggy while wearing the Tiny Terror Backpack (Level 3).

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

On the cosmetic side, the Devotee Outfit Set arrives alongside two new haircuts. The bug fixes are small but worth flagging: sell values were displaying incorrectly when mods were attached to items, the same item could appear multiple times in the sell and recycle popup, and your Coin balance could show the wrong number after selling items with durability. None of these were game-breaking, but incorrect currency readouts in a loot-driven game erode trust fast. Credit where it's due for getting them patched.

Full patch notes below.

Update 1.19.0 is going live right now. Please restart your game to download.

• New cosmetics:
  • Devotee Outfit Set.
  • Two new haircuts.
• Fixed an issue where the sell value was displayed incorrectly in the inventory when selecting attached mods.
• Fixed an issue where the same item could be shown multiple times in the sell and recycle popup.
• Fixed an issue where the player's Coin balance could display incorrectly after selling items with durability.
• Fixed an issue where pressing Tab while using the Snaphook would allow players to put it in the safe pocket.
• Fixed an issue where players and ARC could get stuck in a doorway at the Auditorium on Stella Montis.
• Fixed an issue where two interact prompts would appear for the Comet.
• Fixed a Zipline exploit on Blue Gate.
• Fixed an issue where some bodies of water were not frozen on Dam Battlegrounds during the Cold Snap map condition.
• Fixed an issue where Electromagnetic Storm lighting would appear too frequently.

Last week’s server issues caused some of you to lose your loadouts even after a successful extraction. We are reviewing these cases and will return items where possible over the next few days. While we do not normally offer compensation for every incident, this outage impacted a large number of players, so we are making an exception. Thanks for bearing with us while we sorted it out.

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

He'll be working within the university's Department of Digital Games, specifically as part of a newly established program called the Game and Social Design course. In his own words, he plans to "engage in research related to games and game development" and hopes to "interact with a wider range of people in various ways than ever before." Which, honestly, is a pretty graceful way to describe going from shipping WarioWare to grading papers about it.

Abe's history with Nintendo is longer than most people probably realise. He joined in 1999, briefly after a stint at Ascii, and cut his teeth as a programmer on Wario Land 4 for the Game Boy Advance in 2001. From there he became one of the key architects of the original WarioWare, handling game design, graphic design and microgame programming simultaneously. That's a rare combination, and it shows in how cohesive and weird that first game felt. He then directed or co-directed essentially every entry in the series: Mega Party Games on GameCube, Twisted and DIY on GBA and DS, Touched on DS, Smooth Moves on Wii, Game & Wario on Wii U, Gold on 3DS, Get It Together on Switch, and finally WarioWare: Move It! on Switch in 2023. That last one was his final credit with Nintendo.

A Pattern Nintendo Should Be Paying Attention To

Abe's departure is the latest in a string of high-profile exits from Nintendo, and the pattern is worth naming plainly. In January, both Hideki Konno (Mario Kart, Yoshi's Island) and Kensuke Tanabe (Super Mario Bros 2 and 3, Metroid Prime series) retired from the company. Several other foundational names are at or approaching retirement age, including Shigeru Miyamoto at 72, Yoshio Sakamoto at 65, Takashi Tezuka at 64, Koji Kondo at 63, Eiji Aonuma at 62, and Super Mario Kart designer Tadashi Sugiyama at 66. That's not a coincidence or a slow trickle. That's a generation of creators who built Nintendo's identity over four decades all reaching the same inflection point at roughly the same time.

Abe's situation is slightly different, though. He's not retiring. He's 25-plus years into his career and choosing to redirect that expertise into education rather than another development role. The real question is what that means for WarioWare itself. The series has always felt like it needed someone with genuine ownership of its chaos to keep it from becoming a novelty act. Abe was that person. Whether Nintendo finds a successor who understands why five-second microgames about sneezing into a tissue are funny is genuinely unclear, and that's not a small thing for a franchise this specific.

Credit where it's due to Abe for the way he's leaving. No bitter exit, no vague 'pursuing new opportunities' non-statement. He announced it plainly, said where he's going, and explained why. The next generation of Japanese game designers who end up in his classroom are going to learn from someone who shipped nine entries in one of Nintendo's most consistently inventive series. That's not nothing. The WarioWare series, on the other hand, just lost its most important person, and Nintendo hasn't said a word about it.

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

The studio was founded in 2019 by Duncan Kershaw, Neil McEwan, and Chris Lamb, all veterans of Supermassive Games, the team that built the original Until Dawn and essentially invented the modern choice-based horror genre. Sony acquired Ballistic Moon in 2023, which at the time looked like a smart move: experienced developers, a beloved IP, Unreal Engine 5. The pieces were there. They weren't enough.

A Remake Nobody Asked For, Priced Like One They Did

The Until Dawn remake launched on October 4, 2024 at $59.99, and that price tag was the first mistake. The original game was less than a decade old, still playable, and still available for a fraction of the cost. Charging full price for it required the remake to be a genuinely transformative experience. It wasn't. The shift from fixed cinematic camera angles to a third-person over-the-shoulder view removed much of the claustrophobic tension that made the original work, and several reviewers noted that the new lighting, despite being technically superior, actually made the mountain setting feel less unsettling. The OpenCritic score sits at 69 with only 37% of critics recommending it. That's not a mixed reception; that's a verdict.

On Steam, the game peaked at 2,607 concurrent players. That number is almost impressively low for a Sony-published title on a major horror IP. On PlayStation 5, it was reportedly worse: according to True Trophies data, Until Dawn's first-week player count was 28 percent lower than Concord's launch. Concord, the live-service hero shooter that Sony pulled from sale after two weeks. Make no mistake, that's not a comparison anyone at Ballistic Moon wanted to be making.

The studio started falling apart before the game even shipped. Around 40 staff were let go in September 2024, a month before launch, with a smaller group kept on for post-launch support. By December, those remaining 20 were gone too. Insider Gaming reported at the time that Ballistic Moon's leadership was pitching new projects and hunting for funding. Nothing landed. By March 2025 the studio was described as effectively closed, with only its founders possibly still on payroll. The February 2026 dissolution filing made it official.

Credit where it's due to the people who built this thing: the core team came from one of the most distinctive studios in horror gaming, and the Until Dawn IP genuinely has an audience. The 2024 film adaptation, directed by David F. Sandberg, showed there was still appetite for the franchise, even if the movie itself landed with middling reviews and a fifth-place box office debut. The problem was never the IP. It was asking players to pay full price for a remake of a game that didn't need one, built in a way that actively removed what made the original special.

Sony has not commented on the dissolution. Given that they acquired the studio, funded the remake, and published it, the silence is doing a lot of heavy lifting. Somewhere in a Sony boardroom, someone greenlit a $59.99 remake of a nine-year-old game and apparently nobody pushed back hard enough. Ballistic Moon's developers paid for that decision with their jobs. The studio paid with its existence.

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

On the balance side, Elise the Navigator takes a durability hit across all her locations, Unleash the Crocolisks jumps from 1 to 2 mana (which effectively kills its early-game combo potential), and Stonecarver loses the ability to buff itself. That last one is a bigger deal than it sounds; self-buffing on a sticky minion was the core of why that card felt oppressive. Blob of Tar gets a full rework rather than a simple nerf, going from a 4-mana 2/4 to a 5-mana 4/4 with beefier deathrattle tokens. Credit where it's due, Blizzard is actually reshaping cards rather than just nudging numbers.

The patch also unlocks free access to every card from Into the Emerald Dream and The Lost City of Un'Goro for the duration of CATACLYSM, which is a genuinely good move for newer players. The Pre-Release Tavern Brawl gives everyone a free run at the new set before launch, with Deathwing, Worldbreaker available to try even without owning it.

Full patch notes below.

CATACLYSM, Hearthstone’s next expansion, launches on March 17! This 135‑card expansion brings the first‑ever Deathwing Hero Card to Hearthstone, alongside brand‑new Colossal minions empowered by the Herald keyword, cards for the Dragon Aspects, the new Shatter keyword, and more. See every new card in the Card Library today, and grab your Pre‑Purchase bundles before the Worldbreaker descends upon Azeroth!

With the launch of CATACLYSM comes a new Rewards Track, filled with all manner of rewards sure to help in the battle to come, like XP boosts, cards, Gold, card packs, and more!

Free Access to Dream City Trial Cards

Starting March 10, you’ll have full access to every card from Into the Emerald Dream and The Lost City of Un’Goro, including Golden versions. These Dream City Trial Cards* are free to use for the entirety of CATACLYSM. Use them to build your deck and jump right into the action!

If you already own most of these cards, don’t worry, we’ve still got something cool for you! Earning the “Only Missing A Few (Emerald Dream)” achievement grants you a Signature Legendary Ysera, Emerald Aspect, while completing “Only Missing A Few (Lost City)” awards a Signature Legendary Endbringer Umbra.

For even more free rewards, check out our Dragon's Hoard Guide to learn how to claim them.

* Login between 3/10/2026 PDT and 36.0 Expansion Launch to gain temporary access to cards from Into the Emerald Dream and The Lost City of Un’Goro until 36.0 Expansion Launch.

Deck Recipe Updates

Each class now has three updated Deck Recipes: a ready-to-play deck using Dream City Trial Cards, a deck featuring cards from Across the Timeways, and a deck featuring new cards from CATACLYSM.

Prepare for CATACLYSM with Pre-Release Tavern Brawl and Community Days

We’ve got some exciting updates for the Pre-Release Tavern Brawl. This is an event where you get to open your CATACLYSM packs early, build a deck, and compete to earn rewards. The Deathwing, Worldbringer Hero Card will be available for everyone to play in the Pre-Release Tavern Brawl, even if you don’t own it yet, so you can jump straight into CATACLYSM and the new Herald mechanic!

If you're looking for a challenge, we’ve got two achievements for you to take a crack at, including a brand‑new one that awards a cool new card back for going undefeated!

New Pre-Release Tavern Brawl Achievements

• CATACLYSM Pre-Release Champion: Finish a Pre‑Release Tavern Brawl run with 6 wins for the CATACLYSM expansion.
  • Rewards: 2x Tavern Ticket, 1x CATACLYSM Pack
• CATACLYSM Pre-Release Pro: Finish a Pre‑Release Tavern Brawl run without losing a game for the CATACLYSM expansion.
  • Rewards: Cataclysmic Brawler Card Back, 2x Tavern Ticket

Pre-Release Tavern Brawl Card Pool

• CATACLYSM
• Across the Timeways
• Event Set (pre-rotation)
• Core Set (pre-rotation)
• Temporary access to Deathwing, Worldbreaker Trial Card

To keep the focus on new cards, the following have been removed from the format:

• All Across the Timeways Legendary Cards
• All Echoes of the Infinite Mini-Set Imbue Cards
• Twilight Timehopper
• Flux Revenant
• Crusader Aura
• Deja Vu
• Bob the Bartender

How to Play in the CATACLYSM Pre-Release Tavern Brawl

All players will get one entry into the Pre-Release Tavern Brawl for free. After that, each entry will cost 2 Tavern Tickets, 300 Gold, or 400 Runestones. On each run, lock in a deck and play until you get either 6 wins or 3 losses and earn more new cards based on how well you do!

Check out our Pre-Release Tavern Brawl Disclosure Page for more on specific rules.

Community Days

See what earth-shaking decks your favorite creators are making and earn more packs to use in the Pre-Release Tavern Brawl during our Community Days event! See the dedicated Community Events blog for more information about the Pre-Release Tavern Brawl and Community Days.

Hearthstone Updates

Dev Comment: Well met! As noted in last week’s blog, our goal with this Standard balance update is to create space for new cards and strategies by reining in a few overperformers from past expansions. As usual, we’re also taking a pass on all of the cards entering the Wild format. These updates will go live with Patch 35.0 on March 10. We hope you enjoy experimenting in this refreshed Hearthstone landscape, and we can’t wait to see the new decks you create. We’ll see you in the Tavern!

Elise the Navigator

• All locations' Durability: 3 → 2
• Bursting Geyser (Deathrattle: Deal X damage to all enemies.)
  • 10-Cost location (Fire Plume Ridge): 10 damage → 5 damage
  • 5-Cost location (Terror Run): 5 damage → 3 damage
  • 1-Cost location (Un'goro Jungle): 3 damage → 1 damage
• Nesting Grounds (Summon X 2/1 Raptors with Rush.)
  • 10-Cost location (Fire Plume Ridge): 6 Raptors → 4 Raptors
  • 5-Cost location (Terror Run): 3 Raptors → 2 Raptors
• Radiant Crystals (Summon a X/X copy of a friendly minion.)
  • 10-Cost location (Fire Plume Ridge): 10/10 copy → 5/5 copy
  • 5-Cost location (Terror Run): 5/5 copy → 3/3 copy
  • 1-Cost location (Un'goro Jungle): 1/1 copy → Radiant Crystals can no longer be selected on the 1-Cost location

Blob of Tar

• Old: [4 mana] 2/4. Deathrattle: Summon a 1/2 Blob with Poisonous and a 1/2 Blob with Taunt.
• New: [5 mana] 4/4. Deathrattle: Summon a 2/2 Blob with Poisonous and a 2/2 Blob with Taunt.

Creature of Madness

• Old: 1/2.
• New: 1/1.

Prescient Slitherdrake

• Old: 6/9.
• New: 6/8.

Stonecarver

• Old: At the end of your turn, give a random friendly damaged minion +2/+2.
• New: At the end of your turn, give another friendly damaged minion +2/+2.
• Dev Comment: Stonecarver can no longer buff itself. Multiple copies can still buff one another.

Unleash the Crocolisks

• Old: [1 mana]
• New: [2 mana]

Ursine Maul

• Old: After your hero attacks, draw your highest-cost card.
• New: After your hero attacks, draw a card.

Deja Vu

• Old: Discover a copy of a card in your opponent's hand. It costs (1) less.
• New: Discover a copy of a card in your opponent's hand.

Remnant of Rage

• Old: 6/5.
• New: 5/4.

Wild-Focused Updates

As these cards move to Wild, most will revert to their original forms, while a handful will receive other balance changes.

Reverted Cards

• Tigress Plushy
• Jungle Gym
• Concierge
• Party Fiend
• Everything Must Go
• Malted Magma
• Wave of Nostalgia
• Ethereal Oracle
• Dreadhound Handler
• Hydration Station
• Alien Encounters
• Painter’s Virtue
• Domino Effect
• Kerrigan, Queen of Blades
• Jim Raynor
• Gorgonzormu
• Spawning Pool
• Lift Off
• Chrono Boost
• Artanis
• Seaside Giant
• King Plush
• Cliff Dive
• Cursed Campaign
• Ball Hog
• Brittlebone Buccaneer
• Guiding Figure
• Reserved Spot
• Corpsicle
• Ultralisk Cavern
• R.C. Rampage
• Possessed Lackey
• Giggling Inventor
• Blade Dance
• Boogie Down

Cards with Other Balance Updates

Chia Drake

• Old: 2/4.
• New: 3/5.

Ceaseless Expanse

• Old: [125 mana]
• New: [100 mana]

Hydration Station

• Old: [10 mana]
• New: [8 mana]

Boogie Down

• Old: [4 mana]
• New: [3 mana]

Lamplighter

• Old: 4/4. Battlecry: If you played an Elemental last turn, deal 4 damage.
• New: 4/3. Battlecry: Deal 1 damage (Improved by each turn in a row you’ve played an Elemental).

Wondrous Wand

• Old: Draw 3 cards. Reduce their Costs by (3).
• New: Draw 3 cards. Set their Cost to (1).

Threads of Despair

• Old: [3 mana]
• New: [2 mana]

Arkonite Defense Crystal

• Old: [5 mana] 4/5.
• New: [4 mana] 3/4. Taunt.

Murmur

• Old: [7 mana] Your first Battlecry minion each turn costs (1), but immediately dies after being played.
• New: [9 mana] Your Battlecry minions cost (1), but immediately die after being played.

Food Fight

• Old: [4 mana]
• New: [3 mana]

Braingill

• Old: [3 mana] 3/2.
• New: [2 mana] 2/1.

Deputization Aura

• Old: Your left-most minion has +1 Attack and Lifesteal.
• New: Your left-most minion has +2 Attack and Lifesteal.

New Year Rotation and Core Set Update

When CATACLYSM launches on March 17, the Year of the Scarab will begin! At that time, cards from the Year of the Pegasus (Whizbang's Workshop, Perils in Paradise, and The Great Dark Beyond) will rotate out of Standard. Updates to the Core Set and the Event Set card pools will also happen at that time. Core Set card text changes will take place with the patch, on March 10. See the Welcome to the Year of the Scarab blog for more details on the Core Set updates.

Arena Updates

On March 10, with Patch 35.0, all ongoing Arena runs will end, and a new Arena season will begin. This season will use a fully curated card pool that includes all CATACLYSM cards, with the exception of Vyranoth, which will be banned. That's right, play with new cards early! Cards from CATACLYSM will be incorporated into the card pool on March 10, a week before the new expansion releases on March 17.

For this season, cards with the Herald mechanic will receive an occurrence bonus but be limited to a maximum of two copies in the initial draft.

Arena Rewards

With the new season comes a fresh reward for achieving 12 wins in Underground: the Dragonsworn Varden Hero Skin. Starting on March 10, it will replace the previous reward Hero Skin. After unlocking it, any subsequent 12-win runs will earn you an alternate prize of 2 Golden CATACLYSM packs.

When CATACLYSM releases on March 17, all Arena and Underground pack rewards will update from Across the Timeways packs to CATACLYSM packs.

New Arena Achievements

Five new Arena achievements have been added for CATACLYSM. For each achievement, Part 1 must first be completed to do Part 2.

• Cataclysmic Combatant
  • Part 1: Open 5 CATACLYSM packs.
  • Part 2: Finish an Underground run with 6+ wins.
  • Reward: 2x Tavern Tickets
• Cataclysmic Challenger
  • Part 1: Open 10 CATACLYSM packs.
  • Part 2: Finish an Underground run with 6+ wins.
  • Reward: 2x Tavern Tickets
• Cataclysmic Rival
  • Part 1: Open 20 CATACLYSM packs.
  • Part 2: Finish an Underground run with 6+ wins.
  • Reward: 2x Tavern Tickets
• Cataclysmic Duelist
  • Part 1: Open 35 CATACLYSM packs.
  • Part 2: Finish an Underground run with 6+ wins.
  • Reward: 2x Tavern Tickets
• Cataclysmic Gladiator
  • Part 1: Open 50 CATACLYSM packs.
  • Part 2: Finish an Underground run with 6+ wins.
  • Reward: 2x Tavern Tickets

Tavern Brawl

Deck Recipe Brawl

From March 17 - 25, sample our new CATACLYSM deck recipes by choosing a class’s premade deck and facing off against an opponent.

A Totally Normal Game of Hearthstone?

From April 1 - 8, play a totally normal game of Hearthstone! After you play a card, who knows what will happen...

Splendiferous Showdown

From April 8 - 15, Whizbang the Splendiferous will be offering the chance for you and an opponent to pick one of his custom concoction decks and battle it.

Events

CATACLYSM

From March 17 - April 7, Thrall needs your help defending the Tavern from Deathwing’s assault on Azeroth! Thrall played a key role in the defeat of the original Deathwing, so it’s no surprise that this ultimate incarnation is setting the Tavern ablaze to draw him out. To claim your rewards, do what you can to aid Thrall, if it’s not too late!

• 6x CATACLYSM Card Packs
• 6x Across the Timeways Card Packs
• 2x Golden Across the Timeways Card Packs
• Dragonscarred Thrall Hero Skin

In the Dragon’s Fire!

From April 7 - 14, things heat up as Deathwing turns Azeroth into a raging bonfire! Grab your weapon (and maybe a bucket of water) to help mount a defense against the inferno.

• 2x Random CATACLYSM Common Cards
• 2x Random CATACLYSM Rare Cards
• 2x Random CATACLYSM Epic Cards
• 1x CATACLYSM Card Pack

Expanding the Card Duplicate Re-roll System

We’ve updated our card reroll system to accommodate duplicate Legendary Signatures. If you acquire a duplicate Legendary Signature card, you’ll now have the option to reroll it into a Golden Legendary from the same set.

Free Packs and Special Deals in the Battle.net Shop!

Visit the Battle.net Shop to claim one free pack each week for three weeks, starting March 24. You’ll also find bundle deals featuring Diamond Hero Skins and Across the Timeways.

Free Pack Claim Schedule

• Week 1 (March 24 - 31): 1x Golden CATACLYSM Pack
• Week 2 (March 31 - April 7): 1x CATACLYSM Pack
• Week 3 (April 7 - 14): 1x CATACLYSM Pack

Battle.net Shop Special Offers

• Diamond Duality Azshara Bundle
  • Includes: Diamond Duality Azshara Hero Skin, 3x Mage Packs, 2x Golden Standard Packs
  • Availability:
    • Battle.net Shop: March 24 - April 21
    • In-game shop: March 31 - April 21
• Diamond Metamorphosis Illidan Bundle
  • Includes: Diamond Metamorphosis Illidan Hero Skin, 3x Demon Hunter Packs, 2x Golden Standard Packs
  • Availability:
    • Battle.net Shop: March 24 - April 21
    • PC: March 31 - April 21
• Diamond Duality Azshara + Diamond Metamorphosis Illidan Mega Bundle
  • Includes: Diamond Duality Azshara Hero Skin, Diamond Metamorphosis Illidan Hero Skin, 3x Mage Packs, 3x Demon Hunter Packs, 4x Golden Standard Packs
  • Availability:
    • Battle.net Shop: March 24 - April 21
    • PC: March 31 - April 21
• Golden Legends of the Timeways Bundle
  • Includes: 1x Random Golden Legendary from Across the Timeways, 10x Golden Across the Timeways Packs
  • Availability:
    • Battle.net Shop and PC: March 24 - April 21

Deathwing Descends upon Darkmoon Faire Treasures

Deathwing is heating up Darkmoon Faire Treasures! Running from March 20 - April 10, the top prize delivers a devastating two‑for‑one: the Deathwing Mythic Hero Skin and the Deathwing Signature Legendary card. With this Warrior and Shaman Mythic Hero Skin, your hero becomes the Worldbreaker himself. Deathwing makes his presence known with interactive board corners and a full suite of fiery, destructive custom animations for intros, attacks, summons, and victory or defeat.

Executing an attack sees Deathwing rises up to take a fearsome bite out of his target, complete with the thunderous snap of his armored jaws.

Win a game and watch him unleash an inferno that melts away your opponent’s Hero Portrait and sets the board ablaze.

Even in defeat, Deathwing goes out in style, reduced to nothing but smoldering ash.

The Signature Legendary Deathwing Hero Card takes things even further. It features a terrifying depiction of the Worldbreaker, framed in metal veins coursing with molten lava. Play the Signature Legendary Deathwing Hero Card while using the Mythic Hero Skin to trigger an explosive assault that blasts your opponent’s side of the board, leaving their board corners as smoldering ruins. As a final touch, the card transforms your Deathwing Hero Skin into a unique, fiery red incarnation of Deathwing. And you thought he looked fearsome before!

Darkmoon Faire Treasures is our random pull system that rewards Pets, Mythic Skins, Signature cards, Hero Skins, and more. The first pull is free, and subsequent pulls require Runestones to purchase. Every pull guarantees a prize. As the prize collections in the Treasures booth rotate, prices adjust to match the value of the current items. Read more about the current value of Darkmoon Faire Treasures, as well as pull rates and odds.

Bug Fixes and Game Improvements

Hearthstone

• Fixed an issue where Chronochiller awakening from Dormant could cause Rogue’s Imbue skill to malfunction.
• Fixed an issue where the reward from Battle at the End Time could be destroyed when completed with a full hand.
• Fixed an issue where Amalgam of the Deep’s Discovery pool was limited to neutral minions.
• Fixed an issue where Illusory Greenwing’s Illusion could disappear after being copied by Elise’s Location, Radiant Crystals.
• Fixed an issue where the Divine Shield visual effect could persist after Sparkbots were fused with a bot that had a damaged Shield.
• Fixed an issue where the cost of The Ceaseless Expanse could increase when an opponent used Rewind from the Blessing of the Bronze Hero Power.
• Fixed an issue where the class XP progress bar did not appear on the Victory screen when using a Diamond Hero Skin.
• Fixed an issue where minions could become invisible when Ursol’s Aura interacted with certain triggers.
• Fixed an issue where playing Shudderblock or Neptulon could cause the screen to remain dark.
• Fixed an issue where Magtheridon, Unreleased could play its “I am released” voice line twice.
• [iPad] Fixed an issue where hovering over a Signature card did not show its description when Signature Card Appearance was set to Favor Text.
• Fixed an issue where the achievements Identity Theft Is Not a Joke, Everybody Shufflin’, and Night at the Conservatory were not progressing correctly.

Card Text Updates

• Updated several cards for consistency. Effects that previously read “If that kills it” now read “If it dies.”
  • Cards updated: Heart Strike, Frost Strike, Plague Strike, Spirit Bond, Holy Water, Initiation, Wanted!, Mortal Coil, Bane of Doom, Dirge of Despair

Cosmetics

• When acquiring a Mythic Skin, you can now choose to quick‑equip it to either class.

Arena

• Fixed an issue where Golden Medivh the Hallowed (Fabled)–related cards appeared as non‑golden.

Battlegrounds

• Fixed a bug where Amalgams could fail to retain buffs from Wrathscale Rogue when positioned next to Persistent Poet.
• Fixed a bug where minions with “Play Blood Gems on your minions” effects did not apply Blood Gems to minions summoned by Pack Tactics.
• Fixed a bug where Magicfin Apprentice was not copied correctly by Scabbs Cutterbutter’s Hero Power.
• Fixed a bug where Quest Rewards could not be pinged in Duos.
• Fixed a bug where Persistent Poet could fail to retain Obsidian Ravager enchantments.
• Fixed a bug where Eyes of the Earth Mother did not work correctly with Magicfin Apprentice if the original spell had already been played.
• Fixed a bug where Ichoron the Protector could grant permanent Divine Shield to Elementals magnetized with Technical Element.
• Fixed a bug where Silky Shimmermoth only triggered once after playing a Beast while multiple Rabid Panthers were on board.
• Fixed a bug where Evolving Scrolls granted by the Continuing Education Anomaly did not update their card art after evolving.
• Fixed a bug where Mechs with Magnetize could lose keywords after being repeatedly tripled to hand and re‑magnetized.
• Fixed a bug where Golden Dastardly Drust granted incorrect stats to Golden minions.
• Fixed a bug where Warbands retained Haunted Carapace buffs after the player became a Ghost.
• Fixed a visual bug preventing several Hero Skins from being set as Favorites, including Space Pirate Eudora, Infinite Rat King, and Time Travel Baz’hial.
• Fixed a visual bug where Runic Empowerment’s Hero Power text and counter did not update correctly on the leaderboard from a teammate or opponent’s perspective.
• Fixed a visual bug where Lucky Roll did not notify players of its next‑turn unlock when rolling a 1.
• Fixed text issues for several cards, including Tavern‑Keeper Nozdormu, Zin‑Azshari Faelin, and Princess Tess.

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

The official patch notes confirm the update covers bug fixes, new features, and gameplay improvements. Maintenance begins March 10 at 8:55 a.m. PDT, so expect a brief window of downtime before everything goes live.

Credit where it's due to Full Circle for holding the patch an extra beat to get more fixes in rather than shipping the bare minimum and patching again a week later. That's not nothing, especially for a game still in early access. Full patch notes below.

Welcome to the 0.30.1 patch notes!

The maintenance period for this patch begins on March 10, 8:55 a.m. PDT, and includes bug fixes, new features, gameplay improvements, and more for all platforms. Originally, this patch was going to be released as 0.30.0, but we had the ability to add a few more bug fixes to address pressing issues, so it will now be released as the new and improved patch 0.30.1.

If you haven’t yet, take a look at our Season 3 article to learn more about your Return to Isle of Grom, and new skateable areas, Challenges, Seasonal Events, brands, soundtracks, and more coming to skate. in Season 3.

Hub

• New Features
• Gameplay Improvements
• UI Improvements
• PC Graphics and Performance Updates
• Bug Fixes
• New Known Issues for Season 3

New Features

• Isle of Grom skate.Premium Pass Access 
  • Visit the new Ferry Terminal in Blue Light Beach to take the Wet N’ Mild Taxi Co. boat to and from Isle of Grom. For more details about Isle of Grom, visit our Season 3 article.
• Dark Catches and Darkslides
  • Darkslides and Dark Catches are a fan favorite, returning from previous Skate games with some new improvements. Getting into a Dark Catch is done by holding RB/R1 before or right after performing any flip trick (including Impossible flip tricks from Season 2). Landing into a slide on a rail or ledge while holding a Dark Catch will start a Darkslide, which can now also be leaned and grind adjusted. When exiting, you can Flip Trick out to get some pop with it, or lean exit to ride out smoothly. You'll also find a few new settings to control when and how Dark Catches and Slides are released. Visit Skatepedia for more information about these new tricks.
  • Developer’s Note: After getting the foundational mechanics into a good place, we're excited to add Darkslides and Dark Catches to skate. Similar to our approach with most legacy mechanics, we wanted to ensure Darkslides and Catches feel familiar, are integrated with other new additions to the franchise—such as flip speed control and grind leans—and have been expanded upon to provide more self expression.
• Tasks
  • Expanded and diversified Tasks, including new varieties that can be completed conveniently while skating.
  • Developer’s Note: We received feedback that some of the previous Tasks were too difficult or tedious to complete. In response, we’re introducing a wider variety of Tasks designed to complement your skating experience, rather than dominate it.
• Party Collision
  • This feature allows you to collide with others in your party while skating together, adding to the chaos (and fun) of your seshes. Party Collision is disabled by default, but can be enabled in the Settings tab of the Social menu.
  • Developer’s Note: You may experience collision accuracy and timing discrepancies when using this setting. We hope you enjoy this chaotic, but fun, new way to play with your party, and look forward to your feedback.
• Character Customization Options
  • 4 new Hair and 5 Tattoo options have been added to the Character Customizer. 
  • Developer’s Note: 32 ** additional Tattoos can be acquired from Missions, the Skate Paddy’s event, the skate. Pass (Standard and Premium), and the new Essentials Shop.
• Skater Presets
  • You can now configure up to 3 unique Skater Presets, including appearance and clothing. Additional preset slots can be purchased for 250 San Van Bucks. Maximum 10 slots.
• Store
  • Up to 5 Product Boxes can now be bought in a single purchase, making your transactions more streamlined. 
  • An Essentials Shop was added to the Store, with options for Tattoos, Boards and more.

Gameplay Improvements

• Bonelesses
  • Improved responsiveness, reliability, and behavior of Boneless tricks performed from the ground or transitions. This change also applies to Fastplants and Bean Plants.
  • Developer’s Note: We needed to make some large changes to how Bonelesses were originally implemented in order to improve their consistency and quality. A side effect of these underlying changes was the removal of some Boneless-specific “pop glitches.”
• Seasonal Missions
  • Some Missions are now only available for the duration of the season they release in.
• Replay Editor
  • Added an Effects Tab that lets you control Exposure, Color Temperature, Color Saturation, Barrel Distortion, and Vignette (Opacity, Size, Sharpness).
  • Added more granular volume control over your skater's audio, other skaters’ audio, and world ambience.
  • Playback speed can now be keyframed as well.
  • Developer’s Note: Pair the Barrel Distortion effect with a wide Field of View to get that classic Fisheye effect you know and love.

UI Improvements

• Throwdowns 
  • A notification system to highlight nearby Throwdowns has been added. You can toggle this feature on via the settings and also control the types of Throwdown notifications you see. 
• Sense of Speed Audio Improvements
  • Improved passbys and tunnel transitions
• Challenge Celebrations
  • During the celebration screen for Challenges and Throwdowns, your skater’s first equipped Gesture will be played. You can control the Gesture that’s performed by using LB/L1 and the D-pad.
• Tasks
  • Weekly and Monthly Tasks are now grouped in the UI for increased readability.
• Player Status
  • A status communicating whether you’re in an activity, menu, or away has been added to the Social and Spectate menu.
• Store
  • You can now preview items in the Store by hovering over them. We’ve also added a side navigation bar to make browsing the Store more efficient.

PC Graphics and Performance Updates

• Replacing PC benchmark
  • To give you a better PC performance experience, we're updating how we score users Render GPUs and CPUs based on live data. The new scoring system will slot each card into a more accurate global graphics quality tier. This change could potentially move some players up or down in visual quality, in favor of a better performance experience. 
  • If you’ve been having performance issues, try resetting your graphics settings to default.
• Render FPS
  • Adds an explicit 30/60/uncapped FPS render setting. 
    •  "Uncapped" FPS render setting runs at up to 240 FPS
  • Improves handling of FPS in full-screen mode, particularly when other refresh rates are chosen.
• V-Sync
  • Defaults V-Sync to ON as we believe this will give most players a better experience.
  • Improves handling of V-Sync in full-screen mode.
• Minimum global graphics quality
  • New global graphics quality introduced that reduces render settings for devices that don't meet our min spec. 
• Skate PC Min Spec Updates
  • We’ve analyzed our PC min specs and have updated it to ensure a smoother playing experience. Hardware below the minimum specs can still play but will be placed into the minimum global graphics quality.
    • Render GPU
      • High AMD: Changed from Radeon RX 6600 XT to Radeon RX 6700 XT
      • Ultra NVIDIA: Changed from GeForce RTX 3070 Ti to GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
    • Render CPU
      • Low AMD: Changed from AMD Ryzen 3 3100 to Ryzen 3 3300X
      • Medium AMD: Changed from Ryzen 5 3500 to Ryzen 5 3600X
      • High Intel: Changed from Core i7-9700 to Core i7-9700K
      • High AMD: Changed from Ryzen 5 3600 to Ryzen 5 3600XT
      • Ultra Intel: Changed from Core i7-11700 to Core i7-11700K

Bug Fixes

Gameplay

• Fixed multiple issues that prevented Neighborhoods from unlocking.
• Fixed an issue where collision was disabled for Quick Drop Objects placed in Isle of Grom or San Van until you interacted with them. 
• Fixed an issue where Rip Card changes were not saved after rebooting skate.
• Fixed an issue with how the Playstation progress display appeared.
• Fixed multiple issues with world collision.
• Fixed multiple issues where world objects and textures appeared or disappeared unexpectedly.
• Fixed an issue where switching between tabs while creating your player, and returning to the game, could cause your skater to appear with no limbs.
• Fixed an issue where VFX would continue to play after performing the Gabber Dance.
• Fixed an issue where the player would be unable to progress to the San Van portion of the tutorial if subtitles were turned off.
• Fixed an issue where quickly skipping through cinematics with the Next button caused issues with subtitles.
• Fixed multiple issues where criteria to complete a Challenge were met but not tracked.
• Fixed an issue where after teleporting to another player, traffic, pedestrians and the other player may disappear.
• Fixed an issue where if the player selects Delete All, they are unable to place additional Quick Drop Objects.
• Fixed an issue where the player can delete another player’s Quick Drop Objects by wedging their item underneath and deleting it.
• Fixed an issue where an object can become invisible after accessing the Radial Menu quickly.
• Fixed an issue where the player can be teleported out of bounds when joining a party.
• Fixed an issue where flickering dots could be visible after changing the game settings to Low Presets.
• Fixed an issue where the accessibility screen would no longer show during game boot.
• Fixed multiple issues where game settings would change after a reboot.
• Fixed an issue where the audio in Party Voice Chat is of lower quality on consoles.
• Fixed an issue where the Shader Precompilation Progress indicator was missing.
• Fixed an issue where the lighting in Skatepedia was incorrect.
• Fixed an issue where Landing Modifiers for Sketchy or Clean do not appear.
• Fixed an issue where the player would wipe out while performing a handplant if the board direction was changed. 
• Fixed an issue where the game would revert to regular stance, even if goofy was selected during the intro of the game.
• Fixed an issue where a trick’s sound effect might not play when listening to other players.
• Fixed an issue where the resolution would change to 640x480 after logging in on PC.
• Fixed an issue where Board Stickers would not display on PCs with NVIDIA GPUs.
• Fixed an issue where objects could not pass through the basketball hoop in the Eelside Tunnel.
• Fixed an issue where party and invite settings would not save correctly.
• Fixed an issue where timers for Stunt Challenges would only display when there was 20 seconds left.
• Fixed an issue where challenges would not restart after choosing the Retry option.
• Fixed an issue where replays would fail to export on PlayStation 5.
• Fixed an issue where characters would appear to have bloodshot eyes.
• Fixed an issue where vehicles could spawn on top of players.
• Fixed an issue where players in Mission dialogue would be excluded from co-op challenge enrollment.

Replay Editor

• Fixed an issue where the Replay Editor would capture stuttering when exporting.
• Fixed an issue where replays only showed the last 10 seconds of the video, versus the portion with the best trick.
• Fixed an issue where visual effects from Emotes and Gestures are still visible in the Replay Editor, even with player filtering turned on.
• Fixed an issue where camera movement and speed is not accurate between keyframes in the Replay Editor.
• Fixed an issue where rewinding or fast forwarding with the mouse in the replay menu was unavailable.

Stability and Performance

• Fixed various stability and performance issues.
• Fixed an issue where if the player is in a Challenge and gets pulled into a Co-op Challenge, they are disconnected from the server.
• Fixed multiple issues where clothing clipped through the skater.
• Fixed an issue where character models will sometimes stutter when moving onboard or offboard in a busy server. 

UI

• Fixed an issue where certain UI elements would disappear after starting a challenge.
• Fixed an issue where the friends list would not display completely.
• Fixed an issue where the Store would show grey borders when using an ultrawide monitor.
• Fixed an issue where the Coffin Air trick would not appear on the score ticker if done in mid-air.
• Fixed an issue where Stunt Challenge targets would display a Mission Waypoint icon.
• Fixed an issue where the Double Ground Grab trick would not properly display on the score ticker.
• Fixed multiple issues where the incorrect item rarity was displayed.
• Fixed an issue where all Footplant tricks were named inaccurately when skating Regular.
• Fixed an issue where the purchase button incorrectly displayed Buy text instead of Get More text if you didn’t have enough currency to buy an item.
• Fixed an issue where Tasks would stop registering, but still show progress in the Tasks UI.
• Fixed an issue where a notification wouldn’t trigger after events roll over.

New Known Issues for Season 3

Below is a list of known issues introduced with Season 3 that are still being investigated. Each week on Tuesdays, we communicate the latest news about known issues in The Weekly Grind. Be sure to check in weekly. 

• Rarely when players enter the Store tutorial, the Social Menu accidentally opens instead, and the controller becomes briefly unresponsive. 
• Scrolling through Session Type options in the Throwdowns menu causes descriptions to mismatch with the selections.  
• The game sometimes crashes when a fourth player joins your Party.
• Adjusting your video settings on PC can cause other settings to change.
• After accepting a skate. party invite via Xbox Live or PlayStation Network, the invite reappears after the player is already in the party they were invited to.
• When travelling as a party to the Isle of Grom, if the party leader has a menu open while the timer is ticking, the timer will get stuck at 0. 
  • Workaround: Canceling the queue will resolve this issue.
• The progression bar sometimes incorrectly tracks your progress during Tasks.

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

The scores are strong. Metacritic has it sitting at 87 at the time of writing, with OpenCritic at 85. Press Start handed it a 9.5/10. IGN, GameSpot, and The Sixth Axis all landed at 9/10. Worth Playing called it "a refined and improved Monster Hunter Stories 2" where "pretty much every change in the game is for the better." Windows Central/monster-hunter-stories-3-twisted-reflection-review) gave it 4.5/5 and described it as one of the most fun JRPGs Capcom has made in years. That's a remarkably consistent critical reception for a spin-off series that, until recently, felt like it was playing second fiddle to the mainline games.

What Actually Makes It Work

The thing reviewers keep coming back to isn't just the monster-collecting loop, it's the Habitat Restoration system. Rather than simply hunting creatures or grinding encounters, you're actively working to rebuild struggling ecosystems. Nurse a near-extinct species back to health and you'll start seeing them appear more frequently in the wild, growing stronger as their population recovers, and eventually developing region-specific variants with unique elemental properties. It's a genuinely clever inversion of the standard creature-collecting formula. You're not just catching things; you're thinking about why they exist and what happens when they thrive.

The combat sits on top of a power/speed/technique triangle layered with elemental strengths and Monster Hunter's classic damage types: blunt, slashing, and piercing. It sounds like a lot on paper, but reviewers consistently describe it as something that clicks naturally and rewards the player for paying attention rather than punishing them for experimenting. Credit where it's due to Capcom for also removing the gene-swapping penalty from Stories 2. In the previous game, transferring skills between your Monsties came with a cost. Here, you can move genes freely without losing the creature you're pulling from, and Monstie storage has been bumped up to 700 slots. That's the kind of quality-of-life change that sounds minor until you're 40 hours in and grateful for every slot.

The one consistent criticism across reviews is the absence of High-Rank postgame content and the multiplayer features that appeared in Stories 2. Windows Central flagged it directly; Nintendo Life mentioned performance wobbles on Switch 2. These aren't dealbreakers given the scores, but they're worth knowing going in, especially if you burned through Stories 2's endgame and were expecting more of the same here.

Make no mistake, the timing of this release matters. The creature-collecting RPG space has been unusually quiet in 2026, and Stories 3 arrives with the kind of critical backing that turns a niche spin-off into a genuine recommendation for people who wouldn't normally seek it out. The IGN review specifically noted it "just stands as a fantastic monster-collecting RPG all on its own," which is exactly the framing a game needs to pull in players who've never touched a Stories title before. If you've been waiting for something to scratch that itch, March 13 is your date.

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Here's how it unfolded. Shortly after launch, players noticed wall terminals activating across the Perimeter map. Walking up to them revealed specific locations elsewhere on the map; travelling to those locations triggered audio logs from Durandal, the rogue AI central to Marathon's lore. Three pairs of terminals, three voice logs. But buried inside those terminals were also cyphers, breadcrumbs that pointed players toward the Cryoarchives Systems website. That site presented a cargo terminal interface with multiple surveillance camera feeds, most of them obscured by static, three of them showing loading bars that weren't moving. For a while, nobody could figure out how to push them forward.

The answer turned out to be coordination. Players had to return to Perimeter and activate the audio log terminals in a specific order, with enough people doing it within 15-minute intervals to register progress. Once the community mobilised around that mechanic, the bars filled up fast. By early Monday morning UK time, all three loading bars had completed, bringing three clean feeds online showing the Cargo, Control, and Index sections of the Cryo Archive facility.

Something Is on That Ship

The footage itself is unsettling in exactly the right way. The Cryo Archive is set inside the Marathon ship, which in the lore went mysteriously dark and has since been taken over by the S'pht, a cybernetically enhanced alien race. It's a ghost ship, and the feeds look like it. But the Control Room feed is the one people are fixating on. Six seconds in, what appears to be a figure passes under a walkway on the far right of the frame. Players flagged it immediately, and nobody has a clean explanation for what it is. Whether that's deliberate environmental storytelling or Bungie teasing something specific about the map's encounters, the effect is the same: it works.

Nine camera feeds are now live on the site in total, but six others are still looping a "re-establish connection" message. The assumption is that the remaining terminals on Dire Marsh and Outpost will need to be activated in a similar fashion to bring those feeds online, though neither set is currently active in-game. The site is also tracking the community's total UESC kill count, which may factor into a later stage of the ARG. Nobody's cracked what that threshold looks like yet.

Credit where it's due to Bungie here. This is a genuinely well-constructed piece of community engagement. The terminals, the voice logs, the external website, the coordinated activation mechanic, it all fits together cleanly, and the reward actually feels earned rather than handed out. Bungie has form with this kind of thing; Destiny 2's Niobe Labs and the Wrath of the Machine exotic quest from the original Destiny both used ARG-adjacent secrets to build community momentum around new content. This follows that same instinct, and it's landing.

No firm release date for the Cryo Archive map has been confirmed, though Bungie has indicated it's coming sometime in March. Given that two more map stages presumably need to be completed first, the timeline is going to depend partly on how quickly players can coordinate on Dire Marsh and Outpost once those terminals go live. The map is described as the hardest in the game so far, which is a meaningful bar given that a significant chunk of the current playerbase is still working through the PvE difficulty on the existing maps. Whatever Bungie has waiting inside that ship, the community is going to be ready for it.

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The devs are once again recommending a fresh save with no mods before jumping in. That's standard advice for Unstable, but it's worth taking seriously here, especially if your current save predates the last patch. Older saves carry more risk with each successive update, and finding that out three hours into a new run is not a good time.

To access the Unstable branch, right-click Project Zomboid in your Steam library, go to Properties, and select 'Unstable' under Game Version & Betas. The full patch notes are live on Steam if you want the official word straight from The Indie Stone. Full patch notes below.

As always it is recommended that you create a new save with no mods after updates. Updates fix bugs and introduce new changes that may not be compatible with any older saves, especially ones older than the last patch.

How do I subscribe to the Unstable beta branch?

Right-click PZ in your Steam library.
Select "Properties".
Under "Game Version & Betas" select "Unstable".

NEW

- New Game Mode Defaults: Game Modes have been rebalanced and updated, with all but Apocalypse and Custom Sandbox replaced with new versions. Each includes a pre-set in Custom Sandbox to view/modify all specific mode settings. Expect future adjustments based on playtesting feedback.
--"Apocalypse" is intended to serve as the 'Lore Canon' game mode, representing what REALLY happened on July 9th, 1993. Core changes including removing Zombie Respawn, reduced impact of Muscle Strain and Discomfort, more realistic Animal growth rates, adjusted Loot levels, and more.
--"Outbreak" is designed for players desiring an accellerated play experience, with an overal focus on less time investment for advancement.
--"Extinction" is focused on a brutal hardcore experience, and is intended for veteran players who want more of a challenge. BEWARE SPRINTERS.
--"Rising" is intened for players who want a little more breathing room to explore, build, and create.
--"Custom Sandbox" remains to allow players to customize settings to their desired play style, and remains a 'core' and valid way to enjoy Project Zomboid.

- New Firearms (including relevant magazines, loot distributions based on rarity/appropriateness of firearms, and repair recipes)
-- JS-14 Rifle - 5.56x45mm
-- JS-3T Tactical Shotgun - 12 Guage
-- L92 Carbine - .357 Magnum
-- L94 Rifle - .30-30
-- MSR7T Tactical Rifle - 7.62x51mm
-- Trapper Carbine - .45 ACP

- Character now recieves a reading speed boost when sitting.
- New gun store loot story prototype at Stendo's.
- Added new map symbols for animals.
- Gamepad Aiming Tech prototype - Work in Progress
-- Implementing basic aiming reticle handling for Gamepad aiming. Uses aim axis to place target reticle relative to player.
-- Added reticle slow-down when over active target for more precise targeting.
- Added option to toggle Livestock Zone visual overlay on/off
- Shift + Click allows user to select multiple items in workstation menus
- Renamed Game Option "Pause when focus is lost" to be more clear, enabled by default on new game installs.

- New SFX for Large Containers:
-- Small Metal Door
-- Clothes Rack
-- Carboard and CardboardLarge

BALANCE

- Tool Usage Balance Changes
-- Removed tool requirements from several tiles when picking them up
-- Removed tool degradation for screwdrivers in electrical-related recipes
-- Reduced the durability drain on tools designed to chop trees, when chopping trees
-- Garden hoes now have the ability to remove stumps

- Loot Table Updates:
-- Updated missing Distributions Entries & Incorrect Roomdefs
-- Added 'policeswat', 'prisonlocker' and 'swatlocker' roomdefs. Removed forced merge for 'policestorage' and 'policegunstorage'
-- Added GunStoreAmmunition to military lockers in gun stores. Added 'metalfabrication' and 'metalfabricationstorage' roomdefs. Added CrateMetalBars and CrateMetalPipes to 'metalshop' and 'metalshipping'
-- Added 'sewingfactory' roomdef. Added fabric rolls to sewingstore. Added CrateWallpaper to crates and cardboard boxes in furniture store storage.
-- Added ButcherFish to seafoodkitchen display counters.
-- Integrated new firearms into the loot lists. Added 'gunStorage' modifier to containers to ensure approropriate magazines and ammo spawn with the correct guns. Removed unused modifiers from Distributions.
-- Updated maximum displaycases that can spawn items in gunstore roomdef
-- Created a room definition for Music school.
-- Microwaves now have ability to spawn Cup of Coffee and TV Dinner

- Decreased penlight light cone size, increased vehicle headlight light cone size
- Made the head turning while sitting on furniture a bit more gradual.
- Lowered the impact of animals corpses on vehicles when driving over them
- Balanced inconsistent Neck Muscle Strain caused by certain sewing activities
- Fluid collection properly caps at player's max carry weight
- Removed ability to sleep on toilets

MP

- Optimized Animal designation zone update
- Hid google auth and two factor for now, they will return in the future when fixed
- Reduced the sound radius for vehicles in MP

- Multple fixes for GrappleTech
-- Fixed player stuck when start/end grab corpse
-- Fixed sync when login near player, that grab corpse
-- Additional small fixes
- Fixed melee attacks passing through zombies near vehicles and animals
- Fixed multiple server-side and client-side errors
- Fixed desync with clothing. Outfits weren't updating on players in different map chunks
- Fixed a server crash
- Fixed MaxAccountsPerUser option
- Fixed the incorrect position of the remote player's character near an obstacle. Remote players would appear on wrong side of the walls
- Fixed car trunk capacity not updating after receiving damage
- Fixed clock alarm SFX playing endlessly if the watch was dismantled while playing the alarm.
- Fixed safe-to-eat mushrooms receiving the poison tag if cooked together with poisoned one.
- Fixed not being able to interact with the composter (Craftsman)
- Fixed attached animal ropes, which now break like in SP.
- Fixed remote player not playing HitReaction animation
- Fixed disappearing dirt and blood splats on clothes when character unequipped those clothes
- Fixed desync with incorrect position of the remote player's character on Z coordinate
- Fixed character getting damaged when climbing up/down on the escape rope.
- Fixed exception when attempting to remove graffiti with a 2-handed cleaning item
- Fixed Soap not being used in MP
- Fixed Propane Tank dupe
- Fixed Endless magazine loading animation
- Fixed food duping with .replaceOnCooked() if taken from a stove a few seconds before the cooking indicator becomes completely full.
- Fixed double barrel shotgun consuming 2 rounds in one shot.
- Fixed not being able to paint signs
- Fixed missing pain from disinfecting wounds
- Fixed not being able to pick up fallen zombie hats/glasses
- Fixed floor rendering built on water tiles
- Fixed items missing from zombie's corpse if they got stuck as a result of performing a backstab
- Fixed cars getting stuck mid-air again
- Fixed missing XP gain notification when crafting items.
- Fixed not being able to saw logs via RMC context menu
- Fixed damage from falling and walking through trees not syncing
- Fixed firearm not racking on insert magazine
- Fixed pressing the Back button while starting a host server not stopping the server
- Fixed inability to set a role to the user which is not in the white list
- Fixed dismantling stack of CD players consumes 2 items per action
- Fixed melee weapon held on logout preventing maintenance XP gain until re-equipped
- Fixed CookingSounds not playing when foods are cooked.
- Fixed sfx's for walking barefoot and in shoes
- Fixed Garage Doors shaking when being unlocked from inside
- Fixed cooking sounds cutting out when multiple items are being cooked.
- Fixed barbecue cooking sounds not playing in multiplayer.
- Fixed protective gear not increasing discomfort level.
- Fixed not being able to delete a user from the user list if he has a record in the user logs
- Fixed server option Drop off white list after death not working
- Fixed not being able to raise Fitness XP level through the Check stats panel.
- Fixed character was taking feet damage when driving over broken glass barefoot
- Fixed issues with in-game map shared symbols
-- Translations for the shared-symbols panel are now defined
-- Fixed the checkmark texture size in the Players panel.
-- Private symbols no longer flicker between opaque and semi-opaque while using the Sharing tool.
-- The shared-symbols panel is no longer placed overtop the legend panel.
-- Fixed map symbols flickering after disconnecting from a server using shared symbols.
- Fixed option “Username Disguises”
- Fixed missing Maintenance XP from weapons with more than 20 .conditionLowerChanceOneIn
- Fixed container put-item sounds not playing in multiplayer

FIXES

- Thank you to copiumsawsed for reporting a security vulnerability. This issue has been patched in all listed versions.
- Fixed multiple RMC entries for Toilets
- Fixed Ragdoll zombies flipping before getting up when being ran over
- Fixed jumping zombies when shooting at them
- Fixed spamming Crouch speeding up magazine reload
- Fixed players getting stuck in vehicles when entering an open car door while aiming
- Fixed fuel pumps resetting
- Fixed TV Remotes having a 1.67% chance of returning a battery instead of a 60% chance
- Fixed invisible View Cone on Mac
- Fixed Caffeine Pills restoring 100% of fatigue instead of 4%
- Fixed holding ALT drastically increasing gun damage
- Fixed infinite shoves
- Fixed Lemongrass & Ginger Root not reducing Food Sickness
- Fixed getting different amount of Logs from trees in SP and MP
- Fixed not being able to drop items out of car windows when the item wasn't held in main inventory
- Fixed being unable to reload while the game tried to get ammo from an unequipped container in the player's inventory
- Fixed error that occurred when taking Engine Parts while a Wrench was in an unequipped bag
- Fixed error spam when certain actions were performed in LiveAnimationTrackEntries
- Fixed error when building stairs over fire
- Fixed blood splatters appearing where an animal was picked up and not where it was killed
- Fixed not being able to read when "Minutes per Page" sandbox option was set to the minimum of 0.0
- Fixed brick texture overlaying shutters
- Fixed being unable to click on Garage Doors when they are transparent
- Fixed invisible fire / incendiary burned tiles
- Fixed wrong depth map for many items, tiles and stacks of Crates
- Fixed tiles with snow overlay spawning indoors
- Fixed chicks only dropping heads when butchered, they now drop meat as well
- Fixed tooltip stating Medium Leather Drying Rack could be used for Deer Leather
- Fixed Wet Bath/Dish Towels drying in the rain
- Fixed disassembled Trough parts collecting water
- Fixed multiple issues with Soap consumption
- Fixed multiple issues with Washing character
- Fixed character repeating drinking action when selecting multiple times before the first completed
- Fixed disassembling electronics in inventory giving less XP than placed ones
- Fixed characters continuing to accrue Fitness / Running XP when they fell asleep while running into a bed
- Fixed incorrect Random Electricity Shutoff settings
- Fixed Fishing Net with Chum producing too much fish
- Fixed floating barricades when a wall is destroyed
- Fixed wrong window being barricaded when attempting to barricade N/W corner windows
- Fixed the cutaway-wall window outline for one window not being rendered when there is both a west and north window on the same tile.
- Fixed odd wall cutaway when there is only a single tile gap between buildings
- Fixed being unable to build shelves/wall-mounted objects overtop player-built floors
- Fixed not being able to build shelves on corner walls
- Fixed Saucepans being destroyed when using the last remaining Rice to make food (ex: Sushi; Cabbage Roll)
- Fixed Eggs not freezing
- Fixed some Prescription Glasses not removing the foraging search radius penalty
- Fixed parked cars not moving when bumping them with another car
- Fixed mannequins not updating visually in raided houses
- Fixed characters not having a cold in A Realy CD DA challenge
- Fixed Hay Bale duplication bug
- Fixed dragging a VHS tape from the floor into a VCR leaving a duplicate VHS on the ground
- Fixed animal info for male Raccoons. Male raccoons shouldn't attack each other
- Fixed Crafting/Building UI text not being spaced out
- Fixed ZombieClawChainlinkFence, ZombieClawMetal, and ZombieClawGarageDoor sounds not playing
- Fixed missing container sounds for crafted_05 small metal cabinets
- Fixed looping SFX from Noise Makers
- Fixed Metal Pole Fences playing incorrect SFX
- Fixed Snare Traps not displaying properly on new renderer
- Fixed not being able to sit on North-facing toilets
- Fixed some glass were walls hiding character's model
- Fixed rendering for vents
- Fixed not being disassemble some pianos
- Fixed being able to walk through fence to sit on Base.Mov_RedChair
- Fixed small boulders blocking vision
- Fixed small stones having collision
- Fixed sometimes being fireproof (more to be fixed in the future)
- Fixed animal skeletons in containers yielding endless bones
- Fixed corpse sickness not decreasing near corpses while wearing a Gas Mask / Respirator
- Fixed Gas Masks / Respirators still providing 100% corpseSicknessDefense after filters have been removed
- Fixed not being able to pick up corpses when "Very Low Weight" or below
- Fixed crash when killing animals with a Pipe Bomb. Note: In MP, animals are currently not receiving damage from bombs
- Fixed Fire Officer using Police Officer profession icon in character creation screen
- Fixed Forged Buckets not being available for Bucket Mauls due to missing "METAL_BUCKET" tag

TECHNICAL/DEBUG

- Localization clean-up. Translation files are now in json
- Updated Mac and Linux libs
- Fixed world context-menu error in debug mode when the debug option UI.HideDebugContextMenuOptions is enabled
- Updated Console txt file. Now PC specs are always listed
- Fixed hardcap for Fitness when player enabled GodMode

MODS

New modding guide/changelog.
- Fixed COMMON/VERSION folders not being detected correctly in the mod directory. Game now only requires one of the two folders
- Fixed mod translation, modID, client-server files check logic
- Fixed translation loading order
- Added translation support for mod.info (title, description)
- Fixed incorrect mod file comparison between client and server
- Fixed ModID, WorkshopID logic
- Fixed bug with Mod null check
- Fixed mod info panel
- Fixed mods display menu in Pause menu
- Fixed icon/poster file path for mods on Linux
- Added .glb for model file watcher
- Improved error message when clients are missing a mod from the server
- Fixed WorkshopItem description generation, added support for 512x512 mod image preview

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

The cuts hit all four pillars of Battlefield Studios simultaneously: DICE in Sweden, Criterion in the UK, Ripple Effect in California, and Motive in Canada. EA has not disclosed how many people were affected. The company's official statement, provided to IGN, reads: "We've made select changes within our Battlefield organization to better align our teams around what matters most to our community. Battlefield remains one of our biggest priorities, and we're continuing to invest in the franchise, guided by player feedback and insights from Battlefield Labs."

That is a textbook corporate non-answer, and honestly, it deserves to be called exactly that. "Select changes" and "realignment" are the kind of language companies use when they want to announce job losses without using the word layoffs. Real people lost their jobs at four studios across four countries, and EA's communications team couldn't spare a sentence to acknowledge that directly.

The Numbers Behind the Decision

To be fair, there is a business story underneath the PR language. Battlefield 6 launched in October 2025 with a concurrent Steam peak of 747,440 players, which is a genuinely impressive number. According to SteamDB, the game's most recent 24-hour peak sits at 67,080. That is a steep drop, and it matters because Battlefield 6 is a live-service game; its long-term revenue depends on keeping players engaged and spending. For context, Arc Raiders, a game with a fraction of Battlefield's marketing budget, recently posted a 24-hour peak of 235,475. That comparison will not have gone unnoticed inside EA.

The game has had a rough few months post-launch. The Redsec battle royale mode landed to mixed reviews and has since slid into Mostly Negative territory on Steam. Season two brought a gas mask feature that many players couldn't actually equip. In February, cosmetics had to be redesigned after the community rejected their original look. And a $50 premium skin was made free just one week after going on sale, which went down about as well as you'd expect.

None of that excuses cutting the workforce that is supposed to fix those exact problems. If the post-launch content pipeline is struggling and player retention is the core concern, gutting the teams responsible for content and updates is a strange solution. These studios are not being shut down, and EA insists all four will remain operational, but headcount reductions mid-live-service cycle have a way of showing up in patch cadence and content quality months later. Players will feel this eventually, even if they can't see it today.

The timing is also worth sitting with for a moment. Vince Zampella, the head of the Battlefield franchise, died in a car accident in December 2025. EA described it as an "unimaginable loss." Three months later, the studios he oversaw are absorbing layoffs. Separately, EA's shareholders have already approved a $55 billion acquisition that would hand over 93.4% of the company to a consortium including Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, expected to complete in the first quarter of 2027. The people making decisions about Battlefield's workforce right now may not be the people running EA when the next entry ships.

Make no mistake, this is a pattern. EA recently cut staff at Full Circle, the studio behind Skate. The Battlefield cuts follow the same playbook: record-setting launch, player retention drops, studios absorb the consequences. The real question is what "continuing to invest in the franchise" actually looks like when you've just reduced the number of people doing the work across every team involved. Credit where it's due, Battlefield 6 was a genuine course correction after the disaster of 2042. Shipping layoffs to the teams that pulled that off is a poor way to protect what they built.

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According to Windows Central, who heard the remarks and verified them with sources, Nadella told Xbox staff: "For me, we're long on gaming. We'll continue to invest, and we'll always do so." He also framed gaming as one of Microsoft's core identities alongside being a platform company and a developer company, saying these are "the main identities of what Microsoft has always meant, and will always mean." That's not a throwaway line. That's Nadella putting his name on it in front of the people who build the products.

The context here matters. Phil Spencer is gone. Sarah Bond is gone. Sharma came over from Microsoft's AI division with no gaming background, which is exactly the kind of hire that sets off alarm bells in a community already primed to expect the worst from Microsoft. The concern wasn't irrational. It had a shape to it: strip out the gaming leadership, install someone from AI, let the brand drift into a streaming service and call it a day. Nadella's appearance at this town hall is a direct response to that narrative taking hold.

What He Actually Said

The most interesting part of Nadella's remarks isn't the commitment to invest. It's the framing around attention. He specifically called out social media's grip on people's time and said he wants Xbox to fight back against it. "The level of hijacking of our attention that's going on, I want us to reverse that," he said. "Joy in coding, joy in gaming, that's all I want us to live in." That's a CEO who has clearly thought about why gaming matters beyond revenue, and it's a more compelling argument for Xbox's future than any hardware announcement.

He was also careful not to abandon the existing audience while gesturing at expansion. "We have to make sure that the friends we have today are the friends that you have tomorrow," Nadella said, specifically naming Forza and Halo fans as people Microsoft needs to keep. That's a direct acknowledgement that the multiplatform pivot and the years of "console doesn't matter" messaging did real damage to the core fanbase.

And honestly, that's the part worth watching. Sharma has already said in her Windows Central interview that nothing is off the table on big strategic decisions, including the exclusives question. Nadella's words support her. But words from the top of a company and the actual product decisions made six months from now can diverge sharply, and Xbox has a recent history of saying the right things and then doing something that baffles its audience.

The Project Helix confirmation is more concrete than any of this. A next-gen console that plays both Xbox and PC games is a real strategic bet, not a press release. If Sharma delivers on that hardware and pairs it with a first-party slate that gives people a reason to care, Nadella's town hall speech will look prescient. If the studios keep getting shuttered and the exclusives keep landing on PlayStation day one, it'll look like exactly what Blackley feared: managed decline with better PR.

Make no mistake, the skepticism isn't going away on the back of one internal Q&A. But Nadella showing up in person, on record, and saying Microsoft will always invest in gaming is at minimum a signal that the people at the very top are aware the brand is on thin ice with its own community. Whether Sharma's era actually delivers is the question that the next two years will answer.

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

The video, posted to the official White House X account on March 6 and now sitting at over 63 million views, is titled "Justice the American Way." It cuts together iconic lines from fictional characters, including Master Chief, Iron Man, John Wick, Maverick from Top Gun, and Saul Goodman from the Breaking Bad universe, and layers them over footage of explosions and military strikes. Master Chief's line is "Finishing this fight." It's one of the most recognisable pieces of Halo audio in existence. And the White House used it without asking.

Downes issued a statement on X that doesn't leave any room for interpretation. "It has come to my attention that there is at least one propaganda video circulating that was either produced or at the very least endorsed by the White House that uses images of Master Chief and uses my voice to support the war in Iran," he wrote. "Let me make this crystal clear: I did not participate in nor was I consulted, nor do I endorse the use of my voice in this video, or the message it conveys. I demand that the producers of this disgusting and juvenile war porn remove my voice immediately."

That's a direct, unambiguous demand from the man whose performance is being exploited. Credit where it's due to Downes for not softening it. He's been vocal about the misuse of his voice before, specifically calling out AI reproductions back in January, but this is a different category of problem entirely. This isn't a fan project or a deepfake circulating on a Discord server. This is the official White House social media account using a real actor's real performance, without consent, to glorify military action.

This Is a Pattern, Not a One-Off

And make no mistake, this isn't an isolated incident. The Trump administration has been running a social media strategy built on borrowed IP for months. Microsoft stayed silent when Trump posted an AI image of himself as Master Chief, and when the Department of Homeland Security used Halo imagery to promote ICE operations. Last week, the White House posted a separate video mixing Call of Duty gameplay with footage from its bombing operations in Iran. Activision hasn't responded to requests for comment on that one. The Pokémon Company, to its credit, did push back last week after the White House used Pokémon Pokopia in a meme, releasing a formal statement saying no permission was granted and that their mission "is not affiliated with any political viewpoint or agenda."

Trump administration spokesperson Abigail Jackson has already signalled they have no intention of changing course. Her response to criticism of the strategy was essentially: it's working, people are copying us, the message resonates. That's not a defence against copyright infringement or the unauthorised use of a performer's likeness and voice. It's a non-answer dressed up as confidence.

The real question is what Microsoft does next. They own Halo. Their IP is being used repeatedly, and their silence so far has been conspicuous. Downes can demand the video be taken down, and he's right to do so, but the ultimately sits with the rights holder. If Microsoft wanted this stopped, they have the legal standing to make that case. Whether they choose to use it is a different matter entirely. Given their track record on this specific issue, don't hold your breath.

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

Nguyen's setup has the CPU running at 3.2 GHz and the GPU at 2.0 GHz. He notes the hardware can be pushed to 3.5 GHz and 2.23 GHz respectively, but doing so causes the PS5 Slim to overheat too quickly to be usable. That's the detail that matters here. Sony and AMD almost certainly know those higher clock speeds are physically possible on this silicon. The reason they don't ship them is because sustained loads at those frequencies generate heat the Slim's cooling solution wasn't designed to handle. Pushing a console to its thermal ceiling in a controlled modding demo is one thing; shipping that configuration to millions of living rooms is another.

The exploit only works on older PS5 firmware, so this isn't something you can replicate on a current retail unit without some serious dedication. Nguyen also confirmed he wrote the code on the PS5 itself, which is its own kind of impressive. This is also running on the base Slim model, not the PS5 Pro, which has a meaningfully more capable GPU. What the Pro could do under similar conditions is an open question, and honestly an interesting one.

Credit where it's due: what Nguyen pulled off here is technically remarkable. Getting Linux booted, ray tracing functional, and a stable 60fps out of hardware that Sony has locked to its own OS is not a trivial weekend project. It's also a useful data point for anyone wondering what Valve's Steam Machine might look like in practice, since that platform is built on Linux and is still targeting a 2026 release without a firm date or price attached.

The Thermal Ceiling Is the Whole Story

The overheating issue isn't a footnote, it's the point. The PS5 Slim achieves what it does at retail by running within a thermal envelope that keeps the hardware alive for years of daily use. The moment Nguyen tries to push the clocks to their actual ceiling, the system can't sustain it. That gap between what the silicon can theoretically do and what it can do reliably under a cooling solution designed for a sealed consumer box is exactly why official firmware will never unlock those speeds.

This is also why the PS5's ROM keys leaking is such a significant development in the jailbreak scene. With over 84 million consoles potentially vulnerable to full jailbreaks down the line, experiments like Nguyen's are going to become more common and more ambitious. Sony will be watching. The real question is whether any of this pushes them toward official features, like better PC game support or more aggressive performance modes, or whether they just tighten the firmware screws and move on. Given their track record, the latter seems more likely.

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The numbers are stark. Gang of Dragon reportedly needs an additional $44.4 million to reach completion, and that figure was apparently enough for NetEase to decide it was done. The Chinese publisher will cease funding Nagoshi Studio in May 2026. Employees were informed on Friday, March 6th. The studio is now actively seeking alternative investment, though no new backer has been announced, and NetEase has said it will negotiate handing over the rights and branding only if the studio can pay its way out. That's not a lifeline. That's a ransom note.

Nagoshi left Sega in October 2021, taking several key members of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio with him, including Yakuza director and producer Daisuke Sato. The plan was a fresh start under NetEase's backing, building something new in Tokyo. Nagoshi Studio's own product page for Gang of Dragon presents a game that looks genuinely ambitious: gritty, cinematic, clearly carrying the DNA of the studio's Yakuza roots while pushing into new territory. No release window has ever been announced. It's listed on Steam as "Coming soon" and currently appears to be PC-only, though other platforms hadn't been ruled out.

NetEase's Pattern Is Hard to Ignore

This isn't a one-off. NetEase shut down Fantastic Pixel Castle in November after just two years, and Bad Brain Game Studios, founded by former Ubisoft developers, was closed the same month without ever shipping a title. The pattern here is a publisher that moves into western and international development, funds studios through early production, then cuts them loose the moment costs escalate beyond initial projections. That's not bad luck. That's a structural problem with how NetEase approaches these investments.

And honestly, the timing here is brutal in a specific way. Gang of Dragon wasn't some vague concept when it was revealed at The Game Awards in December 2025. The trailer showed a game that looked well into development: cinematic cutscenes, a main character brawling through a gunfight with his bare hands, swordplay, car chases. The crowd reaction wasn't polite applause; it was genuine excitement for a creative voice people had genuinely missed. For that to be followed three months later by a funding collapse is a gut punch, both for the studio and for the fans who got their hopes up.

The real question is whether Nagoshi and his team can find $44 million fast enough to matter. That's not a small ask in the current climate, where even established publishers are pulling back. If another investor does step in, the game survives. If not, one of the more exciting reveals of last year's awards season becomes a footnote. Credit where it's due to the team for reportedly pushing to continue development regardless, but pushing forward without funding is a short runway. The Steam page is still up, the game is still listed, and Nagoshi Studio's site still shows Gang of Dragon as an active project. Whether that's optimism or stubbornness, we'll find out before May.

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For comparison, both Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection and the Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly Remake clock in at 29.3GB each on Switch 2. Add them together and you still don't reach WWE 2K26's footprint. The wrestling sim is essentially eating the storage of two major releases and asking for seconds. Switch 2 launches with 256GB of internal storage, which sounds generous until a single sports title swallows more than a third of it before you've downloaded anything else.

What Else Is on the List

The rest of the roundup is considerably less alarming. On the original Switch side, the titles are exactly what you'd expect from the eShop's long tail of smaller releases: UFOPhilia at 4.6GB is the biggest of the bunch, followed by Zumba: Galactic Marble Blast at 3.9GB, with most of the remaining titles sitting well under a gigabyte. Collie Call: The Future Is Calling is out here at 61MB. Penguin is 46MB. These are the kinds of numbers that make WWE 2K26's 92.8GB feel genuinely absurd.

This isn't entirely surprising if you follow the series on other platforms. WWE 2K games have been ballooning in size for years, packed with roster entries, entrance animations, and creation suite assets that add up fast. But seeing that number on Switch 2 hardware is still a gut punch. The console is already going to face scrutiny over whether its storage solution is adequate for a generation of increasingly large games, and WWE 2K26 is not helping that conversation.

Monster Hunter Stories 3 launches on March 13, and its 29.3GB is reasonable for what Capcom is delivering. The Fatal Frame 2 remake matching that number exactly is a coincidence worth noting. WWE 2K26 doesn't have a confirmed release date in the source listings, but its eShop presence means it's far enough along that storage planning is now a real concern for anyone who wants it.

If you were hoping to keep WWE 2K26, Monster Hunter Stories 3, and a handful of other titles on your Switch 2 without an expansion card, start shopping for one now.

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The issue: the Discord SDK was saving excessive user information when logging was enabled. Embark was quick to clarify that no private or personal data was collected or shared, but they've stripped out the excessive logging regardless. They're also running a deeper audit to make sure nothing similar slips through. That's the right call, and the speed of the response is hard to fault.

This one won't change how the game feels, but privacy fixes deserve the same attention as weapon tuning.

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X user Silent was the first to flag the update on SteamDB, noticing that the entire contents of Rogue City had been wiped and replaced. Before the build was pulled, users Edness and @jas0n_098 managed to get it downloaded. Edness posted screenshots showing the Hunter: The Reckoning title screen alongside what looks like early first-person footage outside a Sheriff's office. A quest log tasks the player with investigating a shootout at the Sunshine Bar, listing a diner's counterman and a priest as witnesses. The build carries a default Unreal Engine icon and no copyright information, which is about as WIP as it gets.

For context on why this matters: Hunter: The Reckoning is a tabletop RPG in the World of Darkness universe, the same fiction that houses Vampire: The Masquerade and Werewolf: The Apocalypse. Players take the role of supernaturally gifted humans hunting monsters rather than being the monsters, which is a meaningful tonal shift from most of the IP's videogame adaptations. The last 3D entries were hack-and-slash games from High Voltage Software released in 2002 and 2003, and they were not well regarded. There are more recent text-based RPGs on Steam under the Hunter banner, which have apparently fared considerably better, but nothing approaching a full action game.

Teyon's involvement is the genuinely interesting part here. The studio's licensed work on RoboCop: Rogue City and Terminator: Resistance both punched above their weight class, delivering competent, affectionate takes on properties that most publishers would have handed to the lowest bidder. A World of Darkness game from the same team, built on what appears to be a first-person investigation framework, is a more compelling prospect than the IP has had in over two decades. White Wolf brand manager Jason Carl hinted last year that Hunter could get "the Bloodlines 2 treatment," and when asked whether a collaboration was already underway, said: "Who says we're not already?" That quote reads differently today.

The complication nobody wants to talk about is Nacon. The publisher behind Rogue City recently filed for insolvency, and given that this build surfaced through Rogue City's Steam entry specifically, the publishing situation for any Hunter game is genuinely unclear. Teyon published Terminator: Resistance through Reef Entertainment rather than Nacon, so there's precedent for the studio working with different partners. Whether this build represents an active project, a shelved pitch, or something in between, nobody at Teyon or Nacon has confirmed anything yet.

What's on the record: the SteamDB entry from March 6 shows the full swap in Rogue City's update history, the screenshots exist and are circulating, and the build was live long enough for multiple people to download it. Accidental reveals don't get much more accidental than this. The only question left is whether Teyon decides to get ahead of it before the weekend is out.

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The headliner is jump-during-slide, which opens up a whole new set of movement options that the community has been theorycrafting for a while. Dash jump now also grants a brief window of increased air control, 30% for 0.25 seconds, which is short enough to feel intentional rather than broken. On the Shrine side, Valve has split the HP pool to make the first one easier to kill and the second harder, mirroring how Walkers already work. First Shrine drops from 8,100 HP to 5,000; the second scales up to 10,000 after the first dies. That's a deliberate pacing lever, and it should stop early Shrine kills from snowballing quite so hard.

Shrines also apparently fight back now, though the full details are in the notes below. This is a tighter patch than last week's dumps, but the movement changes alone will shift how aggressive players approach the mid-game.

Full patch notes below.

[ General ]

- Can now jump during slide

- Dash jump grants a very brief period with increased air control (30% for 0.25s)

- Shrine is now easier to kill for the first one and harder for the second. HP from 8100 to 5000/10000 (HP updates after the first one dies, like Walkers)

- Shrines attack no longer hits heroes under the shrine

- Super troopers bonus DPS increased from +40% to +60% (the upgraded troopers when Shrine dies)

- Middle Lane troopers now gets upgraded when either of the shrines die, rather than only when both die

- Killing a pair of base guardians now spawns a zipline boosted trooper wave to reinforce your push

- Medic Troopers DPS grows by 3% per minute

- Troopers now gain 7 HP regen when out of combat

- Trooper wave interval increased from every 25s to every 20s starting at 35 minutes

- Guardians bounty increased from 1000 to 1500

- Walkers bounty increased from 3500 to 4000

- Walkers Health rescaled from 6800/9350/11900 to 6000/9000/12000

- Walkers armor decay rescaled from "+75% -> -50%" to "+65% -> -65%", from over 20min to over 18min

- Base Guardians bounty from 750 to 1000

- Shrines bounty increased from 0 to 2000

- Mid Boss base bounty increased from 2000 to 3000

- Mid Boss base HP increased from 11900 to 13000

- Mid Boss global announcement health threshold reduced from 70% to 50%

- Mid Boss now has 35% Debuff Resistance

- Rejuv drop duration reduced from 7s to 6s

- Rejuv duration no longer refreshes when hitting a crystal later

- Minimap now indicates if the Urn is a favored, neutral or unfavored

- Added a neutral camp (2 Normal, 3 Weak) at Hidden King Park Walker

- Added a neutral camp (2 Normal, 3 Weak) at Archmother York Walker

- Added "0 Way" veils underneath the Shrine platforms in each base

- Moved the mid lane bridge above the Hidden King Base entrance more to the middle of the two edges

- Subsequent CC reduction increased from 8%/24% to 10/30% (window from 7s to 8s)

- Move speed diminishing ramp now occurs around 11m rather than 10m

- Fixed melee abilities not using conditional damage based on enemy state (close quarters, point blank, opening rounds)

- Street Brawl: Removed item slot limit (don't need to sell items in the final round sometimes)

[ Items ]

- Added new T1 Spirit Item: Golden Goose Egg

- Extended Magazine: Weapon Damage increased from +6% to +8%

- High-Velocity Rounds: No longer grants +5% Fire Rate

- High-Velocity Rounds: Now grants +8% Weapon Damage

- High-Velocity Rounds: Bullet Velocity increased from +50% to +60% (these changes affect upgrades)

- Long Range: Fall-off Range increased from +4% to +8%

- Active Reload: You can now reload while already full when carrying this item

- Opening Rounds: Spirit Power increased from +8 to +10

- Opening Rounds: Weapon Damage increased from +40% to +45%

- Swift Striker: Fire Rate increased from 18% to 20%

- Mystic Shot: Damage spirit scaling increased from 0.8 to 1.0

- Split Shot: Cooldown reduced from 32s to 24s

- Split Shot: Now supports custom count and angles per hero

- Split Shot: Enabled for Celeste (3 at 70 degrees)

- Backstabber: Renamed to Stalker

- Stalker: No longer procs based on angles of attack, but instead based on doing bullet or melee damage within 8m of a hero target

- Stalker: No longer has a proximity requirement for the overtime bonuses (beyond the 8m proc proximity)

- Melee Charge: Heavy Melee Bonus damage now works with heavy melee abilities

- Spirit Shredder Bullets: Spirit Lifesteal increased from 8% to 12%

- Weakening Headshot: Bonus health increased from +50 to +60

- Ballistic Enchantment: Weapon damage per stack increased from 18% to 20%

- Ballistic Enchantment: Range reduced from 30% to 25%

- Ballistic Enchantment: Non-hero weapon damage increased from 4% to 5%

- Hunter's Aura: Solo hero multiplier reduced from 3x to 2x

- Hunter's Aura: Bullet Resist Reduction increased from -8% to -10%

- Hunter's Aura: Fire Rate Reduction increased from -11% to -14%

- Weighted Shots: Now builds from Slowing Bullets. Has Slowing Bullets passive

- Weighted Shots: No longer grants +16% Spirit Resist

- Weighted Shots: Now grants -0.5m Move Speed

- Weighted Shots: No longer grants -30% Bullet Velocity

- Weighted Shots: Debuff Resist increased from 16% to 18%

- Weighted Shots: Weapon Damage increased from 35% to 40%

- Weighted Shots: Stamina Reduction reduced from -20% to -14%

- Express Shot: Ammo consumed changed from -30% to 2 Ammo

- Blood Tribute: No longer has healing reduction

- Blood Tribute: Self damage increased from 40 to 50

- Spirit Rend: Cooldown reduced from 2.2s to 2s

- Spirit Rend: Spirit Lifesteal increased from 8% to 12%

- Crushing Fists: Heavy Melee Bonus damage now works with heavy melee abilities

- Frenzy: Base Fire Rate increased from 8% to 10%

- Frenzy: Base Spirit Resist increased from 10% to 15%

- Frenzy: Conditional Fire Rate reduced from 28% to 25%

- Frenzy: Conditional Spirit Resist reduced from 30% to 20%

- Spiritual Overflow: Spirit Power increased from 30 to 40

- Spiritual Overflow: Now grants +20% Duration instead of +12% CD Reduction

- Extra Health: Increased from 185 to 210

- Enduring Speed: Fixed slow resistance interaction with dash slows

- Restorative Locket: Range increased from 30m to 35m

- Restorative Locket: Max stamina regen increased from 3 to 4

- Restorative Locket: Now always restores at least 1 stamina

- Return Fire: Returning damage now always hits the target's body (some amount would naturally miss before, and some would be headshots)

- Return Fire: Bullet Damage Returned reduced from 60% to 50%

- Weapon Shielding: Damage threshold increased from 150 to 250

- Weapon Shielding: Cooldown reduced from 45s to 35s

- Bullet Resilience: Low Health threshold increased from 40% to 50%

- Bullet Resilience: Low Health resistance reduced from 22% to 15%

- Spirit Resilience: Low Health threshold increased from 40% to 50%

- Spirit Resilience: Low Health resistance reduced from 22% to 15%

- Lifestrike: Heal on melee hit reduced from 160 to 100 + 1.5/boon

- Lifestrike: Heal on melee hit percentage reduced from 50% to 30% + 0.5%/boon

- Majestic Leap: Barrier increased from 140 to 200

- Trophy Collector: Souls per minute increased from 22 to 25

- Dispel Magic: Cooldown reduced from 50s to 40s

- Fortitude: Time to regen reduced from 13s to 10s

- Spellbreaker: High instant damage reduction reduced from -75% to -65%

- Diviner's Kevlar: Cooldown reduced from 64s to 40s

- Inhibitor: Damage Penalty reduced from -35% to -30%

- Inhibitor: Weapon Damage bonus increased from +22% to +25%

- Cheat Death: No longer reduces movement speed by -2m during the death immunity phase

- Colossus: Active now grants you an additional +30% Melee Damage

- Siphon Bullets: Now steals 2.5% of enemy max HP per bullet instead of a fixed amount

- Mystic Regeneration: Health bonus increased from +40 to +50

- Mystic Regeneration: Duration increased from 5s to 6s

- Rusted Barrel: Cooldown reduced from 20s to 16s

- Arcane Surge: Spirit Power increased from +15 to +20

- Slowing Hex: Now sets the gravity of an enemy to a fixed +20% (heavier) regardless of their own base values

- Slowing Hex: Projectile speed increased from 53m/s to 80m/s

- Slowing Hex: Cooldown reduced from 30s to 27s

- Suppressor: Debuff duration increased from 4s to 5s

- Spirit Sap: Spirit Power loss increased from -24 to -30

- Spirit Sap: Cooldown reduced from 32s to 18s

- Decay: Healing Reduction increased from -45% to -50%

- Silence Wave: Damage spirit scaling increased from 0.6 to 1.0

- Silence Wave: Cooldown reduced from 35s to 30s

- Knockdown: Gravity increased from +50% to +100% when the stun hits the target (causes airborne targets to fall faster)

- Radiant Regeneration: Health bonus increased from +65 to +90

- Radiant Regeneration: Duration increased from 5s to 6s

- Radiant Regeneration: Healing on Ability Cast boon scaling increased from 1.5 to 2.0

- Tankbuster: Current Health Bonus Damage increased from 7.5% to 8%

- Torment Pulse: Damage spirit scaling reduced from 0.28 to 0.25

- Torment Pulse: No longer hits sleeping enemies to avoid waking them up

- Disarming Hex: Cooldown reduced from 20s to 16s

- Magic Carpet: Duration increased from 8s to 12s

- Magic Carpet: Bonus health increased from 75 to 125

- Ethereal Shift: Cooldown reduced from 45s to 35s

- Cursed Relic: Damage penalty increased from -8% to -10%

- Vortex Web: Now has a unit target option where it will vacuum enemies around that target

[ Heroes ]

- Abrams: Bullet damage reduced from 3.86+0.13/boon to 3.6+0.1/boon

- Abrams: Siphon Life DPS reduced from 29 to 22

- Abrams: Siphon Life range reduced from 10m to 7.5m

- Abrams: Siphon Life is now circular rather than just in front of him

- Abrams: Siphon Life range no longer increases with Spirit Power

- Abrams: Siphon Life visual range FX fixed to show larger than default radius values

- Abrams: Siphon Life Lifesteal against heroes increased from 66% to 80%

- Abrams: Siphon Life Lifesteal against non-heroes increased from 33% to 40%

- Abrams: Siphon Life DPS spirit scaling increased from 0.5 to 0.6

- Abrams: Siphon Life T1 increased from -19s to -20s

- Abrams: Siphon Life T3 now also increases radius by +3.5m

- Abrams: Siphon Life T3 DPS reduced from 20 to 18

- Abrams: Shoulder Charge damage reduced from 37 to 30

- Abrams: Shoulder Charge wall stun duration reduced from 0.6s to 0.3s

- Abrams: Should Charge spirit scaling reduced from 1.9 to 1.4

- Abrams: Shoulder Charge T1 changed from "+2.2 Weapon Damage for 8s" to "+40% Slow for 3s"

- Abrams: Shoulder Charge T2 wall stun duration increased from 0.45s to 0.8s

- Abrams: Shoulder Charge T3 cooldown increased from -18s to -20s

- Abrams: Shoulder Charge T3 now also grants +1.5 Weapon Damage for 6s

- Abrams: Infernal Resilience T2 increased from +150 Health to +200

- Abrams: Infernal Resilience T3 now also grants +20% Debuff Resistance

- Abrams: Seismic Impact is a little faster to target the location when rising

- Abrams: Seismic Impact damage increase from 75 to 100

- Abrams: Seismic Impact now allows you to use items during it

- Abrams: Seismic Impact radius reduced from 10.5m to 9m

- Abrams: Seismic Impact T2 changed from "Per Hero Hit: +100 HP and +14% Fire Rate" to "+0.6s Stun Duration"

- Abrams: Seismic Impact T3 now also increases radius by 6m

- Apollo: Fixed Riposte not leaving the ground when started on the ground

- Apollo: Riposte no longer triggers from trooper or neutral damage

- Apollo: Flawless Advance T2 no longer increases Apollo's lunge speed

- Apollo: Flawless Advance now gets interrupted by stun and sleep

- Apollo: Itani Lo Sahn base damage reduced from 225 to 190 and spirit scaling increased from 1.6 to 2.3

- Apollo: Itani Lo Sahn's hit width no longer scales with radius increases

- Bebop: Hook can now be canceled

- Billy: Bashdown radius reduced from 4.5m to 4m

- Billy: Bashdown T2 changed from "+1.3m Radius" to "+1 Charge and +2m Radius"

- Billy: Bashdown T3 now also reduces charge time by 2s

- Billy: Rising Ram damage reduced from 55 to 40

- Billy: Rising Ram damage spirit scaling increased from 1.7 to 1.9

- Billy: Rising Ram cooldown reduced by 50% on impact

- Billy: Rising Ram charge duration reduced from 0.51s to 0.3s

- Billy: Rising Ram T1 changed from "On Impact: -50% Cooldown" to "On Impact: +25% Weapon Damage for 5s"

- Billy: Rising Ram T2 changed from "On Impact: +35% Weapon Damage for 5s" to "+0.3s Charge Duration"

- Billy: Rising Ram T3 increased from 6.5% Max Health to 8%

- Billy: Blasted spirit scaling reduced from 0.8 to 0.6

- Billy: Blasted active duration no longer slows down the decay when doing bullet damage (melee still extends it though)

- Billy: Blasted passive no longer reduces enemy fire rate by -14%

- Billy: Blasted tooltip simplified

- Billy: Blasted T3 now also increases spirit scaling by +0.6

- Billy: Chain Gang radius reduced from 13m to 12m

- Billy: Chain Gang no longer grants +15% Spirit and Bullet Resist

- Billy: Chain Gang cooldown increased from 125s to 150s

- Billy: Chain Gang T1 changed from "-25s Cooldown" to "+40% Spirit and Bullet Resist"

- Billy: Chain Gang T2 changed from "+15% Spirit and Bullet Resist" to "-50s Cooldown"

- Billy: Chain Gang T3 changed from 2s Unstoppable to +1.3s Unstoppable for each hero pulled in

- Billy: Chain Gang T3 no longer grants +90 damage

- Billy: Chain Gang T3 now also increases the radius by +5m

- Calico: Bullets no longer have gravity

- Calico: Now fires an additional pellet right down the center (DPS is the same). The center pellet is now considered the primary pellet for headshots.

- Calico: Gloom Bombs changed so the first grenade always lands in the middle

- Calico: Gloom Bombs projectile sticky radius increased from 10 to 15

- Calico: Gloom Bombs cast delay reduced from 0.15s to 0.1s

- Calico: Gloom Bombs T2 changed from +16.2 damage to +75 bonus damage vs barriers

- Calico: Leaping Slash improved targeting of dash to end early if near enemy heroes

- Calico: Leaping Slash can now dash vertically, even while on the ground

- Calico: Leaping Slash T2 changed from +40 damage to +300 souls on hero kill

- Calico: Leaping Slash T3 changed from -50% CDR on hit to -50% CDR and +60 damage

- Calico: Leaping Slash radius reduced from 4.5m to 4m

- Calico: Ava can no longer manipulate movement if meleeing while midair

- Calico: Ava now uses healthbar modifier style for duration

- Calico: Ava fixed camera not being centered around Ava

- Calico: Ava melee attack delay reduced from 0.4s to 0.0s

- Calico: Ava melee attack cooldown increased from 0.75 to 0.85

- Calico: Ava melee attack now goes the way you are looking

- Calico: Ava now starts at a minimum speed, and increases to maximum speed over time, resetting on taking damage

- Calico: Ava now gradually recovers speed over time after taking damage, rather than being slowed for the entire duration

- Calico: Ava cooldown reduced from 45s to 30s

- Calico: Ava duration reduced from 16s to 15s

- Calico: Ava T1 duration increased from +14s to 15s

- Calico: Ava T2 changed from +45% Speed to +45% Speed and +15 Health Regen

- Calico: Ava T3 changed from -20s Cooldown and +35 Health Regen to a growing damage amp the longer you are transformed, up to 20% for 6s

- Calico: Return To Shadows now allows for some vertical flight movement during channel

- Calico: Return To Shadows now has new channel bar

- Calico: Return to Shadows T2 reduced from 67.5 Damage to 65

- Calico: Return to Shadows T3 no longer grants +18% Damage Amp for 6s, but grants 350 healing instead

- Celeste: Gravity reduced from -20% to -28% (less gravity)

- Celeste: Air Control/Acceleration reduced from +50/18% to +38/12% (less air control and acceleration)

- Celeste: Shining Wonder bounce range reduced from 17m to 15m

- Celeste: Shining Wonder linger duration reduced from 4.5s to 3.25s

- Doorman: Gun now pierces through targets at 50% reduced damage

- Doorman: Call Bell time between charges increased from 4s to 6s

- Doorman: Call Bell no longer has Impact Damage (was 40 with 1.0 scaling)

- Doorman: Call Bell explosion damage increased from 55 to 85

- Doorman: Call Bell explosion damage spirit scaling reduced from 1.7 to 1.4

- Doorman: Call Bell T1 increased from +2m to +2.5m

- Doorman: Call Bell T2 no longer has Impact Damage

- Doorman: Call Bell T2 Explosion Damage increased from 40 to 75

- Doorman: Call Bell T2 now increases spirit scaling by +0.6

- Doorman: Call Bell T3 changed from "Impact causes half radius explosions" to "+1 Charge and +22s Lifetime. Causes the radius to continuously apply it's slow"

- Doorman: Doorway now has a timer icon above the ability

- Doorman: Doorway T1 duration increased from +10s to +15s

- Doorman: Doorway T2 barrier duration increased from 8s to 12s

- Doorman: Doorway T3 doorway distance now also scales with Spirit Power (0.25)

- Doorman: Luggage Cart is now 20% larger (20% wider hitbox as well)

- Doorman: Luggage Cart T1 changed from "-8s Cooldown" to "+60 Damage"

- Doorman: Luggage Cart T2 increased from +15m Cast Range to +20m

- Doorman: Luggage Cart T3 changed from "+45 Cart Damage and 117 Wall Damage and 1.2s Wall Stun" to "+1.5s Wall Stun and -15s Cooldown"

- Doorman: Fixed issues where the cart would hit a target coming out of the hotel before they were supposed to be allowed to be hit, causing the cart to not properly drag the target

- Doorman: Hotel Guest cast range increased from 6m to 7m

- Doorman: Hotel Guest no longer goes on cooldown if the target dies during the cast

- Doorman: Hotel Guest fixed enemies not always landing in the correct spot on return 

- Doorman: Hotel Guest now supports instant cast settings

- Doorman: Hotel Guest returning guest now has a 100% time slow that decays to 0% over 1s

- Doorman: Hotel Guest cost of stay damage reduced from 150 to 75

- Doorman: Hotel Guest failure to check-out damage reduced from 250 to 125

- Doorman: Hotel Guest T1 changed from "+2m Cast Range" to "-1 Stamina and -25s Cooldown"

- Doorman: Hotel Guest T2 changed from "Unstoppable while channeling" to "+1.5s Stun On Failure To Checkout and 150 Damage"

- Doorman: Hotel Guest T3 changed from "-50s Cooldown" to "Unstoppable while Hotel is occupied. 10s Cooldown on Failure to Check Out"

- Drifter: Rend damage range reduced from 18m to 16m

- Drifter: Rend cooldown increased from 13s to 16s

- Drifter: Rend damage spirit scaling increased from 1.4 to 1.8

- Drifter: Rend "bonus" damage is now the melee range at close range (so you only do melee damage at close range and spirit is the default)

- Drifter: Rend T1 bonus damage increased from +32 to +40

- Drifter: Rend T3 changed from "Gain 45% Bullet Lifesteal against affected enemies for 4s" to "Close range attack now silences enemies for 2.3s"

- Drifter: Stalker's Mark duration reduced from 6s to 5s

- Drifter: Stalker's Mark T1 changed from "+1% Bleed" to "-8% Bullet Resist"

- Drifter: Stalker's Mark T2 changed from "+22% Fire Rate for 6s after ambush" to "+3s Duration and -8s Cooldown"

- Drifter: Stalker's Mark T3 changed from "Enables 2 Charges and +2s Duration" to "+2% Bleed and -40% Healing"

- Drifter: Bloodscent now grants Drifter the same amount of permanent bonus weapon damage when an isolated hero dies nearby, whether Drifter gets the assist or the kill

- Drifter: Bloodscent permanent bonus weapon damage gained per isolated hero death reduced from 4% to 3%

- Drifter: Bloodscent T2 changed from "Isolated kill reduces cooldowns by 15s and restores 3 stamina" to "Isolated death restores 18% Missing Health and restores 2 stamina"

- Drifter: Eternal Night now makes the targets be considered as isolated

- Drifter: Eternal Night Sprint reduced from +3m to +2m

- Drifter: Eternal Night no longer has 7 spirit damage proc

- Drifter: Eternal Night cooldown increased from 120s to 125s

- Drifter: Eternal Night duration reduced from 7s to 6.5s

- Drifter: Eternal Night T1 changed from "+6.3 Spirit Damage Proc" to "+10m Sprint" (kicks in immediately)

- Drifter: Eternal Night T2 changed from "-30s Cooldown and +3m/s Sprint" to "-45s Cooldown"

- Drifter: Eternal Night T3 increased from "+2s Duration and +1 Max Target" to "+2.5s Duration and +1 Max Target"

- Dynamo: Bullet damage increased from 12.2+0.44 to 12.6+0.5

- Dynamo: Kinetic Pulse cooldown increased from 22s to 26s

- Dynamo: Kinetic Pulse damage increased from 90 to 115

- Dynamo: Kinetic Pulse range reduced from 20m to 16m

- Dynamo: Kinetic Pulse range no longer increases with spirit scaling

- Dynamo: Kinetic Pulse spirit scaling increased from 1.7 to 2.1

- Dynamo: Kinetic Pulse T1 changed from "35% Move Slow and -30% Fire Rate" to "+1 Charge"

- Dynamo: Kinetic Pulse T2 changed from "+30% Bullet Damage for 8s" to "Reduces enemy Bullet Resistance by -18% and Move Speed by -30% for 4s"

- Dynamo: Kinetic Pulse T3 changed from "+104 Damage and +1 Charge" to "+135 Damage and +16m Cast Range"

- Dynamo: Quantum Entanglement no longer grants +26% Fire Rate

- Dynamo: Quantum Entanglement no longer reloads ammo

- Dynamo: Quantum Entanglement base ability now restores 1 stamina

- Dynamo: Quantum Entanglement ally distance increased from 10m to 13m

- Dynamo: Quantum Entanglement range increased from 9m to 10m

- Dynamo: Quantum Entanglement T1 increased from +4m Range to +6m

- Dynamo: Quantum Entanglement T2 changed from "+22% Fire Rate" to "-6s Cooldown"

- Dynamo: Quantum Entanglement T3 changed from "-5s Cooldown and +120% Ammo" to "Dispells non-ult debuffs for you and your allies"

- Dynamo: Rejuvenating Aurora cooldown increased from 45s to 48s

- Dynamo: Rejuvenating Aurora now has a 1s linger on allies

- Dynamo: Rejuvenating Aurora now lets you jump while using it

- Dynamo: Rejuvenating Aurora T1 changed from "+4 Move Speed for 8s after full channel" to "Aura provides +4 Move Speed during channel"

- Dynamo: Rejuvenating Aurora T2 cooldown from -14s to -20s

- Dynamo: Rejuvenating Aurora T2 now also increases duration by 1s

- Dynamo: Singularity no longer does 1.5% Max Health DPS

- Dynamo: Singularity DPS increased from 40 to 75

- Dynamo: Singularity DPS spirit scaling increased from 0.19 to 0.28

- Dynamo: Singularity T3 increased from 4% Max Health DPS to 5.5%

- Graves: Grasping Hands is now set up to work through proper alternate cast methods and be more responsive

- Graves: Grasping Hands Immobilize duration reduced from 1.5s to 1.25s

- Graves: Grasping Hands cooldown reduced from 38s to 34s

- Graves: Grasping Hands T2 changed from "+0.75s Immobilize Duration" to "+90 Damage and +10m Wall Length"

- Graves: Grasping Hands T3 changed from "+15m Wall Length and -10s Cooldown" to "+1s Immobilize Duration and -12s Cooldown"

- Haze: Spirit per boon reduced from 1.1 to 0.5

- Haze: Sleep Dagger Sleep move speed reduced from 2m/s to 1.5m/s

- Haze: Sleep Dagger Wake Up delay no longer increases with spirit scaling

- Haze: Sleep Dagger cooldown increased from 26s to 30s

- Haze: Sleep Dagger Sleep duration reduced from 3s to 2.75s

- Haze: Sleep Dagger T1 changed from "Removes 1 Stamina" to "-8% Bullet Resist Reduction for 6s"

- Haze: Sleep Dagger T2 changed from "-12s Cooldown and -60% Stamina for 6s" to "-15s Cooldown"

- Haze: Sleep Dagger T3 changed from "-12% Bullet Resist and -35% Fire Rate for 6s on wakeup" to "+0.75s Sleep Duration. -50% Move and Dash Slow for 2.5s on wakeup"

- Haze: Smoke Bomb cooldown increased from 30s to 33s

- Haze: Smoke Bomb duration spirit scaling reduced from 0.18 to 0.08

- Haze: Smoke Bomb no longer has base +2m Invis Sprint Speed

- Haze: Smoke Bomb T1 increased from +5m Invis Sprint Speed to +7m

- Haze: Smoke Bomb T2 changed from "+10% Bullet Lifesteal" to "Enables 2 Ability Charges"

- Haze: Smoke Bomb T3 changed from "Enable 2 Charges and Grants +0.5s of Invincibility" to "Dispels non-ult debuffs and grants 30% Lifesteal for 5s"

- Haze: Fixation reduced from +0.2 Weapon Damage per stack to +0.18

- Haze: Fixation T1 spirit scaling increased from 0.37 to 0.8

- Haze: Fixation T1 reduced from +50 Spirit Damage to +40

- Haze: Fixation T3 increased from +0.12 Weapon Damage to +0.14

- Haze: Bullet Dance Fire Rate bonus reduced from 30% to 20%

- Haze: Bullet Dance base ability now has 60% Evasion

- Haze: Bullet Dance duration spirit scaling increased from 0.06 to 0.08

- Haze: Bullet Dance Bonus Bullet Damage reduced from 10 to 7

- Haze: Bullet Dance T1 increased from +4 Bullet Damage to +7

- Haze: Bullet Dance T2 now also increases Fire Rate by +10%

- Haze: Bullet Dance T3 no longer adds 60% Bullet Evasion

- Haze: Bullet Dance T3 now also fires at an additional target

- Infernus: Napalm damage reduced from 46 to 40

- Infernus: Napalm damage spirit scaling increased from 0.3 to 0.6

- Infernus: Napalm amplified damage taken reduced from 20% to 16%

- Infernus: Napalm T2 lifesteal increased from 10% to 15%

- Infernus: Flame Dash DPS spirit scaling increased from 0.8 to 1.0

- Infernus: Flame Dash T1 changed from "-25% Fire Rate" to "-12s Cooldown"

- Infernus: Flame Dash T2 DPS reduced from +27 to +20

- Infernus: Flame Dash T2 DPS now also increases trail duration by 1s

- Infernus: Flame Dash T3 no longer reduces cooldown by 15s

- Infernus: Flame Dash T3 now also grants +1 Charge

- Infernus: Flame Dash T3 time between charges reduced from 20s to 14s

- Infernus: Melee can now buildup afterburn (20% for light melee, 35% for heavy)

- Infernus: Afterburn T1 changed from "-20% Spirit Damage" to "+14 DPS"

- Infernus: Afterburn T2 changed from +1s Burn Duration to -35% Spirit Damage

- Infernus: Afterburn T3 changed from "+23 DPS" to "+3s Max Burn Duration" (Base duration is the same, but can buildup after igniting to grow to max burn duration, abilities only refresh up to the base)

- Infernus: Concussive Combustion cast now causes camera to move back a bit

- Infernus: Concussive Combustion delay increased from 3s to 3.25s

- Infernus: Concussive Combustion radius reduced from 13m to 12m

- Infernus: Concussive Combustion cooldown increased from 140s to 165s

- Infernus: Concussive Combustion damage reduced from 150 to 125

- Infernus: Concussive Combustion T1 changed from "-35s Cooldown" to "+100 Damage"

- Infernus: Concussive Combustion T2 changed from "+0.5s Stun and +3m Radius" to "-65s Cooldown and +65% Explosion Heal"

- Infernus: Concussive Combustion T3 changed from "+94 Damage and Heal for 70% damage" to "+0.75s Stun and +10m Radius"

- Ivy: Now has -10% Gravity

- Ivy: Bullet damage reduced from 4.59+0.12/boon to 4.45+0.06/boon

- Ivy: Kudzu Bomb renamed to Entangling Thorns

- Ivy: Entangling Thorns Recharge Time reduced from 8s to 5s

- Ivy: Entangling Thorns spirit scaling reduced from 0.65 to 0.55

- Ivy: Entangling Thorns T2 changed from "+2s Duration" to "+2m Radius and increases spirit scaling by +0.5"

- Ivy: Entangling Thorns T3 changed from "+36 DPS and +2m Radius" to "Entangles enemies that remain in it for 2s. Lasts 1.6s"

- Ivy: Watcher's Covenant renamed to Kudzu Connection

- Ivy: Kudzu Connection Fire Rate spirit scaling reduced from 0.25 to 0.18

- Ivy: Kudzu Connection Bullet Lifesteal spirit scaling reduced from 0.19 to 0.15

- Ivy: Kudzu Connection T1 changed from "+8% Fire Rate" to "+2m Move Speed bonus"

- Ivy: Kudzu Connection T2 changed from "+2m Move Speed Bonus" to "+8% Fire Rate and +8% Bullet Lifesteal"

- Ivy: Kudzu Connection T3 changed from "+1 Tether Count" to "Ability is now always active"

- Ivy: Stone Form cooldown increased from 37s to 40s

- Ivy: Stone Form damage spirit scaling reduced from 1.5 to 0.8

- Ivy: Stone Form T1 changed from "-19s cooldown" to "+7% Max Health Heal"

- Ivy: Stone Form T2 changed from "+68 Damage and +0.5s Stun" to "-25s Cooldown"

- Ivy: Stone Form T3 changed from "+13% Max Health Heal" to "+1s Stun and Increased Spirit Scaling (2.0)"

- Ivy: Air Drop cast time removed. Instead, if you take damage the ability will be unable to be used for 3.5s

- Ivy: Air Drop spirit damage scaling reduced from 2.3 to 1.0

- Ivy: Air Drop Cooldown reduced from 100s to 65s

- Ivy: Air Drop duration increased from 16s to 21s

- Ivy: Air Drop base/max speed increased from 11/18m to 10/22m

- Ivy: Air Drop bomb radius increased from 14m to 20m

- Ivy: Air Drop buff duration reduced from 12s to 8s

- Ivy: Air Drop ally cast range increased from 14m to 18m

- Ivy: Air Drop now grants you and your ally +20% Outgoing Damage after dropping

- Ivy: Air Drop bomb no longer has a fast explode expanding behavior

- Ivy: Air Drop bomb no longer causes a knockup

- Ivy: Air Drop bomb no longer slows on explode by default

- Ivy: Air Drop bomb no longer provides barrier by default

- Ivy: Air Drop T1 changed from "-20% Bullet Resist on enemies hit for 8s" to "Grants you and ally 300 Barrier (+1.0 Spirit Scaling)" Lasts 12s.

- Ivy: Air Drop T2 changed from "+200 Barrier and +5m Explode Radius" to "Explode applies 50% Slow for 3s"

- Ivy: Air Drop T3 now also increases damage scaling by +1.5 and barrier scaling by +1.0

- Kelvin: Frost Grenade now impacts on Ice Path

- Kelvin: Frost Grenade radius reduced from 6.5m to 6m

- Kelvin: Frost Grenade cooldown increased from 20s to 30s

- Kelvin: Frost Grenade now comes with 2 charges

- Kelvin: Frost Grenade now heals in the base ability (60 + 0.9 Spirit Scaling)

- Kelvin: Frost Grenade no longer has -40% Stamina regen reduction

- Kelvin: Frost Grenade T1 changed from "+1 Charge" to "Increases damage and heal by +30"

- Kelvin: Frost Grenade T2 changed from "Provides healing 80+1.5" to "Freezes stamina regen and -10s Cooldown"

- Kelvin: Frost Grenade T3 changed from "+144 Damage and -30% Stamina Regen" to "Increases damage and heal spirit scaling by 1.0 and Radius by +2m"

- Kelvin: Ice Path is now cancelled on Ability Button Press instead of Space

- Kelvin: Ice Path cooldown increased from 46s to 50s

- Kelvin: Ice Path incline/decline speed increased

- Kelvin: Ice Path T1 changed from "+4 Sprint" to "+2 Move Speed and +35% Bullet Resistance on Ice Path"

- Kelvin: Ice Path T2 increased from -17s Cooldown to -20s

- Kelvin: Ice Path T3 now grants you +35% Spirit Power while on Ice Path

- Kelvin: Arctic Beam visual clarity on VFX improved

- Kelvin: Arctic Beam now lets you cast Frost Grenade and items while using it

- Kelvin: Arctic Beam Max Fire Rate Reduction reduced from -35% to -20%

- Kelvin: Arctic Beam Max Slow reduced from -40% to -20%

- Kelvin: Arctic Beam spirit scaling reduced from 0.8 to 0.5

- Kelvin: Arctic Beam cooldown increased from 25s to 28s

- Kelvin: Arctic Beam T1 changed from "-7s Cooldown" to "Increases Move Slow and Fire Rate Reduction by -25%"

- Kelvin: Arctic Beam T2 changed from "+33 DPS" to "+20 DPS and +0.6 Spirit Scaling"

- Kelvin: Arctic Beam T3 now also reduces cooldown by 13s

- Kelvin: Frozen Shelter can now be canceled first without canceling Ice Beam

- Kelvin: Frozen Shelter is now 8m unit target, creates the dome around the center of both heroes. Can be self casted to create it around yourself.

- Kelvin: Frozen Shelter duration reduced from 5.25s to 5s

- Kelvin: Frozen Shelter T1 changed from "-35% Enemy Fire Rate" to "-25s Cooldown"

- Kelvin: Frozen Shelter T2 increased from +1s to +1.5s

- Kelvin: Frozen Shelter T3 now also dispels non-ult debuffs on cast (affects you and allies)

- Lady Geist: Essence Bomb self damage changed from 30 + 1.8 scaling to 30% of the damage (base is 90 + 1.2 scaling)

- Lady Geist: Essence Bomb radius reduced from 9m to 7m

- Lady Geist: Essence Bomb cooldown reduced from 14.5s to 14s

- Lady Geist: Essence Bomb T1 increased from -4s to -5s

- Lady Geist: Essence Bomb T2 also increases radius by +2m

- Lady Geist: Life Drain cooldown increased from 30s to 34s

- Lady Geist: Life Drain break range reduced from 30m to 28m

- Lady Geist: Life Drain T1 DPS increased from +16.2 to +18

- Lady Geist: Life Drain T2 duration increased from +2s to +2.5s

- Lady Geist: Life Drain T3 charges increased from +1 to +2

- Lady Geist: Life Drain T3 now also increases spirit scaling by +0.3

- Lady Geist: Soul Exchange cast time reduced from 0.2s to 0.1s

- Lady Geist: Soul Exchange post cast hold time reduced from 0.7s to 0.2s

- Lady Geist: Soul Exchange T1 cooldown increased from -35s to -60s

- Lady Geist: Soul Exchange T2 changed from "On Cast: +35% Fire Rate for 8s" to "Silences enemies within 25m for 3s"

- Lady Geist: Soul Exchange T3 changed from "Silences enemies within 25m for 3s" to "On Cast: +60 Spirit Power, +40% Fire Rate and +50% Spirit Resistance for 8s"

- Lash: Increased Sparkles

- Lash: Fixed Ground Strike against players brought down from mid air not doing damage

- Lash: Grapple T2 weapon damage increased from +6 to +7

- Lash: Grapple T3 changed from "+20% Fire Rate" to "+60% Air Control and +1 Stamina on Usage"

- Lash: Flog cooldown increased from 24s to 26s

- Lash: Flog Attack Angle no longer increases with Spirit Power

- Lash: Flog heal vs heroes reduced from 60% to 50%

- Lash: Flog T2 increased from -12s Cooldown to -16s

- Lash: Flog T2 now also reduces Fire Rate by 30%

- Lash: Flog T3 no longer reduces Fire Rate

- Lash: Flog T3 damage reduced from +86 to +80

- Lash: Flog T3 now also increases Attack Angle by 40 and Heal by +20%

- Lash: Fixed Death Slam camera sometimes being obstructed

- Lash: Death Slam throw distance no longer scales with Spirit Power (was 0.3)

- Lash: Death Slam cooldown increased from 145s to 150s

- Lash: Death Slam T1 throw distance increased from +8m to +12m

- Lash: Death Slam T2 cooldown increased from -25s to -40s

- Lash: Death Slam T3 now also increases cast range by +10m

- McGinnis: Stamina speed bucket 3 to 2

- McGinnis: Bullet damage reduced from 6.72 + 0.2/boon to 6.0 + 0.16/boon

- McGinnis: Mini Turret duration increased from 24s to 35s

- McGinnis: Mini Turret base health and health growth reduced by 40%

- McGinnis: Mini Turrets initial fading resist start value increased from 60% to 80%

- McGinnis: Mini Turrets now have 35% melee resist

- McGinnis: Mini Turret tracking, angle and projectile speeds significantly improved

- McGinnis: Mini Turret on the minimap now flash/turn red when they are attacking

- McGinnis: Mini Turret T1 changed from "Turrets apply 25% slow" to "+10m Attack Range and +10 DPS"

- McGinnis: Mini Turret T2 changed from "+10m Attack Range and + 10% Fire Rate" to "+2 Charges"

- McGinnis: Mini Turret T3 changed from "+38 Turret DPS and +14s Turret Lifetime" to "+30% Turret Fire Rate and +12s Turret Lifetime"

- McGinnis: Medicinal Specter duration no longer scales with spirit power

- McGinnis: Medicinal Specter radius no longer scales with spirit power

- McGinnis: Medicinal Specter regen now scales with spirit power (+0.3)

- McGinnis: Medicinal Specter cooldown increased from 48s to 50s

- McGinnis: Medicinal Specter no longer provides +15% Stamina Recovery

- McGinnis: Medicinal Specter T1 changed from "+30% Fire Rate" to "+40% Spirit Resistance"

- McGinnis: Medicinal Specter T2 increased from -17s Cooldown to -20s

- McGinnis: Medicinal Specter T2 now also increases Stamina Recovery by +100%

- McGinnis: Medicinal Specter T3 regen reduced from 2.5% Max HP to 2%

- McGinnis: Medicinal Specter T3 now also increases radius by 3m

- McGinnis: Medicinal Specter T3 now also increases duration by 1s

- McGinnis: Spectral Wall that is midcast will now fire when you are interrupted, rather than continue to expand outward

- McGinnis: Spectral Wall segments can now be destroyed with 2 heavy melee hits (destroys an individual segment)

- McGinnis: Spectral Wall min range reduced from 6m to 5m

- McGinnis: Spectral Wall applies it's slow to enemies it passes through while being summoned

- McGinnis: Spectral Wall T1 no longer drains 1 stamina

- McGinnis: Spectral Wall T1 Damage Amp increased from 15% to 20%

- McGinnis: Spectral Wall T2 also increases wall duration by +2s

- McGinnis: Spectral Wall T3 changed from "0.75s Stun on Impact" to "Creates 2 Turrets for 8s and increases slow by 30%" (creates them on the side facing you spread along the wall)

- McGinnis: Heavy Barrage duration reduced from 13s to 8s

- McGinnis: Heavy Barrage minimum range reduced from 9m to 8.5m

- McGinnis: Heavy Barrage T1 tooltip updated to clarify that it also reduces dash distance

- McGinnis: Heavy Barrage T1 move slow reduced from 40% to 30%

- McGinnis: Heavy Barrage T1 dash slow increased from 20% to 30%

- McGinnis: Heavy Barrage T1 slow duration reduced from 2s to 1.5s

- McGinnis: Heavy Barrage T2 cooldown reduction increased from -45s to -55s

- McGinnis: Heavy Barrage T2 now also increases duration by 6s

- McGinnis: Heavy Barrage T3 damage increased from +21 to +25

- McGinnis: Heavy Barrage T3 spirit scaling from +0.2 to +0.25

- McGinnis: Heavy Barrage T3 now also increases explosion radius by 2m

- Mina: Stamina cooldown increased from 3.9s to 4.2s

- Mina: Rake cooldown increased from 10s to 16s

- Mina: Rake hero hit missing health as damage increased from 3% to 5%

- Mina: Rake heal per kill reduced from 30 to 25

- Mina: Rake heal per kill spirit scaling reduced from 0.43 to 0.3

- Mina: Rake T1 changed from "+20 Heal Per Kill" to "+60 Damage"

- Mina: Rake T2 changed from "+54 Damage and +1.0 Heal Per Kill spirit scaling" to "+30 Heal Per Kill and -8s Cooldown"

- Mina: Rake T3 now also provides +1.2 Heal Per Kill spirit scaling

- Mina: Sanguine Retreat cast range reduced 10m to 9m

- Mina: Sanguine Retreat recast window increased from 3s to 3.5s

- Mina: Sanguine Retreat T1 changed from "+3m Cast Range" to "+20% Fire Rate and 8 Bullets"

- Mina: Sanguine Retreat T2 changed from "+25% Fire Rate and 8 Bullets" to "-10s Cooldown"

- Mina: Sanguine Retreat T3 changed from "-12s Cooldown" to "+1 Recast"

- Mina: Love Bites Cooldown increased from 8s to 10s

- Mina: Love Bites damage reduced from 6 to 4

- Mina: Love Bites damage spirit scaling increased from 0.06 to 0.09

- Mina: Love Bites bonus damage reduced from 55 to 45

- Mina: Love Bites bonus damage spirit scaling increased from 1.6 to 1.85

- Mina: Love Bites T1 changed from "On Proc: +4 m/s Move Speed for 3s" to "On Proc: 30% Slow for 3s"

- Mina: Love Bites T2 Damage/Bonus reduced from 3.6/50 to 3/45

- Mina: Love Bites T3 changed from "On Proc: -1 Stamina and 30% slow for 3s" to "-4s Cooldown and On Proc +25% Fire Rate for 5s"

- Mina: Nox Nostra cooldown increased from 115s to 130s

- Mina: Nox Nostra damage reduced from 6 to 5.6

- Mina: Nox Nostra T1 increased from +1.8 to +2.2

- Mina: Nox Nostra T2 cooldown increased from -40s to -55s

- Mirage: Bullet damage reduced from 15.2+0.5 to 14.8+0.3

- Mirage: Fire Scarabs no longer have a limited duration to launch each one. Functions as a normal charged ability.

- Mirage: Fire Scarabs collision and model size increased a bit

- Mirage: Fire Scarabs base charges reduced from 4 to 2

- Mirage: Fire Scarabs spirit scaling reduced from 1.0 to 0.8

- Mirage: Fire Scarabs now immediately steal the health from the target

- Mirage: Fire Scarabs Max Health steal increased from 45 to 70

- Mirage: Fire Scarabs changed from -8% Bullet Resist to +10% Damage Amp on that target from any damage you deal

- Mirage: Fire Scarabs cooldown increased from 40s to 45s

- Mirage: Fire Scarabs T1 changed from "-15s Cooldown" to "+50 Max Health Steal"

- Mirage: Fire Scarabs T2 changed from "-8% Bullet Resist" to "+2 Charges"

- Mirage: Fire Scarabs T3 changed from "+63 Max Health Steal" to "+10% Damage Amp and +1.2 Spirit Scaling"

- Mirage: Fire Scarabs no longer has a reduced effect against non-heroes

- Mirage: Tornado renamed to Dust Devil

- Mirage: Dust Devil lift duration reduced from 1.0s to 0.4s

- Mirage: Dust Devil spirit scaling reduced from 0.7 to 0.3

- Mirage: Dust Devil now slows affected enemies by 30% for 3s

- Mirage: Dust Devil bullet evasion duration increased from 3.5s to 4s

- Mirage: Dust Devil bullet evasion increased from 25% to 30%

- Mirage: Dust Devil T1 changed from "+0.4s Lift Duration" to "+60 Damage"

- Mirage: Dust Devil T2 changed from "-14s Cooldown" to "-8s Cooldown and +30% Evasion"

- Mirage: Dust Devil T3 changed from "+20% Bullet" to "Can Recast within 5s. Increases spirit scaling by 1.0"

- Mirage: Djinn's Mark cooldown increased from 2.6s to 3s

- Mirage: Djinn's Mark multiplier duration increased from 4.5s to 5s

- Mirage: Djinn's Mark reveal duration increased from 3s to 6s

- Mirage: Djinn's Mark tooltip rewritten to be based on a "per stack" basis. A stack increases the damage by 200%. (this is just a tooltip change)

- Mirage: Djinn's Mark T1 changed from "60% slow for 0.5s on 2x stack" to "Fading 60% slow for 0.5s"

- Mirage: Djinn's Mark T2 increased from +8.1 Damage to +20

- Mirage: Djinn's Mark T3 cooldown increased from -0.75s to -1s

- Mirage: Djinn's Mark T3 now also stuns for 0.5s at max stacks

- Mirage: Traveler cooldown reduced from 155s to 145s

- Mirage: Traveler can now be cast while on the zipline

- Mirage: Traveler no longer channels. It now has a 3s delay before teleporting. Taking damage interrupts the ability and puts it on cooldown for 6s.

- Mirage: Traveler now targets a location on the minimap rather than units. Places you at the ground level of that location.

- Mirage: Traveler no longer grants +2m Move Speed and +26% Fire Rate

- Mirage: Traveler T1 changed from "+2m Move Speed and -35s Cooldown" to "3m Move Speed for 12s"

- Mirage: Traveler T2 changed from "Grants Traveler Buffs to Ally" to "400 Barrier with spirit scaling for 12s"

- Mirage: Traveler T3 "Unstoppable for 3s" to "-80s Cooldown"

- Mo & Krill: Scorn damage reduced from 56 to 50

- Mo & Krill: Scorn radius reduced from 10m to 9m

- Mo & Krill: Scorn spirit scaling increased from 0.42 to 0.75

- Mo & Krill: Scorn T1 changed from "-3.75s Cooldown" to "+35 Damage"

- Mo & Krill: Scorn T2 changed from "+21 Damage" to "-5s Cooldown and +1m Radius"

- Mo & Krill: Burrow now lets you enter the tunnels 

- Mo & Krill: Burrow cooldown increased from 37s to 40s

- Mo & Krill: Burrow T1 changed from "+3s Duration" to "+50 Spin DPS"

- Mo & Krill: Burrow T2 changed from "+68 Spin DPS and +2 Radius" to "+2 Spin Radius and +4s Burrow Time"

- Mo & Krill: Burrow T3 increased from +2 m/s Move Speed to +4

- Mo & Krill: Burrow T3 increased from -19s Cooldown to -20s

- Mo & Krill: Sand Blast cooldown reduced from 42s to 40s

- Mo & Krill: Sand Blast duration reduced from 3s to 2.5s

- Mo & Krill: Sand Blast range reduced from 35m to 25m

- Mo & Krill: Sand Blast T1 changed from "+1s" to "+50 Damage and +5m Range"

- Mo & Krill: Sand Blast T2 changed from "-23s Cooldown" to "Slows targets Move Speed and Dash Distance by -25%"

- Mo & Krill: Sand Blast T3 changed from "Slows targets Move Speed and Dash Distance by -40%" to "+1s Duration and -20s Cooldown"

- Mo & Krill: Combo cooldown increased from 90s to 150s

- Mo & Krill: Combo DPS increased from 35 to 60

- Mo & Krill: Combo T1 changed "+30% Bullet Resist During Combo" to "+100% Lifesteal"

- Mo & Krill: Combo T2 changed from "+0.7s Duration" to "+60 DPS and +50% Bullet Resist"

- Mo & Krill: Combo T3 changed from "+32 DPS and 80% Lifesteal" to "+0.7s Duration and -60s Cooldown"

- Paige: Conjure Dragon renamed to Bookwyrm

- Paige: Bookwyrm fixed initial location not starting where you click it

- Paige: Bookwyrm cooldown increased from 30s to 33s

- Paige: Bookwyrm T1 changed from "-5s Cooldown" to "+2s Trail Duration and +1m Width"

- Paige: Bookwyrm T2 changed from "+2s Trail Duration" to "-8s Cooldown and +10m Travel Range"

- Paige: Bookwyrm T3 Damage/DPS rescaled from 104/27 to 100/30

- Paige: Bookwyrm T3 now also grants +1 Charge

- Paige: Defend and Fight! renamed to Plot Armor

- Paige: Plot Armor barrier spirit scaling reduced from 1.6 to 1.3

- Paige: Plot Armor T3 now also increases spirit scaling (+0.3)

- Paige: Captivating Read height area no longer increases with range bonuses

- Paige: Captivating Read cooldown increased from 25s to 30s

- Paige: Captivating Read immobilize duration reduced from 1.25s to 1s

- Paige: Captivating Read T1 cooldown increased from -6s to -11s

- Paige: Captivating Read T2 immobilize duration increased from 0.75s to 1s

- Paige: Captivating Read T3 now also increases radius by 1m

- Paige: Rallying Charge T2 now also reduces cooldown by 30s

- Paige: Rallying Charge T3 now also increases Max Amp from +100% to +150%

- Paradox: Pulse Grenade radius reduced from 6m to 5.5m

- Paradox: Pulse Grenade radius increases by +1m per Pulse

- Paradox: Pulse Grenade Amp Per Stack reduced from 6% to 4%

- Paradox: Pulse Grenade cooldown increased from 28s to 32s

- Paradox: Pulse Grenade spirit scaling reduced from 0.6 to 0.4

- Paradox: Pulse Grenade changed from -30% Move Speed for 2s to -20% Time Slow for 0.2s

- Paradox: Pulse Grenade T1 changed from +0.8s Duration to -12s Cooldown

- Paradox: Pulse Grenade T2 changed from "-8s Cooldown" to "+20 Pulse Damage and +0.5 Spirit Scaling"

- Paradox: Pulse Grenade T3 changed from "+36 Pulse Damage and +0.8m Radius per Pulse" to "+4% Damage Amp Per Stack and +1.6s Duration"

- Paradox: Time Wall duration reduced from 6s to 5.5

- Paradox: Time Wall no longer damages enemies going through it

- Paradox: Time Wall now increases allied bullet speeds going through it by 100%

- Paradox: Time Wall now increases adds +30% Weapon Damage to allied bullet damage (affects Carbine)

- Paradox: Time Wall T1 increased from +2m Width to +3m

- Paradox: Time Wall T2 changed from "+9% Max Health Damage" to "+2.5s Duration and +30% Weapon Damage"

- Paradox: Time Wall T3 changed from silencing enemies to Allowing Charges and Granting +1 Charge (4s Charge Time)

- Paradox: Kinetic Carbine cooldown increased from 27s to 30s

- Paradox: Kinetic Carbine speed spirit scaling increased from 0.09 to 0.13

- Paradox: Kinetic Carbine base damage scale increased from 100% to 125%

- Paradox: Kinetic Carbine T2 changed from "-8s Cooldown and +2s Charge Hold" to "-12s Cooldown"

- Paradox: Kinetic Carbine T3 now also increases charge hold by 2s

- Paradox: Paradoxical Swap cooldown increased from 75s to 95s

- Paradox: Paradoxical Swap no longer has 80% Spirit Lifesteal

- Paradox: Paradoxical Swap damage changed from 115 (0.6 spirit scaling) to 10% Current Health

- Paradox: Paradoxical Swap T1 changed from "-15s Cooldown" to "+200 Barrier (1.5 Spirit Scaling)"

- Paradox: Paradoxical Swap T2 changed from "+81 Damage" to "+13m Cast Range and -35s Cooldown"

- Paradox: Paradoxical Swap T3 changed from "+15m Cast Range" to "Swaps additional enemies in 7m radius and +10% Current Health Damage"

- Pocket: Barrage projectile speed increased by 15%

- Pocket: Barrage now lets you use stamina during the ability

- Pocket: Barrage now lets you use Flying Cloak during the ability

- Pocket: Barrage T1 increased from +12.6 Damage Per Projectile to +16

- Pocket: Barrage T2 cooldown increased from -14s to -16s

- Pocket: Barrage T3 increased from +2m Radius to +3m

- Pocket: Flying Cloak cooldown reduced from 32s to 26s

- Pocket: Flying Cloak damage reduced from 70 to 60

- Pocket: Flying Cloak duration increased from 3.4s to 3.8s (travels slower, same total distance)

- Pocket: Flying Cloak T1 changed from "-14s Cooldown" to "+70 Damage"

- Pocket: Flying Cloak T2 changed from "+76 Damage" to "+5 Weapon Damage upon cast for 8s"

- Pocket: Flying Cloak T3 changed from "+7 Weapon Damage after teleporting for 10s" to "+1.6s Travel Time and -14s Cooldown"

- Pocket: Enchanter's Satchel spirit scaling increased from 0.61 to 0.9

- Pocket: Enchanter's Satchel T3 now also reduces movement speed by 40%

- Pocket: Enchanter's Satchel T3 Fire Rate slow increased from 35% to 40%

- Pocket: Enchanter's Satchel T3 Escape duration increased from +0.5s to +1.5s

- Pocket: Enchanter's Satchel T3 now also increases radius by 4m

- Pocket: Affliction no longer applies 12% Current Health Damage

- Pocket: Affliction DPS increased from 28 to 32

- Pocket: Affliction spirit scaling increased from 0.17 to 0.2

- Pocket: Affliction cooldown increased from 140s to 150s

- Pocket: Affliction T1 increased from -25s Cooldown to -40s Cooldown

- Pocket: Affliction T2 no longer reduces healing by 40%

- Pocket: Affliction T2 now also increases radius by 4m

- Pocket: Affliction T3 no longer increases radius by 6m

- Pocket: Affliction T3 now prevents all healing on targets

- Pocket: Affliction T3 increases spirit scaling by +0.1

- Rem: Lil Helpers trooper base healing changed from 10/s to 8/s. The delay between heals has been reduced so the frequency of healing is more constant. (overall reduction)

- Rem: Lil Helpers trooper healing spirit scaling increased from 0.125 to 0.14

- Rem: Naptime sleep move speed reduced from 2m/s to 1.5m/s

- Rem: Naptime sleep duration decreased from 4.25s to 4s

- Rem: Naptime radius decreased from 20m to 17.0m

- Rem: Naptime T2 changed from "unstoppable and -35% Damage resist while channeling" to "+0.5s Sleep Duration and +3m Radius"

- Rem: Naptime T3 now also grants +50% damage resist while channeling

- Seven: Move Speed no longer scales with spirit power

- Seven: Sprint speed increased from 0.6m to 1.8m

- Seven: Lightning Ball slows down less vs non-heroes (previously was 2m/s for all, now 3.5m/s for non-heroes)

- Seven: Lightning Ball fixed now doing damage if another ball was already hitting a target

- Seven: Lightning Ball T2 now also increases lifetime by 1s

- Seven: Static Charge damage reduced from 38 to 35

- Seven: Static Charge cast range reduced from 16m to 15m

- Seven: Static Charge cast range no longer increases with spirit power

- Seven: Static Charge T1 increased from -19s Cooldown to -20s

- Seven: Static Charge T2 now also increases cast range by +5m

- Seven: Static Charge T3 now also increases damage by +160

- Seven: Power Surge duration no longer scales with spirit power

- Seven: Power Surge cooldown increased from 48s to 50s

- Seven: Power Surge max jumps increased from 3 to 4

- Seven: Power Surge T1 increased from -15s to -18s

- Seven: Power Surge T2 changed from "-10% Spirit Resist for 6s" to "+3m Move Speed, +8 Damage and increased Spirit Scaling (+0.23)"

- Seven: Power Surge T3 changed from "+11 Shock Damage, scaling and +3 max jumps" to "-15% Spirit Resist for 8s and +12s Duration"

- Seven: Storm Cloud allows movement in the base ability (1.5m)

- Seven: Storm Cloud bullet resistance reduced from 20% to 0%

- Seven: Storm Cloud T1 bullet resist increased from 35% to 55%

- Seven: Storm Cloud T3 increases move speed by +3m (was +3.8m before)

- Shiv: Stamina reduced from 3 to 2

- Shiv: Stamina movement speed reduced from 6.7 to 6.5

- Shiv: Bullet damage growth increased from 0.154 to 0.165

- Shiv: Serrated Knives no longer has impact damage

- Shiv: Serrated Knives Bleed DPS per knife increased from 4 to 10

- Shiv: Serrated Knives Bleed DPS spirit scaling increased from 0.13 to 0.15

- Shiv: Serrated Knives T1 changed from "+1 Charge" to "+2s Duration"

- Shiv: Serrated Knives T2 changed from "+2s Duration" to "+2 Charges"

- Shiv: Serrated Knives T3 no longer has +30 Impact Damage

- Shiv: Serrated Knives T3 DPS increased from +5.5 to +12

- Shiv: Serrated Knives T3 increases spirit scaling by +0.10

- Shiv: Slice and Dice cooldown increased from 15s to 16s

- Shiv: Slice and Dice Impact damage reduced from 75 to 60

- Shiv: Slice and Dice reduces Spirit Resistance by 6% for 16s. Multiple instances stack.

- Shiv: Slice and Dice T1 increased from -3s Cooldown to -6s Cooldown

- Shiv: Slice and Dice T2 changed from "+50 Impact Damage" to "-8% Spirit Resistance and +2m Dash Range"

- Shiv: Slice and Dice T3 now also grants +50 Impact Damage

- Shiv: Killing Blow is no longer unit targeted, you jump in the direction forward with some small control

- Shiv: Killing Blow Damage Amp reduced from 15% to 14%

- Shiv: Killing Blow T2 changed from "+5% Enemy Health Threshold and +6% Damage Amp" to "+8% Damage Amp" 

- Shiv: Killing Blow T3 now grants you 20s to recast the ultimate, rather than removing the cooldown

- Shiv: Killing Blow T3 now also increases enemy health threshold by +5%

- Silver: Mauling Leap damage scaling reduced from 1.9 to 1.5

- Silver: Fixed Tail Whack being considered a movement ability

- Silver: Tail Whack disarm duration reduced from 2.5s to 2s

- Silver: Tail Whack slow duration increased from 1.5s to 2s

- Silver: Tail Whack T3 changed from "+1s Disarm Duration" to "1.5s Debuff Duration"

- Silver: Lycan Curse cooldown increased from 35s to 50s

- Silver: Lycan Curse base health bonus reduced from 100 to 75

- Silver: Lycan Curse no longer grants +14% Bullet and Spirit Resistance

- Silver: Lycan Curse no longer grants +2m Move Speed

- Silver: Lycan Curse T1 resist increased from +14% to +15%

- Silver: Lycan Curse T2 bonus health increased from 125 to 150

- Victor: Bullet damage increased from 12.3 to 12.5

- Victor: Pain Battery now starts charged

- Victor: Pain Battery range increased from 20m to 28m

- Victor: Pain Battery reduced randomness on the projectile paths

- Victor: Pain Battery bolt count from 5 to 7

- Victor: Pain Battery T2 increased from +36 to +50

- Victor: Pain Battery T3 now also increases spirit scaling by +0.6

- Victor: Jumpstart cooldown increased from 23s to 30s

- Victor: Jumpstart Move Speed reduced from 4m to 3m

- Victor: Jumpstart spirit scaling reduced from 1.8 to 1.2

- Victor: Jumpstart T1 increased from +1.5m to +3m Move Speed

- Victor: Jumpstart T2 now also reduces cooldown by -8s

- Victor: Jumpstart T3 now also provides +1 Charge

- Victor: Jumpstart T3 no longer reduces cooldown

- Victor: Jumpstart T3 now also increases spirit scaling by 0.8

- Victor: Aura of Suffering time to max DPS reduced from 10s to 6s

- Victor: Aura of Suffering radius increased from 7.7m to 10m

- Victor: Aura of Suffering toggle cooldown reduced from 2.5s to 2s

- Victor: Aura of Suffering Min DPS reduced from 16 to 12

- Victor: Aura of Suffering Min DPS spirit scaling reduced from 0.18 to 0.135

- Victor: Aura of Suffering Max DPS reduced from 70 to 54

- Victor: Aura of Suffering Max DPS spirit scaling reduced from 0.9 to 0.67

- Victor: Aura of Suffering T2 Min/Max DPS reduced from 8/36 to 6/26

- Victor: Aura of Suffering Text Progress bar indicates time to Max DPS

- Victor: Aura of Suffering T3 reduced from +13% Damage to +15%

- Victor: Shocking Reanimation radius reduced from 13m to 12m

- Victor: Shocking Reanimation rebirth health reduced from 60% to 50%

- Victor: Shocking Reanimation T1 changed from "+3m Radius and +90 Damage" to "While on Cooldown: +15% Fire Rate and +6 Spirit Damage Per Bullet (0.06 scaling)"

- Victor: Shocking Reanimation T2 rebirth health increased from 40% to 50%

- Victor: Shocking Reanimation T3 changed from "While on Cooldown: +18% Fire Rate and +9 Spirit Damage Per Bullet (0.06 scaling)" to "+6m Radius, +1s Stun and -50s Cooldown"

- Vindicta: Fire Rate no longer scales with Spirit Power

- Vindicta: Bullet damage now scales with spirit power (0.022)

- Vindcita: Ammo reduced from 22 to 19

- Vindicta: Bullet Velocity increased from 557 to 660

- Vindicta: Stake damage reduced from 55 to 40

- Vindicta: Stake damage spirit scaling increased from 0.37 to 0.5

- Vindicta: Stake projectile speed increased from 20m/s to 25m/s

- Vindicta: Stake T1 changed from "-35% Fire Rate" to "+65 Damage"

- Vindicta: Stake T3 Tether Duration increased from +0.5s to +0.75s

- Vindicta: Stake T3 capture radius increased from +1m to +2m

- Vindicta: Flight now allows you to use melee

- Vindicta: Flight now allows parry to be used

- Vindicta: Flight now grants you +50% Item Cast Range

- Vindicta: Flight spirit damage scaling reduced from 0.22 to 0.18

- Vindicta: Flight duration reduced from 15s to 13s

- Vindicta: Flight T2 duration increased from +8s to +10s

- Vindicta: Flight T3 Spirit Damage Per Bullet reduced from 12.6 to 10

- Vindicta: Flight T3 now increases spirit scaling by 0.1

- Vindicta: Flight T3 now also refreshes duration on hero kill

- Vindicta: Crow Familiar now releases a swarm of crows in a cone forward, hitting all enemies along the path

- Vindicta: Crow Familiar debuff duration no longer scales with spirit power

- Vindicta: Crow Familiar debuff duration increased from 4s to 5s

- Vindicta: Crow Familiar bleed damage reduced from 2.7% to 2.2%

- Vindicta: Crow Familiar damage increased from 37 to 40

- Vindcita: Crow Familiar cooldown increased from 28s to 32s

- Vindicta: Crow Familiar T1 changed from "Ricochet up to 2 times" to "Reduces healing by -35%"

- Vindicta: Crow Familiar T2 now also increase bleed damage by +0.5%

- Vindicta: Crow Familiar T3 now also increases debuff duration by 2s

- Vindicta: Assassinate while scoped no longer un-scopes when using items

- Vindicta: Assassinate now has a 4s buffer on impact for bonus credit

- Vindicta: Assassinate while scoped now plays a sound for you when the it is fully charged

- Vindicta: Assassinate weapon damage bonus increased from 5% to 6%

- Viscous: Splatter bounces once by default

- Viscous: Splatter cooldown reduced from 30s to 26

- Viscous: Splatter spirit scaling reduced from 1.77 to 0.8

- Viscous: Splatter ground effect now increases slide distance by 60% for you and your allies

- Viscous: Splatter multiple hit damage value reduced from 50% to 50/38/26%

- Viscous: Splatter T1 radius increased from +1m to +2m

- Viscous: Splatter T2 cooldown increased from -12s to -14s

- Viscous: Splatter T3 spirit scaling increased from +0.4 to +1.3

- Viscous: Splatter T3 still adds 2 bounces

- Viscous: The Cube now has a very brief period where allies cannot cancel to prevent accidental cancels

- Viscous: The Cube healing spirit scaling increased from 0.14 to 0.3

- Viscous: The Cube T3 increased from -21s Cooldown to -25s

- Viscous: Puddle Punch now grants +30% Air Control when affecting yourself or allies

- Viscous: Puddle Punch Charge Time increased from 1.5s to 1.7s

- Viscous: Puddle Punch Slow increased from 15% to 20%

- Viscous: Puddle Punch now acts as if its close range with respect to item procs (like Point Blank)

- Viscous: Puddle Punch radius reduced from 4.5m to 4m

- Viscous: Puddle Punch T2 changed from "+27 Damage and -15% Move Slow" to "+1.5m Radius and +30 Damage"

- Viscous: Goo Ball no longer can carry Urn

- Viscous: Goo Ball turn rate improved a bit

- Viscous: Goo Ball can now use abilities and items (rather than being locked behind T3)

- Viscous: Goo Ball cooldown increased from 115s to 130s

- Viscous: Goo Ball duration increased from 9s to 10s

- Viscous: Goo Ball Bullet and Spirit resist reduced from 60% to 35%

- Viscous: Goo Ball T1 changed from "+5s Duration" to "-30s Cooldown"

- Viscous: Goo Ball T2 reduced from +72 Damage to +70

- Viscous: Goo Ball T3 changed from "Can now use abilities and items" to "+6s duration and +0.3s Stun Duration"

- Warden: Bullet growth per boon reduced from 0.44 to 0.38

- Warden: Alchemical Flask Weapon Damage reduction reduced from -30% to -25%

- Warden: Alchemical Flask T2 damage increased from +36 to +40

- Warden: Alchemical Flask T2 now also increases Weapon Damage Reduction by -20%

- Warden: Alchemical Flask T2 no longer increases radius by 1m

- Warden: Alchemical Flask T3 cooldown increased from -6.5s to -7s

- Warden: Alchemical Flask T3 now also increases radius by 2m

- Warden: Willpower duration reduced from 7s to 5s

- Warden: Willpower cooldown reduced from 42s to 40

- Warden: Willpower barrier now scales with spirit power in the base ability (+0.5)

- Warden: Willpower T2 cooldown from -19s to -22s

- Warden: Willpower T2 now also increases duration by +2s

- Warden: Willpower T3 changed from "+150 Barrier Health and improved scaling (3.7)" to "+40% Debuff Resistance and improved scaling (2.5)"

- Warden: Binding Word cast range reduced from 20m to 15m

- Warden: Binding Word cooldown decreased from 37s to 34s

- Warden: Binding Word T1 changed from "+1s Immobilize Duration" to "+20% Bullet Damage to Trapped heroes for 5s"

- Warden: Binding Word T2 changed from "-19s Cooldown" to "+0.75s Duration and +12m Cast Range"

- Warden: Binding Word T2 now increases trap duration by 0.75s

- Warden: Binding Word T3 changed from "+20% Bullet Damage" to "-18s Cooldown and Silences enemies until they escape or are trapped"

- Warden: Last Stand Channeling bullet and spirit resist increased from 30% to 60%

- Warden: Last Stand radius reduced from 13m to 12m

- Warden: Last Stand T1 increased from +3m Radius to +4m

- Warden: Last Stand T3 no longer grants +50% Bullet and Spirit Resist

- Warden: Last Stand T3 duration increased from +2.5s to +3s

- Warden: Last Stand T3 now also grants you Unstoppable while channeling

- Wraith: Card Trick cards now have specific suites with special bonuses.

   - Card Types:

      - Spades: +70% Damage

      - Diamond: Cuts enemy resistances by -8% for 5s. Does not stack.

      - Hearts: Heals you for 75 HP (1.25 spirit scaling, half heal on non-heroes)

      - Clubs: 30% Slow for 3s

      - Joker: Has all of the above effects and bounces to an additional enemy within 20m. (Has 1/9th chance)

- Wraith: Card Trick base charge count increased from 1 to 2

- Wraith: Card Trick base damage reduced from 60 to 45

- Wraith: Card Trick spirit scaling reduced from 1.0 to 0.55

- Wraith: Card Trick buildup now takes 20% longer

- Wraith: Card Trick cooldown reduced from 0.75s to 0.5s

- Wraith: Card Trick post cast time reduced from 0.2s to 0.1

- Wraith: Card Trick now highlights the card that will be throw next.

- Wraith: Card Trick now has unique sounds for each card suite that is summoned.

- Wraith: Card Trick T1 increased from "+1 Charges" to "+2 Charges"

- Wraith: Card Trick T2 changed from "+35 Damage" to "+40 Damage and increased spirit scaling (+0.4)"

- Wraith: Card Trick T2 changed from "+50% Card Summon Rate and 30% slow for 1s" to "Improves Card Suites and increased joker chances" (new totals are Spades: 2.5x, Diamond: -13%, Heal: 150/2.0, Clubs: 50%, Joker: 1/5th chance)

- Wraith: Fixed Project Mind interaction with stuns

- Wraith: Full Auto no longer affects allies (previously gave half fire rate to allies)

- Wraith: Full Auto duration no longer scales with Spirit Power

- Wraith: Full Auto cooldown reduced from 48s to 45s

- Wraith: Full Auto base ability now deals +2 Spirit Damage Per Bullet (0.03 Spirit Scaling)

- Wraith: Full Auto T1 increased from -14s Cooldown to -20s

- Wraith: Full Auto T2 changed from "2.52 Spirit Damage per Bullet" to "+10% Fire Rate and +3s Duration"

- Wraith: Full Auto T3 changed from "+15% Bullet and Spirit Lifesteal and increased spirit scaling" to "Unlimited Ammo and increased spirit scaling (+0.06)"

- Wraith: Telekinesis cooldown increased from 110s to 120s

- Wraith: Telekinesis cast range reduced from 20m to 14m

- Wraith: Telekinesis cast time increased from 0.1s to 0.3s

- Wraith: Telekinesis no longer has a projectile, it now instantly lifts the target for 0.75s and gives you a location target on the ground. After the 0.75s is over, it'll throw the hero towards that location up to 15m away. The target will take 100 Damage, 40% move slow and prevent stamina/movement-item and ability usage for 3s.

- Wraith: Telekinesis T1 changed from "-25s Cooldown" to "+100 Damage"

- Wraith: Telekinesis T2 changed from "+0.75s Silence and Disarm Duration" to "-50s Cooldown"

- Wraith: Telekinesis T3 changed from "Bounces to nearby target" to "+1.5s Debuff duration and +6m Throw and Cast Range

- Yamato: Power Slash being held down no longer automatically fires it

- Yamato: You can now cast Parry directly while channeling Power Slash to fire the Power Slash and parry

- Yamato: Power Slash base ability now has +60% Bullet Resist while channeling

- Yamato: Power Slash cooldown increased from 10.5s to 12s

- Yamato: Power Slash Slash Length reduced from 25m to 22m

- Yamato: Power Slash T1 changed from "+60% Bullet Resist while channeling" to "40% Slow for 3s"

- Yamato: Power Slash T2 changed from "-2s Cooldown and 40% slow for 3s" to "-4s Cooldown"

- Yamato: Power Slash T3 now also grants +8m Range

- Yamato: Flying Strike renamed to Flying Slash

- Yamato: Flying Slash is now light melee damage rather than spirit

- Yamato: Flying Slash slow increased from -30% to -50%

- Yamato: Flying Slash cooldown increased from 21s to 36s

- Yamato: Flying Slash range increased from 20m to 25m

- Yamato: Flying Slash T1 changed from "25% Slow" to "-18s Cooldown"

- Yamato: Flying Slash T2 changed from "+20m Cast Range" to "+20m Cast Range and gain +40 Spirit for 6s"

- Yamato: Flying Slash T3 changed from "Can Grapple to ally heroes and +6 Weapon Damage for 10s" to "Can Grapple to ally heroes. Becomes Charged and grants +2 charges (3s between charges)."

- Yamato: Fixed Flying Slash T3 ally cast stopping too soon before reaching the player

- Yamato: Crimson Slash cooldown increased from 15s to 16s

- Yamato: Crimson Slash Fire Rate reduction increased from -18% to -30%

- Yamato: Crimson Slash T1 changed from "-26% Fire Rate" to "On Hit: +30% Melee Damage for 4s"

- Yamato: Crimson Slash T3 increased from -9s Cooldown to -10s

- Yamato: Crimson Slash T3 now also increases spirit scaling (+0.6)

- Yamato: Shadow Transformation cooldown increased from 110s to 130s

- Yamato: Shadow Transformation Bullet and Spirit Resist reduced from 40% to 30%

- Yamato: Shadow Transformation T1 changed from "+14% Fire Rate" to "+5 Weapon Damage"

- Yamato: Shadow Transformation T2 now also reduces cooldown by 25s

- Yamato: Shadow Transformation T3 increased from +20% Bullet and Spirit Resist to +30%

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

Beyond the security fix, this update is a community showcase. Valve credited contributors by name throughout, with wget's Medi Gun heal target selection improvement standing out as a genuine quality-of-life win. Medics will now find their beam prioritizing the teammate directly under the crosshair when players are bunched together. Spy mains also get relief: cloak and rage meter misprediction bugs are fixed, along with prediction issues on Spy watches. koth_demolition received the most extensive treatment, with reworked lighting, catwalks, the capture point platform, and spawn layout all getting attention.

sd_marshlands has also been renamed htf_marshlands to accurately reflect its Hold the Flag game mode. A small change, but one that's been a source of confusion for years. Full patch notes below.

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include:

• Fixed an issue where players could impersonate TF2 system messages by exploiting color control codes
• Fixed a bug where certain custom maps would not load assets correctly on Linux
• Fixed some crashes relating to singleplayer TF2 SDK mods
• Fixed a memory leak on long running servers related to dynamic models
• Fixed client crash related to invalid D3D texture flag
• Fixed hearing teleporter spin sound when carried (community fix from Brandon Little)
• Fixed objects sometimes using the incorrect activity when being placed (community fix from Brandon Little)
• Improved Medi Gun heal target selection to prioritize teammate directly under crosshair when teammates are close together (community fix from wget)
• Improved targetid selection to replicate Medi Gun heal target selection (community fix from wget)
• Added missing Steam Controller inputs for loadout menus (community fix from Ashetf2)
• Fixed 3D HUD using the incorrect animations while holding the PASS Time ball (community fix from gidi30)
• Fixed network state changes for player condition vars (community fix from ficool2)
• Fixed sentry rockets not sending the object_deflected game event when deflected (community fix from The Fatcat)
• Fixed Stat Clocks not drawing correctly in UI using playermodelpanel (community fix from rabscootle)
• Fixed flipped initial pitch/yaw on thirdperson switch (community fix from ficool2)
• Fixed Short Circuit projectile offset ignoring cl_flipviewmodels (community fix from birchish)
• Fixed Dragon's Fury fireballs having incorrect projectile path (community fix from wget)
• Fixed for mismatched cl_flipviewmodels values between client and server (community fix from birchish)
• Fixed cloak and rage meters being mispredicted (community fix from ficool2)
• Fixed prediction issues with Spy watches and cloak (community fix from ficool2)
• Fixed Casual doors player list sometimes using wrong size (community fix from nemmy)
• Fixed missing alpha mask for generator_01 (community fix from BreavyTF2)
• Fixed BuildingRescueLevel proxy overwriting TextureScroll on Rescue Ranger oscilloscope (community fix from Voids29)
• Fixed Botkiller team color bugs (community fix from DiskIntegrity)
• Fixed Scout.NegativeVocalization04 sound not playing because of a typo in the volume
• Renamed sd_marshlands to htf_marshlands (hold the flag) to accurately describe its game mode
• Updated the Festivizer model for The Overdose to fix a problem with the LODs
• Updated the Mann of the Hour to make the hair blend better with the hat and Scout's skin
• Updated/Added some tournament medals
• Updated The Bare Necessities to fix not moving correctly while taunting
• Updated the rigging for The Headliner to fix the pocket and tie stretching during some taunts and default poses
• Updated alpha channel for Hydro water texture to remove inconsistencies
• Updated the Case of the Blues
  • Updated rigging to fix intense stretching during taunt poses
  • Updated materials to look less flat
• Updated the taunt prop for Taunt: Heartbreaker
  • Updated the materials to add ambient occlusion
  • Updated the phong and rim lighting to show albedo tint
  • Updated the materials to add more depth
  • Updated the model to fix missing faces
  • Updated the model to fix stretching on lower LODs
• Updated pl_frontier_final to fix invisible func_detail water near BLU spawn (community fix from ObsoleteGuy)
• Updated cp_frostwatch to fix first point death pit being survivable with ÜberCharges on Stage 1
• Updated cp_manor_event to fix invisible func_detail water near BLU spawn (community fix from ObsoleteGuy)
• Updated koth_demolition
  • Updated map lighting to make it more like a sunset, as well as giving it a more golden color
  • Replaced the models used for the capture point lights with a different one which has better collision and illumination
  • Reworked the capture point platform to give it a stronger design
  • Reworked all the catwalks to give them a more stylized look
  • Reworked the lighting in all the furnace rooms to make them less dark and have a more neutral look
  • Reverted a previous change to the capture point team change steam whistle
  • Removed all ambient_generics near the furnaces and fire pipe
  • Reworked the soundscapes to make them more efficient and work properly
  • Reworked the control room of the crane to give it a better design
  • Reworked some ropes from the crane to give them a better look
  • Fixed some props fading out incorrectly
  • Fixed ships in the 3d skybox casting shadows
  • Fixed cubemaps missing on parts of the map
  • Fixed reflective surfaces not having a cubemap attached to them
  • Added a 128x128 cubemap on the control point so it is more reflective (thanks Zythe)
  • Improved water cubemaps
  • Restructured the spawn platform so players spawn looking at the shortcut, and don't need to pull a U-turn to exit spawn (thanks Lizard of Oz)
  • Improved the visuals on the spawn platform to fit the previous change
  • Fixed a blockbullets allowing players to stand on the exterior side of the helipads (thanks Yazoo)

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

The Workshop lets you convert unwanted gear into scraps, which can then be used to upgrade gear you care about or craft entirely new random items. Ironmace is pitching it as an economy stabiliser, and honestly, a gear sink was overdue. Anyone who has hauled out a pile of useless rares and had nowhere to put them will understand the appeal immediately.

Whether the Workshop ends up being a meaningful fix or just a pressure valve that delays deeper economy problems is the real question. For now, it gives players a reason to keep running even when the loot gods are not cooperating. Full patch notes below.

Hi Adventurers,

This update launches the all new Workshop feature that lets Adventurers extract more value from their less successful dungeon dives. Workshops convert unwanted gear into scraps that can be utilized to enhance or rebuild the gear they actually cherish. Scraps can even be used in to craft completely new random gear. We hope the Workshop works as a nice counterbalance to help stabilize the current economy.

This update also introduces our first batch of weapon cosmetics with the launch of the ‘Emberflame’ series. The ‘Emberflame’ skins add a fiery flick of lava to some of our most popular weapons. We plan to continually expand this system and branch out to more weapons in the future.

Finally, please note that Valentine’s temporary sojourn at the tavern will be ending soon. We highly recommend spending all remaining rewards from the Valentine event before his farewell, coming with the next major hotfix. As always, we thank you for your support and we’ll see you in the dungeons!

IRONMACE

Bugfixes:

• Fixed an issue where attacking and guarding could fail to function when repeatedly switching items during an attack.
• Fixed an issue where unintended movement speed reduction could be applied when crouching mid-jump or performing a Rogue’s double jump while using a standby skill that is consumed on the next attack after activation (e.g., Reckless Strike).
• Fixed an issue where the Fighter’s Disarm effect could fail to apply when the attack connected with the weapon’s hilt instead of the blade.
• Fixed an issue where the Burn damage (modifier) for the Sorcerer’s Flame Strike was not displayed.
• Fixed an issue where swimming sound effects would fail to play for all Druid animal forms (except Penguin form) and the Warlock’s Demon transformation.
• Fixed an issue where players could become stuck at a specific location at the Staircase Hill module in The Frost Mountain – Ice Abyss.
• Fixed an issue where the portal on the Portal Pedestal would rise again at an unintended speed after being used.
• Fixed an issue where the scroll object on top of the Portal Pedestal would fail to reappear.
• Fixed an issue where, sometimes after a player escaped using the portal that rises from the Portal Pedestal, other players were unable to activate the portal when it reappeared.
• Fixed an issue where Elite and Nightmare Spider Mummies would spawn faster than intended.
• Fixed an issue where a chest in the Boss Reward Room that was a Mimic would automatically activate when the boss reset.
• Fixed an issue where the poison VFX fired by the Nightmare Giant Centipede would appear as if it were stretched along the ground.
• Fixed an issue where certain parts of a Wraith’s corpse could not be interacted with.
• Fixed an issue where Bladehand could move outside of the boss area.
• Fixed an issue where the Ancient Stingray would stop taking damage when colliding with a player at a specific time.
• Fixed an issue where the corpse of a Fire Elemental would appear floating or tilted on uneven terrain.
• Fixed an issue where restricted weapons and equipment could be brought into dungeons using the ‘Buyback’ feature.
• Fixed an issue by aligning the Move Speed attribute of the Frostlight Abyss Plate Armor with the Fine Cuirass.
• Fixed an issue where the guard animation could become interrupted when maintaining the guard after a successful block with a Halberd.
• Fixed an issue where the weapon information in the detail window would not update when switching weapons via drag and drop while holding a weapon.
• Fixed an issue where pressing “Exit to Lobby” immediately after an Arena match round ended could incorrectly apply a leaver penalty and deduct points.

Game Updates:

• The new Workshop feature has been added. The Workshop launches with access to the Weaponsmith Forge, Armory Smithy, Leathershop, and Tailory. The Workshop feature allows adventurers to scrap unwanted Armor and Weapons. They can then use the scraps to enhance, rebuild, or obtain totally new items by unlocking and upgrading their respective workshops. We plan to continue expanding this feature in future updates.
• The Weapon Skin system has been added including the launch of the first batch of ‘Emberflame’ weapon skins. We plan to include more weapons and new skin types in future updates.
• New and discounted items have been added to the shop.
• Improved the Shop and Customize tabs so that you can preview the character’s voice when selecting emotes.
• Improved the the Dungeon Express system so the Expressman will deliver your items more quickly, rather than having to wait for his delivery when you exit the dungeons early.
• Adjusted the difficulty of the Fire Colossus.
• Added the Honored Scribe’s Quill Torch, a torch skin for all official 'Scribe' members.

Balance Updates:

General

• Adjusted the required ingredients for crafting accessories making it them easier to craft, especially for the ‘Uncommon’ tier items.
• The drop rate of Troll Pelts has been adjusted.
• The drop chance of Gold Coin Bags from Treasure Hoards has been increased.

Classes

Fighter

• ‘Fortified Ground' - All Attributes reduced from 5 → 3.

Rogue

• Thrust' - Armor Penetration reduced from 25% → 20%.

Barbarian

• 'Reckless Attack' - Armor Penetration penalty reduced from 75% → 60%, and Armor Rating penalty increased from 85 → 100.

Wizard

• 'Fireball' - Magical damage reduced from 25/10 → 20/10, and Burn duration reduced from 3 → 2 seconds.
• 'Zap' - Magical damage reduced from 20 → 18.
• 'Explosion' - Magical damage reduced from 25 → 23.
• ‘Magic Missile’ - Magical damage reduced from 11 (0.75) → 10 (0.5).
• ‘Fire Mastery’ - Healing reduction duration reduced from 5 → 4 seconds.
• ‘Melt’ duration reduced from 4 seconds → 2 seconds.

Druid

• 'Dreamwalk' duration reduced from 3 → 2 seconds.
• The scaling of ‘Nature’s Touch’ has been reduced from 0.5 → 0.33, and the duration has been increased from 8s → 10s.
• The scaling of ‘Restore’ has been reduced from 0.5 → 0.33, and the duration has been increased from 8s → 10s.

Items

• The collision areas of weapons whose defensive hitboxes were set wider than their visual models have been reduced.
• The move speed penalty of the Heater Shield has been reduced from -20 → -18, and the move speed bonus effect on a successful block has been increased.
• The move speed bonus effect on a successful block with a Buckler has been increased.
• The move speed bonus effect on a successful block with a Round Shield has been increased.
• Longbow Weapon Damage reduced by 1 per rarity tier.
• Longbow, Recurve Bow, and Survival Bow Armor Penetration reduced by 5%.
• Rapier and Cutlass counterattack damage multiplier reduced from 1.5 → 1.35.
• Rondel Dagger and Stiletto Dagger Armor Penetration reduced from 10% → 8%.
• The Armor Penetration of Icefang has been reduced from 10% → 5%.

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

The products in question are the Steam Machine, the Steam Frame VR headset, and the new Steam Controller, all announced in late 2025. The original plan had them launching in Q1 2026. That slipped to the first half of the year after Valve published a blog post detailing delays caused by memory and storage shortages driven by AI infrastructure demand eating through available components. Now the window is simply "this year," with no further specifics.

The word swap was caught almost immediately. Cromwelp flagged it on X, and from there it spread fast. The optics are awkward. "We hope" is the kind of language a company uses when it genuinely does not know. It is not PR boilerplate; it is a slip. Replacing it with a declarative statement hours later does not undo the fact that someone at Valve wrote the hopeful version first, approved it, and published it.

The Component Problem Is Not Going Away

Valve has been transparent, at least in broad strokes, about why this is happening. The RAM and SSD shortage is real and well-documented; Nvidia said on its recent earnings call that it does not expect supply conditions to improve anytime soon. Valve is trying to build consumer hardware at a price point that makes sense without subsidizing it the way Sony and Microsoft do with PlayStation and Xbox. Pierre-Loup Griffais confirmed in an interview with Skill Up that the Steam Machine is priced more like a PC than a console, targeting performance parity with a self-built machine at the same spec level. That is a reasonable philosophy in a stable market. In this one, it means Valve cannot lock in pricing without knowing what components will actually cost by the time units ship.

The Steam Machine is reportedly more powerful than roughly 70% of gaming PCs currently registered on Valve's hardware survey. That positions it well against the existing Steam user base. But it also means it sits in a part of the market where component costs have been hit hardest. A machine targeting that performance tier, priced like a PC build rather than a subsidized console, was already expected to land above $700. With current shortages, that number is not getting smaller.

Valve's updated statement says "more updates will be shared as we finalise our plans," which is the corporate equivalent of asking for more time on a test. The company also used the blog post to reflect on the original 2013 Steam Machine era, noting that Proton, Steam Deck, and years of manufacturing experience have solved problems that sank the first attempt. That context is genuinely relevant. The 2025 hardware lineup is a much more credible product than anything Valve shipped a decade ago. None of that changes the fact that Valve published uncertainty, noticed it looked bad, and edited it out rather than addressing it directly.

The firm commitment to 2026 is now on record. Whether the components cooperate is a different question entirely, and no amount of post-publication editing changes the answer.

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

Aftermath broke the story, and the language in the filing is worth reading directly. "Plaintiff requests that, consistent with the Supreme Court's ruling in Learning Resources and the Federal Circuit's and this Court's rulings in V.O.S. Selections, this Court order the prompt refund, with interest, of any IEEPA duties paid by Plaintiff regardless of liquidation status," the document states. Nintendo's lawyers also argue that without a court order, there is no guarantee the company ever sees that money again, even after the Supreme Court ruling. The government's concession on the necessity of refunds in other court documents, Nintendo notes, hasn't translated into anyone actually getting paid back.

The suit names Scott Bessent, Kristi Noem, Jamieson Greer, Rodney Scott, and Howard Lutnick as defendants. That's the Secretary of the Treasury, the former Secretary of Homeland Security, the U.S. Trade Representative, the Customs and Border Protection commissioner, and the Secretary of Commerce. Nintendo isn't suing an abstract policy. It's naming the people who kept collecting money after courts started ruling the collections illegal.

The Tariff Timeline Nintendo Lived Through

The context here matters. When Trump announced "Liberation Day" in April 2025, Nintendo was one of the first companies to visibly flinch. It delayed Switch 2 pre-orders in the United States, citing the tariff situation and "evolving market conditions," a move that had no real precedent for a major console launch. The Switch 2 eventually launched at $449.99 on June 5, 2025, with Nintendo leaning on Vietnamese manufacturing rather than Chinese to hold that price. Accessories weren't so lucky; the Pro Controller, Joy-Con 2 Pair, and Joy-Con 2 Charging Grip all saw price increases.

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 last month that Trump's use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 to impose those tariffs was illegal. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency had collected roughly $166 billion in duties and deposits under those emergency tariffs. Following the ruling, Trump introduced a new 10% global tariff rate, which is a separate matter entirely. The IEEPA money, though, is sitting in government coffers with no automatic mechanism to return it.

That last point is why Nintendo filed. CBP told the Court of International Trade on Friday that it cannot currently comply with an order to refund the tariffs, citing technical limitations. Reuters reported that CBP said a refund system would be ready in 45 days. Nintendo's lawyers clearly read that and decided a court order was more reliable than a government promise.

Nintendo is far from alone in this. A host of other companies, including FedEx and Costco, have already filed similar suits to recover tariff payments. What makes Nintendo's case slightly different is the specificity of the harm it can document. The Switch 2 pre-order delay was public, the accessory price hikes were public, and the company's statement that it is "the importer of record for goods that were subject to IEEPA Duties" gives it a clean line of standing. Nintendo paid, Nintendo can prove it paid, and Nintendo wants that money back with a premium attached.

Nintendo's official statement to press was exactly four sentences of nothing: "We can confirm that we filed a request. We have nothing else to share on this topic." The lawsuit itself is doing all the talking.

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

For anyone who didn't grow up dying repeatedly in Super Mario Bros. 2, Wart is the game's main antagonist. A frog-like creature who rules over Subcon, he was the final boss of a game that itself had a strange history, being a reskin of the Japanese title Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic. Nintendo folded him into the Mario canon, and then essentially forgot he existed. He's had no meaningful role in any mainline Mario release in the nearly four decades since. That's a longer absence than some of the people who'll be watching this movie have been alive.

The new artwork also confirms Mouser and the black-clad Ninjis, both also originating from Super Mario Bros. 2. Birdo was already confirmed in a January trailer, so Nintendo is clearly leaning hard into that game's roster for the sequel. Whether that's because the screenplay has a specific reason for it or because someone at Illumination just has good taste is the question the March 9 Direct might actually answer.

You can watch the Direct on YouTube for America, Europe, or Japan. Nintendo has been clear that no game information will be included, so don't go in expecting Switch 2 announcements. This is strictly a movie showcase, and the fifth Nintendo Direct of 2026 overall, following two movie Directs, a Tomodachi Life showcase, a Partner Showcase, and an Indie World Showcase.

The Cast Is Already Stacked

Beyond the villain reveals, the confirmed cast for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is doing a lot of heavy lifting. Brie Larson voices Rosalina, Benny Safdie voices Bowser Jr., and the full original cast returns: Chris Pratt as Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, and Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek. Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic are back directing, with Matthew Fogel returning as screenwriter.

Fans have been speculating since the early trailers that the film involves time travel, which would at least explain why Baby Mario and Baby Luigi appeared in the January trailer. A Super Mario Bros. 2 villain resurgence fits neatly into that theory. Wart ruling over a dream world in the original game, combined with a time-travel plot, is the kind of lore thread that would make the r/Mario crowd lose their minds for a week.

The film opens April 1. Nintendo has confirmed it will release in many markets on that date, with select territories rolling out through the rest of April. If the March 9 Direct is genuinely the final trailer before release, Wart's role in all of this is about to become a lot clearer. Thirty-eight years is a long time to wait for a frog to get his moment back.

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

The bigger change is to Battlefield Repairs, which has been fully reworked. The new version reads: "Any Squad Member restores 1 additional Armour Segment for each Finisher of Majoris or Extremis enemy." That's a meaningful shift from whatever it was doing before, tying armour recovery directly to aggressive play rather than passive uptime. Inexorable Salvo also gets a buff, extending its effect for an additional 15 seconds after the ability deactivates.

For a hotfix, there's enough here to warrant a second look at your Techmarine loadout before your next Operations run. Full patch notes below.

Techmarine

• Replenishing Salvo perk will not activate its cooldown when player has max equipment.
• Reworked Battlefield Repairs perk. New description: “Any Squad Member restores 1 additional Armour Segment for each Finisher of Majoris or Extremis enemy.”
• Inexorable Salvo perk buffed: ”The effect lasts for an additional 15 seconds after deactivation of ability.”
• Decapitating Stratagem perk now correctly restores ability once it's fully empty. Previously it could restore ability after the first shot, if the player got a lucky kill, meaning that full ability restoration was mostly wasted.
• Fixed cost of some Techmarine perks.

GENERAL FIXES

• Crash fixes.
• Fixed an issue that was blocking progress on Disruption (softlock after the Heldrake scene).
• Added a voice preview in the voice selector menu.
• Fixed an issue with Voice Pack VOs being not as loud as the rest of VOs.
• Fixed an issue where Tarantula turrets could move a little bit after activation.
• Lots of minor collision fixes on Disruption.
• Lots of minor issues with various Battlefield Conditions.
• Minor customisation fixes.
• Minor localisation fixes.
• Minor UI fixes.

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

Capcom confirmed during its March Spotlight Showcase that Pragmata will now launch on April 17, a full week ahead of the previously scheduled April 24 date. The announcement came with a wink baked right into the trailer: a piece of paper falls to the ground, the release date written on it, followed by a "sorry!" as the date shifts earlier. Given that the same falling-paper bit was used to announce the indefinite delay years ago, whoever cut that trailer deserves a raise.

What's Actually in the Game

The new main trailer shows off previously unseen areas and enemies inside the game's 3D-printed lunar research station. Capcom also used the showcase to introduce Cabin, a robot guide you'll encounter in a Shelter area who can apparently play music for Diana, the android child protagonist, to dance to. Whether that reads as charming or unsettling probably depends on your tolerance for uncanny valley companion characters.

For the uninitiated: Pragmata is a sci-fi action adventure built around a "unique hacking twist," following Hugh, an astronaut, and Diana, who looks like a little girl but is actually an android. The two work together, each covering different roles in combat and traversal. Eurogamer's preview described the hands-on as "more difficult and more thought-provoking" than the earlier proof-of-concept demos suggested, which is about the most encouraging thing you can say about a game that's had this long to cook.

If you want to form your own opinion before April 17, there's a free demo on Steam and the game is also available to wishlist on PlayStation. Pragmata launches across PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2.

Capcom is coming off a strong run. Resident Evil Requiem crossed five million copies sold shortly after launch last month, and Monster Hunter Wilds performed well despite some rough edges. Pragmata is a new IP with no franchise safety net, which makes it the riskiest bet on Capcom's 2026 slate. Reviews will land on OpenCritic around launch, and that's when we'll find out whether six years of development time actually shows up on screen.

For a game that spent years as a punchline, arriving a week early is a genuinely good sign. It suggests Capcom isn't scrambling to hit a date; they're confident enough to pull it forward. Whether the game itself justifies that confidence is a question April 17 will answer.

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

The challenge itself was straightforward. On February 28, a player posted on r/Helldivers with what they called a serious offer: $1,000 to the charity of Arrowhead's choosing, provided four developers could upload a video of themselves completing an entire operation on Oshaune, the game's toughest planet, on difficulty 10, the maximum setting. Other community members piled on with additional pledges, and Arrowhead CEO Shams Jorjani shared images of himself and other devs attempting the challenge in the official Discord. The whole thing had the energy of a fun community moment. Then it didn't.

Within days, the challenge creator was fielding what they described as dozens upon dozens of hateful messages. Their post pulling out of the event reads like someone who has genuinely had enough: "For my own wellbeing I'll be stepping off Reddit and the community as a whole. Stop trying to contact me. The challenge is officially over on my part." They also confirmed their wife had been targeted, and that harassers had tracked down the horse sanctuary where they volunteer and were sending messages there too.

Who Was Behind It

The motivation behind the harassment is murky, but posts on r/HelldiversSodium point toward a faction the community calls "Glazedivers", a bloc of players so fervently pro-Arrowhead that they apparently read the charity challenge as an attack on the developers' skill rather than a fun community event. Piecing together exactly what happened has been difficult because, according to one Reddit post, the main r/Helldivers subreddit went into "full totalitarian censorship mode", with moderators deleting the majority of posts referencing the situation.

Arrowhead and Sony issued a joint statement on the official Helldivers 2 Discord on March 5. It names the D10 challenge directly and doesn't soften the language: "We do not tolerate threats of violence, harassment, or doxxing toward anyone: players, creators, developers, moderators, or our teams in any community spaces. This kind of toxic behaviour is unacceptable and not something we will ever condone." Jorjani had already signalled where he stood days earlier when a player informed him about the doxxing in Discord. His response was four words: "Helldivers treat other Helldivers with respect."

The statement also takes a pointed swing at the r/Helldivers moderation situation, noting that while the subreddit is community-owned and operated, it "should be a safe and welcoming place for all people to voice their opinions and frustrations in a productive and respectful way." Arrowhead and Sony say they are continuing to monitor the situation internally and with external partners, which leaves the door open for further action, though what form that takes is unclear.

A top comment on the Reddit thread reacting to the statement, sitting close to 3,000 upvotes, called for those involved in the harassment to be tracked down and permanently banned from the game. That's probably the right instinct. A charity was supposed to get a thousand dollars out of this. Instead, someone's wife got harassed and a horse sanctuary had to deal with hate messages from people who were angry that a video game developer was challenged to play their own game.

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

The bounty system is the change worth watching. Bounties tied to minor faction raids add a layer of economic pressure that could meaningfully shift how you prioritize targets in the mid-game. Pirates going from background noise to active threat is a design direction Ironclad has been nudging toward, and this update commits to it.

Full patch notes below.

Highlights

• Pirate Galleon Capital Ship - New playable unit with four unique abilities: Pillage, Twin Ion Bolt, Redline Navigation and Mag Blast Torpedo Salvo.
• Pirate Incursion Event System - Survive the onslaught of the Pirate Kings in the early game.
• Two New Advent Minor Factions - The Alutar Sect and Nilari Cult.
• Minor Faction Raids - Dynamic raid events with multiple NPC factions conducting targeted raids on player planets.
• Capturable Infrastructure - New capturable civilian structures including Research Labs, Crystal Extractors, and Metal Extractors.
• Bounty System Expansion - Players and AI can place bounties on enemy assets, triggering NPC raids with rewards for collection.

New Bounty System

The Markets window now includes new tabs for the Bounty Office and Raids. Players can spend resources and exotics to add bounty to a discovered planet, with the Pirates launching raids against those targets (all bounty is converted into an overall credit value that is displayed above a planet in the strategic view). Any player can collect bounty by attacking a planet with bounty (structures in the gravity well, ships and planet damage). The Raid window display active raids against your empire.

Minor Faction Raid System

Hostile Minor Factions will now conduct raids across the map, each with different objectives and trigger conditions.

Pirates

• Added Bounty Raid - Will target the planet with the highest bounty anywhere on the map.
• Added Bombardment Raid - Will target planets adjacent to the Pirate Base and attempt to bombard them.

Aluxian Resurgence

• Added Annexation Raid - Will target adjacent planets and attempt to colonize them, by force if necessary.
• Added Bombardment Raid - Will target planets adjacent to the Aluxian Homeworld and attempt to bombard them.

Minor Faction Roaming Disabled

Minor Factions will no longer roam near their territory, they will only leave their homeworld within the context of specific raids.

• Note to modders - the roaming functionality is not removed from the game, it can still be used in modded Minor Factions. The base game Minor Factions simply have the relevant values set to 0.

Pirate Incursion Event

A new complex event that can occur on any map with a Pirate Base present, the Pirate Incursion will see an early-mid game battle for survival against a Pirate King, his Galleon, and his ever-growing armada of pirates.

Core Counter Triangle Rebalance

The core counter triangle has been rebalanced and re-armed as necessary to ensure consistency of outcomes in all matchups, even at a 3:4 ratio of supply. Light Frigates will now reliably defeat PD Frigates and Cruisers - even when those PD units are issued manual evasion orders. PD units will now reliably defeat Corvettes, with the most notable change here being that the Junsurak Warden can now rapidly and thoroughly shut down the Sulsurak Defensor in a Vasari mirror match. Gunship Corvettes (Shriken Gunship, Sulsurak Defensor, Acolyte Corvette), will now easily evade most Light Frigate attacks and rapidly dispatch their clumsier opponents.

In combination, this rebalance should greatly increase the dynamism of early game fleet composition decision making.

Capture System

Capturable objects now function on a points system instead of a time system. In addition, new capturable structures have been added to uncolonizeable gravity wells - Metal and Crystal Extractors, as well as Military and Civilian Research Labs.

• Derelict Loot Level 1 - Capture Point Requirement set to 300.
• Derelict Loot Level 2 - Capture Point Requirement set to 600.
• Derelict Loot Level 3 - Capture Point Requirement set to 900.
• Wreckage - Capture Point Requirement set to 750.
• Ancient Starbase - Capture type changed to Surrender. Capture Point Requirement set to 2000.
• Capturable Extractor - Capture type set to Always. Capture Point Requirement set to 225.
• Capturable Research Station - Capture type set to Always. Capture Point Requirement set to 450.

Minor Factions

Added New Minor Factions:

• Alutar Sect - A peaceful Advent Minor Faction with shield and antimatter focused abilities.
• Nilari Cult - A hostile Advent Minor Faction with population and combat focused abilities.

All Minor Factions are now prevented from Surveying. This will ensure they do not discover Artifacts they cannot use - especially the Aluxians with their expansionist tendencies.

Changelog v1.51.9 → v1.51.12

Gameplay

• Standardized heavy (250 → 300), medium (200 → 250) and light autocannon (100 → 50) Pierce values.
• Standardized heavy (250 → 300) and medium pulse gun (200 → 270) Pierce values.
• Standardized medium (200 → 250) and light laser (100 → 50) Pierce values.
• Influence costs on Alutar Sect and Nilari Cult minor faction abilities updated.
• TEC
  • Metal/Crystal Extractors:
    • Cost changed from 400/50/0 to 400/0/0
  • TEC Cielo Command Cruiser:
    • Durability increased from 200 to 250
  • TEC Hoshiko Robotics Cruiser:
    • Durability increased from 200 to 250
• Advent
  • Metal/Crystal Extractors:
    • Cost changed from 250/0/90 to 150/0/75
  • Advent Tempest Frigate:
    • Durability increased from 200 to 300
    • Max Hull decreased from 900 to 800
    • Max Armor decreased from 410 to 285
    • Max Shields decreased from 925 to 825
    • Missile Pierce increased from 0 to 150
  • Advent Subjugator Cruiser:
    • Durability increased from 200 to 250
  • Advent Bomber Strikecraft:
    • Max Armor decreased from 75 to 50
• Vasari
  • Vasari Overseer Cruiser:
    • Durability increased from 210 to 270
  • Vasari Bomber Strikecraft:
    • Max Hull decreased from 90 to 60
  • Medium Phase Missiles:
    • Max Angular Speed decreased
    • Max HP decreased from 9 to 6
    • Max Armor decreased from 12 to 9

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

The stagger system has been redesigned. Bosses now get staggered twice as fast, but once staggered they enter a 30-second window where staggering them again is five times harder. It's a smarter rhythm than the old system, and it should stop certain builds from trivialising fights by looping staggers indefinitely. The Paladin also gets a significant pass here, with Heaven's Fury Triplicate base damage jumping from 36% to 56%, and a string of Thorns-related bug fixes that were quietly gutting the class's damage output.

On the quality-of-life side, killstreak multipliers now show in the UI and no longer reset between dungeon floors. Mythic Uniques were also bugged to drop without Greater Affixes, which is now fixed. Full patch notes below.

• On the seasonal realm, summon more powerful versions of Nightmare Dungeons, Lair Bosses, and Infernal Hordes with Bloodstained Sigils. To dial up the heat even further, use Bloodsoaked sigils for an incredibly powerful test.
• Several new uniques that span many classes are here for your demon-slaying needs. These all drop from the new Butcher Lair Boss.
• Boss Stagger mechanics have been upgraded. Bosses can be staggered twice as quickly before, but now have a cooldown for 30 seconds where it is five times harder to stagger them.
• New enemies, layouts have been added to the Tower and Bosses should hit much harder. The amount of enemies needed to complete a floor has been reduced.

Updates from PTR

Game Updates

• Killstreak multipliers are now highlighted in the UI.
• Killstreaks no longer reset when going between floors in dungeons.
• Bloodstained now grant better rewards, including guaranteed Bloodied and Ancestral items when defeating Bloodsoaked bosses.
• The following Massacre Affixes have been tuned.
  • Attack Speed per Killstreak Tier increased from 6% to 8%.
  • Cooldown Reduction per Killstreak Tier increased from 3% to 6%.
  • Critical Strike Chance per Killstreak Tier increased from 5% to 8%.
  • Life on Hit per Killstreak Tier changed to 100.
  • Maximum Life per Killstreak Tier changed to 3% Maximum Life.
  • Movement Speed per Killstreak Tier increased from 7% to 10%.
  • Resource Cost Reduction per Killstreak Tier increased from 6% to 10%.
• All Classes can now encounter a Bloodied Affix that increases their Primary Core Stat by 3% per Killstreak Tier. This affix appears on Bloodied Items of at least 750 Item power.
• Necromancer Balance Updates
  • Fueled by Death Passive
    • Duration increased from 6 to 8 seconds.
  • Bloodbath Legendary Paragon Node
    • Previous: Deal 20%[x] increased Overpower damage. After Overpowering, deal 50%[x] increased Physical Damage for 5 seconds.
    • Now: Deal 20%[x] increased Overpower damage. After Overpowering, deal 50%[x] increased Damage for 5 seconds.
• The Incense of Vitality has been removed.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue where Kurast Undercity Tributes could drop as Bloodied.
• Fixed an issue where the new rank wasn't displayed after Masterworking an item.
• Fixed an issue where the Butcher would stop spawning in a Nightmare Dungeon with the Fresh Meat affix if the player exited and returned via town portal.
• Fixed an issue where the Distant and Close effect from the Wyrdskin Unique Gloves could both be applied at the same time.
• Fixed an issue where Mythic Unique items were not dropping with Greater Affixes.
• Fixed an issue where the beginning announcement for an Accursed Ritual didn't appear for all players in the Helltide zone.
• Fixed an issue where the chain visual effect for a killstreak didn't match the actual duration of the active killstreak.
• Fixed an issue where Bloodsplosions could contribute more to your killstreak than intended.
• Fixed an issue where casting Falling Star with the Faster than Light upgrade would leave a gray square on the ground from where the Paladin started.
• Fixed an issue where values for Aspects were different between the Codex of Power and when imprinted or found on items.
• Fixed an issue where Azmodan's Hoard, which required items from the Season of Divine Intervention to open, would appear after defeating Azmodan.

Expansion

Balance Update

Paladin

Skills

Holy Light Aura

• Tooltip now clarifies that the skill gains damage from attack speed.

Sanctify

• Damage now remains at 90% when selecting the upgrade.

Conviction

• Adjusted rank up description in tooltip to reflect that the attack speed maximum is increased and not the Resolve maximum.

Defiance

• Increased the Rite of Prayer damage over time tickrate from 2 seconds to 1 second.
• Adjusted the tooltip to clarify that Rite of Prayer works by healing yourself as well.

Heaven's Fury

• Triplicate base damage increased from 36% to 56%.

Word of Sacrifice (Rally Enhancement)

• Health cost increased from 15% to 35%.
• Added a duration indicator and UI number to the Rally icon for this variant.

Pronouncement of Heaven (Spear of Heavens Enhancement)

• Previous: Spear of the Heavens' first spear gains a permanent Judgement mark and remains on the battlefield, dealing x% damage per second for 8 seconds.
• Now: Spear of the Heaven's gains 3 initial spears that deal x% damage per second for 12 seconds. These spears can be marked with Judgement.

Passives

Path of the Penitent

• Damage increased from 10% to 12% per stack.

Unique Items

Dawnfire

• Updated the tooltip to show that the aura around the player changes size.
• Activating Holy Light now refreshes the duration.
• Chance for Holy Light aura to deal double damage increased to the higher value for Paladin unique items.
• Buff duration increased from 15 to 20 seconds.
• Added a buff number and duration indicator to the Holy Light aura icon.
• Adjusted the tooltip to show its increased burn area per stack.

Sunbrand

• Damage increased from 30-50% to 60-100%.

Sundered Night

• Anointing passive affix replaced with + 2-4 ranks to Aura Skills.

Tempering

Holy Light Aura Potency

• Doubled the amount granted.

Paragon

Castle

• Previous: You deal increased damage equal to 1.8% of your Armor.
• Now: You deal increased damage equal to 125% of your Damage Reduction granted from Armor.

Spiritborn

In-Fighter Legendary Paragon Node

• Bonus damage increased from 30%[x] to 45%[x].

Bitter Medicine Legendary Paragon Node

• Poisoning damage bonus increased from 60%[x] to 80%[x].

Drive Legendary Paragon Node

• Duration reduced from 10 to 5 seconds.
• Maximum stacks increased from 10 to 20.
• Updated the tooltip to clarify that the buff does not refresh while at maximum stacks.

Miscellaneous

• The Incense of Vitality has been removed.

Bug Fixes

Paladin

Skill Tree

• Fixed an issue where Zenith's second cast was counting towards casting an ultimate skill for the Zan rune.
• Fixed an issue where the Sunder upgrade for Zenith was only dealing 10% of the intended damage.
• Fixed an issue where Consecrate would not properly apply Weakened.
• Fixed an issue where the Armor while in Arbiter form temper did not update if new values were gained or lost while in Arbiter form.
• Fixed a rare issue where Judgement marks could be applied to destructible objects in the environment.
• Fixed an issue where Judgement dealt damage as if it always hit one additional target.

Developer’s Note: This fix will be relatively unnoticeable when proccing many judgment explosions in a short window but still greatly reduce single explosions.

• Fixed an issue where Judgement Day's bonus was stacking multiplicatively rather than additively.
• Fixed an issue where Holy Light Aura would delay before the aura was granted to allies.
• Fixed an issue where NPC allies within Holy Light aura were dealing more damage than intended.
• Fixed an issue where Fanaticism would snapshot its stats the first time the buff was added.
• Fixed an issue with Rite of Prayer upgrade for Defiance Aura causing Resolve to be gained per ally it affected, rather than being gained if at least one ally was affected.
• Fixed an issue where the Thorns bonus from Defiance Aura would not increase with ranks immediately after allocating further skill points to upgrade the skill.
• Fixed an issue with Defiance Aura's Active where it wasn't granting the full bonuses from Thorns on its attacks.
• Fixed an issue with Retribution where it wasn't granting the full bonuses from Thorns on its attacks.
• Fixed an issue with Blessed Shield's Shield of Retribution where it wasn't granting the full bonuses from Thorns on its attacks.
• Fixed an issue with Fortress's Rampart of Thorns where it wasn't granting the full bonuses from Thorns on its attacks.
• Fixed an issue where Aegis' Impunity was not granting its Thorns bonus.
• Fixed an issue where the player would sometimes not dash using Divine Lance.
• Fixed an issue where the Juggernaut Oath was granting all skill damage rather than Juggernaut skill damage.
• Fixed an issue where pressing Falling Star twice in rapid succession would queue up a second cast before the first cast ended.
• Fixed an issue where Falling Star could damage enemies behind sealed doors.
• Fixed an issue where the player's main hand weapon could become invisible after using Falling Star and then another skill immediately afterwards.
• Fixed an issue where Consecration with the Bastion upgrade could immobilize enemies outside the active Consecration area.

Paragon

• Fixed an issue where Castle Legendary node would snapshot the values it gains from Armor in some cases.
• Fixed an issue that caused the Law glyph to grant its additive bonus to base damage rather than additive damage for Judgement.
• Fixed an issue where the Preacher paragon node scaled with weapon speed rather than bonus attack speed.

Items

• Fixed an issue where Aspect of the Disciple was not properly applying Weakened.
• Fixed an issue where some skills could stack Apogeic Furor more than once per Ultimate cast.

Developer’s Note: Recasted Ultimates will grant one stack on the first Cast of the sequence. Ultimates with charges will grant one stack per Cast.

• Fixed an issue where both Aspect of the Golden Hour and Aspect of the Judicator were granting base damage rather than multiplicative bonus damage.
• Fixed an issue where the damage bonus from Bastion of Sir Matthias was being applied to base damage.
• Fixed an issue where Light's Rebuke and Sunbrand were granting the incorrect amount of Strength and Maximum Life.
• Fixed an issue where allies had the visual fire aura around them when Dawnfire was equipped.
• Fixed an issue where the Holy Light Aura granted by Dawnfire would change the rate that NPC allies dealt their damage.
• Fixed an issue where a player with Attacks reduce Evade's cooldown affixes allowed Argent Veil to spawn infinite Core skills.
• Fixed an issue where the affixes for Cathedral's Song and Griswold's Opus didn't roll correctly.
• Fixed various Legendary Aspects and Unique items that were granting less damage bonus than intended.
• Fixed an issue where Arbiter Wing Strikes double damage tempered affix would snapshot after it happened once.
• Fixed an issue where Judgement of Auriel's damage reduction bonus was not being doubled.
• Fixed an issue where Judgement of Auriel triggered on all versions of Arbiter form's activation.
• Fixed an issue where the buff from Ward of the White Dove would disappear if a skill was used too quickly after using the final stack.
• Fixed an issue where the player could stop being Unstoppable while Zenith was active if the player was at the increased Fervor maximum granted by the Zealot's Covenant Aspect.

User Interface and User Experience

• Fixed an issue where Holy Light Aura's Rite of Submission tooltip did not properly explain its effect.

Developer’s Note: This skill stuns enemies it hits and deals a burst of damage in an area if the stunned enemy is killed during the duration.

• Fixed an issue where damage lowered on the tooltip for Sanctify.

Developer’s Note: A compensatory buff for Paladin was implemented for this, see above.

• Fixed an issue where the tooltip for the Atonement upgrade for Condemn Atonement didn't display its increased damage per rank.
• Fixed an issue where tempering for Block Chance didn't display the exact value that would be gained.
• Fixed an issue where Herald of Zakarum's tooltip was incorrectly displaying a multiplicative value.
• Fixed multiple issues when using the Keyword search in Paladin's Skill Tree.
• Fixed multiple issues where tooltips and descriptions weren't accurate or were missing information.
• Fixed an issue where changing Oaths when swapping loadouts in the Armory didn't persist.

Miscellaneous

• Fixed an issue that caused the Spiritborn Revealing Legendary paragon node to gain more than the intended double bonus when hitting Crowd Controlled enemies.

Base Game

Game Updates

New Item

All new Uniques this Season are dropped by the new Butcher Lair Boss.

Blood-Mad Idol (Unique Amulet)

Affixes

• 51-65 All Stats
• 8.3-10% Attack Speed
• 7-8% Critical Strike Chance
• 17.5-31.5% Damage Reduction while Injured

Power

• You are always Berserking but take 200%[x] increased damage as Burning over 8 seconds. While Burning, Berserking grants an additional 75-125% increased damage.

Useable by: All Classes

Wendigo Brand (Unique Ring)

Affixes

• 424-457 Life
• 855-1086 Life Regen
• 146-159 Life on Hit
• 441-490 Physical Resistance

Power

• Every 15 kills in the last 30-60 seconds increases your damage dealt by 2%, and Maximum Health by 1%.

Useable by: All Classes

Rustbitten Dirk (Unique Dagger)

Affixes

• 51-65 All Stats
• 424-457 Life
• 8.3-10% Attack Speed
• 40-50% Vulnerable Damage

Power

• Deal 50-100% increased damage to isolated enemies.

Useable by: Sorcerer, Druid, Rogue, Necromancer

Wyrdskin (Unique Gloves)

Affixes

• 424-457 Life
• 1-2 Ranks to Core Skills
• 7-8% Critical Strike Chance
• 8.3-10% Attack Speed

Power

• Attacks apply Vulnerable to Distant Enemies, and Weakened to Close Enemies. Deal 10-30% increased damage to Enemies that are both Vulnerable and Weakened.

Useable by: All Classes

Thousand-Eye Reaver (Unique One-handed Axe)

Affixes

• 424-457 Life
• 7-8% Critical Strike Chance
• 36.5-50% Movement Speed on Elite Kill
• Lucky Hit: Up to a 40% Chance to Deal 900-2,400 Physical Damage

Power

• Moving grants Ferocity, and Maximum Ferocity is increased by 1-3. Ferocity also increases Movement Speed by 4-8% per stack.

Useable by: Barbarian, Druid, Necromancer, Paladin

Balance Updates

All Classes

The Butcher's Cleaver

• Previous - Lucky Hit: Critically Striking an enemy has up to a 100% chance to Fear and Slow them by 61-90% for 4 seconds.
• Now - Your attacks Critically Strike Injured Enemies. Killing Elites Fears and Slows nearby enemies by 65-95% for 2 seconds.

Endurant Faith

• Damage threshold for activation reduced from 40% to 30% of Maximum Life.
• Damage over time duration increased from 3 to 4 seconds.

Tassets of the Dawning Sky

• Resistance increased from 20-40% to 80-160%.

X'Fal's Corroded Signet

• Previous: Lucky Hit: Your damage over time effects have up to a 75% chance to erupt, dealing 1350-1950 damage of the same type to surrounding enemies.
• Now: Each Damage over Time type you apply explodes every second, dealing 3000-4000 damage over 4 seconds to surrounding enemies.

Soulbrand

• Previous: Your Healing Potion no longer heals and instead grants a Barrier for 200% of its healing for 4 seconds. You gain 20-40% Damage Reduction while you have a Barrier and may drink your Healing Potion while at full Life.
• Now: Your Healing Potions grant a Barrier for 100% of your Maximum Life for 1 second. You gain 20-40% Damage Reduction while you have a Barrier and you may drink your Healing Potion while at full Life.

Lorcan's Talisman

• Previous: Your Skills gain [0.10 - 0.40]%[+] Critical Strike Chance per point of Primary Resource you have when cast, up to [10 - 40]%[+]. Each point of Primary Resource above 100 grants Skills 0.2%[x] Critical Strike Damage instead, up to 500 Resource.
• Now: Critical Strikes deal 50-100%[x] increased damage but your Critical Strike Chance is reduced by 50[+]%.

Crown of Lucion

• Duration increased from 4 to 6 seconds.
• Maximum stack count increased from 5 to 7.

Godslayer Crown

• Previous: When you Stun, Freeze, or Immobilize an Elite, you pull all Nearby enemies and deal 30-60% increased damage to them for 3 seconds. Can only happen once every 12 seconds. Against Bosses, this affect triggers when dealing damage instead.
• Now: When you attempt to Stun, Freeze, or Immobilize an enemy you mark them and all Nearby enemies, pulling them in and dealing 20-40% increased damage to them.

Andariel's Visage

• Previous: Lucky Hit: Up to a 20% chance to trigger a poison nova dealing (4000% weapon damage) damage over 5 seconds to enemies in the area.
• Now: Lucky Hit: Up to a 20% chance to trigger a poison nova dealing 40% of the damage you dealt over 5 seconds to enemies in the area.

Barbarian

Paragon

Weapons Master

• Fury gain reduced from 12 to 4.
• Damage bonus against Injured and Healthy increased from 45%[x] to 75%[x].

Warbringer

• Previous: For every 300 Fury you spend, gain 10% of your Maximum Life as Fortify.
• Now: After spending 300 Fury, gain 2% of your Maximum Life as Fortify. Deal 45%[x] increased damage while Fortified.

Hemorrhage

• Damage bonus increased from 60%[x] to 75%[x].

Druid

Paragon

Lust for Carnage

• Damage bonus increased from 50%[x] to 70%[x].

Thunderstruck

• Previous: Storm Skills deal increased damage equal to 20%[x] of your Damage vs Close and Damage vs Distant bonuses, up to 60%[x].
• Now: Storm Skills deal 60%[x] increased damage, and 15%[+] chance to Critically Strike.

Untamed

• Duration increased from 5 to 10 seconds.

Guzzler Glyph

• Capped at 20%.

Necromancer

Paragon

Blood Begets Blood

• Damage bonus increased from 10% to 15%, and maximum bonus increased from 50%[x] to 60%[x].
• Duration increased from 5 to 10 seconds.

Flesh-Eater

• Previous: Consuming 3 Corpses grants 40%[x] increased damage for 6 seconds.
• Now: Consuming a Corpse grants 60%[x] increased damage for 8 seconds.

Scent of Death

• Critical Strike Damage bonus increased from 30%[x] to 45%[x].

Bloodbath

• Previous: Deal 40%[x] increased Overpower damage. After Overpowering, you deal 25%[x] increased Blood Skill damage for 5 seconds.
• Now: Deal 20%[x] increased Overpower damage. After Overpowering, you deal 50%[x] increased Physical damage for 5 seconds.

Wither

• Damage bonus increased from 300%[x] to 400%[x].

Frailty

• Previous: Cursed enemies take 10%[x] increased damage from you and your Minions. This bonus is increased by 10%[x] each second they are Cursed, up to 40%[x].
• Now: Deal 50%[x] increased damage to Cursed enemies.

Imbiber Glyph

• Capped at 20%.

Rogue

Paragon

Tricks of the Trade

• Damage bonus increased from 50%[x] to 60%[x].

Deadly Ambush

• Damage bonus increased from 50%[x] to 60%[x].

Cheap Shot

• Damage bonus increased from 30%[x] to 40%[x].

Sorcerer

Paragon

Burning Instinct

• Previous: Your Burning damage is increased by 20%[x] of your Damage with Fire Bonus, plus 2%[x] for every 30 Intelligence you have, up to 90%[x].
• Now: Deal 90%[x] increased Burning damage.

Frigid Fate

• Previous: You deal bonus damage to Vulnerable enemies equal to 20%[x] of the total amount of your Bonus Damage with Cold, up to a maximum of 60%[x].
• Now: Deal 60%[x] bonus damage to Vulnerable enemies.

Elemental Summoner

• Previous: Your Conjuration Skills have a 10%[x] reduced Cooldown or Mana cost. They also deal bonus damage equal to 10%[x] of the total amount of your Bonus Damage with Fire, Lightning, and Cold, up to 60%[x].
• Now: Your Conjuration Skills have a 20%[x] reduced Cooldown or Mana cost. Casting a Conjuration Skill increases your damage with their element by 50%[x] for 6 seconds.

The Tower

• New monster types have been added to the Tower.
• New tilesets and art assets have been added for the Tower.
• Your best Tower rank now always shows in the top right of the leaderboard menu.
• Tower bosses now deal significantly more damage.
• The number of enemies defeated needed to complete the Tower has been reduced.
• A new ‘Jump to Me’ button has been added so you can find your entry more easily.
• An “End of run” screen appears to summarize key stats around your run.
• New Tower bosses have been added.
• Treasure Goblins killed in the Tower now drop better rewards.

Quality of Life Improvements

• How fast you complete a traversal now scales with movement speed, including mount speed for traversals that can be jumped over while mounted.
• Using a traversal now resets your mount cooldown.
• Potion cooldown is no longer different when in Fields of Hatred.
• Masterworked Greater Affixes now have their own icon to make them stand out.
• Added a new Hide Weapon option in the Wardrobe, allowing you to conceal sheathed weapons for a cleaner, more personalized appearance.
• All non-objective doors in Nightmare Dungeons now automatically open.
• Channeling times for repeatable actions, such as summoning the Town Portal, have been reduced and now max out at .5 seconds.
  • Additionally, the threshold for damage taken before stopping a channelled action has been increased from 5% life to 20% life.

Combat

• The Stagger mechanic for bosses has been updated.
  • Bosses now build Stagger approximately twice as fast as before.
  • Stagger buildup no longer decays over time. Once you make progress toward a Stagger, it will not drain.
  • After a boss is Staggered, they gain increased Stagger Resistance for 20 seconds.
  • While this resistance is active, the boss is 5 times harder to Stagger.
  • Each additional party member increases the Stagger threshold by 50%.
• The Legendary Monster affix now only appears in Expert Difficulty and higher.
• The Unique Monster affix now only appears in Penitent Difficulty and higher.
• The number of bosses in the Fell Council encounter in Infernal Hordes has been reduced to one in Pre-torment difficulties.
• A new monster affix has been added.  The Sapper Affix causes affected enemies to drain the your resource.
• The following monster affixes have been removed from the Pit.
  • Shielded
  • Unstoppable
  • Teleporting

Developer’s Note: We've heard feedback that players may opt to restart runs if they encounter enemies with these affixes. We are opting to remove them from these activities.

• Visual effects from Fire Enchanted and Fire Orb monster affixes have been updated to bring great attention to them.
• Minion monsters are now visually distinct from other monsters.

Miscellaneous

• Updated DLSS Super Resolution presets, taking advantage of DLSS 4.5 features when applicable. This improves image quality when using Ultra Performance, Performance, and DLAA quality modes.
• Obducite rewards in Horadric Strongrooms have been reduced significantly.
• The cap for Obducite has been increased from 999,999 to 99,999,999.
• Experience rewards have been reduced for defeating World and Lair Bosses.

Bug Fixes

Accessibility

• Fixed several instances of the Screen Reader improperly parsing and reading text. These fixes are the following:
  • Fixed an issue where the Screen Reader only read the quantity of rewards from Season Rank, but not what the rewards themselves are.
  • Fixed an issue where the Screen Reader did not read out player names when on the Social screen on Controller.
  • Fixed an issue where the Screen Reader would malfunction in the Season Rank window if the player was attacked.
  • Fixed an issue where the Screen Reader incorrectly directed the player to the Stable Master instead of the Wardrobe when unlocking pets for the first time.
  • Fixed an issue where the Screen Reader did not read out all the directions for changing difficulty.
  • Fixed an issue where the Screen Reader did not read out the text when completing a Challenge.
  • Fixed an issue where the Screen Reader malfunctioned when reading words with apostrophes.
  • Fixed an issue where the Screen Reader did not read sub-menu headers in the Wardrobe menu.
  • Fixed an issue where the Screen Reader would malfunction in the Store page.

The Tower

• Fixed an issue where the Mastery Goblin would persist after the progress bar filled.
• Fixed an issue where there was a chance to spawn into a tower layout where the player could damage monsters without leaving the starting circle.
• Fixed an issue where the Sower of Decay Guardian boss could turn invisible if hit by their own skill.
• Fixed an issue where a duo run could be listed as a solo run on the leaderboard.
• Fixed an issue where a Tower run could be extended past 10 minutes if the boss was summoned right as the timer was set to expire.
• Fixed an issue where Eternal characters could enter the Tower.
• Fixed an issue where environmental hazards could kill enemies in the Tower before the player enter the level.

Gameplay

• Fixed an issue where the Unstoppable buff granted by Grizzly Rage could randomly drop off.
• Fixed an issue where Aspect of Fel Gluttony would not properly hit twice with the Necromancer Golem hit twice affix.
• Fixed an issue where Golems spawned from Gravebloom were not properly respawning faster.
• Fixed an issue where Trickster's Aspect would cause Death Trap to spawn twice as many stun grenades as intended.
• Fixed an issue where Death Trap's Stun grenades spawned from Tricksters Aspect would spawn on your character rather than where Death Trap was Cast.
• Fixed an issue with Beastfall Boots where the amount of resource gained did not match both the resource globe and the stats window.
• Fixed an issue where Shields could drop with a Barrier Generation affix.
• Fixed an issue where summoning Bartuc in Infernal Hordes with exactly 666 Aether caused Bartuc to spawn but no Aether would be consumed and Bartuc would drop no loot. (Bartuc was clearly afraid of Diablo’s signature number).
• Fixed an issue where Esadora's Overflowing Cameo would not grant the bonus skill ranks from temporary skill rank bonuses.
• Fixed an issue where the Andariel encounter could continue longer than expected if her health was reduced to zero during phase transition.
• Fixed an issue where Orsivane locked Teleport enchantment at zero charges in some cases.
• Fixed an issue where Orsivane could sometimes overwrite the locked cooldown reduction on Teleport Enchantment in some cases.
• Fixed an issue where you couldn’t progress in the Ancient Reservoir dungeon after enemies spawned behind the barrier in Ancient Reservoir.
• Fixed an issue where killing the boss too quickly in the Malnok stronghold could fail to advance the objective.
• Fixed an issue where potion charges stopped refilling after the player was revived.
• Fixed an issue where Skeleton Ballistae would often not get close enough to the player to attack them.
• Fixed an issue where Drifting Shades didn't spawn as expected in a Nightmare Dungeon with the associated affix.
• Fixed an issue where Astaroth could be summoned multiple times at the end of an Escalating Nightmare if players joined other parties.

User Interface and User Experience

• Fixed an issue where the different color added to affixes after adding item quality was also applied to inherent affixes, which are not affected by Quality upgrades.
• Fixed an issue where Multiplicative versions of Damage to Crowd Controlled targets was n’t displaying in the stats window.
• Fixed an issue where clicking the View on Map button from Season Rank didn't function while inside a dungeon.
• Fixed an issue where the Armory could become inaccessible in certain situations.
• Fixed multiple issues when navigating the Player Profile tab on Controller.
• Fixed multiple instances of Placeholder or missing texts or images.
• Fixed multiple instances where the tooltip and codex descriptions for some aspects were inconsistent.

Miscellaneous

• Fixed an issue where both the player and any followers would have invisible weapons after dismounting.
• Fixed an issue where the visions of Lilith and Vhenard reappeared after fading during the Storming the Gates quest.
• Fixed an issue where the Whisper Cache Collection of Rings only dropped one Ring. It’s a strange fate that we should suffer over such a little thing.
• Fixed an issue where some Whisper Caches didn't drop boss summoning materials as expected.
• Fixed an issue where using a Raven of the Tree did not fulfill the requirements for the Claim a reward from the Tree of Whispers objective for the Deeds of the Champion quest.
• Fixed an issue where clearing Pit Tiers didn't grant the expected amount of experience.
• Fixed an issue where the Tormented Challenger challenges wasn't unlocked in certain circumstances when it should have been.
• Fixed an issue where Necromancers couldn't imprint certain Legendary Aspects on shields.
• Fixed an issue where adding the Tempered Affix for Resource Cost reduction removed the possibility of getting the same affix on the item via enchanting the same item.
• Fixed an issue where Scroll of Escape could be used while in town.
• Fixed multiple instances where Leave Dungeon didn't function properly.
• Various performance, stability, visual, and audio improvements.

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The update also delivers quality-of-life improvements to Bounty Pack 2 content. No specifics on what was broken or frustrating, but QOL patches this close to a content drop usually mean Gearbox was watching player feedback and moved fast. That's a good sign for how they plan to support the game post-launch.

Restart your game before jumping in. Gearbox flagged that skipping the update can cause matchmaking connection errors, which is the last thing you want mid-run. Check the official patch notes on Steam for the full breakdown.

Full patch notes below.

This Minor Update includes Pearlescent drop rate changes and QOL updates to the content released in Bounty Pack 2. 

Please restart your game to ensure that the update goes through and to prevent connection errors in matchmaking.

If you're encountering any issues, please contact 2K Support for direct assistance. You can also read the PC Troubleshooting Guide, a list of known issues, or browse a list of Support threads here.

Change Notes:

• Updated the Pearlescent Eigenburst to drop at its intended rate
• The scaling on Pearlescent drops in Ultimate Vault Hunter levels has been adjusted
  • Dev Note: We have adjusted how often Pearlescent gear appears at higher Ultimate Vault Hunter levels to meet our goals for this top-tier rarity. The starting drop chance remains the same, but the way it scales as you level up has been tuned.
• Standardized dedicated loot reward chances across all bosses in the base game, Bounty Packs, and Invincible encounters
  • Dev Note: With a new rarity now appearing in the wild, we’ve updated how bosses drop their loot to make things simpler. Bosses in the base game (including Invincibles) and all Bounty Packs now use the same drop rate for their dedicated items. This change does not impact Phosophene drop rates. We are happy to bring this update to your loot hunt! 
• Reduced the health of all Ordonite enemies’ spawned Clones by 25%. The final boss has been unchanged
• Ordonite Cannisters now have more weight to them to create a softer flight and landing. We have also added extra glow to make them easier to see

Want to see more? Catch all the latest gaming news, updates, and patch notes right here at XP Gained!

The headline change here is Update Preview access. Supporter Edition owners get early entry to Spearhead a few days before the official release, which is a decent reward for the people who backed the game early. Madfinger hasn't dropped the exact date yet, but the promise of more details coming soon means that announcement is close.

This is a thin hotfix by most measures, but the Spearhead early access angle makes it worth paying attention to if you're a Supporter Edition holder. Full patch notes below.

Hotfix 0.3.5.4 has been deployed to the live servers and is now available for download. If the 'Update' option does not appear, please restart Steam.

Changelog

• [UPDATED] Settings required for the Update Preview

Note: For this Update Preview, we’re granting access to our loyal and valued supporters. All Supporter Edition owners will get a chance to play Spearhead a few days before the official release. We’ll share more details later.

If you encounter any issues, please report them to our support team.

Thanks for your continuous feedback. We are deeply grateful for your support!

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For context, Slay the Spire 1 launched into early access as an unknown indie and built its reputation over years of word of mouth, eventually crossing 1.5 million sales around its 1.0 launch. The sequel doesn't have that problem. It arrives with one of the most devoted fanbases in the deck-builder genre already primed and waiting, and the numbers show it. The launch was so busy that, combined with Bungie's Marathon releasing the same day, it apparently broke Steam's checkout system for a stretch.

What You're Actually Getting at Launch

Mega Crit is upfront that this is early access in the real sense. Developer Casey Yano told Destructoid the current build is "missing so much content," and the team is estimating one to two years before the full release. The price will go up when that day comes, so the window to buy in cheaper is now. What's already in the game includes five playable characters, with the Ironclad, Silent, and Defect returning from the original, new cards, new Relics, and a co-op mode for up to four players that brings multiplayer-exclusive cards and team synergies. The story is set 1,000 years after the first game, with the Spire reawakening and doing what it does best.

The sequel is also built on Godot, the open-source engine, which matters for a couple of reasons. It ships with native Linux support from day one and is playable on Steam Deck, even if Valve hasn't issued a formal rating yet. Modding was already a cornerstone of the first game's longevity, and Yano confirmed the team is specifically focused on reducing friction for modders this time around, giving players more resources and easier entry points than STS1 offered.

On monetization, Yano was direct: "We're microtransaction haters." The plan is for all gameplay content to remain accessible to everyone, keeping balance discussions, which Yano described as the studio's "lifeblood," meaningful. Cosmetics may appear at some point, but the approach is clearly the opposite of what's become standard in live-service games. The Steam post from Mega Crit also confirms that player feedback and bug reports can now be submitted directly in-game, a small but genuinely useful upgrade from how the first game handled community input during its own early access run.

The original Slay the Spire is one of the most influential games of the last decade; it basically defined a genre. Hitting nearly three times its predecessor's concurrent peak on day one of early access, before a full release, before a complete content slate, is the kind of opening that makes you reconsider what the ceiling actually looks like. Check out the launch trailer if you need any more convincing.

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The mechanic works through an open world event tied to enhanced Helltide regions. Slain monsters drop "Meaty Offerings" that you cash in at a "Shrine of Slaughter" to trigger the transformation. Blizzard hasn't detailed exactly what skills you get as the Butcher, but the implication is obvious: hooks, cleavers, and a body count. The season also layers in a killstreak system that activates buffs on special "Bloodied" items, granting things like movement speed and cooldown reduction, so staying in the Butcher mindset has mechanical rewards beyond the spectacle.

There is one catch that will sting a little. You cannot fight the Butcher as the Butcher. He only ambushes players inside dungeons, and the transformation is locked to Helltide regions, so the two versions of the character exist in separate spaces. What you can do is hunt another player who has transformed in the PvP zones, where a separate version of the event spawns specifically for that purpose. That is the first actual reason to visit those areas in a long time.

A Season Built to Shake Up Lapsed Players

The timing here is deliberate. Lord of Hatred lands April 28, bringing the paladin and warlock classes, a new region, and a significant skill tree overhaul that Blizzard has been calling the end of "skill twigs." Every class gets 40 reworked skill choices plus over 80 additional options, and that update rolls out to all players regardless of whether they buy the expansion. Blizzard needed something to pull people back into the game before that drop, and "you can become Diablo's most iconic monster" is a better pitch than another set of cosmetic rewards.

The season also introduces "Bloodied Sigils," which push dungeon and boss difficulty beyond the current ceiling. That feels less like a seasonal gimmick and more like Blizzard testing a system it plans to keep. Same with the Butcher transformation itself; the open world event format and the PvP integration suggest this is a proof-of-concept for something that could return in a different form post-expansion.

For anyone who stepped away from Diablo 4 after the early seasons, the Season of Slaughter gameplay trailer makes the case more efficiently than a patch notes wall ever could. The season kicks off with a week-long event where you can play the paladin for free without pre-ordering Lord of Hatred, which is a reasonable on-ramp for players who want to test the expansion's new content before committing.

Blizzard has spent three years iterating on a game that launched to a lukewarm reception from its own fanbase. The warlock deep dive in the Diablo Spotlight video shows a studio that finally looks confident in the direction it is heading. Season of Slaughter is the appetizer, and it is a genuinely strange one. Turning players into the Butcher six weeks before a major expansion is the kind of move that gets people back in the game just to see what it feels like. Blizzard is counting on that curiosity, and honestly, it is probably right to.

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That last part is the one that matters. Xbox has never officially shipped a console that runs PC games from outside its own storefront. Project Helix, if it delivers on Sharma's framing, would be the first. Xbox's own account followed up with a short teaser video revealing the Project Helix logo and what sounds like a boot-up tone, which is a very deliberate way to signal that this thing is real hardware, not a roadmap slide.

What We Actually Know

The PC compatibility angle has been circulating in leaks for months. In October, tech YouTuber Moore's Law is Dead posted footage of what he claimed was the next Xbox's main processor, arguing the hardware was being built to access games beyond the Xbox Store. Former Xbox president Sarah Bond added fuel when she described the next console as a "very premium, very high-end curated experience" and pointed to the Asus ROG Xbox Ally as a hint at the direction Microsoft was heading. AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su confirmed in February that development of the next Xbox, featuring an AMD semi-custom SoC, is "progressing well to support a launch in 2027," though some analysts have since suggested component pricing pressures could push that window to 2028 or 2029.

Sharma's announcement doesn't resolve any of those timing questions. What it does do is make the PC-console hybrid nature of the device official for the first time. The closest analogue most people will reach for is Valve's Steam Machine experiment from 2015, which tried to plant a PC in the living room and mostly failed because the software experience wasn't there. Microsoft's position is different: it already owns the Xbox app on Windows, Game Pass spans both platforms, and its first-party studios are already shipping day-one on PC. The infrastructure for a living-room PC that feels like an Xbox already exists. Project Helix is the box that sits underneath your TV and runs it.

The contrast with Sony is hard to ignore. We covered last week how Sony is reportedly walking back PC port plans for Ghost of Yotei and Saros, doubling down on PlayStation as a closed platform. Microsoft is going the opposite direction entirely, betting that erasing the line between console and PC is a feature rather than a compromise. One of these companies is right, and we'll find out which one when Project Helix actually ships.

Sharma said she'll be discussing Project Helix with partners and studios at GDC, which opens on March 9. That's four days away. Watch the teaser Xbox dropped today and you'll notice how little it actually shows, which means GDC is almost certainly where the real conversation starts. The name is out. Now comes the part where Microsoft has to explain what running PC games on a console actually looks like in practice, and whether it means full Steam access, curated PC titles, or something else entirely.

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Ember Lab confirmed the port on X, alongside a new trailer showing the game running on Nintendo's new hardware. The Switch 2 version ships feature-complete: the base game plus the Anniversary DLC, which adds Charmstones, Spirit Guide Trials, and additional Kena outfits, along with the New Game+ mode that throws redesigned, harder combat encounters at returning players. There's no stripped-down version here; Ember Lab is putting the full package on the platform.

"We're incredibly excited to bring Kena's journey to a whole new audience, giving players the chance to experience her story at home or on the go with Nintendo Switch 2," said Josh Grier, COO at Ember Lab. For a studio that started by making short-form YouTube videos, that line about a "whole new audience" carries more weight than your typical port announcement.

A Nintendo Love Letter, Finally Returned

The detail that makes this port genuinely interesting is what Ember Lab was doing before it ever made a game. In 2016, the studio produced "Terrible Fate", a short film tribute to The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask that has since racked up over 15 million views. The love for Nintendo was always there, baked into the studio's DNA. Getting Kena onto a Nintendo console isn't just a business decision; it's the completion of something that started a decade ago with a fan project.

Kena originally launched on PlayStation under a timed console exclusivity deal, then arrived on PC via Steam in September 2022, and eventually reached Xbox in August 2024. The Switch 2 port is the last major platform gap to close. The game scored an 81 on Metacritic for PS5 and an 83 on PC, and it won Best Independent Game and Best Debut Indie Game at The Game Awards 2021. Five years on, those numbers still represent a genuinely good game that a large chunk of Nintendo-only players have never touched.

Ember Lab is also deep in development on Kena: Scars of Kosmora, a sequel set for PS5 and PC this year. Ember Lab has again partnered with PlayStation Studios on that one, which almost certainly means another period of console exclusivity before any potential Switch 2 version enters the conversation. For now, Spring 2026 is the window, and the original adventure is the offer. If you've been waiting for a reason to revisit a PS5 launch-era highlight on different hardware, this is it.

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