Getting Started In Shadow Of The Erdtree And More Gaming Tips For The Week

Image: FromSoftware / Bandai Namco, Bandai Namco, id Software / RedCandleGames / BioWare, Screenshot: Square Enix / Claire Jackson / Kotaku, Bethesda / Claire Jackson / Kotaku, Warner Bros. / Kotaku, miHoYo / Kotaku, FromSoftware, Activision / Kotaku, FromSoftware / Kotaku

This week, we’ve got tips for helping you get started on the right foot in Shadow of the Erdtree. We’ll also help you determine just which of the many swords Cloud finds in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the best, and how to use Starfield’s robust new settings to tailor the game to your liking. 

Screenshot: Square Enix / Claire Jackson / Kotaku

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is full of unique weapons to equip your party with, each with their own pros and cons. Cloud, the game’s main protagonist and master swordsman, has seven different blades to choose from. But which is best? – Claire Jackson Read More

Image: Bandai Namco

There is only one day until Shadow of the Erdtree launches, and ahead of the DLC’s release, Elden Ring is dropping a major patch. Version 1.12 is now live on all platforms and comes with a lengthy list of balance adjustments, bug fixes, and new features. While the most prominent note is that the game now has support for the much-anticipated DLC, a big win for all players is the ability to summon Torrent in the base game’s climactic final boss fight. – Willa Rowe Read More

Screenshot: Bethesda / Claire Jackson / Kotaku

After a few rounds of updates, Starfield is slowly shifting into something quite different from what originally launched on September 4, 2023. And I’m not just talking about the cool new mods that are quick and easy to install now thanks to the Creations suite. As of May 2024, a bunch of new features have been added to Starfield’s settings menus that let you subtly and dramatically change how the game plays. – Claire Jackson Read More

Screenshot: Warner Bros. / Kotaku

Welcome to the first in a long line of MultiVersus character guides. As the first wave of post-launch patches has begun, I’ll now be diving in, starting with three brand new characters in order to offer some tips and general strategies to help you get a leg up. First up, it’s Jason. – Lucas White Read More

Screenshot: miHoYo / Kotaku

Honkai: Star Rail concludes its Penacony chapter with two highly anticipated characters arriving in its 2.3 epilogue. HoYo’s turn-based RPG is still worth playing a year later, with its riveting story and complex combat, and that’s partly thanks to Firefly and Jade. But who should you choose in the coming month? – Jess Reyes Read More

Screenshot: FromSoftware

Real talk: there’s nothing that truly prepares you for jumping into a Souls game. But even FromSoftware knows a fair warning about what’s coming can go a hell of a long way. So, take it from one who has traversed the Realm of Shadow and (sorta) lived to tell the tale, there’s a few things I can tell those who will be walking in Miquella the Kind’s footsteps. Here are X things I wish I had known before starting Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. – Justin Clark Read More

Screenshot: Activision / Kotaku

Despite the massive size of its map, Warzone rewards fast-paced, frantic gameplay through close-quarters combat. You’re rewarded for playing aggressively, pushing the enemy, and not letting them catch a breath. To accomplish this feat, submachine guns reign supreme. They’re the ultimate close-quarters battle weapon, with a fast rate of fire, large magazine size, and high DPS. But you can’t carry every submachine gun with you, so choosing the right one could mean the difference between taking home the win or falling by the wayside in Low Town. – Brandon Morgan Read More

Image: id Software / RedCandleGames / BioWare

It is now officially summer. Yesterday, the solstice (Litha, as it’s known to some) brought us our longest day of the calendar year, and now we march on to ever darkening days. But right now, we’re just marching on into the weekend to spend that time off in some delightful digital realms. – Claire Jackson Read More

Screenshot: FromSoftware / Kotaku

There’s a place called prison and a place called gaol….

Stepping foot into the Realm of Shadow in Shadow of the Erdtree will present players with a hell of a lot of options. In one direction, there’s a church with a knight with a comically large mace, in another a giant sentient Wicker Man, in another, there’s a dank swamp with even danker soldiers. And then there’s you, more than likely still trying to get your Elden Ring sea legs back, trying to figure out where to go, until you wind up a little ways west of a burned down shanty town, through a nest of birds, headed down into a mausoleum where certain death is waiting with his best friend, his crossbow. As it turns out, though, the Blackgaol Knight is the only thing standing between you and some of the best bits of armor for your early travels. Guess you might as well kill him. Here’s how. – Justin Clark Read More