GTA Online Police Uniforms - Prison Guard

The Prison Guard outfits are the only official law enforcement clothing you can access legitimately in GTA Online, and you may already have them unlocked if you've completed the Prison Guard strand of the Vault Keycards prep mission for the Diamond Casino Heist. To purchase them once unlocked, head to a clothing store then interact at the counter to browse outfits and select Outfits: Diamond Casino Heist > Prison Guards.

GTA Online Police Uniforms - IAA Agent

For a more upmarket law enforcement look, it's possible to glitch access to the IAA Agent outfits. You can do this by following the process below:

• Visit the U.L. Paper marker in Pillbox Hill, or access via your phone if you've already completed the Operation Paper Trail missions, and initiate any mission.
• Select the IAA Agent outfit you want to access then start the mission.
• Open the Interaction Menu then select Appearance and scroll down to Illuminated Clothing, then keep tapping right on the d-pad to cycle through the options for at least 30 seconds.
• Now do nothing for 15 minutes until you're kicked for inactivity.
• Wait a few seconds on the kick screen, then follow the prompt to return to GTA Online and you should spawn wearing the IAA Agent outfit.
• Head to any clothing shop, interact at the counter then follow the Edit Saved Outfits prompt and you can save the IAA Agent outfit to a slot, then access it again at any point from a shop or your wardrobe.

GTA Online Police Uniforms - Police and NOOSE Tactical

For a more intense approach to law enforcement attire, you can also glitch access to the Police and NOOSE Tactical outfits. This process requires working with another player if you want the NOOSE Tactical outfit, though you may be able to secure the Police Tactical outfit if a random player jumps into the match with you. Here's how to do it:

• Bookmark the NOOSE/POLICE Job via the Rockstar Social Club, then quit and reload GTA Online if you're already in it.
• Open your Bookmarked Jobs through the Online menu and select the NOOSE/POLICE Job to host it, or get another player to do that and invite you.
• The Host will get the Police Tactical outfit, while the second player gets the NOOSE Tactical outfit, so decide with the other player who will get what.
• If you don't have another player to work with, use Auto-Invite Matchmaking to try and bring in a random player so you can start the Job.
• When the Job begins you'll switch to the Police or NOOSE Tactical outfit, then open the Interaction Menu > Appearance > Accessories and select a pair of Glasses to wear.
• Now open your phone, select Job List in middle then follow the trash prompt (Square on PlayStation, X on Xbox) to quit, and you'll respawn in free mode with the Police or NOOSE Tactical outfit on.
• As before, go to a clothing shop and interact at the counter, then follow the Edit Saved Outfits prompt and you can save the Police or NOOSE Tactical outfit to a slot for future access from a shop or your wardrobe.

GTA Online Police Uniforms - Cop Outfit

The most sought-after Police Uniform in GTA Online is the Cop outfit, representing the iconic dark blue police uniform and badge look. Unfortunately this outfit has been blacklisted by Rockstar, so although it's possible to glitch access to it you can't save it like the other outfits listed here and you'll lose it at the end of your session. You definitely need a second player to help you get this, and here's how it works:

• Get another player to bookmark the Cops 'n' Crooks I Job via the Rockstar Social Club, then quit and reload GTA Online so it's visible.
• Have that player open their Bookmarked Jobs through the Online menu and select the Cops 'n' Crooks I Job to host it, then send you an invite.
• As the joining player you'll be assigned the Hunters team, and when the Job begins you'll switch to the Cop outfit.
• Open the Interaction Menu > Appearance > Accessories and select a pair of Glasses to wear.
• Now open your phone, select Job List in middle then follow the trash prompt (Square on PlayStation, X on Xbox) to quit, and you'll respawn in free mode wearing the Cop outfit.
• You can use the Cop outfit for the rest of the session and customize it at clothing shops, however you won't be able to save it as it will disappear then you leave the session, so if you want to get it again you'll need to repeat the above process.

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How to beat the boss Commander Gaius in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

We'll go into more detail about how to beat Gaius in Shadow of the Erdtree below, but here's a quick summary of tips on how to unseat the Commander for good.

• You want a Scadutree Blessing of 10 at least, ideally higher.
• At time of writing Commander Gaius has notably inconsistent hitboxes, so reconcile yourself with that frustration.
• Gaius appears to be pretty weak to Fire, as well as Guard Counters, if you can pull them off.
• An Ash summon like Tiche will help draw attention away.
• If you have no shield, keep a healthy distance away to avoid being suddenly hit out of nowhere.
• A strategy of heavy attacks and backing away is probably the safest option.

Gaius is a boss that has caused some annoyance among the playerbase, as the Boar Rider's hitboxes are erratic, meaning it's entirely possible to hit him in the side and do absolutely no damage - hardly ideal, and probably not intentional, but still something you'll have to deal with. It's possible that this gets fixed in the future, but I'll write this guide as though that situation were still ongoing.

First of all, you'll want to make sure you have a good Scadutree Blessing, at a minimum of 10, though it'll be far more reasonable around 13. Also, by my experience Gaius appears pretty weak to Fire attacks, as well as Guard Counters (if you're not familiar, a guard counter is when you block a melee attack with your shield and immediately do a heavy attack, resulting in a special counter that does major damage and stagger effect).

Your strategy in the arena depends on whether you fight at range or close up. Ranged fighters and spellcasters probably have the advantage here - Gaius is mainly a melee fighter who will try to close distance on you, though he does have some gravity spells and AOEs in a pinch. Keep your distance, use an Ash Summon to hold his attention, and bombard him with spells. The moment he gets close, focus on backing away again.

Melee fighters will have more of an issue, Gaius' hitboxes being what they are. Dodging his attacks with rolls is tricky, because he doesn't telegraph his pig's kicks, headbutts, spins and movements much. As a rule, if you have to dodge, you want to dodge towards him at an angle. The worst thing you can do is roll directly away, as most of his attacks carry him forward, and you'll likely just end up under his hooves anyway as he literally charges over you.

Shields help a lot here, as you can stay consistently defended and do the Guard counters that chew through his Poise, though obviously managing your stamina is its own challenge. Otherwise, I found the best method in melee is to stay at mid-distance, wait for the pause between his attacks, and dive in for a jumping attack with a heavy weapon before backing away again. Basically, the larger your weapon movements and impact, the more chance it has of hitting his suspiciously elastic hitbox.

Commander Gaius rewards

When beaten, Commander Gaius drops the Remembrance of the Wild Boar Rider and 230,000 Runes. You can also buy Gaius's Armor set at the Roundtable Hold, with one exception - the Greaves of that armor set are just through the arch to the west of the arena. Through there is a cliffpoint, with the "Albinauric's Shack", a broken building with a talisman in the rubble. Hanging around it is an archer riding a wolf - defeat them and you'll get Gaius's Greaves to complete the set.

Commander Gaius's location

If you're wondering how to get to Commander Gaius, you need to work out how to get to the back door of the Shadow Keep and the Scadutree, or rather, the section of cliff closest to the Scadutree. 

You can get more info in our guide on how to reach all Shadow of the Erdtree areas and locations, but for a quick summary: you need to enter the Shadow Keep via the East Church District, unflood the area, then go to the second level of the main church and take the path North to an elevator that brings you up to the back of the Specimen Storehouse. Climb all the way to the rafters at the top, and you can jump down to a balcony which leads to a second elevator, this one bringing you down to the Scadutree region. 

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How to access GTA Online Dispatch Work

To access GTA Online Dispatch Work, you first need to own an appropriate police vehicle, and there are a selection to choose from including the GTA Online Police Cruiser – but none of them are cheap, so you'll need to have a decent bank balance before you can start in this line of business. The following six rides can all be purchased from the Warstock Cache & Carry website:

• Dorado Cruiser - $5,005,000 ($3,753,750 trade price unlocked by completing Officer Monitored Dispatch Work)
• Gauntlet Interceptor - $5,420,000 ($4,065,000 trade price unlocked by completing the GTA Online Cluckin' Bell Farm Raid as leader)
• Greenwood Cruiser - $4,910,000 ($3,682,500 trade price unlocked by completing five Dispatch Works)
• Impaler SZ Cruiser - $4,720,000 ($3,540,000 trade price unlocked by completing Possession for Sale Dispatch Work)
• Stanier LE Cruiser - $4,690,000 ($3,517,500 trade price unlocked after finding evidence at a GTA Online Crime Scene)
• Unmarked Cruiser - $3,950,000 ($2,962,500 trade price unlocked by completing The Gangbanger Robbery via GTA Online Salvage Yard as leader)
• Note that the Park Ranger vehicle cannot be used for Dispatch Work

As some of those trade prices can only be unlocked by completing Dispatch Work they won't help when you're first starting out, though it's worth meeting any of the other requirements if you can to save yourself a lot of money. My personal recommendation is the Gauntlet Interceptor, as it's powerful, fast, and looks pretty damn cool as well.

How to start Dispatch Work missions in GTA Online

Once you enter a law enforcement vehicle you own, you can start Dispatch Work missions in GTA Online by clicking the right stick – you have to own the vehicle to do this, so you can't just steal a random cop car to shortcut through the process. Do this and you'll hear a quick acknowledgement from Vincent, then see a further prompt to accept Dispatch Work. With that confirmed, Vincent will give you a full briefing for your mission, then it's up to you how you complete it. Remember, you can click the left stick to turn on your sirens which can help when moving through traffic, and for added authenticity there are a number of GTA Online Police Uniforms you can access to look the part, though naturally this is just cosmetic and has no bearing on the outcome of your Dispatch Work.

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From Alara to Zendikar, we've seen plenty of interesting wildlife across the planes of Magic: The Gathering, but none embrace their wild side quite as much as MTG Bloomburrow.

One of MTG's best card game rivals, Pokemon TCG, has long been cashing in on the appeal of having cute critters fight for your entertainment. So, it's about time we saw a set where 'creature' really means creature. Even planeswalkers like Jace Beleren will have to undergo a furry transformation to make an appearance in Bloomburrow.

I think we've spent long enough just "aww"-ing at the promo art. Let's start burrowing through all the important details about MTG Bloomburrow like the set's release date, product range, story, mechanics, and more. Once you've set your heart on adding these fuzzy little guys to your collection, we're also here to help you find the best MTG Bloomburrow deals too.

What is MTG Bloomburrow?

MTG Bloomburrow is the 101st Magic: The Gathering set released in the game’s 30-year history and yet it's also the first time ever we’ve visited the plane of Bloomburrow. Following in the cowboy boot footsteps of Outlaws of Thunder Junction, this new plane deviates from a traditional fantasy setting –  the world of Bloomburrow is one entirely inhabited by anthropomorphic creatures known as Animalfolk. 

MTG Bloomburrow release date

Moving on from our first look at Bloomburrow, the accompanying Magic Story releases July 2, giving a greater insight into the set’s story and characters. A week later, on July 9, debuts and card previews begin. These continue until July 19.

With all that hype sufficiently built, Bloomburrow finally releases August 2. Bloomburrow will not only be making an appearance on your tabletop but will also be available on MTG Arena – four days early on July 30. We’re even set to see the addition of a super cute Bloomburrow Pet that’ll watch over your battlefield (and silently judge your every misplay).

Here are the key dates to keep track of:
Magic Story releases: July 2
Debut and previews begin: July 9
Card image gallery and previews complete: July 19
MTG Arena release: July 30
Tabletop release: August 2

MTG Bloomburrow products

As a standard set, MTG Bloomburrow will consist of play boosters and collector boosters that can be bought as single packs, booster boxes, bundles, and pre-release packs. Bloomburrow’s product range also includes a two-deck Starter Kit directly geared towards those who are new to Magic: The Gathering or just want a low-cost point of entry to Bloomburrow. 

MTG Bloomburrow story

MTG Bloomburrow is set in Valley, an area of the plane where itty bitty Animalfolk live and work in peace. That is until this serenity is threatened by the emergence of huge elemental predators who begin to sow darkness across Valley. From the avian power of Maha to the grizzly strength of Lumra, these Calamity Beasts are a fearsome opponent for the tiny inhabitants of Valley, yet they are prepared to fight to protect their home.

One of these heroes is the set’s protagonist, Mabel. This mother mouse wields a magical sword called the Cragflame, which also appears in a token equipment card of the same name. There’s also an outsider of Bloomburrow who will assist them in their fight: Ral Zarek of the Izzet League. He’ll appear very differently in this set however – through the process of planeswalking to Bloomburrow, Ral was transformed into an Otter.

It’s worth noting that Bloomburrow is also the first set of the new Dragonstorm arc. Although, until we see this arc progress further, it’ll be difficult to know about Bloomburrow ties into this larger story.

MTG Bloomburrow mechanics

The game systems at play in MTG Bloomburrow include as of yet unexplained Offspring mechanic, typal buffing, artifacts, and land matters. That’s all we know so far but this list is certain to know as we learn more about the set and gain access to new cards.

Though MTG Bloomburrow as a whole also has a typal focus, with each two-color pairing having a Animalfolk variant associated with it. 

MTG Bloomburrow spoilers

As part of Booster Fun, we’re set to receive some gorgeous seasonal variants of full art land cards, raised foil anime cards, illustrative ‘Field Note’ art treatments, and a storybook-inspired Woodland Showcase. Among these very special cards are contributions from prolific Pokemon artist, Mitsuhiro Arita and David Petersen, the creator of Mouse Guard. Another Showcase treatment featured in Bloomburrow’s boosters is Imagine: Courageous Critters, which will be of particular interest to long-time MTG fans given it transforms Planeswalkers like Jace Beleren into Animalfolk. 

MTG Bloomburrow Deals

The Abyssal Woods seem tough, but there is a way to get through them and survive them - and, more importantly, even a way to kill the unkillable, untouchable enemies, surprisingly, and reach Midra's Manse, a key location at the end with a special encounter for seasoned Shadow of the Erdtree players.

What to do in the Abyssal Woods in Shadow of the Erdtree

There's a few minor locations and treasures dotted around the Abyssal Woods, but the main location you want to reach is Midra's Manse, a decaying old manorhouse in the Southwest corner that serves as a middling sized dungeon, and one of the Shadow of the Erdtree Remembrance bosses waiting at the end. We've marked its location on the map above, as well as where to find one of the Shadow of the Erdtree map fragments to reveal the whole area.

How to kill the enemies in the Abyssal Woods in Shadow of the Erdtree

The Abyssal Woods have several kinds of enemies - frenzied rats, clerics using holy magic - but the main threat that the messages are warning you about, the "untouchable" enemies, are generally referred to as the Winter Lanterns, in accordance with the enemies they closely resemble from Bloodborne, and the bugs of the same name that can be found in the area. They appear as hunched, humanoid with giant, distorted orange heads and sticks held in their hands.

The main way to get around the Winter Lanterns is to use stealth. There's long grass around them in patches where they can't see you if you crouch, though that grass periodically has a kind of orange fruit that rattles and alerts them if you touch it, so stay away from those stalks. Keep behind them, keep your distance, and take your time - if they see you and you don't have the special gear to kill them, you'll almost certainly be killed, as they teleport or dash towards you quickly, using grapple attacks to inflict high damage and Madness on you.

To kill the Winter Lanterns of the Abyssal Woods, you need to parry their attacks. Yes, that means a shield or weapon with the Parry skill, so if you don't have one equipped, you won't be able to beat them. It's a small window, but parrying the Lanterns' attack staggers them - not only does this set them up for a high damage riposte, but it permanently dispels the effect that renders them unkillable/untouchable, so you can follow up with regular attacks to kill them.

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Destiny 2 Specimen ID NES003 quest explained

The Destiny 2 NES003 quest to find and study the final Vex specimen for Failsafe isn't in the game just yet. This means that, unlike in weeks one and two of Echoes: Act 1, the story quest just ends, rather than you uncovering a new specimen quest to get a new research bay and upgrade, and this doesn't appear to be some kind of bug either. You'll also find that the 'Research and Development III' seasonal challenge can't be completed yet either.

So, when will the NES003 quest come to Destiny 2 Echoes? Since the Act 1 quest, 'A Rising Chorus', is now over, the story likely won't see any progress until Act 2 starts on July 16. It's possible that Specimen ID NES003 will be available before then after a Destiny 2 weekly reset, but it seems more likely that it'll be part of a bigger development in Act 2 now that we finally know the Vex are being led by a mysterious entity known as the Conductor.

Additionally, a few of the already unlockable Research and Fabrication upgrades for Failsafe add extra benefits to the Destiny 2 Enigma Protocol activity, but these aren't yet usable either. My guess is that Echoes Act 2 will see a greater focus on infiltrating the VexNet to learn more about the Conductor, allowing us to use these additional benefits and get the third and final specimen. Make sure you've completed the Destiny 2 Encoded Log quest to unlock Enigma Protocol!

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Remembrances you do have can be brought back to the Roundtable Hold in the main game of Elden Ring and given to Enia, sat by the Two Fingers, where you'll get to choose which of the Remembrances rewards you take. Below, we'll cover all the remembrance bosses in Shadow of the Erdtree, where to find them, and what the rewards for each remembrance are.

Warning: this guide contains spoilers for the bosses of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.

All Remembrance Bosses in Shadow of the Erdtree

The Remembrance Bosses overlap somewhat with all the main bosses in Shadow of the Erdtree, though not completely. Of the seven mandatory bosses in the critical path, five of them drop remembrances - and there's another five optional encounters around the Realm of Shadow that also drop them. You can use the map in conjunction with the list below to find what you need.

1. Divine Beast Dancing Lion
2. Rellana, Twin Moon Knight
3. Romina, Saint of the Bud
4. Messmer the Impaler
5. Final Boss (don't look at this section if you don't want spoilers!)
6. Putrescent Knight
7. Commander Gaius
8. Scadutree Avatar
9. Midra, Lord of Frenzied Flame
10. Metyr, the Mother of Fingers

It's the first five of these bosses that are on the critical path, and all the others are wholly optional - in fact, some are actively quite hard to find and reach even if you're looking for them, but this shouldn't be too surprising to anybody who understands Elden Ring and Shadow of the Erdtree at this point. Below, we'll give some more info on all the Remembrances, where they're found and what you can get from them.

Remembrance of the Dancing Lion

• Dropped by: Divine Beast Dancing Lion
• Found at: The highest tower of Belurat, Castle Settlement, at the Northwest corner of Gravesite Plain.
• Remembrance reward 1: Enraged Divine Beast Talisman: Raises Potency of Storms when equipped.
• Remembrance reward 2: Ash of War: Divine Beast Frost Stomp: Grants the cold affinity and weapon skill of the same name, a chargeable attack which triggers a wave of frost ahead of the player.

Remembrance of the Twin Moon Knight

• Dropped by: Rellana, Twin Moon Knight
• Found at: The final room of Castle Ensis, in the Northeast corner of Gravesite Plain.
• Remembrance reward 1: Rellana's Twinblade: Light Greatsword that scales to all stats except Arcane, and is dual-wielded when held in two hands. Skill is Moon and Fire Stance, which allows players to fire either waves or magic or do a fiery spinning attack.
• Remembrance reward 2: Rellana's Twin Moons: A Full Moon sorcery in which the player strikes the ground to create vast blasts of energy. Requires 72 Intelligence to cast.

Remembrance of the Saint of the Bud

• Dropped by: Romina, Saint of the Bud
• Found at: The Church of the Bud in Southwest Rauh Ruins (if you don't know how to reach that region, check out our guide on how to get to the Ancient Ruins of Rauh in Shadow of the Erdtree).
• Remembrance reward 1: Poleblade of the Bud: A halberd with primarily Dex and Arcane scaling that inflicts scarlot rot on enemies. Skill is Romina's Purification, a massive sweeping combo with scarlet rot butterflies.
• Remembrance reward 2: Rotten Butterflies: A Saint of the Bud incantation that summons a swarm of butterflies that deal scarlet rot to those they touch. Requires 33 Faith to cast.

Remembrance of the Impaler

• Dropped by: Messmer the Impaler
• Found at: The highest tower of Shadow Keep
• Remembrance reward 1: Spear of the Impaler: Arguably one of the best Shadow of the Erdtree weapons, this Great Spear scales well to Dex and Faith, does solid physical and fire damage, and has the Messmer's Assault skill, a devastating combo that ends with a powerful AOE.
• Remembrance reward 2: Messmer's Orb: A Messmer fire incantation that creates a vast, chargeable orb of flame that flies at enemies and slams into the ground before exploding. Requires 60 Faith to cast.

Remembrance of a God and a Lord

• Dropped by: The Shadow of the Erdtree final boss Radahn
• Found at: Top of the Tower of Shadow/Enir-Ilim (to find out how to get to the Tower of Shadow in Shadow of the Erdtree, check out our attached guide)
• Remembrance reward 1: Greatsword of Radahn (Lord): A colossal greatsword with Strength, Dex and Int scaling that deals extra magic damage, and has the "Promised Consort" Skill, a massive, sweeping combo that also ripples out columns of damaging light.
• Remembrance reward 2:  Greatsword of Radahn (Light): Identical to the previous sword, but with the "Lightspeed Slash" skill, in which the player leaps into the air and charges a downward slash that sends out columns of light in a follow-up attack.
• Remembrance reward 3: Light of Miquella. An incantation in which the player causes a devastating, huge pillar of light to strike the ground ahead of them. Requires 72 Faith to cast.

Remembrance of Putrescence

• Dropped by: Putrescent Knight
• Found at: Stone Coffin Fissure (you can't access this area until you've gotten the Shadow of the Erdtree Somewhere a Great Rune has Broken message)
• Remembrance reward 1: Putrescence Cleaver: A greataxe that deals extra magic and frostbite with its attacks, and scales mainly to Strength and Arcane. Its skill is "Spinning Guillotine," a heavy leap attack followed by the player rapidly twirling around.
• Remembrance reward 2: Vortex of Putrescence: A death sorcery that fires projectile jets that explode after impact, coating the area in Ghostflame. Requires 32 Intelligence and 26 Faith to cast.

Remembrance of the Wild Boar Rider

• Dropped by: Commander Gaius 
• Found at: Back of the Shadow Keep/Scadutree (see how to get to the Scadutree in Shadow of the Erdtree here).
• Remembrance reward 1: Sword Lance: A heavy thrusting sword with good Strength scaling. Its skill is Spinning Gravity Thrust, in which the player hands in the air before spinning forward at the target, lance first.
• Remembrance reward 2: Blades of Stone: A gravity sorcery in which the player summons rock blades out of the ground to impale those standing on them. Can be charged for more damage, and requires 48 Intelligence to cast.

Remembrance of the Shadow Sunflower

• Dropped by: Scadutree Avatar
• Found at: Scadutree Base (find out how to get to the Scadutree Base in Shadow of the Erdtree here)
• Remembrance reward 1: Shadow Sunflower Blossom: A colossal weapon that does additional Holy damage, and scales mainly to Strength and Faith. Its skill is the straightforward "Shadow Sunflower Headbutt", in which you slam it on the ground up to three times to create shockwaves.
• Remembrance reward 2: Land of Shadow: An Erdtree incantation in which the player summons a briefly delayed artillery of homing projectiles. Requires 58 Faith to cast.

Remembrance of the Lord of Frenzied Flame

• Dropped by: Midra, Lord of Frenzied Flame
• Found at: Midra's Manse, at the Southwest Abyssal Woods
• Remembrance reward 1: Greatsword of Damnation: A greatsword that does extra holy damage, and scales mainly to Strength and Faith. It Skill is Golden Crux, a leaping downward stab that also causes spikes to explode up from the ground around you afterwards.
• Remembrance reward 2: Midra's Flame of Frenzy: A frenzied flame incantation in which the player creates a sun above their head shoots flame in random directions, sustained for as long as the button is held down, though the caster builds Madness as they do so. Requires 41 Faith to cast.

Remembrance of the Mother of Fingers

• Dropped by: Metyr, Mother of Fingers
• Found at: Subterranean ruins beneath Cathedral of Manus Metyr (final stage of Count Ymir's questline)
• Remembrance reward 1: Staff of the Great Beyond: A Glintstone Staff that can cast both Sorceries and Incantations. Scales to both Faith and Intelligence, but has no inherent skill.
• Remembrance reward 2: Gazing Finger: A colossal weapon that scales primarily to Strength and Dex and deals extra magic damage. Its "Kowtower's Resentment" skill is a chargeable attack where you slam it on the ground to create a short-range AOE ahead of you.

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How to get Martial Arts in Elden Ring 

Martial Arts in Shadow of the Erdtree, or Dryleaf Arts, can only be accessed after you defeat Rellana Twin Moon Knight and access the Scadu Atlas region. Once you reach here, make a beeline for the Site of Grace you should see ahead - you can't miss it as there's one of the Miquella Crosses sticking out of the ground. There's two glowing collectible items here, one is a Shadow of the Erdtree Scadutree Fragment so grab that, while the next one is note called The Monk's Missive, and an emote called May the Best Win. 

The Monk's Missive says: 

"Seek me to the east if you wish to pursue the way of the warrior. When you find me, you will challenge me to a bout. There's is no need for words."

That's just a fancy way of saying 'come and have a go if you think your hard enough', while the 'no need for words' mention is hinting the emote is probably going to be useful.

Where to find Dryleaf Dane in Shadow of the Erdtree

To actually find the monk Dryleaf Dane in Shadow of the Erdtree, head directly east as the note says and look out for another of Miquella Crosses and a Site of Grace called Moorth Ruins. It'll be near a crumbling arch and some towers. You'll find Dane here in a wide brimmed hat that won't talk to you, which is where the emote comes in. 

WAIT, before you do anything though, as when you perform the May the Best Win emote in front of him the screen will fade to black and when it fades back up you'll be in the same place but enclosed by a small forcefield ready for a fight. So use any consumables you want before triggering things. You will have a few seconds before the Dane runs over and attacks as well, if you want to activate anything.

How to defeat the monk in Shadow of the Erdtree

The fight isn't too hard but make sure you have a few Scadutree Blessing levels under your belt. I took him on at level 5 and it still took a couple of goes The key thing is to avoid the fast flurry of quick blows he can unleash, as these can stun you and strip your health in seconds, as well as a leaping attack that can close the distance surprisingly fast. He also has a palm blast attack that deals a huge amount of damage and knocks you flat. Counter to all that is a slow to conjure projectile that's easy to dodge. 

The best way to defeat him is to use whatever range you can get from your weapon. His attacks can be devastating but, because he's only using his hands, even a small sword will give you an edge. Use what distance you can to stay away from him and stay mobile to avoid his swinging fists. While the leaping attack can be dangerous you can catch him in the air when he uses it. Similarly, some of his combos involve a lot of movement, so if you can avoid the line of fire you can come in from another angle with an attack while he's still going.

Defeat him and you'll reappear back at the Site of Grace without the barrier, and with a new item to pick up. This will get you a set of hand wraps called the Dryleaf Arts and Dane's hat. While the latter isn't great (but does look good) the Dryleaf Arts unlocks martial arts. Equip them like a weapon and you'll be able to punch and kick your way through the rest of the DLC. This isn't the end of your fighting journey as there is another option to unlock later but it's much later, like almost at the end later. So that's something to worry about when you get there.

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What does "Somewhere a Great Rune has broken" in Shadow of the Erdtree mean?

The message that a Great Rune has broken in the Elden Ring expansion is a story flag that doesn't affect you directly, but does change the questlines of certain characters. After you see this message, it might be worth going to speak to all the NPCs you've found to see if they have anything new to say. 

It also allows access to a new area: the Stone Coffin Fissure. Before this point, anybody attempting to work out how to get to the Stone Coffin Fissure in Shadow of the Erdtree would've been blocked at the entrance by a golden barrier. Now, it should be gone, leaving this area newly explorable.

Don't worry, the Great Rune they're talking about isn't any of the Elden Ring Great Runes you found in the core game, but another one in the world somewhere. We got this message when entering the area known as the Shadow Keep for the first time, just before the first encounter that players have with the Shadow of the Erdtree Golden Hippopotamus.

Likewise, the Powerful Charm that the game talks about straight after that is just a follow up to the message and is part of the same idea. We'll cover the meaning of that below, but be warned: some story spoilers ahead!

What is the Broken Great Rune and Powerful Charm?

The Great Rune that's broken is actually Miquella's - and not by accident. As you might've noticed from finding Miquella's Crosses in Shadow of the Erdtree, the demigod is purposefully sacrificing parts of himself for some mysterious purpose revealed later in the game, and Miquella's Great Rune is one of those things he's sacrificing.

But that comes with consequences - namely, the "Powerful Charm". Miquella's biggest power is the ability to compel loyalty and affection from his followers, charm and hypnotise them into obedience. That's why NPCs like Leda and the Hornsent are hanging around - Miquella has literally put them under a form of mind control to serve his interests. Now his source of power is broken, that control will disappear, and you can speak to those characters to see their behaviour and loyalties changing afterwards, progressing their quests accordingly,

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If you're struggling against this enormous beast and you need some tips, here's how to beat the Golden Hippopotamus in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.

How to beat the Golden Hippopotamus in Shadow of the Erdtree

Firstly, you'll want to take advantage of an NPC summon for this fight. Your options are either Hornsent, who can deal plenty of damage thanks to his bleed capabilities, or Redmane Freyja, who is much more tanky. However, for my fight only Hornsent was available to summon, so Redmane Freyja has some criteria that must be met first.

As soon as you enter the arena, the Golden Hippo will charge at you. It will either do a slower charge with its mouth wide open, trying to grab you and smash you against the floor multiple times, or it will leap forward for a harder-hitting single attack. Either way, you have enough time to quickly summon a Spirit Ash - as usual, the Mimic Tear is recommended - before dodging to the side.

The general rule of thumb for this entire fight is to stay away from its head. The Golden Hippo is huge which means you can deal plenty of damage from the sides, but it can also spin fairly quickly and change its target. For the first stage of the fight, its main attacks are the aforementioned charges, a chomp attack where it bites twice in quick succession, and a head slam which it tries to position directly above you. For the latter, note the rhythm of the second slam is much quicker than the first, so be ready to dodge immediately after the first comes down. It can also perform a much bigger, heavier slam that sends out a shockwave.

Slightly before the halfway point, our water-dwelling foe will sprout enormous spikes on its back, becoming somewhat of a golden porcupine. While it keeps all the previous attacks, it adds a few more to its arsenal here, including a few ranged options. One of these usually happens immediately after the second phase starts, where it sends needles flying into the sky, but provided you summoned Hornsent or Redmane Freyja and they're still alive, these will usually target them instead of you. If they are focused on you, just keep rolling until it finishes.

The other ranged attack also involves firing the needles, but they're sent out in a seemingly random fashion. There's no pattern to dodging these, so just keep rolling, but as it leaves the hippo immobile for a short period, melee users can use this as an opportunity to get a hit in.

The main attack you'll want to dodge is when the spiked hippo leaps into the air and curls into a ball. It will one-hit kill you if it lands on you, or if it then rolls into you as it zooms around the arena afterwards. Make sure you time this dodge correctly or you'll be flattened.

If you are using melee weapons, your best bet is to try and inflict bleed damage. With Hornsent in play that is much easier, but any weapon that can attack fast and frequently is a better shout than anything particularly heavy. Which is to say dexterity builds are better suited than strength. However, I found the most success with a ranged caster build because as long as you can keep your distance from the hippo and let it aggro on your summons, you can whittle its health down from afar. I found the Lightning Spear incantation to be the most useful due to how quickly you can cast it each time.

Golden Hippopotamus rewards

Taking down this magnificent beast will net you with Aspects of the Crucible: Thorns, which is an incantation that allows you to perform the spiked, rolling attack the hippo loved so much. You'll also get two Scadutree Fragments which are a huge help in keeping you alive in Shadow of the Erdtree.

Keep in mind that there are other Hippos throughout the game, though they're wild, less powerful, non-boss variants. You should absolutely kill them if you get the chance though, as they all drop Shadow of the Erdtree Scadutree Fragments.

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