Desert Statue Teaser Concludes at The Game Awards 2025
A month-long mystery surrounding a strange statue discovered in the Mojave Desert was resolved during The Game Awards 2025, where Larian Studios officially announced a new entry in its Divinity franchise. The reveal confirmed widespread speculation that the installation was part of a major game marketing campaign tied to the annual awards show.
The statue first drew attention after being shared publicly by The Game Awards host Geoff Keighley. Its unusual design and unexplained placement sparked online debate, with fans speculating connections to franchises such as God of War or Diablo. The object was later relocated to Los Angeles, where reports and leaks began narrowing its likely origin ahead of the event.
Larian Studios Reveals Next Divinity Title
During the awards ceremony, Larian Studios confirmed it was responsible for the teaser and unveiled its next project set in the Divinity universe. The studio described the game as its largest production to date, marking its first major announcement since the release of Baldur’s Gate 3.
Larian last released Baldur’s Gate 3 in 2023, a title that went on to win Game of the Year and significantly raised the studio’s profile within the industry. The announcement positions Divinity as the studio’s next flagship role-playing series following that success.
Trailer Presentation and Visual Tone
The reveal trailer leaned heavily into dark fantasy imagery and graphic violence. It opens with what appears to be a ceremonial gathering before escalating into chaos, emphasizing brutality and destruction. The statue featured in the desert teaser is shown to be more grotesque and central to the game’s themes than initially suggested by its real-world appearance.
While the trailer established tone and atmosphere, it did not provide story specifics, gameplay footage, or insight into how the new title will mechanically differ from previous Divinity entries.
No Release Window or Platform Details Yet
Larian Studios did not announce a release date, platforms, or additional development details during the presentation. No follow-up information was provided regarding early access plans or timelines, approaches the studio has previously used for large-scale RPG development.
For now, the announcement serves as a confirmation of the project’s existence rather than a detailed roadmap. Further updates are expected at a later date as development progresses.

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New Content and Expansion Updates
Patch 1.5.0 for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 introduces a substantial set of new content, headlined by Verso’s Drafts, a newly playable environment located on the World Map near Lumière. Accessible from Act III, the area requires Esquie’s Underwater ability and features fresh enemy encounters and environmental surprises. Late-game players also gain access to new boss battles in the Endless Tower, presenting more demanding variations of iconic encounters from the main campaign.
The update expands progression and collection options with new Luminas and Weapons, alongside the addition of the Old Key quest item to the final area of the game. Previously limited to the Prologue, the Old Key’s new placement allows players to complete all journals within a single playthrough. Cosmetic customization has also been expanded with new costumes available for every member of the Expedition.
Gameplay Features and Quality-of-Life Improvements
Several new systems aim to improve flexibility and player control. Photo Mode has been added and is accessible at any time through the pause menu, offering a wide range of settings for capturing in-game moments. The new Lumina Sets feature allows players to save up to 50 distinct loadouts, enabling rapid adaptation to different combat strategies. An Abandon Battle option has been introduced to the in-battle pause menu, and a HUD Scale setting now allows interface elements to be resized between 80% and 120%.
User interface improvements include new filters for Pictos and Luminas, general UI refinements, and full controller input remapping. Text legibility has been improved globally across the game.
Technical Updates and Platform Support
Patch 1.5.0 adds FSR 4 support, including AMD temporal upscaling and Frame Generation for smoother performance on compatible GPUs. The game is now officially certified for Steam Deck and ROG Xbox Ally, with targeted improvements such as corrected FPS limits, proper VSync toggling, and platform-specific graphics settings.
First-time setup has been streamlined, with controller support added to installation wizards and seamless switching between external controllers and Steam Deck controls. Multiple fog and lighting issues have been resolved, addressing overexposed areas in the Visages, overly dark zones in the Endless Tower, and excessively intense effects during the Flying Manor boss fight.
Bug Fixes and Balance Corrections
This update resolves a range of gameplay and technical bugs. Issues with Battle Retry spawning players outside the world, inaccurate playtime tracking on save files, and inventory sort order persistence have been fixed. PC-specific fixes include restored access to Intel XeSS Frame Generation on Game Pass and the resolution of Windows input issues involving diacritic characters.
Several balance corrections address unintended behavior. Breaking Death now only affects the enemy responsible for a character’s death First Strike turn order properly respects Speed values, and Boucharo’s Critical Chance bonus has been corrected from 150% to 50%. Additional Luminas that were granting unintended hidden damage bonuses have also been adjusted to their intended values.

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Overview and Update Availability
TaleWorlds Entertainment has released new updates for Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord and its War Sails expansion, bringing both targeted fixes and broader stability improvements. The update is distributed as War Sails version 1.0.6 alongside Bannerlord base game version 1.3.10. Developers caution that players may experience crashes if the base game and expansion do not finish downloading before launching the game, advising affected users to verify game files before launching. Console versions will receive the update after a short delay due to platform certification processes, with the PC release intended to gather early performance data and player feedback.
War Sails Expansion Fixes
War Sails v1.0.6 focuses primarily on resolving quest progression issues, interaction bugs, and visual inconsistencies specific to the naval-focused expansion. A notable fix addresses the “Capture the Merchant Crusas” quest, which could previously become stuck in dialogue if players attempted the mission a second time after abandoning story mode or losing an encounter. Interaction logic was also corrected so that objects on burning ships are no longer usable, aligning gameplay behavior with visual state. In addition, certain weapons, including axes and javelins, now display correct textures when holstered, resolving a cosmetic issue reported since launch.
Stability and Crash Resolution in War Sails
Several crashes affecting naval and dungeon gameplay have been resolved in this update. These include crashes occurring during game launch or save loading due to incorrect resource handling, as well as crashes tied to specific quest scenarios. Stability has been improved during the final naval phase of the “Free the Sea Hounds’ Captives” quest, during prison breaks in Nord dungeons, and when players focus on ship control points after assuming command of friendly troops. Another fix prevents crashes when AI parties encounter land-based besiegers while a blockade-breaking battle is active, addressing a complex edge case involving overlapping systems.
Bannerlord Base Game Improvements
The Bannerlord v1.3.10 update applies to all players, including those using the War Sails expansion. Localization improvements enhance the clarity and sharpness of the Chinese font, improving readability across menus and dialogue. Gameplay fixes correct an issue where hideout victories granted only bonus loot instead of providing it alongside standard battle rewards. Visual issues were also addressed, resolving cases where certain scenes, such as arenas, displayed unintended blue textures.
Base Game Crash Fixes
Additional crash fixes improve campaign stability. One resolved crash occurred when entering Tevea during the “Villagers in Need” quest while simultaneously tracking “Notable Wants Daughter Found” in the same location. Another fix addresses crashes on the campaign map caused by excessive nameplates being visible at once. Together, these changes aim to provide a more stable experience across both the base game and its naval expansion.

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Overview of Update 11.00.0
RAID: Shadow Legends has released Update 11.00.0, introducing a new endgame mode, additional progression systems, quality-of-life improvements, and targeted Champion rebalances. The update expands long-term content through exploration-focused gameplay while addressing balance and technical issues across multiple areas of the game.
New Game Mode and Content
The headline addition is the Grim Forest, a new exploratory mode featuring branching paths, dense fog mechanics, and unique boss encounters. Players progress through the area to earn exclusive rewards, including a new resource called Bloodbriars, used to craft newly added Relics. Full completion of the Grim Forest grants access to a new Mythical Champion and exclusive gear rewards.
The update also adds Anaxia the Reborn, a Mythical Champion from the Lizardmen faction. Designed as a hybrid Champion, Anaxia provides sustain and debuff utility in her Base Form before shifting to a more aggressive Alternate Form. She is obtainable exclusively through Grim Forest progression.
Additional cosmetic and progression rewards include a new Avatar Frame tied to Grim Forest exploration and eight new craftable Relics, all integrated into the new mode’s reward structure.
Gear, Relics, and Progression Systems
A new Mercurial Gear Set becomes available through the Grim Forest. Intended primarily for Support Champions, the set provides bonuses to HP, Resistance, Speed, and a unique Total Guard mechanic that blocks instances of incoming damage and their associated effects.
Storage limits for Artifacts and Accessories have been expanded to 2,000 slots each, easing long-term inventory pressure for high-engagement players. Team management has also been improved with added Champion filters and name search functionality in the Team Setup screen, alongside the ability to access the pre-battle window without sufficient resources to start a fight.
Champion Balance Adjustments
Two winter-themed Champions received notable reworks. Sir Nicholas gained higher Freeze application chances, improved damage scaling, additional defensive utility, and new synergy effects when paired with Lady Noelle, including enhanced debuff reliability and Ignore DEF mitigation through a new passive skill.
Gliseah Soulguide received broader control and tempo enhancements. Her kit now includes buff stealing, debuff spreading tied to Freeze effects, increased Freeze application chances, and improved Turn Meter manipulation for allies. Her passive ability was also updated to more reliably counter cooldown-increasing effects and grant Instant Turns under specific conditions.
Bug Fixes and Technical Improvements
Update 11.00.0 resolves a wide range of issues, including visual glitches affecting debuffs, Champion models, UI elements, and dungeon environments. Gameplay bugs related to Champion passives, counterattacks, revives, cooldown interactions, and Tag Team Arena behavior were also addressed. Additional fixes improve Fusion selection reliability, quest progression tracking, and background multi-battle stability.
The update is now live across all platforms.

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Blizzard Reveals Paladin and Lord of Hatred Expansion at The Game Awards
Blizzard Entertainment used The Game Awards to unveil major updates for Diablo IV, confirming the long-anticipated Paladin class, a second unannounced class, and the return of the Horadric Cube. These additions are tied to the upcoming Lord of Hatred expansion, scheduled to launch on April 28, 2026. The announcement coincided with the start of Season 11, titled Season of Divine Intervention, which goes live tonight at 8:30 pm PST / 11:30 pm EST.
Paladin Class Arrives With Season 11 Early Access
The Paladin becomes playable in Diablo IV during Season 11, but only for players who pre-purchase the Lord of Hatred expansion. The class represents the franchise’s classic sword-and-shield holy warrior, last seen in Diablo II and later reinterpreted as the Crusader in Diablo III.
In Diablo IV, the Paladin is built around heavy melee combat, Holy damage, and party support. Confirmed returning abilities include Auras, Blessed Hammer, Blessed Shield, Condemn, Zeal, and Heaven’s Fury. Blizzard also introduced an Oath system that defines build direction through four paths: Juggernaut (shield-focused defense), Zealot (aggressive melee), Judicator (holy spellcasting), and Disciple (angelic transformation with flight and divine weapons).
Lord of Hatred Expansion Details
Lord of Hatred is Diablo IV’s second Mephisto-focused expansion and serves as the conclusion to Blizzard’s “Age of Hatred Saga.” Players will confront Mephisto while exploring Skovos, an ancient region tied to the origins of Sanctuary and the histories of Lilith and Inarius.
The expansion introduces sweeping system changes, including reworked skill trees, an increased level cap, new endgame activities such as War Plans and the Echoing Hatred gauntlet, and long-requested quality-of-life features like loot filters. The Horadric Cube returns as part of an expanded crafting system. Blizzard also confirmed a second playable class arriving alongside the expansion, though no details were shared.
Additional Features and Side Activities
Beyond core combat updates, Lord of Hatred adds fishing as a non-combat activity across Sanctuary’s waterways. While brief, Blizzard positioned the feature as an optional diversion rather than a progression system, offering players a slower-paced activity between battles.
Editions and Pre-Purchase Bonuses
Pre-purchasing Lord of Hatred grants immediate access to the existing Vessel of Hatred expansion, early access to the Paladin class, one additional Stash Tab, two Character Slots, and select World of Warcraft cosmetic items.
The expansion is available in three editions. The Standard Edition includes Vessel of Hatred. The Deluxe Edition adds cosmetic bundles, a pet, mount, and a Premium Battle Pass. The Ultimate Edition further includes multiple armor sets, 3,000 Platinum, additional cosmetics, and exclusive mounts and town portal skins, all unlocking when the expansion launches in April 2026.

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Wartales Expansion “The Curse of Rigel” Launches
Shiro Games has released The Curse of Rigel, a new expansion for Wartales. The DLC introduces Rigel, a previously unexplored county within the kingdom of Alazar, where a spreading curse has drawn the attention of the crown. Players are contracted by the king’s Prime Surgeon and accompanied by the Royal Knights to investigate the origin of the affliction and attempt to contain it.
Exploring the Weald and Managing Sanity
Rigel is dominated by the Weald, a dense and hostile forest that fundamentally alters exploration. Entry requires a Lantern powered by a new fuel resource, and navigation is deliberately restricted: the fog of war does not lift, player position is hidden, and there is no visible compass or time indicator. As troops advance, they experience hallucinations that drain a new Sanity gauge. If Sanity reaches zero, the party is forced to flee the Weald.
Within the forest, players can discover Grafts, rare materials tied directly to the expansion’s progression systems.
Scientific Research and Lycanthropes
Grafts are used in a new Scientific Research system conducted through the Field Laboratory camp structure. Research consumes one rest per session and unlocks permanent benefits, including world passives, new combat or crafting options, and upgrades for Lycanthropes.
Lycanthropes are individuals consumed by the Rigel curse, capable of transforming into wolf-like creatures. Their threat level increases as light diminishes in the Weald. Players can capture Lycanthropes or have companions become infected, voluntarily or otherwise. Infected units can evolve into either a Lycanthrope or a Hypertrophied Lycanthrope, each with distinct skill trees and finishers. Additional depth is provided through craftable mutations that enhance or unlock abilities.
Expansion Content Overview
The Curse of Rigel adds one new region, Rigel, alongside the Royal Knights faction featuring seven units. Content highlights include two new unit types, an arena, two champions, one ruin, 16 weapons, three armor sets with helmets, three armor layers, new plants, graft-based crafting components, camp tools, accessories, consumables, mutations, food items, traits, trinkets, confessions, a tavern song, and a new starting scenario with an exclusive DLC bonus.
Free Update Introduces the Thaumaturge Class
Alongside the DLC, a free update adds the Thaumaturge class to Wartales. Thaumaturges wield a Censer paired with a Flask and specialize in storing smoke to unleash scalable effects. Each subclass features a unique Concoction ability, with performance tied to accumulated smoke.
The Thaumaturge is a support-oriented class capable of buffing allies, applying damage-over-time effects, inflicting debuffs, and healing. Thaumaturges can appear among enemy factions and be recruited, with variants found in groups such as Bandits, Alazar Soldiers, Trackers, the Inquisition, and the Brotherhood, each using a distinct Censer.

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The Outer Worlds 2 Receives Major Update with Patch 1.0.6.0
Obsidian Entertainment has released Patch 1.0.6.0 for The Outer Worlds 2, implementing a wide range of stability improvements, quest bug fixes, gameplay refinements, and visual enhancements. The update targets issues reported by the player community and aims to provide a more consistent gameplay experience across all supported platforms.
Developer Statements and Community Acknowledgment
The development team at Obsidian stated this patch addresses many community-reported concerns, including quest progression barriers and platform-specific stability. In reference to a key fix, the developers noted, "Patch 1.0.6.0 ensures the 'Go Out With a Bang' achievement properly unlocks." The update list also includes a series of fixes for both critical progression bugs as well as minor inconsistencies.
Patch 1.0.6.0: Notable Fixes and Changes
Quest and Progression
A range of quest-related issues have been resolved. Notably, scenarios blocking players from progressing—such as blocked antidote synthesis for Product Envisioner Omid Ormsby, repeated quest triggers on Paradise Island, and issues with the “Diabolical Drones of Doom” quest—have been fixed.
Companion behavior in quests has been refined. Niles is now able to build explosive gel and no longer becomes stuck in specific areas. Inez’s quest states have been corrected for players with low Auntie’s Choice reputation.
Multiple quest-related bugs with conversation triggers, item beacons, and the handling of quest addenda have been addressed.
A series of spoilers-tagged fixes, such as preventing progression blockers in key story missions and adjusting character fates in the epilogue, have been implemented, improving narrative consistency.
Gameplay and Systems
Adjustments reduce stuttering in several levels and address situations where weapons or companions would not properly appear for the player.
Vendor behaviors have been modified to prevent unintended buyback prices and duplicate items. Item value calculation and discount/surcharge application are now consistent.
Updates have been made to ensure switches and levers no longer become disabled when saving during animation sequences.
Companions now appear and behave correctly on the player’s ship, and are less likely to block the player during combat.
Additional graphical options have been introduced, including toggles for Lens Flare intensity, Bloom intensity, and support for AMD FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution) 4 Frame Generation.
Visual, Audio, and User Interface Improvements
Visual bugs, including flickering lights with Raytracing enabled, asset clipping, and environmental collision problems, have been corrected.
Art updates improve terrain visuals, shadow accuracy, and object placement across multiple locations such as Paradise Island and Golden Ridge.
Animation fixes correct weapon handling, third-person movement stuttering, facial adjustments, and cinematic transitions. The update also addresses animation blending and resolves desynchronization issues between NPCs and props.
UI updates provide more consistent display of equipment and notifications, add a Field of View slider for third person, and improve support for accessibility and language options.
Audio adjustments increase consistency of grenade and environmental sounds, with focused updates on level performance and dialogue clarity in key quest moments.
Platform, Release, and Distribution Notes
Patch 1.0.6.0 is now available for all supported platforms, including PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. A specific warning prompt will now appear when launching the game on PlayStation 5 if the download has not completed, aiming to prevent possible corruption or crashes. The update also includes improvements targeting system-specific crashes and hangs, particularly those reported on PlayStation hardware and during certain menu interactions on PC.
Players are encouraged to update to the latest patch to benefit from enhanced gameplay stability and resolved progression issues. No changes to previously announced release dates or scheduled downloadable content were mentioned in relation to this patch.

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Hotfix 7.0.2 Released for Total War: WARHAMMER III
Total War: WARHAMMER III received Hotfix 7.0.2, addressing multiple stability, localization, and gameplay issues following the recent launch of Thrones of Decay (Patch 7.0.0). The update was made available across all platforms.
Performance and Stability Updates
Hotfix 7.0.2 resolves critical crashes impacting multiplayer and quest battles. Notably, a crash that occurred when opening the Patrons of Ulthuan panel during High Elves multiplayer campaigns has been fixed. Another stability improvement addresses a crash-to-desktop issue for users with only the Champions of Chaos DLC who attempted Vilitch the Curseling’s ‘The Altar of Battle’ quest battle.
Campaign and Battle Fixes
Several gameplay errors were also corrected in the campaign and battle modes. Players can no longer interact multiple times with Monstrous Arcanum markers after completing their related missions, rectifying a loophole related to repeatable mission interactions. In addition, settlement garrison leaders will no longer erroneously gain immortality from Minor Cult Pleasure Palaces.
For battle instances, quest battles tied to Monstrous Arcanum will now have correct deployment zones when accessed via teleportation, resolving inconsistencies that occasionally affected battle starts.
Localization and Assembly Kit Improvements
The update includes broad localization improvements, fixing untranslated text and updating translations across several languages, including Brazilian Portuguese, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Russian, Turkish, Korean, and Czech.
Additionally, a problem affecting modders using the Assembly Kit BOB tool has been addressed. Campaign processing disruptions caused by incompatibility with the latest Gaming Services update on the Microsoft Store have now been resolved.
Ongoing Investigations and Known Issues
In the patch notes, Creative Assembly acknowledged several outstanding issues currently under investigation:
The "Heralds of Civilization" unlock on turn 1 allows Aislinn to amass up to 30,000 gold on turn 2 via joining wars against minor factions.
In second-stage Monster Arcanum hunt events, enemies may retreat unexpectedly after the player interacts with the marker.
Two High Elf factions can complete the Caradryan hero quest, potentially enabling one faction to confederate the other and receive two Caradryan heroes.
The Sea Patrol Outpost building chain does not provide its intended Control effect.
The Ashtari mount disappears when switching mounts as Caradryan.
Audio is currently missing for Merwyrm, Dread Maw, Dechala, and other units on the Steam version (Patch 7.0.1/7.0.2), though this issue was not observed in local testing.
The team highlighted that these are only selections of actively monitored community concerns; other issues are also being investigated.
Player Guidance and Mod Compatibility
Players encountering problems after the update are advised to verify their game files to ensure downloads completed correctly; support resources remain available for further troubleshooting. Additionally, users of community-made mods are cautioned that compatibility issues may arise following game updates. Disabling mods is recommended to help isolate the source of any new performance or stability problems.
Hotfix 7.0.2 is now live for all Total War: WARHAMMER III players. Further updates and resolutions to known issues are expected in future patches.

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I agree. So far, there does not seem to be any complaints. I feel once you have one sidekick and you have customised it and named it, you don't really need another.