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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 November 4 Patch Notes Detail One Of Its Beefiest Updates So Far

Treyarch and Raven Software have published yet another Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 update, this time targeting a few of the game’s more annoying elements, such as the flashbang screen effect, the Recon Combat Specialty, and the spawn system.

The November 4 update is only the developer’s latest patch seeking to iron out the experience. Although players quickly took to this year’s Call of Duty when its release date arrived a few weeks back, many have made it clear that there are more than a few kinks left to deal with. Today’s update is one of the beefiest yet, as it tackles common issues and more while promising to provide even more specific fixes in the future.

One tool that players of every skill level can’t seem to stand is the flashbang, which has been called out for the lengthy affect it has on players’ screens. On smaller maps like Nuketown, of which there are a few of in Black Ops 6, the flashbang leaves Operators unable to see their screen for long portions of each match. Post update, players will notice that the duration of the effect has been reduced by 20%. Whether it calms complaints remains to be seen, but it’s clear Treyarch is at least listening.

Other common talking points the team sought to address with today’s patch include the spawn system and Recon Combat Specialty. The former is often a point of contention in any Call of Duty entry, so it should be nice to hear that spawn logic has been tuned across “several” Multiplayer maps in Black Ops 6.

Our number one goal is to always provide the safest spawn that we can across all maps and game modes.

“Spawn tuning will be an ongoing process of taking in data, reviewing gameplay and making measured adjustments in the live environment,” a developer note says. “Our number one goal is to always provide the safest spawn that we can across all maps and game modes.”

Recon, meanwhile, has left many concerned thanks to its ability to allow players to see through walls for a short time after respawning. The Perk combination bonus has now had its duration reduced from 2 seconds to 1.5, with Treyarch promising to reduce it even further ahead of Season 1.

These are the highlights for those looking for a less frustrating Multiplayer experience, but a number of weapon balance adjustments found their way into the November 4 Black Ops 6 update, too. Assault rifles like the XM4 and Model L received nerfs to their long-range damage, while more than a few SMGs had their range buffed. Most of the new Black Ops 6 patch focuses on tweaking Multiplayer, but Zombies players will notice that GobbleGum names should now properly update when players switch between tier tabs.

Today’s update follows a November 1 patch that squashed a number of bugs and exploits across the Multiplayer and Zombies modes. Although today’s fix fleshes out the experience even more, the team will surely polish the FPS further in the coming days and weeks.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 launched October 25 and will begin its first season of content on November 14. For more on, you can read our reviews for the Campaign, Multiplayer, and Zombies modes. We gave Multiplayer an 8/10, saying, “Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 plays it safe but is otherwise exactly what Call of Duty multiplayer should be: fast, fun, and a little on the ridiculous side.”

For everything else revealed in today’s patch, you can see the list of all the changes below. Specific weapon adjustments can be found on the patch notes page here, and make sure to check out ranking of the best guns as well would Black Ops 6 Zombies Guide.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 November 4, 2024 Patch Notes

GLOBAL

Stability

  • Improved stability when interacting with the Message of the Day.
  • Improved stability when sending voice communications.

Progression

  • Completion display will now properly appear when completing Prestige Challenges in both Multiplayer and Zombies.

Operators

  • Addressed an issue where Bailey wasn’t holding an intended Pistol in the Operator selection menu.

MULTIPLAYER

Maps

  • Nuketown
    • Nuketown is now available in Private Matches.

Modes

  • Addressed an issue where players were spawned in when joining a session in progress instead of spectating before selecting a Loadout. Yes, we saw ourselves in a Killcam before selecting a Loadout too.
  • Improved stability in Infected game mode.

Spawns

  • General spawn logic tuning across several maps for improved spawning.

Spawn tuning will be an ongoing process of taking in data, reviewing gameplay and making measured adjustments in the live environment. Our number one goal is to always provide the safest spawn that we can across all maps and game modes.

Loadouts

  • Addressed an issue where players would automatically equip their previously used Loadout when joining matches already in progress.
  • Addressed an issue where Players would die at initial spawn when selecting their Loadout.

Weapons

It’s been awesome seeing players discover and share their favorite weapon builds during the first week of launch. Every day we monitor both player feedback and game data to keep tabs on how the weapon meta is evolving and prepare for a comprehensive tuning pass in Season 01.

We have seen the discussions about the relative balance of Assault Rifles and Submachine Guns, and we are making some early, general changes to adjust their effective ranges. For ARs, we are pulling in minimum damage ranges and lessening the impact of headshots at close range. SMGs are receiving damage range increases to improve their mid-range effectiveness.

Shotguns

Last week, we fixed an issue with shotgun Slugs, but we are still working on an additional issue causing this attachment to perform better in hip fire than intended. Slugs are meant to offer an alternate playstyle for shotguns that trades close quarters effectiveness for improved range and precision. We are removing the ability for Slugs to one-hit kill to the body for now and will be revisiting the overall tuning of this attachment in an upcoming update.

  • Marine SP
    • Slug attachment Max Damage reduced from 106 to 92.
  • ASG-89
    • Slug attachment Max Damage reduced from 106 to 92.

Perks

  • Recon Combat Specialty
    • Reduced duration that enemies are highlighted after respawning to 1.5 seconds from 2 seconds. An additional reduction will be coming before Season 01.
    • Resolved an issue that allowed players to activate Recon Combat Specialty by changing Loadouts.
  • Dispatcher
    • Increased Dispatcher Perk score cost for UAV from 500 to 550.
    • Increased Dispatcher Perk score cost for Counter UAV from 550 to 600.

As we head into Season 1, we are continuing to observe data and feedback for Perks and Combat Specialties in Multiplayer. Currently, Enforcer is the most popular Combat Specialty with Recon in second place. It’s not just about the data though, as your feedback is a critical part of how we approach tuning of the live game. With that said, we are making some spot adjustments today as we as we continue to take a holistic look at our Perks and Combat Specialties moving forward.

Equipment

  • Flashbang
    • Reduced Flashbang Tactical screen effect duration by 20%.

Scorestreaks

  • Increased health of UAV and Counter UAV (rockets to destroy remain unchanged).
  • Increased initial explosion radius of Napalm Strike.
  • Reduced the initial entry delay of the LDBR.
  • Increased the fly-in speed of the Strategic Bomber.
  • Reduced score cost for Interceptors from 1250 to 1150.

Movement Updates

  • Adjusted stance change cooldowns to reduce effectiveness of repeated prone to stand movement (enough snaking).

XP Earn Rates

  • Adjusted Player XP and Weapon XP earn rates for most modes to ensure that players are being rewarded for their match performance as expected wherever they play. These changes include:
    • Increased Weapon XP earn rates for most modes
    • Increased Player XP earn rates for the following modes:
      • Team Deathmatch
      • Control
      • Search & Destroy
      • Gunfight
    • Slight decrease to Player XP and Weapon XP earned in Face Off modes

Challenges

  • Addressed an issue where players were able to complete the Nuke Challenge while dying.

UI

  • Appropriate Perks will now display when viewing the featured player during Best Play.

Known Issues

  • Gunsmith
    • We are investigating an issue where any equipped Optic attachment is removed when when entering the Gunsmith in Main Menus.
      • Players will not notice this issue if entering Gunsmith during a match.
      • Players can equip Optic attachments, but will need to re-equip them anytime they enter Gunsmith in a Main Menu to adjust attachments or customizations.
        • In cases where an Optic is locked and equipped via a Blueprint, players will need to reapply the Blueprint to obtain the Optic.

ZOMBIES

  • UI
    • GobbleGum names will now properly update when switching between tier tabs.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.

Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.

Essential Stardew Valley 1.6 Guides

Stardew Valley 1.6 is finally out on console and mobile devices following the PC release back in March with the Stardew Valley 1.6.9 update. This adds all previous 1.6 content to PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android, alongside some new stuff.

If you’ve been holding out for the 1.6 release on console and mobile, we’ve got plenty of Stardew Valley 1.6 guides to help you through the new content, such as an explainer on the new Mastery Points system and new crops like Carrots and Broccoli.

Essential Stardew Valley 1.6 Guides

Below, you’ll find IGN guides that we recommend checking out to aid you in your farming adventure.

Mastery Points

The Mastery Points system is a new feature that rewards those who have leveled all five Stardew Valley skills (Fishing, Farming, Combat, Foraging, and Mining) to level 10. Now, when you use a maxed-out skill, you’ll gain EXP in the new Mastery Gauge. Once the Mastery Gauge is full, you’ll get a Mastery Point that can be spent at Mastery Cave in Cindersap Forest.

For more information on Mastery Points and the rewards you can spend them on, head to our Mastery Points guide.

Raccoon Family Quests

In Stardew Valley 1.6, you’ll receive an announcement randomly telling you that a strong windstorm occurred overnight and if you head to Cindersap Forest, you’ll find that there’s now a giant treestump where a tree was. Once you repair the stump, a raccoon will be standing by it the next day, and he’ll have a quest for you. This is actually a chain of quests known as the Raccoon Family Quests.

As you complete the quests, the raccoon’s family will grow. You can accept a new quest from him every seven in-game days, and you’ll get rewards for doing so, as well as new Shop.

Check out our Raccoon Family Quests guide for walkthroughs on all the quests, as well as checkmarks to track your exact progress!

Golden Joja Parrot

Struggling to track down all 130 Golden Walnuts on Ginger Island? The Golden Joja Parrot is here to help—for a price. In the Stardew Valley 1.6 update, you can now pay the Golden Joja Parrot 10,000g to tell you the location of a Golden Walnut. It’s a pricy service, but if you can afford it, it’s very useful.

Of course, we would recommend NOT spending 10,000g (sorry, birdy!) and instead using our All Golden Walnuts guide to track down the 130 Golden Walnuts scattered around Ginger Island. We’ve also got checkmarks so you can check off the ones you’ve found.

New Fish and Resources

A fish, the Goby, has been added in Stardew Valley 1.6, which you can learn more about, including location, season, and selling price, in our Fish guide. Additionally, there are new fishable resources to find, which can be used to craft the Fish Smoker, which is also new. You’ll need the Fish Smoker for a Raccoon Family Quest!

Head to the following guides to learn more about obtaining the new fishable resources:

New Crops

Alongside a fish, there are also four additional crops for you to grow. You can find out more about how to find the seeds for the new crops and how to grow them in the following guides:

New Festivals

The Stardew Valley 1.6 update adds the following new festivals to the game:

Click on a link above to visit the guides page for that festival. You’ll find out information such as when each festival takes place, attractions, and what you can buy.

Starting a New Game?

If you’re starting a new game for the Stardew Valley 1.6 update on console and mobile, you may need a refresher on the basics, especially if it’s been a long time since you’ve played early-game content or you’re new to Stardew Valley. We recommend the following guides for new playthroughs:

Beginner’s Guide and Tips – Begin here if you’re starting a new playthrough. Our Beginner’s Guide and Tips page lists key things to know, including the best type of farm to choose, what to do in your first week to set yourself up for success, information on the Community Center, and more!

Skills – There are five skills to learn, each with 10 levels to unlock. As you level a skill up, you’ll unlock new rewards, such as crafting recipes and proficiency, and you can even choose between professions. Our Skills page teaches you everything you need to know.

How to Fish – Fishing is one of the five skills in Stardew Valley. Our How to Fish page teaches you how to unlock fishing, how to fish (including mini-game tips), and how to use Bait.

Cooking Recipes – Once you’ve upgraded your house, you unlock a kitchen with a stove and a fridge, which in turn, unlocks cooking. Our Cooking Recipes page lists every recipe in Stardew Valley and how to get them, plus required ingredients, stats, and sell price.

Crafting Recipes – There are a plethora of crafting recipes that you can use to make items to help you out with farming, decorating, combat, and more. Our Crafting Recipes page lists every crafting recipe in Stardew Valley, how to unlock them, and the materials you’ll need.

How to Make Money – Money is an incredibly valuable resource in Stardew Valley. In fact, you can’t do much without it! Our How to Make Money guide lists essential tips for making cash so you can fill up your coinpurse in no time.

Marriage Guide – Every farmer needs a partner, and our Marriage Guide teaches you everything you need to know about marriage in the game, including all 12 eligible bachelors and bachelorettes, how to actually get married, and how to have a baby. If you fall out of love with your partner, we even tell you how to get divorced. You’ll need to increase your villager hearts to get married, which we also have an explainer for.

All of the Xbox Deals We Hope to See on Black Friday

Black Friday is the ultimate season for Xbox deals, whether you’re after classic or newly released games, or upgrades to your setup. This year, major retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart are all expected to offer unbeatable prices on everything from controllers to must-play games, and the deals will only ramp up as we get closer to Black Friday itself. So, what can you expect on the Xbox front this year? Here’s our preview of what to keep an eye out for, and stay tuned, as this season’s deals could be worth the wait.

Xbox Series X|S: Black Friday Console Deals

Last year, Xbox Series console bundles dominated the holiday sales, especially at Walmart. While Microsoft initially offered $50 off select Xbox Series X and Series S consoles, many retailers took things further, rolling out even bigger discounts and bundles – like the Diablo 4 Xbox Series X bundle, which dropped to $439 and made a major splash in the sale season.

This Black Friday, we’re likely to see similar deals, with Xbox consoles getting solid discounts and even better bundle options. Stay tuned for updates, and check out our guide on where to buy Xbox Series X and S consoles for the latest options, including the new 2TB Galaxy Xbox Series X and 1TB Xbox Series S, which could also see holiday discounts.

Last Year’s Xbox Black Friday Timeline

In recent years, some of the best Xbox Black Friday deals have started surfacing around mid-November, with the biggest discounts dropping in the final days leading up to Black Friday. For fans of digital downloads, the Xbox Store typically joins the fray, offering deep discounts on popular franchises and exclusive digital content.

In 2023, Xbox’s Black Friday sales were announced on November 15, kicking off on November 17. While this year’s offers haven’t been confirmed yet, we expect a similar timeline and range of discounts. For context, here’s a snapshot of last year’s highlights:

  • Up to 50% off digital games
  • Up to 65% off select Xbox Game Studios titles
  • Up to 67% off select PC digital games
  • $50 off select Xbox Series X and Series S consoles
  • Up to $25 off select Xbox Wireless Controllers
  • Free engraving on Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 via Xbox Design Lab

Every Xbox Game I’d Like to See On Sale for Black Friday

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

With its intense third-person combat and rich Warhammer lore, Space Marine 2 has become a must-play for fans of the genre. A Black Friday deal would make it a fantastic gift option for Warhammer enthusiasts, making it a holiday highlight for any fan of brutal action and immersive storytelling.

Resident Evil 4

The remake of Resident Evil 4 is still going strong with an impressive $19.99 price reduction this week. Given its acclaim as one of the best remakes in recent years, an extension or further reduction during Black Friday would be a win for players who haven’t picked it up yet.

Sonic X Shadow Generations

Just released, Sonic X Shadow Generations could also see early Black Friday discounts. Sega has a history of marking down recent titles, as seen with Sonic Frontiers last year. Currently priced at $39.99 on Woot, we might see an additional price cut soon. Leaker billbil_kun has hinted it could reach around €26.99 in Europe, which could translate to a similar discount in the US.

Elden Ring

A standout in gaming, Elden Ring has gained even more depth with the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. This popular game has held its value, but Black Friday could be the perfect chance for a deal on the main game or its complete edition. Any discount would make this one of the season’s most tempting offers.

Star Wars Outlaws

Star Wars Outlaws has received a steady stream of updates since launch, improving performance and gameplay. A Black Friday discount would be a great opportunity for newcomers to explore Ubisoft’s expansive Star Wars universe. With updates driven by community feedback, Outlaws is shaping up to be a thrilling experience for fans of open-world sci-fi games, and a sale could make it even more accessible.

Xbox Game Pass Black Friday Deals

It’s a hot question: Will we see any discounts on Xbox Game Pass during the Black Friday sales? It’s a tough one, as we’ve already seen plenty of unreal discounts on Game Pass in recent months, especially at Woot. But, Black Friday offers Microsoft a unique opportunity to ride the Black Ops 6 wave and launch Game Pass subscriber numbers into the stratosphere. Although it’s not for certain, I do anticipate Game Pass getting a discount for Black Friday, and I’m hoping it’ll be something like three months of Ultimate for $30, for example. We’ll just have to wait and see!

Xbox Controllers: $39 or Less for Black Friday?

Xbox Wireless Controllers were a hot item last Black Friday, available at a discounted price of $39, up to $25 off the regular cost. We’ve seen a similar deal recently crop up at Lenovo, but it often quickly sells out and is limited in what colors are available. If this returns for Black Friday, and consistently stays in stock for all color variants, then this will be the best time to buy.

Xbox Expandable Storage SSDs Deals

Xbox SSD expansion cards are consistently one of the most popular deals console gamers are looking for over big sale events. They’re expensive, so everyone who wants one is trying to find it at a reduced price. Looking at recent deals on Xbox-compatible SSDs, we expect to see 1TB cards drop to around $100-125, similar to the recent October Prime Day event.

Xbox Black Friday Shopping Tips

Before you dive into the Black Friday shopping frenzy, keep these Black Friday shopping tips in mind:

  1. Plan Your Spending: Set a budget and stick to it. Only buy games or accessories you genuinely intend to use.
  2. Create a Wishlist: Make a list of the items you want to buy and stick to it to avoid impulsive purchases.
  3. Compare Prices: Double-check deals at different retailers to ensure you’re getting the best price.
  4. Act Swiftly: Exceptional deals may sell out quickly, so don’t hesitate to grab them.
  5. Don’t Worry If You Miss Out: If you miss a deal, it might come back on Cyber Monday or during the next Prime Day.

Looking for deals right now? Have a look at our roundup of the best PlayStation deals to see the biggest discounts available today. Or, if you’d like to see what’s caught our eye on other platforms, have a look at our individual roundups of the best Nintendo Switch deals and the best Xbox deals or our overall look at the best video game deals.

When Is Black Friday 2024?

The actual date of Black Friday in 2024 falls on November 29 this year, but the deals season will begin a lot sooner than that. Leading up to the big event, retailers will begin to open deals online. This usually starts in the last week of October, just before Halloween. Each week leading up to the event will slowly roll out more deals, which ultimately leads to Black Friday. Retailers will not reveal their biggest Black Friday deals until the big day, but most general deals will be available well in advance. Walmart, for example, has announced its official sale for November 11 this year.

Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.

As Stardew Valley 1.6 Finally Hits Console and Mobile, 1.6.9 Patch Notes Reveal Further Changes

Stardew Valley 1.6 finally hits the console and mobile versions of Eric ‘ConcernedApe’ Barone’s 30 million-selling farm life simulation game today, November 4, and with it update 1.6.9 launches across all platforms.

The Stardew Valley 1.6.9 update for consoles, mobile, and PC rolls out from 10am PST, although the exact time it will be available may vary from platform to platform, Barone tweeted.

Fans do have the Stardew Valley 1.6.9 changelog to run through now (check out the patch notes below). The patch notes are just for 1.6.9, but console and mobile get all the previous 1.6 content as well.

There’s a lot to dig into with 1.6.9, but new content and features include the ability to find a lost item via a new friend who appears in the secret woods, slightly tweaked dialogues, new Easter eggs, and new hidden cheat commands.

Barone had said that following the release of 1.6, console and mobile players can still experience almost everything new with their existing save, “but if you have any interest in starting a new farm it would be ideal to start fresh.”

“Some of the new things, for example, are different in year one than in year two plus,” Barone continued. “Besides, it’s fun to start a new farm right?”

The free 1.6 update, which sparked a fresh 10/10 Stardew Valley review from IGN, launched on PC in March, which means console and mobile players have waited eight months for it to launch on their platforms. Barone initially expected the ports would be released a month later.

Barone has apologized to disgruntled fans and promised not to return to work on his next game, Haunted Chocolatier, until Stardew 1.6 was finalized. Haunted Chocolatier, revealed in 2021, doesn’t have a release window.

Stardew Valley 1.6.9 patch notes:

New content & features

  • If you lost an item that can’t be found again, a new friend appears in the secret woods who can get it back (for a price).
  • You can now put legendary fish in fish ponds. These are limited to one per pond and produce legendary fish roe. Each fish has a unique water color.
  • You can now place beds and sleep inside any constructed buildings that allow furniture.
  • Items dropped in water now float for a short time, so you can collect them if you’re quick or have a magnet ring.
  • Sam and Shane now have work portraits while working at JojaMart.
  • Slightly tweaked some dialogues.
  • Added new Easter eggs.
  • Added hidden cheat commands. (Only on platforms where a save edit is possible)

Balance changes

  • Blue grass no longer grows slower than normal grass.
  • Fruit tree growth is no longer blocked by grass and seed spots.
  • Pine trees now drop one extra wood when chopped down.
  • The initiation quest now counts wild slimes killed on the farm.
  • Thorns ring damage now stacks if you equip two of them, and monsters killed by a thorns ring now drop loot like regular kills.
  • With the Gatherer skill, the chance to double harvested forage now applies when using an iridium scythe too.
  • Son of Crimsonfish can now be caught during the night market.
  • Robin no longer constructs buildings during green rain in year 1.
  • Placing a bomb and then switching to a weapon no longer applies its enchantments to the bomb damage.
  • Added some items to shops:
    • Adventurer’s Guild: Rusty Sword, Femur, Elf Blade, Steel Smallsword, Crystal Dagger, Obsidian Edge, and Work Boots. These unlock after you reach a certain mine level, regardless of whether you found them in a mine chest.
    • Marnie’s shop: Cow Decal.
    • Hat mouse: Sports Cap.
    • Willy’s shop: Advanced Iridium Rod.
  • Passing trains are now more likely to happen multiple times in the same session, but can no longer appear on consecutive days.
  • Willy’s shop now opens on spring 2 in the first year even if you didn’t read his letter.
  • Fixed Queen of Sauce reruns being affected by the recipes needed by unclaimed farmhands in empty cabins.
  • Fixed being able to receive monster damage while jumping down a mine shaft before the screen fades to black.
  • Fixed spa not fully recovering energy when a max-energy buff is active.
  • Fixed sleeping late while exhausted not reducing stamina as intended.
  • Fixed the catalogue and Furniture Catalogue selling items from themed catalogues like Retro Catalogue.
  • Fixed exploit where a fish pond with a golden cracker could produce unlimited output. Fish pond output bonuses are now applied once when the output is created.
  • Fixed exploit where you could cancel cow milking and still get the friendship boost.
  • Fixed unintended extra chance of spontaneous green rain trees when loading a save in fall.
  • Fixed skill buffs affecting shop item requirements in 1.6.
  • Fixed sturdy ring no longer halving debuff times in 1.6.
  • Fixed lower chance of catching lava eels in caldera after 1.6.
  • Fixed forage crops harvested from garden pots always being low-quality and providing no XP.
  • Fixed iridium scythe with forage crops not giving XP or applying the forage level quality boost.
  • Fixed some weapons never dropping from crates when legacy randomization is enabled.

Quality of life changes

  • The game now recovers most saves automatically if they’re broken, corrupted, or missing the SaveGameInfo file.
  • The game now resends most achievements, recipes, and important mail if you somehow missed them. For PlayStation/Xbox players, missed trophies are readded when perform a specific action instead.
  • Fish ponds now show the number of roe or other output items to collect.
  • The wedding event now replays if you exit & reload the day.
  • The tailoring UI is now a bit more intuitive: slots that can’t accept the held item are now disabled, and you can no longer pick up some items that can’t be tailored.
  • Colored items like flowers now also sort by color. That avoids items being reordered randomly each time you sort your inventory.
  • You can now only sell books to the bookseller via the book purchase menu, not the trade-in menu. This reduces the chance of accidentally selling a book when trying to trade it in.
  • The collections tab now shows artifacts, gems, and minerals once they’re donated to the museum (not as soon as you find it).
  • Clint now refills your watering can when upgrading it.
  • Tweaked save process to reduce the chance of corruption.
  • Anvils no longer accept parrot eggs if you can’t re-roll their level yet.
  • Improved chatbox commands:
    • Chat commands are now case-insensitive.
    • Changed /help format to make room for more commands.
    • Added /help descriptions for /emote, /mapScreenshot, and /unbanAll.
    • Added consistent messages when you can’t use a multiplayer-only or host-only command.
  • Performance optimizations.

Technical changes

  • Migrated from FAudio to OpenAL, which should improve performance when playing audio.
  • Updated SDL from 2.0.x to 2.30.4 (used for input and windowing).
  • Fixed compatibility with newer Windows systems when using some older GPUs.

Gameplay fixes

  • You can no longer swap a chest’s type if the new type is too small to store its current items.
  • Fixed NPC issues:
    • NPCs no longer avoid passable terrain features like flooring and grass when pathfinding.
    • Fixed kicking Krobus out of the house triggering divorce dialogues.
    • Fixed Leo following his island schedule after moving to the mainland.
    • Fixed a Lewis schedule where he would overlap Marnie.
    • Fixed a Penny resort dialogue when married that was never shown.
    • Fixed Pierre sometimes showing a closed-on-Wednesday dialogue after his shop hours are extended.
    • Fixed mom or dad sending duplicate mail if you change gender later.
    • Fixed some dialogue based on location + heart level only being shown if you have 10 or more hearts with the NPC.
    • Fixed special NPC gift reaction dialogue sometimes not matching their gift taste (e.g. Willy giving a positive dialogue for triple shot espresso).
    • Fixed unable to talk to Robin after accepting a house upgrade.
    • Fixed incorrectly split dialogue in Linus’ first heart event.
    • Fixed NPCs unable to pathfind through tiles that had a tent at the start of the day.
    • Fixed NPCs not loading their green rain dialogue if you started the day on the island.
    • Fixed NPCs saying “…” in 1.6 if they bought an item you sold to a shop but they don’t have a relevant dialogue for it.
    • Fixed your spouse sometimes saying “…” instead of the intended neutral dialogue.
    • Fixed your fiancée/spouse reacting to a mermaid’s pendant as if you’re engaged/married to someone else.
  • Fixed UI issues:
    • Fixed world map not always showing players at the right spot when they’re inside a constructed building.
    • Fixed links in credits no longer opening a browser page.
    • Fixed able to interact with HUD elements like the toolbar when they’re hidden (e.g. when the game is paused).
    • Fixed issues when resizing the game window:
      • advanced game options layout being messed up;
      • collections page losing its selected tab and page;
      • social page losing its scroll position.
    • Fixed themed catalogues not having category tabs.
    • Fixed forge UI destroying any item held by the cursor after unforging.
    • Fixed museum menu clicks on the OK button sometimes grabbing the artifact behind it instead.
    • Fixed tailoring menu letting you trash some non-trashable items.
    • Fixed organize button in inventory UIs letting you put any item in special chests like enrichers.
    • Fixed issue where phoning Robin to get building prices and then resizing the window would enable the build/demolish/etc options as if you’d visited the shop directly.
  • Fixed specific items and machines:
    • Fixed chest color getting reset when you swap chest type.
    • Fixed crab pots not producing double catches correctly with wild bait.
    • Fixed crab pots duplicating bait when loaded by a hopper.
    • Fixed crab pots not applying deluxe bait and wild bait bonuses in some cases.
    • Fixed fences destroyed on click when surrounded by impassable objects on three sides (above + left + right) instead of four as intended.
    • Fixed geode crushers incrementing the ‘geodes crushed’ stat when hovering, which allowed unintended RNG manipulation.
    • Fixed magic quiver trinket sometimes doing nothing if both a valid and invalid target are in range.
    • Fixed mannequins losing their clothes if they’re moved into storage to make space (e.g. for an event). They now re-equip their previous clothes when they’re put back down.
    • Fixed tents not blocking item placement.
    • Fixed watering cans with bottomless enchantment sometimes shown with a half-empty meter. Bottomless watering cans are now always full.
  • Fixed building upgrades not placing interior items (like the coop incubator) if…
    • furniture is in the way. The furniture is now moved just like other objects.
    • an item blocking placement can’t be moved. It’s now moved into the lost & found in that case.
  • Fixed cases where the Pirate’s Wife quest chain could lock you out:
    • If you have the quest but lost the required item, you now get a new War Memento overnight.
    • If the quest was cancelled, you can now talk to Birdie to restart it.
    • NPCs can no longer mistakenly accept the quest items as gifts or refuse to accept their quest item.
  • Fixed location/map issues:
    • Fixed screen viewport at wrong position right after warping on horseback in some cases.
    • Fixed wilderness farm not pre-building the first cabin in separate-cabins mode.
    • Fixed grass in Marnie’s cow field never regrowing.
    • Fixed Willy’s bait barrel missing during night market.
    • Fixed some missing map tiles which let you walk off-screen.
    • Fixed able to leave Stardew Valley Fair’s festival area in odd years.
    • Fixed weed/stone debris spawning on top of placed paths in some cases.
    • Fixed able to dig up buried treasure from non-diggable tiles in some cases.
    • Fixed forest fish no longer catchable on the four corners farm.
    • Fixed bug where using the standard farm’s wallpaper/flooring in farmhouses of another farm type would reset them to that farm’s themed defaults.
  • Fixed pre-1.6 saves sometimes losing the Dwarvish Translation Guide. The fix is retroactive for affected players.
  • Fixed pre-1.6 farmhand stats not migrated correctly. The fix is retroactive for affected farmhands.
  • Fixed pre-1.6 tubs o’ flowers never blooming again if their first day in 1.6 was in fall or winter.
  • Fixed raccoon bundle accepting anything for preserve items.
  • Fixed level requirement for farmer titles lowered by one in 1.6.
  • Fixed fish ponds accepting multiple golden crackers before the first one lands in the water. They now register the first golden cracker immediately (but still delay the visual change until it lands).
  • Fixed two Desert Festival makeover outfits that applied male shirts to female players.
  • Fixed strange behavior of shop items with both a stock limit and stack size (e.g. items in several desert festival shops).
  • Fixed edge cases where viewing a previous year’s secret santa letter in the collections tab would show the current year’s secret santa in the game menu during the Feast of the Winter Star week.
  • Fixed the throw-item-into-shipping-bin animation drawing the base uncolored sprite for colored items like roe.
  • Fixed error loading mobile saves on other platforms.
  • Fixed crash when loading a save file in some rare cases.
  • Fixed crash when using a tent on Ginger Island during a night event.
  • Fixed some cat gifts applying fishing bonuses from the main player’s equipped fishing rod.
  • Fixed movie theater scene failing in some cases when players have previously unequipped trinkets.
  • Fixed Junimo harvesters losing the item color when dropping a crop on the ground due to their hut being full.
  • Fixed rare edge case where a Junimo hut output chest has too many item slots.

Multiplayer fixes

  • Added an /unlinkPlayer [name] chat command, which lets the host player release a farmhand so it can be reclaimed by the next person who connects.
  • Fixed being able to steal another player’s roommate.
  • Fixed farmhands able to claim multiple Desert Festival fishing quests per day.
  • Fixed crash when reconnecting later in the day after leaving a festival.
  • Fixed host crash if a farmhand disconnects while they’re between locations.
  • Fixed NPC duplication in multiplayer fish derbies.
  • Fixed crab pots & farm animals owned by an offline farmhand checking the main player’s professions instead.
  • Fixed crab pots with no owner checking professions from the main player instead of the player adding bait.
  • Fixed farmhands sometimes not seing the message when they can’t enter an NPC’s bedroom.
  • Fixed Marlon’s desert festival quests not displaying the Calico Egg reward to farmhands.
  • Fixed some multiplayer logic not handling an offline/invalid player correctly.
  • Fixed some potential ‘null reference exception’ crashes in multiplayer code.
  • Fixed crab pots with no owner checking the Mariner profession instead of Luremaster for the bait requirement in some cases.
  • Fixed Willy not sending fishing rod mail to farmhands who join after spring 2.
  • Fixed ‘waiting for players’ check including disconnecting players.
  • Fixed trains not playing chugga chugga sounds for farmhands.

Display text and localization fixes

  • In the credits, replaced the Reddit/Twitter links with a “News & Community” link.
  • Fixed a huge number of translation issues for non-English players, and added automated tests to keep translations more in sync going forward. For example, this fixes…
    • dialogue/event changes in 1.6 which weren’t applied in some languages;
    • missing dialogues and event actions;
    • missing, outdated, or incorrect translations;
    • missing event preconditions (e.g. Leah’s 10-heart event could play on a rainy day in some languages);
    • events playing the wrong music, not being skippable, or placing players or NPCs at the wrong spot;
    • translations having different dialogue portraits/breaks/etc;
    • conversation topics not started when something happens;
    • text being shown with one word per dialogue box;
    • improved grammar (e.g. gender conjugation);
    • various errors and typos;
    • and many other issues.
  • Many improvements and fixes to translations and sprites, including some re-translated item names.
  • Renamed “cranberries jelly/juice/wine” to “cranberry jelly/juice/wine”.
  • Fixed some bad words being produced by the random name generator.
  • Fixed NPC text signs and some chat/UI messages in multiplayer not always shown in your language.
  • Fixed flavored items in some chat/UI messages not shown correctly (like “Player put ‘Smoked’ into the potluck soup“).
  • Fixed various typos in English text.
  • Fixed special order objectives not re-translated when the language changes. (This fix only applies to new special orders going forward.)
  • Fixed Robin showing the wrong number of hardwood required for a house upgrade in some languages.
  • Fixed some languages showing Willy’s back room invite mail as “???” in the collections tab.
  • Fixed some languages having inconsistent hat hair behavior.
  • Fixed some languages producing items with a different internal name.
  • Fixed French players not seeing prismatic effect for Magic Cowboy Hat and Magic Turban.
  • Fixed French and Japanese showing a ‘needs 5 coal’ message for the dehydrator.
  • Fixed Russian club coin and slots offset issues.
  • Fixed Russian Joja movie theater tilesheet not showing up.
  • Fixed Russian tool tooltips having overlapped names.
  • Fixed Spanish jukebox showing blank name for ‘Ginger Island’ song.
  • Fixed buy-ticket messages showing an unformatted price (like 1000g instead of 1,000g).

Cosmetic fixes

  • Added lights to Marcello’s book stand.
  • Sam now changes uniform when he enters JojaMart, instead of only when he reaches his work tile.
  • Fixed many bugs related to light sources (e.g. lights stuck on screen, shown in the wrong location, removed before they should be, etc).
  • Fixed issues with the golden walnut & Qi gem drop-down display:
    • Added support for showing both at once (e.g. another player finds a golden walnut while you’re in the Qi gem shop).
    • Fixed display sometimes stuck on screen permanently.
    • Fixed display showing the wrong type in some cases.
    • Fixed display sometimes appearing in multiplayer when the value didn’t change.
  • Fixed line wrapping for movie concession description tooltips.
  • Fixed visual glitch during the even-year Spirit’s Eve if you have the Joja movie theater.
  • Fixed issue with padding on the edge of maximized game windows on Windows.
  • Fixed a shirt that looked weird.
  • Fixed tooltip display issues, like an empty space for edible items that don’t recover any stamina/health (like sweet pea and crocus) or an unintended double space in tooltip buff names.
  • Fixed missing shadows behind some colored items (like wine) in menus.
  • Fixed texture wrapping issue with Joja door.
  • Fixed glitched hidden emote animations in NPC profile menu in some cases. NPCs now use always their default sprite in the profile view.
  • Fixed red slime item sprite drawn one pixel lower than other colors.
  • Fixed missing pixels in anvil sprite’s outline.
  • Fixed stray pixel in dried mushroom color mask.
  • Fixed Krobus showing a gift icon for the void ghost pendant when he can’t accept it.
  • Fixed the item-received message cutting off part of the item name if it contains a # character (like ‘Tropical Fish #173’).
  • Fixed the item-received message sometimes showing no count or a wrong count.
  • Fixed some farm animals having double shadows.
  • Fixed stardrop tooltips showing incorrect health/energy recovery amounts.
  • Fixed timing of Easter egg in summit event.

Gamepad fixes

  • Fixed various issues/crashes with gamepad support.
  • When buying animals or buildings with a gamepad, you can now use the D-pad to move the cursor.
  • In the community center bundle UI, using gamepad triggers to move to donation slots and back now returns you to the same spot.
  • Added a small delay before you can cancel a waiting-for-players dialogue using a gamepad, to prevent accidentally closing it immediately after pressing the OK button.
  • Fixed gamepad issues on the new game screen.
  • Fixed dresser tabs not selectable with a gamepad.

Changes for modded players

  • Added a Content/ContentHashes.json file containing the MD5 hash for every vanilla content asset. This can be used by SMAPI and other tools to detect corrupted or modified game files.
  • Improved debug console commands.
  • When you leave a horse/mount in a temporary location, it now returns home when that location is removed.
  • Fixed ‘Jewels Of The Sea’ book producing roe for custom fishing catches that normally don’t have roe.
  • Fixed forage crops outside the farm being removed each week.
  • Fixed meteorite, strange capsule, and stone owl only appearing in the top-left 64×64 tile area on large custom farm maps.
  • Fixed pagination in powers tab when mods add more powers.
  • Fixed edge cases throughout the game code related to items whose stacks can’t be reduced to zero (e.g. tools).
  • Fixed various errors when custom items have no name.
  • Fixed error when mods apply audio changes if there’s no audio device available.
  • Fixed error if there are no movies available due to a mod bug. The game will now log a warning and choose from the full list of movies instead.
  • Fixed crash if a farm animal is in a broken building or location.
  • Fixed crash if a smoked fish’s original fish data no longer exists. You now get a delicious smoked Error Item instead.
  • Fixed crash when custom sounds loaded from a mod’s .ogg files are paused/resumed many times.
  • Fixed map tilesheet crash in some cases when playing split-screen mode with mods.
  • Fixed issues when the game’s whichFarm and whichModFarm fields are out of sync.
  • Fixed ‘light source already exists’ and ‘changing net field parent’ warnings in some cases.
  • Fixed mod data getting reset on chest type swap.
  • Fixed berry bushes showing wrong sprite in locations where seeds can be planted in any season.
  • Fixed stardrop gift reaction dialogue for custom NPCs defaulting to some raw data instead of their loved dialogue.
  • Fixed able to enter the Adventurer’s Guild back room without meeting the requirement if the door is open after a custom event.
  • Fixed triggered actions being logged twice.

Changes for mod authors

  • See the 1.6.9 mod author migration guide for new APIs, dialogue keys, game state queries, debug commands, map properties, C# constants/fields/methods, data fields, and many other technical changes.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Spider-Man 2 on PS5 Pro the ‘Quintessential Version of the Spider-Man Experience,’ Insomniac Says

Insomniac has detailed the enhancements coming to Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on PS5 Pro, saying the mid-gen upgrade enables the “quintessential version of the Spider-Man experience.”

In a new video, below, developers from Sony-owned Insomniac talk about the PS5 Pro enhancements for Spider-Man 2, including much-improved ray tracing (yes, even in the puddles!), detail, and the ability to play at 60 frames per second but with the visual quality normally reserved for fidelity mode on the base PS5.

Senior creative director Bryan Intihar said that Spider-Man 2 running on base PS5 was a “compromise between the creative vision and the technical limitations” Insomniac ran up against when developing the 2023 adventure, which has sold over 11 million copies.

It’s a different story on the more powerful $700 PS5 Pro, as you’d expect. “When players play Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on PlayStation 5 Pro, they are playing the quintessential version of the Spider-Man experience on the PlayStation 5,” Intihar insisted.

While Spider-Man 2 may enjoy a jolt in the arm with the release of PS5 Pro on November 7, Insomniac has confirmed it has no plans to release DLC, much to the disappointment of some fans. The announcement came in the same breath that Sony announced a PC version of Spider-Man 2 launches in January — one of the quickest turnarounds from single-player PS5 exclusive to PC from the company so far.

IGN’s Spider-Man 2 review returned an 8/10. We said: “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 delivers Insomniac’s best tale yet, and despite its open world falling short, is a reliably fun superhero power trip.”

So, what’s next? While Insomniac has a Wolverine game in the works, fans are hoping the developer will also release a Marvel’s Spider-Man spinoff similar in scope to the hugely successful Miles Morales standalone, with Venom the potential focus. To find out how Insomniac has set up its next sequel, check out IGN’s Spider-Man 2 ending explained.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Microsoft Confirms Xbox Game Pass Wave 1 November 2024 Lineup

Microsoft has confirmed the Xbox Game Pass November 2024 Wave 1 lineup, which includes Metal Slug Tactics, Goat Simulator Remastered, and lots of StarCraft.

First up, on November 5, Metal Slug Tactics (Cloud, Console, and PC) hits Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass as a day one launch. “Metal Slug is making an explosive return!” reads the official blurb. “Dive into this dynamic tactical RPG with a roguelite thrill and experience the iconic run’n’gun action of the original series, redefined. Grab your weapons, assemble your squad, and conquer the battlefield to defeat the infamous Rebel Army.”

November 5 is also a big day for Blizzard’s StarCraft as more Activision games enter Game Pass following Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of the company last year. StarCraft: Remastered (PC) and StarCraft II: Campaign Collection (PC) both hit Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on November 5, which should help boost interest in the classic sci-fi real-time strategy games.

November 6 is a stacked day for Game Pass, with four games entering Game Pass Standard: Go Mecha Ball (Console); Harold Halibut (Xbox Series X|S); The Rewinder (Console); and Turnip Boy Robs a Bank (Console).

Moving on to November 7, and we have the day one launch of Goat Simulator Remastered (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) into Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. “The GOAT is baaa-ck!” reads the official blurb. “Lick, flip, and headbutt your way across a chaotic sandbox world where you make the rules. Enjoy wacky physics, upgraded graphics, and DLC classics in one neat package. It’s time to grab life by the horns and set out on an adventure!”

Sticking with the day one releases, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) hits Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on November 19. “From Xbox Game Studios and Asobo Studios, pursue your aviation career with dynamically generated missions, compete against other pilots, and explore the most detailed digital twin of the world to date. Set out on your global adventure with our largest fleet of aircraft as Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 takes simulation to new heights of authenticity and realism. Pre-install today to answer the call on day one!”

Xbox Game Pass November 2024 Wave 1 lineup:

  • Metal Slug Tactics (Cloud, Console, and PC) – November 5
    Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
  • StarCraft: Remastered (PC) – November 5
    Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
  • StarCraft II: Campaign Collection (PC) – November 5
    Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
  • Go Mecha Ball (Console) – November 6
    Now with Game Pass Standard
  • Harold Halibut (Xbox Series X|S) – November 6
    Now with Game Pass Standard
  • The Rewinder (Console) – November 6
    Now with Game Pass Standard
  • Turnip Boy Robs a Bank (Console) – November 6
    Now with Game Pass Standard
  • Goat Simulator Remastered (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – November 7
    Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
  • Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – November 19
    Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

As always, a number of games leave Game Pass this month.

Games leaving Game Pass on November 15, 2024:

  • Dicey Dungeons (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • Dungeons 4 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • Goat Simulator (PC)
  • Like a Dragon: Ishin! (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • Like a Dragon: The Man Who Erased His Name (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • Persona 5 Tactica (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • Somerville (Cloud, Console, and PC)

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Early Dragon Age: The Veilguard Mods Improve Performance, Add Character Presets, and Remove All the Purple

Dragon Age: The Veilguard isn’t even a week old, but the mods are coming in thick and fast. In these early days, the most popular on Nexus Mods revolve around performance improvements on PC and various character presets, and there’s even one that strips the purple from the game to make it look more like a dark fantasy RPG.

Let’s start with the latter. Vktrfly’s Dark Fantasy Look-Up Table (LUT) mod is a reshade that aims to remove the purple/magenta elements from the game and give it “a darker, more atmospheric look.”

Ever since BioWare unveiled The Veilguard gameplay, fans have debated its art style, with some lamenting the developer’s decision to go for a heavily stylized, almost cartoony look compared to the more gritty, realistic prior games in the series. The Veilguard, with its smooth, purple-hued visuals, is certainly at the opposite end of the Dragon Age art style spectrum, with 2009’s Origins heavy on mud and blood-drenched medieval fantasy and Dragon Age 2 and Inquisition occupying a place somewhere in between.

But the most popular mod so far is ChemBoy1’s Anti-Stutter – Performance Enhancer – High CPU and Disk Priority – DATV mod, which enables high CPU and disk priority for the Dragon Age: The Veilguard executable. This can help with performance on weaker CPUs and slower disks, and helps reduce stuttering on all CPU and disks, ChemBoy1 said.

Also high on the most downloaded mods list is Nyctaginae’s preset and sliders for their Rook (Veilguard’s customizable main character), Ayse de Riva, a female mage and elf Antivan Crow (“Based on my OC of 15+ years, hope you like her!”).

Expect more elaborate mods to release as modders get to grips with The Veilguard. We’ve seen the likes of Larian and CD Projekt release official mod tools for Baldur’s Gate 3 and The Witcher 3 respectively, which have unlocked an explosion in each game’s modding scene. Perhaps at some point down the line, BioWare will do the same for Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

And that might be important in keeping the game alive, given BioWare has indicated it has no plans to release DLC for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, with the developer now turning its attention to Mass Effect 5.

In the meantime, fans are busy digging into BioWare’s latest RPG after Dragon Age’s release on Thursday, propelling it to new highs for an EA game on Steam. They have plenty to find even without DLC — estimates on IGN sister site HowLongToBeat suggest that it can take upwards of 88 hours to complete the main story while doing sidequests.

For more, check out our guide to the major choices in Dragon Age: The Veilguard as well as our complete romance guide.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

It’s Early Days, but Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket Already Looks Like a Smash Hit

Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket launched on October 30, and already there are signs it’s going to be a massive hit.

Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket is a mobile version of the Pokémon TCG for iOS and Android, developed by Creatures and DeNA and published by The Pokémon Company. Players swipe to open virtual packs of Pokémon trading cards, with “immersive cards” leaping into the world of the card’s illustration.

Players can open two booster packs every day at no cost, including cards with nostalgic illustrations as well as new cards only found in the app. But they must pay to open more, and it’s this mechanic that’s helping the money to roll in.

According to estimates from Appmagic reported on by mobilegamer.biz, Pokémon TCG Pocket is earning around $3 million a day, making over $12 million in just four days. That’s more than the eternally popular Pokémon Go is currently making on app stores, according to estimates ($1 million every day). If Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket keeps that revenue pace up, it’ll make over $1 billion a year.

Appmagic said most of the money Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket is making comes from Japan, then the U.S., followed by Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, New Zealand, and France. Officially, Pokémon TCG Pocket passed 10 million downloads on November 2, but Appmagic estimates it’s now over 12 million.

Of course, Pokémon TCG Pocket will need to see explosive growth to reach the height of Pokémon Go’s glory days, but it does look like all involved will be pleased with this start. The success comes at a troubling time for The Pokémon Company – in August Pokémon video game developer Game Freak suffered a significant data breach that saw 2,606 cases of current, former, and contract employee names and email addresses accessed. The Pokémon Company has also joined forces with Nintendo to sue Palworld developer Pocketpair over “multiple” patent infringements.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Will Nerf a Perk So Overpowered Some Call It a Wallhack

Treyarch has confirmed plans to nerf Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s Recon perk after a backlash from players since the game’s launch last week.

The Recon 3-perk bonus lets players see enemies through walls for a short time after respawn, as well as add a HUD edge flash when an enemy is outside your view, and you leave no death skulls when killing enemies. To activate the Recon bonus, you must equip three Recon perks, for example Ghost, Engineer, and Vigilance.

It’s the seeing enemies through walls bit of the Recon perk that has sparked much debate within the Call of Duty community, with some even calling it a wallhack. Black Ops 6’s competitive multiplayer is played out on mostly small, close quarters maps with frequent dying and respawning, and being able to see enemies through walls on respawn, however briefly, provides a significant advantage.

This advantage is so significant that Recon’s 3-perk bonus is seen as essential to remain competitive, which means perks from the Enforcer and Strategist categories are being left behind. And with the addition of the hugely popular Nuketown map last week the power of Recon was exacerbated. This is a tight map often filled with chaotic death, so having most players running around with Recon means it’s very difficult to stay alive for any significant amount of time.

Over the weekend, with dissatisfaction at Recon reaching a head, Faze content creator Swagg called on Treyarch to nerf Recon, and associate director Matt Scronce answered the call with the simple: “Incoming.”

While we don’t have any details yet, Scronce’s message has already sparked a positive response from Black Ops 6 players who’ve blamed Recon for having a miserable experience with Multiplayer. The hope is the change comes in sooner rather than later, with Season 1 set to launch November 14.

If you’re jumping into Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 multiplayer, check out our Essential Multiplayer Tips and Tricks to help you get started. We’ve also got a full weapons list, a guide to all multiplayer maps and game modes, and details on how to unlock all Black Ops 6 operators.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Daily Deals: Apple AirPods 4, Echoes of Wisdom, Sonic X Shadow Generations, and More

The weekend is officially here, and we’ve rounded up the best deals you can find! Discover the best deals for Sunday, November 3, below:

Save Big on Apple AirPods 4 at Woot

Woot has a solid discount on the standard Apple AirPods 4 model. This is the latest AirPods release from Apple, and we aren’t expecting Gen 5 to come for at least a few years. If you’re still using either Apple AirPods 1 or 2, this is a significant upgrade that can make your listening experience infinitely better.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom for $49.99

Echoes of Wisdom just released last month, acting as the first Zelda game where Zelda is the playable character! In our 9/10 review, we said “The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is far more than some second-tier spinoff, combining the expertly crafted dungeons and item progression you’d expect from a 2D Zelda with the wild creativity provided by Tears of the Kingdom.”

Super Mario Bros. Wonder for $44.99

Super Mario Bros. Wonder was one of the best platformers of 2023, and you can save $15 off the game right now at Woot. Wonder introduces many new mechanics to the series, including three new power-ups and the Wonder Flower. This flower changes each level into something wild, and you can never quite predict what will happen!

LG – 48″ Class B4 Series OLED 4K UHD Smart webOS TV for $649.99

Today, you can save on this LG 48″ Class B4 OLED TV, with $850 off the MSRP. If you’re looking for an OLED TV that’s perfect for PS5 or Xbox Series X, this is one of the best on the market, especially considering the price. It’s not likely you will be able to find this model priced any lower in the near future, so be sure to pick this one up before it’s gone.

Save on Deadpool & Wolverine Products

Amazon has the Deadpool & Wolverine 4K UHD Steelbook available on sale for $47.99. It was originally priced at $65.99 and shipped with that price, so this might be the discount you’ve been waiting for if you held off on purchasing it initially. Additionally, you can save over $25 off Deadpool & Wolverine: The Art of the Movie. This art book contains over 220 pages, showcasing various behind-the-scenes art from the film.

Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition for $24.99

Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition brings together new speedrun challenges for some of the biggest NES titles. You can race with players around the world to reach the top of the leaderboards, with new challenges available each week!

Sonic X Shadow Generations for $39.99

Sonic X Shadow Generations just released this week, and you can already save $10 off a Nintendo Switch copy at Woot. This package includes a remastered version of Sonic Generations and a brand-new campaign focused on Shadow. Both 2D and 3D levels are included, making for the ultimate package for any Sonic fan.

Anker Prime 27,650mAh 250W USB Power Bank

Woot! (owned by Amazon) has just dropped the price on its highest capacity power bank: The Anker Prime 27,650mAh 250W Power Bank is down to $99.99 (originally $180). Amazon Prime members get free shipping, otherwise it’s an extra $6. This is the best price we’ve seen by a fair amount; the previous historic low was $120 during Prime Day. It also happens to be the best Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally X charger you can get. Very few power banks can match its 250W output.

Save on Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is on sale for the very first time at Amazon. With the game’s outstanding success, physical copies have been somewhat hard to come by recently, so this is a great deal overall. If you’re looking for a deeper discount, though, it might be worth waiting for Black Friday. In our 8/10 review, we stated, “Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a terrific third-person shooter with a compelling story, loads of weapons that are a blast to use, and a healthy variety of enemies to use them on.”

2B S.H.Figuarts Figure On Sale

While a new NieR game is likely still far away, you can celebrate the series by adding this NieR: Automata Ver1.1a 2B figure to your collection. Based on the NieR: Automata anime, this set contains both a figure on 2B and Pod 042. Multiple accessories are bundled in, including an alternate face plate, optional hands, and a weapon.

Fire Emblem Engage for $39.99

Fire Emblem Engage saw the return of countless Fire Emblem heroes of the past like Marth, Lyn, and more. This is a great entry point to the series for new fans, while offering a storied return to the past for series veterans. In our 9/10 review, we stated “Fire Emblem Engage proves itself worthy enough to be counted alongside the legacy it honors so well.”