IRL Patch Notes – Week of April 27, 2025

The UK has raised the minimum wage to its highest level ever, boosting starter gold for entry-level characters. New players can now progress faster through early-game gear checks and consumable purchases.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar cleared Syria’s $15.5M World Bank debt, applying a minor regen tick to the country’s post-war economy. The buff unlocks access to reconstruction loan vendors but barely dents the estimated $400B total repair cost.

Effective June 1, the English FA will restrict women’s league access to players assigned female at birth, banning transgender women from the queue. Framed as a “fairness update,” the patch removes a key inclusivity mechanic and shrinks the eligible player pool.

The U.S. has removed the de minimis tariff exemption, applying tax penalties to low-value imports from platforms like Temu and Shein. Free-to-play fashion mains now face higher gold costs and reduced impulse-buy access. Temu briefly paused U.S. shipments post-nerf.

North Korea and Russia have initiated construction on their first-ever road bridge, creating a 1km link across the Tumen River. The new route acts as a fast-travel unlock between two previously hard-gated factions, signaling co-op map expansion and enhanced party synergy.

In a critical patch to the Epic v. Apple saga, a U.S. judge ruled that Apple willfully violated a prior injunction, forcing the platform to allow third-party payment options. The walled garden’s barrier was finally wall-hacked, granting devs access to external DLC monetization paths without Apple’s 30% cut.

Three years after a fatal on-set incident paused production, Rust has finally exited beta and launched in theaters. Filmmakers patched out all live ammo mechanics following multiple investigations, assuring players that the friendly fire glitch has been removed from the release build.

After a three-year detainment side quest, Belarus has unjailed a Minsk-born U.S. citizen previously jailed on coup-plot charges. The “traitor” flag was quietly removed following high-level diplomatic dialogue. One political prisoner down, thousands to go.

Legendary boss mob Warren Buffett, 94, has announced he’ll step down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway by year’s end. After over 60 years in the role, control will transfer to his protégé Greg Abel (pending board approval). Buffett will remain as chairman, but day-to-day raid leadership is changing — and players are bracing for an economy meta shift.

Russia issued a surprise 72-hour ceasefire in Ukraine from May 8–10, marking WWII Victory Day with a temporary PvP lockout. The event functions as a non-combat seasonal buff, offering a brief IRL cooldown across the Eastern Front before hostilities resume.