Arriving as part of the upcoming Blackwood Chapter (releasing June 8 on PS4 and PS5 alongside ESO’s next-gen optimized Console Enhanced upgrade, free for ESO players), the Companions System will allow you to recruit a new combat ally to take on Tamriel. For the development team, the goal of this new system was to provide a new way to experience ESO’s open world and its many dangers. 

“With the Companions System, we wanted to provide our players with a new ally they can take on their adventures to provide companionship and combat support,” explains Rich Lambert, ESO’s Creative Director. “When adventuring with a Companion, we want our players to be more confident in experiencing everything Tamriel has to offer while also getting to know some unique and interesting characters.”

Mirri Elendis, a Dark Elf “Daedra Expert”

Blackwood will introduce two unique Companions at launch, Mirri Elendis and Bastian Hallix, each with their own personality and unique characteristics.

“Bastian has a strong sense of duty and honor, but he’s also a little socially awkward and values your friendship,” explains Lambert. “Mirri, on the other hand, is quick-witted and clever, but she can also be a bit headstrong and impatient, potentially leading her into trouble. The more you adventure with your Companions, the more you’ll discover what makes them special, including their very different backgrounds.”

Of course, Tamriel is a dangerous place, and whatever role you need filled, your new allies will be able to help you tackle that especially challenging world boss or quest. 

“Companions are designed to be able to perform the game’s different combat roles, such as damage, healing, or tanking, and while they won’t be as powerful as regular players, they’ll still be effective combat allies in the heat of battle,” explains Lambert. “Players might discover that some enemies that challenged them solo in the past, can be defeated with the help of a trusted Companion.”

Customizable Comrades

Just like your own ESO characters, you’ll be able to tailor many aspects of your Companions. 

When designing the Companions System, it was important to us that we allow players to fully customize how their new allies fight and look,” explains Lambert. “They’ll be able to select what combat abilities their Companions utilize in combat, what gear they wear, and even tailor their appearance by applying costumes or outfit styles.” 

Bastian Hallix, an Imperial Battlemage

In addition, as you gain experience and level up your characters, so too will your Companions, and as you quest and explore together, you’ll also have to manage your relationships with these new characters.

“As players earn experience battling monsters, their Companions will also earn their own experience and level up, improving their base stats and unlocking more combat abilities. In addition, as players and Companions adventure together, actions the player takes in the world of Tamriel will also impact their rapport with their active Companion. Rapport levels can go up and down, depending on the activitie

April has come and gone, and with it some incredible new releases. The Players’ Choice polls are open now for you to vote on which game made the biggest impression on you last month! 

We’ll keep the polls open until Sunday night at 11:59pm Pacific, so be sure to cast your vote before then. Then take to the comments to let us know why you think your pick is the one to beat. 

How does it work? At the end of every month, PlayStation.Blog will open a poll where you can vote for the best new game released that month. Soon thereafter, we’ll close the polls, tally your votes, and announce the winner at PlayStation.Blog. PlayStation Store will also showcase some top Players’ Choice winners throughout the year.

What is the voting criteria? That’s up to you! If you were only able to recommend one new release to a friend that month, which would it be? In keeping with our long tradition in the Game of the Year Awards, remastered or re-released games won’t qualify. Ambitious, larger-scale rebuilds and remakes like Shadow of the Colossus and Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy will.

How are nominees decided? The PlayStation.Blog and PlayStation Store editorial teams will gather a list of that month’s most noteworthy releases and use it to seed the poll. Write-in votes will be accepted.

You got a taste of competitive play in Open Series Tournaments*, felt the thrill of watching rivals develop, and learned how to get better month after month. It’s been one year since we launched free events to help you close the gap on the competition, so let’s celebrate the most memorable moments from your community. The PlayStation Tournaments Open Series 2020 Year in Review is your chance to give players the recognition they deserve.

Watch each video to see the highlights for categories like most heroic comebacks and the funniest moments that cracked you up, then vote for your favorites. Join special guests live on May 26 at 10am PT on PlayStation’s Twitch and Youtube channels after the polls close to honor the top plays with interviews, reactions, and other surprises. The clips will be showcased in order of votes.** Tune in to see who best captures the cooperative side of a competitive community, but don’t run out the clock. Voting closes on May 14 at 11:59pm PT.

BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle

• Best Comeback
• Best Combo
• Funniest Moment
• Most Valuable Player (MVP)

BlazBlue: Cross Tag BattleBest Comeback

BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle is a 2D anime fighter featuring fast-paced gameplay, high damage, and momentum that can shift in one input. A knockout is never far, but neither is a comeback.

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With PlayStation Now’s May lineup, you can try to survive unrelenting yokai in feudal Japan, rub shoulders with manga icons, and battle your way across an entire city. Starting tomorrow, May 4, Nioh, Jump Force and Streets of Rage 4 will be available to play on your PS5 or PS4 console.

Let’s take a closer look at each game.  

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Nioh

Take up your sword and travel to Japan’s blood-bathed Sengoku period – an era ravaged by warring states and dark, malevolent forces – and cut a violent path through the land as the masterless samurai, William. Cross blades in brutal hand-to-hand combat, wielding swords, axes, spears and even war hammers against foes both human and demon. In this brutal third-person adventure, you must endure the vicious encounters and learn from your mistakes: each death will bring you resurrection and each resurrection a greater resolve to overcome your foes.

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Jump Force 

Some of the most famous Manga heroes are thrown into a whole new battleground: our world. Uniting to fight the most dangerous threat, the Jump Force will bear the fate of the entire human kind. Create your own avatar and jump into an original Story Mode to fight alongside some of the most powerful Manga heroes from Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, Hunter X Hunter, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu Yu Hakusho, Saint Seiya and many others. Or head to the Online Lobby to challenge other players and discover lots of modes and activities.

●      Jump Force is available on PlayStation Now until Monday, August 2, 2021.

Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com!

Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google or RSS, or download here

The gang’s all here with early thoughts on Returnal and Resident Evil Village. Plus, we play an inaugural game of Box Art Trivia.

Stuff We Talked About

• Resident Evil Village
• Returnal
• Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition
• Disco Elysium
• Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

The Cast

Sid Shuman – Senior Director of Content Communications, SIE

Tim Turi –  Manager, Content Communications, SIE

Brett Elston – Manager, Content Communications, SIE

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Respawn Entertainment has much in store for fans with the Apex Legends Legacy update, coming to the free-to-play battle royale on May 4. We’ve got the lowdown on a new round-based 3v3 mode called Arena, a jetpack-equipped Legend named Valkyrie, the Bocek Compound Bow, as well as an update to the Olympus map. 

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A close look at the Legacy update: Trails of Heroes

The new Arena Mode

In this new 3v3 mode, players compete against each other on a close-quarters map.

How it works

Each round is decided by eliminating the enemy team (of course), with the final victory decided by winning at least three rounds and gaining a margin of victory of at least two rounds. Sudden death decides the final winner on the 9th round when both teams are deadlocked at four wins each. That means that each game has a minimum of three rounds and a maximum of nine.

Buying Phase

Each round begins with a buying phase, which lets players arm themselves with weapons, consumables such as healing items, projectiles, and even abilities — just make sure you have the materials to pay for it. Get ready for a big departure from dropping into the map and collecting gear as you go.

Weapons start out in their basic form with no add-ons, and by purchasing additional upgrades, you can go up from level 1 to level 3 and add a scope of your choice. However, weapons cannot be carried over to the next round, and must be repurchased with each buying phase.

You’ll only be allowed to use Tactical Abilities and Ultimate Abilities in each round. Tactical Abilities start with a limited number of rounds, but you can stock up on more charges during the buying phase. Unspent abilities carry over to the next round.

Materials required for purchase are provided as round bonuses, and can also be earned by extracting them from devices or by killing enemies. The round bonus also increases as the fight progresses, giving you more options for more powerful weapons, upgrades, and ability charges.

The choices you make in the buying phase play a huge role in overall strategy. In the first round, you only have enough materials to buy your best weapon type and one recovery (you start equipped with armor and helmets). The more you earn in round bonuses, the more you can buy as the game progresses. Yo

Earlier this week, Days Gone turned two! To celebrate, we asked you to share your favorite moments riding alongside Deacon using #PSShare #PSBlog. From portraits of Freakers to Deacon’s looking endlessly cool on his bike, here are this week’s highlights: 

SindyJ_B shared Deacon riding off into a gorgeous mountainside view.

justinphotomode captured Deacon up close and personal.

Unhappyclappy1 shared Deacon riding through that Pacific Northwest weather.

makfi78 shares a detailed portrait of a snarling Freaker.

MostlyVp captured a Freaker bear sneaking up behind Deacon.

thiagofm33 could resist doing some donuts on Deacon’s bike.

Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week? 

THEME: Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition

SUBMIT BY: Wednesday 9 AM PT on May 5

Next week, Aloy takes the spotlight to celebrate Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition being available as part of the Play At Home program. Share your best moments fighting machines and exploring Aloy’s world using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Want to share more of your epic photo mode moments? U.S. players can enter the Red Bull Capture Point competition* for the chance to win some thrilling prizes. See full details at redbull.com/capturepoint.

*Red Bull Capture Point Official Contest Rules:

THIS IS A SKILL CONTEST. MUST HAVE ACC