Control 2 Is Still A Ways Off, But Spin-Off Codename Condor Is Getting Closer

Amazon is running a huge book sale through May 20, giving you a chance to score physical and digital books for some of the lowest prices of the year. Along with books, you’ll find a free 3-month trial to Kindle Unlimited, as well as a variety of ereader and tablet deals. The catalog is packed with hundreds of great books and devices, so we’ve pulled together a handy roundup of notable price cuts to help you navigate the event.

Quick look: Amazon Book Sale – $2 ebooks

From digital books for $2 and popular paperbacks for 50% off to tablets and more, here are the best Amazon Book Sale deals.

Kindle Unlimited 3-Month Trial

Before checking out all the other great deals, it’s worth noting that Amazon is offering a three-month trial of Kindle Unlimited. You’d typically pay $36 for three months, so getting to check it out for free is pretty enticing. Along with unlimited access to over four million digital titles, you’ll get to enjoy thousands of audiobooks and a variety of magazine subscriptions.

Amazon Kindle Device Deals

A handful of Amazon’s Kindle devices are on sale during this event, though the most notable discount is for the Kindle Scribe. Along with letting you read ebooks, the device lets you draw on the screen with an included stylus, making it great for doodling or taking notes in the margins. Typically available for $340, you can pick up the premium gadget for just $240. You’ll also find a bunch of Fire tablets on sale–including several that are built just for kids.

Kindle ebook Deals

Kindle ebooks are a huge part of this event, with dozens of titles listed for just $2. That makes it easy to cross off titles on your wishlist without breaking your budget. This includes The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and multiple other Tolkien books focused on Middle-earth. Science fiction fans can pick up several of Neal Stephenson’s stellar novels for only $2 as well, including Reamde and Anathem. You’ll also find Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow for $6 (down from $14), which follows two game developers as they find success and grow more entwined over the years.

Amazon Editors Picks

If you’re searching for a physical book for your bookshelf, consider taking a gander at the sales hubs pulled together by Amazon’s book editors. Dozens of well-regarded books are included in the savings, though some of our favorites are Red Rising, The Maid, and The Mystery Guest. All three are on sale for at least 50% off their usual prices, making this a great time to check them out. You should also check out

Popular on Goodreads

Not sold on any of the picks above? You’ll find plenty more deals on physical books in this collection, which includes the books that a lot of Goodreads users have added to their virtual shelves. Notable discounts include Gareth Brown’s 2024 fantasy hit The Book of Doors and Neal Stephenson’s modern sci-fi classic Snow Crash.

Diablo 4 Season 4, Loot Reborn, is here, bringing a reworked loot system and new seasonal content. Among the new content is the Seasonal Journey, which provides a series of tasks to complete, which provides rewards in the shape of aspects, resources, and battle pass XP. Since the Seasonal Journey provides a ton of battle pass XP, it is the best way to get Smoldering Ashes, which provide season-long boosts. There are seven chapters in the Seasonal Journey that will take you from level 1 all the way to level 100 and beyond.

Chapter 1

You must complete 8 out of 10 objectives to complete this chapter.

Chapter 1 objectives:

• What Lurks Below: Complete 3 cellars
• Den of Evil: Complete any dungeon found on your map
• Trouble in the Wilds: Complete 2 world events
• One of the Pack: Increase your Wolf’s Honor Rank to 1 by battling evil in Helltide Zones
• Forager: Collect 50 Bundled Herbs from Harvest Nodes, Cellars, or various other sources throughout Sanctuary
• Fragrant Find: Collect 10 Angelbreath from Harvest Nodes, Cellar Mastery, or various other sources throughout Sanctuary
• Prospector: Collect 50 Iron Chunks from salvaging Weapons and Jewelry, Mineral Nodes, or various other sources throughout Sanctuary
• Tanner’s Apprentice: Collect 50 Rawhide from salvaging Armor, defeating Monsters, or various other sources throughout Sanctuary
• Joining the Fray: Complete 1 Iron Wolf Event found during a Helltide
• Spoils of Hell: Open 1 Tortured Gifts during Helltide

All of the Chapter 1 objectives are fairly simple and should be both easy and quick to complete. The only objective on the list that could be an issue is completing two world events, just because you have to wait for one to be live, but world events do occur relatively frequently.

Chapter 1 Rewards:

• Greater Favor: Contains Favor, which is battle pass XP
• First Journey Cache: Contains Consumables, such as Elixirs and Murmuring Obols
• First Journey Crafting Cache: Contains Crafting Materials, such as Herbs and Gem Fragments
• First Journey Equipment Cache: Contains a Legendary Weapon, Gloves, and Amulet for your class

Chapter 2

You must complete 7 out of 10 objectives to complete this chapter.

Chapter 2 Objectives:

• Veteran of Ashes: Acquire 666 Aberrant Cinders during a Helltide
• Miracles of Alchemy: Craft 10 Elixirs at the Alchemist
• Keeper of the Keys: Collect 3 Whispering Keys, sold at the Purveyor of Curiosities
• Touching the Eternal: Unlock 3 Aspects in the Codex of Power, such as through completing Dungeons
• Honorary Wolf: Increase your Wolf’s Honor Rank to 6 by battling evil in Helltide zones
• Notarized Nuisance: Increase your Threat Level to Max by defeating monsters during Helltide
• Expanded Repertoire: Learn 1 Recipe of Magic rarity or higher
• Cinder Spender: Open 10 Tortured Gifts during Helltide
• Mad Prophecies: Complete 3 Doomsayer Events found during Helltide
• Demonic Presences: Disrupt 3 Cultist Rituals found during Helltide

Again, nothing too difficult or time consuming here. The best thing to do here is to try and nab the six objectives that are all related to the Helltide at once, and then just complete one additional objective, whichever one seems easiest for you.

Chapter 2 Rewards:

• Greater Favor
• Second Journey Cache: Contains a Temper Manual and Consumables, such as Elixirs and Baneful Hearts
• Second Journey Crafting Cache: Contains Crafting Materials, such as Herbs and Veiled Crystals
• Second Journey Equipment Cache: Contains a Legendary Weapon, Pants, and Ring for your class

Chapter 3

You must complete 8 of 10 objectives to complete this chapter.

Chapter 3 Objectives:

• Risk and Reward: Buy 25 pieces of equipment from the Purveyor of Curiosities
• A Master at Work: Complete 3 World Events with Mastery
• Hard Fought Victory: Complete 1 Legion Event
• Forsaken Offerings: Obtain 10 Caches from the Tree of Whispers by completing Whispers
• Raised by Wolves: Increase your Wolf’s Honor Rank to 9 by battling evil in Helltide zones
• Ineffable Draughts: Consume 5 Seasonal Elixirs, Elixir of Momentum or Elixir of Holy Bolts
• Basic Needs: Temper 5 Affixes onto Gear at the Blacksmith
• Thorn in Hell: Defeat 666 Monsters while at Max Threat Level during Helltide
• Predator and Prey: Defeat 666 Monsters while Bloodmarked in Hostile areas
• Capable Craftsmen: Learn 1 Recipe of Rare rarity of higher

The two objectives here that are the easiest to skip will be Predator and Prey and Forsaken Offerings. Predator and Prey requires you to kill enemies in a PvP zone, while marked for other players to attack, which some people might not be interested in doing. Forsaken Offerings requires you to complete enough Whispers to obtain 10 caches, which isn’t hard, but is time consuming enough that you might finish the other objectives first.

Chapter 3 Rewards:

• Greater Favor
• Third Journey Cache: Contains Consumables, such as Sigil Powder and Baneful Hearts
• Third Journey Crafting Cache: Contains Crafting Materials, such as Veiled Crystals and Forgotten Souls
• Third Journey Equipment Cache: Contains a Legendary Weapon, Chest Armor, and Boots for your class
• Third Journey Summoning Cache: Contains Summoning Materials to challenge Bosses in World Tier 3

Chapter 4

You must complete 9 of 11 objectives to complete this chapter.

Chapter 4 Objectives:

• Pilgrim of Horror: Complete a Tier 10 or higher Nightmare Dungeon
• Blessing of the Strong: Equip Sacred Legendary items in every slot
• Confront the Creature: Defeat the Blood Maiden during Helltide in World Tier 3 or higher
• Baptized in Hell: Defeat 15 Hellborne during a Helltide
• Shards of the Fiends: Collect 5 Scattered Prisms, found primarily from defeating World Bosses
• The Long Howl: Complete 15 Iron Wolf Events found during Helltide in World Tier 3 or higher
• Most Dangerous Game: Defeat 15 Elite Monsters while Bloodmarked in Hostile areas
• Seed to Evil: Collect 15 Baneful Hearts by defeating Hellborne during a Helltide in World Tier 3 or higher
• Stem the Tide: Defeat 666 Monsters while at Max Threat Level during Helltide in World Tier 3 or higher
• Brink of Madness: Defeat 666 Monsters while using the Profane Mindcage during a Helltide
• Decent into Delirium: Defeat 666 Elite Monster while using the Profane Mindcage during Helltide in World Tier 3

The vast majority of these objectives are done in a Helltide, so focusing on those will make this chapter go faster. The two skippable objectives are Shards of the Fiends and Most Dangerous Game. Shards of the Fiends requires you to beat world bosses, which spawn every three hours roughly, so you might miss your opportunity depending on when you are playing. Most Dangerous Game is another PvP area objective, which some players might not be interested in doing.

Chapter 4 Rewards:

• Greater Favor
• Captain of the Wolves Emblem
• Fourth Journey Cache: Contains a Temper Manual and Consumables, such as Profane Mindcages and a Scroll of Amnesia
• Fourth Journey Crafting Cache: Contains Crafting Materials, such as Veiled Crystals and Forgotten Souls
• Fourth Journey Equipment Cache: Contains a Legendary Weapon, Helm, and Ring for your class
• Fourth Journey Summoning Cache: Contains Summoning Materials to challenge Bosses in World Tier 4

Slayer (Chapter 5)

You must complete 9 of 11 objectives to complete this chapter.

Slayer Objectives:

• The Gathering Fires: Acquire 6,666 Aberrant Cinders during Helltie on World Tier 4
• Damnation’s Downfall: Defeat each of the 5 Helltide Commanders while using the Profane Mindcage during Helltides, summoned after completing Helltide Events
• Shock and Awe: Defeat Grigoire, the Galvanic Saint in World Tier 4
• No Mere Mortal: Unlock a Legendary Paragon node after reaching level 50, through using Paragon Points
• Mephisto’s Bane: Purify 33,333 Seeds of Hatred obtained in Hostile areas at an Altar of Extraction
• Alpha Member: Increase your Wolf’s Honor Rank to 15 by battling evil in Helltide zones
• Form and Function: Upgrade Gear by adding 5 Sockets to them at the Jeweler
• Guilt: Defeat Echo of Varshan in World Tier 3, summoned beneath the Tree of Whispers with materials from World Tier 3 Whisper Caches
• Ancient Craft: Temper 8 Affixes onto Ancestral Gear at the Blacksmith
• Precious Shards: Salvage 100 Ancestral Legendary items at the Blacksmith
• Heir to Transcendence: Equip Ancestral items in every slot

Once again, many of these objectives involve doing activities in a Helltide, so many will be done simultaneously. The two easiest to skip will be Mephisto’s Bane, the PvP objective, and No Mere Mortal. No Mere Mortal requires a legendary Paragon Node, which will likely take about 15 to 20 Paragon Points to reach depending on your board, so you will likely need to be a few levels past 50 and you might complete the other objectives prior to that.

Slayer Rewards:

• Epic Favor
• Slayer’s Cache: Contains Consumables, such as Runeshards and a Scroll of Amnesia
• Slayer’s Crafting Cache: Contains Crafting Materials, such as Obducite and Scattered Prisms
• Slayer’s Equipment Cache: Contains two Ancestral Legendaries and an Ancestral Unique for your class
• Slayer’s Summoning Cache: Contains Summoning Materials to challenge Bosses in World Tier 4

Champion (Chapter 6)

You will need to complete 10 of 12 objectives to complete this chapter

Champion Objectives:

• Not All Who Wander: Defeat 5 Seething Abomination while Bloodmarked in Hostile areas
• Lootmaster: Open 10 Tortured Gifts during a single Helltide in World Tier 4
• Forgiveness: Defeat Lord Zir in World Tier 4, summoned in Fractured Peaks with Exquisite Blood from World Tier 4 World Bosses or Legion Events
• Harbinger of Ice: Defeat The Beast in the Ice in World Tier 4, summoned with Distilled Fear from Tier 30 or higher Nightmare Dungeons
• Anointed in Blood: Reach Level 90
• Born in Torment: Defeat 10 Hellborne while using the Profane Mindcage during Helltide in World Tier 4
• Anguish Ignited: Defeat Echo of Andariel in World Tier 4, summoned in Kehjistan with Materials from The Beast in The Ice and Lord Zir
• Exterminator: Defeat Echo of Duriel in World Tier 4, summoned in Kehjistan with materials from Grigoire and the Echo of Varshan
• Heritage of Artisans: Learn 1 Recipe of Legendary rarity or higher
• Honing Craft: Attempt to Masterwork 20 gear at the Blacksmith
• Cleaning Day: Defeat 666 Monsters within 6 Minutes while using a Profane Mindcage during Helltide in World Tier 4
• Preamable: Complete Artificer’s Tier 1 or higher in The Pit, located at the Artificer’s Obelisk in Cerrigar and activated with Runeshards

This chapter contains several difficult objectives, so you must pick your skips wisely. While most of the summoned bosses will be a bit of a challenge, Exterminator requires you to beat Duriel, who is summoned using materials from The Beast In The Ice and Lord Zir, which are needed for another challenge, so Duriel will be one of the last objectives completed anyway. Once again, Not All Who Wander is a PvP zone focused objective, so that might be a good one to skip too.

Champion Rewards:

• Epic Favor
• Mark of the Artificer Emblem
• Champion’s Cache: Contains a Temper Manual and Consumables, such as Runeshards and Scrolls of Amnesia
• Champion’s Crafting Cache: Contains Crafting Materials, such as Ingolith and Scattered Prisms
• Champion’s Equipment Cache: Contains two Ancestral Legendaries and an Ancestral Unique for your class
• Champion’s Summoning Cache: Contains Stygian Stones and other Summoning Materials to challenge Tormented Echo Bosses

Destroyer (Chapter 7)

You need to complete 7 of 9 objectives to complete this chapter.

Destroyer Objectives:

• Blessed Mother Departed: Defeat Echo of Lilith in World Tier 4, remembered in Nevesk
• Glyphmaster: Improve 5 Paragon Glyphs to Rank 15 by completing Nightmare Dungeon
• Alpha of the Pack: Increase your Wolf’s Honor Rank to 18 by battling evil in Helltide zones
• Delved Deep: Complete Artificer’s Tier 21 or higher in The Pit, located at the Artificer’s Obelisk in Cerrigar and activated with Runeshards
• Horadric Smith: Masterwork Gear to rank 8 at the Balcksmith
• Anathema: Defeat the Blood Maiden while using the Profane Mindcage during Helltide in World Tier 4
• The Bigger They Are: Defeat 10 World Bosses
• Anguish Extinguished: Use Stygian Stones to summon and defeat Tormented Echo of Andariel
• Eradicator: Use Stygian Stones to summon and defeat Tormented Echo of Duriel

With this being the final chapter, all of these objectives are both difficult and time consuming, although two are particularly difficult. Blessed Mother Departed and Eradicator both require you to complete the two hardest boss fights in Diablo 4, Duriel and Lilith, on the highest world tier. You will need a basically complete build to take down these fights, so these will likely be the final two objectives completed.

Destroyer Rewards:

• Destroyer’s Cache: Contains Consumables, such as Runeshards and Scrolls of Amnesia
• Destroyer’s Crafting Cache: Contains Crafting Materials, such as Neathiron and Scattered Prisms
• Destroyer’s Equipment Cache: Contains two Ancestral Legendaries and two Ancestral Uniques for your class
• Destroyer’s Summoning Cache: Contains Stygian Stones and other Summoning Materials to challenge Tormented Echo Bosses
• Crafty Player Title
• Looter Player Title

Sure, you might have memorized the original Pokemon Rap when you were a kid, but things have changed! There are a lot more than just 151 Pokemon, and for those days when you’re looking for a breakdown on how to evolve your pocket monster, it’s always handy to have a complete Pokedex nearby.

That’s what Pokemon: The Complete Pokemon Pocket Guide is all about. Spread across two massive paperback volumes, the new Pokemon Pocket Guide published by Viz Media is worth checking out if you want a physical Pokedex to flip through. Volume 1 (560 pages) released on April 23 and is available for $13.49 (was $15) at Amazon. Volume 2 (552 pages) is set to release on May 28, and it’s available to preorder now for $15.

Alternatively, you preorder a box set featuring both paperback volumes, neatly packaged in a displayable slipcase. The Complete Pokemon Pocket Guide Box Set is priced at $29 and releases September 24. You’ll spend about the same amount of money whether you buy each volume separately or preorder the box set, so what matters is if you’re willing to wait and/or you care about the slipcase.

Pokemon: The Complete Pokemon Pocket Guide

With over 1,100 pages combined, these volumes provide you with data on 898 Pokemon (out of 1,025 total). This includes descriptions, stats, abilities, movies, and evolutions for the critters. With its pocket-friendly size, you can carry these books around with you for those days when you take your Switch. The books have been a mammoth undertaking–hence the exclusion of the Paldean region Pokemon from Scarlet and Violet–and every Pokedex entry in the guide features full illustrations.

While sites like Bulbapedia are incredibly valuable for instant access to vital Pokemon data, you can’t discount the appeal of physical media. Whether you use the Pokemon Pocket Guide while on your quests to catch ’em all, or you simply like the idea of flipping through a paperback filled with full-color illustrations and loads of neat details, these new guides offer a budget-friendly way to do just that.

Plus, this exhaustively researched two-tome set could make for a great gift for the Pokemon fans in your life.

Apex Legends Season 21: Upheaval launched, surprisingly, without an actual launch trailer. But just over a week after the new season went live, Apex Legends developer Respawn Entertainment has released a new animated short featuring a device that Titanfall 2 players will certainly recognize: the Time Gauntlet, a device that makes a significant appearance in Titanfall 2’s Effect and Cause chapter, which is widely regarded as the best part of the game’s single-player campaign.

In Effect and Cause, the player takes the Time Gauntlet–a donut-shaped metal disc attached to a glove–and uses it to shift back and forth in time at-will. We’ve seen the Gauntlet appear in Apex Legends before, when an early prototype of the device appeared to power Loba’s teleportation bracelet, and we also saw Horizon eyeing up the one in the Apex Museum in Season 20’s launch trailer. But so far, we haven’t learned much more about it.

Now Playing: Apex Legends: Altered Horizons Cinematic Trailer