Elden Ring Datamine Suggests Malenia Used to Be an Even Tougher Boss

Elden Ring is an open-world RPG with a vast number of weapons and play styles available. This means that each Elden Ring player’s experience with the game is likely to be unique to them. Players will have differing opinions on separate areas of the game’s map, which bosses should be done in which order, and even which ending is the best. But surprisingly, most Elden Ring players can agree on which of the game’s bosses is the most difficult, namely, Malenia, Blade of Miquella.

Malenia is one of the Elden Ring’s many optional world bosses, and she reaches the top spot on most boss difficulty lists due to being a deadly combination of fast, punishing, and extremely hard hitting. Malenia also has a unique life-stealing effect which causes her health bar to regenerate with every hit she lands on the player, and this coupled with her various combos means that all of a player's progress during the boss fight can quickly be undone in a matter of seconds.

It may be hard to believe, then, but this boss fight was once even tougher in the 1.0 version of Elden Ring, which is the version of the game that can be found on game discs before any patches or updates. A FromSoftware-focused Youtuber named Kotn3l has made a video showcasing all the differences between the 1.0 version of Malenia and the version that was seen in Elden Ring upon the game’s release.

The video reveals many subtle changes that were made to Malenia’s boss fight, such as timings for attack animations and an increased propensity for blocking the player’s attacks. This 1.0 version of Malenia seems to have had increased aggression towards the player as well. Kotn3l’s video also reveals that an attack similar to Malenia’s notorious Waterfowl Dance attack was cut from Elden Ring.

The Waterfowl Dance is Malenia’s most brutal attack and features a flurry of blades swiping around the rapidly moving boss. This combo secretly acts as an AOE attack, which is why it has caught so many Elden Ring players off guard when they try to dodge through it. What Kotn3l’s video reveals, however, is that this notorious attack may not be the original Waterfowl Dance. In the 1.0 build of Elden Ring, this attack is known as Malenia’s Blade. The Boss’ second AOE flurry attack is also far more suited to the name Waterfowl Dance.

As pointed out by a commenter under Kotn3l’s video, this removed second attack has Malenia perform a similar AOE flurry of blade swipes, but this time while hopping on one foot. This is visually similar to how cranes are often depicted standing on one foot and could be where the attack originally received the name Waterfowl Dance.

Skyrim Multiplayer Mod Gets Revamped and Launches Soon

There are a few games like Mojang’s Minecraft and Bethesda’s Skyrim that have been around for over 10 years and are still just as popular as the day they released. The incredible longevity of these video games can be explained in part by their expansive worlds that never feel fully explored and the boundless creativity that they inspire in players.

In Skyrim, this inventiveness is expressed through the plethora of mods developed by the community. Almost anything that players can think up, there’s a Skyrim mod for it — fixing the title’s notorious bugs, adding quality-of-life adjustments, upscaling textures, or adding hot dog and hamburger stands. There are mods to turn Skyrim into Star Wars, Red Dead Redemption 2, and even bring areas from Morrowind like Sheogorad and Bleakrock into the game.

One Skyrim mod called Skyrim Together was in development for years before progress stalled in 2019, when the developers of Skyrim Script Extender discovered that the mod team was using its code without permission. Since then, the mod has been redeveloped and restructured to bring co-op and multiplayer capabilities to Steam’s Skyrim Special Edition. Now dubbed Skyrim Together Reborn, the revamped version of the add-on will launch on July 8.

Skyrim Together does just what its name suggests and allows 2 to 8 players to enjoy the game together. There is even a PvP mode, though it is disabled by default. The host player creates the party and is in charge of interacting with NPCs and looting quest items, and as they advance through a quest, progress is saved for each member of the party. It is also advised by the Skyrim Together development team that the same player serve as host throughout the entire playthrough.

As a party member who is not the host, players can kill quest monsters and bosses, clear dungeons, and solve puzzles. All of Skyrim’s quests, NPCs, dragons, and monsters are fully synced between all players, including animations, death states, and locations. Chest items, NPC inventories, pickpocketing, lockpicking, and dropped items are also synced, and for this reason pausing in most menus has been disabled. Random encounters like hunters, prisoners, and couriers may not appear in everyone’s world, however.

The development team also warns that, as a fairly complex add-on that syncs the progress of multiple players, Skyrim Together can potentially be buggy and also occasionally crash. The add-on’s compatibility with other mods has also not been thoroughly tested, and so the team advises disabling other mods first. Skyrim Together is also still a work in progress and the modders plan to implement additional features in the future, such as syncing the weather between players and adding map markers. Despite the limitations, the chance to play Skyrim with friends may well be worth it for some fans.

This Four-Player Speedrun of Phasmophobia Is Insane

For those who want a little challenge from their games, there's always the option to attempt a speedrun in which, as the name suggests, the goal is to complete a game as quickly as possible. With Summer Games Done Quick 2022 going on right now, there are plenty of opportunities for those interested to see some of the best runs of a wide range of titles, and all for charity as well. This year, there's been an interesting attempt in which four players decided to speedrun Phasmophobia.

Typically, runs are conducted by a single person or perhaps multiple people racing each other in a single-player game. However, it's pretty uncommon for players to perform a speedrun of a multiplayer game, especially something like Phasmophobia, which is a game often about luck. However, four people took up the challenge at this year's SGDQ, with them all attempting to uncover what the identity of the ghost in each of the game's six houses, including the slightly larger farmhouses. This was made even trickier by them all having to maintain vocal coordination while also commentating on the event.

The video is now up on YouTube, and it's pretty insane to watch. Runners Brossentia, NPC, FlannelKat, and Peace Egg were able to get through all six maps in a time of 29 minutes. That's about five minutes per map. The sheer speed at which they uncover evidence, move through the houses, and finally reach a conclusion is so impressive in a blink-and-miss-it kind of way that one of the scariest video games in recent history barely gets a chance to frighten any of the players. Through a combination of team work and in-depth knowledge of the game, it becomes a race against time rather than a slow-paced horror investigation, and it's fun to watch.

Not only is Phasmophobia one of the scariest games to come out in the last year or so, it was also one of the highest rated games on Steam. Currently it has a rating of "Overwhelmingly Positive" on the PC storefront. The game has become a staple for many streamers, and its unique take on the genre has helped the developer, Kinetic Games, become an overnight success.

There are many difficult games when it comes to speedrunning, such as Doom and Bloodborne, but it takes a certain level of cooperation for people to make an attempt in a multiplayer setting. As Brossentia said at the start, this was not about guessing what the ghost was, but about using real evidence and deduction to succeed.

Riot Games to Begin Monitoring Valorant Voice Chat

While competitive gaming can offer some exciting experiences and even give the best players careers in eSports, there are some issues that players can face when wanting to rank up in games like CS:GO, League of Legends, and Valorant. Often these issues stem from players interacting with each other and can usually be summed up with the term "toxic behavior." Verbally harassing and trolling other players through voice chat is a problem that many gamers face and a few games have tried to fix. Back 4 Blood recorded what players said in its voice chat, for example.

Now, Riot Games, the developer behind League of Legends and Valorant, is looking to follow suit. Riot has stated in a brief update posted to the Valorant website that starting July 13 in North America, English voice chat will be recorded. This has caused some concern from players who believe this acts as an invasion of their privacy in Valorant and could lead to some unfair bans from the game.

Riot has since stated that this will be a background launch of a voice evaluation tool that it plans to launch in beta this year. The technology will use recordings of what players say in voice chat in order to determine which users are breaking behavioral policies. Essentially, this tool seeks to detect overly toxic users, working in a similar way to a recent Sony patent that sought to root out toxicity by detecting disruptive play.

Currently, Riot Games' test will only listen to the voice chat of English-speaking users. And to put their minds at ease, the developer has also stated that even if a player is found to be disruptive, it will not automatically ban them. There are "systems in place" to correct any falsely positive or negative results occurring from the detection system. Riot is clearly ramping up its stance against toxic behavior, something that many of its fans have been wanting for some time. Before changing Valorant's voice chat feature, the company previously removed the all-chat function in League of Legends to stop players from other teams from being toxic towards each other.

Even with this change being a major one to Riot's reporting of toxic behavior, the developer introduced the concept of voice chat recording Valorant some time ago. In April 2021, Riot Games updated its terms of service so that it could "record and evaluate" voices in its games, beginning with the competitive FPS. In that iteration, the company would only review recordings when an incident was reported. Now, fans are seeing a more updated version, that will presumably be much better at tracking and identifying any toxicity.

Elden Ring Fan Makes Impressive Art of the Merchant Kale

At launch, some gamers complained that Elden Ring was a graphically unimpressive game, citing games that looked more photorealistic to put down its art style. However, many more gamers came to the defense of Elden Ring, claiming that its art style is extremely unique and beautiful; the game is full of breathtaking landscapes and awe-inspiring views.

However, perhaps just as impressive as its landscapes are the game's NPCs, specifically the non-hostile ones. The diverse roster of characters one runs into on their journey through The Lands Between makes the journey all the more interesting and varied. For example, many players have made art of Elden Ring's Ranni, dedicating their works to one of their favorite characters from the game.

One of these memorable characters is the game's first merchant; found just past the daunting Elden Ring Tree Sentinel, Kale can be found in the ruins of a church that provides a safe haven from the Tree Sentinel and other nearby enemies. Along with his donkey and his campfire, the merchant is a warm, comforting presence when compared to the rampaging golden boss and the scathing sarcasm of Varre. Recently, an Elden Ring player decided to put their artistry to the test, creating an incredible art piece featuring Kale and his donkey.

Reddit user Groomgrim created the piece and posted it to the site. Besides the background, which features what looks to be Elden Ring's Stormveil Castle, the piece is dedicated almost entirely to Kale and his donkey. The level of detail in the piece is very high, showing off many small details that help to bring the piece together, such as Kale's wares laid out in front of him. The fire serves as a welcoming contrast to the dark background of the picture, as does Kale himself.

Many players took to calling Kale Santa due to his getup as well as his function; he is a cheery-looking fellow who seems entirely out of place with the surrounding dangerous wilderness, offering a reprieve from violence as well as gifts (for a price, of course). Apparently, the merchants of Elden Ring had a darker storyline originally, and were tied to the Frenzied Flame ending of the game; frankly, Kale fits better as Santa than as a potential Elden Lord.

However, it would be incredibly interesting to see what Kale could have been; while the madness questline seems quite out of place for the merchants, perhaps it would've also fleshed out their backstory. Conversely, it probably made Kale evil, and considering how loved of a character he is currently, perhaps it is best for the community that the storyline never reached the final game. Conversely, a Groomgrim piece with Kale as the Lord of Frenzied Flame would be nothing short of incredible; here's to hoping.

Skyrim Fan Makes Real-Life Sleeping Giant Inn Sign

The world of Skyrim is massive and full of many unique locales for players to visit. Unsurprisingly, many gamers have traveled to most of these destinations found in the game over the last decade. For example, one of the locations in Skyrim that players can pay a visit to during their journeys is the Sleeping Giant Inn.

Located in the town of Riverwood, the Sleeping Giant Inn is run by Delphine and is a worthwhile stopping point for weary adventurers. Not only does it have lodging for those needing to rest, but it boasts several other amenities for players to use, such as Alchemy Labs. Recently, one fan of Skyrim chose to remake a classic piece from this inn in the real world.

Taking to Reddit, a user known as KitLivingstone shared a picture of an impressive woodworking project they had recently completed. However, this woodcraft stood out because they had decided to carve a real-life version of the sign from the Sleeping Giant Inn found in Skyrim. In the image, the real-life woodcarving shared many of the same characteristics as its in-game counterpart. For instance, the name of the inn was at the top of the sign, while a beautifully carved figure of a sleeping giant occupied the bottom portion of the design. In addition, the woodcarving was painted to match the colors of the one seen in Skyrim.

Interestingly, KitLivingstone did more than just show off the artwork on Reddit. In addition, they revealed the steps necessary for creating the finely detailed woodcarving. According to the Reddit user, the sign was carved out of sweetgum wood using a CNC machine. After this was complete, their wife then painted it. Furthermore, they revealed they intended to make even more signs based on places in Skyrim in the coming weeks.

Unsurprisingly, a number of members of the Skyrim community on Reddit have commented on this incredible real-life Sleeping Giant Inn sign. In only a couple of days, the post by KitLivingstone has garnered over 4,600 upvotes. Among the comments, many praised the level of detail seen in the piece. In addition to complimenting the artist on their work, some believed that the design of the sleeping giant on the sign resembled Hagrid from the Harry Potter series.

It will be interesting to see what other creations fans of The Elder Scrolls series make in the coming days. While many are likely hoping to be able to create artwork based on the in-development Elder Scrolls 6, it appears that the game is still a long way in the future. Until more news about that project is revealed by Bethesda, gamers, such as KitLivingstone and their wife, will likely continue to craft breathtaking pieces of art based on The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim.

Steelrising Beta Happening in August

There are quite a few video games that present an alternate version of real events to play through. Some of the most well known are the Fallout franchise, which takes place in a United States dealing with the aftermath of a nuclear attack in 2077; the later entries of the Wolfenstein series in which the Nazis won World War 2; and of course the Assassin’s Creed games with their storylines that diverge greatly from their real-world historical settings. Other titles, like the upcoming Steelrising, have not yet made their mark in the gaming world but seem well positioned to do so.

Developed by Spiders, Steelrising is set in an alternate history of the French Revolution in 1789’s Paris. In this version of the story, Louix XVI is known as the Clockwork King and commands an army of automatons that is putting a violent end to the civilian uprising. As a female robot named Aegis, it is up to the player character to singlehandedly combat the King’s legions in this action RPG that has been called a faithful tribute to FromSoftware’s Bloodborne.

The game is now available for preorder on all platforms, and the developer has also announced that anybody who purchases Steelrising before its release on September 8 will receive exclusive access to the closed beta that begins on August 25. Additionally, preordering the game will earn players the Marie Antoinette cosmetic pack for Aegis. There will be two editions of Steelrising available for purchase, Standard and the Bastille Edition, which includes “The Discus Chain” exclusive weapon and “The Secrets of Cagliostro” DLC that’s already slated for an early November release.

The protagonist of Steelrising, Aegis, was introduced in a PlayStation Blog at the end of May 2022, and fans were able to learn a bit this interesting character’s backstory. Before becoming a savior of the Revolution, the automaton served as a dancer to the court, and she has now become the bodyguard of Queen Marie Antoinette.

The fairly unique setting of Steelrising could elevate its gameplay, given that the French Revolution hasn’t often been touched on in video games. And as a sleek robot, Aegis should offer up some fun combat abilities, with an increased range of motion and even aerial gameplay. She will also be somewhat customizable, with players able to adjust her facial features, body material, and even her wig.

While Steelrising offers up a Souls-like action role-playing experience, the developer’s other recent RPG, 2019’s Greedfall draws to mind BioWare titles like Mass Effect and Dragon Age. Set in a fantasy world reminiscent of the early 17th century, that game features a highly detailed world in which players must use diplomacy, stealth, and combat to survive on a newly discovered island. There are also a variety of characters – each with their own personalities, class, and backstory – who will team up with the player and can be romanced.

Xbox Game Pass Image Suggests Starfield May Arrive in 'Early 2023'

While most gaming fans want their favorite upcoming titles to be as polished as possible upon release, news of delays still can be incredibly disappointing. The delays of two of 2022's most anticipated titles, co-op shooter Redfall and highly anticipated RPG Starfield, were announced by Bethesda recently. The upcoming space-themed action RPG has remained mostly an enigma since it was unveiled, with fans only getting glimpses of trailers and pieces of Starfield concept art. However, this hasn't exactly stopped hype from building around the game, which led to an understandable amount of disappointment regarding its delay.

It is possible that fans will be able to see some Starfield gameplay at this year's Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase on June 12, which will likely only make the extended wait feel that much more painful after gamers see what Bethesda has been working on. However, the delay of Starfield may not be as long as fans first thought, as a recent Reddit image shows the prospective release date promoted on Xbox Game Pass.

User ganndalf stated that they were signing back up for Xbox Game Pass when they glanced at the page for Starfield, which will be available via the subscription service for Xbox and PC. According to the Starfield Game Pass page, the expected release date for the game is "Early 2023." While Bethesda has promised that the game will launch in the first half of next year, the "early" aspect of its release date on Game Pass may indicate that fans won't have to wait too long beyond the turn of the new year.

Those in the comment section of ganndalf's Reddit post did point out that given the vague nature of "early 2023," it could be an interchangeable wording essentially meaning the first half of the new year. So fans shouldn't plan for a Starfield launch for January 1, for example, and expectations should perhaps be put in check about Starfield 's release date. However, Bethesda fans are often optimistic gamers and hope to see the next iteration of their favorite franchise whenever a showcase takes place. There are fans hoping for some more news on The Elder Scrolls 6 at the upcoming Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase, for example.

Even with Bethesda's new expected release date of 2023, there is no guarantee that Starfield will be in players' hands at that point. It is possible that Starfield could experience another delay, especially considering the scope and level of detail it seems Bethesda is aiming for. Cyberpunk 2077 experienced multiple major delays before it eventually saw a release in late 2020. Even then, the game proved to need so much work that even the DLC expansions for Cyberpunk 2077 have since been delayed.

Resident Evil: Ethan Winters' Story May Not Be Over

The father's story may be done, but that doesn't mean that Resident Evil's Ethan Winters' story is over, with several possible avenues for his return.

At the end of Resident Evil Village, protagonist Ethan Winters sacrifices himself to destroy Mother Miranda and the Megamycete – the root cause of the events of the game and its predecessor, Resident Evil 7. Before his sacrifice, Capcom reveals that Ethan is a creation of the Mold, through vision interactions with Evelyn and Jack Baker after Mother Miranda rips his heart out from him. He discovers his regenerative Mold powers and heads off to save the day, leaving behind his wife Mia and daughter Rose.

The credits of Resident Evil Village deemed that 'The father's story is done,' which seems to suggest that fans have seen the last of Ethan, and the explosion in the unnamed Eastern European village setting of the eighth game seems to confirm this. But, Ethan Winters' story may not be over just yet, which could be explored in Resident Evil Village DLC or RE9.

Ethan Winters May Return in the Next Resident Evil

Although Ethan's regenerative powers seemed to have weakened before he blew himself and the European horror village up, he has survived death before – his heart was ripped out from his chest by Mother Miranda before fans discovered that he had a relationship with the Mold. Plus, if fan theories and investigations are to be believed, the approaching body at the end of the final cutscene with Rose Winters could actually be her very father rather than just Ethan's character model. The fact that the black van Rose was in seemed to have suddenly stopped seemingly supports this.

While it seems highly unlikely that Capcom will bring Ethan back to act as Resident Evil 9's protagonist, it won't be surprising if Ethan's story is not truly over. Although fans may not hear of a new Resident Evil game for a while, fans are more than happy to speculate of what may come next. The likelier candidate for a protagonist in Resident Evil 9 would be either Rose Winters or Chris Redfield, but there are a few ways that Capcom could approach the return of Ethan.

Resident Evil 9 should avoid making big mistakes with his return. Perhaps the most easily explainable solution would be that Ethan miraculously survived the explosion and was only able to fully recover his body over a long period of time – hitting home the fact that his Mold regeneration powers had weakened. By the time he fully regenerates, Rose has grown into a teenager and is under the protection of some agency. In this timeline, Rose will be the protagonist, but Ethan may be some sort of partner.

Another way Ethan can be reinserted into the series is by acting as a guide to Rose. In Resident Evil Village, Evelyn and Jack Baker explains that the Megamycete will store the DNA and memories of those it infects, so Ethan's imprint within the Mold could create a connection through Rose's Mold-related powers. The figure walking towards the van at the end of her cutscene in Village would be the start of Rose 'seeing' Ethan, and he would act as a guide to Rose, communicating to her in the same way as Evelyn.

But, this is Resident Evil, and Capcom could instead take a dark twist to Ethan's story – in a similar situation to Jill Valentine. The now-evil BSAA could wind of who exactly caused the explosion in the Village, and since the Mold keeps a person's memories and DNA, the organization could find a morsel of remains and figure out how to manipulate it to piece Ethan back together. Ethan, who wouldn't know how Rose looks like, acts as the pawn of the BSAA to get to the powerful Winters daughter – or maybe he could become the new embodiment of the Megamycete and is a final boss.

Either way, the story of Ethan Winters may not be over. While Resident Evil 9 has some mysteries to solve, it would also most likely have a different protagonist for players to play, and there are a few ways that Capcom could bring the Winters father back into the fold.

Elden Ring’s Radahn Festival is FromSoftware’s Most Rewarding NPC Experience

Elden Ring's Radahn Festival and Starscourge Radahn boss fight is easily FromSoftware's most unique and satisfying questline.

Many quests in FromSoftware games have players interacting with NPCs and following loose instructions that involve opaque guidelines. Indeed, FromSoftware is known for how little it holds the player’s hand, and while this is a concern for many players who are uninitiated with the developer’s niche gameplay formula, it can be a breath of fresh air to those who dislike how coddling traditional action-RPGs can be.

If players like to feel as though they must learn everything about a game’s world on their own and enjoy the struggle of finding one’s path organically, FromSoftware games such as Elden Ring may be a perfect fit. Elden Ring is more approachable than other FromSoftware titles due to how broad its scope is as an open-world game, which is new for the developer. But Elden Ring’s questlines, while as elaborate and dense as any, are also more rewarding as there are throughlines players can closely follow. One of these through lines results in Elden Ring’s Radahn Festival.

Elden Ring’s Radahn Festival is Optional, But Worth It

In Elden Ring, the Radahn Festival is a ceremonious event that comes before a battle against General Radahn. The festival is held at Redmane Castle on the southeastern corner of Caelid, where the red shores of the Wailing Dunes meet the water. This festival is a necessary prerequisite to being able to fight Starscourge Radahn, as the NPC companions who may be summoned need to be available. There are multiple ways to trigger the Radahn Festival, and it is entirely possible for players to have triggered it in a way unbeknownst to them in a first playthrough, such as not even having journeyed to Redmane Castle until the festivities had already begun. But when players arrive after it has started, they will see a number of spectral NPCs waiting for them there.

However, the Radahn Festival, as well as facing Radahn himself, is completely optional. In order to progress through the Lands Between and access the later areas, players only need to have killed two demigod bosses and activated one of their Great Runes. The choice is up to players, and as such Radahn could be avoided throughout the entire game if players choose instead to kill Godrick and Rennala, for example.

Likewise, players do not need to actually seek out and befriend the NPC summons that appear at the festival. These NPCs include Blaidd, Iron Fist Alexander, Bloody Finger Okina, Lionel the Lionhearted, Great Horned Tragoth, Castellan Jerren, Finger Maiden Therolina, and Patches. Many of these characters are not actually NPCs players can find to interact with anyway, while quests for some of them are long-winded and may span the entire game.