Tag Archives: Kotaku

Players Unlock A New Secret Weapon In Assassin’s Creed Valhalla After Hitting A Pile Of Rocks

Screenshot: Ubisoft / Kotaku

Players have discovered a new hidden and powerful bow in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. All you have to do is find a specific pile of rocks and hit it a few times and reload your save. Though, this isn’t the intended way to get the weapon.

Players have discovered that a small, unremarkable pile of rocks in the northern area of the main Valhalla map holds a strange and powerful secret. If you hit these rocks… nothing happens. Unlike similar rock piles in the game, this pile won’t break. However, if you hit this pile of rocks a few times, save your game, and reload, well nothing happens. But repeat this a few times, for most players, it takes about three reloads, and eventually, you’ll unlock Norden’s Arc.

JorRaptor did a great video showing off the rock method, how players even figured it out and how powerful the bow is. (Spoilers: It’s very deadly.)

This hunter bow is an Isu weapon. The Isu were an ancient civilization of super-powerful beings who enslaved humans and… look, you probably don’t care and I don’t have the time to fully explain it. They were powerful and aren’t around anymore, but their relics and weapons still exist, like this bow. That’s the short version.

My new bow
Screenshot: Ubisoft / Kotaku

I gave this method a try and got lucky. On my very first reload it worked. Though I deleted the save. Because, while this method works reliably, it doesn’t seem like the way Ubisoft would have intended players to unlock this special weapon. It seems like a glitch.

This was confirmed earlier today by Darby McDevitt, the narrative director on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. McDevitt explained on Twitter, in a reply to a JorRaptor tweet, that this method was a “clever brute force hack” that might be useful for speedrunners.

However, he clarified that there is an actual in-game way to unlock this bow, but didn’t say how. Though when someone pointed out that some player must have solved the secret by now, McDevitt vaguely responded “Someone almost has.

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Capcom Is Still Hiding Ethan’s Face In Resident Evil Village

Image: Capcom

While Ethan Winters may be the new face of the Resident Evil series, we still haven’t seen his actual face. And it doesn’t look like that’s going to change when Resident Evil Village launches on May 7.

2017’s Resident Evil 7 Biohazard marked a dramatic change for Capcom’s long-running survival horror franchise. Rather than controlling the main character from a third-person perspective, players jumped right into Ethan’s shoes via first-person gameplay. Resident Evil Village looks to be picking up where its predecessor left off in more ways than one: Capcom is still hiding Ethan’s face from us.

It makes sense on some level that we wouldn’t see much of Ethan in the gameplay trailers. We’re supposed to be Ethan, after all. That’s the whole point of the first-person perspective. That said, I couldn’t help but laugh when I noticed that Capcom has even kept him hidden in promotional assets. It’s almost like Ethan himself is going out of his way to keep his face a secret.

Take this piece of artwork from last year, for instance. Why is Ethan holding his gun like that? Is he smelling it?

Image: Capcom

And this one, which is part of a new batch released after Capcom’s showcase earlier this week. You’re going to need to see the tall vampire lady to best her in a knife fight, Ethan.

Image: Capcom

This third and final image wasn’t given to press in the United States but I’ve seen it proliferating across Japanese outlets like 4Gamer. It’s more understandable than the others—Ethan’s face would naturally be obscured while using a scoped rifle—but in context, it’s just another example of the lengths Capcom is going to make sure we never get a good look at our protagonist.

Image: Capcom

I vaguely remember fans coming up with theories when Resident Evil 7 was still new that Ethan’s face was never shown because he was going to end up being an important character we already knew. Some folks even thought he might be a clone of Chris Redfield or something ridiculous like that. These days, I’m happy just assuming it’s a running gag among the developers. No silly plot lines necessary.

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Cyberpunk 2077’s Latest Patch Reportedly Added A Game-Breaking Bug

Screenshot: CD Projekt Red / Kotaku

Last night, CD Projekt Red dropped the first major update for its troubled open-world shooter, Cyberpunk 2077. “Major” is a relative term. While larger than previous updates, yesterday’s patch 1.1 focuses more on stability fixes rather than a wide-ranging overhaul. In fact, it may have even made the game worse—by introducing a potentially game-breaking bug.

Patch 1.1 addresses an issue in the mission “Down on the Street” where Takemura would not call, thereby preventing any progress in the mission. He’ll call now, apparently, but then won’t say a word. Some users say that reloading old saves or creating new save files doesn’t fix it either.

There’s at least one apparent workaround. First, try to call Judy before Takemura calls. When he does, hang up the line, then tackle a side job. (The player who reported this workaround tackled a Delamain side-quest.) Wait 24 hours in-game and Takemura should call in—with dialogue and everything—allowing you to progress in “Down on the Street.”

Kotaku has reached out to CD Projekt Red for comment.

I’m playing Cyberpunk 2077 on an Xbox Series X, where it performs better than it appears to on last-gen consoles but not, as one of my roommates likes to so frequently remind me, as well as it does on his high-end rig. Still, I’ve run into some bugs since day one. Usually, they’re garden-variety hiccups: NPCs floating in the air in ways they should not, or a weapon refusing to reload even though I’ve tapped “X,” like, eighteen times. Small potatoes.

I hope the funny bugs (see above) never go away.
Screenshot: CD Projekt Red / Kotaku

The bug that soured me on the game popped up during the “Stadium Love” side-quest, in which you meet up with a bunch of veterans, throw back bad vodka shots like you’re at a bad frat party (“What is this, rubbing alcohol?” V asks), and then engage in a shooting contest. In one attempt, I wasn’t able pull out my gun—pretty much an instant DQ in a shoot-off. In another, I was, but all of the veterans around me also would whip theirs out and then start shooting at me. That sucked too. I decided to shelve the game until it was in a better state.

“Stadium Love” is not listed among the dozen or so quests that were addressed in yesterday’s 1.1 patch. Against my better judgement, after downloading the 16.5GB (!!!) update, I tried the quest again. I was able to shoot my gun without issue. I also still got shot at. So, not perfect.

CDPR says yesterday’s update addresses an issue with the quest “M’ap Tann Pèlen,” where players could run into a roadblock trying to talk to the character Mr. Hands on the phone. I had no issue doing so today, but hadn’t tried the quest at all before downloading the 1.1 patch. Who knows if I would’ve hit a snag, say, three weeks ago.

In general, after spending some time with the game last night, I can say it feels pretty much exactly the same as it did before I put it down. Maybe those on last-gen consoles are seeing more benefits. Right now, social media seems to be loud with news outlets noting the patch exists or players pointing out how thin the notes seem. CDPR says this patch is “focused on various stability improvements and bug fixes” and “lays the groundwork for the upcoming patches.” Next one’s due in February, per a statement from December.

Ten days ago, CDPR released a video stating that January’s big update would release within the following ten days. Yesterday’s 1.1 patch, in the most technical sense, hits that mark. These are indeed updates that indeed address some issues with the game. It also landed at 5:00 p.m. ET (10:00 p.m. Warsaw time) on a Friday. Make of that what you will.

Is Cyberpunk 2077 “good” now, in the way No Man’s Sky clawed its way to greatness? No. Not yet. But this is one small step in the right direction. I’m eager to see what’s next.

Cyberpunk 2077 is in a cyberfunk



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Pixel Artist Imagines Modern Pokémon With Game Boy Graphics

Image: Pat Ackerman

Illustrator and pixel artist Pat Ackerman has spent the last year reimagining the entire Pokédex of Pokémon Sword and Shield as old-school sprites.

Starting back when the eighth-generation starters were revealed, Ackerman slowly but surely pixelized every pocket monster found in the series’ most recent games. And as of this week, he has an incredibly impressive portfolio of perfectly pixelized Pokémon to show for it.

Perhaps even more impressive is Ackerman’s dedication to making his art look as close to the first generation of Pokémon games as possible—Pokémon Yellow specifically.

“When creating these, I use the 56 x 56 size canvas, which was the original size of the sprites in Pokémon Red/Blue/Green/Yellow,” Ackerman told Kotaku. “I also stick to the palette of Yellow. I really focus on the pose of the Pokémon, as that’s what used to really define who they were before 3D models. I try to make them dynamic and showcase something unique about the Pokémon.”

Ackerman’s other pixel projects span previous Pokémon generations and Monster Hunter, beautifully capturing the constraints of the Game Boy hardware. His work can also be found in PC role-playing game Monster Crown.

We’ve included a few of Ackerman’s favorite Pokémon Sword and Shield sprites at the top of this story, but be sure to check out more of his work on Twitter and Instagram.



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Dead By Daylight Studio Hurriedly Announces Colorblind Mode After Designer Complains About Accessibility Requests

Image: Behaviour Interactive

A little over a week after a Dead by Daylight designer became publicly agitated over requests for accessibility options, developer Behaviour Interactive has announced that it is working on accommodations for colorblind players.

“This is not how we wanted to reveal this, but we feel it’s the right time,” the studio’s official Twitter account told video game accessibility advocate and advisor Steven Spohn earlier today. “We have been working on a colorblind mode for some time now and we are planning on a release shortly.”

Spohn had previously asked the developer to answer for statements made by live balance designer Ethan “Almo” Larson on his personal Twitch stream, during which he derided a viewer for “blabbing about colorblind mode all the time.”

“It’s getting really boring,” Larson said on January 12. “We’ve heard it a million times. We know. Continuing to badger us about it isn’t going to change anything. If it gets done, it’ll get done when we have time to do it or if somebody decides that it’s something that should be done. We know that a lot of players want it. We know that it’s not a small number. We get it.”

Dead by Daylight fans have long asked for a colorblind mode, as the condition can severely impact someone’s ability to play the game. According to a recent Reddit post calling for the community to boycott online play on September 6, which advocacy groups have designated as Colorblindness Awareness Day, some of the more egregious examples in the game include miniscule differences between status effect colors against the health bar and recent changes in the UI that replaced a more obvious visual indicator of character injuries with a simple red glow.

While it couldn’t provide a release date, Behaviour Interactive is hoping to add a colorblind mode to Dead by Daylight in the game’s next major update. The studio also shared examples of the work it’s done so far.

“This is not indicative of the views of the team, and we deeply apologize for any frustration or harm this may have caused,” the official Twitter account added in response to Larson’s statements.



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Breath Of The Wild Mod Makes Link’s House Suck Less

Image: Nintendo / Waikuteru

Much like his fellow millennials (who may or may not also technically be over 100 years old due to Calamity-induced death sleeps), Breath of the Wild’s Link dreams of home ownership. Unlike the rest of us, he can actually achieve that goal. There’s just one problem: The house is bad. Between the initial purchase and upgrades, it costs 4,400 rupees, and it ends up being little more than a glorified storage unit. Thank goodness for a new mod that spruces the place up a bit.

Modder Waikuteru’s “House Enhancements” mod does exactly what it says on the tin, adding a stable, a fishing pond, a cooking nook, a better bed that grants you additional hearts when you wake up, and your very own cucco buddy from whom you can extract eggs. There are also fun new decorations, including concept art on the walls, and you can access it any time with a custom warp point (which, in a clever twist, automatically banishes bad weather any time you use it).

“This mod re-imagines owning a house in BotW to make it a worthwhile purchase—something you’ll want to use regularly—all the while, retaining the original game feel and balance of the game,” Waikuteru wrote in a video description on YouTube.

It’s a solid start—functionality that, frankly, should have been in the game from the get-go. That said, I will not rest until I’m able to tame every dog in Hyrule, at which point they will take up residence in the fields around my house and live in a state of perpetual bliss. If modders can’t do this, then consider it a demand for Breath of the Wild 2. Failing that, at least let me pet them!

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