Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 got its first-ever patch today, addr??essing a myriad of issues and, finally, the m?isaligned peach fuzz on Senua's face. Wait. Who notices that stuff?

Anyway, Hellblade 2 patch 1.0.5.0 is a small one, bringing around 20 fixes and changes to the game. Among the changes is one I feel is the most important for those who already finished t?he game. From now on, choosing the 'New St??ory' option in the menu will warn you that the feature will indeed reset your current progress. It didn't say this before, no doubt prompting some to reassess using the option. I do wonder how many save files got wiped, though.

Hopefully, some of you at least found all the hidden faces and Lorestangir before getting thrown back to the game's intro.

Hellblade 2 patch deals with issues and face fuzz

The remainder of the patch is fairly typical, save for that whole face ?fuzz exception. Among the former and the New Story warning above, the patch also fixes memory leaks, ghosting issues, mission captions, and some artifacting when using FSR3. There is also one fix that kinda spoils an event near the end of the game, so I'd suggest you avoid reading the patch notes directly.

I'll post t??h??em below, sans spoilers (courtesy of Ninja Theory):

• Added a warning prompt when selecting ‘New Storyâ€?as this option resets the current save's story progress.
• Fixed the large text size option, which was causing UI elements in chapter selection to go out of bounds.
• Animation sync issues during some enemy executions in combat have been adjusted and fixed.
• Adjusted the combat events during the Thórgestr battle at the end of Chapter 1
• Several localization fixes.
• Tree collision fixes in Chapter 2 settlement puzzle.
• Fixed the crash when closing photo mode after extended gameplay.
• Fixed a few cases of memory leaks game-wide.
• Ultrawide fix during Chapter 3 cinematic to prevent Fargrímr from disappearing.
• Indoor rain inside the broken house in Chapter 1 is fixed.
• Ghosting issues fixed when running Frame Generation.
• Added missing SFX during Chapter 3 puzzle and Chapter 4 combat
• Fixed missing captions in several areas across the game.
• Missing facial animations in Chapter 5 cinematic after village battle.
• Misaligned peach fuzz around Senua's neck and face has been corrected.
• [SPOILER] have been adjusted for a better combat experience.
• Improved FSR3 artefacts.
• Fixed the case of some animated objects were invisible during gameplay.
• Fixed instances of black marks appearing on faces around beards and fine hairs on Low preset.

For more on Hellblade 2, check out our guide on opening the village gates and find out if you can remove the black bars.

The post Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II gets its firs?t patch, addressing i??ssues and misaligned peach fuzz (at last) appeared first on Destructoid.

Lorestangir poles are one of two types of collectibles in Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2. Discovering them lets you listen to a story, narrated by Druth. Many are hidden off the path, but we have all the Hellblade 2 Lorestangir loc??ations to make things nic??e and simple.

Hellblade 2: All Lorestangir locations

There are 18 Lorestangir to find in Hellblade 2. You can easily spot them as tall poles with runes etched onto the?? front. Activating a Lorestangir causes a rune to glow red, showing you the progress you've made so far. Some can be missed in ??the game, so be sure to follow the list below closely.

Reykjanesta (Chapter 1) - 1 Lorestangir

The first Lorestangir in Hellblade 2 is a gimme. In the first chapter?, make your way up the rock wall and keep walking a short ways to find the Lorestangir pole standing ne?ar a cliff's edge.

Freyslaug (Chapter 2) - 4 Lorestangir

Freyslaug 1

The first Lorestangir you come across in the second chapter is found after you near the village with the "Slaver" prisoner in?? tow. Before you reach the town, look for the Lorestangir just past a cou?ple of huts to your right.

Freyslaug 2

After you acquire the mirror and return to the real world, cross the bridge to the r??uined village beyond. Make your way through the house and then take a sharp left. Enter the clearing next to the house and duck under the gap in the wall to the left to find the next Lorestangir.

Freyslaug 3

Late??r, Senua is attempting to infiltrate a Draugr camp. After the section where you shimmy along a wall, walk forward while looking to the left. Take the ladder and go right to find the Lorestangir.

Freyslaug 4

The last Lorestangir in the chapter can be found not long after you rescue Fargrimr. In the ?sequen??ce where you're following him, take the path to the left of the wooden trail marker (it looks like a branch standing atop a rock with a Nordic compass) next to a broken bridge.

Raudholar (Chapter 3) - 6 Lorestangir

Raudholar 1

The first Lorestangir in the third chapter is found early in the chapter as you're walking alongside Fargrimr and Thorgrestr on the way to the former's settlement. Take a left at the wooden trail marker that a??ppears after you? reach the bottom of the hill. Hug the left wall and turn right after the ruined house to see the Lorestangir. It's opposite a hidden face, another collectible in the game.

Raudholar 2

After you reach the settlement and speak with Fargrimr at his hut, leave and follow the ??path to the right. Keep going around the area and up until you spot the Lorestangir.

Raudholar 3

Once you complete the first Hiddenfolk trial, leave the area and walk along the path while checking to your left. You'll ??come across a led?ge you can climb up. The Lorestangir is just beyond.

Raudholar 4

After the second Hiddenfolk tr?ial, follow the path and search for a gap in the wall to your left. Look for a large puddle to ??the right of the gap. Squeeze your through in to find the next Lorestangir.

Raudholar 5

Afte??r the last Lorestangir, follow the path but look for a small cave just beyond. Enter the cave and climb the ledge to find the next one.

Raudholar 6

The last Lorestangir of the chapter is hanging around in the cave during the third Hiddenfolk trial. After you deal with the Draugr, activate the floating "orb" thing to create a path to t??he Lorestangir. It can be activated, even while hanging from the ceiling.

Huldufolk (Chapter 4) - 3 Lorestangir

Huldufolk 1

Welcome to the caves, where it's tough to see where you're going! The first Lorestangir in chapter four - Huldufolk. Follow the path and drop down a couple of ledges. After you crawl past the old mining equipment (pickaxe, lantern, etc.), look for a small opening to the right. You can see the Lorestangir just beyond. Continue and drop into the next chamber. Follow the path to the right and climb the ledge to find the Lore?stangir.

Huldufolk 2

After completing the waterfall puzzle, continue deeper into the cave. You'll soon see the next Lorestangir to the right in an open area alongside your path. Find the openin?g closest to the Lorestangir and look down to see a ledge you can ??hop onto below.

Huldufolk 3

The last Lorestangir in Huldufolk is located after you sacrifice your sword and run through the cave following a blue light while dodging Draugr. Once you make it to the safe area with actual light, walk past the floating rocks an??d drop down a ledge and into shallow water. Walk by more floating rocks and head to the back of the cave while looking to your right. You'll find an entrance leading you to the Lorestangir.

Bardarvik (Chapter 5) - 4 Lorestangir

Bardarvik 1

You're nearly there! This is the ?final chapter with Lorestangir, of which there are four. Let's get to the first one, which appears not long after Senua loses track of the boys. Walk down the newly lit path until you come across a thin waterfall on your right. To find the Lorestangir, walk past the waterfall and look for a path leading to the right. Follow it to find the Lorestangir above the waterfall. Take the ledge on the right to return to the path.

Bardarvik 2

The next Lorestangir doesn't appear until after you meet with Astridr. You'll have to walk, climb up a cliff, drop down a ledge, squeeze through a gap, climb another le?dge, drop, and climb once again before getting near the Lorestangir. After that final climb up, look to the right to see the tip of the Lorestangir poking out above a hill. Walk toward it, but take a right where you see a path. F??ollow it until it takes you through a small entrance.

Bardarvik 3

Continue until you come across the second rune puzzle of the chapter. Activate the floating blob thing to open up the path that takes you right side of the beach, not the left. Drop down the ledge after you acquire the middle rune and make your way past the shipwreck. Look for the blue mist and walk through it t??o find a cave. Exit the cave ?and take the path on the right to find the Lorestangir.

Bardarvik 4

At long last, it's time to claim the final Lorestangir. The last one is in the village you enter not long after you learn the giant's true name. Walk forward until you spot a house up a hill with a torch blazing outside. Take a sharp le??ft before climbing the hill and follow the snaking path until you find the Lorestangir just hanging out in someone's backyard.

What you get for finding all Lorestangir in Hellblade 2

You unlock two new features once you claim all 18 Lorestangir in Hellblade 2. The 'Extras' menu includes an option to listen to the entire ?Lorestangir story. You also unlock Druth as a narrator for a new game.

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'Hidden faces' are a type of collectible in Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2. Well, they actually bar the way from the true collectible, a small tree that offers a bit of lore. The hidden faces are tough to spot in Hellblade 2, but we have all the locations below.

Hellblade 2: All hidden faces and their locations

There are 17 hidden faces locations throughout Hellblade 2. Believe it or not, they appear as stone faces carved i??nto walls. Crazy, right? Focusing on them causes them to 'disappear', opening a path to a small tree �akin to Yggdrasil, the Nordic world tree �beyond, along with a bit of narration. It's kind of a cool?? effect with the faces melting into the environment, but I digress. Let's look for some trees.

Freyslaug (Chapter 2) - 2 Hidden faces

Freyslaug 1

The first hidden face shows up in chapter two of Hellblade 2, Freyslaug. Once you get Senua's mirror and return to the real world, cross the bridge and make your way through the dilapidated house. After exiting, look for the house with the torch next to it. Senua's 'voices' will start saying "something is hidden," indicating you're on the right path. Find the hidden face on the wal??l to the left of the house.

Freyslaug 2

The next hidden face won't appear until after you leave the Draugr camp with a filthy vagrant in tow. Sorry, I shouldn't be rude to my? boy Fargrimr. Follow him until you reach a wooden trail marker next to a broken bridge. Take the path to the left to find the hidden face in the rock wall nearby.

Raudholar (Chapter 3) - 5 Hidden faces

Raudholar 1

Things are finally cracking off in the third chapter Raudholar, where you need to hunt down five hidden faces. The first ??is found not long after the start of Raudholar. Follow Fargrimr and Thorgrestr until you reach a wooden trail marker (it looks like a branch standing next to a rock with a Nordic compass). Take a left and hug the wall. After ?you pass a ruined house, look for the face beyond, surrounded by rocks.

Raudholar 2

Return to the trail marker and go right instead. You'll find the next hidden face against a rock wall by a clear??ing with a stone in the center.

Raudholar 3

The next hidden face is an easy grab. After you speak with Fargrimr and leave him at his village, head into the valley and watch for the hidden face on your left-hand side. My capture wasn't working, so I couldn't get a screen grab of the place until later. Below is a professionally edited shot, and I'm confident you won't even spot the differenc?e.

Raudholar 4

After finishing the first Hiddenfolk tr??ial, continue down the path while careful?ly looking for the hidden face to your right.

Raudholar 5

Once you complete?? the second Hiddenfolk trial, continue along the path. After dropping down two ledges, keep moving while looking towa??rd your right. When you spot two ledges leading up, take them to find the next hidden face.

Huldufolk (Chapter 4) - 4 Hidden faces

Huldufolk 1

Huldufolk is a tough chapter for hidden collectibles, as you're crawling through a dark c??ave. Most jagged chunks o?f rock may look like hidden faces, but only four are the real deal. The first hidden face is right at the start. Progress in the cave until Senua starts crouching. Scan the wall to the left until you spot a hidden face.

Huldufolk 2

After finding and extinguishing the second brazier with the blue fire, turn around to find the hidden face. It was behind a Hiddenfolk multi-color wall. Man, I don't know what those are called.?

Huldufolk 3

Keep movin??g until Senua has to drop into a large hole with water below. Look behind you for the next hidd??en face.

Huldufolk 4

The next hidden face can be found after the part where Senua (who sacrificed her sword) is hunted by D??raugr through the cave. Look for the face on the wall to the left of a room with floating rocks just hanging about. It's the first room of two with floating rocks. If you've found the second room, you've gone too far.

Bardarvik (Chapter 5) - 6 Hidden faces

Bardarvik 1

We've almost made it to the end, so don't gi??ve up now! The fifth chapter of the game includes the most amount of hidden faces with six. Thankfully, the first one is thrown your way immediately??. After the chapter starts, walk forward until you come across a narrow, solitary waterfall to your right. The face is just behind it.

Bardarvik 2

After meeting with Astridr, find the next hidden face to the r??ight just before she enters the narrow passageway. Okay, so my capture messed up again. I know I don't need to mention it; you can't tell the difference? as is.

Bardarvik 3

?Once ??you complete the chapter's first rune puzzle, make your way through the newly unlocked door to find the hidden face to the right.

Bardarvik 4

The next hidden face isn't available until much later when you make it to a rune puzzle on the beach. Activate the wobbly sphere to give you access to the beach's right side. Progress until you see a ruined ship with blue mist just beyond, hiding a cave??. Enter the cave and walk until you nearly reach the exi?t. Turn around to see the hidden face.

Bardarvik 5

After learning the giant's name, you'll find yourself in an abandoned town. Enter the town and progress until the short scene with the giant. After the? third torch, hang a right and walk to the torch you see a short distance away. To its right is the fifth hidden face of the chapter.

Bardarvik 6

At last, the final hidden?? face of the game! Return to the main path after the last hidden face. Walk until you see a house on top of a hill with a torch just outside. Instead of heading up the trail, take a left and follow the snaking path until you reach a yard with a lone Lorestangir standing by. To the right is a house and further down is either a smaller house or a storage building. Walk past the storage building and look for a torch. Behind the building just beyond the torch is the last hidden face.

What you get for finding all the hidden faces in Hellblade 2

Once you find all the hidden faces in Hellblade 2, you unlock an option in the 'Extras' menu to listen to the entire Yggdrasil story. It's basically t?he story that was told to you piecemeal while collecting the hidden faces, but complete.

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Hellblade 2 is almost entirely a linear experience. Barring some slight changes in how you tackle combat or how quickly you solve puzzles, each player gets from point A to point B in the same way. That is, except for one specific moment near the end of the game. Here's whether you should help Fargrimr or Astridr in Hellblade 2.

Should you go with Fargrimr or Astridr in Hellblade 2?

This choice appears when proceeding through the Jarnvior forest near the end of Hellblade 2. As you progress, you'll link back up with your companions who are experiencing their deepest fears come to life. Senua par??tially helps both Fargrimr and Astridr with their issues, but then comes upon a crossroads where s??he must choose who to help. The one who's lost his way, or the one who fears what can't die by the blade.

While this may seem like a big choice, who you choose here doesn't affect the main story in any meaningful way. You'l??l help one of them navigate the forest for a few moments before finding the other down the path, shaken up but no worse for wear. After m?eeting up with Thorgestr, the story proceeds as if the choice never came up.

While it is a little sad that neither choice?? matters, it's likely Ninja Theory just wanted to test your thoughts on who you'd help in that situation more than making you decide who lives or dies. If you had to choose between someone who could no longer fight for themselves and someone who could no longer see the path forward, who would you ch??oose to save?

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Hellblade 2 is a visual feast no matter where you look. Whether it be the environmental details offering gorgeous vistas, the more supernatural elements being surprisingly grotesque, or the smooth transitions between cutscenes and gameplay, your eyes never want to look away. Though for all its beauty, the mandatory black bars on the game aren't the best. Here's whether you can remove the black bars in Hellblade 2.

Is it possible to get rid of the black bars in Hellblade 2?

If you're playing Hellblade 2 on Xbox, removing the black bars is impossible. No settings let you remove them, and you can't tweak anything about your install either. This is the case for the PC version as well?, but it isn't technically impossible to remove the black bars there. You'll just need to seek outside help through a mod, rather than the game itself.

The No Black Bars (Letterboxing fix) No Zoom mod by Giod?ga removes the black bars?? without affecting image quality and lets you get a better look at the world. If you're willing to take the plunge, then you'll want to take the following steps to install the mod:

• Download the mod through Nexus Mods.

  • Whether you download the standard mod or the one with no Chromatic Aberration and Film Grain is up to you.

• Open the Run program on your PC.
• Type in %LocalAppData% and hit Enter.
• Open the Hellblade2 folder, followed by the Saved, Config, and WinGDK/Windows folders.
• Drag and drop the Engine.ini file from the mod into this folder.

With that done, launch the game again and the black bars should be gone. If they aren't or there's a major issue, you may want to check the mod page again for troubleshooting assistance.

The post Can you remove the black bars in Hellblade 2? appeared first on Destructoid.

Hellblade 2: Senua's Saga is finally out, following on from the award-winning 2017 hit by Ninja Theory. Despite the bleakness that appears to accom??pany the gaming world at the ?moment, many have been looking forward?? to this release, so it's worth going over the basics of what systems you can play it on.

Now, being as it's published by Xbox Game Studios, it stands to reason that Hellblade 2 is exclusive to the Xbox Series X|S. And, indeed, it is. It's also available on Steam, where it's currently looking pretty good, with a current review score of ?"Very Posit?ive." But it's early days yet.

However, there's likely to be a few PlayStation users out there who will be wondering whether the game will come to the PS5. Currently, there don't appear to be any plans to release it on Sony's systems. However, in this humble repo??rter's opinion, the fact that Xbox is making some of its exclusives available on rival consoles suggests it may not be out of the realms of possibility just yet. Don't quote me on that, though.

So, quick summary: Hellblade 2 is available on Xbox Series X|S and PC only. It's also available on Game Pass, so that's?? some?thing.

Decks out for Ninja Theory

Of course, we're talking about a new game you can g?et on Steam, so the next question is to ask whether it's also compatible with Valve's Steam Deck.

Now, despite the general hype around Hellblade 2, the store page doesn't show whether or not it's verified or even playable on the portable device. Ho?wever, it's a fairly new release and it's likely that Ninja Theory could tweak it for the system, so be on the lookout for future updates that mention that.

Having said that, it's worth checking out the belo?w video:

According to the channel, Hellblade 2 is playable on the Steam Deck, but with a few caveats. For starters, you're unlikely to get a consistent framerate above 30fps, especially with additional graphics features turned on. Certain cutscenes and visually heavy sections of the game can even drop it to the low?? 20s.

There also appears to be a bit of ghosting as?? well as some blurr??ing effects, depending on which settings you've enabled.

So, yes, it is playable on the Deck, but it's not going to be a smooth ride for much of it, it seems. If you have the PC hardware to run it, it's probably best to stick with that. Failing that, Nvidia has added the game to its GeForce NOW cloud service, if that's your bag.

The post What platform is Hellblade 2 on? appeared first on Destructoid.

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II offers a fourth flav?or of difficulty ?in addition to the Neopolitan of Easy, Medium, and Hard. Dynamic Difficulty is designed to work with the player, and deliver the optimal combat experience based on their skill level. Here's how it works.

The Goldilocks Difficulty

Dynamic Difficulty adjusts the difficulty of combat (without touching puzzles) based on the performance of the player. Essentially, if you're obliterating foes with ease and not getting hit all that much, the difficulty will increase. Conversely, if you're being treated like a punching bag, the difficu??lty will scale down unt??il that isn't the case.

Due to how this operates, the game should feel sufficiently difficult without being rage-inducing and easy enough to enjoy without becoming a passive experience. In the time I've spent with Hellblade II, I've found this to be exactly the case. As I get better at blocking, dodging, and counterattacking, enemies get better at fighting back. When they g??et a little too good and I beef it, I'm able to get back into it with a more toned-down experience.

To adjust the combat difficulty in Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, open the Settings Menu and select Gameplay. The Difficulty options will be right under Ac??cessibility and offer four choices: Easy, Medium, Hard, and Dynamic.

Additionally, under the Accessibility menu will be options for Offensive and Defensive Actions. Default is your standard with you controlling Senua in combat. Simplified allows players to hit whatever button they like and the game will use the optimal move, regardless of what button was pressed. Self-Play essentially turns the game into a movie durin??g combat as pl?ayers aren't required to press anything.

Ninja Theory is a studio that puts a lot of emphasis on accessibility and it's incredibly refreshing to see. For those who want to sit back and experience Senua's second out as a more theatrical experience absolutely can. Those who want to test their skills can dive into the harder difficulties. For thos??e like me who simply want to enjoy the ride, there's Dynamic Mode.

The post Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 Dynamic Difficulty mode, explained appeared first on Destructoid.

Hellblade 2 mostly focuses on two forms of gameplay, traversal and combat. It always flips betwe?en the two, with the traversal interwoven with narrative beats.

However, that doesn't mean the game isn't afraid to shake things up with some light puzzle-solving. One such puzzle can scratch some heads, as it's the first major puzzle you'll encounter. Here's how to open the village gate in Hellblade 2.

How to find the symbols for the village gate in Hellblade 2

This puzzle appears during Chapter 2 of Hellblade 2, when ex??ploring the Draugar-ravaged village of Freyslaug. As you approach a bridge leading to the remainder of the village, a gate appears showing a complex rune.? This is split into three separate symbols, all of which you need to find in the village to progress.

The first symbol is located in the house immediately to the left ?of the bridge. Head inside and take the ladder up. On the overlook, you can find the left side of the rune by focusing at the right angle.

The second symbol is the easiest of the?? bunch, ??found as a pyre in the town center with a red hue. Simply get the right angle, and you'll have the middle of the rune.

The final symbol can be found on the far outskirts of town and is the best hidden of the bunch. To reach it, you need to enter a house ?on the right side of the vi??llage gate and enter its backyard, then climb up on the nearby hill. Head down the resulting path and you'll find the right side of the rune ready to be claimed.

Once you have all the parts, return to the village gate to play a small scene where you unlock Senua's mirror. This heavily assists combat and will pro??ve invaluable in later fights against c??ertain enemies.

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