Carzy Zarx’s PC Gaming Emporium - Catch Up on All the Latest PC Gaming Related News

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Thursday news, part two:

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2's Brujah are big drinkers who flip the bird to taunt enemies
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/vampire-the-masquerade-bloodlines-2s-brujah-are-big-drinkers-who-flip-the-bird-to-taunt-enemies/
With Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 due out this year, The Chinese Room continues to let us sip the game's veins, today giving us a better look at one of the undead clans: the Brujah. These leather-loving vamps are the rebels of vampire society, and were the first clan revealed by both Hardsuit Labs in the sequel's original incarnation, and again by The Chinese Room.  
>> Another bit of news revealed is that you’ll be able to drink vampire blood to get extra abilities.

Creatures of Ava is the cozier version of Palworld: A 'creature saver' co-written by Rhianna Pratchett
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/creatures-of-ava-is-the-cozier-version-of-palworld-a-creature-saver-co-written-by-rhianna-pratchett/
We're destined to come full circle again. This year started out with the massively popular Pokémon-with-guns and by the end we're now expecting to play 'Palworld but nice.' Announced during today's Xbox Partner Preview showcase, Creatures of Ava is a "creature saving" game focused on healing wild critters from an aggressive infection to become their friends instead of riddling them with bullets and pressing them into warehouse labor.

Helldivers 2 studio is not getting acquired by Sony, confirms Arrowhead CEO
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/helldivers-2-studio-is-not-getting-acquired-by-sony-confirms-arrowhead-ceo/
Rumours have been circulating about Arrowhead Game Studios, the team that brought us Helldivers 2, being acquired by Sony, with an announcement due sometime soon. Studio acquisitions are still all the rage, but it turns out this one is just nonsense. Johan Pilestedt, Arrowhead Game Studios CEO, shut down the claims in a reply on Twitter, stating  "This is fake… unless I've missed something."

Helldivers 2 balancing guru explains why 'Don't Nerf, Only Buff' is a bad idea: 'I believe players are scared of nerfs because it will ruin the fantasy of a weapon, ruin their fun'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/helldivers-2-balancing-guru-explains-why-dont-nerf-only-buff-is-a-bad-idea-i-believe-players-are-scared-of-nerfs-because-it-will-ruin-the-fantasy-of-a-weapon-ruin-their-fun/
Helldivers 2 got its first round of balancing today in a patch that buffed a handful of underperforming support weapons and significantly nerfed the Railgun (…)
Arrowhead explained the reasoning behind today's patch on Discord, but in a separate blog post published later, head of product testing Patrik Lasota expanded on Arrowhead's approach to balancing, gently shutting down the notion that Helldivers 2 shouldn't have nerfs and exploring how players perceive weapons versus what data actually shows. It's a great read for fans, and in this humble journalist's opinion, a masterclass in meeting the audience at eye level to say things they might not want to hear.
>> After that patch, the flamethrower has now become a great weapon, but players aren’t happy with the changes.

While other gaming companies talk layoffs, Capcom is raising salaries
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/while-other-gaming-companies-talk-layoffs-capcom-is-raising-salaries/
At a time when mass layoffs are rampant in the games industry, one company is talking about raises. Capcom announced to investors this week that it's increasing its base starting salary for new hires in Japan, and giving current employees a raise of "over 5% on average" this year. 

Mojang finally adds more than one type of dog to Minecraft, after over a decade of players struggling to tell their wolves apart
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/minecraft-finally-adds-more-than-one-type-of-dog-to-minecraft-after-over-a-decade-of-players-struggling-to-tell-their-wolves-apart/
If you've ever been too terrified to take your Minecraft wolf out on an expedition for fear of creeper explosions and pillager raids, then boy, do I have news for you. 
Today, Mojang announced on Twitter that wolves will receive a significant update in Minecraft, including new variants and wolf armour. While these changes are still in the works, you can try them out for yourself by enabling snapshots for Minecraft: Java Edition or in the previews/beta for Minecraft: Bedrock Edition. 

Persona 3 Reload is getting the DLC it needs, but not the one it deserves
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/persona-3-reload-is-getting-the-dlc-it-needs-but-not-the-one-it-deserves/
It was pretty much inevitable. Ever since Persona 3 Reload hit store shelves, the hints that it would get The Answer—the epilogue Atlus bolted onto original Persona 3's 2007 re-release—have been, well, too direct to call "hints". 
(...)
Well, Atlus officially announced The Answer is coming during yesterday's Xbox Partner Preview, alongside additional background music and costumes as part of the new Persona 3 Reload: Expansion Pass.

The kids' MMO that got plagued by messages reading 'The next world is my boss's a**hole' is now on European Steam
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/the-kids-mmo-that-got-plagued-by-messages-reading-the-next-world-is-my-bosss-ahole-is-now-on-european-steam/
Wizard101, an MMO for kids that's older than most of its playerbase, is coming to Steam. Well, kind of. Wizard101 has already been on Steam for US players since 2018, but as of yesterday the venerable and family-friendly massively-multiplayer online RPG (FFMMORPG) is also available on Steam in Europe, where it had previously been absent.