Heroes of the Storm fans, rejoice: Blizzard has not forgotten you. Yes, shocking many, I’m sure. Blizzard has just released a new blog post announcing that Xal’atath is joining Heroes of the Storm alongside a major new update. That’s right: for the first time in almost six years, the game is receiving a brand-new hero, making her the 91st to join the Nexus.To celebrate the launch, fans can earn exclusive Twitch drops starting today, September 28, at 9:00 am PT, t
Heroes of the Storm fans, rejoice: Blizzard has not forgotten you. Yes, shocking many, I’m sure. Blizzard has just released a new blog post announcing that Xal’atath is joining Heroes of the Storm alongside a major new update.
That’s right: for the first time in almost six years, the game is receiving a brand-new hero, making her the 91st to join the Nexus.
To celebrate the launch, fans can earn exclusive Twitch drops starting today, September 28, at 9:00 am PT, through October 5 at 11:59 pm PT. Rewards scale with watch time, ranging from 1,000 gold for an hour to Epic and Legendary loot chests, and even an Epic Deadly Chaos Wolf at the eight-hour mark.
Now, my personal knowledge of Heroes of the Storm is limited, but the blog post does detail the new hero. Xal’atath is a ranged assassin, and her ability kit is as follows:
Trait - Void Volley. Basic attacks build Soul Essence; at full Essence, unleash a barrage of void orbs at a target area while moving freely.
Q - Shadow Mark. Cast a large Void Orb that marks enemy Heroes hit by its inner radius; the Dark Heart moves to the impact point and detonates on marked enemy Heroes.
W - Dark Heart Ritual. Summon the Dark Heart talisman to pulse void energy at nearby enemies, then follow and detonate on any Shadow Marked Hero.
E - Void Step. Blink between three points in a triangular pattern, gaining attack damage at each stop; can be cancelled early to reposition or escape.
Heroic - Void Eruption. Channel a growing void orb, launch it to blind enemies and dominate space, then detonate in a large area - cast on the Dark Heart for an instant, fully empowered eruption.
Heroic - Void Convergence. Summon a portal that spawns relentless void minions to overwhelm nearby enemies, replacing fallen minions until the portal ends or is destroyed.
Xal’atath is a paid hero, available for $7.99 right now. For those who prefer to use gold, Blizzard aims to make her available for gold later this year, tentatively set for the end of November.
Outside of this new hero, Blizzard details a bunch of other stuff in the blog post, which you should check out, including a teaser that more might be to come... Fans of Heroes of the Storm seemingly have a lot to be excited about, and I for one hope the game can stick it to other MOBAs.
Do let me know your thoughts in the comments, whether you’re excited, not excited, or somewhere in between. And with that, do be sure to take part in our poll below:
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
As Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 approaches on October 23, the PR machine is really getting into full swing. Whether it's reactive or not is irrelevant, so long as players are being given worthwhile features. It looks like Modern Warfare 4 is going to fix one of the biggest points of irritation I have with Call of Duty in general: burning through 2XP tokens while you're sat in the lobby, or tweaking your loadout, or hell, even checking on your Camo challenges. A
As Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 approaches on October 23, the PR machine is really getting into full swing. Whether it's reactive or not is irrelevant, so long as players are being given worthwhile features.
It looks like Modern Warfare 4 is going to fix one of the biggest points of irritation I have with Call of Duty in general: burning through 2XP tokens while you're sat in the lobby, or tweaking your loadout, or hell, even checking on your Camo challenges.
Announced today is the news that this will not be the case in Modern Warfare 4. 2XP tokens will now only count down in-game time, not from the very second you apply them, as happens right now.
More time to make your 2XP count.Tokens will count down in game time and your existing tokens will be usable starting in Modern Warfare 4. pic.twitter.com/AZNVBdLVc9September 28, 2026
I don't know if there's panic setting in, if these ideas were always planned, or if players are actually being listened to. But this is twice in recent days that we're getting some positive news about features for Modern Warfare 4.
The 2XP token update comes after the news that from Season 1, when Warzone is integrated with Modern Warfare 4, players will have a toggle to turn off all the goofy legacy skins and see default MW4 operators instead.
I'm not sure this is enough to make me want to play Warzone outside of doing the Mastery Camo, but still, it's another big W from Call of Duty for its players. Even though I only tolerate Warzone for the barest minimum time, there are some truly heinous cosmetics going back as far as Modern Warfare 2.
You can still buy this nonsense in Modern Warfare 3 by the way, I took this screenshot yesterday. (Image credit: Windows Central)
In isolation each of these may seem small, but both are actually significant quality of life increases. I can now work on the Warzone Mastery Camo without seeing Beavis and Butthead or American Dad, and I can do so knowing I'm not losing my 2XP tokens while waiting on matchmaking.
There are still plenty of improvements that could be made, though. I don't really have a dog in the SBMM fight, but plenty of players do, even if it doesn't look like it's going away. The anticheat will also be a big focus, again, and Activision talks a big game, but players are only going to be happy when they see it working.
But I'm happy to take the wins wherever they come. I've got about 50 hours of 2XP and 52 hours of 2XP weapon tokens to burn through when Modern Warfare 4 comes out. I'm glad that will at least translate to in-game hours and not losing half of it outside of matches.
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
We're less than a day from Minecraft Dungeons 2 releasing into the world, yet reviews for the game have quickly begun spreading like wildfire. At first glance, this sequel to 2020's completely unexpected action-RPG take on Minecraft is enjoying an above-average, positive reception, with an overall Metacritic score of 76 and an OpenCritic score of 85.DEAL: Get Surfshark VPN 86% OFF with Windows Central 🦈But how does it fare compared to the first game, and is it wo
But how does it fare compared to the first game, and is it worth your time and money? Here's what some of the most popular review sites had to say about Minecraft Dungeons 2:
Minecraft Dungeons 2 Reviews
IGN (6/10):"Minecraft Dungeons is a beautiful and fun dungeon crawler with a simple but tried-and-true set of systems in place. It plays it extremely safe, though, without bringing anything mining or crafting spins to the genre to accompany Minecraft’s signature look and feel. Still, it's just so damn charming, and so fun, it's hard to fault it for going the safe route. With tons of loot, secret areas to uncover, and progressively more aggressive difficulty levels to unlock, Minecraft Dungeons has a fair amount of replayability beyond its relatively short six to eight-hour story mode. But who plays Minecraft for the story, anyway?"
Destructoid (9/10):"A hallmark of excellence. There may be flaws, but they are negligible and won't cause massive damage. Expanding and improving on the original game in most conceivable ways, Minecraft Dungeons 2 is an excellent advancement in this ARPG spin-off for one of gaming's most beloved and iconic franchises."
Gamespot (7/10): "Where Minecraft Dungeons was a charming introduction to the dungeon-crawler genre, Dungeons 2 builds a deeper action-RPG within the same familiar, blocky framework. While it doesn’t completely escape the limitations of its predecessor, Minecraft Dungeons 2 is a more ambitious sequel that finally gives its loot, builds, and world the depth that was missing, even if a few rough edges remain."
Gamesradar+ (7/10): "Minecraft Dungeons 2 scores zero points for originality and feels very much like its predecessor, but when you're trying to perfect a formula, it's not the time to add wild new ingredients. The result is a polished and enjoyable dungeon crawler that children and adults alike can enjoy whether solo, online, or next to each other on the couch."
Gameinformer (7.3/10): "Minecraft Dungeons II proves this spin-off franchise can stand on its own and improve with subsequent entries at a time when Xbox is refocusing on its biggest IP. There’s plenty of room to expand, improve, and let me reach that endgame feeling of satisfaction much sooner, though. Right now, Minecraft Dungeons II is simply a straightforward, entry-level action-RPG."
More of the same dungeoneering, but better Minecrafted
The consensus of Minecraft Dungeons 2 seems to be that it doesn't try to reinvent the ARPG genre, but rather refines the elements that players and critics enjoyed in the first Minecraft Dungeons (which we gave a 4.5/5 review score many years ago).
Character-build variety is more diverse, combat and traversal feel more in-depth and nicer to control, there's a wider interconnected world to explore, and plenty of post-game activities to keep players busy for a while after the credits roll.
Some critics noted that Minecraft Dungeons 2's gameplay can get repetitive after a while. Plus, it has a bloat problem regarding the amount of loot you can obtain, and there are a fair number of bugs that force players to reset the game in order to progress.
Either way, it appears that Minecraft Dungeons 2 sounds like a fun weekend romp for the whole family and a decent entry-level ARPG to introduce young kids to the genre before moving them up to more intimidating titles like Diablo or Path of Exile.
The ARPG spin-off series of Minecraft is back with Minecraft Dungeons 2. It has new enemies to slay across the Overworld, more loot to plunder and power-up yourself with, and new adventures to be had solo or in 4-player co-op.
Tomorrow sees the re-launch of a decade-old game that every RPG released since is still compared to: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The Witcher franchise is a universe very close to my heart. Prior to 2015, I didn't have any interactions with it, but The Witcher 3 brought it crashing into my periphery, and I've never looked back. In 2015, I suffered a family bereavement that resulted in me being signed off work sick for a number of weeks. In those weeks, I holed up in
Tomorrow sees the re-launch of a decade-old game that every RPG released since is still compared to: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The Witcher franchise is a universe very close to my heart. Prior to 2015, I didn't have any interactions with it, but The Witcher 3 brought it crashing into my periphery, and I've never looked back.
In 2015, I suffered a family bereavement that resulted in me being signed off work sick for a number of weeks. In those weeks, I holed up in a room, didn't get dressed, and fired up this new game everyone was raving about... The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and completely lost myself in it. So began a new obsession; I went back and played The Witcher 2, and I ordered and devoured all of the books, even downloading translations of later ones that hadn't been translated into English yet.
I was utterly transfixed by the world of Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer, and really used my obsession to completely distract myself from the real-life breakdown I was having. It was like therapy (and probably much cheaper), and since then I've had more than just a normal love of the game, as I genuinely credit it for dragging me out of a dark period of time.
I was more than a little emotional when Songs of the Past was announced, as it gives me an opportunity to go back to this world once more. Well, I say an opportunity; I've had multiple playthroughs of The Witcher 3 over the years and seen the various updates it's gone through, way up to 4.04, and now we are blessed with a whole damn remaster.
The original game was an effortless 5 out of 5 at launch. If I could rate this new Version 5.0 remaster higher than a 5, I would in a heartbeat. But you didn't come here to read my blithering diatribe on why I love The Witcher franchise so much; you want to know what's actually new with the remaster and whether it’s worth diving back onto the Path. Well, let's get down to it.
The following thoughts are based on a playthrough on the Xbox Series X console.
Fluid combat and a modernized progression system
(Image credit: Jennifer Young - Windows Central)
The biggest criticism of the original Witcher 3 was the combat system, and it’s a criticism I never really shared with the masses anyway. I have always liked it, jank and all, but I think CDPR has done a good job with introducing smoother swing connections and subtle animation tweaks. Geralt practically pirouettes with grace while swinging his sword and I find the dynamic camera the most noticeable improvement here as it swings much more naturally during large encounters.
We also get brutal new Sign-integrated execution animations (like explosive Aard finishers) that make moment-to-moment skirmishes feel infinitely more interesting. The fire effects on Igni alone have made using signs feel more impactful.
The stat and ability screen has been revamped and your points will be reset (Image credit: Jennifer Young - Windows Central)
Character progression has received a shake-up too. The core skill tree remains structurally familiar but with subtle adjustments that make individual abilities feel much better suited to the faster tempo of modern action-RPGs. It's been simplified so you don't have to choose exclusively between strong or fast attack builds, for example.
Toxicity, mutations and bomb skills have all moved into Alchemy with some cool poison scaling options I've yet to try out but once I get my hands on the Viper set I'll give them a whirl.
Transmogrification is finally here too. Abeit you have to 'unlock' it later in the game in Skellige. You can map the visual appearance of any piece of armor or weapon onto your preferred stats, meaning you no longer have to sacrifice fashion for function. Modders have been doing this for years, mind you, but us console peasants can finally look as stylish as we like.
The visuals and technical overhaul
Jennifer Young - Windows CentralJennifer Young - Windows Central
If you thought the 2022 next-gen update was the ceiling of how good this old game could look, Version 5.0 blows that out of the water. Powered by heavy optimizations, path tracing, and ray reconstruction, the lighting and environmental fidelity surpassed my relatively low expectations. Character models and the bouncing torchlight off faces in particular look great during the night cycles.
Jennifer Young - Windows CentralJennifer Young - Windows CentralJennifer Young - Windows Central
Environmental assets are starkly improved, something most visible when looking at the foliage around you. Surface textures have more detail than before, and distant mountains have been completely rebuilt to an incredible standard. Stepping into Velen or Novigrad almost feels like a brand-new setting with the reworked lighting and asset density.
Now it's not all perfect; there are some areas in the game that seem either a little too washed out or too dark following the visual upgrade, but we were told in the preview phase that we would encounter occasional visual issues or inconsistencies, as well as some minor gameplay bugs. These had been reported to the dev team and should be fixed ahead of launch, fingers crossed.
Quality of life and UI upgrades
Previously I could play Witcher 3 on my ROG through Steam or GoG but now it will work on the Xbox app with Play Anywhere (Image credit: Jennifer Young - WIndows Central)
The UI has also gone through an overhaul, transforming into something far more compact and intuitive that fits a modern RPG release rather than a decade-old classic. Menu navigation has been improved, and you open back up to whatever tab you were last looking at. Loot now merges, too, so you can just loot a bunch of corpses at once rather than one at a time.
Roach still occasionally fights pathing or handles awkwardly on sharp turns which is frustrating during the race quests, but traversal overall feels much cleaner, and hey I love Roach being a little awkward, I wouldn't have it any other way.
Also, thank the lord we now actually have Xbox Play Anywhere. Cross-progression was always pretty good between platforms via the Red launcher, but I don’t have to switch launchers anymore when playing on Xbox and then switching to my ROG. I can just switch between Xbox PC and console now without fiddling with passwords.
What I will say though is where the 4.04 version worked perfectly on my Xbox ROG Ally X, the Remaster stutters considerably and some floor textures just refuse to load. I think many of these issues will be solved with an early patch, as previously mentioned, but I'm going to hold off on playing the upgrade on my handheld until these fixes are implemented.
So do you really need another 100 hours in The Witcher 3?
(Image credit: Jennifer Young - Windows Central)
For repeat visitors to The Continent like me, it's a great excuse to fire up the game again and refresh my knowledge of the story not long before Songs of the Past arrives next year — and of course it's completely free if you already own it.
What really gets me, though, is the sheer level of respect behind it all. CDPR didn’t really need to spend a fortune or break a sweat on this release. Given the game’s self-sustaining popularity, they could have just pushed out the update on a Tuesday and let word-of-mouth do its thing. Instead, they’ve poured resources into an enormous presence at Gamescom, hosted panels at BlizzCon, and handed out early review access to a massive wave of creators, large and small.
I really think it’s commendable to see a studio treat an 11-year-old game like a major tentpole launch simply because they know how much their community still cares about it. Let alone just giving out two massive expansions (Heart of Stone and Blood of Wine) for free. If I could give this a 6 out of 5, I would!
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
Connexion
