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Season

Everything To Know About Chapter 6, Season 4

by admin August 18, 2025

There are few games as well-known in the general population as Fortnite. Even your grandmother knows what it is because she’s bought your cousin $700 in V-Bucks over the past month so he can play as a hot dog or whatever. This beloved battle royale is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon, either. But maybe it’s been a little while since you’ve played or you’ve yet to jump out of your first party bus. Let’s get into what you need to know to get into Fortnite in 2025.

What’s the deal with the current season?

At the time of this writing, Fortnite is up to Chapter 6, Season 4, which went live on August 7, 2025 and it features new characters from Halo and Power Rangers. We can expect this season to take us into the Fall of this year before the new one arrives.

The current season sees a bit of a pest-control problem on the island. Throughout the map you’ll find various gross nests, eggs, and the like. There are also three queen insects you’ll need to take down to earn yourself a mythic weapon. For full details on these pests and where on the map you can expect to find them, check out the official blog post.

What are the best guns in the game right now?

Right now, it’s looking like it’s SMG season, folks. The Veiled Precision SMG is arguably at the top of the pack when it comes to mowing down your opponents. That said, the Deadeye DMR is also a great pick for those who like to place their shots with more precision. And if you’re into looking weird while taking out multiple foes at once, give the Bug Blaster a shot.

What got vaulted/unvaulted?

This season sees the following changes to the game’s arsenal, as per Osirion on X.

BR LOOT POOL UPDATES

unvaulted/added:
– Hammer Assault Rifle
– O.X.R. Rifle
– Sweeper Shotgun
– Wrecker Revolver
– Stinger SMG
– Agile Aiming Boon
– Extended Magazine Boon
– Launch Pad
– Chug Splash
– FlowBerry Fizz
– Crash Pad Jr.
– Med-Mist

vaulted:
– Bass Boost
– Surgefire… pic.twitter.com/oVt3q0HYKK

— Osirion (@osirion_gg) August 7, 2025

Does Fortnite have crossplay?

Hey, here’s some good news in a world full of bad news: Fortnite features full crossplay! With this feature, you can team up with friends on other platforms with ease, ensuring that no one’s ever left out of the fun. Whether you’re on console, PC, or mobile devices, you can simply add your friends via Epic Games to get things going. Easy peasy!

Does Fortnite have cross-progression?

I’ve got some more good news for you: Fortnite features full cross-progression functionality, too. This means that you can play on your account across any supported device that you own. Get a few dubs on PS5, Xbox, or PC, then take the game on the go using your Nintendo Switch 2. And if you don’t want to drag a dedicated portable gaming device with you, just break out your phone for a few mobile matches. Yes, it really is that seamless.

In other words, anywhere you go, Fortnite is there. Watching. Waiting. Expecting you. Needing you. Feed it money. It’s hungry. You want that new skin. Buy it. Wear it. Your skin is bad. Its skin is good.

Anyway.

Fortnite is available now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and Windows PCs, and mobile devices.

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August 18, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Louisiana sues Roblox for allegedly choosing “profits over child safety”, claiming “it’s basically open season for sex predators on this app”

by admin August 17, 2025

The U.S. state of Louisiana is suing Roblox, alleging it facilitates “the sexual exploitation of Louisiana’s children”.

In a statement, Louisiana Attorney General, Liz Murrill, claimed Roblox “endangers the safety of the children” of the state, writing: “Roblox is overrun with harmful content and child predators because it prioritises user growth, revenue, and profits over child safety.

“Every parent should be aware of the clear and present danger posed to their children by Roblox so they can prevent the unthinkable from ever happening in their own home.”

The legal papers then names several “highly inappropriate” Roblox mini games such as Escape to Epstein Island, Public Bathroom Simulator, and Diddy Party.

“These games and others are often filled with sexually explicit material and simulated sexual activity such as child gang rape. A recent report even revealed a group of 3,334 members openly traded child pornography and solicited sexual acts from minors,” the Louisiana announcement says, citing a 2024 report.

Roblox is violating Louisiana law – choosing profits over child safety. It’s basically open season for sex predators on this platform. pic.twitter.com/fGSQ8IFgWw

— Attorney General Liz Murrill (@AGLizMurrill) August 15, 2025

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The lawsuit claims that while Roblox requires children to have permission from their parents or guardians to open an account, the company “does nothing to confirm or document that parental permission has been given, no matter how young a child is. Nor does Defendant require a parent to confirm the age given when a child signs up to use Roblox”.

“[Roblox] has access to biometric age verification software that requires the user to take a photo of a government-issued ID along with a real-time selfie photo that is then verified through artificial intelligence,” the AG adds. “However, while Defendant utilises this software for other purposes, Defendant intentionally does not utilise this feature when new accounts are created.”

In a press conference announcing the lawsuit, Murrill said: “So [Roblox] have chosen profits over child safety. It’s basically open season for sex predators on this app. For this reason, and all of the others that we’ve talked about today, Roblox is violating Louisiana law, and that’s why we filed this lawsuit.”

Roblox said it does not comment on pending litigation, but stressed “it would like to address erroneous claims and misconceptions about our platform, our commitment to safety, and our overall safety track record”.

“Every day, tens of millions of people around the world use Roblox to learn STEM skills, play, and imagine, and have a safe experience on our platform. Any assertion that Roblox would intentionally put our users at risk of exploitation is simply untrue. No system is perfect, and bad actors adapt to evade detection, including efforts to take users to other platforms, where safety standards and moderation practices may differ. We continuously work to block those efforts and to enhance our moderation approaches to promote a safe and enjoyable environment for all users.”

It added that it is constantly innovating safety tools and launching new safeguards, has taken an industry-leading stance on age-based communication, and serves players of which 64 percent are aged 13 or over. It also dedicates substantial resources to help detect and prevent inappropriate content and behaviour, and collaborates with law enforcement and government agencies, as well as mental health organisations, child safety organisations, and parental advocacy groups “to keep users safe on the platform”.

“We know safety is critically important to families, and we strive to empower our community of parents and caregivers to help ensure a safe online experience for their children. This includes a suite of easy-to-use parental controls to provide parents with more control and clarity on what their kids and teens are doing on Roblox,” the statement concludes.

“We aim to create one of the safest online environments for users, a goal not only core to our founding values but contrary to certain assertions, one we believe is critical to our long-term vision and success. We understand there is always more work to be done, and we are committed to making Roblox a safe and positive environment for all users.”

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August 17, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

Everything You Need To Know Before Season 18

by admin August 17, 2025

Overwatch 2 remains one of the most popular games in the multiplayer gaming arena due to its lovable roster of characters, strategic gameplay, and consistent updates that keep things feeling fresh for both new and returning players. And if you are brand new to the game or haven’t played in some time, you might be wondering what’s going on in this long-running hero shooter. So let’s get to everything you need to know about Overwatch 2 in late summer, 2025.

What’s going on with the current season?

Overwatch 2 is currently winding down on season 17 which saw some reworks to New Junk City and Suravasa, as well as a taste of what’s to come in season 18 with a preview of a new support hero, Wuyang. In fact, you can play as him right now, as his Hero Trial is expected to go until August 18.

But Season 18 will arrive in full on August 26, and with it Wuyang will fully join the roster. Also, for the new season, Sojourn will get a new mythic hero skin. You can learn all about that from the dev livestream here.

We also know that Sojourn will be getting some new perks. The Deceleration Field, which will replace the Extended Mag, will see hit enemies slowed down by a quarter of their top speed. Sojourn’s Adhesive Siphon in favor of her new Friction Generators, which will give her as much as 50 energy while sliding. You can read more about these changes, as well as some updates to Juno in this official preview of season 18.

Who are the best heroes right now?

While season 18 is likely to change things up, right now we’re seeing Orisa and Ramattra leading the pack when it comes to tanks, Tracer and Cassidy laying claim to the best DPS, and Baptiste and Kiriko dominating the support heroes.

Of course, given the importance of great teamwork, it’s always hard to sus out which heroes are best at any given moment. So if you’ve been out of the loop for some time, it might be worth jumping back in with a main that feels familiar to you. And if you find they’re not up to snuff anymore, try out one of the ones we just mentioned.

Does Overwatch 2 have crossplay support?

If you’re wanting to join up with friends on other platforms, I’ve got some good news for you: Overwatch 2 features full crossplay support. This means that you can team up with your friends across any platform by adding one another’s Battle.net accounts, which is a quick and easy process.

The exception to this crossplay rule is Competitive matches, where console and PC players are separated due to the perceived edge of mouse and keyboard players. While this may disappoint more hardcore players looking to truly test their mettle, most folks should be happy having some casual fun in Quick Play, Arcade, and Custom Matches. That’s not so bad!

Does Overwatch 2 have cross-progression?

The good news continues, as Overwatch 2 also fully supports cross-progression. With this feature, you can easily jump between different platforms while maintaining your account’s progress. So, if you’d like to play a few matches on PC before relaxing in bed with your Nintendo Switch 2, no one’s stopping you. All you need to do is ensure you’re signed into the same Battle.net account on each device, and you’re all set!

Overwatch 2 is available now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and Windows PCs.

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August 17, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Beavis and Butthead make their Call of Duty debut in Season 4 Reloaded

by admin June 25, 2025

Mike Judge’s iconic ’90s duo, Beavis and Butthead, are grunting and giggling their way into Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Warzone as a part of the game’s upcoming mid-season update.

The announcement was shared via a post on the official Call of Duty Twitter (formerly X) page, featuring an image of the skins players will be able to purchase. Beavis and Butthead stand in the foreground sporting military gear while Coach Buzzcut and Todd Ianuzzi linger in the background, dressed in their standard outfits from the TV show.

The skins use cel-shading to give the characters a cartoonified look that remains true to the show’s two-dimensional aesthetic while still allowing the skins to function in the 3D world of Call of Duty.

But reactions from players have been mixed. Some have pointed out that despite the fact that the Beavis and Butthead skins feature them wearing tactical gear, these skins will surely be easier to see compared to other Operator skins that blend in with the game’s environment a bit better.

“I love Beavis & Butthead, but this is one of the last places I thought I’d see them,” one player wrote. “Plus, won’t they be easier to spot versus other operators?”

Others bemoaned the Fortnite-ification of Call of Duty’s Operator skins.

But some players — especially those who grew up watching the show — can’t wait to open their wallets.

The skins will become available in-game when the Season 4 Reloaded mid-season update goes live. Activision has yet to announce a specific date, but players have around two more days to finish their Season 4 battle pass, so Season 4 Reloaded (and the Beavis and Butthead skins) should become available on or shortly after June 26.

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June 25, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Dropout’s Dirty Laundry season 5 trailer is packed with cast favorites

by admin June 25, 2025

Secrets and stories run amok in the new trailer for season 5 of Dirty Laundry, Dropout’s alcohol-infused talk show where contestants reveal truths that can only be willingly shared by the inebriated. One guest admits to a cat kidnapping while another says, “my grandfather’s dick is crazy,” so that should give you an idea of what’s made the past four seasons so hilarious when the show returns Tuesday, July 15.

Dirty Laundry is a gamified talk show as host Lily Du reveals secrets from the episode’s guests, who must then deduce to whom the secret belongs in order to earn a point. All the while bartender Grant O’Brien — who’s got plenty of salacious stories of his own — mixes up cocktails for the guests to sip on.

The season’s slate of guests include a mix of comedians and social media influencers as Aparna Nacherla, Reggie Watts, Paul Scheer, Shane Madej, Elyse Meyers, Ryan Bergara and The Try Guys’ Keith Habersberger and Zach Kornfeld are all set to sip and share. The trailer also shows plenty of familiar faces Dropout fans will recognize, like Emily Axford, Izzy Roland, and Jake Wysocki. Like Um, Actually’s viewer-submitted questions, Dirty Laundry will also include fan-submitted secrets.

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June 25, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

Overwatch 2 season 17 patch notes

by admin June 25, 2025

Image via Blizzard Entertainment

Power up and beat the heat with OW2 this summer.

Scott Duwe

and

Madison Benson

Published: Jun 24, 2025 01:01 pm

Overwatch 2 is powering up once again with a new season for summer 2025.

Season 17 of OW2 is called “Powered Up!” and although there isn’t a new hero this time around (the next hero will be playable in a test later this summer, though), there’s plenty of other quality of life changes and updates coming to the game when the new season begins on June 24.

Here’s everything new and different coming to OW2 season 17.

Overwatch 2 patch notes – Season 17

Image via Blizzard Entertainment

Season 17, Powered Up!, is all about the maps. There are new ones coming along, map voting, and some being added to the Stadium pool.

Alongside new maps, skins, and hero balance changes, we’re also getting limited-time events, changes to Stadium, and more. Let’s look at what’s new and different in OW2’s latest season.

Map voting

A long-requested addition, Map Voting, arrives in season 17 in both Quick Play and Competitive Play.

“After role queue locks, you’ll get three randomized map options to choose from,” Blizzard said. “Every vote adds a 1-in-10 chance to that map’s odds, and the winner is selected using a roulette style roll. To keep things chill, team chat, battle tags, and individual votes are hidden, so there’s no pressure—just a better chance at playing on maps you love. And leaver penalties kick in as soon as voting starts, so stick around and make it count.”

The more votes a map has, the higher its odds of being chosen. After voting for each map, OW2 will “roll” to see which one is selected. If everyone votes for the same map, the game will automatically select it.

New maps

Image via Blizzard Entertainment

A new Flashpoint map joins the Core experience in Season 17. Aatlis is based in Morocco and features lush gardens to luxury resort spaces. It’s a map that’s “built for tighter fights, cleaner rotations, and fast-paced momentum,” according to the developer.

In Stadium, Esperança and Samoa join the map pool.

New Stadium heroes

Image via Blizzard Entertainment

Sigma, Junkrat, and Zenyatta are the new playable heroes in Stadium for season 17, all with their own unique Powers to build ridiculous and powerful variants in the competitive game type.

Hero buffs and nerfs

Multiple heroes are getting updates this time around. Here’s a breakdown of each change:

General

Damage role passive healing reduction increased from 25% to 30%
Base health regeneration timer increased from 5 to 6 seconds

Tank

Junker Queen

Commanding Shout
- Junker Queen overhealth increased from 175 to 200.
- Allied overhealth increased from 50 to 75.
- Duration for self-reduced from 5 to 4 seconds.
- Allied duration increased from 3 to 4 seconds.
Developer Comments: Commanding Shout has been updated to provide stronger team utility and improve its overall impact. The adjustments reward well-timed use by increasing survivability for both Junker Queen and her allies. The reduced duration for Junker Queen is a double-edged
sword—she doesn’t have the speed boost for as long, but the cooldown rotation is quicker since the cooldown begins once the effect ends.

Mauga

Berserker Passive
- Overhealth conversion rate increased from 40% to 50%
Developer Comments: Berserker’s overhealth conversion has been reverted to restore some of Mauga’s durability to a more balanced state following previous changes.

Ramattra

Nanite Repair perk
- Healing per second increased from 50 to 75.
Developer Comments: Nanite Repair’s healing per second has been
increased to enhance its consistency and overall effectiveness during the
short duration of Ravenous Vortex.

Zarya

Spotter perk
- Movement speed increased from 15% to 25%.
Graviton Crush perk
- Damage dealt over time increased from 30% to 40% of maximum health.
Developer Comments: Spotter and Graviton Crush receive targeted buffs to improve their effectiveness and ensure they remain viable choices alongside their counterpart perks.

Damage

Bastion

Model and hit volume size reduced by 10%.
Developer Comments: Bastion’s survivability is impacted by the large size
of his model despite his high health and armor pool. Reducing his model
and hit volume size by 10% improves his ability to avoid damage and overall
balance.

Echo

Tri-Shot
- Spread decreased from 1.4 to 1.1 degrees
Developer Comments: Reducing the spread of Echo’s Tri-Shot improves its effectiveness at range, making it a more consistent option for a highly mobile hero.

Pharah

Helix Shields perk
- Shield health regeneration triggers when landing direct hits with
  rockets
Developer Comments: Helix Shields now offer a survivability boost by triggering health regeneration upon landing direct hits with rockets, rewarding player accuracy.

Reaper

Hellfire Shotguns
- Damage per pellet increased from 5.4 to 5.75 (108 to 115 per volley)
Developer Comments: Part of the reason heroes like Reaper and Tracer had their damage reduced in the past was due to the shift to the 5v5 format—solo tanking and less frequent peeling made flanking heroes more effective, along with their strong performance on certain maps and game modes like Push and Flashpoint. This is now less of a concern with the introduction of map voting and hero bans, which help limit overperformance, so we’re restoring some of their damage potency.

Soldier: 76

Pulse Pistol
- Damage increased from 5.5 to 6
Developer Comments: Similar to Reaper, Tracer is getting back some of the damage she lost due to past format and map concerns. Looks like she’s recalled back to stronger bullets—again.

Venture

Smart Excavator
- Recovery time reduced from 0.7 to 0.6 seconds
Developer Comments: This change improves Venture’s damage output by increasing fire rate, enhancing weapon consistency without increasing the lethality of their combo.

Support

Lifeweaver

Cleansing Grasp perk
- Life Grip cooldown reduced by 4 seconds if a debuff is cleansed
Developer Comments: Successfully cleansing a debuff now reduces Life Grip’s cooldown, improving the usefulness of Cleansing Grasp when timed well.

Lúcio

Crossfade
- Base healing increased from 16 to 20 health per second
Developer Comments: Lúcio plays a unique role within the support lineup, offering strong mobility and team utility. However, his healing output has been lagging behind other supports, especially with the increase in hero health pools. This change makes his passive healing more impactful and
better aligned with other support heroes.

Moira

Biotic Grasp
- Healing per second increased from 70 to 80.
Developer Comments: We wanted to boost Moira’s overall healing output, as she doesn’t offer as much direct utility compared to other Support heroes, and we’re reducing some healing impact in this patch through the Damage role passive. We’re happy with the cadence of managing her healing
resource and swapping to damage to restore it, so we opted to adjust the direct healing rather than the resource availability or a similar mechanic.

Zenyatta

Duality perk
- Increased converted damage from 30% to 40%.
Developer Comments: Duality has struggled due to the number of conditions required for activation. Increasing the converted damage improves its effectiveness when those conditions are met.

Two Mythics at launch

For the first time in OW2, two Mythics are available at the launch of a season, for D.Va and Reaper.

D.Va Mythic: Horang

Image via Blizzard Entertainment

Level 1: Tiger armor and a hat with sleek, fierce white styling.
Level 2: Bun hairstyle with upgraded visuals in a cinnabar red colorway.
Level 3: Flex braids and a wild tiger mask in a pink-tinted colorway.
Level 4: Hit full tiger mode with ambient spirit energy, glowing effects, and flourishes that radiate power.

Reaper Mythic weapon: Steel Death

Image via Blizzard Entertainment

Level 1 Base: Brutal, sharp, soulfire-infused shotguns built for lethal precision.
Level 2 Reactivity: Weapons flare with dark energy as you deal damage.
Level 3 Flourish: Intricate glowing details surround your shotguns.
Level 4 Kill FX: Finish foes with haunting swirled shadows and sound effects that embody Reaper’s fury.

Limited-time events

Season 17 has two limited-time events announced over its first month, including Powered Up (June 24 to 30) and Hacks & Hijinx (July 15 to 28), both of which include challenges and free items to earn.

Hacks & Hijinx features rotating match modifiers, from low-gravity jumps to Ultimate charge-granting health packs. Here’s a complete list of every modifier you’ll find:

Mini Maxing: All heroes are 50 percent smaller and have a 30 percent health reduction.
Lie Low: Heroes can become invisible while crouching.
Fired Up: On Fire heroes have decreased cooldowns and deal more damage or healing at the cost of being visible to everyone.
Charge Pack: Health packs also give Ultimate charge.
Power Punch: Quick melee attacks knock back enemies.
Vampiric Healing: Heroes don’t passively regenerate HP. Instead, you get the Vampiric passive.
Aerial Combat: Heroes deal and receive 50 percent more damage while airborne. There’s also less gravity.
Back in action: Respawn timers decrease.
Berserkers: Heroes don’t passively regenerate HP. Instead, for each 10 percent of total HP lost, your attack speed will increase by six percent, and cooldowns are reduced by six percent.
Super Jump: Everyone jumps 200 percent higher.
Motion Detection: Moving enemies within 25 meters are visible through walls. Crouching enemies stay invisible.
Explosive: Everyone explodes on death.
Hyper Speed: Movement speed increases by 20 percent for everyone.
Buff Hunt: Every minute, a random hero has increased HP, deals more damage, and generates Ultimate charge faster. Defeating this hero grants you the buff.
Damage Pack: Health packs increase damage dealt by 20 percent for 10 to 20 seconds or until death.
Fallen Comrade: Heroes drop a globe on death that increases damage, armor, and movement speed when picked up by a teammate.

New battle pass

Image via Blizzard Entertainment

There are five new skins in the battle pass, along with two more in the Ultimate bundle:

8-Bit Sombra
8-Bit Genji
8-Bit Reinhardt
Professor Fawkes Junkrat
Professor de Kuiper Sigma (Ultimate Battle Pass Bundle)
Principal Lacroix Widowmaker (Ultimate Battle Pass Bundle)
Delinquent Cole Cassidy

G.I. Joe collab

In the road map for season 17, OW2 confirmed that G.I. Joe would be the next collab for the game. In the reveal trailer for the season, players spotted Genji in a Snake Eyes skin, and that’s just the beginning. More will be revealed in the coming weeks.

New shop skins

Image via Blizzard Entertainment

Season 17’s new shop skins include (from left to right) Lifeweaver, Mercy, Kiriko, Soldier: 76, Juno, Venture, and Reaper. More info about these skins, like pricing and release date, will arrive soon.

New hero trial

Image via Blizzard Entertainment

Season 17 will close out with a new trial for the latest hero, the support hero Wuyang, towards the end of the season later this summer. To view the full patch notes, visit Overwatch 2’s official website.

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June 25, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

The next season of Diablo IV adds extra challenges to the endgame

by admin June 24, 2025

Diablo IV has been demonically chugging along since the release of the major Vessel of Hatred expansion last fall. The seasonal model usually brings temporary gameplay updates and storylines, but when Season 9 hits on July 1, it will add a couple of useful permanent changes. First, console players are getting support for mouse and keyboard controls. Second, there will be new additions to Nightmare Dungeons.

The endgame of Diablo IV involves a lot of grinding Nightmare Dungeons, so even with a healthy dose of procedural generation, the landscape of those challenges starts to feel overly familiar. Season 9 will add some new wrinkles to the tile sets. Horadric Strongrooms are micro-dungeons within the Nightmare Dungeon that offer big potential rewards as well as a buff for the remainder of the main dungeon. Escalating Nightmares are a trio of dungeons in increasing challenges, and when tackled at Torment difficulty, they conclude with a riff on the Astaroth boss fight.

It’ll be a while yet before the developers bring another expansion on the scale of Vessel of Hatred, but Blizzard has been providing new twists on the game each season for the players who log hundreds of hours in Diablo IV. The Season 9 permanent additions, which also include some brand new dungeon affixes, could help keep things challenging and interesting for the game’s hardcore fans.

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June 24, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Diablo 4 Season 9 Will Bring Big, Permanent Changes To Nightmare Dungeons

by admin June 24, 2025

One of Diablo 4’s main endgame activities, Nightmare dungeons, will be permanently changed come Season 9, as Blizzard looks to make them both more challenging and surprising going forward.

As detailed in a new blog post, when Season 9 launches July 1, Nightmare dungeons will receive some major updates. Most notably, there will be a new activity within them called Horadric Strongrooms. Described as a “potent micro-dungeon,” strongrooms will be found more frequently on higher Torment difficulties and can also be reliably found by using a Nightmare dungeon sigil that guarantees the appearance of a strongroom.

Once players are inside the dungeon, players can discover a portal that will take them to the strongroom. In a system somewhat similar to Diablo 4’s Infernal Hordes activity, players will be able to select from a number of statues that add modifiers to the strongroom, increasing the challenge but also the rewards.

Players will then need to attune themselves with the strongroom by slaying enemies within the vicinity of Horadric Pillars within a time limit. Those who complete the attunement process will be transported to the micro-dungeon’s final boss that when defeated will reward a Grand Horadric cache that scales its rewards based on the amount of attunement players earned. These caches will include Obducite as a reward, an endgame material needed to Masterwork weapons and armor. Completing the strongroom will also grant a buff that lasts for the remainder of the Nightmare dungeon, which a chance to receive more XP from monsters, increased reputation gains, increased Obducite drops, 25% more gold, or Horadric Phial drops (a seasonal item that is used to make Horadric Jewels).

There will, however, be another new way to experience Nightmare dungeons–Escalating Nightmares. This new endgame activity is a sequence of three Nightmare dungeons that see dungeon affixes stack from one to the next, with monster difficulty additionally increasing for each subsequent dungeon.

To access an Escalating Nightmare, players will need to find Escalation Sigils from completing Horadric Strongrooms. In pre-Torment difficulties, completing all three dungeons will finish the Escalating Nightmare. However, those playing on Torment difficulties will instead be transported to a boss fight, where players will take on a new version of Astaroth from the Diablo 4 main campaign. Players will need to defeat both Astaroth and his steed, which will become separate bosses over the course of the fight. Defeating Astaroth’s mount first will see it go into a resurrection state, after which it will rejoin the fight if players can’t defeat Astaroth in time. Astaroth can also be modified by Nightmare dungeon affixes, making the boss fight even more challenging.

A look at everything coming as part of Diablo 4 Season 9.

Last but not least, Nightmare dungeons will receive new affixes. Each Nightmare sigil will sport both a positive and negative affix. New positive affixes include the guaranteed appearance of specific shrines, increased XP gains, the appearance of Treasure Goblins, a guaranteed strongroom, equipment rewards, and currency drops.

While the Nightmare dungeon changes will be permanent additions to Diablo 4, Season 9 will additionally introduce new seasonal mechanics for a limited-time. Players will be able to create and modify Horadric Spells to compliment their builds, and can further augment them using new Horadric Jewels that can be slotted into amulets and rings. One Horadric teleport spell in particular might be

Updates to Nightmare dungeons are just the latest permanent changes to come as part of a Diablo 4 season. Season 8 overhauled the game’s endgame boss ladder, while previous seasons, like Loot Reborn, reworked Diablo 4’s entire gear progression system. Diablo 4 Season 9 is not, however, bringing changes to the game’s new (and unpopular) Reliquary battle pass system, though Blizzard has stated it is listening to player feedback.

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June 24, 2025 0 comments

GameFi Guides

Time To Forget Altcoin Season? Bitcoin Dominance At This Level Is This Only Hope

by admin June 24, 2025

Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure

Hopes of an altcoin season have been dashed after the Bitcoin price crashed below $100,000, and altcoin prices fell rapidly in response. The altcoin declines have been even more prominent, with most altcoins now sitting more than 70% below their all-time high levels. During this time, the Bitcoin dominance has been rising rapidly, suggesting that all of the focus is still on Bitcoin right now. As the dominance rises, though, a crypto analyst has revealed what could trigger an altcoin season.

The Catalyst For The Next Altcoin Season

After the crash coming out of the weekend, the Bitcoin dominance shot up once again above the 66% mark to reach new 4-year highs. This showed that the altcoin season was nowhere close as prices fell across the board, and the altcoin market cap plummeted.

Highlighting the rise in the Bitcoin dominance, crypto analyst Rekt Capital pointed out why this increase is important. Highlighting a previous post on X (formerly Twitter), the analyst explained that the rise in the Bitcoin dominance is actually important if there is to be an altcoin season.

More importantly, the Bitcoin dominance would have to cross into the 70% territory before there is an end to the onslaught on the altcoin market. Pointing to historical performance, Rekt Capital mapped out the Bitcoin dominance being rejected at the 71% mark before the altcoin season can begin.

The post read: “If history repeats, the real Altseason everybody is waiting for would begin once Bitcoin Dominance rejects from 71%”

Source: X

What Happens To Altcoins If BTC Dominance Goes To 71%?

Given Rekt Capital’s call for the need for the Bitcoin dominance to rise to 71% before an altcoin season can begin, it has understandably raised questions around what this would mean for altcoins. As already seen, a continuous rise in the Bitcoin dominance would mean that the altcoin prices would continue to fall, and with prices already so low, it seems a lot of altcoins could crash completely.

The crypto analyst addresses this in another X post, explaining that the Bitcoin dominance rising to 71% would not mean altcoins would go to zero. He points to a similar trend back in February 2025 when the Bitcoin dominance rose 6% in one month. Despite this, altcoin prices did hold up until a recovery began.

Rekt Capital suggests that the market may react similarly to the way that it did back in February, pointing out that the road to 71% is less than what happened in February, at only 5.5%. Now, it’s just a waiting game to see how the market plays out in the next few weeks as hopes of an altcoin season continue to dwindle.

BTC dominance holds high above 65% | Source: Market Cap BTC Dominance on TradingView.com

Featured image from Dall.E, chart from TradingView.com

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June 24, 2025 0 comments

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Alarming Conditions and Federal Chaos Could Spell a Disastrous California Fire Season

by admin June 23, 2025

Experts say California is primed for a brutal fire season. Sweeping changes to federal emergency management agencies could make matters worse.

In January, destructive wildfires devastated Los Angeles, killing at least 30 people and displacing hundreds of thousands more. As the city rebuilds, it may face a particularly brutal summer fire season, experts warn.

Thanks to a potentially deadly combination of alarming environmental conditions and sweeping cuts to emergency response agencies, the outlook on California’s 2025 fire season is grim. With critical resources—particularly fire response personnel—drastically depleted, it’s unclear how the state will be able to manage what is shaping up to be an active season.

“I am not confident in our ability to respond to wildfire [or] concurrent disasters this summer,” Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, told Gizmodo. Unusually early mountain snowmelt, a very dry winter, and both current and projected above-average temperatures are the main factors likely to increase the frequency and intensity of California’s fires this year, he said.

“Some aspects of fire season are predictable and some aspects are not. What ultimately happens will be a function of both of those things,” Swain said. “The most likely outcome is a very active fire season both in the lower elevations and also in the higher elevations this year.”

Brian Fennessy, chief of the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA), agrees. “Every predictive service model indicates that Southern California will have an active peak fire year,” he told Gizmodo in an email. “Absent significant tropical influence that brings with it high humidity and potential precipitation, we expect the potential for large fires.”

Fire season sparks early

In a typical year in June, California is still pretty wet, Swain said. At higher elevations, snowpack continues to melt until July, keeping mountain soils moist. Meanwhile, lower elevations remain saturated from the state’s wet season, which generally lasts from winter to spring. But this is not a typical year.

“Although the seasonal mountain snowpack was decently close to the long-term average…it melted much faster than average,” Swain said. When snowpack melts earlier, high-elevation soils dry out earlier, jumpstarting wildfire season in California’s mountain regions. “We’re about a month to a month-and-a-half ahead of schedule in terms of the drying in the mountains,” he explained. Because of this, the higher mountain forest fire risk is probably going to be “a lot higher” than usual by July, August, and September.

In California’s low-lying regions, which include most of the state’s area and population, experts are already seeing an uptick in fire activity. The reasons vary for different parts of the state, Swain said, but in Southern California, it’s due to a very dry winter. “We know this because we had the worst, most destructive fires on record in L.A. in January, which is usually the peak of the rainy season,” he explained.

In low-lying, inland areas of Northern California, it’s been unseasonably hot for the past month. In addition to raising current fire risk, the above-average temperatures suggest the state is in for an incredibly hot summer, according to Swain. “To the extent that we have seasonal predictions, the one for this summer and early fall is screaming, ‘yikes—this looks like a very hot summer,’ potentially across most of the West,” he said. In fact, it could be among the warmest on record.

Increased temperatures will make the landscape even drier—and thus more flammable—than it already is. But hot, dry conditions cannot spark a wildfire alone. Fires need fuel, and this year, there’s plenty of it to go around. Over the past several years, California’s low-elevation regions have received a lot of rain, allowing grasses to flourish, Swain said. As this vegetation continues to dry out, it could fuel fast-moving brush fires that can quickly engulf large areas.

All of this points to an active season not just in California, but across much of the West. The National Interagency Fire Center’s significant wildland fire potential outlook, which predicts wildfire risk across the U.S. from June through September, shows large swaths of the West with “above-normal” fire risk throughout the summer.

Still, scientists can’t forecast the timing, intensity, or exact location of future fires. The biggest question mark is ignition, according to Swain. The primary ignition sources for wildfire are lightning strikes and human activity, both of which are near-impossible to predict. “At a seasonal scale, we don’t know how many lightning events there’ll be, we don’t know how careful or uncareful people will be during these weather events, and that’s kind of the wild card,” he said.

Federal cuts add fuel to the fire

Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has significantly reduced staff and proposed major budget cuts at multiple agencies that assist disaster response and recovery, including FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency). According to the Associated Press, Trump plans to begin “phasing out” FEMA after hurricane season, which officially ends on November 30.

Disaster response is already locally led and state-managed, but FEMA is responsible for coordinating resources from federal agencies, providing direct assistance programs for households, and funding public infrastructure repairs, the AP reports. Dismantling this agency would shift the full burden of disaster recovery to the states, which Swain calls “a big concern.”

“Everybody I know in the emergency management world is tearing out their hair right now,” he said. “Our ability to do concurrent disaster management is severely degraded, and by all accounts, is going to get much worse in the next three or four months.”

The U.S. Forest Service has also taken a hit, losing 10% of its workforce as of mid-April, according to Politico. While the Department of Agriculture has said that none of the Forest Service’s “operational” wildland firefighters were fired, but the cuts did impact “thousands” of red card-holding federal employees, according to Swain. These employees are not official firefighters, but they are trained and certified to respond to wildfires in times of need. The cuts have also affected incident management teams who lead wildfire response and ensure the safety of firefighters on the ground, he said.

“We lost both the infantry, if you will, and the generals in the wildland fire world,” Swain said. “Despite a number of claims to the contrary.”

What’s more, Trump recently ordered government officials to consolidate wildland firefighting forces—which are currently split among five agencies and two Cabinet departments—into a single force. He gave the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture 90 days to comply, which means the shakeup would occur during California’s wildfire season.

Swain thinks restructuring might be a good idea in the long run, but dismantling the organizational structure of wildland firefighting during the peak of what is expected to be a particularly severe fire season—with no specific plan to reconstitute it during said season—is not.

While Chief Fennessy described current federal disaster policy as a “big unknown,” he appears more optimistic about the consolidation. “It is believed that consolidating the five federal wildland fire agencies will achieve operational efficiencies and cost savings not realized in the past,” he said.

The firefighters of the new U.S. Wildland Fire Service will be actively working together with the land management agencies to accomplish fire prevention, fuel mitigation, and prescribed fire goals, Fennessy said. “The consolidation represents an opportunity to significantly improve wildfire response nationally, statewide, and locally.”

Despite federal uncertainties and a troubling forecast, Fennessy said the OCFA is well-prepared for California’s fire season this year. “All of our firefighters just completed their annual refresher training and have been briefed on what to expect through the rest of the calendar year and perhaps beyond,” he said.

Swain still has concerns. “Everybody involved is going to do their best, and there are going to be heroic efforts,” he said, adding that many firefighters will be putting in a lot of unpaid overtime and taking on even more stress and physical risk than usual this year. “Those are not the people we should be taking resources away from.”

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June 23, 2025 0 comments