League of Legends suddenly releases a classic RPG, reminiscent of the old Final Fantasy

Riot Games, the creators of League of Legends, have released a new game in the LoL universe. Today, on November 16, 2021, Ruined King: A League of Legends Story has been released for PC (Steam, Epic & GOG), PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.

What kind of game is this? Ruined King: A League of Legends Story tells the story of the champion Miss Fortune, who explores Bilgewater with a crew and sets out to the Shadow Isles.

The goal is to uncover the secrets of the “Black Mist” and the namesake king, who is playable in League of Legends as Viego. In addition to Viego and Miss Fortune, several other well-known champions make an appearance:

  • Braum
  • Illaoi
  • Pike
  • Yasuo
  • Ahri

Ruined King is a classic, turn-based single-player role-playing game in the style of the old Final Fantasy titles or other JRPGs. It also slightly resembles the modern Banner Saga. It was developed by the indie studio Airship Syndicate (Darksiders Genesis, Battle Chasers: Nightwar).

The publisher is Riot Forge, a company within Riot Games. Riot Forge brings together various developers under one umbrella and allows them to realize their ideas – similar to EA Originals. Ruined King is the first game of the publisher.

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Ruined King is now available for Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch

These are the features: The gameplay looks like a mix between Diablo and Final Fantasy at first glance. You explore the world and its dungeons, but engage in turn-based combat against groups of enemies.

Each character has unique abilities that seem to mimic the skills from League of Legends. For instance, Miss Fortune can unleash her bullet storm, and Braum protects the team with his shield.

As the name suggests, Ruined King: A League of Legends Story is likely a narrative-driven game. The greatest emphasis will certainly be placed on the narrative and discovering the story of the game yourself. If you want to know more about the story, check out our summary:

More on the topic
The story of LoL explained briefly – So that fans of Arcane have an overview
von Alexander Leitsch

When and where can I get it? As of today, November 16 at 5:15 PM German time, Ruined King is playable. The game was released for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

On PC, you have the choice of playing on Steam, GOG, or Epic. The PS4 version will later receive a free upgrade for the PS5. If you buy the game for Xbox One, you can also play on Xbox Series X|S through Smart Delivery. Next-gen versions will be released at a later date.

League of Legends is currently experiencing a new hype and resurgence with the release of Arcane, the animated series based on the game. Accordingly, the timing for the release of Ruined King is optimal.

Riot leverages the deep lore of their MOBA for continuous new projects surrounding the game and the lore:

The studio behind League of Legends, Riot, is becoming the new Blizzard

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Battlefield 2042 brings back the buggy shield, now supposedly withstands tanks

Already during the early access release of Battlefield 2042, the gadget was disabled by one of the 10 specialists in the game. Now it is back in the game – and still significantly stronger than it should be.

What is this shield? The 10 specialists of Battlefield 2042 all bring unique abilities and gadgets that are available only to them.

The specialist Santiago “Dozer” Espinoza has the SOB-8 shield as special equipment. This is a bulletproof personal shield with a visibility window, primarily designed for storming buildings and tight alleys.

What was the problem? At the release of Battlefield 2042, this shield was disabled due to causing issues. In some cases, Dozer became simply invulnerable, even when he wasn’t equipped with the shield at all.

Read more about the release issues in our special on the launch of Battlefield 2042.

With the patch from November 16, Dozer got his shield back. The original problem seems to no longer exist, but the shield is still too strong.

The personal shield blocks tank grenades without problems

What is the problem now? As a user shows on reddit, the SOB-8 shield can withstand a direct hit from a tank grenade. Even in the case of a direct hit:

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As seen in the clip, Dozer emerges completely unscathed from two explosions and then happily takes down an opponent. This is certainly not planned, as tanks are one of the ultimate weapons in Battlefield 2042. They can even take out the ridiculously strong hovercrafts and shoot helicopters down from the sky with a well-aimed shot.

The SOB-8 shield certainly offers less armor than an attack helicopter. Another player notes, however, that this bug does not always occur. He himself has also played against a Dozer and shot at him with a tank. Therefore, his opponent was destroyed as intended.

Will the problem be fixed? Currently, there has been no reaction from the developers regarding the shield. Only a problem with rubberbanding is currently being worked on (via Twitter.com). However, there are currently a number of other difficulties, including many known issues (via EA.com).

One of the most annoying problems is the spread of some weapons – particularly assault rifles. These are extremely imprecise due to so-called “blooming”. Here, the developers are already working on a solution, but there is still no date for the patch.

For the actual release on November 19, there is also supposed to be a day-one patch. What exactly this will contain has not yet been revealed by the developer team. However, fans are hoping for a long list of patch notes and bug fixes. Complaints have already been made in many areas:

6 things that the developers of Battlefield 2042 urgently need to change

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Destiny 2: Weekly Reset on 16.11. – Bungie is already working on the 30th anniversary

In Destiny 2 there isn’t much new right now. The Season of the Lost is currently frozen in stasis and players can hardly wait for the story to finally continue. However, we at MeinMMO will show you what you can expect this week.

This is happening this week: Right before the start of the new week, Bungie is crashing a server down. The servers might be re-oiled and cleaned of dust again. An update is not expected, but cannot be completely ruled out.

You still have enough time to grab your Conqueror title in the Nightfall. You can thus choose which Nightfall strike is still relevant for you and tackle it with your teammates. In line with this, you also have double loot in the Nightfall this week.

Since not much is going on in Destiny 2 anyway, you can still tackle the seasonal ornaments of the “Hegemony”. They require a certain grind, but given the current content drought, you now have the chance to complete this.

What is the 30th anniversary? In December, the 30th anniversary of Bungie will be celebrated. Since the story of Season 15 is mostly wrapped up, Bungie may already be preparing for the upcoming event. With this, you can expect new ornaments, weapons, and a breath of fresh air in terms of PvE content.

The main info on activities from 16.11. to 23.11.

The Nightfall: The Trial is this week’s following strike:

  • The Hollow Hideout
    • This is the strike with the immortal Grief-Boss “Fikrul, the Fanatic”. He wants to challenge you again with his army. Bring time and especially nerves, because this one is tough.
  • These Nightfall weapons are currently available:
    • The Comedian, Void Shotgun (Master)
    • Shadow Price, Arc Auto Rifle (Master)

Playlist strikes have these modifiers:

  • Solar Singe
  • Grenadier
  • Grounded

The Singe modifier accompanies you all week, the others change daily.

This is happening in the raidGlass Chamber“:

  • In the Glass Chamber, the challenge “Out of the Way” takes place. A simple challenge where your shield-bearer prevents the Templar from teleporting.
  • As a reward, in the Grandmaster challenge mode, the Time-Warped Weapon “Fatebringer” (Hand Cannon) is waiting. The weapon will then definitely come with 2 perks per slot.

Crucible – These are the PvP playlists:

  • Private Match
  • Rumble
  • Control
  • Elimination
  • Glory Survival
  • Glory Survival: Freelance
  • Team Scorched

Ascendant Challenge

  • Petra Venj has this week the 6th Ascendant Challenge for you. You can find Petra and her quest offer in the Dreaming City in the Divalian Mist. The curse in the Dreaming City is increasing and as a result, the place of the Awoken is becoming more of a place of the Taken.

Sources for top loot in Season 15 of Destiny 2

This is the new max level: In the season of the Lost, the maximum power level of your gear is at 1,330. This means the power level has only increased by +10 compared to the previous Season 14.

So you are not busy with the annoying levels, but can dive directly into the endgame.

This top loot (Pinnacle Gear) brings you over 1,320:

  • Reach in the Nightfall: Trial at least 100,000 points (+2)
  • Simulation: Exo Challenge (+1)
  • Omen Mission “Falconmoon” (+2)
  • Prophecy Dungeon (+2)
  • Foreboding Mission “Glykon” (+2)
  • Raid the “Glass Chamber” (+2)
  • Empire Hunt: The Warrior (+2)
  • In the Shattered Realm, defeat 4 champions (+1)
  • Trials of Osiris, 7 victories (+2)
  • Trials of Osiris, win 50 rounds (+2)
  • Complete 3 Gambit matches (+1)
  • Complete 3 Crucible matches (+1)
  • Complete 3 strikes with appropriate focus (+1)
  • Hawthorne’s clan quest (+1)

Glimmer highlights in the Eververse

This week you can indulge in these cool cosmetics. Tess is bringing you some exotic highlights again.

The massive ship from the Dark Age

What do you get for glimmer this week at Tess’s offer?

  • The exotic ship “Pragmatic Offering”
  • The exotic Sparrow “One Sweep”
  • The exotic emote “Lion Tamer”
  • The exotic ghost shell “Scrapyard Shell”
  • Exotic weapon ornament “Symbol of Dominance”
  • The legendary seasonal armor for all classes – This time with the helmet ornament
  • The legendary emote “Stalemate, so what”

What is your plan for this week? Will you go farming? Or will you immerse yourself in another game and come back when Bungie’s 30th anniversary kicks off? Let us know!

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

ARK is one of the best survival games on Steam – gets new map and Viking DLC

ARK: Survival Evolved is still one of the most popular survival games on Steam more than 4 years after its release. The developers have now announced a new map for December and provided a preview for 2022. It will feature content related to Vikings.

What has ARK announced? During a livestream for Extra Life, the developers of ARK gave some insights into the future. Two new updates were announced:

  • On December 14, the new map Lost Island will be released
  • Additionally, a new DLC centered around Vikings is planned for 2022. This DLC is based on the community-developed mod Fjordur

Some interesting new features have been presented, even though the developers have already officially concluded the story of ARK with the last DLC Genesis and even announced the successor ARK 2.

Lost Island comes with a large map and 3 new dinosaurs

What is included in the next DLC? Lost Island will be a free update that contains a new map with an area of 150 square kilometers. This map will feature new biomes, challenges, and mysterious ruins.

Another highlight is the 3 new dinosaurs that you will encounter:

  • Amargasaurus
  • Dinopithecus
  • Sinomacrops

You can already get a first impression of these new dinosaurs and the map in this short trailer:

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Viking DLC coming in summer, based on fan mod

What will happen with ARK in 2022? The new update Fjordur is set to arrive in June 2022. This is currently an unofficial fan mod for PC, which will then be developed into an official DLC.

In this mod, you can explore icy maps, ancient ruins, and massive castles. You will also be able to become a true Viking.

With the summer update, new dinosaurs will also be released. One of them is supposed to be the Andrewsarchus, while the other two will be chosen by the community in 2022.

A first impression of the new areas can be seen in these 3 screenshots from the developer Wildcard:

ARK still very popular on Steam in 2021

How is ARK doing currently? On Steam, the survival game continues to enjoy great popularity in 2021. In the last 30 days, there have been an average of 39,287 players online per day, with a peak of 69,159 concurrent players (via SteamCharts).

This is an impressive number, especially considering that the last major update came from June. At that time, the second part of the DLC Genesis was released.

Additionally, the ratings on Steam in recent weeks have been impressive. In the last 30 days, 5,351 gamers rated ARK on Steam. They gave a positive review 90% of the time. Overall, the game currently stands at 81% positive ratings with over 370,000 reviews.

This makes ARK: Survival Evolved one of the most popular survival games on Steam.

What do you think about ARK’s plans? Do the two upcoming DLCs appeal to you? And how do you feel about the survival game in general?

If you have never played ARK and are considering starting fresh, we have compiled all the important information here:

ARK: Survival Evolved – Starter Guide for Beginners

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Destiny 2 Server Down on November 16 – All Information about the Maintenance


Destiny 2 is offline today, on November 16, on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC, and Google Stadia. The downtime affects Destiny 1 and Destiny 2 and will address a few backend issues. As always, find the key times and information on MeinMMO.

What you need to know today: Bungie has announced several downtimes of the servers in the TWaB from November 4 in advance for November. The maintenance today is a longer backend maintenance and a preparation for the release on December 7, 2021. Currently, nothing significant is expected to change for players.

To know exactly when you can log in again today, we will inform you about the exact times..

Maintenance on 16.11. – All times and server down

These times are important today:

  • At 14:00 CET, maintenance will start on all platforms.
  • From 14:45, the servers will be offline. You will be kicked from all activities and the downtime will begin.
  • Around 18:00, the servers will be back online.
  • The ongoing maintenance for Destiny 1 and 2 will be completed by 19:00.
Update log:
17:15: Maintenance has been extended by one hour to 18:00.
17:45: Maintenance is expected to be completed around 19:00.
18:00: The servers are back available, no download is necessary. You can start playing directly, even if the maintenance is still running in the background.
19:00: The ongoing maintenance running in the background has been extended by two hours to 21:00. There may be disconnections.
21:00: Maintenance has officially ended.

What is important: You may need to expect queues when logging in. Also, please note that third-party applications and the official companion app are not accessible correctly.

destiny-2-hueter-hunter-jaeger
The Guardians need to be patient today until the servers go back online.

Currently, no changes are planned

This is what the maintenance brings today: Bungie has made no changes. An update was also not necessary.

Currently known issues in Destiny 2

According to TWaB, there are still a few known issues that Bungie will address soon. Furthermore, players are still expecting additional downtime until the big release on December 7.

These errors are currently known:

  • The shader “Wild Overgrowth” is not available for players who completed the Iron Banner quest with all characters before the fix to resolve the issue was released.
  • If players start the quest “Lost Lament” with one character and complete it with another character, Banshee still tries to give the first character the broken blade to complete a quest that no longer exists.
  • If Warlocks perform a Phoenix Dive, they cannot glide for 5 seconds.

If there are any changes or a patch, we will of course publish them here. Until then, we recommend this interesting interview with AndyEdition, the German lore expert of Destiny 2..

Are you already looking forward to the upcoming Destiny 2 anniversary in December? What do you do when Destiny 2 has planned longer downtimes?

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

Lost Ark: You are very much in agreement with your opinion on Beta

Last week, the upcoming MMORPG Lost Ark held a beta test. We wanted to know how you felt about it. Here are your responses.

Message from the editorial team: Hello everyone. In the original version of the article, the derivation of the evaluation of votes was incorrect. This has now been fixed, and the comparison to the MMO New World has been removed. Thank you for your feedback.

The European release of the MMORPG Lost Ark has been eagerly anticipated by fans for years. Many of them were able to try the game themselves during the closed beta.

Which survey are we talking about? While some of you have already tried Lost Ark on Korean or Russian servers, for many others, it was their first real encounter with the MMORPG. Therefore, we asked you for your opinion on the beta.

We received responses from 1,485 people who voted (as of November 17, 2021, at 3:00 PM). Each participant could only cast one vote.

The numbers at a glance:

  • Great! – 56.56 % – 840 votes
  • Good – 23.77 % – 353 votes
  • Okay – 10.50 % – 156 votes
  • Not so good – 4.78 % – 71 votes
  • Poor – 4.37 % – 65 votes

At first glance, it is clear that you were unanimous about the beta. More than half of the participants (56.56 %) found it great, and another 23.77 % thought it was good.

With 10.50 %, the “Okay” option came in third place. The negative votes, on the other hand, were in the single digits with just under 5 %.

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Everything you need to know about the MMORPG Lost Ark – in 2 minutes

“Release tomorrow would really be a festival.”

What the positive votes say: The anticipation for Lost Ark among fans was evident in one of our earlier surveys. By July, nearly 50 % of the 1,621 participants had already purchased a founder pack of Lost Ark, among other reasons, to be able to participate in the beta.

During the beta week, some of you also played to your heart’s content, investing up to 50 hours in the game. This includes users CALL ME DEM0N and Daniel.

I played about 50 hours and have to say, I am really thrilled. 8.5/10.

Great game.

For me, it’s a great mix of Diablo and WoW. I played until level 25, had hardly any bugs, and already played some dungeons with well-designed bosses.

I will definitely be keeping the pre-order of the Silver Pack!

Notably praised was the clean gameplay experience with few or no bugs, even though some localization errors had slipped in here and there. At this point, Lost Ark benefits from having been running in other regions like Russia or Korea for several years. The serious bugs have thus already been eliminated.

The anticipation for the game is accordingly great, and some of you in the comments can hardly wait for the release:

“The release cannot come quickly enough.”

MeinMMO reader Dr. Pacman

“Release tomorrow would really be a festival.”

MeinMMO reader Patrick

What the negative votes say: However, there were also disappointments in the comments. For some of you, who had looked forward to the MMORPG beforehand, the beta was a sobering experience. ParaDox wrote in the comments:

Initially, I thought it was cool and exciting, but after 4.5 hours, the excitement was gone. I uninstalled it after 6 hours of gameplay. I just found it boring. […]

If my motivation to play it erodes at the speed of light, the only consequence left for me is to cancel the pre-order package and say that the offer is quite good, but I won’t accept it.

There was also criticism of the class system of Lost Ark. Some users wrote that the gameplay of the numerous classes feels the same despite different skills. This was also an aspect that contributed to disappointment for some of you.

MeinMMO reader Phoesias wrote:

Everything somehow felt the same, I found the fights actually – to my great surprise, as they should be the highlight – very monotonous, dull, and undemanding.

All in all, the gameplay quickly bored me. I would have never expected that beforehand, I was totally hyped. […]

How it went in other communities

Our colleagues at GameStar also asked their readers how they felt about the beta of Lost Ark. The results there were similarly positive.

  • Great: 39.13 %
  • I did not play the beta: 22.67 %
  • Good: 21.60 %
  • So so: 8.87 %
  • Not so good: 4.40 %
  • Not good at all: 3.33 %

More than 60 % of GameStar readers found the beta at least good. The negative votes were again significantly lower with a total of 7.73 %.

If you are still unsure which class to play in Lost Ark, we have the 5 best classes for beginners for you.

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

New multiplayer game for Dragon Ball is coming – strangely reminds of Dead by Daylight

Publisher Bandai Namco has announced a new multiplayer game – Dragon Ball: The Breakers (PC, Xbox One, PS4, Switch). However, this time it is quite different from other Dragon Ball games. MeinMMO reveals to you what it’s all about.

Bandai Namco surprisingly released a trailer for a new Dragon Ball game today. The developers from DIMPS, who were also responsible for previous titles like Xenoverse, Budokai 3, or Burst Limit, are behind it again.

When and for which consoles will the game be released? Dragon Ball: The Breakers is said to be the new asymmetric action game and will be released in 2022 for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch. Notably, only the last-gen consoles are specifically mentioned here. A release for Xbox Series or PS5 is not yet known (via bandainamco.com).

While a specific date has not been mentioned, there is supposed to be an open beta for testing soon. Bandai Namco announced this in their trailer.

This “Dragon Ball” game will be a survival game, not a fighting game

Dragon Ball: The Breakers will be very different from its predecessors: Instead of fighting against each other in online multiplayer, now you will have to survive together or alone – similar to the game Dead by Daylight.

You will find yourself with 6 other players, due to a time phenomenon, in a world where you must flee from a raider as civilians. The goal of the game is to find a time capsule alone or together and escape from this time period into your normal world.

All players must hide in a large map with various areas and strategize to escape the raider.

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What can the raiders do? Raiders have the ability to use incredible powers to locate and destroy civilians. The raiders can continue to evolve and enhance their strength during their hunt, similar to the multiplayer shooter Evolve.

The hunters come as iconic characters in Dragon Ball: The Breakers, and you can choose one of them:

  • Boo (on the right of the title image)
  • Cell (on the left of the title image)
  • Freezer (in the center of the title image)

All three are perfect for the mentioned evolutions as they have also reached different forms in the anime and manga.

However, the specific abilities of the raiders have not yet been announced. The trailer only shows the attack “Kame-Hame-Ha” and that Cell can typically absorb civilians with his tail.

What can the civilians do? Civilians receive unique power-ups and items to defend themselves against the raider. These include things like

  • vehicles,
  • weapons
  • and grappling hooks.

Normal citizens appear as well-known characters like Bulma or the pig Oolong.

Civilians and raiders both have the opportunity to style themselves individually in the form of skins. Additionally, they can choose and unlock their own development paths and skills.

Fans react with mixed feelings

No one saw Dragon Ball: The Breakers coming, and accordingly, the reactions are quite mixed. While some are still completely confused by the new style, others are already hyping or complaining in the comment section of the trailer (via YouTube):

  • bronze player says: “This is different, I’m not sure how to think about it, but I’m glad they are trying new things with the franchise.”
  • Prof. JermZ is totally surprised: “Dragon Ball X Dead by Daylight is something I never saw coming in a million years.”
  • Also Just a normal Weeb says: “Finally something different than just reliving the same story over and over again.”
  • Zenon Dreadblaze sees it rather critically: “I probably won’t get it. It’s just a hide-and-seek game. I’m not sure if I’m excited enough about it.”

Others are sad that they will probably have to wait longer for a normal Dragon Ball fighting game. They were hoping for Budokai Tenkaichi 4 or Raging Blast 3.

What do you think about the new game Dragon Ball: The Breakers? Will you give the game a try or does it not appeal to you at all? Feel free to let us know in the comments.

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

New World is now cracking down hard on gold dupes – permanently banning over 1,600 players

In New World there have already been several exploits where players could duplicate gold or items. These dupes are especially a threat to the economy of new MMORPGs. However, Amazon assures: We have removed 98% of all the cheated advantages from the game.

What are the dupes about? In New World the trading between players and the coin transfer in general is currently disabled. The reason for this is a new dupe, meaning the ability to duplicate something with tricks.

This time it concerns items related to housing that could be multiplied with simple tricks and then sold for a lot of gold.

Previously, there were dupes through which gold was generated.

What is Amazon doing about it? The developers of New World are now taking a stronger stand against these cheaters, as they revealed in the forum. They plan to:

  • On November 2, more than 1,200 players are to have been permanently banned
  • Now, on November 15, another 460 bans have been added
  • Amazon also states that they have managed to remove 98% of the duplicated items and duplicated gold. The remaining 2% are said to have been created by accident, which is why there are no penalties for them

The developers also stated that exploiters can expect permanent bans in the future. They also provided insight into the economy of New World and the impact the dupes had.

Start video
Watch the video to see which 5 MMORPGs are considered the largest in Germany 2021 according to Google

Over 90% of players at level 60 still have not a single max item, despite dupes

What did the developers reveal about the economy? So far, the dupes have not had a major impact on the overall economy, although some dupes have also referred to the legendary Voidbent armor.

In a graphic, the developers showed how many players at level 60 currently own an item with the maximum armor value of 600:

  • Just over 90% do not own any armor piece at 600
  • 9.1% own at least one item
  • Only 2.4% of all players at level 60 are fully equipped with gear at 600
New World Statistics Max Armor
The distribution of armors with the value of 600.

Dupes are still a risk: Although Amazon claims to have removed 98% of the duplicated gold and duplicated items, there is always a risk due to such dupes.

Because of the additional gold, there can be inflation and thus problems in the economy. Everything becomes more expensive because more gold is available, but the gold is unevenly distributed, mainly among those who cheat.

If it ever becomes impossible to trace back the dupes, server rollbacks could occur. This primarily affects fair players who would then have their progress reset despite having done nothing wrong. So far, Amazon has managed to avoid this disaster.

What do you think about Amazon’s measures? Are permanent bans justified and are you surprised that they managed to remove 98% of the cheated items?

While there is currently trouble with the dupes, the new patch, on the other hand, generates a lot of anticipation:

New World: Update 1.0.6 is coming this week – What do we know before the patch notes?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. New World Forum

In Dying Light 2 you have to constantly make tough decisions, but that is exactly what captivated me

With Dying Light 2, the popular survival hit finally gets a sequel. MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus got to play for 4 hours before the release. And despite the many possibilities, it was the story that captivated him the most.

What is Dying Light 2? A virus has destroyed the world and turned the infected into zombies. In the post-apocalypse, only a few humans remain and fight for their survival. You are not one of them – at least not directly.

In the survival game Dying Light 2, you play as an infected person trying to stop the infection. However, this grants you the unique opportunity to utilize superhuman abilities like improbably long jumps and high speed.

You will need these because you must run through the city at breakneck speed while escaping the dangerous zombies, especially at night. You pursue a story where you help various factions.

Who is speaking? Benedict Grothaus is an editor and survival expert at MeinMMO. One of his first games was the survival game Stranded from 2003. Since then, he has amassed many thousands of hours in the genre, including in Rust, ARK, and Don’t Starve. He also played the first part of Dying Light. His favorite titles include Conan Exiles, Fallout 76, and Valheim.

Interestingly, Dying Light became famous for its parkour elements. Constantly and everywhere, you climb, jump, or simply leap over entire streets filled with zombies. However, something else captivated me: the story.

In a playtest event, we got to play for 4 hours and view the world. We could explore, complete side quests, fight zombies, or follow the story. I didn’t do much besides focusing on the story.

Start video
Everything you need to know about the new survival game Dying Light 2 – with gameplay

A good story makes even boring zombie slashers exciting

In the main mission I played, I was tasked with helping a group of survivors. This is one of two factions currently in a large dispute. The others are the “Peacekeepers,” the remnants of former military units.

As I was thrown right into the story, I lacked the background. I simply walked to the corresponding quest marker and talked to the people who were supposed to give me more information.

Apparently, an officer was killed, and I need to solve the murder. Good, detective stories are interesting. However, a much larger issue quickly unfolds here. There is outright war between survivors and Peacekeepers, spies are abroad, and there is conflict over resources and territories…

Normally, I hate zombie games because they usually involve mindless bashing of huge hordes of the undead. Dying Light 2 is different. The story, the entanglements, and intrigues have already hooked me in this short time.

Who is lying to me, who is using me… and whom do I use? I constantly uncover new details that shed a different light on the characters I have met. And I must constantly decide whom I trust more. And what’s more important: my decisions have consequences. The story itself is said to take between 15 and 20 hours.

Who gets the water, who gets to live?

The main quest I followed ultimately required the rescue of a water tower. It was claimed by two renegades, and I need to get rid of them. What my client tells me beforehand: The water is vital.

Yes, water is certainly vital. But the Peacekeepers have apparently cut off the survivors’ water supply, and if I do nothing, the entire community will die, explains the now quite worried lady.

It’s problematic because the Peacekeepers apparently hired me and promised to help me with my own problem. Once the water tower is cleared, I face a difficult decision.

Do I give the survivors the water and thus save countless innocents? Or do I redirect the supply to the Peacekeepers? Because the latter would bring me one step closer to my sister who I am searching for.

Like in a real RPG of the caliber of Mass Effect, Fallout, or Dragon Age, I am faced with a consequential decision. Something I absolutely did not expect in a zombie game. Especially tricky: Not only is my own karma important in this decision…

Tough decisions are more than just story

Depending on which faction I support in the missions, I receive various bonuses in the game. If I help the survivors, they make the parkour easier by setting up useful gadgets in their areas.

The Peacekeepers, on the other hand, help me in the fight against zombies by setting traps or even mining cars. Depending on how often I support which faction, they offer more and more useful features.

In the end, I chose to side with the survivors. Partly because I had more sympathy for them with my knowledge, and partly because I really wanted to experience more parkour.

By the way: Dying Light 2 can be played in co-op with up to 4 players in a group. However, only the host decides what happens. You play in their world. This also means that none of their decisions affect your own campaign.

An engaging story and excellent parkour

The second significant advantage of Dying Light 2 is the parkour. The first part was already known for not focusing on combat but on escape. A unique concept.

Dying Light 2 brings this aspect back, and it’s impossible not to use it. Literally, because I didn’t discover any fast travels. If I want to get to my missions, I have to run as fast as I can.

In Dying Light 2, it’s not as easy as in Assassin’s Creed, where you can simply climb nearly smooth walls. I use ramps that are “randomly” placed and leverage cars as trampolines to get onto rooftops and escape from zombies in the streets.

Dying Light 2 Zipline
Ziplines are sparse, but they make travel quicker.

Above, it continues. Wobbly wooden bridges connect the rooftops, seldom are there ziplines for faster movement, and often only a hearty jump helps. There is no “failsafe.” If I miss the first jump, I go down, and that usually ends quickly and fatally.

A good sense of the surroundings is critically important. Almost like in a shooter, I have to constantly scan my surroundings and recognize which places I can reach safely. If there is only a way down, I must find safe landing zones like mattresses… or garbage bags.

A flight over the city

Dying Light 2 introduces another way to traverse the city quickly that has nothing to do with running.

A woman I had not met before, played by Rosario Dawson (Sin City, Daredevil), gives me a parachute. This can be deployed and retracted at will in the fall, allowing me to glide over the city.

It’s a unique feeling, reminiscent of the old Batman games. Thanks to updrafts, I can even extend my flight nearly indefinitely and reach far-off areas without parkour.

However, this feature comes relatively late in the game. We were able to try it in a separate mission. I had not much time left for this because I wasted too many hours on the captivating story…

Fortunately, parkour can also be made easier in other ways: through leveling up and skilling.

Dying Light 2 Rosario Dawson
Rosario Dawson gives me my parachute.

Skills make me better

Like in an RPG, Dying Light 2 offers skill points to acquire new abilities. These are divided into three areas:

  • Parkour
  • Combat
  • Health and Stamina

Health and stamina can only be raised through certain canisters found in rare chests. Parkour and combat improve as I use them. The more and better I run or fight, the more I unlock.

There are very useful skills available, such as easier landings or longer jumps. There are even item sets that adapt to your playstyle – like heavy weapons, ranged combat, or support.

I just didn’t engage with combat more than I had to, as that’s one of my two major criticisms.

Muddy controls and boring fights

In principle, action-packed fights are one of Dying Light 2’s unique selling points. The game advertises that even the environment can be used as a weapon. This works through so-called “parkour attacks.”

This brings contextual functions into play meant to make combat more exciting. However, I didn’t really see much of that. An enemy out of stamina can be used to roll over… that’s it.

It’s possible that I just missed something. After all, I started relatively midway without a tutorial and without getting to know my character beforehand. Most fights were thus… mindless zombie bashing with steel pipes or scrap axes and machetes. It works but is boring.

While the weapon selection is quite interesting, the combat itself is, in my opinion, not a strength, at least not after four hours of gameplay. Escaping is much more exciting, but it has its downside.

Dying Light 2 Combat
The fights should be action-packed and exciting. I prefer to escape.

The game is apparently designed for gamepads

As a PC gamer, I usually play with a mouse and keyboard. This was a problem for me in Dying Light 2. Because many elements are apparently designed to be played with a controller.

Some important functions, such as healing, default to keys like U or 0, while item switching runs through 1 and 2. This is utterly counterintuitive to the controls that a PC player is normally used to, and some are simply uncomfortable to reach.

Moreover, some commands overlap and differ only in whether you press a button or hold it. A feature that comes from consoles due to the lack of multiple buttons.

This isn’t a huge problem since Dying Light 2 can also be played with a controller, and I will surely do so at release. However, it is slightly annoying to crash with the parachute because pressing “W” steers it downward…

Dying Light 2 Paraglider
Flying through the air is cool – if you understand how not to crash.

Conclusion after 4 hours: I want more

Dying Light 2 has definitely got me hooked. I have to say that it could technically be much worse, and I would still play it, because I want to see more of the story and the city.

Fortunately, both parkour and combat work very well, even if fighting is certainly not going to be my favorite activity.

I am particularly looking forward to the co-op mode and am excited about how it will be to jump across rooftops or loot secret rooms together with three other players. Because looting with the different sets will also be an important aspect. Let’s see if something like “classes” emerges.

If the developer team polishes the parkour combat and contextual actions a bit more, I currently have nothing else to complain about. Either way, I’m excited for the release. No wonder I have it in our list of highly anticipated survival games:

More on the topic
8 new survival games to look forward to in 2024
von Benedict Grothaus

Dying Light 2 will be released after a delay on February 4, 2022, for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. The game was originally supposed to release much earlier, but numerous issues caused its release to be postponed.

Until the final release, you can find an overview here on MeinMMO with the currently best alternatives:

The best survival games for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC

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

9 Items from Destiny 1 that should return to Destiny 2

In Destiny 2, there is one thing that players have no problem with concerning old content. We’re talking about popular weapons and armor from Destiny 1. Here are a few candidates whose return to Destiny 2 many players would welcome. Do you know them?

More and more content and items from Destiny 1 are making their way back to Destiny 2. While players are generally not excited about the return of old content, they do wish for certain things to come back. Especially those that they still fondly remember. This includes iconic weapons and armor from the predecessor from 2014.

Currently, Destiny 2 already has 182 exotic weapons and armor pieces in its collection. With the update on December 7th for the 30th anniversary Bungie pack, more icons from Destiny 1 are already returning.

However, there are even more old exotics that would be highly sought after in Destiny 2 . The US site Gamerant has compiled a selection of 9 items they would like to see in Destiny 2. We find their selection so appealing that we would like to share it with you:

Place 9: The sniper rifle “Ice Breaker”

destiny-eisbrecher
The sniper “Ice Breaker” could soon return.

We have previously reported about this weapon. It is the hottest return rumor for Destiny 2.

More on the topic
Destiny 2 brings back the popular Eyasluna in December – What about Icebreaker?
von Britta ♤ BeAngel

What is special about this exotic? This sniper rifle was a powerful solar weapon that burned enemies. Similar to the effect that Destiny 2 players now know as the weapon perk “Dragonfly”. The best thing about this sniper is, however, that it could regenerate ammunition over time.

After Bungie has put a lot of attention on sniper rifles like D.A.R.C.I and Whisper of the Worm in recent weeks, Ice Breaker could also possess a “return option”. Bungie’s community manager may have even announced a catalyst for D.A.R.C.I.

Place 8: “Bones of Eoa” – Hunter Leg Armor

stompeez-knochen-von-eoa-destiny2
Who would win this duel?

Our hunters are known for quick and agile movement. With the “Bones of Eoa,” the exotic leg armor “St0mp-EE5,” also known as “Stompeez” in the community, would face real competition.

What is special about this exotic? The “Bones of Eoa” not only increased the amount of heavy ammunition that a hunter could carry, but also improved the jump of the hunter. For all those who always believed that the hunter needs a fourth jump, this exotic would make that possible.

Place 7: “The Ram” – Warlock Helmet

DER RAM-destiny2
“The Ram” would be a real eye-catcher as an ornament in Destiny 2.

This exotic “Ram” for Warlocks came with “House of Wolves”. It was a common part of a good Warlock build in Destiny 1 and visually one of the most beautiful exotic helmets for many players.

What is special about this exotic? “The Ram” provided health regeneration when a power sphere was picked up. Additionally, you regained super energy for each melee kill.

In fact, this exotic has already found worthy successors in Destiny 2. The Karnstein Armlets grant a similar advantage. Nevertheless, many players fondly remember this exotic. Maybe that’s why its return as an ornament for “The Stag” would be a more appropriate tribute.

Place 6: “The Taikonaut” – Titan Helmet

The perfect helmet for astro-titans.

We already know that an exotic rocket launcher, the famous “Gjallarhorn,” is celebrating its return in December. With the “Hegemony,” the new season weapon, we have received another strong rocket launcher from Bungie. If it turns out that we actually get a rocket launcher meta with “The Witch Queen,” then this exotic titan helmet would be the perfect exotic for that and certainly highly sought after at once.

What is special about this exotic? “The Taikonaut” has the perk called “Air Traffic Control.” This allows all your rocket launchers to gain target-seeking capabilities. Additionally, heavy ammunition is increased, and the radar remains visible while zooming with heavy weapons. With it, you would no longer need a targeting module on rocket launchers. It would greatly enhance any rocket launcher.

Place 5: “Voidfang Vestments” – Warlock Chest Armor

The “Voidfang Vestments” are advantageous for Axion Bolt grenades.

The Axion Bolt may not be the best Warlock grenade in Destiny 2. That was different in Destiny 1, especially when players were wearing the exotic “Voidfang Vestments.”

What is special about this exotic? The “Voidfang Vestments” granted players full grenade energy and as a small bonus, provided an additional seeker for the Axion Bolt grenade.

Place 4: “Don’t Touch Me” – Hunter Gauntlets

“Don’t Touch Me” should be taken literally here.

The Nightstalker is a very useful Hunter subclass. Many players utilize the ability to make their allies invisible in difficult activities to gain some breathing room. This exotic shines in that context.

What is special about this exotic? Those who equipped “Don’t Touch Me” in Destiny 1 became invisible immediately after receiving a melee attack from an enemy. This was especially practical when surrounded by enemies. As a hunter, you could quickly escape that precarious situation.

Place 3: The Exo-Swords from “The Taken King”

The three swords from “The Taken King”.

Next year, Destiny 2 players will fight with the glaive. This is a new weapon class that comes with “The Witch Queen” and originates from Savathun’s forge. The concept of forging a weapon is not new. Players could already craft exotic swords in the “The Taken King” expansion. They had a choice between “The Warden,” “The Archer,” and “The Dark Drinker.”

What could the three exotic swords do? The solar sword “The Warden” dealt a powerful uppercut to individual enemies. The arc sword “The Archer” unleashed a bolt that stretched across the ground, hitting foes further away. “The Dark Drinker” unleashed a spinning attack that affected surrounding enemies.

Considering how much players enjoy wielding a sword, these three, as exotics, would certainly enrich the sword pool. However, Bungie would need to change and make the individual characteristics more interesting for Destiny 2 to make them stand out from legendary variants.

Place 2: “Dawnbreaker Garrison” – Titan Chest Armor

With “Dawnbreaker Garrison” Titans could dodge in the air.

Apart from the shoulder charge and Thundercrash, Titans generally have little mobility. The “Dawnbreaker Garrison” is, therefore, an exotic that has never quite left players’ minds. With this exotic, Titans would be very maneuverable in the air, especially in PvP.

What is special about this exotic? The “Dawnbreaker Garrison” allowed Titans to dodge in the air. There are many reasons why this option should return. No Titan wants to fly directly into Gjallarhorn. And current weapons, like Jötunn or Eyes of Tomorrow, could also be countered well with it. With the right timing, a Titan could jump into the enemy who fired the projectile at them.

Place 1: “Touch of Malice” – exotic scout rifle

Destiny2-Touch-of-Malice2

The upcoming expansion and the potential return of a Destiny 1 raid would be perfect for the resurrection of this iconic scout rifle “Touch of Malice”. Players could only obtain this exotic scout rifle after defeating Oryx in the raid. It also fired automatically.

What is special about this exotic? Those who played with this scout rifle had to suffer. The last bullet in the magazine of this weapon dealt bonus damage. However, this came at the expense of the bearer’s health. Only three quick kills restored some health to the bearer. Additionally, the weapon became more accurate when health was lower. Only with a Warlock as a healer could one withstand the high damage output.

In Destiny 2, this scout rifle would be deadly both in the new raid and in the pinnacle nightfall.

What would be your personal favorite? Are there perhaps an exotic from Destiny 1 that you would love to see in Destiny 2 or that fits very well with Destiny 2? Let us know in the comments.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Gamerant
  2. Light.gg

How much money do “normal” Twitch streamers earn? Who can live “well” from Twitch?

On October 6, a leak was released that showed the earnings of Twitch streamers. Twitch stars like xQc, the German MontanaBlack, or the controversial Amouranth earned millions of euros. But how much do ‘normal’ Twitch streamers earn in 2021 on the platform? How many of the streamers earn so much that they can live ‘well’ from it?

What are these numbers? On October 6, a major leak revealed the insides of Twitch, including the earnings of streamers. The media coverage at the time focused on a few tweets from a user, who showed the ‘top earners’ on Twitch.

These were high sums and many were shocked at how much money was involved. Especially since the leak only shows a part of the earnings and does not list earnings from sponsorship deals or exclusive contracts.

The Wall Street Journal examined all the numbers closely and came to astonishing results: They analyzed the earnings of almost 4.9 million accounts. About 900,000 accounts were excluded from the evaluation because they earned no money or even lost money between July 2019 and September 2021.

More on the topic
Twitch Leak: How Many Women Are Among the 100 Top Earners?
von Schuhmann

The gap between rich and poor on Twitch is wide

These numbers are remarkable:

  • In 2021, a total of 889 million US dollars were distributed by September:
  • 75% of all streamers earned less than 120 $ in 2021 so far
  • 50% of all streamers made less than 28 $ – Twitch only pays out from 100 $.
Recommended editorial content

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Money is concentrated at the top and is increasing.
  • The inequality on Twitch is such that the top 1% of streamers earn 529 million US dollars.
  • The other 99% together receive 360 million US dollars.

We have dealt extensively with the leak on MeinMMO in a podcast:

Recommended editorial content

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Only 0.06% can live ‘well’ from Twitch streaming

How many can live well from streaming on Twich? The Wall Street Journal calculated that only 0.06% of Twitch streamers reach an income of over 67,521 $. This is considered the ‘median income’ of a US household. That would be enough to live ‘well’ and support a family.

The median income of a US household corresponds to “approximately” the average gross income of a German private household. This was at 58,152 €, converted 66,068 US dollars (via bnp.de).

The 0.06% means that only 6 streamers out of 10,000 can live well from their stream. For the rest, streaming is more of a hobby, a side income, or perhaps a dream of working as a self-employed content creator that remains unfulfilled.

Indeed, this shows that the numbers of the top earners do not reflect the picture of the majority of users:

Streamer explains after major Twitch leak: 90% of streamers earn less than you think

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. WSJ
  2. (via) techlive

Pokémon GO: Spotlight Hour today with Chelast and Stardust

In Pokémon GO the Spotlight Hour with Chelast starts today, November 16. A bonus of extra Stardust is coming your way. We show you everything about the start, Shiny, and content, as well as who should participate in the event today.

What kind of event is this? Every Tuesday evening, a Spotlight Hour starts in Pokémon GO. During each of these events, a specific Pokémon takes the spotlight and is accompanied by a bonus. During the hour, trainers will find many specimens of this Pokémon and can take advantage of the bonus to increase their supplies of candies, Stardust, or experience points.

Today, the Pokémon Chelast of the Grass type is in the spotlight. It comes from the fourth generation of games. A Stardust bonus awaits you.

Spotlight Hour with Chelast – Start, Shiny, Bonus

When does it start? You already know the start time from past events. The Spotlight Hour begins again at 6:00 PM local time. You have 60 minutes to make the most of the event, as the Spotlight Hour ends at 7:00 PM.

What bonuses are there? During the Spotlight Hour, you will encounter Chelast almost everywhere in the wild. Using incense will primarily draw in Chelast. Additionally, you will receive double Stardust for catching Pokémon.

Even if you’re not really interested in Chelast and its evolutions Chelcarain and Chelterrar, you can at least stock up on Stardust during the event.

Can you catch Shiny Chelast? Yes, you can catch Chelast as Shiny in Pokémon GO. The special thing is that you will catch Chelast today wearing the red Lucia hats. These are part of the new Sinnoh event and also affect today’s Spotlight Hour.

However, keep in mind that you cannot evolve Chelast with a hat. It remains in its base form and does not have a button for evolution.

At today’s event, you can find Shiny Chelast with a hat

Is the Spotlight Hour worth it today?

How strong is Chelast? Neither Chelast nor Chelcarain are particularly strong. The highest evolution, Chelterrar, is a good attacker, but there are many better Grass attackers in raids. In trainer battles, this Pokémon family does not play a significant role. So, you don’t need to participate in the event today to get strong attackers.

However, the event can be worth it if you want to catch event Pokémon like Chelast with a hat. With a bit of luck, you might even encounter Chelast as Shiny and enhance your collection. Use the event primarily to earn Stardust.

In the coming weeks, you can still participate in more Spotlight Hours and take advantage of their bonuses: All Spotlight Hours in November 2021 in Pokémon GO.

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

New World: New Weapon Blight Gauntlets is really strong – Ideal for solo players

With the next update, New World will receive its first new weapon since release. The Void Gauntlet combines damage and healing abilities. This makes it not only strong for healers but especially for solo players in the open world. MeinMMO editor Alexander Leitsch has already tried it out on the PTR.

What kind of weapon is this exactly? The Void Gauntlet is a magical weapon that scales with the attributes Intelligence but also with Focus. So far, only the Life Staff scaled with Focus, making the weapon directly interesting for any healer.

Overall, the Void Gauntlet focuses on CC, a lot of self-healing, and acceptable damage. This makes it particularly interesting for solo players in the open world who often have problems with their hit points.

We will present the abilities and the ideal application area of the weapon in more detail.

When will the weapon be released? It is supposed to be released with the big update this week. You can find out more about the update here: New World: Update 1.0.6 is coming this week – What do we know before the patch notes?

Who is speaking here? Alexander Leitsch is the MMORPG expert at MeinMMO and has invested over 200 hours in New World. On the test server, he experimented with the new weapon for about 3 hours and also exchanged thoughts with some players about the Void Gauntlet.

The 6 abilities in preview

The new weapon offers you two skill trees – Obliteration and Decay. Both trees have damage abilities and useful effects related to healing. However, it is important to note that healing scales solely with Focus. Players running a build with a lot of Intelligence will not benefit as much from healing.

Also curious: You lose hit points when you want to block. This is called Essence Harvest and is a special effect of the weapon. You don’t actually block but convert hit points into mana. With certain passive effects, you take less damage from Essence Harvest and can even reduce your cooldowns.

Thus, the Void Gauntlet puts more emphasis on evading or getting health back through lifesteal rather than defending through blocking.

What does Obliteration do?

  • The ability Dread Blade transforms your auto-attack from a ranged to a melee attack. It lasts for 15 seconds and has a CD of 25 seconds. You can then use light and heavy attacks, with each attack causing the debuff “Decay”. Decay inflicts an additional 5% weapon damage over 8 seconds and can be stacked up to 3 times. Through passive effects, you can also gain buffs, 10% additional crit damage, and 5% lifesteal through “Decay”.
  • The ability Void creates a 5m field around you, in which you deal 30% weapon damage per second. The field lasts for 6 seconds and grants you and allies within it “Empowerment”. Through additional passive effects, enemies receive weakness and you and your allies gain +15 stamina per second.
  • The ability Petrified Scream is a ranged attack that deals 100% of weapon damage and roots enemies for 2 seconds. Through passive effects, you can extend the root duration and gain “Buff” for each enemy hit.
  • The ultimate passive ability at the end grants you a stack of Dread Essence with every hit from an ability. At 6 stacks, these are consumed, and you gain an aura that deals 30% weapon damage to enemies within the vicinity and heals allies for 30% of weapon damage. This effect lasts for 5 seconds and has a 20 seconds CD.

Additionally, there are passive effects through which you deal more damage (+10% damage at less than 50% mana, 10% higher crit chance at more than 50% health), as well as an ability with self-healing (on a critical hit you receive 15% of damage dealt as healing).

What does Decay do?

  • The ability Decay Sphere fires an unstoppable projectile that deals 100% weapon damage and causes “Decay”. “Decay” inflicts an additional 5% weapon damage over 8 seconds and can be stacked up to 3 times. Once the projectile reaches maximum range, it transforms into a healing orb and returns to you. In doing so, it heals for 20% of weapon damage per second.
    • Through passive effects, you gain 5% mana for every enemy hit, enemies are slowed, and you get a new option. Once you press the ability key again, the orb explodes. Depending on its state, it either deals damage or heals allies.
  • The ability Unearthly Bonds ties you to an enemy. Each second, they are weakened by 4%, and you are strengthened by 4% (up to a maximum of 20%). The bonds break if you move more than 15m apart. Through passive effects, you gain additional mana regeneration while the bonds are active and heal for 80% of weapon damage when the target dies with active bonds.
  • The ability Rending Essence is a projectile that sticks to the target for 10 seconds. Anyone who attacks the hit target receives 20% of the damage dealt as healing. Through passive effects, players additionally receive 15 stamina when attacking and are healed for 80% of your weapon damage when Rending Essence ends.
  • The ultimate passive ability at the end of the tree allows you to build a stack of Dread Essence with every ability. At 4 stacks, the next heavy attack resets all cooldowns of the Void Gauntlet.

The skill tree also contains interesting passive effects, including useful self-healing (dodging with full mana heals you for 80% of weapon damage) or additional damage (10% more damage to targets that are at least 8m away).

You can watch all the abilities of the new weapon in this short video:

Start video
New World: The abilities of the new weapon Unheilsstulpen in the video

Strong weapon for healers, but especially for solo players

What is the first impression? The overall damage of the weapon looks good. The light attacks are smooth and quite swift. In the first battles in low-level areas and in balance, the Void Gauntlet left a solid impression.

In duels with other players who did not use the Void Gauntlet, the weapon even felt a bit OP. With the Dread Blade and through lifesteal, one could even hold their own against users of the war axe and the sickle in close combat. Especially the lifesteal is useful in all situations.

The fact that I cannot block felt hardly restrictive. Mostly, you want to attack or heal with this weapon anyway.

For whom is the new weapon interesting? The weapon is especially interesting for healers looking for a complement to their Life Staff. Here, especially the abilities Void, Petrified Scream, and Decay Sphere are interesting in PvP.

  • With Void, you empower allies
  • With the Scream, you can root enemies
  • The Decay Sphere deals damage but primarily focuses on AoE healing, which is useful for dungeons and PvP.

We also recommend leveling the Obliteration tree all the way down. We have put together a build that looked useful on paper and in early tests. This is primarily aimed at PvP players who should also rely on the Life Staff and heavy armor:

New World Void Gauntlet Healer Build
A possible skill distribution as a PvP healer.

On the other hand, the weapon also appeals to solo players who want a bit of extra healing in the open world. Here, especially the abilities Dread Blade, Unearthly Bonds, and Rending Essence are interesting.

  • The Dread Blade deals a lot of damage in melee combat
  • The Unearthly Bonds deliberately weaken an enemy while strengthening you in return
  • The Rending Essence allows for significant self-healing when you consciously target an enemy

For solo players, the numerous passive self-healing effects are also a positive. Here, we recommend leveling down to the effect “Gaze of Dread” in the Decay tree. As a second weapon, a Life Staff or a weapon focusing on Intelligence, the second attribute of the Void Gauntlet, is advisable.

A possible build focusing on damage and Life Staff could look like this:

New World Void Gauntlet Solo Build
A possible solo build that focuses on self-healing and reducing cooldowns.

What is your impression of the weapon so far? Will you try the Void Gauntlet? Or have you already found your favorite weapon set? Feel free to let us know in the comments.

While many players are eagerly awaiting the new update and the accompanying changes, there are currently numerous issues in the game itself. The coin transfer is currently disabled because some players have exploited dupes.

Amazon has now announced that they will take stronger action:

New World: Gold dupes are a great danger for new MMORPGs – This is how hard Amazon is now cracking down

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

Halo Infinite has launched on Steam and Xbox – Who should check out the multiplayer?

The multiplayer of Halo Infinite starts surprisingly earlier than announced. All PC and Xbox players can play the multiplayer beta for free via Steam or Xbox. MeinMMO tells you which players should be particularly excited about this.

Halo Infinite was scheduled for December 8th. This date still applies to the campaign. Surprisingly, Microsoft and 343 Industries have brought forward the release of the multiplayer – in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Xbox and Halo. 

The multiplayer beta is free-to-play and has been available since November 15th via Steam and Xbox. On Steam, user reviews on the first day after release are “mostly positive” (via Steam). Popular streamers such as Shroud or Dr Disrespect have already shared their first impressions – and they have differing opinions. 

We highlight what type of shooter fan Halo Infinite is particularly exciting for. We also explain how it differs from other current shooter hits, such as Battlefield 2042 or Call of Duty: Vanguard.

Halo Infinite returns to old strengths – for better or worse 

How does Halo differ from CoD or Battlefield? Since Bungie developed the Destiny games instead of Halo, the developer studio 343 Industries has been primarily responsible for the Halo franchise. Fans have rarely been enthusiastic about the games from the new studio. 343 Industries seems to have taken this feedback to heart. 

Halo Infinite focuses on classic Halo action in multiplayer, albeit with a few modern twists. This is very good for fans of this type of gameplay – but it can also feel outdated to those who did not grow up with it. 

More on the topic
Everyone is talking about CoD Vanguard and Battlefield 2042, while the best shooter of 2021 is overlooked
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Halo Infinite is a so-called arena shooter. This means that all players start with the same loadout and abilities. Players then find more powerful weapons and helpful items like super shields scattered across the map. 

Intense battles occur specifically around the strongest weapons like rocket launchers or sniper rifles. Because these ‘Power Weapons’ are very limited, spawn rarely, and deal significant damage. Those who control these power-ups often win the game.

As a result, Halo Infinite is currently only comparable to games like Splitgate. Fans of CoD Vanguard or Battlefield 2042 will not recognize much in Halo’s gameplay. This can provide the desired variety – or deter some players.

Every duel in Halo is a small mind game

How fast does Halo Infinite play? The time-to-kill (or TTK) in Halo is very high. This means players die very slowly. Even with many headshots, it takes almost an entire magazine of the assault rifle to kill a player.

This means that in a game like Halo, precision and good movement are important. Thus, every firefight becomes a small mind game: you try to throw the opponent off balance to win.

Especially with automatic-fire weapons, it is essential to maintain control over your aim and keep the crosshair trained on the enemy player for extended periods. Those who hit better and ensure that their opponent hits less through small movements will win the duel. 

The power weapons are the big exception: shotguns, snipers, and rocket launchers kill with 1-2 hits. Therefore, it is crucial to get these before the other team does – or to seize them as quickly as possible from enemy hands.

Lone wolves lose to good teams

Is Halo Infinite better for solo players or teams? The high TTK also means that you can better respond to lone flankers – and that a good flanking maneuver does not automatically lead to a multikill. Especially against multiple opponents, it is challenging to accomplish much. Therefore, in Halo Infinite, it is very important to play with your team. 

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The 8 most important weapons in Halo Infinite and what makes them so strong
von Marko Jevtic

Additionally, the vehicles available on some maps and in some game modes of Halo Infinite become more robust with a coordinated team. However, there are also vehicles like the Ghost and the Banshee that only have room for one player – and can deal a lot of damage.

However, because opponents only die quickly when multiple people shoot at them, matches often naturally lead to pack formation. You do not even need to be active in voice chat for a sense of cohesion to develop.

Halo Infinite is thus a somewhat different shooter, where different skills and tactics come into play. Do you still plan to play Halo Infinite, or have you already tried it? Does the gameplay appeal to you? Are you happy with the decisions made by 343 Industries? Let us know in the comments! 

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

Start date of Chapter 3 in Fortnite known – Earlier than expected

In Fortnite, many players have already discussed whether Chapter 3 will start earlier than Chapter 2 did. Now, a leak has emerged that finally confirms what many players have been discussing for so long. The end of Chapter 2 is soon sealed. You can find all the important details here on MeinMMO.

What happened? On Tuesday, November 16, the servers went down for an update. Many new contents were released. This includes new skins, styles, and new packs.

However, one thing came very suddenly, as sharp-eyed leakers dug up an event that signifies the end.

A new black hole could await you

Leaker Hypex points out an important find on Twitter, where a playlist was discovered with the name of an event. This event is called “The End.” Anyone who was present in Chapter 1 should be familiar with it.

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When does Chapter 3 start? According to Hypex, Chapter 3 starts on December 7, 2021. So, you can expect a brand-new map, many new features, and new weapons this year. He adds that Fortnite will not be playable from December 5 to 6. Players will need to be patient, just like after the Season X event.

Will there be a new map in Chapter 3? That is very likely. Since the Cube Queen is known to destroy realities, she will certainly bring an end to the Chapter 2 map as well. Epic Games also announced that after each chapter ends, a new map will be delivered. So stay tuned.

Will there be an end event for Chapter 2? Hypex released an image of a new event playlist named “The End.” As it seems, we won’t be able to prevent an end.

Thus, a live event for the season’s end could seem very plausible. Perhaps the Cube Queen will tear open another black hole and suck or absorb the current reality. This way, she could become stronger, as she seeks power.

What do you think of the new information? Are you hyped for a new chapter? Let us know in the comments what you think!

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

FIFA 22: New SBCs guarantee values over 82 – But is it worth it?

In FIFA 22 there are three new SBCs (Squad Building Challenges) that promise cards with ratings over 82. We will tell you if this is a good investment and which SBC offers the potentially best cards.

What are these SBCs? As part of the new Numbers-Up event, EA released three new Squad Building Challenges on November 15th that guarantee cards with specific ratings over 82. There are:

  • An SBC with an 82+ pace player pack for about 4,000 coins
  • An SBC with an 82+ passing player pack for about 8,000 coins
  • An SBC with an 82+ dribbling player pack for about 3,300 coins

The SBCs can be completed as many times as you want, but the rewards are non-tradable and cannot be put on the transfer market.

But is it worth investing your card fodder and valuable coins in these SBCs? Let’s take a closer look at the chances of getting good cards.

Are the new 82+ SBCs worth it?

The bad news first, no FUT Heroes or Icons can be found in the new 82+ SBCs. You should only expect gold cards, current Inform cards or special cards from the ongoing promo. But even without Icons and Heroes, there are still a lot of strong cards.

After all, Ronaldo, Messi, and Mbappé fall into the 82+ dribbling category. The problem is: Besides Messi, Ronaldo, and Mbappé, there are still 174 other rare gold cards that can have a dribbling rating of 82 or higher. So the chances of pulling these cards seem low.

Here’s how many rare gold cards are there in the various SBCs:

  • There are a total of 224 rare gold cards with 82+ pace (via futbin)
  • There are a total of 177 rare gold cards with 82+ dribbling (via futbin)
  • There are a total of 67 rare gold cards with 82+ passing (via futbin)

Looking at the number of gold players, it seems that the 82+ passing pack should offer the best chances of strong players. After all, there are only 67 cards in that pack, of which the top five are Messi (93), Neymar (91), De Bruyne (91), Ronaldo (91), and Kane (90).

The YouTuber ZwebackHD opened 70 of the 82+ packs and clearly pulled the best cards with the passing SBC. He even got Toni Kroos (88), Bruno Fernandes (88), and two NUMBERSUP Hummels (88).

You can check out his complete haul here:

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Until when are the SBCs available? If you want to complete the Squad Building Challenges, you should hurry, because the SBCs are only available until Friday, November 19th, in FUT 22.

Should one invest in the SBCs? As the video shows, the passing SBC is probably the one with the best results. However, one should not expect a guaranteed star card. If you have some cards lying around that you do not need, you can use the 82+ passing SBC and try your luck. And if you do not pull a top card, at least you have some SBC fodder for upcoming challenges.

However, one should not put their entire fortune into the SBCs and expect to pull guaranteed top cards. There are just too many mediocre or bad cards with 82+ ratings.

What do you think of the new SBCs? Have you already tried your luck? Feel free to let us know in the comments!

If you want to improve in FIFA 22 and are looking for some tips, check this out:

Pro in FIFA 22 explains tricks that you should master in FUT

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

New open-world MMO launching soon on Steam – Plays like Conan Exiles in ancient China

Myth of Empires is released as a new MMO on Steam in Early Access. The open-world game mainly appeals to survival fans but combines mechanics from many genres. MeinMMO was able to speak with the developers and get a sneak peek at the game.

What is Myth of Empires? Myth of Empires refers to itself simply as an MMO and already has the tags “Construction Simulation” and “Sandbox” on Steam. The game is developed by the Chinese studio Angela Game (Iron Conflict).

In essence, it is a classic sandbox survival game, similar to ARK, Rust, or Conan Exiles. The significant difference is that Myth of Empires takes place in a Chinese setting and attempts to showcase historical elements. The game’s features include:

  • Large siege battles
  • Character progression with skills, talents, and recipes
  • Free construction of the environment with own houses and fortresses
  • An action combat system in the style of Mordhau or Mount & Blade
  • NPC followers that serve as support troops

The release of the game is on November 18, 2021, in Early Access for PC on Steam. The developers revealed to us that versions for Xbox and PlayStation are also planned for the future, but initially, it will only be developed for PC. The game will not be released as a mobile title.

Who is speaking? Benedict Grothaus is an editor and survival expert at MeinMMO. One of his first games was the survival game Stranded from 2003. Since then, he has accumulated many thousands of hours in the genre, including in Rust, ARK, and Don’t Starve. Some of his favorite titles include Conan Exiles, Fallout 76, and Valheim.

I have looked around the world for a little more than 4 hours and gained an impression of the game’s features. The beginning reminded me strongly of Conan Exiles and Mordhau, but the mechanics quickly overwhelmed me.

I was assured that possible translation errors that you see in the screenshots and other bugs will be fixed. Additionally, Game Director Leon Meng and Game Designer Lionel Li answered some questions about the game.

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The 4K trailer for the Closed Beta impresses with strong graphics.

Surviving in Ancient China – This is how Myth of Empires plays

Through the developers, I had the opportunity to take a look into the game. On a special server with an early test build, I was able to create a character and test the features of Myth of Empires.

The gameplay itself is very reminiscent of Conan Exiles. I choose a server, create a character, and start in any area – in my case, in the forest. There I am supposed to complete a series of tasks that build on each other, just like the journey steps of Conan Exiles.

In this way, I am slowly introduced to the game and discover the various systems. The combat, however, is suddenly something entirely different. Through movement and directional input with the mouse, I determine at what angle I strike. I can even cancel attacks to confuse opponents, just like in fighting games in the style of Mordhau or For Honor.

Here I began to engage a bit more with the game and quickly realized that Myth of Empires is much more than just a survival game.

However, the developers explained to me in the interview that many of the mechanics will take effect later and make Myth of Empires unique.

More on the topic
8 new survival games to look forward to in 2024
von Benedict Grothaus

And then the menus came

As I clicked through the various menus, I was absolutely baffled. Besides the inventory, my talents with specialties, recipes, and NPC companions await. There is even a sort of guild dynasty and a reputation system with feudal ranks!

Many of the already 15 menus are further divided. In the recipes, the game distinguishes between weapons, armor, buildings, and more. Talents are categorized into combat, charisma/leadership, crafting, and more.

Behind the survival game Myth of Empires lies much more than it initially appears. Talent points in weapons, for example, help to improve corresponding combat styles more quickly. What does that do? No idea. I haven’t gotten that far yet.

At least I was able to create my first guild and I have built my first house and claimed a piece of land. Well… I piled up some wood and put a flag next to it. But at least.

“A realistic, historical setting” – The CEOs in the interview

Even before I could play Myth of Empires, I had the opportunity to ask the CEOs some questions about the game. The responses were all quite detailed, and the developers are very confident about the game.

MeinMMO: First of all: The game looks wonderful. Will Myth of Empires support specific graphic features like DLSS or ray tracing?

Developer: Yes. DLSS has been implemented with our current closed beta test, and ray tracing is available in the developer version of the game. We are working closely with Nvidia to adjust the parameters of ray tracing and achieve a better balance between visuals and performance. Once these adjustments are complete, ray tracing will also be available in the playable version.

MeinMMO: Some features resemble popular survival games. What makes Myth of Empires unique?

Developer: Myth of Empires tells the story of the ancient eastern continent and places a realistic, historical setting in the foreground. The technological, cultural, and military elements depicted in the game are new to western players. As the game is more realistic and historical, there are not many fantasy elements like magic. Instead, the game provides an immersive sandbox experience that fits the era in which it is set.

Unlike other survival games, each server represents a different district. These districts are connected within a larger, overarching world. Players can switch between PvE and PvP. Additionally, there are three different large battles for players – including cross-server battles.

A game for survival fans with an “emphasis on player freedom”

MeinMMO: In your first trailer, it looks like Myth of Empires resembles Mortal Online, Conan Exiles, or even New World. Which game could interested players best compare it to? Or: What games should I enjoy to love Myth of Empires?

Developer: Our player base will probably mainly consist of survival and sandbox players. These players will first be most familiar with the game mechanics. However, players who enjoy hardcore combat like in Mount & Blade, Mordhau, or Chivalry will also find a lot here.

Of course, there is a certain learning curve in survival games. Therefore, one of our goals is to reduce the pressure that such games exert on players and to emphasize instead the freedoms of the players. We hope to attract players who enjoy medieval and melee games as well as those who enjoy traditional MMORPGs.

To this end, Myth of Empires does not place too much weight on combating nature to survive, as such games usually do. We have introduced various rules to ensure that everyone finds something they like. Myth of Empires is not strictly built around a type of hardcore gameplay where you fear that your base might be completely destroyed when you log out.

MeinMMO: How important will building and crafting be and how exactly do these systems work?

Developer: Building and crafting are extremely important in our game. Through these systems, players become familiar with the ancient eastern era that the game represents. Players will have various needs regarding food, clothing, houses, transportation, and combat.

The technology of that time was not very advanced, so players must rely on manpower and animals like horses to solve problems. Later, wind and water structures can also help here.

Each building requires certain resources and can produce specific items or equipment. These structures are weak and vulnerable by themselves, so players must build walls and watchtowers to protect them.

There are also some strategic elements. You can build your base in easily accessible areas with many resources, but the cost of defense will be higher here.

Sieges and Own NPCs for Support

MeinMMO: How significant will siege battles be and how many people can participate?

Developer. There are currently two main types of sieges. One takes place in the actual game. Groups of players can besiege others they find in the game world. This also exists in other sandbox games.

The other type is unique to Myth of Empires and allows players from different servers to meet at specific times. They bring their resources and items to a separate map and fight for territory for power and profit.

These battles are currently 50 vs. 50, and each player can take up to 5 NPCs into battle. However, our technical team is still optimizing it so that the mode can eventually accommodate more players.

MeinMMO: We can recruit NPCs in Myth of Empires. Will it be like in a strategy game, or how exactly does it work?

Developer: You can either peacefully recruit NPCs or force them to join you. These NPCs have the same general attributes as players and can help with many tasks.

These NPCs are randomly generated, so players need to find an NPC that meets their needs. Some NPC attributes make them formidable fighters, allowing players to use them as companions in battles or to operate siege weapons.

Other NPC attributes make the characters useful for production. Players can use these NPCs to assist in crafting, mining, etc.

MeinMMO: How will monetization and future support (updates, DLCs) look like?

Developer: Myth of Empires will first be released on Steam in Early Access. During this time, we will focus on improving the core experience of the game. In the future, we might rely on DLCs to bring additional content, including, but not limited to, environments and maps, crafting recipes, weapons from other countries, or naval battles.

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The new trailer for the Early Access focuses on battles.

Could Myth of Empires perhaps be too much at once?

According to this information, Myth of Empires offers just about everything you could imagine. A kind of jack-of-all-trades that every gamer can only dream of:

The NPC system sounds a bit like the slaves from Conan Exiles. The combat seems reminiscent of Mordhau. Territory battles exist in New World, and skills and talents have been present in classic role-playing games.

Perhaps Myth of Empires is aiming for too much. Apparently, many genres are being combined here, which poses the risk that a focus may shift. If everyone is to be addressed, perhaps no one feels addressed.

Graphically, Myth of Empires could not quite hold what the trailers promised. Nevertheless, the game looks decent, and even at ultra settings with DLSS fully focused on visuals, it looks really good on a 2080 with 2 monitors and runs at over 70 FPS.

However, we also played a very early version that apparently focuses mainly on mechanics. And these worked flawlessly in the short time.

Since Myth of Empires supports technologies such as DLSS and RayTracing, it is expected that visuals will be enhanced again. However, how much remains to be seen. I am definitely following the development with interest and hope that the developers’ plan succeeds. Because I can imagine that Myth of Empires will become a solid survival game with many additional elements.

Until Myth of Empires is released and you can see for yourself, you will find the best survival games of 2021 for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC on MeinMMO.

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

Battlefield 2042 is fun if you don’t listen to the annoyed players

For half a week, Battlefield 2042 has been in Early Access, and the release showcases a phenomenon that regularly occurs with larger game franchises. While parts of the community are having a great time, the other part is very annoyed by issues.

This is currently being discussed: If you have looked into the subreddits for Battlefield and Battlefield 2042 these days, you will find significantly different sentiments.

While the subreddit for Battlefield 2042 (via reddit) is overflowing with criticism and annoyed players, the general subreddit for Battlefield (via reddit) has a significantly better mood. This has even led to both “sides” being annoyed with each other.

While one part just wants to play in peace and have fun, the other part is keen to highlight the errors and problems so that they can be resolved quickly. They also want to express their disappointment.

But what does that ultimately say? Which parts of the community are now in the “right,” and which are not? Or is neither? How should one make their own picture of how Battlefield 2042 really is? We summarize the sentiments and explain the conflict within the Battlefield community.

reddit vs reddit shows: The mood is very different

Two current examples show particularly well how the opinions within the community are currently. Like this post here in the Battlefield subreddit, which says: “Battlefield 2042 is fun – If you don’t have reddit whispering in your ear that it’s bad.”

Many players apparently feel confirmed by this, as the post has now received 3500 upvotes (as of November 16, 1:16 PM).

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User Getrektself states: ‘There are things [about the game] that are really annoying. The game is still a lot of fun. These two things do not exclude each other.’

This is followed by numerous jokes about the reddit phenomenon. For example, Hatfield writes ironically: ‘NO, he is wrong. Things can ONLY be TOP, or complete dog shit. Dead game.’ To which Can_of_leaves responds: ‘A true Redditor.’

While some feel disturbed by the negativity and even describe it as a “toxic community,” others feel attacked by this criticism. A post in the subreddit for Battlefield 2042 addresses this directly and currently has over 3500 upvotes. (via reddit)

In it, Dull-Caterpillar3153 writes: ‘Honestly, it is so exhausting to see people say that the community is “toxic” and “ungrateful.” We are literally the consumers for this game. If people do not like something about a game, they have every right to complain about it.’

Furthermore, he states: ‘Some people have spent 100 dollars on this game. How can you tell these people to shut up and just enjoy it if they don’t like it?’

There is also a lot of support from disappointed Battlefield fans who are unsatisfied with the state of the game. For example, Gettoblastah writes: ‘I fully agree with you, buddy, it is quite a disaster…’

What exactly is being criticized? The game has several issues, and the veterans of the Battlefield series have already voiced numerous criticisms:

Many compare the latest Battlefield installment to earlier titles and miss certain features. For instance, the destruction system was significantly more comprehensive in Battlefield 1, and many found the gameplay in Battlefield V better.

The larger the community, the more varied the expectations

So how is the mood? As the two larger examples show, there is no clear answer to this. One can certainly say: There are numerous problems that urgently need to be addressed.

For some players, these problems are so severe that they lose interest in Battlefield 2042. Others still have enough fun to ignore these errors and wait for them to be fixed.

The fact that these parts of the community are arguing with each other is simply due to reddit. Because reddit only reflects a portion of the players and often brings more attention to controversial discussions. This makes the differences in opinion seem more significant than they actually are.

Typically, reddit is more populated by veterans and hardcore players who have been involved with the respective game or series for a long time. While some with 20 years of Battlefield experience have a completely different perspective on the game, there are others who are new or just started with the last few installments.

This naturally leads to very different perspectives and expectations, which constantly lead to such discussions. Even among veterans, there are differing opinions, with some even seeing the rough launch of a new Battlefield as a tradition of the series.

But what do you think of the debate? Are you having fun in Battlefield 2042, or do the problems weigh too heavily?

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

Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker removes the most annoying part of PvP that ruined my enjoyment

With Patch 6.1 of the new addon Endwalker for Final Fantasy XIV, the reward system of the PvP is completely revamped. MeinMMO author Irina Moritz celebrates the changes because the most annoying part of PvP is finally gone.

During the producer streams with director Naoki Yoshida, new features, content, and changes are presented step by step, which fans can look forward to in the new addon Endwalker (Release: 12/7/2021).

The latest stream covered topics such as the new housing in Endwalker, the raid Pandaemonium, and the new systems in the PvP of FFXIV.

Interestingly, it was the PvP that caught my attention right away. Because with Patch 6.1, FFXIV finally removes the one part that I found by far the most annoying in PvP.

FEAST and Me: A Tragedy

I am not a fan of PvP. I am not one of those players who enjoy this content simply because they have fun with competitive gameplay, and I admit it. However, FFXIV has always managed to get me into PvP by waving cool rewards in front of me.

There are several very stylish gear sets and other cosmetic items that can only be obtained through PvP tokens. And I want these gear sets. In such cases, I actually enjoy joining the frontlines or other mass battles of FFXIV, and I prepare accordingly so that I am not a burden to my teammates.

However, I have avoided one PvP mode like the plague so far, namely the competitive FEAST, even though this mode had by far the coolest and rarest rewards during its seasons. And I want those rewards even more than the other gear sets.

FEAST is the only PvP mode that I couldn’t get used to.

In the 4vs4 mode, players compete against each other in an arena. The team that has collected the most points at the end wins. During each season, players can accumulate points and rank up, either solo or as a group. In the end, they grab the prizes.

These prizes can only be obtained exclusively during the respective season if they end up in the top 100, 10, or 1 of the competitive rankings data center-wide. After that, the prizes disappeared into nirvana and never returned.

FOMO – The Fun Killer

The FEAST rewards exemplify the classic case of a FOMO mechanic. The abbreviation stands for “Fear of Missing Out”, which means the fear of missing something. This mechanic aims to bring rare or valuable rewards into the game for a short time. Depending on the game, it may do so to encourage players to return to play (for example, through login bonuses) or to create a special incentive for different types of content, as players would miss out on these rewards otherwise.

And that’s exactly the case with FEAST. Since the start of the seasons in February 2016, the top players of FEAST have received exclusive mounts and gear sets that have never been available again since. They were removed from the item pool.

And therein lies my problem with FEAST. Instead of encouraging me to play the mode, FOMO has had the complete opposite effect on me. I have steered clear, and it’s not even about PvP itself, even though I am not a fan.

There is hardly anything in MMOs that can get me to stop playing faster than with FOMO.

It does not matter whether it involves PvP or PvE content. My interest in any content evaporates immediately when there is pressure to achieve the rewards there.

I want to complete the content at my own pace while playing and do not want to be rushed by anything. Especially when it is an artificially created, annoying time pressure like with FOMO. No matter how great the rewards are, I simply lose interest.

It is also noteworthy that the feat of Mission Out in FEAST is quite unique in the reward system of FFXIV:

  • Rare rewards from difficult raids and trials can be easily farmed by everyone once the level cap is increased.
  • If a type of content is revised, the corresponding rewards become available from other sources. This happened, for example, with the content Diadem, which was temporarily removed from the game.
  • Collaborations with other IPs like Final Fantasy XV or Dragon Quest are repeated, allowing new players to earn the rewards.
  • Even if players miss other time-limited events at Christmas or Easter, they can later buy the rewards for half price in the cash shop. Not exactly the most customer-friendly solution, but at least the items do not completely disappear into nirvana.

I can’t think of any other rewards that one can permanently miss in the current version of FFXIV like in FEAST.

PvP in Final Fantasy XIV: FOMO with a Hint of Cheating

I absolutely commend passionate PvP players for earning cool items for their victories, but not even that is safe in FFXIV.

FEAST also has the problem of win trading and cheating (via official FFXIV forums), which is not uncommon during the seasons and has been going on for years. It is also fueled by FOMO because players want the exclusive rewards but do not want to work for them.

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Cheating is an open secret in FEAST

It is something that gold seller sites and other “service providers” have also focused on. Do you want the cool mount from the current season? No problem! For a small fee, you can easily get a boost.

This means: Even if one manages to work their way up to the top 100, top 30, or top 10 fairly, it can happen that they are simply kicked out just before the end of the season due to win trading or boosting.

That’s just frustrating.

FFXIV introduces a battle pass for PvP

When it was announced in the last producer stream for the Endwalker addon that FEAST along with its seasons would be discontinued and replaced with a new system, I was actually immediately hooked. The system, which will be introduced in 2022 with Patch 6.1, sounded surprisingly interesting to me. And the more I think about it and discuss it with other players, the more I like it.

FFXIV’s PvP will get a battle pass system next year, just like many of you know it from shooters like Fortnite or CoD.

It will temporarily be referred to as “Series”. During the duration of a battle pass, players can earn EXP and level up in all PvP activities:

  • Every 5 levels, there are special rewards like mounts, armor, and other items.
  • With each level-up, players receive a token which can later be exchanged for further rewards.
  • As soon as the Series is over, the level resets to 0, and leveling starts from the beginning.

So it’s similar to a classic battle pass.

ffxiv series battle pass explanation
Explanation of how the Series works from the producer stream.

I like this new system on multiple levels. For example, director Yoshida explained that the Series will run over a longer period.

An example was given of the time span between two major content updates, which usually takes about 3.5 to 4 months. If I can work through the Series while doing my PvP dailies, then that is a win for me.

On the other hand, I find it great that every level of a Series seems rewarding. Even if one doesn’t receive mounts or gear, there are still the tokens that can be exchanged later. And these tokens should be saved and carried over to the next Series.

But the most important change for me is that there will be no FOMO in the Series. Even if players miss a Series, they will be able to exchange their tokens later for the old rewards. They are not forever out of reach.

Crystal Conflict as a Replacement for FEAST?

And then there’s the new competitive mode Crystal Conflict coming to FFXIV to replace FEAST. It will be played in 5v5 groups, and the goal is not just to eliminate opponents. The teams’ objective is to push the Tactical Crystal in the center of the arena into the enemy base.

ffxiv crystal conflict 1
Explanation of Crystal Conflict from the producer stream.

Crystal Conflict will have a season system with its own rewards that are separate from the Series. However, in the producer stream, the rewards were described as “special titles and other achievements”.

It seems that the dev team will move away from the total exclusivity of cosmetic items from FEAST. A change that I personally welcome. It will definitely make me check out the PvP in Endwalker more often than I have so far.

And what about you? What did you think of the PvP changes from the producer letter? Did you like them, or do you think it’s a shame that FEAST is now completely removed?

Let us know in the comments.

Is it still worth starting in Final Fantasy XIV in 2021? What the MMORPG offers

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

3 things that are particularly worth it at the Sinnoh event in Pokémon GO

Currently, a Sinnoh event is taking place in Pokémon GO, bringing you numerous bonuses and monsters. We at MeinMMO have looked into how you can make the most of the event and provide you with 3 helpful tips.

What event is this about? In connection with the Nintendo Switch release of “Pokémon Brilliant Diamond” and “Pokémon Shining Pearl”, there is currently a Sinnoh event taking place in Pokémon GO. As you know from other events in the game, there are again some bonuses and monsters.

When does the event take place? The Sinnoh event started today, on November 16, 2021, at 10:00 AM local time, and runs until November 21, 2021, at 8:00 PM. There are again two different parts: “Pokémon Brilliant Diamond” and “Pokémon Shining Pearl”.

The first part runs until November 18, 2021, at 10:00 AM local time, and will then be followed by the second part, which ends on November 21, 2021, at 8:00 PM.

These 3 things you should take advantage of

As with every event, there are also numerous highlights during the Sinnoh event in the form of bonuses and Pokémon. 3 of these advantages are particularly worthwhile, so you should definitely take advantage of them. Here’s a summary of what they are.

Collect 7-km Eggs

Especially interesting during the entire Sinnoh event are the monsters from the 7-km eggs. The following monsters are hidden within them: Budew, Mawile, Happiny, Pantimime, and Riolu. All can also be obtained as Shiny with a bit of luck.

Pokémon GO Diamond Pearl 7 Eggs

The most interesting of these baby Pokémon is Riolu. The pre-evolution of Lucario is normally only available very rarely through the 10-km eggs in the game. It cannot be found in the wild or in raids. However, Lucario is among the strongest Fighting Pokémon in the game, making it highly sought after by trainers.

But Happiny may also be of interest to some players. This little monster can evolve into Chansey. Chansey is particularly convincing with its high stamina and is among the best gym defenders in Pokémon GO.

For this reason, you should secure enough of these eggs. You can get the eggs by opening gifts that you have received from friends. The requirement is that you have enough space in your egg storage.

Utilize shortened hatch distance

In addition to the cool monsters in the 7-km eggs, Niantic has also shortened the hatch distance of the eggs throughout the entire event. Depending on which incubator you’re using, whether a normal or a super incubator, your eggs will hatch twice or even three times as fast.

You should definitely take advantage of this and hatch eggs diligently. On one hand, the current 7-km eggs offer great opportunities, but you can also find interesting and especially rare monsters in the 10- and 12-km eggs, such as Dratini. Which Pokémon you can find in the 12-km eggs is summarized in our following post:

More on the topic
12 km Eggs in Pokémon GO bring rare Pokémon – What are the chances?
von Noah Struthoff

Complete field research

For the respective event parts, there are also some new field research tasks available. In the first part, which has started today, you can encounter the following 6 new quests (via leekduck.com):

TaskReward
Catch 2 TurtwigEncounter with Turtwig* wearing Lucia Hat
Catch 2 ChimcharEncounter with Chimchar* wearing Lucia Hat
Catch 2 PiplupEncounter with Piplup* wearing Lucia Hat
Trade a PokémonEncounter with Burmy* (Sandy Cloak)
or Burmy* (Trash Cloak)
Win a RaidEncounter with Shinx*
Win a level 3 raid or higherEncounter with Bastiodon*

(*) With all rewards, you have the chance to encounter a shiny version with a bit of luck.

Especially noteworthy is the encounter with Bastiodon. Its evolution, Bastiodon, is among the Rock and Steel Pokémon. According to PvPoke, it is a strong contender especially in the Great League (via pvpoke.com). Trainers who regularly compete in the GO Battle League should secure a strong specimen.

Additionally, the quest with Shinx is worthwhile. The Dragon Pokémon can evolve into Dragapult. Dragapult is one of the strongest dragon attackers in the game and should not be missing in any Pokémon bag.

More things that are worth it for the Sinnoh event

The Sinnoh event has more highlights in store for you. Especially the shiny hunters among you will have a chance to benefit. Many of the monsters you can find in the wild, in field research, or in raids can also be found in their shiny form with a bit of luck.

Furthermore, the current collector challenge additionally offers you 3,000 Stardust and 1,000 experience points. So, those who are catching all the monsters should not miss out on this reward.

Don’t forget to get your free event box consisting of a Sinnoh Stone and 20 Poké Balls in the in-game shop.

Which bonuses and monsters do you find particularly interesting during the Sinnoh event? Are you going to hatch a lot of eggs, or is that not really your thing? Feel free to share your opinion with us here on MeinMMO in the comments.

By the way: During the Sinnoh event, you’ll find a new legendary raid boss in the level 5 raids. We show you which counters are particularly effective against Cresselia.

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