Steam has a multitude of systems for recommending games to people as accurately and precisely as possible. Now it’s looking to do the same with DLC through a new personalized hub called—get ready for it—DLC Discovery Hub (opens in new tab).
The DLC Discovery Lab is the latest new feature to come out of Steam Labs, an experimental playground that Valve uses to corral and test new features for Steam. In previous years, it’s given us things like the Interactive Recommender (opens in new tab), Community Recommendations (opens in new tab), a personalized news hub (opens in new tab), and extended search options (opens in new tab); this latest feature is designed to connect you with additional content for games you already own.
The hub is broken down into two sections. At the top is “Popular DLC for your games,” a scrollable list of DLC for games in your library that are hot right now. The games are irrelevant—it’s strictly the popularity of the DLC that matters for this list. That means, for instance, that the Dune Stalker Starter Pack for Modern Warfare 2 is one of the first to appear on my list, even though I haven’t touched MW2, or Warzone 2, in ages.
The second, larger section is more interesting. This is where the DLC for games you’ve played recently, or games you’ve played the most, is listed. Naturally, those temporal values are complicated by an element of behind-the-scenes algorithmic magic: The “most played” category, for instance, is “ordered by the games you’ve played the most within the past few years,” Valve said, followed by “games you’ve played most over past time periods.”
That’s presumably how I ended up with Wolfenstein: Youngblood gold bars (an in-game currency) at the top of my list, followed by the Legacy of the Moonspell DLC for Vampire Survivors, more Modern Warfare stuff, and content for Carrion, Disco Elysium, and Puzzle Quest 3. The games I’ve really leaned into, but haven’t played for a much longer span—like Fallout 4, BattleTech, Grim Dawn, and Dishonored—are farther down the list.
It’s not the most essential Steam feature, but I can see its value as an alternative to scrolling through endless pages of new games on Steam when you’re looking for something to do. Especially when it comes to older games that you may have forgotten about: I, for instance, just noticed the Trine 4 DLC Melody of Mystery thanks to the new tool, which I’d somehow overlooked when it was new. I might need to give that a go.
Like all new Steam lab releases, the DLC Discovery Hub is effectively a beta test, which means features aren’t necessarily final and it might occasionally get a little wonky. If you have bugs to report or suggestions to make, you can do so in the Steam Labs community group (opens in new tab).
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Humble Bundle has launched the Survival Instinct Game Bundle, which bands together a total of $170 value across seven games for $15.
As opposed to other recent bundles, the minimum tier of $15 includes Steam codes for all seven games. Whether you’re looking for a survival challenge or just want to spend time with friends gathering resources and taking down zombies, you’re bound to find a new experience to spend dozens of hours in.
The Survival Instinct Game Bundle is led by State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition, which includes all add-on packs to date, as well as acting as the definitive experience for newcomers. If you’re looking to venture into the wild and survive winter, the gorgeous vistas of The Long Dark are also included with its Survival Edition.
For those looking for more challenging experiences, Devolver Digital’s SCUM and Chernobylite: Enhanced Edition are bound to scratch that ich. And for some experiences that might have flown under the radar, you’ll also get your hands on Volcanoids, SurrounDead, and Starsand. Just make sure to have plenty of supplies at the ready before embarking on any of them.
While you’re taking a peek at the Survival Instinct Game Bundle, you should also check out the Hidden Gems From 2022 bundle, which compiles up to seven games for only $23.
The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors.
GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.
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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.
Phil Hornshaw, a good friend and fellow clanmate of mine, lit the braziers of GameSpot’s Iron Banter for some time before moving on to the next chapter of his journey. For those who might not know, this is uncharted territory for me as I spend most of my time on the video side of things. So to say that I’m nervous about grabbing the baton for Iron Banter is a massive understatement. Although I would be lying if I didn’t say that I’m very excited because now I get to be your liaison in the Tower, talking shop and Destiny 2.
Bungie’s world has consumed me and my time in video games for years. I have seen every color and shade that these games have adopted and have forgotten countless eras of what the game used to be. From my first Exotic drop ever (Patience and Time) to my first busted Crucible meta (Thorn and The Last Word), I have lived through Destiny’s extreme lows and manic highs and saw Destiny 2 stumble and recover its footing in eerily similar fashion.
However, there is a larger reason I wanted to resurrect Iron Banter: By this point, we’re at that phase of the content cycle that any Destiny player is familiar with. Going into February, you can hear the rumble of the Destiny content machine gradually growing into a distant roar, can’t you? The hype machine is coming to life again, and I’m here for it. I’ll have so many hot takes and ramblings to share with everyone as the weeks come, especially in the early days of Lightfall, but right now all I can feel is this overwhelming sense of anticipation. It’s enough to make me shiver with excitement. It’s not often a video game can elicit this kind of emotion from me.
It’s hard for me to recall at what point I went from casual to obsessed, but there was a distinct shift in how I viewed the game very early on in Destiny’s lifecycle thanks to one standout memory. It was the flavor text on the exotic of The Last Word: “Yours, not mine.” – Renegade Hunter Shin Malphur to Dredgen Yor. Suddenly Destiny turned into something more than just an excuse for me to drink a beer after class and run around blindly in the Crucible. I realized I was fascinated by the history and all the complex relationships woven across characters, factions, and enemies–especially names of foes we had never seen at the time or the urban legends of characters and mentors we had yet to meet.
Fit check
For those who might not remember, Destiny and Destiny 2 were both bare in the beginning but offered a ridiculous amount of mystery and potential. We all had no choice but to put our trust and faith in Bungie to develop the sequel into what we all felt was the original goal and vision. Many friends I know have fallen off the game with each expansion, or have simply refused to return for one reason or another. However, just as many have started for the first time or have returned and are hooked–just like me.
Of course, it hasn’t been a smooth journey–not even close. I’m probably one of the more skeptical players, especially as time passes between expansions and burnout and fatigue seeps in. I’ve often had debates with my clanmates where I’m accused of sounding like another complaining Reddit post. Just the same, I’ve had many eras of being what I call a “Bungie apologist.” Trying to convince disillusioned friends to return–even if the state of the game left much to be desired.
It isn’t easy to collate over eight years of Destiny playing into one brief introduction here. How do I summarize years of living through the (several) rises and falls of Destiny and Destiny 2? Months of hilarious, distinct, or frustrating Crucible metas? Weeks of seasonal fatigue or incredible “blink, and you’ll miss it” story quests and events? I felt like a blueberry waking up for the first time in the Cosmodrome, but in 2023, where there is no linear throughline, I’m just staring at all the possibilities of discussing things and going, “Where do I even start?”
All I can do is reiterate how I feel: it is a very good time to be a Destiny fan right now, and I’m thrilled to share this journey with you.
The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors.
GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.
After 20 years and nine Sherlock Holmes games, Frogwares, a Ukrainian studio based in Kyiv, has established itself as the undisputed champions of making games about one of literature’s stuffiest Englishmen. The course of the Sherlock Holmes series hasn’t always run smooth, but that’s never stopped Frogwares’s developers. It may be that nothing can stop them, considering they’re making their latest game in an active warzone (opens in new tab).
After a Kickstarter last summer (opens in new tab) to shore up funds, the studio has been hard at work on Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened, a full remake of a game it first released in 2007. The idea is that it’s a smaller, faster project for the turbulent circumstances the team finds itself in—the plot and cases are already mapped out, and mechanically it picks up right where the most recent game, Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One, left off.
It certainly doesn’t feel modest in the slice I’ve played, though. The Awakened doesn’t have the open world scale of Chapter One, but it’s far from just a prettied up version of the original. The broad beats of the plot are the same, but that’s pretty much it—it looks and feels modern, and the characters, mysteries, and situations have all been extensively rethought and, in many cases, completely changed. So much for the easy project.
That plot, by the way, is a crossover between Sherlock Holmes and the mythos of HP Lovecraft—the public domain property equivalent of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Holmes, the investigator who never lets up and always finds the answers, ploughs headfirst into a world where the answers don’t make sense and the persistently curious are driven mad. Watch the indescribable sparks fly.
It’s a particularly fitting combo for Frogwares, who also made Lovecraftian detective game The Sinking City (opens in new tab). There’s always something off-kilter about its take on the legendary detective, whether you’re being followed by a teleporting Watson (opens in new tab), dodging traps in a Mayan temple (opens in new tab), or, more recently, solving cases with an imaginary friend (opens in new tab). It doesn’t always hit, but it’s the weird stuff that sticks with you—bringing it to the fore with a case of occultism and dark rituals feels like the studio leaning into its house style.
(Image credit: Frogwares)
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Holmes improvement
That style is immediately noticeable as Watson arrives at a creepy asylum in my hands-on demo. When he introduces himself at the desk and meets the head doctor, queasy close-ups build a campy horror atmosphere that only escalates over the course of the level. The whole section walks a line between scary and funny that’s a little perplexing but undeniably fun—welcome flavour for the more serious and straightforward business of investigation.
That’s not the only line it’s walking, however. The scary asylum setting is the one thing here that does feel outdated—it’s a hoary old trope that relies uncomfortably on a fear of people with mental health problems. In some ways The Awakened feels self-aware about that, mining horror more out of the cruelty of Victorian doctors and the society that enabled them. At the same time, it does use cartoonish depictions of mental health for scares and comic relief, including a catatonic woman who screams randomly to set the mood and an agitated man who believes he’s Napoleon.
But even then it subverts my expectations. As part of my investigation—concerning a sinister series of kidnappings that seems to be operating out of the building—I end up cross-examining a patient who believes her evil doll talks to her. It’s an uncomfortable stereotype of someone suffering from delusions—until the camera jerkily zooms in on the doll’s face, and suddenly Sherlock is interrogating a talking inanimate object. Trying to catch the cackling little terror in a lie by presenting her the right evidence is, once again, the perfect mix of creepy and funny. The whole bizarre interaction wins me back over—particularly in the ambiguity of what is genuinely supernatural, and what is merely Sherlock playing along.
(Image credit: Frogwares)
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Between such odd interactions, the meat of the game is, as you’d expect, investigation. As Sherlock I creep around the asylum’s lower levels, pawing through everything from patient files to staff lockers in search of clues. The throughline from Chapter One is clear, and welcome—we praised its puzzle-solving in our review (opens in new tab). As you gather information by exploring the scene, notes are added to your casebook, with icons next to them indicating how they might be developed further—for example, a compass to show the evidence is pointing you to a particular place, or a speech bubble to show you could talk to someone about it. A great balance of letting you properly work things out, but holding your hand enough to prevent frustration or confusion along the way. It’s just the right formula to make you feel like a genius detective.
Small improvements—such as clearer ways to use Sherlock’s near-supernatural scene reconstruction ability, and a more nuanced take on the mind palace where you connect clues together to form larger conclusions—make the overall experience smoother than ever. It can break down, though, if you don’t meet it halfway. The Awakened is so keen to prevent you from getting stuck that it can be a little easy to brute force it—during the doll scene, for example, I misunderstood the interrogation system and got it wrong several times, but despite her screeching about wanting to kill me, there was no penalty for trying again over and over. There, and in the mind palace, you’re free to just blindly try combinations until something works, and that can undercut the satisfaction of figuring out the answers the right way.
(Image credit: Frogwares)
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It may just be reflective of this one segment of the game, but the demo veers towards point-and-click adventure puzzling more than I’d like, rather than true crime scene investigation. I feel much more like a detective when I’m examining a corpse to figure out how it died than I do deducing that a metal pipe, a dart, and a sedative can be combined to blowdart a guard. It’s perhaps just the price of a more linear and continuous story versus Chapter One’s open city of disconnected crime scenes, but I hope the final game is more of a balanced mix of adventure and snooping.
That said, it’s a relief that, this time around, there doesn’t seem to be any straight-up action messing with the formula. The series’ Achilles’ heel has always been its awkward attempts at combat, parkour, and quick-time events. Here, no matter the peril, the focus is always on investigation and puzzles, with even a lockpicking minigame serving as a test of memory and visual deduction rather than dexterity.
(Image credit: Frogwares)
I didn’t get to dive too much into the larger Lovecraftian conspiracy during the demo, but what I did uncover of the goings on beneath the asylum has me eager to dig deeper (and, probably, go mad). There’s some unevenness to this slice of the game, but it feels far from a compromised or budget project—it’s a natural progression from Chapter One with plenty of intriguingly weird hooks. It has to be a surreal feeling building occult mysteries while real, human horror happens in the city around you, but from what I’ve played so far, it doesn’t seem like Frogware’s circumstances are going to stop it releasing another ambitious and clever detective game.
https://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/1674850205_Sherlock-Holmes-The-Awakened-invites-you-to-cross-examine-the-creepiest.jpg6751200Carlos Pachecohttps://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Website-Logo-300x74.pngCarlos Pacheco2023-01-27 19:48:312023-01-27 20:28:27Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened invites you to cross-examine the creepiest evil doll I’ve ever seen
In what will likely be the day’s least surprising bit of news, HBO has confirmed that The Last of Us (opens in new tab) has been renewed for a second season.
The Last of Us—the game, that is—is generally regarded as one of the best videogame stories ever told, so that’s a strong foundation to build on—and in a world in which awful game movie and television adaptations are the norm (opens in new tab), the simple fact that it’s not fragrant, flaming garbage is noteworthy in itself.
But the HBO show goes way beyond merely not sucking. The Last of Us was a massive critical hit (opens in new tab).” Multiple sites, including The Wrap, The Daily Beast, Empire, and the BBC called it the best videogame adaptation ever in their reviews, and it’s got an enviable 97% aggregate rating on Rotten Tomatoes. You really can’t ask for a better response than that, and the positive word of mouth is powerful enough that even people who have never heard of the videogame (like my mom, and I mean that in a literal, no-joke sense) are tuning in.
The show isn’t above all criticism, of course. Our online editor Fraser Brown wrote last week that the first episode “takes disappointingly few creative risks (opens in new tab),” calling it “too safe and a bit dull,” while associate editor Tyler Colp noted that the show made no effort to update the 2013 videogame story for a 2023 world (opens in new tab) that remains in the grip of a less-zombifying but unfortunately very real pandemic: “It gestures at the initial despair of an infection that leads to millions of deaths, but ultimately falls back on the same zombie tropes you’ve seen over and over again.” Perhaps The Last of Us creative team will feel a little freer to take more creative risks now that HBO has more definitively committed to it.
The journey continues. #TheLastOfUs will return for another season on @HBOMax. pic.twitter.com/FQNG6vhk1dJanuary 27, 2023
See more
The Last of Us is available on HBO Max in the US, and Sky in the UK. If you’d like to get a taste of what it’s all about without signing up for yet another service, the full first episode is available on Sky TV’s YouTube channel (opens in new tab). Unfortunately, it’s restricted to viewers in the UK, but the good news is that we’ve got a list of the best VPNs (opens in new tab) for getting around such outmoded geographical restrictions. And in case you’d forgotten, the game that started the whole thing is finally coming to PC, on Steam (opens in new tab) and the Epic Store (opens in new tab), on March 3.
https://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/1674872158_The-Last-of-Us-has-already-been-renewed-for-season.jpg6751200Carlos Pachecohttps://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Website-Logo-300x74.pngCarlos Pacheco2023-01-27 19:30:052023-01-27 19:30:05The Last of Us has already been renewed for season 2
Fallout 4’s depiction of the nuclear post-apocalypse is a reasonably realistic one–in that it’s hell on Earth–but there are a few inconsistencies in the opening minutes that Neil DeGrasse Tyson would have a field day with. Modders have patched up those plot holes, so now you can start a new game of Fallout 4 and experience the effect of nuclear armageddon in all its destructive glory. Just don’t expect to be touring a new frontier after that.
Made by UnrealSeptim over on NexusMods (via PC Gamer), the More Realistic Intro mod ensures that your character won’t survive long enough to take a cryo-nap that lasts 210 years.
“Are we really expected to believe that our character just happened to make it into the vault at the exact same time as the bomb fell? And are we also supposed to believe that just being a few feet underground would keep our character completely safe from the resulting blast wave? No. Nuclear bombs do not work that way,” UnrealSeptim’s notes read.
As science has proven, you’re going to have a really bad time if a nuke goes off, as depending on where you are in the blast radius, there’s a good chance that you’ll be vaporized by the heat, blinded by the light, or you’ll quickly succumb to severe radiation sickness as your organs begin to shut down.
The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors.
GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.
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There’s a lot to look forward to in February, but if you’re a fan of first-person shooters, Mick Gordon soundtracks, and action, then Atomic Heart might be the highlight of the month for you. Out on February 21, you can grab an 18% discount on Atomic Heart through this Fanatical preorder deal, dropping the price to just $49.
Set in alternate history Russia, the Soviet empire has risen to power thanks to a loyal army of robots that see to the nation’s every need. Or that’s how it used to be, until a robot uprising put the Russian populace at the top of the endangered species list. With secret experiments unleashing mutant creatures, terrifying machines, and superpowered robots, it’s up to you to explore a fallen utopia and save the day.
You’ll need more than just a quick trigger-finger to survive, as you’ll have to scavenge for resources, upgrade your skills, and use your environment to your advantage if you want to take the machines offline. You’ll have access to combat abilities granted by your experimental power glove and a cutting-edge arsenal, to help even the odds. It’s also worth mentioning–again–that Atomic Heart has a Mick Gordon soundtrack, so expect some heavy metal while you reduce the robots around you into Soviet scrap.
Atomic Heart will also be available through Xbox Game Pass on both console and PC, so if you need to top up your subscription, there’s a great deal on at the moment. You can grab two months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for just $9, down from $30. That’s a huge saving, and it’ll also provide access to an EA Play membership, Xbox Live Gold membership, and the ability to play games remotely with Xbox Cloud Gaming. While it can’t be stacked with existing memberships, you can use this deal to renew your membership once it expires.
Disclosure: GameSpot and Fanatical are both owned by Fandom.
The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors.
GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.
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It’s not easy for a game to stand the test of time. As technology evolves and the scope of knowledge in the world grows, so too do our expectations. Even the most innovative games’ popularity will generally dwindle over time, as newer releases build on their predecessors’ successes to bring a better, fresher experience to the table. However, a select few–games like Tetris, Scrabble, and Chess–are so pure and perfected in the fundamentals of their gameplay that they’re essentially timeless in their appeal, and have maintained their popularity over the years as a result. Magic: The Gatheringis an example of such a game.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the release of the original trading card game. And it’s not just still around on the fringes of society; it has boomed in popularity in recent years. With a string of well-received new card sets, the post-COVID return of high-level competitive play, and the release of an incredibly user-friendly new digital client, there has never been a better time to get into MTG.
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Now Playing: Magic: The Gathering Arena – Open Beta Announcement Trailer
That said, getting your feet wet in the game can be an intimidating endeavor at the start. There have been over 20,000 unique Magic cards printed since its inception in 1993. It’s a complicated game, to be sure, with an incredible level of depth to its strategy. There have even been full-length books written on how to use a single card! Even Hall of Fame players and pros would surely tell you that they’re never done learning, and that there’s always room to improve.
The original Magic set, Alpha, was recently reprinted to celebrate the game’s 30th anniversary.
However, if you’re willing to take the plunge, you might just discover the most rewarding, endlessly replayable gaming experience of your life. Here’s where to start. Welcome to Magic: The Gathering.
What is Magic: The Gathering?
When Magic: The Gathering, created by game designer Richard Garfield,was first unveiled at Gen Con in ’93, it was an immediate success. The concept–cards of varying rarities, randomly assorted in “booster packs,” that can be played with in near-limitless combinations– was revolutionary at the time. Without Magic, the Hearthstones, Pokemons, and Yu-Gi-Ohs! of the world would look a whole lot different, and might not exist at all.
In Magic, you take on the role of a “Planeswalker”–a powerful mage, capable of traversing the many “planes,” or dimensions, of the Multiverse (the fictional universe where the Magic story takes place). To defeat your opponent, a fellow Planeswalker, you must cast spells and summon creatures powerful enough to outmatch theirs.
Dragons have been a regular creature type in Magic since the beginning.
Contrary to popular belief, Magicis not a tabletop RPG like Dungeons & Dragons (though both games are owned by Wizards of the Coast). There may be plenty of elves, dragons, and sorcery at play, but where D&D is all about imagination and teamwork, Magic is a cutthroat, competitive card game through and through.
The gameplay and strategy of Magicare frequently described as a combination of poker and chess. Like poker, variance and hidden information are both central to the game, so some knowledge of statistics, bluffing, and concepts like “expected value” is key to success. And like chess, there are near-infinite different ways any given game can play out, so thinking a few turns ahead, and having a plan for how to take down your opponent, are both crucial skills.
The art and flavor text on Magic cards often add to or help explain what’s going on with the lore.
As for the story, it’s been being continuously written for the past 30 years, so the lore is incredibly deep and complicated by this point. It follows a handful of recurring Planeswalker characters as they traverse the many worlds of the Multiverse–fighting wars, saving civilizations, making and breaking allegiances… the typical fantasy goodness. Whenever a new major set of cards is released (which happens about four times a year), the story is expanded upon, with the backdrop of whatever particular plane that set takes place in.
You can piece together what’s going on just by looking at the art and reading “flavor text” (short, italicized story blurbs you’ll find printed on some cards). Or, if you’re the type to get deep into lore, you can check out the regularly released, free-to-read story content published by Wizards of the Coast. Luckily, you don’t need to know anything about the story to start playing, so the amount you chose to engage with that side of the game is entirely up to you.
The Rules
Learning the rules of Magic: The Gathering is the part of the process that all too often scares new players away. The official comprehensive rulebook for the game is almost 300 pages long, after all! Needless to say, what follows is not an exhaustive explanation. But don’t think you need to know every single corner case and minutia before playing your first game. Understanding the basics is all you need to get started; the rest comes naturally with time and practice.
The Basics
In a typical 1v1 game of Magic, each player starts at 20 life with seven cards in hand, drawn from their respective decks (there are exceptions, which we’ll get to in the “Formats” section). After rolling a die to see who goes first, players then take turns, drawing one card from their deck at the start of each of their turns. The first player to get their opponent’s life total to zero wins the game.
Getting your opponent’s life total to zero isn’t the only way to win, but it’s the most common.
Sounds simple, right? Well, it basically is! Where it gets more complicated is in the specifics of the cards themselves, how they function, and how they interact with each other. To understand what the process of winning a game of magic actually looks like, let’s take a look at the different types of cards.
Card Types
There are seven main different card types in Magic: The Gathering, which you’ll find noted underneath the art on every card.There are two different classes of card types: “Permanents” and “non-permanents.” Permanent cards stay on the battlefield after you play them, whereas non-permanents have a one-time effect, after which the card goes to your graveyard.
We’ll start with the permanents.
Lands
Forest
Lands are arguably the most important card type in Magic. They’re how you pay for the spells you cast, so without them, the rest of the cards in your deck are useless. For this reason, most decks will consist of between 40-45% lands; you want to have a few in your opening seven-card hand to ensure you’ll be able to play out the rest of your cards.
Grizzly Bears
Your lands pay for your spells by providing a magical energy source, known as “mana.” The mana cost of any card is listed in the top right corner. (Grizzly Bears, for example, costs one green mana, plus another mana of any color).
The specific color of mana added by your lands depends on the type of land (“Plains” tap for white mana, “Islands” for blue, “Swamps” for black, “Mountains” for red, and “Forests” for green). To add mana, you must turn your land sideways. This action is known as “tapping.” You’ll see it represented by a circular right arrow symbol on cards. Your permanents stay tapped until the beginning of your next turn, so once you tap a land for mana, you can’t use it again until your next turn.
In a game of Magic, you can play one land card per turn. Since they’re permanent cards, they’ll stay on your side of the battlefield for the duration of the game once you play them. So, the later into a game you get, the more expensive cards you’ll be able to cast. On turn one, you’ll only have one land in play, so you can only play something that costs one mana. But if you’ve managed to play a land every turn by turn five, you can play something that costs five. Getting there is no guarantee, however; not drawing enough lands, and therefore being unable to play your spells, is referred to as getting “mana screwed”–a common complaint you’ll hear from salty players. As we noted at the top, variance is a big part of the game.
Dimir Guildgate
The basic lands–Plains, Islands, Swamps, Mountains, and Forests–all only tap for the one color that they produce. Non-basic lands, however, can often tap for two or more different colors of mana. Lands like this typically come with some sort of drawback. Dimir Guildgate, for example, enters the battlefield tapped, so you can’t use it until the following turn.
Creatures
After lands, creatures are the next most important card type in Magic: The Gathering. Attacking with creatures is the simplest, and most common way of getting your opponent’s life total from 20 to zero.
Armored Warhorse
Once per turn, during your “combat phase,” you can attack with any number of your creatures. The amount of damage that a creature deals and the amount of damage that it can take before dying are each determined by its “power” and “toughness.” These stats are listed on the bottom right corner of any creature card. Armored Warhorse, for example, has 2 power, and 3 toughness. So if you land a hit on your opponent with it, their life total will drop by 2.
However, if your opponent has creatures of their own, they will have the option to block your attacking creatures. Blocking prevents all damage to your opponent, regardless of the relative size of the creatures in combat. A 1/1 creature can block a 10/10 creature and still prevent all damage to the defending player, for example.
When a creature blocks an attacking creature, they will both simultaneously deal damage equal their own power to the other creature’s toughness. So, if a 2/2 creature blocks another 2/2, they will both take 2 points of damage and die. But if a 2/3 blocks a 2/3, both creatures will only take 2 damage to their 3 toughness, and therefore survive. (Damage dealt to creatures wears off at the end of each turn).
Soulmender
Just like adding mana with your lands, attacking with a creature requires tapping it. A tapped creature cannot block, so when you decide to attack with a creature, you know you won’t be able to block your opponent’s creatures with it on their turn. Some creatures, such as Soulmender, have non-attack abilities that require tapping, so it’s up to you whether you want to attack your opponent or use your creatures’ abilities.
However, whenever a creature enters your side of the battlefield, it will have what’s known as “Summoning Sickness” until your next turn. (Think of it as being a bit wobbly and disoriented, having just been cast into existence by a sorcerer and all). Being Summoning Sick simply means being unable to tap. So when you cast a creature, you’ll still be able to block your opponent’s attacking creatures on their following turn, but you won’t be able to do any attacking or ability-activating of your own until your next turn.
Enchantments
Next up are enchantments. Being permanents, enchantments will sit on the battlefield indefinitely once you cast them, unless removed by some other effect.
Glorious Anthem
Many enchantments will sit on your side of the battlefield, and offer any number of positive effects to you in the game. Glorious Anthem, for example, grants a +1/+1 buff to all your creatures, making your 2/2 cards into 3/3 cards, and so on.
Pacifism
Then there’s the enchantment subtype known as “Auras.” These enchantments target specific creatures on the battlefield. Some, such as Pacifism, have a negative effect, and are meant to be cast on your opponent’s creatures. There are also Auras that can be used to make your own creatures better, by increasing their power and toughness or granting some other type of ability.
Eidolon of Inspiration
Some enchantments, such as Eidolon of Inspiration, are also creatures, and count as both card types. All the same rules around creatures apply.
Artifacts
Artifacts tend to function a lot like enchantments: They stick around on your side of the battlefield, and give you some sort of positive effect.
Manalith
A common theme among artifact cards is mana production. Manalith, for example, taps to add a mana, just like a land. So if you play it on turn three, and play a land on turn four, you’ll have access to five total mana, instead of just four. (Playing cards that increase your mana production is called “mana ramp”).
Marauder’s Axe
Similar to enchantment auras, artifacts have a common subtype of their own, known as “Equipment.” Think of these as weapons on your side of the battlefield that can be used to buff your creatures. Marauder’s Axe, for example, increases your equipped creature’s power by 2. Unlike auras, equipment cards can be moved around your creatures as you please, by paying the “Equip cost” (two mana of any color, in the case of Marauder’s Axe).
Chief of the Foundry
Like enchantments, you’ll commonly run into creatures that are also artifacts. Some of them, such as Chief of the Foundry, will benefit you for playing as many artifact creatures as possible. (You’ll hear cards like this referred to as “synergy cards”).
Planeswalkers
The last permanent card type to cover is Planeswalkers. Think of these as another player on your side of the battlefield, working alongside you to help take your opponent down.
Serra the Benevolent
Many Planeswalkers’ last ability will require removing many loyalty counters, to give some massive, game-winning effect. This often comes in the form of an “emblem”–a permanent effect on the rest of the game. In the case of Serra, it makes you essentially un-killable as long as you control a creature.
Just like players, Planeswalkers can be attacked by opposing creatures. When a Planeswalker is dealt damage by creatures (or any other effect), it loses that many loyalty counters. Planeswalkers with zero loyalty counters go straight to your graveyard. Players can choose to send some number of their attacking creatures at an opposing Planeswalker, and others at the player. Attacking and blocking rules remain the same.
That’s it for permanents! Now, for the two non-permanent card types.
Sorceries
Any non-land card you play in Magicis considered a “spell.” But sorceries are the real spells of the game in a traditional sense: They are cast for a one-time effect–for your benefit and/or your opponent’s detriment–before the card goes to your graveyard, having done its job.
Eviscerate
Sorceries come in all different varieties, and can have any number of unique effects. One of the more important types of effects in the game is known as “removal spells”–cards that destroy opposing creatures. Eviscerate is an example of such a sorcery.
Divination
Other sorceries are less about affecting the battlefield, and more about getting you up on resources. Cards, being the most important resource in the game, are something you can always use more of. Divination gains you this advantage by drawing you cards.
Demonic Tutor
There’s no end to the types of different effects that sorceries can have in a game of Magic–everything from taking extra turns, to gaining control of an opponent’s creature, to searching up cards in your library (Demonic Tutor being the most iconic example of such a card). It all comes down to mana cost, rarity, and color–more on that below.
Instants
Instants are just like sorceries, except for one key difference: Unlike every other card type we’ve covered thus far, it doesn’t need to be your turn to cast one. Instants can be cast at any time–even during your opponent’s turn.
Giant Growth
This is important in a number of different ways. Giant Growth, for example, increases one of your creature’s power and toughness. So, your opponent might attack you with their 4/4 creature during their turn. You block with your 2/2, cast Giant Growth, and suddenly your creature is a 5/5. Your creature survives, and theirs dies. (Cards like this are known as “combat tricks”).
Cancel
Another common type of instant is known as “counter spells”. When a spell is countered, it goes straight to the graveyard, rather than entering the battlefield if it’s a permanent, or applying its effect if it’s a non-permanent. So, if your opponent casts something during their turn, and you respond by casting Cancel, you will have entirely negated their play.
Like sorceries, there’s a near-limitless number of effects that an instant can have. But having the option of casting them at any point opens up a whole world of strategy. Instants are why bluffing exists in Magic, for example.
The Golden Rule
We’ve laid out the basics of how a game of Magicworks, and how the different types of cards function and interact. However, as you go forth and continue learning and getting a lay of the land, it’s important to remember one of the “Golden Rules” of Magic: The Gathering. As stated in the official rulebook:
“Whenever a card’s text directly contradicts [the] rules, the card takes precedence…”
This fundamental is at the heart of what makes Magicsuch a vast game, with near-infinite new situations to discover and problems to solve. The rules themselves are fairly simple; it’s the cards that break these rules that open up endless possibilities.
A few examples:
Exploration
The rules state that you may play one land per turn. But with Exploration in play, you may play two.
Howling Mine
Each player draws one card at the start of their turn. But with Howling Mine in play, each player draws two cards instead.
Gingerbrute
A creature has summoning sickness the turn it’s played. But a creature with “haste” is unaffected by summoning sickness, and is able to attack and tap for abilities as soon as it enters the battlefield.
There are countless exceptions to the rules like these–far too many to list here! The best way to discover them is to start playing. Soon, the card effects and creature abilities that alter the fundamentals of the game will become second nature.
Colors
The five different colors in Magic: The Gathering are central to both the gameplay and flavor of the game.
Source: mtg.fandom.com
If you look at the back of any Magiccard printed from its inception, you’ll see what’s known as the “color pie”: white, blue, black, red, and green (or “WUBRG,” as it’s known), in that order. Each color is most closely related to the two adjacent colors (known as “allied colors”), and most at odds with the two across (known as “enemy colors”).
Each color in Magichas its own distinct identity, strengths and weaknesses, strategic overtones, and recurring mechanics. Whenever a new set comes out, the whole picture of each color might shift and evolve somewhat, but the colors’ core philosophies have generally stayed consistent over the years. What follows is a brief description of each. For a full picture, including a complete list of mechanics in each color, check out head Magicdesigner Mark Rosewater’s article, Mechanical Color Pie 2021.
White
White is all about law and order, peace, and fairness. In their view, the path to morality and righteousness is clearly defined, and not to be strayed from at any cost.
Wrath of God
Some common White strategies include life gain, swarming the battlefield with an army of small creatures, and symmetrical effects on the game (they are obsessed with fairness, after all). Wrath of God is a classic example of such a card.
Serra Angel
Common White creature types include Humans, Soldiers, and Angels. The most common creature abilities you’ll see in White include “vigilance” (creatures with vigilance don’t tap when they attack), “lifelink” (when a creature with lifelink deals damage, its controller gains that much life), and “flying” (creatures with flying can’t be blocked except by creatures with flying or “reach”).
Blue
Blue is the color of logic, trickery, and the accumulation of knowledge. They seek to understand the world and all the mysteries hidden within it.
Unsummon
Given their emphasis on knowledge, card draw is a common theme you’ll find on blue cards. The color is well suited for controlling strategies; blue decks will often function largely at instant speed, playing nothing on their own turns, and waiting for the opponent’s turn to counter their spells and gain card advantage. “Bounce spells”–cards that return cards to their owner’s hand–are another common effect in blue.
Snapcaster Mage
Blue creature types include Merfolk, Wizards, and Spirits. Blue creatures often have flying, as well as occasionally “flash” (creatures with flash can be cast at instant speed).
Black
Black is–you guessed it–the most evil color in Magic. Their philosophy is summed up by individualism, manipulation, and sacrifice.
Reanimate
Black strategies often revolve around forcing opponents to discard cards, sacrificing your own creatures for a benefit, and using your graveyard to your advantage. Cards that bring creatures back from the graveyard to the battlefield, such as Reanimate, are a particularly iconic, powerful Black strategy. Black also gets the most cards that destroy opposing creatures, so most Black decks will have plenty of cards that do just that.
Lord of the Accursed
Common Black creature types include Zombies, Vampires, and Demons. Common Black creature abilities include lifelink, “menace” (creatures with menace can’t be blocked by fewer than two creatures), and “deathtouch” (any amount of damage dealt to an opposing creature by a creature with deathtouch is enough to kill it).
Red
Red is the most unpredictable and chaotic of all five colors in Magic. They are all about freedom, self-expression, and emotion. And, of course… fire.
Lava Spike
Red is without a doubt the most aggressive color in the game. A common Red strategy that’s been around since the beginning is known as “burn.” These decks are single-mindedly interested in getting the opponent’s life total to zero, with cheap, aggressive creatures, and burn spells, such as Lava Spike. Red decks can also use their burn spells to kill opposing creatures, to clear the way to larger threats later in the game.
Goblin Guide
Goblins, Barbarians, and Phoenixes are common Red creature types. Haste, menace, and “first strike” (creatures with first strike deal damage combat before creatures without first strike) are the most common Red creature abilities.
Green
Last is Green. Green’s philosophy is centered around nature, growth, and abundance. More than any other color, mana is at the heart of what Green is all about.
Llanowar Elves
Mana ramp is one of the most common strategies you’ll find in Green decks. The game plan is fairly straightforward, yet effective: Play cards that accelerate your mana–be it with cards that search up lands from your deck, or “mana dork” creatures like Llanowar Elves–and play a giant monster ahead of schedule. Green’s creatures tend to have the best power/toughness-to-mana cost ratio of all the colors, so some Green decks prefer to simply cast an army of cheap-yet-beefy creatures and employ a more aggressively slanted strategy.
Aggressive Mammoth
Common Green creature types include Elves, Centaurs, and all types of beasts. Reach, deathtouch, and “trample” (attacking creature with trample deal excess combat damage to defending player), are the most common abilities.
Multicolored
While each individual color in Magichas its own identity, that doesn’t mean you’re bound to playing only one color at a time. Most Magicdecks, in fact, include two or more colors. Finding the unique ways that each color interacts with the others is a huge part of the fun of deck-building.
Sphinx’s Revelation
As noted earlier, the “allied” colors tend to work fairly well together naturally. White’s life-gain and symmetrical board effects pair nicely with Blue’s card draw and counter spells, for example, while Red and Black’s similarly sadistic core philosophies are a match made in heaven.
Sprite Dragon
However, pairing together two “enemy” colors can lead to just as viable a strategy. Black and Green can work together to use the graveyard and mana ramp in conjunction to devastating effect, while Blue and Red can assemble a critical mass of non-creature spells with cards like Sprite Dragon to defeat the opponent in short order.
Niv-Mizzet Reborn
There’s no limit to what colors can go together in Magic. Putting all five colors together in a single deck can even be a viable strategy, so long as you have the mana base to support it! Experiment with all the different combinations to find which combinations’ strategies click most with your particular style of play.
Types of Decks
While there’s a near-infinite combination of different cards that can be combined in Magicto game-winning effect, overall strategies can be broken down into four different types of decks:
Aggro
Viashino Pyromancer
Aggro decks care about one thing, and one thing only: Getting your opponent’s life total to zero, as quickly as possible. This is typically done with a critical mass of cheap, efficient, aggressively slanted creatures, alongside a slew of removal spells to help clear out blockers, and maybe a few burn spells to seal the deal. Aggro decks often need fewer than average lands in their decks, since the rest of their spells tend to be so cheap. There have been winning aggro decks in every color in Magic, but Red and White are the most common.
Midrange
Siege Rhino
Midrange is just what it sounds like: A healthy mix of versatile, flexible effects that can serve as either aggressive or defensive, depending on the texture of a given game. Unlike aggro decks, midrange decks are less concerned about how quickly they can kill their opponent, and more with having the tools at their disposal to handle any type of situation. They can take their time whittling away at their opponent’s life total since they have the resources to play a long game if necessary. Most decks you’ll run into in Magicwill be some shade of midrange. Any combination of colors can function as a midrange deck.
Control
Cryptic Command
On the opposite end of the spectrum is control decks. Control decks want the game to go long. A typical control play pattern is to spend the first handful of turns countering the opponent’s spells, removing their creatures from play, and drawing some cards, before eventually running your opponent out of resources and cinching victory with a game-winning finisher. Control decks are all about inevitability; speed is the least concern when you know you have the long-game locked up. The vast majority of control decks are Blue, frequently paired with either White or Black.
Combo
Splinter Twin
Combo decks are their own type of beast entirely. These decks are looking to assemble some combination of cards whose interaction essentially breaks the rules of the game. The rest of the deck is generally geared toward finding the necessary pieces, and protecting the combo once assembled.
Pestermite
A classic example of such a deck is the infamous Splinter Twin combo. Splinter Twin is an enchantment aura that lets enchanted creature tap to make a token copy of itself with haste. The creature Pestermite can untap a permanent when it enters the battlefield. So, throw a Splinter Twin on a Pestermite, and when the token copy enters, you can untap the enchanted Pestermite to make infinite copies of Pestermite with haste. An instant win.
Not all combo decks are quite so straightforward; many require many more moving pieces than just two cards to “go off.” However, playing against a good combo deck is one of the more fear-inducing experiences in Magic.
Formats
So, you know the card types, colors, and types of decks available in Magic: The Gathering. Now, how do you build a deck? What cards are available to choose from?
Well, that depend on the type of format you choose to play! The particular format dictates the list of cards legal to play with, as well as rules regarding deck construction and gameplay. We can’t cover them all here–there are over 20 official formats, plus even more created by fans–but you can find a full list with descriptions at Wizard of the Coast’s website.
There are two main types of formats in Magic: Limited, and constructed. We’ll start with constructed.
Constructed
Constructed is any format where you come to the game with a deck built ahead of time. These decks are generally (but not always) 60 cards, with roughly 24 of those being land cards. You are limited to four copies of any one card in your deck, with the exception of basic lands.
Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
The card pool you have access to for building your constructed deck depends on the specific constructed format that you’re playing. In Standard, one of the most popular constructed formats, you’re limited to only cards from the most recent round of sets that have been released. When the fall set is released each year, the four oldest sets legal in Standard rotate out. With the format in such a perpetual state of flux, the “metagame” is ever-evolving, so you need to stay on top of updating your decks with new cards as a result.
Black Lotus–the rarest, most expensive card in Magic
Other constructed formats, however, have a much wider range of cards legal to play with. In Modern, for example, most cards printed since 2003 are fair game. With so many more cards to choose from, the power level of the format is much higher than something like Standard. The ultimate example of this is with Vintage, where every card printed since the very first set (with a few exceptions) is legal. These decks are sometimes capable of winning in the first turn or two of the game. However, given the rarity of some of the cards legal in Vintage, a tournament-legal deck can cost literally tens of thousands of dollars to get your hands on. Needless to say, the barrier to entry gets higher the further back you go.
Muldrotha, the Gravetide–a popular Commancer
The most popular casual format in Magicis a little different than other constructed formats, however. Enter: Commander. In Commander, you build a 100-card deck, with a “Commander”–any creature with the “legendary” supertype–at the helm. Commander decks must be only the colors of their Commander, and can only have one copy of any non-basic land card (“singleton,” as it’s known).
While most games of Magic are played 1v1, Commander is specifically meant for up to six players at a time, with each player starting at 40 life. Alliances and politics end up being a big part of the game, so things can get wild and complicated fast. It may not be a sanctioned tournament format, but if you’re looking for a casual game night-type format to play with friends, Commander is a great option. There are plenty of pre-constructed decks to choose from for sale to get you started, too.
Limited
In limited Magic, you open booster packs–packs of 15 cards, including one basic land, 10 commons, three uncommons, and one rare or mythic rare–and build a deck out of what you open from scratch. Your limited deck will consist of 40 cards total–typically 23 non-land cards, and 17 lands (you can add basic lands from outside the card pool). Most limited decks are two colors, with a mix of creatures and non-creature spells. The type of strategy you choose to employ is up to you, though you’ll want to let your card pool guide you. If you open a particularly powerful rare, for example, you may want to let that steer your deck building.
The two most common forms of limited are “Sealed Deck” and “Booster Draft.” In Sealed, each player opens six booster packs, and builds their deck from the pool of 90 cards that they open. It’s super simple, and a great place to start for new players. It’s also the format played at “Prereleases”–events that happen the week before a new set is released, where players get their first chance to get their hands on the new set of cards–as well as other high-level sanctioned tournaments, so you’ll want to have the format in your back pocket.
Booster Draft is a bit more complicated. In a draft, eight players sit in a circle, each with three booster packs. Each player opens their first pack, picks one card out of it, and passes the rest of the pack to their left. Players continue picking one card out of each pack passed to them until there are no cards left. The second booster pack is picked the same way, except passed to the right; the third pack is passed to the left again.
Titania’s Command
Draft adds a whole new level of complexity and strategy to the limited experience. Unlike sealed, you’re not just putting together a deck from a pile of cards: You need to think about the cards you’re passing around the table, as well as to paying attention to the cards being passed to you, to determine what colors might be “open.” If you get passed a particularly powerful Green card on pick five, for example, you can assume the players to your right probably aren’t drafting Green, so you might want to abandon whatever you’ve been drafting so far and move into that color. It’s all about paying attention to the data points and letting the information you have access to help guide your picks.
Whichever type of limited you opt to play, it’s a great place to start for new players. Not only does it help get you used to deck building and rules interactions, it levels the playing field. Each player has access to the same number of cards, opened from scratch. So unlike in constructed, you can’t get a competitive edge just by having the money to spend on the best, most competitive cards ahead of time.
Where to Play
Playing a game of Magic: The Gathering used to mean organizing a kitchen table play session with friends, or heading to a local shop for a tournament. But now, it’s as simple as opening an app on your phone. This is no doubt the biggest reason for the game’s recent popularity boom: It is simply more accessible than ever.
MTG Arena
MTG Arena
MTG Arena is the newest and most popular digital client for Magic: The Gathering, having largely replaced the original Magic: The Gathering Online (which is still available to play, but slightly archaic compared to Arena, and much less user-friendly). It’s free to download on Windows, macOS, and mobile.
When you create your account on Arena, you’ll go through a five round tutorial, where you’ll learn about some of the basic rules and mechanics of the game. After defeating the final boss (a malevolent draconic Planeswalker known as Nicol Bolas, who’s a regular character in the game), you’ll move on to the “Color Challenge.” Here, you’ll get the chance to try out five different pre-built decks–one of each color–and will be rewarded with new cards to update your decks with every time you win. This a great (and free!) way to get a head start on building up your digital collection.
From here, there are any number of ways to play on Arena–from Drafts, to Standard, to regularly updated special events and tournaments. It’s a great way to familiarize yourself with the rules of the game and by far the easiest way to play Magicin 2023.
Tabletop
Arenamight take the cake in terms of convenience, but there’s still nothing quite like live, paper play. It’s the “gathering” part of Magic: The Gathering.
The best way to play in-person is at your local game store, or “LGS.” Here, you’ll find all sorts of events–casual Commander nights, Prereleases, high-stakes tournaments, and more. It’s a great way to meet other players, learn the ropes, and support local businesses all at once. Check out Wizards of the Coast’s store locator to find the closest shop to you.
Resources
Now that you know the basics, it’s time to start playing! Check out the links below for some further reading and information. Good luck, and have fun!
Limited Resources–the most popular Magicpodcast, hosted by hall-of-famer Luis Scott Vargas and longtime Magiccommentator Marshall Sutcliffe. They focus mainly on Limited play, but frequently touch on the fundamentals of the game, as well.
“Level One: The Full Course”–this series of articles, written by Magicpro Reid Duke, is, as it promises, a full-course on Magicstrategy. It’s a deep dive, but once you have the fundamentals down, it’s a great place to look to level up your game.
Feeling confident and ready to compete at the highest level? It won’t be easy, but anyone can do it. Check out Wizards of the Coast’s guide to getting there right here.
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NFL QB Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals is a big fan of Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. series, and specifically Ness. Ahead of this weekend’s Conference Championship games, Burrow confirmed during a press conference that, instead of watching game film on flights to away games, he likes to play Smash.
Now, Burrow does spend time watching game tape–but by the time he’s on the plane headed to the next destination, he’s finished and ready to play Smash. His favorite character to play as? None other than Ness from the EarthBound series. “I’m a Ness main,” Burrow said at a press conference. “Nobody knows what the means. That’s OK. Some nerd stuff around here.”
There are no football games on this Saturday, and Burrow said he plans to spend the downtime playing more Smash. What a guy.
Joe Burrow asked whether he watches film on the flight to away games, says he’s usually wrapped up his film work by then. What’s he do instead? “Sometimes plays Super Smash Brothers.” With no football on this Saturday, he says he’ll probably play some more Super Smash brothers.
Burrow, 26, was three years old when the first Smash Bros. game was released in 1999. He played college football at LSU and won the Heisman Trophy in 2019. He led the LSU Tigers to the National Championship in 2020. Later that year, Burrow was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Known for his swagger and style, Burrow is heading into enemy territory this Sunday, January 29, when his Bengals take on Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs for a shot to get to the Super Bowl. The big game takes place on Sunday, February 12.
As for the Smash series, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the most recent entry in the series. As of September 30, the game had sold 29.53 million copies.
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On January 25, Activision released a community update for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2, which revealed that DMZ mode would receive a new map location, difficulty scaling for the AI opponents, and more. However, some players are voicing their disappointment over the surprise announcement that Season 2 would also include a complete seasonal wipe.
Season 2 is set to bring a fresh start for DMZ, as the incoming wipe will include a reset of everyone’s current Faction mission tier progress, removal of all Contraband weapons and keys from player inventory, and introduce brand-new Faction missions. Basically, players will be starting from scratch like it’s day one again.
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Other extraction shooters like Escape From Tarkov feature seasonal wipes, but Infinity Ward never mentioned that DMZ would include them. This might not be a surprise to players familiar with the extraction-style games, but not everyone is aware, sparking some upset on social media.
“This is something they should have made clear from the start, not everyone is familiar with extraction shooters and invested their time on that mode not expecting that to happen,” tweeted one user.
A post on Reddit has sparked a debate on whether DMZ needs seasonal wipes. One Redditor commented to say that they’ve enjoyed DMZ, but unlike Tarkov, DMZ doesn’t offer the base building or upgrading features. “Start all over again? What’s the point?”
DMZ’s upcoming wipe also brings a bit of frustration for some of the players who struggled with the difficulty of higher-tier missions, which were made even more complicated by the mode’s brutally powerful AI. Completing individual missions earns various rewards like XP, operator skins, and weapon blueprints, but many players were dedicated to the tedious grind of completing all the mission tiers to unlock additional insured weapon slots, which they will now lose with the new season.
One Redditor said, “Not gonna lie, I’ll have zero interest chasing missions (especially mid/late season) for a 4 hour insured slot.”
However, DMZ’s Faction grind will hopefully be less of a struggle in Season 2. Activision has confirmed that the new season will include mission difficulty tuning and balancing to the game’s overpowered AI. Currently, the AI can beam players across the map like they have hacks enabled, but the developer is adjusting the accuracy of AI at range, plus making changes to the various types and amount of AI spawning into the match.
It’s also worth noting that DMZ is technically still in beta, so the mode is expected to keep evolving over the course of Modern Warfare 2’s seasons, but hopefully more communication can be made in regards to such impactful changes moving forward.
Additionally, the new season of DMZ will also include some spawn tuning for players and increased game stability. Season 2 is also bringing major changes to Modern Warfare 2 and battle royale. Players can expect several changes to the UI, audio adjustments, and more quality-of-life changes.
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https://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/CoD-Warzone-2-Will-Wipe-DMZ-In-Season-2-And.jpg9771696Carlos Pachecohttps://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Website-Logo-300x74.pngCarlos Pacheco2023-01-27 18:42:002023-01-27 18:42:00CoD: Warzone 2 Will Wipe DMZ In Season 2, And Some Players Aren’t Excited
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