Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. Guides

‘Rage 2’ is all the rage on Twitter; announcement appears imminent

Steven Petite
By
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Bethesda keeps dropping hints about a follow-up to its 2011 first-person shooter Rage. The latest hints over the past couple days come in the form of a series of tweets, a couple of which point to a reveal on May 14.

pic.twitter.com/OZg34srDmc

— Bethesda (@bethesda) May 10, 2018

As you can see, that’s a picture of Big Ben, the famous clock tower in London, with a splash of pink paint on the face. The hands point to “5:14.”

Recommended Videos

pic.twitter.com/PC6fBW5BNO

— Bethesda (@bethesda) May 10, 2018

Related

The 5-14 clue showed up again hours later in the rocket pic above. Again, Bethesda added some pink to the picture, signaling that the pair of images were connected.

pic.twitter.com/ZD91qHbNHd

— Bethesda (@bethesda) May 11, 2018

As far as we can tell, 5-14 isn’t present in Bethesda’s next hint, an aerial view of a city intersection. But Bethesda decided to really cover this one in pink.

pic.twitter.com/62ikAiJ4bk

— Bethesda (@bethesda) May 11, 2018

This one is more or less a complete giveaway. Notice the woman waiting to board the bus? Yeah, we know, she’s hard to miss, as she’s wearing an outfit that certainly looks as if it came out of Rage‘s world. There’s also the poster on the side of the bus that reads “Anarchy Tours.” When Rage launched, it used the anarchy symbol in a bunch of its promotional material, and there was even a special edition dubbed the Anarchy Edition.

All of this suggests Bethesda will reveal Rage 2 soon, apparently on May 14. The tweets follow Walmart Canada stock box art that the Rage Twitter account playfully critiqued.

Hey @WalmartCanada here are a few notes. pic.twitter.com/R1od2aTEMC

— RAGE (@RAGEgame) May 9, 2018

While it’s abundantly clear that Rage 2 is in fact a thing (unless Bethesda is trolling fans for no reason), it’s still somewhat surprising. Developed by id Software, Rage was released to mixed reviews in 2011. It had solid gunplay and decent visuals, but the post-apocalyptic wasteland was barren, the vehicle driving was subpar, and the story was basically nonexistent. Since id Software is known as a pioneer in the first-person shooter genre (Doom, Wolfenstein, Quake), Rage‘s mediocre quality was all the more disappointing.

Now it seems like Bethesda is giving the franchise another chance to thrive. With id Software developing Quake Champions, it’s unclear if it has time to work on the presumed sequel. Perhaps a different Bethesda studio will take the reins. It doesn’t look like we’ll have to wait long to find out. Check back May 14 for Rage 2 news.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Steven Petite
Steven Petite
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Steven is a writer from Northeast Ohio currently based in Louisiana. He writes about video games and books, and consumes…
All Word of Power locations in Alan Wake 2
Alan Wake sitting at a desk with a typewriter.

Alan Wake 2 splits its campaign up between the titular writer from the original game and a new character, FBI agent Saga. While the two play mostly the same, each one does have some bespoke elements. Aside from smaller touches like each having their own weapons and inventory, they also have different sets of collectibles to search out. While Saga needs to track down and solve things like Nursery Rhymes and open Cult Stashes, Alan's hidden items, called Words of Power, are more in line with his profession. These are more concepts than actual, physical items to grab, and must be picked up in a unique way. Not only are they worth finding because they unlock a Trophy, but they also will help smooth out the difficulty curve since they serve as upgrades for Alan. Our words may not be as powerful as Alan's, but they can still guide you to every Word of Power location in Alan Wake 2.
How Words of Power work
Words of Power are environmental objects that only Alan can interact with. While exploring his section, you will be able to hunt down these spots on the map and find a spiral of words written somewhere. To "collect" one, you simply need to shine your light on it from the right angle -- your controller will vibrate to let you know you're getting close.

Words of Power are divided into seven types, each of which offers three different upgrade options in different areas. Here's each type and how they can improve Alan's skills.

Read more
The best weapon upgrades in Alan Wake 2
Saga fights off a Taken in Alan Wake 2.

The Dark Place and Cultists in Alan Wake 2 may be dark and twisted manifestations of an evil force, but once you shed away the darkness, everything will fall into your arsenal of firearms. Neither Alan nor FBI agent Saga are exactly equipped with the firepower you'd want when wandering through the haunted woods and mind-bending Dark Place, but they can make do with what they have in clever ways. Saga specifically is skilled enough to upgrade all the weapons in her inventory to better protect herself against the supernatural threats that stalk her. Upgrades don't come cheap, and if you find all the weapons in the game, you will need to make some tough calls on how you improve them. Here are the upgrades you need to see the final chapter of Alan Wake 2's story.
How weapon upgrades work

You can upgrade your weapons whenever you like in Alan Wake 2 by visiting Saga's Mind Place. Any weapon you have is available to upgrade there, provided you have the required amount of manuscript fragments that you collect from the hidden Luncboxes around the map. These are distinct from the Cult Stashes, so be on the lookout for them since you will need to find quite a few before you can afford even the first upgrade.
Best weapon upgrades
More Bullets
Your starting pistol may not be the most flashy gun in Alan Wake 2, but it is always reliable and it never stops being effective. The first upgrade you should get has to be More Bullets. This will increase the pistol's default magazine size from 12 to 18. This will obviously make it easier and safer to deal with encounters since you won't be caught reloading as often but also helps keep your inventory clean since less space will be taken up for ammo.
Another Headshot
For another pistol upgrade, Another Headshot is very powerful if you're a sharpshooter. If you can score two headshots in a row, the unlucky Cultist will be stunned for a comically long time. That gives you plenty of time to either deal free damage, heal, or just run away if you're low on resources and not prepared for a fight.
Ready for More
The best shotgun upgrade is easily Ready for More. Healing is not only a limited resource, which again takes up inventory space but also a somewhat long animation. If you're in a tight situation and on the verge of death, there usually isn't much you can do. Ready for More can bail you out since it will turn any kill you get with the shotgun into a bit of healing. It isn't a huge amount, but every bit makes a difference.
Two Shots
The Crossbow may be a late-game addition to your toolset, but is absolutely worth saving some manuscript fragments to upgrade ASAP. Two Shots is borderline essential, making it so you can fire twice rather than just once before needing to reload.
Magnetic Pull
Magnetic Pull could be the best upgrade in the game. With it, after you skewer an enemy with a bolt, switching to another gun will make those bullets track to the bolt for guaranteed hits. If you're comfortable swapping weapons on the fly, this is satisfying and efficient.

Read more
Alan Wake 2 is proof that more PC games need a potato mode
Alan Wake 2 running on the Samsung Odyssey OELD G9.

Alan Wake 2 is one of the most beautiful games I've ever played -- and it's the frontrunner for the most demanding PC game you can currently run. For as impressive as the game is, from its path-traced reflections to the extensive use of Nvidia tech, it's so demanding that some otherwise-powerful PCs won't be able to post playable frame rates.

It's clear developer Remedy set out to create a certain atmosphere with Alan Wake 2 that can only be captured with photorealistic visuals. That said, Alan Wake 2 is  proof that more PC games need to adopt a stripped-back graphics setting, even if that means sacrificing a part of what makes the game special.
What in the world is a potato mode?
A potato mode is something so easy to run that you could run it on a potato -- not literally, of course, but that's the sentiment. It's a kill switch graphics option that will only be used by a small fraction of PCs, but it can help the least powerful (and least expensive) rigs at least run an otherwise demanding PC game.

Read more