A month after release, it is clear: Arcane is one of the best series of all time

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 3 minutes

The LoL series Arcane has conquered many top lists. But has the hype remained? One month after release, it is clear: Arcane has made series history.

About a month ago, surprisingly for many, Netflix released the series based on League of Legends. Arcane hit like a bomb, and even the first 3 episodes received massive praise. The series is now complete, and not only LoL fans have watched it, but pretty much everyone else as well.

There have been so many reviews that it’s clear: Arcane has made history in terms of video game adaptations and is one of the best series of all time.

What are the ratings like? On two of the largest review platforms for series and films, Arcane has performed fantastically.

On “Rotten Tomatoes”, the series receives a 100% from critics. This is not so unusual on this platform, but the high user score is. A solid 97% comes from the audience.

Similarly excellent is how Arcane has positioned itself on the rating site “IMDb”. Arcane receives a whopping 9.1 out of 10 points, securing 15th place on the best list (via IMDb) of all series on the site – even ahead of series like “Sherlock” or “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood” and just behind major series like “Game of Thrones”.

Individual episodes even score even better and achieve ratings of 9.8 – absolutely outstanding.

Arcane Rating IMBb
15th place on the list of series of all time on IMDb (as of 14.12.21).

It is particularly impressive that Arcane achieves such a rating, despite the foundation – League of Legends – being extremely controversial in the gaming community. Since League of Legends has a bad reputation due to its “toxic community,” there are many gamers who can’t relate to the game at all. Still, this doesn’t seem to have resulted in blind “downvoting” of the series Arcane.

Check out our video review of Arcane – Everything is fantastic except the ending:

Start video
Everything about Arcane is fantastic, except for the ending – Review

What do the ratings say? Basically, Arcane is praised from almost all sides. Particularly the animation technique, for which Studio Fortiche also received a lot of positive feedback for the LoL trailers, is repeatedly highlighted. The facial expressions, the color representation – all of this feels coherent.

In addition, there are convincing characters and solid world-building that draws the viewer slowly into the world without lingering for long with elaborate explanations. Even the villains are very well-developed characters in Arcane, allowing viewers to empathize with the rogues until the end.

More updates on Arcane can be found here on MeinMMO:

Is there criticism? The little criticism that exists mainly refers to the beginning of Arcane or the ending. The beginning is a bit slow for some, and it takes time for the series to gain momentum. Only at the end of episode 3 do many feel truly “captivated”.

On the other end of the spectrum, the finale has received some criticism. For some, the ending is a blatant cliffhanger, although the significance of the ending is often discussed – even on our site.

Can you understand why Arcane has made such an impact? Do you find the rating appropriate? Or is it completely over the top?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

New grenade in CoD Vanguard is completely OP, turns maps into a hellish sea of flames

Marko Jevtic Marko Jevtic Reading time 4 minutes

With Season 1 of Call of Duty: Vanguard came some new content to the game. This includes the new incendiary grenade. Thanks to this new primary equipment, the maps quickly resemble a famous meme. Players say: This is not okay.

Since December 8, 2021, Season 1 of CoD Vanguard has been running. With the season, there are also some new contents, such as new perks and maps. Also, 5 weapons have been added.

The incendiary grenade is another new toy available to players of CoD Vanguard with Season 1. It has quickly proven to be very strong, which is why it has been viewed as OP early on. Moreover, this primary equipment is the third fire grenade in the game, alongside the thermite grenade and the Molotov cocktail. The community finds this simply too much – especially since the incendiary grenade makes the game almost unplayable on some maps.

Unlock the incendiary grenade – Here’s how

You currently unlock the incendiary grenade through the Season 1 Battle Pass. Like with all other weapons, you don’t even need to buy the Season 1 Battle Pass: the incendiary grenade is a free part of the Battle Pass. You just need to level it up enough to unlock the grenade.

You unlock the incendiary grenade for free at level 39 of the Battle Pass.

In Call of Duty: Warzone, this grenade is not available to you. In the popular battle royale, you can only rely on the loadout options from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019).

Incendiary grenade combines strengths of smoke grenade and thermite

What makes this grenade so strong? Even if they can collect good kills: the incendiary grenade is not one of the deadliest grenades in the game. However, it is very good at disrupting the opponents’ gameplay flow: it obscures vision and slows down or prevents aggressive pushes by the opponents. Thus, the incendiary grenade works like an effective mix of a smoke grenade and thermite.

Moreover, there is no proper counter for the grenade: CoD Vanguard does not have a trophy system that could deflect these grenades. Thus, you can spam these annoying grenades without any real resistance.

Especially the small maps like Shipment or Das Haus quickly become a hellish sea of flames. It is almost impossible to see anything other than smoke and fire. This video on Reddit shows this opaque chaos very well:

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What can be seen in the video? As the video shows, thanks to incendiary grenade spam, there is almost nothing to see. Spraying sparks, dense fog, and raging fires make clear visibility of the action almost impossible most of the time. Additionally, noticeable stutters and nasty performance drops are visible.

As the official in-game description says: The incendiary grenade “shrouds an area in white mist and burns anyone who approaches.” Not only does this description remind CoD fans of white phosphorus, the most annoying killstreak in Modern Warfare (via reddit), but this grenade is a smaller version of it that refreshes itself with every respawn. With certain perks and field equipment, one can use several of these grenades per life.

New best grenade makes the game almost unplayable for fans

The incendiary grenade is currently a problem in the popular playlist ShipHaus 24/7. Here, only the smallest maps in the game are played, which have also quickly turned into an incomprehensible chaos due to the incendiary grenade. But even on larger maps, the grenade is an issue. Especially in game modes like Hardpoint or Domination, the incendiary grenade makes capturing and defending points significantly easier. If you also bring a smoke grenade in your loadout, a lot of visibility is obscured.

How do fans react? Fans are not impressed by the incendiary grenade. On Reddit, there are many ironic comparisons to the “This is fine” meme, in which a dog comfortably sips coffee in a burning house (via knowyourmeme.com). The dog does not recognize the serious problems in his current situation – just like the developers of CoD Vanguard, fans imply. Otherwise, the reactions are almost uniformly negative.

  • Ian-Campbell wonders: “Why is this in the game?” (via reddit)
  • likkyball says: “My PS4 will not survive [all these effects].” (via reddit)
  • hound368 finds: “The developers have no sense of the game. What were they thinking when adding this new grenade?” (via reddit)
  • OrganizationWinter53 says: “The video worries me, and it makes me not want to play the game again.” (via reddit)

Especially because there is no proper counter for the incendiary grenade without a trophy system, fans have only two solutions for the current fire hell: either stop playing the popular small maps or quit playing CoD Vanguard altogether.

More about CoD Vanguard:

Even though there is no official reaction from Sledgehammer Games yet: it’s more likely that hell will freeze over than that the developers will completely stand idly by.

What do you think about the new grenade? Do you like using it? Or do you think it ruins the game? Has it perhaps not even caught your attention negatively? Let us know in the comments.

With all this fire, one can quickly forget that the Christmas season is approaching. However, there will soon be a fitting winter event in Call of Duty Vanguard and Warzone:

In the Christmas event of CoD Warzone & Vanguard, an NPC goes hunting for campers – All info

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

New action MMO looks like Path of Exile with PvP and dungeons – Releases in early 2022

Mark Sellner Mark Sellner Reading time 3 minutes

In February 2022, although Lost Ark will be released, former developers of the same game also have an action MMO in the pipeline. Undecember (PC, Android, iOS) is the name of this hack’n’slay game, launching in the first quarter of 2022.

What is Undecember? The game with the somewhat peculiar name is a classic hack’n’slay MMO. At first glance, it strongly resembles Diablo IV and Path of Exile. The title comes from the South Korean team at Need Games, which also includes former developers of the action hit Lost Ark.

Undecember relies on a very dark atmosphere and appears somewhat creepy in many places. You can clearly see after just a few seconds of gameplay which games it’s drawing inspiration from.

In Undecember, you can expect no MMORPG, but an MMO in the sense of Path of Exile or Diablo. Therefore, the game has less to do with Lost Ark, even though it introduces a few more MMORPG mechanics than PoE. 

What features are included? Undecember combines classic hack’n’slay mechanics with some MMORPG features and includes the following systems:

  • ISO perspective with action-packed battles
  • Hub areas where you can trade and chat with other players. In the maps, you will then be traveling only with your group, as in Path of Exile
  • Dungeons, raids, and PvP “borrows” from MMORPGs
  • A classless character system with an extensive skill tree
  • A rune system that determines your active skills
  • The grind for better equipment is central
  • Slick animations from experienced developers who also worked on Lost Ark and Lineage 2 Revolution
  • Thanks to Free2Play, everyone can easily try it out
  • Cross-platform capabilities

You can see gameplay in this video:

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When can you play? Originally, Undecember was supposed to be released in 2021, but the date had to be postponed, like many others. Now the game will be released on January 13 in South Korea and shortly thereafter in the rest of the world.

The global release is scheduled for the first quarter of 2022, but there is not yet a specific date. You can play on the PC via Steam and on mobile devices with iOS or Android.

Undecember only has an English voice-over, but at least offers all texts in German.

The first reactions are mixed

What is the mood around the game? The global release of Undecember took many people by surprise and has some fans feeling positive. However, the general tone on reddit is mixed.

This is mainly because many see Undecember as a mobile game that has been ported to PC. Whether the development actually took place this way, we cannot assess at this point. 

Nevertheless, there are also some voices that are looking forward to the game and would like to check it out when it is finally released. 

More about action-MMOs on MeinMMO

What do fans say? In the various reddit threads on the subject, there are comments with somewhat mixed sentiments:

  • User SinnerSupreme writes (via reddit): “A mobile game has a tough standing in this genre; it reminds me a lot of Diablo Immortal.”
  • CiplakIndeed1 writes: “The game looks really cool, but what’s up with the name? They could have just named it January.”
  • Stunning-Tea adds and says: “If you feel like trying out a mobile Diablo game, you’re in luck. Undecember is just right for you.”

What do you think of Undecember? Have you already had contact with the game and are looking forward to it or are you hearing about it for the first time? Feel free to let us know in the comments here on MeinMMO.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

In the Christmas event of CoD Warzone & Vanguard, an NPC goes hunting for campers – All info

Maik Schneider Maik Schneider Reading time 5 minutes

Call of Duty kicks off the Christmas event “Festive Fervor” in CoD: Vanguard and Battle Royale: Warzone in just a few days. You can unlock themed cosmetics, try out special game modes, and battle unique NPCs. One of them has a problem with campers.

Update December 17: The festive event is live, here you can find the tasks with solutions and rewards.

Currently, Festive Fervor is disabled in Warzone – Krampus has caused match crashes.

Not much longer until Christmas, and Call of Duty is hosting a festive event again this year with matching cosmetics, small gifts, and Christmas-crazy game modes. “Festive Fervor” starts on December 17 and offers you, among other things:

  • Cosmetic event
  • Special game modes
  • Shipment becomes Shipmas
  • Base in zombie mode is decorated
  • NPCs with good and bad intentions in some game modes
  • Free weekend in Vanguard
  • New Christmas-themed bundles
  • Discounts on old skin bundles

MeinMMO shows you the flow and content of the Christmas event for Call of Duty for Vanguard and Warzone. There’s also a festive trailer that we’ll embed here:

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Festive Fervor starts on December 17

How long does the event run? The event is online and runs until January 4 at 7 PM.

What gifts do I get? If you are a purchaser of CoD: Vanguard, you will receive a small load of Christmas bonuses:

You can view the roadmap for the event “Festive Fervor” here:

cod warzone vanguard festive fervor roadmap weihnachten 2021

CoD Warzone: Festive Fervor brings rewarding Christmas trees

What happens in Warzone during the event? A total of 3 new mechanics sneak onto Caldera and Rebirth Island that may slightly change the dynamics of matches during the event:

  • Christmas trees with prime loot
  • Krampus goes on a bounty hunt
  • Screaming elves give away items

Lootable Christmas trees: On the map, Christmas trees are marked, and if you visit the festively decorated fir trees and stay nearby, loot boxes or special festive boxes with a higher chance of good loot will magically appear.

The festive boxes can also be found everywhere else on the map and provide increased drop chances for legendary items as well as coal pieces for naughty soldiers. The boxes look like gifts.

Angry Krampus: The grumpy Christmas grouch starts hunting a random player a few minutes after a match begins. If you catch the NPC, you’ll get extra bonuses for your game round.

His hunt lasts 3 minutes, and if Krampus doesn’t complete his bounty, he will pick the next team.

Helpful elves: Also roaming the maps – elves that shout at you if you get too close within 10 meters and drop rewards if you shoot them.

cod warzone festive fervor loot weihnachtsbaum
Gifts await under the tree.

Additionally, you can unlock up to 7 thematic cosmetics through specific tasks. There will be 6 tasks in Warzone, and if you complete all 6, you will receive a weapon blueprint for an LMG as a bonus.

CoD Vanguard: Festive Fervor unleashes Christmas NPCs on you

What happens in Vanguard during the event? During the event, a few crazy NPCs apparently roam the game, some of whom even target campers directly. In addition, there are a few festively decorated areas and a new game mode:

  • Armageddon as a game mode
  • Elves hide on the maps
  • Krampus hunts lazy operators
  • Festively decorated map in multiplayer and zombies

Armageddon: The game mode works similarly to “Drop Zone,” which is already known from earlier CoD games.

A zone appears that your team must capture, and killstreaks appear in supply crates. The longer teams hold the zone, the more killstreaks you get for the team. After a while, the zone will change its position.

Unlike “Drop Zone,” however, only kills count as objective points in Armageddon, and you get extra points if you take down an opponent with a killstreak.

Elves: The “Elf Team Six” wanders around in various game modes waiting to be spotted by you. If you shoot an elf, you earn match points and rewards like killstreaks.

However, it also sounds in the blog that the elves become angry if you don’t catch them.

cod vanguard festive fervor elfen hängen rum
A tattooed elf with a dagger doesn’t look too nice…

Krampus: The angry Christmas grump is actually a pretty nice guy in Vanguard.

In game modes with objectives like “Domination” or “Hardpoint,” Krampus hunts players who accumulate too few points through captures. Apparently, this applies to all game modes except the event mode “Armageddon”.

Even in team deathmatch, Krampus is on the prowl and targets victims who camp too long at one spot.

Krampus can be killed – but if he gets too close, he annihilates you with a special Krampus executor.

Festive decoration: There are a few things that will be decorated with Christmas decorations.

This includes the small chaos map Shipment, which becomes “Shipmas” during the event. But also the headquarters in zombie mode “The Beginning” is supposed to evoke festive feelings.

The trailer also features the attack dogs from the killstreaks, dressed in Rudolf-like costumes.

cod vanguard festive fervor shipment shipmas
Shipment is in holiday fever

Free weekend and bundle offers

As an additional little extra, CoD: Vanguard opens its servers for all interested players with the start of the event:

  • CoD: Vanguard playable for free from 12/16 to 12/21

If you want to take a look at the new CoD or level weapons from Warzone, you’ll have a long weekend for that.

If you also have some budget left from your Christmas shopping, there will be many discounted skin bundles in Warzone, Vanguard, and Cold War during the event that want to take your coins.

More about Call of Duty:

Warzone and Vanguard celebrate the holidays with a colorful event where the crazy NPCs in particular sound like fun. It remains to be seen whether the mechanics will provide a certain lightening up, but the idea behind it already sounds quite interesting.

At least more exciting than the latest type of cosmetics that have found their way into the game: CoD Vanguard now even sells skins for killcams – “What in God’s name is that?”

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Call of Duty

New World: Fans are eagerly awaiting the big Patch 1.2 – But when will the update be released?

Alexander Leitsch Alexander Leitsch Reading time 2 minutes

In New World, the winter event is supposed to start today, December 14th. This was indicated in the patch notes on the PTR server. But so far, there is no new update in sight. When will the release of patch 1.2 be?

When will patch 1.2 be released? On December 3rd, the developers announced the big update 1.2. This brings some adjustments to the endgame and PvP, balance changes, and the winter event.

In the preliminary patch notes for 1.2 it states that the winter event is supposed to start on December 14th. That would be today. But so far the developers have not shown any signs of releasing a new patch.

Community Manager Luxendra responded to inquiries in the forum and emphasized that things from the patch notes for the PTR can change: “The information from the PTR patch notes can change. When we announce an upcoming patch, you will find it in the ‘Official News’ section.

This suggests that there will probably be no update today.

Updates usually come out on Thursday – Is the winter event being delayed by a week?

What else is noteworthy? The developers of New World have been releasing their updates on Thursdays for several weeks now. The first 3 updates were released on a Wednesday. However, Tuesday was not a patch day for New World.

Many are now speculating that patch 1.2 was actually supposed to be released last Thursday, December 9th. The winter event would have been implemented, but only activated a few days later.

However, due to the extensive feedback on the PTR, there were too many changes that needed to be tested before the release, such as the price reduction for crafting gypsum, the new perks, and some general bug fixes that were announced in the forum a few days later.

It is also supported by the fact that patch 1.1.2, which actually came out on December 9th, was rather small.

More about New World on MeinMMO:

When is the release of update 1.2 and the winter event? The release of patch 1.2 seems most likely to be this Wednesday or Thursday. The winter event will probably go live at the same time.

However, there are also speculations suggesting that the winter event will continue to be activated later. A delay of a whole week, until December 21st, is possible.

For those who want to prepare for the upcoming patch 1.2, here are some useful tips:

New World: 5 things you should complete before the release of patch 1.2

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Pokémon GO has a new raid achievement that has nothing to do with the raid

Patrick Freese Patrick Freese Reading time 2 minutes

In Pokémon GO you can now achieve the new achievement “Walk Star” after a raid. However, it has nothing to do with the actual raid. Players are questioning why this was even activated.

What are these achievements? Since June 2021, you can earn achievements in Pokémon GO during raids. Examples of achievements that are displayed after a successful battle include dealing the most damage or using the most charge attacks.

Now the developers have added another achievement that players are not yet convinced about. It simply does not fit the raid battle.

Achievement for “Walk Star” in Pokémon GO

This is the new achievement: On reddit, user flandy93 shows a screenshot of the new raid achievement. It is called “Walk Star” and the screenshot highlights the trainer who walked 65 kilometers the day before. We will embed the thread with the screenshot here:

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This is why it’s curious: Up until now, we knew the achievement messages for the following accomplishments:

  • Trainers who use the last attack in the raid
  • Deal the most damage
  • Keep a single Pokémon in play the longest
  • Use the largest Pokémon in battle
  • Participate in the raid from the furthest distance
  • Use a Mega Evolution
  • Change the clothing or pose of the avatar
  • Use the most charge attacks in the battle

All these achievements are directly related to the battle, with the clothing or pose of the avatar being quite a generous interpretation. What the kilometers walked the day before have to do with the raid just won is unclear.

More about Pokémon GO

This is how players react: On reddit, trainers are surprised about the achievement. “I’m not quite sure why this is super relevant for raiding, but okay. The background is kind of cute,” writes justobsolete in the comments. Below, user jackyu17 asks, “But what does this have to do with raiding?”

Player xristosxi393 tries to see into the future and writes: “The next raid achievement will be Pro Scanner. It rewards trainers for scanning X PokéStops in the last hour.”

As a possible explanation for the unusual achievement, kiwidesign writes: “In my opinion, they are incorporating this random stuff so that everyone can achieve their medal to platinum status. On the other hand, it would be harder for some people, especially new players.” This refers to the medal “Raid Expert.” To complete it, you should land on the raid battle display for trainer achievements.

The next big event is already on the horizon and starts later this week. The world of Pikachu and Co will become festive, and the Christmas event 2021 in Pokémon GO starts with these Shinies and bonuses.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

The oldest competitor of LoL is being discontinued – Heroes of Newerth dies after 12 years

Alexander Leitsch Alexander Leitsch Reading time 3 minutes

In 2009, League of Legends was released and caused a MOBA hype. Several other games followed, including Heroes of Newerth in 2010. However, this will be discontinued next year, as the developers have now announced.

When will HoN be discontinued? Heroes of Newerth is set to continue running until June 20, 2022. After that, it will be shut down and the servers will be taken offline.

The shutdown does not come as a complete surprise, as the developers already announced in 2019 that update 4.7.3 would be the last major content patch. After that, only balance changes and bug fixes should follow.

The developers thanked the players on Facebook for supporting them for 12 years.

Heroes of Newerth Shutdown
The farewell post from the HoN developers (via Facebook).

Heroes of Newerth was inspired by DOTA and was released as a full-price title

What kind of game is it? Heroes of Newerth was officially released in May 2010, a few months after League of Legends. The gameplay of both games is very similar:

  • In both games, two teams with five players each battle against each other.
  • You take on the role of a champion, and the goal is to destroy the enemy base.
  • Both games feature three lanes where minions travel and towers stand.

However, Heroes of Newerth is more closely related to the DOTA mod. The game is darker and not as beginner-friendly as LoL. It also relies on the “deny” technique. Players can intentionally kill their own minions and towers to prevent the opponent from gaining gold and experience points.

Another major difference was the payment model. While LoL was released as a free-to-play title, players initially had to purchase Heroes of Newerth as a full-price title. In return, they had all champions unlocked from the start.

This is also reflected in the initial player numbers. LoL exploded right from the start, while HoN remained stable for many years but never reached the highest tiers:

MOBA Titles Active Players
The monthly active users of MOBAs from 2011 to 2015 via SuperData.

Balance issues and the release of DOTA damaged HoN

Why did HoN fail? Upon release, Heroes of Newerth was well received. Although it had fewer players due to the price barrier, it was positively received, especially by DOTA fans and players who wished for more depth in LoL. Some referred to HoN as the best DOTA clone on the market.

In 2011, the game transitioned to a free-to-play model and experienced a “small boom,” as can be seen in the graphic above.

However, around this time, champions were reportedly released that were much too powerful. These champions had to be purchased separately, even for players who had already paid the full price for Heroes of Newerth. This did not go over well.

Interest in the MOBA began to decline around 2014. There were two main reasons for this:

  • On one hand, DOTA 2 from Valve became increasingly popular. Many DOTA fans who had previously played Heroes of Newerth switched from the “clone” to the “original”.
  • In 2015, there was a change at the developer studio, and a new publisher took over. Afterward, regular updates reportedly became significantly less frequent.

In 2022, HoN is set to end for good.

More about LoL and MOBAs on MeinMMO:

Does HoN still have players today? Yes, matches still start relatively quickly. There is also a YouTube channel that summarizes the “Top Plays of the Week” and receives over 20,000 views each week with its videos. Additionally, outside of this channel, there are still some videos on YouTube related to this MOBA.

If you want to see some gameplay of HoN, you can check out the video by YouTuber Gorgc. He tried Heroes of Newerth for the first time in June 2021:

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What do you think about the discontinuation of Heroes of Newerth? Have you tried this MOBA in the past, and will you miss it? Or are you completely satisfied with alternatives like LoL, DOTA, and Smite? Feel free to share in the comments.

MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus recently played LoL again after a long break and was even pleasantly surprised:

I played LoL again after 2 years and was surprisingly not harassed much

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Fortnite: Patch Notes for patch 19.01 – All important information in English

Christos Tsogos Christos Tsogos Reading time 2 minutes

In Fortnite, the servers are going down today, December 14, on all platforms (PC/Mac, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, Android). The downtime will be used to roll out the new update 19.01. We will summarize all changes here at MeinMMO.

What is happening today in Fortnite? As already announced in Fortnite, there will be a server down with a patch following. This patch includes many new items, missions for XP, and especially the long-awaited winter event, which will bring numerous free gifts.

To make sure you don’t miss anything, we at MeinMMO will update the article for you, so you are always up-to-date.

Update 10.43 AM: The servers are back online and Fortnite is accessible again. The update is available for download. On PS5, you need to download 3,135 GB. Once you’ve downloaded the patch to your hard drive, you can jump back into Fortnite.

Fortnite servers are going into downtime – when and for how long?

Downtime in the morning: The servers will be shut down at 9:00 AM our time to roll out update 19.01. Matchmaking will be disabled 30 minutes before, so you won’t be able to play from 08:30 AM.

When can you play again? The servers will be offline for a while and playing will not be possible, the downtime is expected to last between 30 minutes and 2 hours. This has been shown by the updates of the past weeks.

Of course, with such work, there can always be technical issues and delays. If there should be complications, we will report on it.

When will the patch notes be released? Normally, Epic Games releases little to no information about the update changes in the Battle Royale mode. These are often found by the community itself.

However, if important changes come, we will also update this article for you.

What new content does update 19.01 bring?

What’s new for the Battle Royale mode? We are not yet entirely sure about the changes, but leaks and data miners have proven to be reliable sources in the past. With these changes, you might expect:

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14 Days of Fortnite: Shiina, a well-known leaker in the Fortnite scene, confirms the well-known winter event (via Twitter), which already brought many free gifts in 2020. This is set to start on December 16 and will revive the famous Nutcracker Cabin.

The most important information about the patch notes

In the following paragraphs, you will find all the new features from the update.

New Skins for the Shop

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Epic has created some new and familiar skins for Christmas that will soon rotate through the winter shop. This includes a skin pack with Midas, Renegade Raider, and others.

Super Styles for Selected Battle Pass Skins

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There will be additional styles for the Battle Pass skins again. However, you will only receive these after reaching level 100 in the Battle Pass.

Shield Sprinkler

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As revealed in the trailer for the new chapter, the Shield Sprinkler has finally made it into the database. However, it is still unclear whether the new item can be used immediately after the server down.

The Winter Festival and the New Nutcracker Cabin

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As in December 2020, Fortnite celebrated the winter event on a large scale. There were 14 gifts that could be opened each day, and additionally, you were invited to the Nutcracker’s cabin. There were many nice references to past times in Fortnite. Now all this is coming back.

Are you excited about the new gifts? Let us know in the comments what you think about the upcoming winter event!

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Oh dear: New WoW book is full of mistakes and faces “anti-Semitism” accusations

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 3 minutes

Does Blizzard not know its own story of World of Warcraft anymore? It seems so, because there are many errors in the latest book – this frustrates lore fans.

The latest book of World of Warcraft has not even been properly released yet, but there is already criticism. Some errors can be found in the book that clash with the previously known story. Furthermore, it seems that the races of the Horde are described particularly negatively – some see parallels to racist prejudices from the real world.

Especially annoying: The book “World of Warcraft: Exploring Kalimdor” was written by one of the “story masters” at Blizzard.

What is the problem? In some early releases, readers have found numerous points of criticism. The YouTuber Bellular quotes a passage about Lake Mennar. There stood a mage academy that was used “during the War of the Ancients”. Furthermore, it is written that “[the elven mages] tried to redirect the magic away from the Dark Portal, which the Burning Legion used to attack Azeroth.”

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This unfortunately makes little sense, as the Dark Portal did not exist at that time and was only built about 10,000 years later – at a location that lies on a completely different continent.

An error that the “lore master” Sean Copeland should have noticed while writing.

What other problems are there? Further passages in the book are criticized, as wowhead has compiled. There is a letter from the goblin Gazlowe. Gazlowe is an experienced builder and quite affable for a goblin – he pays his employees well and generally enjoys a good reputation. After all, he also helped to build the hero’s garrison in Draenor.

However, the letter portrays Gazlowe as arrogant and condescending towards a complete stranger – and reads more as if it would have suited the former goblin chief Gallywix better.

WoW Lore Kalimdor Book Page 2
A letter from Gazlowe – so unfriendly and condescending, as one could only expect from Gallywix. (Image source: wowhead)

Also, the depiction of Zekhan, whom many may still know as “Zappy Boi,” is peculiar. He seems to be portrayed in the book as significantly uneducated and almost “primitive.” For example, he does not know what “erosion” is – completely absurd for a shaman who deals with the elements. He also seems unable to write and presumably only learned this from Lor’themar – also curious, as trolls have been able to write in most places in Azeroth for millennia.

Antisemitic prejudices are invoked: Another point that is being heavily discussed is the unpleasant portrayal of the goblins for many players. They are depicted by Zekhan with actions and descriptions that have unpleasant parallels to racist and antisemitic prejudices in the real world. Goblins, with their greed, love of money, and big noses, have long reminded many of antisemitic stereotypes against Jews.

WoW Lore Kalimdor Book Page 1

That the goblins are also considered “water polluters” in the book, which is very close to “poisoners of wells,” creates another unpleasant parallel for some readers.

More news about World of Warcraft can be found here:

The book has been postponed again: Lastly, the official release of the book has been postponed once more by a few weeks – to January 2022. However, this is probably not due to pending corrections, as it is too late for that. The delay is likely due to the general resource bottleneck and delays in the book market exacerbated by the pandemic.

Even before the release, “Exploring Kalimdor” is under a bad sign. It’s a shame, as the predecessor “Exploring Eastern Kingdoms” was very well received by most players.

Can you understand the criticism? Or are these just minor issues that should not be taken too seriously?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. wowhead.com

Pokémon GO: New promo code in December gives you incense, balls, and egg

Patrick Freese Patrick Freese Reading time 2 minutes

In Pokémon GO there is a new promo code in December 2021. Get your gift now on iOS and Android before it’s too late.

What is this code? The Pokémon GO team regularly releases so-called promo codes. These are codes that you can simply enter in the game or on a website to secure valuable gifts in a few seconds.

On December 10, 2021, the community discovered a promo code. Meanwhile, there is a new code. Enter this in the game:

  • Update: New code
  • MBCK3M2H5PKR2
  • –
  • Old code:
  • SWHPH9Z4EMZN7

From when is the code valid? The code “SWHPH9Z4EMZN7” was only valid for a few days. In the meantime, there is the new code “MBCK3M2H5PKR2”, which you can redeem for the same items. Note: If you have already redeemed the old code, you cannot redeem the new one additionally. It is only valid for players who have not redeemed the old code yet.

The new code is expected to be available until December 14 at 4:00 PM.

What do you get from the code? When you redeem the code, you receive 30 Pokéballs, a Lucky Egg, and a Incense. In total, you secure 32 items for Pokémon GO for free.

Pokémon GO Promo Code December
In your Trainer’s Diary, you will find the entry that confirms your rewards after redemption

More about Pokémon GO

This is how you redeem promo codes in Pokémon GO

Pokémon GO distinguishes between Android and iOS when redeeming promo codes. While Android users can redeem the codes directly in the shop, iOS users must take a detour via a website.

On Android devices: If you are using an Android device, you can redeem the promo code directly in the game. To do this, click on your in-game shop and scroll down. At the bottom of the page, you will find the input field “Promos” where you need to enter and confirm your code.

Promo Code
Scroll down in the Pokémon GO shop on Android and enter the code in “Promos”

On iOS devices: Unlike Android devices, you cannot redeem the promo code directly in the game with an iOS device. To use it, Niantic provides you with a special website that we have linked here: Redeem promo code (via rewards.nianticlabs.com).

Log in with your Pokémon GO login details or the linked account and enter the promo code. Now restart Pokémon GO and you will see in the game that you have received the items.

How do you like the gift from Niantic? Are Pokéballs something you need right now, or would you have preferred other items like Star Pieces or Egg Incubators? Let us know your opinion here on MeinMMO in the comments and exchange ideas with the community.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

FIFA 22: New “Ice” team brings the same players again – Here are the differences

Max Handwerk Max Handwerk Reading time 3 minutes

The new “Ice” team in FIFA 22 Ultimate Team represents the second part of the Versus event. In the team, we see familiar faces – what are the differences compared to the “Fire” team?

What kind of event is this? The “Versus” event started on Friday with the “Fire” team, which brought various cards with different value boosts. Today, on Monday, December 13, this team is replaced by the “Ice” team. As of 7 PM, the new cards will be in the packs of FIFA 22.

However, keep in mind: The chance of strong special cards in packs is quite low.

What makes it special: The unusual aspect of the event is that it involves the same players who receive a special card. Gabriel Jesus, Rashford, Valverde – all the players from the “Fire” team are also present in the “Ice” team.

However, the cards differ in detail. Certain values are increased while others decrease.

To give you a clear overview, we present here the complete Ice team and the values that have been adjusted.

Versus “Ice” – How the cards differ from Team “Fire”

FIFA 22 Versus Ice
The new Versus Team “Ice”

The complete Ice team: In the following list, you can see directly which values have changed compared to Team “Fire”.

  • ST: Gabriel Jesus (89) – 89 Pace instead of 93, but 91 Shot instead of 87
  • LM: Rashford (88) – 87 Dribbling instead of 90, but 83 Physical instead of 80
  • ZM: Valverde (87) – 80 Defensive instead of 84, but 86 Passing instead of 82
  • IV: Koundé (87) – 76 Dribbling instead of 82, but 85 Physical instead of 80
  • RF: Adama Traoré (86) – 76 Passing instead of 86, but 83 Shot instead of 75
  • ST: Correa (86) – 86 Shot instead of 89, but 91 Pace instead of
  • IV: Gomez (86) – 82 Physical instead of 84, but 89 Defensive instead of 87
  • ZM: Pereyra (85) – 79 Shot instead of 83, but 77 Defensive instead of 73
  • LV: Schulz (85) – 78 Passing instead of 84, but 85 Dribbling instead of 79
  • RV: Mbabu (85) – 79 Defensive instead of 84, but 84 Passing instead of 75
  • ZOM: Claude-Maurice (84) – 75 Physical instead of 80, but 80 Defensive instead of 75

To notice the differences, one must take a rather detailed look. Whether we can really speak of “different player types” is questionable – after all, the value changes for some players are greater than for others.

An example: The Rashford card brings slightly more physicality than dribbling but is still very comparable to the old card. A bit more interesting is the change for Traoré, who receives better shot values instead of passing values, becoming more of a forward than a creator.

For comparison, here again is the Fire team:

FIFA 22 Versus Team Fire
Here are the cards from the event start for comparison

What else is in the event? So far, the Versus event has provided, among other things, new Icon SBCs and special cards in the Weekly Objectives. It is possible that further special goals and Squad Building Challenges are hidden in the rest of the event week. For now, it’s a matter of waiting.

If you are looking for reinforcement for your teams outside of the Versus teams, you should check here: We show you 5 strong attackers who are currently much too cheap.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

New survival game on Steam starts with 52,000 players – Already adding new content

Benedict Grothaus Benedict Grothaus Reading time 2 minutes

Icarus received its first post-release patch on Steam after a week. This delivers several new content updates. The survival game itself has experienced a successful launch, albeit with some issues.

What kind of game is this? Icarus officially launched on Steam on December 3, following several successful beta weekends in the weeks leading up to it. The survival game is set in a dystopian future where Earth is no longer habitable.

In a failed attempt to create a second Earth, a toxic planet was instead formed. However, it contains a rare substance that you, as employees, are now tasked with collecting.

For this, you descend to Icarus during the game sessions, collect what you can, and must return to the ship in time. If you fail to do so, you will be left behind. The flora and the planet itself make it difficult for you to survive, as everything is dangerous and toxic.

With the planet’s resources, you craft tools, constructs, and even machines. Your character learns new skills and improves their talents. This way, you learn new technologies.

Icarus was created by RocketWerks, the studio of former DayZ developer Dean Hall. The indie studio has published the game itself. Currently, Icarus is available only for PC on Steam.

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The first community highlight showcases gameplay and some particularly cool player scenes.

How is Icarus performing on Steam? At its peak, Icarus had 52,501 players since release (via SteamDB.info). In the past 24 hours, the game still boasts 37,901 players.

The reviews are “mixed” with 62% positive reviews out of 11,067 reviews. This may be related to initial problems: New survival game on Steam impresses with gameplay – yet receives much criticism

The first patch brings new content

What’s in the first update: A week after release, on December 10, Icarus received its first patch. This brought among other things new content, including:

  • 3 new playable missions
  • new craftable items at the workbench
  • increased occurrence of certain resources
  • improvements to player UI and the offline mode

The development team also points out that there appear to be issues with performance and graphics. If you are affected, the team advises experimenting with the relevant options. Do not rely on default settings.

In addition to the innovations, over 60 bugs were fixed within the first week. You can find the full patch notes on Steam.

More on the topic at MeinMMO:

Icarus had already faced criticism beforehand. Some fans of DayZ accused the developer of having simply given up on his first game. They now fear the same for Icarus. However, the reviews immediately after the patch are generally more positive, which at least speaks for current development. Twitch star Shroud is already convinced of the game:

Twitch streamer Shroud tests Icarus – believes it will be one of the best survival games

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Destiny 2 removed homosexual allusion, was afraid of China and Russia

Christos Tsogos Christos Tsogos Reading time 2 minutes

Destiny 2 features a diverse range of NPCs, each more different than the last. A published insider report on IGN has now revealed that a specific NPC was adjusted to market the game in China and Russia.

What happened? On the US IGN site, a journalist spoke with 26 current or former Bungie employees about internal processes. This is a multi-page insider report that brings to light many issues Bungie employees have experienced.

One of these issues was not directly related to a staff member but to an NPC. It concerns Devrim Kay, the vendor and tea-drinking hero from the EDZ. Those who listen to him closely will realize that he has feelings for a same-sex partner.

He spoke of a Marc that he misses dearly. However, the passage had a different wording before release and was modified prior to the launch.

destiny_2_edz_Devrim_Kay_
Devrim Kay – A vendor from the EDZ

Statement about same-sex partner was declared a bug

What was different? The story team dealt with many characters from the “Destiny 2” universe, one of them being Devrim. Even before the release of Destiny 2, some voice actors recorded lines for NPCs.

During this, it was also stated that Devrim missed his partner. Approved through various reviews and edits, this passage was then included in an internal playable version of Destiny 2, until someone from the upper management caught wind of it. They requested that this line be removed.

They declared the spoken part as a bug and assigned it to a QA tester to address the issue. This led to significant outrage within the company.

What was the justification? The management explained to employees that they cannot export versions of Destiny 2 to China and Russia that contain such passages. This could not be reconciled with the strict views of the respective cultures.

Thus, the team changed the term “partner” to a specific name “Marc”. This made it unclear whether he meant his partner or merely a brother or a pet companion.

Find more about Destiny 2 here:

How does it look now? Some things have changed and equality now plays a larger role at Bungie. The best example is the 14th Saint and Osiris, who openly maintain a same-sex relationship. This has neither been hidden nor obscured, but clearly and openly stated.

Additionally, Destiny 2 also promotes Pride gear and sells it openly in their online shop.

What do you think about it today? Do you believe Bungie has turned the corner and is on the right path? Let us know in the comments how you feel about it.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

New World: Players have been wishing for a change in the inventory since release – Now it is supposed to come

Alexander Leitsch Alexander Leitsch Reading time 2 minutes

New World has done some things differently than what is expected from classic MMORPGs. Some of these changes have not been well received by the community. In an interview, Scot Lane has now announced a change to the inventory that has been desired since release.

What is this change? When players open the inventory in New World, they automatically stop moving. This is being discussed very controversially:

  • Some players find this fitting, as the character would likely stop to check their bags
  • However, many are bothered by the stop. They want to quickly traverse the map with autorun while sorting their inventory or checking things

Scot Lane, the Game Director of New World, has now confirmed in an interview that a change will be made to the inventory. In a conversation with PCGamesN, he stated: “And for everyone who has asked about it: We plan for players to be able to access their inventory while running in the future.”

When will the change come? This is still unknown. In the upcoming update 1.2, which is currently playable on the test server, it is not yet included.

More about New World on MeinMMO:

Small change to the inventory is well received

How are players reacting to this? On Reddit, there is a dedicated thread that focuses solely on this short interview excerpt. The thread has nearly 500 upvotes and is among the most popular of the day (via reddit).

Many users in the thread are pleased about the small change:

  • CenkIsABufallo writes: “It’s nice to see that they are listening to the players. Hopefully, they will also revise their decisions on other “Quality of Life” adjustments like minimaps and group finders.”
  • BIG8Tz is excited but wishes for more: “Finally. Now give us a way to manage gear sets and a history of what the hell we have sold at the trading post.”

However, there are some PvP players who are concerned that this change could negatively affect them. After all, players should not be able to change their equipment while moving. However, this is not possible anyway as long as an ability is on cooldown. That should at least alleviate this concern a bit.

With the upcoming Patch 1.2, the equipment system will already be significantly revised. What changes and how it will work in the future can be read here:

New World: How you can best enhance your gear from Patch 1.2 onward

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

2 new weapon setups in CoD Warzone literally provide no recoil – Here’s how to build them

Marko Jevtic Marko Jevtic Reading time 3 minutes

On the new map of Call of Duty: Warzone Pacific, controllable weapons are very good. Warzone expert James „JGOD“ Godoy has presented 2 weapon setups with which you have almost no recoil.

With the new map Caldera, the way you fight in Warzone has changed. MeinMMO author Maik Schneider finds the fights more dynamic thanks to more cover and smaller houses. In general, shootouts no longer take place over such long distances as they did in Verdansk.

Despite the different gameplay flow, one characteristic of the weapons remains very important: the recoil. The weaker and more controllable the recoil is, the easier it is to hit with the weapon.

Warzone expert JGOD presented 2 weapon setups in one of his streams with which he has “literally no recoil.” He demonstrates this in an impressive Twitter video. He doesn’t even need to have his finger on the right stick and still has practically no recoil.

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Because you can attach 10 attachments to your weapons in Warzone Pacific, many recoil-reducing attachments can be combined. This results in the laser beam-like precision that JGOD demonstrates. Below we present which weapons and attachments he uses.

More about CoD Warzone Pacific:

Best Setup for the BAR Turns It into a Laser Beam

What does the setup look like? The assault rifle BAR is characterized by its high bullet damage. This is offset by a slow fire rate, which, however, is less dramatic in Warzone compared to the multiplayer of CoD: Vanguard.

With almost no recoil, the BAR is a kind of fully automatic DMR that shoots incredibly accurately. The result is a very dominant weapon at medium distances.

These are the weapon attachments:

  • Muzzle: Mercury Silencer
  • Barrel: CGC 30″ XL
  • Optic: G16 2.5x
  • Stock: Custom Pistol Grip
  • Underbarrel: M1930 Strife Grip
  • Magazine: .50-BMG Magazine (40 rounds)
  • Ammo Type: Extended
  • Grip: Polymer Grip
  • Perk: Focus
  • Kit: Fully Loaded

Ultra-Precise MP40 Setup Has Almost No Recoil

What does the setup look like? This MP40 setup removes the stock and uses the recoil booster, but is still incredibly precise. Compared to the BAR, with this setup you have a more aggressive loadout, which can also be used at longer distances.

The Extra Vital is not as OP as at the release of Vanguard. It is normally not available for the Warzone MP40. However, through the blueprint ‘Space Issues’, you have immediate access to it in Warzone – along with many other attachments in this setup. The blueprint is unlocked at Battle Pass Level 45.

If you do not possess the blueprint, you can safely swap the Extra out if you are only concerned about the low recoil. The greatest strength of this setup is anyway the precision, on which Vital has no effect.

However, JGOD recommends this setup with Vital. However, he himself is not sure how and if Vital even works in Warzone (via Twitter).

Weapon Attachments:

  • Muzzle: Recoil Booster
  • Barrel: Krausnick 317mm 04B
  • Optic: G16 2.5x
  • Stock: Stock Removed
  • Underbarrel: m1941 Hand Stop
  • Magazine: Short 8mm 40-Round Magazine
  • Ammo Type: Hollow Point
  • Grip: Polymer Grip
  • Extra 1: Vital (Blueprint ‘Space Issues’ / Battle Pass Level 45)
  • Extra 2: Fast

Setups are Individual and Strong in Overkill Loadout

Both the BAR and the MP40 are very strong on the Pacific island of Caldera with these laser beam setups. Both weapons excel at slightly different distances: The BAR, being the slower weapon, is strong at greater distances, while the MP40 is better in tighter spaces. Although both setups are designed for maximum precision, they complement each other very well in an Overkill loadout.

However, both weapons together may possibly serve the same niche too much for you. In that case, you can choose Ghost instead of Overkill in your loadout. You can also combine them with another weapon of your choice. In particular, we currently highly recommend a very strong sniper setup.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Sony finally presents colorful side plates for the PS5 – Here’s what you need to know

Benedikt Schlotmann Benedikt Schlotmann Reading time 2 minutes

Sony has introduced colorful plates for the PS5. This fulfills a major wish of users who find no pleasure in the white design of the PS5. MeinMMO explains what you need to know.

Here’s the deal: So far, the PS5 is only available in a uniform white design, yet many users do not like this design. Some manufacturers saw this as an opportunity and attempted to sell their own black side plates for the PS5. Sony acted quickly and successfully against several retailers.

This is what happened: Now Sony has introduced official side plates for the PS5. This fulfills a major wish in the community. Many have been hoping for different colors, but until now there were only various third-party options. There had long been speculation that Sony might introduce a black PS5 or at least side plates.

Official side plates for the PS5 come in 5 colors for around 50 euros

For which console can the plates be used? The PS5 plates will be available for both the PS5 with Blu-ray drive and the PS5 Digital Edition and will be sold separately from the PS5 console and the DualSense controller. So, you will need to purchase a side plate in addition to your console. A console with the colors available for direct purchase is (not) currently planned.

There are five different colors and matching PS5 controllers.

What colors are available? At launch, there will be a total of 5 different colors that match the DualSense controllers that have already been introduced. You will be able to order the following colors in the future:

  • Midnight Black,
  • Cosmic Red
  • Nova Pink
  • Starlight Blue
  • Galactic Purple

When can you buy them? Sony explained in its blog that the side plates are expected to be available in Germany from January 2022. The price is expected to be around 55 US dollars:

https://twitter.com/Nibellion/status/1470381104267989005

If you are more interested in the PS5, you might also be interested in this:

Third-party side plates never had a good standing – Now Sony offers side plates themselves

Why side plates are so exciting: There have been discussions about side plates within the community for some time. In the case of Customize My Plates, which was forced by Sony’s lawyers to cease the sale of colorful side plates. Here, Sony argued that the colored side plates were intellectual property of Sony and that they would take action against the company as soon as the plates hit the market.

What do you think? Are you excited about the possibility of purchasing colorful side plates for your PS5 so that you no longer have to have a white console? Or are you not interested in the new colors? Let us know in the comments!

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Blog.Playstation.com

Destiny 2 nerfs important Warlock ultimate and thus weakens entire teams in the endgame

Britta ♤ BeAngel Britta ♤ BeAngel Reading time 4 minutes

Those who play as a Well Warlock in Destiny 2 have had the shortest Super cooldown in the game after the last update. However, Bungie forgot to mention that the Super also received a nerf that weakens your entire team in endgame.

Especially in the endgame of Destiny 2, certain Supers that optimize damage in DPS phases are often indispensable. This includes the “Well of Radiance,” the Solar Ultimate of the Warlocks. Until now, it always ensured more DPS and healed the team through the Super damage.

  • The sword has a healing aura that heals and buffs allies nearby.
  • Well of Radiance increased the weapon damage of each team member by about 25 percent.
  • Team members standing in the Well could shoot through enemy shields.

After the last update 3.4.0., the Well Warlock was even the only level-5 Super, meaning the one with the fastest regeneration. Healers were initially very satisfied with this. However, players like m4eix drew attention on reddit and twitter that this change did not only yield positive results and that the support Ultimate had actually become much worse due to an apparent nerf.

What has changed with the “Well of Radiance”? The additional DPS output from Focus Lens only affects the player who used the Super “Well of Radiance.” Only for him does the buff “Focus Lens” still apply, and he is the only one who can shoot through enemy shields. This change leads to team members standing in the Well no longer being able to shoot through enemy shields. The weapon damage of the squad will no longer be counted as Super damage as it was before.

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This is noticeably impacting the endgame: Players quickly noticed that much more weapon damage is now required to take down a boss in the endgame. This also means that teams need to fundamentally rethink their previous strategies, where using the “Well of Radiance” and Focus Lens was essential.

Was this intended by Bungie? Since the change was not mentioned in the patch notes, the community initially speculated and hoped that it might be a bug and not intended. Unfortunately, this was not the case.

Why did the developer not mention this in the patch notes? After players pointed this out on reddit, Bungie’s Sandbox Discipline Lead Kevin Janes responded and apologized for it. This important information was simply overlooked due to the large number of changes for update 3.4.0.

This is not a bug or a stealth nerf. I really overlooked it in the patch notes, and it is intended. The goal was to make it so that the Well Warlock still has its use, but the team that [formerly] wrongly received the benefits does not anymore. This led to DPS accelerations that we did not intend or could sensibly maintain from season to season. […] We often view this community as a community that we expect to notice even the slightest changes to the sandbox. So we never expect or believe that we could slide even the smallest change past you all.

Kevin Janes also addressed the nerf with the Season 15 mod “Focus Lens,” which previously ensured that the Light abilities of the players inflicted additional damage on enemies affected by Stasis.

The interaction for Focus Lens should still work as usual with other damage-focused Supers.

d2 strykers sword warlock
Warlock in the Well of Radiance with the Forge Sword (Source: Jarvenis on YouTube)

The nerf is incomprehensible to the community

Despite the explanation and apology, the community is not thrilled with the change and has made some remarks. The “Well of Radiance” is a fixed part of many teams in Destiny 2’s endgame and loses one of its strongest team advantages due to the nerf.

Bronsmember sums up the community’s displeasure in the reddit thread:

Bungie wants people to incorporate build crafting and stats into certain things. But what good does it do if things like the Bubble and the Well don’t stack or particle breakdown literally don’t work together? It’s as if they are missing the most important part of MMO games, namely buffs, debuffs, and stack damage, etc. Build crafting is not just “oh I have more discipline so I get my grenade faster.” It matters what your team benefits from.

Barrier shields are now harder to crack: Also, for many players, the Well of Radiance was a good option to optimally take down Barrier Champions. That this is no longer possible is incomprehensible to many players. They feel a change like this would only make sense if Bungie also removed the shields of the Servitors.

destiny-rise-servitor

StarsRaven commented in the reddit thread and states:

I appreciate the openness, but this change is total nonsense. Anti-barrier Servitors making enemies invulnerable through walls and around corners is a shitty mechanic and the Warlock Well that made it through that was the way the community worked around this fucking “mechanic”.

Huntdigga directly asks Kevin Janes:  

[…] You didn’t change the functionality of barrier servitors, did you? You just removed the one workaround that we (the community) found to deal with them. Do you see the problem?

The changes in Destiny 2 for more gunplay significantly change the gameplay:

The nerf of the “Well of Radiance” in update 3.4.0 shows once again how focused Bungie is on making gunplay more important in Destiny 2. Players now need to come up with new strategies that will be effective in the endgame and compensate for the nerf. For Warlocks, the question will also arise whether the Well is still worth it as a support Super. At least the healing granted has not changed.

What do you think about it? Have you already noticed the change to the “Well of Radiance”? Or does the nerf not pose a problem for your fireteam because you can still deal enough damage to any boss without the Warlock and his support?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. TheGamer
  2. Reddit

New survival shooter on Steam looks like Left 4 Dead with aliens, launches with 11,000 players

Benedict Grothaus Benedict Grothaus Reading time 3 minutes

On December 10, the new shooter GTFO was released for PC on Steam. In its first weekend, the indie project attracted over 11,000 players and received “very positive” reviews. MeinMMO presents the hardcore shooter to you.

What kind of game is this? You are prisoners and are sent by your jailer to an abandoned research station to search for data. GTFO is best compared to well-known games like Left 4 Dead or PayDay in terms of gameplay.

With a team of four, you navigate through various levels, are supposed to get something, and disappear again. Ideally, you should draw as little attention as possible. Tactical play is a must.

Enemies can quickly overwhelm you and appear in hordes if you are not careful. If the cautious approach fails, you usually barricade yourself in a safe position and hope you have more bullets than enemies coming.

Ammunition and healing items are scarce and rather sparsely distributed in the levels. Unlike the classics, GTFO is set in a sci-fi setting. Your opponents are aliens that resemble humans to a large extent. Mutated, distorted humans. A special focus is placed on the soundscapes, which make everything even creepier, as the developers even scream at you themselves.

GTFO was created by the Swedish indie studio 10 Chamber. Many members of the studio have previously worked on Payday and want to infuse the spirit of that game into GTFO. In 2019, the devs already gave us exclusive insights into their first, own project.

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Check out the release trailer for the shooter hidden gem, GTFO – Launching today on Steam

GTFO’s reception: On Steam, GTFO had a peak of 11,091 players during its release weekend (via steamcharts.com). The reviews are “very positive” with 88% from 22,101 votes since the early access began 2 years ago. Recent reviews are still 82% positive.

Currently, GTFO is only available for PC and only via Steam. The devs would like to create a version for PlayStation and Xbox, as was mentioned before 2019, but they lacked a partner at that time. This may change following a successful release.

1.0 release brings ‘a crazy amount of cool stuff’

What’s new with the release? With version 1.0, several changes have been introduced to make GTFO much easier for newcomers (via Steam). The most important change is the bots.

Since release, you can even play solo with 3 AI teammates if needed. This is said to be difficult but doable. With just one friend and 2 bots in the team, most missions (called “Expeditions”) should work quite well.

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The colleagues from GameStar still find GTFO too difficult, but they believe it’s just right.

Additionally, there are now optional checkpoints. Because of these, a mission is no longer directly lost if you make a mistake. Instead, you will be reset to the checkpoint. If you prefer hardcore, you can opt to disable this feature.

For fans of the game, there are now cosmetics that allow you to customize your prisoners. By completing expeditions, you unlock new clothing, for example.

More on the topic at MeinMMO:

This is what players are saying: On Steam, players are thrilled with GTFO. For example, FaYde’ calls the new shooter the “best co-op game ever” and Happy Christmas writes: “They have introduced a crazy amount of cool stuff with the 1.0 release.”

Since release, GTFO has also been recommended for newcomers, but the consensus is generally that you need friends. Competent friends, as specified by one player. There is criticism mainly because the difficulty doesn’t appeal to everyone. Mistakes are harshly punished, and not every mission will be successfully completed. Prepare for dying.

If you are into this type of game, you can also try a more classic zombie setting with Back 4 Blood. The spiritual successor to Left 4 Dead was released in October:

Back 4 Blood after 70 hours: How good is the co-op shooter really?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Gaming monitor for 2,200 € impresses testers – Who is it worth acquiring for?

Benedikt Schlotmann Benedikt Schlotmann Reading time 3 minutes

With the Odyssey Neo G9, Samsung has introduced a high-end monitor for gamers. Testers have now been able to try it out and are excited. The biggest downside is the high price of over 2,000 euros.

What’s it about: Samsung has introduced a huge gaming monitor with 49 inches in the Odyssey Neo G9. This is the new flagship model of the manufacturer for the gaming sector, and with a recommended retail price of 2,199 euros, they are quite confident.

But what do you actually get for that money, and what do the testers say about the monitor? MeinMMO presents the first tests and explains for whom this expensive investment could actually be worthwhile.

“Brighter and more colorful than anything you’ve seen before.”

The first tests of the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 show that everyone is quite pleased with the new monitor. For example, the testers from the magazine rtings.com explain that they’ve never seen such good “local dimming” as with this monitor (via rtings.com).

“Local dimming” is a special technique for LED TVs to regulate the brightness of the display.

The testers also add that the monitor offers excellent contrast and deep black levels, and it is also very suitable for dark rooms. Rtings rates the monitor in the gaming sector with 8.5 out of 10 points. Criticism arises mainly from some errors that occur in combination with VRR. This is a synchronization technique to prevent image artifacts.

Testers from Techradar magazine are also quite pleased with the monitor (via techradar.com). The monitor offers rich colors and great brightness. Additionally, the monitor delivers black levels that the testers have not seen on any monitor before. However, such a monitor also requires considerable power:

For the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 is not only large and high-resolution, it is also brighter and more colorful than anything you have seen before. And when you combine that with the high refresh rate, it is a piece of gaming heaven that you definitely want to be a part of. But with the high refresh rate and high resolution, you encounter a major problem: performance.

via techradar.com

The testers from The Verge magazine also explain that gaming on such a large monitor can be a bit of an adjustment (via theverge.com). They note that the image often appears distorted and blurry, as many developers do not design their games for such large monitors:

Super ultrawide gaming is wonderful, but strange. Playing on the Odyssey G9 and Neo G9 is incredibly immersive, but it is also literally distorted in a way that I do not always find pleasant because game developers have never built multi-projection into their games.

Who is a gaming monitor for 2,200 euros worth it for?

Who is the monitor aimed at? Interested parties should generally be aware that they need the appropriate hardware to actually operate this monitor.

To achieve 240Hz at full resolution, you need at least an RTX 2080 or an RTX 3080. Even better is an RTX 3090 if you want to at least somewhat reach 240Hz. Therefore, the monitor is primarily aimed at enthusiasts.

When gaming, one must also consider that the games need to support the large resolutions. How much the differences at 32:9 make is presented by GameStar in an article. GameStar looked at how much performance 32:9 costs compared to 16:9, among other things.

In competitive games, you have the advantage of having a broader field of view than players who game on 16:9. Other games like Overwatch try to create an artificial zoom so that resolutions like 21:9 and 16:9 are similar, and no advantage is given to players.

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Who is it worthwhile for? The gaming monitor is primarily aimed at enthusiasts who do not just want to buy a standard screen. The prerequisite here is not only the money but also sufficiently powerful hardware so that you can fully utilize the monitor.

If you do not want to compromise on image quality and features, then the Odyssey Neo G9 offers you an excellent monitor. With mini-LED and HDR 2000, you get current technology, and with VRR and HDMI 2.1, there are also features that you can use with your PS5 or Xbox Series X.

Who is it not worthwhile for? 2,200 euros is a lot of money for a monitor, and you also need potent hardware to make full use of the monitor. If you are still gaming on older hardware, then the monitor is only limited worthwhile for gaming.

Good gaming monitors that are currently recommended are presented in this article. These are suitable not just for gaming PCs but also for Xbox Series X|S and PS5.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

New sniper gives you easy kills in CoD Warzone – Expert finds it ‘massively overpowered’

Maik Schneider Maik Schneider Reading time 3 minutes

With the Pacific update of Call of Duty: Warzone, nearly 40 new weapons have entered the game, and it’s slowly becoming clear which overpowering weapons are in the expanded arsenal. Warzone data specialist Anthony “TrueGameData” Zachman showcases a sniper rifle that is lethal with chest shots.

If an opponent has full armor in the free battle royale Call of Duty: Warzone, you actually need a headshot with a sniper rifle to take the enemy down in one hit.

Sure, body shots with a rocket launcher serve the purpose as well, but sniper rifles are definitely more handy for this.

After the integration of weapons from Call of Duty: Vanguard, however, the headshot rule is not as rigid anymore. With the new sniper “Type 99,” there is a weapon setup that does not require headshots – chest shots also take down fully armored opponents, and MeinMMO has the details for you.

CoD Warzone: “Type 99” setup with one-shot kills without headshot

What does the setup look like? To activate the chest shot effect, you need 3 specific attachments for barrel, ammunition, and perk 1:

  • Muzzle: Mercury Silencer
  • Barrel: Shiraishi 712 mm Sniper
  • Scope (1): Type 99 10x Scope
  • Scope (2): ZF4 3.5x Rifle Scope
  • Stock: Removed Stock
  • Underbarrel: Heavy Forward Grip
  • Magazine: 8 mm Klauser 5-round Magazine
  • Ammunition: Extended
  • Grip: Leather Grip
  • Perk 1: Vital
  • Perk 2: Catch Your Breath
cod warzone typ 99 setup mit vital ist op

What makes the setup strong? The 712mm barrel, combined with the perk “Vital” and the 8mm Klauser ammunition, yields full headshot damage even with chest shots.

You thus have the complete area from head to approximately heart level as a one-shot hit zone. It has never been so easy to land one-shot hits in CoD Warzone.

The setup is designed to reduce the strong “idle sway” of the Type 99. The corresponding value is called “Aim Stability” and ensures that the crosshair moves less while aiming.

For the scope, you have a choice – both scopes are reportedly a bit broken, according to “TrueGameData,” and offer you very strong advantages:

  • Type 99 10x Scope: Removes amplified scope movements when you move while aiming
  • ZF4 3.5x Rifle Scope: Relatively high zoom factor completely without scope reflection

What should I consider? The advantage of the weapon is the oversized one-shot range, but otherwise, the Type 99 is somewhat less “user-friendly”.

You are slow in aiming, have comparatively low aim stability, and a low movement speed. However, these disadvantages are bearable considering you get a sniper weapon where you don’t need headshots for fully armored opponents.

If you reach level 62 with the Type 99, you will have all the attachments you need.

Will this remain the case? “TrueGameData” considers this attachment combination to be “massively overpowered.” He understands the intended balancing behind it and finds the handling of the weapon quite challenging. However, constant one-shot kills with chest shots are too strong in a battle royale like Warzone.

You can expect that the Type 99 will get nerfed and the overpowering chest shots will disappear from the game.

But currently, there are many issues with the new weapons, and it is still unclear how quickly such things will be fixed in the new Vanguard era.

If you want to see the English analysis of “TrueGameData” regarding the Type 99, we embed the video here:

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More about Warzone:

After the introduction of the new Caldera map in Warzone along with nearly 40 weapons, there is a lot of movement in the weapon and gameplay meta of the battle royale.

MeinMMO continues to search for the strongest weapon options for your matches on the new map.

If you want to know what I personally think of the Pacific adventure in Warzone, then check it out here: I love and hate the Pacific update of CoD Warzone – Why are you doing this to me?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. YouTube - TrueGameData