In Destiny 2, players will again face Champions in Witch Queen and will need very specific weapons for that. Bungie has partially revealed which mods are important in Season 16, giving players enough time now to earn the best weapons for it. MeinMMO explains which ones they are and where to get them.
With the new Season 16, the weapon mods in Destiny 2 will also change again, which players will use against the most powerful enemies, the Champions. In the current Season 15, bows, automatic and pulse rifles, fusion and linear fusion rifles, as well as swords were strong against Champions. This will change in the upcoming Season 16.
With the new artifact in Season 16, players will have the following weapon mods available:
Scout rifles and bows are strong against anti-barrier Champions
Overload Champions are disturbed by automatic weapons and submachine guns
The new weapon “Glaive” will be able to stop unstoppable Champions
This will thus be part of the potential new meta. It is also likely that there will be other weapons that will be important in the upcoming Season 16 of which we currently know nothing.
We provide you with a brief overview of which weapons are currently in high demand and which ones you should already put in your vault for the new season.
Champions are the strongest enemies in Destiny 2
The best weapons against overload Champions
At the start of Witch Queen and Season 16, submachine guns and automatic rifles are strong against Champions in PvE. Depending on the activity, it is advisable to keep good options from these weapon types. Especially since it is unclear whether these weapons can even be earned in the upcoming season.
Here is a selection of good submachine guns:
“Rei%C3%9Fungsfeuer” This SMG is obtained through the Wrathborn Hunt of Season 12 (Season of the Hunt).
“Exotic Performance” This little monster is extremely popular among players and comes from Season 13 (Season of the Chosen). It can be focused directly in Battleground playlists or through Umbral Engrams.
Both “Rei%C3%9Fungsfeuer” and “Exotic Performance” have a somewhat higher range, which helps to deal with Champions from a greater distance.
“Shayura’s Wrath” The legendary submachine gun in the energy slot is currently one of the best for many players. However, it can only be earned through the Trials of Osiris. It is also available in a Master version if players manage to go Flawless.
As exotic options, the submachine guns “Huckleberry” and “Risky” are valid Unfortunately, Huckleberry cannot be specifically earned. You have to rely on luck with an exotic open-world drop or keep an eye on Xur to see if he offers it in the coming weeks.
The exotic submachine gun “Risky” is one of the first Exotics that players can earn through a quest when they start Destiny 2. For years, it has been a submachine gun that is often equipped due to its massive Arc damage resistance and almost endless sustained fire.
Here is a selection of good automatic rifles:
“False Promise” and “Scathelocke” Both automatic rifles are a random open-world drop from legendary engravings and can be obtained anywhere, including from Banshee-44’s shop.
“Chromatic Chaos” The automatic rifle comes from Season 14 (Season of the Splicer). It is considered one of the best PvE automatic rifles in the game with the perks “Composure” and “Rage” and can be obtained either through the seasonal activity “Override” or “Annihilation” as well as through focused targeting at the Umbral Engram.
The automatic rifle “Shadow Price” is only available from Nightfalls
“Shadow Price” The Arc automatic rifle is a strong candidate for the new Season 16 and can also be specifically earned through Nightfalls as soon as it is in rotation.
As exotic options, “Workhorse” and “Hard Light” are valid Unfortunately, both weapons cannot be specifically earned. You will either have to rely on luck with an exotic open-world drop or keep an eye on Xur to see if he offers them in the coming weeks.
Practical with “Hard Light” is its ability to change damage type in an instant. This allows you to eliminate any enemy shields at any time and deal with Champions.
Are you already familiar with the new shooter releases for 2022? At this point, we would also like to briefly recommend our current shooter podcast. There, shooter fans learn which releases to expect at the beginning of 2022. After a 2-click authentication, you can already listen to it.
The exotic bow “Ticcus Prediction”
The best weapons against anti-barrier Champions
For bows, not much will change in the upcoming Season 16. Again, the best candidates will likely be three Exotics that are already considered “Best in Slot” this Season 15. Depending on which burn is currently needed, you can swap these out.
Here is a selection of good exotic bows:
“Le Monarque”– Void In Season 15, this bow was the best that could happen. Whether it will be as effective in Season 16 is still unclear. But its poison damage could prove to be an optimal choice again. It still works when the barrier shield of the Champion is up.
“Ticcus Prediction”– Solar The bow from the Season of the Chosen (Season 13) is excellent for stunning Champions from the hip, as it fires seeking projectiles. With a catalyst, the weapon becomes even more effective, as perfectly drawn arrows increase arrow damage.
How to play the bow correctly, we will tell you here:
“Trinity Ghoul” – Arc The strength of Trinity Ghoul lies in the Arc bolts. These are significantly improved through the exotic masterwork catalyst. Its arrows are overloaded with Arc abilities upon each shot.
Players can buy “Le Monarque” and “Ticcus Prediction” at the “Monument of Lost Lights” at the Tower. For “Trinity Ghoul”, players must rely on luck with an exotic open-world drop.
Players automatically receive the weapon from the New Light campaign
Here is a selection of good scout rifles:
Those who prefer scout rifles also have the choice of excellent weapons from the past season.
“Nightwatch” This kinetic scout rifle was already solid against Champions in previous seasons. Players receive it as one of the first legendary weapons in the starting mission of the New Light campaign or as an open-world drop.
“Eternal Revelation” The Arc scout rifle is currently an open-world drop. Wearing it allows you to move faster and is therefore more agile. It also has solid stats overall.
“Disunity SR4” The scout rifle can be specifically earned through Nightfalls when the weapon is in rotation. However, you have to like that it obscures a lot of your field of view because of its size, which is not always advantageous.
“Tale of a Dead Man” The kinetic scout rifle was once a must-have for many PvP players. Players can currently earn the weapon, including the catalyst, through the exotic mission “Signs”. It is already known that the weapon will no longer be available through the mission in the upcoming season. Instead, Xur will then add it to his inventory.
“Polaris Lance” Some players have been desperate for the catalyst for this Solar scout rifle. Nevertheless, this old Exotic with catalyst is considered a secret tip against Champions. The weapon can also be bought at the “Monument of Lost Lights” at the Tower.
This is currently being discussed in the Destiny 2 community:
New weapon class stops unstoppable Champions: Bungie has already announced that the upcoming new weapon class “Glaive” can stop unstoppable Champions. It will likely also be the best option for this in the long term.
What else you should consider: These were our recommendations. Of course, personal preference also plays a role in which weapon a player ultimately prefers. It is also very likely that these will not be all the options against Champions. Some players believe that with the new artifact, at least one weapon with special ammo will be strong against Champions.
What do you think? Which weapon with special ammo could be meant? And if Season 16 were to start today, what would your loadout look like if you consider the new mods?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
With Mortal Online 2, a new MMORPG has launched on Steam this week. It follows a hardcore approach and focuses primarily on PvP and sandbox fans. Shortly after the launch, the player numbers skyrocketed, and the reviews are mostly positive.
What kind of game is it? Mortal Online 2 is a sandbox MMORPG that focuses on freedom and PvP. It features a unique combat system reminiscent of For Honor. You determine the direction of your attack or block using the mouse. If an attack comes from the right and you block left, you will still be hit with full force. This requires a lot of practice, as we had to learn the hard way.
In addition to the challenging first-person combat system, Mortal Online 2 also implements full loot. This means you lose all your equipment when you die. As open PvP is possible in almost every area, this loss can happen quite frequently.
Mortal Online 2 offers you the following content:
A very detailed character editor where you create a character with your desired attributes from various bloodlines
A focus on equipment, as it determines your playstyle – there are no classes
A deep crafting system for your item production
Free trade between players
A completely open game world
Non-instanced housing
Dungeons that you can find in the open world and enter with a group
The game also impresses with its beautiful graphics and aims to be “especially immersive.”
How is the game funded? Mortal Online 2 uses a rather costly funding model. You must purchase the base game first for 34 euros, and then subscribe to a monthly plan. However, the first month is included with the purchase of the game.
This video from YouTuber Megxx Gaming gives you an insight into the MMORPG:
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On release day, up to 7,500 players were registered simultaneously at 10:00 PM German time.
The peak was surpassed on Wednesday with 7,898 players.
It is very likely that the peak will be even higher over the weekend, as most new MMORPGs usually hit their peak on the first Sunday after release.
With nearly 8,000 players, Mortal Online 2 has significantly surpassed the previous player record of its predecessor Mortal Online (released in 2015). Back then, only 1,172 people played the MMORPG concurrently at peak.
Praise for combat system and game world, criticism for performance and crafting
What do players say about Mortal Online 2? Currently, the hardcore MMORPG has 1,209 reviews, with 75% being positive. This is a good value for an indie game that also focuses on PvP and full loot.
The positive voices praise:
The active, but very unusual combat system. The user Zaferberger also describes it as a mix between the combat system of Mount and Blade and the sandbox of Ultima Online after over 100 hours (via Steam).
The size of the world map.
The beautiful graphics.
Well-designed dungeons.
Several users praise the fishing in the game. The user Jubeii even calls it the best system he has ever seen in a video game (via Steam).
However, some users praise and warn at the same time that the MMORPG is not for theme park fans. You have to invest hours to understand the game, and also constantly expect to lose everything. Although the tutorial is now reported to be very detailed, players can feel a bit lost afterwards. Many therefore recommend quickly finding a guild to make connections.
Furthermore, communication between developers and the community is said to be very good, and new content is expected to be implemented every two weeks.
However, there are also some negative reviews about the game:
There are still performance issues, especially players outside the EU complain about high latency (via Steam).
The community is reportedly quite toxic already. This is a common issue in PvP games.
The crafting system is said to be rather boring, as the gathering process is designed quite carelessly (you simply hit with your weapon) and the processing and crafting consist merely of “boring mouse clicks” (via Steam).
There is also criticism of the funding model, as some users would like to play, but are not willing to spend so much money on a PvP MMORPG. The combat system has also been described as too slow or boring by some reviews, although tastes do clearly differ here.
Have you already tried Mortal Online 2? Does the MMORPG appeal to you in general or do full loot or other game content immediately discourage you? Feel free to write it in the comments.
In early January, another MMORPG called Chimeraland was released, focusing mainly on various playable races:
Blizzard has announced a new survival game out of nowhere. Yes, that’s right: the creators of World of Warcraft and Diablo are now working on a whole new genre. MeinMMO editor and survival expert Benedict Grothaus believes that it couldn’t be better.
So far, not much is known about the new project. Blizzard announced the new survival game without features and without a name. The studio is still looking for employees.
There isn’t much more known yet. And yet I am convinced that this survival game is exactly the right step for Blizzard. After dwindling interest in WoW and the major sexism scandal of 2021, the game studio desperately needs some good news.
The new project is on the right path to provide such news. And not, although it is not set in the Warcraft or Diablo universe – but exactly BECAUSE it is not.
Especially the survival genre, which Blizzard has yet to explore, is a good step. There is still plenty of room for growth, as the area is completely open.
The first teaser image for Blizzard’s new game. What is behind it?
Hardly any genre has as much potential as survival
Among the games on Steam, survival games have some of the most players across all genres. The top 10 regularly includes Rust with 90,041 players on average and ARK: Survival Evolved with 63,752 players on average, both from January 2022. So the interest in these games is there.
Even new survival games always achieve at least initial success. Myth of Empires, for example, which was released at the end of 2021, was immediately popular on Steam. It has since disappeared due to a lawsuit, but despite the issues, it had over 28,000 simultaneous players on Steam (via steamcharts).
With good features and ideas, survival games can keep their players for years. This is shown by hits like ARK, which is already planning a successor, and games like DayZ, which originally started as just a mod.
If an existing studio ventures into this area and works on completeness from the start, there is a lot of potential behind it. There are enough survival fans; you just need to mobilize them and convince them. The competition is not necessarily large.
Perhaps the most convincing argument is that the biggest and most successful survival games are actually all indie games. They are often standalone projects that succeed without a publisher despite rather small teams:
Rust is, at least on Steam, the biggest survival game
ARK follows closely behind, also has many fans on PlayStation and Xbox
DayZ has been a hit for years and was originally just a mod for ARMA 2
Although all these games were in early access for years or had a half-hearted release, they are at the top. They are all still not “finished”; players often complain about bugs. Nevertheless, they can attract tens of thousands of players and retain them.
Even Valheim, released in 2021, is an indie game and was so successful in a very short time that the developers had to shift their plans almost embarrassingly. Valheim was initially developed by just 5 people and reached 1 million players on Steam shortly after release. The game still needs to be completed.
The decision to make a survival game may sound strange at first. After all, Blizzard is THE game studio for strategy games and created the MMORPG that was for a long time the largest in the world.
But this is where the studio gets its expertise. If the survival game is an MMO, as I strongly suspect, Blizzard can draw on experience with multiplayer and server technology from World of Warcraft.
In terms of looting and leveling, they are ahead with Diablo and WoW and will certainly manage to create a good incentive to play. Warcraft itself also shows that exploration and storytelling are strengths that can be transferred to the new game.
You can think what you want of the latest WoW lore, but overall it is excellent. No other MMORPG in the world has such a well-developed background. At least when it comes to the intertwining of story and gameplay, one can draw on experience here.
A Warcraft or Diablo setting would be more of a hurdle than something that would help. The new game would constantly have to compare itself to the old ones and would not have the opportunity to fully unfold.
And that new games also suit Blizzard, they have shown with Overwatch. Even then, there were confused looks. A shooter from Blizzard? But it worked – and continues to work to this day.
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Check out gameplay of 5 new survival games to look forward to in 2021 and 2022
I only see positive news in the announcement of the survival game and hope for one of my favorite game studios that they succeed.
Another project by experienced developers who are also trying their hand at the survival genre is Nightingale. Created by BioWare veterans known for RPGs, a preview of the new game is coming in 2022:
The well-known Twitch streamer MonteCristo commented on sexism in a stream with colleagues. He criticized that developers often take too few or the wrong measures to combat sexism.
Who is this? Christopher “MonteCristo” Mykles (33) is considered one of the formerly best Overwatch players in the world. He was a caster at the start of the Overwatch League. For many, he was “the face” of Overwatch.
MonteCristo has been a well-known figure in US esports for many years and made a name for himself back in Warcraft 3, later being active as a commentator in LoL. His work as a caster together with his partners was considered top-notch at the Overwatch League. He is now working for the CS:GO League Flashpoint.
In short: MonteCristo has seen a lot of the gaming world and especially the esports scene. In a livestream from The Four Horsemen, he spoke with his colleagues Duncan “Thorin” Shields and Richard Lewis.
The discussion was about esports tournaments for women and why, in MonteCristo’s view, this will not be enough to combat sexism in gaming.
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MonteCristo believes: Developers do not tackle the fundamental problems
This is what he sees as the problem: MonteCristo views esports tournaments for women rather critically. Not because of the subject itself, but because in his opinion it does not change much about the actual issue.
Just because there are tournaments for women does not mean that sexism will stop. He sees the difficulties and especially the responsibility lying with developers who need to actively free their games from sexism.
Because just because the esports scene promotes equality, these measures do not yet reach the mainstream. Women are still often subjected to sexist insults or attacks in chats.
I feel that many of these initiatives are just a pretext to obscure the fact that developers are either unable or unwilling to fix the issues with harassment in voice chat that deter women from playing… […]. They promote these programs because they do not address the underlying problem, which is that it is extremely unappealing for women.
It’s like blaming the NBA because a woman was harassed at a basketball game in a park in New York City. That’s a ridiculous idea, but basically, that’s what we’re trying to solve here.
He demands that developers should take “the damn responsibility”. How he envisions this, he revealed on Twitter. He suggested that developers should “moderate their games better” to sustainably solve such problems.
Furthermore, the fear of declining player numbers should not serve as an argument for taking action against players who insult others in a sexist manner.
Under his post, he received a lot of support, and many believe that not enough is being done to address the problems.
Why is this such a big issue? Sexism is a constant companion in the gaming industry. Recently, there were massive scandals surrounding sexism within well-known companies like Ubisoft or Activision/Blizzard.
But even among the players themselves, this is often a serious issue, especially in the esports scene and on Twitch.
However, MonteCristo addresses an important point: How widespread sexism is in gaming and how often the spotlight is on well-known figures, companies, or esports while it can be a common problem in the mainstream.
Is MonteCristo right with his criticism? Should developers take more active measures against it?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In FIFA 22 the new TOTW 19 is now available. Find out here which players made it into the Team of the Week this time.
What is the TOTW? Every week, the “Team of the Week” features the best players from real football who are equipped with upgraded Inform cards. These cards have better stats and usually fetch a few more coins on the transfer market.
In addition, special cards, such as the OTW cards, can receive upgrades with the TOTW.
How do you get TOTW cards? You can pack TOTW cards, but you need a lot of luck. Alternatively, you can find the Inform cards in the FUT transfer market, but they cost a significant amount of coins.
This is the TOTW 19: Leading the new Team of the Week is Joshua Kimmich, who boasts a strong overall rating of 91. Following him are Verrati (88), Ziyech (86), Diaby (86), and Digne (86).
The featured player this week is Akanji from Borussia Dortmund, who receives a notable upgrade from 80 to 85.
TOTW 19 Starting XI:
GK: Ledesma (84)
LB: Digne (86)
CB: Akanji (85)
RB: Walker-Peters (81)
CDM: Kimmich (91)
CM: Verrati (88)
LM: Diaby (86)
CM: Kittel (82)
ST: Dzeko (86)
RF: Ziyech (86)
ST: Bergwijn (83)
TOTW 19 Bench:
GK: Bizot (81)
CB: Rugani (81)
CM: Maksimovic (82)
LM: Mavididi (81)
ST: Borja Iglesias (83)
ST: Abraham (82)
ST: Hwang Ui Jo (81)
RB: Vindheim (78)
CM: Akbaba (79)
ST: Ward (76)
ST: Juanma Garcia (76)
RF: Muldoon (74)
The Bundesliga in the TOTW 19
Who is representing the Bundesliga? This week, three players from the 1. Bundesliga and one player from the 2. Bundesliga are featured in the new TOTW.
Joshua Kimmich from FC Bayern receives his second Inform card in FUT 22 this week, which also makes his Headliners card even stronger. He has a 91 overall rating and excels especially in defense and passing.
A significant jump is made by Manuel Akanji from BVB with his new 85 card. This card stands out primarily in pace, physique, and defensive abilities.
The second Inform card of Moussa Diaby goes back to the left wing, is incredibly fast, and has great dribbling stats. Unfortunately, his shooting and passing stats still leave something to be desired.
A strong midfield card this week comes from HSV with Sonny Kittel. Kittel is really quick and has decent stats in pace, shooting, passing, and dribbling.
What do you think of the new TOTW 19? Are you satisfied with the selection? Feel free to tell us in the comments!
If you are still looking for reinforcements for your team, we have really strong special cards under 100,000 coins for you:
The release of Dying Light 2: Stay Human is just around the corner, but developer Techland already has big plans for the future. What those are and what you can expect, you can see here in the overview on MeinMMO.
What is Dying Light 2? Dying Light 2 is the direct sequel to the first part, but it has a new setting. Instead of Rio de Janeiro, the new survival title takes you to a fictional setting. In the game, you rely on melee combat and firearms to defend yourself against zombies.
The game features a story campaign and also has a co-op mode. According to the developers, the game is supposed to offer an incredible 500 hours of gameplay right from the start. Additionally, more DLCs are supposed to follow after release.
What you can expect has already been partially revealed by the creators of the survival game in a roadmap that outlines the planned content in the months following the release. Here is an overview of the planned content for 2022.
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Everything you need to know about the new survival game Dying Light 2 – with gameplay
The roadmap for Dying Light 2 for 2022
What to expect in the coming months: The first roadmap for Dying Light 2 extends until June. By then, you can expect a mix of different content:
February: Several free DLCs related to the factions of the survival game. Judging by the image, they are outfits and weapons.
March: Challenge Set 1, there are no further details available yet. If they are like in the predecessor, they will consist of various activities and challenges in the open world.
April: Series of Events (Mutated Infected) – Similar events were featured in the first part. The community was able to unlock special rewards in the form of unique weapons or equipment through these events.
May: Here comes Challenge Set 2.
June: The first story DLC.
How much do the DLCs cost? Aside from the story DLC, the content will be released for free until June. Those who order the Deluxe Edition will also receive the first story DLC for free.
What exactly could you expect? We still do not know what the contents will ultimately look like. However, judging by the predecessor, which is unfortunately indexed in Germany, the story DLCs should be particularly interesting, along with smaller content.
After all, Dying Light has been supplied with various new content over the years and even received an additional map.
Techland has experience with long-term support for such an open-world game, and the larger DLCs were well received by players.
By the way: Those who order the Ultimate Edition will also receive the second story DLC for free.
Dying Light 2 will be released on February 4 for PC, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS5, and PS4. However, in Germany, the game will be released in a censored version.
In recent years, 6 MMORPGs have been released on Steam that can be considered among the larger and more well-known titles. Reddit user foodeyemade took a closer look at the player numbers of these MMORPGs and created a graphic that provides very interesting insights.
What does the graphic show? The graphic displays six MMORPGs and the development of their player numbers in the first 90 days after release. These games are:
At the time with the most concurrent players, the game reaches the mark of 100%. The graph itself then represents the remaining peaks in concurrent players as a percentage.
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All MMORPGs suffer heavily in player numbers, especially New World and SOLO
What stands out? All MMORPGs have significantly lost player numbers compared to the release hype. However, three titles managed to stay above the 25% player mark, while three games fell into the ranges of 7 to 14%, including New World.
Of the games shown here, only New World managed to break the 100,000 concurrent players mark and even exceeded it significantly with over 900,000 players at peak. The other games hovered on Steam between 7,212 (ArcheAge Unchained) and 76,273 concurrent players (Bless Unleashed).
It should also be noted that Albion Online, Swords of Legends, PSO2, and ArcheAge Unchained also have their own clients that will further correct the total player numbers upwards.
Interestingly, there is no significant difference in player retention based on whether the games had to be purchased upfront – like New World or ArcheAge Unchained – or whether the games are Free2Play – like Bless Unleashed or Albion Online.
Start video
Where does the term MMORPG come from? The history of the genre in 2 minutes
Are declining player numbers a surprise? Not really, as Western MMORPG players have been yearning for the next big hit for many years and are consequently testing many new games. However, new games entering the market now cannot compete with established titles like WoW or FFXIV. They simply offer a greater variety of content.
Furthermore, many players have become more demanding in recent years regarding their wishes and needs:
Some players mainly play alone and thus seek a solo MMORPG
Other players want a hardcore PvE game
Some hope for open PvP
Others exclude a game just because it comes from Asia or has open PvP.
A turnaround is possible, as demonstrated by Albion Online and other MMORPGs
Does a downward trend always lead to the death of the game? No, because in recent years there have been several examples of turnarounds, including Albion Online, which is also in this graphic.
At release time, the MMORPG peaked at 13,312 players – the 100% of the graphic. In March 2021, the latest update brought 12,918 people to log in to Steam in Albion Online. These are almost identical numbers to the release. And even in the last 30 days, the game’s peak reached 9,643 players – a solid 72% of the release time.
However, not only Albion Online has succeeded in such a turnaround. The Elder Scrolls Online was also heavily criticized at first. Only through updates like One Tamriel was the MMORPG able to recover.
Additionally, there is the big comeback of Final Fantasy XIV, which only succeeded through a complete shutdown of the servers. Those interested in the history of FFXIV can find more information here:
Sony has announced the new games that PS Plus subscribers will receive in February. As usual, there are 2 games for the PS4 and one for the PS5.
These are the new games: If you have an active subscription to PlayStation Plus or are planning to get one soon, then you can look forward to the following monthly free games in February:
EA Sports UFC 4
Planet Coaster: Console Edition
Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-Shot Adventure – for the PS5
The two PS4 games can also be played through backward compatibility on a PS5 without any issues. However, you will need the corresponding console for the PS5 game.
When and where can you download the new PS Plus games? The 3 new free titles are expected to be available to subscribers from February 1 around 12:00 PM. You can download them for free from the PlayStation Store.
The games for PS Plus in February.
EA Sports UFC 4
What is UFC 4? In UFC, you assume the role of a fighter and can experience various disciplines, including boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, and jiu-jitsu. You can follow a career and work your way up until you become the GOAT – the Greatest of all time.
If you are not interested in a pure career mode, you can also participate in blitz fights, quick matches, or championships. Much of this is also possible online against other players.
As the name suggests, this game is the fourth installment in the series, which was released in 2020.
You should play UFC4 if you are looking for a current fighting game in a realistic world. UFC 4 impresses especially with its dynamic gameplay and significantly improved ground combat. A must if you are looking for a game to duel in kickboxing or wrestling against AI or other players.
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What is Planet Coaster? Planet Coaster is a construction game where you can build your own amusement park. You can do this in career mode, special challenges, or the free sandbox mode.
At its core, it resembles the legendary Roller Coaster Tycoon series. You can build various attractions, provide your visitors with food and drinks, and create your own roller coasters.
Planet Coaster was released in 2016 for PC and was only launched for consoles in November 2020. You can now play this console version for free.
You should play Planet Coaster if you want your own amusement park. Planet Coaster offers you many possibilities to realize your dream amusement park. This is especially interesting for console players, as they do not have access to older classics of the genre.
Our colleagues at GameStar praised the game in their review for its atmosphere and presentation, although they deducted points for lack of complexity and missing management options. More on this here:
What is Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep? This DLC of Borderlands 2 has now been released as a standalone and is well received by fans of the series, even though it breaks away from the classic content of the series.
Because you essentially enter a sort of “Dungeons & Dragons”, where you must fight dragons, giant golems, and other fantastical enemies. The campaign takes about 5 to 6 play hours and impresses, as usual, with the coarse humor of the Borderlands series.
It is also a good preparation for the upcoming game Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, which starts in March 2022.
You should play Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep if you are a fan of the Borderlands series and generally like the character Tiny Tina. Additionally, this standalone is aimed at fans of role-playing games who still want to pick up a gun every now and then.
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This is what you need for it: The requirement for the monthly free games is an active membership to PlayStation Plus, so a PS Plus subscription. For a 12-month subscription, you usually pay €59.99, but there are also sales where you can get the subscription at a lower price. Note that: The annual costs are higher with a shorter membership duration.
As a subscriber, you will receive 2 selected free games for PlayStation 4 and one free title for PS5 each month. The games are then available for a limited time as a digital download in the PS Store and do not cost you anything extra (aside from the regular subscription fees). Once you have added these games to your library, you can play them anytime as long as you have an active membership – even if it has expired in the meantime. The games remain in your possession.
Here are more benefits of PlayStation Plus at a glance: In addition to the monthly games, subscribers of PS Plus also benefit from some additional advantages – including:
Access to free trials where you can try out some full games for free
How about you? What do you think of the new PS Plus lineup for February 2022? Is there a title that particularly grabs your interest or that you are especially looking forward to? Or are you rather indifferent to Sony’s current selection of games? Share your opinion with us and other users of MeinMMO in the comments.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Meanwhile, the first tests of the RTX 3050 are online. MeinMMO explains what kind of graphics card it is and how it performs in tests and benchmarks.
The most important points at a glance:
The GeForce RTX 3050 will be available starting January 27, 2022.
The graphics card delivers high performance for Full HD gaming and achieves triple-digit FPS values at reduced settings. Ray tracing plays a minor role.
279 euros is a fair offer for entering the RTX world, however, availability may be a problem.
From January 27, 2022, the RTX 3050 from Nvidia will officially be available. In our article, we want to introduce you to how the new graphics card from Nvidia performs in the tests and for whom the price is actually worthwhile.
What is the GeForce RTX 3050?
The GeForce RTX 3050 is currently Nvidia’s smallest graphics card. It is positioned below the GeForce RTX 3060.
What does the RTX 3050 offer? The RTX 3050 features 8 GB of GDDR6 video memory. Additionally, the graphics card offers HDMI 2.1 and PCI-Express 4.0. Furthermore, the RTX 3050 provides all modern ray tracing features and additional functionality that you can also find in other RTX graphics cards. This includes Nvidia’s DLSS and Nvidia’s Reflex.
GeForce RTX 3050 at a glance
RTX 3050
Interface
PCIe 4.0
Base clock
1.55 GHz
Boost clock
1.78 GHz
Memory size
8 GB
Bandwidth
128 Bit
TDP (Power Consumption)
130 (550 watts recommended for power supply)
What do the testers say about the RTX 3050?
At this point, we want to present you with the most important tests of the RTX 3050. We will discuss the individual tests and explain to you in the end, for whom the graphics card is worthwhile.
The RTX 3050 is a solid graphics card. It delivers exactly what the specifications promise. With 8 GB of graphics memory, it is also sufficiently equipped and, as far as can be said today, future-proof.
For NVIDIA in this area, it is certainly most important to keep an eye on the Radeon RX 6500 XT. The graphics memory with 8 GB contributes to this – alongside the already higher raw performance. But it is also clear: one should not expect miracles. It is a 1080p card, and only this objective is realistic.
Without real weaknesses or notable limitations, and with the well-known Ampere features and – almost surprisingly much – memory (8 GB), the GeForce RTX 3050 as a new Ampere entry-level graphics card delivers a technically clean, albeit unspectacular performance.
The RTX 3050 from Nvidia delivers good performance for its theoretical starting price of $249. Unfortunately, this also means that there is no chance at all that it will not be sold at drastically inflated prices. The RTX 3050 lies between the RTX 2060 and the GTX 1660 Super of the previous generation, both of which are well above Nvidia’s price target.
If you are aiming for entry-level 1440p gaming, the RTX 3050 is undoubtedly the better product, in my opinion even significantly better. Not only will you likely achieve well over 60 fps with the GeForce GPU, but it is also only 8% more expensive per frame compared to the 6500 XT in PCIe 4.0 mode. For those of you gaming at 1440p, the RTX 3050 is a much better product even at a price of $450, making it worth spending the extra money or saving for it.
Where are the strengths? Testers agree that Nvidia delivers a significantly better entry-level graphics card with the RTX 3050 than AMD with its RX 6500 XT. There was a lot of criticism of the RX 6500 XT due to missing features. However, with the RTX 3050, you’ll receive a “real” RTX graphics card with all the essential features one would expect from an RTX graphics card.
Testers also explain that all games run smoothly in Full HD with high settings using the RTX 3050. One exception is ray tracing. Many also note that it is clearly a Full HD graphics card. In demanding games, the RTX 3050 quickly runs out of steam in WQHD.
Where are the weaknesses? Although the RTX 3050 is officially a graphics card with ray tracing, the card is too weak for ray tracing. So if you are looking for a graphics card for the latest technology, you will inevitably have to invest more.
Many testers also fear that the graphics card will be hardly available or will be very expensive at launch. Officially, the card is supposed to have a recommended retail price of $279. However, the card is likely to be much more expensive in the open market.
What advantages does DLSS bring with the RTX 3050?
What is DLSS? DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) uses AI to scale low-resolution textures to higher resolutions. This can enhance performance at higher resolutions when the graphics card is already under load.
What does DLSS bring to me with the RTX 3050? DLSS is primarily intended for high resolutions. However, the RTX 3060 has already shown in tests that it can benefit significantly from DLSS.
The RTX 3050 also benefits from Nvidia’s DLSS. According to ComputerBase, the RTX 3050 achieves 21% more FPS in Full HD with DLSS enabled, which represents a significant increase (via computerbase.de). The downside, however, is that Full HD with DLSS enabled looks worse than native Full HD. For those interested in gaming with the highest possible FPS, it might definitely be worth it.
Both the RTX 3050 and the RX 6500 XT are entry-level graphics cards aimed at gamers who want to game in Full HD. You should keep in mind that you can play many current AAA titles in Full HD, but for some games, you will need to lower the details. WQHD works with older titles, but for newer titles, the raw performance of the card is not sufficient.
If you urgently need a new Full HD graphics card, you might find the RTX 3050 if the prices are reasonable. Overall, the RTX 3050 presents a better offer than the RX 6500 XT since AMD has cut many features.
For whom is the RTX 3050 worth it?
You urgently need a Full HD graphics card and the prices are reasonable.
You can forgo ray tracing features.
You currently have a GTX 1650 or similar and are looking for RTX features.
For whom is the RTX 3050 not worth it?
You want to game at maximum settings.
You want to game at resolutions higher than Full HD.
You are interested in ray tracing and similar features and wish to utilize them.
The faster alternative to the RTX 3050 would be the RTX 3060. This graphics card offers you more performance than the RTX 3050 and also provides enough power for ray tracing. However, the price of an RTX 3060 currently starts at at least 700 euros or more:
Elden Ring is developed by FromSoftware, the creators behind successful games like Dark Souls 1-3, Bloodborne, and Sekiro. Unlike these titles, the action RPG is, for the first time, based in a true open world. Can that work? MeinMMO author Tarek Zehrer tries to answer this question.
For several years, the gaming industry has been experiencing an “open-world boom.” Numerous games, especially from the AAA sector, with high production and development costs now feature an open game world.
More and more franchises are opting for ever-larger sandboxes with sometimes massive dimensions. Even the Halo franchise has now transitioned to an open world with Halo Infinite.
Now, developer FromSoftware is also following this path and offers a massive open world with the Lands Between in Elden Ring for the first time. How that is supposed to work and whether it will go well, I want to analyze here.
Who is writing here? Tarek has been a passionate fan of the Soulsborne games for over 10 years. Since then, he has played every game from Dark Souls to Sekiro multiple times and has invested hundreds of hours. He loves the challenging gameplay, the mysterious worlds, and the stories that one must delve into oneself. He finds Elden Ring particularly interesting because the game dares to make the leap to a completely open world.
Open worlds often cause skepticism
Here’s why some view it critically: Titles like The Witcher 3, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, or The Elder Scrolls 5 Skyrim are among the best games of the last 10 years and are often explicitly praised for their game worlds.
However, the open-world concept is also frequently viewed critically nowadays. This is especially evident with the notorious “Ubisoft formula.”
What does that mean? This term comes from large franchises by Ubisoft, like Assassin’s Creed or Far Cry. Especially the newer installments like Far Cry 6 or Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Few other franchises stand for repetitive gameplay as much as these two.
They are characterized by oversized game worlds flooded with tasks that players usually engage in the same activities with minimal differences:
X lookout towers that reveal parts of the map
X outposts to conquer
X collectibles, whether flags, feathers, posters, or other items.
Such games are often designed to keep the player busy, and their contents often feel like a means to artificially stretch playtime. The scales are also often criticized these days, as many find the size of some maps simply to be oversized.
The maps of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Valhalla have areas based on calculations of nearly 100 km² or even more. This, by the way, corresponds to over 14,000 football fields.
A video shows you the comparison of various maps by size:
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Some players are nearly exhausted by now, and thus a warning light goes off for some as soon as a new open-world game is mentioned. The concern is also present with Elden Ring.
But is this concern justified? How has it been until now?
The level design of Soulsborne games
How was it before Elden Ring? The game worlds of FromSoftware games work all by similar principles:
They are usually tight, nested, and full of secrets. You fight your way from area to area, continuously unlocking new shortcuts and paths.
There are only a few places where you can venture without danger.
Although the areas are connected, typically you explore region by region in a linear manner.
They are more like connected hubs than truly open world environments.
Nonetheless, they are considered by many fans to be among the best game settings ever created. The narrow corridors, confusing paths, and numerous enemies lurking around every corner create a sense of threat.
In the end, the design is mostly believable and consistent, making the game world feel “realistic”.
By cleverly placing secret passages, treasures, traps, and other secrets, these worlds simultaneously encourage careful exploration until one eventually navigates the labyrinths with ease.
Whether it’s the dark Lordran from Dark Souls 1, Yharnam from Bloodborne, or the Japanese setting of Sekiro – they all have beautiful, gruesome, and twisted areas to explore. The story is primarily told through items and the environment.
The Lands Between of Elden Ring
This is how the game world of Elden Ring is structured: The world of Elden Ring is projected to be incredibly vast based on initial findings from the network test and calculations from fans.
It is divided into a total of 6 different regions that are supposed to differ in their structure and appearance.
There is a day and night cycle, dynamic weather, and events.
The areas can be freely explored and tackled in any order.
However, it is possible that some locations may not be accessible immediately.
Thanks to a horse, players can move freely across the world.
This horse can be summoned at any time or disappears once you jump off its back. You can even fight from your horse’s back and leap over steep slopes in gigantic jumps.
We also know some weird creatures that we can encounter in the game world. Here you can check out some scenes from the gameplay in the first area called Limgrave:
Start video
19 Minutes of Gameplay from Elden Ring – With Coop
How much Ubisoft formula is in Elden Ring?
With its game world, Elden Ring attempts to strike a balance: on one hand, it wants to retain the familiar and very successful gameplay formula from Dark Souls, Sekiro, and Bloodborne.
On the other hand, it seeks to explore new paths with the open world. The dangers of this are evident:
Does the game world offer enough to discover?
How diverse is its design?
How varied are the side quests?
Is moving through the world enjoyable?
Do the contents feel stretched as a result?
Or, in short: Could Elden Ring “fail” in its new open world and turn into boring busywork?
This is how they want to avoid that: Thanks to reports and known gameplay scenes from the network test, we can partially answer this question.
Unlike games like Far Cry or Assassin’s Creed, the map does not overflow with countless icons or question marks marking “interesting places.” Instead, you can set your own markers and must explore the world to uncover its secrets and treasures.
Side quests are also not displayed through a journal or anything similar. You interact directly with NPCs and do not follow a fixed quest structure, as far as we know so far.
The inhabitants of the Lands Between act dynamically at times. They do not just stay at fixed points but also move throughout the game world. So it can happen that you are suddenly attacked by a dragon at random locations.
Currently, it seems that FromSoftware, despite the open world, will remain true to their previous virtues:
The story is not told linearly.
You mostly have to figure out for yourself what the world and its characters are about.
Reading item descriptions and hints is important to gain additional information.
So they are again relying on a game world that gradually tells its story through level design, its NPCs, and items rather than overwhelming players with elaborate dialogues.
Elden Ring could thus avoid typical open-world pitfalls. Especially through dynamic events and random encounters, like with the dragon, they aim to create variety and make the world feel alive.
Additionally, it’s not that the level design from the earlier games is completely a thing of the past. On the contrary, a significant part of Elden Ring relies precisely on that.
Legacy Dungeons remind of the best in Dark Souls & Bloodborne
What does the Lands Between offer aside from the open world? This is where the dungeons of Elden Ring come into play. There will likely be two different types:
Smaller dungeons distributed throughout the game world that can be freely explored.
Legacy dungeons are the large, significant dungeons of Elden Ring. These are part of the main story and are simultaneously important locations in the Lands Between.
These are legacy dungeons: The first known legacy dungeon in Elden Ring resembles the castle Lothric from Dark Souls 3. These dungeons can indeed be compared in their structure and designs with several areas from previous FromSoftware games.
They are tight, nested, full of secrets and dangers, and in the end, a boss awaits you.
Thanks to the new freedom of movement enabled by new gameplay mechanics like manual jumping, it can also be expected that there will be further opportunities for exploration. This will likely affect the placement of items and hidden objects.
Conclusion: I count myself among those who love FromSoftware’s games for their excellent level design. Few worlds have captivated me, despite their dangers, and motivated me to explore every corner, like those of Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro.
Accordingly, I am one of those who were rather skeptical about the announcement of a completely open world. However, based on all the information we have so far about the game world and the first area of Elden Ring, I am cautiously optimistic.
For if FromSoftware can genuinely translate their skills in level design into an open-world model, a game world that is genuinely exciting and encourages players to discover its secrets might await us. Additionally, we won’t have to forgo the well-known level design, which simply shifts to the dungeons.
Of course, it is not possible to provide a final answer a month before the release, and there are several pitfalls in which the game might stumble. Who knows if the rest of the game world can maintain that quality?
Currently, it seems to me that Elden Ring follows only a few of the now “worn-out” open-world trends. Much more seems to maintain their own line and create their own version of an open world.
Additionally, there is also the multiplayer with co-op and PvP, which should also provide variety. So I am optimistic and looking forward to the Lands Between.
Tarek Zehrer
Freelance author at MeinMMO
When will Elden Ring be released? The action RPG is set to release on February 25 for Steam, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One.
What do you think about this topic? Are you concerned about the open world? Or are you already excited to explore the Lands Between?
EA has announced that it will develop three new games in the “Star Wars” universe. All of them are being developed by Respawn Entertainment. A shooter has also been announced. MeinMMO explains what this means and why fans of shooters and Star Wars alike might have reason to rejoice.
The successor to the single-player action-adventure Jedi Fallen Order is coming.
A strategy game is being developed by the new studio Bit Reactor, in collaboration with Respawn.
Peter Hirschmann is leading the development of a first-person shooter.
But who is Peter Hirschmann? And what does that tell us about the potential direction of the game? Is this the leaked single-player shooter, or is the announced FPS a different game?
We explain why Respawn Entertainment is an important name in the shooter genre and who the named developers are. From this information, we try to figure out what the shooter in the “Star Wars” universe might look like – and why you should expect two shooters.
What we already know about the “Star Wars” shooter
There is little information in EA’s announcement that a “Star Wars” shooter is being developed. However, they already provide many hints about what we can expect from the new game. The announcement stated the following about the announced shooter:
The development leadership of Respawn’s completely new Star Wars first-person shooter will be taken over by Peter Hirschmann, Game Director at Respawn, who already has a long and successful history with the “Star Wars” franchise. […]
“Working with Lucasfilm Games on a new FPS in the Star Wars galaxy is a dream come true for me because this is a story I’ve always wanted to tell,” said Peter Hirschmann, Game Director at Respawn. Peter worked as Vice President of Development at LucasArts and was the Executive Producer of the original “Star Wars Battlefront” games. Hirschmann and his team at Respawn have just begun development.
From these sentences, we can already read some information.
Respawn Entertainment itself is responsible for the development of a Star Wars shooter.
This shooter will be played from a first-person perspective.
Peter Hirschmann is taking charge of development and has previously developed “Star Wars” shooters.
The shooter will likely tell a new story, so it may have a campaign.
A new story also implies that it will not be a retelling of or a (direct) sequel to known “Star Wars” stories.
Development of the game has only just begun, so a lot of time will pass before release.
The separate mention of the Battlefront games is a clear indication that this is not Star Wars Battlefront 3. The game was also never in development, says journalist Jeff Grubb on Twitter.
Furthermore, it is said that it will not be a VR game (via Twitter). These rumors arose because Hirschmann’s last project with his team at Respawn was the VR FPS Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond.
Based on the current information, it is reasonable to assume that the new shooter will offer a multiplayer mode. This is supported not only by Hirschmann’s and Respawn’s expertise in the area of multiplayer shooters. Allegedly, another shooter project in the Star Wars universe is also being developed at Respawn, which focuses on a single-player experience.
Respawn is reportedly working on two “Star Wars” shooters
Journalist Jeff Grubb reported on January 13, 2022, that Respawn is working on a single-player shooter set in the Star Wars universe. This shooter is said to place great emphasis on “mobility” and “style” and will not be released before 2024 or 2025 (via VentureBeat).
Following the new announcements, he clarified on Twitter that the announced shooter is a different project than the one he described.
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Fans of shooters and Star Wars can therefore look forward to two new shooters – even if both will likely not be released for a few years.
The developer studio Respawn, which is said to be responsible for both shooters, has already gained a lot of experience in the genre. They are responsible for some of the biggest shooters on the market.
“Star Wars” shooter comes from the developers behind Apex Legends and Call of Duty
Who are the developers? Respawn Entertainment is well-known in 2022 primarily due to Apex Legends. The free-to-play “battle royale” will celebrate its 3rd anniversary in February and is one of the most popular shooters on the market today. On Steam, it is among the most played games. It is also a big hit on Twitch.
Although Apex Legends is the first major success of the developer studio, they already had a small but loyal fan base before. Respawn is also responsible for the Titanfall games. In particular, Titanfall 2 is an absolute hidden gem among shooter fans thanks to its popular campaign and fast-paced multiplayer. However, Respawn never achieved success with Titanfall – it was a critical darling that received too little attention at the time.
The shooter expertise that the developers have shown with Apex Legends and Titanfall did not come out of nowhere. Most of the developers at Respawn Entertainment, including the founders, were originally the core of the developer studio Infinity Ward.
Respawn founders invented Call of Duty: As Infinity Ward, today’s developers of Respawn were responsible for the first “Call of Duty” games. After Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, there was an equally public and ugly dispute between Activision and the “fathers of Call of Duty”, Vince Zampella and Jason West (via gamestar).
Zampella and West were fired in 2010 and subsequently founded Respawn Entertainment with many other former colleagues. Infinity Ward, which developed the new CoD Modern Warfare for Activision in 2019, did so under the old name and with many new developers.
These “Star Wars” shooters already existed
Since 1983, there have been video games in the “Star Wars” universe; the very first was a first-person shooter. In Star Wars Arcade, gamers could replay Luke Skywalker’s attack on the Death Star in Episode 4 in arcades. In the cockpit of the X-Wing, players moved a reticle and shot at the villains in what is considered primitive graphics today.
This is how it looked in motion:
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In the nearly 40 years since the arcade game, there have been many more “Star Wars” video games. Surprisingly few of them were shooters. Apart from games that also took place in the cockpit of a starfighter, there were primarily two game series and one separate title that have combined Star Wars and shooters: The Jedi Knight series, the Battlefront games, and Republic Commando.
The Jedi Knight series
First up is the “Jedi Knight” series, also known as the “Kyle Katarn” games due to the shared protagonist. Four games have been released in this series. To this day, they remain some of the favorite games among Star Wars fans. The first of these was Star Wars: Dark Forces from 1995, and the most recent, Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy from 2003.
The “Jedi Knight” games became less and less FPS over time
Where Dark Forces was a pure FPS, the series became increasingly known for its popular lightsaber gameplay. Jedi Knight II, paradoxically the third part of the series, was only half an FPS. The most recent installment, Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, was almost entirely an action-adventure with lightsabers.
The Battlefront games
Also noteworthy is Star Wars Battlefront. There are four games, which have now been oddly named. There were Star Wars Battlefront and Star Wars Battlefront 2 from the developer Pandemic Studios (released in 2004 and 2005), as well as Star Wars Battlefront and Star Wars Battlefront II from DICE (released in 2015 and 2017).
The Battlefront games focused on large multiplayer battles
These shooters were heavily inspired by the Battlefield games, placing great emphasis on gigantic multiplayer matches with many players. Infantry battles were also represented, as well as space battles, and famous heroes from the universe were playable.
Republic Commando
A often-overlooked Star Wars shooter is Star Wars Republic Commando, which was released in 2005. In this single-player FPS, you played as a squad of clone soldiers, where you could give commands to the team. Thus, the shooter had a strategic layer that not many other shooters have copied to this day.
For this reason, Republic Commando has a cult status, especially among Star Wars fans. Although it received average reviews and had few buyers, the gameplay resonated well with them.
Star Wars Republic Commando is a cult classic among fans
These are the shooters that have already appeared in the “Star Wars” universe. Whether the new shooters will directly connect to any of these games is doubtful.
We can most likely assume that the new shooters will not be Battlefront 3. The fact that a new story is to be told with the announced shooter also suggests that it will not be related to Jedi Knight or Republic Commando. However, these are just speculations.
What do you think about the announcements? Which “Star Wars” game are you most looking forward to? And what do you wish for from the upcoming “Star Wars” shooters? Let us know in the comments.
On the same day as the EA announcements, Blizzard also presented a new game. It is a survival game that is still early in development. MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus has smartly discovered some details that we do not want to withhold from you:
Dead by Daylight celebrates the Chinese New Year – and releases a lot of stuff. There are many unlockable cosmetics and blood points waiting.
In Dead by Daylight, the Patch 5.5 has just started, bringing new story content to the SAW franchise. This also marks the beginning of the “Lunar New Year” event, which this year is called “The Lurking Stripes.” For killers and survivors, this means more blood points, new in-game tasks, and a whole range of unlockable cosmetics.
What do you have to do during the event? The event works very similarly to previous events in Dead by Daylight. During the event, Red Envelopes appear in the blood webs of all characters. These can be activated as offerings at the start of a match.
The red envelopes can also be opened by other players. In this case, both players (the opener and the owner) receive a reward in the form of blood points. Additionally, the owner receives one of the cosmetic rewards at the end of the match.
In simpler terms: If you want to grab the cosmetic rewards, you need to use Red Envelopes as offerings and then open them yourself or have another player do it.
What can be unlocked? There are several rewards in the form of cosmetic items, both for killers and survivors.
New clothing is available for the killers Clown, Artist, and Nurse, as well as a new weapon for the Trapper.
Survivors can look forward to new clothing for David King, Jane Romero, and Kate Denson.
In addition, there are various charms that can be used for decoration by both sides. All items are showcased in this trailer:
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Apart from that, there are also thematically appropriate toolboxes and Fire-Crackers during the event, which can be used to distract the killer (or simply to celebrate).
How long does the event last? The event runs from January 25th to February 8th. All players have this time to earn the various rewards and benefit from the bonus blood points.
By the way, daily login is also worthwhile, as currently, there are 50,000 blood points just for logging in every day.
More news about Dead by Daylight can be found here:
How does the community feel about this? Generally, the mood among players seems to be rather positive that an event is coming and that there are more blood points – especially since the current patch has significantly increased the blood points from another source. However, there are also some loud voices who believe that Dead by Daylight is becoming too complacent and has no new ideas for events. The event resembles many other events and brings very few new ideas.
The Crucible in Destiny 2 remains an activity that players participate in very regularly. Especially the Iron Banner event and the Trials are highly popular. However, the Destiny 2 community is not satisfied with this. Despite BattlEye, annoying cheaters make PvP unfair, and the poorly balanced matchmaking adds to the difficulty.
Despite the anti-cheat system “BattlEye,” cheaters remain an issue in Destiny 2. Anyone expecting a fair game will be disappointed and will continue to experience inconsistencies.
Players get one-shot with hand cannons across the entire map
Enemies can see through walls and know exactly where you are
Even with several safe hits, some enemies cannot be killed
The Crucible is currently not fair
What players are currently criticizing in PvP: Players report that they feel new cheaters are coming in due to Free2Play. Although it has improved slightly with BattlEye, this fight between developers and cheat providers is by no means settled.
To make matters worse, the matches have become extremely unbalanced. It feels like every second match ends with what is known as the “Mercy Rule.” In their opinion, this is partly due to overpowered weapons and abilities. However, the main reason is the flawed matchmaking system that Bungie currently uses.
It seems that lately, 80% of my games are lost from the start due to the way Bungie balances the teams. I constantly have 4 or 5 below-average/new/inexperienced players on my team while the opposing team has a mix of average to good players.
The PvP community largely agrees: The reddit post received nearly 5,000 upvotes, indicating strong resonance in the Destiny 2 PvP community.
Many players reported similar experiences below the article. The issues were particularly noticeable in the Iron Banner. The matchmaking is by no means balanced for the players.
Connections have been terrible for months, and lobby balancing seems to rely solely on skill based on my experience and Dtracker. I’m a ~2.8KD ‘sweat’ and it brings 100% potatoes [PvP players with less skill] into my team and tries to make me carry them all against a team of average players.
Players wish for balanced matchmaking
Have you heard about the new shooter releases for 2022? At this point, we would also like to briefly recommend our current shooter podcast. There, shooter fans will learn which releases to expect in early 2022. After a 2-click authentication, you can already listen to it.
This is how Bungie can save PvP now: On reddit, players are now proposing a logical and simple suggestion on how Bungie could optimally balance PvP for every player.
The selected players, especially when there are many solo players in the lobby, should be evenly distributed across both teams. This way, we would see fewer Mercy Rules and more close games.
Honestly, random balancing would be better than what we have now. Right now, it selects the worst outcome in 90% of cases. If it were random, it would be more like 50%.
Is the Elo system the better solution? A matchmaking system based on a player’s Elo value would also be another option to solve the problem.
The Elo system would rank all players according to their skill and match them according to their Elo value. The higher the Elo, the better the player. If this applies to both teams, it should also make the lobbies more balanced.
There are still cheaters in Destiny 2
Cheaters are still a problem in Destiny 2
When it comes to cheaters in Destiny 2, players are currently looking a bit enviously at other shooters like CoD Warzone. Some PvP players have commented and mentioned: “In COD: Warzone, it is also the case that cheaters can play but can’t deal damage to players anymore.”
Instead of BattlEye, the new anti-cheat system RICOCHET monitors the game here. At least the system has proven to be extremely effective, and players sometimes refer to it as a “stunning success”. Even though there are still flying cars in the Battle Royale.
However, this won’t be a solution for Destiny 2 because RICOCHET is actually an analysis tool and does not intervene directly in the game. Even if it sounds good that cheaters can no longer deal damage, this was apparently only a bug of the anti-cheat system in CoD Warzone and thus not permanent.
They even go so far as to say that the Crucible will die out if cheaters and the unbalanced matchmaking system remain in the game any longer.
What does Bungie say about this? Bungie’s community manager has already spoken out and stated that they are aware of this imbalance. Dmg04 wrote on Twitter: “I can say that turning off skill-based matchmaking has led to numerous complications in match creation and lobby balancing. We hope to have news in the coming months about what we plan to do to address the feedback.”
This is currently being discussed in the Destiny 2 community:
What is your opinion? Do you agree with the statement that the matchmaking system in Destiny 2 is actually too unbalanced?
And how are your current experiences with cheaters in PvP? Do you find BattlEye is sufficient to effectively curb cheaters? Has it gotten better or worse? Or do you say: No matter what system, there will always be cheaters? Let us know in the comments.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Well-informed sources have hinted at a continuation of the popular Battle Royale Call of Duty: Warzone – an entirely new game with its own content. A kind of reboot. MeinMMO wanted to know from you what you would think of a reboot. And many of you are in favor.
First players have started discussing whether the free Call of Duty: Warzone would benefit from a complete reboot.
The old content is gone: weapons, cosmetics, maybe even the current and old maps – everything is to be scrapped and replaced with a completely new version of Warzone. Essentially CoD: Warzone 2.
On MeinMMO, we launched a survey on January 24, and it has now emerged that the developers are apparently indeed planning a continuation of the Battle Royale – if one trusts the credible leaks.
Out of 1,175 votes, 772 users are in favor of a reboot. However, there are differing opinions on what such a “reboot” might look like.
MeinMMO reader “Lieblingsleguan” for example thinks that the old weapons and cosmetics could disappear. But the existing maps should remain in the game:
The only thing that could be reused would be the maps. Think about it, we would then have Verdansk, Rebirth, Caldera, and the rumored new map. Always two of them as part of the weekly playlist and two would be off. I would think that’s great.
On our Facebook page for Call of Duty, user “To Mi” has his own ideas for a Warzone reboot. He tends to lean more towards a return to the initial state:
I would be in favor as well. Just Warzone with the weapons & operators from CoD MW. It was much better back then. It was clear that all the integrations of the other CoD parts would ruin Warzone. With so many gadgets & weapons, the balance just becomes unmanageable at some point.
Feel free to leave a comment about how you envision a new Warzone. Do you want an entirely new experience or rather an improved version of the current Battle Royale?
What is known about Warzone 2?
We don’t know too much yet about a possible CoD: Warzone 2. Trustworthy sources have revealed the following, without it being officially confirmed yet:
Warzone 2 will be released in 2023 (not as a premium title)
The new Warzone will no longer come for the old consoles Xbox One and PlayStation 4
Entirely new game with new content – no old weapons or similar
The release information comes from renowned gaming journalist Jason Schreier and the info about consoles and content comes from established leaker “Tom Henderson”.
In 2023, there could be again 2 major CoD titles coming. Treyarch is developing a reboot of the popular “Black Ops” series and a currently unknown studio is working on Warzone 2.
New World released the new patch 1.3 on January 25th. This mainly took care of the endgame, but also brought some bugs and discussions. One of these discussions revolves around Amazon’s “hiding player numbers.” However, this issue is being artificially inflated, says MeinMMO editor Alexander Leitsch.
With the new patch 1.3, New World has made some changes. One of them likely concerns the reading of player numbers. Because while previously external websites like NWDB could apparently read the exact player numbers per server, this is no longer possible since the update. The website now only gives estimates for regions but no exact numbers anymore.
There is no reason for this or an official statement from Amazon.
Some players – and likely ex-players – saw this as a sign that New World is absolutely at the end, and is even close to maintenance mode. After all, Amazon must be hiding player numbers now.
The topic is particularly hot on the MMORPG subreddit, where a thread on this issue is currently at number 1 and has received over 100 comments (via reddit). Many are particularly upset that a thread on this topic was deleted in the official New World forum.
However, there is also a thread in the New World subreddit with over 300 comments (via reddit).
I find this discussion nonsense and see it primarily as a form of disaster tourism that seems to be growing in video games, especially in MMOs. Because New World does indeed have many problems that can be discussed, but this change is not one of them.
Nevertheless, many people are jumping on the news as if Amazon announced the discontinuation of New World. And that’s nonsense.
Who is speaking here? Alexander Leitsch is the MMORPG expert at MeinMMO and has played nearly every new game in the genre. He has found his current home in New World, where he has already spent over 500 hours. Otherwise, he mainly plays Guild Wars 2 (over 8,000 hours), ESO (over 1,000 hours), and Black Desert.
Player numbers still visible on Steam, disadvantages only with server transfers
The alleged hiding of numbers is not tenable at all.
On the one hand, player numbers can still be read easily via Steam, as New World is only playable through this platform. In the last 24 hours, there were 78,279 concurrent players online, and the average in the last 30 days was still 69,755 (via Steamcharts).
On the other hand, the exact numbers per server have never been made public. Websites like NWDB obtained the numbers independently. However, it is unclear how that was even possible because there is no official interface or API.
Amazon has simply closed a type of data leak that was never intended for the public.
Until January 25, NWDB displayed the exact player numbers per server. Now the page only shows a 0/2000. The numbers above are also now only estimates (via reddit).
What bothers me the most is the censorship accusation against Amazon. Because in the official forum, a thread was deleted in which player numbers were heatedly discussed. Unfortunately, we now only know the title of the thread, but just from that one can tell what tone was set there:
“Dead Game removed ability to see how dead it is” – translated into English: “Dead Game removed the ability to see how dead it is.”
If someone were to write such a comment with us, it would also be deleted. It is not constructive, it does not encourage discussion, but I see directly: This is only bashing, and the thread will escalate. And it likely did.
The change regarding player numbers does indeed have a disadvantage that I do not want to downplay. If you want to switch servers, you can no longer see how populated the other servers are.
However, anyone who is deeply engaged with the game knows the busy servers. Moreover, most players will probably switch to servers where they already know people rather than simply going by numbers.
Criticism of New World is justified, but not for this accusation
After the article, some will surely label me a fanboy who wants to defend the game at all costs. But that is by no means my intention, as there are enough things that can be discussed:
With the new patch, about 20 new bugs were introduced, including problems with chat, inability to craft from storage, or servers where the dungeons no longer work (via New World Forum).
There is also a need to discuss balance issues, bug fixing in general, and desync, which often leads to rubberbanding.
But getting hung up on the topic of player numbers and wishing for the death of a game is for me rather a sign that some players have no interest anymore in games evolving.
They would rather see the world burn. And this has become a significant flaw among MMORPG fans in recent years.
By the way, the player numbers in New World are by no means as bad as many think. Because they often get hung up on the average player numbers or the peak numbers. But those are always just snapshots.
If there are 78,279 players online at one time, there are several hundred thousand throughout the day. New World never drops below the mark of at least 40,000 concurrent players at any single second during the weekend.
RuneScape fluctuates with two versions (Old School and RuneScape 3), both of which also have a mobile version, between about 75,000 and 120,000 concurrent players (via misplaceditems).
These games have been around for years, some for decades, and are constantly being developed further. New World is moving at a similar level. By the way, I mentioned these examples because they are pretty much the only ones where I can access firm numbers from the developers. The other developers refrain from doing so, probably for good reasons, as current discussions show.
What do you think about the situation in New World? Have you already tried the new patch? And what are your thoughts on the player numbers? Please feel free to leave a comment.
Those interested in the upcoming updates of New World have already received an interesting preview here:
In patch 9.2 of World of Warcraft, you can fly again – but not right from the start. We reveal what you need to do for the flying skill this time.
Slowly but surely, the patch 9.2 Eternity’s End is coming into view. Blizzard is still making many changes with each new PTR version, but gradually the content seems to be finalizing. Adjustments have once again been made on how you can unlock flying in patch 9.2. As usual, this accelerates your travel speed and progression in the game.
Where do you need to unlock flying? Only in the new area Zereth Mortis. The zone is only accessible with patch 9.2 and must be entered on foot in the first days. You can only fly there after a certain time, so all players can initially explore the area on foot or with ground mounts. Flying in the rest of Shadowlands has been possible for a while already.
How do you unlock flying? As is often the case, the flying ability in Zereth Mortis is tied to an achievement, currently named “Unlocking the Secrets” in English. This is a meta achievement, meaning that several sub-achievements must be completed to unlock it. In total, there are six smaller achievements that must be collected to be able to fly.
What do you need to do? Even though six achievements may sound like a lot, most tasks can be completed relatively quickly, as you can see here:
Explore Zereth Mortis: Reveal the entire map of Zereth Mortis, except for the island where the raid “Mausoleum of the First” can be found.
Curious Collections: Discover 5 different hidden treasures in Zereth Mortis.
Path to Enlightenment: Complete three side quest chains in Zereth Mortis.
Tales of the Exile: Read all the “Firim in Exile” books available in Zereth Mortis.
Adventures in Zereth Mortis: Defeat 10 of the special challenges in Zereth Mortis (Rare enemies).
A Means to an End: Complete the campaign of Zereth Mortis up to chapter 5.
At first glance, this may seem like a lot of work, but you will likely complete most of these achievements by day 1 or 2 while questing in Zereth Mortis. You will find treasures and rare enemies almost “in passing,” and the side quests and books will also be discovered along the way. Only the last step will be possible starting with the beginning of week 3, as the 5th story chapter is accessible in the third week.
In general, you should be able to fly in patch 9.2 after 15 days (the start of week 3).
More news about World of Warcraft can be found here:
Does every character have to unlock it? No. The progress on the achievement “Unlocking the Secrets” is account-wide. Once you fulfill the requirements with one character – for example, your main character – then those requirements are also completed for all other characters. So you can fly in Zereth Mortis with all characters and only have to complete the achievement once.
What do you think about having to unlock flying for the new area as well? A good solution, since it goes relatively quickly? Or should the Shadowlands flying have counted here directly?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In May 2020, one of the largest German streamers on Twitch was permanently banned from the platform. It is about Uwe “Flying Uwe” Schüder (34), who had violated the guidelines almost 2 years ago and was thus expelled from the platform forever – supposedly. Because now, on January 26, he has suddenly been unbanned.
Why was the streamer banned?
Flying Uwe was often called by an anonymous number during a livestream. Because of these calls, the livestream kept getting interrupted.
The streamer became so angry about this that he insulted and threatened the caller wildly. After that, the calls stopped.
After almost 2 years, the site StreamerBans suddenly shared the following message on Twitter: “Twitch partner ‘flyinguwe87’ has been unbanned after 1 year, 8 months, and a week.” Twitch itself has not yet commented on this spontaneous decision.
Although Flying Uwe was actually permanently banned, he is now allowed to stream on the platform again. Even he can hardly believe it and even forgot his Twitch name in the excitement:
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Among the tweets, there are congratulations and mostly joyful reactions to the unbanning of the then big German streamer. He could at least entertain an average of 1,300 to 2,100 viewers on Twitch and has over 1 million subscribers on YouTube.
crowie is over the moon: “Incredible, I wish you all the best! Welcome back, big guy!”
Jeff also celebrates: “Finally! It was about time. I’m happy for you.”
mondzahn hopes for soon streams: “Omg, soon ‘Mario Kart’ streams?”
Speaking of “Mario Kart” streams: His colleague MontanaBlack is also publicly excited on Twitter about the unbanning. He welcomes him back. The two have often streamed Mario Kart together in the past.
Viewers might look forward to a comeback. Flying Uwe has definitely not yet said how he wants to proceed now and whether he will actually start streaming on Twitch again. So, it remains to be seen.
Epic Games has released a new trailer for Fortnite. The focus was on the new pizza item, which has been in the game since January 25. However, a new weapon was also discovered, which could only be spotted upon closer inspection. Have you seen it too?
What kind of weapon is it? In the trailer, there was a wild shootout in Tilted Towers. There, an unknown skin used a submachine gun that looks like an Uzi. However, this is not the well-known Uzi with flame camouflage.
The weapon shown in the pizza trailer is larger, but it does not differ in functionality from the known submachine guns in any way. Its sudden appearance in the trailer could mean that you will soon become acquainted with it.
What can the weapon do? The weapon appears to fire rapidly based on the trailer and has a large magazine in terms of appearance. However, how it performs in the game and whether it is worth it is still unknown to us.
Epic often hides new items in their trailers
The trailers from Epic Games often hide hints of items or skins that have not yet been revealed. This teases content that may be added in the current season.
If you haven’t thoroughly watched the trailer, pay close attention; you will discover more than you think:
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Was anything else discovered? The new weapon was used by an unknown skin that resembles Raven and probably belongs to his cult. Shiina, a well-known leaker for Fortnite, had already revealed since the update 19.10 that a new skin bundle is expected.
However, when this bundle will be released is as unknown as the release date of the new weapon.
Before you continue reading, we would like to recommend our latest podcast. There, shooter fans will find out which releases they can expect in early 2022. After a 2-click authentication, you can already listen to it:
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What has Epic already hidden in the past? In Chapter 2 Season 8, new and unknown weapons were also discovered in trailers, such as the double crossbow or the giant cube monsters. This has given many players the chance to find out in advance what content they can expect in the current season.
Additionally, this raises the excitement since Fortnite is often accompanied by phases of content drought.
Nevertheless, you should wait and see what Epic has planned. Usually, plans can change and weapons or skins may be released later than initially anticipated.
What do you think of such hidden content that Epic intentionally integrates into its videos? Do you find them interesting and does it increase your desire to continue playing Fortnite excessively? Let us know what you think!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The popular battle royale Apex Legends is giving away three heroes from its selection throughout February 2022. They are worth a total of 22 euros and there will also be free loot boxes available. However, those who want to get everything for free need to act quickly. Find out here on MeinMMO how you can snag the free goodies in Apex Legends.
Which legends are free? In February 2022, Apex Legends celebrates its anniversary with Season 12. The game was released almost out of nowhere on February 4, 2019, and revolutionized the battle royale world with numerous cool new ideas, such as the ping system.
Another top feature is the playable heroes, known as legends, each with unique abilities.
However, the new heroes had to be grinded out or purchased for 7.5 euros. But soon, three legends will be completely free:
In total, these three heroes are worth over 22 euros. But anyone who wants them needs to pay close attention.
Loot boxes worth 10 euros are free
When are the free legends available? Anyone wanting the three heroes should mark the following dates in their calendar. Because only during this time can you get the respective hero:
Week 1 (February 8 – 15) for Octane
Week 2 (February 15 – 22) for Wattson
Week 3 (February 22 – March 1) for Valkyrie
Log in during the mentioned times to get the hero and more goodies. However, note that each legend is only available in the specified week. So, if you get Wattson in week 2, and you haven’t had Octane, you won’t get him in week 2.
Unfortunately, those who already have the heroes won’t receive anything additional.
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What else can you get? What is always available are three additional loot boxes, each containing items that match the respective character. At the end of the month with Valkyrie, there’s even an additional box with legendary items.
The boxes are worth a total of 10 euros, so if you grab all three heroes and the 10 boxes, you save 32 euros!
