Games

(image)

Gloomy Manor is the first stop in Luigi’s Mansion 2 and the one that looks most like a mansion. Well, I suppose Treacherous Mansion is pretty mansion-y. Like all the mansions, it’s home to 13 gems (these ones are amethyst). Here’s how to find them all.

Mudroom Exterior

First available in: A-1
The round gem is found in a tree in the outdoor area next to the mudroom. To get through, you need to flash the panel on the wall to unlock the door. If you look through the window, you can see Polterpup dig it up and throw it into a tree. You don’t need to spy on Polterpup for it to be there. just walk outside and vacuum the tree.

Yard 

First available in: A-1
The triangle-ish gem is found at the front of the house. In the garden, there’s a series of purple flowers. Flashing them with your light will cause them to open. Most of them contain money, but one of them has a gem.

Parlor

First available in: A-2
Once you make it to the Parlor, there’s a pretty conspicuous-looking grandfather clock. There’s a sensor on it, which means you need to strobe it. A flash of light and it will spit out the rectangular gem.

Studio

First available in: A-2
If you use the camera in the Studio, you can get a look at the room from a new angle. Look toward the window, and you’ll see the football-shaped gem stuck in webbing behind a curtain. Go to it, and use the vacuum to dislodge it. Note that you don’t need to use the camera for it to be there. You can just take my word for it and vacuum the windows.

Entrance

First available in: A-3
This is a weird (and easily missed) one. To get the teardrop gem, you need to shake the armor on the right side of the entrance to get it to drop its helmet. Then, suck up the helmet and launch it at a painting of a helmet on the left side of the room. You heard me.

Dining Room

First available in: A-3
Going back to something much more conspicuous; there’s a safe in the ceiling of the Dining Room. Simply flash this with your light, and it will drop the gem.

Kitchen

First available in: A-3
This one is kind of fun. If you open the fridge in the Kitchen, you’ll find a gem stuck in a block of ice. To get to it, you have to suck up the block, then carry it over to the kitchen and hold it over the flame on the stove. It will melt, and then you can grab the gem.

Foyer

First available in: A-4
First head out to the Patio. On the left side, there’s a missing door. You can tell its position by the path leading to a wall. Shine the dark light on it, suck up the orbs, and the door will appear. Go through the small room and exit to the other side, and you’ll find yourself behind the aquarium. You’ll find the gem there.

Patio

First available in: A-4
Back on the Patio, there’s a missing fountain near the porch. In it, there’s a missing statue. Use the dark-light to reveal it, and it will spit out a gem.

Library

First available in: A-4
On the left side of the library, there’s a globe you can reveal with your dark-light. Once it’s visible, suck it up and take it to the fireplace. Destroy it, and you’ll get a gem.

Study

First available in: A-5
If you return to the study, you’ll find a painting (or sketch, I suppose) hidden behind a curtain. Use your dark-light on it, and a gem will get pushed out.

Rafters

First available in: A-5
This one is inconspicuously embedded at the top of a dresser. Simply grab it from there.

Bedroom

First available in: A-5
You can easily spot this one behind the privacy screen, but can’t get to it until A-5. In order to clear the webs, spin the fan so the ball of webbing will hit the stove and catch fire. Continue spinning it, and it will ignite the web on the privacy screen, allowing you to go back and grab the gem.

The post Luigi’s Mansion 2 all 13 Gloomy Manor gem locations appeared first on Destructoid.

(image)

Back when Elden Ring launched in 2022, one player rose to prominence for repeatedly and single-handedly defeating the game’s most difficult boss fight, Malenia, Blade of Miquella. He was fittingly named Let Me Solo Her, and with the release of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, he’s back to solo what may be the expansion’s Malenia equivalent.

As demonstrated in a new YouTube video, Let Me Solo Her (or should that be Let Me Solo Him?), has set their sights on Messmer the Impaler. While there’s some debate over whether Messmer is the hardest boss in the DLC (I know some would argue that honour goes to the final boss), he has definitely proved to be a roadblock for some players in an expansion many already found overly difficult. Yet Let Me Solo Her makes it look easy.

In the video above, he effortless dodges Messmer’s fast and furious attacks, even the ones where he transforms into a giant snake, and successfully takes the boss down in roughly three minutes without taking a single hit. Fans of Let Me Solo Her’s work will be pleased to know he’s still wearing a jar over his head, though he’s no longer almost nude as he’s rocking a new cloak.

No doubt players will be keeping an eye out for Let Me Solo Her’s summon sign right before they try taking on Messmer again. At the very least, it can be reassuring to know such a skilled player is still around to help others in bypassing Shadow of the Erdtree‘s toughest challenges.

Even for a FromSoftware game, the DLC’s difficulty has proved contentious, and it didn’t take long for mods to come out that try to make things a tad easier. FromSoftware also seems to have acknowledged it cooked too hard, having put out a patch that affects the scaling of the Shadow Realm Blessings.

The post Elden Ring icon Let Me Solo Her returns to aid players in one of Shadow of the Erdtree’s toughest boss fights appeared first on Destructoid.

(image)

If you want to down enemies fast or finish off opponents that you’ve already knocked down, a shotgun can be a great option. That’s why I’ve put together the best Warzone Reclaimer 18 loadout, with all the attachments you need.

Added as part of the Warzone Season 4 Reloaded patch, the Reclaimer 18 is based on the SPAS-12 from older Call of Duty titles, and is designed for close-quarters combat.

Unlike many of those who run the Reclaimer 18 in MW3, Warzone players will use it not as a primary weapon, but rather as a secondary support option alongside a sniper rifle or an assault rifle. Still, getting the right attachments matters, so we’re here to help.

Best Warzone Reclaimer 18 class: Attachments

• Muzzle: Bryson Choke
• Barrel: Ironbrand Long Barrel
• Stock: Hinge LAF Light Stock
• Underbarrel: DR-6 Handstop
• Rear Grip: Center Mass Grip Tape

This class is all about recoil control, range, and movement, which is what you’ll need in the heat of battle during Warzone matches. The Ironbrand Long Barrel and Bryson Choke Muzzle will both help with range, meaning you can hit opponents from further distances.

The DR-6 Handstop Underbarrel and Center Mass Grip Tape Rear Grip both help with recoil control, while the Hinge LAF Light Stock will give a handy boost to your movement speed.

Best Warzone Reclaimer 18 class: Perks and equipment

• Perks:

  • Perk One: Double Time
  • Perk Two: E.O.D.
  • Perk Three: Tempered
  • Perk Four: High Alert

• Lethal: Semtex
• Tactical: Smoke Grenade

Because you’re running a shotgun, you’ll want to get around the map as quickly as possible and close distances fast. That’s where Double Time comes in, which increases your Tactical Sprint duration and reduces how long it takes to refresh. E.O.D is a must-have, reducing the amount of explosive damage you take, while Tempered reduces the number of plates you need for full armor from three to two.

High Alert is incredibly useful too, and a perk I run a lot. It alerts you when an enemy player is looking at you, so you know when you’re in trouble and need to move. Finally, Smoke Grenades are useful to block lanes and escape trouble, while I’ve always preferred the Semtex in Warzone.

The post Best Warzone Reclaimer 18 loadout appeared first on Destructoid.

(image)

Fancy clobbering your enemies instead of shooting them? Then you’ll need to unlock the Sledgehammer in Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone, and I’m here to tell you how to do it.

The Sledgehammer was introduced in the MW3 and Warzone Season 4 Reloaded patch, adding another interesting melee weapon to the game. You’ll not be able to take down anyone at long range with this one, but if you’re close enough, swing this and send them packing.

If you want to become the Triple H of Call of Duty (wrestling fans know what I’m talking about,) then here’s how to unlock it.

How to get the Sledgehammer in MW3 and Warzone

To unlock the Sledgehammer, you’ll need to complete any five of MW3 and Warzone‘s Week 5 challenges. The good news is that you don’t need to complete all five in the same mode, so you can pick and choose across Multiplayer, Zombies, and Battle Royale to find the ones you think will be easiest for you.

We’ve listed the full challenges below.

Once you’ve completed five challenges, the Sledgehammer will be unlocked, and you can add it to any of your loadouts.

The post How to unlock the Sledgehammer melee weapon in MW3 and Warzone appeared first on Destructoid.

(image)

Nine Dots Studio, the developer behind cult classics Outward and Outward 2, has announced that its next title, a roguelike called Lost in Prayer, will be released in Steam Early Access in Q1 2025. It’s a brutal game in which every decision carries weight, where one wrong move could have dire consequences.

The main twist in Lost in Prayer is that every enemy that kills you becomes a playable character you can use in future runs. This is where you can differentiate your play style because every character has unique abilities that will spice up gameplay and open up new opportunities for victory. I quite like the idea of hitting insurmountable roadblocks, only to use the enemies that hassled me along the way to overcome them.

Lost in Prayer is a love letter to classic roguelikes like Caves of Qud

In its first developer diary video, Nine Dots studio makes it clear this isn’t a game like Hades 2, where death is a mechanic, and the systems are just as intricate. Lost in Prayer is a turn and grid-based roguelike inspired by the classics like Caves of Qud and NetHack: Legacy. Games that allow you to discover new things even after 100 hours of play time.

The developer is trying to balance the depth, variety, and complexity in Lost in Prayer, working to make the game more approachable to newcomers without sacrificing what makes the genre so engrossing. In the game, players are souls stuck in purgatory, attempting to find their way out of heaven or hell. It looks simple enough, but there’s complexity in how each route has an entire bestiary of enemies to die to and gain control of, all of which have their own skill trees to upgrade too.

This is the baseline for Lost in Prayer, the content on offer that you’ll have access to in early 2025. The developer is keen to stay true to the roots of the genre while iterating on it just enough to make something unique that can stand the test of time, just like the games that inspired it.

As is always the case with early access, the initial version of the game will be updated over time to include new features Nine Dots Studio wants to include. However, feedback from the community will also be a critical part of development. It’ll be interesting to see where early access takes the title’s development and what players ask for after sinking their teeth into it for a few dozen hours.

The post Outward dev’s next title, Lost in Prayer, hits early access in Q1 2025 appeared first on Destructoid.