Turn-based RPGs, especially those that stand on the shoulders of genre giants, need to either nail the fundamentals or bring a new twist to established mechanics. Maliki - Poison of the Past ??does both, mixing turn order manipulation with a solid mechanical co?re and a quaint, cozy-feeling story.

Taking different turns with time

The ability to manipulate time is core to Maliki's gameplay, which functionally translates to futzing with the turn order. It's also one of the main things that sets its combat apart. You'll always know when your party and the enemy will move using the turn tracker on the upper righ??t side of the screen. However, you can alter where allies and enemies appear in the combat order using Temporal Abilities.

We only have access to one Temporal Ability in the demo, Slide. Its function was simple: move the current character forward or backward on the turn tracker. If they move forward, they can go after their allies or enter a "Duel" state with an enemy. Duels allow you to u??se a set number of Techniques (character abilities) to clash with an enemy. If the character moves behind their place in the turn order, they also get HP and TP (Technique Points) back.

The other combat systems remind me of a mix of Super Mario RPG and Pokemon. There are four attack "elements" split across the physical (Normal and Kinetic) and special (Techno and Nature) types. Every unit on the field has an element that determines whether it can resist an attack, is weak to it, or takes normal damage from it. When a unit is hit ??by its weakness, it takes double ?damage and can receive debuffs. Resistant hits deal around 60% damage.

You can access four standard move types, the team's Temporal Ability, and item usage. To succeed, you have to smartly balance Attacking, either with a regular move or ??a Technique, Focusing on your Temporal ability, or Defending. Items can be quite important because while things were pretty smooth sailing for most of the demo, the final boss was a massive difficulty spike �one I was glad to see. The fight is a true test of everything the game's taught you up to that point, rather than being a simple damage check.

Overworld exploration deserves some mention, as each character has a unique fie??ld ability to manipulate certain ob?jects. Sand, the main character, has a Chronopack that lets her turn time forward or backward for specific world items. Fang's Quantic Pistol can move various objects around. It's a much less complex system than the combat, though not a dichotomy that bothered me too much.

A story caught in time

Sadly, I can't say much about the story because the dialog in the demo switched from English to French midway through. And my French is nonexistent.?? I can tell you that time travel and weird dimension-shifting plants called the Poison are central to the narrative, and your job in the game is to push back the Poison from a hub called the ??Domaine. You're also tasked with eradicating Poison in larger pockets.

The narrative of Maliki - Poison of the Past is hard to unravel even without the language barrier, thanks to the changes in time. The story starts with the main cha?racter, Sand, almost crushed by a flying car, only to be saved by activating a Domaine barrier and portal. Inside, you meet the eponymous Maliki and Fang before being sent back to your own time so Maliki can pick the portal's correct "temporal window."

It's a bit of a cluster by design, and that's without digging into what is likely to be an adventure spanning at least a dozen hours and who knows how many timelines. Thankfully, your adventures are backed by a fantastic soundtrack, solid writing, and a deep,?? engrossing battle system. There is also a cozy farm-sim system, some light crafting, and plenty of key items with story significance.

Check out the demo for Maliki - Poison of the Past on Steam now. It should only take about an hour to beat, and I'm pumped to se?e more when the full release arrives.

The post Maliki – Poison of the Past preview: A second is all it takes appeared first on Destructoid.

The number of genres FromSoftware smashed together to create Elden Ring: Nightreign is frightening. Scarier still is how well it all works together. But because the game is such a mishmash of inspirations, you'll want to play specific games to prepare for Nightreign before diving into the madness.

Games to play to prepare for Elden Ring: Nightreign

As we mentioned in our network test impressions, defining Nightreign by its genre is essentially impossible. It takes mechanics from Elden Ring and the Souls series and from rogue-likes, hero shooters, and battle royales while adding a unique spin to all of them. For that reason, the games I'm listin?g here come from all those genres, though there is one group of games you should always play first.

Play Elden Ring before Nightreign for the mechanics

Yes, I know this should go without saying, but Nightreign mechanics are, at their core, still firmly rooted in the base Elden Ring experience. All of Nightreign's weapons come from Elden Ring,? as do its spells, Talismans??, and many of its combat systems.

The heroes you play in Nightreign can do things the Tarnished cannot. They can sprint a?lmost faster than Torrent, clamber up walls and jump off flat surfaces, and have unique Skills and Ultimates that set them apart. If they're usin??g their chosen weapon class, they even have a unique moveset. But everything else about using, say, a Greatsword or Estoc is the same.

More important than the weapons, however, are the world bosses. If the full game follows the network test with any consistency, bosses in Nightreign will be mostly pulled from the base Elden Ring's roster. If you don't have at least a basic understanding of how to deal with Elden Ring bosses (though not the Remembrance ones), then Nightreign becomes a much bigger cha?llenge. You won't have nearly the ease of access to learn their moves in Limveld as you would in the Lands Between, where Sites of Grace are usually right outside the boss room.

You can also bring foundational knowledge into Nightreign if you've played Elden Ring and the DLC. The map in Nightreign is littered with icons ?and symbols, many of which you'll better understand if you've encountered them in Elden Ring. These icons include locations, element and debuff types, and basic ?information about the kinds of things you'll find at those locations. You can, of course, learn all that on the fly, but going in prepared will make the first few runs a bit more comfortable.

Play Dark Souls before Nightreign for the fights

Between the games, Elden Ring is technically more important, as it's the foundation of the mechanics and systems for Nightreign. However, you won't just face bosses from Elden Ring in Nightreign but a wide selection of challenges from across the entire Dark Souls catalog. In the network test, we met Centipede Demon from the first Dark Souls, and in promotional media, we've seen Duke's Dear Freja from Dark Souls 2 and the Nameless King from Dark Souls 3.

It stands to reason that FromSoftware will be pillaging the entire Dark Souls franchise of its best and most iconic bosses and some off-the-wall choices only they can explain. If Elden Ring was your first game in the Souls mold, you will want to play the older games for a couple o??f reasons.

First and foremost, the bosses you'll face seem to be mostly direct pulls from their game of origin. If you don't know how to deal with the classic bosses, which will be the end-of-day challenges, you're in for plenty of trips back to the Roundtable Hold. Thankfully, save for the more complex fights from Dark Souls 3, most of the old fights are very simple compared to what you'd find in Elden Ring or other more modern Souls-like games.

The second reason you should play the old games is to experience the games that created and refined an entire genre. While Dark Souls 1 and 2 are clunkier mechanically than Elden Ring and Dark Souls 3 lacks the amazing atmosphere of its predecessors, all remain amazing games. Dark Souls 2 is especially noteworthy, as I consider it the least of the three titles, but it experiments with the formula in ways that made a huge difference in Elden Ring's final form.

Play Hades and Hades 2 to understand Roguelikes

Nightreign takes inspiration from a lot of different places for its rogue-like elements, but Hades is one of the better examples. Every time you clear a major encounter in Nightreign, you can choose between one of three powerful buffs, items, or weapons. Over the course of a match, you??'ll want to mix and match these buffs to craft a build that can overcome the end-of-day bosses and the Day 3 final boss.

Hades and its sequel function similarly, but the advantage Hades offers is effectively infinite time to decide which buff (called Boons in the series) you want. Thus, Hades lets you practice choosing boons and testing them in a potentially less punishing env??ironmen?t.

You can also practice making quick decisions in Hades. In Nightreign, on average, you'll only want to spend a maximum of 30 seconds picking your combat rewards. You only have fifteen minutes per day cycle, and depending on how efficient your team is at clearing enemy camps, you can ideally collect eight or nine buffs per day. While playing Hades, time yourself as you're choosing boons. If you hit that 30-second limit, go with?? your best guess rather than taking longer to consider your options.

Play Apex Legends to understand a trios-based Battle Royale

Nightreign is not a competitive PvP shooter like Apex Legends is, but there are a few things about Respawn's title that stand out over other hero shooters and battle royales. First is the pacing. Apex is one of the fastest-??paced shooters on the market, and every fight h?appens at breakneck speed.

Second, Apex defaults to three-person teams, just like Nightreign does. While it's possible to carry a pair of useless teammates, everyone in the squad needs to carry their weigh??t at least a ?little bit if you want a more successful match.

Thirdly, you have to loot and pick up other upgrades. Both Nightreign and Apex ask you to make snap decisions about what you pick up, making Apex a great training ground for?????????????????????????? those sorts of fast choices. You won't need to worry about other players shooting at you while looting in Nightreign, but the tougher enemies can be more challenging than less skilled players in most situations.

Most importantly, Apex Legends is both a hero shooter and a battle royale. You need to be smart about when you use your Skills and Ultimates while keeping track of the collapsing zone. Nightreign (like so many post-Apex BR games) uses a???? ping system to mark objectives and communicate with any teammates who are not on the mic.

I don't recommend playing ranked Apex Legends if you can help it if you're only there to familiarize yourself with the hero shooter and BR mechanics. Things get supers sweaty real quick, and the game has a long-running cheater problem. Sticking to the casual battle royale playlists in Apex won't completely remove the sweat issues, but it should?? better replicate solo play in Nightreign than trying y??our head off in ranked.

Play Witchfire to prepare for Nightreign

Currently in early access, Witchfire is a Souls-like rogue-lite extraction shooter set in a dark fantasy world. It's also a ton of fun, even in its incomplete state. It's also a single-player game that functions similarly to Ni?ghtreign: enter a map, defeat powerful enemies, pick upgrades, and, as the difficulty increases, risk more for better loot to take on harder fights.

Like Hades, you'll be making builds as you play through a match in Witchfire, and the timeframe to do so is more generous than in Nightreign. However, Witchfire is more punishing than your romps through the Underworld, and that difficulty scales aggressively the more you play. You can use your successful round of Witchfire as a barometer for how you might fare in Nightreign. The comparison is hardly ideal, of course. However, if you can consistently do well in Witchfire, especially against its rougher challenges, you'll know you have a basic understanding of rogue-lite buildcrafting in a more Souls-y environment.

Those are the games I'd recommend starting with when preparing for Elden Ring: Nightreign. FromSoftware's latest adventure defies easy description or comparison, so none of the games listed here are perfect teachers. They all give you at least some oppo??rtunities to learn a transferable skill, and they're all super fun when played casually. Hope you can enjoy y??our time with them!

The post The ga??mes you need to play to prepare for Elden Ring: Nightreign appeared first on Destructoid.

As you explore the Realm of Shadow in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, you're bound to encounter at least some of its dozens of bosses. And because the world is so open, it's good to know which order to challenge?? each boss so you're always on a level playing fie??ld.

The best boss order in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

In this guide, we'll only list the bosses that are a part of Shadow of the Erdtree's main story or its major side quests. The smaller d??ungeon bosses are even more optional, and while they can drop useful items and spells, you'll find the vast majority of rewards before facing th??em rather than one for beating the dungeon boss.

You only need to defeat four bosses out of the fifteen on this list to "finish" the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. Those bosses are Messmer, the Impaler; Romina, Saint of the Bud; Needle Knight Leda and her companions; and the final boss. Many of the r??emaining ten require additional exploration and quest progression to unlock. Almost all the side bosses are harder than the required ones, though the final fight beats them all for difficulty.

I've primarily listed the bosses in order of difficulty, but because you can skip and/or return to so much of Shadow of the Erdtree, I've also taken ?the most natural order into account. Lastly, the bosses you have to go way out of your way to find are listed fu??rther down than those you would reach via more common progression.1

Rellana, Twin Moon Knight

Found at the top of Castle Ensis, Rellana is a bit further into the map than the Dancing Lion of Belurat Tower, but she's also significantly easier to beat. She's a more traditional Elden Ring humanoid boss with a shorter attack list, attacks that have simple tells, and a large but not overwhelming amount of health. She w?on't ask you to learn or relearn any mechanics from the base game, and her movements should be familiar, if a bit floaty, compared to enemies you've faced before.

You can skip Castle Ensis, and thus Rellana, entirely by using a sealed spi??ritspring in the southeasternmost portion of the Gravesite Plain, which takes you to the Fort of Reprimand in the southeast of the Scadu Altus. As such, you can return to Castle Ensis with more collected Scadutree Fragments, making Rellana a much easier fight.

Divine Beast Dancing Lion

I suggest saving the Dancing Lion until you have at least level 8-10 Scadutree Blessing. Much less, and it can easily two or three-shot even level 200 characters with almost any attack. That's especially ??true of the s?econd and third phases. You can get up to seven Fragments if you fully clear the Gravesite Plain, which can be enough to justify the fight.

The Golden Hippopotamus

Between the two optional Shadow Keep bosses, the Golden Hippopotamus is both easier to beat and easier to find. You'll face it as your first challenge shortly after walking through the Keep's front gate and taking ??the elevator up. The bigges??t problem with the fight is the size of the arena compared to the boss's girth �it's easy for the hippo to fill a good half of the area in a single attack. However, its attack list, relative difficulty compared to the other options, and simplicity of discovery put it first.

Commander Gaius

To even reach Commander Gaius, you need to enter the Shadow Keep from the east via the Church District. You'll need to travel around Bonny Village to get there. However, I recommend always beating Commander Gaius, the second optional Shadow Keep boss, for a few reasons. Five of them in fact: the five Scadutree Fragments you'll find west of his arena. The fight isn't particular?ly fun, bord??ering more on annoying than enjoyable, but it's also fairly straightforward to master. The roll timings for Gaius's attacks and the attack patterns are well-telegraphed, leaving execution the main determining factor in achieving victory.

Messmer the Impaler

You should have a Scadutree Blessing of at least ten by the time you fight Messmer at the top of the Shadow Keep, so long as you collected most of the Fragments in the Gravesite Plain, Scadu Altus, and within the Keep itself. The Messmer fight should be your first real challenge in Shadow of the Erdtree. If nothing else, it's the best fight you can reach by this time in the DLC, providing a brutal fight that's satisfying to mast?er.

Putrescent Knight

The Putrescent Knight is the first boss in Shadow of the Erdtree that takes you well off the beaten path, found as it is deep in the Stone Coffin Fissure. The entrance is at the southern edge of the Cerulean Coast, and you enter the zone after Miquella?? shatters his Great Rune as you approach the Shadow Keep. The Knight is at the very bottom of the Fissure, guarding St. Trina, and it's a less technical fight than Messmer or the Dancing Lion. It's also a bit easier, so long as you know that you can jump to avoid the blue flame the boss summons in its second phase.

Metyr, Mother of Fingers

I've placed Metyr here on the list for two reasons. First, by this point, you'll have easy access to the Church of Manus Metyr and both of the finger ruins. You'll encounter the Church on your way toward the Shadow Keep from the east. You should also have the O, Mother Gesture from Bonny Village, and you'll need it to open the way to the Hinterlands Finger Ruins. Second, beating Metyr gives you a chance to grab the Sword of Night from Jolan and the ability to craft the Staff of the Great Beyond from Metyr's Remembrance. The Sword of Night is one of the best Katanas in Elden Ring, and the Staff of the Great Beyond can cast both S?orceries and Incantations.

Jori, Elder Inquisitor

No FromSoftware game would be complete without a boss made of mobs, and while Jori, the Elder Inquisitor, is one of the studio's better showings, it's still more frustrating than fun. You can't even reach Jori without c??ompleting the Darklight Catacombs, which you can only get to by the end of the river leading south from the Shadow Keep. Said river is only accessible via a coffin hidden behind two illusory walls beneath the bridge leading to Specimen Storage in the Keep. Oh, and you can't access the Abyssal Woods or Midra's Manse without beating Jori, making him "mandatory" if you want all the Remembrances in the DLC.

Midra, Lord of Frenzied Flame

In the far west of the Abyssal Woo?ds, at the top of Midra's Manse, is poor Midra. I much prefer fighting him to Metyr, but I do think Metyr is harder. I've placed Midra later than Metyr due to how deadly the path to reaching him is. A hidden catacomb, the Jori fight, the Aging Untouchables in the Abyss, and all the madness effects in Manse �getting to him is a lot. Your reward is one of the best fights in Shadow of the Erdtree.

Scadutree Avatar

Deep below the Shadow Keep at the literal Scadutree Base is its rotted sunflower avatar. The Scadutree Avatar is one of the easier later-game optional bosses in Shadow of the Erdtree. I recommend facing it when returning to the Shadow?? Keep once ??it's time to proceed west and progress the story. The Avatar's attack list is relatively short, very weak to fire, and technically still three-shot the unprepared. Still, the fight is much more manageable than any other in the DLC, provided you hit the boss in the head.

Romina, Saint of the Bud

Found at the western portion of the Rauh Ruins, Romina is one of the easier bosses in Shadow of the Erdtree, though that doesn't make her actually easy. Her attacks have a long reach, and many apply Scarlet Rot. She's also one of ?the few required fights in the DLC, as access to the final dungeon is impossible without beating her. I've placed Romina at this point in the list because if you follow the bosss order I've presented, Romina will be a?? nice bit of relief from the barnburners you've fought so far.

Needle Knight Leda

Near the top of Enir-Ilim, guarding the path to the final boss of Shadow of the Erdtree, are Needle Knight Leda and whatever companio?ns she can claim. The number of enemies you fight in this encounter and who you can call on for aid depends on how many or how few NPC side quests you've completed and their outcomes. For instance, Thiollier and Hornsent can be enemies or friends in this fight, whereas Morne can only be an enemy. Dead NPCs, or those whose quests you don't complete, won't show up. You might notice a glaring boss omission at this point in the list. We're getting to him.

Ancient Dragon Man

The Ancient Dragon Man is on this list for the same reason Jori is: you don't reach the boss beyond without defeating him. He's essentially an NPC fight, and while his damage is absurd, it's no less than other Elden Ring NPCs. Too much damage and health, the ability to act in ways regular player characters can'??t, and so on. However, the great katana the Dragon Man drops is a fantastic weapon for the ne??xt boss on our list.

Bayle the Dread

As optional superbosses go, Bayle is no Malenia, but we do have a guide on how to beat him if you need help. That said, he's probably the hardest boss in the DLC outside of the final one, so saving him to the end of a playthrough only makes sense. And while he's not the only boss on the Jagged Peak, you can't run from his fight like you can against Sennesax. Additionally, even with maximum or near-maximum Scadutree Blessing, Bayle's two-shot potential is incredibly high. That goes double for his second phase. His weakness against anti-dragon weap?ons can give you an advantag?e.

The Final Boss

The final boss of Shadow of the Erdtree has been significantly nerfed since the release of the DLC, but he remains the great?est challenge you'll face in the Realm of Shadow. His health pool, damage output, and the chaos he can bring to the fight are unmatched. This final fight can spiral out of control faster than anywhere else in the DLC, and my first fight took 40 hours before I saw the victory screen. Learning this fight is much easier than it once was, and if you have a solid handle on the mechanics, a lot of the difficulty melts away. Just don't get cocky.

That's my best boss order for experiencing the main and side story beat in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. You can find more than 20 other bosses in the catacombs scattered throughout the Realm of Shadow, but they offer nothing to the DLC's narrative beyond the lore in the items they drop. Ma??ny are also suped-up world enemies, earning them another demerit.

Now go, Tarnished, and explore the Realm of? Shadow, and don't forget to enjoy the ruckus!

The post What is the best boss order ?for Elden Ring Shadow of t??he Erdtree DLC? appeared first on Destructoid.

The network test for Elden Ring: Nightreign is behind us, and we got our first look at FromSoftware's mashup of almost half a dozen genres. It's a fun, manic, and frankly absurd experience that shouldn't work as well as it does. I cannot wait to se??e the full product.

Shattered, rebuilt with gold

Defining Nightreign's genre is like trying to describe one of Elden Ring's eldrich horrors to someone outside its community. Nigh on imposs??ible, in other words.

• The combat is a faster and more focused version of base Elden Ring, and the bosses all come almost directly from it and all previous Dark Souls games.
• Then you add in rogue-lite elements undoubtedly inspired by best-in-class entries like Hades.
• Then you add a shrinking circle and trio-focused gameplay from battle royale games.
• And then, you add hero-shooter-style characters that you upgrade using the rogue-lite elements mentioned above.

What do you call this unholy mishmash of genres, gameplay styles, and mechanics? Elden Ring: Nightreign is what. Like the Souls games that act as its foundation, Nightreign stands alone, though this time, it defies description for its unthinkable marriage of systems. That marriage, I might add, ?has no right to work as well as it does nor to be as fun as it is.

When you first dive into a Nightreign match, you pick one of eight characters, four of which we got to try in the network test. You and two other playe??rs then load into a randomly generated map and explore, fighting bosses, looting ruins and?? dungeons, and collecting loot and character upgrades. After about ten minutes, a circle of blue fire and rain appears, shrinking the play area to about half. You can continue exploring until 15 minutes into the match, at which point you must retreat underneath a great, shining tree for safety.

That safety is quickly shattered by a more challenging boss fight that tests your character's upgrades, your familiarity with your character, and your team's skills. Win, and you??'ve completed the first of three Days. Day two follows the same pattern as Day one: explore, loot, craft a build, then prepare for the circle to close in?? again. Find victory over the second boss to earn the right to challenge that run's main foe.

The weapons and upgrades you find on the Nightreign map mostly come from Elden Ring, but the Day bosses hail from as far back as the original Dark Souls and will include both Dark Souls 2 and 3 bosses on full release.

As you might have gathered, it's hard to properly describe Nightreign in the space of a few paragraphs. But probably the weirdest thing about the game, besides everything else, is fighting bosses like the Centipede Demon from Dark Souls 1 with the speed and mechanical refinement of Elden Ring. Hearing the old soundt?racks add??s to the disconnect.

Yet, every second I wasn't playing Elden Ring: Nightreign, I was thinking about playing Nightreign. We had three hours per session, and I would be lying if I said I didn't lose sleep trying to make the early morning tests. It was the same feeling I and many others felt about their first, second, and third Souls games. I wan??ted to dis??cover other world bosses, uncover whatever secrets existed in the limited environment, and what kinds of crazy builds I could make in the forty-minute matches.

Teamwork and the dream working

I've never been one for co-op in Souls games. I find the challenge and satisfaction of victory too intoxicating to sully with other players I might not be able to count on. Not so in Nightreign. Sure, the enemy AI is as janky as it is in Elden Ring and other FromSoftwa?re titles, but teamwork is at the heart of thi??s new title.

Going off and doing your own thing in Nightreign will cost you far more than playing with your teammates. Bosses are usually too tanky to handle by yourself, especially early into a round. Defeating a boss generates a reward for the whole party, and if you and your teammates are spread across the map, you will miss at least a few of the?se valuable upgrades. Your teammates can also pick you up if you're knocked down, but not if they're in a castle and you're in a mine, deep underground.

You lose a hard-earned level for dying rather than being revived??, and you start the game with maybe two or three hits worth of health. Even a single level is a massive buff to all of your stats, and because the match is on a strict timer, you might not be able to make up the XP you need to reclaim the level. That alone is incentive to try and stay with your teammates, ??if only so they don't get as much in your way as they might otherwise.

A class of their own

That's saying nothing about the synergy you can have between each character. The four we got to try in the netwo?rk t??est were:

• Wylder: A typical Souls character with a greatsword, a small shield, a dodge roll, a grappling hook, and an explosive punch.
• Duchess: A faster, more agile character with a dagger, the ability to replay the last few seconds of damage on an enemy and turn the whole party temporarily invincible.
• Gladiator: A literal bird man with a broken wing, a shield, and a halberd who could group enemies with a whirlwind or grant brief invulnerability within a certain area.
• Recluse: A wizard who collects various elemental essences to create a wide array of magical effects.

Each character had a Skill (see Wylder's grapple or Duchess's d??amage Rewind) and an U??ltimate (the explosive punch or the invisibility). Skills were on a much shorter cooldown than Ultimates, so using your Skill liberally was encouraged, and smart Ultimate usage was just as important.

Every character's abilities were satisfying and fun to use. Wylder is the most straightforward and new-player-friendly, with Recluse requiring much more technical acumen to be?? effective. I tried every character except Recluse, and they all felt amazing. Wylder was the most familiar, but my favorite was ?Duchess, thanks to her speed and obvious Bloodborne influence. Her opportunities for teamplay were some of the best as well because one well-timed Skill or Ultimate could completely turn the tide of an otherwise helpless fight.

A Rogue in the Mix

The rogue-lite elements of Elden Ring: Nightreign weren't fully fleshed out in the network test. We c??ouldn't spend post-match currency, nor could we customize what types of buffs our characters could eq?uip. The map's procedural generation was also heavily reduced, but I could always create unique builds each run.

Every boss or major challenge you complete during a match awards either a weapon, ability, or buff, and you need to quickly decide what kind of setup you're going for. Like base Elden Ring, Frostbite and Bleed builds are frighteningly powerful? and, when properly built, can all but trivialize even the end boss.

Nightreign also doesn't care about PvE balance too much. Want to apply Bleed, Poison, Frostbite, and Scarlet Rot? Go for it. Want a larger health bar than is possible in base Elden Ring? You can do that, too. There are technically some limitations to what you can do, but so long as you work within those generous restrictions, you can do a lot with builds in the game.

The hard cap on things is the weapon selection: you can only use a selection of weapons and abilities that were available in base Elden Ring. None of the classics from the Dark Souls series make a return the same way the bosses do. Or at least they didn't in the network test. That's not a huge gripe, as there are a ton of fun Elden Ring weapons, but having a Black Knight Halberd, Ornstein's Spear, or something like Gael's Greatsword would be amazing to have in the pool.

Concerns: I have a few

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Elden Ring: Nightreign network test, but a few things concern me. First among them is actually a question: who does this game? appeal to?

Nightreign's gameplay mashes up so many genres onto the Elden Ring core that I worry its wider appeal gets lost in the shuffle. For many players, I'd assume, the measured, curated experience of exploring a Souls world, discovering its mysteries, and slowly conquering its challenges is the main draw. Nightre??ign eschews almost all that in favor of quick in-and-out matches, where exploration is a means to an end, not a main point of enjoyment.

Souls purists, then, might not enjoy the game for its drastically altered pacing. Newcomers have another problem. Learning the bosses is at the heart of enjoying a Souls game. Repeated failure with minimal downtime between attempts lets you experiment with different strategies and builds until you land on a setup that works. Nightreign throws you into a wide world where those same bosses will kill you in a few hits, but your time between facing them could be minutes or hours. The previously fine-tune??d learning curve gets thrown to the shredder.

So players new to taking on Souls bosses might find losing to them a turn-off. Both of them might also be deterred by the rogue-lite elements. You will be underpowered at? the start of every run, and if you don't quickly learn where to find the best upgrades, it's infinitely more challenging to make a build that's worth a da?mn.

Perhaps worst of all, Nightreign demands that all players pull at least some of their weight. If you don't have a dedicated team of friends who know their way around the game, or you've depended on those friends to carry you through Elden Ring's harder content, Nightreign might be a hard sell. Based on my network test experience, it is possible to hard-carr?y a set of clueless teammates, but you probably aren't going to outlevel the content nearly as much as you would in a more traditional RPG.

For veteran Souls-heads like me who also lo??ve rogue-likes, fast-paced action, and more than a bit of chaos to their gaming experience, Nightreign is an absolute treat. I worry it's doing so many things at once that it stands to alienate the people it needs to succeed.

I am, of course, probably overthinking it. Dark Souls was always a niche series, but still sold millions of copies. Moreover, it enabled FromSoftware to create one of the most popular games of the last decade by mashing together two genres I thought were incompatible: Souls and a truly open world. There is no other studio I trust more to experiment and succeed with flying colors. And if the network test is any indication, Elden Ring: Nightreign will be yet another entry in Fr?omSoftware's list of defining ?masterpieces.

The post Elden Ring: Nightreign Network Test Impressions appeared first on Destructoid.

Fishing minigames are becoming a ubiquitous addition to almost every genre. Now Zenless Zone Zero has?? one with the Elpis Ultimate Angler Championship, one of the more rewarding mid-update events the game?'s yet seen. Here's how to complete every part of the event.

How to Start the Elpis Ultimate Angler Championship

If you're a newer player to Zenless Zone Zero, it will take you at le?ast a few days to unl?ock access to the Elpis Ultimate Angler Championship. To access the event, you need to be at Inter-Knot level 23 and have completed Chapter 2 - Intermission. Getting at least that far will see you introduced to Qingyi of Public Security.

Reaching Inter-Knot level 23 requires you to get through several level gates at earlier Inter-Knot levels, a process that's liable? to take at least a couple of r?eal-world days. That's not counting the length of the story missions themselves, which add at least a dozen hours or so of content to experience.

Once you've met the prerequisites, starting the Elpis Ultimate Angler Championship is easy. Head to the noodle shop on Sixth St?reet and meet with Qingyi nearby. She'll kindly "request" the Phaethon twins' presence at the fishing competition, and you can head there immediately or whenever is convenient for you.

Qingyi will be near the docks once the time comes. She'll introduce you to th??e staff running the competition and her ulterior motive for coming: catching art thieves moving stolen goods by sea.

Of course, you're?? there to help and enjoy some fun fishing times while you're at it.

How to Fish in the Elpis Ultimate Angler Championship

The fishing mechanics in Zenless Zone Zero are pretty straightforward. The process works as ??foll?ows:

• Use your Interact button to cast a line. Press it again when the pink-purple circle reaches the on-screen button to hook a fish.
• You need to mash or hold the buttons on the left or right of your screen to reel fish in. The mash prompt has an orange circle flash around the on-screen button. The hold prompt is a light blue circle that shrinks in around the on-screen button.

Mash or hold enough to deplete the fish's Stamina gauge at the top of the scre??en. The more blue than orange is on the gauge, the closer you are to catching the fish. Should you not press?? the button correctly, the fish will gain some more gauge back, but once the bar is completely blue, you'll catch the fish.

Additional mechanics become available as y?ou progress through ??the main story. They include:

• Strong Rod Pull is a separate on-screen button on a cooldown. When it's ready, it will turn from grey to light blue, and pressing it automatically awards about 20% progress toward catching the fish.

As you gain Angler Points by completing the story and side content in the Elpis Ultimate Angler Championship, you'll get additional buffs to your fis?hing ability, between the amo??unt of ATK power you can field against the fish to increasing your stamina so you can reel in longer.

How to Complete the Ridu Fishing Festival Commission

The main story quest of the Elpis Ultimate Angler Championship is spread across three commissions??: Ridu Fishing Festival, Trush Beneath the Water, and Elpis Ultimate Angler. While fishing is central to completing it, Hollow exploration and combat are just as important. After speaking to Qingyi at Port Elpis, you'll receive a brief tutorial on fishing; then, you need to participate in an introductory match to officially enter the competition.

Specifically, you need to place in the top three competitors to advance. In my run, I needed to catch two fish within the time limit to top the leaderboard. I would still have placed second or third ?with just one fish, though. You're automatically placed at the top of your current score bracket whenever you get a point during the co?mpetition. If the top competitor has one point and then you score a point, you'll be placed ahead of them, and so on.

After competing in the pre-tournament match, you'll need to delve into a Hollow for some combat challenges. You can bring whatever team works best for you, and if you don't already have her, Qingyi is also available as a trial char?acter. The order of operations in the Hollow is as follows:

• Speak to Eous near the shipping container to move it.
• Interact with the console on your right near the yellow warning signs.
• Defeat the Ethereals that appear.
• Head through the passage that opens at the back of the grey shipping container.
• Follow the hallway around until you encounter more Ethereals.
• Clear the enemies and interact with the Sturdy Supply Box that appears.
• Head back to the first area and through the now-open yellow shipping container.
• Grab the Mini Cargo Truck and interact with the nearby console.
• Cross the bridge and clear the new Ethereals that appear.
• Head through the open container and nab the second Mini Cargo Truck in a side container with more Ethereals.
• Interact with the nearby console, cross the bridge, open the gate at the next console, and then defeat the Thanatos boss Ethereal that appears. It's weak to Ice and Ether damage, so agents like Miyabi, Zhu Yuan, and Ellen Joe are best.
• Next, defeat the much weaker Dullahan and head through the red cargo container to reach the third and final Sturdy Supply box.

After all that is done, you can head back to Port Elpis and begin the Elpis Ultimate Angler Championship in earnest. Then, you?? can start doing the side stories?? called Port Anecdotes.

How to Complete the Truth Beneath the Water

Once you complete the first part of the Elpis Ultimate Angler Championship story quest, wait an in-game day and return to Port Elpis, where you'll chat with Qingyi again. The?? official tournament qualifiers are here, and they're a two-round, two-person team affair. You and Qingyi will work together, and you need to be in the top two t??eams to advance.

In my experience, Qingyi only nets one or two fish for either 90-second round, so you'll still be doing the bulk of the work. Winning the Elpis Ultimate Angler Championship qua??lifiers is more of the same as the ??show match at the beginning of the story quest. Follow these tips, and you should be golden:

• Be as quick as you can to mash or hold the on-screen prompt.
• Use the Strong Rod Pull just before the prompt disappears for a burst of progress on the fish stamina bar.
• Don't waste time between catching a fish and casting a new line.

There is a brief narrative intermission between the first and second rounds, with some drama about a fish disruptor in the water. As far as how many fish you need to ?catch, my toughest opponents in both matches only caught no more than three fish, so the minimum you should shoot for is three of your own.

After th??e qualifiers, you'll be headed back into a Hollow for more investigation. The steps to com?plete the delve are as follows:

• Speak to Eous to open the way into the level.
• Defeat the Ethereals that appear.
• Head up the ramp beyond the cargo container that opens and interact with the console at the top. Don't forget to grab the Mini Cargo Truck.
• Head down, cross the bridge, defeat the Ethereals that appear, and examine the box in the open yellow cargo container.
• Interact with the nearby console to make a bridge, watch a brief cutscene, then defeat some more Ethereals.
• Check the box in the newly opened yellow cargo container and grab the Mini Cargo Truck there, too.
• Head through the opened grey cargo container down the hallway. Avoid the exploding Ethereals, then turn left down the walkway and interact with the console to make another bridge.
• Take the elevator up and continue until you reach the Signal Lights challenge.

How to Complete the Signal Lights Challenge

The signal lights puzzle is very straightforward. You'll see a small traffic signal with three colored lights near ?a ??console with colored squares that alternate between those three colors.

Your job is to interact with the console when it flashes on the proper color. This first challenge asks for green, then blue, then blue again. The second challenge, a bit late?r in the mission, asks for green, then blue, then yellow.

Once you solve the first signal light challenge, a yellow cargo container containing an objective crate and another Mini Cargo Truck?? will roll in. Interact with both, and then head through the s?patial fissure behind you. In the new area:

• Cross the path and head down the right-hand side path to the console. You'll need an ID to proceed.
• Leave the smaller path and make a U-turn, proceeding past the green semi truck until you meet some Ethereals. Defeat them. Collect the ID card from the nearby crate. Don't miss the Mini Cargo Truck in the small alcove.
• Return to the console and use the new ID. Head through the new path, solve the signal light challenge at the far gate, and face the Thracian boss-level Ethereal.
• The box you're looking for is in the yellow cargo container.

With the final box collected, yo????u'll head back to Port Elpis. Speak to all the characters, and last with Qingyi to prepare for the next and final chapter.

How to Complete Elpis Ultimate Angler

Th??e time has come for the last two rounds of the Elpis Ultimate Angler Champions?hip and the final Hollow investigation. Speak to Qingyi when you're ready for the semifinals.

Winning the Elpis Ultimate Angler Championship semifinals follows the same formula as the previous stages. The competition is slightly fiercer, and you must take first place to a??dvance. In my winning run of the tournament, my opponent's highest score was two fish to my five. As before, you win in case of a tie, so if your closest competition only has two fish, you only need two to win. You should still try for at least one more than se??cond place just to be safe.

After winning the semifinals,? you'll be going afte??r the art thieves in the Hollow. Here's the full step list:

• Talk to Zhu Yuan to open the way forward.
• Use the console to cross the bridge, deal with the enemies, then take the elevator behind the cargo container.
• Turn left and break all the boxes and Energy canisters. Keep left at the end of the path for additional Energy, then deal with the nearby enemies.
• Grab the Mini Cargo Truck and take the elevator down.
• Deal about 60% of the boss's health to cause him to run away, then contend with the enemies he leaves behind. Next, take care of the enemies behind the breakable boxes and ride the elevator up.
• Follow the path around to the right and defeat the enemies that come out of the cargo containers.
• Ride the elevator down, defeat the enemies, grab the Mini Cargo Truck, and activate the console to move the hanging container on the upper level.
• Ride the elevator back up, activate the console to make the bridge, then challenge the enemies at the far end. At around 30% health, the red-helmet enemy will summon a boss-level Brute. Defeat them all and interact with the large stack of boxes to exit the Hollow.

Back at Port Elpis, speak to McDunn, the?n Presi??dent Qi to leave for the reef island, where you'll need to fish a submarine out of the water. There's no special mechanics here. Mechanically, it's just a regular fish.

Catching the sub ends the narrative portion of the Elpis Ultimate Angler Championship and queues up the finals. Like the semis befo??re them, the finals are functionally identical to the other rounds of the tournament, with a few exce??ptions.

• You need to finish first to advance.
• You need to catch at least three fish to beat Ben (based on my winning run).

Once you've won, speak to Qingyi and McDunn one last time to finish the event's main story quest. If you haven't already caught all the fish or done all the Port Anecdote side activities, now's the time?.

How to Complete All Port Anecdotes in the Elpis Ultimate Angler Championship

There are 15 Port Anecdotes to complete during the Elpis Ultimate Angler Championship, five per phase. Most of them only take two or three minutes to complete, ??and you'll want to for a couple of reasons. First, they award Angler Points, which incre??ase your Fishing Permit, earning you additional rewards and buffs to your fishing prowess. Second, you'll need to complete nine of them to get all the limited-time Polychrome rewards for the Elpis Ultimate Angler Championship event.

Phase One Port Anecdotes

The Phase One Port Anecdotes are mostly relativel?y quick, save the first one, A?ristocratic Delicacy, which sees you delving into a Hollow to dispose of some questionable cooking.

How to Complete Aristocratic Delicacy

The longest of the five phase one Port Anecdotes, this one sees you doing a favor for Victoria Housekeeping's Rina and Lycao?n. The steps are:

• Meet Lycaon and Rina near the docks.
• Catch two fish for Rina.
• Speak to Lycaon and head into the Hollow.
• In the Hollow, first speak to Eous to progress.
• Head across the bridge and deal with the Ethereals, then take the elevator down.
• Keep left on the path and hide one of Rina's "dishes" in the corner.
• Head to the larger area across the way and deal with the Ethereals, then hide another "dish" near the blue barrels.
• Take the nearby elevator down and deal with the miniboss Ethereal. Hide the third and final "dish" near the Ether crystals.
• Return to the blue barrels to find Soukaku having serious regrets about her latest snack.

?After spea?king with Soukaku, Lycaon, and Rina, you'll complete the Anecdote.

How to Complete The Master's Concerns (I)

You'll unlock your next two Anecdotes once you complete Aristocratic Delicacy. The Master's Concerns part one sees you helping the Eous and Amillion Bangboo with their photography ??skills. You only need to take one picture after talking to Presi??dent Qi near the bench by the fry stand.

Snap a pic of the yell??ow fis??hing festival flags to the right of the event billboard. Return to Qi with the picture to complete the Anecdote.

How to Complete One Denny Friendship

Meet with One-Dennyboo and Soldier 11 to the left of the fry stand. The little Bangboo is having a party and needs you to catch one fish to complete the meal. Once caught, speak to the pair again, then head to Sixt??h Street. Go behind the ?concrete pipes near the 24-hour store to join the party: One-Dennyboo and his feline friends.

Once the party's over, the Anecdote is too.

How to Complete Aquatic Delicacy

Unlocked after completing three Port Anecdotes, Aquatic Delicacy is another fishing mission. First, head to the far side of the docks to meet Coach Explorey and his student Rocketz. Speak to them a moment, then head down the longer dock and catc??h a single fish to complete the Anecdote.

How to Complete Intense Competition

For this Anecdote, visit Eddite on the dock near the purple-clothed fisher. He asks you to visit Ben, who's hanging around nearby, and they will request a friendly fishing competition. Place first or second to advance, which took a minimum of two fish in my run. Onc?e the match is over, speak ?to Eddie and Ben again to complete the Anecdote.

Phase Two Port Anecdotes

The second set of Port Anecdotes take about the same amount of?? time to complete as the first phase's, and the structure is much?? the same, as well. The first one, Blessing or Curse is longer, with a short dialog cutscene and a small Hollow investigation. The remaining four are quicker, mostly involving fishing, with the occasional back and forth between locations.

How to complete Blessing or Curse

You'll find Nekomata on the central dock, and after explaining that she's there looking to provide for the Cunning Hares, she'll ask you to fish for her. Said fishing yields a...Sharkboo? Its name is Bling, and it's somehow able to treat the Hares to some e?xpensive meal vouchers. Nekomata will text you after meeting Bling, Nicole and co. at Lumina Square, wondering how a Bangboo could afford something so extravagant. The answer, of course, lies in a Hollow. The steps here are simple:

• Defeat the enemies that appear just as you enter the Hollow.
• Cross the two bridges and defeat more enemies.
• Keep right until you reach a closed gate blocking your way to Bling and his previous master. After the dialog, the gate will open.
• Defeat the enemies and speak to Bling again to clear things up.

You'll complete this Anecdote when Bl?ing ag??rees to hang out with the Cunning Hares for a while for taking care of it.

How to complete The Master's Concerns (II)

Snap returns with more photography commiss??ions. This time, you won't need to go far. Meet with Phee to the right of the fry stand and take a picture of the mustard and ketchup dispensers. Shortly after, you'll speak with her again about taking actual pictures of fries,?? which concludes the anecdote.

How to complete Don't Lose Heart

Find Lighter and a man named Matthew near Officer Mew Mew on the dock. Matthew is having finance troubles and needs to bring home some fish for his family. Catch one fish for him, and both he and Lighter will be in your debt. The Anecd?ote will also be completed.

How to complete Gift of the Sea God

Feng and Lanza are on the dock near Officer Mew Mew. Feng teamed up with someone named Granpa Gu in the fishing tournament, and now things are look down for all of them. Help them catch a fish with some tips from Grandpa, just don't expect an actual fish. You get an Ugl??y Doll instead as a reward (and the completion of the Anecdote, as well).

How to complete Spirit of Fishing

For this Anecdote, head across from Officer Mew Mew to meet Rien and Kein who are having some trouble catching fish. Follow them to meet a boy named Lucky who gives some questionable advice, then asks yo?u to catch two fish. Sadly, all you'll manage are a pair of aluminum cans, but thankfully that's all you need to catch to finish the Anecdote.

Phase Three Port Anecdotes

The final set of five Port Anecdotes? is, as you'd expect, quite similar to the previous two. The first of them, where you help Piper and Grace with some tech investigation in a Hollow, is logner. The remainder are quicker, mostly fishing-related activities.

How to complete A Life of Hustling

Chat with Piper to the left of Officer Mew Mew, and you'll both hear a strange buzzing, which you can quickly trace to Grace and a?? new experiment of hers. It takes place in a Hollow, of course. The investigation is very short: simply defeat two waves of standard Ethereals and a Dullhan mini-boss. Once that's done and you've returned to Port Elpis, speak to Piper near the road, then Piper and Grace on the dock, then just Piper again near your parked car to complete the Anecdote.

How to complete The Master's Concerns (III)

Snap is nowhere to be found ??this time, so you'll text Evelyn to find?? out what's going on. Travel to Ballet Twins Road and chat with her, then return to Snap and pass along Astra's words of encouragement to her favorite Bangboo. That's it. That's the Anecdote.

How to complete Subject

Ellen and her school friends are hanging about the port, as Ellen needs help passing an art class. First, you'll need to catch two fish for her to draw, then head over to the lighthouse and travel to its upper deck. While ?you both enjoy the seabreeze, Ellen will ask you to take a photo wi?th her, and once you show it to her, you can descend back to the main level and compelte the Anecdote.

How to complete Tastebud Disaster

Milly and Samuel are standing by the wall at the head of the dock, and after speaking to them, you'll head out to the dock's end to have a friendly competition with Samuel. It's not m??uc??h of a challenge, as he catches exactly zero fish. You should catch some on the off chance you get a rare subspecies or somehting you haven't caught yet. The Anecdote is over once the match ends.

How to complete Everything is Training

Hoshimi Miyabi is never not training, and this time she's trying to learn how to fish in her own unique way. Head out to the Coastal Reef fishing spot and let her watch? you fish. Your first two catches will be aluminum cans. The third wil be a waterlogged Ether battery. Despite lacking any actual fish, Miyabi and her ears will still be impressed by your prowess enough to finish the Anecdote.

Those are all the Anecdotes in Elpis Ultimat?e Angler Championship. By the en??d, you should be at least Fishing Permit 13, or so.

How to Catch All Fish in the Elpis Ultimate Angler Championship

There are 17 regular fish and nine Bonus Discoveries to find by fishing in the Elpis Ultimate Angler Championship. The regular fish come in four varieties, ranging from one to four stars. The star ranking is based on weight, and at the time of writing, the weight of the fish is random for each one you catch.?? The fourth star is also unique to the Rare Subspecies, so you need to catch a golden version of that fish to get it.

In s?hort, be prepared to grind if you want all 68 possible stars.

All Aquarium Fish and How to Get Them

We've found 13 of the 17 available fish, but we'??ll update the article as we find more!

All Bonus Discoveries and how to get them

Bonus Discoveries are special "fish" you'll catch either by chance or as part of a story?? mission or Port Anecdote. There are nine to find in all, and they are:

Those are all the Bonus Discoveries we've foun??d so far, but we'll update the article when we've found the rest.

How to Get All Elpis Ultimate Angler Championship Rewards in Zenless Zone Zero

There a??re two reward sources during the Elpis Ultimate Angler C??hampionship.

• Leveling your Fishing Permit awards 300 Polychromes. You'll need Angler Points, which you can earn by completing the main event story, side Port Anecdote missions, and adding caught fish to your Fishing Encyclopedia.
• Completing tasks specific to the Exclusive Rewards provides 900 Polychromes if you complete them all.

Here is a listing of all the rewards:

Permanent Fishing Permit Rewards

• Levels One to Ten: 30 Polychromes, six Original Chips, 20,000 Dennies.
• Levels 11 to 15: Six Original Chips, two Senior Investigation Log EXP items, 20,000 Dennies.

Exclusive, Time-Limited Rewards

All the rewards in the Ridu Fishing Festival section of the event:

• Complete the Ridu Fishing Festival event commission: 100 Polychromes, two Specialized Burn Chips, 10,000 Dennies.
• Complete one Port Anecdote: 60 Polychromes, two Specialized Burn Chips, 10,000 Dennies.
• Complete three Port Anecdotes: 60 Polychromes, two Specialized Burn Chips, 10,000 Dennies.

All the rewards in the Truth Beneath the Water section of the event:

• Complete the Truth Beneath the Water event commission: 100 Polychromes, two Specialized Burn Chips, 10,000 Dennies.
• Complete six Port Anecdotes: 60 Polychromes, two Specialized Burn Chips, 10,000 Dennies.
• Complete nine Port Anecdotes: 60 Polychromes, two Specialized Burn Chips, 10,000 Dennies.

All rewards in the Elpis Ultimate Angler section of the event:

• Complete the Elpis Ultimate Angler event commission: 100 Polychromes, two Specialized Burn Chips, 10,000 Dennies.
• Complete 12 Port Anecdote: Four Senior Investigator Log EXP items, 10,000 Dennies.
• Complete 15 Port Anecdotes: Four Senior Investigator Log EXP items, 10,000 Dennies.

All rewards in the Ultimate Angler Mission section of the event:

• Catch three different species of fish: 60 Polychromes, 10,000 Dennies.
• Catch seven different species of fish: 60 Polychromes, 10,000 Dennies.
• Catch ten different species of fish: 60 Polychromes, 10,000 Dennies.
• Catch 13 different species of fish: Four Senior Investigator Log EXP items, 10,000 Dennies.
• Catch 17 different species of fish: Four Senior Investigator Log EXP items, 10,000 Dennies.
• Catch one rare fish subspecies: 60 Polychromes, 10,000 Dennies.
• Catch three rare fish subspecies: Four Senior Investigator Log EXP items, 10,000 Dennies.
• Catch nine rare fish subspecies: Four Senior Investigator Log EXP items, 10,000 Dennies
• Fill in all Aquarium and Bonus Discovery activities in the Fishing Encyclopedia: Four Senior Investigator Log EXP items, 10,000 Dennies.

Successfully completing the Elpis ?Ultimate Angler Challenge, you'll also get one Tuning Calibrator that guarantees you the main stat you want on a single Drive Disc at the Music Store.

With that, you know how to complete the Elpis Ultimate Angler Championship event in Zenless Zone Zero, are 1,200 Polychromes richer, and have done?? more fishing than you ever thought possible in a gac??ha game.

The post Complete Guide to the Elpis Ultimate Angler Championship i??n Zenless Zone Zero appeared first on Destructoid.

If you know how to play Hackclaw effectively in the Delta Force Operations mode, you wil??l always be an asset to your team. She's also fantastic for solo play, ensuring you almost always know where your enemies are and often denying them the same information. Playing her well makes you an absolute terror, and in this guide, we'll go over tips about her entire kit and some advanced play strategies, as well.

Tips for Playing Hackclaw: The Basics

Hackclaw is a master of stealth, intelligence, and enemy disruption. No other operator in Delta Force can disable their enemies' abilities like she can, and only Luna's Detection Arrow rivals Hackclaw's detection capabilities. However, Hackclaw is m??ore consistent, combat-effective, and easier to play between the two.

Beyond the most b??asic level, Hackclaw doesn't play like other operators. Sure, she can carry up to two guns and a sidearm, her sprint speed is the same, and she has the same amount of health. However, her stealth speed while walking or crouching is increased, and her footsteps make less noise while usi?ng stealth. That means Hackclaw can reach advantageous positions far easier than any other operator without giving away her location.

As part of a team, a confident Hackclaw can split off from the group and flank without giving away the game. She can sneak up on even the best-equipped, highest-ranked players as a solo, taking even Mandelbricks right from under their noses. I've managed it once, and it was satisfying.

Hackclaw's abilities are also unique in that they're simultaneously offensive and defensive. Her Data Knife deals solid damage, and its disabling burst reveals threats via a hitmarker, even through walls. Her Sig??nal Decoder tracks up to six enemies in real-tim?e, making it invaluable when preparing for a fight or defending a position and rare loot. Even her Flash Drones can be used preventatively. Send them out early to check for enemies hiding in corners. Use them mid-fight for an instant advantage.

We'll go over her kit in detail below.

Tips for Using Hackclaw's Signal Decoder

Hackclaw's Gadget, the Signal Decoder, is the heart and soul of her kit. Its function is as simple as it is borderline overpowered. Usab??le every three minut??es or so, once active, the Decoder paints a line on your HUD leading toward up to six enemies within 60 meters. The line marking the closest enemy is red; these lines update in real time as your enemies move around.

The Decoder's effects go through walls and around corners. Even if it can't draw a direct line to them because of verticality or some other obstruction, the Decoder display will let you know how many enemy operators are with??in its detection radius.

There are two main times to use the Signal Decoder: when entering a high-risk area or in the middl??e of a fight when you need ?to know where the next threat's coming from.

Using the Decoder as an early warning system is its most versatile use c??ase. Are you on Zero Dam about to enter the administration building? Scan for enemies. About to reach a dangerous extract on Space City or Brakkesh? Decoder time. You'd also do well to use it in transition between high-traffic areas, particularly if you just looted a safe or other priority loot spawn.

Detecting enemy locations mid-combat also serves several purpose??s. First, it ens?ures you have a bead on where your foe's hiding, as there's no way to block the Decoder signal. Enemies have a glitch effect on their screen that increases in intensity the closer an active Decoder is, so you can use that to your advantage. Pushing your enemies with your Decoder active can force a mistake, giving you even more of an advantage.

How and when you activate the Signal Decoder also won't change much, whether solo or on a team. If you or a teammate hear footsteps near somewhere you want to, quickly checking with the Signal Decoder ?will give you the go-ahead or prompt you to pump the brakes. And if no signals appear, you'll know the footsteps?? belonged to an NPC, removing any tension from the encounter.

Tips for Using Hackclaw's Data Knife

If the Signal Decoder is the most powerful part of Hackclaw's kit, the Data Knife is the most versatile. It's at once a weapon, a detection syste?m, and a crowd control and anti-operator tool. Here's a short list of all the ways you're likely to use the Data Knife in a raid:

• To kill basic AI soldiers in one shot silently (without shooting any bullets).
• To check for enemy players by throwing the Knife at a wall and waiting for a hit marker to appear.
• To finish knocked down enemy operators without needing to waste any more bullets.
• To temporarily disable enemy operator abilities at the start or in the middle of a fight.
• To temporarily disable enemy operator abilities to dissuade them from chasing you.
• To deal extra damage to an operator during a fight or if they catch you by surprise.

I've made it a point of order to throw a Data Knife into nearby walls whenever I'm? about to enter a point of interest, especially if there's a safe there. Doing so? only costs the thirty-second cooldown on that Knife, but could save a Signal Decoder use for when I need it more.

The short version: use the Data Knife liberally, as it can save you tons? of headaches and keep away unwanted a?ttention.

Tips for Using Hackclaws's Flash Drone

Adding to Hackclaw's top-of-her-class utility is the Flash Drone. While it is a more offensive option in her kit, it can be almost as valuable as the Data Knife if used properly. You'll mainly use the Drone during fight?s, especially in enclosed spaces like Admin on Zero Dam or any high-threat areas on Brakkesh or Space City.? However, because you get a hitmaker whenever the Drone successfully flashes an enemy, you can use it in many of the same ways as the Data Knife.

Flash Drones bounce off walls, so you can send one out at an angle to clear a room without needing to expose yourself to a threat. The same applies to higher-threat sig?htlines near an extract or down a long hallway, for instance. If your Data Knife is on cooldown, sending a drone out is a good way to check for threats or at least dissuade an enemy operat??or from taking a particular angle.

You'll want to be a bit more judicious about using your Flash Drones compared to the Data Knife. The flash doesn't work through walls or around corners and does nothing to stop enemies from countering your abiliti?es with theirs. The flash doesn't completely white out an enemy screen either, meaning if you overpeek a blinded opponent, they might still hit you with a lucky spray.

In shor?t, the Flash Drone is a more offensive-focused tool than the Data Knife or Signal Decoder, but it also has defensive, detection, and disabling uses. Combine a Flash ?Drone and a Data Knife for one of the most effective counter-play options in Delta Force. The more you use them, the better you'll be at playing Hackclaw and the bigger menace you'll be on the battlefield.

The post How to Play Hackclaw in Delta Force Operations appeared first on Destructoid.