Skull and Bones hasn’t had the smoothest of voyages – from its prolonged development cycle to lukewarm reviews at launch, an air of negativity has clung to Ubisoft’s seafaring sim, supercharged by a collective fatigue surrounding live service games. The publisher’s tone deaf claims of Skull and Bones being the first “AAAA” title, despite being derivative of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, didn’t exactly help its reputation either. However, with Skull and Bones Year 3 having recently weighed anchor, now seemed like a good time to hoist the game from the abyssal depths of my bountiful backlog and finally set sail.
My previous experience with the game was brief to say the very least, having dabbled with the Skull and Bones beta for less than an hour. Then, at launch, I barely had enough time to create my own pirate and watch the intro cutscene before turning my attention to other, more pressing new releases. Little did I know that this would cause some friction upon my return to the virtual high seas a couple of years later. For whatever reason, I was dumped into the game’s main hub area with no way to access the tutorial, meaning I had no real bearings or any context for what was happening.
Thankfully, it wasn’t too hard to wrap my head around where the game wanted me to go. Upon booting up the game a handy welcome screen will suggest various activities such as pursuing the main story or completing one of the many side quests. Naturally, with the game mistaking me for a lapsed player, I found my inbox stuffed with free gifts that gave me a nice leg up, outfitting my first ship with some decent starter weapons and armour.
Read more – Interview: Skull and Bones – How Ubisoft found fun in the Golden Age of Piracy
For those completely new to Skull and Bones, it’s best described as a pirate RPG set in a shared open world. You play as a swashbuckling captain who takes on increasingly challenging missions, attacking enemy factions and plundering their settlements to gain resources and currency which are then used to unlock and upgrade new ships. It’s played in third person with most of your time spent engaged in naval combat, outmanoeuvring your foes and hitting them with an arsenal of cannons, mortars, and other more exotic weaponry. As you level up and explore, you’ll discover new activities and landmarks while rubbing shoulders with other player pirates with a number of PvE and PvP opportunities being available.
As with any live service RPG, you’ll find yourself embroiled in a web of menus though these thankfully aren’t as egregious as those plastered all over your typical free-to-play gacha game. To make progress in Skull and Bones you’ll need to learn what the various NPCs have to offer, including vendors who sell blueprints, and craftsmen who transmute your stockpile of resources into gear, upgrades, ammunition, and consumables.
The sheer quantity and variety of items you’ll amass can be overwhelming at first though you’ll soon learn which resources to focus on, what to sell, what to refine, and what to salvage. Your ultimate goal is to expand your personal fleet, levelling up the gear score of your flagship in order to access a more diverse and difficult pool of challenges including world events and co-op activities.
So, what does Year 3 have in store for new players? At first, it doesn’t appear like there’s much new content and features being targeted at S&B’s saltiest seadogs, namely the addition of a new endgame Galleon ship and an overhaul to the World Tier system, dialling up the difficulty for veterans while offering better rewards. There’s also the new Seasonal Mastery feature, offering a new layer of progression as you unlock buffs and upgrades though, as the name suggests, these will reset with each new season, though your finishing rank will influence your starting position going into the next one. There are some quality of life improvements that benefit everyone with a new, cleaner loadout menu for managing your fleet.
While the developers continue to refine what players enjoy about the game, it’s far from being the ultimate pirate sim. Sadly, Ubisoft Singapore shelved its plans for land combat, a feature that could have helped to make off-ship gameplay more versatile and meaningful. Skull and Bones also suffers from a common sandbox game problem in terms of story. While the Indian Ocean makes for a gorgeous watery playground waiting to be plundered, its narrative hooks are blunted by a lack of compelling characters or scenarios, leaving players to create their own memorable sagas upon the high seas.
Despite these shortcomings – and the game’s penchant for resource grinding – there’s still a fun experience to be had, especially in multiplayer. Stumbling upon world events and having fellow pirates join you to take down notorious bounties or colossal sea monsters adds an MMO-like twist, as does the increasing depth of loadout and playstyle options. With Skull and Bones having been heavily discounted at various time (it’s also bundled in with certain PlayStation Plus tiers) the arrival of Year 3 marks an opportune moment to jump in, buoyed by a sizeable fanbase of loyal fans and plenty of content in the pipeline: 2026 will see the introduction of even more large ships as well as competitive Trials, challenging new Elite Bosses, and a treasure trove of smaller upgrades.
One of my biggest disappointments with the AAA video game industry is the lack of originality in its ideas, as most games seem stuck with the same old concepts.
For this reason, I’ve increasingly focused on indie titles, since the absence of expectations of massive profits and the lack of external pressures allow for a much more robust and exciting creative expression.
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The current decade has shown us that independent developers have nothing to envy in terms of quality compared to any other type of project.
Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean there aren’t big-budget productions that, from time to time, take risks outside conventional standards to distinguish themselves from the rest, reminding us of the golden age of video game development.
Therefore, if you’re like me and crave experiences that feel fresher than the norm, I invite you to read this list of the ten best AAA games in genres dominated by indies.
10
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
Ubisoft’s Salvation
While Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown comes from Ubisoft, calling it a AAA title might be debatable, but I’ll make an exception for one simple reason: it’s the game that makes me believe the French developer can make a comeback.
The Metroidvania genre has become a haven for indie developers of all kinds, and seeing a company of this magnitude participate in it, following its established style and conventions instead of trying to impose its own, is truly fascinating, especially given its attention to detail.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown boasts a level of meticulousness and depth only possible thanks to the resources of its creator, resulting in pristine audiovisuals and superb gameplay where combat and exploration truly shine, particularly due to the legacy of the series it belongs to.
Considered by many to be among the finest games in the genre’s history, it not only breathed new life into an IP that had been struggling to find its footing, but it also serves as a reminder that there is still plenty of talent within Ubisoft; it just needs to be properly focused.
9
Marvel’s Midnight Suns
Cards, Turns, and… Marvel?!
Aside from a couple of specific examples, card games have been part of the indie scene for many years, which makes the existence of Marvel’s Midnight Suns all the more surprising.
It’s one thing to have titles like Marvel Snap trying to capitalize on multiplayer and microtransactions, and quite another to create a single-player experience based on the IP’s universe that consists of building decks to employ turn-based mechanics.
Both concepts are so unusual within AAA products that, honestly, I thought I’d misunderstood when the project was announced, but playing it firsthand made me feel like I was enjoying an indie game with a ton of licenses.
Certainly, I find it inferior to most of the genre’s independent creations I’ve played, though that doesn’t change the fact that Marvel’s Midnight Suns is a fantastic anomaly that I highly recommend everyone check out.
8
Disney Dreamlight Valley
A Cozy Lineage
I don’t remember how many years have passed since big companies saw life simulators as a money-making machine, though Disney Dreamlight Valley vividly reminds me of those distant days.
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This doesn’t mean they are bad protagonists, but rather that the side characters steal the spotlight.
Currently, the whole cozy aesthetic is completely monopolized by indie games, but Gameloft was granted the right to pursue it and deliver a title that, surprisingly, works perfectly.
With familiar Disney faces, the gameplay concept of building a neighborhood alongside the characters who shaped your youth is hard to resist, and it definitely works phenomenally well even without considering the collaborations.
With extensive customization, a much less aggressive monetization approach than the developer usually employs, and an effective ability to entertain while capitalizing on nostalgia, Disney Dreamlight Valley is a fantastic option to have a cozy adventure.
7
Prey: Mooncrash
Ever-changing Simulation
Even before the genre experienced a tremendous surge in popularity, Prey: Mooncrash was already making the roguelike philosophy a true marvel, a game to sink all your free time into.
If the base game is a masterpiece of immersive simulations, its expansion extended the title’s lifespan by leveraging its unique gameplay mechanics to make procedural generation a brilliant choice.
Weapons, characters, objectives, and challenges change in a DLC that, while primarily focused on gameplay, also makes a valuable narrative contribution to the world created by Arkane Studios, whose atmosphere remains consistently wonderful.
If I never tire of recommending Prey, it’s now crucial I start speaking equally highly of Mooncrash, as it’s surprising how effectively a content add-on can keep you hooked for hours.
6
Metroid Dread
Taking Back the Baton
Unlike Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, which shifts genres and follows the path laid by indie games in its interpretation, Metroid Dread has Samus Aran picking up the mantle that once belonged to her, and doing so in the best way possible.
With no one to follow but the legacy that precedes it, MercurySteam crafted the franchise’s return to its original essence in the most modern, creative, and elegant way possible, doing a phenomenal job of reminding us why the genre bears half its name.
After Metroid Prime: Federation Force, Nintendo had a significant debt to settle, and while Metroid: Samus Returns was good enough to consider it paid, the 2021 Game of the Year contender was the necessary confirmation that the series was better than ever.
Unfortunately, Metroid Dread is rarely discussed as an impressive representative of the genre, both because it’s from the pioneers and its exclusivity to Nintendo Switch, but don’t doubt for a second that it’s a Metroidvania as outstanding as the most popular ones.
5
Astro Bot
Putting Things in Their Place
For decades, platformers were synonymous with video games at their finest, with all the major companies creating titles in the genre in countless ways. However, games like Astro Bot have become, to this day, an exotic phenomenon.
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These open-world games let people play as the villain and sow chaos across gigantic maps.
Long gone are the generations where multinational corporations focused on platforming as their products’ core, and even further gone are the adorable and colorful aesthetics surrounding a game with just one intention: to entertain.
Modern AAA games have to be realistic, mature, deep, and complex, but Astro Bot rejects all those conventions to create a vibrant world, both audiovisually and in terms of gameplay, that recalls the interactive medium in its purest form.
Of course, I myself am a big fan of the idea of video games as something more than just a form of entertainment, but seeing Astro Bot stand out so much in a genre that has become almost exclusively populated by indie games is quite gratifying.
4
Returnal
A Hell of Procedural Bullets
Although roguelikes are a genre that most AAA developers shy away from, bullet hells are an even more extreme case, making it all the more surprising that Returnal, formerly a PlayStation exclusive, opted to combine both in a third-person shooter.
The very concept seems like something a lone developer with a shoestring budget would attempt, yet Housemarque managed to create one of the most outstanding first-party games of the entire generation, establishing itself as part of the finest works in its genre.
It was never intended for big awards’ ceremonies or the mainstream audience, but rather for that niche of players who had never seen a roguelike or bullet hell with such high production values, and it was a hit in a way that, so far, only Saros has replicated.
Returnal is the kind of game that makes me stand up and applaud because, unlike many on the list, it’s not a long-running franchise that returned to its roots or a spin-off, but a full-fledged attempt to capitalize on two of the most important genres in the indie scene, which is very daring.
3
NieR: Automata
A Bizarre Soul
YouTube via SphericAlpha
Absolutely every pixel of NieR: Automata screams indie, given its bizarre existence. From gameplay to narrative, there’s nothing truly conventional about PlatinumGames’ creation.
Neither open worlds nor hack-and-slash games are genres dominated by indie developers, but what they do dominate are bullet hells, shifting perspectives every few minutes, and breaking the fourth wall as if their lives depended on it.
Going from a melee action game with RPG mechanics to a spaceship minigame, a visual novel, and a 2D platformer within just a few hours is something that doesn’t happen with AAA experiences. In fact, if you exclude NieR: Automata, these design choices are only seen among the most experimental titles.
The best part is it works perfectly well, because NieR: Automata is a masterpiece that is as fun as it is emotional and memorable, so it is not a case that stands out only for being unique but also for being wonderful at its uniqueness.
2
Baldur’s Gate 3
This is What a Real Party Looks Like
As with platformers, party-based games have become increasingly rare outside of indie studios, so you can imagine the frenzy when Baldur’s Gate 3 arrived to turn the world upside down and become one of the decade’s biggest hits.
Medieval RPGs are plentiful, but the specific combination of turn-based combat, decision-making, and party management is something that, aside from Larian’s own creations, hasn’t been seen regularly since the rise of console generations.
And there are exceptions, of course, but most of these formulas remained within the indie ecosystem precisely because of how difficult it was to create a AAA title that appealed to a mainstream audience and was financially viable while being faithful to its inspirations.
Therefore, the excellence of Baldur’s Gate 3 is even more significant, as it brought renewed attention to a genre that contributed greatly to the video game industry but was largely forgotten once it expanded exponentially.
1
Death Stranding
Only Hideo Kojima Could Do This
Of all the genres that have emerged or been revitalized within the indie ecosystem, walking simulators are the last ones I would have expected to see replicated in AAA games, but Hideo Kojima’s genius achieved just that with Death Stranding.
Clearly, reducing Sam Porter Bridges’ odyssey to just a walking simulator is to give in to the jokers who say it’s only a delivery simulator, since it’s an obvious open-world action-adventure game with combat, driving, stealth, and resource management.
That said, it’s also true I can’t think of a better reference point for Kojima Productions than the feelings resulting from games where the destination lies in the journey, both metaphorically and literally, given this is a game mainly about walking.
If you add to that Kojima’s typical quirks, such as the emotionally bizarre story, weird dialogues and jokes, constant breaking of the fourth wall, and obsessive emphasis on ludonarrative coherence, it’s easy to understand why it feels more like an indie game than a AAA title.
Death Stranding has more in common with the peculiarities of independent developments than with the comforts of blockbuster productions, and if most large companies tried the same thing as this game, it’s evident to me that the industry would be a much more exciting place.
Next
10 Video Game Franchises That Could Replicate Prince of Persia’s Rebirth
A spin-off through another perspective is what they need to revitalize their unfortunate present.
If the words “previously on X-Men” conjure a specific dramatic, gravelly voice in your mind, you probably grew up in the 1990s. X-Men: The Animated Series debuted in 1992 and quickly became a smash hit, introducing an entire generation to the Mutant superhero team and the Marvel universe in general. So it was no surprise (but perhaps a relief) when Disney’s X-Men ’97 revival series arrived in 2024 and became an instant success.
Two years later, X-Men ’97 is back for more, and the stakes couldn’t be higher (especially after the messy public firing of original showrunner Beau DeMayo, who receives an executive producer credit this time around). I’ll cut right to the chase: X-Men ’97 season 2 is just as good, if not better, than anything I’ve seen before. Based on the first four episodes provided to critics, the show’s second season more than meets the challenges teased in season 1’s cliffhanger ending, while setting up an even more complex and rewarding narrative with plenty of momentum to carry the show through its season 2 finale and beyond.
In other words, X-Men ’97 is back, and life is finally worth living again.
Previously on X-Men… Magneto almost destroyed the entire planet when his city-sized space station fell back down to Earth. The X-Men manage to save the day, but only by sacrificing their own lives. However, right before they die, a mysterious force zaps our heroes (and also Magneto) across space and time. Half of the crew winds up in Ancient Egypt circa 3000 BC, while the rest arrive in the distant war-torn future of 3960 AD. In both timelines, the X-Men face off against a familiar threat: Apocalypse.
In the past, Professor X, Magneto, Rogue, Beast, and Nightcrawler encounter En Sabah Nur, the first-ever mutant, born into slavery in Ancient Egypt. He may be destined to become the genocidal supervillain Apocalypse, but he’s currently leading a slave revolt against an evil pharaoh who wields futuristic technology, making En Sabah Nur and the X-Men unlikely allies for the time being. Meanwhile, in the future, Cyclops and Jean Grey team up with a rebel alliance that includes their teenage son Nathan (aka, Cable) as they mount an attack against Apocalypse at the height of his diabolical powers. Oh, and in the present, an adult Cable assembles the X-Force to fill in for the absent X-Men.
That may sound like a lot to follow — and it is — but X-Men ’97 cleverly segments its timelines into separate episodes, rather than jumping back and forth between all three in the span of 30 minutes. In just four episodes, we get satisfying stories across all three timelines (two are devoted to ancient Egypt) before a soft-reset for the entire show leading into episode 5.
Of the batch, the story of En Sabah Nur is easily the most captivating. He’s a tragic character voiced by Adetokumboh M’Cormack (Isaac in Netflix’s Castlevania series) who brings tremendous gravitas and complexity to the role. En Sabah Nur quickly becomes ensnared in the unending philosophical battle between Magneto and Professor X, who argue over how best to handle this tenuous alliance. Can they change Apocalypse for the better, or is history destined to repeat itself? These are questions X-Men: The Animated Series often examined in its time-travel stories, and X-Men ’97 quickly rises to that same level of quality.
By comparison, the future timeline feels like a one-note dystopia, though it’s clearly setting up important characters and plotlines that will return later on. The most interesting aspect is watching Cyclops and Jean wrestle with what to tell their son, who doesn’t know he’s related to them and is seemingly destined to become Cable and ultimately defeat Apocalypse. The present timeline in episode 2 is arguably the least entertaining of this first batch of four, but will be a treat for Jubilee fans. (Those exist, right?)
Image: Marvel Studios
As for the animation, the action, and the voice acting — aka the things that made X-Men ’97 so great in the first place — they’re all equally colorful and dynamic in season 2. There’s no dip in quality. If anything, the choice to send the X-Men into the distant past and future forces the show’s writers and artists to take even bigger and bolder swings. Watching a classic Professor X astral plane sequence play out against a trippy Egyptian-themed backdrop is a pure delight, while an unstoppable, high-tech “Slave Train” in the apocalyptic 40th Century makes for a thrilling set piece.
After watching the first four episodes of X-Men ’97 season 2, the biggest question I have is simply: When can I watch the rest of it? And while it’s unclear how all these newly loosened threads will ultimately tie together in what’s already looking like a very complicated narrative, I have no reason not to put my full faith in the X-Men. After all, they always seem to get the job done.
X-Men ’97 season 2 premieres July 1 on Disney Plus.
ReReGhosted, or Re:Re:Ghosted, is from the braintrust at PlayStige Interactive, the solo developer behind Thecho, which I absolutely trashed as a bad Observer knock-off, then strangely proceeded to get beat up for it, by somebody. The comment claims Thecho had nothing to go with Observer. I’m sorry, what? You go into VR in somebody’s head and experience horror, how is that not Observer? But I digress. ReReGhosted wants to be deep and state something about the nature of work. It both succeeds and fails.
ReReGhosted wants to be deep
Creepy!
The most striking thing about ReReghosted is the use of short video clips of HR people telling you about a job or being extremely weird and cryptic. They’re AI generated(its obvious in certain instances), but they’re pretty well done for what they are. They’ll last a few seconds, and then you actually have to play the game. The game is walking around drab dull environments looking for the next trigger to move forward. There are puzzles, but they’re pretty easy and if you have problems, watch the video walkthrough.
Show this, then never use it in a puzzle. 🙁
The ghosting of ReReGhosted is not metaphorical. It is the silence after the application, the automated message that arrives three weeks later and addresses you by the wrong name, the feeling of having moved through a structure that registered your presence and then simply continued without you. These are not obscure anxieties. They are the texture of modern life, and the game holds them up in the specific distorted light of analog horror and asks you to look at them in a place where looking is the only thing you can do.
What you just read is from this XboxWire article by the solo developer talking about ReReGhosted. I see what he is going for. The videos and still images throughout the game are trying to say something. However you walk through dull drab interiors, just do whatever the game tells you to do without much thought. There is a weird disconnect here that drags the game down from being more than what it could have been and its disappointing in that respect. There’s also a Backrooms connection in the game:
Lets ripoff a known and popular internet meme, wooo.
I have a feeling its only here to sell the game, but what do I know?
Conclusion
ReReghosted is a tale of two games in one. A pretty creepy AI-made horror FMV game, and a boring walking simulator I’ve seen a thousands times before. The two honestly do not mesh at all. There’s a message here, there’s a plot, but whether or not you want to endure the mindnumbing game play, is entirely up to you. ReReGhosted gets a Your Mileage May Vary verdict with a six score.
Overall: ReReGhosted wants to be deep, and kind of is due to AI FMV, the issue is its wrapped up in extremely boring game play. The two don’t mesh.
Video game development budgets are becoming increasingly vast, as we already know. And now we have some information showing just how big those budgets are getting in the form of Gears of War: E-Day.
According to Tom Henderson of Insider Gaming, on the latest episode of the Insider Gaming podcast, he has heard that Gears of War: E-Day’s development budget is upwards of $400 million dollars.
Gears of War’s budget is insane. Like, I’ve heard upwards of $400 million dollars. That budget is absolutely insane for Gears.
Now, there are some caveats to this report: it’s unclear if that development budget contains things such as marketing, bonuses for staff or the studio, or anything else.
Regardless, that’s an incredible amount of money to throw at the next Gears of War game, which is reported to have a 14-hour campaign. And that means the game will have to sell millions upon millions of copies to even break even. In fact, some very quick and dirty math suggests roughly 5.7 million copies would have to be sold at $70 just to break even, which is a huge ask when Game Pass is available. Of course, the existence of Game Pass also means Microsoft uses varying metrics to measure success that we are not privy to.
That level of sales is a big ask for a franchise that isn’t as relevant as it once was, which pains me to say because I’m a huge Gears fan. And it’s going to be an even bigger ask now that it isn’t coming to PS5 anymore.
Earlier this month, GameStop disclosed that it achieved the highest profit in the company’s history during the first quarter of its latest fiscal year. Now, GameStop appears to be taking further steps to cut costs by reportedly making significant changes to its Pro Membership rewards program.
According to Kotaku, new GameStop Pro members will no longer be able to earn Pro Points starting on July 15. Current Pro members are only getting a temporary reprieve until August 15. On that date, members will stop accruing Pro Points.
Prior to these changes, GameStop Pro members could earn roughly 2% of their total purchases in points, which they could redeem for games or other merchandise at a later date.
On Reddit, some GameStop employees are calling out the decision to take away the Pro Points and suggesting that they should collectively stop trying to upsell Pro Membership to customers. Their apparent disdain for this decision probably won’t deter GameStop from going ahead with these changes.
GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen has been in the news recently because of his intention to buy eBay even though his company lacks the resources or the full financial backing to purchase the online auction house. In response to Cohen’s plans, eBay rejected his overture and described it as neither “credible nor attractive.” Cohen could still attempt a hostile takeover by appealing directly to eBay stockholders, but he has yet to do so.
Gotcha Gotcha Games, the Kadokawa Corporation-owned subsidiary and IP rights holder of the RPG Maker franchise, has announced that the 14-year-old RPG Maker Forum will be closing on December 11, 2026. While a new forum, named RPG Maker Guild, will be taking RPG Maker Forum’s place, Gotcha Gotcha Games has stated that it will not be archiving the original forum’s contents, and the RPG Maker fanbase is now rushing to back up its resources.
The original forum’s closure was announced yesterday in an official post on the RPG Maker Forum, alongside a FAQ explaining Gotcha Gotcha Games’ decision to sunset the website. “There are currently no plans to provide a public archive or backup of the current forum once it has been closed,” reads the FAQ. “We encourage users to save any posts, guides, resources, or other content they wish to keep before the forum closure.”
Actual Burning of Alexandria moment.This will also lead to thousands of plugins and scripts being permanently lost.This will directly lead to RPG Maker games becoming worse and less interesting, and the software harder to use and less feature-rich. https://t.co/DAkAUyH7Yp
— Karbonic (@Karbonicc) June 12, 2026
The community is, understandably, not taking the news well, with multiple posts on X likening the forum’s closure to the burning of Alexandria. While it might sound somewhat dramatic to some, it’s no exaggeration to compare the sheer scope of the RPG Maker resources at risk to the ancient library. According to Eurogamer, the Legacy Engine support topic on the forum alone “contains roughly 45,600 threads and 280,000 messages.”
Likewise, it’s not just the work of budding developers that’s at risk here. Dozens of high-profile indie games, including the likes of OFF, Omori, Corpse Party, Fear and Hunger, Ao Oni, and Yume Nikke, were created using a version of RPG Maker, and the history of these games’ development is housed within posts on the RPG Maker Forum.
Thankfully, while the work required to back up the original forum won’t be easy, Gotcha Gotcha Games’ six-month-long warning has given RPG Maker fans plenty of time to back up its content, and one proactive fan has even enlisted the help of the r/DataHoarders subreddit in a bid to preserve its resources.
Catching all rarities of bugs is the crucial step of leveling up the Bug Catching Guild to unlock advanced versions of the Belt, as well as new items and crafting recipes at the Bug Catching Guild Store. One of the new, uncommon bugs that players can catch is the Whispering Widow Moth. In this guide, we will tell you where to find and catch the Whispering Widow Moth in Palia.
Where to Find Whispering Widow Moth in Palia
The Whispering Widow Moth is one of the new uncommon bugs in the game that spawn in multiple areas of the Royal Highlands map region. They are pretty easy to spot due to their decent size and distinctive black-and-white color. The areas where the Whispering Widow Moth has a high chance of spawning are as follows.
Royal Hunting Grounds
Steps of Renova
Lonely Glen
Amber Lake
TIP: If you are not seeing any Whispering Widow Moth in the area, try catching other bugs in the area to raise the chances of spawning Whispering Widow Moth.
Out of all the main areas, the Royal Hunting Grounds has a high spawn rate of Whispering Widow Moth. Moreover, the Whispering Widow Moth can spawn on the grounds of the Enfield Manor. It is best that you explore the area thoroughly. However, you might find some of the Whispering Widow Moths inside the Amber crystals. You need to break these crystals before you can catch them.
How to Catch Whispering Widow Moth in Palia
Catching the Whispering Widow Moth is harder than most bugs that roam freely in Royal Highlands. Upon finding a Whispering Widow Moth, use the Smoke Bombs to stun it.
Additionally, stunning the Whispering Widow Moth will require numerous Smoke Bombs, so make sure you bring enough to stun it when you find it. If the Whispering Widow Moth gets alerted, it will try to flee in a straight line. It is best to throw the Sticky Smoke Bombs on it to slow it down and then use the regular Smoke Bombs to stun it. Once you have stunned the Whispering Widow Moth, go near it and interact with it to pick it up.
NOTE: There is a chance you might run into an Amber-touched Whispering Widow Moth, which has an Amber around it.
Catching the Amber-touched Whispering Widow Moth will drop more Amber Echo. However, if you do not have the Echo Tracker, you will not get Amber Echo from catching Whispering Widow Moth or any other bug. Echo Tracker is a special relic that Eshelon gives during the “A Stitch in Time” quest.
Uses of Whispering Widow Moth in Palia
The main use of Whispering Widow Moth is to use it as a crafting ingredient for Amadeus’ Blessing II Relic. Other than that, players can sell Whispering Widow Moth for 43 Gold (Base) or 64 Gold (Star-Quality) to Zeki or at the Shipping Bin. Moreover, you can also gift it to certain villagers who like it or those who need it. So, if you can find any Whispering Widow Moths, store one in the storage so you can give one to the villagers who need it. The villagers’ needs change every week, so it is better to keep an eye on them.
The step back into Albion is getting closer and closer, and naturally, it wouldn’t be Fable without an ensemble full of big personalities to help (or hinder) you on your adventures.
If you’ve seen any of the trailers so far, you know that Playground Games has gone all out on the voice cast, throwing in some big names you’ve almost certainly heard and seen elsewhere.
What’s more, after the latest Fable trailer at the Xbox Games Showcase 2026, we now know a chunky portion of these voice actors, including a significant villain and several key characters across the world.
All Fable voice actors we know so far
Jumping right into who is shaping up to be one of, if not the main villain of the game, we have Hayley Atwell, who plays Isabel. Atwell is best known for roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Mission: Impossible, and here she takes on a powerful Hero seemingly driven by grief and the fact that she knows what’s best.
The playable Hero of Briar Hill will be voiced by both Lily Nichol and Ukweli Roach, depending on who you choose as your character. The Hero is described as an ordinary person made extraordinary by fate, with you making the decision on whether they become noble or a complete menace to society.
Matt King, probably best known as Super Hans in Peep Show, plays Humphry, who we were greeted by in an earlier trailer. He was a once-great Hero with charm, but a few emotional layers beneath the bravado.
Susan Wokoma voices Arden the Cobbler, another Hero, but one who wants absolutely none of the fame and worship that usually comes with the title.
Richard Ayoade is one of those casting decisions that makes sense for a Fable game. He plays Dave the Giant, who won’t shy away from trying to give you a few slaps if you meddle with his plans.
Natasia Demetriou voices Jenny, one of the feuding heirs to Bloodstone, while Nathan Foad plays her brother and rival, Jacob.
And finally, Kwame Augustine plays Connor, the Hero’s adoptive brother, Nina Wadia voices Grandma Samira, the landlady of the Rose & Thorn, and Robert Whitelock plays Nigel the Sheriff, a well-meaning but overwhelmed lawman.
Overall, as previously alluded to, there are some famous faces in this announced list, and we’re sure that as we get closer to the release date, we may see a few more.
The GeForce NOW summer sale kicked off today with limited-time savings of up to $70 off a 12-month membership, making now the perfect time to upgrade to get the best of the cloud and see just how far Ultimate gaming can go.
PC gamers are driven by one thing: the love of the game. But getting there can be complicated — setups take space, hardware takes planning and downloads take time.
GeForce NOW removes the barriers and delivers instant access to games, high-performance GeForce RTX power in the cloud and the ability to play across nearly any device — all with one membership. Regular upgrades and new features continue to expand the experience, building the value of that membership over time.
Plus, GeForce NOW is always delivering new games — including epic adventures across Tyria. Guild Wars 3 is coming to GeForce NOW, bringing its next-generation massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) experience to the cloud at launch. While awaiting its arrival, the journey begins today with Guild Wars 2 and Guild Wars Reforged, along with limited-time exclusive rewards.
Instantly Elevate Every Device
PC gaming demands more from players than ever. Bigger game files and more frequent updates can turn the urge to play into a long list of to-dos.
GeForce NOW streamlines that experience. Installs, patches and updates are handled in the cloud, so games are ready to launch in just a click. Time that would’ve been spent waiting on progress bars can go back into playtime, making it easier to fit gaming into quick breaks on busy days.
High-performance NVIDIA GPUs in the cloud means access to always-ready GeForce RTX performance without having to purchase new hardware. Members can tap into powerful servers that meet rising game requirements and keep pace with today’s games. And memberships continue to improve with platform upgrades — like the free Ultimate upgrade to the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture — extending their value, as well as the life of gamers’ devices, over time.
All of the gaming.
Laptops, phones, tablets and TVs — devices most gamers have at home and already use for school, work and everyday life — can all act as gaming screens. Streaming means not having to worry about hard drive space for installs and updates, or needing the latest devices.
Level up playing on Linux.
These benefits are reinforced by continuous quality-of-life improvements like smoother sign-ins, new platforms — like Linux and Amazon Fire TV — and refinements that make it faster and easier to get into a gaming session.
Together, these benefits make GeForce NOW the easiest way to enjoy PC gaming both instantly and over time, while keeping the focus on what matters most to gamers: getting into the game.
The Biggest Gaming Upgrade, the Best Price of the Year
Sale-ing into summer with huge savings.
For a limited time this summer, GeForce NOW memberships are available at some of the year’s best pricing — with major savings on 12-month memberships:
$35 off a 12-month Performance membership $70 off a 12-month Ultimate membership
The Performance membership delivers smooth, high-quality cloud gaming across devices, with streaming up to 1080p at 60 frames per second (fps) and access to RTX-powered servers for supported games.
The Ultimate membership steps things up with RTX 4080‑ or 5080‑class performance in the cloud, supporting up to 4K and beyond on ultrawide displays, up to 120 fps, and advanced features like ray tracing, NVIDIA DLSS and NVIDIA Reflex for a more responsive, visually rich experience.
These limited-time discounts won’t last long — beat the heat and jump into GeForce NOW.
A New Legend Rises
One of the best things about the cloud is that every week, new games become available to stream — including new AAA games at launch and the latest content and rewards.
The land of Orr awaits.
Guild Wars 3 marks the next adventure in Tyria — an action-adventure MMORPG where fluid combat, deep character building and a living world of magic and mystery shape every journey. Alliances are forged, spirits awaken and every step forward leaves a lasting mark on an untamed frontier. Be among the first to raise the banner. Gamers can add Guild Wars 3to their wishlist today and stay up to date on every reveal as it marches toward launch.
While the next chapter in Tyria prepares to unfold, its legacy is ready to be played today.
Return to adventure in Guild Wars 2 and Guild Wars Reforged, and unlock exclusive in-game rewards for a limited time — available for GeForce NOW Premium members today through Saturday, July 11, and free to all members beginning Friday, June 12. Be on the lookout for an email with codes to redeem.
In Guild Wars 2, the “Masterpiece Emote Tome” turns every victory into a moment of flair — a chef’s kiss to triumph. Start playing by applying the code through an ArenaNet account or during account creation, then log in to access the emote.
In Guild Wars Reforged, the “Vision of Lyssa” costume brings elegance and illusion to life and includes an account upgrade. Inspired by the twin goddess, this striking ensemble can be worn over any armor. Redeem by adding the code in game, then visit a Costume Maker NPC to claim the reward.
But Wait, There’s More
Duet Night Abyss from Hero Games makes a splash on GeForce NOW, plunging players into a submerged world where survival is shared. Control a synchronized duo tethered by fragile oxygen lines, navigate glowing reefs, drowned ruins and shadowy chasms where every move demands trust and timing. The game’s moody visuals and tense, cooperative focus give each dive the feel of a playable deep-sea thriller.
GeForce NOW is kicking off a new Community Corner for the summer, spotlighting stories and creations from members across the globe. This week, a community story takes the spotlight as a Linux gamer on Reddit shares how GFN has helped them with accessibility gaming, saving storage space on massive titles and minimizing upgrades.
In addition, members can look for the following:
NBA THE RUN (New release on Steam, available on June 9) Witchspire (New release on Steam, available on June 10) SpaceCraft (New release on Steam, available on June 11) Duet Night Abyss (Launcher) DOOM Eternal (Epic Games Store) The Elder Scrolls Online (Xbox, available on Game Pass) Farever (Steam) World of Tanks: HEAT (Wargaming)
Finally, Pro Cycling Manager 26 is now scheduled to launch on Monday, June 15, and Denshattack! is now expected to launch on Wednesday, July 15.
What are you planning to play this weekend? Let us know on X or in the comments below.
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