Guides And Walkthroughs

Skyrim's new DLC Dawnguard adds in not only the Vampire goodness we expected, but also a few new shouts for your Dragonborn to use. For the most part, they're pretty straightforward, closely linked to the questline, but some words are a little tricky. Use this handy guide to go out and learn a few new Words.

Drain Vitality - This new shout will drain Health, Magicka. and Stamina from your target. You will find two words for it in areas that are directly related to the Dawnguard quest line, with the final one in Skyrim itself.

For the first Word, you are likely to find it located in Dimhollow Crypt, which is quest related.

The second Word is tied to a quest area located in the Forgotten Vale, on an island in a Frozen Lake - be prepared for a fight two named dragons for this one though.

The final Word is located at Arcwind Point, which is to the south of Ivarstead and east of Riften.

• Dawnguard Guide: FAQ - Everything You Need To Know

Durnehviir - After you've battled this undead Dragon in the Soul Cairn, you have a conversation with him. He'll teach you a shout that allows you to call him to your aid in Tamriel. By doing so, you'll also learn the third new Shout through Durnehviir.

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Skyrim's new DLC add-on adds a whole new way to play as a member of the Undead - Vampire Lords. Early during the new questline, you're presented to Lord Harkon, the Patriarch of the Volkihar vampires. He gives you the option to become a Vampire Lord like him.

While not transformed, you act just like a normal Vampire as always. For those people not familiar, basically, feeding on people resets your level of Vampirism, and lets you interact easier with NPCs. At more advanced stages of Vampirism, however, you have access to a number of abilities that can come in handy. For a more in depth refresher on the basic Vampire, check out our original Vampire guide.

• Dawnguard Video: First 15-Minute of Vampire Lord Walkthrough

The meat of the new powers comes when you transform into the Vampire Lord. Much like Werewolves, you zoom out to third person and lose your equipped gear. You have access to a whole new set of powers and abilities, including Blood Magic.

Powers like the ability to turn into a group of bats during a dodge, the power to raise the dead to fight along side you and a spell called Vampiric Drainball - essentially a fireball-like spell that also drains health.

You also will be able to upgrade your powers thanks to the skill tree added. In order to gain skill points you need to kill enemies with the Drain Life power or bite them.

Here are all the new perks you’ll get to play with when you choose to be a Vampire Lord.

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While Skyrim's new expansion Dawnguard is all about vampires and those who hunt them, there is still a place in this conflict for werewolves. While you will be presented with the option to lose your Lycanthropy in favor of Vampirism during the questline, you can refuse and keep your Wolf Form

In terms of gameplay, not a whole lot has changed from plain old Skyrim. Guards and NPCs will still attack you while in beast form, and you still get the 1000 Gold bounty for transforming.

• Dawnguard Guide: FAQ - Everything You Need To Know

One thing I've noticed is that Beast Form tends to lose its effectiveness past a certain level. My current primary character is level 42, and fighting Draugr Deathlords or a number of high level Vampires doesn't seem to work too well. That's probably because of the Werewolves lack of armor. They still deal some good damage, and run really fast, but I recommend keeping your fights to bandits or similar enemies.

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Just like Bethesda's Fallout titles, Skyrim's DLC adds in a few new Achievements to grab. For the most part, they're pretty straightforward, relating to the questline. But there are a few that are off the beaten path. If you just happen to be one of those PS3 gamers, worry not. Many of the same tasks will transfer over once the vampires invade your Sony console.

For players looking for a couple of extra points or trophies, everything you need to know on how to gain those extra goodies in Dawnguard is in this guide.

Awakening, Beyond Death, Kindred Judgement, and Lost to the Ages: All four are quest related, and you get the achievement just for completing the quests you find along your journey. Nothing tricky here. Play through the game and the points are yours.

Soul Tear: In order to get this one, you need to learn all three words of the new Soul Tear shout. You learn this shout during the questline in the Soul Cairn, so again, it shouldn't be too tricky to grab.

Auriel's Bow: You need to use the special power of Auriel's Bow. Auriel's Bow is related to the questline, so again, you should have no trouble picking this one up.

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The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is back with Dawnguard, and believe it or not, it’s bigger than ever. The first official add-on was released to the Xbox 360 today, adding in a whole ton of new stuff from new quests, abilities, and lots of new enemies to kill. So to help you wrap your head around even more Skyrim goodness, we started exploring it early.

Here's just a taste of what you’ll be seeing in Dawnguard.

What does the DLC add?

A full new questline adding in a story about the war between the Dawnguard, a group of vampire hunters, and Lord Harkon, a vampire lord bent on blotting out the sun with an Elder Scroll. Players can pick which side of the conflict they wish to join, and then partake in a new faction questline similar to the existing ones in the original game.

• Video Preview: All Of Our Dawnguard Videos and Previews

The DLC also adds new shouts, new perk trees for Werewolves and Vampires, as well as the ability to craft Dragon Bone weapons, which are better quality than even the Daedric Weapons. Of particular note is the addition of crossbows to the Elder Scrolls universe.

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If you're looking for LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes cheat codes, then you're in the right place. We give you all the cheat codes to unlock secret characters, new vehicles, more health, and cool gadgets. In order to enter these secret codes, all you have to do is press the pause button and select the 'Extras' menu. From there, select 'Enter Code' and type the correct code. You will be notified that the cheat has been unlocked when you put in the right code.

So what are you waiting for? See below for all the cheat codes for LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes. Don't worry, I won't tell Batman or Superman that you cheated. It's our little secret.

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For the latest Battlefield 3 downloadable content pack, Close Quarters, DICE went for a more scaled-down take on the series' sprawling theaters of war. There's really no other way to put it: Close Quarters takes aim at the Call of Duty-loving sector of the online first-person shooter market, delivering a set of four new maps and two new game modes that embrace the idea of small-team engagements in tight, vehicle-free locations.

For the hardened Battlefield vets, the DLC pack will take some getting used to. In addition to learning the maps, you'll also need to fine-tune your strategies as you negotiate these pint-sized environments. The core rules of Battlefield 3 are still in place, with squad-based play and class loadouts consisting of more than just variations on different weapons packages, but you'll need to approach them in a different matter in order to find success in Close Quarters.

The Basics

Let's first establish a few of the basic ideas that you should walk into any Close Quarters match with. For starters, the pack's four maps -- Donya Fortress, Operation 925, Scrapmetal, and Ziba Tower -- all support a maximum of just 16 players in all. Similarly, you'll only be able to play in small-team game types on these maps. Team Deathmatch and Squad Deathmatch are joined by the DLC's two new (and no doubt familiar) game modes: Conquest Domination and Gun Master.

Conquest Domination is basically a fancy name for the same sort of flag capture-based control point mode that so many other online shooters offer. Three flags, labeled A, B, and C, appear in static locations for either team to "capture" by having one or more players stand close by while a meter fills up. The more flags that you control, the more points you earn, with the first team to hit the point goal named the winner.

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This Max Payne 3 multiplayer quick tips video will help you top the leaderboards in Rockstar's new action adventure game. After playing through MP3, we found that there are a few ways to make the experience as a whole better than ever and we wanted to share them with you. Grab your gun and let’s get started.

• REVIEW: Max Payne 3 Review

After the break you can find a full breakdown of each Max Payne 3 quick tip.

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This Dragon's Dogma quick tips video will help you throughout your journey in Gransys. After playing through Capcom's epic adventure game, we found that there are a few ways to make the experience as a whole better so we wanted to share them with you. Check them out in the video below.

• VIDEO: Dragon's Dogma Music Video: Intro Free-Dangan By B'z

After the break you can find a full breakdown of each Dragon's Dogma quick tip.

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Learn how to truely take advantage of the blacksmith and jewelcrafter in Diablo 3 when you check out our guide on crafting. If you find the grind a little grinding or just want the finest loot right now, it's time that you turned to your favorite artisans and start putting them to work for you. Stop trying to wait for that special drop. Become a patron of the arts and reap the rewards of some of the best weapons in the game.

First thing's first: To say you'll be crafting items in Diablo 3 is a bit of a fallacy. Instead, you as the Hero will return Magic, Rare, or Legendary gear that you want stripped down to its components to one of two Artisans. You'll meet one of these Artisans, Haedrig the Blacksmith in Act I. The other Artisan, Covetous Shen the Jeweler, will be met in Act II.

Apparently only Shen wears his personality type on his sleeve, while Haedrig remains a mystery -a sexy, bearded mystery.

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Our guide to Monster Traits will get you primed and ready for action for when you inevitably encounter one of these special monsters. It's pretty much a guarantee you'll run into some less than savory characters -- most of which, the beasts roaming the landscape. However, a select few of these monsters are special -- not meaning their mothers love them very much, but they have special traits that you'd do well to know about before you tangle with them.

• Diablo Guide: Your Guide of Guides

What are monsters with special traits?

You will often run into monsters roaming the land that can be classified Champion, Rare, and minion monsters. They're also known as non-Normal enemies. Usually they'll spawn with affixes (modifying terms you can see underneath their health bar) -- just like with the item system, that refers to their special traits. Each trait is different and imbues unique abilities upon the monster and the damage it may deal. Monsters you'll encounter with traits listed at level 14 or higher will come with more than one trait.

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What would a dungeon-crawler be without a sprawling menagerie of loot? Our guide to Diablo III's Loot System will aid you in quickly becoming an expert in which item yields what, how your brand new shinies can be identified, and how each is generated. You'll be an epic hoarder in no time, and we mean that in the nicest way possible.

What's a loot drop?

As you rampage through Sanctuary felling enemies or bashing any type of breakable object you're often rewarded with "loot drops," otherwise known as a pile of swag. Like you'd gather at E3 or another convention, but in-game. These randomly-generated collectible items will fall to the ground for you to squirrel away. For some, it's why they fight. For others, it's a steady stream of income-generating valuables that aid in the epic quest ahead. The items dropped can range from potions, weapons, armor, gold, and other types of equipment.

• Diablo 3 Guide: Beginner's Guide -- Welcome to Sanctuary

Of course, there is a system in place to determine at which interval specific items are available, and what they are. There are several variables by which loot is distributed: if it drops at all, how much of it, and what the properties of each item actually is. Anything from a monster's level to the type of breakable item destroyed can affect what type of drop you receive. For instance, a low-level enemy most likely isn't going to produce a top-tier item. Slay a more formidable foe, and the loot produced is much more valuable.

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This Diablo 3 quick tips video will help you level up faster, get the best items, earn extra gold, and more. After playing through Blizzard Entertainment's action role playing game, we found that there are a few ways to make the experience as a whole better and we wanted to share them with you. Check them out below.

• GUIDE: Diablo 3 Guide -- Your Guide to Our Guides

After the break you can find a full breakdown of each Diablo 3 quick tip.

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This guide to Diablo 3's Follower system will explore each Follower class and function so that you can get the most out of the revamped system and NPCs you decide to enlist for battle. Taking on Followers isn't required, but trust us -- it's a good idea.

What are Followers?

Formerly known as Hirelings, Followers are NPCs that may be found throughout Sanctuary who are more than willing to accompany you into battle. Not only can they fight on your behalf, but they may also level up, acquire new abilities, and receive new and improved equipment should you choose to provide it. Think of them as aides that you can outfit and grow as you see fit. You may not be able to customize them as closely as your own Hero, but done correctly they can be molded into formidable assistants.

How do I hire a Follower?

Right-clicking on the Follower icon found at the upper-left corner of the screen will open a menu with four options: Talk, Hire, Dismiss, or Retrain. From here you may speak to potential candidates, hire one, retrain a current Follower, or dismiss your current ally. You may hire only one Follower at a time and you may choose from three different classes: the Templar, Scoundrel, and Enchantress.

You may choose to hire additional Followers, but your remaining hires will have to wait back at camp until you return. After you begin browsing through the available Followers, you are given 120 seconds to make your hiring decision. Once you've chosen a suitable companion, your new ally will automatically match your hero's level minus one. Say you've hit level 13 -- your Follower will be at level 12 upon hire. It's prudent to outfit your warrior with equipment that's suitable for their current level and location, as the items they spawn with are completely random.

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Hello, test subject. This is Cave Johnson from Earth 92543395...well, there are infinite universes, so the chance of my Earth’s numerical designation having any finite number of digits is mathematically zero. Let’s just move on.

In your reality, I’m probably the head of the best damn applied sciences company on Earth. In this one, I’m a writer for G4. Just as good. As a tribute to my other, uh, alterna-Caves, I’m gonna teach you, test subject, how to design your own test chambers. That might be a conflict of interest. Don’t care.

Head over to the new Community Test Chambers option, then to “Create Your Own Test”. The map editor loads up a small room with three required components: an entrance, an exit, and a large observation room. You can move these around, though their placement somewhere in the chamber is required.

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