Where to Find the Velvet Sword of St. Trina in Elden Ring

To find the Velvet Sword of St. Trina in Elden Ring, you’ll need some patience. Follow these steps to find the sword:

1. Fissure Cross Site of Grace: Once you are in the DLC area Shadow of the Erdtree, go to the Fissure Cross Site of Grace. After that, move northwest toward a giant stone coffin that’s tilted almost vertically.
2. Slowly Climb Down: Now, you will have to climb down onto a ledge that goes under the brick platform. Whatever you do, don’t fall off; you might lose all your runes.
3. Look for a Cave: Below this place, attempt to locate a couple of small cave systems. The Velvet Sword of St. Trina is inside with the corpse that has been crushed by a boulder. Be careful with the putrescent oozes standing around it; they are slow, but they’ll swarm if you’re not alert.

How to Use the Velvet Sword of St. Trina

The Velvet Sword of St. Trina has some amazing abilities that can come in handy in Elden Ring.

Stats and Requirements

Here’s a quick look at what you need to wield this sword:

• Strength: 10
• Dexterity: 12
• Intelligence: 14

The sword scales with these attributes (Str E, Dex D, Int E), and is attractive to builds that balance physical with magical damage. However, it does 95 physical and 61 magic damage right off the bat, with a critical hit rate of over 110. 

Special Skill: Mists of Eternal Sleep

But the best part has to be this sword’s special skill: Mists of Eternal Sleep. This skill inflicts the Eternal Sleep status effect when you slash with it, releasing a purple mist. It will put normal enemies into a deep slumber, which they cannot wake from, and also staggers bosses so you can land some free shots. This is great for the Putrescent Knight in the area.

FP Cost: 23

Combat Tips

1. Use the Mist Wisely: The sword is great for crowd control. When you’re surrounded by enemies, use it to put them to sleep and take them out one by one. For bosses, use the stagger to your advantage.
2. Use as a Secondary Weapon: If you have the regular Sword of St. Trina, consider dual-wielding. This combo can help you breeze through many encounters in the Shadow Realm, putting foes to sleep left and right.
3. Talismans: Equip the St. Trina’s Smile talisman to boost your damage after applying sleep effects. Combining this with the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia talisman can make your attacks even more powerful.
4. Improve: Use Somber Smithing Stones to upgrade the Velvet Sword of St. Trina. As it levels up, its scaling becomes better (to D/D/D at +10) and does 232 physical 149 magic damage. 

Strategy for Boss Fights

While the Eternal Sleep effect doesn’t put Elden Ring bosses to sleep, it does stagger them. Use the mist to create openings in boss fights. Hit them with a few quick attacks, then back off and repeat. Managing your FP is crucial here, so keep some Cerulean Tears on hand to replenish your FP when needed.

Elden Ring is available now.

How Does Gwenpool Work in Marvel Snap

Gwenpool is a 4-cost, 6-power card with an ability that reads: “On Reveal: Pick a random card in your hand 3 times. Give +2 Power each time.”

This ability might be a tad confusing. What Gwenpool will do is randomly select a card in your hand and give it +2 power. It will then do so again, where it can hit the same card or a different card before randomly buffing a card one last time. 

Gwenpool can activate when you have a single card in your hand, buffing a single card by +6. Of course, cards like Wong and Odin will activate her effect again.

Best Gwenpool Decks in Marvel Snap

Given her random nature, you don’t want to build a deck around hitting a specific card like Black Panther but rather put together a list that has multiple cards that want Gwenpool’s buffs. There’s one deck in particular that loves hand buffs above all others, and you’re probably already thinking it: yes, Silver Surfer strikes once again. Here’s a Gwenpool list:

• Forge
• Iron Heart
• Brood
• Magik
• Silver Surfer
• Phastos
• Sebastian Shaw
• Wong
• Absorbing Man
• Gwenpool
• Sera
• Odin

Click here to copy the decklist from Untapped. 

Replacements for this specific list are quite difficult as it goes all-in on buffing your hand and deck with Phastos; however, if you do not have Phastos, consider swapping him out for Hope Summers. 

Gweenpool might seem a little awkward at 4-cost in a Surfer deck, but the extra turn provided by Magik and discounts from Phastos and Sera alleviate that issue somewhat. This deck aims to play down a flurry of cards on turn 6 like a normal Surfer deck before retriggering them with Odin. This also allows you to hit Gwenpool twice (or four times with Wong) and possibly buff a Brood or Sebastian Shaw sitting in your hand to incredible heights. Do keep in mind, however, that this deck is incredibly susceptible to Wong. This list, as you can see, is super greedy with Wong, Absorbing Man, and Gwenpool in it, so winning one lane with Brood and another with Sebastian Shaw is necessary.

While Gwenpool has some synergy with Zoo decks, I do think she’ll fit more cleanly into a value list featuring the likes of Kitty Pryde, Thena, and Sage, which is also known as Good Cards Ravonna. Here’s a list:

• Kitty Pryde
• Thena
• Angela
• Ravonna Renslayer
• Mysterio
• Mystique
• Sage
• Hope Summers
• Gwenpool
• Iron Man
• Mockingbird
• Sasquatch

Click here to copy the decklist from Untapped.

While this is one of the best Gweenpool decks in Marvel Snap, it’s full of a lot of expensive cards. However, you can swap out one of Mockingbird or Sasquatch for Darkhawk if you’re still seeing a ton of Arishem decks. In fact, you should probably do so if that’s the case. Swap Sage for Wolfsbane if you do not have the former. Ravonna Renslayer is a must with this deck, however.

While there’s no double activators for Gwenpool here, she has a ton of synergy with most cards in this list. Mysterio’s clones will get the Gwenpool buff (and in turn discount Mockingbird and Sasquatch), and the Iron Man into Mystique combo will receive double benefit from her. Throw in the fact that the disjointed power levels will give Sage a boost as well, and I dare say we have a top-tier meta deck with Gwenpool in it on our hands.

Related: Best Sersi Decks in Marvel Snap

Gwenpool Counters in Marvel Snap

Gwenpool isn’t easily counterable herself. You can snipe her effect with a Cosmo, sure, but you should run Cosmo only if you’re seeing a lot of greedy lists like the Silver Surfer one with Wong. Otherwise, Shang-Chi or Shadow King can chop down the cards she buffs, such as Sebastian Shaw or Black Panther. There isn’t much else you can do to counter hand buff effects.

Who Is Gwenpool?

Gwenpool is one of the oddest characters in comic history. Gwendolyn Poole is actually a young woman from the real world – yes, the one you’re in right now – that somehow got transported to the Marvel Universe alongside her brother. Her adventures saw her learn empathy for the denizens of the Marvel Universe as she believed them merely to be fictional creations, though she did work for arch villain M.O.D.O.K as a henchwoman. In fact, superheroes traveled back in time to stop her from becoming the next major Marvel villain.

Her abilities are quite literally the ability to transcend the comic book medium, manipulating textboxes and the course of a story to better favor her. She also has out-of-universe knowledge, meaning she’s quite informed on the secret identities and lives of superheroes and villains alike.

Is Gwenpool Worth Purchasing the Season Pass For?

As always, the Marvel Snap season pass is the best deal you can get with all the gold and credits that come along with it; however, Gwenpool herself is an amazing card that will likely be a staple for the foreseeable future. She is, if all the cards she buffs are played, essentially a 4-cost, 12-power card with synergistic upside. I do not see her getting nerfed anytime soon either, so you shouldn’t have to worry about Second Dinner devaluing your purchase anytime soon.

And those are the best Gwenpool decks in Marvel Snap.

Marvel Snap is available now.

Best Arishem Decks in Marvel Snap

Arishem is a 7-cost, 7-power card with an ability that reads: “At the start of the game, +1 Max Energy. Shuffle 12 random cards into your deck.”

As you’ve likely noticed, Arishem is Marvel Snap’s first 7-power card, making him playable on the final turn of the game with the +1 energy he provides.

As Marvel Snap decks begin with 12 cards, Arishem effectively doubles your deck size, so you’ll likely only draw, on average, 4 of your own cards and 4 random Arishem cards. It’s a less than 20% chance you’ll find a specific card you put into your deck in your opening hand.

Arishem clearly has synergy with Quinjet, which will further discount the random cards provided. Other key synergies include how Loki will wipe out cards you do not want while having max energy to play with, and last week’s Phastos will buff the random cards with cost discounts or added powers. Wave is also a great option as she can be played on turn 2, allowing you to drop a powerful 6-cost card on turn 3.

Best Arishem Decks in Marvel Snap

Deck building with Arishem will take some time to sort out, as I believe the best decks with him will include 12 flexible cards with little synergy, but the following two decks are all but guaranteed to work with him shortly after he releases. First and foremost, we have Arishem/Loki, as the trickster god can replace a bad hand with your opponent’s cards. Here’s a list:

• Quinjet
• Snowguard
• Quake
• Mobius M. Mobius
• Red Guardian
• Agent Coulson
• Loki
• Nick Fury
• Sersi
• Mockingbird
• Blob
• Arishem

Click here to copy the deck code over at Untapped.

Quake is a personal preference and can be replaced with Jeff! if you have the little shark. Otherwise, Blob can be switched out for another powerful 6-cost card like Doctor Doom. Mockingbird works great in this deck, as so many cards will discount her; that said, you can swap her out for an impactful 5-cost card or a tech card like Shang-Chi. The same can be said for Red Guardian if you do not have him.

To play this deck, you’re likely going to want to Snap if you have a decent curve early on with Quinjet in hand. Agent Coulson and Nick Fury can add to the random power of this deck while also providing fuel for Loki. Without impactful cards in hand, you’ll want to Loki them away, depending on your opponent’s deck. Blob will eat away half your deck a turn early, giving you a major high roll that he’ll eat powerful random cards and help counter decks playing Darkhawk. Finally, Sersi can upgrade bad cards that you’ve dumped onto the board. Expect to see a lot of Loki and Arishem together.

After that, Arishem will work well in a control list that counters your opponent while trying to win with the random cards he generates. This is the list I personally brewed, though I expect many professional players and content creators will come up with something similar, if not better:

• Shadow King
• Quake
• Killmonger
• Mobius M. Mobius
• Red Guardian
• Ghost
• Gladiator
• Shang-Chi
• Enchantress
• Blob
• Alioth
• Arishem

Click here to copy the deck code over at Untapped.

It’s difficult to replace specific cards in this deck if you do not have them. Red Guardian or Gladiator can be replaced with something like Nocturne. However, you’re going to want the raw power of Blob to win a lane and counter Darkhawk

Otherwise, this deck is fairly straightforward to play if you have a good idea of the meta decks out there and a great pick for Conquest mode. The route you take playing this deck will depend heavily on what cards you draw from Arishem and your opponent’s deck, but by and large, you should do your best not to have priority going into the final turn. In fact, that’s why the rarely placed Ghost is in this deck. With a lucky draw of Blob on turn 5, you can play a tech card or two on turn 6 to steal away the game.

Related: Best Sasquatch Decks in Marvel Snap

How to Counter Arishem in Marvel Snap

Arishem is definitely a card you’re going to want to counter, and there’s one card that does it: Darkhawk. Not only will Darkhawk gain 24 power from the 12 cards added to the deck, but cards such as Korg, Rockslide, and Black Widow will make it even more difficult for an Arishem player to draw into good cards. The best Darkhawk deck features Sersi, like this one, though there’s another list that runs Pixie. Other than that, you can make sure to run Mobius M. Mobius as the little mustachioed man will counter Arishem players running Loki.

Who Is Arishem?

Arishem the Judge is one of many Celestials, which are basically a race of giant gods made of energy that wear futuristic-looking armor. Arishem judges whether or not races are worthy of existing, and he and his cosmic pals are directly responsible for creating three races through DNA experimentation: the Eternals, protectors of humanity like Gilgamesh, Thena, and Makkari, humans themselves, and the Deviants, physically mutated but powerful foes to the former two. Arishem was responsible for flooding the Deviant population, killing most of them, and ordering around his fellow Celestials in the cultivation of humanity.

Is Arishem Worth Your Spotlight Cache Keys or Collector’s Tokens?

Yup, Arishem is a pretty good pickup. While I don’t think he will be top-tier competitive due to the sheer randomness of his effect, he brings something incredibly new and variable to Marvel Snap that will undoubtedly make him a lot of fun to play. I do expect him to get better and more consistent as more cards are released, though the next month or so of releases won’t impact him much. Regardless, he forms his own archetype that everyone should have in their collection, and I’d go as far as to call him the most fun and impactful card released since High Evolutionary over a year ago.

And those are the best Arishem decks in Marvel Snap.

Marvel Snap is available now.

What Is Xbox Error 0x87DD0033?

If you’re unlucky enough to have encountered the Xbox error 0x87DD0033, it means that there is likely something running amuck in the Xbox servers. While there is a chance that this is likely caused by something beyond your control, we can still check out a few different sources to verify and extinguish any flames of doubt that may be burning in your mind.

According to the official Xbox Support Page, error 0x87DD0033 is due to a connection issue or a server outage. It’s safe to say that we are more in the latter than the former at this point, but let’s see what we can find out together.

How to Diagnose Xbox error 0x87DD0033

There are a few different ways that we can go about diagnosing this error and verifying if it’s truly a server outage, or something going on with your connection. The first thing we’ll want to do is to check the following sources:

• Xbox Live Server Status
  • A detailed listing of all Xbox online services
• Xbox Support X Page
  • An officially run support channel on X (formerly known as Twitter)
• Downdetector
  • A community page where players can list any errors that they are encountering

Related: Is Xbox Live Down? How to Diagnose, Fix & Get Back Online

You’ll want to check these sources first to see what may be going on. As you can tell, on June 2, 2024, around 3:00 pm EST, the official Xbox Support page posted this message for their viewers to see:

This means that currently, there is a confirmed server issue. We’ll just need to be patient as we wait for follow-up messages from the Xbox Support network as to when we can expect our consoles to be able to access the internet again and function properly.

This error is tricky, unfortunately, as it more or less makes our Xbox consoles into paperweights until they fix the issues that they are having. For example, I can’t even currently sign into my Xbox Series X, so I can’t even watch a show or play any games that are stored on my console.

How to Fix Xbox error 0x87DD0033 When No Issues Are Detected

If you’re viewing this article and none of the steps above have proven to be fruitful, there are a few steps you can take to get yourself back online. The first thing that you’ll want to do is reboot your console. You can do this by holding down the Xbox Guide button on your controller and pressing the option to restart your console.

While you’re waiting for your system to come back online, unplug and replug your router/modem to refresh your internet connection. Once both your console and your internet connection have rebooted properly, you can try once again to sign back in.

And that’s everything you need to know about the unfortunate Xbox error 0x87DD0033.

Is Xbox Live Down Currently? How To Fix Xbox Error 0x87DD0033

Not being able to get online can be a horrifying feeling, especially if you’re just trying to sign into your Xbox to play games, watch shows, or anything in between. In this article, we’ll be detailing all of the steps you should take if you’re hoping to get back online, and to find out if it’s your console and internet connection, or if it’s something else entirely. Please follow these steps to see how to get back onto the Xbox Live network.

Players attempting to log into the Xbox Live servers, as of the time of this writing, are being hit with a “Try again in a while” error, and we’re hoping to help get you back online and gaming.

Check the Official Xbox Server Status

One of the first things that you should do is check the official Xbox Server Status website. Not only can you find out if Xbox Live is currently facing outages, but you can also check the status of several other Xbox-related items. As of June 2, 2024, things are showing all well on the Xbox side, but there are a few other places you should check before diagnosing possible internet issues.

Check the Official Xbox Support X Page

If you’ve got an X (formerly known as Twitter) account, you should quickly follow the official Xbox Support page. While they focus primarily on their platform, they will also provide updates to other popular titles such as Destiny 2 and Rainbow Six Siege. As of the time of this writing, the official Xbox Status page has not put out any notification regarding Xbox issues. Don’t fret – there is one more place we can check to verify and ensure that it isn’t our connection.

You can also use your account to reach out directly to the Xbox Support and official Xbox pages to let them know you are encountering an error. The more people that are reporting that Xbox Live is down, the faster they may be able to deploy a fix. I already know I’ll be reaching out to them shortly, as I can’t log on myself, either.

Related: Is Teardown on Xbox Game Pass?

Check the Xbox Live Downdetector Page

Sometimes, we may need to rely on the community to let us know if they’re running into the same kinds of issues that we are. The Xbox Live Downdetector Page currently has a massive spike of users reporting issues with their Xbox Live account, with many players reporting that they cannot even sign into their accounts currently.

You can create a free account on Downdetector to let other players know that you are having an issue with your Xbox Live account, which should hopefully prompt Microsoft to take quicker action.

If All Else Fails, It’s Time To Troubleshoot

It appears, that as of June 2, 2024, at 3:00 pm EST, there is an issue with Xbox Live. If you’re having issues beyond this point, days into the future perhaps, it may be time to give your console a quick restart and reboot to ensure that it isn’t something with your account or internet access.

You can power down your console fully by pressing and holding the Xbox guide button and selecting Restart Console. While your system of choice comes back online, reboot your modem/router by pulling the plug on the back, waiting for a few minutes, and plugging it back in. This should get you back online. If it does not, however, it may be time to reach out to Xbox Support to let them know what is going on.

And that should be everything you need to know about the state of the Xbox Servers.

When Does My Wife Has No Emotion Episode 1 Come Out?

The first episode of My Wife Has No Emotion will officially begin airing in Japan on Tuesday, July 2 at 11 PM JST. It will be broadcast on local TV networks, including Tokyo MX.

The anime will also have an exclusive early debut via Japanese streaming service ABEMA on June 29, 2024. Crunchyroll has also announced it will premiere the anime on June 29, 2024, both internationally and in Japan.

Where to Watch My Wife Has No Emotion Episode 1

The initial premiere will be available on local networks in Japan. After it premieres, it will also be available to stream for fans in Japan via services, including Amazon Prime Video and Hulu.

Thus far, Crunchyroll is the only streaming platform to announce international streaming for My Wife Has No Emotion, with an expected premiere date of June 29, 2024. This aligns with a sneak preview of the series that’s also planned in Japan ahead of the official launch.

Related: Suicide Squad ISEKAI Premiere Recap & Spoilers

The series may also be available through other streaming platforms internationally, but no other dates or services have been announced thus far.

Teaser Trailer for the My Wife Has No Emotion Anime

What can fans expect from Episode 1 when it becomes available? We know that the story of the anime will be based on the manga of the same name. That means we’re likely to get to know protagonist Takuma Kosugi, who winds up getting married to his housekeeping robot, Mina.

If you’re curious for a first look, you can check out the official teaser trailer for the anime on YouTube.

For fans of the manga and those who enjoy a good romantic sci-fi anime, the July 2 premiere of My Wife Has No Emotion is definitely a date to put on your calendar of summer anime releases.

And that’s the confirmded release date of My Wife Has No Emotion Episode 1.

How Phastos Works in Marvel Snap

Phastos is a 3-cost, 3-power card with an ability that reads: “On Reveal: Give each card in your deck -1 Cost or +2 Power.”

Phastos’ effect works fairly similarly to Nakia, who is a 2-cost, 2-power card that gives all cards remaining in your deck +1. Like Nakia, the likes of Sebastian Shaw and Brood will benefit most from having their power buffed. And as you can imagine, he sucks being played on the final turn of the game.

Whether Phastos will assign +2 power or -1 cost is random. You can have all +2 power or all -1 cost, making it difficult to predict future plays depending on what cards you top deck.

Pixie and Phastos have the ability to discount cards further, though what happens when you also play Mobius M. Mobius remains to be seen. Frankly, it might break my brain a little bit, but I’m excited to test it out.

Best Phastos Decks in Marvel Snap

While I’m itching to try Phastos and Pixie together, I do believe two styles of decks will be way more consistent right off the back with him. These are Silver Surfer and Thanos decks, both of which are currently B-tier but may see a nice boost in the meta, thanks to him. Let’s take a look at Silver Surfer first:

• Nova
• Forge
• Ravonna Renslayer
• Sage
• Wolfsbane
• Brood
• SIlver Surfer
• Killmonger
• Phastos
• Sebastian Shaw
• Wong
• Sera

Click here to copy the deck list from Untapped.

If you do not have expensive cards like Ravonna Renslayer and Sage, you can swap them out for Hope Summers and Absorbing Man for a more traditional list. 

This is currently the best Silver Surfer deck on the block, except with Phastos slotted in instead of Red Guardian. You may think Ravonna Renslayer is weird here; however, with her, you can further discount both Wolfsbane and Sage alongside Sera for an incredibly explosive final turn. Phastos furthers this deck’s explosive potential by possibly adding power to the likes of Brood and Sebastian Shaw, while any discounts in this deck are welcome – especially if you hit Sera. Expect to see Phastos in some variation of this list a lot during his first week.

I have to give credit where it’s due: Cozy Snap and Alex Coccia posited this idea on their SnapChat podcast on YouTube. One of Phastos’ weaknesses is being drawn and played late in the game; however, Thanos can draw multiple cards on later turns if Phastos is played prior with Infinity Stones. Furthermore, he can discount powerful 6-cost cards and reduce them in cost, allowing you to play them earlier or discount the stones completely. This list will do well right out of the gate with Phastos:

• Psylocke
• Jeff!
• Mobius M. Mobius
• Phastos
• Hope Summers
• Shang-Chi
• Vision
• Mockingbird
• Blob
• Thanos
• Skaar
• Magneto

Click here to copy the deck list from Untapped.

There isn’t any easy substitutions in this list, though if you do not have Mobius M. Mobius or Hope Summers, you can replace them with Caiera or Red Guardian.

I believe having Phastos in hand for turn 3 is a Snap condition for a deck like this, as there’s so much potential for strong synergies. A buffed Vision and Mockingbird will discount Skaar. Free or buffed stones are simply overpowered, while a turn 5 Magneto can definitely win games. Playing Phastos and following up with the Mind Stone can win games. I truly think this will become a force in the meta and one of the best Phastos decks in Marvel Snap.

Other than these two decks, it’s difficult to say if Phastos will find a home where he adds to the deck rather than adding some unnecessary variance.

Related: Best Sasquatch Decks in Marvel Snap

Phastos Counters in Marvel Snap

Unfortunately for Phastos, he has a direct counter: Mobius M. Mobius will stop the more powerful of his ability in its tracks. This is especially true for Silver Surfer, as that deck looks to discount cards further with Sera, and Thanos lists will lose out on Mockingbird. You could run Shadow King to remove the +2 power from cards; however, this is likely a waste of a deck slot if you’re specifically trying to counter Phastos. For the first week, Mobius M. Mobius is going to be your best friend.

Who Is Phastos?

Phastos, like the other cards released this season, is a super-powered human known as an Eternal. He has all your superhero trappings: superpower and speed, near invulnerability, flight, and so on. Phastos differs from his fellow Eternals by having a genius-level intellect that makes him a great engineer, which is where the Marvel Snap team pulled his ability from. Like many of his peers, he was mistaken as a mythological figure in Ancient Greece: Hephaestus, the god of blacksmiths.

Is Phastos Worth Your Spotlight Cache Keys or Collector’s Tokens?

Unless you’re hoarding keys for next week’s Arishem (and you should be if you value fun more than competitiveness), then yes – Phastos is worth rolling for this week or spending Collector’s Tokens on. He may not be a meta-breaking force, but I believe his ability is flexible enough to find its way into at least two powerful decks immediately and to be a consideration in deck building in the future.

And those are the best Phastos decks in Marvel Snap.

Marvel Snap is available now.

Table of Contents

• How to Beat Rellana
• How to Beat Golden Hippopotamus
• How to Beat Messmer the Impaler
• How to Beat Romina
• How to Beat Furnace Golems
• How to Beat Blackgaol Knight
• How to Beat the Scadutree Avatar
• How to Beat Ghostflame Dragons
• How to Beat Death Knight
• How to Beat Chief Bloodfiend in Elden RIng
• How to Beat Demi-Human Swordmaster Onze
• How to Beat Demi-Human Queen Marigga
• How to Beat Commander Gaius
• How to Beat Midra, Lord of Frenzied Flame
• How to Beat Putrescent Knight

How to Beat Every Boss in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree: The Ultimate Guide

There are four main story bosses in Shadow of the Erdtree and fifteen optional ones. Here, we’ll give you an in-depth strategy on how to beat each of them, starting with the main story bosses. There will be very mild spoilers ahead.

How to Beat Rellana, Twin Moon Knight in Elden Ring

Rellana can be extremely tough for players who aren’t familiar with the parrying system in Elden Ring, but for those who are experts with this mechanic, this should be a breeze. If you successfully parry Rellana multiple times, she will be vulnerable to a critical strike, and given her sweeping combinations, there are plenty of opportunities to parry.

If you’re a magic user, then this can be a tough fight as she has great magic defense, and as such your attacks aren’t likely to do much damage. In this situation, we suggest seeking out lightning spells as she is vulnerable to lightning, and these can make the fight much easier.

How to Survive Rellana’s First Phase

Most of Rellana’s phase one kit relies on sweeping strikes with her swords. You’ll want to roll through these moves and take advantage of openings to do damage once the combination is complete.

If you’re at a distance, then Rellana can use Glintstone Arcs. These projectiles can easily be dodged by rolling, but be aware, she often sends multiple at once, but can instead shoot one marge projectile that does significantly more damage.

How to Survive Rellana’s Second Phase

During Phase Two, Rellana will imbue her sword with fire and begin using a combination of magic and fire attacks. She’ll also become much more aggressive, meaning that even the combinations you’re familiar with will be tougher to avoid.

With her fire magic, Rellana’s combinations now include spinning combos from close range. Again, rolling through these is the optimal way to avoid them. Her Carian Greatsword move is a powerful attack that begins with a 360 sweep around her position, followed by a crashing strike to the ground at your location. You can roll through the sweep and away from the final strike to avoid taking damage.

Rellana’s Twin Moon attack is her most dangerous ability and must be avoided at all costs. This will see her levitate in the air, creating two moons that crash to the earth before she does herself. You need to jump over these attacks as they make an impact with the ground to avoid them, and the further away you are from her, the better so we suggest running right as you see the attack be initiated.

Last Resort Tips for Beating Rellana

The Mimic Tear Spirit Ashes is a great way to beat this fight if you’re having trouble. This summoning ability will help you in combat not just by dealing damage, but also by pulling agro so you can work on your own attacks.

There are two NPC spirits available to summon outside of Rellana’s boss room, however, we would advise against summoning either. They are both vulnerable to Rellana’s attacks and won’t survive long in combat. Summoning also increases Rellana’s health so it’s simply not worth it in this situation.

If you do need to summon, consider summoning an online player, as they’ll likely be more equipped to beat Renalla than these NPCs are.

How To Beat Golden Hippopotamus in Elden Ring

Most of the attacks from the Golden Hippopotamus in Phase 1 are close-range bashing-type moves. These can be easily avoided by rolling through them and dealing damage once the action is over.

Like most FromSoftware creature bosses, getting behind the Golden Hippopotamus makes beating it much easier. From behind, only a few attacks can hit you and they tend to be easy to see coming. When the enemy repositions to get in front again, roll through its attack and get behind once more. You can repeat this all the way into phase two.

During Phase 2, things get much trickier. The Golden Hippopotamus will start to emit golden spikes from its body. These have two purposes: they deal damage to anything close when they appear, but they also shoot out of the creature’s body, flying at the player. This ranged attack is easy to see coming and can be rolled to avoid.

Aside from the spikes, Phase 2 of the Golden Hippopotamus fight is almost identical to the first and as such you can use the same method of getting behind the beast to deal damage and eventually take it out.

If you’d like to make things easier, you can always use Spirit Ashes to draw agro and help out with repositioning and dealing damage to the boss. The best choice is likely going to be the Mimic Tear, as it will have the same weapons and armor that you are using, which can be tailored to your style and build up status effects during the fight.

How to Beat Messmer the Impaler in Elden Ring

Fighting Messmer in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree will require some preparation. While you can use the old-fashioned method of learning the fight to dodge every move and slowly wear down his health, we’d suggest entering the battle primed for victory.

Messmer is vulnerable to magic attacks so using sorceries will allow you to break his stance and deal critical blows much easier. I like to play melee builds, so using Ashes of War worked perfectly for me. The best one I found was Glintblade Phalanx, but any magic attack is going to be helpful so go with what you’ve got.

Most of Messmer’s damage comes from fire attacks so it is preferable to choose armor that has good resistance to fire. How heavy this armor is will depend on your build, but medium is optimal to ensure you still have the ability to roll out of Messmer’s attacks.

How to Survive Messmer’s Phase One

During phase one, Messmer has a handful of attacks. He will usually open by launching himself into the air and charging a ball of fire before crashing to the ground at your location. This can be easily avoided by rolling through the moment he is about to make an impact but be sure to roll away from his location a second time as he will detonate his flame shortly after he lands.

Messmer can sometimes lift his hand in the air and create a ball of fire. If this ball of fire floats off on its own be ready to roll, as it will be shortly firing in your direction. But, if Messmer starts to run towards you with the fireball in his hand, you must sprint away from him or get ready to time a roll just as he goes to grab you. This grab move is an instant kill even with quite a bit of health so you must avoid it at all costs.

Outside of these abilities, Messmer’s phase one kit is generally simple. You’ll want to roll through his swiping combinations, and to the side of his spear jabs. If he crashes to the ground at the end of a combination, you must be prepared to roll away as the ground can be detonated after impact.

Use the openings after his combinations to charge in and deal damage or activate your magic from a distance.

How to Survive Messmer’s Phase Two

Once you reach phase two, the Messmer fight gets a little easier. Opening this phase will be his giant snake smash. This move is almost the same as his initial opening attack, but thanks to the giant snake it is easier to time. Roll away from his impact, and then again before it detonates. There is a small window after this to deal damage so be prepared to rush in and land a few blows.

From here Messmer has a few new attacks which include a dark pool that can be created on the ground. This deals big damage so you escape the zone before it is detonated. He can also use giant snakes to strike you from a distance or become one himself to dash in and quickly close the distance dealing big damage. All of these snake attacks can be timed and rolled through.

Outside of these new moves, the kit stays mostly the same so you can stick to the same method as phase one and easily claim your Embers of Messmer.

Last Resorts for Beating Messmer

If you’re truly stuck against Messmer then you can always use the help of the Mimic Tear ashes. This spirit is perfect to take agro from Messmer allowing you to use magical attacks from a distance. Unlike NPC summons, Mimic Tear won’t buff Messmer’s health so you’ll be able to take him out at the same pace as you would without the ashes.

Of course, there is always the option to summon other players but just be warned. Fighting Messmer with additional health can be more trouble than it’s worth, so we’d suggest sticking to Mimic Tear if you can.

How to Beat Romina in Elden Ring

The first thing to consider when challenging Romina is what armor you will use. Much like Melinia, Romina uses Rot as her offense so you’ll want to take armor with high immunity to counter it.

How to Survive Romnia’s Phase One

For the fight itself, Phase 1 is tricky but simple. You’re going to deal with long-swiping combinations. These can either be two or three long, however, you can roll into them to avoid taking damage. Sometimes she can end a combination with a rolling attack which can also be avoided, so just be careful if you see her start to spin.

From a distance, she will attempt to strike you with her scorpion tales, but you can avoid these by closing the gap and rolling as they are about to make an impact. You’re better off staying close to the boss if possible as her close-range moves in Phase 1 are easy to avoid and it leaves an opening for you to deal damage.

How to Survive Romnia’s Phase Two

In Phase 2 all of the same moves still apply, but she starts to use one ultimate move. This new ability will create a whirlwind of butterflies around her that can be lethal if you’re close. Run away from her when you see this ability start but be careful as the whole arena will now have butterflies floating around. You need to find a spot with no butterflies to avoid taking damage or use your shield to lessen the blow.

From here it’s back to basics, simply follow the tips from Phase 1 and use them to avoid taking any damage while getting in shots of your own. Eventually, you will beat this boss and get access to the next area.

Last Resorts for Beating Romnia

If you’re really struggling you can use Spirit Ashes to help out in the battle, and as usual, the best of these is the Mimic Tear. This clone can help you deal damage, but also tank damage for you and provide opportunities to get behind and safely attack. 

You can use summons to bring in another player to help, but we would suggest trying Mimic Tear first as it doesn’t increase the boss’s health in the same way that a player or NPC summon would.

Romnia marks the last of the main story bosses, and rewards you with the Remembrance of the Saint of the Bud. Now, let’s tackle the optional bosses.

How to Beat Furnace Golems in Elden Ring

Beating the Furnace Golem in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree might look daunting but this is no Tree Sentinel. In fact, you can defeat this monstrosity from the first moment you step foot into the Shadow Realm.

First, there’s one incredibly easy way to kill Furnace Golems. And that’s by chucking a Hefty Furnace Pot into its basket. Doing this will deal massive damage to it. But Hefty Furnace Pots can be hard to come by, so here’s the standard method.

The Furnace Golem has weak spots on its face plate and a large opening on its back. However, you can do some damage to its legs which will eventually cause the monster to fall over allowing you access to the vulnerable places.

Ride Torrent into battle avoiding any of the molten rocks being flung in your direction as you position yourself behind the monster at its legs. While you are in this position there’s only a small amount of moves it will use.

The first comes as you see one leg raised in the air. Get ready to double jump over the flames as the foot is about to hit the ground. Using Torrent to stay airborne while the flames torch the ground means you will take no damage. Similarly, if the Furnace Golem jumps in the air with both feet it will unleash a more powerful version of this move, but it can be avoided the same way.

If you remain behind the Furnace Golem, the only other moves it will use are an attempt at swiping you with its arms, which doesn’t reach behind him, so it can be easily avoided while you attack the legs, and a smaller stomping attack that only impacts the area in front of that specific foot.

When you have done enough damage to the legs and the Furnace Golem falls to the ground, simply dismount Torrent and head to the face plate on its body to deal a critical strike. From here, go back to the initial strategy and in no time you’ll have conquered this challenge and earned your rewards.

Killing the Furnace Golem will cause it to drop Crystal Tears and a Furnace Visage.

How to Beat Blackgoal Knight in Elden Ring

The key to beating the Blackgaol Knight is rushing when he loads the crossbow and countering after every two attacks. When you enter the mausoleum to start the fight, the knight will typically start loading up the crossbow from across the room. He uses standard bolts first and then explosives after a second reload. Make sure to just sprint to the right in a half circle and then attack after he runs out of bolts the first time.

After you engage in melee range, the Blackgaol Knight does a few different combos. Most of them consist of two wide swings that can easily catch you if you spam the back dodge. But if you know when to create space, it can be a massive advantage. It can cause the knight to go back to the crossbow, which is an easy window to damage.

The deadliest attack is a charged swing that appears to have holy damage attached. After slamming his sword, the attack unleashes the energy, and he will follow up with a dash. Space won’t help you much in this case so you need to prepare for evasion or else he can easily two-shot kill you. Just dodge and wait for another opening.

Tips on How to Beat the Blackgaol Knight in Elden Ring

• Rush to the side when he loads the crossbow.
• Do not spam backward dodges or you will get caught.
• Utilize weapon grease with Holy damage.
• Watch for the second rush attack after his Holy move.

You won’t be able to use Spirit Ashes in this fight so it makes the battle even tougher. The Blackgaol Knight also likes to abuse poise on his power attacks so don’t spam your own melee attacks. Wait for openings and eventually, you will have a nice new solitude armor set.

How To Beat Scadutree Avatar in Elden Ring

The easiest way to beat the Scadutree Avatar is to use a ranged build that will allow you to cast magic or projectiles at the creature’s head. This vulnerable spot does a substantial amount of extra damage compared to the body, so any time you can prioritize the head, that should be your goal.

In total, you will need to kill the Scadutree Avatar three times in this fight. Each time it will provide an opportunity to deal a critical strike to the head starting the next phase with 25 percent less health.

During all three phases, the moveset stays almost the same. In Phase 1 you can easily avoid ranged attacks such as the vines or magic arrows simply by rolling to the side. In close you’ve just got to watch out for the head slam and the AOE thorns that can often be activated at the base.

In Phase 2 there is a new ability where the creature will put its arms into the ground lift its body and then fling itself directly at you for huge damage. This can easily be rolled through so that you can stay safe and we suggest using these reset opportunities to get close or deal ranged damage. Be very careful during this phase as the creature will be at its most aggressive.

Phase 3 might be the last, but it also happens to be the most easy of the phases. In this stage, the Scadutree Avatar will be labored in its movements and if you’re careful you can simply sit nearby and roll through its attacks. After most attacks, it will drop its head to the ground allowing even melee builds to get close and deal massive damage.

If you aren’t able to reach the head then there’s no harm in attacking the body, in fact, this can be a great way to get the creature to attack you with its head in turn allowing you to get close to the critical target.

Last Resort Tips for Beating the Scadutree

Those who are truly stuck can use the Mimic Tear spirit ashes to help out in this fight. This will provide you an ally to deal extra damage or simply take agro from the creature while you get in position and safely make progress at chipping away its health.

As usual, you can also call on the help of another online player, but we’d caution against this as it will increase the health of the Scadutree Avatar.

How to Beat the Ghostflame Dragons in Elden Ring

As you reach the Cerulean Coast on the way to the Southern Shore map fragment, you’ll be ambushed by a massive undead dragon. This dragon, aptly named the Ghostflame Dragon, hits like an absolute truck. And if you’re struggling with putting it back in its grave, you’re not alone. Fortunately, there are a few tricks to handling it. And if you just want to cheese it, skip to the end.

First, Torrent is integral to this fight. The Ghostflame Dragon is exceptionally mobile and will create massive distance between you and it if you try to abuse its underbelly.

Second, it’s always best to aim for its head. Hitting two to three physical shots on its head will cause it to collapse forward, revealing a bright orange crit spot on the right side of its head. Make sure you’re not locked into any part of it, then use a heavy attack to start the critical animation. This will do around 4,000 damage or more, depending on your weapon and build.

Third, play cautiously. The Ghostflame Dragon has several attacks that will one shot you if you don’t have enough vitality. If it begins spewing flames, try to dodge through it, towards its body, or use Torrent to quickly skirt away going left or right. Going in the opposite direction of the flames will almost always lead to death. When the dragon throws its head up and its stomach begins to glow white, don’t approach it. This is an area-of-effect attack that will summon the undead. Kill the undead as quickly as possible, as they’re strong enough to take you out if you’re spending too much time focusing on the dragon. Finally, the easiest time to actually land several consecutive hits is when the dragon dives you. If you successfully dodge this attack, it will stay locked on the ground for several seconds, giving you the opportunity to absolutely wail on it. elden Again, always aim for the head, as there’s a chance it will be enough to open its crit point.

Now, here’s the real cheese. If you’re tired of playing it fair, there’s a sorcery that absolutely devastates the poor Ghostflame Dragon. And that’s Loretta’s Mastery and Loretta’s Greatbow. These long-range sorceries can hit from a massive distance and seek out what you’re locked on, so you don’t even have to be facing the dragon to hit it. You can safely spam these attacks while far enough away to avoid the death flames the Ghostdragon spews out. And certainly far enough away to see when the dragon’s pulling back for a charge and dive.  

Loretta’s Greatbow is a pale shadow compared to Loretta’s Mastery, but it can be obtained earlier in the main game. Head to Caria Manor, just north of Liurnia of the Lakes. Loretta is an optional boss, but she’s significantly weaker than the Ghostflame Dragon. If you want Loretta’s Mastery, you’ll need to go all the way to Miquella’s Haligtree, where you can fight her in the courtyard.

Both skills take a sizable chunk of FP, but with this sorcery you won’t take any damage, so feel free to spam those mana pots.

How to Beat the Death Knight in Elden Ring

If you’re struggling to beat the Death Knight boss in Shadow of the Erdtree you’re not alone. The Death Knight wields twin axes and can use lightning magic. Besides throwing lightning bolts, the boss can also channel power into his body and dash toward you.

The Death Knight’s most dangerous move is when he sprouts a pair of ghostly wings. If you’re too close, you may get knocked back by the wind, and in the worst-case scenario, he’ll grab you. The Death Knight will then lift you into the air and sap your HP to restore his own health.

Before entering this boss fight, you should equip the Boltdrake Talisman to reduce your damage from lightning. The best strategy to defeat the Death Knight is to utilize heavy attacks, which can stun-lock the boss. You may also consider using Bleed weapons since he is weak against this status effect.

How to Beat Chief Bloodfiend in Elden Ring

Upon entering his arena, the Chief Bloodfiend will almost certainly rush to attack you. The arena is fairly large and the Chief is surprisingly fast, so trying to maintain a distance between you and him will be key to victory. Sometimes the Chief Bloodfiend will jump at you too to close the distance, so when you see him hop into the air prepare to roll into the direction he jumped from. If he jumps while standing in place, then that means he’s going to use a wide AOE attack upon landing, so staying far away from him and poking him when you get the chance is the best tactic.

Most of the Chief Bloodfiend’s attacks are vicious close-range combos where he’ll wail on you with his club. If you’re too close, dodging out of his wild swings will be hard, and you can easily be killed if you get hit by a few of them. He’ll frequently alternate between club smashes and pounding the ground with his fist and he’ll usually string multiple hits together. It’s rare for one of his attacks to be single-hit, so if you fight with a lot of close-range attacks, be mindful of this.

Something else to be careful of is he can emit a red mist that will cause a bleed build-up. He’ll do this for a couple of seconds so it’s best to dodge roll back as quickly as possible so you don’t get hit with bleed. If you’re far away however, then this is the perfect opportunity to heal up and use whatever items you need to. Funnily enough, the Chief Bloodfiend is vulnerable to bleed damage, so if you use weapons like the new Beast Claw, you could potentially make the fight much quicker by afflicting him with bleed.

Most likely, this will be an aggressive fight, but the Chief Bloodfiend should go down without too much difficulty, netting you the Bloodfiend Hexer’s Ashes.

How to Beat Demi-Human Swordmaster Onze in Elden Ring

You can find Demi-Human Swordmaster Onze at the very bottom of the Belurat Gaol, a dungeon located along the east border wall of Belurat Tower Settlement. And while you’ll primarily encounter pots and the monstrosities within on the way to him, Onze is the true terror of the dungeon.

If you’re struggling with this fight, heavy attacks that can break poise and consumables that increase your resistance to frost and magic are a good shout. Spellproof Dried Liver and Thawfrost Boluses are good items to add to your hotbar for this fight.

Onze is very small, as he’s a demi-human. But don’t let his stature fool you. He’s exceptionally fast and utilizes speedy combos. He can also teleport in the air, blinking to your location. If you’re struggling to hit him, wait until he does a grab or slam from mid-air, then dodge through it. Once he does this move, he’ll be open to attacks.

And while he’s quite fast, his health pool isn’t massive. Dodge or trade blows with him, ideally breaking his poise with heavy attacks, until he goes down.

How To Beat Demi-Human Queen Marigga in Elden Ring

Upon arrival at the inlet in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree‘s Cerulean Coast where Demi-Human Queen Marigga makes her home, you should be able to see her in the distance, towering over the other Demi-Humans she keeps for company. While it would be tempting to just run up to her and begin the fight, this is actually the worst thing you could do as she will immediately call the Demi-Humans to sic upon you. While I didn’t get an exact count of them, there were certainly around a dozen, and they will easily overwhelm and kill you.

So before you even think about attacking Demi-Human Queen Marigga, make it a point to sneak around and kill as many Demi-Humans as possible. You can either use throwables to lure them out or you can sneak up on them, but the key is to eliminate them before Marigga sees you. I was personally able to kill about six before she spotted me from a distance, but that was enough to ensure victory.

Like other Demi-Humans, Marigga is a bit of a glass cannon. But while her health is fairly low, she makes up for it with quick attacks that can leave you hurting if you’re not prepared. If you fight her from a distance, she’ll use Glintstone Magic to launch homing attacks at you, while up-close battles will see her use her staff to try and smash you. She also has a scream attack that can stagger you, and she may eventually toss her staff in favor of aggressively slamming her body against you.

Your general strategy to defeat Demi-human Queen Marigga should be to end this fight as quickly as possible before the remaining Demi-Humans swarm you. Because this fight takes place outside, use Torrent to try to kill the remaining Demi-Humans (I was able to kill most of them in 1-2 hits), then focus on Marigga. Because her moves are widely telegraphed due to her size, you should be able to dash out of the way with Torrent before she completes her attack, allowing you to circle back and damage her a little bit. If you’re choosing to fight her without Torrent, rolling into her will have you dodge most of her attacks, but be careful of her scream as it can stagger you.

Last Resort Tips for Beating Demi-Human Queen Marigga

If you’re having trouble killing Queen Marigga because of the Demi-Humans, you can summon your Mimic Tear to help. In all likelihood, the Mimic Tear will draw aggro from the Demi-Humans and leave you plenty of time to focus on Marigga. With a strong enough build, she should go down in less than a minute, provided you don’t get swarmed by her.

How to Beat Commander Gaius in Elden Ring

Commander Gaius can be fought on foot or with Torrent, which makes him unique compared to the other major bosses in the DLC. Utilizing Torrent can give you a lot more space on the battlefield, but you’re also prone to getting stunned over and over again. For that reason, I don’t recommend actually using your mount. Get in the Commander’s face and start tracking the attack patterns he has. For the first part of the fight. he relies on combos from his spear when you get close along with attacks from his mount.

When Commander Gaius isn’t using the spear to poke damage, he will use the boar to charge at you. After each charge, he has the potential to swing again and keep moving. In some cases, he can even have his mount kick you as you try to attack from behind. The goal is to wait for an opening in this fight and get safe damage rather than attempting aggressive combos. Strength builds are going to feel the best here.

Tips to Beat Commander Gaius:

• Fight the boss on foot instead of with Torrent.
• Watch for tusk charges.
• Wait for the spear combos to end to deal damage.
• In phase 2, wait for the delay on the gravity slam.
• Prepare for projectile attacks and continue evading gravity attacks.

In phase 2, Gaius starts using gravity magic. He floats into the air and slams back down, causing thorns to erupt. Don’t dodge the slam right away because there is a slight delay. But if you evade the right way, then you can avoid the thorns. The boss will continue to use projectiles and gravity magic attacks on his spear combined with attacks from the previous phase. Just like before, you want massive damage in small windows to continue defending. Before you know it, he fight is over and you can claim your Scadutree Fragments up ahead.

How to Beat Midra, Lord of the Frenzied Flame in Elden Ring

The fight against Midra, Lord of Frenzied Flame is a hard boss to beat in Shadow of the Erdtree. This fight is all about dodging the madness flames and managing your madness meter. This boss is aggressive in both melee attacks and the spells used at range. It will use the spear to close the gap, and if you run away, there is a mix of Frenzied Flame bursts that deal a ton of damage. I recommend having the talisman for focus equipped and some boluses if you want to avoid your madness meter building up from the flames as well.

Two of the deadliest flame attacks that Midra uses are variations of the Frenzied Flame burst. The first version is done in two separate shots. Each one appears like a ton of tentacles that can easily catch you as you attempt to dodge. Make sure to move sideways as fast as possible to avoid the tendrils. As for the other Frenzied Flame attack, it shoots out like a much faster singular beam. This can be dodged in any direction, but you need to be ready.

Tips to Beat Midras, Lord of Frenzied Flame:

• Equip a Focus Talisman.
• When Midra charges up, move sideways to dodge tendrils of flame.
• The bolt of Frenzied Flame shoots much faster but is only in one direction.
• Melee can be aggressive but it has easier animations to track.
• Utilize Spirit Ashes for more opportunities to attack.

You can always use Spirit Ashes for this fight as well and that will take a ton of the aggro. Melee attacks from Midra aren’t nearly as bad as other bosses and you can easily dodge them in a pattern. As long as you can manage the Frenzied Flame spell attacks, you can easily pummel Midra while their gaze is on the ashes.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is available now.

How to Access Prospect Town in Elden Ring

As a crumbling remnant of whatever settlement it formally used to be, Prospect Town is a sad sight. To get into Prospect Town, you will need to find the right part of the ruins to walk up, as the former main road has collapsed. This can be found on the flat area if you follow the ruins around to the left. You will find a long, collapsed wall that you can walk up and then jump across to gain entry to the town.

There are some resources to be found here, such as some Rada Fruit lying around, two Beast Blood, Sanguine plants, and Mushrooms. Mostly, you will want to visit here to get the Arcane-enhancing Outer God Heirloom.

Related: Where to Find the Gravesite Plain Map in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

Be careful in Prospect Town, as there are a number of large, powerful, and hard-hitting enemies here. As you continue through the town, you will come to an area with seven of them, and you will need to be very careful. You can aggro the first three on their own if you approach them from the right, then back up as soon as they start to stand up. Take them all out, then worry about the others.

The second group will include an enemy who can do some ranged attacks, so be very mindful of him. He can stagger you badly if he hits you, and should that happen, the rest will easily swarm you. There is no Site of Grace here, so you want to be careful because you have no easy respawns.

How to Find the Outer God Heirloom in Elden Ring

Once the fighting is over, continue toward the ruined church-looking building on the left, then go inside. Here, you will find a chest that contains the Outer God Heirloom.

The Outer God Heirloom will raise your Arcane level.

A talisman engraved with the lore of an outer god. Raises arcane. The clan, who lost everything in the great fires, peered upon the corpse of their ancestor, normally an act of sanctity, and saw in its shadow a twisted deity. The clan had suffered such torment that the horrible thing was taken as an object of worship.

The Outer God Heirloom isn’t the only talisman nearby. You can also grab the Blade of Mercy talisman without much fuss.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is available now.

What is the Pokemon GO Poke Ball Throwing Glitch?

In June 2024, Niantic released the 0.317.0 update for Pokemon GO. Since downloading the update, many players have noticed changes in Pokemon movement behaviors and Poke Ball throwing mechanics that are making it more difficult to catch Pokemon – and to earn those already elusive Nice, Great, and Excellent throws.

If it seems like your Poke Balls are suddenly jumping away from the target or missing when they shouldn’t, you’re not alone. Many players report noticing that Poke Balls seem to glitch and jump at the last moment, altering their trajectory so that they no longer land in the target circle that would earn a nice throw.

Some players speculate this is due to the update moving the target point for the catch box, making it so that your target is actually behind the Pokemon, not in front of it. This theory is largely due to the fact that many players have observed Poke Balls falling right through Pokemon when the animation looks like the ball should hit.

Another catch mechanic issue that trainers have noticed since the Pokemon GO update involves Pokemon’s aggression animations. These movements make it temporarily impossible for a Poke Ball to hit them and they now seem to be amped up to such an extent that catching Pokemon is incredibly challenging.

Thus far, Niantic has not acknowledged player complaints about the issue or any plans to remedy what players hope is a glitch. However, some trainers suspect it may not be a glitch, but an intentional update intended to increase the challenge of catching Pokemon that went slightly too far.

Potential Fixes for the Pokemon GO Ball Throwing Glitch

Given how widespread this issue is for players, many trainers are trying to find workarounds to remedy this catch mechanic glitch. While it doesn’t seem like anyone has found a completely foolproof method to fix the problem, players do report some potential fixes. These have worked for some players, so they’re worth a try if you’re really frustrated trying to catch that Raid Boss Pokemon that won’t stop dodging your Poke Ball.

Revert Your App Version

If your phone will let you revert to a prior version of the app, this is the most reliable fix players have found. Pokemon GO may force an update and render this fix impossible, but for those who’ve been able to revert, it fixes the error.

Download All Assets

Some trainers have tried using the Download All Assets function as a possible fix for this error. Toggling this option on in your game settings will have the game download all available assets at once, rather than over time.

A few Redditors say that toggling this option on and re-downloading all assets seems to have helped with the glitch. However, others report trying this and having no apparent improvement, so it’s not a guarantee.

File a Bug Report

Okay, filing a Bug Report with Niantic Support isn’t going to magically fix your Poke Balls falling through Pokemon in the short term. However, many users are urging one another to report this glitch as a bug to try and make sure that Niantic is aware of and responds to this game-breaking error.

Hopefully, Niantic will make adjustments to the broken Pokemon catch mechanic soon. In the meantime, these fixes might make it so you can actually catch Pokemon again.

How Makkari Works in Marvel Snap

Makkari is a 3-energy, 4-power card with an ability that reads: “After the turn, runs from your hand to a random location. (if possible)”.

In short, this means that whenever you draw Makkari, whether on the first turn or the sixth, she’ll jump from your hand to a random location. She is essentially a free 4-power on the board at the cost of a deck slot.

Yes, she can land in Bar With No Name and lose you the game. But at the same time, she can leap into a lane flooded by Storm. Do note that Professor X has been heavily nerfed, but Makkari can’t jump from your hand into his lane.

Her text says ‘runs’ from your hand, which is a notable distinction to ‘played.’ This means Makkari won’t trigger certain card effects, such as Hope Summers’ or Angela’s, or trigger locations like Orchis Forge.

Makkari is most comparable to Angel or M’Baku, which should tell you a little bit about whether or not you should rush out to get her.

Related: Best Namora Decks in Marvel Snap

The Best Makkari Decks in Marvel Snap

Honestly, Makkari doesn’t fit into any particular deck because her ability isn’t controllable. If you could choose where to play Makkari or if she landed in a lane you were losing, like Proxima Midnight, she might have a place in a lockdown-style deck. As it stands, she pretty much only fits into Silver Surfer, and her usefulness there is debatable with so many other strong 3-energy cards. Regardless, here’s a list:

• Nova
• Forge
• Brood
• Silver Surfer
• Killmonger
• Hope Summers
• Makkari
• Sebastian Shaw
• Gladiator
• Absorbing Man
• Sera
• Mockingbird

Click here to copy the deck list from Untapped.

No cards are really replaceable in this deck. But if you don’t have Mockingbird, another solid 3 drop like Red Guardian will work instead.

I believe Makkari will fit into a standard Nova and Killmonger Surfer list rather than the Hazmat hybrid simply because the latter version is too crammed full of necessary cards, making it difficult to create room for her.

If you’re hellbent on playing Makkari, this list is rather straightforward. Snap against your opponent if you have a Brood into Sebastian Shaw line, but don’t discount having excess energy to Silver Surfer and Absorbing Man on the final turns. In the current meta, this deck is quite good because Zoo-style and Thanos lists currently reign supreme.

Speaking of Zoo, Makkari can fit into a Zoo-style deck, though whether or not she’ll make an already strong deck better is debatable. I’ve been a champion of Zoo over the last few weeks and she’ll do fine in a list like this:

• Ant-Man
• Nico Minoru
• Squirrel Girl
• Dazzler
• Makkari
• Shanna the She-Devil
• Nocturne
• Ka-Zar
• Cull Obsidian
• Blue Marvel
• Gilgamesh
• Mockingbird

Click here to copy the deck list from Untapped.

Mockingbird and Gilgamesh are necessary for this deck to function properly. But you can swap out Cull Obsidian for Crossbones if you don’t have him. Otherwise, Morph can substitute for Nocturne.

The difficulty with this deck is knowing when to fill up your locations and when to keep a space or two open, given the prevalence of cards like White Widow. Makkari can have a negative impact by taking up the fourth space of a location late in a match, but at the same time, she can drop earlier and make it easier for you to know when to play. It really depends on which turn you draw Makkari.

Related: Best Sersi Decks in Marvel Snap

How to Counter Makkari in Marvel Snap

There is no direct way to counter Makkari, though decks that clog up the board with cards like White Widow, Debrii, and Annihilus will do so better than others. If, for some reason, you’re running into a ton of Makkari—or she gets a significant buff—consider throwing a Green Goblin into your deck to make your opponent regret slotting Makkari in over a different card.

Is Makkari Worth Spotlight Cache Keys or Collector’s Tokens?

In her current form, Makkari is definitely not worth any of your resources. The above decks will function with her in them, but quite often in Marvel Snap you do not want a card being played randomly, and as a result, those decks have plenty of better options than Makkari. If she were to get a buff that considered her a ‘played’ card, or if you could somehow predict where she’ll land, she may see a lot more utility. But until that buff arrives, definitely save your Spotlight Cache Keys unless you’re aiming to pick up Gladiator or X-23 which are also in caches this week.

Marvel Snap is available now.

First and foremost, Activision has yet to officially confirm any sort of date or even release window for a BO6 beta. The only piece of future news we have is that the annual CoD NEXT event is taking place on Aug. 28. This is where streamers and content creators get invited to play BO6 multiplayer and Warzone in front of their audiences together.

However, by revealing the date of CoD NEXT, Activision did potentially give us an idea of when the beta is taking place. The past two years have seen the closed beta begin one day after CoD NEXT concluded. While that could change this year with BO6, a leak by a retail employee suggests the trend is staying the same.

Related: Will MW3 Content Carry Over to Black Ops 6? Carry Forward Explained

According to BobNetworkUK, a reputable leaker in the CoD scene, an employee at GAME revealed a piece of marketing that was apparently sent out to retailers. This information reveals that the BO6 closed beta is planned to start on Aug. 28 and run until Sept. 3. Then, the open beta would follow and likely end on Sept. 9.

Obviously, take these details with a grain of salt, but the supposed timeline of the beta lines up with CoD NEXT and what Activision has done in recent years. At this time, we’ll have to wait for Activision to post more information about the beta before we know anything official regarding its start date.

In the meantime, make sure you pre-order any edition of BO6 to ensure you gain access to the closed beta. This gives you an extra four or five days of playtime compared to those who only take part in the open beta.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 releases on Oct. 25.