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skins

Black Ops 7 devs address Call of Duty’s controversial skins

by admin August 20, 2025

Black Ops 7 devs have opened up about controversial Call of Duty skins, mentioning how they’re considering feedback from the community.

Much like any other shooter, the Call of Duty franchise offers a plethora of different skins that players can use, some of which are part of limited-time crossovers from different franchises.

Black Ops 6, for example, has its share of crossover skins or bundles that players are fond of. However, it’s no secret that some out there have not been well-received by the community.

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One major complaint stems from how the choices of some characters feel out of place, leading to fans dubbing them ‘wacky’ as they clash with the game’s aesthetics. As the hype for Black Ops 7 mounts, devs have spoken up regarding players’ feedback on this very subject.

Black Ops 7 devs are paying attention to feedback for skins

activisionCall of Duty has been releasing goofy skins like this for years.

In an interview with IGN, Associate Creative Director Miles Leslie responded to a question on whether fans can expect to see these kinds of designs in the upcoming title.

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Having thought about this, he explained that the team is “always looking at community feedback.

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He’s aware that “there are fans who those may not be their favorite.” That said, he assured players that the team is going to “try to calibrate that” as they “move forward” and “take that feedback seriously.”

Ultimately, he stressed: “But again, we are trying to make sure that all fans feel represented in the game and figuring out that tight balance is something we’re paying attention to.”

As many players have already pointed out, one of the main issues with some crossovers is that they feel “cartoonish” in a game like CoD. This is a very different case from Fortnite, which has a stylized look instead of a more realistic and gritty style.

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Black Ops 7 is set to release on November 14, 2025. It’ll still be a while until then, but so far, devs have shared plenty of details, such as having more Mystery camos, Tac-Sprint change, as well as 16 6v6 maps.

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August 20, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

As Battlefield 6 commits to ‘keeping it grounded’ with skins, Call of Duty director makes an unconvincing promise to ‘calibrate’ cosmetics in Black Ops 7

by admin August 19, 2025

We’re set for another Call of Duty vs. Battlefield face-off this year, and it’s already been fascinating to watch how these two military shooters present themselves. When it comes to one of the most incendiary topics in multiplayer games at the moment, the rising prevalence of goofy Fortnite-style skins, Call of Duty has become the poster child of ugliness run amok.

The growing exhaustion over incongruent cosmetics that erode Call of Duty’s art style is what prompted Battlefield Studios’ stance on skins in Battlefield 6: “It has to be grounded. That is what BF3 and BF4 was—it was all soldiers, on the ground. It’s going to be like this. I don’t think it needs Nicki Minaj. Let’s keep it real, keep it grounded.”

Time will tell if Battlefield 6 actually sticks to that mission statement—the allure of tacky crap might be irresistible when enough players are eager to buy them—but it’s telling that, given the same opportunity to renew its stance on cosmetics, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 developers were decidedly wishy-washy about the whole thing.

“We have thought about this, and I think if you look at us, we’re always looking at community feedback”, Treyarch associate creative director Miles Leslie told IGN in an interview ahead of today’s Blops 7 reveals.

“We always try to make sure that we are trying to touch the widest audience. I’ve had the pleasure of working on Call of Duty now for almost 20 years, and we’re constantly looking at ways to push into different audiences and fans, and that’s what you saw with that; there are fans that really love it. Obviously, there are fans who those may not be their favorite. We’re going to try to calibrate that as we move forward, and we take that feedback seriously. But again, we are trying to make sure that all fans feel represented in the game and figuring out that tight balance is something we’re paying attention to.”

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Direct – YouTube

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It’s the usual marketing-approved gobbledygook that almost sounds like something meaningful was said, but wasn’t: Activision has heard the complaints, is taking them “seriously,” and will “calibrate” going forward.

What sort of calibration it has in mind is open to interpretation, and non-specific enough that Blops 7 can still comfortably cash in on collaborations with cartoons, ’80s action heroes, and Amazon Originals without going against its stated stance.

My read on it is that, while Call of Duty’s full-bodied embrace of goofy skins probably isn’t loved by many of the developers actually creating the art that gets slopped over by the Store tab, the backlash is not a particularly pressing concern for Activision at large. There are two sides to this, after all—lots of people enjoy uglifying their operators (to the tune of $20 per bundle).

There’s another wrinkle to Blops 7’s “calibrated” cosmetic plan: Starting with Season 1 of Blops 7, all weapons and cosmetics from Black Ops 6 will carry forward, inviting a tidal wave of fashion nightmares introduced over the previous 12 months to the new game.

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August 19, 2025 0 comments

Optimus Prime character skin in Elden Ring Nightreign.

Gaming Gear

Elden Ring Nightreign modders are already going ham with custom skins, including Optimus Prime, Stellar Blade’s Eve, and my #1 most-wanted outfit from Dark Souls

by admin June 23, 2025

User Orange on YouTube caught my eye with a 12-minute showcase of some of the most impressive modded skins players have cranked out for Elden Ring Nightreign, which include characters from other franchises, as well as yet more Dark Souls throwbacks.

Unfortunately, at the time of writing, they’re effectively inaccessible. All the skin replacement mods I’ve seen are dependent on a tool called the UXM Selective Unpacker, and UXM’s page has been set to hidden with the following message: “The mod has (possible) permission issues that the author is working to address.”

But we can still admire the work modder KRDCD has put out, even if we can’t use them. The real attention grabber is Nightreign Custom Model Replacers. This is the meme one: Eve from Stellar Blade, Optimus Prime, Yorha Unit 2B, all the stars are here. The only notable omission is CJ from San Andreas, but surely he is an inevitability.

Dark Souls Armor Sets is more my speed, importing even more Dark Souls models into Nightreign, similar to the skins we already got in the game. It even includes my personal most-wanted candidate for a future DLC skin: Sir Alonne from Dark Souls 2 as Executor.

This masked samurai is basically proto-Executor anyway, and I was honestly shocked he didn’t make it into the base game already. I particularly appreciate how KRDCD’s skin version uses Alonne’s comically long-hilted nagamaki (bring this design back, FromSoft!), the Bewitched Alonne Sword, in place of Executor’s usual cursed blade.

Once UXM is back up and these mods can be installed again, you’ll want to use them with Yui’s Seamless Co-op in order to avoid the Easy Anticheat Eye of Sauron⁠—Yui’s mod has users connect to unofficial servers, opening up the door for consequence-free modding.

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(Image credit: FromSoftware, KRDCD)(Image credit: FromSoftware, KRDCD)(Image credit: FromSoftware, KRDCD)(Image credit: FromSoftware, KRDCD)

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June 23, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Look how many of Elden Ring Nightreign’s skins reference classic Dark Souls characters, and how much better they look here

by admin June 16, 2025

Even before anyone was able to get their hands on Elden Ring Nightreign, we knew that it would bring back bosses, enemies, characters and more from classic FromSoftware games – including the Dark Souls series.

Dark Souls 3’s Nameless King boss could briefly be seen in an early trailer, and the final game has a lot more from those classic games. But how does the asset quality of their modern interpretations compare to the originals?

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That is a very good question, and it’s one Souls dataminer and YouTuber BonfireVN attempts to answer in their latest video. The video focuses specifically on showing the Nightreign armour sets/skins that have history in earlier FromSoftware games.

For instance, it’s pretty clear to any Dark Souls fan that Wylder’s Abysswalker set is a clear reference to that game’s iconic Knight Artorias, just as the Guardian’s Sunlight Knight skin is an unmissable nod to that game’s Solaire of Astora. Even Patches makes an appearance, with his Dark Souls look having now become a skin (Black Leather) for the Duchess.

The video also uncovers several other, more obscure references to the classic games. Revenant’s Dragon School skin is a callback to Griggs of Vinheim, an NPC in the original Dark Souls. There’s also Ironeye, whose Sellsword skin is a replica of Dark Souls 2’s Chancellor Wellager attire.

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In many cases, these armour sets have appeared in more than a single game prior to their recreation in Nightreign, which gives us an even better appreciation of the model’s evolution, and how much more detailed their latest incarnations are.

If you’re curious about how you can unlock skins in Nightreign, we have a whole guide that explains everything. For all your other questions – including boss fight walkthroughs – hit up our mega Elden Ring Nightreign guide.

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June 16, 2025 0 comments

Onion Knight Siegmeyer in Elden Ring Nightreign

Product Reviews

I didn’t realize how much Elden Ring Nightreign upgraded its Dark Souls skins until I saw them side-by-side with the originals

by admin June 15, 2025

FromSoft dataminer and YouTuber BonfireVN has uploaded a new video comparing Elden Ring Nightreign’s Dark Souls throwback skins to their original models, and I was surprised at how much they’ve actually been touched up since their original appearances.

I like to think I’m a tough, serious guy who’s not easily manipulated when a piece of intellectual property goes “Hey, remember this other intellectual property?” But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t squeal like a school girl when I saw the reprised Dark Souls bosses in Nightreign, or the Dark Souls skins you unlock by beating the game’s final boss.

Nightreign’s Dark Souls Skins vs. Original Armor Sets – YouTube

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I think I just assumed that all of these models were just straight ports of their original or Dark Souls iterations, but BonfireVN’s side-by-side shows that a lot of texture and fine modeling detail has been tweaked to make them better fit Elden Ring’s more advanced visuals.

My personal favorite reprise skin, the Llewellyn/Drang armor for Ironeye from Dark Souls 2 and 3, is a great example: Its fur collar has gotten a big structural rework, while its texture detail is a generational improvement on the Dark Souls 3 iteration.

The Llewellyn set also benefits from perhaps the biggest and most noticeable upgrade to any of the Dark Souls skins: An actual matching helmet. The OG versions left Fashion Souls-conscious players scrambling to find a matching hat, while Ironeye gets a sick helmet/hood combo I seriously wish had been in the original games.

The rest of the skins have similarly subtle, tasteful modernizations, and this all just has me thinking about what’s next. First, the inevitable future BonfireVN video(s) comparing the returning Dark Souls bosses to their originals, and second, new skins that will hopefully come with Nightreign’s unconfirmed DLC. My big wishlist item? A Sir Alonne outfit for Executor⁠—Dark Souls 2’s DLC samurai boss is a series favorite for me, and he perfectly fits the character.

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June 15, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

Get Free Marvel Rivals Skins From Season 2.5’s Cerebro Database Event, Combat Chest and More

by admin June 1, 2025

Marvel Rivals season 2.5 is moving the Hellfire Gala afterparty to space — our heroes are heading to the sentient planet Arakko to prevent Ultron’s planet-exterminating plans from coming to fruition.

Stopping a robot army is going to require a whole new wardrobe’s worth of battle gear. Luckily for you, there are many ways to unlock some free skins in the hit hero shooter right now — including a new seasonal event that unlocks a free Hawkeye skin.

The Cerebro Database Part 2 event is the debut seasonal event for Marvel Rivals season 2.5, and it’s a fairly standard challenge-based event. Different rewards include chrono tokens for the battle pass, units to spend on shop skins and other odds and ends, but the big ticket item is the Hawkeye Binary Arrow skin.

Outside of the latest event, there are still other ways to earn free skins right now. Whether you’re getting used to the new suite of team-up abilities or you’re getting in more playtime on the latest addition to the Strategist roster by beaming down enemies with Ultron, season 2.5 has introduced a slate of free skins that you can use to deck out your favorite characters.

Here’s what you should know about the Cerebro Database Part 2 event and the rest of the free skin lineup at the beginning of Marvel Rivals season 2.5.

Get the Hawkeye Binary Arrow skin free in the Cerebro Database Part 2 event

The Cerebro Database event is live now. It began with the launch of the season 2.5 patch on May 30 and ends on June 27.

While this event is fairly easy, the presentation might confuse some players. As with any Marvel Rivals event, you’ll need to complete challenges to earn rewards. In this event, though, each featured character (Iron Man, Black Widow, Magneto and Ultron) has nine unique challenges arranged in a 3×3 board.

The new Cerebro Database event plays out just like the previous one — including the annoying time-gated challenges.

NetEase Games/Screenshot by CNET

You don’t need to complete all 36 challenges to receive all of the event rewards. Instead, you need to complete enough challenges to make three separate horizontal, vertical or diagonal lines on all four boards to finish the event. Basically, you’re playing tic-tac-toe to quickly make three lines on all of the boards to earn your rewards as efficiently as possible.

Like most Marvel Rivals events, several characters’ boards are time-gated, which means that the most enterprising players will only be able to unlock the Hawkeye Binary Arrow skin starting on June 11. Until then, you can earn Chrono Tokens, units, sprays and gallery pages.

The Combat Chest is a new type of battle pass — it’s a more traditional experience-based progression system.

NetEase Games/Screenshot by CNET

Get the Mister Fantastic Future Foundation skin during the first ever Combat Chest event

A new type of experience-based battle pass also launched at the beginning of season 2.5. The Combat Chest is a smaller, half-season battle pass that rewards consistent playtime over challenge completion. The free track contains one costume, while the premium Combat Chest (which costs 690 Lattice, or roughly $7) has two additional costume rewards.

It contains 24 reward tiers and each reward tier requires 1,800 experience points to unlock. Players can earn a maximum of 7,200 experience points every day, so it’s theoretically possible to earn every Combat Chest reward in six days. The free Mister Fantastic Future Foundation skin is on tier 18 of the Combat Chest so it will take the most enterprising players four days to unlock the new addition to the body-bending hero’s wardrobe.

Premium skin rewards include Storm Ultimate Wind-Rider on tier 6 and Magneto Binary Sword on tier 24 of the Combat Chest. The first version of this shortened alternate battle pass will disappear July 11 at the end of season 2 but any players who purchase the premium version can continue unlocking any remaining tiers after that date.

How can I get free skins during Marvel Rivals season 2.5?

Players who link their Twitch account to their Marvel Rivals account right now can nab a free Emma Frost skin.

But if you only care about rewards you can earn in-game, a different Emma Frost skin and an Ultron skin are available by progressing through the competitive ladder and new Iron Fist and Magik looks are available free on the season 2 battle pass.

The immortal Iron Fist goes toe-to-toe with Doctor Strange in his new free battle pass skin.

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What Marvel Rivals skins are available free right now?

There are currently 11 free skins available. Here’s how you get them:

Hawkeye Binary Arrow: Complete the Cerebro Database Part 2 event challenges on all four characters by June 27 to unlock this skin.
Mister Fantastic Future Foundation: Complete 18 tiers of the current Combat Chest battle pass by July 11 to unlock this skin.
Emma Frost Will of Galacta: To claim this skin, you’ll need to link a Twitch account to your Marvel Rivals account and then watch four hours of livestreams from streamers participating in the drop campaign. If you’re unsure about which channels are partnered with Marvel Rivals, look for the mention of “Drops” in the stream title. This skin is only available until Friday, June 27.
Emma Frost Golden Diamond: Reach Gold rank or higher in competitive mode in season 2. You must play at least 10 competitive matches to be eligible to receive the skin.
Ultron Golden Ultron: Reach Gold rank or higher in competitive mode in season 2.5. You must play at least 10 competitive matches to be eligible to receive the skin.
Magik Retro X-Uniform: Reach page 3 in the season 2 battle pass by July 11.
Iron Fist Immortal Weapon of Agamotto: Reach page 9 in the season 2 battle pass by July 11.

Four of the currently available free skins are not time-gated although they are locked behind achievements or platform exclusivity. Here are the Marvel Rivals skins you can unlock at any time:

Spider-Man Scarlet Spider: This skin is available to PS Plus subscribers who play the game on the PS5. It can be found on the PSN Store under Marvel Rivals DLC.
Peni Parker Ven#m: Like the Scarlet Spider skin, this Ven#m skin is available for PS Plus subscribers and can be found in the PSN Store. This skin is also available in the Marvel Rivals in-game store, where it can be purchased with units.
Storm Ivory Breeze: Earn 200 Achievement Points in the Heroic Journey achievement section.
Star-Lord Jovial Star: Earn 400 Achievement Points in the Heroic Journey achievement section.

A classic X-Man look for Magik is available free on the Season 2 battle pass.

NetEase Games

How can I get more free Marvel Rivals skins?

There are many ways to get skins in Marvel Rivals. Sometimes the developer issues special codes to unlock them while others require completing challenges. There are also some made available by watching streams on Twitch and many skins are “free” for progressing through the Marvel Rivals Battle Pass, which costs 990 Lattice, or approximately $10.

You can also earn skins through regularly playing the game, as a free skin is frequently awarded with the completion of seasonal events. Players who reach gold rank or higher in competition also receive a free skin as a reward for their performance. Live events like Cerebro Database include free skins as a completion reward.

What free skins used to be available in Marvel Rivals?

Twitch drops, battle passes and promo codes get cycled in and out of rotation, allowing Marvel Rivals players to earn different free skins from engaging with the game during different events. Here are all of the previously available free skins, what season they were introduced in and how they were obtainable.

Season 0 free skins

Iron Man Armor Model 42: This skin was unlocked through opening the Bundle Code main menu option and inputting the promo code nwarh4k3xqy. The skin rotated out of availability on March 5, 2025.
Scarlet Witch White Witch: This skin was an exclusive reward for Closed Alpha players, rewarded upon logging in for the first time in season 0.
Venom Cyan Clash: This skin was an exclusive reward for Closed Beta players, rewarded upon logging in for the first time in season 0.
Magneto Will of Galacta: This skin was unlocked as a Twitch drop during season 0. The skin rotated out of availability on Dec. 31, 2024.
Moon Knight Golden Moonlight: This skin was available as a competitive reward for any players who reached Gold or higher in Competitive mode in season 0.
Jeff the Shark Cuddly Fuzzlefin: This skin was a reward for the season 0 Winter Celebration event.
Hela Empress of the Cosmos: This skin was a free reward from the season 0 battle pass. The season 0 battle pass was briefly available for purchase again during season 2, temporarily reintroducing this skin to the game.

Season 1 free skins

Hela Will of Galacta: This skin was unlocked as a Twitch drop during season 1. The skin rotated out of availability on Jan. 25, 2025.
Adam Warlock Will of Galacta: This skin was unlocked as a Twitch drop during season 1. The skin rotated out of availability on April 4, 2025.
Winter Soldier Revolution: Available via a promo code sent to moviegoers who saw Captain America: Brave New World in participating Regal theaters during opening weekend. Also available to buy in the in-game shop.
Invisible Woman Blood Shield: This skin was available as a competitive reward for any players who reached Gold or higher in Competitive mode in season 1.
Human Torch Blood Blaze: This skin was available as a competitive reward for any players who reached Gold or higher in Competitive mode in season 1.5.
Thor Reborn From Ragnarok: This skin was a reward for the season 1 Midnight Features Part 1 event.
Groot Carved Traveler: This skin was a reward for the season 1 Midnight Features Part 2 event.
Black Widow Mrs. Barnes: This skin was a reward for the season 1 Galacta’s Cosmic Adventure event. It can be bought now in the in-game shop.
Peni Parker Blue Tarantula: This skin was a free reward from the season 1 battle pass.
Scarlet Witch Emporium Matron: This skin was a free reward from the season 1 battle pass.

Season 2 free skins

Namor Will of Galacta: This skin was unlocked as a Twitch drop during season 2. The skin rotated out of availability on April 30, 2025.
Mantis Flora Maiden: This skin was a reward for the season 2 Cerebro Database Part 1 event. It is now available for purchase in the in-game shop.
Wolverine Patch: This skin was a reward for the season 2 Hellfire Gala 2025: Moments event. It is now available for purchase in the in-game shop.
Scarlet Witch Chaos Gown: This skin was a reward for playing nine quickplay or competitive matches at the beginning of season 2. The skin rotated out of availability on April 25, 2025.
Thing The Unlimited: This skin was available as part of an exclusive promotion with the Marvel Unlimited comics reading app. Users who signed up for Marvel Unlimited before April 16, 2025, received a code for this Thing skin.

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June 1, 2025 0 comments

Picture showing the dresser to change skins in Elden Ring Nightreign.

Esports

How to unlock and change skins in Elden Ring Nightreign

by admin May 31, 2025

Screenshot by Dot Esports

Fighting for your life never looked this good.

Published: May 30, 2025 07:34 pm

In Elden Ring Nightreign, you can equip skins on your Nightfarer classes, but the game doesn’t clearly show you the place to change or purchase new cosmetics. Therefore, it can be challenging for many players to customise their in-game appearance with the existing skins, and they may end up spending their in-game resources on other items.

Here is a complete breakdown of everything you need to know about the skins in Elden Ring Nightreign.

How to unlock skins in Elden Ring Nightreign

This NPC will open the dresser for your skins. Screenshot by Dot Esports

To unlock the skins in Elden Ring Nightreign, you need to start going to the Expeditions and take out the final bosses once the circle stops becoming small. On day three of the Tricephalos expedition, you should face the mighty Gladius, Beast of Night, and you can defeat him to get the Old Pocketwatch, which is necessary for unlocking the Duchess class.

After that, start another expedition called Gaping Jaw, where on the third day, you can again open the big door to face the Adel, Baron of Night. He is the second Night Lord that you will be facing chronologically, and once you defeat him, you should be transported back to the Roundtable Hold with your rewards. You should now also trigger a cutscene, where an NPC will come to you and talk about dresses. Once the cutscene ends, you should have successfully unlocked the skins for the Nightfarer that you’ve unlocked in the game.

How to change skins in Elden Ring Nightreign

Here is where you can change your skins. Screenshot and Remix by Dot Esports

Once you’ve unlocked the skins, make your way to the dresser from the Roundtable Hold by taking the left way toward the eastern side until you come across the room with the fireplace. You can also press M to open the map and click on the change garb option on the left to transport directly in front of the mirror near the fireplace. Now, you can interact with it to check out the skins for every character that you have in the game.

You need to spend a currency called Murk to purchase the skins. Currently, there are just two skins for each class, but the number could potentially increase with the game’s upcoming DLCs. After changing your attire using the dresser for the first time, you should get the Dresser achievement.

All Nightfarer skins in Elden Ring Nightreign

There are eight Nightfarers in Elden Ring Nightreign, including Duchess and Revenant, who require you to complete some quests to secure their services. Here is a look at all the cosmetics that you can obtain for free by simply playing the game and farming the currency: