Arise again, ye Tarnished! More than two years after its release, Elden Ring is bringing players back to the Land Between with the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, which launched on 21 June. The thrills and pains are a familiar sight, but what’s not is the expanse of a new area: the Realm of Shadow, where unforgiving — even more than before, mind you — hostile forces lay in wait.

But first, a recap. The highly-anticipated DLC begins after tugging on Miquella’s lifeless body in Mohg’s palace, granting access to the land where Marika, the mother of Malenia and Miquella, became a god. It traces the latter’s journey, with a third ‘M’ in the lineage, Messer the Impaler, bearing a significant presence in his journey, offering more story bits for lore enthusiasts to chew on.

Embracing the spirit of exploration, the Realm of Shadow will feature new environments that are teeming with life. The new land is roughly the size of Limgrave, already sprawling on its own, and packs new menacing enemies and bosses like the Divine Beast Dancing Lion. It’s fair game, because there are now more weapons to equip, including reverse grip swords, a rapid-firing crossbow, and more.

Check out everything to know about this new chapter in the above video, from lore developments to new gameplay mechanics. For all Tarnished returning to the world of Elden Ring, godspeed and may you prevail in your endeavours.

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree is now available on PlayStation 5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

Si Jia

Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.

The post Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree: Everything You Need To Know In 3 Minutes appeared first on Geek Culture.

There’s more to Hong Kong than great food and culture as the city renowned for its dazzling skyline and vibrant street life harbours a multitude of hidden gems that beckon the geeks at heart. 

From unique dining experiences that transport you into the worlds of your favourite franchises, to speciality stores packed with collectables waiting to be discovered, the city is much more than meets the eye and a treasure trove of tech and pop culture fun. Whether you’re delving into the meticulous world of toy model making, exploring thematic eateries, or hunting down exclusive action figures and memorabilia, 2024 Hong Kong offers an eclectic array of experiences guaranteed to elevate your visit. 

HONG KONG ISLAND

Hung Hing Toys

Address: 311 Gloucester Rd, Windsor House, Level 3, Causeway Bay

Nestled in the heart of Causeway Bay, Hung Hing Toys offers a delightful haven for collectors and casual shoppers alike. Established in 1994, this Hong Kong mainstay specialises in a vast selection of character toys and car models, particularly those hailing from Japan. 

But Hung Hing Toys doesn’t stop there. They also develop their own unique products, ensuring a diverse and ever-evolving collection.  For fans of classic Japanese animation, Hung Hing Toys boasts a collaboration with Tezuka Productions Company Limited, granting them the right to produce and sell licensed figures from Osamu Tezuka’s iconic works, like the beloved Astro Boy. Whether you’re seeking the latest Japanese imports or a nostalgic trip down memory lane with classic characters, Hung Hing Toys promises a joyful shopping experience filled with treasures waiting to be discovered.

The toy shopping doesn’t end here. Windsor House has a high concentration of toy stores starting from level 2 onwards, with a Tomica/Takara Tomy dedicated store, May Toys which carries Gunpla, Tamashii Nations, QPosket, Funko and more, as well as Bricks House for brick lovers, that not only carries LEGO, but also a bunch of third-party brick products.

Marks Toys is a Western-skewed movie props and collectibles store, with a heavy focus on all things Marvel and DC Comics. Tiny World is a unique store that sells plenty of miniature vehicles and buildings, and it mostly carries its own “Tiny” brand of products. This is definitely worth checking out if you are into collecting miniature vehicles, with a touch of local HK flavour. And finally, there is a Toys “R” Us located on the 7th floor of the mall.

Hong Kong Tram Store

Address: 93 Queen’s Road Central, Central

Tucked away in the Central Market, the Hong Kong Tram Store (formerly the Ding Ding Old Hong Kong Branch) is a treasure trove for tram enthusiasts and nostalgia seekers alike. This shop offers a delightful mix of tram-themed merchandise, from model trams and nostalgic snacks to household items and even old records.

Historical photos, tickets, and toys adorn the walls, whispering tales of old Hong Kong and its iconic tram culture. Whether you’re a local resident reminiscing about childhood days or a tourist searching for unique souvenirs, the Hong Kong Tram Store promises a delightful experience filled with quirky finds and a touch of Hong Kong history.

Central Market, where the Hong Kong Tram Store resides, is a modern marvel reborn from a historical gem. Originally a fresh food market built in the 1930s with a Streamline Moderne architectural design, it has been revitalised to house a vibrant mix of shops, cafés, and restaurants. Explore artisanal and independent stores alongside familiar brands, or grab a bite to eat while soaking up the atmosphere. This unique space seamlessly blends heritage with modern offerings, making it a must-visit for anyone wanting a taste of Hong Kong’s dynamic culture.

Tamiya Plamodel Factory

Address: H110-112 1F, Block B, PMQ, Central, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central

Hobbyists and model enthusiasts can fuel their passion for creation at Tamiya Plamodel Factory, a haven located in PMQ Central. This flagship store by the renowned Japanese model maker Tamiya boasts a treasure trove of static models, R/C cars, and their iconic Mini 4WD racing kits. Tank enthusiasts will find meticulously detailed replicas, while aviation aficionados can explore intricate model aeroplanes.

What sets the Tamiya Plamodel Factory apart is not just its vast selection but its commitment to fostering a community. The store is equipped with a dedicated workspace, complete with all the necessary tools to breathe life into models. This commitment to the craft extends to the adrenaline-fueled Mini 4WD racetrack, inviting builders to put their creations to the test in a thrilling show of speed and skill.

The Tamiya Plamodel Factory shares space with independent shops and studios brimming with local fashion, art, and homeware in PMQ Central, which isn’t your typical mall. This trendy spot pulsates with creativity, having undergone a cool transformation from a historic police married quarters (PMQ) built in the 1950s. Events and exhibitions add to the buzz, making PMQ Central a must-visit for those seeking a unique blend of heritage and modern design.

Victoria Peak

Address: 33 Garden Road, Central

Soak in the breathtaking panoramas of Hong Kong’s skyline from Victoria Peak, but don’t stop there. This iconic location offers a thrilling double dose of entertainment for pop culture enthusiasts.

First, rub shoulders with the rich and famous (well, almost) at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong.  Here, lifelike wax figures of celebrities, historical icons, and local stars come alive. Imagine snapping a selfie with your favourite K-pop idol, like a member of BTS or Blackpink, or posing alongside Hollywood royalty like Robert Downey Jr. or Angelina Jolie. Interactive exhibits and themed galleries, like scenes from blockbuster movies, let you become part of the action.

Craving a playful twist? Hong Kong now hosts the world’s first Monopoly-themed attraction at The Peak, offering a unique experience for visitors. Monopoly Dreams takes you inside Mr Monopoly’s world with holograms and 4DX technology that bring the classic game to life. Guests can engage with interactive elements like the Fortune Board and explore themed areas, including a vault. 

Transformers: The Ark

Address: 38 Russell St, Causeway Bay

Calling all Autobots! Transformers: The Ark offers a unique blend of dining and fanfare, setting itself apart as the world’s first Transformers-themed restaurant. It transports diners straight into the universe of the iconic franchise, with decor inspired by the Autobots’ spaceship, The Ark, and immersive 3D projections.

Guests can indulge in a variety of American comfort food while surrounded by an environment that feels like stepping into a live scene from the series. Whether you’re a lifelong Transformers fan or just looking for a unique dining experience, Transformers: The Ark serves up a memorable adventure.

KOWLOON

Mong Kok Toy District 

Address: West Kowloon, Yau Tsim Mong District

Venture into the heart of Mong Kok and discover a paradise for toy enthusiasts – the Mong Kok Toy District. Here, two distinct shopping experiences await. In’s Point pulsates with a frenetic energy, offering a dazzling array of toys for every interest. Anime aficionados will unearth figurines from their favourite series, while action figure hunters can track down superheroes and villains from every comic book universe. Keep an eye out for popular LEGO sets and Gundam models waiting to be assembled into miniature masterpieces.

For a more upscale experience, head to Sino Centre. Here, discerning collectors can browse high-end, limited-edition figurines and meticulously crafted replicas. Gamers will find a treasure trove of video game merchandise, while stores brimming with the latest Japanese imports ensure you’ll discover the hottest new toys before anyone else. For those whose interests lie beyond anime, the true gem is the Hot Toys Secret Base outlet, perched on the 20th floor. Here, visitors will be mesmerised by an impressive array of premium figures spanning the Marvel, DC, and Star Wars universes.

Whether you’re a seasoned collector or a curious newcomer, Mong Kok Toy District promises an exciting adventure filled with pop culture gems waiting to be unearthed. For more shopping points in Mong Kok, check out our guide.

Avenue of Stars

Address: Avenue of Stars, Tsim Sha Tsui

Cinephiles with an affinity for Asian cinema will find a visit to Tsim Sha Tsui’s Avenue of Stars not just compelling, but essential. This waterfront promenade serves as a heartfelt tribute to the luminaries of Hong Kong cinema, echoing the Hollywood Walk of Fame but set against the stunning vista of Victoria Harbour. Spanning 440 meters, the promenade is adorned with over 100 plaques dedicated to the stars who have played pivotal roles in elevating Hong Kong’s film industry to global prominence.

The Avenue of Stars offers more than a mere enumeration of Hong Kong’s cinematic elite, it provides a tangible connection to legends such as Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh through their handprints, inviting visitors to brush up against greatness in its most literal sense. 

Beyond the celebratory plaques, the promenade is punctuated by significant installations, including a majestic bronze statue of Bruce Lee poised in mid-action, captivating martial arts enthusiasts and casual visitors alike. The experience is further enhanced as evening falls, with the Symphony of Lights illuminating Victoria Harbour in a spectacle of colour and light, ensuring the Avenue of Stars offers a memorable backdrop to honour the giants of Hong Kong cinema.

A Path to Glory – Jin Yong’s Centennial Memorial

Address: Hong Kong Heritage Museum, 1 Man Lam Rd, Sha Tin

This year commemorates the 100th anniversary of Dr. Louis Cha, famously known as Jin Yong, a monumental figure whose martial arts novels have become cornerstones of Chinese literature. The World of Wuxia exhibition at Edinburgh Place, highlighted by Ren Zhe’s sculptures of Jin Yong’s characters, including a Mongolian yurt from The Eagle-Shooting Heroes, enables visitors to immerse themselves in iconic scenes using audio guides and AR technology. This is complemented by a broader exhibition at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, showcasing Ren Zhe’s creations alongside seminars, immersive experiences, and manuscript displays from 16 March to 7 October.

Recognising Hong Kong as the birthplace of Jin Yong’s wuxia novels, the centennial celebrations also involve collaborations with international institutions and foreign consulates to create interactive experiences that promote Jin Yong’s novels as a means to appreciate Chinese culture and share Hong Kong’s narratives. These events aim not only to rekindle the cherished memories associated with Jin Yong among older generations, but also to introduce his legendary works to younger audiences, ensuring his legacy continues to inspire and entertain.

HONG KONG ISLAND & KOWLOON

Hot Toys

Addresses:

• Secret Base: 20/F, Sino Centre, 582-592 Nathan Rd, Mong Kok
• Rebel Base: Tsim Sha Tsui, Canton Rd, Harbour City, Ocean Terminal, SHOP OT G52, G/F
• Echo Base: Causeway Bay, Great George St, 華登大廈 Fashion Walk, 地下12-14舖

Hong Kong isn’t just a haven for casual toy shoppers – it also caters to high-end collectors with the prestigious Hot Toys. This Hong Kong-based manufacturer has gained a global reputation for its stunningly detailed, 1/6th-scale collectable figurines. Hot Toys meticulously recreates iconic characters from pop culture franchises like Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and Star Wars.  

Hot Toys boasts dedicated stores across Hong Kong, including Secret Base in Mong Kok, Rebel Base in Tsim Sha Tsui’s Harbour City, and Echo Base in Causeway Bay’s Fashion Walk.  Here, collectors can browse through an impressive selection of these premium figures, each a work of art that brings their favourite characters to life.

LANTAU ISLAND

World of Frozen (Hong Kong Disneyland)

Address: Lantau Island, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort

Hong Kong Disneyland is now home to a new attraction for fans of Disney’s Frozen – the World of Frozen. This immersive area stands as the first and most extensive recreation of Arendelle (the beloved kingdom from the film) anywhere in the world. Visitors stepping into this space are greeted by stunning Nordic-inspired architecture that vividly brings the animated movie to life, with the majestic Arendelle Castle and its iconic spires becoming even more breathtaking at night.

The World of Frozen isn’t just about the sights, it’s also about the experiences. Guests can enjoy two thrilling rides: Frozen Ever After, a musical boat journey that might have you singing along with Elsa, and Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs, a ride inspired by Oaken’s Trading Post that promises a fun-filled adventure. Additionally, the Playhouse in the Woods offers a unique blend of meet-and-greet and interactive theatre, where guests can step into Elsa and Anna’s secret childhood hideaway for an enchanting experience powered by physical sets, projection mapping, and a few surprises.

Beyond the rides and attractions, visitors can warm up with a meet-and-greet with their favourite characters, savour Frozen-themed treats and meals at the Golden Crocus Inn or the Northern Delights sweet shop, and hunt for souvenirs at Tick Tock Toys and Collectibles. 

From nostalgic trinket shops echoing the city’s tram heritage to the immersive worlds of Disney and cinematic legends, the exploration of Hong Kong’s eclectic geek havens illustrates the city’s rich tapestry of pop culture and technological marvels. 

These hidden gems, each with its own unique allure, invite enthusiasts, collectors, and adventurers alike into a realm where imagination meets tangible experiences. Whether it’s through the lens of a camera, the pages of a comic book, or the joy of a newly discovered collectable, Hong Kong continues to be a vibrant playground for tech and pop culture fun in 2024 and beyond.

Natalie

Natalie is a big fan of anything related to movies, TV shows, games, and comics — you name it. When she’s not reading or geeking out about the latest shows on Netflix, she’s probably playing gacha and tabletop games, or daydreaming of meeting her idols.

The post Hong Kong’s Hidden Gems: 2024 Geek’s Guide To Toy, Tech & Pop Culture appeared first on Geek Culture.

THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH!
PLEASE PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

The world of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is charming in many ways, breathing more excitement into Cloud’s adventures. There’s plenty to do and see in this expanded sequel, including going on a date with one of his companions – an iconic moment from the original Final Fantasy VII. 

Making a return here as Bonds of Friendship, the romance system sets aside some one-on-one time for players to spend at the Gold Saucer in Chapters 8 and 12. Like the 1997 classic, the spiky-haired warrior will have a selection of dating prospects, from the all-too-popular Tifa to the bromance-set Barret. 

This time, though, there are other factors to consider. Choosing the right dialogue option is just the beginning, with side quest completion and the execution of synergy skills and abilities contributing to the outcome. 

Here’s how to romance each available character in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

Basic Mechanics

To unlock intimate scenes with a character, their affinity points with Cloud need to be higher than the others and above a certain score. Having conversations is the easiest way to increase affinity level, with each response earning one, two, or three stars (the higher, the better). These can be easily missed, so it’s always good to check in on your companions whenever possible, especially if there’s a speech bubble present. 

As for parts of the main story, completing hidden prerequisites will improve the bond between Cloud and his companion. Do note this only determines who becomes your Gold Saucer date, and won’t affect the overall narrative in any way. Scoring at least a light blue emoji leads to an intimate cutscene for the Skywheel Date; otherwise, the standard cutscene triggers. 

Should the first date prove unsatisfactory, or if curiosity for the other routes strikes, completing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth at least once unlocks the option of manually choosing the player’s companion for both Gold Saucer dates and their nature (Intimate or Standard). 

1) Tifa Lockhart

The childhood friend of Cloud and resident brawler, Tifa’s feisty-yet-shy personality and kind-heartedness makes her an all-time popular pick. The complete guide is as follows:

Dialogue options

Side quests

• A Rare Card Lost (Grasslands)
• Dreaming of Blue Skies (Junon)
• Calling All Frogs (Junon)
• Gold Cup or Bust (Corel)
• Bodybuilders in a Bind (Corel)
• My White-Haired Angel (Nibel)

Synergy skills and abilities

• Slip and Slide (skill)
• Soaring Flurry (skill)
• Heavenly Ascent (skill)
• Relentless Rush (ability)
• Synchro Cyclone (ability)

Main story segments

• Inauguration Parade (Chapter 4): Obtain a higher score than the opposing team in all three formations.
• Same Taste in Beach Wear (Chapter 6): Tifa’s outfit must match Cloud’s, Aerith’s, or both.
• Beach Fight Partner (Chapter 6): Choose the party setup with Tifa and Red XIII. 
• Loveless (Chapter 12): Get a high score.

2) Aerith Gainsborough

The flower girl of the team, Aerith’s playful, spirited, and chaotic energy acts as an interesting foil to Cloud’s stoic character. The complete guide is as follows:

Dialogue options

Side quests

• Flowers from the Hill (Grasslands)
• Stuck in a Rut (Junon)
• Beneath Still Waters (Junon)
• Rendezvous in Costa del Sol (Corel)
• The Spice of Life (Gongaga)
• Woodland Virgil (Gongaga)
• Absence of a Sign (Cosmo Canyon)

Synergy skills and abilities

• Combat Saviour (skill)
• Bodyguard (skill)
• Spellbound Blast (skill)
• Firework Blade (ability)
• United Refocus (ability)

Main story segments

• Inauguration Parade (Chapter 4): Obtain a higher score than the opposing team in all three formations.
• Same Taste in Beach Wear (Chapter 6): Tifa’s outfit must match Cloud’s, Aerith’s, or both.
• Beach Fight Partner (Chapter 6): Choose the party setup with Aerith and Barret.
• Loveless (Chapter 12): Get a high score. 

3) Barret Wallace

The metal-armed mercenary has proven himself a loyal comrade, coming a long way from his rocky beginnings with Cloud. A fun fact – in the original game, going on a Gold Saucer date with Barret unlocks the ‘Bromance’ trophy. The complete guide is as follows:

Dialogue options 

Side quests

• Lifeline in Peril (Grasslands)
• Hustle and Grind (Grasslands)
• When Words Won’t Do (Junon)
• Missing: Mr Birdie (Corel)
• The Pursuit of Perfection (Gongaga)
• Escape from Endless Writer’s Block (Gongaga)
• Lament of the Damned (Nibel)

Synergy skills and abilities

• Mad Dash (skill)
• Iron Defence (skill)
• Partners in Pain (ability)

Main story segments

• Beach Fight Partner (Chapter 6): Choose the party setup with Aerith and Barret.
• Corel Minecart Route (Chapter 7): Leave the minecart track as it is (facing left). 
• Corel Prison Shootout (Chapter 7): Complete the Anuran Suppressor boss fight, where players take control of Barret from the back of a truck. Happens automatically.
• Loveless (Chapter 12): Get a high score. 

4) Red XIII

An honourable, wolf-like beast, Red XIII lends a sense of calm and maturity to the group’s ragtag dynamics. The complete guide is as follows:

Dialogue options 

Side quests

• Lifestock’s Bane (Grasslands)
• The Hardest Sell (Junon)
• Of Robed Men and Ransoms (Corel)
• O Chicken, Where Art Thou (Gongaga)
• From Whence the Life Flows (Gongaga)
• Promises to Keep (Cosmo Canyon)

Synergy skills and abilities

• Phantom Fang (skill)
• Wild Charge (skill)
• Savage Assault (ability)

Main story segments

• Shinra-8 Queen’s Blood Tournament (Chapter 5): Win the card game tournament. 
• Beach Fight Partner (Chapter 6): Choose the party setup with Tifa and Red XIII.
• Welcome Brawl with Dio (Chapter 8): Finish the 3D Brawler tutorial match. Happens automatically. 
• Gold Saucer Queen’s Blood Rematch (Chapter 12): Emerge victorious against Red XIII. 
• Loveless (Chapter 12): Get a high score. 

5) Bonus: Cid, Vincent, and Cait Sith (Others) 

Coasting through the whole game without fulfilling any of the demands will lead to a date night with Cid Highwind, Vincent Valentine, and Cait Sith. What could go wrong, you ask? Well, let’s just say having two anti-social individuals in an enclosed space certainly won’t help matters. 

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is out now on the PS5. 

Si Jia

Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.

The post Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: How To Romance Tifa, Aerith, Barret, And More appeared first on Geek Culture.

If you’ve ever been captivated by the epic clashes of colossal robots, chances are you’ve heard of Gundam. Throughout its enduring legacy spanning decades, this franchise has steadily expanded from its anime origins into a multifaceted world of movies, video games, and more importantly, dominated the model kits space.

Bandai’s Gundam plastic models, lovingly known as Gunpla, present fans of the franchise with the opportunity to build and customise their very own scale models of the many iconic mobile suits. At its most intricate level, master crafters utilise paints and unique customisations to turn model kits into contenders for global tournaments, making the Gundam universe more immersive than ever.

If you’re looking to dive into the delightful world of Gunpla, here’s what you need to know to get started.

Essential tools of the trade

Before you start assembling your Gundam model, you’ll want to gear up with the right arsenal of tools. Thankfully, you can easily acquire these essentials from your local building supply and art stores. Decently-sized pliers and a precision hobby knife will become your trusty companions as you delicately trim any excess plastic from each part on a runner tray.

Beginners might want to consider a basic model tools kit, which packs all the right gear in a convenient container. In a model tools kit, you’ll find pliers for precise part handling, a hobby knife complete with spare blades for surgical precision, tweezers to handle delicate components, and a selection of sanding tools for that polished finish.

Understanding different Gunpla grades

Gunpla offers challenges suitable for everyone, from beginners to seasoned artisans. If you’ve never built anything before, it’s crucial to have an understanding of the different grades of model kits in Gunpla, as they represent different types of builds and difficulty levels.

High Grade (HG)

High Grade kits are solid, easy builds with substantial detail and articulation that are great for beginners. They are typically 1:144 scale models, although there are larger HG models with less detail than what you would find in more challenging Grade models.

The vast majority of HG kits rely heavily on polycaps — rubber polymer pieces used to create smooth joints or to keep something in place without glue. Polycaps are temperature-sensitive and get looser with friction or over time. Bandai has since taken a bold step forward by breaking away from this tradition with the launch of their Witch From Mercury kits, which favour techniques like C-Clips or moulded ball joints to enhance stability and functionality.

Younger Gundam fans may also find lots of enjoyment in the relatively new High Grade Build Divers’ Planet System line. This range brings to the table a unique concept where you can create stumpy Gundams with interchangeable armours, allowing builders to explore their creativity by mixing and matching different armour sets. When the armour isn’t attached, it morphs into a sleek flight mode, serving as a stylish vehicle for the Core Gundam to hop on.

Price range: S$18 – 38

Real Grade (RG)

If you’re more confident in your skills, you can check out Real Grade kits for something a little more complex. Like High Grade kits, RG kits are typically 1:144 scale models, but they set themselves apart in several remarkable ways.

For example, they boast near-perfect colour accuracy, eliminating the need for those pesky colour-correcting stickers. They also come with a full inner frame, extensive part counts, advanced articulation, and a wealth of decals. Enhanced surface detail, impeccable colour separation, and intricate mechanical features help elevate this Gunpla experience.

The older RG kits have a reputation for being fragile nightmares, but the latest from the past few years are all stellar, such as the RG Nu Gundam, RG Sazabi, and RG Crossbone. Outside of the Gundam franchise, there are even kits like the RG Eva Unit 01 from Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Price range: S$44 – 75

Master Grade (MG)

The real greats are in the Master Grade line. At a 1:100 scale, MG models are bigger and have even more complex internal structures. As such, they require more time and investment, but the result is worth it. MG models come equipped with a movable inner frame system, with joints that bend and flex in remarkable ways, which allows for a wide range of movement. What’s more, these kits often include miniature figures of the pilots who command each Gundam model, adding an extra layer of detail and realism to your build.

For fans of the classic anime Gundam Wing, the Master Grade version of mobile suits from the series are some of the best looking in the category. The Wing Gundam itself isn’t great, with poor articulation and grip along with pieces that are prone to falling apart, especially its large wings. However, the mobile suits from the supporting cast — such as Heavyarms, Altron, Deathscythe Hell, and Sandrock — are all spectacular choices.

If you’re looking for a Gunpla challenge that’s as mind-bending as it is awe-inspiring, the “Ver. Ka” subline is a worthy choice. These kits, expertly reimagined by the legendary designer Hajime Katoki (who has worked on Virtual On and Policenauts, in addition to the Gundam series), are a visual feast for any serious Gunpla enthusiast.

Meanwhile, the Master Grade Extreme (abbreviated as MGEX) subline, which launched in 2020, is designed to amplify the most iconic features of the featured mobile suits through “Extreme Points”. For example, the Unicorn Gundam Ver. Ka, features a captivating LED light strip that transitions between its standard Unicorn Mode and formidable Destroy Mode.

Price range: S$55 – 133

Perfect Grade (PG)

Perfect Grade kits are the highest tier of Gunpla construction. PG kits aim to bring the Gundam universe to life with remarkable precision. These colossal 1:60 scale projects, though time-consuming, offer unparalleled levels of detail that are far greater than what you would find in lower grades. Hallmarks of the PG series include metal joints, intricate plastic moulding, superior plastic quality, operable hatches, and LED lighting kits.

For the most definitive take on the formative RX-78-2 Gundam from the original Mobile Suit Gundam anime, the Perfect Grade version is the way to go — with glorious metal parts, ornate inner workings, and beautiful detailing.

Price range: S$318 – 480

Super Deformed (SD)

On the opposite side of the difficulty spectrum is the Super Deformed line. These chibi-fied Gundam models may not look like the fully-formed, battle-ready mobile suits from the anime, but they’re cute and super simple to build. That said, they typically offer very limited articulation.

To enhance the SD experience, go for the SD Cross Silhouette subline, which uses a simple inner frame for better articulation. Another subline, the Master Grade SD, launched this year. This takes Master Grade detail and articulation and combines it with Super Deformed designs, giving fans of the chibi look something more detailed and challenging to contend with.

Price range: S$13-17

Non-Gundam kits

Apart from the Gundam franchise, Bandai also makes reliably good kits based on various other franchises. Its Figure-Rise Standard line includes models based on properties such as Digimon, Dragon Ball, Dr. Slump, Kamen Rider, and Ultraman.

When you venture beyond Bandai, there’s many other model kits out there. Kotobukiya has kits based on Zoids and the Metal Gear series, as well as their original series Hexa Gear. While fun, they can be a bit fragile. Other lines from Kotobukiya include the customisable Frame Arms mecha, and its sister line Frame Arms Girl which features moé reimaginings of detailed mecha. These are great but might demand some extra effort.

Meanwhile, the Dougram and Moderoid (which includes mechs from Patlabor and SSSS.Gridman) lines from Good Smile Company and long-time collaborator Max Factory share a resemblance with High Grade Gunpla.

Overall, Bandai’s kits tend to feature better plastic quality, articulation, colour separation, and more.

Assembling your build

When you crack open your Gunpla kit, you might notice that the instructions are all in Japanese. But don’t let that intimidate you! The instructions are picture-heavy, with very little text to decipher. To assemble your Gunpla, you simply follow the visual guide, recreating what you see with the parts in front of you. Each piece is cleverly labelled, with a letter indicating the specific plastic runner it’s on, and a number signifying the part itself.

Your trusty pliers from the toolkit will make snipping each piece off the runner a breeze. As Gunpla are designed to be snap-together kits that use little pegs and notches to connect the pieces, no glue is necessary.

Throughout the instruction manual, you might come across symbols that you might not recognise. Thankfully, fans have taken the liberty of translating these icons, so that fellow builders can have an easier time with the hobby.

Over the course of the assembly, you might want to cut away stray plastic bits with a sharp knife or clipper, and sand away marks and scuffs. You can use a fine metal file or polished bar on straight edges, and sandpaper or polishing cloth for curved sections.

Once you’re done assembling your first Gunpla, you’ll either realise it’s not your thing, or be pulled into its addictive embrace. What’s more, Gunpla isn’t just about building, it’s about collecting too. As your collection grows, you’ll uncover the universal connectors that allow you to mix and match Gunpla parts between different kits — a practice known as kitbashing.

May the model kits be ever in your favour!

Edwin Teo

Edwin has been writing about gaming and entertainment news for almost a decade, and has loved video games, comic books, and movies longer than that. He loves interesting stories, immersive world-building, and adorable monsters.

The post The Ultimate Guide To Building Gundam Plastic Models AKA Gunpla appeared first on Geek Culture.

As the hottest trading card game to hit the market, Lorcana welcomes a fresh batch of players to the scene. However, getting the basics right in caring for your cards can go a long way, especially if players are fortunate enough to pull some extremely rare cards.

We’ve had the opportunity to take a look at the top sleeves in the market from Dragon Shield, Gamegenic, and Ultimate Guard to give you an idea of what might fit your preferences.

Dragon Shield Dual Matte Sleeves (Amazon / Lazada / Shopee)

As the go-to brand for card sleeves, Dragon Shield is a safe recommendation. But not all their sleeves are made equal – our pick would be the Dragon Shield Dual Matte Sleeves for your Lorcana needs. Armed with a clear window, and a great shuffle feel, Dragon Shield sleeves come in a huge variety of colours to bling out your deck.

However, among all the sleeves compared Dragon Shield is the priciest of the lot as well. But when it comes to card protection, it goes a long way not to skimp out and this would be our recommendation among all the sleeves compared.

Gamegenic Matte Prime Sleeves (Amazon / Lazada / Shopee)

While not always the top-of-mind consideration, Gamegenic sleeves surprised us with their quality. Smoother to the touch compared to the alternatives featured here, the Gamegenic Matte Prime Sleeves does the job but it would not be our first pick despite it being one of the most affordable sleeves out there.

The key weakness of the Gamegenic Matte Prime Sleeves for Lorcana would be its lack of opacity. This means that you may be able to see the back of the card through the sleeve which is something we’ve observed with this set. In a tournament setting it would be a cause for concern as it allows cards to be marked. However, if you’re planning to use the sleeves for casual use, it would be of little concern.

Ultimate Guard Katana Standard Sleeves (Amazon / Lazada / Shopee)

If Dragon Shield sleeves are not available, the Ultimate Guard Katana Standard Sleeves are a solid alternative. In comparison, both brands offer great clarity when it comes to viewing card art and have a similar shuffle feel as well.

The biggest cause of concern with Ultimate Guard Sleeves would be how they stand the test of time. In our experience, Ultimate Guard sleeves then to have their corners bending a bit too easily. This would be a concern once again when it comes to card marking in general.

Overall, these remain a solid pick and we would love to see more sleeve colours available in the market.

As we see more Lorcana products hitting the shelves eventually, it would always be a good idea to pick up a set of sleeves together with your purchase. Taking good care of cards is a good pro-tip and if things go well it might spell a minor windfall as well!

Gerald

Gerald currently straddles between his love of video games and board gaming. There’s nothing that interests him more than trying out the newest and fanciest gadget in town as well. He dreams of publishing a board game sometime in the future!

The post Best Card Sleeves For Lorcana -Dragon Shield / Gamegenic / Ultimate Guard Sleeves Compared appeared first on Geek Culture.

With FromSoftware getting ready to revisit the Armored Core franchise in over a decade, there will be many who will be taking their first steps in this mech action game. Just like many of the Japanese studio’s games, it can be difficult to understand everything that’s required to succeed in Armored Core VI: Fires Of Rubicon.

To get you up to speed, consider this a starter guide with the 8 essential things to know about Armored Core VI before landing on Rubicon 3.

6 Essential Things To Know About Armored Core VI: Fires Of Rubicon

#1. Linear Structure, Smaller Worlds

As opposed to the gigantic open world of Elden Ring, Armored Core VI: Fires Of Rubicon is on the other end of the spectrum. Sorties can be as short as a combat encounter against just a few enemies, while more involved ones will obviously include more fights and daunting bosses, together with objectives to accomplish.

Exploration is also optional, with certain collectibles to be found in the form of combat logs and parts, but don’t expect any alternate dungeons and the like that can be discovered.

#2. Combat is Frenetic, But Strategy Matters

Piloting the Armored Cores (ACs) can feel immensely powerful, especially when you have the engines boosting and all four weapons firing at once. Add to that opposition forces that can do the same or even better, and a fight can easily become a spectacle.

That said, it is not just about packing the biggest guns. Knowing the right counter to enemy builds is the only way to success, and learning how to manage all the various systems of your Armored Core, like ammo, energy, and overall health, is absolutely vital. Don’t go rushing in; that’s just asking to fail.

#3. Boss Battles Galore

Speaking of bosses, the freedom of Armored Core VI means FromSoftware has more room to experiment when it comes to scale and complexity. Rival ACs are but the tip of the iceberg, especially when there are building-sized contraptions awaiting any unfortunate pilot.

Expect bosses to possess some of the craziest weapons in the game, and they are not afraid to use their power, size, and speed to make you pay. As such, it is always wise to remember that preparation is the avenue to success.

#4. There is no Best Build

The art of preparation in the game comes down to the many parts that can make up an AC. From the different body parts of your mech down to the weapons and even the energy generator, the mech building portion is an entire world on its own.

Each part has various benefits and drawbacks, and the unique characteristics can change how you play drastically. The huge amount of variety goes a long way in keeping invested players engaged, similar to a levelling system in roleplaying games, but instead of XP, you are trying to get more efficient components as part of your setup. Finding a nice balance will keep you up and fighting much longer compared to trying to create the beefiest or fastest AC there is.

#5. Take Your Learning Seriously

Armored Core VI offers several ways to help players get acquainted with its different mechanics, including a robust training section as well as the Arena. For the former, each section will focus on a key part of the combat experience, ranging from using different weapon and damage types to the mobility options afforded by different legs. Completing them all not only bolsters your knowledge, but there are also rewards of additional parts to use in customising your AC.

As for the Arena, they offer excellent opportunities to train up against other notable ACs and their pilots, and earn you valuable OST Chips, which can be used in the OS Tuning portion of the game to unlock more advanced features, such as manual aiming and a boost kick. Passive buffs to other vital stats like overall kinetic damage or your health can also make a huge difference.

#6. Accessible Refinements

While the studio is well known for punishing players, this game is surprisingly accessible in a couple of ways. For starters, repair kits allow players to regain health during missions, a luxury that wasn’t present before in previous titles.

There are also supply sherpas that can come in during certain missions to replenish your health and ammo, and acts as checkpoints before the next portion. Meeting your demise also allows you to restart from a checkpoint, but more importantly, it also provides a chance to tweak your current build, albeit limited to the parts you already have, to change up the strategy before jumping in again.

Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon is now available for all major console platforms and PC.

Jake Su

Jake is a full-time trophy hunter and achievement gatherer on consoles, and part-time Steam Sale victim. He has a thing for Batman and awesome statues, and running out of space for both. Send help.

The post 6 Essential Things To Know About Armored Core VI: Fires Of Rubicon Before You Play appeared first on Geek Culture.

Just mere months after opening up the vast region of Sumeru, the world of Genshin Impact is set to welcome yet another new setting – and underwater, to boot. But Fontaine isn’t the only thing to look forward to in the 4.0 patch, with the highly-anticipated Lyney making his debut as the region’s first limited 5-star playable character.

First revealed in 2020 alongside his sister Lynette in Genshin Impact’s Tevyat Chapter Storyline Preview: Travail, players have waited three long years to finally obtain the charming magician as a playable character.

The fanbase has been beyond excited with the release of his official demo and trailer, even with aggressive comments on his design from a small fraction of the Korean fandom. These comments on Twitter show just how hyped the fanbase has been for his arrival, further heightened with Genshin Impact’s callback to his original preview on Travail.

As the Pyro character unveils the tricks in his hat to entice players to spend all their primogems on him, here’s our ultimate guide to building Lyney. 

Ultimate Guide to Building Lyney

Lyney is a Pyro Bow character mainly scaling off attack (ATK), relying on Charged Attacks (CA) to maximise his damage potential. He benefits and strengthens a team that comprises mainly Pyro characters (mono-Pyro), with his ideal role as an on-field DPS character. More about his rotations further down the guide – first, a look at his talents.

Talent Breakdown

Aside from his magically designed normal attack (NA) animations, his NA and plunging attacks are similar to other bow users. But, his charged attack comes with a special quirk: different effects occur based on the time spent on charging the shot in aim mode. Level 1 is a normal Pyro-charged attack, while Level 2 fires a Prop Arrow dealing Pyro damage, and summoning a Grin-Malkin Hat on hit.

Prop Arrow

• Above 60% HP:
  • Consumes 20% of his max HP for 1 Prop Surplus stack (up to 5 stacks). 
  • After 30 seconds out of combat, this effect is removed. 
  • Lyney’s HP cannot drop beyond 60% of his max HP.

Every 6 seconds, Prop Arrow drops a Spiritbreath Thorn (49.6% damage at Skill Level 10), dealing Pneuma-aligned Pyro damage.

Pneuma is a new mechanic for Fontaine characters that is used to unlock Ousia-affiliated puzzles in Fontaine.

Grin-Malkin Hat

Grin-Malkin Hat inherits a portion of Lyney’s max HP and taunts nearby opponents. Only 1 Hat can be on-field.

When destroyed or its duration expires, it fires a Pyrotechnic Strike (381.6% damage at Skill Level 10) at 1 nearby opponent, dealing Pyro damage.

Skill (E): Bewildering Lights

With a 15-second cooldown, Bewildering Lights allows Lyney to clear all existing Prop Surplus stacks and deals area-of-effect (AoE) Pyro damage to opponents in front of him. It regenerates Lyney’s HP based on his max HP (20% per stack at SL10), with any Grin-Malkin Hat on-field exploding and dealing AoE Pyro damage. The damage is equal to a Pyrotechnic Strike, and is considered Charged Attack damage.

Elemental Burst (Q) — Wondrous Trick: Miracle Parade

Lyney turns into his cute Grim-Malkin Cat (not Hat!) that scampers around fast! It has a 15 second cooldown, and deals one instance of Pyro damage to each opponent when close to enemies. After 3 seconds, Lyney dismisses this state and ignites Explosive Fireworks (deals AoE Pyro damage, 745.2% damage at SL10), summons 1 Grin-Malkin Hat, and gains 1 Prop Surplus stack. This cat can be actively cancelled.

With the majority of his damage stemming from charged attacks, it is recommended to give priority to his Normal Attack talent level as his charged attacks scale from this talent. His Skill and Ultimate, meanwhile, can be levelled according to your needs – if you want his Ultimate to charge faster, focus on his Ultimate talent; if not, focus on levelling his Skill talent.

Passives

Constellation Overview

Ascension and Talent Materials

With a new region comes more farming for all the new specialities and talent books. For Lyney, his new local speciality ascension material is the Rainbow Rose, found mainly in the Beryl Region. It can also be found outside the Court of Fontaine, around Marcotte Station, and near the Fountain of Lucine.

The flower map pins contain the rough location of the Rainbow Roses.

His required boss material is the Emperor’s Resolution, dropped by the new boss Emperor of Fire and Iron. Players will have to dive underwater to locate the boss, just outside of the Belleau Region.

For his talent upgrades, he requires the Equity talent books, obtainable every Monday, Thursday and Sunday in Fontaine’s talent book domain Rhyming Rhythm. Players will have to dive underwater and locate the domain near Salacia Plains.

Below is a brief breakdown of the other materials required.

Best Weapons

The best 5-star but premium choice will be his best-in-slot (BiS) 5-star bow, The First Great Magic. Tailor-made for his kit, it gives CRIT DMG%, increases CA damage and ATK% with every Pyro unit in the team. As discussed above, these stats directly increase his damage-dealing prowess and works well with his passives.

Other premium 5-star bow choices include Aqua Simulacra, Thundering Pulse, and Skyward Harp. Their passives don’t work well with his kit, but the CRIT DMG% secondary stat of these 5-star bows is too hard to ignore.

The best 4-star weapon choice will be Song of Stillness, forgeable when Fontaine is released. Its secondary stat ATK% works well with him, and its passive allows for a sizable damage increase (16% at weapon refinement 1) when Lyney is healed. Since Lyney needs a healer to maximise his Prop Surplus damage, this bow works best amongst all 4-star weapons.

The next best 4-star weapon is Prototype Crescent, another forgeable bow. Its secondary stat is also ATK%, but players need to hit an enemy’s weak point with CAs to make full use of the bow’s passive.

Best Artifact Sets And Substats

4-piece Marechausse Hunter

Fontaine’s new artifact set available in Fontaine’s new artifact domain, Denouement of Sin. The 2-piece bonus increases his CA damage by 15 percent, while the 4-piece bonus increases his CRIT Rate by 12 percent for 5 seconds (up to 3 stacks) when his HP increases or decreases.

As Lyney will mainly be using CAs and needs a healer for his fullest damage potential, this artifact set further stretches that damage window.

4-piece Vermillion Hereafter

This set requires players to constantly start with Lyney’s burst when he is on field, and use his CAs, to fully utilise this artifact set. Its 2-piece bonus helps in increasing his ATK%. The 4-piece bonus only increases ATK by 16 percent after using an Elemental Burst, with an additional 10 percent ATK when he loses HP (up to 4 stacks).

2-piece Marechausse Hunter / 2-piece Crimson Witch of Flames / 2-piece ATK+18% sets

2-piece Crimson Witch of Flames increases Lyney’s Pyro damage bonus, and the other artifacts will contribute to his CA and damage output.

Substats

As Lyney scales off ATK%, players should aim to get an ATK% Sands, Pyro damage Goblet and CRIT DMG or CRIT Rate Circlet.

As for substats, players should prioritise CRIT Rate or CRIT DMG, followed by ATK%, then Flat ATK. ER% (Energy Recharge) will be a good additional substat if you need to continually use his Elemental Burst.

Recommended Playstyle

The ideal rotation for Lyney will be 3 to 4 CAs, followed by his Elemental Burst, but cancelled early by Elemental Skill, before swapping to another character. His Elemental Burst does not give as much damage as his Elemental Skill or CAs.

However, if Lyney is using the 4-piece Vermillion Hereafter set, his ideal rotation will be to use his Elemental Burst first, cancel it early with his Elemental Skill, followed by 3-4 CAs, before swapping to another character.

Recommended Team Compositions

Lyney best runs on a mono-Pyro team with a healer, an offensive character that increases his damage output, and a shielder that allows his CAs to remain uninterrupted by enemy attacks.

Hence, his best teammate is Bennett, who provides healing and an ATK% boost with his Elemental Burst while being a Pyro character. With the healing required by Lyney, it is best for Bennett to run HP% artifacts to increase his healing output. The quick cooldown of Bennett’s Elemental Skill also helps with ER to upkeep the Elemental Bursts of characters in the team. 

Lyney’s options for shielders include Zhongli and C4 Yanfei. Zhongli provides a 20 percent Elemental Resistance (RES) decrease in enemies, and his shield is able to hold up for the 15-second cooldown of Lyney’s Elemental Burst and Elemental Skill. Meanwhile, C4 Yanfei provides a shield after using her Elemental Burst and is able to contribute to Lyney’s output by being a Pyro character. 

For offensive support characters, it is recommended to use Anemo crowd-control characters equipped with the 4-piece Viridescent Venerer artifact set, such as Kazuha, Venti or Sucrose, to optimise the AoE of Lyney’s CAs. Kazuha is an especially powerful option, given that his kit will increase Lyney’s personal damage. 4-piece Viridescent Venerer will decrease the RES of opponents to the element infused in Swirl.

The Genshin Impact fanbase has long awaited Lyney since he first started charming the hearts of players in 2020. Built as a strong on-field DPS, players who obtain him can further upgrade the damage of their teams and find more play styles that enrich their gameplay experience.

Sprinkled with a touch of Lyney’s magic, the gorgeous look on his animations and skills demonstrates the game’s improvement with each new patch.

For Lyney to magically appear in the accounts of players worldwide, the primogems of players will also have to magically disappear into Fontaine’s first character banner, just like the card magic by the sleight of his hands in his character demo. The character is now available in-game, with Zhongli and Childe returning for Phase 2 of Version 4.0’s limited character banner.

Kaylyn Lim

Kaylyn is usually geeking out over gacha games or the latest updates in a manga, and can talk all day about them. She’s also an avid collector, and really needs more space to store her game merchandise, utaite CDs and manga books.

The post ‘Genshin Impact’ Lyney Guide: Best Build, Weapons, Artifacts, Materials appeared first on Geek Culture.

Now that Nintendo‘s Pikmin 4 is available for all who aspire to explore the stars and save some Castaways, this might be the very first time some players are coming into close contact with the series. While the Pikmin franchise has not always been as popular as Nintendo’s other flagship games, it does deliver a unique experience hard to find elsewhere. If you happen to be a newcomer, here is a list of important tips and tricks to remember before starting Pikmin 4.

8 Tips For Making Pikmin 4 Even More Enjoyable

#1. Oatchi’s Everyone’s Best Friend

A new addition to the series, the rescue pup known as Oatchi will prove to be an invaluable ally throughout the adventure in Pikmin 4. Not only can it rush to attack enemies and stun them, but Oatchi is also an excellent transport option for all Pikmin across all manner of terrain.

Once it is fully upgraded with various skills, it becomes even more of an asset when it comes to combat, carrying stuff, and sniffing out precious treasures and rare Pikmin. Always have Oatchi by your side, and things will be much easier.

#2. Time is on Your Side

Unlike the previous title, there is simply no reason to rush at all. One of the most important tips to remember in Pikmin 4 is that being thorough is much better than rushing everywhere without a clear strategy. There is no limited number of days to complete the game, and in caves, time passes even slower, so players can take their time on each day to fully explore.

For completionists, the absence of that pressure to keep moving fast is an excellent change made for this game, and it benefits all kinds of players as well.

#3. Maximise Your Pikmin Army

The worst thing you can do in Pikmin 4 is not to do anything, and that goes for your group of Pikmin as well. There is always going to be something that demands your attention, and it is much more efficient to send the colourful creatures on different tasks than to wait for one thing to be done.

This is a core Dandori principle, which will also come in handy when dealing with the various Dandori Battles and Challenges. While the overall game doesn’t demand swiftness, these scenarios do, and the sooner players can learn which Pikmin are best for what tasks, the better.

#4. Find a Good Fit

Speaking of tasks and Pikmin, knowing your Pikmin is probably one of the most important tips to kind in mind for Pikmin 4. While the Red, Yellow, and Blue Pikmin are pretty easy to find, the rest of the crew is not. The White, Purple, Rock, Pink, and Ice Pikmin only come in limited numbers, at least at the start, and losing them can make things unnecessarily hard.

Sure, you can always head into specific caves to increase their numbers, but why go through the hassle? Make sure you are using the Pikmin correctly, and life will be much better. Here are some tips for matchups in Pikmin 4:

• Red Pikmin – Perfect for attacking and dealing with fire.
• Ice Pikmin – Use to freeze bodies of water and enemies.
• Yellow Pikmin – Great diggers and are impervious to electricity.
• Blue Pikmin – Can work underwater.
• Rock Pikmin – Immune to being squashed, use them to break crystal items and deal significant damage to enemies when thrown.
• Winged Pikmin – Use them for airborne enemies and to carry stuff without any impediments.
• Purple Pikmin – With a strength of 10 Pikmin, they can easily carry heavy objects and are immune to wind and bubble attacks.
• White Pikmin – Best used to deal with poisonous situations.

#5. Survey the Surroundings

Instead of being distracted by everything you find at first glance, it is always a good tip to explore and see what’s up first being committing to a task. Clear out all the enemies you can find, explore and open up every shortcut, and remove all obstacles in your way.

With that done, every task you send your Pikmin to do becomes worry-free, and they will be able to get it all done in the fastest, safest way possible.

#6. Always Be Upgrading

As the Rescue Command gets more crowded with Castaways and other crew members of the Rescue Corps, be sure to speak to everyone to open up more options to enhance your abilities. This can be in the form of new Gear and Items at the Lab, training for Oatchi, or sidequests that can provide useful Raw Materials.

Whenever possible, help Oatchi become better at its job, and equip your character with useful gear like a Treasure Tracker or increased health. The world is perilous out there, so don’t take any chances.

#7. Pikmin Are Expendable

As dark as it is to say it, another great tip to keep in mind for Pikmin 4 is that your adorable creatures can always be replaced. Losing them is an inevitability of the journey, be it through a mistake or a lapse in concentration. Keep your overall goal in mind, and worry less about the more commonly found Pikmin.

It is all part of the game, so remember, you are not a monster.

#8. Rewinding Time

Last but certainly not least, Pikmin 4 allows players to rewind time to certain junctures during the day to remedy any mistakes that have been made. Perhaps losing half of your Pikmin army to an annoying enemy is too much to bear; bring up the Options menu, and rewind time to try again.

There is no shame in making full use of a mechanic put in Pikmin 4 to help players, and that’s probably the most vital tip there can be. Use everything you have in the arsenal to make your mission a success.

Pikmin 4 is available on the Nintendo eShop for US$59.99.

Jake Su

Jake is a full-time trophy hunter and achievement gatherer on consoles, and part-time Steam Sale victim. He has a thing for Batman and awesome statues, and running out of space for both. Send help.

The post Pikmin 4: 8 Tips To Enhance Efficiency The Dandori Way appeared first on Geek Culture.

You’ve heard and read great things about the excellent all-around flagship smartphone, the Oppo Find X6 Pro, but it was unfortunately only released in the China market in March 2023. However, if you want to be able to take pro-level photos thanks to its amazing triple-lens rear camera system, there is always Amazon, Lazada and Shopee to help out.

However, being a China-only release, the phone won’t come with Google Play Store and Google Services out of the box. But installing Google Play Store and getting it up and running is actually easier than you think, and you should be all set within minutes with these simple steps:

1. Download the latest Google Play Store APK from APKPure’s site.
2. You will receive a Install Unknown Apps prompt, just go ahead and give it all the necessary permissions to proceed and install the APK. Once it’s done, you should have the Google Play Store app installed and ready to go.
3. Google Services should also be installed along with the Google Play Store APK package but if for some reason it isn’t, you can download it manually from APKPure too.

You can occasionally update the Google Play Store manually too, by simply opening the Google Play Store, tapping your profile picture on the top right corner and heading to Settings > About and tap on the Update Play Store button.

Once you’re done installing the Google Play Store, you can go about logging in to your Google account and installing all your favourite apps. While you’re at it, don’t forget to go ahead and uninstall most of the pre-installed China-based apps which you won’t be using anytime soon. You’ll be glad to know that pretty much every app can be uninstalled, so have fun customizing it to your needs!

Yonk

Yonk is a geek who is fortunate enough to have an equally geeky Star Wars fan for a wife, who owns a LEGO Millennium Falcon encased in a glass coffee table as their home’s centre-piece.

The post How To Install Google Play Store On Your Oppo Find X6 Pro appeared first on Geek Culture.

The world of Final Fantasy XVI is now open for exploration, but some JRPG veterans may find it isn’t the easiest undertaking – and understandably so. Square Enix’s latest offers plenty of new gameplay features and mechanics, but the most prominent change is its shift to an action-RPG approach, which calls for a different kind of expertise.

Between chaining combos, managing skill cooldowns, combining various abilities, and commanding Torgal, protagonist Clive’s loyal canine fighting companion, there’s a lot to keep up with when the action kicks into high gear. Combat can, as such, become overwhelming at times, and the individual boss and mini-boss fights, with their increased difficulty, are likely to pose a daunting challenge. 

Still, Final Fantasy XVI is designed to be accessible to genre newcomers, so there are some built-in options that ease the transition to new territory, such as a Story-Focused Mode and equippable accessories that simplify combat in some way – whether by executing dodges automatically, or assigning automatic commands to Torgal. But beyond that, it’s pretty much a learning experience, and here are seven tips you can check out to shine brighter in combat. 

1) Master the precision dodge, and prioritise it over perfect parry

Precision dodge is your best weapon in Final Fantasy XVI, so it’s important to nail the timing for execution, particularly in hard-hitting boss encounters. Depending on the build and nature of the enemy (fast vs slow, far-reaching attacks vs close range), it’ll be easier to grasp the time window for some than the others. The key here is to use ranged attacks to observe and understand the attacking pattern and reel in the trigger finger, until the silver of opening appears. 

To make the dodge more efficient, equip the Berserker Ring – rewarded for reaching 85 Renown, obtained through completing side quests – that temporarily increases attack proficiency with each precision dodge. Perfect parry is also an option in the game, but the lack of i-frames (a single frame, or some window of time otherwise, during which the player character is invincible and cannot be hurt) means players can still get hit in the middle of parrying or immediately after, which isn’t ideal. 

2) Customise the loadout that best fits your fighting style 

Final Fantasy XVI offers deep customisation, from combining move sets on the battlefield to upgrading abilities on the skill tree. Since Clive can equip three Eikon styles and two abilities from each at any one time, there’s a lot of room to play around with different configurations and combos. The training area, accessed via the Arete Stone, is particularly useful for such trial-and-error endeavours. 

It should be noted that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all loadout, because it depends greatly on an individual’s play style. Defensive players, for instance, will likely favour Titan’s Titanic Block, which lets them pull off a powerful counter following a perfect block (the only Eikonic ability to feature a perfect block), while air combo enthusiasts may lean towards Garuda’s Deadly Embrace. From one highly aggressive player to another, abilities that allow Clive to close in on enemies (e.g. Phoenix’s far lunge and Phoenix Shift), crowd control / mobility skills (Shiva’s Cold Snap), and fast, heavy-hitting strikes (Odin’s Zentetsuken) are particularly useful. 

In general, understanding the strengths of each Eikon and their skills comes highly recommended, even if you aren’t necessarily a fan of a specific style. Ramuh’s kit does decent damage, with Blind Justice working wonders against a sea of weak enemies, whereas Deadly Embrace is great at singling out spellcasters that use healing or buffing spells. The mix-and-match flexibility gets an upgrade along the way, where certain amulets and skill mastery allows abilities to be equipped interchangeably, without being limited to just one Eikonic style or aspect.

3) Make use of the free respeccing

The process of customisation is made easier with free respeccing. Like most RPGs, the skill tree in Final Fantasy XVI offers a mix of cheap upgrades and expensive abilities that players can invest in, and eventually master. 

Here, they are able to get their ability points back from any skill at any point – as long as they aren’t in combat – and re-distribute them as desired. This makes it very convenient to play around with different playstyles, though it’s not possible to max out all of the abilities in the first playthrough. A word of advice? It may be tempting to save up your points and unlock the skills with the highest costs, but it’d be better to upgrade and master existing ones first, then re-allocate the points later. 

4) Distinguish between HP and Stagger damage

Every ability on the skill tree comes with two ratings: one for raw damage, and the other for Stagger potential. Despite the seemingly insignificant difference, knowing the best time to use them can actually make combat easier, as damage output can be maximised. Triggering abilities with high Stagger potential leads to faster depletion of the Stagger metre, which lands the chance to stack 150% damage modifiers with strong HP damage abilities. In contrast, activating moves that primarily deal Stagger damage when the opponent is already Staggered would be less effective.

This is especially handy in the first half of the game, where the pool of Eikonic abilities is still relatively scarce, and can be ignored as your play style evolves. 

5) Craft upgraded weapons and increase potion potency 

With a total of 76 side quests, it can be difficult to determine which ones are worth the extra time and effort. As a general rule of thumb, players should look out for quests involving the blacksmith, Blackthorne, and the head botanist, Nigel, because the completion rewards for these will prove very much useful in combat. 

More specifically, finishing the Blacksmith’s Blues questline unlocks powerful craftable armour and weapons, while Nigel’s “The Root of the Problem” quest enhances potion potency. Do note that there are some prerequisites to accomplish before these side quests can be completed, with both potion capacity and potency able to be upgraded twice. 

The equipment upgrade is crucial, because damage output and absorption in Final Fantasy XVI is largely dependent on Clive’s gear. Unfortunately, the crafting process isn’t always straightforward – it often requires specific materials and monster parts that can only be obtained from bounty hunts. As a bonus, the “Weird Science” side quest should also be completed, so players can bring along more potions, on top of enjoying their increased healing. 

6) Unleash Limit Break for self-healing in a pinch

Consumables aren’t the only source of healing on the battlefield. Limit Break, the empowered state that Clive enters when his Limit Gauge is full, grants some HP recovery with every hit, and serves as a viable alternative when health is running low. The other best time to unleash it is on a Staggered opponent, allowing players to inflict more damage than usual and heal at the same time. 

Those running the Phoenix build have an extra helpline in the form of Flames of Rebirth. Costing 1695 Ability Points, it damages a number of enemies around Clive and heals him at the same time. The skill can be upgraded for 2390 Ability Points, with Mastery requiring 4,250 Ability Points. 

7) Keep an eye on the lighter green health bar

In Final Fantasy XVI, there are two health bars – the bright green line, and a lighter-toned one. The latter indicates the maximum healing players can restore with non-potion healing, such as through Torgal’s Cure Command, Limit Break, or the Flames of Rebirth ability, so don’t be surprised when none of those fills up the whole bar. There are only two ways to heal beyond that: use a potion, or wait for a level up.

BONUS: Ride chocobos to skip trifling combat

While combat is a core gameplay element of Final Fantasy XVI, it’s entirely possible to evade the trifling mobs and avoid fighting altogether. Sprinting works, but the best way to go about it is to ride Clive’s chocobo, obtained by completing “The White-Winged Wonder” side quest that can be easily missed out. 

Apart from Notorious Marks – subjects for bounty hunts – and essential fight sequences, chocobo-riding presents an out for players traversing from one place to another without having to be constantly locked in battle. Besides, every moment spent with a chocobo is always a good moment. 

For genre newcomers and longtime JRPG enthusiasts, the change to an ARPG play style may be extremely daunting and overwhelming. With new undertakings, however, come new experiences, and there’s plenty of that to go around in Final Fantasy XVI. Between its accessibility offerings, this list of tips, and practice, combat will soon grow from a difficult, trying experience to a fun, manageable task. 

Si Jia

Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.

The post Geek’s Guide: 7 Tips To Get Better At Final Fantasy XVI’s Combat appeared first on Geek Culture.

Dive into the magical world of Teyvat as we embark on a comprehensive journey to build one of Genshin Impact‘s newest characters, Kirara.

Phase 1 of Genshin Impact’s 3.7 update has arrived, and we’re all excited to meet Kirara, the lovely kitty delivery girl from the Komaniya Express, the famous delivery company in Inazuma, who possesses a Dendro sword. She will be one of the featured 4-star characters on Yoimiya’s and Yae Miko’s banners.

Kirara possesses an elemental skill that offers a high capacity for damage absorption, specifically with respect to Dendro damage, as its efficiency is directly proportional to her maximum health points (HP). This makes her one of the best shield supports in the game.

Navigating the landscapes of Teyvat also becomes notably easier with Kirara’s distinct exploration skill. She can transform into a cat-themed parcel, which remarkably reduces stamina usage and effortlessly scales walls, making it an exceptionally handy ability for exploration.

"She's an adorable little nekomata. Just whisper 'your gonna be late' in her ear while she's asleep, and she'll spring right up and start dashing faster than General Gorou does on the battlefield."#GenshinImpact pic.twitter.com/ZVmYUzxKjR

— Genshin Impact (@GenshinImpact) April 10, 2023

From weapons to ascension materials and artifacts, this guide offers step-by-step instructions, tailored strategies, and expert advice to turn Kirara into a durable Dendro shielder for your team.

Character Ascension Materials

Talent Ascension Materials

Where To Farm Kirara’s Materials

Amakumo Fruit

For those aiming to enhance Kirara, Seirai Island proves to be a fruitful region to farm for Amakumo Fruit. The vicinity surrounding Amakumo Peak, the habitat of Thunder Manifestation, is an ideal location to harvest these necessary fruits.

Spectral Husk, Spectral Heart, Spectral Nucleus

Collecting the Spectral set involves defeating Specters, a prevalent foe within Inazuma. To efficiently locate their spawning points, it is highly advisable to utilise the Genshin Impact interactive map. Farming Specters can be challenging with melee characters since these foes possess the ability to levitate and recuperate health. Hence, incorporating characters with long-range attack abilities, like those equipped with bows, into your party will be beneficial.

Evergloom Ring

Acquiring this mystical weapon involves defeating the Four-Armed Envoy of Dark Tidings, also known as an Iniquitous Lustrators, a new boss introduced in the Genshin Impact 3.6 update. 

Nagadus Emeralds

Any Dendro character must ascend using the Nagadus Emerald jewels. These jewels are dropped by the Jadeplume Terrorshroom and Dendro Hypostasis, but players can also purchase Dust of Azoth from the Stardust Exchange and convert other kinds of jewels.

Talent Ascension Materials

Kirara’s ascension books are Teachings of Transience, Guide to Transience, and Philosophies of Transience, all of which are available from the Violet Court domain on Mondays, Thursdays, and Sundays.

The Everamber, a new weekly boss drop from the Dragon of Verdure: Apep is also required. Do note that you will have to finish Act 2 of Nahidah’s Story Quest to unlock this boss.

A Crown of Insight is needed for each level 10 talent, which can be obtained during limited-time events.

Best Kirara Weapon

Our emphasis on Kirara’s HP% stems from the fact that her shield scales with her HP. To achieve higher HP, it’s crucial to prioritise a weapon with a high HP%.

Kirara’s optimal weapon of choice is the Key of Khaj-Nisut. While this weapon is primarily associated with the five-star Hydro character Nilou, it is also a remarkable match for Kirara.

The sword significantly boosts health, fitting Kirara’s abilities ideally, and enhances elemental mastery, enhancing her supportive role.

The Key of Khaj-Nisut carries the “Sunken Song of the Sands” capability, which bolsters the wielder’s health points by 20 percent and features health points as its upgradeable statistic. Upon successful impact of an elemental skill on an opponent, the Grand Hymn effect comes into play for a duration of 20 seconds.

Best Kirara Artifacts

Kirara’s optimal artifact configuration is the Tenacity of the Millelith set. The two-piece effect boosts the wearer’s HP by 20 percent, and the four-piece effect enhances the attack of all party members by 20 percent, and amplifies their shield strength by 30 percent for 3 seconds once an elemental skill lands successfully on a foe. This effect can be triggered every 0.5 seconds, even if the wielder isn’t in active combat. 

Generally, players will prefer to stick to the two-piece configuration of this set, unless the four-piece configuration aligns with a particular Kirara build. Considering Kirara’s HP scaling, combining the two-piece Tenacity of the Millelith set with another HP-focused two-piece set, such as Vourukasha’s Glow, is highly recommended.

Kirara is now featured on the first banner of the 3.7 update, which went live on 24 May 2023. Alhaitham will be featured in the second phase, and you can refer to his guide here.

Natalie

Natalie is a big fan of anything related to movies, TV shows, games, and comics — you name it. When she’s not reading or geeking out about the latest shows on Netflix, she’s probably playing gacha and tabletop games, or daydreaming of meeting her idols.

The post Guide To Building Genshin Impact’s Kirara: Weapons, Ascension Materials, And Artifacts appeared first on Geek Culture.

A jack of all trades, or a master of one? When the laptop market is oversaturated with tons of options, it’s important to pick an approach and shape a core identity. For MSI, the approach has always been to cover all bases, with its 2023 range of laptops designed to satisfy different work and play demands – or both. 

The selection can be daunting to customers, however, especially for those who are new to the Taiwanese tech giant’s offerings. From the Stealth 14 Studio to the Creator Z16 HX Studio, here’s a quick guide on the best MSI laptops for specific areas of gaming, productivity, and everything in between.

For The Gamers

MSI Pulse 15: The ultimate gaming beast

Leading the charge for gaming suite is the MSI Pulse 15, which packs a powerful punch with up to a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card and a 13th Gen Intel Core i7 processor. The 2.3kg flagship comes highly recommended for GPU-intensive endeavours or competitive gaming, with a 15.6-inch QHD display (2,560 x 1,440) and 240Hz refresh rate offering smooth, blazing fast visuals.

Adding a touch of the RGB bling is a four-zone gaming keyboard with highlighted WASD keys and specially-designed keycaps, while the wide selection of ports (1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C/DisplayPort, 2x USB 3.2 Type-A, 1x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1x HDMI, 1x RJ45, and 1x 3.5mm audio jack) is a convenient bonus. The price to pay for enjoying the ultimate gaming adventure? A S$3,399 starting price.

MSI Stealth 14 Studio: A lean, mean gaming machine

Performance and portability don’t always go hand in hand, but the MSI Stealth 14 Studio strikes a fine balance between the two. Tipping the scales at 1.7kg, it marries an RTX 4060 GPU and 13th Gen Intel processor with a compact form factor, and projects the combined lethality through a 14-inch QHD+ display (2,500 x 1,600). Like the Pulse 15, the laptop offers a 240Hz refresh rate, making it a great companion for fans of first-person shooters, competitive titles, and other fast-paced games, anytime and anywhere.

The 16:10 aspect ratio, meanwhile, sets aside more real estate than the conventional 16:9 outfit. With a larger viewing screen, users will be able to bask in both the visual and hardware glory of various gaming worlds from S$3,099.

MSI Katana 17: Bigger screen for a sharper edge

Sometimes, size matters. The MSI Katana 17 (read our review) presents an alternative for users who prefer a larger display, and comes decked out in a 17.3-inch FHD display (1,920 x 1,080) with a 144Hz refresh rate, an RTX 4060 GPU, and a 13th Gen Intel Core i7 processor. There’s also a 4-zone RGB gaming keyboard included on the 2.6kg laptop, much like the Pulse 15.

Lending a welcome touch of flexibility to function is the MUX Switch, which allows individuals to shuttle between powerful gaming performance and efficiency with a single click. The entire package retails for S$2,899, and includes other notable features like 1TB of storage and 16GB of memory.

MSI Cyborg 15: Look good, game good

Keeping in line with its name’s thematic relevance, the MSI Cyborg 15 takes after the cyberpunk aesthetic to present sleek, stylish translucent keycaps and chassis components. The see-through design charms with cybernetic-like trims and sci-fi accented elements, while the base is accompanied by stylised texts hidden in the ventilation openings that both paint a distinctive, eye-catching picture.

But it isn’t just a good looker. Under the hood, the 1.98kg trooper houses an RTX 4060 GPU and a 13th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, and combines them with a 15.6-inch, 144Hz FHD display, allowing users to experience top-of-the-line gaming – and look good at the same time. Set aside S$2,299, and this bad boy is yours to keep. 

MSI Thin GF63: Elevating the casual gaming experience

For those looking to enjoy some horsepower without having to dent the wallet, the MSI Thin GF63 strives to be the ideal everyday carry. At just S$1,699, the laptop is great value for money, with its RTX 4050 GPU and a 12th Gen Intel Core i5 processor offering an edge in casual gaming.

The display is no slouch either, sporting a 15.6-inch FHD resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate. Who said gaming on RTX 40-series devices has to come at a premium? Not MSI, that’s for sure.

For the Creative Professionals

MSI Creator Z16 HX Studio: Packing muscle for heavy-duty content creation

If there’s such a thing as powerlifters in the world of laptops, the MSI Creator Z16 HX Studio would be carrying everyone else. Weighing 2.35kg, the bundle of horsepower and blazing speeds is well-equipped to handle all the heavy lifting for content creation, from 3D rendering to video editing. An RTX 4060 GPU and the latest Intel Core i9 processor work to deliver the boost, while the 16-inch QHD display (2,560 x 1,600), certified to cover 100 percent of the DCI-P3 colour gamut, ensures sharp and accurate visuals.

The 16:10 aspect ratio comes as an added bonus, offering more viewing room for creative professionals and enthusiasts to review and execute their ideas on the screen. Taking after its creative nature, the workhorse is also designed to look good with its sleek, rounded edges,  subtle detailing, and elegant body – all of which amount to a S$3,999 price tag.

MSI Summit E13 Flip Evo: Versatility runs the show

The MSI Summit E13 Flip Evo is productivity made easy. Leveraging on the versatility of its 360-degree hinge, the lightweight convertible allows work to be done in multiple ways, be it viewing content in the traditional head-on manner, typing with the display laying flat on a surface, or as a tablet.

Adding a welcome touch of convenience and functionality is the MSI Pen, which combines the features of a stylus and presentation remote. Armed with 20 hours of battery life, a 14-inch FHD display, and a slate of I/O ports, the hybrid device – available at S$2,299 – is ideal for individuals who are always on the go. 

MSI Prestige 13 Evo:  The everyday carry for on-the-go productivity 

The best everyday carry of the lot, however, is the MSI Prestige 13 Evo. Coming in at an impressive 990 grams, the S$2,199 ultrabook brings processing power from the latest Intel Core i7 CPU without compromising on performance. Don’t be fooled by its ultra-slim profile, for it promises a 16-hour battery life and military-grade durability.

MSI Modern 14: Meeting productivity standards without breaking the bank

Rounding off the work laptop range is the MSI Modern 14, which serves as a more affordable alternative with its S$1,199 price tag. While there’s truth to the saying ‘quality comes at a price’, it isn’t quite as relevant here, as the 1.4kg trooper still delivers plenty on the productivity front, from its 14-inch FHD display and 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processor to the 180-degree lay-flat design.

This article is brought to you together with MSI Singapore.

Si Jia

Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.

The post Geek’s Guide To Getting The Best MSI Laptop For Work, Play, Or Both In 2023 appeared first on Geek Culture.

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Overseas travel is now back in season, and with it comes the reliving of the tourist experience: eating, sightseeing, and shopping. It’s all about having fun in a foreign land, and for geeks, part of the joy-seeking process involves expanding their toy collection. 

Hong Kong, having recently reopened its borders, is a popular destination in the region that draws many visitors for more reasons than one. Mong Kok, in particular, has grown into a shopping darling for toy enthusiasts and collectors over the years, with anime and Western pop culture merchandise all available within a stone’s throw away. 

While most of the stores there sell similar items, each has their niche specialty to offer. Here are six places of interest to check out on your next trip to Hong Kong, which span the streets of Mong Kok to other areas beyond.

1) In’s Point (Mong Kok)

Address: Wing Kiu Building, Nathan Rd, Yau Ma Tei

Don’t be fooled by its shabby facade – In’s Point is a treasure trove for toy brick fans. Best known for its LEGO selection, it houses a fair number of independent stores that sell the latest, hottest, and most popular sets at competitive prices. That’s saying a lot, because LEGO in Hong Kong is the world’s cheapest, likely due partly to its tax-free policy. 

Gunpla lovers can also get their kit-building fix here, as long as they are ready to fight their way through the crowd, and more so during weekends and public holidays.

2) CTMA Centre (Mong Kok)

Address: Sei Yeung Choi St S, Mong Kok

CTMA Centre isn’t as bustling as before, so do temper your expectations if you’ve swung by prior to pandemic times. It still plays host to a handful of gems, however, with collectibles and figures from Western properties, such as Marvel and Transformers, mainly dominating the space. Toy Hunters and Superman Toys are two of the more prominent storefronts, impressing with Hot Toy premiums and an intricately-crafted Akira action figure – among others – respectively. 

3) Sino Centre (Mong Kok)

Address: 582-592 Nathan Rd, Mong Kok

Beneath the lively, colourful veneer of Sino Centre lies a mini anime and video games paradise. Where the first two floors are home to gaming titles, the two stories above are dedicated to a wide range of anime collectibles that run the gamut from small gacha figurines to large-scale models. 

The highlight for non-anime enthusiasts, though, is the Hot Toys – Secret Base outlet located on the 20th floor, which features a jaw-dropping collection of premium figures from the Marvel, DC, and Star Wars universe. Sino Centre’s offerings are easily the most diverse of the listed names, coming highly recommended for those looking to get their hands on anime and game-related goodies.

4) Hot Toys – Rebel Base (Harbour City)

Address: 3 Canton Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui (Ocean Terminal)

A relatively new addition to Harbour City, Hot Toys – Rebel Base officially opened its doors last year on 22 December, and serves as a convenient and quick-buy option for Marvel, Star Wars, Disney, and DC Comics fans visiting the area. Apart from majestic life-size statues and large-scale figures, the store also sells adorable COSBABY mini-collectibles and blind boxes.

5) Windsor House (Causeway Bay)

Address: 311 Gloucester Rd, Causeway Bay

If low ceilings and cramped spaces don’t work for you, and you prefer your toy shopping experience to be less claustrophobic, this might be a better option. Windsor House, located in Causeway Bay is a contemporary-style 18-storey mall with restaurants and a cinema on its 4th floor. Over the years, it has also amassed quite a significant number of toy and collectibles stores that caters to all ages and interests. Starting from the 2nd floor, there is a Tomica/Takara Tomy dedicated store and a B51 Kids store which sells assorted toys for the younger ones.

The 3rd floor has the heaviest concentration, with four stores in all. May Toys carries Gunpla, Tamashii Nations, QPosket, Funko and more. Bricks House is for brick lovers, not only does it carry LEGO, but also a bunch of third-party brick products. Marks Toys is a Western-skewed movie props and collectibles store, with a heavy focus on all things Marvel and DC Comics. But it also carries Japanese pop culture toys such as Kamen Rider. Tiny World is a unique store that sells plenty of miniature vehicles and buildings, and it mostly carries its own “Tiny” brand of products. This is definitely worth checking out if you are into collecting miniature vehicles, with a touch of local HK flavour. And finally, there is a Toys “R” Us located on the 7th floor of the mall.

6) PlayMaxx (Sham Shui Po)

Address: 100 Nam Cheong St, Sham Shui Po

A cosy, welcoming space located at Sham Shui Po, PlayMaxx will appeal most to designer toy collectors. While niche, some of its offerings feature familiar pop culture icons, including the Xenomorph and Toy Story’s ever-adorable Alien, which rounds off its collection to one that’s formidable, menacing, and cute at the same time. A bonus head-turner, but not for sale: a glorious bust featuring T-800, the protagonist of the Terminator movies. 

It’s good to know the heart of the toy scene still beats strongly, despite the blow dealt by the pandemic. Mong Kok, as a breeding ground for LEGO, pop culture collectibles, and video games, acts as a one-stop solution, but there are other places of interest to check out elsewhere, too, if time or distance is a concern.

For those looking for generic options, or something for the younglings, the Toy Street at both Sham Shui Po and Wan Chai (just search “Toy Street” on Google Maps when you are in the area) are lined with plastic guns, toy cars, soft toys, and what-have-yous – who knows, keep your eyes open, and you might even stumble upon a geeky find.

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Si Jia

Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.

The post Geek’s Guide To Toy Shopping In Hong Kong 2023 appeared first on Geek Culture.

Baizhu, accompanied by his charming snake friend, made his first appearance in Genshin Impact in the second act of Chapter 1. With his intriguing persona and distinctive appearance, fans began speculating about whether he would eventually become a playable character.

The wait is finally over, as Baizhu will be available as a playable character in Phase 2 of the Genshin Impact 3.6 update, allowing those who have been eagerly anticipating his arrival to add him to their team.

Through in-game dialogues, it revealed that Baizhu is not only the owner of the Bubu Pharmacy in Liyue, but also a proficient doctor. The Dendro character is known to use traditional herbal medicine to treat various illnesses, as described by other characters in the game.

Despite his gentle demeanor, Baizhu conceals a severe illness that impacts his physical health, causing him to constantly walk the thin line between life and death. Nevertheless, he bravely confronts his situation and remains committed to helping those in need.

Back in February, teasers of Baizhu were shared by Genshin Impact‘s verified social media accounts, revealing that he is a Dendro character who uses a catalyst weapon.

Materials, abilities, and Baizhu’s best-in-slot (BiS) weapon have previously been datamined through Project Amber. Those fortunate enough to obtain him from the event banner will need to invest in ascending his character and talents to maximise his potential.

Baizhu serves as a defensive character, offering healing and shielding capabilities to team members, while enhancing Dendro reaction damage. With Phase 2 of the 3.6 update now live, here’s all you need to know about building the best Baizhu.

Character Ascension Materials

Talent Ascension Materials

Where To Farm Baizhu’s Materials

Violetgrass

Ascending Baizhu can be particularly challenging due to the requirement of Violetgrass. As one of the hardest local specialties to locate, Violetgrass is sparsely found on the cliff sides in Liyue, particularly around Qingju Pass or Wuwang Hill. Alternatively, it can be purchased from Herbalist Gui and Verr Goldet.

Fungal Spores, Luminescent Pollen, Crystalline Cyst Dust

When ascending Baizhu, materials dropped by fungal enemies are required, with higher-level foes yielding better drops. Keep in mind that if the fungal enemy is hit with Electro or Pyro attacks, it will drop the incorrect materials. To farm ascension materials for Baizhu, opt for Hydro attacks instead. Higher-level enemies yield better drops. Some can also be found in the Chasm, albeit in smaller numbers compared to Sumeru’s rainforests.

Evergloom Ring

Acquiring this mystical weapon involves defeating the Four-Armed Envoy of Dark Tidings, also known as an Iniquitous Baptist, a new boss introduced in the Genshin Impact 3.6 update. 

Nagadus Emeralds

Nagadus Emerald jewels are a prerequisite for ascending any Dendro character. These jewels are dropped by the Jadeplume Terrorshroom and Dendro Hypostasis, but players can also purchase Dust of Azoth from the Stardust Exchange and convert other kinds of jewels.

Talent Ascension Materials

Baizhu’s ascension books are Teachings of Gold, Guide to Gold, and Philosophies of Gold, all of which are available from the Taishan Mansion domain on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

The Worldspan Fern, a new weekly boss drop from the Dragon of Verdure: Apep is also required, which can be obtained from the 3.6 update. Do note that Act 2 of Nahidah’s Story Quest has to be completed to unlock this boss. A Crown of Insight is needed for each level 10 talent, which can be obtained during limited-time events.

Best Baizhu Weapon

To achieve higher HP and Energy Recharge, it’s crucial to prioritise a weapon with a high HP percentage and a passive ability that boosts Energy regeneration. The emphasis on Baizhu’s HP percentage stems from the fact that his healing scales with his HP.

Jadefall’s Splendor, Baizhu’s signature weapon, will be ideal for him. When activating an Elemental Burst or creating a shield, the character gains the Primordial Jade Regalia effect for 3 seconds: The character receives an Elemental DMG Bonus of 0.9% for every 1,000 Max HP they have, up to 36%. Additionally, they regain 6 Energy every 2.5 seconds. This effect remains active even when the character is off-field. At level 90, the weapon boasts an impressive 49.6% HP value and provides up to 608 base ATK. This is particularly exciting because, in the hands of a catalyst user, it can guarantee critical hits.

For free-to-play players, the craftable Prototype Amber is enough. The 4-star catalyst provides energy and HP, which are essential for his playstyle, making it a suitable choice. Although his signature weapon may slightly outperform it, the Prototype Amber remains a viable option.

Best Baizhu Artifacts

When optimising Baizhu as a healer, focus on HP and Energy Recharge sub-stats for improved healing and energy recharge, as his skill requires a considerable amount of energy.

To enhance Baizhu’s healing capabilities, farm the Ocean-Hued Clam artifact set, which grants a 15 percent healing bonus to your party members. Combine a 2-piece set with Deepwood Memories to obtain a Dendro DMG Bonus, adding extra damage to his abilities.

Baizhu will be featured on the second banner of the 3.6 update when it launches on 2 May 2023.

Natalie

Natalie is a big fan of anything related to movies, TV shows, games, and comics — you name it. When she’s not reading or geeking out about the latest shows on Netflix, she’s probably playing gacha and tabletop games, or daydreaming of meeting her idols.

The post How To Build Genshin Impact’s Baizhu: Weapons, Ascension Materials, And Artifacts appeared first on Geek Culture.

Albion Online’s new, Singapore-based server – known as Albion East – is now open to all, offering massively improved ping rates for players in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as a completely fresh version of the gameworld to explore. The medieval-themed MMORPG, from Berlin-based developers Sandbox Interactive, offers players a vast, immersive experience, with an economy driven by player-crafted items, and a classless, ‘you are what you wear’ system where changing playstyles is as simple as acquiring different gear and leveling up.

With so much freedom at your fingertips, it can be difficult to know where to begin. Albion Online offers no set quest lines, meaning players literally choose their own adventures and write their own stories. But there are some useful things to know to get yourself off to a good start in this world, so we’ve put together this short guide to help you through these early stages and open up Albion’s huge array of content.

Before delving into the nitty gritty, here are the features that the Asia Pacific server will offer:

• Greatly improved connection speeds and ping for the whole Asia-Pacific region.
• A new and untouched version of the game, where all players start as equals and can clain their own piece of Albion.
• A game world that is fully separate and independent from the existing Albion West server.
• Timings of game and sever events (territory battles, Crystal League, Faction Warefare, maintenance, etc) that are optimised for the region.

First Steps

Once you’ve created your character, it’s a good idea to play the tutorial. This not only introduces you to some of the game’s core mechanics like crafting and combat, but you’ll come out of it with some gear, some Silver, and a mule, which really helps you breeze through the early stages. Once the tutorial is completed, you’ll choose a Starter Town to begin your journey.

Each Starter Town is located in one of Albion’s five biomes – Mountain, Forest, Steppe, Swamp, and Highland – each of which has a particular blend of core resources available. But don’t worry about which town to choose as none are inherently advantageous, and travel between the biomes is unrestricted.

What you should focus on in these early stages is gaining Fame, which is Albion’s equivalent of experience points and will allow you to unlock better and more varied gear, and by extension cooler abilities. Your progress in leveling up your abilities can be seen on the Destiny Board, Albion’s skill tree.

Fame and Fortune

Combat Fame, which lets you level up your weapons and armor, can be gained by fighting mobs in these early stages. These can be found in the open world or in dungeons, but a great way to get started is by playing Expeditions. Each Starter Town has an Expedition Master near its center – visible by its large, glowing, blue portal – and visiting them will allow you to play a quick Expedition where you fight your way through mobs.

These offer plenty of Fame and Silver early on, easing your progress in the world. Once you’ve played some Expeditions, try your hand at some solo dungeons in the open world. These are more challenging but offer considerably more Silver and Fame as you improve your combat skills.

As you gain Fame and Silver, and unlock higher tiers of weapons and armor, you’ll want to start upgrading your equipment. Head to the Marketplace, where you can search for new items and mounts, and spend some of your hard-won Silver. Items can be filtered by their type and tier, and if you try to purchase an item that you can’t yet equip the game will warn you.

Gathering and Crafting

Along with combat, Albion offers a whole player-driven, resource-based economy that you can get stuck into. Grab a bag and some tools from the marketplace, and venture out into the open world to start gathering. As mentioned above, each biome specialises in one of five basic resources: Mountains/Ore, Forest/Wood, Steppe/Hide, Swamp/Fiber, and Highlands/Stone.

These resources come in tiers of increasing value, and gathering higher-tier resources requires higher-tier tools. Like weapons and armor, these tools require progression on the Destiny Board in their specific branch before they can be unlocked – which you can achieve by gaining Fame through gathering. Resources can be refined into other materials at stations in the Cities and Towns, and in turn crafted into weapons and armor. Or you can sell them directly at the Marketplace for Silver and simply buy the items you desire this way.

Many players look to specialise in gathering and crafting, and a whole host of economic gameplay possibilities exist here, such as trading, supplying crafters, or even owning Crafting Stations to generate Silver as players use them.

PvP Combat

Albion is not all about fighting mobs and working with resources though. A central pillar of the game is player-versus-player combat. But don’t be afraid of this! PvP is not possible in all areas, so you don’t have to expose yourself to it as you find your way around the game. In short, Albion’s open world has four zone types, which can be seen underneath the minimap in the bottom-right corner of your screen:

• Blue Zones: PvP is not allowed.
• Yellow Zones: You can choose to be attackable by flagging as hostile; combat losses result only in knockdown, not death.
• Red and Black Zones: You can kill or be killed, and death results in the loss of items you’re carrying; on the other hand, victory lets you loot your enemy’s items.

Remember, that even in red and black zones, death will never result in the loss of Silver or Gold, only items.

When you decide to enter more dangerous regions in search of more valuable mobs and resources, there are a few simple rules that can help you survive and thrive:

• Keep an eye on the edges of your screen for nearby hostile players, and be prepared to flee
• When on foot, remain close to your mount so you can escape quickly
• Don’t carry too much weight – being overburdened slows you down
• Select abilities on your items that offer speed benefits
• The minimap can show hostile players, large groups, or recent kills – avoid these areas if you wish to avoid combat
• When attacked, fighting back will prevent you leaving the zone during combat – it may be best not to fight if you wish to make a quick getaway
• Last but not least, the golden rule: don’t go into PvP zones with gear you can’t afford to replace!

The World is Yours

Once you’ve familiarised yourself with these basic tenets of Albion, there’s a whole world of possibilities for you to continue your journey. Join a City Faction and carry out exciting smuggling missions; join a guild and compete for territories, wealth, and prestige; join the Arena or Crystal Arena for high-energy, low-risk PvP action; buy an island to relax and farm crops; fight in increasingly difficult dungeons and Hellgates, with big rewards on offer – the list goes on.

There’s so much to explore in Albion, and once you’re familiar with the game you can truly shape your experience however you like. The world awaits, so strap on your gear and get out there now before the Founder Packs for Albion East expires on 30 April 2023, and you lose access to exclusive items that will never be available again.

Play Albion Online for FREE on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS today.

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The Baroness

Passion and love mean little to the Baroness. No man can ever be her master. Where there’s terror to be sown and coin earned, that’s where she will be with guns akimbo.

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