After the story events unravel in Dawnshore, you'll make your way to the Emerald Stair map in Avowed. The ambassador has heard that the Dreamscourge has started to take over the region and he wants you to investigate what's going on in the main city of Fior mes Iverno. You're able to travel to Emerald Stair through a gate and arrive to a map that's fully covered with fog, exactly how Dawnshore was when you firs started the game.

While it's exciting to uncover a new map, it can also be a little overwhelming, as you're not sure where to go. Fortunately, we took the time to completely uncover Emerald Stair's map so you know everything it has to offer in Avowed.

Full Emerald Stair Map in Avowed

Compared to Dawnshore, Emerald Stair is a much more open map that's not as full of buildings and dedicated roads to follow. While there are still roads and plenty of locations to visit, you'll find more room to roam in the animancer paradise. Emerald Stair has a total of six large regions, including Fior mes Iverno, and they are as follows:

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In 2021, game designer Takaya Imamura announced his retirement from Nintendo after spending over three decades with the company. Imamura got his start at Nintendo in 1989 by designing characters for F-Zero and Star Fox under the supervision of Donkey Kong and Super Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto. Apparently, Imamura's subconscious wasn't ready to move on after his departure from Nintendo, and he found himself working with Miyamoto again in his dreams.

"For the first six months or so after leaving Nintendo, I kept dreaming I was still going to work," Imamura told Nintendo Life. "I'd start developing a game and then I'd wake up and go, 'Oh, oh. Okay that's weird.'"

Imamura went on to state that he saw Miyamoto in person one time after he left, and his former colleague "got a good laugh" after hearing that he had been appearing in Imamura's dreams.

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Dawnshore is the first official map you can visit in Avowed. It's the home to Paradis, where you, as the official Aedryan envoy, need to meet with the ambassador to discuss the growing concern of the Dreamscourge. Of course, Dawnshore is home to much more than Paradis, and the fairly large map can be explored in its entirety as soon as you get off the boat at Claviger's Landing. While we recommend you complete some main story missions first, you'll eventually want to explore the majority of Dawnshore to see everything that Avowed has to offer in its opening hours.

We went through the trouble of uncovering all the necessary fog on the Dawnshore map so you know exactly where everything is located. Below, you can see the map completely uncovered along with some key points of interest.

Full Dawnshore Map in Avowed

If you think Paradis is big when you arrive in the city, you haven't seen anything yet. The map of Dawnshore is a gorgeous place full of secret caves, dangerously high vistas, and several different regions. In total, there are seven major regions including Paradis, and they are:

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When it comes to treasure, smooth gunplay, and chatterbox robots, Borderlands is in a class of its own. A new mainline entry in the looter-shooter series is set to arrive soon, and this new chapter in the ongoing saga of Vault Hunters and alien booty looks set to introduce some interesting changes to the formula of this long-running series. Ahead of its release in September, we've gathered up everything we know about Borderlands 4 so far, and what you can expect from the game when it's unleashed on PC and console.

Table of Contents [hide]

• When will Borderlands 4 be released?
• Borderlands 4 trailer
• Borderlands 4 platforms

When will Borderlands 4 be released?

Borderlands 4 will be released on September 23, and is one of several big games that Take-Two has lined up for the year. With a confirmed release date for the new Borderlands, it looks like the launch date for the highly anticipated GTA 6 is coming into view, as Take-Two is looking to have a comfortable gap between each AAA game release.

Borderlands 4 trailer Borderlands 4 platforms

Borderlands 4 will launch for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.

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The Lord of the Rings x The Woobles Crochet Kits

Crochet Frodo, Gandalf, Gollum, and a Balrog

See the full set at The Woobles Preorder the Collector's Box

Popular crochet kit manufacturer The Woobles just launched a new collaboration with The Lord of the Rings. The adorable lineup includes four characters from Tolkien's classic fantasy novel, and there's even a Collector's Box that comes with the full set as well as some bonus merch. The Woobles Lord of the Rings Collector's Box includes everything needed to crochet Gandalf, Frodo, Gollum, and a Balrog. The Woobles expects to ship preorders around May 15. It's quite expensive at $195, but it's worth noting you can buy each character separately or in a bundle without the extras for less.

Here's a list of all of The Lord of the Rings Woobles products. Every product except for the Collector's Box is available to ship now. Each of the character bundles includes an accessory that is otherwise sold separately.

• The Lord of the Rings Collector's Box -- $195 | Launch Week Sale
• The Lord of the Rings Them All Bundle (All four character bundles) -- $165 ($193) | Launch Week Sale
• Gandalf: You Shall Not Pass This Up Bundle -- $45 ($47)
• Gandalf Crochet Kit -- $40
• Frodo-mazing Fellowship Bundle -- $45 ($47)
• Frodo Crochet Kit -- $40
• Gollum-believably Great Bundle -- $45 ($47)
• Gollum Crochet Kit -- $40
• Balrog: Whip Whip Hooray Bundle -- $50 ($52)
• Balrog Crochet Kit -- $45
• Tiny Balrog's Fire Whip Accessory Kit -- $7
• Tiny Gollum's Fish Accessory Kit -- $7
• Tiny Sting Accessory Kit -- $7
• Tiny Gandalf Accessory Kit -- $7

The Lord of the Rings x The Woobles Crochet Kits Crochet Frodo, Gandalf, Gollum, and a Balrog

Inside the Collector’s Box, you’ll find tons of accessories and tools--but more importantly, you’ll get step-by-step video tutorials to help you through the entire process. Some of these projects are technically billed as “intermediate-level projects,” but with the comprehensive videos and Easy Peasy Yarn (designed to withstand snags and prevent fraying), most folks should be able to work through the bundle without an issue.

As mentioned, you’ll get to crochet four LOTR characters plus all of the tools needed to get started, such as custom hooks and tension rings. Since this is a collector's edition, you also get some bonus merch, including an adorable drawstring bag to bring your creations with you wherever you go. Here's what you'll find inside the box:

• 1 Gollum Kit + Exclusive Crochet Hook
• 1 Frodo Kit + Exclusive Crochet Hook
• 1 Gandalf Kit + Exclusive Crochet Hook
• 1 Balrog Kit + Exclusive Crochet Hook
• 1 Tiny Gollum’s Fish Accessory Kit
• 1 Tiny Sting Accessory Kit
• 1 Tiny Gandalf Staff Accessory Kit
• 1 Tiny Balrog Whip Accessory Kit
• 1 Tension Ring and Pouch
• 1 Custom Tin
• 1 Custom Hook
• 1 Drawstring Bag

The Collector's Box is marked as a "launch week sale," so the price may climb or it could be unavailable to order after this week. The "Them All Bundle" is also a launch week deal. Normally $193, you can buy the bundle containing all four characters and accessories for $165.

Alternatively, you could purchase each character kit for $40-$45 each or $45-$50 each when bundled with each character's accessory.

See the full set at The Woobles Preorder the Collector's Box

If you’re looking for more crochet fun, check out the Minecraft Total Block Star Bundle, which lets you stitch together three characters from Mojang’s blocky adventure game. Fans of classic arcade games will want to take a look at the Pac-Man Woobles lineup, which features Pac-Man and five ghosts, including one that glows in the dark. The Woobles also has collaborations with a bunch of other franchises, including Squid Game, Harry Potter, and Hello Kitty.

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Team Fortress 2 has been a very durable performer for Valve, having remained active for the better part of two decades. And while there have been several mods since Team Fortress 2 was launched in 2007, Valve has now released the game's entire source code, which may open the door to a lot of fan creations.

Valve made the announcement on Team Fortress 2's official page, while noting that the source code gives mods builders "the ability to change, extend or rewrite TF2, making anything from small tweaks to complete conversions." However, this code is being shared on a non-commercial basis. This means that programmers won't be able to sell creations that were made from Team Fortress 2's foundations. However, the new fan-made mods can be listed in the Steam Store as free releases.

The line between professional game makers and modders has blurred over the years, and there are definitely talented fans who can probably work wonders, even with an 18-year-old game engine. In 2021, a group of modders took it upon themselves to recreate Team Fortress 2 in Valve's Source 2 game engine. It should be interesting to see if modders can push the Team Fortress 2 code into something that goes far beyond the scope of the original game.

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Supergiant's Hades 2 just received its second major update, which brings in a familiar face, but adds in so much more. Melinoë, Princess of the Underworld and sister to Zagreus, the protagonist of the first game, will be aided by the ultra-violent Ares and can now be granted his boons. There's also the addition of animal familiars, and several boons that have been reworked.

The Warsong Update is a free, automatic download as part of the early access development of Hades 2. Players may need to restart their Steam client to initiate the download. So let's break down what's new and improved for the game.

• The Final Confrontation: Battle to the summit of Mount Olympus and discover what awaits...
• New Olympian: Meet the god of war himself, and choose from his many Boons
• New Familiar: Find one last animal companion to join your journey and aid you in battle
• Revamped Boons: Gain many powerful new and improved blessings from various Olympians
• Revamped Altar of Ashes: Activate several reworked effects, and each Card now has all-new artwork
• Revamped Resource Gathering: Worry no more about which resources you can collect
• Revamped Menus: Look for new and improved animations across many menu screens
• Expanded Story: Discuss the final confrontation and more with many different characters

As for general gameplay, players no longer prioritize Gathering Tools in the Training Grounds, but they can still harvest any type of resource as long as they have unlocked each Tool. Psyche can no longer be found as a Location Reward; Bones may now be found sooner, instead.

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A new Street Fighter movie has been in the works for some time, and now it's moving ahead once again with a new director. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kitao Sakurai (Bad Trip, The Eric Andre Show) is signed on to direct the movie at Legendary Entertainment.

Capcom, which owns the game franchise, is co-developing and co-producing the movie with Legendary. The movie will be distributed by Sony Pictures and is set for release on March 20, 2026.

Fans may recall how there already was a Street Fighter movie back in 1994 starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. It made almost $100 million at the box office back then. Kristin Kreuk starred in the reboot film, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, which bombed in theaters in 2009.

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Overwatch 2 players can score 15 free loot boxes easily for a limited time, with some of them earnable by simply playing the game for 15 minutes.

Season 15 of Overwatch 2 is now live, and with it the return of loot boxes that can be earned for free via its battle pass and weekly challenges. For the launch of the season, Blizzard has sweetened the deal with some limited-time event challenges that reward even more loot boxes than will be normal. Plus, Discord is getting in on the loot box action as well, offering five of them as a reward for a new quest.

For the Discord quest, all players will need to do is accept the quest via the app and then play Overwatch 2 for 15 minutes. After completing and claiming the quest, players can redeem the code via Battle.net to receive their five free loot boxes. Quests can be found and accepted in the Discord app via the Discover tab. Players will have until February 25 to accept and complete the quest.

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Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is a nostalgic adventure set in the 1990s, with storytelling and exploration that revolves around using a camcorder to capture video memoirs. Achievement hunters have plenty of collectibles to chase down for these recorded memoirs.

Many of these collectibles are easily found during your adventures, but some of them are well-hidden or tricky to complete. Here we'll guide you through each collectible category for Tape 1 of Lost Records: Bloom and Rage.

Note: Chapters can be replayed in Collectible mode to allow you to replay and collect without interfering with your story choices. If ever you're unsure of a chapter we mention in this guide--since the game doesn't always telegraph their names--you can use the game's scene replay feature to browse them by name and jump right to where you want to be.

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Wrong Organ and Critical Reflex have confirmed that their incredibly disturbing horror game Mouthwashing will finally come to consoles in 2025.

Mouthwashing stunned fans of horror games when it was released on PC in September 2024. This first-person horror game, which follows the final days of a shipwrecked space freighter crew, goes to some truly unsettling places. While Mouthwashing is only a few hours long, the chilling experience has really stuck with players, leading to critical acclaim from critics and fans alike.

Wrong Organ and Critical Reflex have confirmed that Mouthwashing has sold 500,000 copies since its release, an impressive feat for an indie game that flew under the radar prior to its release last September. Now that the game is a proven success, the developers are bringing Mouthwashing to consoles and even giving it a physical release.

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Former Sony Interactive Entertainment president Shuhei Yoshida has been speaking out about his time at PlayStation on podcasts, and he recently commented about the closure of PlayStation's Japan Studio. Specifically, he said that the disappearance of the "double-A" game market was a major reason for the downfall of the studio.

Speaking on the Sacred Symbols podcast, Yoshida stated that during his time with PlayStation, Japan Studio had "great products," but didn't have many "AAA-level successful products," other than Gran Turismo. "That became more and more important as the big games became bigger. The indies filled the gap and the double-A market seems to have disappeared. Most of the IPs that Japan Studio had were in that smaller double-A sized group, and the market became really difficult for these kinds of games."

He cited Gravity Rush 2 as an example, noting that its director Keiichiro Toyama pitched several ideas for a follow-up, but Japan Studio was not able to greenlight any of them due to market conditions. Yoshida noted that the closure of Japan Studio did allow Toyama to create his own studio, which eventually produced the 2024 release Slitterhead. Sony shut down Japan Studio back in April 2021. Some of the studio's best-known games include Ape Escape, the Knack series, and the Demon's Souls remake.

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Pokemon Go developer Niantic is reportedly in discussions to sell its games division to Saudi Arabia-owned Scopely Inc for roughly $3.5 billion. Scopely was acquired by Saudi Arabia owned Savvy Games in 2023 for $4.9 billion.

Reported by Bloomberg, the deal could be announced in the coming weeks, although an agreement has not yet been made, so the deal could fall through. The deal is specifically for Niantic's games division and not the AR company in its entirety. The purchase would include Niantic's current games as well, including the highly popular Pokemon Go. Both companies declined to comment on the Bloomberg report. Niantic partnered with Savvy Games to expand Pokemon Go operations into Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Egypt (via Pocketgamer.biz).

This report comes after Niantic has struggled to find success for its titles outside of Pokemon Go. The company's Harry Potter mobile game shut down in 2021 and Niantic laid off 230 people in 2023 after canceling a Marvel project and shutting down NBA All-World.

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Former PlayStation boss Shuhei Yoshida has commented on Microsoft's relatively new strategy whereby it launches some of its first-party games on rival platforms, including PS5. For Microsoft, this is about making money and bringing its games to more people. It's also a win for PS5 owners, according to Yoshida.

"I think it's a win for PlayStation owners; they didn't have access [to those games] before," he said on the Sacred Symbols podcast, as reported by VGC.

Yoshida was at one point managing Sony's first-party game production pipeline before he switched positions to running the indies team. When he was running first-party, Yoshida said it was a "nightmare" scenario for PlayStation to become "the minority platform" because that would make it "impossible to maintain the first-party development because the best creators would leave."

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Best Buy is offering discounts on a long list of video games, including hit titles for PS5, Xbox Series X, and Switch. Many are down to the best prices we’ve seen in months, making this an excellent time to start crossing items off your wishlist. From Dragon’s Dogma 2 and Final Fantasy XVI to NBA 2K25 and Life is Strange: Double Exposure, a little bit of everything is on sale. It’s one of the biggest video game sales currently available, so we've combed through the listings and put together this list of some of the best PS5, Xbox Series X and Nintendo Switch game deals available at Best Buy.

See all video game deals at Best Buy Best PlayStation 5 Deals At Best BuyDragon's Dogma 2 and Dead Island 2

If you happened to miss out on Dragon’s Dogma 2, be sure to pick it up now that it’s just $43 (was $50). Featuring a visceral combat system, unforgiving bosses, and a massive world to explore that rewards exploration, it’s a cheaper alternative to new RPGs like Avowed. Dead Island 2 is another solid choice now that it’s just $16.49 (was $20), as it earned solid reviews and offers plenty of replayability. Other deals include Final Fantasy XVI for $30 (was $40) and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for $50 (was $70). Here's a round-up of a few of our favorite PS5 deals available at Best Buy.

• Alone in the Dark -- $47 ($60)
• Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration Expanded -- $34 ($40)
• Dead Island 2 -- $16.49 ($20)
• Dead Space -- $20 ($50)
• Disney Epic Mickey Rebrushed -- $43 ($60)
• Dragon Age: The Veilguard Deluxe -- $50 ($90)
• Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero -- $64 ($70)
• Dragon’s Dogma 2 -- $43 ($50)
• EA Sports College Football 25 -- $30 ($70)
• EA Sports FC 25 -- $35 ($70)
• Eternights -- $20 ($30)
• Final Fantasy I-VI Collection -- $55 ($75)
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth -- $50 ($70)
• Final Fantasy XVI -- $30 ($40)
• Grand Theft Auto V Premium Edition -- $21 ($30)
• Life is Strange: Double Exposure -- $35 ($50)
• Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 -- $32 ($40)
• Metaphor: ReFantazio -- $50 ($70)
• NBA 2K25 -- $25 ($70)
• Red Dead Redemption 2 -- $21 ($60)
• Resident Evil 4 -- $20 ($30)
• Rise of the Ronin -- $40 ($70)
• Romancing Saga 2: Revenge of the Seven -- $40 ($50)
• Star Wars Jedi: Survivor -- $20 ($53)
• Tekken 8 -- $30 ($40)
• Unknown 9: Awakening -- $20 ($30)
• Visions of Mana -- $40 ($60)

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Humble has launched an awesome new video game bundle geared toward retro enthusiasts. The Capcom Arcade Classics and Fighters Pack for PC is a treasure trove of some the best games from an era of coin-operated gaming. All told, this bundle includes 69 games for only $20, which breaks down to 29 cents per game.

See at Humble

Unlike many Humble Bundles, the Capcom retro bundle doesn't have tiers; it's an all-or-nothing collection of Steam games that's available to purchase until March 11. The bundle supports Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. As usual, you can donate more than the minimum $20 and adjust the ratio of your donation between the charity, the publisher, and Humble.

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Microsoft and Xbox have revealed their new generative AI model, Muse, which is the world's first World and Human Action Model (WHAM). Muse's stated purpose is to help out studios by generating gameplay during the development process. Microsoft also claimed the technology might be capable of preserving long-unplayable games on obsolete systems.

It was trained using developer Ninja Theory's now-dormant and abandoned Bleeding Edge game. The developer dropped support for the game back in 2021 to focus on newer projects. Ninja Theory partnered up with Microsoft Research due to their close proximity to each other in Cambridge, England. Muse used Bleeding Edge to learn about game physics and reactions to players' controller actions.

According to Xbox, Muse is used for gameplay ideation, and it's already being used to develop a real-time playable AI model trained on other first-party games. Xbox also mentioned how Muse could possibly take older games lost to time and older hardware from its first-party portfolio and optimize them.

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Retro games publisher Limited Run Games has responded to a report that claimed it sold NES game cartridges that could damage consoles. The company said that the report was accurate, blamed the problem on a change in supplier, and apologized for the issue.

Earlier this week, Time Extension published a report that included quotes from retro game fan Jordi Gutiérrez Hermoso, who accused Limited Run Games of selling classic NES games in 3.3V cartridges, which don't match the 5V NES consoles that play them. According to Gutiérrez Hermoso, this means that parts on the board draw power from incorrect signals that will eventually damage both the cart and the NES itself. The two games that he identified as suffering from this problem are Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland and PioPow.

In a statement provided to Eurogamer, a Limited Run Games spokesperson confirmed the charges in the report, stating in part: "Upon learning about this issue from our community, we immediately began investigating and can confirm that due to an issue with voltage regulation, there is a small chance that prolonged use of these titles could result in damage to either the cartridge or the console hardware."

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Developer Shiny Shoe and Publisher Big Fan Games have announced Monster Train 2. While a release date was not revealed, it will be coming to PC, PS5, Switch, and Xbox Series X|S. A demo for PC is also now available.

Monster Train 2 revolves around Titans--powerful beings that have seized control of heaven. Putting aside their differences, former angels and demons form an alliance in order to take the Titans down. Monster Train 2 introduces five brand-new clans for players to pick from, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Two of them, the Banished and the Pyreborne, are playable in the PC demo.

There are also new card types, including Room cards which adds boosts to a single floor of the train, as well as equipment cards, which can be applied to units to give them bonuses during battle.

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Choices have consequences. Unfortunately for Sony, one particular decision has led the company to missing out on a couple of the biggest franchises in gaming. The PlayStation team decided not to publish Demon's Souls globally in 2009, which led to a sour taste for the now-well-known studio From Software. That meant the developer looked elsewhere for a publisher with Dark Souls, according to former PlayStation boss Shuhei Yoshida.

VGC reports that Yoshida explained why Sony didn't publish Dark Souls while appearing on the Secret Symbols podcast. It wasn't because the PlayStation team wasn't interested, per Yoshida. "From Software was already working on the sequel [to Demon's Souls], but they were so disappointed with how PlayStation treated them, we wanted to work with them again but they passed on it," said Yoshida.

For those unfamiliar, Atlus ended up publishing Demon's Souls in North America for PS3, while Bandai Namco handled similar duties in Europe. Sony reportedly passed on bringing the action-RPG to other worldwide markets because the PlayStation team didn't think it would appeal to the mass market. Ultimately, Demon's Souls ended up being GameSpot's game of the year in 2009.

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