Imperator Vandal is the Vandal variant of the Imperator Arch-gun. It can only be gotten during the Balor Fomorian Event, which is an uncommon event in the game that will allow you to get the blueprint and the individual parts.

How to Get Imperator Vandal

In this Warframe guide, we tell you everything you need to know about Imperator Vandal and how to get it.

How to destroy the Fomorian Balor Core

First of all, you have to craft and equip a Fomorian Disruptor, an essential gear to go through the mission (if you don’t know how to obtain one, read our guide about it). Then plan your attack to the Fomorian Balor Core (Archwing Mission):

• Destroy the four Zeplens that will appear once you get closer to the core
• Now you can get close enough to deactivate the shield protecting the Balor Fomorian; you can do it by destroying the two shield generators on the sides
• Go inside and destroy the 16 nodes of the structure as soon as you can; to do it cover all the possible angles and activate the Fomorian Disruptor to generate an electromagnetic pulse (it will remove the protective shielding for 30 seconds, letting you efficiently complete this part of the mission)
• Reach the safe distance of 350 meters in less than 30 seconds to avoid the explosion damage
• That's It. Job’s done

Imperator Vandal Rewards Drop Rates

Once you have accomplished your mission, you will receive one of the event’s unique rewards:

• Endo (x400) – Drop Rate 75%
• Imperator Vandal Barrel – Drop Rate 11%
• Imperator Vandal Blueprints – Drop Rate 11%
• Imperator Vandal Receiver – Drop Rate 2%

If you didn’t get what you need or what you are missing, you could wait for the event to come back or buy the parts you need from other players (but of course they won’t be cheap at all).

Imperator Vandal Stats

Statistics

• Mastery: 5
• Slot: Arch-Gun
• Trigger Type: Auto-Spool

Utility

• Noise Level: Alarming
• Fire Rate: 25 rounds per sec
• Accuracy: 25
• Magazine Size: 300 rounds per mag
• Reload Time: 75.0 rounds per sec (4.0s total)
• Riven Disposition: 0.85

Normal Attacks

• Impact: 8.8
• Puncture: 7.7
• Slash: 5.5
• Total Damage: 22.0 (Impact 40%)
• Critc Chance: 15%
• Crit Multiplier: 2.0X
• Status Chance: 10%

Advantages

• High Impact
• High Damage
• Effective against shields
• Effective against Armor
• Good critical chance (Archwing)
• High critical multiplier
• Decent status chance
• Good accuracy
• Fastest fire rate of all arch-guns (achieved after 30 rounds)
• Largest magazine size off all arch-guns
• Innate Madurai Pol (Polarity)

Disadvantages

• Lowest base damage off all arch-guns
• Linear damage fall-off from 100m to 350m target distance (Archwing)
• Low-Status chance (Archwing)

What do you need to craft it

• 25,000x Credits
• 1x Imperator Vandal Barrel
• 1x Imperator Vandal Receiver
• 10x Tellurium
• Time – 12 hrs
• Rush – 50x Platinum

Marzia Rispoli contributed to this article. 

Every two weeks Baro Ki'Teer shows up in Warframe, to amaze and disappoint in equal measure. The strange figure will arrive in one of the game's relays, with a stock of mods, weapons, and cosmetics to sell. To purchase them, you will mostly need Ducats, a type of currency that only Baro seems to deal in, and Credits. You can get Ducats by selling Prime parts at any of the Ducat Kiosks on the Relays. The rarer the part, the more Ducats you will get.

Baro arrives every two weeks and hangs around for two days, so be sure to grab what you need when you can! If you need more Ducats, it's time to start opening those Relics!

What Is Baro Selling Today

You can find Baro on the Kronia Relay, Saturn, with the following stock to sell.

• ParazonPoster - 100 Ducats, 125000 Credits
• Scimitar Prisma Skin - 210 Ducats, 450000 Credits
• Jolt - 300 Ducats, 150000 Credits
• Voltaic Strike - 300 Ducats, 150000 Credits
• High Voltage - 300 Ducats, 150000 Credits
• Shell Shock - 300 Ducats, 150000 Credits
• Baro Ki'Teer Glyph - 80 Ducats, 50000 Credits
• Eminence - 220 Ducats, 220000 Credits
• Zylok - 500 Ducats, 200000 Credits
• Vulkar Wraith - 450 Ducats, 300000 Credits
• Left Prisma Edo Shoulder Plates - 100 Ducats, 55000 Credits
• Right Prisma Edo Shoulder Plates - 100 Ducats, 55000 Credits
• Left Prisma Edo Knee Plates - 100 Ducats, 55000 Credits
• Right Prisma Edo Knee Plates - 100 Ducats, 55000 Credits
• Prisma Edo Chest Plate - 225 Ducats, 250000 Credits
• Ki'Teer Sekhara - 400 Ducats, 200000 Credits
• Prisma Jet Sentinel Wings - 300 Ducats, 200000 Credits
• Prisma Koi Sentinel Tail - 200 Ducats, 200000 Credits
• Prisma Mech Head Sentinel Mask - 175 Ducats, 200000 Credits
• Prisma Shade - 500 Ducats, 300000 Credits
• Nexus Gene-Masking Kit - 200 Ducats, 300000 Credits
• Orokin Tower Extraction Scene - 325 Ducats, 175000 Credits
• 3 Day Mod Drop Chance Booster - 500 Ducats, 175000 Credits
• Sands Of Inaros Blueprint - 100 Ducats, 25000 Credits

What Should You Buy From Baro Today?

Jolt, Voltaic Strike, High Voltage, and Shell Shock are all must-buys if you don't have them. The Ki'Teer Sekhara is an Fashionframe essential, and I am very fond of the Eminence palette. After that, it's all up to you. Grab weapons if you need the Mastery Rank, and any cosmetics that you feel are nice. Prisma Shade is definitely worth getting, as it is the only source for that Sentinel in the game. 

That is it for today Tenno!

Documents released by the Canadian military to CBC, the country's national broadcaster, have painted a picture of an institution that wasn't prepared for the impact of Pokémon GO. The 500-page document was released under a freedom of information request, and parts of it make for interesting, and hilarious, reading. 

Problems began at military bases all over the country when the game launched, as eager gamers tried to track down their favorite Pokémon. The document is filled with reports of players showing up at bases that had been designated as PokéStops and Gyms. "Plse advise the Commissionaires that apparently Fort Frontenac is both a PokeGym and a PokeStop," Major Jeff Monaghan, CFB Kingston reported. "I will be completely honest in that I have no idea what that is."

For some members of the military, the sudden shift of civilian interest in military bases and installations seemed to be met with a degree of humor. "We should almost hire a 12-year-old to help us out with this", wrote security expert David Levenick at CFB Borden. Within eight days of the game's release, the military police in Canada issued a criminal intelligence advisory to inform people that some bases had been designated as PokéStops and Gyms. 

Unfortunately, the newly inspired visitors to some of the bases were not always on their best behavior. "One lady at the Worthington Tank Park was playing the game whilst the 3 children with her were climbing all over the tanks," wrote Levenick at CFB Borden. In some cases, officials even lodged complaints with Niantic. Officials at CFB North Bay sent a complaint to Niantic that the increased traffic onto the base "could have a negative impact on 22 Wing's mission".

Other officials saw potential benefits. At CFB Hallifax, officials recommended that a PokéStop be moved from the Dockyard Gym to the Stadacona Gym, as it was felt this could help to increase attendance at a nearby museum. They even considered how an upgrade from a PokéStop to a gym would increase traffic further. 

Rear Admiral Newton took an especially engaged view of the new game that was causing the military so many issues. "Life and work are best accomplished if there is good fun, health, and friendship," he wrote in an email. "If Pokemon GO enables these values, while we protect our interests, then we all stand to marvel at this intersection of technology, gaming, and health."

Fortunately, no civilians—or Pokémon—were harmed at any point, and the end result is an interesting and sometimes humorous story about one more way that Pokémon GO shocked the world when it released. 

A streamer has taken his boss battle with Sard to the next level, pushing himself to defeat the winged warrior without taking a single hit. After many, many tries, it appears he’s finally done it.

Andreas “Sardoche” Honnet, a League of Legends pro turned full-time content creator, challenged himself to take on the mighty Valkyrie without taking any kind of damage. Considering he was on New Game+ difficulty, it’s a daunting task already. But beating him without taking damage? Talk about godly.

But Honnet pushed himself. He reportedly took on this task more than 1,400 times, and we can only imagine the frustration that sets in with each one. But, finally, on Jan. 2, he completed it.

You can watch the clip below for the moment he finally takes down Sard. Honnet does a silent cheer, walks away from his chair to catch his breath, then sits down in what appears to be the brink of tears when it’s finally done. What’s more, you can see the chat explode with all sorts of congratulations messages.

Even though only a portion of the battle is included in this clip, you see a few of the strategies Honnet applies to this task. This includes dodging crucial attacks and using his shield at the proper time, before finding the key moments to strike and eventually rip off Sard’s wings, finishing him off for good.

GTA Online players have the chance to start the year off right by playing some Freemode Events and receiving a heap of rewards.

Those who participate in Freemode Events, namely Hunt the Beast, King of the Castle, or Criminal Damage, will receive triple the rewards. Anyone who has access to GTA Online can hop into these game modes to start playing.

For anyone who prefers a bit more select work, Business Battles and Bunker Series both reward anyone who plays double the payout. 

All of these events are live right now and continue to go until Jan. 8

Additionally, players can access the new Rune Zhaba ATV. It's a sizeable, amphibious off-road vehicle capable of making any difficult terrain look like a joke while it races through the environment. You can get it from Warstock Cache & Carry.

If that's not your vehicle of choice, try your luck at The Diamond Casino by hitting the Lucky Wheel for your chance to win the Pfister Comet Safari with an exclusive "It's a Wrap" skin.

Rockstar has a list of exclusive discounts they're offering to all players. You can check the full list below, and wait to see what else GTA Online has waiting for players eager to continue playing into 2020.

Properties & Renovations:

• Penthouses – 35 percent off
• Penthouse Add-Ons & Renovations – 35 percent off
• Nightclub – 35 percent off
• Nightclub Garage – 35 percent off
• Nightclub Renovations – 35 percent off

Vehicles:

• Progen Emerus (Super) – 25 percent off
• Benefactor Krieger (Super) – 25 percent off
• Pegassi Zorrusso (Super) – 25 percent off
• Vysser Neo (Super) – 25 percent off
• Ocelot Locust (Super) – 25 percent off
• Vapid Peyote Gasser (Sports) – 25 percent off
• Weeny Issi Sport (Sports) – 40 percent off
• Weeny Issi Classic (Compact) – 40 percent off
• Western Rampant Rocket (Cycle) – 25 percent off
• Übermacht Zion Classic (Sports Classics) – 25 percent off
• Vapid Caracara 4x4 (Off-Road) – 25 percent off
• Enus Paragon R (Sports) – 25 percent off

GTA Online features an array of different missions, and we're focusing on the adversary Bunker Series. There are seven available game modes, each highlighting a unique style of gameplay, and these encourage players to take alternative approaches while competing against other players online.

What is Bunker Series?

The Bunker Series refer to missions you gain access to if you purchase a bunker. When you have them you'll have access to any from this list:

• Slasher: The Slasher receives a shotgun and hunts down seven players. After three minutes, the Hunted receive shotguns and go after The Slasher. If the Slasher, or the seven Hunted, die within the time limit, the other side wins
• Every Bullet Counts: All players are against each other in a careful shootout. They're each equipped with a machete and a marksman pistol with only four bullets. The last one standing wins.
• Juggernaut: A team-based battle where each side receives a Juggernaut. Each team needs to take out the opposing team's Juggernaut to win.
• Kill Quota: Each team starts with a weapon and receives a kill quota. If a team reaches the quota, they earn a new gun. The team who reaches all of the available quotas wins, or the side with the highest score when time runs out.
• Resurrection: A team-based shootout where you need to take out the enemy team. However, if they take out one of your players, they revive one of their team members. The first team to take out the other side wins.
• Trading Places: Losers becomes winners, and it's a class warfare fight. When you take out a winner as a loser, you become a winner. The goal is to become a winner by the end.
• Till Death Do Us Part: Four teams of two pairs face-off in a grueling fight focused on pairs sticking together to receive health benefits, encouraging players to stay close but increasing the risk to separate for more rewards.

How to Purchase a Bunker

To gain access to any of the above modes, you first need a bunker. The cheapest one is worth $1,165,000. You need to visit Maze Bank Foreclosures and answer the online notice. You'll have a range of different bunker options to choose from, so pick the ideal choice available to you. If this is your first bunker, you'll have to go through introductory scenes, providing you a tour of your newly purchased bunker and the various upgrades you can apply to them.

After the introduction, check out the new missions available to you for having access to one of them. You can access any of the Bunker Series corona on your map to launch the game modes or visit the Bunker Adversary mode in the in-game menu to start playing.

Fortnite had quite the day on Oct. 14. Chapter 2 launched, bringing us a new map, and a whole new Season. Things have been reasonably static since them. We had had some missions, different challenges, and a couple of events like Star Wars and Winterfest. Mostly, things have remained the same, however. The usual changes that creep across the map throughout a season have been absent, and you might be wondering about when this current season will come to an end. 

At the moment, the Fortnite API tells us that the season will end on Feb. 15, but there is an issue with this date. Feb. 15 is a Saturday, and traditionally seasons end on Thursdays. As such, it is safe to assume that the new season will begin on either Feb. 6, or Feb. 13. Either way, it would seem that the first season of Fortnite Chapter 2 will be shaping up to be the longest season in the game's history.  The season was initially planned to end in early December but has been pushed back a couple of times now. 

What Season 2 will entail is anyone's guess. We are hedging our bets that there will be some significant changes coming to the game, hence the delays. Until then, you can expect more surprise challenges to arrive in the game, as Epic seeks to keep you occupied until the new season begins. 

Winterfest is finishing up on Jan. 7, and a new Mission is due to open on Jan. 9. I would expect those challenges to be similar to the Stretch Goals challenges, although Epic might surprise us all with something that leads into the next season instead. 

Xur shows up in Destiny 2 every Friday. He does this to try and sell us the latest Exotic wares he has found in the void, and also to remind us that he only works on weekends. What he does during the week, nobody knows, but we assume it involves trying to figure out what he should try to sell us the following week. 

Xur no longer gets a map icon in the game, so it is up to us to hunt him down and find out where he is. To save you time, this guide will tell you where he is hiding and what he is selling, so you can decide if you want to part with some of your Legendary Shards or not. 

Where Is Xur

This week you can find Xur at the Giant's Scar on Io.

What Is Xur Selling

This week Xur is selling the following Exotic items. As always, he is selling one Exotic weapon and a piece of Exotic armor for each class.

This week Xur is selling the following items:

• Lord of Wolves - Exotic Shotgun
• St0mp-EE5 - Hunter Leg Armor
• Dunemarchers - Titan Leg Armor
• Sanguine Alchemy - Warlock Chest Armor

What Should You Buy From Xur This Week

The wolves are about to howl in the Crucible. Lord of Wolves will do a good job of spitting hot death at your enemies. It's a fun weapon, and not quite as vicious as it was before the nerf, but still worth playing with. 

St0mp-EE5 is my favorite general Hunter Exotic. They buff sprint speed, slide distance, and your jumps, so an all-around mobility package. If you absolutely have to go fast, this is the Exotic for you.

Dunemarchers will make your Titan sprint faster, and build up a charge that is unleashed on enemies that you melee. If you are a true Titan and feel like punching is the only real way to fight, then you can have a lot of fun with these. 

Sanguine Alchemy is another Rift buffing Exotic for the Warlock class. Your Rifts will grant enhanced radar, and mark high-priority targets, for both you and your allies. It is an okay Exotic, but you will more than likely get greater benefit from something that plays into your subclass more. 

Picking out your favorite Pokémon is every trainer's past time whenever they play a game from the Pokémon series. However, some want to know the absolute best to use in a game, and those who play Pokémon GO want to know who they need to seek out to become a standout player against other trainers. Here's what we know about the best Ground-type Pokémon in the game.

The Best Ground Type in Pokémon GO

A straight Ground-type Pokémon is weak to Grass, ice, and Water-type moves. A majority of Pokémon on this list are hybrids, making a Ground-type and something else. Many of the Pokémon on this list have a preferred moveset, meaning you may have caught one of them, but they may not be as effective without their best attacks.

Garchomp

Garchomp is a Dragon and Ground-type Pokémon, making it weak to Dragon, Fairy, and Ice-type attacks. It has a Max CP of 3962, an attack of 261, defense of 193, and stamina of 239. The ideal moveset is it to know Dragon Tail and Earthquake.

Garchomp is an excellent choice and a powerful Pokémon. Its weaknesses are exclusive, and not many may have a Pokémon capable of using a Dragon or Fairy-type move to damage it. Ice is a bit easier to come across, but not as easy as other choices, such as water, fire, or electricity attacks. For attacks, you can alternatively have one that uses Outrage and Mudshot, or Dragon Tail and Outrage. Of the three choices, you'll want to avoid the third one because it limits Garchomp to only using Dragon-type attacks.

You can start by capturing a Gible, evolving it into a Gabite, and eventually have it become a Garchomp.

Groudon

Groudon is a Legendary Pokémon that is exclusively a Ground-type, making it weak to Grass, Ice, and Water-type moves. It has a Max CP of 4115, an attack of 270, defense of 228, and stamina of 205. The ideal moveset you want for it is a toss between Dragon Tail and Solar Beam or Dragon Tail and Earthquake.

Groudon is an excellent choice if you're on the hunt for a solid Ground-type. The choice between having your Gourdon use solar beam over earthquakes weighs into the fact that solar beam is an excellent Grass-type move. You can turn Groudon into a solid grass attacker, especially given its massive attack stats. Its higher defense stats make it a bit tanker than Garchomp, but you'd need to find a good position for Groudon in your roster.

Because Groudon is a Legendary Pokémon, you won't have as many chances to attempt to capture it. You'd need to wait for an exclusive event to happen, so if you're hunting for this Pokémon, keep your eyes on any of Niantic's events for Pokémon GO. 

Mamoswine

Mamoswine is ice and Ground-type Pokémon, making it weak Fighting, Fire, Grass, Steel, and Water-type moves. It has a Max CP of 3328, an attack of 247, a defense of 146, and stamina of 242. The ideal moveset is to have it know Mud Slap and Avalanche, but you can also have yours know Powder Snow and Avalanche, or Mud Slap and Bulldoze.

Mamoswine is a bulky attacker in Pokémon GO. Unfortunately, it does lack defense, so if you were to use this option, you'd want to make sure you have other durable fighters in your line-up to help support it. You'll need to find the perfect Pokémon to face it off against, but if you do, you'll be capable of pushing them aside as if they were nothing.

Unlike the other two, Mamoswine has more type of weaknesses. If you can prepare for those weaknesses and plan accordingly, you can have it deal some incredible damage.

You can capture a Swinub and evolve it into a Piloswine to later have it become Mamoswine. You do need a Sinnoh Stone for Piloswine to turn it into a Mamoswine.

Rhyperior

Rhyperior is a Rock and Ground-type Pokémon, making it weak to Fighting, Grass, Ground, Ice, Steel, and Water moves. It has a Max CP of 3733, an attack of 241, a defense of 190, and stamina of 251. It's ideal moveset switches between Mud Slap and Earthquake or Smack Down and Earthquake, depending on how you want to use Rhyperior.

Much like Mamoswine, Rhyperior comes with an array of additional weaknesses, making it easier for trainers and other opponents to counter it. However, the Pokémon's robust defense makes it a stand out option the capability of dealing damage as much as it receives it. If you can plan to place Rhyperior as a defensive option for Gyms or to face off against Electric, Poison, or Flying-type Pokémon, you can watch this reliable option go to down on your opponents.

You first need to acquire Rhyhorn and then evolve it into a Rhydon. After that, you'll need a Sinnoh Stone before you can evolve Rhydon into Rhyperior.

Excadrill

Excadrill is a Steel and Ground-type Pokémon, making it weak to Fighting, Fire, Ground, and Water-type moves. It has a Max CP of 3244, an attack of 255, a defense of 129, and stamina of 242. You'll find its ideal moveset is a toss-up of Metal Claw and Drill Run, Mud Slap and Drill Run, or Mud Slap and Earthquake. For a more varied movest, you'll likely want to stick to Metal Claw and Drill Run.

If you're looking to add an attacker to your group, and you need a Ground-type, Excadrill is an excellent option. The biggest problem with it is its defense. If it's stacking up against a durable attacker with a decent defense, it may not be able to whittle down their opponent. But if you can correctly navigate when to bring out Excadrill against the correct opponent and counter their overall type, you should have a good time of winning the day.

The odd journey of Rune II is continuing with the's announcement that the game is finally receiving an update. Ragnarok, the game's publisher, has been given access to the resources needed to bring the updates they had promised to the game. 

The game was only released a couple of months ago, but its short life has already been incredibly bizarre. The day after it was released, the game's developer, Human Head Studios, shut down, only for the team to be bought by Zenimax, renamed Roundhouse Studios, and join the Bethesda Softworks family. The publishers of the game, Ragnarok, was left with the responsibility of supporting Rune II, but it lacked the resources needed to do so. 

This past month, Ragnarok filed a lawsuit against Human Head for breach of contract and fraudulent concealment, claiming that the studio refused to hand over the source code and assets to the game when they left, which prohibited Ragnarok from delivering the updates. 

But this whole ordeal has taken a small step in the right direction, as Ragnarok announced on its official forums that they have received a hard drive containing the game's source code and assets. They have brought on engineers to make sure that all necessary assets were on the hard drive, adding:

"Currently we have set up a build, test, and staging environment. Once we have confirmed that we are able to make a complete build of the current version of RUNE II (.12L), we are going to begin working on a patch to address the top critical issues, bugs, and optimizations that we have seen reported over the last month and a half."

While this is good news for the fans of the game, it doesn't mean the legal issues are done. This battle is still ongoing, with Ragnarok seeking restitution for the game's development costs and at least $100 million in damages. 

Despite this, hopefully this means that the whole situation is trending in the right direction. For those eagerly waiting for Rune II to get big fixes and patches, the light at the end of the tunnel just got slightly brighter. Now, we'll have to see if Ragnarok truly does have everything it needs. 

Dragonball Z: Karakot is shaping up to be quite the experience for fans of the series. You will be fighting, fishing, eating and training with characters like Goku, Gohan, and Vegeta. The game has also promised to deliver storylines that will answer some of the more significant questions for fans of the lore. Before all that happens, however, you will want to know if you can run the game.

You can find the minimum and recommended specs, as advised by developers CyberConnect2 Co. Ltd, below:

MINIMUM:

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows 7 SP1 64-bit
• Processor: Intel Core i5-2400 or AMD Phenom II X6 1100T
• Memory: 4 GB RAM
• Graphics: GeForce GTX 750 Ti or Radeon HD 7950
• DirectX: Version 11
• Storage: 36 GB available space

RECOMMENDED:

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows 10 64-bit
• Processor: Intel Core i5-3470 or AMD Ryzen 3 1200
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Graphics: GeForce GTX 960 or Radeon R9 280X
• DirectX: Version 11
• Storage: 40 GB available space

It would appear that Dragonball Z: Karakot will be easy to run for the vast majority of gamers out there. The most common GPU for users of Steam is the Nvidia GTX 1060, with the recommended GPU for the game being the GTX 960, or R9 280x. Even the 36GB minimum installation size seems extremely reasonable compared to some of the 100GB monsters we have all been installing lately. 

Dragonball Z: Karakot is releasing on PC on Jan 16, and will be available on Steam.

The heart of Temtem is catching and taming new Temtem to add to your collection. You can't truly become a great Temtem Trainer unless you have a massive selection of Temtem that you can explore with, battle with, and level up to form a super team. You can try to catch and tame Temtem that you run into in the wild. 

When you are exploring the world, as you run around, you can get into battles with Temtem, giving you a chance to tame them. Temtem can be hiding anywhere, so make sure you explore tall grass, caves, and rivers. 

To catch Temtem, you will need TemCards. These can be found when you are exploring the world and can be purchased from Temporiums for 15 Credits. You will also get six of them at the start of your game from Professor Konstantinos.

When you are battling Temtem, you can choose to go to your bag instead of using a Temtem technique, then select the TemCard, and pick which Temtem you want to use it on. It is best to weaken the Temtem first, but damaging it or causing a status effect, as this will make catch it easier. The difficulty of catching them will vary from Temtem to Temtem, but it is generally best to be within at least a couple of levels of the Temtem you wish to capture. 

If successful, the Temtem is caught in the TemCard, and you can choose to add them to your squad or place them in a box. Any damage that the Temtem took during the fight will carry over, so you will need to heal them before you can use them in a battle. 

The rewards for the first series have already been dealt, and now everyone is back to square one as Ranked Battle Series 2 has begun for Pokémon Sword and Shield. 

Every player regardless of if they are brand new to the game or finished in Master Ball Tier last time have now been set back down to the Beginner Tier and will have to battle their up through the masses if they want to reach the top before the season ends on Jan. 31. 

As always, there is both a single and double battle format that will allow you to use any Pokémon that are not banned in your team composition. For singles, you will need at least three legal Pokémon in your party, while doubles will require four. Each Pokémon entered in the battle will automatically be scaled to level 50 regardless of what their level is outside of the team preview. 

Mew, Zacian, Zamazenta, and Eternatus remain on the ban list this season as they are the only real Uber level Pokémon that can destroy the current meta if allowed in matches.

Likewise, several Gigantimax forms are also being banned from competition for the time being, although they will likely be added to the legal list as the year goes on. As of now, Charizard, Butterfree, Pikachu, Meowth, Eevee, Snorlax, Corviknight, Drednaw, Sandaconda, Centiskorch are all allowed to Gigantimax during ranked battles. 

If you have any plans on trying to compete in VGC competitions throughout 2020, the Ranked Doubles mode is an excellent practice for the actual tournaments because almost all of the rules are the same, and most players will be running similar strategies and testing team compositions for the VGC season. 

Just like last season, rewards will be given out to each player who participates in ranked matches based on what rank they end up in once the season concludes on Jan. 31. Master Ball Tier players receive the best rewards, including three Golden Bottlecaps and 600 Battle Points to spend on whatever competitive style items they want to use to improve or build new teams. 

Escape from Tarkov has rapidly grown on live streaming platform Twitch after a partnership for a holiday in-game cosmetic drops event. With the additional eyes on the hardcore and realistic online first-person shooter, there is now even more action available to players. However, this has also brought more complaints from users who have problems with the game launcher, among other issues. 

Some of the solutions that have worked for others include:

Basic solutions

• Reinstall the Battlestate Games Launcher
• Reinstall the game
• Restart your computer
• Update your Drivers, .NET Framework, and Windows itself

Run the game as an Administrator

• Navigate to the game’s folder and right-click EscapeFromTarkov.exe
• Select ‘Properties’ and go to the Compatibility menu
• Tick the box for ‘Execute this program as an administrator’
• Apply the new settings

Keep the Launcher Window open

• Go into the Launcher settings
• Navigate to the “When I Launch The Game” drop-down menu
• Select the “Keep The Launcher Window Open” option

Turn on Integrity Checks

• Navigate to the arrow underneath your name in the Launcher
• Select ‘Integrity Check’
• Wait a few minutes for the process to finish

Clear the Cache

• Repeat the steps in the solution above, but select ‘Clear Cache’ instead

Clean your Windows Temp folder

• Press the Windows key and R, to bring up the Run box
• Enter in %temp%
• Find the folder for the Launcher
• Clear the temporary files

Users with Antivirus programs like Bitdefender have also reported that whitelisting Escape from Tarkov and the Battlestate Games Launcher fixed the problem. 

If none of these solutions work, the Escape from Tarkov support team has suggested reinstalling Windows. However, users should contact the support team before doing so, whether directly through the launcher’s bug report form or on the website. In addition, this option should be a last resort that requires proper preparation like the backup of your data before going through with it. 

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot features a massive adventure beginning at the start of the Dragon Ball Z anime show. You'll go through when the main character, Goku, meets Vegeta for the first time, becomes the Super Sayian, watches his son surpass him, and returns to battle Majin Buu. The game launches on Jan. 17, and you have a handful of pre-order options available to ensure you secure your copy.

Standard and Digital Standard Edition

The standard edition comes with the game. It costs $59.99. You can choose to pre-order a physical copy of the Standard Edition for the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One from several retailers.

The retailer options include:

• The Bandai Namco Store
• Gamestop
• Amazon
• Best Buy
• Target
• Walmart
• EB Games (for Canadians for $79.99) 

You need to scroll down on the choices a little bit to grab the Digital Standard option, and you need to purchase it from the PlayStation Store or the Microsoft store for the respective console.

If you pre-order the Standard edition for your PC, you'll receive a PC download code from the Bandi Namco website. If you choose the Digital Standard Edition, you'll receive a Steam key.

All of these options come with the game, and the pre-order bonus content every edition receives:

• A Sub-quest called "A Competitive Party with Friends."
• Early Access to Bonyu's Training, a brand new character designed by Akira Toriyama, the creator of the Dragon Ball series
• A cooking item that permanently increases your melee attack and health

Deluxe, Digital Deluxe, and Digital PlayStation Deluxe Edition

For those looking to receive a bit more for Kakarot, you can place your money forward to grab the Deluxe or Digital Deluxe edition for $84.99. The Deluxe Edition is only available for PC, and you'll receive a code from the Bandi Namco website. However, the Digital Deluxe Edition is available for the Xbox One through the Microsoft Store and PC through Steam.

The Digital PlayStation Deluxe edition is available through the PlayStation Store. It's on the bottom of the list and comes with the Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot theme for your console. You'll receive all of the previously mentioned pre-order bonuses and these bundled items:

• The Kakarot season pass containing two original story episodes a new story arc
• The Kakarot music compilation pack with 11 additional songs from the anime
• A cooking item that permanently boosts your Ki-Attack and HP

Ultimate, Digital Ultimate, and Digital PlayStation Ultimate Edition

The Ultimate Edition goes for $94.99 and works similar to the Deluxe, where you can only obtain this one for your PC through the Bandi Namco website. You'll receive a digital code to use when the game comes out. For the Digital Ultimate Edition, you can receive it for the PlayStation 4 through the PlayStation Store, Xbox One from the Microsoft Store, and the PC through Steam.

There is also a Digital PlayStation Ultimate Edition available on the website. However, you'll receive the Kakarot Theme through the Digital Ultimate and Digital PlayStation Ultimate edition. There doesn't appear to be any differences.

You'll receive all of the previously mentioned pre-order bonuses and gain access to The Tao Pai Pai Pillar in Spring 2020.

Collector's Edition

The Collector's Edition can be yours for $199.99. It contains everything already talked about, minus the exclusive console items, and several other items. You can buy it from these retailers for the PlayStation or Xbox One, not the PC:

• The Bandai Namco Store
• Gamestop
• Best Buy
• Amazon

After choosing a retailer, the exclusive items tied to this edition include:

• An Exclusive Diorama Figure (8x8x8in) of Goku riding Nimbus with a young Gohan in his lap passing by a large dinosaur as it goes through rocky terrain, with a city in the background
• A hardcover game artbook
• A collectible Steelbook

The Collector's Edition will remain available until supplies last.

Markus “Notch” Persson has enjoyed a quiet retirement since he sold off Mojang and his hit game Minecraft to Microsoft years ago — even if he’s been creating a fuss with controversial arguments on social media ever since. But now it looks like he’s ready to get back to work, as a new tweet suggests he’s seeking to get back into game development.

Posting the question earlier today on Twitter, Notch asked his followers, “Theoretically, would you prefer me to develop small free games on my own, or start a studio and make polished commercial games?”

Thus far, responses have been mixed. Some have been supportive for Notch to get back into game development. Others, however, have more interesting ideas of what he can do with his money from the Microsoft mega-deal.

One fan suggested, “I want you to invest in other studios.” Another believes that development wouldn’t do Notch much good. “The first one since I assume you went away from running a studio for a good reason,” they explained.

Then there was the question of “what the studio would be making,” and if Notch would try something innovative like Minecraft, or perhaps even something more streamlined.

Notch hasn’t made any decision as of yet, as it sounds like he’s mulling things over. But considering his conflicts with many industry people on Twitter in the past, it sounds like some might be wary when it comes to teaming up with him. Doing something on his own may be the most obvious answer, as far as some may think.

We’ll see what Notch follows in the months ahead. In the meantime, you can check out Minecraft, his previous creation, on a number of platforms now.

Focus in Warframe is an experienced-based resource that can be used to unlock abilities for your Operator. There are five different skill trees, based on the five Tenno schools, that grant your Operator different skills and buffs. To fully unlock one tree, and even partially explore all five, you will need a lot of Focus. 

Focus can be earned by using Lenses on weapons and Warframes. Focus Lenses allow you to convert part of your earned experience from killing enemies into Focus. These points can then be spent at the Operator in the back of your Orbiter to unlock and level up skills. 

Where to Quickly Farm Focus

Elite Sanctuary Onslaught is currently considered the best place to farm focus quickly. The high numbers of enemies, higher levels of enemies, and speed at which the right build can kill them make it a perfect place for simple Focus farming. 

A Saryn with a high-range, medium-strength build is perfect for this. Saryn can infect a massive number of enemies with her first ability, use her third ability to have her allies help to spread the spores, then use her fourth ability to quickly nuke large groups. 

Convergence Orbs will spawn in Elite Sanctuary Onslaught, which will multiply the amount of Focus earned by sixteen. Note, this is twice as much as a Convergence Orb will usually multiple Focus by. Affinity Boosters will also impact the amount of Focus that you earn. 

If you do not have access to Elite Sanctuary Onslaught yet, you can do high-level Exterminate missions with a stealth Warframe. Just equip Loki, Ash, or Ivara with a Focus Lens of your choice, use a dagger with the Covert Lethality mod, and make your way through the level killing enemies from stealth. 

Stealth kills will grant a stealth kill affinity bonus to your earned experience, and also your Focus. This bonus can stack up to five times, for a 500% bonus, as long as you get your next stealth kill within 30 seconds of the previous kill. If you kill an alert enemy or are spotted, the bonus will reset.

Focus Lenses in Warframe allow you to siphon part of your earned experience into Focus, a resource that is used to upgrade your Operator and unlocks new skills. They can be equipped on Level 30 Warframes and weapons and will siphon part of the experience earned from the deaths of enemies. 

Lenses will all coincide with the five Tenno schools, and will earn Focus specifically for the skill tree that they correspond to:

• Madurai
• Vazarin
• Naramon
• Unairu
• Zenurik

There are four different types of Lenses. The standard Focus Lens, the Greater Lens, the Eidolon Lens, and the Lua Lens. All of them are obtained via various means, but the more powerful lenses will always need a Lens from the rank below them to build. 

Focus Lens

Focus Lenses can be obtained from Bounties given out by Konzu in Cetus, or Eudico in Fortuna. You will need to do that Level 20-30, and Level 30-50 Bounties to have a chance at getting these items. They can drop randomly upon completion of any stage of the Bounties. Focus Lenses can also be traded between players. 

A Focus Lens will convert 1.25x of excess affinity into Focus points. 

Greater Lens

Blueprints for the Greater Lens can be purchased from the Market for 200,000 Credits. You can also buy a complete Greater Lens for 40 Platinum as long as The Second Dream quest has been completed. When you buy the blueprint, you can then build a Greater Lens using the following resources:

• 25000 Credits
• 1 Forma
• 1 Argon Cyrstal
• 1 Orokin Cell
• 4 matching Focus Lenses

A Greater Lens will convert 1.75x of excess affinity into Focus points. 

Eidolon Lens

You can get the blueprint for the Eidolon Lens from Tier 5 Bounties at Cetus. You may also trade with other players for the blueprint. Complete Eidolon Lenses can be purchased from the Market for 80 Platinum. When you get the blueprint, you can build the Eidolon Lens using the following resources:

• 25000 Credits
• 1 Greater Lens
• 5 Breath of the Eidolon

Breath of the Eidolon can be earned by completing Bounties on Cetus. An Eidolon Lens will convert 2.25x of excess affinity into Focus points.

Lua Lens

Blueprints for the Lua Lens can be obtained from Rotation C Lua Disruption missions. When you have the blueprint, you can build the Lua Lens using the following resources:

• 25000 Credits
• 1 Eidolon Lens
• 5 Somatic Fibers

The Lua lens will convert 3.25x of excess affinity into Focus Points. 

The Apostate is a Legendary Sniper Rifle that was introduced to Destiny 2 with the Shadowkeep expansion. It is an Energy Sniper Rifle that does Arc damage.

To get the Apostate Sniper Rifle, you will need to complete the Altar of Sorrows public activity on the Moon. You can find the Altar of Sorrows on your map in the Director when you have finished the Shadowkeep storyline. When that part of the story is complete, visit Eris Morn, who will give you a mission that allows access to the Altar of Sorrows. 

The Altar of Sorrows give rotating rewards, that change daily. If you finish the event, and it doesn't drop the right weapon, return the next day and try again. If it still doesn't drop, the reward you want will be coming the following day. The rewards can be The Apostate Sniper Rifle, the Heretic Rocket Launcher, and the Blasphemer Shotgun. To get the weapon reward, you will need to kill the final boss by surviving until Tier 5. 

The weapons have a one hundred percent chance to drop but will have random rolls, so you might need to farm the event for a while to get a great roll. For PvP, you will want something like a Fluted Barrel, Accurized Rounds, Moving Target, and Box Breathing. If you prefer to stay on the move in the Crucible, then Quickdraw or Snapshot Sights as a final perk would be better. You might want to experiment with Shield Disorient as a third perk, but Moving Target will give more consistent benefits, while Shield Disorient is very situational. 

Apostate Stats

• Impact - 55
• Range - 42
• Stability - 47
• Handing - 69
• Reload Speed - 65
• Aim Assistance - 73
• Zoom - 40
• Recoil - 49
• Rounds Per Minute - 140
• Mag Size - 5

The Consumer Electronics Show is one of the largest tradeshows in the world, feature manufacturers from all over the world showing off upcoming products and technology. CES 2020 will begin on Tuesday, Jan. 7. As you might expect, Sony will be there, and they teased some big news at the end of last year. 

After putting a message on their website that says, "the future is coming," this has caused people to believe that we might get our first look at the PlayStation 5 at CES 2020. With Microsoft recently reveal the next Xbox, it would make sense for Sony to try to win back some headlines and mindshare. 

Sony's Press Conference will take place on Monday, Jan. 6, and can be viewed on their website at the below times:

• America - 5pm PST / 6pm MST / 7pm CST / 8pm EST
• Europe - 1am GMT / 2am CET / 3am EET
• Asia - 10am JST / 9am AWST

While we can't guarantee that Sony will reveal the new PlayStation 5, it is their most anticipated product this year, and any teaser would logically be related to it. There is also a lot of discussion going on about which console, the PlayStation 5, or the new Xbox will be more powerful. Unless Sony releases the actual stats, then the Xbox will be considered the more powerful option as rough performance factors of the new models are known, while the PlayStation 5 is still a mystery. 

While Sony doesn't often use CES to discuss their consoles, they could be reacting to Microsoft's surprise reveal of the next Xbox at the Game Awards. The only way to know what will happen will be to watch the press conference.