From Software’s infamously difficult action-RPG Dark Souls 3 will get its first DLC expansion in October, a now-deleted tweet from the official PlayStation Twitter account revealed this week.
The upcoming expansion, titled Ashes of Ariandel, will introduce new weapons, magic attacks, and an exclusive player-versus-player map, among other slated additions.
Released worldwide in April, Dark Souls 3 continues From Software’s flagship series, and many consider it to be the franchise’s most difficult entry to date. Continuing traditions established in Demon’s Souls and its follow-ups, Dark Souls 3 equips players with swords, staves, and ranged weaponry as they explore labyrinthine environments packed with deadly creatures.
Dark Souls 3 also marked the return of the series after creator From Software produced the PlayStation 4-exclusive Bloodborne in 2015. Though it features similar gameplay to the Dark Souls series, Bloodborne stands apart from its predecessors with regard to characters, story, and gameplay progression. Dark Souls 3 put the series back on track with a multiplatform release for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PCs via Steam and other services.
The upcoming Ashes of Ariandel will add a flaming sword to player arsenals, along with new magic attacks like light boomerangs and ice storms. Buyers will also get access to “Immortal Competition,” a new map designed specifically for player-versus-player combat. No further details regarding Ashes of Ariandel’s featured content are currently known.
Deluxe editions of Dark Souls 3 shipped with a digital Season Pass, promising players two major expansions in the months after launch. Ashes of Ariandel will arrive as the first promised expansion of Dark Souls 3, with the second scheduled for an early 2017 release.
The Dark Souls 3 Season Pass is available for purchase via Steam, Xbox Live, and the PlayStation Network, for $25. Individual DLC packs will also be available for purchase separately after launch.
Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.
Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.
Gaming laptops and I have a complicated relationship. One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it. I was a broke college kid, and that was the best I could afford. So trying out high-end gaming laptops is always fun. But ASUS' ROG Zephyrus G14 is a lot more than a laptop that can run AAA games. It is portable, so you're not lugging around a 2.5kg machine everywhere you go. It is built well, none of that plastic chassis, and can even function as a normal laptop outside of just gaming.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.