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Ghost of Yotei Starter Guide: 9 Tips to Know

Here’s a handful of useful advice to know before starting your revenge quest.

Ghost of Yotei, the follow-up to 2020’s Ghost of Tsushima, is now out to play and brings a new protagonist, setting and adventure for you to slice and dice your way through. We over here love it, but before taking control of Atsu and avenging your fallen family, here are nine things to look out for in order to start off with an advantage.

Yotei’s relation to the first game, Ghost of Tsushima

Do you need to have played or know what happened in the first game, Ghost of Tsushima? No. Yotei takes place 400 years after the first game and in a different region of Japan. It doesn’t continue the story, so you’re safe jumping in here.

Ghost of Yotei’s cinematic modes

Just like in Tsushima, Yotei features its so-called Kurosawa mode. This turns the entire game to black and white, adds film grain, and increases the wind sound effects to mimic the many movies from famed Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa.

In addition, and new to Yotei, are two other cinematic modes. The first is called Miike mode, which will increase the amount of blood and mud sprayed around in combat. It will also bring the camera in closer while fighting. Be warned, though, the game points out that this will increase the combat difficulty.

The second new mode is called Watanabe mode, which will change the exploration and combat music to a more lo-fi beat. Perfect for any Samurai Champloo fan.

Throw your enemy’s weapons

New to Yotei is the ability to throw fallen weapons at enemies. Often, when you defeat someone, you can find their weapon upright, stuck in the ground with a soft glow. Pick up the weapon with R2 and throw it with Square in order to deal a considerable amount of damage. Not only can this help thin out a group of enemies, but it also looks extremely badass.

Visit your home

One of the very first things you’ll do after opening up the map is visit your childhood home. There are a few mini games and cutscenes to work through before you’re allowed to leave. After finishing the combat tutorial, explore around the area first. There are additional cutscenes from your past to view for some backstory, but don’t leave just yet — inside the house, you’ll even find some money and a map pointing to some hidden items.

Loot corpses

Many enemies will have some loot, money, or resources on them after being killed. Make sure to quickly check the bodies before continuing on your way.

Ghost of Yotei: Find the lost monk

A monk named Bessho is located off to the side on your way from your home to the Shadow Inn. He’s located next to an isolated tree with yellow leaves. Stop by here first and complete his short sidequest. You’ll be rewarded with money and a skill point, allowing you to unlock your first new skill.

Put points in the assassination skill tree

Finding shrines rewards you with a skill point, and if you completed Gessho’s quest, then you have one burning a hole in your pocket. With your new skill point, I recommend prioritizing the assassination tree. Each node on this path is very useful as it allows you to stealthily one-shot kill stronger enemies or several at once. Prioritizing the assassination tree will make taking on enemy camps much smoother since you’ll have less to fight if you’re ever spotted. 

Speed up NPCs guiding you

Characters that are guiding you somewhere (such as Gessho toward the shrine) can be sped up. Even though they’re the ones leading the way, they match Atsu’s pace, so walking faster or running (L3) will speed up the sidequest and get you to your destination faster.

Go camping for bonuses

Camping offers several benefits, including the opportunity to cook or simply pass the time. Your first opportunity to camp can be found by returning to where you met Gessho and holding right on the directional pad. Doing so will enter you into a cutscene with a random traveler that will give you information on one of the enemies you’re hunting. 

Also, be sure to play your shamisen instrument while resting to unlock a trophy.

There are nine tips to make the first couple of hours of Ghost of Yotei that much more enjoyable. Ghost of Yotei is out now for PS5.

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2025 Income Tax Returns Are Due Next Week. Get All the Details on Tax Deadlines

Most US taxpayers will need to complete their income tax returns by April 15 or file a free tax extension for additional time.

If you’ve been dreading the task of completing and filing your 2025 income taxes, you’re not alone. The IRS says that 20% to 25% of US taxpayers wait until the final two weeks of the tax season to submit their income tax returns, according to TurboTax.

Don’t let your procrastination proceed any further — it’s time to gather all the essential tax documentation and information you need to finish your 2025 tax return and submit it to the IRS.

What’s the final deadline to complete and submit your 2025 tax return? Read on to find all of the deadlines and scheduling information you need for US federal income taxes in 2026.

When can I file my 2025 tax return?

The IRS started accepting 2025 tax returns on Jan. 26. For those expecting tax refunds, it usually makes sense to file your taxes as early as possible.

You can file your 2025 federal tax return today with CNET’s best tax software. If you’re expecting money back from the IRS this year, you should expect to receive your tax refund two to three weeks after your return is accepted.

What’s the deadline for filing my 2025 tax return with the IRS?

The final date for completing and submitting your 2025 tax return to the IRS is April 15, the traditional deadline for federal income taxes in the US. Tax returns filed after April 15 may be subject to both fines and penalties if you owe the government money. 

There are no local or state holidays that interfere with the tax deadline in 2026, so taxpayers in all 50 states and Washington, DC, should be prepared to finish and submit their 2025 tax return or file a tax extension by April 15.

What’s the deadline to file for a tax extension in 2026? 

If you want to extend your deadline for filing your 2025 tax return by six months, you’ll need to file a tax extension by the same deadline — April 15. To do so, you’ll need to complete and submit IRS Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File US Individual Income Tax Return.

Any US taxpayer can file an extension to push back their federal income tax deadline to Oct. 15, but if you owe the IRS money, you’ll need to pay an estimated amount due by April 15. If you pay less than 90% of what you ultimately owe in federal taxes, you could be subject to fines and penalties.

US states with exceptions to the April 15 tax-filing deadline

Eight states — Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming — don’t levy any income taxes on residents, and Washington taxes only capital gains for high-income taxpayers. Residents in those states generally won’t need to file state income taxes. 

The majority of the other 41 states and DC have state and local tax filing deadlines that match the federal April 15 deadline, but five of them buck that trend with their own unique dates for filing state taxes.

Even though those states have later state income tax deadlines, federal 2025 tax returns are still due to the IRS by April 15.

Because of natural disasters, two locales in the US have received automatic extensions for filing 2025 federal income tax returns. Taxpayers in the state of Washington who were affected by storms, flooding or mudslides that began on Dec. 9, 2025, have until May 1 to file federal income taxes. And Alaskan taxpayers in Lower Kuskokwim Regional Educational Attendance Area, Lower Yukon Regional Educational Attendance Area and Northwest Arctic Borough who were affected by the Typhoon Halong that started Oct. 8, 2025, also have a May 1 deadline for federal taxes.

US taxpayers who live permanently outside of the country and certain members of the military serving overseas automatically receive a two-month extension. Eligible taxpayers for the two-month tax extension are:

  • Expatriates living outside of the US and Puerto Rico whose main business is also outside the country
  • People enlisted in military or naval service outside the US and Puerto Rico

For taxes due, the overseas extension follows the same rules as the standard six-month extension. If a taxpayer owes the IRS money, they’ll need to pay 90% of what they owe by April 15 or risk fines and penalties.

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for April 7 #765

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for April 7, No. 765.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle has some tricky clues to find. Some of the answers are difficult to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story. 

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Taking the helm

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Out on the sea

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

  • ROUT, POINT, PAWS, SHUT, GOUT, HOOK, NOOK, MOON, SHIN, RING, THIS, MOOT

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

  • MARK, KNOT, COURSE, FATHOM, BEARING, WAYPOINT

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is SMOOTHSAILING. To find it, look for the S that’s three letters to the right, and the second letter down. Then, form a sailboat!

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for April 7, #1031

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for April 7, No. 1031.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is kind of tough. I was pretty proud that I figured out the purple category right away. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: You vs. me.

Green group hint: I’m all for that!

Blue group hint: Pick an option.

Purple group hint: Not death, but…

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Competition.

Green group: On board.

Blue group: Words for unspecified choices.

Purple group: ____ life.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is competition. The four answers are battle, clash, contest and match.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is on board. The four answers are down, game, in and willing.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is words for unspecified choices. The four answers are another, either, neither or one.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ____ life. The four answers are after, low, night and wild.

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