Crimson Desert version 1.00.03 adds more fast travel points and storage space while reducing boss fight difficulty

Pearl Abyss apologized for the inclusion of several paintings created by generative AI that had been spotted by fans and said they would be replaced

The next set of Riftbound, Riot Games' League of Legends trading card game, is making its way out of the jungle. And if you get lucky with your pack openings, you might just be able to leap out of the bushes in style.

Riot Games gave us the opportunity to premiere a card for Riftbound Unleashed, featuring the jungling hunter Rengar. His official Legend has already been revealed, but for our showcase, we're spotlighting the spectacular artwork on the "overnumbered" version of Rengar's Legend. Here's the special edition of Rengar, Pridestalker.

 

"Overnumbered" is Riot's way of adding a little extra rarity to some cards, putting them beyond the normal numbering of the set; in the bottom-left corner, you'll notice the "227/219" marking, as well as the gold hexagon in the lower center. These are particularly rare options that come with alternative art and, sometimes, an artist signature.

In this case, we have Duy Nguyen putting a gorgeous painterly treatment to Rengar. The details are really great; the eye colors pop, the lush foliage feels right at home for Unleashed's theme, and the little details on Rengar's face accentuate his ferocity in combat.

The Fury/Body (Red/Orange) combination makes Rengar seem like an aggressive Legend option, with an ability that should let him get out units early and seize an advantage. If I got Rengar at a pre-release, I'd immediately start looking for cheap, solid creatures to roll out for a fast lead, and some battlefields that could net me some value for early captures and holds. Note that his ability says you give "a unit" plus-one Might, not the unit played, which could also lend itself to some tricky combat plays.

Preview season is still underway for Riot's card game, rolling out through March 26. Chinese language Pre-Rift events kick off on April 3, while English language begins May 1. The release date will be staggered as well, with Chinese language launch on April 10 and English on May 8.

Microsoft has revealed it will broadcast an Xbox Partner Preview showcase this week on Thursday, March 26, at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET. It will feature news and updates on games from Sega, GSC Game World, and Owlcat Games, as well as world premieres and more. 

Xbox says the presentation will feature an in-depth look at Like a Dragon developer Ryu Ga Gotoku's upcoming game, Stranger Than Heaven, as well as a new look at Owlcat Games' The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, which is a Mass Effect-like sci-fi RPG set in the universe of author James S.A. Corey's book series. Plus, Xbox promises an update on S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl and "brand-new reveals, world premieres, and Xbox Game Pass announcements." 

Following the Xbox Partner Preview, Microsoft says there will be "even more behind-the-scenes stories and deep dives" about some of the games featured in the show can be found on Xbox Wire. 

This week's Xbox Partner Preview airs Thursday, March 26, at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET on the company's YouTube and Twitch channels. 

In the meantime, check out Game Informer's latest preview for Stranger Than Heaven, and then read our preview for The Expanse: Osiris Reborn. 

What do you hope to see during the Xbox Partner Preview on Thursday? Let us know in the comments below!

It was a busy weekend for Crimson Desert. Released on Thursday of last week, the game has become a topic for debate for the larger gaming internet. It is divisive, to say the least. You can read Game Informer's Crimson Desert review here.

On Saturday, developer Pearl Abyss released a statement after clear examples of genAI art assets were found to have been used in the game. You can see the full statement below:

We would like to address questions regarding the use of AI in Crimson Desert.

During development, some 2D visual props were created as part of early-stage iteration using experimental AI generative tools. These assets helped us rapidly explore tone and atmosphere in the earlier…

— Crimson Desert (@CrimsonDesert_) March 22, 2026

In the statement Pearl Abyss wrote, "This is not in line with our internal standards, and we take full responsibility for it," adding, "We sincerely apologize for these oversights." According to the statement, the assets were included early in development to "rapidly explore tone and atmosphere" and were erroneously left in the final game. The statement also promises that a thorough audit is being conducted on the game to remove the offending assets, and that those assets will be removed in future patches.

And speaking of patches, Pearl Abyss also launched Crimson Desert's first big one. The patch is available now on PC (and you can read all the patch notes here) and will also be available on both Xbox and PlayStation today at 2:15 UTC and 8:15 UTC, respectively. To read about Crimson Desert's pre-patch console performance, you can find our impressions of both platforms here. The short version of that article is that my colleague Wesley LeBlanc and I welcome patches to the console version of the game.

The most noticeable element of the patch, according to Pearl Abyss, is, "We've adjusted some gamepad and keyboard/mouse controls, increased Health restored from food and items, and added new item storage in the Howling Hill Camp."

The full patch list is dense and includes elements like speeding up the time it takes to acquire knowledge, trees can be chopped with just swinging and not aiming first, some puzzles have been tweaked for clarity, as well as very specific bugs, like when a cat would stop leading the way for a mission in chapter two.

Again, you can read Game Informer's Crimson Desert review here, but you can also watch our video version of the review below.