The demo, offering 15 minutes of gameplay, revolved around the early parts of Elden Ring. Polygon noted that it was enough time to at least get to Margit. However, according to GameSpot’s video preview (which you can check out below), direct capture wasn’t available, leading to footage being captured with an over-the-shoulder camera.

Most importantly, however, the previews noted that, while still not quite as smooth as 60 FPS, the frame rate for Elden Ring Tarnished Edition in handheld mode is quite a bit better than the previously-reported dips down to 15 FPS. While FromSoftware itself is yet to reveal any details about its performance targets, the smoother frame rates in its more recent builds might indicate that the company is aiming for 30 FPS, or maybe even 40 FPS.

Elden Ring Tarnished Edition was announced all the way back in April 2025. While few details were released at the time, the name indicated that FromSoftware was looking at the release as a “definitive edition” of sorts.

However, a few months later, reports started coming up that performance of Elden Ring Tarnished Edition was quite poor, especially in handheld mode. In one video from August 2025, Nintendo Life’s Felix Sanchez noted that the game was capped to 30 FPS, but intense moments had the tendency to bring it down to 20, and sometimes even 15 FPS. He compared it to playing The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the Nintendo 64, which famously ran at low frame rates.

“It’s really bad, and I understand why they don’t want you to see this,” said Sanchez in the video. “It was like playing Ocarina of Time. 20 frames-per-second, sometimes it was like 15 frames-per-second.”

While the previous console releases of Elden Ring had been praised for running quite well, the PC version was well-known for suffering from micro-stutters. The problem was discovered to largely revolve around how the game handles compilation. Linux-based platforms, like the lower-powered Steam Deck, saw a notable performance boost in Elden Ring thanks to the fact that shaders are compiled on the operating system before the game even launches, thanks to how the Proton translation layer works between the game and Linux’s graphics APIs.

Leading up to its originally-planned October 2025 release, FormSoftware announced that Elden Ring Tarnished Edition was being pushed back to 2026 so that the studio could work on “performance adjustments”. The company hasn’t yet revealed any new release date.

Originally released on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S back in 2022, Elden Ring is FromSoftware’s latest single-player Soulslike. It puts players in the shoes of a Tarnished, who has been cursed with living despite already having died, and revolves around exploring The Lands Between. Along the way, players will discover what happened to what used to be a great kingdom, and will get to meet (and fight) many of the key figures throughout this world’s history. The Shadow of the Erdtree expansion dug further into the backstory of the world, giving us hints about some of the less-explored aspects of the lore, like the nature of Frenzy, and the backstory of Marika.

The remaster’s QoL tweaks help the game feel smoother in motion and in combat, and make playing through the game a lot better than it used to be. And yet, I found myself raising an eyebrow at a few elements of the experience that should have been refined, but have largely stayed the same since I first played it years ago. There are autosaves, expanded skip options, and a Retry option after losing normal battles, and a few more that we’re going to dive into in due course.

If, like me, you’ve witnessed Velvet Crowe’s destructive path to vengeance before, you already know that it’s quite the tale. Her icy demeanour stems from a single-minded focus on bringing the man who destroyed her family to justice. But if this is going to be your first time with the game, know that Velvet is an anti-heroine whose choices might leave you wondering if helping her on her mission really is the right thing to do.

Of course, she meets a motley crew of characters along the way, each with clear motivations and enough nuance to feel genuinely compelling. From a demonic swordsman to a someone having trouble understanding the concept of personal liberty, the friends you make along the way are definitely a highlight of the experience.

I found myself more interested in some of their stories than even the main narrative, and I always took every excuse to stop and chat with them through Skits just to see what they had to say and perhaps even laugh at the banter between them as we travelled across the kingdom of Midgand.

It’s safe to say the story is the strongest part of the game, and it might even pull you through its more repetitive stretches, depending on how invested you are after the rather long prologue. I say that because there’s going to be a lot of backtracking through previously visited areas to get to your next objective, with the game often forcing you to traverse multiple maps to get to where you need to be.

"Velvet is an anti-heroine whose choices might leave you wondering if helping her on her mission really is the right thing to do."

It’s a complaint I had with the original version, and it continues to be a sore spot despite the remaster moving the Bottomless Denore/Inoph Bottles earlier, giving you much earlier fast-travel tools than before. However, those items are limited in their utility, and you’re going to be running across maps quite a lot. It does help that your characters’ movement speed is boosted (the remaster increases it by 20%), but it’s still a tedious amount of repetition that quickly overstays its welcome.

With that being said, the addition of a new star destination marker for main-story objectives that also shows you the distance to your destination is a nice touch. Making the Grade Shop accessible right off the bat was another great way to just blaze through the story for me. However, it could trivialize the game even on greater difficulties, and I’d recommend limiting the boons you obtain from it if you’re interested in a bit of a challenge from the game.

As far as visuals and performance go, the remaster certainly does benefit from a fresh coat of paint, but it’s nothing to write home about. The characters’ facial models are still rather stiff, although they are designed quite well. On PS5, the remaster targets 4K at 60 FPS, and it largely feels like it. The experience was smooth with no pop-in or stutters on most of the maps and cutscenes. The environments themselves are rather bland, but that’s an issue that was prevalent in the original game as well.

The audio design and voice acting deserve a special shout-out, with the soundtrack being among my favorites in the franchise, while the Japanese voice acting really sells its material. While the English actors do a decent job, I’d recommend going with subs instead of dubs with this one.

"The AI for both your party members and enemies is quite basic, and you’re going to be doing most of the heavy lifting yourself"

While the story is great and the exploration is mildly interesting for the most part, Berseria’s take on the series’ LMBS-style combat was a bit too hit-or-miss for my liking. Yes, the controls are smooth, and combos flow into each other quite well, but it’s all simplistic.

I’m a fan of combat systems in JRPGs that encourage building synergies with your fellow teammates, and while the potential for it is there, Tales of Berseria’s combat is largely a matter of button-mashing with a few Artes and Break Souls thrown in. Combat revolves around your Soul gauge: actions consume Souls, and you’ll try to gain more while preventing enemies from stripping yours away.

The AI for both your party members and enemies is quite basic, and you’re going to be doing most of the heavy lifting yourself. I did have a battle where the AI managed to bring down a foe after I got Velvet knocked out, but it was a long wait that made me decide to take a more active role myself. All in all, your mileage is going to vary with the game’s combat depending on how much you like what’s on offer in this one and other titles that are similar to it.

Of course, you now have the option to toggle enemy encounters completely off, so touching field enemy symbols won’t trigger battles, event battles excluded. It saves quite a bit of time if you’re just looking to experience the story. That option works very well with Grade Shop upgrades that let you double or triple the XP you earn from battles you do play through, ensuring you’re still levelling up your characters as intended.

A convoluted UI and unintuitive menus are another deterrent to those among you looking to make the most of distinct builds and varied skill sets for Velvet and her party. Although the game’s RPG trappings are quite rudimentary, engaging with them via its menus continues to be a part of the experience that I just began avoiding thanks to how relatively easy its combat can be.

" Your mileage is going to vary with the game’s combat depending on how much you like what’s on offer in this one and other titles that are similar to it."

Does Tales of Berseria Remastered do enough to justify the effort that went into making it? That depends on what you’re expecting from the game going in. If you’re looking to revisit the story or experience it for the first time without focusing too much on its other mechanics and features, the remaster is definitely going to be of value to you.

But if you’re in the market for a title that tests your skills while entertaining you with its story, you might want to wait for a sale before you pick this one up. Its mixed  combat and tedious emphasis on exploration are going to wear you down, considering that they’re a crucial part of the gameplay loop on offer.

If you’re a fan of the original game or the Tales franchise, this one’s a no-brainer. But for the rest of you, you might want to wait things out a little and pick this up when you get a solid deal on it.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.

The first and most obvious guess is that a new Tales game will be announced. After all, the last mainline title, Tales of Arise, launched in September 2021 for consoles and PC (with a Switch 2 version coming this May). As of February 2024, it sold more than three million copies and received relatively strong critical acclaim.

While another remaster is certainly possible, it wouldn’t really make sense for Bandai Namco to tease a reveal. Tales of Berseria Remastered is a good example, having been announced with little fanfare (and still baffling fans as to why it was necessary). Then again, with the amount of anticipation for something like Tales of Xillia 2 Remastered, anything is possible.

Of course, the biggest stretch is that it could announce something by FromSoftware. Aside from The Duskbloods, which it’s publishing exclusively for the Nintendo Switch 2, the Elden Ring studio hasn’t really revealed any other projects. As for what it could be, your guess is as good as ours. Stay tuned for more updates in the meantime.

However, the latter serves as the MVP when it comes to overall hardware spending. At $248 million, it’s up 16 percent over the previous year, which was enough to offset declining sales for the PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Switch 1. The fact that it achieved this while ranking second in dollar and unit sales is equally impressive.

The only new game release was Bandai Namco’s Code Vein 2, which reached 11th in the overall charts. However, it topped the PC sales chart that considered all storefronts. Perhaps even more surprising is that Final Fantasy 7 Remake re-entered the top ten charts, going from 225th place in December 2025 to ninth, thanks to its Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch 2 ports.

If that’s not a good sign that Square Enix made the right move to go multiplatform with the trilogy, we don’t know what is. The next entry, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, is out on June 3rd for both platforms.

PS4 offerings will also see expansion, with the addition of Monster Hunter Stories (PS4) and Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin (PS4) just a month before the release of Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection. Other games coming to the subscription service are racing game Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown (PS5), narrative action adventure games Neva (PS5) and Season: A Letter to the Future (PS4, PS5), indie title Venba (PS5), and sports game Rugby 25 (PS4, PS5). These games will be available for PlayStation Extra and Premium tier subscribers. The PlayStation Classics catalog will see the addition of Disney Pixar Wall-E (PS4, PS5), which was originally released on PS2 in 2008.

Along with this, Sony has also confirmed new additions to its PlayStation Plus Classics catalog for next month. The line-up, only available to Premium tier subscribers, includes PSP fighting game Tekken Dark Resurrection, and PlayStation classic rail shooter Time Crisis, as caught by Gematsu.

This announcement comes just a few days after rumors first popped up of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 coming to the subscription service. The 2023 action-adventure title revolves around Peter Parker and Miles Morales taking on a host of new foes from Spider-Man’s rogues’ gallery. A key element of the story is the presence of the Symbiote.

While Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 coming to the service makes sense given its 2023 release date, Monster Hunter Stories and its sequel coming to PlayStation Plus is especially interesting since the third game in the turn-based RPG franchise is slated for release on March 13th.

While the Stories series has largely focused on telling their own standalone stories (no pun intended), they tend to have a throughline in the form of their combat systems that blend the traditional Monster Hunter gameplay loop with turn-based action with an emphasis on befriending monsters as well as fighting them.

For those looking to check out Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection before release, a demo was released earlier this month offering some early-game sections. Capcom has also confirmed that players will be able to carry over their progress into the full game when it finally comes out.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection also got a trailer earlier this week, offering an overview of the story and the history of the Riders. The trailer features narration by Elizabeth Rose Bloodblame of Hololive English, and focuses quite a bit on the bonds between Riders and their Monsties (Monster Besties). Along with the wide roster of monsters that the series is known for, Stories 3 will also feature newer ones from Monster Hunter Wilds, like Rey Dau and Arkveld. Among the returning monsters, Monster Hunters 2‘s Yama Tsukami has also been confirmed for the game.

This guide for Code Vein 2 is an exhaustive list of all 35 known bosses, as well as some basic tactics that can be used to defeat them.

Those are all known bosses in Code Vein 2 and how best to beat them in battle.

This Code Vein 2 guide is a shortlist of some of the best builds that you can use to make short work of enemies, built around specific weapons.

Forma Mech-Hammer

Blood Code: Superbia Bloodline Lavinia

Alternative Blood Code: Gula Bloodline Josee

Weapon Formae: Backdraft, Coffin Breaker, Gaia Impact, Mighty Smash

Offensive Formae: Statesman’s Longbow

Defensive Formae: Bleeding Shield (Light), Mutinous Bracer, Vanishing Hollow (Light)

Jail: Bat, Reaper, Ogre

Glutton’s Eyes

Blood Code: Superbia Bloodline Lou

Alternative Blood Code: Luxuria Bloodline Lycoris

Weapon Formae: Adrenaline, Venomous Shot, Stalking Sabre, Whirling Shredder

Offensive Formae: Bloodreaver Blade

Defensive Formae: Bleeding Shield (Light), Mutinous Bracer, Vanishing Hollow (Light)

Jail: Bat, Reaper, Ogre

Grenade Launcher

Blood Code: Acedia Bloodline Zenon

Alternative Blood Code: Superbia Bloodline Lou

Weapon Formae: Blade Dance, Drawback Shot, Heavenly Strike, Ranged Impact

Offensive Formae: Bloodreaver Blade

Defensive Formae: Bleeding Shield (Light), Mutinous Bracer, Vanishing Hollow (Light)

Jail: Bat, Reaper, Ogre

Raider’s Bayonet

Blood Code: Luxuria Bloodline Holly

Alternative Blood Code: Superbia Bloodline Lavinia

Weapon Formae: Blade Dance, Drawback Shot, Heavenly Strike, Ranged Impact

Offensive Formae: Bloodreaver Blade

Defensive Formae: Bleeding Shield (Light), Mutinous Bracer, Vanishing Hollow (Light)

Jail: Bat, Reaper, Ogre

Silver Shot Bayonet

Blood Code: Superbia Bloodline Lou

Alternative Blood Code: Acedia Bloodline Zenon

Weapon Formae: Blade Dance, Drawback Shot, Heavenly Strike, Ranged Impact

Offensive Formae: Bloodreaver Blade

Defensive Formae: Bleeding Shield (Light), Mutinous Bracer, Vanishing Hollow (Light)

Jail: Bat, Reaper, Ogre

Those are a handful of overpowered build possibilities that will scale well in Code Vein 2.

The post is a the latest iteration of the Xbox Excellence Awards, which was created last year to celebrate how players engaged with various releases on Xbox. The Store Rating category lists 2025 games with the best ratings on the Microsoft Store, with an added requirement of the title having at least 500 ratings. Player Engagements is about the average number of hours spent on a game by each player within the first six weeks of a game’s release. Daily Active Users celebrates titles, expansions or updates with the highest single-day active users throughout the year. And finally Units Sold is fairly self-explanatory.

Going down the lists, you’ll find many of the biggest releases of the year, from ARC Raiders and Battlefield 6, as well as award-winning RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Indie titles have also been well-represented, with games like Crime Scene Cleaner and Satisfactory making it into the lists. There also doesn’t seem to have been a singular genre to dominate the lists, since everything from sports games like EA Sports Madden NFL 26, to fantasy adventure life sims like Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, and even fighting games like Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics are well represented.

Curiously, none of the games was present in all four of the categories. At most, we got to see titles like Borderlands 4 being able to make it on to three of them: Player Engagement, Daily Active Users and Units Sold. Even ARC Raiders, which has seen quite a bit of success, is only on the Units Sold and Daily Active Users lists.

Microsoft has also emphasized that the lists represent a diverse collection of games developed by studios of varying sizes. All in all, it represents 48 unique developers based out of 13 countries, with 24 publishers having had a hand in their release. 19 of the games were self-published. “Taken as a whole, it’s an encapsulation of development on Xbox – we want gaming to reach you wherever you are, and for the teams making those games to find you from wherever they are,” wrote the company.

Full list of games:

Store Rating:

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Crime Scene Cleaner
• Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2
• Digimon Story: Time Stranger
• Dreamcore
• Dynasty Warriors: Origins
• Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time
• Final Fantasy XVI
• Lies of P: Overture
• Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
• Little Nightmares III
• Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics
• Minami Lane
• Mullet MadJack
• Poppy Playtime Chapter 4
• Satisfactory
• Silent Hill 2
• Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
• The First Berserker: Khazan

Player Engagement:

• Borderlands 4
• Digimon Story: Time Stranger
• Dynasty Warriors: Origins
• EA Sports College Football 26
• EA Sports FC 26
• Elden Ring Nightreign
• Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time
• Farm Together 2
• Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles
• Helldivers 2
• Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
• Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
• MLB The Show 25
• Monster Hunter Wilds
• NBA 2K26
• NHL 26
• Rust
• Satisfactory
• The First Berserker: Khazan

Daily Active Users:

• Arc Raiders
• Avowed
• Battlefield 6
• Borderlands 4
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
• DOOM: The Dark Ages
• Elden Ring Nightreign
• Fortnite
• Forza Horizon 5
• Grand Theft Auto V
• Grounded 2
• Helldivers 2
• Marvel Rivals
• Minecraft
• NBA 2K26
• Rematch
• Roblox
• Rocket League
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege

Units Sold:

• Arc Raiders
• Assassin’s Creed Shadows
• Battlefield 6
• Borderlands 4
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
• EA Sports Madden NFL 26
• EA Sports College Football 26
• EA Sports FC 26
• Elden Ring Nightreign
• Grand Theft Auto V
• Helldivers 2
• Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
• MLB The Show 25
• Monster Hunter Wilds
• NBA 2K26
• PGA Tour 2K25
• Ready or Not
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
• WWE 2K25

This Code Vein 2 guide is a listing of all 57 Blood Codes as well as where and how to acquire and upgrade them over multiple playthroughs.

Acedia Bloodline Blood Codes

Acedia Bloodline: Jadwiga 1

Recruit and select Jadwiga as a partner.

Acedia Bloodline: Jadwiga 2

Maximize proficiency in Acedia Bloodline: Jadwiga 1 and speak with Jadwiga at the MagMell Institute.

Acedia Bloodline: Jadwiga 3

Maximize proficiency in Acedia Bloodline: Jadwiga 2, defeat Zenon Gryfgote, and speak with Jadwiga.

Acedia Bloodline: Zenon 1

Recruit and select Zenon during Slay The Hero Zenon quest.

Acedia Bloodline: Zenon 2

Maximize proficiency in Acedia Bloodline: Zenon 1 and speak with Zenon Gryfgote after recruiting him in the 2207: Upheaval Era.

Hero Zenon Blood Code

Defeat Hero Zenon at the Solitary Refinement Cell in the Insula Carcere in the 2277 timeline era.

Caritas Bloodline Blood Codes

Guardian’s Heart Blood Code

Acquired from Lou MagMell in 2177 during the quest to save Noah.

Gula Bloodline Blood Codes

Gula Bloodline: Josee 1

Save Josee Anjou in her outpost in 2179: The Hero Josee’s Era.

Gula Bloodline: Josee 2

Maximize proficiency in Gula Bloodline: Josee 1 and speak with Josee Anjou at a Mistle.

Gula Bloodline: Josee 3

Maximize proficiency in Gula Bloodline: Josee 2 and speak with Josee Anjou at a Mistle.

Gula Bloodline: Josee 4

Maximize proficiency in Gula Bloodline: Josee 3, then recruit and select Josee Anjou during the Upheaval Era.

Gula Bloodline: Josee Blind

Missable. Recruit and select Josee Blind during the Upheaval Era, but only if you avoided saving Josee previously.

Gula Bloodline: Lise 1

Recruit and select Lise Anjou after saving Josee Anjou and fulfilling her tasks. Also defeat the Corroded Scar Predator in the Sunken City, and the Wandering Specter in the Sunken City Aquarium.

Gula Bloodline: Lise 2

Maximize proficiency in Gula Bloodline: Lise 1 and speak with Lise Anjou at a Mistle.

Hero Josee Blood Code

Defeat Hero Josee at her outpost in the Sunken City in the 2277 timeline era.

Josee The Blind Hero Blood Code

Missable. Defeat Josee The Blind Hero at her outpost in the Sunken City in the 2277 timeline era.

Luxuria Bloodline Blood Codes

Hero Holly Blood Code

Defeat Hero Holly in the Sanatorium at the Undead Forest in the 2183 timeline era.

Hero Holly The Reaper Blood Code

Defeat Hero Holly The Reaper in the Withered Greenhouse at the Undead Forest in the 2277 timeline era.

Lost Camilo Blood Code

Defeat Camilo Asturias in the Sanatorium at the Undead Forest in the 2183 timeline era.

Luxuria Bloodline: Camilo

Get Camilo’s Pathos during Holly’s Timeline Shift Decision.

Luxuria Bloodline: Holly Condemned

Missable. Recruit and select Holly Condemned during the Upheaval Era, but only if you avoided saving Holly previously.

Luxuria Bloodline: Holly 1

Recruit and select Holly Asturias during the Slaying The Hero Holly quest.

Luxuria Bloodline: Holly 2

Maximize proficiency in Luxuria Bloodline: Holly 1 and speak with Holly Asturias at a Mistle.

Luxuria Bloodline: Holly 3

Maximize proficiency in Luxuria Bloodline: Holly 2, then recruit and select Holly Asturias during the Upheaval Era.

Luxuria Bloodline: Lycoris 1

Recruit and select Lycoris during the Slaying The Hero Holly quest.

Luxuria Bloodline: Lycoris 2

Maximize proficiency in Luxuria Bloodline: Lycoris 1 and speak with Lycoris at a Mistle.

Patientia Bloodline Blood Codes

Hero Lyle Blood Code

Defeat Hero Lyle in Pioneer Castle at Corroded Scar in the 2277 timeline era.

One-Armed Hero Lyle Blood Code

Defeat One-Armed Hero Lyle in Forward Base One at Corroded Scar in the 2277 timeline era.

Patientia Bloodline: Craig 1

Defeat Mutated Survivor Bernd during Slaying The Hero Josee quest.

Patientia Bloodline: Craig 2

Maximize proficiency in Luxuria Bloodline: Craig 1, fulfil Lyle’s requests, and speak with Craig McLeish at a Mistle.

Patientia Bloodline: Iris 1

Recruit and select Iris MagMell during the storyline.

Patientia Bloodline: Iris 2

Maximize proficiency in Patientia Bloodline: Iris 1 and speak with Iris MagMell at a Mistle.

Patientia Bloodline: Iris 3

Maximize proficiency in Patientia Bloodline: Iris 2 and speak with Iris MagMell at a Mistle, before defeating Hero Valentin.

Patientia Bloodline: Lyle Artificial Arm

Missable. Recruit and select Lyle Artificial Arm during the Upheaval Era, but only if you avoided saving Lyle previously. 

Patientia Bloodline: Lyle 1

Meet Lyle and Craig in Forward Base Two after completing Follow The Chorus’ Trail in the 2178 timeline era.

Patientia Bloodline: Lyle 2

Maximize proficiency in Patientia Bloodline: Lyle 1 and speak with Lyle McLeish at a Mistle.

Patientia Bloodline: Lyle 3

Maximize proficiency in Patientia Bloodline: Lyle 2, then recruit and select Lyle McLeish during the Upheaval Era.

Pioneer Queen Imogen Blood Code

Defeat Pioneer Queen Imogen in the Sealed Great Mine at Corroded Scar in the 2182 timeline era.

Superbia Bloodline Blood Codes

Hero Valentin Blood Code

Defeat the Hero Valentin..

Resurgence Core Blood Code

Defeat the Resurgence Core. First, complete two endings: ‘A Hero’s End’ and ‘Luna Fraterna’, then opt to Rescue Lou and proceed until you arrive at the location of the boss.

Soul Savior Valentin Blood Code

Defeat Soul Savior Valentin atop the Sealing Spire in the Sealed Grounds, after completing one ending.

Superbia Bloodline: Frantz

Defeat Dejected Assailant at the Forma Storage Tower in the 2177 timeline era.

Superbia Bloodline: Lavinia 1

Meet Lavinia Voda during the storyline.

Superbia Bloodline: Lavinia 2

Maximize proficiency in Superbia Bloodline: Lavinia 2, defeat One-Armed Hero Lyle, and speak with Lavinia Voda at the MagMell Institute.

Superbia Bloodline: Lavinia 3

Maximize proficiency in Superbia Bloodline: Lavinia 3, reach Insula Carcere, and speak with Lavinia Voda at the MagMell Institute.

Superbia Bloodline: Lou 1

Unlocked by default.

Superbia Bloodline: Lou 2

Maximize proficiency in Superbia Bloodline: Lou 1, rescue Noah G Magmell, and speak with Lou MagMell at a Mistle in the present.

Superbia Bloodline: Lou 3

Maximize proficiency in Superbia Bloodline: Lou 2 and speak with Lou MagMell at a Mistle or at the MagMell Institute.

Superbia Bloodline: Lou 4

Maximize proficiency in Superbia Bloodline: Lou 3 and speak with Lou MagMell at a Mistle or at the MagMell Institute.

Superbia Bloodline: Lou 5

Maximize proficiency in Superbia Bloodline: Lou 4, then recruit and select Lou MagMell during the Upheaval Era.

Superbia Bloodline: Noah 1

Recruit and select Noah G Magmell during the storyline.

Superbia Bloodline: Noah 2

Maximize proficiency in Superbia Bloodline: Noah 1, save Noah at the Forma Storage Tower in the 2177 timeline era, and speak with Noah G MagMell at the MagMell Institute in the present.

Superbia Bloodline: Noah 3

Maximize proficiency in Superbia Bloodline: Noah 2 and speak with Noah G MagMell at the MagMell Institute.

Superbia Bloodline: Noah 4

Maximize proficiency in Superbia Bloodline: Noah 3, then recruit and select Noah G MagMell during the Upheaval Era.

Superbia Bloodline: Valentin 1

Defeat Josee The Blind Hero, then recruit and select Valentin Voda as a partner.

Superbia Bloodline: Valentin 2

Maximize proficiency in Superbia Bloodline: Valentin 1 and speak with Valentin Voda at a Mistle.

Superbia Bloodline: Valentin 3

Maximize proficiency in Superbia Bloodline: Valentin 2 and speak with Valentin Voda at a Mistle.

Those are all 57 Blood Codes in Code Vein 2 as well as how and where to unlock them.

This guide is a listing of the 7 best weapons in Code Vein 2, one from each major group.

Bayonet

Sunset Bayonet Rifle

Base Slash Damage: 120

Base Crush Damage: 120

Formae:

• Heart Breaker

Among Rifle-class Bayonets, this can be picked up in the abandoned trains located in Josee’s Outpost, or farmed from enemies wielding them.

Silver Shot Shotgun

Base Slash Damage: 108

Base Crush Damage: 108

Formae:

• Trigger Rush
• Crushing Might

Of the two Shotgun-class Bayonets, the Silver Shot is the clear winner with higher damage and a good second Formae.

Acquire it from Jadwiga’s Minion located in MagMell Island’s south-west.

Grenade Launcher

Base Slash Damage: 104

Base Crush Damage: 104

Formae:

• Heavenly Strike
• Heart Breaker

This unique grenade-lobbing Bayonet is the sole Bayonet in its sub-class, and must be purchased from Jadwiga’s Minion located at Corroded Scar.

Halberd

Tainted Halberd

Base Slash Damage: 197

Formae:

• Sacrificial Edge

Halberds are excellent at crowd control and keeping mobs at bay, and the Tainted Halberd is exceptional with its Slashing base damage of 197.

Farm for the Tainted Halberd on MagMell Island by seeking out and battling enemies that use them.

Hammer

Forma Mech-Hammer Goliath

Base Crush Damage: 215

Formae:

• Mighty Smash
• Perfect Balance

While the Tainted Hammer offers 7 more points of Crushing base damage than the Forma Mech-Hammer Goliath, the unique moves and Formae for the latter make it a far better choice among Hammers.

Find this for sale in the north-east of Insula Carcere at Jadwiga’s Minion.

One-Handed Swords

Blade of Tenacity: Thunderstrike

Base Slash Damage: 98

Base Lightning Damage: 25

Formae:

• Thunderclap
• Looming Slash
• McLeish’s Cog
• Overdrive

The highest Slashing base damage combined with Lightning elemental damage, and a number of unique moves suited for all occasions, makes the Blade of Tenacity: Thunderstrike the recommended One-Handed Sword.

Acquired from Lyle McLeish at maximum affinity in exchange for 12 Trading Points.

Rune Blades

Glutton’s Eyes

Base Slash Damage: 70

Formae:

• Orbital Blade
• Healing Counter

Exceptional unique moves including fire and midair attacks makes the Glutton’s Eyes best in class among Rune Blades.

You will automatically acquire the Glutton’s Eyes Rune Blade from Josee after beating Metagen Remnant.

Twin Blades

Twin Fangs Of The Lone Wolf

Base Slash Damage: 62

Formae:

• Blazing Roar
• Offensive Order
• Lightning Chain

The weapon class built around speed and multi-strike combos has just a handful of weapons to choose from, but the Twin Fangs Of The Lone Wolf are the clear standout. Offering both Slashing and Piercing damage, as well as three Formae, these Twin Blades excel both on the ground and in the air.

Purchase these from Jadwiga at the start of MagMell for just 10 Haze.

Two-Handed Swords

Glutton’s Heavyblade

Base Slash Damage: 142

Base Fire Damage: 35

Formae:

• Adrenaline
• Precision
• Unquenchable Flame
• Judgment Cutter

With fire elemental damage built-in and four excellent Formae as well, the Glutton’s Heavyblade Two-Handed Sword more than makes up for the low base damage.

Acquired from Josee Anjou at maximum affinity in exchange for 12 Trading Points.

Those are all of the best weapons from each class and sub-class to be found in Code Vein 2.