‘Red Dead Redemption 2’ online mode gallops into open beta in November

By Steven Petite September 19, 2018

We’ve known that Red Dead Redemption 2 would boast an ambitious online mode for quite some time, but Rockstar has been mum on official details until now. Expanding on the multiplayer mode from the original game, Red Dead Redemption 2‘s online mode, titled Red Dead Online, will feature a combination of competitive and cooperative objectives in a persistent open-world experience.

As expected, Red Dead Online, from the initial details, sounds an awful lot like Grand Theft Auto Online. That’s a good thing. Red Dead Online will receive “constant updates and adjustments to grow and evolve this experience for all players.”

You won’t be able to hop online when Red Dead Redemption 2 launches October 26, though. Red Dead Online will enter public beta sometime in November and will be free for those who own the base game.

In an interview with IGN, Imran Sarwar, Rockstar North director of design, offered a few more details about the mode. Sarwar said players can feel free to enjoy the online component solo but that you can also “easily join with friends or other players to compete or work together.”

There appears to be an increased emphasis on providing rich story experiences in the online mode this time around. While the original game had engaging online modes, it felt mostly detached from the characters and stories that existed throughout the main campaign. Josh Needleman, Rockstar senior producer, told IGN the team took cues from Grand Theft Auto Online when building Red Dead Online in terms of story.

As for why Red Dead Online won’t be available at launch, Rockstar told IGN that the team views the main game and the online component as two different games. Red Dead Redemption 2‘s solo adventure will provide a huge open-world experience, and it sounds as if Rockstar doesn’t want the online mode to distract from the main game at launch.

The public beta will allow users to submit feedback to see what’s working and what’s not, and give the developers time to work out kinks for the full release.

Red Dead Redemption 2 lands on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on October 26.

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Steven is a writer from Northeast Ohio currently based in Louisiana. He writes about video games and books, and consumes…

Gaming

All Curveball locations in Dead Island 2

A pipebomb with kaboom written on it.

Your bread-and-butter method for dispatching the undead in Dead Island 2 will always be the strongest blunt or bladed melee weapon you have on hand. There's certainly no shortage of shovels, knives, gardening equipment, and even swords to choose from, but you can also mix things up with some throwable items as well -- and we don't just mean throwing your weapon. Curveballs, as the game calls them, are more like skills that can be equipped than weapons since they work on a cooldown timer rather than ammo. Your character can only hold two at once, but there are 13 in total to experiment with. You'll be given one by default, but the rest are up to you to collect. Here's a full list of all the Curveballs in Dead Island 2 and where to find them.
How to get all the Curveballs in Dead Island 2

We'll list off the Curvballs, their locations, and their effects in the order you should naturally come across them while playing Dead Island 2. If you miss one, you can always fast travel back to the area to collect it later. While you can only have two Curveballs equipped at any time, you can swap them out no matter where you are, so feel free to try them all out and change up your loadout depending on your current situation.
Meat Bait
Given as part of the story by Carlos in Emma's house, this lets you throw out a chunk of meat that explodes on impact into a pool of meat(?) that attracts all nearby zombies to it.
Shuriken
On your way to the Halperin Hotel, the Shuriken are lodged into a car door directly in front of you. Using these throws out three Shuriken in a horizontal spread that travels a short distance before falling. They don't do a lot of damage, but can stagger and even remove limbs if you aim them well.
Chem Bomb
This is the second unmissable Curveball and is given to you inside the Halperin Hotel to put out a fire. It is good for more than just fire control, though, since you can use it to make zombies wet and susceptible to electricity.
Caustic-X Bomb
Keep your eye out for "The Rav-Ages of Caustic-X" sidequest if you want to add this to your arsenal. Completing this quest will reward you with a bouncing bomb that deals some damage, but is mainly used for applying the Melting status on zombies and leaving behind damaging acid.
Electric Star
You'll be taken to the Brentwood Water Reclamation Project plant during the "Justifiable Zombicide" mission. While there, make sure to snag the Electric Star sticking out of the safety sign on the fence. If you missed it, you can also purchase it from Rodriguez later on. This Curvball is a straight upgrade over the Shuriken since it functions exactly the same, but is electrified.
Pipe Bomb
While going through the checkpoints between Beverly Hills and Monarch Studios, keep an eye out for an open crate with the Pipe Bomb in it on one of the tables. This is a basic timed explosive, so toss it into a group for maximum damage.
Molotov Cocktail
When you're brought into the Brentwood Sewer during "The Heart of Darkness" mission, the Molotov will be in the office next to the Filtration Access and Servicing room. If it wasn't obvious, this flaming bottle will light any zombie hit with it on fire, plus leave a lingering patch of fire on the ground.
Electric Bomb
This is another Curveball tied to finishing a sidequest, this time the "Jo's Rainy Day Stash" quest. Think of it as a Pipe Bomb, only replace the explosion with a dome of electricity that is great for stunning groups.
Flashbang
You'll need to pony up $2,500 and buy this Curveball from Rodriquez once you've completed the "Cremains of the Day" sidequest. What you get is a weapon that inflicts Traumatized on zombies, meaning they're stunned and available to be counterattacked.
Sticky Bomb
Bring Dougie at the Serling Hotel $1,500 and he'll part ways with the Sticky Bomb. This is just your old Pipe Bomb, but now it will stick to any surface -- or zombie -- it hits.
Bait Bomb
This is another item Dougie will sell you, this time only after you beat "The Search for Truth" main mission. For just $3,500, you can get what is essentially your Meat Bait and Pipe Bomb stuck together. Zombies will all close in on the bomb before it detonates
Nail Bomb
For the final Curveball you need to invest your cash in, you can buy the Nail Bomb from Ezekiel for $1,500. This is a simple explosive, but with the added benefit of inflicting Bleeding on anything it hits.
Military Grenade
Once you complete the "Boz Makes a Bang" sidequest for Hana, which you can only get after beating "The Rav-Ages of Caustic-X" and "Dez and the Mother of Satan" quests, you will be given the final Curveball in Dead Island 2. This high-explosive detonates on impact no matter what, which could be a good or bad thing depending on the situation. It isn't all that much more powerful than any other explosive, but the utility of it not having a timer makes it useful.

Gaming

How to get fuses in Dead Island 2

A group of survivors looking stressed and annoyed.

eThere are going to be tons of things blocking your progress when trying to escape LA in Dead Island 2. Aside from the, you know, hordes of zombies, you will find plenty of gates and doors that need power to open. Most can be worked around by installing a battery or circuit breaker, but some require something else. Fuses aren't required at any point in the main story, but instead are limited keys that hide away some of the game's best loot. If you've been spotting all these gates and garage doors taunting you to open them, but lack the fuses to do so, we'll tell you how you can get your hands on some in Dead Island 2.
Where to get fuses in Dead Island 2

Unlike batteries or circuit breakers, fuses won't be found anywhere on the map while exploring. Instead, the only way to get these electrical devices is to purchase them. Obviously, your local hardware store isn't open for business anymore, so your options are limited to the vendors you come across such as Carlos in Emma's house or Ezekiel on The Pier. No matter who you get them from, you're going to be paying a premium. Each fuse costs $1,500, and the sellers usually only hold a few at a time. Even if they had the stock and you had the cash, your character can only hold three fuses at a time before needing to spend them to get more.

Gaming

Even in Season 3, Warzone 2.0 still feels like it’s in beta

Two characters from Warzone 2.0 Season 3.

Activision hyped its Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 Season 3 update considerably ,with numerous blog posts showcasing what to expect, along with a content creator call that detailed a slew of highly requested features. Now that the update is live, some members of the game's community are left feeling misled, as Season 3 isn't quite the radical change they were expecting.

While it does include new features and fix some of the sequel's long-standing issues, Warzone 2.0 is still packed with problems -- many of which make the game less approachable. Season 3 is a step in the right direction, but considering just how low the bar was before its release, it's not as impressive as it perhaps needs to be at this stage in the game's life, especially from a massive studio such as Activision.
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