Panic over. At least for now. Sort of. Fresh off of the news that Helldivers 2 is getting some fresh content in May, April’s closed with the Illuminate’s planet-eating death ball being stopped in its tracks – something players have been working towards for ages.
Yep, this is not a drill. The Illuminate have gone into hiding too. Take that, the colour purple! I’m sure this relative peace will last forever, and that “more exciting news to come” not long after the next Warbond won’t have a chance of kicking off more squid shenanigans.
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If you take a glance at the Galactic War map right now on April 30, you’ll see no trace of the faction the divers have been going at it with on the reg for the past few months – there are only Automatons and Terminids left, because those two old foes will never totally die out. Though, as Arrowhead explained in its latest briefing, neither have the Illuminate.
“The Meridian Singularity has come to a halt,” this briefing reads, “The Illuminate have disappeared completely; Ministry of Defense analysts have concluded this is likely explained by too few remaining to present a significant threat. The enemy is likely attempting to evade detection in order to survive a second total annihilation.”
MAJOR ORDER: The Meridian Singularity has come to a halt. The Illuminate have disappeared completely; Ministry of Defense analysts have concluded this is likely explained by too few remaining to present a significant threat. The enemy is likely attempting to evade detection in… pic.twitter.com/oF9Ohtlkml
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So, the big wormhole thing that was on its way to try and add the Helldivers’ home planet of Super Earth to the list of worlds it’s blown to smithereens has stopped in its tracks, and the squids have made a tactical retreat. Nice.
This is Helldivers 2 though, meaning the fighting’s never over and there’s still a fresh major order. “The Terminids and Automatons remain significant threats,” Arrowhead continued, “In the Illuminate’s final hours, they dealt significant damage to the defenses of multiple strategic sites across both battlefronts, granting the opportunity for our foes to capture formerly well-defended territory.” Damn. It can never be easy, can it.
So, players are now taking on the task of holding on those weakened sites – the planets Fenrir III, Turing, Claorell, Mastia, and Achernar Secundus. As of writing, the latter two are being battled for, while the first two are currently held by Super Earth with just over five days left on the order. So, by the time it runs its course, that next Warbond reveal on May 8 will be just around the corner.
Are you glad to see that the death ball has stopped rolling towards your Super loved ones? Let us know below!
The Adventures of Robin Hood is another new one, this time an elaborate adventure game packed full of surprises. Players take on the roles of Robin Hood and his Merry Men and embark on a range of missions to help the poor and thwart the Sherriff of Nottingham’s evil schemes. A hardback story book and a great big board full of secret advent calendar-style doors to open are just a couple of the delights in store in this box!
Browse the full selection of games in our shop here or use the ‘family games’ filter to narrow down your search. We’re hoping to manage one more ‘Top 5’ list before Christmas arrives… watch this space, and click back through our previous posts for more suggestions.
Both spells have continuous effects which modify the creature’s characteristics in Layer 2, and the one with the latest timestamp wins. It doesn’t matter that Act of Treason is only temporary (and one could say Donate doesn’t have a duration at all):
611.2a A continuous effect generated by the resolution of a spell or ability lasts as long as stated by the spell or ability creating it (such as “until end of turn”). If no duration is stated, it lasts until the end of the game.
613.1b Layer 2: Control-changing effects are applied.
613.3. Within layers 2–6, apply effects from characteristic-defining abilities first (see rule 604.3), then all other effects in timestamp order (see rule 613.7). Note that dependency may alter the order in which effects are applied within a layer. (See rule 613.8.)
The situation would have been different if Act of Treason had read something like
Gain control of target creature. At the end of turn, return it to its owner’s control.
because then that last part would be ‘later’ than, and overriding the effect of, your Donate.
A related example: you cast Donate on one of your creatures and give it to Player C. Player A casts Act of Treason so it comes under Player A’s control; at the end of turn, it’s returned to Player C, not to you.
Matt: Hello! I’m crawling my way out of the Covid mines and am Technically Ready™ to do stuff again! This week on the website we’ve got another collection tour video. Ooh, very exciting! I’d offer further details, but I’m enjoying the mystery of it all too much. Will it be a collection of board games, or hedges, or eggs? Who will be the owner of the collection? Will it be Mystery Kevin, from Mystransylvania?
The mysteries continue: We’ve also got, potentially, another Tunic stream with Tom this week – You can watch the last bits as VODs on Twitch: give the channel a follow if you want to be notified if and when he’s logging on for more chill times.
I must depart the mystery zone now, as there are too many mysteries and I am getting scared. What are you getting up to this week, and how scared are you about that on a scale of 1 to 10?
Beaks just had its first major update, and with it came Quests. These are completely optional, but still a great way to earn some extra XP, currency, and even darts. We’re going to tell you how to start and complete every single one in this All Roblox Beaks Quests Guide.
All Benny Beaks Quests in Roblox Beaks
Screenshot by The Escapist
When you first start playing the game, you’ll be at Beakwoods Camp. On the Right of the sign, you should see Benny Beaks, who has a few tutorial quests for you. Even if you already have a high-level character in Beaks, you should still do these because they take less than a few minutes, and they give you a bunch of darts. You have to finish these in order.
Capture 10 birds Quest
Screenshot by The Escapist
Just like it sounds. Equip your gun and capture 10 birds. Any will do, so feel free to capture 10 Pidgeons or 10 Parrots, which are all over the place. Go back and talk to Benny when you’ve captured 10.
Reward: 50 Coins, 20 XP
The Bird Collector
Screenshot by The Escapist
After catching your 10 birds, Benny tells you to sell them to the Bird Collector. Walk up to the Bird Bazaar NPC (it’s just next to you), and ask to sell all your birds (or if you want to keep a few, just sell 10). Return to Benny for your reward.
Reward: 50 Coins, 20 XP
The Dartsmith
Screenshot by The Escapist
This is actually a great way to see how the Beaks developers reworked the Dartsmith. Before the update, you had to pay 200 Coins to get around 4-5 random darts. Now, you can pick the darts you need, and buy them in sets from just one to up to 10.
Visit the Dartsmith who is next to the notice board and craft any dart. We recommend you get 10 Iron Darts, but you only really need one for the quest. Return to Benny for your reward.
Reward: 15 Steel Darts, 100 Coins, 25 XP
The Gunsmith
Screenshot by The Escapist
This one can take a few minutes. You need to have 1,500 Coins to buy the Hunter Rifle from the Gunsmith at Beakwoods. So, go into the field and start gunning down birds and then selling them to the Bird Collector. This is a great way to learn the loop of the game. Once you have 1,500 Coins, buy the gun from the Gunsmith. Return to Benny for your reward.
Now, if you already bought the Hunter Rifle before the quest was added, simply talk to the Gunsmith, then unequip and equip the Hunter Rifle again. You won’t get the progress, but with your Hunter Rifle equipped, talk to Benny, and that should finish the quest.
Jimmy is the innocent-looking NPC just outside Beakwoods camp (on your way to Quill Lake). He has a few quests that further teach you about different kinds of birds.
Jimmy’s First Quest!
Screenshot by The Escapist
Jimmy wants you to collect 5 common and 2 uncommon birds. You’ve probably already figured out that birds like Parrots and Pigeons are really common, while Bulbuls, Sparrows, and Goldflinches are somewhat uncommon (but you really shouldn’t have a problem finding two of them). Once you capture the birds, talk to Jimmy for your reward and next quest.
Reward: 50 Coins, 25 XP
Beakwood’s Rare Birds!
Screenshot by The Escapist
Jimmy wants you to catch 3 rare birds. Rare birds (in Beakwoods) include: Crossbills, Woodpeckers, and Hummingbirds. Out of all of these, Crossbills and Hummingbirds are the easiest to notice. Just look for anything blue flying around or anything red flying somewhat high. If you can’t see them right away, try to shoot some common birds until these rare ones eventually spawn. It shouldn’t take you too long. Return to Jimmy for your reward and one more quest.
Reward: 75 Coins, 50 XP
Beakwood’s Mutated Birds!
Screenshot by The Escapist
Jimmy wants you to capture 3 mutated birds in Beakwoods. These can be of any rarity, so even 3 mutated Pidgeons are good. For this one, just look for any bird with weird colors or glowing eyes and gun it down. It shouldn’t take you much longer than the Rare Birds quest. Once you gun down the 3 mutated birds, report to Jimmy for your reward.
Reward: 30 Smoke Darts, 75 Coins, 50 XP
All Moon Quests in Roblox Beaks
Screenshot by The Escapist
Just before you arrive at the Quill Lake sign, you should spot Moon the Beakwoods Guardian.
Moon’s Quest
Screenshot by The Escapist
Moon wants you to complete the Beakwoods bestiary. Honestly, out of all bestiaries, the Beakwoods one is likely the easiest. Simply shoot birds until you fill it out (don’t forget about the birds that fly high above the trees) and return to Moon.
Reward: 25 Smoke Darts, 20 Golden Darts, 250 Coins, 100 XP
All Star Quests in Roblox Beaks
Screenshot by The Escapist
When you reach Quill Lake, you can find Star (Quill Guardian) standing on one of the elevated piers. She actually gives you a choice between two quests, and you can even repeat one (but you probably shouldn’t).
Lake Birds
Screenshot by The Escapist
Getting into some tougher quests. What you need to do is complete the Quill Lake Bestiary. Refer to our Roblox Beaks All Birds Guide for a list of all birds in the game. When you have the full bestiary, return to Star, and you can then accept the other quest. We recommend you pair this quest with other ones (such as Garden of Eden) because it can take a while.
Reward: 25 Golden Darts, 20 Smoke Darts, 20 Steel Darts, 25 Iron Darts, 1,000 Coins, 500 XP
The Wishing Well
Screenshot by The Escapist
This one is entirely luck-dependent. You need to use a regular bird on a Wishing Well and (hopefully) get the Bio-Luminous mutation on this same bird. Refer to our Ultimate Roblox Beaks Beginner’s Guide to learn where the Wishing Well is. Essentially, grab any common bird (a Swan worked for us) and dunk them until you get the Bio-Luminous Mutation. Needless to say, this can take a while, so just be patient and if you get bored, just go and do something else. It’s RNG after all.
Note: this quest is repeatable (for some reason)
Reward: No reward (because reasons)
All Laken Quests in Roblox Beaks
Screenshot by The Escapist
Find Laken in Quill Lake, who is just under the Camp NPC.
Garden of Eden
You need to capture 10 vibrant birds that reflect the beauty of nature. What the game actually means is that it wants 10 birds with nature-like mutations. These are the Cherry and the Mossy Mutation. This can take a while, so we recommend you pair it with the
All Vito Quests in Roblox Beaks
Screenshot by The Escapist
Vito the Quill Lake Veteran is stationed in Silverstone Camp (the place where you can get the Night and Thermal Vision Goggles).
Big Birds of Quill
Vito’s first quest is for you to capture bigger birds. Pretty much, anything bigger than a Swan is considered a big bird on Quill Lake. So go and hunt down Flamingos, Storks, Sandhill Cranes, Pelicans, and Great Egrets. This shouldn’t take you too long.
Reward: 750 Coins, 500 XP
The Wishing Well (Vito)
Screenshot by The Escapist
After you finish the quest above, Vito wants you to “sacrifice” a bird to the Wishing Well, so go and do just that. Simply put ANY bird into the wishing well, and once it comes back, you’ll get the progress. Simple as that.
Reward: 100 Coins, 75 XP
Double Trouble
Screenshot by The Escapist
Vito wants you to capture 5 different species of birds, each with two different mutations. Honestly, just do this one as you do any other quest because you should get it naturally. We recommend you just shoot everything at Quill Lake, and eventually you should have all of them. You can also just go for the common birds like Swans, Black Swans, Ducks, Parrots, and Pidgeons and just focus on them until you capture two versions of each.
Alex the Wanderer is an NPC on the cliff above the Mount Beaks campsite.
Eye on the Skies
Screenshot by The Escapist
Alex wants you to buy your first set of binoculars. You can buy Binoculars from the Glider merchant. Night Vision Goggles or the Thermal Vision Goggles do not count as Binoculars (we thought we could get away with them). A regular pair of Binoculars costs 1,500 Coins, and an Advanced pair of Binoculars goes for 2,500. You only need the basic ones. Buy it and take it back to Alex for your reward.
Reward: 100 Coins, 50 XP
A Small Ask!
Screenshot by The Escapist
Alex wants you to capture 10 small birds at Mt Beaks. Believe it or not, this actually isn’t that straightforward. Most Mountain Beaks birds are huge and fly really high. Only occasionally can you see the really tiny birds, and they tend to stick low. So simply aim around the trees until you spot them. These include birds like the Chickadee, the Mountain Bluebird, the Brown Creeper, and the Snowfinch. Once you capture 10 small birds, report to Alex for your reward.
So, here’s a ridiculous one. You need to capture 10 (or 5) high-flying birds with a Golden or Gold-spotted mutation. Here’s where we would post info on how to do it… IF WE HAD ANY! The quest is bugged. Yep, we took down several Golden and Gold-Spotted birds that were definitely flying high, but none of them counted towards the progression. Many other players have been complaining about this, so it’s only a matter of time before it’s fixed. It also seems like this quest is preventing further quest progression.
Reward: 50 Golden Darts, 25 Crystal Darts, 500 Coins, 250 XP
Those are all the quests we have so far. We’ll keep updating the list as we discover the rest. In the meantime, check out our Beaks codes, and to stay up to date with Beaks, check out our Official Beaks Trello and Discord Links.
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While there’s still a huge appetite for competitive PvP shooters, we’re really in a golden age of co-op PvE experiences. Already you can play the likes of Helldivers 2, Space Marine 2, and Deep Rock Galactic, and the likes of Killing Floor 3 and FBC Firebreak will soon join the party. It’s a tough realm to break into, but Mycopunk is the latest to give it a go with a striking art style, surreal weapons with outrageous upgrades, and a humorous tone. Despite only just being revealed, you can try it out straight away thanks to a multiplayer demo that’s live right now on Steam.
Given the prominence of Borderlands in the genre (and with the Borderlands 4 release date on the way in a few months too) a co-op FPS game with cel-shaded visuals might seem like an odd decision. But from what I’m initially seeing of Mycopunk, it’s doing plenty to make sure it stands out. Its overarching premise initially sounds quite Helldivers 2-y, as you’re part of a squad aboard a space station orbiting an infested planet that gears up, enters a drop pod, and blasts down to the surface. The threat you’re facing? Fungus. Out of control, deadly fungus. It’s corrupting the entire planet, its wildlife, and its technology, and you’re part of the clean-up crew.
In squads of up to three players, you’ll head into battle with a loadout packed with futuristic weapons, tools, and abilities. In what is one of the most novel-looking gunsmith systems I’ve seen, you can configure several mods into one gun using an almost Tetris-like minigame. Mods have different numbers of nodes presented in different shapes, and you’ve got to piece them all together like a puzzle on a grid with a limited number of spaces.
While out on your mission, you’ll be mowing down fungal matter, bugs, and out-of-control robots as you look to stop the spread. You’ll also scavenge for resources that’ll go towards upgrading your gear. There’s also a light extraction element where you must return to your pod with everything you’ve gathered. While traversal happens mostly on-foot, there appears to also be environmental elements like jump pads and rails that add different dimensions, as well as vehicles.
Content-wise, there’s an impressive amount on offer given this is the debut game from Pigeons at Play, but it’s the art style that I’m really digging. The robot designs, the weapon details, the grimy and corrupted environments – all of it looks great with its cel-shaded approach.
The best part about Mycopunk is that, despite only being revealed for the first time today, you don’t have to wait to give it a go.
A Steam demo for Mycopunk, with multiplayer support enabled, is available right now. You can download it here.
You can follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides. We’ve also got a vibrant community Discord server, where you can chat about this story with members of the team and fellow readers.
Maybe you’re planning a low-key Christmas for two this year… or maybe you’re after a back-up in case the big get-together doesn’t quite go to plan. Great games for two players are always useful to have around in our experience, and they make excellent gifts too! In our final ‘top five’ of the year, here are some of our current favourites…
Bridget is both a neat and addictive strategy game and a lovely object in its own right. With simple rules (just build a path of your colour from one side of the board the other while blocking your opponent), addictive gameplay, and tactile, appealing pieces, this is a game that will be enjoyed by new and experienced gamers alike.
Hive is a near-perfect two-player strategy game in our humble opinion! There’s no luck involved here: purely decisions made by players, who take turns to either add a piece to the hive or move a piece they’ve already added, with the aim of blocking in their opponent’s queen bee so that she is eventually surrounded by pieces. Durable, compact (even more so if you go for the pocket-sized version) and extremely replayable, this game will really stand the test of time.
Azul: Summer Pavilion is technically a game for up to four players, but it works so well for just two that we thought it was worthy of a mention here. All three of the Azul series are excellent games for two people, but this one just might be our favourite given focus on individual strategy rather than blocking your opponents (try the Stained Glass of Sintra version if that’s more your bag!). A gorgeous, medium-weight abstract strategy game that’s as interesting to play as it is beautiful.
Thrive is a fairly recent addition to our collection, but after testing it out we’re very keen to play it some more! The concept here is very simple: aim to capture your opponent’s pieces until they have only one left, then you’ve won the game. All the pieces are identical to begin with, able to move only one space forward. However, on each turn as well as moving a piece, you modify two pieces of your choice by adding pegs, giving them more movement options on future turns. Elegant in every way as well as novel in concept, we’re very impressed with this one.
And now for something completely different… Pucket is a frenetic, hyper-competitive dexterity game about flicking wooden pucks across a board using elastic. Players both start with eight pucks on their side of the board. All you have to do to win is get all the pucks to you opponents side at the same time… despite them constantly trying to fire them back at you! It’s exactly as chaotic and maddening as it sounds, but tremendous fun nonetheless, and it makes a great spectator sport too if there are more than two people in attendance.
Thanks for reading our top 5 series. We hope you’ve found it useful. Wishing you a very happy and fun-filled Christmas, however many players it involves!
Saw a publicity still of Celia Johnson playing a solitaire I haven’t seen. She’s an English actor, pictured possibly in 1951 (thanks Michael Kinyon!). Can anyone help identify the type of solitaire?
Hi all! We’re off for the week getting a bunch of SHUX stuff nailed down and a couple team members are off on holiday, but have an awesome week, and enjoy exploring all the new GenCon releases, we’ll be dipping our toe in ourselves over the next couple weeks.
We also have SHUX previews coming next month for a bunch that we’re super excited to get hands on with, including Starship Captains, Turing Machine, Septima, Evergreen, Gutenberg, and Fit to Print!
If you missed it, make sure to also go give Ava some love on her awesome video last week on this year’s Kennerspiel winner, Living Forest!
Solken’s lands are made up of five main continents, briefly outlined below.
Temorel. Once the home of many feuding kingdoms, the old Church united the Temorel Empire into a collection of parishes. While the Church is no longer an active force in Temorel, the political machinations of the parishes never truly went away, and the fields and forests of the continent often trade hands in strategic deals and counter-claims. Those outside of Temorel often take a dim view of its citizens’ intelligence, characterising them as rubes and simpletons.
The Northern Territories. Connected to Temorel by a land bridge at its southern tip, the Northern Territories are thought of as cold and inhospitable by those beyond its borders. In truth, while the settlements of this area are few and far between, their clans are tight-knit and fiercely loyal. Far to the north the dwarf-kings sit alone in their palaces that once belonged to giants, making proclamations that echo through the vast tunnels below the earth.
Aerix. The heat of the Timaron desert has forced the inhabitants living on its borders to find ingenious methods of survival. The multi-hued dragons of Whitewing have evolved against the sun, their super-sized city casting shadows of sanctuary. Further north, in the city of Angley, gnome inventors celebrate ingenuity and creative problem solving for the common good. However, since the coming of the Shards, great strides in technology have made some of the surrounding traditionalists nervous – particularly the rumours of living metal men…
Yagora. Once a continent of thinkers and scientists, Yagora was ravaged by the Year of Catastrophe more than any other (arguably; see below), leaving it cracked and desolate. The fey courts, seeing an opportunity, began to twist the land in strange, surreal ways to suit their own ends. Perhaps if they hadn’t, the fall of the gods might have allowed Yagora to heal again – instead, the land remains as wild and dangerous as ever.
New Elar (not pictured). The home of the Children of the Sun. New Elar is an island cluster that rose from the remnants of Elar, an old continent which sank into the ocean during the Year of Catastrophe. While it was never recovered fully, roughly a third of the continent was struck by a set of Shards and returned to the surface, where a community of idealists from across the world began to craft it in the name of New Elar.
If Solken sounds like your kind of place, why not come and join us on our upcoming adventure, starting on March 3rd? Book your place here.
