Tag: Dungeon

D&D’s 2024 revision of won’t be finished until 2025
Wizards of the Coast has been teasing the next revision of the Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition ruleset since at least 2022. At the same time, it’s been working to temper fans’ expectations while managing multiple controversies — including, but not limited to, the OGL debacle, a particularly heinous round of holiday layoffs by its corporate owner, and a complicated recall of defective products. It also assured fans that the rules will be backward-compatible and player-focused, with lots of good guidance for novice Dungeon Masters. Also? They aren’t going to be complete until 2025.

The seminal role-playing game’s official 50th anniversary was last month, and it passed without much fanfare from its owner. Then, on Monday, Wizards shared a news briefing containing a partial release calendar for the next 12 months. Buried at the bottom is the fact that Monster Manual, the third and final book in the new set of revised 5th edition rulebooks, won’t be available as a physical product until Feb. 18, 2025 — over a year from now. That means fans won’t have the full complement of revised core rules until after D&D’s 51st birthday. For comparison, the original 5th edition Monster Manual arrived in the same year, 2014, as the other two core rulebooks.

Making matters worse, that date further complicates the revised edition’s proposed naming convention. It, perhaps erroneously, started out being called One D&D and shifted to be known as the 2024 revision. But that’s largely academic at this point.

Here are the highlights from the announcement, including details on a few new adventures and a history book:
- First up, the Player’s Handbook (2024) is expected to release on Sept. 17, 2024, followed by the Dungeon Masters Guide (2024) on Nov. 12, 2024, and Monster Manual (2025) on Feb. 18, 2025. According to Wizards, all three will have the now customary two-week digital pre-release window for those who pre-order it through D&D Beyond. That means you could potentially start playing with the revised rules for characters, combat, and adventuring by Sept. 3, 2024.
The standard cover for Vecna: Eve of Ruin.
Image: Wizards of the Coast

Alternate art cover, available only at local game stores.
Image: Wizards of the Coast
- Vecna: Eve of Ruin is a campaign for characters starting at level 10, and tops out at level 20. It’s set to arrive as a physical product on May 21, 2024, and as a digital product for those who pre-order two weeks ahead of time. From the official description:
A high-stakes adventure in which the fate of the entire multiverse hangs in the balance. The heroes begin in the Forgotten Realms and travel to Planescape, Spelljammer, Eberron, Ravenloft, Dragonlance, and Greyhawk as they race to save existence from obliteration by the notorious lich Vecna who is weaving a ritual to eliminate good, obliterate the gods, and subjugate all worlds.
- Quests from the Infinite Staircase is another anthology, a format that Wizards has excelled at in the past with hits like Candlekeep Mysteries and Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel. Expect it on store shelves July 16, 2024, and as a digital product for those who pre-order two weeks earlier. The official description reads:
This anthology weaves together six classic DUNGEONS & DRAGONS adventures while updating them for the game’s fifth edition. The Infinite Staircase holds doors leading to fantastic realms. It’s home to the noble genie Nafas, who hears wishes made throughout the multiverse and recruits heroes to fulfill them.

Image: Wizards of the Coast

The ultimate book showcasing D&D’s inception, including Gary Gygax’s never-before-seen first draft of D&D written in 1973, a curated collection of published fanzine and magazine articles contribute to D&D’s origin story. Each document is introduced, described, and woven into the story by one of the game’s foremost historians, Jon Peterson.

The news release teases a few more things to come in 2024, including projects that have yet to be announced. Highlights include a return of adversarial, tournament-style play common to the original version of D&D. There will also be “footwear and apparel from Converse, an official LEGO(tm) IDEAS building set complete with minifigures, and delicious treats suitable for snacking around the gaming table from Pop-Tarts.” More convention appearances by the D&D team are promised, as is the rollout — in some form — of the highly anticipated 3D virtual tabletop.

For more, check out the D&D Beyond website.
Charlie Hall

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February 12, 2024
All Ahamkara Bones locations in Destiny 2’s Warlord’s Ruin dungeon
Ahamkara Bones are the collectible for the Warlord’s Ruin dungeon in Destiny 2, and are an essential part of the “In the Shadow of the Mountain” quest.

In this Destiny 2 guide, we’ll go over how to find all of the sets of bones so you can complete the “In the Shadow of the Mountain” quest and the “Heed the Whispers, O Vengeance Mine” triumph, and boost the drop rate for your Buried Bloodlines Exotic sidearm.

If you’re having any trouble getting to the locations described herein, check out our guide on how to complete the Warlord’s Ruin dungeon in Destiny 2.

‘In the Shadow of the Mountain’ quest steps

Unlike previous dungeons, where you can get all of the collectibles in one run, the collectibles in Warlord’s Ruin must be collected across three different runs. Once you beat the dungeon for the first time, you’ll receive the “In the Shadow of the Mountain” quest, which will require you to get 30 Dark Ether Tinctures, 3 Blighted Wishing Glass, and four Ahamkara Bones.

How to get Dark Ether Tinctures in Destiny 2

You get Dark Ether Tinctures by killing special Screeb-like enemies called Thieving Wretches, which will spawn in three locations:
- The first is on the bridge before the first encounter.
- The second is found in the maze after defeating the first boss.
- The third is found on the mountain side after defeating the second boss.
These enemies can respawn, so you can farm them to get enough Dark Ether Tinctures.

How to get Blighted Wishing Glass in Destiny 2

You get one Blighted Wishing Glass per encounter completion from the loot chest. Once you complete that quest step, you’ll have to collect the next 3 bones and more Dark Ether Tinctures and Blighted Wishing Glass. Once you complete that step, you’ll have to do it again until you collect all ten bones.

Ahamkara Bones 1 location

Across the bridge inside the first fort, before an arresting Knight assails you.

Image: Bungie via Polygon

The first set of Ahamkara Bones is found directly before the first boss. Once you enter the fort, continue forward. You’ll see a door where you must remove a corruption level one. Directly behind this door is the first set of bones.

Ahamkara Bones 2 location

Image: Bungie via Polygon

Across from imprisonment, after ascending through the ceiling.

After you escape the prison, continue forward until you jump through the ceiling into an orangely lit area. Walk forward, and the door blocked by corruption level one will be on your right. Remove the corruption and collect the second set of Ahamkara Bones.

Ahamkara Bones 3 location

Image: Bungie via Polygon

At the top of the summit, face back from the cliff and find shelter.

After the second encounter, make your way until you reach the outside again and see this view. Continue to the left, and instead of jumping down to the left to make your way to the room with the large Taken orb, continue straight.

Image: Bungie via Polygon

Climb up until you see a small hallway in the left wall of the mountain. The third corruption level one door will be in the small hallway, and behind that door will be the third set of Ahamkara Bones.

Ahamkara Bones 4 location

Image: Bungie via Polygon

In the snowfallen maze, through the broken wall, seek the banner of Kings.

After you break out of the prison, make your way through until you reach a hole in the wall that you must walk through to progress.

Image: Bungie via Polygon

Make a right (where you’ll have to jump over a stacked spike trap), then a left. The corruption level two door will be directly in front of you.

Image: Bungie via Polygon

Remove the corruption and collect the fourth set of Ahamkara Bones.

Ahamkara Bones 5 location

Image: Bungie via Polygon

Cross into the Tempest, through the portcullis, at the sewer’s mouth.

Before the second encounter, get to the doorway where you find the first secret chest.

Image: Bungie via Polygon

Turn to the right and follow the snowy path until you reach a sewer entrance. Right through the sewer grate is the next corruption level two door. Remove the corruption and collect the fifth set of Ahamkara Bones.

Ahamkara Bones 6 location

Image: Bungie via Polygon

At summits base, find shelter off the beaten path. Too far, and the Taken will descend upon you.

After defeating the second boss, progress forward until you reach a group of enemies as you start to head outside. It’ll look like the area pictured above.

Image: Bungie via Polygon

After you defeat the enemies, head into the cubby pictured above. There is where you’ll find the corruption level 2 door and the sixth set of Ahamkara Bones.

Ahamkara Bones 7 location

Image: Bungie via Polygon

Within the maze, stride panning a pitfall, light calls through the window.

After the prison section, get to the point where you see a pile of barrels below the hole that you must jump up through.

Image: Bungie via Polygon

Jump up through the hole, exit the circle room, and take the left.

Image: Bungie via Polygon

Head down to the end of the hall and dispel the corruption level three door to collect the seventh set of Ahamkara Bones.

Ahamkara Bones 8 location

Image: Bungie via Polygon

The Taken roil at cave’s bottom sends you to scurry over boulders into a ruined alcove.

Once you get to the room with the large Taken Blight, make your way through until you can look up and see the end. Below will be a platform that you’ll have to jump down to.

Image: Bungie via Polygon

Once you jump down, dispel the corruption level three door and collect the eighth set of Ahamkara Bones.

Ahamkara Bones 9 location

Image: Bungie via Polygon

Within a tunnel on the broken cliffs, brace the Taken storm.

After the Taken Blight room, there will be a section where you’ll have to jump around a smaller Taken Blight. Make your way to the room highlighted in the image above. The final level three corruption door is in that hallway; dispel it and collect the ninth set of Ahamkara Bones.

Ahamkara Bones 10 location

Image: Bungie via Polygon

After defeating the final boss, this set of Ahamkara Bones is found directly beside the loot chest.
Jacob VanderVat

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December 4, 2023
Deep Rock Galactic (The Board Game): The Kotaku Review

Co-op shooter Deep Rock Galactic was first released on the PC back in 2018. It has a dedicated following online, and tons of loyal fans, but this is not a review of the video game. This is a review of the board game with, confusingly, the exact same name.

And the name is not the only thing the two have in common. While a lot of board game adaptations I cover here tend to worry more about the spirit of the video game more than its literal interpretation, Deep Rock Galactic’s tabletop experience, despite its shift to a turn-based system, is very similar to its digital one.

You and up to three other players take control of space dwarves who are headed into a dark cave to drill for gems. So far, so video game. You then find those caves full of alien bugs that you have to mow down. Again, just like the video game. Then you have to grab those gems and get the hell out of there. You can see where this is going.

Image: MOOD

The difference here, of course, is that in the video game this plays out in a Left 4 Dead-like frenzy, as players rush around in real-time playing a frantic shooter. The board game is much more relaxing, as it shifts to a system where players are able to take turns, and their time, working through the caves.

Deep Rock Galactic looks, and plays, like so many other modern dungeon-crawling games, from Descent to Imperial Assault. Everybody gets action points they can use to move around and interact with stuff (“interacting” includes “shooting insects in the face”), everybody gets unique weapons and powers they can use and, as expected in 2023 for a licensed game, everything—from the dwarves to the bugs even down to the stalagmites—is represented by a set of incredibly detailed, immensely satisfying miniatures.

(NOTE: The game ships in two editions. The standard only has plastic minis for the dwarves, while the pricier deluxe edition, which I played, has minis for everything).

Where this tries to do its own thing, and match the video game’s feel (if not pace) at the same time, is the way enemy actions are triggered. Rather than basing enemy moves off initiative, or having them move after all players have done so, in Deep Rock Galactic every time a dwarf concludes their move they draw an event card, and these almost always trigger an enemy spawn and/or move.

The build quality on this game is impressive. Each player card is full of recessed slots for your ammo and tokens, always a welcome (and premium) move by publishers.
Photo: Luke Plunkett

Having them appear on the board so often, and moving before all players have had a chance to react, may sound unfair but it does a fantastic job of feeling just like the video game, in that you’re being constantly swarmed by stuff crawling out of the walls. And it’s rarely unfair anyway, because each dwarf is loaded with very cool (and powerful) weapons that satisfying blow huge chunks in any insect hordes making it close enough to you.

The key consideration of the board game, again like the video game, is to balance your need to mine a certain quantity of resources versus your need to keep blasting enemies to stay alive. Lean too far towards one of those approaches and you’ll fail the mission, either because you didn’t mine the goods in time (each level has a time limit) or because…you’re all dead.

I like the video game and I like dungeon crawlers, and so for the most part I really loved playing Deep Rock Galactic. The tension between the game’s two imperatives is constant and perfectly-balanced throughout, and its combat—a combination of your powerful weapons and hordes of huge plastic miniatures you get to move around and throw off the board when dead—is some of the most fun I’ve had in ages with a game of this type.

Plus, and I know people (myself included!) are getting tired of every game shipping with a ton of minis, in this instance they’re very welcome, not just because they’re so detailed and solid but because the game also includes a MULE that you drop your little gems into, a tactile experience so wonderful it was maybe the highlight of the entire game for me.

Nothing is more enjoyable in this game than dropping gems into your MULE and popping the lid closed.
Photo: Luke Plunkett

One thing to note though is that, despite its pricepoint and genre, Deep Rock isn’t the kind of long-term tabletop experience you might be expecting. While the idea of a miniatures-heavy dungeon crawler may conjure expectations of a days-long campaign, Deep Rock Galactic is actually just a collection of standalone missions that can be tackled in an hour or so depending on how many players are taking part (another cool feature of the “bad guys go at the end of every player’s turn” system is that it scales perfectly to the number of humans at the table).

While there is technically a campaign—just a brief to do all the missions in order without dying—and it’s not a game built around narrative, it’s still a bit weird pulling out such a huge box and setting it up for what’s essentially a mid-length session game.

That’s not a problem, just something to note ahead of time if you were thinking of picking this up or playing it. You should also know that, despite being a very literal adaptation of a video game license, this requires absolutely no familiarity with the digital version of Deep Rock Galactic whatsoever. So long as you know you’re a space dwarf drilling and gems while also shooting bugs, you’re good to go.

About my only real criticism of the game is that it’s documentation is some of the most frustrating I’ve encountered in a while, lacking in a proper quick start guide and splitting its important information between separate rules and mission books, which made our first mission a very slow slog. Indeed it took us forever to find out how the enemy system even worked (pretty important info!), so if you’re playing this and have the time I’d 100% recommend watching an online rules explainer beforehand.

Here is a very strange warning: these are the sharpest minis I have ever encountered.
Photo: Luke Plunkett

There’s nothing revolutionary about Deep Rock Galactic. As I’ve alluded to above it’s another dungeon crawler, another licensed adaptation and another game that (version depending) has a ton of minis. But fans of the video game will find a tabletop conversion that faithfully converts the co-op experience into one more conducive to drinking beer and being in the room at the same time, while everyone else will just find a solid night’s gaming blowing up space bugs and looting some treasure.

Luke Plunkett

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January 18, 2023