FIFA 23 has announced the changes for Ultimate Team. Among them is a significant overhaul: the old chemistry system will be removed, a new one will come into play. This brings much more freedom. Additionally, a new mode is coming.
How important the “old” chemistry was: The chemistry was the fundamental system by which you had to build your teams in Ultimate Team. Between all players standing next to each other on the field, there were individual connections that could vary in strength.
The chemistry improved the more of these 3 factors the players shared:
Nationality
Club
League
This is what the direct connections looked like – you don’t need them anymore
The stronger the connection between players, the higher bonuses they received on their stats. At the same time, values decreased if the chemistry connections were incorrect. There was also an overall team chemistry that provided bonuses as well.
This chemistry system greatly restricted which players you could put together in your team. Thus, it has determined how the teams were structured in Ultimate Team for years. But this is now being completely rebuilt.
FIFA 23 Ultimate Team: How the new chemistry works
This is the new system: The chemistry will not be completely abolished, but significantly relaxed. There are no longer connections between the players standing next to each other on the field.
Instead, it is only important that a few of your players share the values nationality, club or league – where exactly they are positioned is initially irrelevant for the connection. Then they increase in chemistry level, with each player able to reach three chemistry points.
An example: Your left-back can now build chemistry with your right-back, strikers can also link with goalkeepers.
It’s only crucial for the individual players that they are in their correct position. So don’t put a goalkeeper in the attack.
The connections are no longer there
Furthermore, all negative effects for your players will be abolished when the chemistry is “poor”. Instead, your players will now always perform at least as well as their stats indicate on the card – they are not weakened just because they have the wrong teammates. There are only positive effects for good chemistry.
This means: If you get a cool, new player that doesn’t actually fit in your team, you can still try him out relatively risk-free.
In addition, the position system will be slightly adjusted. Your players now have fixed alternative positions they can switch to – for this, there is a specific consumable item. This had already been leaked beforehand and is now official. You can find more details about it here:
What does this mean for the teams? With the new system, it is conceivable to build a team with three players from the Premier League, three from the Bundesliga, three from Ligue 1, and two from Serie A – or something similar.
You now have much, much more freedom than before, and can field powerful players across leagues and create crazy teams. The chemistry can no longer stop you from putting absolute top strikers like Mbappé and Ronaldo in a team. The problem is more that they will likely still be difficult to obtain.
Additionally, it will likely be easier to incorporate “unusual” cards. If there’s a really good player in the Portuguese Liga NOS, but you mainly play Bundesliga players? You can likely still incorporate him well.
At the same time, the new system also poses a danger: the chemistry has forced players to be creative to some extent. Now it could happen that everyone just tries to get and field the “strongest” players – without having to ensure that it still fits well together.
What about heroes and icons? These cards were very popular, especially because of their chemistry advantages.
Also in FIFA 23 heroes and icons are returning, but they will be slightly changed: Icons give players of the same nationality a chemistry boost, heroes boost players of the same league. But you no longer need them as a real “link”.
New mode promises quick rewards for little playtime
What kind of mode is this? In addition to the chemistry change, FUT will also receive a new mode called “FUT Moments.” It effectively consists of small game scenes that you must replay with suitable players.
This looks something like this:
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Depending on how well you do, you will then receive “stars” as a reward, which you can redeem for rewards like packs and players.
These game scenes will be significantly shorter than regular matches and will also be based on encounters and moments from real football. This is somewhat reminiscent of the game “Score Hero,” a popular soccer mobile game.
This mode could become an interesting change compared to the usual Rivals, Squad Battles, and other modes.
What do you think of the changes in FUT? Are they for you, or do you not care for them? Let us know in the comments! And you can find our complete overview of the FIFA 23 release here.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The German Twitch is changing in 2022. The streamer Marcel “MontanaBlack” Eris, who has been the most-watched for over 4 years, has lost his place at the top. In the last 180 days, he lost 43% of his average viewers. Because he streamed less, his watch time even dropped by 70%. It is striking that MontanaBlack still talks as much on Twitch as he did in 2021, but he no longer plays as much.
Who are the big losers among the top German streamers on Twitch? If you look at which of the major German Twitch channels have lost the most average viewers in the last 180 days, you’ll see:
MontanaBlack lost 43.3% of his average viewers
Jens “Knossi” Knossala lost 46.3% of his average viewers
The streamer xRohat lost 51.9% of his average viewers over the last six months
Start video
Career and Life of MontanaBlack in 2 Minutes: What Makes Him Unique?
What is the reason for the drastic loss of viewers? It is noticeable that all three streamers have been significantly less visible on Twitch in the last six months than before:
MontanaBlack was on air 45% less than in the previous half year
Knossi has 36.5% fewer hours on Twitch
xRohat was seen 40% less
It seems reasonable to assume that if popular Twitch streamers are less frequently on air, if streams are canceled or shorter, the average viewer count will also decline.
This seems to align with the old Twitch rule: If you want to grow, be on air as often as possible. A piece of advice that has driven many streamers into burnout.
2021 was also marked by the coronavirus and lockdowns, which generally pushed Twitch numbers up. It is therefore normal for channels to have lower viewer counts now.
However, not all German channels fell in the last 180 days:
Streamers like eliasn97 (+18.6%), NoWay4u_Sir (+5%) or Amar (+22.6%) managed to increase their viewer counts.
Other major streamers like Trymacs (-5.8%) or Gronkh (-11.6%) only lost slightly.
With abugok9999 (+92.2%), there is even a major winner who almost doubled his average viewer count.
Among the 10 largest German Twitch channels, no one has lost as many viewers in the last 180 days as MontanaBlack. Source: Sullygnome
MontanaBlack talks as much as 2021 – but plays much less
What is different about MontanaBlack now? It seems that in addition to the end of the corona effect, MontanaBlack has not found a game in the last six months that fits him well:
In 2021, he was most active in GTA Online for 484 hours, where there was a hype around role-playing servers. He also played Call of Duty: Warzone, FIFA 22, and Mario Kart.
The focus was still clearly on games in 2021: He spent 484 hours alone on GTA and “only” 400 hours in Just Chatting.
In the last six months, MontanaBlack’s focus has shifted: He is still as active as before in Just Chatting and has already completed 202 hours there in half a year. However, MontanaBlack has significantly reduced his gaming time on Twitch and has “only” spent 55 hours in GTA 5.
MontanaBlack apparently can’t find a game he likes right now. This matches the criticism that his “regular games” like FIFA or Call of Duty didn’t work as well in 2022 as they used to. Gambling on Twitch, from which MontanaBlack once profited greatly, is no longer allowed in Germany. His once love for Fortnite has largely faded.
In addition, there was a chronic shortage of “new games for Twitch” in the last six months, aside from Elden Ring and Lost Ark, which every Twitch streamer worldwide has suffered from.
It seems viewers want to see this from MontanaBlack again:
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Nostalgia tournament in Call of Duty is the highlight of 2022 so far
What was the highlight of the last months? That MontanaBlack can still reach many viewers was proven on June 26: On that day, he was able to break the mark of 100,000 simultaneous viewers on Twitch again with a tournament for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.
Gaming and especially GTA 5 are the keys to success in German Twitch
Could it be that GTA 5 no longer attracts viewers? In fact, GTA is still a key to success for German streamers. The streamer abugok9999 had the largest growth in the last six months. He streamed almost 1000 hours of GTA V and was able to increase his average viewer numbers by 92%.
The most successful German streamer, elian97, achieves his viewer numbers with a mix of Just Chatting and various typical Twitch games like Fortnite, Valorant, Fall Guys, and FIFA, with which he once became famous.
The second most successful streamer in Germany, Noway4u_Sir is a relentless League of Legends player and spends a large part of his Twitch time there.
Thus, the key to success on Twitch in Germany still seems to be gaming. While the “Just Chatting” clips perform excellently in compilations on YouTube, they apparently cannot keep viewer numbers up on Twitch for long.
The weak phase on Twitch also coincides with a personal crisis for MontanaBlack:
The anime MMORPG Tower of Fantasy launches on August 11, 2022. Even before the release, players can access the character editor. There, they create replicas of their favorite characters from various anime and games. The community can vote.
With the ability to download Tower of Fantasy before the release, players could already access the character editor. The editor provides detailed customization options within the anime spectrum to make your character as unique as possible.
Created avatars can be saved and uploaded. In the gallery, other players can then vote for their favorites.
Fans create virtual cosplays of their favorites
When you open the character editor in-game, click on the lobby and then select the “Popularity Vote” tab at the top, you will see the characters with the most upvotes.
These characters are the most popular.
Do you recognize some of the characters? If not, you can find the solution here. Of course, the solution is not official but based on the assessment of the MeinMMO editorial team. Therefore, we do not guarantee it.
These are the characters depicted from top left to bottom right:
Hu Tao from Genshin Impact
2B from Nier Automata
Kequing from Genshin Impact
Ken Kaneki from Tokyo Ghoul
Nazuna Nanakusa from Call of the Night
Raphtalia from The Rising of the Shield Hero
Bennett from Genshin Impact
Hinata Hyuga from Naruto
Zhongli from Genshin Impact or Sasuke from Naruto
Nezuko from Demon Slayer
Pain from Naruto
Minato Aqua
Most of the 12 characters come from Genshin Impact and Naruto. All the created characters are from anime and anime games. It’s probably not that easy to create realistic humans from other genres with the character editor. At least not in a way that you would recognize them.
On Twitter, the developers encouraged players to post their created characters using the hashtags #createanimyself and #TowerofFantasy. They want to reward the 20 best avatars. Prizes include a mousepad, a water bottle, a $50 pizza voucher, and so-called “Mystery Gifts” that you will likely receive in-game.
Here you can see the release trailer of the game:
Start video
New MMORPG Tower of Fantasy shows impressive trailer for release – fans celebrate the graphics
Tower of Fantasy launched on August 11, 2022
What kind of game is this? Tower of Fantasy is a free-to-play anime MMORPG that bears a strong resemblance to the action RPG Genshin Impact. Both are graphically similar. It is developed by Hotta Studio and published by Level Infinite. It features an open world that you can explore with your character.
You follow a story on the planet Ada, which humans have colonized in the future.
An open world where you can swim, climb, and fly.
There are no fixed classes. Instead, you determine the playstyle with your equipment.
An action-packed combat system requiring you to aim and dodge.
A gacha system for weapons in the endgame.
Dungeons, raids, and PvP content.
At the time of release, the developers stated on the game’s website that they had recorded over 4 million pre-registrations. Tower of Fantasy is thus expecting a large player base that hopefully lasts for a long time.
What do you think of the MMORPG Tower of Fantasy? Do you think it could seriously compete with Genshin Impact? Or will the hype not last long? Do you want to try the game, or are you already playing it? Did you create your character or choose one of the most popular ones? Feel free to let us know in the comments here on MeinMMO!
Destiny 2 has been an integral part of the loot shooter scene for 8 years and is now indispensable. However, a phenomenon of the space shooter is particularly curious. No matter how much players complain about the game and its content, in the end, they keep playing it over and over. MeinMMO has investigated this peculiar love-hate relationship in Destiny 2.
For 8 years now, shooter enthusiasts have been roaming in Destiny 2. The game offers them, besides the massive story, excellent gunplay and the fiction of being an immortal Guardian who can achieve anything with their space abilities.
There are many arguments against Destiny 2: In 8 years, not everything has been perfect, and it still isn’t. Over time, a very special love-hate relationship has developed between the players and Destiny 2 that one cannot let go of.
For many players, Season 17 was again one of the worse seasons in Destiny 2.
Those who look at the Destiny universe from the outside naturally wonder: “What can be good about this?”
Old content returns to the game after a few years and is declared as new.
Players go through the same grind in Destiny 2 each season and often very similar quests.
New weapons come and go. Some are good for a while, but then get nerfed or become irrelevant again due to a new meta.
Even events lack variety, but offer a lot of hard grind that is hardly achievable.
Basically, these are the things that annoy almost every Destiny 2 player. In addition, there are details that are only visible to active players in Destiny 2.
You love Bungie’s ideas, but often hate how poorly they are executed. That’s why it has become a traditional player custom to complain terribly about Bungie and their ideas. In the seasons, there are times when one wants to uninstall the game. But this little evil grind goblin on their shoulder whispers, “Don’t do it! You have to have everything!”
But what is it that keeps players attached to Bungie’s loot shooter despite all the difficulties and problems? Why does Destiny 2 just not go under and has managed to maintain solid player numbers for years? Including peak values of over 100,000 concurrent players alone on Steam.
Actually, hardly any player truly wants Destiny 2 to fail or end. Even if the space shooter often fluctuates between very good and simply bad due to changes, new content, and new seasons.
Destiny has some of the most beautiful open-world environments that you can explore in a game. Every location is unique and always breathtaking.
The gunplay is one of the best, if not the best, compared to other shooters.
In addition, there’s the fantastic, deep story that you want to know about every secret.
And it’s always fun to hunt down the best weapons as a (coordinated) fireteam in a strike, dungeon, or raid and triumph over everything.
A Destiny player once described it very aptly on reddit when they said:
[Destiny 2] is more like your super-hot ex-girlfriend whom you left because she turned out to be a complete nightmare, but you still write that you stop by from time to time […]
You have to hate Destiny 2 to love it: So far, almost no other first-person shooter has managed to create a world where you can shoot so luxuriously consistently as in Destiny 2. You have to hate Destiny 2 to love it. Because only when you leave the game can you realize how good it is. And that’s also because there is no effective competition to Destiny 2.
Yes, there have been and still are enough live-service alternatives that have taken Bungie’s exciting shooter formula, partially replicated, and attempted to create a new experience from it. In vain. Destiny’s loot shooter machinery keeps humming along.
The game is still far from being perfect today. There will always be something to improve. But Bungie is also not tired of tweaking things again and again. The game lives because it grows, changes, and evolves.
In addition, Destiny after 8 years is no longer just a game for many. It’s more like the favorite sweater you love to wear again and feel comfortable in. Through the new TV story model, new players have found their way back into the loot shooter since Witch Queen. This is a whole new generation of Destiny players, as they appreciate the current universe more than many long-term Destiny veterans. Destiny 1 had fantastic content. But the overall upgrades in Destiny 2 with class abilities, customization, and quality of life are simply better now.
Although this fact may not please everyone, Destiny has likely found a unique key to longevity.
What about your love-hate relationship with Destiny 2? Can you do well without the shooter, or do you belong to the repeat offenders who keep making detours into the universe of light and darkness? Please let us know in the comments.
Soon, Destiny 2 will enter its 18th season. What to expect, read here:
Chance “Sodapoppin” Morris (28) is one of the biggest streamers on Twitch. He started with WoW, and now he is considered a variety streamer. His fans love him for his dry humor, but that doesn’t seem to be mutual.
Who is Sodapoppin?
Chance is a true Twitch veteran and has been around since 2012, now he has nearly 9 million followers.
In a stream with Nick “Nmplol” Polom, he showed that the image of the approachable streamer is not necessarily accurate.
Anyone who speaks in the chat or writes comments is a loser
Here’s how it happened: During his stream, Nick asked his chat whether they thought he and Chance were dumb considering their conversation. Numerous viewers answered yes, with some emphasizing that Sodapoppin is the smarter of the two.
This is what Soda had to say: He didn’t care much about the opinions in the chat. In such a case, most people would just answer “Yes” because it’s funnier. Plus, streamers constantly do nonsense in front of the camera.
Although that’s just their job, viewers take it at face value: “They feel better when they can think bad about someone they know.”
This is Soda’s opinion of his viewers: Nick then flipped the script. He first asked the chat if they would consider themselves intelligent. The answers varied.
Soda had clear words when asked if he thought the chat was intelligent:
Fuck, no. If you write in the Twitch chat or comment on YouTube, I categorize you as a loser 90% of the time.
Sodapoppin via Twitch
The viewers in the chat took it with humor, and Nick also burst into laughter. But then he realized: What does it mean for them as content creators to rely on these “losers”? The two streamers quickly agreed: They are “loser farmers.”
However, for Sodapoppin, they differ little from most large companies. The only difference is that others would offer a service. Their service is entertainment.
How do viewers react to the comments? They found it funny and mostly agreed with Sodapoppin. Some showed self-reflection: They are not there (in chat) when they are clever.
Lurkers, or people who usually just watch and do not speak in the chat, felt validated: “The clever ones, like me, tend to be quiet.”
This is what people are saying on Reddit: In the LivestreamFail subreddit, the statements were discussed. Some users seemed to be annoyed with Sodapoppin. He is exactly the reason why they would never donate. (via Reddit)
Others did not attribute much importance to it. People overthink the relationship between streamers and their viewers; they should just support the streamers they find entertaining. It’s as simple as that. (via Reddit)
There was also a warning against looking up to streamers like Sodapoppin. He is an old-school streamer and cannot be both an entertainer and a role model at the same time. But that doesn’t make him a bad person. (via Reddit)
What do you think? Are there streamers you look up to? Do you like to support your favorite streamers with subs or donations, or do you prefer to be silent in the chat and just watch? Feel free to leave your opinions in a comment.
Call of Duty has been facing plagiarism allegations in recent weeks. A skin for Warzone and Vanguard looked very similar to the work of artist Sail Lin. Now Activision-Blizzard has apologized and admits to a mistake in internal processes.
Which skin is it?The skin is called “Loyal Samoyed” and is a mega-fluffy dog the size of a human – with a gun, of course. In the following video you can see the skin and the bundle:
https://youtu.be/IbRcJ3D30uA
Actually, the skin was supposed to come into the game with the current Season 4, but that won’t happen. Activision has removed all promotional images with the skin and according to a data miner, also deleted the corresponding files from the game (via twitter.com).
There are many elements in the work that are similar, and it was already clear here that it is a pretty blatant copy. The artwork was published by Sail Lin at the end of 2021.
For the Chinese artist, it is particularly bitter: this was not the first plagiarism incident involving his work. In December 2021, images from his “Monster Army” series were used by dubious NFT traders to profit from the stolen work.
How does Activision apologize? Sail Lin tweeted on 01.08.22 that Activision-Blizzard had contacted him (via twitter.com). Over a week later it turns out that Sail Lin is not satisfied with the way the billion-dollar corporation is handling it:
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Translation of the tweet: “At the moment it doesn’t look good. My demand was that Activision apologize through its official media and explain the situation to me – no superficial explanation. They are as arrogant as ever, I am disappointed”.
A statement from Activision can be found on the US site “Polygon”. It states:
We have the utmost respect for creativity and content creation. We love the “Loyal Samoyed”, but unfortunately there was a faulty process and we have removed the image from the game. We apologize for the misstep.
What does “faulty process” mean? The statement remains vague and could mean many things. For example, that someone in the skin team of Call of Duty wanted to bring the cute dog as an idea to the team and then went on vacation, and the rest of the team thought it was a finished idea – without checking the background.
However, these are mere speculations – everything from “accident” to “intent” remains possible after the statement on Polygon.
We at MeinMMO have also asked Activision for a statement and received a response. Further statements on the topic are currently not planned.
Under #NoApexAugust, some players planned a boycott of the game Apex Legends and wanted as few people as possible to play the game in August. Now the exact opposite occurred: Apex Legends reached its highest player count ever on Steam.
Now the game has reached a new milestone in the boycott month: Apex Legends has more players on Steam than ever before.
What was the boycott supposed to look like? Under #NoApexAugust, the focus was on boycotting the game Apex Legends (via reddit). The hashtag circulated especially on the platforms Reddit and Twitter.
Here you can see the trailer for the launch of the new season “Hunted”:
Start video
Apex Legends – Hunted Launch Trailer
What was the boycott about? Looking at the reddit posts under the motto #noapexaugust, the participants primarily demand technical fixes and bug fixes. Users also complain about what they perceive as improvement-worthy features, such as the matchmaking in the game (via reddit).
How does Twitter react to the milestone in NoApexAugust? E-sports journalist Jake Lucky published a post regarding the milestone of Apex Legends: “Last month, ‘No Apex August’ was all the rage, as streamers and developers contemplated not playing the game. Apex Legends has now reached its highest player count of all time on Steam.”
Below, Jake Lucky shows a screenshot of the Apex Legends Stream Charts (via Twitter).
How is Apex currently doing on Steam? On steamcharts.com, there is a ranking of the top games based on current player numbers.
Apex is in third place behind CS:GO and Dota 2 . While writing this article, there were 295,550 players playing Apex Legends, and the peak was 510,286.
Thus, the numbers have grown compared to the last article on #NoApexAugust, and the game has moved up one place in the ranking of top games (via steamcharts.com).
You can also see on the website that the peak of 510,286 players is currently the largest in Apex Legends history. (via steamcharts.com)
What does the Twitter community say about it? Under Jake Lucky’s post, users write comments like:
@exocs_: “Apex players forget that they have a crippling addiction to the game”
@lowkeydbjosh:”‘Dead game. No 1 play.’ I really hate it when ppl [people] comment ‘dead game’, because it’s obviously not a dead game if it lives rent-free in their heads”
@docx2gamer: “Boycotts like this never work, so companies will never change their bad practices.”
Some are frustrated that the boycott did not succeed, others mock the attempt or considered the boycott doomed to fail from the start.
Why are so many people playing Apex Legends right now? On August 9, 2022, the 14th season launched under the motto “Hunted” with new content, such as the redesigned King’s Canyon or the new legend Vantage.
With the new season, there were also several changes and fixes in the game. A significant change was, for example, the increase in the level cap in the game.
In the comments under Jake Lucky’s tweet, some users write that many of the game problems that led to the boycott have been fixed by the latest update and that the new season is enjoyable.
However, what exactly caused the increase in player numbers cannot be stated. Perhaps it was the significant attention on the game during the boycott, the new season, or simply coincidence that a milestone in the game was reached precisely in August.
What do you think about the milestone in Apex Legends during the boycott? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
In Pokémon GO you can benefit from a special group bonus during the “Bug Out” event. However, this has caused quite a stir among trainers in the reddit community. We at MeinMMO show you what it’s all about.
What bonus is it about? Currently in Pokémon GO, the Bug Out is taking place, a special bug event. On this occasion, you can encounter numerous old and new bug Pokémon in the wild. In addition to the usual event bonuses, Niantic has also come up with something as a group bonus.
You already know this type of bonus from the last Community Days, which is primarily intended to encourage playing together in person. If you win a raid locally with other trainers, then certain spawns appear for 15 minutes in a radius of 300 meters around the gym.
However, city players in particular are simply annoyed by this group bonus and express their frustration on social networks. We show you what the problem is.
Which monsters can you get in the group bonus? During the Bug Out, a different Pokémon is the focus each day, which you can increase your chances of obtaining through the group bonus. With a bit of luck, you may even encounter a shiny:
Wednesday, August 10: Wurmple
Thursday, August 11: Caterpie
Friday, August 12: Spinarak
Saturday, August 13: Slugma
Sunday, August 14: Toxapex
Monday, August 15: Hornli
Tuesday, August 16: Ledyba
That’s why city players are annoyed by the group bonus
Actually, the group bonus should allow trainers to play together more frequently and provide an additional incentive for group raids. However, this is now being criticized by many players. This is also the case with the reddit user Diligent_Trifle_4018.
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What bothers the trainer? As he explains in his reddit post, he finds the group bonus for the Bug Out a good idea in principle, but its implementation is just frustrating. He lives in a large city where it feels like there’s a gym on every corner where raids take place, and where the bonus can thus be earned.
However, this leads to a major problem in his opinion. He is currently mainly looking for the new bug Pokémon Mabula and still needs some candy to be able to evolve it. However, he has to catch the little Pokémon first.
When a group bonus is activated, the selected Pokémon, like Wurmple, will spawn for 15 minutes. However, the actual spawns are replaced. So if he wanted to catch a Mabula, he can now only find Wurmple.
And even after the 15 minutes have elapsed, according to Diligent_Trifle_4018, nothing can be seen of the previous spawns. For this reason, the reddit user wishes for a different approach or at least more interesting and rarer Pokémon like Scyther, Pinsir or Mabula.
Finding Trainers: “You don’t want to play where others raid”
What do other trainers think about the bonus? Diligent_Trifle_4018 is not alone with this issue. As many commentators under his post can attest, while many find the idea of group bonuses generally great, they have had similar experiences.
While playing in the city is usually a bit easier, trainers now see even rural players at an advantage. This is mainly because there are fewer gyms in rural areas, and thus fewer group bonuses can be earned.
Also, the selection of Pokémon released as part of the bonus plays a decisive role, not only according to Diligent_Trifle_4018 but also according to the opinion of some other trainers. As can be seen in the comments on reddit:
shadraig: “This is the time when Pokémon GO in rural areas….is better.”
Mesoplodon: “It’s a really fun idea, but the way it was implemented has effectively ruined the Bug event for every active area now. You don’t want to actively play where other people could be raiding.”
Ark42: “I can confirm. Today Wurmple is everywhere for Community Day. Even my daily adventure smoke was 100% Wurmple. I couldn’t find a place to walk that was far enough from a gym.”
pokemonbreederOppar: “The problem isn’t the bonus itself, but the featured Pokémon. No one would really try to increase the spawns of Caterpie or Wurmple. The bonus is a good idea but needs some improvements to get people excited about it.”
Osts_ssp_: “I agree, the bonus is very annoying. I play in Tokyo, and since there are a ton of gyms where someone is always raiding, Wurmple is basically everywhere and nothing else. I know cities usually get all the good stuff, so here I play the smallest fiddle in the world (after all, we also get the Community Day extended until 7 PM), but I wish the bonus was implemented as additional spawns that don’t replace the existing ones.”
Advantage of the group bonus in the city
Are there also advantages to the group bonus? Yes, the group bonus can actually provide a huge advantage for city players. Due to the number of gyms, significantly more bonus spawns can be unlocked, particularly giving shiny hunters a better chance to encounter one or another monster in its shiny form.
Which monster is particularly worthwhile? Especially Toxapex will be interesting to many players, as this bug and poison-type monster can also be found in its shiny form for the first time during the Bug event.
This is also the opinion of the reddit user NDMac, who defends the bonus in his comment (via reddit.com): “If you’re a shiny hunter, you won’t say this on Sunday when Toxapex is active.”
In this case, rural players will probably have the disadvantage and will have to travel back to the city for optimal catching to benefit from the numerous gyms.
What do you think about the group bonus for the Bug Out? Does it bother you that uninteresting Pokémon spawn constantly? Or do you live in a rural area and don’t have this problem? Feel free to share your opinion with us here on MeinMMO in the comments and exchange ideas with other trainers.
To the surprise of the community, a racing car in GTA Online is suddenly bulletproof, even though it shouldn’t have received such an upgrade. Apparently, a bug is responsible for this change, but it has been in the game for 2 weeks now.
Why is the car bulletproof? No one knows exactly why the car is now immune to gunfire. Since the major “The Criminal Enterprises” update on July 26, quite a few changes have occurred in the game. There are many quality of life changes, new weapons, and of course new cars. An arbitrary change has made the Stirling GT bulletproof. It is believed to be a bug that has been present since the DLC was released.
We will show you how exactly this bug appears and where you can buy the car.
Benefactor Stirling GT now bulletproof
What kind of car is this? The Benefactor Stirling GT has been available in GTA Online since 2015. The racing car is quite fast and often found in the garages of collectors. With the Criminal Enterprises update in July, the Stirling GT received a few additional options for visual customization. In the process, the car was probably accidentally made bulletproof.
Players quickly reported this accidental change. We checked it in the game on August 11 and can confirm that this state is still active even after today’s patch.
Whether pistol, rifle or shotgun – the Stirling GT shows no signs
How can one verify this? If you want to check whether the bug is active with your account, you can buy the Stirling at Legendary Motorsports. The car costs 975,000 GTA dollars and can be found in the 2-door category.
Initially, it was thought that you needed to install a roll cage for the bug to activate. However, the car is already bulletproof in its delivery state. Drive out of your garage, shoot at it and find out.
This makes the car great for PvE missions where you have to shoot many enemies. A big advantage is the high speed of the Stirling GT.
However, a clear disadvantage arises in vehicle warehouse missions. There, it may happen that you need to procure the Stirling GT and shoot the driver out of the vehicle during the mission. Since this is currently not possible, you only increase the damage you have to pay upon delivery of the racing car. To avoid this, you should wedge the Stirling GT in a suitable position and pull the NPC out of the car.
Will this stay forever? Hard to say. There have been similar bugs in GTA Online in the past. For instance, the Karin Kuruma was suddenly bulletproof in its unarmored version. It seems to be a similar issue this time. After a few days, this bug was fixed for the Kuruma. It is to be expected that a solution for the Stirling GT is also being worked on.
There is a conflict between Microsoft and Sony. Microsoft has announced its intention to acquire Activision Blizzard. This would give Microsoft ownership of the game series “Call of Duty”, one of the most important franchises in the world. Sony has explained the problems this brings – but Microsoft now says that Sony fears losing its dominance in the console market, which was created through exclusive titles. An Xbox Game Pass with Call of Duty would jeopardize Sony’s business model.
This acquisition must be approved by various regulatory authorities worldwide. Because in a merger of such large market participants, there is a risk of creating a monopoly that threatens the free market.
Almost all companies had no objections, only Sony noted: Call of Duty is a unique game and has no competition, and will never have any. This was expressed as a concern when Microsoft acquires Activision Blizzard.
The release of a new Call of Duty is the gaming event of the year for many shooter fans:
Start video
Fans are amazed by the first Multiplayer Map in CoD: Modern Warfare 2 – “Even the Formula 1 cars are detailed”
If Call of Duty is so unique, the same applies to PlayStation
This is what Microsoft says now: Microsoft has responded to Sony’s concerns. In a 27-page document, they attempt to refute Sony’s statements (via vgc)
Microsoft argues that Call of Duty is not a “unique game”. Sony is contradicting itself. Because if Call of Duty is unique due to its loyal followers, then the PlayStation must also be unique, as it has loyal followers as well.
Sony’s own Playstation has an established base of brand-loyal players. This understanding does not lead to the conclusion that the PlayStation – or any other brand with loyal followers – forms its own market compared to all other consoles.
The idea to derive from this understanding that Call of Duty is a genre of its own cannot be substantiated – neither under qualitative nor quantitative analysis.
Microsoft believes it is about Xbox Game Pass vs. PS Plus
Sony does not want new “Call of Duty” games to be included in the Game Pass from day one at release, as they would be “annoyed about having to compete with Microsoft’s subscription model.”
Sony’s public statements on subscription games and their response to the authority’s letter make it clear: Sony does not want an attractive subscription model to threaten its dominance in the digital distribution market for console games.
In other words: Sony is opposing the introduction of new monetization models that could challenge their business model.
From Microsoft’s perspective, Sony is thus concerned with protecting its dominance in the console market through the PS5 and the PS Plus business model.
The Xbox Game Pass would become even more attractive with a “free” Call of Duty upon release. Sony apparently wants to prevent this with its concerns about the acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
Microsoft says: Sony fears the Game Pass and wants to actively hinder it
This is what Microsoft accuses Sony of: Microsoft says that Sony has already actively tried to prevent the growth of the Xbox Game Pass by paying some developers not to bring certain content of their games to the Game Pass (via vgc). Microsoft refers to “Blocking Rights”:
This once again shows the fear of an innovative business model that offers players high-quality content for low costs. This threatens a dominance that has been forged over the years by a platform and exclusive-driven approach.
Call of Duty exclusive to Xbox would be economically unwise, says Microsoft
Will Call of Duty be exclusive to Xbox? In further statements, Microsoft says that it does not plan to exclude Call of Duty from PlayStation. That would simply not make economic sense.
Because one would have to earn more from Xbox sales than one would lose from the loss of Call of Duty sales on PlayStation (via vgc).
What are the different business models of Sony and Microsoft? There are significant differences in the business models of the two console giants:
Sony heavily relies on high-quality exclusive titles from its own studios, which are released as full-price titles. Their subscription service “PS Plus” is necessary to play online on the PS5. In addition, there are some older games or budget titles available for free each month for subscribers. Sony prefers to focus on Free2Play and service games rather than bringing major titles directly to PS Plus at release.
Microsoft, on the other hand, has developed the “Xbox Game Pass” in recent years: a kind of “flat-rate gaming subscription” modeled after Netflix. Major new titles often appear in the Xbox Game Pass on release day.
Microsoft apparently believes that its business model is superior to Sony’s and that acquiring Activision Blizzard can make the Xbox Game Pass even more attractive when titles like Call of Duty or new games from Bethesda like Starfield or a The Elder Scrolls 6 become part of the offer.
The Callers from World of Warcraft Dragonflight gain abilities in Shadowlands. They are presumably playable “soon”.
One of the major features of World of Warcraft Dragonflight will be the new race of Dracthyr with the new class Caller. This class can become both ranged damage dealers and healers, and is likely to offer many new gameplay possibilities. There has been speculation ahead of time whether the Callers of the Dracthyr will be playable before the release of Dragonflight – now there are some solid indications for it.
The Callers of the Dracthyr have received their own abilities for Shadowlands content.
What has been discovered? In the latest version of the Alpha of Dragonflight, the Callers of the Dracthyr have received their own covenant abilities and legendary items. There were already Anima powers in Torghast before, and now the set of “Shadowlands features” has been completed. Thus, Callers – in theory – are already able to participate in all activities in Shadowlands.
What kind of abilities are these? It seems that the Callers will receive the same ability across all covenants, which is relatively uninspired:
Boon of the Covenants (Covenant Ability): You call upon the covenants of the Shadowlands for help to regenerate a large portion of your health points and increase your versatility by 10% for 5 seconds. Passive: The covenants have granted you a portion of their power, increasing damage and healing by 4%.
Unity (Legendary Item): “Boon of the Covenants” passively increases the damage dealt and healing done by an additional 5%.
However, one should consider that Dracthyr are not really part of Shadowlands, and therefore a choice was likely made to select an ability that doesn’t need to be finely balanced over weeks and months. A “simple stat boost” seems to be simply the most practical solution here.
First gameplay of the Callers of the Dracthyr can be found here:
Start video
3 Minuten Gameplay zu Rufer, der neuen Klasse in WoW Dragonflight
What does this mean? With the introduction of covenant abilities for Dracthyr, it seems increasingly likely that the Caller class will be playable before the launch of Dragonflight. Until now, this was merely speculation.
The fact that Blizzard is now making the effort to provide the new class with endgame features in Shadowlands clearly indicates that the Callers will be able to be played in advance – similar to what happened with Demon Hunters at the end of “Warlords of Draenor”.
Demon Hunters could already be played 3 weeks before the release of Legion – it seems likely that the Callers of the Dracthyr will face a similar fate with Dragonflight.
More about World of Warcraft and Dragonflight can be found here:
What about other content? For other “old” expansions, the Callers of the Dracthyr are likely not to receive any special playable content for the foreseeable future. So no one should expect to suddenly play a covenant campaign from Legion or retrieve two artifact weapons with the Dracthyr. Blizzard has already stated in advance that they want to make old content accessible to the Dracthyr, but specifically, no new content will be created for it.
The Shadowlands covenant abilities seem to be an exception, so that the Callers of the Dracthyr can already participate properly in the final weeks before the launch of Dragonflight and not lag behind the other classes.
Are you looking forward to the Callers of the Dracthyr? Or can you not relate to the class and the race at all?
The Lance Master, in English Lance Master, is the 5th subclass of the Martial Artist and will be introduced with the April update in Lost Ark. MeinMMO author Anny Bader has taken a closer look at her and explains what it’s all about.
On the Russian and Korean servers, the Lance Master is very popular. Amazon and Smilegate reacted to the fans’ wishes, which is why the class will soon be playable on our servers.
Update: We last updated the article on May 20 to adjust the title, as the Lance Master is no longer the latest class on the EU servers.
She is the only Martial Artist who carries a real weapon instead of fighting with her fists. With the Lance Master, you switch between a spear and a glaive. Accordingly, the skills you can use vary depending on the weapon.
As a Lance Master, you are similarly mobile as the Deathblade, at least when you activate the right tripods. This allows you to move quickly in combat. This is important, as you deal more damage with some attacks from behind and often need to reposition yourself.
Against monsters, you are incredibly strong with the Lance Master, which is why the class is ranked S in various tier lists.
Pro
Mobility
Various weapons
Popular class
Contra
Back Attacks
Difficult to play in endgame
This is how the Lance Master plays
This is the special abilityof the Lance Master: The identity of the Lance Master is switching between the two weapons. In combat, you build energy, which allows you to deal more damage. Some of your attacks consume a portion of that energy when used.
With the blue attacks, you generate energy. The fuller the energy bar, the stronger your red attacks ultimately become.
The weapon switch itself has no cooldown, but you should keep an eye on the different cooldowns of your skills.
The red skills are called focus skills, while the blue ones are storm skills. Unlike other classes, you have not 8 but 14 skills that you can upgrade simultaneously.
All skills of the Lance Master
Focus Skills
Lightning Kick: Propel yourself 7 meters forward while dealing damage.
Double Strike: Attack 2 times with the spear.
Binding Blue Dragon: Shockwave that deals damage to opponents and makes them lose 3% of their crit resistance for 6 seconds.
Half-moon Strike: Drag your weapon along the ground, move forward and execute an upward strike.
High Jump: Stick your spear into the ground and jump like in pole vaulting. This is the counter-attack of the Lance Master.
Chain Strike: Strike upwards, then move 3 meters forward and strike twice in the opposite direction.
Claw of the Blue Dragon: Move 4 meters forward, strike 6 times, and then move back 3 meters.
Blade Wheel: Whirlwind attack that launches opponents back into the air and ultimately slams them to the ground.
Panic Strike: Move 4 meters forward while striking 3 times. You will launch your opponents back into the air.
Raging Dragon Strike: You spin completely, deal a lot of damage, and push opponents back.
Cutting Wind: Move 8 meters forward while striking 3 times. Then return to your starting position.
Soul Cut: Glide 3 meters forward and attack. Then move back 4 meters and crouch. Press the hotkey again to rush forward 4 meters and deal damage multiple times.
Spear Jump: Jump high and thrust your weapon 5 meters, then execute a rotating kick attack. Press again to land in the direction of the cursor and strike again.
Wind Splitter: Attack in different directions and pull opponents towards you.
Focus Skills
Dragon Scale Defense: Block attacks from the front, reducing up to 50% of your maximum HP damage. If you block quickly enough, you will thrust your spear forward and deal damage.
Red Dragon Horn: Hold to gather energy. Then thrust your spear up to 12 meters at a 90-degree angle at your opponent. Hit the perfect area to increase the attack range to 16 meters and deal more damage.
Spiral Spear: Strike at low stance with the spear. Little cooldown.
Starfall Jump: Jump 8 meters around the cursor and create a shockwave that deals damage and launches opponents into the air.
Pierce of Destruction: Gather energy and then thrust your spear forward to attack multiple times.
Four-Headed Dragon: 8 forward attacks plus a final attack that deals the most damage.
The Lance Master in the Level Process
How should I distribute my first skill points? The important thing when distributing the points is that you never need to raise the skill levels higher than level 10. Skill Level 4 is needed for the first tripod, Skill Level 7 for the second, and Skill Level 10 for the third.
Level 12: First, you allocate 4 points each to Panic Strike and Half-moon Strike.
Up to Level 21: Allocate a total of 48 points to Raging Dragon Strike for AoE damage.
Up to Level 30: Now increase Half-moon Strike to Level 10 to have another strong AoE attack.
Up to Level 38: Allocate 48 points to Cutting Wind and decide with the tripods whether you want to focus the attack on AoE damage or Single-Target damage.
Up to Level 50: The last points go into Starfall Jump, one of the red skills.
The best builds in the Endgame
In the endgame, you choose, as with most other classes, between two class engravings. This decides your playstyle.
Class Engraving A: Summit
What does the engraving do? This class engraving gives you more attack and movement speed and increases your crit and damage as soon as you switch from the blue stance to the red.
Your identity skill remains the same; you still switch between storm and focus skills.
For the stats, focus on agility and specialization. This reduces your cooldowns and fills your identity meter faster.
Which engravings do I use? Experienced players often rely on Wrath, but this increases your damage by 20% while also taking damage. Instead, at the beginning, it is worth taking Master of Ambush, as your attacks from behind deal more damage.
Additionally, you can use Adrenaline to increase your crit.
Which collectible cards are important? To further increase your crit rate, you should initially focus on the Howling Rock card set. It consists of Armel, Seria, Solas, King Thirain, Kharmine, and Delain Armel.
The optimal set is Light of Redemption, which consists of rare cards. Thus, it becomes expensive later, but it is worth it. The set consists of Shandi, Azena, and Innana, Nineveh, Wei, Balthorr, and Thirain. With a 6-piece set and 30-piece awakening, the cards give you 8% more holy damage and convert all your damage into holy damage.
Quick Preparation Spear of Destruction Weakness Detection
Spiral Spear
4
Fire Power Control
Pierce of Destruction
1
–
As an awakening, you use Storming Red Dragon.
What does the rotation look like? Before the actual rotation begins, fill your identity bar with at least 2.5 bars by using any blue attacks. This way, you will receive the damage buff.
You start in the blue stance and use Binding Blue Dragon to apply the debuff. Then you use your awakening.
If your awakening is not charged, you use Raging Dragon Strike instead after Binding Blue Dragon.
Now switch to the red skills. In the remaining seconds of the debuff, you use Four-Headed Dragon. The attack is executed by a clone of you while you charge Red Dragon Horn. If there is still time left, use Starfall Jump.
Then switch back to the blue stance and fill the identity bar again.
Start video
Lost Ark delivers intense action with 15 classes – See here in the video what they look like
Class Engraving B: Interact
What does the engraving do? The second class engraving removes all red skills from you, meaning the complete weapon switch. However, the blue skills deal more damage. Instead of 14, you now have 8 skills available.
The gameplay is simpler as there is no more switching involved. However, you lose your ranged attacks and the defensive skill, making you attack constantly in this build and remain close to the enemy.
Since you do not receive a crit buff here, you focus on crit for the stats. Agility is also important for the class.
Which engravings do I use? To further increase your crit, the combat engraving Adrenaline is worthwhile in this build. As a third engraving, use Master of Ambush or, if you already have a lot of crit in the build, Reckless Blunt Weapon.
Which collectible cards are important? The collectible cards are not different from the other class engraving. To further increase your crit rate, you should initially focus on the Howling Rock card set. It consists of Armel, Seria, Solas, King Thirain, Kharmine, and Delain Armel.
The optimal set is also Light of Redemption, which consists of rare cards. Thus, it becomes expensive later but is worthwhile.
Which skills do I use?
Icon
Skill
Level
Tripods
Chain Strike
10
Deadly Strike Final Decision Weakness Detection
Panic Strike
10
Nerve Strike Enhanced Strike Rending Blade
High Jump
4
Quick Preparation
Half-moon Strike
10
Storm Mastery Final Decision Tornado Blade
Raging Dragon Strike
10
Quick Preparation Tempo Strike Awakening
Blade Wheel
7
Magic Control Persistence
Binding Blue Dragon
10
Quick Preparation Lightning Critical Spear
Cutting Wind
7
Quick Preparation Bravery
As an awakening, you use Spear Meteor.
What does the rotation look like? Depending on the enemy, you use the many mobility skills to position yourself. It is important that you stand behind the enemy.
The rotation starts with Binding Blue Dragon for the debuff. Then you either use your awakening or, if it is not charged, Raging Dragon Strike.
As long as the debuff holds, you now use your other attacks. When Binding Blue Dragon is recharged, the rotation starts again.
What do you think about the Lance Master? Do you want to play her as soon as she arrives on the EU servers, or are you waiting for the other new classes instead? If you play her: Which class engraving did you choose? Which class are you most looking forward to? Feel free to let us know in the comments here on MeinMMO!
The anime MMORPG Tower of Fantasy is very similar to Genshin Impact. It celebrated its release on August 11, 2022. We at MeinMMO summarize all the information for you.
When does Tower of Fantasy go online? The new MMORPG is online. According to the Tower of Fantasy website, over 4 million players have already preregistered, and the game was highly anticipated. It is available for PC, Android, and iOS.
The download takes place via the website of the MMORPG. It requires about 25 GB of storage space on PC and 15 GB on mobile.
Initially, you cannot play on Steam and Epic Games, but only through the own client. A release for other platforms is planned for this year.
In the trailer, you can see the huge game world:
Start video
New MMORPG ‘Tower of Fantasy’ shows its huge world in the trailer – Strongly reminiscent of Genshin Impact
In contrast to Genshin Impact, Tower of Fantasy is a true MMORPG
What kind of game is this? Tower of Fantasy is a free MMORPG with beautiful anime graphics. It is developed by Hotta Studio and published by Level Infinite. It features an open world that you can explore with your character. Visually, it is very similar to Genshin Impact, but offers a completely different multiplayer experience.
While in Genshin Impact you can visit other players’ worlds and play there, Tower of Fantasy is a true MMORPG where all players roam the same world. MeinMMO editor Alexander Leitsch has played Tower of Fantasy and finds that it is the MMORPG that Genshin Impact should have been.
These are the features of Tower of Fantasy:
You follow a story on the planet Ada, which humanity has colonized in the future.
An open world where you can swim, climb, and fly.
There are no fixed classes. Instead, you determine the playstyle with your equipment.
An action-packed combat system. You must aim and dodge yourself.
A gacha system for weapons in the endgame.
Dungeons, raids, and PvP content.
To move around in the vast world, you will be able to use various mounts. It’s cool, for example, that you can ride motorcycles in Tower of Fantasy.
For Android and iOS, players could preregister to receive rewards. You only had to create a profile with your email address.
For each platform, there is an exclusive avatar:
Zeke on PC
Shirli for Android
Nemesis for iOS
With every 500,000 registrations, the developers set new rewards. These include gold, outfits, and various crystals. The main goal was 3 million registrations. Those who preregistered were thus showered with rewards.
What do you think of Tower of Fantasy? Does the game appeal to you? Will you give it a try, or do you say it’s not for you? On which platform do you want to play it? What do you think about the parallels to Genshin Impact and the gacha system? Feel free to write it in the comments here on MeinMMO!
Cosmic Flux in World of Warcraft is annoying – even Blizzard acknowledges that. The drop rate has been increased by 100% from many sources.
A major criticism of WoW: Shadowlands is the amount of different currencies with nested uses – those who weren’t there from the beginning or don’t have experienced veterans among their friends can hardly navigate through all the currencies.
In particular, “Cosmic Flux” is important as it relates to many endgame abilities. Farming it has now been drastically simplified by Blizzard.
What is cosmic flux used for? Currently in World of Warcraft, cosmic flux serves a whole range of functions.
On the one hand, the flux is needed to craft legendary items, and on the other hand, it is the necessary “fuel” to power the Creation Catalyst, which transforms high-quality equipment into tier set pieces. Therefore, all characters basically need Cosmic Flux as items are converted into tier set pieces from time to time.
New in Season 4 is also the ability to buy all media for Soulbinds directly at item level 278 – but you need to have a hefty 10,000 flux to do so.
How to obtain cosmic flux? Cosmic flux comes from many different sources. The largest amounts are found in Torghast or from “Mythic+” dungeons, but smaller amounts can also be found in PvP, in chests from Zereth Mortis, or from daily quests there.
Flux is now much easier to obtain.
What has changed? Blizzard has increased the amounts of cosmic flux from many sources significantly by 100% – that is, doubled. This affects the following game content:
PvP rewards (Battlegrounds, Arena)
Mythic+
Raids
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What are the consequences of this? The result of this change is likely that Cosmic Flux will be earned much more easily “on the side” while playing content that is already relevant. After all, Season 4 is all about the raids and dungeons that lure with new, upgraded gear.
Many players simply do not want to spend forever hanging around Zereth Mortis or in Torghast just to be more efficient in other areas later on.
Also, keep in mind that Blizzard added an option a few weeks ago to transfer cosmic flux from one character to another. While a portion of the flux is lost in the process, most players will likely have accumulated large amounts of flux on their main characters.
What do you think of the change? Good and meaningful? Or is it still too exhausting to collect flux?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
YouTuber Sywo has been part of Lost Ark since its release in Korea. Even before the game was released, he followed it on YouTube and has since become one of the most loyal fans of the game. We at MeinMMO spoke with him about the first 6 months of our version and the future of the MMORPG.
Who is Sywo? Anyone who has ever searched for videos on Lost Ark on YouTube has surely stumbled upon Sywo’s channel. The expert from Estonia is one of Lost Ark’s biggest fans and has played not only our version but also the Korean and Russian versions since day one.
On his channel, he covers all kinds of news, guides, and insights into important community discussions and announcements from the developers. If you’re interested in Lost Ark, you’ll find what you need with Sywo.
Already in Korea, but not yet with us, there is the class Aeromancer. Check it out in the video:
Start video
Lost Ark Aeromancer Gameplay
The risk has paid off
MeinMMO:The western version of Lost Ark has been online for almost half a year now. How would you assess the performance and successes so far in direct comparison to the Korean and Russian versions within the same timeframe?
Sywo: I think they took a risk by releasing the game in a different format and at a faster pace than in any other version. In hindsight, I really think it was worth it, even if it was a bit tougher at some points. I’ve met so many completely new players since the release, and almost all of them felt that the first five months were completely packed with many things to learn.
They had to learn not only all the basics but also endure three major content updates that came during that time. An Abyss Raid, Argos, and two Legion Raids. That’s a lot of complicated mechanics to learn on top of that.
Therefore, I think that players who have made it through the first five months are now in a very good position regarding the future. From August on, we will also enter a very cool, calm phase that can be used to solidify what has been learned, as there will be no new Legion Raids until the end of September.
It’s the perfect move [by Amazon], because now players have time to catch up on the new patches or try out other classes. Not to mention all the new or returning fans who now have a fantastic opportunity to build a good roster and learn the game until then.
Argos was the first dungeon for 8 players
MeinMMO:How satisfied are you personally with the changes Amazon has made to the western version? We’re talking about things like the decision not to release Yoz’s Cup.
Sywo: I think they are doing everything they can, and that’s great for all of us. The less stress the game puts on its players, the better. The decision not to release Yoz’s Cup was solely based on community feedback after they introduced the legendary skins.
The mechanic never made it into our version, and that’s really nice to see. They are now planning to release the legendary costumes in a different format as soon as they have something suitable for it.
Lost Ark is great, but not for everyone
MeinMMO: What changes would you like to see in the coming months, and why do you think they are necessary?
Sywo: I would really like to see Pheons revamped. This is an item you need if you want to buy jewelry from the auction house in the game. In Lost Ark, you really want to play multiple characters because every class is just so much fun, but you also need to equip them. And you’re very likely not to get exactly the things you need for that.
So the auction house is the place where you spend your gold and put together your build. Currently, you can only get Pheons as rewards from events, and the number of them we have received for free so far is just enough to equip one character. The rest you would need to buy from the cash shop with real money or with gold, which is converted into crystals.
I find that really stressful for players who want to have a perfect build on all their characters. Generally speaking, all active players could be said to be playing between 3 and 9 characters, and all need to spend Pheons.
I think that Pheons should be added as rewards for the weekly Legion Raids. That would be good because they are account-bound and can thus be used across all characters. This rewards active players while also preventing bots from exploiting it, as they cannot farm Legion Raids.
It would still take time, but at least there would be a way to replenish the Pheon supply without needing to buy something in the cash shop.
The Machinist will be the next new class in our version
Another thing I would wish for is the new changes to the classes that are planned for 2022 in Korea. In the Korean version, a major wave of changes for important class skills and how they work is coming now.
Therefore, I would like to see these changes implemented with us as soon as possible. This is really exciting content and not so stressful at the same time. It can easily create a lot of hype.
MeinMMO:[At the time of the interview, the Steam ratings were lower than when the article was published] The Steam reviews for Lost Ark have dropped massively. From one of the best MMORPGs ever, with 97% positive on launch day, to a balanced rating of 56%. Why do you think that is?
Sywo: To be honest, I was shocked that the game received such overwhelmingly positive feedback on Steam in the first two months. Right now I see on Steam that the game is “mostly positive” with 170,000 total reviews, but it has really dropped in the last 3 months, and we are now much closer to a balanced rating. And I think that well reflects the game.
I think the change in reviews over time is because players are now reaching a later point in the game and its progression. And have discovered things that may not be well received by the vast majority.
Such things as the importance of playing multiple characters and engaging in daily activities with them. That’s not necessarily the most exciting task in people’s eyes. It could also be the materials that can be bought with real money to ease progression (legally, of course).
However, Lost Ark has always been like this, both with microtransactions and with the joy (or pain) of playing multiple characters.
I’ve always said that Lost Ark is a great experience but certainly not for everyone. I’m glad that Lost Ark can still attract so many players even with mostly balanced Steam reviews. Even more than other MMORPGs that are rated “mostly positive.” This clearly shows that even if some features massively annoy us in the game, we feel so good about Lost Ark that we keep playing despite so many other great MMORPG alternatives out there.
“We somehow got lucky in the west”
MeinMMO: How would you evaluate your personal experience with the western version of Lost Ark in the first 6 months?
Sywo: Oh, I love it! After my 3 years on the Korean server, I can finally enjoy my own account, my own characters, and my own decisions.
Our version feels much more rewarding in direct comparison to all others and is the most fun. In addition, we as a community have been treated with the greatest fairness that a game, based on microtransactions, can offer while remaining a game with microtransactions. It feels good to be part of it.
MeinMMO: How does this differ from your experience on the Korean and Russian servers?
Sywo: I have been playing the Korean version since the 3rd day after its release and it felt like everything was still “work in progress” when I look back today. Back then it felt like a fresh and shiny new MMO that was new for everyone. And I’m happy that I could experience that, with all the changes the game has made over the years.
The Russian version was much more accessible for many [western] players since they could have their own account. The game grew much faster than it did back then. It feels like the publisher over there pushed the boundaries a bit too far.
Only 9 months after the release in Russia, the whole game was changed when Season 2 came. They had huge problems adapting the game and compensating players for the stress they experienced with the major changes in August 2020. For me, it was the more controversial version than the Korean one.
We somehow got lucky in the west that we had both stability in features and a good publisher that, in my opinion, changed most things very much in favor of the players.
The community’s anger is justified
MeinMMO: Bots are an issue that cannot be ignored when talking about the past months of Lost Ark. Many players blame Amazon and Steam for this. How was the bot situation in Korea and Russia a few months after release?
Sywo: I really didn’t see any bots when the Korean version launched and even later on, although I leveled characters one after another for months. The first time I noticed a bot in Korea was around mid-2021, and even then there weren’t many of them running around.
However, I wasn’t active in any Korean forums, where I would have noticed if there were more bots. But I’m pretty sure I would have seen them if they behaved like the bots in our version.
Scenes like this had long been standard in our version. That would have been noticeable:
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MeinMMO: Many players complain about the prices of Pheons and how they were simply transferred from Korea to us, even though the Korean version has been out much longer and had more events. How would you assess the Pheon prices in the western version? If it were your decision, would you take a different approach than Amazon?
Sywo: I see it exactly the same way. On the Korean servers, you simply didn’t feel the burden of Pheons when they entered the game. By that time, we had many equipped characters and more than enough gold to afford more Pheons without running into problems. Inflation was a big issue back then, but everyone had enough gold for it.
As I mentioned above: with the speed at which we are receiving new content and considering the brand new release, there should be more Pheons for active players. In ways that bots simply cannot exploit.
Many fans are completely new to the game and make mistakes with their builds that they need to fix later. And many simply want to do what the game demands of you: create more characters and equip them, and for that you need, among other things, Pheons.
MeinMMO: If you could give Amazon a single tip on how to proceed with new content and updates, what would it be?
Sywo: A really big surprise would be great. Just release a class they haven’t announced and that no one expects. Like the Painter or the female Berserker. That would be a real shock and create a huge hype.
The future of Lost Ark
MeinMMO: Where do you see Lost Ark in 12 months?
Sywo: I see us discovering Elgasia and more. In the second quarter of 2023, we should be very close, if not already fighting the new Light Legion Raid and having all the classes currently in the game with us.
Personally, I’m most looking forward to the new classes that have not yet been released with us. And to more horizontal content that was teased last year. I have high hopes that this will bring new game modes into the MMORPG and can break up the daily routine in Lost Ark a bit.
You can see Elgasia in the trailer here:
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Lost Ark announces a new update for Korea – New area Elgasia in trailer
MeinMMO:What do you see as potential problems that the western version of Lost Ark might face in the future? How would you prevent them?
Sywo: Underpopulated regions. Just like Europe West, which currently has really few active players. They will have even fewer in the future, which is normal. The problem is that there is currently no way to merge different regions. Only individual servers within the same region are possible.
This will become a problem in the future, and I would hate to lose players because they are simply lonely. In addition to those lost over time. I really hope they find a way to at least allow groups across different regions. Especially if a full merge is not possible.
Another potential danger is mechanics that allow new players to catch up to the endgame. Right now, it’s still possible to relatively easily buy your way into the “endgame,” but that only works because the gear score requirements are still relatively low with us.
With a higher gear score comes a tougher and longer time to achieve it. It will be hard to find a balance between free boosts to gear score X while also avoiding the annoyance of the community that has worked hard to reach that point X. Not to mention that the company itself still needs to make money. I hope they find a good middle ground as we reach higher and higher gear score requirements.
Play the way you enjoy
MeinMMO: What 3 tips could you give new players who want to start an MMORPG with a lot of grind, like Lost Ark, 6 months after its release?
Sywo: Just act as if there’s no competition and no hurry. If you fall in love with the game, you will make yourself play more and more daily content. But it’s better if that comes naturally from you. Better than forcing yourself to play that content to be efficient and keep up. I tend to feel like I had fun when I click on “leave game” at the end of the day.
Also, I recommend trying out many classes at level 50. It’s really cool. Play around with the classes and the builds. Do some PvP, maybe even push them up to gear score 600 to try out Abyssal Dungeons.
For that, it’s best to join an active guild that doesn’t consist of second characters and enter their Discord server. Lost Ark is really a great game socially. It can turn many “I need to do this now” situations into genuine “Come, let’s experience this together” situations.
Furthermore, if you want to play in Europe, definitely start on the EU Central server. It’s a much busier region and unlike in other games where a server with fewer players might have advantages. That’s really not the case in Lost Ark. The marketplace and the auction house and even the groups are only interconnected between servers, not between regions.
That was our interview with Sywo. We thank him for his time and detailed responses. What do you think of the current situation in Lost Ark? Where do you personally see the game in the future? Feel free to let us know in the comments here on MeinMMO.
Pokémon GO has announced all the content that is supposed to come to the big GO Fest Finale 2022. However, one monster is missing in the listing for some players.
This is the event: The GO Fest Finale serves as the closing event of this year’s GO Fests and takes place on August 27, 2022, from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
Some monsters from previous fest events are involved. This includes Pokémon like Unown, Tropius, or Galarian Mr. Mime. However, a popular Pokémon from the past weeks is not on board: Snorlax with the cowboy hat.
No Cowboy Snorlax, but Scarf Pikachu
What kind of monster is this? The Cowboy Hat Snorlax was a special costumed monster that could be encountered at the events in Sapporo, Seattle, and Berlin. It debuted during the local GO Fests and could not be caught outside of the events. Those who weren’t there must hope for a trade if they want the Cowboy Hat Snorlax.
Apparently, some Trainers hoped that this special Snorlax would also appear at the global finale of the GO Fests. However, it is still missing from the list of monsters that you can encounter there – even if you buy a ticket.
This is what fans say:
“If they don’t bring Snorlax with a cowboy hat, I would be pretty upset. It’s one of the few costumed Pokémon that has ever interested me, and they have hidden it behind local GO Fests,” complains a user (via reddit).
“Damn, no Snorlax with a cowboy hat for the global finale is a bit disappointing” (via reddit).
“No Cowboy Hat Snorlax? Really?” asks user ace2390 (via reddit).
“Damn, I will grind all day long, haha… It’s kind of a shame that they excluded Snorlax with a hat and gave us another Pikachu. But hey! Looks good (to me!)” says user Maureen00 (via reddit).
“Maybe they are still keeping it as a surprise spawn. Cowboy Snorlax was one of the most sought-after Shinies for all GO Fest attendees,” emphasizes a user (via reddit), but also mentions: “I wouldn’t be surprised if they kept it as an exclusive spawn only for GO Fests, like Safari Pikachu.”
Instead of the Cowboy Snorlax, a Pikachu with Shaymin scarf is currently the only one announced for the GO Fest Finale. While this is also an unusual monster, in the past, there have been significantly more costumed Pikachus than, for example, Snorlax.
At the same time, some users note that it is quite okay that Cowboy Snorlax will not be brought back for the finale. After all, this was also an important incentive for players who traveled to the local events.
What do you think about the topic? Would you have wanted a return of the Cowboy Snorlax, or are you satisfied with Scarf Pikachu? What is your overall opinion about costumed monsters? Tell us in the comments!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The funding of games is a topic that concerns not only developers and publishers. It is also often hotly debated among players. Now, the new sandbox MMORPG Profane announced that it will be F2P and revealed whether Pay-to-Win is a possibility.
What kind of game is this? Profane is a sandbox MMORPG with a comic look, developed by the studio INSANE and will be released for Windows PCs. Initial tests took place as early as May 2022.
What makes Profane special? The focus of Profane is on PvP and crafting. In addition to the crafting system, Profane is also supposed to feature a player-driven economy. The weather is also expected to have an impact on gameplay.
What makes Profane different from other MMORPGs? At the beginning of the game, you create a character that is not bound to anything. Here, a significant difference from most MMORPGs is evident: In Profane, there are no classes and no levels. Instead, you learn skills that you can improve over time and thus advance your character.
Furthermore, there is no story that you follow. However, you can build your own house or even a city. This city can be expanded, visually customized with skins, and attacked by enemies. Overall, the world of Profane is designed to change dynamically. This can happen both through players and by attacks from NPCs.
“Pay-to-win practices are off the table”
What do we know about the funding? As the developer studio INSANE announced via Twitter, the MMORPG will be free-to-play at launch. Instead, there will be a shop where you can purchase cosmetic items. However, Insane emphasizes that skins will not be exclusively available through the shop.
“However, skins will not be exclusively purchased through the shop. Players can unlock new ones in other ways, such as through their reputation with certain NPC factions or through some achievements.”
The developers also clearly state that Pay-to-win practices are “off the table” (via Twitter) and thus circumvent a controversial topic. Recently, the heads of Diablo Immortal had to face P2W accusations (.).
Viking inspiration and Oriental architectural style
What do the building skins look like? The developers of Profane showed initial concept images that depicted possible skins for buildings and cities. The skins shown in the post are inspired by various cultures. One of the images is supposed to show an architectural style inspired by the Vikings.
Here you can see the images of the different city designs that Profane shared on Twitter:
This is one of the standard building styles in ProfaneThis is the second standard building style in Profane
When will Profane be released? The MMORPG does not yet have a specific release date. However, there is an official roadmap (via profane.dev) that allows you to track the exact development status.
Where will you be able to play Profane? It is not yet known on which platforms the game will be released, as the developers want to focus on development first.
However, an FAQ on the game’s website states that it is currently being developed only for Windows PCs and that other platforms (consoles) may be considered in the future. A release on Steam is also not yet confirmed.
What do you think about the images of Profane? Do you find skins for buildings and cities interesting or do you consider it rather a useless gimmick? Feel free to share your thoughts here on MeinMMO in the comments!
The survival MMO Rust has been viewed much more frequently on Twitch in the last 3 days than before. It leads the trending list by a huge margin and is currently the biggest game on the platform. The reason is an eSports event with $100,000 featuring content creators like Disguised Toast, xQc, and the German Dhalucard.
What’s going on with Rust on Twitch?
Rust is a survival MMO from 2013, and it usually doesn’t play a major role on Twitch.
However, in January 2021, Rust suddenly became huge on Twitch, as streamers arranged to play together on a server. Some just wanted to roleplay peacefully, but mean raiders caused stress by randomly shooting people. Due to the many different streamers meeting on the server, a large event was created, and suddenly half the world was watching Rust.
Twitch pits 160 players in 4 teams against each other in a fight for $100,000
What is happening with Rust now? Rust is currently the fastest-growing game on Twitch’s trending chart. In the last 3 days, the watch time has increased by over 2.3 million hours.
As a result, Rust has re-entered the top 10 most-watched games on Twitch, landing in 9th place. It has even surpassed World of Warcraft, which is now in 14th place.
On Wednesday evening, there is no game on Twitch bigger than Rust.
One can expect that Rust will get even bigger in the next few days, as the Rust craze is just beginning.
On Wednesday, August 10, around 7:40 PM German time, Rust is once again the biggest game on Twitch and has even significantly surpassed LoL and Dota 2.
Start video
Everything you need to know about the survival MMO Rust – in 2 minutes
Why is Rust popular again now? Twitch itself has been hosting a tournament since August 9 with some of the biggest streamers in the world:
4 teams with 40 players each are competing in a 100-hour event, with 2 teams from the USA and 2 teams from the “EMEA” region, which refers to the Europe-Middle East-Africa economic area
there is a prize pool of $100,000
The event is set to span over 5 days
The peak times each day are from 7 PM to 11 PM – that’s when there will be a broadcast
The “Goblin King”, xQc, is the biggest streamer on Twitch. He is the one to beat.
Strategy nerd against archvillains and his entourage
Who is participating in the tournament? Twitch has been able to recruit some big streamers for the event:
The archvillain of Twitch, xQc, leads his own team and has among others, Trainwreckstv, one of the biggest gambling streamers on Twitch, along with Summitg, one of the veterans on Twitch in his team.
The German Twitch streamer Dhalucard is the team captain of one of the teams from Europe: He has Anomaly with him, a constantly masked streamer, who celebrated huge successes with “Valorant” in the summer of 2020 – plus Cowesep, a LoL strategist. Together with CaptainMyko, Repaz, and Sukidingels , he has more German-speaking streamers in the team.
The Spanish streamer Grefg leads the 4th team. He is one of the most successful streamers in the world and especially known for Fortnite, where he also has his own skin.
Weird things happen in Rust:
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What are the rules? The tournament has a number of rules. The most important one: Starting from day 3, the first team will get eliminated. On days 4 and 5, the next teams will follow.
The team that remains at the end will win the Twitch Rivals tournament.
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What is Twitch Rivals? The “Twitch Rivals” are showcase tournaments from Twitch. Typically, games are selected that are popular but do not offer a proper standalone eSports.
What’s the current situation? On day 1, Disguised Toast’s team was leading by a significant margin – Toast apparently gathered the strongest players in his team. That seems like him.
Dhalucard’s team was in 3rd place, pretty much neck-and-neck with xQc’s team. The players around TheGrefg are lagging somewhat behind..
Rust has also been further developed as a game in recent months and not just as an event:
Fans of the popular anime “Attack on Titan” can rejoice: The solo developer Swammy is working on a fan-made game that lets you fight against giant Titans. Here’s what it’s about:
What kind of game is it? The game based on Attack on Titan (AoT) is being developed by a single developer named Swammy. It is not an official game, has no proper title, and does not have its own launcher, nor is it available on a well-known launcher like Steam. Nevertheless, according to esports journalist Jake Lucky, the title has been downloaded over 10 million times. (via Twitter)
Swammy offers the game for download on the Discord server “Blackbox Studios”. There, the F2P title is available via a link and is referred to as “Swammy Attack on Titan Fan Game”. As Jake Lucky reports, Swammy has been working on the game for just over a year at this point.
If you want to see gameplay from the fan game, we will embed the tweet here that shows video scenes:
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On which platforms is the game available? Swammy’s fan game is playable on PC and Android mobile devices. It will not be released for iOS.
The PC version of the game is, according to Swammy, 6.5 GB in size. The Android version is at 1.0 GB, but will not receive any more updates.
What characterizes the gameplay? Swammy’s fan game will not have a story mode, but it is playable with friends. There, according to Jake Lucky, a sandbox is available to you. Additionally, you should be able to fight and train against Titans. Overall, the game is aimed at fans of Attack on Titan. Those fans were recently also addressed by Dead by Daylight when the horror game announced a collaboration with Attack on Titan.
What is the development status? Swammy is working alone on the fan game and, according to his own statement, is doing this for fun, which is why he cannot provide precise information about the development status, a timeline, or future updates.
What do you think about the AoT game? Do you find the game concept exciting, or are you more skeptical? Feel free to let us know in the comments here on MeinMMO!
If you’re generally interested in animes and gaming, you might find a game in our list of the 7 best anime MMORPGs 2022 that you might enjoy.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Call of Duty of 2022 is called Modern Warfare 2 and the release is planned for October 28. In the meantime, there is some information about the new shooter and MeinMMO shows in a quick overview what is officially known and what major leaks there are already.
A new year, a new Call of Duty. This has been the case for over 15 years now. 2022 brings Modern Warfare 2, the sequel to the most successful paid CoD title so far: CoD MW 2019. That, in turn, was a reboot of the popular “Modern Warfare” setting from CoD 2007.
Not all details about Modern Warfare 2 have been clarified yet, not even all major game modes have been properly introduced. However, what is already officially known and why leaks suggest that the annual CoD tradition is coming to an end, we will show you on MeinMMO.
CoD MW2 is under the motto “The ultimate weapon is the team”. We are embedding the first major teaser for the game here:
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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II “Ultimate Team” Teaser
CoD Modern Warfare 2: Official Information
CoD MW2 provides you with a direct continuation of CoD MW 2019. The story is continued and familiar characters from the “Modern Warfare” universe reappear.
Through the Battle Royale, Call of Duty: Warzone, the stories of the two major CoD universes – Cold War and Modern Warfare – have even been connected. Even zombies are now somehow part of it, and could theoretically also appear in the campaign of CoD MW2… theoretically.
We will list the most important announcements so far:
CoD 2022 will be Modern Warfare 2 and will be released on October 28
Apart from the official information, there are already plenty of leaks about CoD MW2. However, keep in mind that the following information is not officially confirmed. Things may change during development or the leaks are simply wrong.
