If you love mining in Stardew Valley, you're going to spend a ton of time fighting monsters. As you fight monsters, your combat skill will improve and at level 5, you are presented with the choice of two professions: Fighter or Scout. Fighter focuses on dealing more damage consistently, while Scout boosts your critical hit chance. Here's which profession you should choose.

Fighter or ScoutAt level 5 you get to choose a profession, which changes your options at level 10.

In most cases, it's generally better to go with the fighter profession, since the more consistent damage allows you to reliably defeat monsters. Fighter grants 10% more damage and an additional 15 HP. Fighter also leads to the two level 10 options of Brute and Defender, with Brute increasing your damage by 15%, stacking with Fighter. Defender gives you 25 more HP. Going with Fighter into Brute gives you a massive damage output and you can still land critical hits, which take advantage of the boosted damage.

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Scout increases your critical hit chance by 50%, with no additional HP. Scout leads into either Acrobat, which reduces the cooldown on special moves by 50%, or Desperado, which doubles critical strike damage. While building Scout into Desperado does make for some high damage critical hits, the extra 25% damage and 15 HP from going Fighter into Brute does more damage consistently.

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We are currently enjoying a golden age of fighting games. The latest in long-running series like Street Fighter, Tekken, and Guilty Gear are fantastic. Both newer (Dragon Ball FighterZ) and older games (Street Fighter 3rd Strike, Guilty Gear +R) are getting updates that add rollback netcode, enabling fans to enjoy the best player-to-player connections possible. And many new games are also being ported to nearly every platform, so it's easier than ever to play what you want, with who you want, when you want.

Some games have long been neglected and rendered unplayable on modern hardware, causing members of the fighting game community to call for developers to re-release or update them to be more accessible. Streamer Maximilian Dood's #FreeMVC2 movement is perhaps the most notable of these and, thankfully, this particular situation is about to be rectified. Marvel Vs. Capcom 2: New Age Of Heroes is coming back, ensuring the granddaddy of tag fighters will find a place in the hearts of brand-new fighting game players, not just the old heads.

The game is being released as part of the Marvel Vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics, which also includes X-Men: Children of the Atom, Marvel Super Heroes, X-Men Vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes Vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes, and The Punisher.

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It's Friday, Xur is in Destiny 2, and you've got some Strange Coins burning a hole in your pocket. As usual, the intergalactic arms dealer has set up shop in the Tower's Bazaar and is more than happy to trade you Exotic and legendary gear in exchange for that currency. Here's where Xur is this weekend and what he has for sale.

Xur is offering the Exotic weapons catalysts for Sweet Business and Jotunn, and for Exotic armor, Hunters can pick up Graviton Forfeit; Titans can grab Heart of Inmost Light; and Warlocks can buy Nezarec's Sin.

Xur LocationXur's new location in the Tower's Bazaar,

Spawn in at the Tower and hang a right past Banshee-44. Continue down the stairs, follow the corridor, and once you hit the Bazaar, turn right down the nearby alleyway. You'll find Xur here in his dedicated alcove, ready to sell you his latest wares if you have enough Strange Coins in your pocket. Check out our how to get Strange Coins guide for details on earning this currency, which involves doing ritual activities.

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Ahead of what is expected to be a record-breaking opening weekend, Deadpool & Wolverine has already pulled in some impressive box-office numbers from Thursday previews in the US. The biggest Thursday opening of the year--beating Inside Out 2's $13 million record--Deadpool and Wolverine brought in $38.5 million in domestic ticket sales.

According to Variety, this is also the highest preview gross ever for an R-rated movie and much bigger than the Thursday previews for the previous two Deadpool movies. In comparison, Deadpool made $12.7 million in Thursday-night previews back in 2016, and Deadpool 2 improved on that figure with an $18.6 million haul. This weekend will likely see even more box-office records broken, as Deadpool and Wolverine will be available in every major international market except China.

Deadpool & Wolverine is predicted to earn between $160 million-$170 million at the domestic box office this weekend, while global box-office numbers are tracking an opening weekend of between $180 million-$190 million. If it reaches these numbers, Deadpool & Wolverine could have the biggest opening weekend for an R-rated movie of all time, beating the first Deadpool film's $132.4 million record. Compared to Inside Out 2 again, that film made $154.2 million in its US opening weekend, while Barbie earned a huge $162 million in its July 2023 opening weekend.

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Headphone manufacturer JLab has unveiled a new line of Transformers-themed versions of its JBuds Lux ANC headphones and JBuds ANC 3 true wireless earbuds. The official collabs feature unique color schemes and decals based on the classic robots in disguise--either red for the Autobots or purple for the Decepticons. The new headphones are set to launch in August but are available for preorder now.

See at JLab

The Transformers variants of the Lux over-ear wireless headphones offer all the same features as the standard model--including active noise canceling--but sport Autobot or Decepticon decals on the earcups, depending on which color option you choose. Both versions are available for $90.

Transformers JBuds Lux ANC Over-Ear Wireless Headphones

• Preorder Transformers JBuds Lux ANC Over-Ear Wireless Headphones - Autobots Red -- $90
• Preorder Transformers JBuds Lux ANC Over-Ear Wireless Headphones - Decepticons Purple -- $90

Another option is the AirPods-style Transformers JBuds ANC 3. These true wireless earbuds feature similar colors and theming to the over-ear Lux models and sport Autobot or Decepticon logos on the charging cases. These earbuds also offer active noise cancelation. They're available for $70.

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Terracotta is one of the most notable building blocks in the entirety of Minecraft. It can be dyed any color you want and is fairly simple to acquire, if you know where to look. Below, you can see exactly how to get Terracotta in Minecraft and some of its uses.

Finding Terracotta in Minecraft

Unlike other blocks in the game, Terracotta can't be crafted using a furnace or crafting table. Instead, you need to mine the blocks in a specific biome of Minecraft. Specifically, you need to head to the badlands biomes, which are also referred to as the mesa biomes. These biomes look like a vast canyon, complete with brown and orange blocks as far as the eye can see and large rock-like formations. The only plants you'll find here are dead bushes and cactus, but you'll also find a healthy serving of Terracotta.

There are technically three different versions of the badlands biomes, but you can find Terracotta in all three. Like any biome in Minecraft, the location of the badlands in your world is random. However, badlands biomes usually border deserts and mountains, but rarely appear near any water sources. If you're playing on a creative world, you can use a console command to teleport directly to the biome. You can type in: "/locate biome badlands" and the game will churn out the coordinates of the nearest badlands biome. Then, use the teleport command with the coordinates and you'll be right in the middle of the biome.

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In Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure, you'll slide across a classic fantasy world and meet lots of strange characters in stranger locations, all using a unique bump-combat and slide-puzzle inspired movement scheme. Arranger is out now and included with a Netflix subscription on mobile.

The game follows Jemma as she navigates a grid-based world. Unlike the world's other inhabitants, she moves by shifting the entire row or column with each step, taking any objects in that line along with her. She can even pop out on the other side of a grid if you push her to the edge. If this sounds confusing, watch it in action and you'll understand it instantly.

The game has no inventory management or leveling up. Instead, everything is laid out on the screen and you must use Jemma's unique movement to arrange everything correctly. Jemma's journey will take her to beachy ocean towns, dank dungeons, desert mines, and mysterious forests, each with their own puzzles to solve.

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The Night Market in Stardew Valley is a special festival that takes place across three days in winter. It runs from winter 15-17 on the beach, from 5 PM to 2 AM. The night market includes a few special vendors, along with some special event attractions as well. Vendors also change inventory every night, so it is worth checking in each day.

Night Market attractions

The Night Market is open from 5 PM to 2 AM winter 15-17 on the beach. Unlike other festivals, most homes and stores are still open during the three-day stretch, and some of the villagers will break their schedule and go each night.

During the Night Market, the Desert Trader will be closed in the Calico Desert and are instead at the market, giving out free coffee each night.

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Developer Sassy Chap Games has unveiled its latest project: a dating sim like no other. Date Everything! is a sandbox dating sim that allows players to romance a variety of ordinary household objects, from the kitchen fridge to the fire alarm.

Date Everything equips the player-character with a stylish pair of "Dateviator" glasses, which allow the player to see their toaster, smoke alarm, and other household objects in their true (read: human) form. With the Dateviators equipped, a dusty piano is suddenly changed into an attractive woman named Keyes, a moped becomes a handsome man who goes by Cabrizzio, and an old vacuum transforms into a friendly fellow who prefers his nickname, Hoove, to his "legal" name: Hoover. But the romance doesn't stop there--players can even date intangible things like the air itself and, based on the game's Steam page description, an "overwhelming sense of existential dread."

The game features 100 dateable everyday objects, each of which are brought to life by a (human) voice actor. The voice cast includes quite a few well-known names, including Johnny Young Bosch, Felicia Day, Grey DeLisle, and more. Each romance has three different outcomes--the player can become the object's lover, their friend, or even their mortal enemy.

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Actor Kit Harington is returning to the world of Game of Thrones, but not in the way you'd expect or even probably hope for. The actor has returned to promote the Game of Thrones: Legends mobile game via a cheeky advertisement filled with references to his character, Jon Snow.

Harington said in a statement (via THR) that Legends is a "true love letter to fans" and that he is "honored to pay tribute" to fans via the game.

A match-three Bejeweled-esque game, Legends is developed by Zynga, which is owned by GTA parent company Take-Two. The game has players assembling characters from the Thrones universe, including Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Tyrion Lannister, and Rhaenyra Targaryen, as they put together a team to try to stop the Long Night.

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As far as board games go, few are as well-known as Monopoly. The game has been testing friendships for years--and now the capitalistic fun is getting a physical release on PS5, Switch, and Xbox (both last- and current-gen). The digital version of the game has been available on Switch since 2017, but this upcoming physical release is actually cheaper, making it the best way to enjoy the classic game on the big screen. The Monopoly game launches on September 13, and preorders are now open.

Monopoly Preorder Bonuses

There are currently no preorder bonuses for Monopoly. That means you're free to shop at your favorite retailer without worrying about losing out on exclusive bonuses.

Preorder Monopoly (Physical Edition) $30

While the digital format on Switch is $40, this physical edition is $30 across all three consoles. It plays out much like the traditional board game, though you'll get cool visual effects that bring each location to life along with options to modify your rules for a faster game. Preorders are available at Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and GameStop.

Preorder for PS5 (Amazon) Preorder for Switch (Amazon) Preorder for Xbox (Amazon)

Developed by Ubisoft, the studio tried to retain the feeling of playing an actual board game. That means you'll get to move your pieces around the board, play with up to five other characters, and enjoy a faithful recreation of the standard Monopoly board.

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Gaming news website Video Games Chronicle has announced the launch of a Patreon to help fund it. First formed in 2019, VGC's staff includes veterans from multiple UK publications, and supporters can expect two new monthly podcasts, a newsletter, a Discord server, and special commenting privileges on the site, depending on the Patreon tier they choose.

"It’s no secret that recently it’s been a difficult time for journalism, especially around video games," VGC editor-in-chief Andy Robinson explained. "Site closures and job losses have become all too common fixtures in headlines, while those who remain have been increasingly pressured to focus more on keeping the lights on, and less on creating the content readers actually want to see. As an entirely independent publication, VGC has felt these market pressures more than most."

Robinson added that even with VGC's high and consistently growing audience numbers, the volatile advertising climate has made funding the site "increasingly challenging" when relying on traditional platforms like Google. The site is aiming to use Patreon to establish a more direct relationship with its audience with exclusive content, while all of its regular work will still remain free for all.

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The Pikmin 2025 Wall Calendar is up for preorder, giving you a chance to hang out with its adorable cast of characters all year long. The calendar releases on September 10--but like all things Nintendo, this will probably sell out fast.

Pikmin 2025 Wall Calendar$16The Pikmin 2025 Wall Calendar.

What's unique about the Pikmin 2025 Wall Calendar is that it tells a story throughout the year. The creatures will begin to multiply over time, making each month a bit more exciting than the last. You'll start with just three Pikmin in January, but fast forward to June, and the entire calendar is overrun with diminutive creatures. It's a cool concept, and one that makes it more interactive than your standard wall calendar.

Preorder at Amazon

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The animated film based on the video game Mutant: Year Zero Road to Eden has added Dolph Lundgren and Ian McElhinney to the cast. Lundgren is known for playing Ivan Drago in the Rocky series, while McElhinney is perhaps best known for portraying Barristan Selmy in Game of Thrones.

Hasraf Dulull (The Dark Knight) is directing and producing the animated film, which was first announced in 2020. The film is being produced using Epic's Unreal Engine 5. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed the news of Lundgren and McElhinney joining the cast.

"I am excited to say there is going to be some pretty insane, edge-of-the-seat, wall-to-wall action like you have never seen before, driven by emotionally charged and extremely witty characters throughout, whilst having a strong story that is full of twists and mystery," Dulull said back in 2020.

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Film fanatics just got a new look at Lionsgate's upcoming film, The Crow, at San Diego Comic-Con. The clip, entitled "Get In The Back," sees protagonist Eric Draven (Bill Skarsgård) take on the people responsible for ruining his life (and technically, ending it) in a violent carjacking-slash-shootout.

After being shot several times and pushed out of the vehicle into oncoming traffic, Eric is run over by a semi-truck, and left for dead. But despite multiple bullet wounds and a mangled leg, Eric miraculously rises to his feet, making it clear he's still got plenty of fight left in him.

Rather than a remake of the 1994 cult-classic film, this version of The Crow is an adaptation of James O'Barr's original graphic novel. In addition to Skarsgård as Eric, the Rupert Sanders-directed flick also stars British singer, songwriter, and dancer FKA twigs as Eric's doomed soulmate, Shelly Webster. Though she doesn't appear in the clip, she can be seen in the film's poster, which was also revealed at Comic-Con.

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Valve has unveiled changes to how demos work on Steam, as the company is aiming to make them easier to discover. These updates will see demos redesigned to be more like standalone games on the platform, giving them their own store page separate from the main game's hub. The benefit to this is that the demo page can contain separate screenshots, trailers, and details on these slices of the full game to help set them apart and give potential players more accurate information. You'll also be able to add demos to your collection without needing to download it straight away, and when it's uninstalled, it'll also be removed from your library.

According to Valve, these changes are driven by developer and player feedback, and players can expect to receive alerts for demos of wishlisted games. Pages for demos will include buttons to install the content, leave user reviews, and be redirected to the game's main page. Valve also plans to list demos more frequently on Steam's most-visited pages and include them alongside free-to-play games to "better balance them" with paid products.

The company also clarified that the Steam icon for game demos is not based on a dinner plate, but is instead a reference to ancient CD-ROM technology from a bygone era of gaming. "That classic icon, my friend, is from the days when demos were commonly distributed through the post office, contained in a bound package of game journalism printed on dead trees and imprinted on circular media known as Compact Discs," Valve explained.

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Gran Turismo 7's newest update has caused some unintentionally funny glitches and developer Polyphony Digital is investigating the issue.

The game's 1.49 update was released yesterday and was supposed to change its driving physics, improving aspects such as tire response on cars and more natural weight shifting during cornering. However, (via IGN) players realized that the cars ended up doing things like bouncing and even disappearing into the racetracks.

pic.twitter.com/JoMjzkwmeg

— GNARFIELD (@Nintendont_64) July 25, 2024

ついにミサイル発射出来るようになったんですね。#GT7 #グランツーリスモ7 pic.twitter.com/0qbcwBZcc7

— 会長 (@y31ced) July 25, 2024

エボ系はサンババスと違うタイプのバグり方もあるな
埋まる pic.twitter.com/mAo5Qi2CIA

— うどん01 (@udon_01y) July 26, 2024

As shown in the videos, cars are bouncing around like inflatables, sinking into the ground, and blasting off in the air like rockets. It's a pretty goofy contrast given that Gran Turismo is a realistic driving simulator.

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Members of the actors' union SAG-AFTRA are now on strike over concerns about AI, but development on Grand Theft Auto VI is unaffected. A spokesperson for the group representing game publishers in the labor negotiations confirmed this to Kotaku.

"I can confirm GTA VI is exempt," the representative said, adding that any game that was in development prior to September 2023 is exempt as well. Live-service games are unaffected by the strike situation, too, so content for games like Fortnite should continue to release normally.

The strike began today, July 26, at 12:01 AM. It's the first time SAG-AFTRA video game actors have gone on strike since 2016, when the work stoppage lasted for about one year.

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Earlier this week, it was announced that publisher Humble Games laid off its entire staff of 36. This mass layoff did not solely affect its immediate staff, but also the developers and games under the publisher, such as the developer of Coral Island now facing uncertainty regarding its Xbox, Switch, and PlayStation versions.

Developer Stairway Games revealed in a statement that the Humble Games layoffs have left it unable to release updates for the console versions of its game, due to Humble typically handling them. The team explained that an incoming hotfix is unable to be released outside of Steam and that they really "have no idea" how to release this update to console players due to the lack of backend permissions on those platforms. Stairway also acknowledged the long wait for the Switch port, which was announced for 2024, but has yet to be released.

You can read the full statement below, in which the developer acknowledges the situation "f***ing sucks."

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Joker: Folie A Deux continues the story of the failed comedian and clown actor Arthur Fleck as he becomes Joker, but the sequel won't have Arthur become the true Clown Price of Crime. Writer-director Todd Phillips told Empire, "We would never do that."

"Because Arthur clearly is not a criminal mastermind. He was never that," Phillips said. "Arthur has become this symbol to people. This unwilling, unwitting symbol now paying for the crimes of the first film, but at the same time finding the only thing he ever wanted, which was love. That's always what he’s been about, even though he's been pushed and pulled in all these directions. So we tried to just make the most pure version of that."

This is a notably different approach than Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, which featured Heath Ledger playing Joker as a criminal mastermind.

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