Blizzard will inject a little WoW into Diablo 4- Vessel of Hatred with a new co-op dungeon and party finder-
Watch On
Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred is starting to look a lot like a budding MMO—or something closer to Destiny 2 at least—with the Dark Citadel, an endgame four-player co-op dungeon with weekly rewards.
Announced during an Xbox stream at Gamescom, the Dark Citadel is a multi-part dungeon with obstacles that require at least two players to clear. In the developer insights video, we saw characters opening doors for each other and taking turns reflecting attacks back at a boss. And just like in World of Warcraft, you’ll be able to mark enemies with symbols to coordinate with your team.
In classic MMO style, you’ll be rewarded with a cache of loot for completing the Dark Citadel every week. Each of its bosses will drop class-specific items and a unique currency you can use to buy cosmetics and consumables to buff your allies. All of this sounds like Diablo 4’s version of WoW’s raid tier sets and craftable potions, if you ask me.
If that wasn’t enough, Bliz…
Bots now account for half of global internet traffic and ‘bad bots’ nearly one third-
Chalk this up as further evidence of the impending demise of civilisation, along with the climate, large language models and the increasingly ubiquitous implementation of the Oxford comma. Now it’s being reported that very nearly half of all internet traffic is accounted for by bots.
That’s according to the 2024 Bad Bot Report by cybersecurity specialist Imperva, via SecurityBrief. The headline figure has bots representing 49.6% of all internet traffic. Arguably even worse is the 32% of all traffic associated with so called “bad bots.”
“Bots are one of the most pervasive and growing threats facing every industry. From simple web scraping to malicious account takeover, spam, and denial of service, bots negatively impact an organisation’s bottom line,” Nanhi Singh, General Manager, Application Security at Imperva, said, presumably with an apathetic, defeated sigh.
Imperva found that bad bot traffic varied fairly dramatically by geography. For instance, Ireland topped…
Skyrim mod adds AI voice acting for all the Dragonborn’s dialogue-
Aside from various grunts and dragonshouts, the Dragonborn is a silent protagonist. If that’s not your thing, Mathiew May’s Dragonborn Voice Over mod for Skyrim Special Edition will let you hear every dialogue line you select repeated out loud.
You can select from a handful of voice packs, each created with ElevenLabs AI. Skyrim’s protagonist has more than 7,000 lines of dialogue, so you can see why it’s easier to get an AI to generate dialogue than having someone sit down and record it. So far three voice packs are available, all based on women’s voices. As well as the default, other modders have contributed voice packs based on Wang Yuanji from Dynasty Warriors and the female Sith Inquisitor from Star Wars: The Old Republic.
May says this mod is a work in progress, with more voice packs to come as well as an update that will decrease the response time between player-character dialogue and non-player character responses. As you can see in the Dragonborn Voice Over showc…
Moonbreaker, the digital miniatures game from Subnautica developer Unknown Worlds, has released-
Super unique digital miniatures game Moonbreaker has launched out of early access and into 1.0 as of this week, releasing its skirmish combat and painting fun with a whole stack of updates, tweaks, and new features. The highlight for many is a new single-player experience, Boss Run Mode, that takes you through 10 rounds of battle on four new maps to unlock the game’s lore via big battles with nasty boss opponents.
Along with that came a few new commanders and twelve new crew units to take, as well as a healthy pile of new unique cosmetics and such to unlock in the continued rewards track for 1.0.
The 1.0 release also updated the painting aspect of Moonbreaker with a refreshed UI and new tools like stencils and masking liquids to let you paint up them little guys way better than before.
The three new captains to lead your crew all sound pretty interesting. Two fo them, Feng Huang and Saveri, specialize in solo combat. Feng Huang as a tougher, mobile expert in …
Sit back down, Tarnished- FromSoftware’s parent company has poured cold water on an imminent Elden Ring DLC release-
Despite a slew of curious Steam updates that have Elden Ring fans vibrating with anticipation for an imminent DLC release, FromSoftware’s parent company, Kadokawa, has stepped in to crush those dreams.
In an FAQ section from a recent financial report, the company gave an update about the development status of Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC: “We are currently working hard on the development of DLC for Elden Ring but we have not announced a release date at this time.”
Sorry, Elden Ring DLC truthers—that doesn’t seem like the kind of thing you’d say if you were about to release an expansion on the RPG’s two-year anniversary in a few weeks as some fans have started to believe. It’s more likely the kind of statement you make to assure shareholders that development is going well. I wouldn’t expect to see the DLC until sometime in the company’s next fiscal year, which begins in April.
The report also notes that “various measures are currently in progress for…
Helldivers 2 and Star Wars collide in this amazing mod, due for release -later this week–
Helldivers 2 may not have any official modding support, but you simply cannot stop players putting weird stuff in your game. A couple of weeks ago, YouTuber and modder ToastedShoes dropped Master Chief, Buzz Lightyear, the TARDIS, and more into the war for a truly chaotic take on managed democracy. Now he’s showing off an impressive collision with the Star Wars universe.
Not only are the Helldivers themselves reskinned as clone soldiers (including fan favourites Rex, Cody, and Hunter), the Automatons have been recast as Separatist droids. Though the weapons and stratagems are unchanged, it’s surprising how well it all fits together for a convincing recreation of a Clone Wars battle. Finally, you can experience what it would be like to scrabble in the mud against horrific odds while the Jedi are off somewhere else messing about with their lightsabers.
You can’t try the full Helldivers 2 Star Wars mod for yourself just yet, but you don’t have long to wait—Toast…
The best gaming keyboard I’ve reviewed all year is down to $145 for Black Friday-
You know what makes a gaming keyboard great? Lubed switches. That might not have been what you thought I’d say, but when you get going on a board with such slick switches, it’s typing bliss. That’s why I love the Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless—it offers all the important features for a PC gamer with the added benefit of lubed switches.
The Strix II 96 is also $144.99 over at Amazon for Black Friday right now.
I waxed lyrical about how great a set of finely lubed mechanical switches are in my Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless review, but I’ll give you the skinny here, too. A drop of lube inside each switch makes for a much smoother actuation and a satisfying clack. Each switch is responsive, smooth, and you can happily glide between them for work involving tons of typing. I’m using this keyboard to type out this story, in fact.
- We’re curating all the best early Black Friday PC gaming deals right…
Today’s Wordle 565 answer and hint for Thursday, January 5-
Improve your daily Wordle game with our selection of general guides and tips, read a helpful hint designed to nudge you in the direction of today’s Wordle without giving the game away, or simply scroll or click straight to the January 5 (565) answer—however you want to win, I can help you achieve it.
One…two… three… four… fi-oh no just four greens. Luckily for me, there was only one possible alternative answer after that initial miss, so I was able to clear today’s Wordle nice and early.
Wordle hint
A Wordle hint for Thursday, January 5
Hair or fur that is smooth, glossy, and well cared for can be described as today’s answer. This word can also refer to someone or something that looks exceptionally stylish too. There’s one vowel today, used twice.
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Wordle help: 3 tips for beating Wordle every day
If there’s one thing better than playing Wordle, it’s play…
This week’s Deadlock patch offered a brief peek at 3 unreleased heroes before a hotfix shoved them back behind the curtain-
It’s only been a week since Valve officially acknowledged Deadlock’s existence, and gaming’s least-closed beta test is already changing quite a bit. Yesterday, Deadlock got a hefty patch that added wall-jumping and more than a hundred hero balance tweaks, because the third person MOBA shooter wasn’t already complicated enough without elaborate parkour. Also included in the patch is a new profile screen, showing statistics from a player’s playtime with different heroes, which—as some eagle-eyed Deadlock enthusiasts noticed—included three heroes that we can’t yet select in-game: Holliday, Mirage, and Wrecker.
A hotfix arrived shortly afterwards that removed the unimplemented heroes from the profile statistics page, but players snagged some screenshots as proof. Better still, while those heroes might not be visible in in-game menus, it’s possible to try them out in Deadlock’s sandbox mode using a few console commands. It seems safe to assume these three will join the …
Ubisoft is on the NFT sauce again- A new partnership with Web3 platform Immutable aims to create ‘a fresh new experience that players will love’-
A year ago it looked like Ubisoft’s ardor for NFTs was cooling, but now it seems that the heat is back on. The Assassin’s Creed publisher has entered into a new partnership with blockchain gaming platform Immutable “to create a new gaming experience that will further unlock the potential of Web3.”
Ubisoft’s history with NFTs has not been an especially good one. Bullish rhetoric and half-assed efforts like numbered helmets in Ghost Recon: Breakpoint didn’t impress anyone, Ubisoft employees included, and in September 2022 the company seemed to change tack, saying (not entirely convincingly) that it was really all just for research, and that “when we have something that gives you a real benefit, we’ll bring it to you.”
It didn’t take Ubisoft long to find the “benefits” it was looking for. In May of this year, Ubi teamed up with a company called Integrated Reality Labs to create a series of Assassin’s Creed-themed “Smart Collectibles,” which are essentially little figurines …
Blizzard finally has a solution for the unlucky Diablo 4 players with Uber Uniques they don’t want-
Hours of grinding for Diablo 4’s rarest and most powerful items, Uber Uniques, won’t guarantee you’ll get the one you actually want. I’m in this situation right now. I’ve killed the boss who drops them almost 100 times and he refuses to give me the one I need. But next week, my bad luck with Uber Uniques will at least amount to something: Blizzard is going to let you break them down to create one of your choice.
Patch 1.3.2, which will go live on February 13, will let you break down your Uber Uniques and use a new material to craft the one you want. You’ll first have to say goodbye to your precious items and salvage them at the blacksmith for one Resplendent Spark each. Then you can take five Resplendent Sparks to an alchemist and choose which of the seven available Uber Uniques you want them to make.
Now, acquiring five Uber Uniques in the first place is a feat all on its own, so don’t think this will make the grind any easier. Endgame players will still need to spend h…
Wordle today- Hint and answer #912 for Monday, December 18-
There’s a hint for today’s Wordle right here and ready to help if you need it, as well as a great selection of general tips that will improve every game. If you’re really stuck, don’t forget the answer to the December 18 (912) Wordle is on this page and ready to go if you need it too. Don’t worry, you’re going to win.
That letter? There? It looked like I was about to have a pretty miserable game of Wordle today when a solitary green finally decided to show up and lend a hand. Luckily for me, a few yellows appeared soon after, and between the three of them, and a bit of thought, I was able to work my way towards today’s Wordle answer.
Wordle today: A hint
Wordle today: A hint for Monday, December 18
A great joke. A silly song. A stupid movie. All sorts of things can tickle someone’s _____ bone or make them laugh.
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Is there a double letter in Wordle today?
Yes, a letter is used tw…
Wordle hint and answer today- Let’s solve #597, February 6-
Solve today’s Wordle your way with our extensive range of helpful hints and daily clues, or improve your game in general with our guides and archives. Don’t worry if you’re one guess away from Wordle oblivion and just need the answer in a hurry—the answer to the February 6 (597) puzzle is just below.
Well, that was different. It turns out I had the right letters in the right order… the only problem was they were in exactly the wrong place. I should’ve taken a step back and really thought about the options I had, but I chose to waste a few guesses blundering about instead.
Wordle hint
A Wordle hint for Monday, February 6
The answer to today’s Wordle is nice and simple, so try not to overthink it. If you finished a race behind eighth place and in front of tenth you’d be in…?
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Is there a double letter in today’s Wordle?
Yes, a letter is used twice in today’s puzzle.
Wordle…
Where to buy an Nvidia RTX 4070 Ti today- early retailer listings from $840–$1,050-
Nvidia’s latest RTX 40-series graphics card launches today, January 5. Announced during CES 2023, the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is a $799 graphics card with some fairly lofty 1440p and 4K performance to offer. I just hope we’ll see prices actually sticking around that price tag for a decent amount of time today—early listings would suggest that $799 price tag will be hard to come by, however.
If you’ve been keeping up with the Nvidia 40-series launch, you’ll know that the RTX 4070 Ti is one and the same with the RTX 4080 12GB that was originally announced by Nvidia only to be pulled from the roster pre-launch. The RTX 4070 Ti is the exact same card, only now comes in at $100 cheaper.
We’ve already published our Gigabyte RTX 4070 Ti Gaming OC review, so take a look if you’re still not entirely sure whether you want to drop $799 or more on one today. In summary, it’s likely the card to buy around this price range, especially with DLSS Frame Generation, but it’s not quite a…
Xbox chief Phil Spencer thanks Bobby Kotick for his ‘invaluable contributions’ to the games industry as Kotick officially exits Activision Blizzard after 32 years-
It is now official: In a farewell message to employees, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has confirmed that he will be leaving the company.
Kotick’s future with Activision Blizzard came into question almost as soon as Microsoft announced its intention to acquire the company back in January 2022. The decision appeared to be all but made after that deal was finally closed, as Kotick said Xbox boss Phil Spencer had asked him to stay on as CEO “through the end of 2023,” which isn’t generally the sort of timeline you announce if you’re expecting to stick around. But today’s message makes it a done deal.
“As my last day leading this company inches closer, I marvel at how far the talented people at our company have come toward realizing the great potential of games,” Kotick wrote. “You have transformed a hobbyist form of entertainment into the world’s most engaging medium. It has been the privilege of my lifetime to work alongside you as we broadened the appeal of gam…
Wordle hint and answer #645- Sunday, March 26-
Master today’s Wordle with our beginner-friendly guides and tips, give yourself a helpful pointer with a clue for the March 26 (645) game, or save your win streak with today’s answer. Whatever Wordle help you need this Sunday, you’ll find it just below.
I had a lot of yellows today, and every space I put them in was wrong. Until… ah, no, not like that either. I did find the answer in the end, but today’s Wordle was a lot closer and less sure than I’d have liked it to be.
Wordle hint
A Wordle hint for Sunday, March 26
The word you need to find today describes the act of undoing some sort of knot or unbinding something that had been held by string, ribbon, or similar—like shoelaces.
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Is there a double letter in today’s Wordle?
No letters are used twice in today’s puzzle.
Wordle help: 3 tips for beating Wordle every day
Anyone can pick up and play Word…