Pokemon Go Fest 2022 Finale: Tips, Tricks, And Prep Guide

Pokemon Go’s annual Go Fest event has been bigger than ever in 2022, with three in-person events in Berlin, Seattle, and Sapporo, as well as a two-part global event accessible to all players. As the Season of Go comes to a close, the finale of the global event is coming up quickly. Here’s everything you need to know to get ready for the event and how to make the most of it.

What, Where, When, How?

What: Pokemon Go Fest Global Finale Event

Where: Wherever you are

When: August 27 from 10 AM – 6 PM local time

How: If you bought a ticket for the June 4 – 5 Global Go Fest Event, you automatically get to participate in the finale. If you didn’t, you can buy a ticket in the shop for $10.99 USD (or local currency equivalent). Anyone who already has a ticket can also gift a ticket to up to three friends for only $5.99 USD (or local currency equivalent), so a group of friends can get a good discount.

What to Expect

If you played in the June 4 – 5 Go Fest event earlier this summer, or even in the 2020 or 2021 Go Fest events, you’ll be familiar with the general format. The Go Fest Finale will feature four rotating habitats, each one lasting two hours and themed after one of the four Ultra Beasts that have been released this season: Pheromosa, Buzzwole, Xurkitree, and Nihilego. Different Pokemon will spawn in the wild and from Incense during each habitat, and below the Pokemon that have been announced in advance will get a quick overview of their usefulness.

Ultra Incursion: Pheromosa (10 AM to 12 PM local time)

Pheromosa in Pokemon Go

Wild Spawns (the Pokemon names bolded below can be encountered in their shiny forms):

Pikachu Wearing a Shaymin Scarf – A new costumed shiny for those who collect costumed Pokemon.Scyther – Mega Scizor was just released, so if you haven’t gotten a good one yet this could be your opportunity. Scizor also has niche play in all three PvP Leagues and is a strong Bug-type raid attacker.Pinsir – Prepare yourself early by finding a good Pinsir for its eventual Mega release. Even without its Mega Evolution, Pinsir is a strong Bug-type raid attacker;Sudowoodo – Sudowoodo has seen some success in Great League, mostly in limited metas. This is also a good chance to collect Candy XL to be able to power up a Bonsly for Great League or Sudowoodo for Ultra League.Hitmontop – If you missed the shiny at the Pokemon Go Tour: Johto event back in February, this could be a good opportunity to add this relatively recent shiny to your collection. Hitmontop also has some use in Great League and can even be a spicy option in Ultra League if you want to invest Candy XL.Meditite – Medicham is one of the most popular Pokemon in the Great League, and it will also have a Mega Evolution coming some time in the future. If you still need a high-ranking Medicham or more Candy XL to fully power one up, this will be a great opportunity.Anorith – Anorith isn’t a very common spawn, so many players may still be missing this shiny.Kricketot – Not every spawn is going to be something special, but at least you can get the shiny if you’re still hunting one.Woobat – Another relatively infrequent spawn outside of events, so a good chance to go shiny hunting.Karrablast – This shiny was just released in June for the first part of the Global Go Fest event, and Escavalier is useful in the Great and Ultra Leagues.

Incense Spawns:

Galarian Mr. Mime – While neither Galarian Mr. Mime nor its evolution, Mr. Rime, are particularly useful, they were restricted to a very short, paid event in December 2020 until very recently. This could also fill a hole in some players’ Pokedexes if they have yet to register a Mr. Mime, which is regional to Europe.Unown B, G, N, O, P, S, X – Unown are extraordinarily rare outside of events like Go Fest, so this is a good time to stock up. All of the Unown in this event can be shiny, and this is the first time ever that Unown N and X will be available in their shiny forms;Pansage – This will be plenty of players’ first chance to catch this regional Pokemon normally restricted to the Asia-Pacific region, which just had its shiny released earlier this month at Go Fest Sapporo.

Ultra Incursion: Buzzwole (12 PM – 2 PM local time)

Buzzwole in Pokemon Go

Wild Spawns:

Pikachu Wearing a Shaymin ScarfMachop – Machamp has long been one of the best Fighting-type raid bosses in the game. If you don’t already have one (or several) on your raid rosters, this is a good time to get some ready. Machamp also has play in all three PvP leagues.Geodude – Alolan Geodude may have recently had a Community Day, but shiny Kantonian Geodude may be more elusive to some trainers.Hitmonlee – A hard-to-find shiny outside of its release in the Pokemon Go Tour: Kanto event last year. It also shares Candy XL with Hitmonchan and Hitmontop, who both need it to be able to compete in Ultra League.Hitmonchan – Like its kick-themed brother, this is a relatively hard-to-come-by shiny, and Hitmonchan has some play in both Great and Ultra Leagues.Magmar – If you missed Magmar’s Community Day in 2020, this could be a good chance to get yourself a shiny or two.Numel – Numel’s shiny was only recently released, so many players may still be lacking it. Its evolution, Camerupt, also has a Mega Evolution that will likely appear at some point in the future.Cranidos – Although glassy, Rampardos can deal out quite a bit of Rock-type damage in raid battles. It’s also a pretty new shiny that some may still need.Drilbur – One of the few Pokemon featured without an available shiny, Drilbur is still worth catching as Excadrill is a great Ground-type raid attacker and an important part of the Master League meta, so stock up on those Candy XL.Axew – Haxorus is a fan-favorite Dragon with a great shiny design, and this is a great chance to hunt it without spending raid passes. Haxorus also has some play in Master League, especially the Master League Premier Cup.

Incense Spawns:

Unown B, G, N, O, P, S, XTorkoal – This regional Pokemon normally restricted to mainland Asia will be great for players who can’t make the trip there and missed the first Go Fest event in June.Pansear – This regional Pokemon is usually restricted to Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and just had its shiny released at Go Fest Berlin in July.

Ultra Incursion: Xurkitree (2 PM – 4 PM local time)

Xurkitree in Pokemon Go

Wild Spawns:

Pikachu Wearing a Shaymin ScarfElectabuzz – Electivire, especially its shadow variant, is a great Electric-type raid attacker.Electrike – This could be an opportunity to get a strong candidate to Mega Evolve into Mega Manectric.Shinx – Shinx’s recent Community Day made Luxray a bit more viable in PvP with the new move Psychic Fangs, but it’s still a pretty niche pick at best.Lileep – A relatively rare spawn outside events that some may still need a shiny of. Its evolution, Cradily, also can be useful in Great League, and even Ultra League if you’re willing to invest the Candy XL.Burmy (Sandy) – Burmy and Wormadam’s Sandy form isn’t the most useful, but they do share Candy and Candy XL with the much more useful Trash Cloak Wormadam.Combee – This is a new shiny many players likely still don’t have, but even more importantly, it grants 750 Stardust when caught.Foongus – Like Combee, this is a new shiny that also gives extra Stardust when caught.Joltik – While it can’t be shiny, Galvantula is a very good Pokemon in Great League, and maxed out with Candy XL in Ultra League.Shelmet – Accelgor isn’t as useful as its counterpart Escavalier, but this is still a new shiny that was just released during the June 4 – 5 Global Go Fest event that trainers now get a second shot at.Stunfisk – Unovan Stunfisk hasn’t had its shiny released yet like its Galarian cousin, but both share the same Candy and Candy XL, and both are very useful in Great League and Ultra League.

Incense Spawns:

Unown B, G, N, O, P, S, XKlink – this shiny is usually only available through raids and eggs, so it’s nice to be able to hunt them during this event.Panpour – This regional Pokemon is usually restricted to the Americas, and just had its shiny released in July at Go Fest Seattle.

Ultra Incursion: Nihilego (4 PM – 6 PM local time)

Nihilego in Pokemon Go

Wild Spawns:

Bulbasaur – This classic starter Pokemon is strong in the Great and Ultra Leagues when evolved to Venusaur, and has a Mega Evolution that’s great for raids. Make sure to wait to get its Community Day move Frenzy Plant when you can.Pikachu Wearing a Shaymin ScarfClefairy – Clefable is a strong Charm-user in Great and Ultra Leagues.Tentacool – Tentacruel can be a strong check to Great League king Azumarill, but outside of that niche it’s not all that useful.Chansey – This bulky Pokemon and its evolution Blissey have been staples for holding gyms since way back in 2016. The minty green shiny is a personal favorite, as well.Tangela – This shiny was released a while back, but Tangela hasn’t been a terribly common spawn so this is a good opportunity to snag one. Its evolution, Tangrowth, also has some use in Ultra League (especially the Premier Classic format).Omanyte – Players still working on the “Let’s GO, Meltan” special research will be happy to be able to check off this Pokemon that’s required for one of the steps.Chikorita – Like Bulbasaur, its evolution can be useful in the Great League (and Ultra if you’re willing to invest Candy XL), but needs its Community Day move Frenzy Plant.Turtwig – This might be a spawn to pass on when there are more valuable things in the area, unless you’re still missing the shiny for this former Community Day Pokemon.Burmy (Plant) – Like the Sandy Cloak version spawning during the Xurkitree habitat, Plant Cloak Burmy and Wormadam aren’t very useful, but the Candy and Candy XL can be useful to put into a Trash Cloak Wormadam, which is useful in some restricted Great League formats. It’s also a pretty rare shiny.Munna – This is one of the new shinies debuting for the Go Fest Finale event. Make sure to snag one (or a couple), though neither it nor its evolution, Musharna, aren’t terribly useful for anything.Frillish (Female) – Jellicent is very useful in both Great and Ultra Leagues (though requires Candy XL for the latter), so this is a good time to find a good one and stock up on resources to power them up.Swirlix – Swirlix’s shiny was just released within the past month, so many players likely still don’t have one.Skrelp – Dragalge has some use in Great and Ultra Leagues. It’s by no means a necessity to compete, but it can be a nice addition to your rosters.

Incense Spawns:

Unown B, G, N, O, P, S, XTropius – This regional Pokemon is usually locked to Africa and the Middle East. It’s a strong Great League pick that players from other regions who don’t have the ability to travel there will be happy to get their hands on.Frillish (Male) – The only difference between male and female Frillish and Jellicent are the colors, so male Jellicent has the same play in Great and Ultra Leagues as female Jellicent. This is a rare opportunity to get a male Jellicent with low Attack for PvP, and gives more chances to stock up on Candy and Candy XL.

Raids

The Go Fest Finale will include event-specific raid bosses in one-star, three-star, and five-star raids. One and three-star raids will be the same for the entire event, but five-star raids will change with each habitat.

One-Star Raids:

Pikachu Wearing a Shaymin Scarf – Electric is only weak to Ground-type attacks.Axew – Take it down easily with Ice types, Fairies, and other Dragons.Rockruff – Use Fighting, Ground, Water, or Grass-types for another chance to get more shinies for its multiple evolution forms (including Dusk Form which has yet to be released).

Three-Star Raids:

Snorlax – Use Fighting-types for this elusive shiny and to gather Candy and Candy XL to build this tank that’s useful in all three PvP leagues.Salamence – Ice-type attacks are doubly effective against this Dragon and Flying-type that works as an excellent raider against other Dragons with its Community Day move.Druddigon – Like Axew, use Ice, Fairy, and Dragon-types to get a shot at this relatively new shiny;Dartrix, Torracat, Brionne – These middle-stage Alola starters probably aren’t the best use of your raid passes, but if you do raid them, use Fire, Water, and Grass respectively against them.

Five-Star Raids – Pheromosa, Buzzwole, and Xurkitree will make their global debuts in five-star raids during their respective habitats, with all three plus Nihilego appearing during the final habitat. Here’s a quick rundown of their counters and usefulness.

Pheromosa – Bug/Fighting is double weak to Flying damage, so break out those Rayquaza, Staraptor, and Moltres. Pheromosa is extremely glassy so should be pretty easy for most trainers to defeat, but unfortunately there isn’t much use for it.Buzzwole: Same typing and double weakness as Pheromosa, but Buzzwole looks like it will make an impact in Ultra and Master Leagues (raid level Buzzwole is too high CP to be used in Great League).Xurkitree: As an Electric-type, it is only weak to Ground, so Excadrill, Garchomp, Rhyperior, and Groudon are your friends. Xurkitree looks to be a very good Electric-type raid attacker with its huge Attack stat.Nihilego: Rock and Poison typing makes Nihilego double weak to Ground, so you can use the same counters as you use against Xurkitree. It’s the best Poison-type raid attacker, but that type is really only useful against things with a double weakness, like Grass/Fairy Tapu Bulu.

Bonuses

Players who have tickets will get the following perks and bonuses:

Up to nine free in-person Raid Passes from spinning Gyms (you can only have one at a time in your bag).Up to five snapshot encounters (likely either the new costumed Pikachu or Rotom’s Mow form, which was available at the in-person Go Fests).5000 extra XP from defeating in-person raids.Incense will last two hours.3x XP for spinning Pokestops and Gyms.Eggs hatch in half the normal distance,Shaymin will be able to change forms between Sky and Land Formes.A total of four special researches.Increased chance of finding shiny Pokemon.

Free-to-Play Experience

Players who don’t have a ticket will still be able to access some features of the event:

The raids that appear will be the same for all players regardless of whether they have a ticket.Non-ticketed players will get one snapshot encounter.Non-ticketed players will get the first special research that ticketed players get, but not the other three.Non-ticketed players will be able to encounter at least some of the same wild spawns, such as Munna, but not the Incense-inclusive spawns.Some new cosmetic items will be available in the shop for all players regardless of ticket.

How to Prepare

Make sure you’re prepared in advance to make the most of the event:

Have a location to play in with plenty of stops, spawns, and gyms.Pack spare batteries, charger cables, water, and snacks.Dress for the weather.Clear space in your Pokemon storage – I plan to make sure I have at least 1000 spaces for the event. You can make space by trading or transferring Pokemon you don’t want, by purchasing storage space increases, or both.Pre-set your raid teams – Make sure you’re contributing to raids as best you can by setting up teams in advance for each boss instead of relying on the game’s auto-selected teams.Decide in advance which Pokemon and habitats you’re prioritizing. The ones with the least importance are a good time to take breaks to get food, trade, or manage your inventory.Plan with friends – Go Fest is all about the Pokemon Go community, and it’s best when played together. Get a group of friends together to play, or find a local Pokemon Go community to meet up with and make new friends.Have fun!Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

Lightfall Might Not Be What We Thought – Iron Banter: This Week In Destiny 2

Just about every week brings something new to Destiny 2, whether it’s story beats, new activities, or interesting new combinations of elements that let players devastate each other in the Crucible. Iron Banter is our weekly look at what’s going on in the world of Destiny and a rundown of what’s drawing our attention across the solar system.

The name and logo for Lightfall have been floating around in Destiny 2 for years now, but up until Bungie’s showcase detailing the expansion, we haven’t known anything about it. Still, those tidbits were pretty evocative–after all, we’re dealing with the ongoing war between the Light and Darkness, so Lightfall seems pretty self-explanatory. The logo featured a looming pyramid ship of the Black Fleet and a black and white color scheme, suggesting a dark and dangerous story to come.

Personally, I’ve been expecting Lightfall to be something like The Empire Strikes Back: a massive, tragic drawback for the heroes of the story, the dark night of the soul they must face before the final battle to come in the last expansion of Destiny 2’s current story arc, The Final Shape. Both the name and the logo seemed to back up a sense of a dark, desolate, and even dreary expansion.

What we saw in the showcase, however, was anything but dark, desolate, or dreary. Lightfall takes place in a glowing futuristic city hidden on the planet Neptune, one that has escaped the destruction wrought on the Solar System for the hundreds of years that have passed since the Collapse. Lightfall also got a new logo during the showcase, one that emphasizes a sort of 1980s futuristic cyberpunk aesthetic. It’s fair to say that what we saw from Lightfall was a completely different vibe from what many expected. Instead of destruction as the Darkness closes its grip, we saw a whole new world free of the wreckage that is everywhere else in Destiny 2.

The bright, futuristic city of Neomuna is a far cry from the desolation we might have originally expected from a name like Lightfall.

Just this morning, I got a chance to talk to director Joe Blackburn and assistant general manager Dan McAuliffe about the Lightfall showcase, and during that interview, Blackburn discussed mapping out the narrative of the final four expansions of the Light and Darkness saga–Beyond Light, The Witch Queen, Lightfall, and The Final Shape. As the team was looking at the mood of each of those stories and expansions, all the way back to Shadowkeep, it realized they were all pretty dour.

“We were like, oh my gosh, it’s going to be the heaviest five years of Destiny that we’ve ever made,” he said. “We’re going to feel really one note throughout this whole thing. And so, as we started getting toward Lightfall, we said, how can we keep the stakes high, but change the mood for release?”

Lightfall Release Date, Strand Subclass, And Everything We Know

To circumvent five straight years of dark and stormy expansions, Lightfall took on something of a, ahem, lighter tone. Blackburn also made reference to The Empire Strikes Back, noting that while the heroes lose during that movie, it doesn’t feel like they’re always losing during the course of the tale. Bungie is taking a similar approach to Lightfall.

That makes me wonder if the name “Lightfall” should be taken as literally as it appears to be. It sounds pretty straightforward, but maybe there’s nuance to the name, just like there’s nuance to the tone. Maybe Lightfall doesn’t mean a devastating loss, but something else. Maybe it isn’t the fall of the Last City, or the fall of the Traveler, or the fall of the Vanguard, as many of us have been anticipating. Maybe the fall of Light that Lightfall refers to is smaller, more personal; an ideological loss rather than a military one.

What if the battle of Lightfall is for the hearts of the people of Neptune?

This is actually the direction Destiny 2 has been going as of late. Ever since Season of Arrivals and Beyond Light, we’ve been dealing with the suggestion that Darkness is not equivalent to evil, and that Light is not equivalent to good. We’ve had agents of the Darkness, including the Witness itself, asking us pointed questions about why we do what we do and why the characters of Destiny believe what they believe. Everyone, from Commander Zavala to Eris Morn to Ikora Rey to our own Ghost has been questioning their deepest beliefs, and the multiple lifetimes they’ve dedicated to fighting for the Traveler.

Now we’re headed to Neptune, a location untouched since the Collapse, and thus, untouched by either of the paracausal powers that inform everything that has gone on in Destiny 2 up until now. The people of Neomuna, the Neptune capital we’ll visit, have never had to consider the will or motivations of the Traveler, or the inherent good or evil of the Witness. Likely, they don’t even know about these forces, necessarily. That’ll free up characters we encounter there to take a different perspective on the war between the Traveler and the Witness, and to potentially add additional tough philosophical and ideological questions to the story through our interactions with them.

My mind is jumping to all kinds of possibilities for what “Lightfall” might refer to that could be something more than a straight-up military loss to the Witness. What if we succeed in our venture on Nepture to drive back Calus, but in so doing, lose the ideological battle for the people there? What if the new humans we discover in Lightfall don’t end up being allies, but rather enemies?

More than that, the “Lightfall” could concern the Guardians themselves. The Witch Queen was a lengthy story about a group of Ghosts, long the allies of humanity, choosing to support the death-worshiping Hive instead. Ever since the advent of Stasis, we’ve seen stories of Guardians falling to its influence–and they’re by no means the first to become “corrupted” by either Darkness or their own lust for power. We may be looking at an ideological war in Lightfall that causes some Guardians to give up the fight or to switch sides, and that would be as much a fall of Light as the Black Fleet sweeping through the skies over Earth.

Just because Lightfall colorful doesn’t mean it can’t be dark, though.

This is all just idle speculation, but what I’m excited about when it comes to the Lightfall reveal is that, suddenly, all these new ideas seem to be in play. Maybe this is too much galaxy-brain thinking for the story, and Lightfall means exactly what we’ve always thought it meant. But Bungie has injected a huge amount of interesting nuance into the formerly black-and-white morality of Destiny 2 over the last few years. Lightfall is already a big digression from what many of us expected from the chapter in Destiny 2’s story, and there’s nothing that says we might not be surprised again.

Let me know what you think of all these random ideas, as well as your impressions of Lightfall and the Destiny 2 showcase at large, in the comments below.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

Fortnite Crew Goodies For August Includes Loveless Skin

Epic has revealed the latest Fortnite Crew skin for September. Subscribers will have access to the new Loveless skin that comes with a few different variants and other in-game items.

Starting on September 1, subscribers will have the option to wear the Loveless skin that appears to be based on the Getaway Gang set. Players will have the opportunity to change her mask appearance with the following looks:

HeartsDiamondsClubsSpades

In addition to her mask, players can pick between the “Diamond King” and “Heart Queen,” Back Bling, and whenever a player opens a chest while wearing it, the cards will begin to spin. Lastly, her skin bundle will come with the following items:

Stylus Edge PickaxeShooting Shuffle WrapThe Loveless Bandit Lobby Track

Fortnite Crew subscribers will also have instant access to the Chapter 3, Season 4 Battle Pass, and 1,000 V-Bucks on their billing date. Players who purchase the Battle Pass before becoming a Fortnite Crew member will receive a one-time reimbursement of 950 V-Bucks to their accounts.

Last month’s Fortnite Crew skin was Wolverine Zero, and his design was inspired by the Fortnite x Marvel: Zero War comic book. Players can still unlock this skin if they subscribe before August 31 at 4:49 PM PT / 7:59 PM ET.

For more Fortnite news, check out these stories:

When Does Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 4 Start? Release Date, Event, Battle Pass, And What We KnowWhere To Find The Glow, Groovy Grove, And Fungi Farm Locations In FortniteThis Xbox Series S Bundle Is Only $260 Right Now

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

Pokemon Unite: Pika Party Guide

With Pokemon Unite’s one-year anniversary coming to a close, there is still a week left of Pika Party. Pika Party is the new 4v4 Quick Match mode celebrating the Electric-type Mouse Pokemon, Pikachu. The entire map is changed to the aesthetic of Pikachu, from the walls, balloons, colors, and there are even holograms of Pikachu littering the map. But that is not all littering the map. Every Wild Pokemon is now Pikachu, with certain Pikachu providing different buffs alongside a massive Gigantamax Pikachu taking the middle spot, which is normally reserved for Legendary Pokemon such as Zapdos or Regigigas.

Be sure to check out our detailed Pokemon Unite: Basics of Boost Emblems guide to help in understanding Pokemon Unite’s newest system, the Boost Emblem System, as well.

This guide will go through the best-Held Items for Pikachu, the best moveset, the different buffs Wild Pikachu awards on defeat, the different rewards you will obtain from playing Pika Party, and more.

Pikachu is ready to tumble with Choice Specs, Energy Amplifier, and Buddy Barrier.

Held Items

Pikachu is a ranged special attacker. Low endurance with a slight lean on mobility, that is able to consistently deal massive damage. Pikachu is one of the higher-tier Pokemon in the game, and a powerhouse when used properly.

The must-have items for Pika Party are:

Energy AmplifierBuddy BarrierChoice Specs

Since Pika Party is a Quick Match, which means these types of matches only last five minutes long. Levels with experience are expedited and gained much faster than 10-minute matches.

Energy Amplifier decreases the cooldown of moves, but more importantly, after using Pikachu’s Unite Move Thunderstorm, the damage Pikachu deals will be increased for a short time. The Energy Amplifier also allows Pikachu to build up its Unite Move faster.

Buddy Barrier grants Pikachu increased max HP, so it can cover its weakness of being one of the more low-health Pokemon in the game. After using Buddy Barrier, Pikachu and its allies will gain a shield. This shield can be used as a last resort to turn the tide on a tough battle after using Thunderstorm. In combination with Energy Amplifier, these two items will cause both destructive and defensive capabilities after unleashing a Thunderstorm. Sometimes, you want to use your Unite Move with Buddy Barrier equipped not to just save yourself, but your Pikachu squad on the whole.

Choice Specs increase Pikachu Special Attack. The higher its special attack, the more of an increase in damage. Simple, but effective to send shockwaves to the enemy team throughout the match.

Moveset

Pika Party is all about dishing out as much damage as possible in a short amount of time, so the ideal moveset is Electro Ball with Thunderbolt.

Electro Ball has a five-second cooldown, slows movement speed upon hitting the enemy, reduces basic attack speed from opposing Pokemon, deals damage in an area, and deals extra damage if the opposing Pokemon’s health is low enough. An excellent move that is able to snipe any escaping low-health Pokemon, since it is a sure-hit move.

Thunderbolt has an eight-second cooldown, damages Pokemon, and stuns any caught in the circle. A great interruption move and is able to completely cancel out enemy Pikachu when they are attempting to use their own moves.

In a recent update, Pikachu was given Spell Vamp. Pikachu gains 12.5% Spell Vamp at Level 9, and when Pikachu uses any move, it will restore some health to Pikachu. Since both Electro Ball plus Thunderbolt have the lowest cooldown of move choice on levels 4 and 6 respectively, this will give Pikachu more chances to activate its Spell Vamp upon reaching Level 9.

These Held Items combined with this Moveset have you deal more than 80,000 damage per Pika Party when played correctly.

Pikachu Buffs

Not only are all of the Pokemon players use in Pika Party Pikachu, but all of the Wild Pokemon are also Pikachu. Outside of the Level 2 Wild Pikachu, the other Wild Pikachu provides buffs upon their defeat.

This Wild Pikachu spins its tail to attack in a circular fashion.

A Wild Pikachu inflicting damage and pushing away any Pikachu approaching with its tail.

Defeating this Pikachu will grant your Pikachu a nullifying shield that appears periodically. This shield is potent enough for you to even take down two enemy Pikachu at once.

This Wild Pikachu unleashes a Thunderbolt that will stun you in a small area.

Be careful as to not be stunned by Wild Pikachu Thunderbolts.

After knocking this Wild Pikachu out, your Pikachu’s basic attacks release thunderbolts from the sky that lower the enemy’s movement and attack speed.

This Wild Pikachu can displace you by riding a surfboard in your direction.

Ride that Surf, Pikachu!

When knocking out this Wild Pikachu, your Pikachu’s movement speed increases leaving a small wave, while any hindrances you receive are reduced in efficiency.

It is important to note–you can only have one of these Wild Pikachu buffs at a time. After you grab a new one, it will replace your old one. If you grab the same one you had previously–for example, defeating two Surf Pikachus in a row–then it will just reset the buffs allowing you to have increased movement speed with limited hindrances affecting you. You cannot have more than one of these buffs active on your Pikachu at once.

Lastly, this map has a Gigantamax Pikachu appear in the middle when the timer reaches four minutes. Huge shockwaves, jagged spikes, and thunder raining down from the sky are all too easy for this giant Pikachu to enact.

Band Pikachu helps in taking down the monstrous Gigantamax Pikachu in the middle.

After defeating this ferocious Kaiju-like Pikachu, it will rain down a map-wide stunning attack on each individual enemy dealing huge damage, allowing the team that defeated the Gigantamax Pikachu to instantly score goals for the next short while.

Pika Party Challenge Missions

Participating a certain number of times in the Pika Party will reward you with different goodies.

The different rewards at 5, 10, 15, and 20 matches in order are:

100 Aeos TicketsPikachu Headbands20 Item EnhancersHolowear Selection Box with your choice of Orange or Purple Unite Style for Pikachu

Though you do not need to win any match to earn all of these rewards, it is best to aim for a win, so you can get increased energy for your Boost Emblem Gacha pulls.

If you currently do not have any Pikachu skin, hopefully, you can attain the Holowear Selection Box from this event.

Best of luck out there in the Pika Party, and make the next week count!

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

How To Turn Your Warlock Into A Thunder God In Destiny 2: Arc 3.0 Season Of Plunder Builds

One of the best parts of Destiny 2 is experimenting with its Exotics, armor mods, and subclass setups to find interesting loadouts for your Guardian. For Season of Plunder and the overhauled Arc subclass, some of the builds available can produce shocking results, pun fully intended. Warlocks have some great loadouts to tinker with, and you can easily live out your Emperor Palpatine fantasy with builds that channel pure “unlimited power” energy with Arc 3.0.

For Season of Plunder, one of the first Warlock builds that we’ve started playing with is a combo of new Exotics that’ll turn your space wizard into a force to be reckoned with. Echoing the Solar 3.0 grenadier build that was popular in Season of the Haunted, combining these two Exotics and fine-tuning your armor mods, Aspects, and Fragments can create a Guardian that disintegrates entire waves of enemies with relative ease. Here’s how you can turn your Warlock into an elemental force to be reckoned with.

Key Exotics

Expect Sunstar Exotic to become your best friend.

First up, you’re going to want to unlock the Fallen Sunstar Exotic helmet for your Warlock. If you haven’t gotten it yet, you can grab one by farming a Legend Lost Sector when helmets are available in that activity. Secondly, you’ll want the new seasonal Exotic weapon, Delicate Tomb. If you’re on the premium season pass, it can be obtained from Level 1 on that track, and on the free track it can be grabbed when you reach Level 35.

Season of Plunder’s Exotic fusion rifle is a beast.

To fill out your arsenal, the new Legendary weapons available in Season of Plunder also work quite well with this build and some of its melee-focused attacks. The Kinetic weapon category has options for a terrific Stasis shotgun and the Planck’s Stride machine gun is a fun Power weapon that unleashes a storm of Arc bullets.

If you’re unfamiliar with these Exotics, Fallen Sunstar’s key perk is that it makes any Ionic Traces generated move towards you more quickly and regenerate more melee, grenade, and class ability energy. Delicate Tomb has a chance to generate Ionic Traces when it eliminates an enemy, but as you’ll see with the Arc 3.0 Fragments and Aspects, we can go from “maybe” to “definitely” using the options available to all players.

Arc 3.0 Aspects and Fragments

The right tools for the job.

For the Thunder Wizard build, you should use these two Aspects:

Electrostatic MindLightning Surge

With Electrostatic Mind, any enemies defeated with Arc abilities will create Ionic Traces and apply the Amplified buff to your Warlock. Targets that have the Jolt or Blind debuff applied will also produce Ionic Traces when they’re defeated. As a reminder, Jolted targets will chain lightning to nearby enemies when damaged, and Amplified increases your movement speed and weapon handling. Sprinting for a few seconds also increases your speed tremendously.

Lightning Surge is a fun Aspect that allows you to use your charged melee to cause some devastating damage. When sliding, you can activate your melee ability to teleport forward and call down lightning strikes around you when you rematerialize. It’s a fun way to take out a wave of enemies while minimizing risk thanks to the teleport ability, and as you’ll see, you’ll be able to spam this attack often.

For Fragments, you should use these four items:

Spark of Resistance – While surrounded by combatants, you are more resistant to incoming damage.Spark of Discharge – Arc weapon final blows have a chance to create an Ionic Trace.Spark of Recharge – While critically wounded, your melee and grenade energy regenerates more quickly.Spark of Beacons – When Amplified, Arc special weapon final blows create a blinding explosion.

The core idea here is that you’ll be generating Ionic Traces more regularly and effortlessly. You’re also looking to add some additional damage resistance to your Warlock, the glass cannons of Destiny 2, and use your Arc 3.0 perks to create some overwhelming firepower. It’s worth noting that we’re still early into Season of Plunder, and there are other Fragments that have yet to be unlocked. Once they are available, the options to build your Warlock into a lightning-flinging machine will have even more Fragments to experiment with.

Useful armor mods

The new Arc melee is lethal and fun to use.

With Delicate Tomb playing a vital role, you’ll want to equip a Fusion Rifle Ammo Finder mod in your helmet and a Fusion Rifle Scavenger mod in your leg armor to keep those green ammo bricks flowing in. Elemental Time Dilation and Bountiful Well mods pair well, and with the seasonal mods available, Focusing Strike for gauntlets will also grant you class ability when you land a melee attack. This build won’t fall apart if you’re missing a few of these mods, but they’ll certainly help you get the most out of it. Otherwise, some high Resistance mods will always come in handy.

The Thunder Wizard strategy

Everyone gets zapped with this build.

Now that you’re locked and loaded with Arc energy, it’s time to run wild with this build. This is a setup that rewards aggression, as you’ll be able to unleash all of your abilities, eliminate targets with Delicate Tomb, and quickly recharge your ability energy. The beauty of this build is that you can use Delicate Tomb to melt the health bar of a single enemy and then watch them chain lightning to anything around them, or you can annihilate a mob with hip-fire attacks (which causes the gun to shoot a wide spread) as you’re bound to hit something.

An Arc healing rift is never far away, and you’ll find that the new melee Arc slide attack can be delightfully destructive when you land it on a squad of conductive enemies. You’re essentially a storm of activity, dropping grenades, jolting enemies, and dealing absurd levels of damage with abilities that recharge in a flash. If you’re looking to save this build for yourself and tweak it to suit your own tastes, you can download it here through the Destiny 2 Item manager.

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Destiny 2’s New Craftable Taipan-4FR Linear Fusion Rifle Is A Must-Have, Here’s How To Get It

With Destiny 2’s Season of the Plunder came loads of new weapons and gear to hunt for, but players have been eagerly seeking the new craftable Taipan-4FR Void Legendary linear fusion rifle that comes from a pretty straightforward quest. This quest isn’t part of the seasonal story, and it feels more like a review on how to craft weapons at the Enclave’s Relic. There’s a chance to get the red border Deepsight Taipan-4FR to drop from activities, but this quest guarantees that you’ll receive enough to be able to craft your own.

You don’t need to be a god roll enthusiast to see that Taipan-4FR has the potential to become a powerful Heavy weapon for PvE activities after upgrading its Weapon Level. Traits like Clown Cartridge and Firing Line become available at Weapon Level 10, and Triple Tap at level 8. Those traits make it strong, but Enhanced traits (better versions of the original traits) become available at the Relic at higher Weapon Levels. This linear fusion also has the Veist Stinger Origin trait, where damaging an enemy can reload the magazine and increase movement speed when aiming down sights. All of this is to say, being able to craft a linear fusion rifle with exactly the right perks–when it also has Veist Stinger–is something you shouldn’t skip.

Foundry Resonance quest

First, head to the Enclave located on Mars through Savathun’s Throne World on the Destinations tab. The Relic Conduit in the weapon crafting area will have a blue quest marker. The Relic Conduit will give you an Ascendant Alloy Requisition quest and the Foundry Resonance quest for the linear fusion rifle. Accepting those quests will supply you with the Ammit AR2 Solar auto rifle with Deepsight Resonance. Use a Deepsight weapon to complete the first step of the quest.

Note: If you don’t see the Foundry Resonance quest at the Enclave, you may need to complete one of the earlier weapon crafting quests from Destiny 2: The Witch Queen.

Next, the Foundry Resonance quest says to complete a playlist activity. Hop into either the Vanguard Strike playlist, the Crucible, or Gambit to defeat combatants with a Deepsight weapon equipped. Completing step two will reward you with another Deepsight Ammit AR2.

Also, keep in mind that you can use any Deepsight weapon here; you don’t need to use the Ammit AR2 specifically. I used other Deepsight weapons along with the Ammit AR2 and Taipan-4FR throughout the quest. Some players, including myself, have experienced issues with the Triumphs section claiming that the Taipan-4FR hasn’t been unlocked for crafting. But if you complete all of the steps of this quest, you shouldn’t be prevented from doing so.

Getting the next Foundry Shaping quest and the Deepsight Taipan-4FR at the Relic Conduit

The third part has you complete the Attunement Progress and extract Resonant Elements from the Deepsight weapon. Return to the Relic in the Enclave on Mars to complete the Foundry Resonance quest. Grab the Resonant Alloy reward at the Relic Conduit to get the Taipan-4FR Deepsight weapon. Now, you need to finish the other quest called the Foundry Shaping.

Foundry Shaping quest for Taipan-4FR

The first objective is to simply get the Deepsight Resonance weapon, defeat combatants, and complete its Attunement Progress. After that, head to either Dares of Eternity or Wellspring to complete the activity with a Deepsight weapon equipped. I jumped into Dares of Eternity to get a head start on upgrading my Taipan-4FR’s Attunement since the Heavy ammunition automatically refills when you have Starhorse’s Favor in the second and final encounters. Completing this step will drop another Deepsight Taipan-4FR.

Complete the Attunement Progress and extract the Resonant Elements for step three. Then, revisit the Relic in the Enclave for step four in the Foundry Shaping quest. At this point, if you’ve extracted the Resonant Elements of two Deepsight Taipan-4FRs or two Ammit AR2s, you should have those Weapon Patterns unlocked throughout the quest. As I mentioned earlier, although my Patterns and Catalyst tab showed these Weapon Patterns as incomplete, I was still able to craft them at the Enclave.

Taipan-4FR crafting screen at the Relic on Mars

Finally, for the fifth step, Shape your Taipan-4FR at the Relic. Crafting this weapon costs 5 Resonant Alloy, 10,000 Glimmer, and 750 Resonant Elements. When you craft this weapon, you’ll see that your Taipan-4FR starts at Weapon Level 1. As with any crafted weapon, you’ll want to use it as much as possible and have it equipped when completing activities to level it up quickly. That’ll ultimately allow you to swap in the aforementioned traits that you’ll really want, like Clown Cartridge and Firing Line.

Reach Weapon Level two by defeating enemies. Lastly, return to the Enclave one more time to grab the Ascendant Alloy reward to complete the quest.

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Apex Legends Season 14 Tier List: Best Legends For Battle Royale

Apex Legends has long been an engaging and fast-paced battle royale that is brought to life by a multitude of playable legends, each bringing something unique to your team’s composition. A myriad of defensive, offensive, support, and recon characters ensure that players have plenty of freedom to choose what type of role they’d be best at, but there will always be a few legends that sit on the top of the game’s meta–just as there will always be some that fall short of greatness. Here’s our tier list of the best legends in Apex Legends.

S-Tier

These legends are invaluable additions to any team composition and have few, if any, major weaknesses. In this tier, we have three legends.

Offensive legend Wraith

Bloodhound

Bloodhound consistently ranks among the most used characters and boasts an incredible win rate. This is due to their staggeringly good kit of abilities, the best of which is a tactical that scans enemies through walls to reveal their location to all teammates. Additionally, they can track the location of enemies on the ground to find engagements, and their ultimate speeds them up and grants them quicker recharge time on their tactical ability. There simply isn’t a better recon character to have on your team.

Wraith

Wraith is synonymous with streamers and “sweaty” players, but there’s a good reason for that. Her passive, which reveals when she’s being aimed at, is a useful but unexciting boon. But it’s her tactical and ultimate abilities that offer some serious mobility and utility. The former is easily one of the game’s best abilities, granting her invulnerability and a 30% speed boost to help her reset fights that haven’t gone her way. The latter is a portal that can be used to reposition herself and her teammates when they find themselves pinned in a bad situation. When you put all of this together, it’s hard to nail down and kill a good Wraith.

Gibraltar

Defensive powerhouse Gibraltar is a force to be reckoned with. His gun shield allows him to block some enemy gunfire, which effectively adds an extra 50 points to his health pool. Meanwhile, his deployable bubble is one of the best abilities in the game, shielding teammates for rezzes, healing, or repositioning for 12 seconds. That’s before we talk about how his ultimate reigns down hell on enemy teams for big damage and area denial. Once you add in the fact that he takes 15% less damage from all gunfire, it’s clear that Gibraltar is a monster on the battlefield.

A-Tier

These legends fill their respective roles exceptionally well but may have one or two downsides that keep them from being the best of the best. In this tier, we have seven legends.

Recon legend Pathfinder

Octane

Good Octane players can be a wonderful asset to their teams, as his tactical ability allows him near-constant extra speed to help him reach fights or reposition rapidly. Of course, it comes at the cost of a good chunk of his health each time, which he then very slowly replenishes with his passive ability. His ultimate tosses out a jump pad that the team can bounce on to gain height or cross large gaps, and it can be used very often since it recharges quickly. With that kind of speed and utility, Octane is one of the best picks for fast and twitchy players.

Valkyrie

Valkyrie’s movement is unmatched thanks to her jetpack which allows her to reposition frequently and reach heights with a consistency that no other character could dream of. Being able to use her ultimate to redeploy to a new area is immensely helpful for rotations, and it has the added bonus of showing you where enemies are out in the open. Her tactical, meanwhile, offers a large AOE that stuns and damages enemies, making her great for getting someone out from behind cover. However, some Season 14 nerfs have hit her pretty hard, bringing her more in line with other characters. Even so, she’s still a very valuable addition to almost any team.

Newcastle

Every one of Newcastle’s abilities is focused on protection and area denial, and he received a solid buff to many of those abilities in Season 14, making him better than ever. His passive ability allows him to spawn a small shield in front of downed allies and then drag them to safety while he rezzes them. Meanwhile, his tactical ability deploys an energy shield that can be moved and angled in any direction for a brief period of time, giving himself and his squadmates cover as they reposition. Lastly, his ult sends him leaping forward to create a large, durable wall with varying heights for his team to fire from behind during gunfights. Newcastle’s sheer amount of protective capabilities ensures that he is a premier defensive legend that gives all others a run for their money.

Pathfinder

Lovable and chatty robot Pathfinder has always been a favorite among mobility-focused players. His grapple is one of the game’s most versatile movement abilities that rewards high-skill plays with phenomenal payoffs. Meanwhile, his ultimate can be used to get him and his teammates to new areas pretty often, and it’s especially helpful for crossing horizontal gaps. His passive, which merely recharges his ultimate when using recon beacons, is pretty pointless overall, but that doesn’t stop Pathfinder from being a superstar.

Mad Maggie

Mad Maggie came out the gates swinging in Season 12 with a strong kit that made her a viable pick, and some helpful buffs have made her even better in Season 14. Her passive not only lets her briefly scan enemies after doing damage to them, but it makes her move faster with shotguns, too. Her tactical ability does damage through obstacles to flush enemies out of position, while her ultimate provides speed boost pads and explodes on enemies for a little bit of damage and disorientation in the process. Mad Maggie is no doubt a meta legend for the time being and an excellent alternative to other aggressive legends like Wraith, Bloodhound, and Octane.

Vantage

Vantage has joined the ranks in Season 14, and she’s shaking things up pretty well right out of the gate. She has an incredibly helpful kit that benefits both herself and her team in a variety of situations, making her a wonderful pick for basically any type of player. Her passive allows her to zoom in even while unarmed to give useful insight to her team, while her tactical ability positions her bat pal Echo somewhere and then lets her propel herself to them and double jump from that location. Lastly, her ultimate ability is a sniper rifle that can mark enemies so that teammates deal additional damage to them. Playing Vantage guarantees that you can aid your team immensely at almost any range, making you a scary opponent to face.

Ash

Ash is still new among the Apex Legends roster, but she’s already proven herself a mighty contender. Her tactical ability can be tremendously helpful at blocking doors and slowing people down, though aiming it at any range can prove difficult. Her ultimate requires a bit of thought to place correctly, but being able to warp to new locations so quickly makes her an outstanding option for those who enjoy flanking. Lastly, being able to track player deaths across the map can help teams make better rotations. Ash is simply deadly in the right hands.

B-Tier

These legends are great picks that can be very useful in specific scenarios, especially in the hands of skilled players, but they lack the level of utility needed to be highly recommended. In this tier we have six legends.

Defensive legend Caustic

Horizon

Horizon is another effective movement legend that benefits players who can make the most of her awesome passive and handy tactical ability. The former allows her to ignore the impact animation caused by high falls, which means she can start shooting immediately after landing. The latter’s vertical boost to high spots is an incredibly powerful option for reaching new heights, though its one downside is that enemies can use it, too. Her ultimate ability is solid for area denial in close quarters, but it’s easy to destroy or ignore in most situations. For those okay with sacrificing a mediocre ultimate in favor of fantastic mobility, though, Horizon is a solid pick.

Bangalore

Bangalore has consistently been one of Apex Legends’ most balanced legends. Her passive ability allows her to move very quickly when being shot at, and her ultimate is great for outdoor area denial. And while her smokes can be exceptional for covering a rez or escape, they can also be a major hindrance to your team if used in or around gunfights, clouding their vision and creating an absolute mess. Because of this, she requires a high level of awareness to be used to her full potential.

Rampart

After receiving a buff in Season 10, Rampart went from being a bottom-tier character to a solid pick for defensive-minded players, and her Season 13 buff has only improved her viability further. Her amped walls provide extra cover and some improved damage when firing through them, while her passive makes her extra lethal when running LMGs – a class of gun already known for being very powerful. Her ultimate, a giant gatling gun named Sheila, can now be used while mobile. It slows her down significantly, however, so good opponents can easily outflank her. Rampart doesn’t quite have the mobility needed to be meta, but those looking for a unique challenge will find that she packs a punch.

Loba

As the queen of loot, Loba is a valuable asset for any team looking to stay stocked up. Her passive lets her see purple items through walls and inside bins, and her ultimate ability lays down a shop that allows her and her teammates to sift through all nearby loot for up to two items each and as much ammo as they can carry. Her tactical ability – a bracelet that can be thrown and warped to – feels a little underwhelming and awkward in practice, but it can be used to great effect when trying to escape. She’s not a top-tier legend since she doesn’t bring much to a fight, but there’s something to be said about easy loot.

Wattson

After her Season 11 buff, Wattson has gone from a C-tier legend to a decent B-tier pick for those who enjoy locking down areas. Her electrified fences can be used to create havoc for aggressive teams trying to push in on her, while her ultimate is a pylon that recharges shields and destroys incoming ordinance, reducing the ability for other squads to repel her team from their location. Still, despite her usefulness, Wattson requires a lot of setup time to create a meaningful stronghold and doesn’t offer much in the way of offense, and thus she doesn’t land in the must-have category for most teams.

Crypto

Season 12’s buff for recon specialist Crypto has taken him from arguably the worst character to a worthwhile pick for players looking for a legend who can be useful in both aggressive and passive situations. His original kit remains intact, including the ability to manually fly his drone in first-person and use an EMP stun blast that does 50 damage to enemy shields. But he’s received a new feature that allows him to throw his drone in a line in front of him and scan enemies along the way. The drone can now even connect to walls for long-term reconnaissance. With these new upgrades, he’s finally a decent pick for most team compositions, though he remains a weaker overall option than Bloodhound.

C-Tier

These legends can certainly serve a purpose and help bring teams to victory in the right situations, but they could use some serious buffs to bring them in line with much better legends. In this tier we have five legends.

Support legend Lifeline

Caustic

Caustic is known for his stinky gas, and that’s best showcased with his ultimate, which can be great for pushing teams out of cover or giving cover for heals and rezzes. Sadly for fans of the legends, his Season 12 nerf now allows players to destroy his tactical gas traps even after they’ve gone off, making him a bit less effective at the kind of long-term area denial that has always defined his kit. His biggest downside, though, is that he has to fight in close quarters to reach his full potential, as his large hitbox makes him a liability in open spaces. Caustic has been in better and worse spots, but for now, he’s a mediocre pick for most teams.

Seer

Seer started off strong upon release, but a series of nerfs has landed this recon-focused character closer to the bottom. Seer’s ability to see the heartbeats of nearby enemies can be useful to him in some situations, and his tactical can be used to disrupt enemies who are healing or rezzing. Sadly, his ultimate is too situational, and many teams know to crouch to avoid detection within it – or easily destroy it at the center of the sphere. As it stands, Bloodhound is simply too much better to make Seer a worthwhile pick for most players.

Fuse

Fuse can bring some seriously obnoxious area denial with his cluster bombs, especially considering how quickly they recharge. Unfortunately, the remainder of his kit is pretty dull, especially his passive which simply allows him to carry an extra grenade in each spot and fire them faster. His ultimate fares slightly better by trapping enemies in a circle of fire, but it’s pretty easy to escape for many legends and therefore only occasionally provides much more than a minor hurdle. Those cluster bombs definitely hurt, but they don’t do much to save this legend from being mediocre in most settings.

Revenant

Revenant is a mixed bag of good and bad ideas. His double-speed crouching is excellent for sneaking up on teams, his ability to quietly climb structures can be used to make some great plays, and his tactical ability is a great silence that keeps enemies from using their own abilities. Sadly, his ultimate – a totem which teleports you back to it upon taking some damage – feels weaker than it really should and regularly results in little more than revealing to everyone precisely where you are and where you’ll be once they deal a bit of damage to you.

Lifeline

Lifeline was once one of the most sought-after characters in the game due to her ultimate, which spawns a care package filled with high-tier loot like purple shields and attachments. However, as other characters have brought much more to the table, Lifeline has lost much of her appeal. Her healing bot can be nice in a pinch, and her hands-off rez can get teammates up while you keep fighting, but neither make her a necessary addition to a team.

D-Tier

These legends are in a poor state that makes them extremely difficult to recommend to anyone but the most diehard fans of the characters and their respective kits. In this tier we have one legend.

Recon legend Crypto

Mirage

Trickster Mirage has a fun kit that allows him to send a decoy out and control it, and his ultimate ability spawns a lot of these decoys in an area around him while granting him a very brief period of invisibility. But as enjoyable as it is to bamboozle enemy squads, Mirage simply lacks any team utility beyond his niche ability to go invisible while rezzing teammates, and his deceptive practices don’t really make up for his complete lack of mobility. Some players can overcome his weaknesses with sheer skill, but the majority of teams will find that he’s better used for some well-earned laughs than for maxing out the potential of the composition.

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Amazon Reportedly Isn’t Buying EA, Despite Today’s Report

Earlier today, a report suggested that Amazon was set to announce an acquisition of games mega publisher Electronic Arts. However, a subsequent report has swiftly refuted that notion. All of this comes amid previous reports that EA had been exploring the possibility of an acquisition or merger. Following the news of the rumored deal, Amazon’s stock briefly rose before settling down again in morning trade.

According to sources that spoke to GLHF, Amazon’s purchase of EA Games was set to be announced later today, but that claim has been disputed by CNBC. “I have talked to some people who would actually know if there was something going on, and they say there’s nothing going on,” CNBC’s David Farber said. Farber also mentioned that Comcast-NBC Universal had been approached by EA for a potential deal, but it eventually fell through.

Amazon is not going to make a bid for Electronic Arts, sources tell CNBC’s @DavidFaber. Shares of $EA surged earlier on a report citing a “rumor.” pic.twitter.com/k7wk0Fy7xv

— CNBC Now (@CNBCnow) August 26, 2022

EA has been the subject of several rumors while other high-profile acquisitions in the gaming industry made headlines. A recent report claimed that EA had held talks with Apple and Disney over a potential sale, with EA executives aggressively pursuing a deal according to rumors.

During a quarterly earnings call this month, EA CEO Andrew Wilson was asked if any of the acquisition rumors were true. Wilson responded by saying that EA is in a strong position to be “the largest standalone independent developer and publisher of interactive entertainment” in the world, but hinted that the company would be “open” to doing business differently.

2022 has been a big year for acquisitions in the gaming space, Microsoft’s proposed purchase of Activision-Blizzard is slowly being approved by regulatory bodies around the world, Sony purchased Bungie for $3.6 billion, and Embracer Group has been on a buying spree lately, acquiring Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montreal, and several other studios.

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Where Is Xur Today? (August 26-30) Destiny 2 Xur Location And Exotic Items Guide

With Season of Plunder having kicked off a new swashbuckling adventure in Destiny 2, now is a great time to grab some loot from Xur when he enters the Solar System. As usual, the Agent of the Nine will have a selection of Exotic weapons and armor, Legendary gear that you might have missed out on, and a few legacy items to add to your collection.

We don’t quite know where Xur is just yet, but we’ll update this post as soon as he arrives. Last week’s Xur inventory had some excellent items for Guardians looking to put together Arc 3.0 builds, so it’ll be interesting to see if Xur brings items that cater to those builds once again as players begin experimenting with the overhauled subclass. Just don’t expect any heavy grenade launchers before the King’s Fall raid starts.

Until then, you can check out the first trailer for next year’s Lightfall expansion, all the new gear in Season of Plunder, and a look at some of the new Exotics such as Quicksilver Storm and Delicate Tomb.

Xur is present every weekend in Destiny 2, starting with the daily reset at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET each Friday. His exact location is always a mystery when he first arrives, as he is not listed on the map, and for novice players, he can be easy to miss. However, there are a set number of locations where he takes up residence, including the Tower Hangar area, on Nessus in Watcher’s Grave, and in the Winding Cove area of the EDZ.

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Genshin Impact – Collei Abilities, Artifacts, and Team Comp Guide

Collei is the newest four-star character in Genshin Impact, and she’s one of only three Dendro characters available in version 3.0. She’s a sub DPS who can currently be obtained for free, so every player should be able to get her right now. Here’s what you all need to know about how to build Collei, including info on her abilities, best artifacts, weapons, and team comps.

Abilities

Elemental Skill – Floral Brush

Collei throws out a Floral Ring boomerang that deals Dendro damage to every enemy that it hits, both on the way out and on the way back.

Elemental Burst – Trump-Card Kitty

Collei throws out a doll named Cuilein-Anbar that looks and functions almost exactly like Amber’s Baron Bunny. Cuilein-Anbar will cause an explosion, dealing AoE Dendro damage. After the explosion, the doll will dance around inside a newly-created zone to deal more AoE Dendro damage.

Passive Talents

The Floral Sidewinder Talent activates when a party member causes a Dendro-related reaction (Burning, Quicken, Aggravate, Bloom, Spread, Hyperbloom, or Burgeon) after Collei throws out her Floral Ring boomerang. After the reaction, the party member will gain the Sprout effect once the boomerang returns. Sprout causes surrounding enemies to take Dendro damage equal to 40% of Collei’s ATK for three seconds. This is considered Elemental Skill damage, and the effect can’t be stacked.The Languid Wood Talent extends the duration of the Cuilein-Anbar zone by one seconds every time a character inside it triggers a Dendro-related elemental reaction (same as the ones mentioned above). The zone can only be extended by three extra seconds.

Best Artifact Stats

Collei is mainly used to apply Dendro and enable Dendro reactions as a sub DPS and support. She won’t be dealing the most damage on your team, but she can make it so that other characters can take out enemies faster, as long as they have good Elemental Mastery. Collei’s first passive Talent scales off of her ATK stat, but if you’re using her for reactions at lower Constellations, Elemental Mastery is the stat to focus on when building her.

ArtifactsSuggested Main StatsSuggested SubstatsFlowerHPElemental Mastery, Crit Dmg, Crit Rate, ATK%FeatherATKElemental Mastery, Crit Dmg, Crit Rate, ATK%SandsElemental Mastery or ATK%Crit Dmg, Crit Rate, ATK%/Elemental Mastery, Energy RechargeGobletDendro DmgElemental Mastery, Crit Dmg, Crit Rate, ATK%CircletCrit Dmg or Crit RateElemental Mastery, Crit Dmg/Crit Rate, ATK%, Energy Recharge

Collei can be built similarly to Tighnari since her main goal is to use her Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst, then leave the field until more Dendro is required. Her first Constellation even gives her 20% more Energy Recharge when she’s not on the field, and she never needs to use normal or charged attacks, as those will only waste time when rotating characters.

Best Artifact Sets

Collei with a mix of Emblem of Severed Fate and Wanderer’s Troupe artifact sets

Deepwood Memories

Two-Piece Set: Dendro damage bonus increased by 15%.Four-Piece Set: After an Elemental Skill or Elemental Burst hits an opponent, the target’s Dendro resistance decreases by 30% for eight seconds. This effect can be triggered even if the user isn’t on the field.

Deepwood Memories is a new artifact set that works well with Collei’s kit. Her cooldowns are quick, so she’s able to use both her Elemental Skill and Burst quite frequently, which will regularly reduce the enemy’s Dendro resistance. This is especially useful when paired with Tighnari since he’s a Dendro main DPS.

Emblem of Severed Fate

Two-Piece Set: Dendro damage bonus increased by 15%.Four-Piece Set: Increases Elemental Burst damage by 25% of Energy Recharge. A maximum of 75% bonus damage can be obtained through this effect.Emblem of Severed Fate is one of the most popular artifact sets in the entire game because it works for so many characters. We now know that it also works for Collei and her AoE Burst, especially if her Energy Recharge is high.

Best Weapons

Collei’s best weapons provide Energy Recharge, Elemental Mastery, or ATK% boosts so that she can use her Burst more often or get higher numbers from her Elemental Burst and Skill. Here are three options that can be used by all kinds of players, whether the Collei build is free-to-play or has some money put into it.

Collei holding the Elegy for the End five-star bow

Elegy for the End

Main Stat: Energy RechargeEffect: Increases Elemental Mastery by 60/75/90/105/120. When the Elemental Skill or Elemental Burst of the wielder hits an opponent, the character gains a Sigil of Remembrance, providing an effect that can be triggered every 0.2 seconds whether the character is on the field or not. When four Sigils of Remembrance get stacked, they are automatically used to increase the party’s Elemental Mastery by 100/125/150/175/200, and also boost ATK by 20/25/30/35/40%. Sigils can’t be gained again for another 20 seconds after this effect occurs.

This five-star bow is perfect for a support Collei if you have an extra one lying around in your inventory. It provides significant buffs after Skills and Bursts, and since Collei has low cooldowns, the effect will trigger often.

The Stringless

Main Stat: Elemental MasteryEffect: Increases Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst damage by 24/30/36/42/48%.

The Stringless is a four-star bow that players can obtain with a bit of good luck on banner wishes. This effect is easier to follow, as it’s a direct damage increase to the two abilities that Collei uses all the time.

Prototype Crescent

Main Stat: ATK%Effect: Aimed shot hits on weak points increase movement speed by 10% and ATK by 36/45/54/63/72% for 10 seconds.

The Prototype Crescent is a four-star bow that’s free to craft at any blacksmith. The buff requires players to hit weak points, which isn’t ideal, but the ATK% bonus fits with Collei’s first Talent.

Team Comps

Collei should only be used as a support who does a moderate amount of extra damage alongside other characters who use elemental attacks to defeat enemies. She works well with Electro characters in particular because of how powerful Dendro and Electro reactions can be.

An example of a Collei Dendro Resonance team comp

Here are a few examples of Collei team comps:

Expensive team comps:

Collei, Tighnari, Kokomi, Raiden ShogunCollei, Kazuha, Childe, Yae MikoCollei, Kazuha, Kokomi, FischlCollei, Mona, Raiden Shogun, Tighnari

Budget team comps:

Collei, Fischl, Beidou, SucroseCollei, Fischl, Barbara, KeqingCollei, Xiangling, Bennett, SucroseCollei, Fischl, Lisa, Tighnari

Collei isn’t exactly the strongest character, but she’s free to add to your roster and is one of the few Dendro users currently available in the game. She’s worth building up as a budget Dendro sub DPS or support just because of how rare the element is at the moment, especially since Sumeru often provides opportunities to use Dendro for traversal, combat, and puzzles.

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