Elden Ring players just got the new Calibration Update 1.12.2 for the Shadow of the Erdtree which essentially tunes the difficulty a bit. This is a welcome change in the community who’ve been complaining about the near-impossible difficulty of the DLC.

FromSoftware balanced the game’s difficulty by adjusting the scaling of the Shadow Realm Blessings. These blessings improve the player’s attack, defense, and Spirit Ash. Devs basically increased the value of blessings for the early game to make initial encounters a bit easier to manage. After that, the progression will be gradual.

This newly adjusted power curve will prove to be a noticeable change for players who are starting the DLC. It’ll also make the journey towards the end of DLC a lot smoother.

Elden Ring players will need to log into the multiplayer server to apply this calibration update. This can be verified by looking at the bottom right corner of the title screen to make sure it says Calibration Version 1.12.2.

Aside from game balances, a bug in the PC version of the game was also fixed in this update. The bug in question caused the Raytracing settings to enable players who loaded up a save file from the previous Elden Ring versions.

The patch suggested that players should go into System > Graphics Settings > Raytracing Quality settings from the title or in-game menu to check if it’s been turned on unintentionally. After players set this to Off, it won’t get reactivated again to prevent any hitches in framerate.

FromSoftware has also stated that more game balances and bug fixes are planned for future patches. Here are the official patch notes on Bandai Namco website for players who want to read the full post.

Elden Ring Shadow of Erdtree has got to be one of the most awaited DLC releases I’ve ever seen. The hardcore fans of the series have been eagerly counting the days till they can finally explore the land of Shadow. The latest patch 1.12 for Elden Ring dropped today and includes support for the Shadow of Erdtree expansion. However, there are a lot more interesting changes that will interest players.

New Content

As discussed before, the main highlight of the patch is the support for the latest Elden Ring DLC, Shadow of Erdtree. This DLC will take players on a journey across the Land of Shadow and pit them against new enemies and bosses. Players can also expect to find new weapons in this expansion and create interesting new builds around them.

There are also some cosmetic items like new hairstyles added to the game. You’ll also find the new Map Functions Menu helpful. You’ll be glad to know that the summoning pools now carry over to NG+ in the update 1.12.

Addition of Mechanics

The new patch also makes inventory management a bit easier. The patch has some welcome additions like a dedicated section for recently collected items and a “!” marker to indicate new items.

One change in particular that has got players excited is the ability to summon spectral steed, torrent during the Elden Beast boss fight. It’s finally happening and players can’t wait to face off against the final boss once again.

Adjustment to PvP & PvE

Elden Ring Update 1.12 also balances a lot of PvE and PvP elements of the game.

For PvP, you’ll experience madness and sleep effects less frequently as the buildup will be halted for a short time after an application. Poise damage has also seen a major balancing pass for heavy-thrusting swords and some skills.

For PvE & PvP, there have been optimizations to gameplay. The turning speed, stamina consumption, damage scaling, effects, and poise damage for several weapons have been readjusted.

Now we’ve included all the major changes in the Elden Ring update 1.12 above. If you’re keen on reading the detailed patch notes, head over to Bandai Namco’s official website. The update is now live on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X | S.

If you’re wondering how to start Elden Ring Shadow of Erdtree DLC, here’s our quick guide on it.

Today, fans of cozy farming game Stardew Valley got the news we’ve been waiting for – confirmation of the release date for the Stardew Valley 1.6 update. Developer Concerned Ape shared this information on the eight year anniversary of the game’s initial launch, because what better way to celebrate?

Concerned Ape has shared tidbits about the development process and what we can expect from Update 1.6 for Stardew Valley. Fans eagerly accepted each new bit of news while waiting to know when we’d be able to actually play the thing. Now, at long last, we have a release date for the PC version of Stardew Valley 1.6.

Related: Stardew Valley Festival of Seasons Tour: Dates, Locations, and Where to Buy Tickets

Stardew Valley 1.6 Update Will Release for PC in Mid-March 2024

On X, @ConcernedApe shared that we finally have a release date for the PC version of Stardew Valley 1.6, which will come out on March 19 2024. The exact release date for console and mobile versions are still not confirmed, but “will follow as soon as possible.”

As you can already see from the traction this tweet has gained, fans are thrilled to finally have some confirmation about when we can expect this massive update to the game that got many of us into the cozy genre.

At this point, Stardew Valley is a whole lot more than just a game, with the Story of Seasons concert tour, board game, and cookbook, but we’re all pretty excited to see continued support for the game that started it all.

The developer also shared a thank you to the community in honor of the game’s continued success on its eighth anniversary today. The replies are full of fan excitement about the upcoming new content, which Concerned Ape let us know will be pretty robust compared to previous updates. Many are saying some variation of “time to head back to the farm!” and honestly, same.

While we don’t know everything the update will entail just yet, we know that it will add new features to the game from start to finish. The previous update added a new area, whereas this one will add new bits throughout the game, including new story points and new festivals.

Many are planning to start a new game to experience all the new content, and frankly, I’m right there with them. We’ve got a few weeks to wait for Stardew Valley 1.6 on PC and a little longer for the Nintendo Switch and mobile versions, but I think we’re all pretty confident it will be worth the wait.

Many Pokemon Go fans naturally expected an announcement from Niantic as the Sinnoh Tour ends and Pokemon Day approaches. However, the new teaser about the upcoming World of Wonders season has many fans confused.

This morning, the Pokemon Go app pinged us all with an update about the World of Wonders season. To say the update was brief is a bit of an understatement, since the news bulletin regarding the new season is two short sentences: “It’s a wonderful world. Let’s rediscover it together.” This coincided with a tweet from @PokemonGO on X with a short teaser about the new season, and fans have some questions.

Related: How to Redeem Codes in the Pokemon GO Web Store

World of Wonders Might Be Kanto-Themed Based on Teaser

In their post to X, Pokemon Go shared a short trailer for the upcoming World of Wonders season, which includes familiar Gen 1 Pokemon such as Nidoran and Butterfree.

Given that the most recent season was themed around the Sinnoh region, many Pokemon fans undoubtedly expected future seasons to keep moving forward through the generations. That has us all feeling a bit surprised to see these original Pokemon from the Kanto region in the World of Wonders season preview.

While some fans are enthusiastic about what a new season could bring, others are a bit concerned about the apparent theme. “I hope it’s not three months of only Kanto Pokemon” says one fan, while another jokes “Nidoran and Pidgey community day incoming.”

The new season is set to begin on March 1, so we won’t be waiting too long for additional details about what’s in store. As much as we love the original 151, many early Pokemon Go fans still have memories of just how many Pidgey were around in the early days, and I’m not sure anyone wants (or needs) to revisit that experience.

Given that this is just a short preview and no other details have been released, there could well be some surprises in store for the upcoming Pokemon Go World of Wonders season even with the familiar characters in this brief sneak peek. The mysterious purple energy that appears in the sky suggests there’s a bit more here than initially meets the eye.

With Pokemon Day on the horizon and the start of the World of Wonders season so close, we’ll likely learn more in the days to come. Until then, let’s all cross our fingers for something a little more exciting than three million Pidgeys to send to the professor like the old days.

One day ahead of the Global Pokemon Go Tour Sinnoh, fans got a notification announcing “a gift for you!” in the app. With anticipation high for the tour itself, fans were eager to see what this exciting new freebie might be.

And then we all opened our notification and immediate collective disappointment ensued. Fans are underwhelmed with the latest free offering from Niantic, and as always, we’re ready to have a laugh about it. No, it’s not a single potion and Poke Ball like that daily free gift tends to be, but it’s honestly pretty close.

Related: How to Unlock Ghost in the Machine Rotom Research in Pokemon Go

Fans Thrilled to Get One Whole Silver Pinap Berry and An Entire Rare Candy

With so much of Pokemon GO being paid access these days, we’re not saying no to more free stuff in the game. That said, many fans were less than impressed with this latest offering, which consists of a Silver Pinap Berry and a single Rare Candy.

The /PokemonGO Reddit has quite a few posts like this one from Sistermon, joking about just how generous this latest free gift has been.

“Wow, a whole rare candy!” says one response, as if they can’t quite get over the shock of something so valuable being offered up for free. And while we’re never going to say no to Rare Candy, this one is a little bit small compared with other gifts that require codes to redeem.

Some folks in the PoGO Reddit are saying it’s not worth the trouble it takes to redeem codes in Pokemon GO these days, now that the app doesn’t reliably support code redemption. That said, if you’re like me and can’t say no to a free thing, you can redeem the code GOTOURBONUS in the Pokemon GO web store and get your very own single rare candy and silver Pinap berry.

Admittedly, this gift does seem a little bit of an odd fit when the notification comes with the tagline “just in time for Pokemon GO Tour Sinnoh-Global!” There are many things I’d consider helpful in preparing for the weekend-long event with all its raids and wild Pokemon to catch, but I wouldn’t exactly say Pinap Berries and Rare Candy are high on the list. Some Ultra Balls, maybe? A free incubator or two to hatch all those Sinnoh eggs?

Of course, it’s (mostly) in good fun to laugh at Niantic’s idea of an exciting free gift for players, as free stuff is still free stuff, and we will probably use that silver pinap berry during the Go Tour Global event. Even so, fans are definitely hoping the rest of Pokemon GO Sinnoh Tour Global weekend has more exciting things in store.

The annual holiday for Pokemon fans everywhere, Pokemon Day, is mere days away and there is no shortage of hopes, dreams, and theories for what will be announced. Fans have put a fun spin on sharing their predictions with Pokemon Day 2024 bingo cards.

If you’re even remotely connected with the Pokemon side of the internet this week, it’s hard to miss everyone’s excited chatter about what’s to come during the Pokemon Presents announcements on Pokemon Day. And leave it to Pokemon fans to make a game out of it, because now we’re all sharing our Pokemon Day 2024 bingo cards full of our wildest predictions for what’s to come.

Related: Pokemon Day 2024 Announcement Predictions, From Least to Most Likely

Fan-Made Pokemon Day 2024 Bingo Cards Share Our Wildest Dreams

A few big theories have made a splash in the Pokemon community, with many fans anticipating remakes featuring Sinnoh or Unova. However, that doesn’t stop fans from getting creative and sharing every wild theory they can dream up via bingo cards.

It’s tough to pinpoint the start of this bingo card meme, which has gained a ton of traction on X in the leadup to Pokemon Day, but here’s an example of the fun:

If you search “Pokemon Day bingo” on X, you’ll see countless riffs on this theme, with predictions ranging from the intentionally ridiculous to the relatively obvious.

Some fill their bingo cards with the unexpected, like the Hey You Pikachu mobile app envisioned by @Tales_of_Taylor above. Honestly, I never would have thought about it, but now I do kind of want it.

Others are going the safe route and trying to make sure they can hit bingo during Pokemon Presents, with predictions about updates for Pokemon Sleep and Pokemon GO. Given that these are the most current live service Pokemon apps it stands to reason The Pokemon Company will have something to say about them during Pokemon Day this year.

The predictions truly cover the whole spectrum of possibilities when it comes to Pokemon Day bingo, but one notably popular bingo square has already been ticked off for fans of Pokemon Concierge. Many anticipated that new episodes would be announced, and The Pokemon Company delivered that news early by sharing that Haru and Psyduck’s next adventures are already in production!

Some other common bingo squares are still up for debate, such as the anticipated Unova remakes, a new Legends-style game, and our forever dream of having older Pokemon games ported to the Nintendo Switch for all our nostalgia needs.

Pokemon Day 2024 is on February 27, so if you want to join in the bingo fun, get your card together ASAP. Dare to dream big, Pokemon fans!

Since its launch on February 8, 2024, Helldivers 2 has been a victim of its own success. The game has seen an influx of more and more players each week, causing servers to overload, leading to a slew of negative reviews.

When Arrowhead Game Studios released Helldivers 2, we’re almost certain it didn’t expect it to be the runaway success that it is. The game has broken concurrent player records for not only the series but 2024 as a whole, and now its reputation is suffering because of those records. After more players that the servers could cope with tried to get into the game during the weekends following its launch, many have taken to Steam to give it negative reviews over issues the developer didn’t believe it would ever have.

Related: Helldivers 2 Bestiary: Know Your Enemy

Helldivers 2 Reduced to Mixed Rating on Steam Due to Influx of Negative Reviews

Helldivers 2 has quickly grown to see 500,000 players all logging in and attempting to spread glorious democracy across its worlds within a 24-hour period. The trouble is, the game’s servers weren’t ready for that many Helldivers. Considering the first game had a peak concurrent player count of 7,000, it’s fair for Arrowhead Game Studios to have lower sub-100,000 player expectations for the sequel.

However, last weekend saw fans take to Twitter to criticize the game, calling it broken because they couldn’t get in. After garnering a Mostly Positive review status on Steam, the game has now fallen to Mixed because players have taken to giving it negative reviews due to the fact that they can’t play it.

On the game’s Subreddit, the fan base is debating how fair this is. The discussions are difficult because everyone’s experience is so different. “I watched a stream on Saturday, one person got in right away, played a solo mission, and a second person was able to get in after that. Third person was in the black screen for an hour and a half, and the fourth person finally got into the game nearly 3 hours after waiting, and he maybe got an hour and a half of gaming in before they had to go to another lobby.”

Others believe they’re justified in their negative feelings towards the title despite acknowledging the developer probably couldn’t have predicted this situation. “Yeah it’s one hundred percent fair to be disappointed at this point. I’m not actively mad at the devs like I was with other games that turned out to be half baked trash with a highly pushed premium cosmetic shop, but I’m also withholding my “yes I would recommend this game” review on Steam until it actually works.”

Every step of the way, Arrowhead Game Studios has been open with the Helldivers 2 community. At first, it explained how the team needed to rest following the game’s launch, and that was the priority: not getting more servers running. Then, it offered additional rewards because of the server issues, which caused an influx of players and even more issues.

At the time of writing, Helldivers 2 has 101,421 reviews on Steam. All the early positive reviews are now mixed in with negative one-liners about its servers, though these points aren’t invalid. The situation won’t be resolved until the server capacity can be expanded to host every player who wants to jump into the game. The question is what that number should be because servers cost money, and player counts often drop within a few weeks after a game’s release.

The time has come for players to explore the Junon area in the Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth demo. The official Final Fantasy VII Twitter/X has finally given us a date and time so get ready to power on your PS5.

The Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth demo is releasing in two waves, with the first being the Nibelheim Incident. Players were left with a notice in the demo stating that the Junon area would be released at a later time. Game director Naoki Hamaguchi announced on his official Twitter/X that the second half of the demo will be released February 21, 2014, and a new tweet from the official FFVII account has confirmed the time.

Related: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Editions: Should You Get Deluxe, Collector’s, or Standard?

Release Date for Dawn of a New Era Junon FFVII: Rebirth Demo

The release for the Junon area of the Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth Demo is February 21, 2024, at 4 AM PST/1 PM CET. That release is just around the corner.

Players won’t want to miss playing the Junon part of the demo as developers have stressed that there will be unique content which are specific to the demo that players won’t want to miss. Additionally, there will be a visual improvement for Performance Mode. Players have discussed the underwhelming performance of the visuals in the first part of the demo. Hopefully, the improvement will offer a cleaner, more visually stunning expirience for PlayStation 5 enthusiasts.

Many Final Fantasy VII fans are excited to see what the open-world gameplay will be like in Rebirth. I am certainly ready and hopeful that this time around, Square Enix will improve their open-world capabilities from when they released Final Fantasy XV. Judging by early previews, it seems that the world will be packed with things to do and opportunities to explore.

Players have been ramping up for the release of Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, and the wait has nearly come to an end. To help ease the anticipation, players now have the opportunity to explore a new segment of the early-access demo.

Recently, Square Enix surprised fans with a Demo featuring a journey through Nibelheim as Sephiroth, Cloud, and Tifa. While the short peak into gameplay was a perfect way to get excited for the rest of the release, many have been hopeful additional content might be added – and now fans can jump into new exploration-geared gameplay ahead of release.

Related: FFVII Fans Speculate PS6 Part 3 Release With PS5 ‘Entering the Latter Stage of its Life Cycle’

When Will the Junon Section of the Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth Demo Release

Naoki Hamaguchi, the game director of FF7R has announced on his Twitter/X that the second part of the demo “Dawn of a New Era in Junon” will be released “tomorrow.” Per early previews, players can expect to learn about the open-world outside of Junon, the battle systems present in these areas, and additional details about new gameplay mechanics. Fans might even bump into a baby Chocobo or two.

Currently, there isn’t an exact time window for when players can expect to access the new content for the demo. However, according to the tweet, “Tomorrow” should indicate access during February 21, 2024. Hopefully, it will drop early in the day, ensuring fans get plenty of time to jump into the new location.

Per Hamaguchi, players should definitely give the demo a go before the game releases in full to experience the gameplay and battle system. I, for one, will definitely be in that demo doing everything I can before the game comes out. Other fans are also having a positive reaction to the news with many looking forward to exploring the area to tide them over for the next week until the full version of Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth launches.

A surprise for all PowerWash Simulator and Warhammer fans has been announced, creating a bizarre crossover. The duo will be combined into something that will make fans want to clean like never before.

Warhammer is a tabletop game with many expansions that branch into other genres. The title has been racking up a fan base since 1983, with passionate players always eager for the next addition to the franchise. However, the unlikely combination with PowerWash Simulator may have many fans a bit confused.

Related: PowerWash Simulator’s DLC Is Going From Midgar To Bikini Bottom

PowerWash Simulator Warhammer DLC Announced

Square Enix and PowerWash Simulator have announced that Warhammer is coming on February 27, 2024. Players will get to power wash their favorite weapons, specifically from Warhammer 40,000.

In the reveal, fans of both games have a chance to see the crossover cleaning in action, with gameplay showing new outfits, large mechs covered in muck, and stunning, themed locations to spend time scrubbing in. There also appears to be a new skin for the power washer, adding to the immersive details fans will experience when the pack drops later in February.

Fans are excited for the news with many declaring that the Omnissiah would approve of the crossover and many getting ready to clean for the Emperor. While many are excited about the crossover, others wonder how much the DLC will cost if players are charged for it.

Historically, it has been a toss-up as to whether the DLC will be free, or if players will have to pay. For example, the SpongeBob SquarePants DLC costs $7.99 while the Midgar DLC is free. Hopefully, if the developers charge for the Warhammer Special Pack, it will not be a huge additional cost. For now, get ready to spend time cleaning the Mark II Aquasantica Aquabus and making it shine.