Rome will burn in Total War: Attila

By Will Fulton September 25, 2014

The Creative Assembly and Sega have announced the next entry in their long-running Total War series of strategy games, Total War: Attila. The cinematic announcement trailer features the titular Hun, promising death, destruction, and fire for the proud Roman empire that you so meticulous built in Total War: Rome (I and II).

Janos Gaspar, the fantastically named project lead on Attila at the Creative Assembly promises both the return of fan-requested features and the introduction of some exciting new mechanics that will give this latest historical war simulation a flavor all its own.

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Family trees and skill trees will come back to the series to enhance the metagame progression outside of individual battles. To better capture the flavor of the era and the Hunnic style of warfare, mechanics for street-fighting, civilians, settlement-destruction, and dynamic fire have all been added, letting you truly feel like a harbinger of the apocalypse to a bloated civilization.

Total War: Attila is set for an unspecified 2015 release on Windows and Mac OS platforms. By no coincidence, Total War: Rome II is available to play for free this weekend on Steam, if you’re curious to see whether this series is for you.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Will Fulton is a New York-based writer and theater-maker. In 2011 he co-founded mythic theater company AntiMatter Collective…

Gaming

All Experts in Star Wars Outlaws and where to find them

star wars outlaws interview returning characters qi ra

Unlike most other Ubisoft games, or even most RPGs for that matter, you don't level up and unlock skills as you would expect to in Star Wars Outlaws. You won't earn any points or find a skill tree waiting for you here, but rather the new Experts system. As you explore the galaxy and meet new people while hunting for treasures, you will encounter special characters called Experts who are willing to help Kay expand her skills. Well, once you find and help them out, that is. Without their help, you're stuck with your basic abilities for the whole game, so taking a break from your main quest to find them is well worth your time. The galaxy is a big place, so we'll tell you where to find each of the Experts in Star Wars Outlaws.
How learning new skills works

As we mentioned, you won't find yourself leveling up after completing missions or dispatching enemies. The only way to learn any new skills is through finding an Expert.

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The best abilities in Star Wars Outlaws

EMBARGO 7/30: Kay snakes through a base.

While Kay Vess is no amateur when you begin Star Wars Outlaws, she's far from a pro. She is a decent shot, can hack basic computers, and even pick locks, but she's not much more complicated than that. Unlike a traditional open-world game — especially a Ubisoft one — you won't find any skill trees or XP bars here. Instead, Kay can only pick up new abilities by meeting special Experts. These NPCs are scattered across the various planets and need to be found and befriended before you can start working on unlocking new skills. It's a long process no matter how you approach it, so we're here to pass along the vital info you need on the best skills in Star Wars Outlaws.
Armored Undershirt

The first Ability you should aim for is Armored Undershirt, which you can start on right away since it is part of Bram's set. This Ability is a passive buff that increases your default HP by 1, which is incredibly valuable at the start of the game when you only have three. Hunt down or purchase Ironweave and 8 Coarsweave on Toshara to snag it.
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Gaming

Star Wars Outlaws to add fan-favorite Hondo Ohnaka in post-launch DLC

A ship flies through space in Star Wars Outlaws.

Ubisoft announced the post-launch road map for the upcoming Star Wars Outlaws in a blog post on Monday, and will introduce two paid story packs, one of which is coming out this fall.

The first DLC, titled Wild Card, is set for fall 2024. It involves Outlaws' main character Kay Vess going undercover at a "high-stakes Sabacc tournament," where she runs into Lando Calrissian. The second, set for spring 2025, is called A Pirate's Fortune and features, as Star Wars: The Clone Wars or Galaxy's Edge fans might guess, pirate king Hondo Ohnaka, who is looking to "settle old scores."