The Winter Holiday Sale 2024 is rumored for an upcoming appearance on the Epic Games Store if the social media rumors are to be believed.

The latest rumor comes from reliable leaker Bili-Bili, who posted the information on their X account. The holiday sale has become a tradition on Epic, which puts some massive discount?s on thousands of games. So far, the gaming giant has remained tight-lipped about when the s?ale will go live and what games will feature on it.

Epic Games Store Winter Holiday Sale 2024 expected release date

Typically, winter holiday sales on the Epic Games Store have taken place before the Christmas period,?? and the latest rumor hin??ts at something similar happening this year. According to the latest rumors, the sales will go live on or around December 12.

That said, the dates are ultimately decided by Ep?ic themselves, and it's best to wait till the official information regarding the final date is available. It's safe to expect a few promotions along the way as well before the holiday sales go live this year.

Will Epic Games Store Winter Holiday Sale 2024 have giveaways?

Like the last few years, it's safe to expect 12 days of giveaways once again, offering a f?ree game each da??y. All you need to do is to have an Epic account and check out the website daily.

Typically, Epic offers a wide range of games in its giveaways, from AAA releases to niche indie offerings. Whatever the case might be, they're all free, and a?s long as you add them ?to your in-game library, the items will stay there forever.

It will be exciting to find out what Epic has in store for all of us this year. 2024 has been a huge year for gaming itself, and there's a chance of finding a few of those?? titles as potential freebies. If not, having a great discount will be perfect for those who ?might have been thinking about playing those titles.

The post Epic Games Store Winter Holiday Sale 2024 – Expected release date, giveaways, and more appeared first on Destructoid.

Lapislazuli is a common resource that you can mine in Enshrouded. It looks like an ocean blue rock carved out from a bigger rock. It might seem common in rarity, but it doesn’t show until you have progressed deeply in the game. To help you with that, here is a comprehensive guide on how you can find Lapislazuli in Enshrouded.

How to get Lapislazuli in Enshrouded

You can get Lapislazuli in Kindlewastes and Nomad Highlands biomes. But you can’t just pick it as it is since you need a pickaxe to mine it. To reach this area, go to the Vukah Cave Passage and k??eep moving south till you see a cliff. 

O??nce you reach the cliff, you have to look at bone-structured rocks. Once you spot them, glide down, and you will see clusters of Lapislazuli lying at that place.

Where to use Lapislazuli in Enshrouded?

You can use Lapislazuli to craft several items like Iron Bench, Palm Wood Table, and?? more in the game. You can craft it with the h??elp of Alchemist, Hunter, etc. Here is the list of all items:

Just keep in mind? that this isn't the only requirement for crafting the items mentioned above. This simply shows how many Lapislazuli you need to craft them.

You can also use this resource to craft Eternal Spells with the h??elp of the Alchemist. Not only that, it also helps you to strengthen the f?lame to level six. However, you will need 40 Lapislazuli to do that. It's a good way to explore more areas, as flames can help you travel anywhere within moments.

The post Enshrouded: How to get Lapislazuli appeared first on Destructoid.

Early last month, Monster Hunter Wilds, the newest mainline entry in the long-running series, had an open beta on all platforms to give players an early taste of the action (and the developers some much needed feedback). While the beta was received well, many players agreed on one thing: something about the combat felt.. off. Things were a little limp, and the culprit quickly became apparent: a near total lack of hitstop.

For the uninitiated, "hitstop" is a period of freezeframes that games and animated media employ during a big impact to really sell the weight of the blow. It looks unrealistic, but it's ultra-satisfying when done appropriately, and it's a Monster Hunter staple.

A new interview over at PC Gamer with the game's director, Yuya Tokuda, reveals that the change was ironically the result of us Westerners complaining too much. "Many of the users from overseas commented that the hitstop was way too [intense]," Tokuda said regarding Monster Hunter: World. He expressed relief that players wanted? it back, saying the feed?back was "very positive."

Newer previews of the game's latest playable build have already reported vastly improved hitstop, making combat feel weightier and more satisfying. Speaking of combat, some weapons are getting "big changes" ahead of release, those being the Insect Glaive, Switch Axe, Lance, and Sword & Shield. As a lance player who hea?rd less-than-favorable things from the open beta, this makes me very happy.

I wish I could throw my two cents into the opinion well but unfortunately I was out of town during the open beta. From the sound of it, I too would've been disappointed by the floatier feeling combat, but I'm almost glad I was spared that month of gnawing anxiety before learning about these positive changes. Monster Hunter Wilds is shaping up to be a series great, thanks in no small part to the team's enthusiasm for feed?back.

The post After beta feedback,?? hitstop is returning to Monster Hunter Wilds appeared first on Destructoid.

Strange Scaffold has recently covered emotional abuse in El Paso, Elsewhere, voyeurism in Life Eater and Clockolding, and violent power fantasy in I Am Your Beast. Given that trend, I would not have guessed their next game would be a turn-based tactical game with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles licensing.

Uh, yeah, so as part of the PC Game Show, Strange Scaffold has announced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown, whic??h is exactly as I described: turn-based turtles. “I get to make a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game where the very first lines of dialogue establish that Shredder and Splinter are dead. Who else can say that?" said Xalavier Nelson ?Jr. Bummer, dude, but the turtles have met Batman and the Ghostbusters. Can you say that?

That means a new antagonist has the job of harrowing the turtles. That at least means that the en??emies don’t have?? to exclusively be the Foot Clan, but, from what’s shown, it’s just Foot Clan. Also, each level shows off only one turtle on each level, rather than having you control all four of them. That strikes me as a bit weird, but the press release seems to imply that each turtle has their own storyline.

The actual look of the game is very St??range Scaffold, which is to say, low budget and creative with its resources. The characters? are shown as small figurines, and the environments are small spaces with psychedelic backgrounds.

Considering the fact that the big-budget games space has now become so expensive that companies will only take a risk on big established licenses, it’s nice to see these sorts of games fall to fans at smaller developers. We still get mor?e cash-grabby licensed games, but a?t least that’s not the only way.

There’s no announced release date for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown, and thus far, only PC has been announced.

The post Can’t say I expected Strange Scaffold’s next game to be turn-based Ninja Turtles appeared first on Destructoid.

If you decide to head to Enigma of Fear’s Crystal Cave from the Perimeter, you’ll soon encounter a new enemy: a sprightly critter with glowing green crystals sprouting from its body. ?Chances are you’ve died to it a couple of times and are now seeking some assistance. How exactly do you kill the glowy foe in the Crystal Cave?

A crystal monster in Crystal Cave

Unlike the Blood Zombies, which can't see at all, this new enemy in Enigma of Fear seems to have ?great eyesight. It's also fast and will pursue you out of the ro??om while generating waves of fear that eventually knock you out and spell game over.

To take out the radiant fiend, you need to perform one extra step than when fighting Blood Zombies. Rather than pressing the Flashlight button to toggle between regular and blue light, hold the button to open a wheel menu. At the top is an option to turn off the flashlight entirely, which you may have overlooked.

Flashlight extinguished, crouch, sneak up behind the monster, and whack it from behind. Be wary, though. Turning off the flashlight makes you less detectable, but you're not invisible. Like with the ??B?lood Zombies, you still need to use some strategy when creeping up.

Whatever happened to Oswald?

When close enough, you??’ll get an Interact prompt to knock the glowing guy out. He’ll drop an item, which reveals that this poor thing is what remains of the researcher Oswald ??Magani, whose name you may have already encountered once or twice.

There are a few other interesting tidbits in the room Oswald was guarding: a couple of lore building items, a letter that provides clues about how to take out Goliath, and a medkit, which you'll probably need by now. Then it’s time to delve further into the Crystal Cave, where you might run into more of Enigma of Fear's corrupted researchers.

The post How to kill the Crystal Cave’s glowy monster in Enigma of Fear appeared first on Destructoid.

Minecraft has recently released their most anticipated Pale Garden update. Some of the major features are Pale Garden Biome, Creaking Mob, and Resin. Here are the details of every major feature in the Pale Garden update in Minecraft.

All major features in Pale Garden update in Minecraft

Pale Garden 

Pale Garden is the biggest highlight in this Minecraft update. This is a new biome, which is a variation of the Dark Forest. What’s?? even better is that you can see a lot of Pale Oaks and Eyeblossoms in this biome. Both Pale Oaks and Eyeblossoms are the new species that is going to debut in this update.

Apart from that, you will also hear new ambient sounds that are sp??ecifically for Pale Garden. 

Also, animal mobs will not naturally spawn in ?this biome. However, you have to be aware of the new?? monster "Creaking,�which lurks there at night or during thunderstorms.

Creaking Mob

As mentioned before, Creaking Mob is a new monster that will spawn in Pale Garde?n. It is tough to beat as it does?? not take any damage when it is naturally spawned. Also, it is resistant to the fire, so the only way to destroy them is to destroy the Creaking Heart, which is controlling this monster. 

The onl??y clue for finding the Creaking Heart is that it is within the radius of 32 blocks from the Creaking mob. ??So you have to search the surrounding area before daylight hits or the Creaking Mob is not in the radius of 32 blocks.

Resin

This Minecraft update also brings a new resource called Resin, which you can collect in the Pale Garden biome. How can you obtain it? It is very simple; you have to hit the Creaking mob with any kind of weapon. As you do it, the Creaking Heart will drop resins on the ?ground. You? can then use these Resins to build new blocks in the game.

The post Minecraft Pale Garden update: All m?ajor features,?? explained appeared first on Destructoid.

While exploring the new Citadelle Des Morts map, you may have uncovered a mysterious Stamp. In a standard Zombies fashion, the game doesn't tell you what to do with it. But don't worry; we're here to explain what the Stamp does in BO6 Zombies and how to get it.

How to get and use Stamps in BO6 Zombies

You can get Stamps by shooting a zombie with a bucket on its head around or after Round 11. Mine appeared near the Dead Shot Daquiri building, but it does spawn in random places, too. After you've acquired the Stamp, use it on the knights to claim a sword. This is tied to the build for the elemental swords, the newest Wonder Weapon featured in Citadelle de Morts.

You can fin?d four knights in one of the rooms inside the castle, specifically at coordinates F1.

I picked up the one with the red stone, which involves the fire sword. There are likely more knights to uncover, but I still have yet to find them as I go through the Season 1 Reloaded new update. When you approach the knight, simply press the Interact button (same as Reload) next to the Knight, and you'll get a Basta?rd Sword. It'll replace your Melee Weapon, allowing you to slice up zombies.

However, if you're looking for the elemental sword, you'll need to buff this bad boy out to unlock its hidden powers. There are also different steps to unlock each one, including Dragon's Fire, Stag of Storms, Raven's Shadow, and Lion of Light. It'll likely be similar to Zombies Origins' Fire, Lightning, Ice, and Wind Staffs.

I'm still trying to figure out the latest Easter Egg, so I'll be updating this guide to see what the next step is. Check back to get more information on the BO6 Zombies' Stamps.

The post What to do with the stamps in Black Ops 6 Zombies appeared first on Destructoid.

For as long as there's been Doom, there's been a way to modify and tinker with id Software's iconic FPS. Indeed, the original has been ported in so many interesting and bizarre ways, including on a smart toothbrush. ??Did you even know there were smart toothbrushes?

Anyway, the time has come to unleash it unto Stardew Valley. You can see it in action on the Reddit thread below, but it does exactly what it says on the tin by adding an arcade cabinet into the game that will allow you to play the original Doom.

Simply referred to as "DoomValley," you can install it yourself by downloading the file from GitHub. User wojciech-graj provides installation instructions for both Windows and Linux. However, do note that it doesn't work with sound. But you all know what Doom sounds like at this point.

I should have said StarDoom Valley...it was right there!

Based on the above footage, it looks as though you just have?? to purchase the cabinet from Gus in the Stardrop Saloon. It'll only set you back 10,000 gold, but if you play it the way my girlfriend does, you're all basically millionaires at this point, I'd wager.

Honestly, given that Stardew Valley already has an arcade machine that plays its own minigame, I'm surprised it's taken this long to add Doom into it. Unless there are multiple instances of this happening in the past, I'm? just not with the times anymore.

Be that as it may, it still astounds me that Doom keeps getting all this love some 30 years after it was released. Given that we've seen it running on a John Deere tractor, a pregnancy test, and even E. coli cells (sort of), porting it to Stardew almost seems passé at this point.

The post At long last, Doom can be played in Stardew Valle?y appeared first on Destructoid.

The Moise Kean Serie A POTM SBC is now live in EA FC 25, and you can unlock a specia??l car??d to add to your Ultimate Team squad.

Kean has had a brill??iant November for his club, which has seen h?im being voted as the best player in the Serie A. To celebrate his performances, EA Sports has released a new card, which is part of its own SBC. Let's take a look at how you can complete the challenge and if doing so is worth your resources at all.

EA FC 25 Moise Kean Serie A POTM SBC tasks

The Moise Kean Serie A POTM SBC has two dif??ferent tasks, and here are their conditions.

Task 1 - Top Form

• Min. 1 Players: Team of the Week
• Min. Team Rating: 83

Task 2 - Serie A

• Min. 1 Players from: Serie A TIM
• Min. Team Rating: 85

EA FC 25 Moise Kean Serie A POTM SBC solutions

Here's a set of s??olutions you can use to? complete the latest POTM SBC.

Task 1 - Top Form

• Any 10 83-rated items
• Any 82-rated TOTW item

Task 2 - Serie A

• Vitinha 85
• Alex Remiro 84
• Oberdorf 86
• Little 86
• De Ligt 84
• Buchanan 84
• Guirassy 84
• Marcus Thuram 83
• Benzema 86
• Grealish 84
• Casemiro 84

This POTM SBC has decent value when I analyze the card. The Trivela+ playstyle is always useful if you know how ??to get the best out of it. It also has the Chip Shot, Rapid, and Power Shot playstyles, and offers 94 Pace and 86 Shooting. 4* Weak Foot is decent as well, but there's a limi??tation.

Kean's POTM item only has Poacher++ and no other roles. I am ?unsure ??why EA Sports designed the item like that, but it's a limiting factor. If you use a Poached, this item can be a great addition.

The post ?EA FC 25: How to compl?ete Moise Kean Serie A POTM SBC appeared first on Destructoid.

While I'm not about ??to propose the tank-like CRT screens of yesteryear are better than modern-day OLED displays, I do think there's merit in how phosphors, specifically, render pixels. That's why I was thrilled to discover someone's created a set of CRT-style overlays for the Stea?m Deck.

While CRT shaders have existed in some form or another for a while now as part of the ever-popular ReShade injector, getting them to render correctly is a wholly different can of worms. Some of them are also quite the performance hogs, and it's no surprise that they don't work great on low-resolution displays. The Steam Deck's humble 1200x800 screen hasn't worked well with the ones I tried. Now, however, Reddit user Traditional-Ad1708 has taken it upon themselves to fin??e-tune a number of CRT-style shaders specifically for the Steam Deck. The results are downright glorious if you're nostalgi??c about the late '90s and the early aughts.

Inject CRT effects into your Steam Deck gaming today

Traditional-Ad1708's custom CRT shaders ire not going to be for everyone. Firstly, if you're unfamiliar with CRT-style displays and why they're of particular interest even for modern gaming, don't expect to get much out of this pack. I recommend looking into Digital Foundry's coverage of the matter, but otherwise, CRT visuals are an acquired tas?te.

Due to the rather archaic nature of CRT displays (electron beams, phosphors in place of pixels, etc.), old-school pixelated graphics mesh together in a way that's extremel?y difficult to achieve on LCD and OLED displays with raw pixels. I'm being extremely reductive about this entire shindig here, but that's the gist of it and why many of us are keen on them. Well, that and a whole lot of nostalgia about old-school gaming.

As the redditor featured above explains, "I tried one of these shaders with Dead Space 2008 recently, and the effect is transformative. The image seems so much mo?re cohesive, and the strange quirks of CRT-like images (too complex to go into here) just manage to sell an 'illusion' of a very detailed image."

The bundle of shaders they provided includes about half-a-dozen different choices that will suit different needs and use cases. If you're watching YouTube videos on your Deck at a low bit rate, for example, ??this may be a way to deal with compression-blocking artifacts and excessive color-banding. Neat!

Getting these to work is no problem at all if you've got the Decky Plugin Loader running on?? your device. Once you've got that sorted out, just look for the ReShadeck plugin and install it. Then, download Traditional-Ad1708's shader pack and unpack it into \deck.local\shared\gamescope\Reshade\shaders. You'll need to sort that out via the Deck's Desktop Mode, but as soon as the files are copied over, you can switch back into Game Mode a?nd toggle them on to your heart's content.

Note tha?t using these comes with a performance drop, making them less-than-stellar for games that push the Deck to its limits. Yet, for games such as Moonlighter and Vampire Survivors, or for late-gen emulation, it works phenomenally well, and I cannot recommend it enough.

The post There’s a fancy CRT-style overlay bundle available for your Steam Deck appeared first on Destructoid.

Every so often, I get the urge to play puzzle games just to see if I am as smart as I (sometimes) think I am. I don't usually pour too many hours into them since my brain can only handle so much. Yet, my experience with Dungeons of Dreadrock 2: The Dead King's Secret was the complete opposite, as I constantly lost track of time with its many puzzles. I even had to force myself to put it down, with the thought of "just one more puzzle" lingering in my mind. 

DoD2 cont?inues off from the original narrative, featuring the same retro-inspired art style. I'm new to the series, but understanding its storyline wasn't too much of a stretch. It's your classic adventure where the hero, aka the sorceress, ventures into a trea??cherous place to find the Crown of Wisdom.

Dungeons of Dreadrock 2 - The Dead King's Secret (Switch[reviewed], PC)

Developer: Christoph Minnameier

Publisher: Christoph Minnameier

Released: November 28, 2024 (Switch)/December 5, 2024 (Steam)

MSRP: $14.99

While playing the game without the original is possible, I recommend putting in the time for the first one. The two stories are heavily connected, with key characters from Dungeons of Dreadrock frequently appearing. In fact, there are several split-screen moments when the characters clash together in an effort to thwart the Dead King's evil plans. It's a cool concept to see, and it's made for some pretty unique gameplay. But, of course, the true highlight of The Dead King's Secret is the puzzles. There are about 100 lev?els to clear, each containing a complex challenge to decipher and a few enemies to keep you on your toes.

What I greatly admire about this game is how different each puzzle is from the last. It's not a typical rinse-and-repeat process in which puzzles start to blend together. Every challenge feels carefully crafted,?? making them stand out individually. On one level, you'll have to memorize specific movements of enemies, while ??another can revolve around reconstructing a skeleton.

The puzzles are also unlike anything I've experienced before. They all have a uniq??ue charm that goes beyond traditional puzzle games. One prime example of this is how levels can connect. A trapdoor you passed by earlier can be crucial for later, requiring you to drop a weapon to help you out on the following floor. Even enemies must be lured to the next stage to assist you with other foes. I like this ??concept that makes you rethink what you did previously, and it's got some brain gears moving that I didn't know were there.

The farther you go down the levels of DoD2, the ??more challenging it gets. Fortunately, you can use cheats to skip stages or unlock hints to explain what you need to do in detail. You'll get one clue to help steer you in the right direction, and if you need some extra guidance, you can continue to unlock the rest to complete the level. I tried my best not to use it just for the sake of pride. However, I admit that I had to rely on it dur??ing the later stages.

It almost felt impossible to finish some levels without the hints. Maybe it's merely a user error on my part, or? perhaps you actually do need to use them every once in a while. I'd be curious to see if anyone out there could accomplish ?it without 'em. I know it's a tall order, but it would be a nice challenge if you're looking to shake things up.

Besides the ?puzzles, there ?are numerous battles you'll go through each stage. I will say that it's not the most intricate system since it's mainly just the sorceress unleashing a single strike directly ahead. On the other hand, the game does mix things up a bit with the various tools you acquire during your journey. For instance, you'll gain a flute that can deter enemies, followed by an ability to turn into a bat. It helps make combat feel less tedious, giving you more ways to take down your enemies.

The boss fights also feel like a puzzle in their own right, where you'll need to strategize your movements and time your attacks. The final stage, in particular, was the ultimate puzzle-solving test, forcing you to remember patterns and not providing many hints to help you out. Like many levels, this one will have you doing things over and over again until you get it right. It can sometimes be frustrating, but once you overcome it, you'll feel pretty accomplished. The music makes you feel even more victorious with its epic medieval-like soundtrack. I found myself dancing alo??ng with it, celebrating the feat of every passing level.

The ending to The Dead King's Secret is worth the time needed to clear 100 levels, which is 10 hours or so. It would've sucked to go through all that just to have a subpar conclusion, but luckily that wasn't the case with DoD2. One of the main r??easons why it was so remarkable is the fact that there are two endings. I never expected to see this feature in a puzzle game. By its conclusion, I already had to jump back in to see what other choice I could have made.

Dungeons of Dreadrock 2: The Dead King's Secret is a mu??st-play for puzzle gamers. Chall?enges never feel the same, and they'll have you thinking outside the box to try to solve them. The victorious feeling after completing puzzles can get addicting, and you may have a hard time putting it down, just as I did.

Plus, if you enjoyed thi?s? game, you can look forward to another entry, as it's already been confirmed to be a trilogy. I'll undoubtedly be there for the next one and have plans to tackle the original to play catch-up.

The post Review: Dungeons of Dreadrock 2 – The Dead King’s Secret appeared first on Destructoid.

The Disney Dreamlight Valley Arcane Garlic Crab recipe helps you c??reate a four-star dish to wow your pals like Remy and Elsa. Thankfully, most of the ingredients are easy to find.

All Arcane Garlic Crab Disney Dreamlight Valley ingredients

Arcane Garlic Crab is made with four different ingredients. Two of them require The Storybook Vale DLC.

• Sorcerer Hat Hermit Crab
• Salt Crystal
• Garlic
• Any Spice

You'll find the Sorcerer Hat Hermit Crab by fishing at The Bind. Head to the water and try to find a golden ripple within the waves. Get your fishing rod and catch this Sorcerer Hat Hermit Crab from within it. There's a po?ssibility of getting an extra Sorcerer Hat Hermit Crab if you hang out with a buddy who has a fishing specialty.

Salt Crystals are found within the waters of Everafter. Fish in a spot ot??her than a ripple to gain Salt Crystals for the recipe.

Garlic is an easy ingredient to find in Disney Dreamlight Valley. Head to the Forest of Valor, and you'll see the crop growing within?? the grass. You can pick up the cooking ingredient from the soil. It has green leaves flowing from the ground.

Lastly, you can pick any spice for the Arcane Garlic Crab. One of Storybook Vale's spices is Black Pepper, which can be bought from Goofy's Stall in The Elysian Fields from Mythopia. You can buy it??s seeds from Goofy for 70 Star Coins. It takes an hour and a half to grow.

After getting all of the ingredients, go to a cooking station in your house or Chez Remy. Once made, you can se?ll the Arcane Garlic Crab for 1,429 Star Coins or eat it for 3,265 Energy.

The post How to make Arcane Garlic Crab in Disney D?reamlight Val?ley appeared first on Destructoid.

UFL is now available worl??dwide on current-gen consoles, and the Season 1 Pass is available for all.

For the first season, developers Strikerz.Inc have tied up with Adidas to offer plenty of items. This includes skins, Adidas-inspired kits, and more. Some of the items?? are exclusively available only if you purchase the premium version.

Disclaimer: Some of the rewards mentioned on here are not available? on the free pas?s.

Complete list of UFL Season 1 Pass rewards

The UFL Season 1 Pass has ten pages of rewards. Every page has eight different rewards that can be unlocked with SP. You can e?arn SP by completing daily and weekly missions, so make sure to be on the lookout for them.

UFL Season 1 Pass Page 1 rewards

• Adidas Predator Boots - 30 SP
• 2 Days Premium - 60 SP
• 15 Matches XP Booster - 15 SP
• 15 Matches RO Booster - 15 SP
• Collector's Skin Bundle - 20 SP
• 5000 RP - 10 SP
• Deluxe Skin Bundle - 30 SP
• Adidas Predator kit - 30 SP

UFL Season 1 Pass Page 2 rewards

• Adidas F50 Boots - 45 SP
• Collector's Skin Bundle - 30 SP
• 2 Days Premium - 30 SP
• 30 Matches RP booster - 20 SP
• 20 Matches CP Booster - 20 SP
• 100 LP - 30
• 15 Matches XP Booster - 20 SP
• F50 Speed Kit - 45 SP

UFL Season 1 Pass Page 3 Rewards

• Superstar Ball - 90 SP
• 100 LP - 45 SP
• Deluxe Skin Bundle - 30 SP
• 2 Days Premium - 60 SP
• 5000 RP - 30 SP
• Basic Skin Bundle - 60 SP
• 15 Matches XP Booster - 15 SP
• Superstar Iconic Kit - 90 SP

UFL Season 1 Pass Page 4 rewards

• Adidas Fire Striker Crest - 120 SP
• Deluxe Skin Bundle - 60 SP
• 2 Days Premium - 120 SP
• 10000 RP - 70 SP
• 20 Matches CP Booster - 60 SP
• Basic Skin Bundle - 90 SP
• 100 LP - 15 SP
• Adidas Predator Crest - 120 SP

UFL Season 1 Pass Page 5 rewards

• Ultraboost Ball - 120 SP
• 15 Matches RP Booster - 60 SP
• 15 Matches XP Booster - 60 SP
• 100 LP - 90 SP
• Basic Skin Bundle - 60 SP
• 5000 RP - 90 SP
• Deluxe Skin Bundle - 120 SP
• Ultraboost Energy Kit - 120 SP

UFL Season 1 Pass Page 6 rewards

• Samba Boots - 90 SP
• Grand Skin Bundle - 60 SP
• 10000 RP - 25 SP
• 15 Matches XP Booster - 85 SP
• Collector's Skin Bundle - 60 SP
• Deluxe Skin Bundle - 75 SP
• 125 LP - 70 SP
• Samba Kit - 100 SP

UFL Season 1 Pass Page 7 rewards

• adicolor Ball - 115 SP
• 2 Days Premium - 120 SP
• Deluxe Skin Pack - 135 SP
• Collector's Skin Bundle - 110 SP
• 125 LP - 75 SP
• Basic Skin Bundle - 115 SP
• 15 matches XP Booster - 100 SP
• adicolor Style Kit - 125 SP

UFL Season 1 Pass Page 8 rewards

• adidas Performance Crest - 90 SP
• adidas F50 Crest - 100 SP
• Deluxe Skin Bundle - 60 SP
• 20 Matches CP Booster - 70 SP
• 5000 RP - 90 SP
• 4 Days Premium - 70 SP
• adidas Arena - 120 SP

UFL Season 1 Pass Page 9 rewards

• To be revealed on December 10
• 125 LP - 120 SP
• Deluxe Skin Bundle - 135 SP
• 4 Days Premium - 115 SP
• 20 Matches CP Booster - 75 CP
• Collector's Skin Bundle - 105 SP
• 15 Matches XP Booster - 90 SP
• To be revealed on December 10

UFL Season 1 Pass Page 10 rewards

• Ademola Lookman 83
• Joelinton 82
• Alvaro Morata 81
• Lisandro Martinez CB 83
• Andriy Lunin GK 81
• Lucas Vazquez RB 81
• Jonathan David ST 84
• Casemiro CDM 84

From the final page, you can unlock only one footballer. There are a couple of upgrade options available. The Basic upgrade requires 1000 LP, and offers all the premium rewards along wi??th 200 extra SP. The upgrade option offers the same things as the Basic, but you get an extra 500 SP (a total of 700 SP), but you'll have to spend 2000 LP.

The post All UFL Season 1 Pass rewards appeared first on Destructoid.

Trying to figure out which units to roll for in Ball Tower Defense’s various banners can be confusing. Not only are there a lot of units, but in some cases lower rarity units can be better than higher ones. I’m here to show you the best units in the game and rank them in my Ball Tower Defense unit tier list.

Ball Tower Defense Unit Tier List And Trade Values

It’s important to note that in Ball Tower Defense, Omega units are drastically stronger than any other rarity so I’ll put them in a special SSS tier of their own. Then, I’ll rank units from S to E-Tier where the top two Tiers S and A are must-haves in your loadout. B-Tier are all-around great options that just lack the raw power of higher Tiers. Lastly, C, D, and E are for beginners and I would Reforge these for Gems once you get units from the higher tiers. Speaking of Gems, I’m also including Trade Values for units so keep an eye on those.

SSS Tier BTD Units

S Tier BTD Units

A Tier BTD Units

B Tier BTD Units

C Tier BTD Units

D Tier BTD Units

E Tier BTD Units

That's it for my best Ball Tower Defense unit tier list with trade values. Don't forget to grab some free goodies with our Ball Tower Defense codes.

The post Ball Tower Defense Unit Tier List With Tr??ade Values appeared first on Destructoid.

In Towers of Aghasba, Feathers are an Uncommon material used for several differing crafting recipes. Since ?it is ?Uncommon, it isn't the easiest resource to find, but if you know where to look, they aren't difficult to obtain.

Where to get Feathers in Towers of Aghasba

Obtaining Feathers in any reasonable amount will require you to sacrifice precious Amity, because the most common source of them is by hunting animals. While I have not found every singl?e creature roaming the wilds of Aghasba, I have found a number that has a chance to drop Feathers when hunted and killed.

Your first instinct to find Feathers may be to look for birds flying in the sky, but the easiest way to obtain them actually comes from a slow-roaming creature on land. The chubby Fuzzyfin has a decently high chance of dropping Feathers, and they are very easy to hunt due to how slow they are. They also don't have a?? large health pool, able to be slain with two Flint Arrows, the wea??????????????????????????kest type.

Fuzzyfins are by far the easiest way to obtain Feathers en mass because they are a common animal found in Tropical Ecosystems, which you will have access to just by following the Towers of Aghasba's main story quest. They roam this Ecosystem at all times of the day and are naturally curious creatures meaning they will not flee from you once approached. Also, if you really want to get efficient with hunting them down, use Lectuce ?to lure them into groups for easy pickings. Just don't kill too many of them, or you will suffer significant Amity loss, something you want to ??avoid.

The post How to get Feathers in Towers of Aghasba appeared first on Destructoid.

Denuvo anti-piracy tech has often been a sore point for gamers, especially on PC. However, many of you will be pleased to know that MachineGames' Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will not be shi?pping with the offending DR?M software when it launches on December 9.

This was confirmed by publisher Bethesda in a post on X recently. The message seems to be a reply to a now-deleted comment from a user, prompting the studio to say that The Great Circle "does not incl??ude Denuvo." This was then followed by a statement declaring that it was? only ever used in "review builds for leak precautions."

Indeed, if you look on the game's official Steam page, you can see down the right-hand side that a third-party EULA needs to be agreed to before playing the game, but there's no mention of DRM in use anywhere. This should be good news for?? PC users.

Indiana Jones and the Stuttering Framerates

If you're not familiar with it (you lucky, lucky people), Den??uvo is a for??m of Digital Rights Management software that became more abundant during the early days of the internet as a means of protecting data on music CDs. These days, however, it's typically associated with video games.

While publishers and studios implement it as a way of preventing intellectual properties from being pirated or tampered with illicitly, it can often lead to issues for the user. Denuvo is especially egregious on this front, with it being linked to low performance and persistent drops in framerates on games like Deathloop. Ergo: Denuvo is often seen as controversial, especially from a consumer/gamer perspective.

As such, many games have it removed post-launch, which is exactly what happened with Back 4 Blood, Lies of P, Doom Eternal, and more.

Given this, PC gamers will be pleased to know that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle shan't be shipping with the contentious DRM software. However, that doesn??'t necessarily mean it won't ever be put in. If Denuvo can be removed after a game's release, does that mean it ca??n also be implemented after the fact? Only time will tell.

The post Bethesda confirms India?na Jones and the Great Circle will NOT have Denuvo appeared first on Destructoid.

Critical Role has said?? that it is in “active pursuit�of a video game deal, potentially expanding the team’s reach even further.

The team of voice actors, headed by Matt Mercer, has become a powerhouse in the geek publishing world with its own D&D campaign streaming series, its own campaign settings, novels, an Amazon Pr??ime animated series, its own? tabletop game, and more.

From humble beginnings

Critical Role started as part of the Geek & Sundry channel and essentially streamed a group of voice-actor friends playing D&D campaigns. In 2019, Critical Ro?le decided to move away from Geek & Sundry. The split led to the decline of Geek &?amp; Sundry but also saw Critical Role go from strength to strength with the creative freedom it desired.

In September 2??024, Geek & Sundry partnered with Realm Media and started to?? produce new content. In contrast, Critical Role has amassed more than 2 million followers on YouTube and is just concluding its third streamed campaign. Those campaigns have spawned novels, comics, and even an animated show on Amazon Prime.

There have already been three full seasons of The Legend of Vox Machina aired on Amazon Prime, and a fourth season has been announced. The show is essentially an animated ver?sion of the group’s streamed campaigns and features all of the cast from the mainstream as voice actors in the show. A fourth season?? of the show was commissioned around the time the final episode of season three aired.

Critical Role games

Matt Mercer, Critical Role’s Dungeon Master, has announced the launch of his own TTRPG, coming in 2025. Daggerheart aims to do things differently from traditional Dungeons & Dragons, and the game's early rules show that it is meant ??to be more?????????????????????????? narrative-based.

One criticism that has been leveled at the system is against that of the combat system. There’s no rolling for initiative, which is how D&D determines who will attack or move first. Instead, fight order and actions are determined narratively. This effectively means that players and the DM will be able to determine play order on the fly. This lack of structure will please those who struggle with D&D’s ??rigid structure, but it won’t appeal to di??e-hard TTRPG fans.

Mercer is the architect behind Critical Role’s homebrew adventures, and Daggerheart is designed for homebrew DMs, which makes perfect sense. And, with Critical Role’s success, Daggerheart will likely enjoy a similar level of popularity.

During an interview with Rolling Stone, the Critical Role team talked about legacy and what was next for them. They said they were actively pursuing a video game move, and suggested that an announcement could be made as soon as th??e end of this year or the beginning of 2025. They also said that they hoped to one day pass the Critical Role baton on to another team of creators.

There have been no further details about a likely video game, except that it will be separate from the team’s D&D streaming adventures and Vox Machina. Players should probably expect something more on the narrative side of gaming, rather than a D&D-style game like Baldur’s Gate 3.

More from Critical Role

In the meantime, Critical Role fans have a lot more content to look forward to. The gang is releasing a Christmas album featuring songs performed by the Critical Role cast both as themselves and as their characters from the stream. The track list includes Silent Mind and Deck the Bear. It is available on streaming platform?s, while standard and deluxe vinyl editions can also be pre-ordered for delivery in Spring? 2025.

Fans of the second campaign will be able to read Tusk Love. Tusk Love was originally featured in the second campaign as an inside joke, but the smutty novel is due to be published by Penguin Randon House. Tusk Love has been written by New York Times bestselling author Thea Gauzon and is the 7^th book published as part of the collaboratio?n between Penguin and the Critical Role team.

The post Cri??tical Role is actively looking to develop its own video game appeared first on Destructoid.

There are a lot of crafting materials to collect and use in Infinity Nikki, and while most of them are used solely for crafting new clothes, some are required as part of a quest or two. One early quest asks you to catch Foodie Bees, and if you’ve never?? caught one before, you may end up venturing far further than you need. 

Before you can catch some Foodie Bees, you’ll need to unlock and craft the first of the outfits that provide the Bug Catching ability. This outfit is called Afternoon ?Shine, and is unlocked through the Heart of Infin??ity skill tree during an early quest called “Bye-Bye Dust�

Where to catch Foodie Bees in Infinity Nikki

After you’ve reached Florawish and gone through the introduction to your Pear-Pal at the Stylist’s Guild, you’ll be free to wander around town. After you’ve completed events at the Wishing Tree, Nonoy wi??ll make a dramatic entrance to proceedings on the back of a giant paper crane, aptly known as the Great Crane. 

After she crashes the crane into the roof of Marques Bou??tique, head over to the scene of the incident to spark a cutscene with the pair. Nonoy will promise to make all of the needed repairs to the shop itself, but Marques is in need of a certain resource to repair the clothes that were damaged in the mishap â€?Foodie Bees. 

If you’ve never caught a Foodie Bee before (which is likely), then you may be?? tempted to venture out of town to find some for this purpose, but you don’t have to. Instead, head towards the Stylist’s Guild and up onto the small patch of grass to the right. Here, there should be a couple of Foodie Bees buzzing around that you can catch with relative ease. 

Onc??e you’ve got the Foodie Bees, head back to Marques Boutiqe and give them to Marques Jr., who will thank you for your efforts and rewa?rd you with some worthwhile rewards. 

After this point, you’ll likely encounter Foodie Bees pretty often, and they’re always worth collecting. They’re used for crafting new outfit?? pieces, such as the Rebirth Wish set that can be earned by donating Dews of Inspiration to Kilo the Cadenceborn. 

The post How to catch a Foodie Bee in Infinity Nikki appeared first on Destructoid.

The Shark Head bait will be your best friend when it comes to grabbing the biggest catches in Fisch, but fi??nding it can be a big challenge in itself.

As it's of Mythical rarity, Shark Head bait can be extremely difficult to find. It's going to be an equally expensive item as well, although you'll make up your resources quickly by using the item. Let's take a look at how you can get? this Mythical bait in Fisch.

How to obtain the Shark Head bait in Fisch

The only way to get the Shark Head bait, as of writing, is to op?en something called Quality Bait Crates. These red-colored crates can be opened with the help of 525 credits, but the entire affair can be quite expensive as you're not guaranteed the final reward.

There are two ways to get Quality Bait Crates. The easier but more expensive way is to visit Terrapin Island. You can then buy as many crates as you want and open them to find the Shark Head bait. ??While I do say it is expensive, this method can be cheap if you're in luck. After all, the drop rate of all the baits from this crate is the same. There is a chance that the first crate you buy could help you get the Mythical bait we are discussing.

The second method is cheap (it's free), but it can consume a lot of time. All you'll n?eed is a Fishing Rod and Magnet Bait. Unlike the previous process, you can reel in a Quality Bait Crate from any location. But Snowcap and Sunstone Islands have reportedly better chances.

The second process is time-consumi??ng because whether you get a Quality Bait Crate or not depends on luck. There's a second element of luck as well when it comes to opening the crate and getting your rewards. But it's still my recommended process as spending 525 credits, and maybe a lot of that isn't something that makes much sense to me.

Here are the stats of the Shark Head bait, and it's pretty clear why this Mythical item is so popular among Fisch players.

• Preferred Luck: 225
• Universal Luck: 30
• Resilience: 10
• Lure Speed: -5

As I said earlier, this bait is your best bet at getting the best catches, including the powerful Megalodon. Make sure to use them selectively, as you're unlikely to have ??a lot of them in your inventory at an??y given time.

The post How to get Shark Head bait in Fisch appeared first on Destructoid.

While Infinity Nikki is filled with exploration, adventures, and quests to complete, it is at its heart a dress-up game inspired by previous titles in the Nikki series. Don’t let the vast open world and glorious sights distract you, ?you’re going to need a plentiful wardrobe to make the most of what’s on offer.?? 

So with that in mind, what are the best ways to get a lot of outfit items quickly? Well, there’s always the choice to spend money, which we’ll get onto at the end of this list, but before you reach for your wallet, let’s look at all of the other ways that you can get outfit pieces in Infinity Nikki. 

Use Bling at the Surprise-O-Matic

Bling can be found littered around Miraland, and it’s always worth going out of your way to collect any that you see, because once you reach Florawish, you’ll be able to use it at the Surprise-O-Matic to get some free (possibly rare) outfit pie??ces. It’s located just outside the Stylist’s Guild, and you’ll be able to use it for the first time after unlocking your Pear-Pal. 

Your first pull will be absolutely free, but after that, you’ll need to spend your Bling, and it isn’t cheap. It cost??s 20,000 Bling per pull, so you’ll need to spend it wisely. On the plus side, Bling is a pretty common resource, so be sure to come back to the Surprise-O-Matic when you’ve amassed a fair amount. 

Visit clothing merchants

Clothing merchants are displayed by a shirt icon above their heads, and can be found in various locations across Miraland. Close to the Stylist’s Gu??ild in Florawish, there is one named Padro, although she only appears after dark. 

Buying clothing items will cost you Bl?ing, just like the Su?rprise-O-Matic, but you’ll at least know exactly what you’re getting for your purchase. Buying items from merchants is a good way to build up your outfit selection, which can then help to earn Diamonds through the Pear-Pal Outfit Compendium. 

Keep an eye on your Pear-Pal

Speaking of the Pear-Pal, make sure you always keep an eye on it. It’s not a direct way to get new outfits, but you can earn currencies by completing challenges, building up your Outfit Compendium, and checking off daily tasks on your to-do? list. Wherever there’s a red dot in the top corner of an icon, there are prizes to be claimed and new chances to get outfit pieces. 

Donate Dews of Inspiration to Kilo the Cadenceborn

Early into a playthrough, you'?ll unlock a World Quest involving tracking down the Cadenceborn. His name is Kilo, and he's lost inspiration. Thankfully, you can give his inspiration back by donating Dews of In?spiration, which are the tainted orbs you collect after purifying them. By the time you find Kilo, you will likely have amassed quite a few.

Don?ating Dews to Kilo will unlock the following complete outfit sets, as well as other worthwhile rewards such as Diamonds, Resonance Crystals, and even a new outfit for Momo:

• Rebirth Wish
• Hometown Breeze
• Starwish Echoes

Make sure to thoroughly investigate the area where you first meet Cadence, because there are an ample supply of Dews of Inspirati??on there, as well as lots of Bling to collect, and som??e treasure chests.

Keep an eye out for chests

While most chests will only provide you with Bling, Diamonds, or other in-game currency (which are all totally useful in their own way and not to be sniffed at), some chests will p??rovide you with sketches for clothing items. 

Of course, you’ll need to gather the crafting materials needed to make the items, but having the sketch unlocked is the first step. Ches?ts can be found throughout Miraland, but can sometimes be hidden behind obstacles, so make sure to explore your surroundings thoroughly. 

Side quests

While you’ll definitely get some sketches as you progress through the main story quests of Infinity Nikki, side quests are a rich source of sketches as well. You’ll gather up side quests to complete as you explore, with new ones being added to your quest log whene??ver you get close to certain locations, so make sure to check on the available rewards for completing them. 

Remember that these are sketches, so even once you’ve?? finished the quest, you might need to gather up some resources before you can craft the items.?? It’s worth it, though, as you’ll need everything you can get in your arsenal if you want to take part in and win Styling Duels.

Styling Duels

If you’ve ever played any of the previous Nikki games, then you’ll know how Styling Duels work. You’ll be give??n a theme and then have the opportunity to dress up accordingly. Thankfully, the wardrobe allows you to sort your ?currently unlocked clothing by their point rating, making it incredibly easy to win a Duel as long as you have the appropriate clothing items unlocked. 

Upgrade Heart of Infinity skill tree

Around Miraland, you’ll find floating stars called Whimstars. When interacted with, you’ll be able to u?nlock new “perksâ€?in the Heart of Infinity skill tree interface. Sometimes, these perks come with Outfit Sketches to unlock. 

If you’ve gathered the necessary crafting materials, you’ll be able to craft any Outfit Sketch that you have?? unlocked, therefore unlocking a fancy new outfit to put on. Pay attention to the abilities that come with certain outfits, such as the Bubbly Voyage outfit that can be unlocked very quickly once you arrive in Miraland, and allows you to float through the skies. 

Gacha rolls with Resonance

Infinity Nikki i??s a G?acha game, and therefore, you have the chance to roll for items. You’ll get some free rolls at the start of a playthrough, as a kind of tutorial, and you can purchase Resonance Crystals for 120 Diamonds each through the Premium Store, allowing? you t??o roll for more items. 

You can also earn Diamonds through completing tasks in the Pear-Pal??, obtained from the Stylist’s Guild as soon as you enter Florawish, through the E??vents and Daily Wish menus, upgrading your Mira Level�The list is long, but suffice to say there is no shortage of ways to earn rolls without spending real money. 

Premium store

Now, onto the last resort. As with any Gacha game, there are multiple different currencies that can be used to purchase items within the Premium Store of Infinity Nikki. The one you need to focus on when it comes to clothi??ng items is Stellarite. 

As far as I can tell, there ?is no way to purchase Stellarite with anything other than real-life money, and outfits range in price from anything between 60 to 3,000 Stellarite. Here’s all of the Stellarite purchasing options:

Of course this could get expensive, but if there’s an outfit that you totally fall in love with available ??in the store, then I certainly won’t judge you for parting with some of your hard earned money to don it.

The post How to get new clothes fast in Infinity Nikki appeared first on Destructoid.

Infinity Nikki allows? you to craft and upgrade a host of different items, and for that, you'll need the crafting materials.

These materials can be found in differe?nt locations and serve different purposes. So far, I have encount??ered five different types of crafting materials available in different locations. Whether there is more remains to be seen, here are all the items that can be found.

All Fish Crafting Materials in Infinity Nikki

All Bug Catching Crafting Materials in Infinity Nikki

All Plant Crafting Materials in Infinity Nikki

All Animal Grooming Crafting Materials in Infinity Nikki

Animal grooming crafting materials are different, as you'll have to complet?e certain tasks to get them.

All Esseling Crafting materials in Infinity Nikki

Esseli??ng materials are obtained by purifying cert?ain items.

Once we have disc?overed more crafti??ng materials inside the game, they will be added to this list.

The post All Crafting Material Locations in Infinity Nikki appeared first on Destructoid.

EA Sports has officially confirmed the Ultimate Succession promo, which is coming up next in EA FC 25 Ultimate Team.

There have been plenty of fresh campaigns in Ultimate Team this year, and the Ultimate Succession promo will add to that list. You'll be able to find the cards in packs starting Friday, but EA Sports hasn't revealed which items ?will be available on the promo. However, a few leaks have already begun making their rounds on social media.

All EA FC 25 Ultimate Succession promo players

So far, ther??e have been a few leaks about which footballers are going to be featured in the Ultimate Succession promo. It's safe to say that all of them?? are pretty well-known in the world of football, and Barcelona fans will certainly love the items.

• Lamine Yamal
• Lionel Messi
• Marcus Thuram
• Steven Gerrard (Icon)
• James Milner
• Manuel Akanji
• Gregor Kobel
• Nico Schlotterbeck
• Joshua Kimmich
• Joao Palhinha
• Le Sommer
• Selma Bacha
• Roman Burki
• Marquinhos
• Jorginho
• Sandro Tonali

However, plenty of names ar?e expected to be revealed as leaks over the next couple of days. EA Sports could also hint at a few cards that will be made available in the promo. If the rumors are to be believed, the upcoming campaign will have Heroes and Icons as well. If that turns out to be true, Ultimate Succession will become the first promo this year to feature all three cards - active footballers, Heroes, and Icons.

As always, some of the names that will be?? revealed as leaks could appear as SBCs and objectives. Lately, EA Sports has dropped some expensive SBCs as part of the Thunderstruck promo, and the community will hope for a few reasonably priced ones.

Once we have more leak??s, they will be a??dded to the list mentioned here. Always remember that leaks are just an indication of the cards rumored to appear in a promo. The official stats, playstyles, and roles will be revealed only after the promo goes live on Ultimate Team.

The post EA FC 25 Ultimate Succession promo player leaks appeared first on Destructoid.

In Path of Exile 2, 6 classes will welcome you to early access, and you can customize all of them further with the help of the Ascendancy sy?stem.

Just like in the first game, your chosen class will determine your character's playing style, abilities, strengt?hs, and weaknesses. With the use of Ascendancies, you can personalize them even more while improving their endgame potential. Ahead of the launch of the early access, the developers have discussed key details about all 12 Ascendancies that are going to be available immediately.

All Class Ascendancy in Path of Exile 2

Before discussing? the different options, let's take a lo?ok at all 12 choices for the six classes.

• Stormweaver (Sorceress)
• Chronomancer (Sorceress)
• Titan (Warrior)
• Warbringer (Warrior)
• Deadeye (Ranger)
• Pathfinder (Ranger)
• Blood Made (Witch)
• Infernalist (Witch)
• Witchhunter (Mercenary)
• Gemling Legionnaire (Mercenary)
• Invoker (Monk)
• Acolyte of Chayula (Monk)

Every class Ascendancy has certain nodes that unlock new ??abilities and skills. The number of nodes isn't the same, and they can differ even for the same class. For example, Stormweaver has 10 nodes to unlock, while Chronomancer has 8. That doesn't naturally mean that Stormweaver is better.

From my understanding, the Ascendancy system appears to be a specialization option. Naturally, they will create d??ifferences in every build when you factor in the skill tree associated with any character.

So far, there doesn't appear to be any Ascendancy, which seems overpowered. Ultimately, your choice will depend on your class, as that comes first. That said, your decision when choosing a specializat??ion is reportedly going to be permanent. Hence, you'll want to make the best choice as there will be no coming back from that.

Additionally, we will be getting more classes during early access (6 will be available at launch, but a total of 12 are planned). ??Every class will ultimately have three specialization choices, taking the total to 36. It will be interesting to find out the impact of Ascendancy in the build of a character.

The post All Path of Exile 2 Ascendancy for every class appeared first on Destructoid.

How good are you at following instructions? How about while you’re under a ti??mer? What about when your life depends on it? Me? Maybe not so great. Maybe.

Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop is probably the last game I’ve been anticipating for the year. Well, that’s assuming a couple of them that have been quiet for a while aren’t going to drop. Anyway, playing the demo, it’s hard not to fall in love with its tricky diagnose-replace-repair gameplay laced with dark humor and a severe po??tty mouth.

So, I voraciously ate into it when I finally had it in my hands for this review, but after all the time I put into it, I still haven’t hit the credits. After, urgh, 25 hours, I still haven’t found the bottom of Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop, but I’ve seen enough to tell you that you should definitely ?play this game if you think you can withstand the punishment.

Uncle Chop's Rocket Shop (PC)
Developer: Beard Envy
Publisher: Kasedo Games
Released: December 5, 2024
MSRP: $19.99

Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop is, on the surface, a game about repair??. Folks drop in with their ailing spacecraft, and it’s up to you to diagnose problems and make repairs. Each ship is separated into modules, and each craft has a random variety and number of them. The modules range from fuel, oil, and oxygen to AI, reactors, and just one big lever. You’re told what needs fixing, so you don’t need to figure out which of them is broken, but each of them breaks in different ways, so it’s up to you to figure out what needs to be repaired and what it looks like when everything is working.

This is all handled through a tactile interface where you pull levers and push buttons. Once you find something broken, you have to head to the store (right next to the repair bay) to buy a replacement and slot it in. You can get a welder that will restore shattered parts, but I found it somewhat unnecessary, as parts are relatively cheap. It’s a game that feels similar to Papers, Please, but with less ?paperwo??rk and more refilling blinker fluid.

To help, you’re provided an all-inclusive instruction manual that goes over everything you need to know�mostly. You usually don’t have context for what is going on until you’ve seen the module itself and have gotten to know the various parts. Even when you do, it’s not difficult to make a mistake. You might get a pancake wrong or forget to close a hatch when you’re finished. Personally, I??’ve never gotten to the point where I’m completely confident in front of a reactor. But then, if you get a step wrong, they blow up in your face and take, at the very least, you along with th??em. Possibly the neighborhood, as well.

You play as Wilbur, a hapless guy with a four-eyed fox head. He’s just the latest in a line of mechanics employed at Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop. Hints are dropped at what happened to the previous ones, but you can proba??bly guess. You’re given free rein of the shop. Most of the profit you make is yours, but every three days, you need to pay Uncle Chop R.E.N.T. to maintain your employment.

However, before you even really get greas??e on your hands, some dude shows up and blows your (fox) head off. It’s a good indication of how things will go from he??re.

You’re saved by a coworker who also happens to be the living personification of death. You’ve made an impression, so he will “zoop�you back to the start of your employment every time you screw up bad enough to die. The purpose of this isn’t completely clear at the start, but it’s nice to have job security. Also, yes, this is technically a rog??uelite.

There are two modes of play in Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop. The first has the day passing ??by in real time, leaving you to try and fit in as many jobs as possible before bedtime. This means there’s a lot of pressure, and you’ll have to flip through that manual of yours pretty quickly whenever you’re faced with something you’re not completely famil??iar with. It also leaves more room for mistakes.

The second way of playing remove?s the time limit. You’re given room to complete three jobs and can take as long as you want on them. Making a mistake (or “fucking up,�as the game puts it) results in heftier penalties. However, in my experience, it’s a far easier way to play. When you’re given as much time as you need, it’s?? easier to complete a job without any mistakes whatsoever.

It doesn't necessarily feel like the intended way to play. However, it also feels like a necessary compromise. Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop is brutal. It throws new stuff at you ??all the time, practically smashing you directly into a wall. It can be cruel about it. Just wait until?? the first time you see a reactor. Yeah, you read that manual in advance. Go ahead. It won’t help. You’re one forgotten switch away from nuking your face off.

Sometimes, after the first R.E.N.T. is taken care of, a dude will land with pipe bombs strapped to his ship. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve got the day timer going, you’ll have one-and-a-half minutes to deduce what wires y??ou should snip using the Venn diagram from hell. I got really good at bomb defusal. I’m a wiz at reading Venn diagrams.

Even when you’ve got all the time in the world, one fuckup can be all it takes to gutter a run. Some customers have the “Perfectionist�trait, which means?? that if you make a single mistake, it will ?completely negate everything you got correct and leave you out of pocket. It’s a gamble since you only need to leave one too few shots left in their identification module to lose all your hard work. If you miss R.E.N.T., your job being terminated is the least of your concerns.

There’s also the chance that a customer will show up requiring a fix you canâ€?™t provide. This sometimes happens before you have the “Pancakeâ€?machine required for building specialized parts, but I also had one that needed a fuse that wasn’t available for me to purchase yet. I’m not sure this is intentional design. The game will sometimes let you know ?when you don’t have the machines needed to fix a ship before you take a job, but it doesn’t work every time. I’ve learned to just buy the Pancake and Encoder machines immediately at the start of the first run and avoid rebreathers on the first day.

But even still, my last run was ended because I took a job from an armed customer. He tried to rob ??me, but when I refused to empty my pockets, he shot my brain off. This is Fuck Around and Find Out: The Game.

It’s okay, though. Every time I got my run nuked,?? I’d just slump my shoulders and decide if I had time for another run. The only aggravating part about it was that my deadline was coming up and I like to have a game beaten before writing? the review since you never know when something will shake apart at the last minute. However, I think I’ve gotten to what is essentially an end (there appears to be multiple). I just know that there’s a tonne left hidden because the places you can stick your fingers to find secrets are on display at all times.

What made it so hard to stay mad at it was that, even after restarting dozens of times, I was still being presented with new stuff. Not necessarily modules; I know how to fix a rebreather in my sleep. It’s the interactions with customers and coworkers. Every time one gets out of their ship, you never know? if they’re going to give you a hug or complain about how you smell like wet dog. Visiting the speakeasy before or after work also gives you the opportunity to see more of the station’s denizens and pick up side quests.

But it’s maybe the fact that Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop doesn’t lean entirely on cruelty to Wilbu?r that makes it more tolerable. As much fun as it is to see a hapless protagonist suffer, and it feels appropriate in a workplace environment, it can get tiresome. Instead, most of the characters have a softer side. Droose, especially, outwardly seems to care about Wilbur, and some moments with him are endearing. He and some of the customers will offer frequent words of encouragement, even if others are deliberately trying to blow you up.

Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop is a lot. It’s a lot more than it has to be. While its design is tight and well-exec??uted, it offers an obscene amount of variety and seemingly endless things to see. Which is good, especially if you’re l??ike me and you find yourself in a hellcircle of 11th-hour fuckups that prevent you from witnessing the final clock out. And I think it says a lot when, despite how badly I’ve been savaged by its unforgiving nature, I’m happy to start up a new run and try again.

It’s pretty clear that not everyone will think that way. A game about throwing levers and getting blown up repeatedly isn’t going to gel with some. And while there is some permanent progression, the only thing you carry over between runs that will help you is what you were able to learn. A fondness for troubleshooting will ??get you far.

But regardless of whether or not this is the type of game you think you’d enjoy, it’s clear that Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop is exactly what it wants to be. It’s an expert mix of cruel work-a-day tinkering and dark, vulgar humor. A bottomless well of savagely comedic moments, beckoning secrets, and puzzles that require Ikea furniture-level manual comprehension skills. If you’ve got room in your skull for some truly useless knowledge and can tolerate having your face stomped on a few times, you’ve got a friend in Uncle Chop.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop appeared first on Destructoid.

Link's new Fuse ability allows him to make weird and wacky weapon combinations with interesting effects. In addition to fusing items onto?? shields and swords, it is also possible to stick items onto arrows.

One of the best fusions involves eyeballs, which have homing abilities. Read on to learn how to farm Keese eyeballs in Tears of the Kingdom.

Tears of the Kingdom Keese Eyeball Farming guide

Keese look like one-eyed bats, and they come in different forms. In addition to the regular Keese, there are also Fire Keese, Ice Keese, and Electric Keese. When the?y are defeated, they will sometimes drop eyeballs or wings, which are crucial for upgrades.

While you can encounter Keese randomly, a few places are known to have a significant amount. Thus, let's dig into some Zelda TOTK monster farming tips.

Best Keese farming locations in TOTK

Keese can usually be found in flocks at nighttime. They are slow fliers, which makes it easy to aim an arrow at them or even to wait until they are in arm's reach before swiping them with a sword. They generally appear near or inside caves, where they'll often burst out at the entrance.

Based on my experience (and other players), any new caves you discover tend to spawn more flocks. For Ice Keese, Link will have to visit cold spots such as the Hebra Mountains, while the rare Electric Keese can be found at night in the Gerudo Desert. These particular creatures don't really have a specific place, so just try to look around caves there. To help you discover these flying monsters, here's an overview of the best TOTK locations to farm Keese Eyeballs and Wings:

• Popla Foothill Excavation Site: 0611, -2227, 0051
• Deplian Badlands Cave: 0304, 3578, 0090
• Death Mountain (Fire Keese): 2477, 2603, -0985
• Whistling Hill Cave: -0057, -1055, 0019

Popla Foothills Excavation Site location

Teleport to t??he Popla Foothills Skyview Tower and jump off the cliff to reach an excavation site. A Keese flock tends t??o spawn out of the cave nearby. I found the monsters flying near the cliffside, too, so make sure to explore this area to the fullest.

Deplian Badlands Cave

Travel to the Thyphio Ruins Skyvie?w Tower or the Minetak Shrine to uncover the Deplian Badlands Cave. Unlike t?he Popla Excavation Site, it'll be pretty well hidden, as it is tucked away in some rocky terrain.

There wil?l likely be an enemy camp across from it, so look out for this structure. Then, search for the cave near the cliffs, showcasing a skull at its entrance.

Death Mountain

For Fire Keese, visit Death Mountain. You'll find the chasm near the coordinates 2474, 2590, -0963. The flying monsters can be ??found inside it, typically around 2477, 2603, -0985 coordinates.

Whistling Hill Cave

Another cave can be found at Whistling Hill. Go to the Teniten Shrine to travel there instantly. Turn right to locate the entrance to ??Whistling Hill Cave.

Use an arrow with a Bomb Flower to break the rock obstacle in front of it. Then, enter it to find some K?eese.

How to defeat Keese quickly in Tears of the Kingdom (TOTK)

Fortunately, Keese are pretty weak, so a single strike can take 'em down. To kill a whole flock, use Bomb Flower arrows. Fuse the bombs to your arrows and unleash them to eradicate an entire group.

There are lots of?? ot??her ways you can eliminate them, including attaching a laser beam to a Construct head or shooting it right in the eye. Get creative to see if you can uncover alternative methods to get rid of them.

What to do with Keese Eyeballs in Tears of the Kingdom (TOTK)

Keese Eyeballs can be used to make elixirs, though it's wiser to use them as weapons. When fused to an arrow, the eyeball will direct itself toward enemies, allowing the arrow to make 90-degree turns if necessary. This is particularly useful in defeating enemies, such as the Stone Talus, that have to be hit in a specific spot. It is also helpful for hitti??ng enemies that move around fast and erratically.

Eyeballs aren't the only loot that Keese drops. Their wings can also be fused to arrows to? make them fly further, giving L??ink more reasons to hunt down the winged monsters.

In addition to their handy weapon tactics, you can use Keese to get armor upgrades. This may send you on another quest to find Aerocudas, the second common winged creature of Tears of the Kingdom. Thes?e particular monsters have a few spots of their own, which will go over below.

Related: How to farm Keese Wings in Tears of the Kingdom on Dot Esports

Best places to farm Aerocudas in Tears of the Kingdom (TOTK)

L??ike Keese, you'll find Aerocudas soaring around the sky. I found most of mine during the daytime, but you may still spot them at night. If you aren't sure what they look like, they are almost similar to the appearanc??e of a dragon but slightly smaller.

You can defeat them using the same arrow and Bomb Flower method, instantly bringing them down. Be aware that they'll be more hostile than the Keese, often attacking you on-site. They can also carry various things, from enemies to bombs, making them even more dangerous. If you want to search for them, here are the best places you can find Aerocudas in TOTK:

• Sahasra Slope: 1389, -1010, 0136
• Crenel Hills: 0688, 0840, 0093
• Applean Forest: 0688, 0840, 0083
• Susuyai Shrine: -0841, -0454, 0017

Sahasra Slope

A??t Sahasra Slope Skyview?? Tower, start going north toward the Sahasra Slope. Look up and see if you can spot the winged creature in the sky.

Crenel Hills

Fast travel to Ren-iz Sh?rine and walk straight forward to Crenel Hills. An Aerocuda will be flying around the cliffside.

Applean Forest

Below the Yamiyo Shrine, you'll find the Applean Forest. I found some Aerocudas flyi??ng around t??his area, towards the main pathway.

Susuyai Shrine

The Aerocuda at the Susuyai Shrine location is quite possibly the easiest one to spot. Teleport there and simply look around the sky to locate it. If you need more help finding these winged creatures, check out our guide covering where to farm Aerocuda eyeballs.

The post How to farm Kees??e Eyeballs in Tears of the Kingdom (TotK??) appeared first on Destructoid.