Elden Ring Archives

AppWizard

June 14, 2025

The Stellar Blade PC release finally convinced me to try it out, but after its Steam Next Fest demo I’m going straight back to Elden Ring Nightreign

The Stellar Blade PC demo was released during the Steam Next Fest, attracting attention despite not topping the charts. It features an introductory cutscene, a tutorial, and a significant boss encounter, allowing players to explore its upgrade system. The demo showcases a visually appealing aesthetic but raises concerns about gameplay depth and performance issues, even on recommended settings. Design choices, such as surprise enemy ambushes and floaty physics puzzles, detract from the experience. The combat mechanics are criticized for feeling insubstantial, and comparisons to Elden Ring highlight Stellar Blade's lack of polish.

Winsage

June 12, 2025

Windows 11 24H2 emergency update fixes Easy Anti-Cheat BSOD issue

Microsoft released an emergency update, KB5063060, to address a compatibility issue causing unexpected restarts and blue screen of death (BSOD) errors on Windows 11 systems using Easy Anti-Cheat. This update follows the earlier cumulative update, KB5060842, which led to reports of system reboots linked to IRQLNOTLESSOREQUAL BSODs. The issues were confirmed to affect devices running Easy Anti-Cheat, which is used in popular games like Fortnite and Apex Legends. The update will install automatically for devices with Easy Anti-Cheat, and manual installation options are available for x64 and arm64 systems. Additionally, Microsoft implemented a compatibility hold for Windows 24H2 upgrades on Intel Alder Lake+ and vPro systems due to related blue screen issues. On the same day, Microsoft also released security updates addressing 66 vulnerabilities in Windows 11, including critical flaws in Windows SMB and WebDAV.

AppWizard

June 11, 2025

CHARTS: Dune Awakening takes second place on Steam debut

Dune: Awakening became the second highest-grossing title on Steam after its launch on June 10th, with early access starting on June 5th. Counter-Strike 2 remained the highest-grossing title, while Deltarune entered the rankings at third place after its release on June 4th. The Elden Ring: Nightreign expansion dropped to fourth place, and the Steam Deck fell to fifth due to stock shortages. Stellar Blade, with pre-orders, landed in sixth place but slipped two positions. Lies of P returned to the Top 100 at seventh place after a 50% price reduction for its Overture DLC, which debuted at eighth. Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma debuted at ninth place on June 5th, and Dead by Daylight climbed 12 places to complete the Top Ten. The Steam Top Ten for the week ending June 10th is as follows: 1. Counter-Strike 2, Valve 2. Dune: Awakening, Funcom 3. Deltarune, Tobyfox 4. Elden Ring: Nightreign, Bandai Namco 5. Steam Deck, Valve 6. Stellar Blade, Shift Up (P) 7. Lies of P, Neowiz 8. Lies of P: Overture, Neowiz 9. Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma, Marvelous 10. Dead by Daylight, Behaviour

AppWizard

June 8, 2025

Humble Choice Explained: How The Xbox Game Pass PC Alternative Works

Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass offers subscribers access to a wide array of games for a monthly fee, but access is revoked if the subscription lapses. In contrast, Humble Choice allows subscribers to keep the games they acquire, regardless of subscription status, and supports charitable causes. Humble Choice charges a monthly fee or an annual subscription fee and provides a selection of games each month, which are owned indefinitely by the subscriber. The service is more focused on indie titles and offers discounts on games in the Humble Store. It is particularly suited for gamers who enjoy indie games and those with older gaming PCs.

AppWizard

June 4, 2025

CHARTS: Elden Ring Nightreign debuts at Steam No.1

Nightreign, an Elden Ring spin-off, became the highest-grossing game on Steam for the week ending June 3rd, having sold over 3.5 million copies since its release on May 30th. Pre-orders for Nightreign ranked sixth on the Steam charts. Counter-Strike 2 was in second place, followed by the Steam Deck in third. Pre-orders for Stellar Blade, set to release on June 11th, were fourth, while F1 25 debuted at fifth. Helldivers 2 dropped to sixth, Marvel Rivals returned to seventh, Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time fell to eighth, The Last of Us Part 1 was ninth, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 rounded out the top ten.

AppWizard

June 4, 2025

The PC game releases we’re most excited about in June

June 2025 will feature several significant gaming events and PC game releases. Key dates include: - June 4: PlayStation's 40-minute State of Play showcase. - June 6: Summer Game Fest main showcase. - June 7: Latin American Games Showcase and Future Game Show. - June 8: Xbox Games Showcase and The Outer Worlds 2 Direct, along with the PC Gaming Show. - June 9: Black Voices in Gaming showcase. - June 9-16: Steam Next Fest, leading into the Steam Summer Sale starting June 26. Notable game releases in June include: - June 5: Deltarune Chapters 3 & 4 and Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma. - June 10: MindsEye. - June 11: Stellar Blade. - June 13: Five Nights At Freddy's: Secret of the Mimic. - June 16: Gex Trilogy. - June 17: FBC: Firebreak, Date Everything!, and Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond. - June 19: Broken Arrow. - June 20: BitCraft Online and Gold Gold Adventure Gold. - June 26: Persona 5: The Phantom X. - Dates TBD: Cast n Chill and Hell Clock.

AppWizard

June 3, 2025

Elden Ring: Nightreign hits 3.5m sales

Nightreign, a spin-off from the Elden Ring franchise, achieved sales of over 3.5 million copies within five days of its release. FromSoftware announced plans for downloadable content (DLC) later this year, a new duos mode, enhanced battles against existing Nightlords starting this month, and additional features for Duo Expeditions to be rolled out later.

AppWizard

June 3, 2025

The worst part of Elden Ring Nightreign, like all multiplayer games, is that you need to rely on the kindness and intelligence of strangers

A player in Elden Ring reflected on their gaming experience while lying in the sand, feeling defeated after their teammates focused on attacking Gnoster, leaving them behind. They expressed a desire for a voice chat feature to communicate with their last standing teammate and noted the challenges of multiplayer dynamics. The player acknowledged both the frustrations and joys of teamwork, emphasizing the benefits of strategizing with friends during boss encounters. They mentioned FromSoftware's efforts to address single-player mode difficulties and remained hopeful for improved communication options in the game. The player continues their quest, seeking friends to share the gaming experience.

AppWizard

June 2, 2025

Singleplayer Elden Ring Nightreign is no longer hell to play, but it’s still a compromised game of 30-minute boss runbacks

The author, known as Mr. Antisocial Souls, typically prefers solo gaming, especially with FromSoftware titles, but found Elden Ring Nightreign's multiplayer aspect engaging. Initially expecting to play solo, they discovered that the single-player experience highlighted the game's flaws. Recent patches have improved solo gameplay, making it more enjoyable, although challenges remain, such as navigating the interface and dealing with punishing RNG. The game’s boss encounters are designed for teams, making solo play feel more difficult and disheartening. Improvements include balanced self-revivals and enemy health adjustments, enhancing solo playability. However, the author suggests limiting solo play to 15% of total gaming time for optimal enjoyment, as the experience is better with a team.

AppWizard

June 2, 2025

Elden Ring’s first major patch sees FromSoft belatedly admit singleplayer is all sorts of unfair, adds an auto-resurrect and buffs the levelling curve

Elden Ring Nightreign presents significant challenges, particularly in single-player mode, which players have found to be especially difficult. A new patch has been released to improve the solo experience and enhance performance for the Steam version. All players must install this patch to play online. Despite the adjustments, many still find survival in the game daunting, and some players have successfully completed it solo before the patch. There is a sentiment among players for the introduction of an easy mode in the game.