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'Stiq Tips: A Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn starter guide
Any MMO can be daunting if you go in blind. Although Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn isn't nearly as hardcore as FFXI, it still has a few snags that newcomers can hit if you aren't careful. Since many of you will be jumping in for the first time with the PlayStation 4, I've compiled some tips to help you ease into the process. First, understand that when creating a character, your race doesn't matter all that much. Yes, you can definitely do your research if you want to min-max and get that extra half a percentage of efficiency for your favorite class, but as a general rule the game is designed around the class system, so don't freak out when you're making your first step into the creation process. Having said that, the game is also designed to accommodate one character -- no alternates (alts) needed. What I mean by that is one character can simply switch classes, start from level one, and go all the way up to the maximum of 50 at any time (once you've unlocked the ability in the main story). Say you're a Lancer; all you need to do to become an axe-wielding Marauder is visit the Marauder's guild in its major city, talk to the guildmaster, get your first axe, and equip it. Boom -- you've switched classes. This encourages you to play the entire Realm Reborn experience with one main, in addition to full access to freely explore other classes and earn some select "cross-class" abilities to bring back to your other jobs. The other neat thing is that the game keeps the level of your highest class in mind, and gives you an experience bonus proportional to what level you are with your new class -- so experiment away!
'Stiq Tips: The Elder Scrolls Online Starter Guide
Elder Scrolls Online is a very traditional MMO, so those of you out there who don't play them regularly may have some trouble acclimating initially. But like most games, if you persevere and understand the fundamentals, everything will come in time. Before you even create a character, you should probably understand the basics of the game and how classes work. Though other MMOs rely heavily on the "holy trinity" of tank, damage-dealer, and healer, in ESO, every class is designed to have some competence in anything you want. It's a bit of a different spin on the traditional class system that most MMO players are used to. At first, you can select between four classes -- Dragon Knight, Sorcerer, Nightblade, and Templar. As a general rule, these classes are similar to those in other games respectively -- warrior, mage, thief, and priest. But again, ESO doesn't prescribe to the typical setup, so all four classes can tank, heal, or do damage. The reason this is possible is due to the dynamic weapon and armor experience system, as well as guild and faction skill trees that unlock new adaptive abilities.
'Stiq Tips: A Dark Souls II guide
The Dark Souls franchise can be a very unwelcoming host. Although all of the tools are there for success, not everyone has the patience to truck through all of the horrors that await, or cope with bundles of lost experience points. But fear not -- you can make it with some help. [Warning: this guide contains light, non-story related spoilers regarding some of the early events in the game.] In addition to the spoiler warning, I really have to start with this caveat: I strongly encourage you to play as much as possible without the use of any reference materials, as part of the allure of these games is to discover and conquer everything on your own. That said, I'd rather bring people into the game than push them away by leaving them to their own frustration, so here are some strategies to help take some of the edge off your frustration.
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'Stiq Tips: A TowerFall Guide
TowerFall might be a fast-paced arena game with dash-jumping and high speed arrows, but it's also a tactical affair. Yeah, alongside of all that arrow slinging you'll actually need to think from time to time, and there are a few secrets you can use to become the pride of your local group of friends. First things first, master the dash, as it's core to your success as an archer. Start off in a "break the target" level in solo play to really get a feel for movement, as you're going to need a bit of practice. Each level will teach you something new about the game, both in terms of core concepts and power-up use, so think of them as a tutorial. While you're breaking targets, note that dashing while aiming towards the ground will result in a slide, allowing you to slip underneath low ceilings. You can also jump on targets to break them and save an arrow.
'Stiq Tips: A Titanfall Guide
Titanfall is finally here, and you're going to be blowing up tons of Titans. Dozens. Hundreds, even. But with such a tiny body as a Pilot, it can be pretty intimidating to take on a giant robot -- until you read these tips, that is. First things first: Before you do anything, complete the campaign. Although it isn't a fully-featured solo story mode, the campaign is a separate playlist that's integrated into multiplayer. So basically, you're going to be playing with a lot of newcomers who just picked up the game (as opposed to hardcore people that are in the competitive playlists), which will better help you acclimate. Also, you can earn two new Titan body types by completing the story that will be unlocked for life -- so do it!
'Stiq Tips: A Thief guide
You should probably understand right away that Thief is not an action game. You're not going to go in with swords a-blazin', hundreds of flasks of explosive liquid, and psychic powers, taking on an entire army at once. In fact, Thief actively encourages you not to fight, and in the game's challenge modes it detracts points for engaging in tussles. This is Thief, a tactical game that can actually get really tough compliments of its customizable difficulty system. Like, really, really tough.
'Stiq Tips: A Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Guide
The conclusion of Final Fantasy XIII's three game narrative is finally here, and it ends with Lightning. As the savior of a dying world, Lightning must save as many souls as possible by way of sidequests, while she battles the main evils of the world in the core storyline. It sounds simple enough, but even on Easy the game is extremely punishing -- not to mention that the end of the world comes with a real-world time limit. Here are some tips to help you make it to the end of the world.
'Stiq Tips: Bravely Default Guide
Bravely Default is one of the best Final Fantasy games I've played in a long while (and Joystiq agrees). Yeah, I said it! With a tale of heroes and crystals, an open-ended job system, and even an airship, this "technically not Final Fantasy" RPG evokes the most nostalgic feelings of Square's glory days. Of course, along with all of that old school charm comes a few pretty tough concepts, which I'll go over in detail to help you with your quest. There will be no spoilers at all until the very end of the guide, which will be appropriately marked – and even then, they're pretty mild. Now that Bravely Default is officially available in North America, hopefully this guide will help you along your adventure!
'Stiq Tips: DayZ
You wake up on the shore of a mysterious land with nothing but the clothes on your back and a flashlight. You have no idea what to do, no objectives, and there isn't another soul in sight. No, this isn't a bad dream; you finally decided to buy DayZ. Playing DayZ is a unique experience, but it can also be confusing and can be frustrating if you're not sure what to do. It would be impossible to go over every strategy, item, weapon, and location in the game without forcing you to read a novel-length walkthrough, but here are some basics that will get you started.
'Stiq Tips: Don't Starve: Console Edition Guide
Don't Starve is a game of survival, and as of this moment, you can grab it for free on the PlayStation 4, compliments of the PlayStation Plus program. But it's not your run-of-the-mill survival romp, as it tries to beat you down mentally, as well as starve you out and force you to deal with giant evil shadow creatures that tear away at your sanity. It also doesn't give you any leeway in terms of tips and tutorials on how to survive, so here's a collection of strategies to make the game a little less scary.
'Stiq Tips: Peggle 2 Guide
Before you read this, write the following statement on a piece of paper 50 times -- "Peggle is not all luck, Peggle is not all luck, Peggle is not all luck." Ok, done? Now you're ready to understand why you'll need to saturate every bit of knowledge you can if you're going to hit an Off The Wall Extreme Slide Kick the Bucket Fever bonus. Yep, Peggle is pretty hardcore like that. It's no big deal. First, you're going to want to reacquaint yourself with the basics. To clear each board, you'll need to hit every orange peg, but to get the highest score, you'll want to go for a ton of skillshots (more on that later), and clear out as many blue pegs as possible before going for the last orange to cause a "fever" and end the level. It's a common misconception that you'll want to clear up every orange peg as fast as possible, and it's the worst way to earn a high score.
'Stiq Tips: Dead Rising 3 Guide
Dead Rising 3 ups the zombie count considerably. Like, two to three times the amount of its predecessors. I'm talking tons of shambling, terrifying corpses walking the streets. If you are wise, you should be afraid – and you should be prepared. They don't call the city Los Perdidos ("the lost ones") for nothing. Here are a few pointers that should keep you from being lost to the undead.
'Stiq Tips: The Legend of Zelda - A Link Between Worlds Guide
The Legend of Zelda series has always been about adventure. With a vast open world to explore and tons of tiny little secrets, it can get taxing for one boy in green tights to handle. On top of the usual Hyrulian spelunking, A Link Between Worlds adds another kingdom to the mix – "Lorule" (get it?). Here's a bit of help to prevent you from searching high and low for some of the answers hidden within the darkest depths of the game. After booting up the game and finishing your first (easy) dungeon, it's time to run some errands! Immediately head to Kakariko Village to the west, and familiarize yourself with the layout. You'll want to visit the old man standing out in the open on the far left of the town to enable StreetPass functionality (more on that later). The first item on your shopping list is a shield, which you can prop up by pressing the right trigger. It's 50 Rupees – an amount you may not have already. Before you buy it, go to bee house (it literally has a giant bee icon on it) and get the net item.
'Stiq Tips: Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag's brand new open sea and sailing system adds an exciting new element to the franchise's well-established structure, but it can be a bit confusing at first. In Black Flag, there's no lengthy three-hour tutorial to suffer through before you get started, you're just thrown into the world with nothing more than a tattered outfit – and you're not even a real assassin yet! Here's some help to assist in your evolution from rags to riches. One important thing to note right off the bat is that Assassin's Creed IV has built-in online social functions. You'll encounter things like "social chests," "social ships," and more bonuses that pop up when anyone on your friends list finds a similar bonus. By playing online, you'll earn much more cash than you would if you weren't connected to Xbox Live or PSN. You'll also unlock more social events for your friends in turn, so you can pat yourself on the back for that.
'Stiq Tips: A Batman: Arkham Origins Guide
It's Christmas Eve in Batman: Arkham Origins, and while everyone else in Gotham City is watching A Christmas Story for the hundredth time, Batman is stuck outside battling bad guys in 40 degree weather. If Bats wants to get home in time to eat a Christmas ham with Alfred and find out if Ralphie ever got his Red Ryder BB Gun, he's going to need a little help. While most Arkham veterans should be at home in this new Arkham adventure, these tips should help you conquer the new "I Am the Night Mode," which challenges you to beat the game with no saves and one life. The "free flow" combat system return in Arkham Origins, and there's a bit of nuance to it that you may not have realized before. Rather than frantically mashing the buttons, you'll want to take it slow and press them methodically, like you're playing a deadly game of Rock Band or Guitar Hero. To keep your combo, use the vault-dodge (just don't use it more than once, otherwise your counter will drop), and consider going on the offensive, breaking enemies out of their counter-ready attacks rather than just countering everything you see. Using a quick Batarang (double tapping the left trigger/L2) can also keep your combo going, as can a quick Bat-grapple. When enemies are dazed and on the ground (with stars above their head), you can use a melee takedown to instantly knock them out. Resist the urge to do this every time, as it can leave you completely open to attack from the mob. Instead, try to only employ a basic takedown when there's a maximum of two enemies on the screen, or you're completely isolated from the pack.
