We Speak Gaming
Blue Archive’s “The Calm After the Storm” Event Sends Its Students on a Valley Vacation
Blue Archive is giving its students a break. Nexon has launched “The Calm After the Storm,” a new Event Story in its free-to-play tactical RPG, running through October 27 on mobile and PC via Steam.
The event follows the students of Shanhaijing Senior High School as they vacation in a quiet valley village — a change of pace for a game whose stories usually run through the academy city of Kivotos and its constant stream of incidents. As ever with Blue Archive, a peaceful trip is a setup, not a guarantee.
Two limited students headline the recruitment banners. Kisaki (Swimsuit) is a three-star Sonic-type Supporter whose EX Skill, “Enforcement: Banzai Stretches,” transforms after two uses into “Declaration: Closed Today,” raising Skill Cost Recovery and lowering skill costs for three allied Strikers. Shun (Swimsuit) is a three-star Sonic-type damage dealer built around “Flower Bud” stacks — up to three — that her EX Skill consumes, and she can switch places with Shunling (Swimsuit), who applies stacking ATK Down to enemies.
The event’s reward loop runs through its shop, with the reward exchange open through November 3, a week past the story event itself. The Challenge stages pay out 30 Pyroxenes each, and clearing all three unlocks the Extra (Ex) Stage, which rewards a Secret Tech Sheet — one of the game’s scarcer growth materials.
Blue Archive has grown from a Korean and Japanese success into a steady global performer for Nexon, carried by its character writing and a reliable cadence of event stories like this one. “The Calm After the Storm” is a lighter entry by design: a vacation story, two swimsuit variants of established characters, and a grind that respects the calendar. Senseis have until October 27 to finish the story, and until November 3 to spend what they earn.
THE FINALS Season 12 “PRIME TIME” Rebuilds Destruction and Adds Solo Showdown
Bandai Namco Announces Mobile Suit Gundam: Battle Operation 3 for PS5 and PC
ARC Raiders’ Frozen Trail Update Brings Pendola Pass and a Boardable Frigate on October 8
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves Adds Tokyo Revengers’ Mikey and Draken on October 22
Flagg Scores 26 as Mavericks Hand Short-Handed Thunder First Loss, 120-96
Barnes Scores 28 as Raptors Rout Magic 129-99 in First Game Without Leonard
Wembanyama’s 36 Powers Spurs Past Jazz 117-111 in Overtime
Brunson Scores 38 as Knicks Erase 19-Point Deficit to Stun Bulls 133-127
THE FINALS has always sold itself on destruction, and Season 12 rebuilds the whole system. “PRIME TIME,” live now on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, is the free-to-play game show shooter’s largest update since its 2023 launch, headlined by Gradual Destruction: buildings now bend, sag and partially collapse under damage instead of shattering on cue, while Blast Waves displace objects and deform walls, and smoke and toxic gas have been reworked to interact with the geometry they move through.
The season’s new mode is Solo Showdown, launching in beta as the game’s first dedicated solo tournament. Twelve contestants play three rounds drawn from eight rotating mini-modes — Blast Off!, Heavy Hitters, Boom Brawl, Slam-A-Rama, Sniper Standoff, Winch Wars, Turbo Tussle and One and Gunned — with the four lowest scorers eliminated after each of the first two rounds.
The game show itself gets smarter with Dynamic Commentary, also in beta: announcer Scotty now calls contestants out by name for standout plays such as team wipes and revive streaks, turning the broadcast layer into part of the reward.
Light players get a full new playstyle, the Infiltrator. True Sight reveals opponents through smoke, the Mimic Device disguises a contestant as an object, and the Translocator swaps the player’s position with a marked object. Balance shifts around it: Light builds gain 25 health and Heavy builds lose 25, compressing the gap between the outer classes.
Three arenas — Monaco, Seoul and Skyway Stadium — have been remastered, the HUD and Side Panel redesigned, and sponsor rewards rebuilt around Contracts; the VR currency has been removed entirely. A Frights Galore Halloween wheel covers the seasonal beat.
Three years in, Embark is not coasting on THE FINALS’ formula — PRIME TIME re-engineers the thing the game is famous for, and bets that better destruction keeps the show on air.
Bandai Namco Announces Mobile Suit Gundam: Battle Operation 3 for PS5 and PCARC Raiders’ Frozen Trail Update Brings Pendola Pass and a Boardable Frigate on October 8Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves Adds Tokyo Revengers’ Mikey and Draken on October 22
Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake Arrives November 5 on Switch 2, With an Ocarina You Play by HummingFlagg Scores 26 as Mavericks Hand Short-Handed Thunder First Loss, 120-96Barnes Scores 28 as Raptors Rout Magic 129-99 in First Game Without LeonardWembanyama’s 36 Powers Spurs Past Jazz 117-111 in OvertimeBrunson Scores 38 as Knicks Erase 19-Point Deficit to Stun Bulls 133-127-
We Speak Jazz6 days agoToronto Jazz Singer Ori Dagan Announces First Live Album ‘Live in the Market’ for October 23 Release
-
WE Speak MMA7 days agoUFC 334: Gane vs. Hokit, Harrison vs. Nunes Title Fights Set for November 14 at Madison Square Garden
-
We Speak Comedy7 days agoNate Bargatze Plays Rexburg Tomorrow, Then Settles Into Las Vegas on the Record-Breaking Big Dumb Eyes Tour
-
We Speak Celebrity News5 days agoJennifer Lawrence Steps Into Beauty With Biodesigned Haircare Brand mes°