A chill descends from the frozen depths of the mountains in Midwinter Blight, giving the Diablo IV team the chance to get into the holiday spirit… and try something new.

From December 12 to January 2, cull savage Blightfiends and defend yourself from the Red-Cloaked Horror as your try to preserve any semblance of hope for the denizens of the Fractured Peaks. Midwinter Blight is our first limited-time event in Diablo IV, bringing something special to Sanctuary.

Chance to Experiment

In Diablo IV, players can enter Sanctuary through either the Seasonal or the Eternal realm. The Eternal realm is where evergreen challenges and core gameplay endures in Sanctuary. Many sweeping changes to the game affect and influence this world state.

Our Seasonal realm is where we introduce new Seasonal content, such as Midwinter Blight. The Seasonal realm gives us a chance to tinker and introduce new and exciting types of gameplay. Since the majority of seasonal specific gameplay doesn’t persist once the season is over—save for mechanics we may re-introduce in interesting ways—it gives us a broader reign to try new things without affecting the Eternal realm.

And now introducing: limited-time events. Similar to the Seasonal realm, these Events typically only affect a specific region for a much shorter duration of time relative to Seasons. This gives us even more free room to tinker and try new things.

The Magic of the Holidays in Midwinter Blight

Midwinter Blight introduces Gileon the bard, sadistic Blightfiends, macabre Frigid Husks, and the diabolical monstrous Goat fiend known as the Red-Cloaked Horror. These colorful and frightening aspects of Sanctuary only persist until the end of Midwinter Blight.

A Midwinter Blight gameplay-specific wrinkle lies in the Aspect of Dawn. This offensive Aspect is exclusive to the limited-time event; it increases your attack and movement speed for 12 seconds, and when empowered by the Midwinter Ward, reduces its cooldown by 1 second for every demon slain.

Additionally, the special Gileon’s Brew Elixir provides an additional XP boost (10% more than typical Elixirs) and works across Sanctuary, not just in the Fractured Peaks. These unique elements provide an extra boon to players…perhaps even a little magic of the Holidays?

Despite Gileon’s Brew and the Aspect of Dawn persisting past Midwinter Blight’s end, they have specific mechanics that rely on the location and gameplay elements in this limited-time event. 

Demons Just Want to Have Fun

While content like Abattoir of Zir is directed at the most intense of Diablo IV fans, limited-time events are available for players looking to explore Sanctuary for the first time and try something new. The overall gameplay loop is tighter, you can come away with some sweet cosmetics, and it’s not meant to be nearly as trying as a Level 100 Nightmare Dungeon.

Midwinter Blight arrives at a time in Season of Blood where players may be chasing after Uber Uniques or trying their hand at the Echo of Lilith. By scouring the land for Frigid Husks to dismantle and Blightfiends to slay, chasing after some holiday exclusives should be a great way to enjoy the season.

The Holidays are meant to be enjoyed, and what better way to do it than restoring the Hibernal Square in Kyovashad. We’ll share a flagon of Gileon’s Brew in Midwinter Square soon. Happy slaying!

Diablo® IV

Blizzard Entertainment

☆☆☆☆☆
634

★★★★★

Get it now

Diablo® IV is the next-gen action RPG experience with endless evil to slaughter, countless abilities to master, nightmarish Dungeons, and legendary loot. Embark on the campaign solo or with friends, meeting memorable characters through beautifully dark settings and a gripping story, or go rogue through an expansive End Game and shared world where players will meet in towns to trade, team up to battle World Bosses, or descend into PVP zones to test their skills against other players – no lobbies necessary – with cross-play and cross-progression on all available platforms.

This is only the beginning for Diablo® IV, with new events, stories, seasons, rewards, and more looming on the horizon.

Battle.net account required. Internet connection required.

For more information, please visit Diablo.com.

© 2023 Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. Diablo, Diablo Immortal, World of Warcraft, and Blizzard Entertainment are trademarks or registered trademarks of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. in the U.S and/or other countries. All rights reserved.

The post Diablo IV: Limited-Time Events Bring the Holiday Fear in Midwinter Blight appeared first on Xbox Wire.

The Tekken team care a lot about their series’ story, proudly telling visitors to a recent hands-on preview that it holds the world record for the longest-running single story in video games. Beginning almost 30 years ago, the saga of the Mishima clan and the King of Iron Fist Tournament has taken many twists and turns (dropping family members into a volcano has never been more dramatic), and Tekken 8 promises the boldest, most cinematic version yet.

But Tekken 8 has a secret – it effectively contains two story modes this time, on very different subjects.

As you’d expect, the core new Story mode continues the tale of Jin Kazama and Kazuya Mishima, father and son rivals, each with literally devilish powers, and the creation of a new King of Iron Fist Tournament. And don’t worry, if you aren’t up to speed on how we got here (and there’s a lot to catch up on), you can watch digests of every story in the mainline Tekken games before you head in.

It’s clear that Bandai Namco are going all-in on Story this time around – this mode is more cinematic than ever before, with cutscenes weaving fights together seamlessly. And it wastes no time in getting up to speed – the story begins with Jin riding a motorcycle up a skyscraper, before throwing it at the helicopter Kazuya is riding.

Subtlety is not on the agenda for Tekken 8 and that’s no bad thing – in just four chapters, I took lead character Jin from a multi-stage battle against Kazuya (transforming into Devil Jin along the way), saw Kazuya shoot the world’s satellites out of the sky, and set up a tournament to decide not just who’s the strongest fighter, but which nations get to survive his superpowered onslaught. It’s gratifyingly over-the-top, and has a lot of fun with introducing characters old and new to spar with Jin along the way.

What surprised me more is that Tekken 8 effectively contains a whole other story mode in the form of Arcade Quest. This new mode is part-tutorial, part-story, and part challenge gauntlet, asking you to create a chibi-like avatar, and take them through a hyper-stylized take on the world of Tekken 8’s arcade scene. It’s a beautifully light-hearted affair, teaming you up with a group of would-be Tekken champions, fighting their way through increasingly tough opponents to the top of the game – and it also acts a paean to the shrinking arcade industry, recalling halcyon days hunched over coin-op machines.

It’s a perfect mode for newcomers to the game, offering useful tutorials on the game’s basic systems, its new Heat system (which offers one-per-round special attacks to create more aggressive battles), character customization, and more. It also introduces the new Super Ghost Battle mechanic, which sees an AI opponent learning your style of play across multiple modes, and offering fights that not only test your mettle, but could expose weaknesses in your game, helping you to improve organically through trial and error rather than pure guesswork.

As I say, it’s clear that the Tekken team care as much about their stories as their mechanics – which stay rooted in Tekken’s classic 3D fighter style, but make multiple changes to increase aggression and keep things spicy, from the new Heat system, to an increased focus on walls, destructibility and scene transitions. And for those who just want to immerse themselves in a story, the new Special Style Mode is the perfect assist. By tapping LB in any fight, your regular buttons become super-powered, performing combos and specials with much simpler inputs, and allowing you to see the best of your chosen character without having to become a master.

There’s much more I didn’t get to try in my time with the game – notably, including a mode that includes storylines for all 32 playable characters, offering even more story – but it’s already clear that Tekken 8 has many tales to tell.

TEKKEN 8

Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc.

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

The TEKKEN series is breaking into a new era!
The longest-running story in a video game franchise is coming back with state-of-the-art graphics and powerful new rivalries.
Stay tuned for TEKKEN 8!

The post Tekken 8 Is Going Big on Story… Twice appeared first on Xbox Wire.

We have just launched Metal: Hellsinger’s new Horde Mode, a free update that adds a new way to experience the heavy metal rhythm shooter. Horde Mode is all about distilling the game into its purest, burning essence, while adding a spark of something new into the mix: roguelite design.

We can’t tell you how excited we are to finally launch this update, and to see you all fight tooth and nail, guns roaring to every beat. Fear not as we dive into the belly of the beast, for metal thunders in our very souls.

Escape the Maw of Leviathan

What’s the expression, out of the frying pan and into the gaping maw of Leviathan? After wreaking blistering havoc in the Hells, The Unknown and Paz had their eyes set on the heavens, but fate is a fickle beast, and now they must escape through the teeth of the colossal Leviathan.

Your goal in Horde Mode is to fight through increasingly challenging waves of enemies in new arenas; floating rocks in a cavernous belly. A Hell within Hell. There are three stages on your way out of Leviathan. After the final stage, a new final boss will test you to your limits.

Horde Mode is designed for replayability. Every run is different. The stages’ layout changes between runs, and so do the powers you pick up between waves. After you fall – because fall you will – you can unlock permanent upgrades that you carry in each run.

Music is the infernal engine of Metal: Hellsinger, and it’s always at the core of our game design. That’s why we also added a way to create your own playlist before you enter Leviathan. Choose any number of songs from the game’s multi award-winning original score and the game will pick one randomly for each of the three stages.

Memories of Metal

In the depths of Leviathan, your powers have been sapped. But as you slay, guns bucking to the beat, the essence of fallen demons empower the altar which you’ll find in every arena. Fill the altar sufficiently to complete the wave, then approach it to receive a Memory – a choice between three (to start with) power-ups. Combine these powers to achieve powerful synergies, rising beyond even the highest peaks of power you held in the campaign.

This is where Metal: Hellsinger sings to a new tune. Having to choose between powers, combining them into synergies, and having a different mix each run, is an inherently roguelite mechanism, and we were surprised at just how good it feels in our game.

For example, perhaps you want to become the ultimate bleed demon, in which case you can combine powerups that give improved bleed damage and duration with those that let you apply bleed in new ways (like with headshots or specific weapons, or both). Add the Memory that makes bleeding enemies take more headshot damage, and you have a bloody good time on your hands.

In practice, however, you often have to adapt to the choices you’re given. But sometimes, the stars do align.

Dreams of Death

As demons fall before you, they drop Void Echoes. At the end of your run, you can spend them to unlock a wide variety of permanent upgrades, from more health, to weapon specializations, to faster generation of your ultimate ability.

Sigils are a category of Dreams where you have the most choice from the start, that allows you to cover your potential weaknesses. If you have trouble timing those perfect reloads, pick up Ghost Rounds to make the first two to eight shots (depending on rank) after switching weapons consume no ammo.

Each time you shoot an enemy on the beat, your Fury grows, which directly affects how intense the music is and how much damage you do. Fury caps out at x16, which is where you will hear one of the many legendary vocalists in their full glory. If that sounds like a good time, the Unyielding Fury Sigil is for you. With it, you can never drop below 4x Fury, and you enter Leviathan already at 16x Fury, music blasting on all cylinders right out of the gate.

A particularly interesting Dream unlock is the Extra Memory, which does exactly what it says on the tin. With four Memories to choose from between each wave, your choices and ability to synergize are increased even further.

The Secret Spice

This free update has been a long time in the making. We knew we didn’t want to radically change the core gameplay. Slaying on the beat to absolute banger tracks is the soul of the game, and we know it resonates with players. Yet we wanted to offer something new.

To us, the roguelite progression framework and the pure flow-inducing rhythm gunplay is an epic meeting of genres. When in doubt, look to music: thrash metal, death metal, prog metal, power metal – and we’re still only in the realms of metal! Variety is the spice of life, especially in Hell, and we hope you enjoy it.

Riding shotgun with The Horde Mode Update, our Purgatory DLC is also available now, adding even more content, with a new weapon, three outfits, and three new original tracks performed by Melissa Bonny (Ad Infinitum), Joe Bad (Fit for an Autopsy), and Matt Heafy (Trivium).

Go forth, Hellsingers, and make Hell fear the beat.

Metal: Hellsinger – Complete Edition

Funcom

☆☆☆☆☆
17

★★★★★

$49.99

Get it now

Dig your claws into the complete Metal: Hellsinger experience with the base game and all DLCs:
• Metal: Hellsinger
• Dream of the Beast
• Purgatory
• Essential Hits Pack

Every legend has a song. And yours is one of vengeance and destruction.

Part human, part demon, and bent on vengeance. Become The Unknown, and fight through the fiercest domains of Hell on an infernal ride to face the Red Judge herself. You have a score to settle. Slay in sync to the beat and feel the music get more intense.

Dream of the Beast:
• Two New Original Songs.
• Dream of the Beast, performed by Cristina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil).
• Leviathan, performed by Will Ramos (Lorna Shore).
• New Weapon: The Red Right Hand. Fire in rhythmic bursts that vary in length.
• Three outfits with passive effects.

Purgatory:
• Three new original songs.
• Goodbye, My Morning Star performed by Matt Heafy (Trivium).
• Swallow the Fire performed by Melissa Bonny (Ad Infinitum).
• Mouth of Hell performed by Joe Bad (Fit for an Autopsy).
• New Weapon: Telos. Slay demons with arrows from a powerful bow.
• Three cosmetic outfits.

Essential Hits Pack:
• Gorillaz – Feel Good Inc.
• Muse – Uprising
• Depeche Mode – Personal Jesus
• Icona Pop – I Love It (feat. Charli XCX)
• DVBBS & Borgeous – Tsunami
• Disturbed – Down With the Sickness
• Galantis – Runaway (U & I)
• Paramore – Misery Business

Note: The Song Layering feature is not available on licensed tracks.

The post The Secret Ingredient in Metal: Hellsinger’s New Horde Mode – Roguelite Design appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Skull and Bones launches on February 16, 2024, bringing open-sea exploration and naval combat to Xbox Series X|S players. For those eager to set sail across the vast Indian Ocean and get a taste of the pirate life, you can register now for a chance to play in the closed beta from December 15-18, 2023.

Your goal in Skull and Bones is to become a pirate kingpin, amassing riches, a fearsome fleet of ships, and an infamous reputation along the way. Doing so, however, is easier said than done. When the game kicks off, you’ll be caught on the wrong side of a devastating sea battle. Shipwrecked, you’ll gather what resources you can to make your way to the pirate den of Sainte-Anne, where your rags-to-riches story begins in earnest.

The first thing you need to understand about Skull and Bones is Infamy. Infamy is a measure of your progression, and a pirate’s most important resource in Skull and Bones. It determines what contracts are available to you, what ships you can build, what resources you can harvest, what weapons you can craft, and so much more. Doing just about anything in Skull and Bones will grant you Infamy, from hunting crocodiles and smuggling rum to tracking down bounties and unearthing hidden treasures.

Get to Know Sainte-Anne

If you want to rule the seas, the first step is getting comfortable on land. The pirate den of Sainte-Anne is where you’ll acquire contracts, build new ships, and buy and sell your goods. It’s also where you’ll craft the weapons, attachments, and furniture you’ll need to outfit your ships. You’ll also be able to get your pirate’s appearance just the way you like it, manage your cargo to maximize profit, repair your ships, and customize them with the right tools for the job at hand. Sainte-Anne is also where you’ll meet John Scurlock, a pirate kingpin who will set you on missions to pursue the golden path of Skull and Bones (which will net you the best rewards and the most Infamy).

Grab some contracts and any available missions, pack in a few repair kits, and set sail! Your journeys will bring you back to the pirate haven soon enough, hopefully with more cargo than when you left and not too many holes in your hull. Your actions on the open ocean will often net you valuable loot, but they also come at the cost of resources that you’ll need to replenish, like ammunition and repair kits. Upon your return to port, complete your contracts, cash in your loot, craft an upgrade, stash extra supplies for later, take on more contracts, top off your survival resources, and head back out. This is Skull and Bones’ early gameplay loop, and it’s how you’ll start to build Infamy and a name for yourself.

Build Your Fleet

Of course, a pirate is nothing without a ship, and your first proper vessel, the Bedar, will let you explore the Red Isle, the area around Sainte-Anne where danger and opportunity await. Before you set sail, you’ll need to get your Bedar ready to engage in Skull and Bones’ bread and butter: naval combat.  

All ships in Skull and Bones have weapon slots for the varied cannons and other artillery you’ll unlock. The Bedar has three slots – one on the left, right, and front of the ship (port, starboard, and bow respectively, for the nautically inclined). Eventually you’ll unlock ships that have four attachment slots, which will allow you to add weapons to all four sides of a ship. Many of your early contracts will focus on sinking a certain number of a specific ship type or plundering settlements, so you’ll need to be well-armed.

The starting cannons are equal to the task early on, but soon enough, you’ll want to specialize your armaments. Long guns are good for hitting targets from a (relatively) safer distance and pinpointing enemy weak points, while demi-cannons act as ship-mounted shotguns with a wide, short-range area of effect. As you grow your fleet, more exotic weapons like bombards, torpedoes, sea fire, and more can dramatically alter the way you fight at sea. Similarly, the armor plates you choose for your ships boast different resistances. Metal armor protects you from piercing damage, while wetted hides will shield you from fire-based attacks. If you’re having trouble with a particularly difficult fight, scout the enemy ships with your spyglass to reveal what kind of damage they are dealing and what they are vulnerable to, then return to the nearest pirate den to change your ship’s loadout to meet the challenge.

As you seek to upgrade your weapons, armor, or buff-granting furniture, you’ll need to reach certain Infamy levels and find the proper blueprints, which may very well be located far from Sainte-Anne. Luckily, each vendor will make it clear what level you need to be, and where you can find the specific blueprint you’re looking for.

Sail With a Cutthroat Crew

While contracts will supply you with dedicated objectives to complete, there’s plenty of opportunity out on the open sea. Hunt merchant vessels, plunder settlements, trade goods, gather crafting resources, track down blueprints, and uncover the map to see what else awaits you. You’ll often encounter other players as you explore, and in Skull and Bones, you can interact with them in two ways. The first is by playing together in co-op: approach their vessel or send up a flare to call for help, and you can join in a party to take on tougher challenges for better loot. Teaming up is crucial for more difficult objectives, like timed world events. As the name suggests, these events expire if not completed quickly. For example, you may encounter a rich merchant convoy carrying rare and valuable goods, but their heavily armored ships won’t go down easily – and if you don’t sink them before they finish their route, their rewards will be lost. Team up with nearby players or friends to take them down in a coordinated assault and reap the benefits.

Co-op is also helpful for those pirates who keep an ear open for rumors and gossip at Sainte-Anne. Conversations you overhear might lead you to a mysterious ghost ship that only appears at night, or a vicious sea monster. These events are some of the toughest challenges Skull and Bones has to offer, but with the help of a fleet of friends, anyone can overcome even the supernatural.

If you’re feeling a bit more cutthroat in your quest for riches, PvP challenges are also available. All you have to do is find a legendary treasure map. These will lead you to some incredibly valuable loot; the only catch is that it will mark your location for all nearby players and allow them to attack you. If they get the better of you, they will steal your cargo and claim the legendary map’s treasure for themselves. With great risk comes great reward, and it’s up to you to decide if you want to chase the treasure, or hunt those who do.

Becoming a Kingpin

As your Infamy grows, so too does the world of Skull and Bones. More advanced contracts will take you to far-flung corners of the Indian Ocean, and bigger ships and better weapons ensure you’ll be able to survive in those corners.

Infamy comes in tiers, and once you reach the Brigand tier, you’ll join The Helm, a secret smuggling network, and unlock your own pirate liar. At this point, you won’t be completing tasks for others, but running your own operation as you acquire exotic materials and refine them into illegal goods to sell on the black market. Upgrade The Helm, seize key territories, and expand your operation to stay in business and dominate the seas.  

Play Your Way

Ultimately, how you play Skull and Bones is up to you. Will you adventure on the on the high seas alone in search of treasure? Will you band together with a group of friends to wage naval warfare and hunt other players? Will you chase down every blueprint and hidden secret across the Indian Ocean? And perhaps most importantly, will you have a pet lemur or a pet cat on board your ship? There’s no wrong way to play Skull and Bones, so get ready to become a pirate Kingpin when the game launches on February 16, 2024, and you can get up to three days of early access by pre-ordering the Premium Edition now on the Microsoft Store for Xbox.

SKULL AND BONES

UBISOFT

☆☆☆☆☆
60

★★★★★

Get it now

Enter the perilous paradise of Skull and Bones inspired by the Indian Ocean during the Golden Age of Piracy, as you overcome the odds and rise from an outcast to an infamous pirate.

– Grow your infamy to gain access to more resources and opportunities as you take on riskier contracts to gain the most loot.
– Craft up to 10 ships and customize them with a variety of weapons and armor to maximize your chances for success.
– Be wary in this untamed open world inspired by the Indian Ocean. There are predators lurking around every corner.
– Choose how you want to take on the seas. Sail solo or team up with two friends to watch your back in either PvE or PvEvP.

The post Skull and Bones: Everything You Need to Know About the December Closed Beta and 2024 Launch appeared first on Xbox Wire.