Weekend Gaming: Elden Ring DLC, Destiny 2 Finale, V Rising 1.0

Last Updated: November 3, 2025

After a whirlwind showcase season that flooded us with announcements and a landmark week for major releases, we break down the essential games you should be playing this weekend.

No matter how you look at it, this was a wild month for the games industry. The summer showcase season, kicked off by Summer Game Fest, has finally concluded, leaving us with a roadmap of incredible games for the next year and beyond. We saw bombshell reveals from Xbox, deep dives from Ubisoft, and a slew of exciting indie titles. It’s been a lot to process.

A Summer of Blockbuster Reveals

It’s not every June that the gaming landscape shifts so dramatically. The "Not-E3" season delivered in a big way, starting with Summer Game Fest, which brought surprises like the shadow-drop of the *Alan Wake 2: Night Springs* DLC. The real heavyweight, however, was the Xbox Games Showcase, which delivered a stunning salvo of announcements. We got the shocking reveal of *Gears of War: E-Day*, a prequel taking the series back to its horror roots, the medieval brutality of *DOOM: The Dark Ages*, and tantalizing new looks at anticipated RPGs like *Fable* and *Avowed*.

As if that wasn't enough, Ubisoft Forward provided extensive gameplay breakdowns for its two massive upcoming open-world titles, *Star Wars Outlaws* and *Assassin's Creed Shadows*, dominating the conversation. This confluence of major industry reveals has left gamers with an exciting vision of the future, but the biggest story of the week is something we can play *right now*.

Our Weekend Gaming Recommendations

For the Tarnished Seeking a Challenge: Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

You can't ignore the release that has the entire industry buzzing. FromSoftware has done it again, launching the massively anticipated expansion, *Shadow of the Erdtree*. Dropping more than two years after the base game redefined the open-world genre, this DLC is a monumental achievement. You’ll journey to the Land of Shadow, a new map packed with lore, breathtaking legacy dungeons, and over ten new major bosses that will test the skills of even the most seasoned *Elden Ring* veterans. Critically acclaimed as one of the best DLCs ever made, it’s a brutal, beautiful, and essential experience. If you want to be part of the cultural conversation and see what the pinnacle of game design looks like, your weekend belongs to the Land of Shadow.

For the Guardian at the End of an Era: Destiny 2: The Final Shape

While *Elden Ring* dominates the new-release charts, Bungie just delivered the most significant update in *Destiny 2's* history. *The Final Shape* is the epic conclusion to the "Light and Darkness Saga," a story a decade in the making. The expansion has been met with widespread praise for its phenomenal campaign, which takes players inside the Pale Heart of the Traveler. It introduces the new Prismatic subclass, allowing players to mix and match Light and Dark abilities for unprecedented build-crafting, and a terrifying new enemy faction, The Dread. The recent world-first completion of the Salvation's Edge raid has unlocked even more content for all players. If you've ever been a fan of *Destiny*, this is the cathartic, action-packed conclusion you've been waiting for.

For the Aspiring Vampire Lord: V Rising

Feeling a bit overwhelmed by massive story campaigns and just want to sink your teeth into a deep, satisfying systems-driven game? It's the perfect time to discover the gothic world of *V Rising*. After a successful early access period, the game recently celebrated its full 1.0 launch on PC and just made its console debut on PlayStation 5. *V Rising* is a brilliant blend of ARPG combat and survival crafting. You awaken as a weakened vampire and must hunt for blood, rebuild your castle, and conquer the land of Vardoran. Whether you're playing solo or with a clan on a bustling server, the loop of exploring, fighting dynamic bosses, and using their powers to enhance your own dark arsenal is incredibly addictive. It’s a massive world that will easily consume your weekend and many more to come.