A surprise new update has just dramatically updated how Neighborhood Stories work in The Sims 4, as picked up by Eurogamer. The feature, which has appeared in previous Sims games, allows Sims in non-active households to go about their lives autonomously and make major changes, including having or adopting children, changing careers, moving house, and even dying in an accident.

The feature was soft-launched last November, with an early version of Neighborhood Stories having neighboring Sims able to make changes in their lives, but only if the player okayed it first or initiated the change. The new update gives non-active households full autonomy, though it can be customized for players who like to have more control over their communities.

The new feature is heavily customisable, meaning you can still allow neighbor Sims to make some changes in their lives, but can turn off Neighborhood Stories options like accidental death or moving out that may change the neighborhood too drastically. Players even have the option to configure these settings household-by-household if they want to micromanage their neighbors’ lives. Players who liked the game as it was can also turn the new feature off altogether, and continue playing as usual.

Even if players don’t interact with their neighbors enough to see the results of their newly-given freedom, players will now be able to check Neighborhood Stories updates from any mailbox. The blog post detailing these changes encourages players to check these updates, and use the information contained in them to visit neighbors and check in on all the changes that are happening.

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Monster Hunter Rise‘s big Sunbreak expansion is well on its way, with a new trailer and a release date announced this week during a digital event. Sunbreak will be available for both Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam on June 30, 2022, with pre-orders open now.

Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak will contain a whole new story for players to explore, following directly on from the events of the main game. In Sunbreak, players will take on a new challenge after successfully defending Kamura Village, travelling to the new location of Elgado Outpost which will serve as the player’s new home base. Here, hunters will get to meet a while new cast of NPCs who can assist in crafting and send the players off on brand new quests.

The new story has hunters facing off against three powerful new creatures known as the Three Lords: Garangolm, the Fanged Wyvern Lunagaron, and the Elder Dragon Malzeno.

Monster Hunter fans will have three options for purchasing Sunbreak. The regular digital-only edition costs $40, while the $50 Deluxe Edition will include a handful of bonus content such as new armor sets, gestures, and hairstyles. There’s also a limited-edition Collector’s Edition offering the same digital rewards as the Deluxe Edition, as well as physical loot including a sticker pack, enamel pin, steelbook case, and a Malzeno Amiibo. None of these options include the base Monster Hunter Rise game, however.

All players who pre-order any version of the game will get the Loyal Dog and Striped Cat armor sets for their Palamute and Palico companions. There will also be three new Malzeno-inspired Amiibo for Switch players, which will also unlock special armor for Palamute and Palico companions.

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Blizzard has detailed the patch notes for the latest update for Overwatch. The March 15 update adds a new Sombra skin, changes up the game’s map rotation, and kickstarts a new season of competitive Lockout Elimination.

The new Sombra skin is called Zhulong, and it celebrates Shanghai Dragons’ win in the 2021 Overwatch League by giving the Hero a dragon-themed appearance. The skin will set you back 200 League Tokens (about $10 USD) and can only be unlocked until March 28.

Boop! 🐉

Claim victory with Zhulong Sombra, an all new @Overwatchleague skin celebrating @ShanghaiDragons 2021 Championship. 🐉

✨ Available Now! pic.twitter.com/T8KGVGeOBQ

— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) March 15, 2022

The update also sees both the Horizon Lunar Colony and Paris maps getting rotated out of Quick Play and related modes, as well as the start of Competitive 6v6 Lockout Elimination Season 5. A few bug fixes have been implemented too.

We’ve detailed the full Overwatch March 15 update patch notes below. On the horizon, the Overwatch 2 beta is set to start in April. The beta will feature the new Push game mode, four new maps, new Damage Hero Sojourn, and reworks to various existing Heroes.

Overwatch March 15 Update Patch Notes

General

Overwatch League Grand Finals Championship Skin The new Sombra Skin “Zhulong” celebrates the Shanghai Dragons’ achievement in becoming the 2021 Overwatch League champions. The skin is purchasable for a limited time for 200 Overwatch League Tokens.NVIDIA Reflex The trigger flash option has been removed from the options screen. To enable the trigger flash display for your Reflex Analyzer monitor, please update to driver version 511.79 or later and update GeForce Experience to version 3.25 or later.

Competitive: 6v6 Lockout Elimination

Season 5 of Competitive 6v6 Lockout Elimination has begun!

Maps

Horizon Lunar Colony and Paris have been removed from Quick Play and related modes.

Bug Fixes

General Fixed a bug that caused the Contenders logo to be low resolution on Contenders skinsFixed a bug that caused “Ban list is full” to appear in the chat repeatedlyFixed a bug that caused friends to be visible on the “Recent Players” listFixed a bug on PC that caused microphone sound distortionHeroes Echo Fixed a bug that caused re-meching as a duplicated D.Va to grant too much Ultimate chargeMaps Watchpoint: Gibraltar Addressed a geometry exploitRead MoreGameSpot – Game News

Elden Ring is filled with over-the-top boss battles, but the boss fight against Rykard, of Blasphemy, is perhaps one of the game’s most memorable thanks to its unique gimmick. While Rykard’s fight isn’t nearly as difficult as other Demigod bosses Elden Ring has to offer like Starscourge Radahn as a result, he can still easily take you out if you don’t keep on your toes or fail to properly use the item the game heavily implies you should exploit.

To confront Rykard and claim his Great Rune for your own, you’ll first have to make your way through Volcano Manor. Here’s how to make it to Rykard’s boss room, as well as tips and tricks for bringing down this Shardbearer.

Getting To Rykard

There are two primary ways to do this. The first is to make your way to Volcano Manor from Mt. Gelmir and then proceed to accept and complete a series of assassination missions given to you by Tanith. After those missions are complete, Tanith will ask if you would like to see the Lord of Blasphemy himself. Accepting her offer will teleport you directly outside Rykard’s boss room.

The second method is to fight your way through Volcano Manor proper. To do this, you’ll first need to talk to Tanith inside Volcano Manor, accept her offer, and receive the Drawing-Room key. Inside one of the doors unlocked by the key is an illusory wall in the back right corner. From there, keep fighting your way forward. You’ll eventually have to engage in a boss battle against a Godskin Noble. After that, continue making your way through the manor until you reach the mist gate leading to Rykard’s boss room.

Right inside the boss room door will be a corpse with an item. This item is actually a weapon–the Serpent Hunter great spear. This weapon is essential to defeating Rykard, so go ahead and equip it.

Phase 1 – The God Devouring Serpent

Snakes…why did it have to be snakes?

The fight against Rykard is what is often referred to as a “gimmick” boss fight, or rather a fight where what kind of character you’ve built ultimately doesn’t matter. Instead, gimmick fights revolve around using a special item or mechanic to emerge victorious. In this case, that gimmick is the Serpent Hunter spear.

While at first glance it might look to be a normal spear, the weapon boasts a powerful ability that only functions for this boss fight. All of its attacks are greatly enhanced against Rykard, with the spear emitting a long-ranged white beam with every attack. This allows you to attack the massive Rykard from a much greater distance than normal. You can technically use your normal weapons or sorceries against Rykard, but if you do, you are going to have a much, much harder time. This fight is designed to be done with the Serpent Hunter.

Like many of Elden Ring’s iconic boss fights, the Rykard boss battle happens in two phases. The first is the God-Devouring Serpent, a massive coiled-snake that you’ll have to contend with in order to reveal Rykard’s true form. This serpent has a couple of key attacks to watch out for. The God-Devouring Serpent will occasionally lunge at you with its head from the side, occasionally following up one attack immediately with another. This attack can be safely blocked, or simply time your rolls to emerge unscathed.

Another, more dangerous attack the serpent will use is an unblockable grab signaled by the serpent raising its head up high before lunging towards you. You’ll need to either get out of the attack’s rather long range or dodge at the right time to avoid being grabbed and slammed into the ground. Other attacks the serpent will employ include lobbing poisonous venom at you as well as spinning in place to spew balls of lava around its body or in front of its mouth.

These attacks are easy enough to dodge, so just be sure to keep a safe distance not to stand in the pools of fire/poison. There is one final, fairly damaging attack the serpent will use. After rearing up, the serpent will slam its head into the ground and then flick its head up. This will cause a lava earthquake to erupt in an incredibly large arc in front of its head. From our experience, this can’t be dodge or jumped over. The easiest solution seems to be blocking the attack, preferably with a high fire resistance shield. You’ll still take minor damage, but it’s much better than the massive chunk of health the attack would otherwise inflict.

Once you’ve learned the God-Devouring Serpent’s attacks, all that is left is to take advantage of the Serpent Hunter’s unique attacks to deal damage whenever you get an opening. The spear deals good damage even without any upgrades, and thanks to its long range, can be used from a fairly safe distance. Take your time and poke away at the beast until it’s “dead.” You can summon a Spirit to help distract the boss as well, and if you happen to have the Mimic Tear, you’ll get the benefit of essentially having two characters wielding the Serpent Hunter weapon.

Alternatively, if you have a decent health pool and high fire resistance gear and talismans, you can also opt to run straight up to the God-Devouring Serpent, stand in the fire around its body, and hack away with the Serpent Hunter. You will take minor fire damage periodically that you’ll need to heal through, but the upside is that being so close to the monster’s body makes it unable to use most of its attacks. You’ll still have to watch out for when it spins in place and throws fireballs, however.

Phase 2 – Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy

As if a giant snake monster couldn’t get any worse.

After defeating the serpent, Rykard will reveal his true face…quite literally. He’ll also pull a big ol’ sword covered in guts out of the serpent’s mouth. Fortunately, Rykard isn’t that much more difficult than his previous form. The big new addition is his sword, which he will use for a couple different attacks. He will occasionally do long, slow sweeps with the weapon, which are easy enough to dodge (dodge towards the sword, not away, as it’s so slow you might still get caught up in the attack if you dodge the wrong way). Slightly more problematic will be his thrust attacks with the sword. These have a long range, so just keep an eye out for when he rears back and prepares to stab.

He will stab multiple times in rapid succession so keep back and dodge accordingly. Rykard will occasionally spew balls of lava around him and emit flaming skulls that zip around and leave trails of light behind them. These trails will then ignite, sending explosions all along the trail. Make sure to stay clear of any of these trails over the course of the battle.

At around 50% HP, Rykard will bust out some new moves. For starters, the serpent that you’ve already slain will come back to life, using many of the same bite attacks from the first phase of the fight. Additionally, Rykard will have two new, incredibly powerful moves you’ll have to be wary of. One will see Rykard raise his sword high above his head and emit an army of flaming skulls. These skulls will follow you and explode after a short delay. The important thing to remember when avoiding these skulls is to keep moving. Do not stand still, lest you get hit by multiple skulls. It’s best to avoid trying to get in any hits with the Serpent Hunter spear during this phase, as it leaves you wide-open to the exploding skulls. After Rykard is done throwing flaming skulls at you, he’ll charge up for a powerful sword slam attack. Get as far away from this as possible, as if you are hit by it you will very likely die in a single blow.

It’s easy to get backed into a wall in this fight, so be sure to sprint away and reposition. Otherwise, phase 2 functions much the same as phase 1 did. Take jabs at him with the Serpent Hunter when possible, don’t get to close, and be patient. Just like in phase 1, you can also take the up-close-and-personal approach and run straight up to Rykard, hug his body, and attack with the Serpent Hunter (if you have the fire resistance and HP for it). Like in phase 1, you’ll still take periodic fire damage and will also have a few attacks you’ll have to watch out for, but will be able to largely avoid his sword attacks as a result.

As in phase 1, you can summon a tanky Spirit to get Rykard’s attention and take some heat off you. Additionally, if you are having a hard time, feel free to spend a few Somber Smithing Stones (if you have any to spare) to upgrade the Serpent Hunter’s damage. You should be able to do this fight without upgrades, but having more damage always makes things a little easier. Keep poking away at Rykard with the Serpent Hunter and before long you’ll be victorious.

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EA Play Live, EA’s annual showcase for upcoming games as well as updates on titles like Apex Legends, isn’t happening this year.

“We love EA Play Live as it’s our way of connecting with our players and sharing what’s new with all of you,” EA said in a statement shared with IGN. “However, this year things aren’t lining up to show you everything on one date. We have exciting things happening at our world-class studios and this year we’ll reveal much more about these projects when the time is right for each of them. We look forward to spending time with you throughout the year!”

It’s yet another blow to what was typically a summer season filled with gaming news and announcements, at a time when in-person gatherings and events finally look to be making a comeback. E3 will not return in-person this year, with plans for an online version of the event still unclear. Geoff Keighley’s Summer Games Fest will return this summer. Gamescom will also return as an in-person and online hybrid event this year in August.

Prior to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the publisher has hosted an EA Play Live event every summer starting in 2016. In addition to including announcements about new games and updates for existing ones, EA Play also allowed fans to attend in-person and go hands-on with new EA games. Prior to 2016, EA held a traditional press conference at E3 for its upcoming game announcements. The last two EA Play events have been livestream-only due to the ongoing pandemic.

EA has multiple new projects in the works, including a Dead Space remake and multiple new Star Wars projects.

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Like seeing many other aspects of Elden Ring, achieving all of the game’s unique endings will take a ton of work. Many of the endings are only achievable after completing various NPCs questlines, which means running around the Lands Between performing strange tasks for even stranger characters. While players can set themselves up to have the option to choose between any of the endings, if you want to see them all in a single playthrough, you will need to do some save scumming. Here is how to get all of Elden Ring’s endings.

Elden Lord, Age of Fracture

Elden Ring’s finale takes place inside the Erdtree.

The Elden Lord, Age of Fracture ending is the “default” ending, since it doesn’t require you to do any additional work outside of beating all of the mandatory bosses. After defeating the final boss, players will be placed near the Fractured Marika, and to achieve this ending players need to just touch it and become the Elden Lord. This ending along with all of the other Elden Lord endings unlock the “Elden Lord” ending achievement. It’s important to note that progressing the Lord of Frenzied Flame ending too far will lock you out of this ending and all other endings. You can check out our guide to reversing the Lord of Frenzied Flame ending.

Elden Lord, Age of the Duskborn

The Age of the Duskborn ending is centered around Fia, the Deathbed Companion.

The second version of the Elden Lord ending, Age of the Duskborn, involves completing Fia’s quest, or at least the last couple steps of it. I will cover the entire side quest here, but there is a jumping on point if you missed the early steps, which need to be done early in the game. Fia is the deathbed companion who hangs out in the Roundtable Holding area. She asks to hold you, giving you a consumable item and a health debuff if you agree.

For Fia’s quest, we must first speak with Rogier, the magic user that helps you during the Margit fight. After speaking with Rogier at Stormveil Castle, you need to navigate to the secret area underneath the castle. Down here you will find the base of the death root tree that has been spreading throughout the castle. Look for a particular bloodstain, which shows Rogier getting killed by the death status effect. Later, go back to the Roundtable Hold and ask Rogier about this. Rogier’s side quest continues from here, but this is as far as you need to go in order to achieve this ending.

Now for Fia, you will need to get held a bunch. The best way to complete this is to get held, pop the blessing she gives you immediately, and get held again. Eventually, she will give you a weathered knife and ask you to return it to its owner. Talk to D, another NPC in Roundtable Hold. It’s not his knife but he knows who it belongs to. In a cutscene Fia will kill D, which is supposed to happen, after which she will leave the Roundtable Hold.

After this you will need to travel to Nokron, Eternal City. After defeating Radahn, head to where the star fell in Limgrave and head underground. Eventually you reach an aqueduct, which will have a set of twin bosses after it. After defeating them, head up the waterfall and you will reach Deeproot Depths. The main bosses arena is located in the northeast section of this area, which can be reached by climbing up a series of tree branches in the Nameless Eternal City.

For anyone who missed the opportunity to do the first half of Fia’s quest, this is where you can hop back onto this ending. Once you reach the Deeproot Depths, Fia will murder D offscreen and leave the Roundtable Hold for the Deeproot Depths. The ending is the same regardless if you did the first half of Fia’s quest.

In the boss arena you will have to defeat Fia’s Champions, who are a bunch of NPC invaders. After killing them, you will find Fia sitting next to a teleport gate that isn’t active. You will need to be held by Fia and exhaust all of the dialogue options multiple times. Eventually she will ask for the Cursemark of Death, which can be acquired at the Divine Tower of Liurnia.

In order to get into the actual Divine Tower of Liurnia you will need to advance about halfway through Ranni the Witch’s side quest. The short version is that you need to pledge yourself to Ranni, travel to Nokron, Eternal City, and find the Fingerslayer Blade. After turning that into Ranni, she gives you the Carian Inverted Statue. Head to the Carian Study Hall, located in the southeastern part of Liurnia and use the Carina Inverted Statue to invert the Study Hall. You will need to navigate down and through the Study Hall, where an elevator will eventually take you to the Divine Tower of Liurnia, where players can find the Cursemark of Death.

Return to Fia in the Deeproot Depths and she will allow you to head into the boss arena where you will fight Lichdragon Fortissax, who drops the Rune of the Death-Prince. After defeating the final boss, players will have the option to use the Rune of the Death-Prince at Marika, triggering the Age of the Duskborn ending.

Elden Lord, Age of Despair

The Age of Despair ending is centered around the loathsome Dung Eater.

For the Elden Lord, Age of Despair, ending you will need to complete the Dung Eater questline prior to finishing the game. In order to start this quest line you will need to find a Seabed Curse item, which can be at various points throughout the game. After finding one you will need to head to the Roundtable Hold and into a room just past the Twin Maiden Husks, where a projection of the Dung Eater will be hanging out. Once he sees that you have a Seabed Curse on you, he will task you with destroying him in the Subterranean Shunning Grounds underneath Leyndell and gives you the key to his cell.

Before doing that, you will want to advance the Blackguard’s storyline, so he will be present later on. In order to do this you will need to do the early steps of Rya’s side quest, which involves finding her in Liurnia. She will tell you her necklace was stolen. Head to the Boilprawn Shack in Liurnia where you will find Blackguard, who stole the necklace. Purchase it for 1,000 Runes and then purchase some boiled prawn from him. He will tell you he trusts anybody who likes boiled prawn and you will now be besties for life.

Now head to Leyndell, Capital City and find the well that leads to the Subterranean Shunning Grounds. Even if you advance the story too far and Leyndell becomes ash, there is still a hole that leads underground. The underground section is a maze, but if you have found the Underground Roadside Site of Grace you can find your way to the Dung Eater. Exit the Site of Grace to your left and head right into the caged hole in the ground. You will drop onto some rats and there will be a pipe to use to leave on the right and some Miranda Blooms on your left. Head past the Miranda Blooms, up the ladder, and follow this path. Once there, tell the Dung Eater to leave his gaol.

Head back to the Roundtable Hold and return to the room where Dung Eater was. There will now be a message directing you to the “Outer Moat,” which is the moat of Leyndell. Head to the Capital Rampart Site of Grace and head northwest to find where he will invade you. This is also where the Blackguard will show back up and give you another Seabed Curse, which is important since you will need five total. After defeating Dung Eater, return to Roundtable Hold and speak with him. He will ask you to implant his body from the Subterranean Shunning Grounds with the Seabed Curse, which you will need five of. You can give him less than five and give him more later but don’t kill him until you have given him five.

After that, he will give you the Mending Rune of the Fell Curse, which can be used at Marika in the final area to trigger this version of the ending.

Elden Lord, Age of Order

The next version of the Elden Lord ending, Age of Order, requires you to complete the Brother Corhyn and Goldmask side quests. It is possible to lock yourself out of these quests and the ending by progressing too far through the main storyline. One of the main points that locks this is having Melina burn the Erdtree, but for good measure, complete these steps as early as you can.

You will first meet Brother Corhyn in the Roundtable Hold, serving as a holy practitioner selling you incantations. After reaching the Academy of Raya Lucaria, Brother Corhyn will tell you he is leaving the Roundtable Hold to find Goldmask the next time you speak with him. Corhyn can next be found in the Altus Plateau, north of the Altus Highway Junction Site of Grace, following the same trail that leads to the map fragment there. Speak with him and then go find Goldmask, who is sitting on the broken great bridge in this area. He can be reached via a teleport gate on the north end of the bridge.

Goldmask won’t say anything when you speak with him, but return to Corhyn after, which will cause him to leave that spot to hang out with Goldmask. You will need to speak with both of them to advance from here, but you will need at least two Great Runes to do so. You will next find them in Lyendell, Capital City, by a cliff’s edge near the coliseum. After speaking with them again, you need to head to the Radagon statue, which can be found after defeating Godfrey, the First Elden Lord’s phantom.

The statue will require you to cast the Law of Regression spell in front of it to advance, which can be found in the Golden Order Principia Prayerbook. This prayer book is found at the top of the room where you fight Godfrey and can be reached by heading outside and jumping across some rooftops. After obtaining the book you will need to give it to an NPC, like the Turtle Pope, so they can teach you the Law of Regression spell. Using this spell requires 37 Intelligence, so make sure you have the right stats to advance.

After this, Corhyn and Goldmask can be found in the Mountaintops of the Giants, on the bridge to the south of the Stargazer Ruins. After that you will need to complete the Crumbling Farum Azula area and defeat the story boss there. Once that is complete, Lyendell will be ash and you can find Goldmask dead near the coliseum from earlier. On his body is the Rune of Perfect Order. Once you have it, just use that rune at Marika to get this ending.

Age of Stars Ending

The Age of Stars ending can be achieved by teaming up with Ranni.

Now that every variant of the Elden Lord endings have been covered we can move into new territory. This ending will award the “Age of Stars” achievement and is the only ending to do so. This ending does not have a point of no return, nor does it lock you out of any of the other endings. The main thing you have to do for this quest is to complete Ranni the Witch’s questline. Our guide has a more detailed version, but here is the quick version of what you need to do.

After reaching Liurnia, head to the northwest section where you will find Caria Manor. Advance through this area until you beat Royal Knight Loretta, which will give access to the Three Sisters area. Head to the middle of the three towers, which is Ranni’s Rise. Enlist in her service. After defeating Radahn, head to Nokron, Eternal City through the hole in Limgrave. Advance through here and find the treasure of Nokron, the Fingerslayer Blade. Return to her Tower and she will give you access to Renna’s Rise, the northernmost tower in the Three Sister’s area.

Use the teleport gate there to head underground to the Ansel River. Immediately in front of you is a Site of Grace and a doll that looks like Ranni. Pick up the doll and rest at the Site of Grace. You will have the option to speak with the doll, which you should pick multiple times until the doll admits its Ranni and tells you there are assassins around. You can only speak with the doll at this Site of Grace. After that, advance through the river until you reach Nokstella. Here, stick to the ground level path along the river until you find an elevator. Take that and advance through the tunnel in front of you.

In the next area an invader that looks like Blaidd (but isn’t) will attack you. Defeat him and Ranni will thank you and give you a key. In the corner of this area is a building with an elevator in it. Take the elevator to the Lake of Rot and activate the Site of Grace. Head to the Raya Lucaria Grand Library, where there is a locked chest behind Rennala. Inside is the Dark Moon Ring. Head back to the Lake of Rot, and cross it towards the massive building. Once inside, follow the river to a waterfall, where you can get inside a coffin.

This will transport you to the Astel, Naturalborn of the Void boss fight. Defeat it and there will be a path at the back of the arena leading to another area. If you haven’t picked up the Dark Moon Ring this passage will be blocked. Through here you will find yourself at the Moonlight Altar, head south to the Cathedral past the Glintstone Dragon. There will be a path down inside the Cathedral, which leads to Ranni. Give her the ring and she will tell you to finish your journey, leaving you with the Moonlight Greatsword.

Once that is complete, head to the final area of the game where Marika is. Instead of interacting with Marika, there will be a blue summon sign on the ground that will summon Ranni. Using that will trigger the Age of Stars Ending.

Lord of the Frenzied Flame

The Frenzied Flame door.

The final ending, Lord of the Frenzied Flame, unlocks its own achievement for completing it. It is also one of the only endings that locks you out of the other options, unless you do a bunch of extra stuff. For this ending you need to head to Leyndell, Capital City and head into the Subterranean Shunning Grounds. This area can be accessed even after the capital is ash, so don’t worry about locking yourself out.

In the underground area, you need to navigate to the bottom, where Mohg, the Omen, is. This is a weaker version of the shardbearer you will face later in the game. After defeating Mohg, there is a secret tunnel underneath the altar in his boss area you can access by hitting it. Once in there, you will need to platform your way to the bottom of a hole. At the bottom is a Site of Grace and a big yellow eyeball door. You must remove all armor and you will be able to open the door. This is the point of no return, locking you out of other endings unless you do a bunch of extra steps. Once inside the Three Fingers will brand you. Now, when you interact with Marika at the end of the game, the only option will be the Lord of the Frenzied Flame ending.

Now, to remove the branding of the Frenzied Flame, you will need to complete Millicent’s quest. Millicent is found in Caelid, where a sorcerer is attempting to cure her Scarlet Rot. Both can be found near Selia, Town of Sorcery. After meeting both Sage Gowry and Millicent, you will be tasked with defeating Commander O’Neil in the heart of Aenoia Swamp, which is next to the town. After defeating him you will get the Unalloyed Golden Needle. Give it to Sage Gowry and rest at a Site of Grace.

When you return it will be ready for use by Millicent. Head to the Cathedral of the Plague, located on the cliff above Selia, where Millicent is and give her the needle. She will use it on herself and then you need to exhaust her dialogue. After that she will move to Sage Gowry’s Shack, where you need to exhaust her dialogue again.

Next you will need to head to Altus Plateau and head to the Shaded Castle. It is located in the north and can be seen on the map as buildings in a very green area. The castle is located in a poison swamp and filled with Scarlet Rot enemies. At the top of the castle you can find the Valkyrie Prosthesis. Now, head south from here to the Erdtree-Gazing Site of Grave, where you can give Millicent the arm. Exhaust her dialogue. Next head to Dominula, Windmill Village, located in the northern part of the Altus Plateau. Travel to the top of the village and defeat the Godskin Apostle and rest at the Site of Grace that appears when it is defeated. Millicent should appear nearby and you will need to once again speak with her.

Millicent will move now to the Mountaintops of the Giants, specifically at the Ancient Snow Valley Ruins Site of Grace. Speak with her again and she will move on to Miquella’s Haligtree. After obtaining the secret medallion, use it at the Grand Lift of Rold and head north until you reach Ordina, Liturgical Town. Solve the puzzle here and it will unlock a teleport gate that takes you to the Haligtree. Work your way through this area until you find Millicent at the Prayer Room Site of Grace. Again, speak with her until you hear everything she has to say.

Continue down until you find the Drainage Channel Site of Grace. From there, head up through the rot infested tree where an ulcred tree spirit was. Now there are summon signs on the ground, offering you the option to either attack Millicent or defend her. Help her defeat her sisters and you will unlock a Site of Grace. Speak with Millicent, leave, and come back to find her dead. Take the Unalloyed Gold Needle from her corpse. Now, you must defeat Malenia in the heart of the Haligtree. After defeating her, use the needle on the flower left by her body, which will give you Miquella’s Needle.

Now you must head to the Crumbling Farum Azula and advance all the way through until you reach the Beside the Great Bridge Site of Grace. Head back down the elevator and outside past some enemies until you find a cliff edge. Drop down to the floating ledges and continue down until you get the chance to “rest” on one of the platforms. A cutscene will play and you will be taken to Dragonlord Placidusax’s boss chamber. This area is where you can use the needle to cleanse yourself of the Frenzied Flame. You don’t have to beat the boss, but since the needle is one-time use, you might want to so you can fast travel here later. Using the needle locks you out of the Frenzied Flame ending.

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The first wave of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s 48 new DLC tracks can now be pre-loaded for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers.

The Nintendo UK Twitter account confirmed that Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack members can go ahead and have the DLC installed and ready to go for its March 18 release, while also reminding fans that the DLC is included as part of the service at no additional cost.

If you’re a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack member, you can already download the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass at no additional cost now and be ready to play at launch this Friday!
Download now: https://t.co/0TTXv9Fw91 pic.twitter.com/t1GcfQ0uHi

— Nintendo UK (@NintendoUK) March 15, 2022

Called the Booster Course Pass, the DLC can also be purchased for $25 separately if you don’t have the higher tier of Nintendo’s online service. The DLC will include a total of 48 additional courses over the next 18 months. Wave 1 adds two new Cups–Golden Dash Cup and Lucky Cat Cup–which include three courses from the mobile-only Mario Kart Tour as well as Choco Mountain from Mario Kart 64, Coconut Mall from Mario Kart Wii, Shroom Ridge from Mario Kart DS, Sky Garden from Mario Kart: Super Circuit on the Game Boy Advance, and Toad Circuit from Mario Kart 7 on the Nintendo 3DS.

The new courses will be playable online with friends without the need for every player in a lobby to own the DLC, as long as one person has purchased the new content. Courses added to the game as DLC will also appear in the Random selection when playing Global or Regional races online.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s Booster Course Pass is just the latest piece of DLC added as part of the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack tier. Whereas a year of the basic Nintendo Switch Online membership is $20 and allows for online play and access to a selection of NES and Super NES games, the Expansion Pack tier is $50 for a year and also includes access to Animal Crossing: New Horizon’s Happy Home Paradise DLC and Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games.

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Several new Xbox Store sales are now live, offering big discounts on hit titles from Square Enix along with a wide variety of AAA and indie releases from the past few years. This includes Marvel’s Avengers, Fallout 4, Outriders, Immortals Fenyx Rising, and more.

It Takes Two was one of the best games of 2021, and you can now pick it up for just $16, down from $40. If you’ve yet to check out the adorable and inventive cooperative adventure, now is a perfect time. Another platformer, Crash Bandicoot 4, is also on sale–and it’s a great option for players looking for a challenging single-player platformer.

Guardians of the Galaxy is currently seeing a $30 discount, along with Life is Strange: True Colors, Diablo 2: Resurrected, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice GOTY Edition. Sekiro is a particularly enticing option, especially if you’re looking for a game to play once you roll credits on Elden Ring.

The new sales discount a staggering number of games, but we’ve put together a shortlist of our favorite deals below.

Best deals on Xbox Store

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey — $15 ($60) Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 — $20 ($60) Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time — $30 ($60) Crash Bandicoot N Sane Trilogy — $20 ($40) Deus Ex: Mankind Divided — $5 ($30) Diablo 2: Resurrected — $30 ($40) Dragon Quest 11 S: Echoes of an Elusive Age Definitive Edition — $26 ($40) Fallout 4 — $10 ($20) FIFA 22 — $18 ($60) Guardians of the Galaxy — $30 ($60) Immortals Fenyx Rising — $15 ($60) It Takes Two — $16 ($40) Life is Strange: True Colors — $30 ($60) Marvel’s Avengers — $16 ($40) Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain — $6 ($20) Nier Replicant — $30 ($60) Outriders — $20 ($60) Overwatch Legendary Edition — $20 ($60) Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration — $6 ($30) Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice GOTY Edition — $30 ($60) Star Wars Battlefront Ultimate Edition — $4 ($20) Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order — $10 ($40) Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 — $20 ($40)

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There are quite a few endings in Elden Ring, with nearly all of them requiring you to invest pretty heavily in certain character quests or discover well-hidden secrets. From Software ensured you’d have plenty of agency at the finale of the game, though, as you’re able to choose between any of the endings you’ve unlocked once you beat the final boss. That is unless you’ve ventured extremely deep beneath the capital city of Leyndell and decided to accept the branding of the Three Fingers. Doing so locks you into the Frenzied Flame ending, which means you’ll have no option to choose how things play out after the final boss. Luckily, you can reverse this lockout using a special item in a specific place, and we’re going to fill you in on the process.

Complete Millicent’s lengthy quest and obtain Miquella’s Needle

In order to obtain the necessary item to reverse the Frenzied Flame ending, you’ll first need to follow Millicent’s long and winding quest. This quest begins by speaking to Gowry in eastern Caelid and takes you on a game-spanning adventure that doesn’t wrap up until you’ve accessed the optional Haligtree area.

You can follow our Millicent Quest Guide to speed things up and ensure that you meet all of the necessary requirements. Once that’s wrapped up and you’ve found yourself in possession of her Unalloyed Gold Needle, you’ll need to defeat one of the game’s toughest bosses Malenia, who is the final encounter of the Haligtree.

Malenia won’t go down easy, but once you’ve put an end to her, rest at a Site of Grace and return to the boss room. You’ll find a massive flower in the center of the room, and if you approach it at the right spot, you’ll be prompted to turn the Unalloyed Gold Needle into Miquella’s Needle. You can only use this item in one place, however, so you’ve got some more adventuring to do before you can reverse that ending.

Kill Dragonlord Placidusax in Crumbling Farum Azula

Next up, you’ll need to have found and nearly completed the final legacy dungeon Crumbling Farum Azula. Start from the Beside the Great Bridge Site of Grace, which is right before the boss of the dungeon, and backtrack by going down the lift. Follow the steps down and back outside, then walk straight ahead of you to the side of the cliff and look down to see some cleverly hidden floating platforms to which you can drop.

Mosey over there and drop off to the platforms below.

Make your way across these platforms until you reach a large piece of debris. On that debris, you’ll find a spot that prompts you to lay down, at which point you’ll be teleported to a massive circular boss arena to fight Dragonlord Placidusax.

If you’ve fought any of the other dragons around Crumbling Farum Azula, you’ll find that Dragonlord Placidusax is essentially an amped-up version of them. He hits hard and will undoubtedly test the mettle of many players, but a bit of perseverance will ensure that he soon falls.

Use Miquella’s Needle in the boss arena

Whenever you’re ready to reverse the Frenzied Flame ending, you must use Miquella’s Needle in the Dragonlord Placidusax arena. When you do so, you’ll free yourself of the Three Fingers’ branding and be able to access any other endings for which you’ve met the requirements. Keep in mind, however, that the needle is a consumable item, so be absolutely certain that you don’t want to complete the game with the Frenzied Flame ending before using it.

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Borderlands games have always been about shooting baddies and getting loot with friends, and the upcoming spinoff to the franchise, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, is keeping that integral part of the formula. When the game launches on March 25, players will be able to hop into games with each other whether they’re sitting on the same couch or miles away, and can seemingly customize the experience as much as they want.

Anyone who plays co-op in Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands will have a decent bit of control over their session. Players will have two options that change how loot drops, and another two that change how enemy difficulty scales. While it’s not clear what those options are, Borderlands 3 previously let hosts set instance-based loot drops, meaning each player got their own set of loot instead of everyone having to split drops. As for enemy options, it’s possible that players will be able to set enemies to scale with each player individually, meaning anyone will be able to play co-op together regardless of their gear.

At launch, anyone playing Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands will be able to use cross-play through Gearbox’s SHiFT Matchmaking. That applies to anyone playing the game on Xbox Series consoles, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, or PC. This is a solid change of pace from Borderlands 3, which launched without cross-play compatibility, though it was patched into the game in 2021 save for its PlayStation version.

Of course, people can also get together and play through Gearbox’s latest Borderlands adventure, though which platform they use will come into account. Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands will have split-screen support at launch, giving four players a corner of a screen each on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. However, anyone playing on a PS4 or Xbox One will only be able to have two people play at the same time, assumedly because of hardware limitations.

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