19-year-old Austrian David “aqua” Wang became World Champion in the online shooter Fortnite in 2019 and pocketed 1.5 million US dollars in prize money. Now he says he is receiving death threats because he slipped up during a stream and insulted a former partner.
Even now, the Austrian is again attracting attention for criticizing a former partner.
Streamer insults ex-partner live, didn’t know the stream was on
This is causing a stir: This week a Twitter clip circulated in which Aqua was with other streamers but didn’t realize he was live. In the clip, they discuss playing with Brit Mongraal, a former trio partner of aqua. However, the Austrian says:
“Oh shut up, I just don’t want to play with Mongraal. He sucks. […] I don’t care anymore, he triggered me.”
When others point out that aqua should calm down, as they are currently live streaming, aqua immediately gets nervous. The person who is streaming live should restart the stream and delete the recording.
But it was already too late, the clip was on the internet.
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This is how Mongraal reacted: The 17-year-old known for his outbursts Kyle “Mongraal” Jackson reacted surprisingly calmly: He wrote that this is just how the Fortnite scene is. Things always go on behind backs, especially in such friend groups. No one ever tells you anything to your face, insults always come behind your back.
That’s just how it goes: “Please delete the clip, turn off the stream” (via twitter).
Mongraal explained that since leaving his clique in Fortnite, he has been constantly mocked by top players. He is an easy target because he’ll never find out without contacts.
However, he doesn’t care about it all that much anymore. Aqua can now win 3 tournaments in a row with his old trio, Mongraal doesn’t care. He only plays Fortnite now because he gets so many positive messages from fans.
However, people should stop sending hate messages to aqua. That’s a thing between them.
Mongraal (17) expresses disappointment over the incident, but is not surprised.
This is what aqua says: He feels the effects of his comments in the stream on Twitter. He says he is receiving “thousands of death threats just because he called someone shit.” For him, these are just outraged fanboys of Mongraal.
Aqua then posts some tweets from people who insult him and urge him to take his own life or die painfully.
The most shocking message shared by the 19-year-old involves death and rape fantasies against the father, mother, and sister of the Austrian – announcing that they will “joyfully fly to Austria” to commit the atrocities.
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What’s behind this: Apparently, Mongraal and aqua, along with the player “Noah,” recently planned to compete in Fortnite esports as a trio. However, the trio didn’t seem to work out and quickly dissolved.
The incident shows that the interactions among Fortnite players are immature, even though so much money is at stake in this area. The fans also seem to have no boundaries when someone sins against their “idol.” This is concerning.
For some parents, the high prize money in Fortnite is an incentive to get the best out of their son:
After the release of Battlefield 2042 was postponed, it seems it will also take a while until the beta starts. But when exactly does it start? Insider Tom Henderson reveals a new possible date: It should finally start at the beginning of October.
After the news came this week that Battlefield 2042 is being postponed, many wondered: Does this also affect the open beta? Up until this point, there was no exact date for this, only September was officially considered the release period.
With the postponement announcement, EA mentioned that new information about the beta start should finally come next week. Now, it seems that the well-known insider Tom Henderson has come forward and revealed a new date via his Twitter channel.
When is the beta supposed to come now? According to the insider, the beta starts in early October:
The two-day early access phase is supposed to begin on October 6.
The beta is then supposed to start for everyone on October 8.
Henderson does not mention a specific duration, but it is traditionally expected to last about a week.
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Where did he get the information? According to Henderson, the date comes from internal EA systems that he cannot share. (via Twitter)
They are supposedly being sent to various media during these days. As always, the warning applies: This is still not official information. So treat it with a dose of skepticism until the announcement is made.
However, Henderson is considered a reliable source. He has already leaked numerous information about the setting, modes, and other content of Battlefield 2042, sometimes months before they were announced.
In addition to the beta date, Henderson also mentions that there will be a preview event for media representatives and content creators beforehand. Thus, new gameplay for Battlefield 2042 is likely to be showcased next week.
What information can be expected? So far, it is not at all known what content will come with the beta. Thus, we will probably finally learn what exactly awaits us in the beta.
Why was Battlefield 2042 actually postponed? Developer DICE cited the Corona pandemic and the unpredictable challenges it posed during the development phase as the main reason.
They want to release the game in good condition and need a few additional weeks to ensure that.
In advance, there were already rumors about the postponement, as EA had been suspiciously quiet throughout August and the previous September while the beta was actually approaching. Now it seems clear what the reason for that was.
The reactions were relatively calm. Most players just hope that Battlefield 2042 will be released in good condition and runs flawlessly.
Other players, however, criticized the poor or nonexistent communication from the developers and the publisher with the fans. Especially since it was communicated for months that development was ahead of schedule.
Genshin Impact by miHoYo is about to celebrate its first anniversary. It is still played millions of times a day, and the trend continues to rise. But what moved MeinMMO author Lena to change her once negative opinion about the game?
Genshin Impact was released on September 28, 2020. Even before its launch, it had over 21 million pre-registered players. However, some skeptics had already declared the game dead before it even came out. Back then, no one could have guessed that Genshin would create such a hype that continues to grow in 2021.
The action role-playing game is available on PS4, PS5, iOS, Android, and PC. It is free for everyone. Genshin Impact was originally announced for the Nintendo Switch, but no release date has been provided so far. Additionally, it features an online multiplayer mode.
What is Genshin Impact about? You start as part of the sibling pair Aether or Lumine and are transported to an unfamiliar world called “Teyvat.” Everyone lovingly calls you “Traveler.” You begin in Mondstadt and are determined to find and rescue your sibling, whom you did not choose at the start.
With this goal in mind, you complete various quests, join the Adventurers Guild, and travel through the different countries of Teyvat. Genshin Impact has released a nostalgic video to celebrate its first anniversary:
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I never wanted to touch this “terrible game” again
Why wasn’t I excited at first? When I got to play Genshin Impact in beta back in August 2020, I approached the game with a completely wrong mindset. In my mind, it was: Gacha-Zelda. A large, clumsy world and an expensive gacha system that has low chances of yielding good items but costs a lot of money.
Who is speaking here? Lena is the expert on Genshin Impact at MeinMMO. She first played Genshin in August 2020 in beta and has been keeping track of what is happening in the game since then. She has explored all of Teyvat, opened over 2000 treasure chests, and has more than 300 achievements. In total, she has spent about 600 hours in the game.
I was so focused on the gacha aspect and on collecting “Destined Fates” through quests and dialogues that I was just frustrated.
Destined Fates are one of the currencies you can use at banners to obtain characters or weapons. I spent hours completing tasks just to be able to make ten pulls. Although I didn’t know yet which character I wanted, I only knew: I desperately wanted to play another character aside from my starting heroes.
Today, I don’t remember why I thought that one would receive gifts in the beta. But I completely assumed that was the case.
What I also didn’t know back then: You can also pull only weapons and not a single character. Exactly that happened to me. After that, I was annoyed with the whole system and decided never to touch Genshin Impact again. I was sure: If I wanted a character, I had to farm for days or invest money. “Lena, your account can’t handle that – better stop!” I told myself.
Epic leaks and updates brought me back to the game
Why did I give the game a second chance? Since I run an active Discord and many people there also play Genshin, I couldn’t help but notice how much people were engaged with Genshin Impact and discussing it. One day, someone shared leaks with me that showed the character Kazuha.
Well, what can I say? I’m an anime fan who quickly crumbles, and that one character made me install the game again and give it another chance. However, I then realized what Genshin Impact is really about and why everyone celebrates it.
The main reason for my return: Kazuha.
Of course, the gacha aspect was still there, but then I discovered so many things that I was completely blind to in August. I want to tell you what kept me engaged with Genshin over the year and why the initial and ever-present frustration has disappeared.
If I think today about the reason why I gave Genshin Impact another chance, it hurts me a bit: Because the character Kazuha, who made me start playing again, only came into the game much later, in summer 2021.
What I particularly like about Genshin Impact: Genshin Impact also receives regular free and extensive updates. Even if there are major bugs in the game, they are patched quickly. A new update is released every six weeks, usually bringing a variety of new events, environments, and characters.
“I was supposed to… OH! Look, a chest!”
What then kept me in Genshin Impact? The incredibly vast world in lush green, colorful flowers, snow-capped peaks, and the wandering cats and dogs in the city immediately captivated me. I especially loved the trees that change colors to fit their environment. I find that detail just beautiful.
When I focused on the negative gacha aspect that annoyed me so much, I couldn’t really notice these details: Genshin offers so much more than just banners and pulling characters from them.
Since I knew that Kazuha would not enrich my team for a long time, I was more open to the game and ready to tackle the huge exploration aspect. Oh, I had no idea what awaited me.
You can move freely in the game, with a few exceptions, as long as your constant companion named Paimon has nothing against it. Therefore, I quickly drifted away from the main quest and got distracted by all sorts of things.
If I wanted to tackle a side quest, there would suddenly be a chest that could only be opened after defeating the monsters around it. If I was about to climb the mountain, a tricky and exciting puzzle would appear out of nowhere. Oh, the blue glowing thing (Seelie) wants me to follow it? Wait, there are still apples on the tree!
Teyvat is full of such things, and collecting, climbing mountains, picking berries, and solving puzzles can also be really relaxing. So much so that hours suddenly pass by. When I first laid eyes on the capital Liyue, I was completely captivated. I knew: I want to explore more! Play more!
Drachengrat. For snow fans
On the edge of a village in Liyue
Inazuma Island: Watatsumi
Small island near Narukami (Inazuma)
The mentioned city: Liyue
Is it boring alone? Genshin features a co-op mode, for which I am often very grateful. Sometimes I just don’t feel like farming alone or running around the map to complete certain events.
In co-op, you can invite up to three other players and go on adventures together. You share a team of four characters, and each can bring their own character. I really enjoy just standing or sitting somewhere and taking photos or goofing around with others.
No pressure from the game itself – For those with little time
What do I mean by that? One of the most important points for me is playing without pressure. No quest is rushing me, and no one forces me to turn around in the middle of the map because I haven’t progressed far enough in the story.
I am not forced to complete spheres in a given amount of time. If there is a time limit in a sphere, you can realistically accomplish it in that time.
Have you set your world level too high and everything is too hard? No problem! From world level 5, you can reset the world level to a lower one every 24 hours or increase it again afterward.
Sphere: A type of dungeon that allows you to collect materials or equipment World level: Determines the strength of monsters and the possible loot
There are no leaderboards or PvP in Genshin Impact, which significantly removes forced grinding. If there were such lists, ranks, or public highscores, I often tend to put pressure on myself and feel compelled to optimize my character. Fast, fast – farm everything!
It can also be frustrating to see someone with the same character dealing double the damage. Every player can set their own goals and level up the character they enjoy the most without feeling negative consequences.
Do you have too little time? It always seems like Genshin Impact inevitably takes a lot of time, but even half an hour can be incredibly efficient and productive. If you have the game installed on a tablet or smartphone, you can even casually play a round in bed at night.
A reddit post and the comments on it are a vivid example (via reddit).
“I have a newborn at home, and my 30 minutes of Genshin every day prevent me from going crazy.”
“(…) I wake up at 6 AM and play for about 30 minutes to 1 hour while everyone sleeps (…)”
“Yes, the best part is the time investment. You can put in the bare minimum or spend a lot of time in the open world. It’s great.”
This is what Genshin Impact offers me when I play it a bit more seriously: Sometimes I love to grind: trying again and again to achieve the best possible result. Sometimes, in Genshin Impact, you have to collect specific items for a long time to get the necessary quantity.
Sure, Genshin has the big resin problem. If you want to obtain loot from spheres, weekly bosses, or world bosses, you must spend “Original Resin” on it. Unfortunately, you only have a total of 160 resin, which runs out after a few rounds. For example, you can defeat four world bosses with it. Resin gradually fills up again over time.
When you complete bosses or spheres in Genshin Impact, you are rewarded with materials that strengthen your characters.
The chance of what materials you receive depends on your adventure rank and luck. It is quite possible that you will spend longer battling bosses and in spheres. The adventure rank is also a grind in itself, providing additional rewards, co-op, unlocking new world levels, and other features.
Want to fully equip a character at max level? Then prepare to grind for a long time. What can you expect? Well:
Experience point cards. A card brings a corresponding number of experience points (XP). A character can be leveled up to 90 and requires over 400 XP cards to do so.
Certain level ranges for a character must be unlocked with specific materials from world bosses.
Three abilities of characters can be leveled up. For this, explicit materials for each character are needed from a sphere on specific weekdays.
Leveling up the character’s weapon. For this material, the same applies as for the abilities.
The five artifacts that a character receives are the most labor-intensive. There, broadly speaking, stats and the set itself are important. Obtaining the right piece AND the right stats in each artifact sphere is an eternal grind.
You can compare artifacts with other games’ equipment like headgear, pants, shoes, armor…
An example of the artifacts
I don’t want to go into too much detail. But this is exactly what I love about Genshin Impact: Whether casually wandering around the world, picking apples, and slaying monsters, or the eternal grind for my characters.
But even slaying monsters gives you materials that are valuable for characters and their leveling. Everything you collect or do in Genshin somehow turns out to be practical, valuable, or necessary. Nothing is for free. You can even angrily hit trees – that also yields valuable wood!
Since we’re discussing characters in such detail, that brings me to the next point.
Wonderful characters, their own stories, and design
Well, who would have thought that a single character could make me reinstall the game? I really love the cartoonish look of Genshin and its characters. I usually prefer such games over those that look super realistic.
So there’s hardly a character that doesn’t resonate with me in some way. I would say: There is something for everyone!
Almost all characters also have their own engaging stories or contribute something to character quests, providing the player with more knowledge about that character. Except for Xinyan. She will be forever forgotten. A moment of silence for her.
If I particularly like a playable character, I can’t wait to complete their quests or hear their little stories and dialogues in the character menu. Because the more often you take someone in your team and complete tasks with the character, the higher their friendship level with you becomes. With the increase of this level, you can learn more and more about the character in the menu.
All currently available characters
A little bonus for me is the Japanese voice acting. Since I have been breathing anime since kindergarten and have been watching most things in Japanese for about 15 years, I have favorite voice actors that I prefer to listen to over others.
Thus, certain characters like Xiao and Ayaka were simply a “must-have” for me because I absolutely love their voice actors.
Can Genshin Impact be played entirely free-to-play?Yes, some players spend enormous amounts of money to pull specific characters or weapons from banners. Yes, that is easier and requires much less patience. But with a bit of luck and effort, every character, weapon, artifact, and item can also be obtained without spending money.
It is wrong to completely dismiss the game just because it has a gacha system. No one is forced to use it.
When I have no desire for anything and Sims isn’t available, I disappear into my teapot and create my own little world in the housing system of the game. After completing a certain quest, you carry a teapot with you that allows you to immerse yourself in Genshin Impact’s housing whenever you want.
There, you can craft various furniture and pretty decorations with the previously farmed materials from the world, such as wood and iron. You first choose a theme for this world. Do you prefer high mountains, white beaches, or flying islands? After that, you can let your creativity run wild.
Additionally, you can place specific furniture sets in your house or outside, which particular characters like very much. If you place a character in such a set, they give you primogems. Another currency used to draw characters from banners.
The housing system also helps you to increase the friendship of the characters placed there and to acquire what are called “Taler.” The hourly amount of these Taler increases the more beautiful your realm is furnished. You can use these Taler, for example, to obtain more resin or XP cards.
For me, it’s a perfect way to combine my need for decoration and my later grind.
My conclusion about Genshin Impact
Pros
Free, regular, and sizable updates with a variety of events
Open, expansive, explorable world with an engaging story
Many useful and unique characters
Extensive quest system
Co-op mode
All challenges are achievable free-to-play
Playable on all supported devices with the same account
Great and fitting music throughout
Cons
Resin system limits certain grind opportunities
Gacha system is very expensive
Farming artifacts can be frustrating, too much grind
Some materials in spheres are only available on certain weekdays
Extreme frustration if you don’t pull a specific character or weapon
Genshin Impact has definitely become a long-term game for me, which I can also leave alone for a week without feeling like I’m missing something important or falling behind. It’s a relaxation and a change from what I usually play.
I can follow the story well, and I enjoy it. When I feel like it, I can tackle puzzles that challenge my mind a bit or explore a beautiful world that holds many secrets and quests while I can also wander around aimlessly. If you want, all of this is completely free. I love it!
Have you had specific experiences you’d like to share? Are you still playing Genshin or not, and why? Did I miss an important negative or positive point for you? Feel free to write it in the comments.
The Twitch streamer Michael “shorud” Grzesiek was asked in one of his recent streams about the MMORPG World of Warcraft and whether he would play it live again. His answer was quite harsh.
This is what shroud says: In his stream on the night from Friday, September 17 to Saturday, September 18, shroud broadcast a tournament in the shooter Valorant. During the stream, a question came from his chat asking if he would play Conan Exiles later.
shroud replied that he would have to see – he still had a WoW raid. His viewers then wanted to know if he would show that again sometime. The streamer’s response was quite curt:
“WoW does not deserve my stream. So it won’t get it […] I will continue to play WoW, but it does not deserve my stream. It’s that simple.” For that, he definitely wants to play New World and probably stream it as well.
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Who is shroud anyway? The Canadian streamer was a top streamer on Twitch for a while. With the nickname “the human aimbot,” he shot his way to the top with shooters like Apex Legends. Currently, he is in 17th place among streamers with the most viewing hours worldwide in the last month (via sullygnome.com; as of September 18).
Shroud is primarily known for shooters and recently had the most viewers with Valorant. However, he has been showing survival games like Conan Exiles or the new Icarus, of which he is very enthusiastic frequently lately.
He also showed WoW for a while, such as during the release of WoW Classic. Back then, it was even worth it to him to drop from the top spot on Twitch. Today, he seems to not value the game as much anymore.
“I will continue to play WoW, but it does not deserve my stream.”
What is the problem with WoW? The MMORPG giant has been wobbling on its throne for some time. Fatigue is setting in among the players and a major sexism scandal has been scratching at the image of the developer studio Blizzard for months.
However, there is always criticism of the game itself. It lacks new ideas and some players are moving away, such as to Final Fantasy XIV in search of something new. Additionally, MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus has observed this trend and even believes that WoW is not dying fast enough.
One of the biggest current problems is communication with the community and fans. The studio makes various changes but does not explain why. For instance, half-naked women were replaced with fruit and our demon Cortyn wonders: What’s the point?
There are also several other issues that the team is already partly working on:
How is WoW currently doing on Twitch? WoW was the largest MMORPG on Twitch for 5 years, but was first surpassed by Final Fantasy XIV in September 2021, albeit only briefly.
With over 17 million viewing hours in the last 30 days, WoW on Twitch is certainly not dead yet. Only interest seems to be gradually waning. Additionally, a new MMORPG is also gnawing at the throne.
What do you think, what should WoW change to rekindle interest in the game and make streamers like shroud consider the MMORPG “worthy”?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
We at MeinMMO recently asked you which weapons you prefer in New World. Shockingly, our editor Benedict Grothaus found that only 10% chose the axe!
What kind of weapon is this? The axe is one of the 11 weapons in New World and is a rather small melee weapon. Instead of running around with a gigantic Dane axe or a sword and shield, the axe serves as your only small hand axe.
When I played New World, I also found the axe boring at first and thought the other weapons would be cooler. You probably made the same mistake – but I forgive you. It also took me a while to fall in love with the axe.
Still, I can’t simply let this survey stand. Many of you probably don’t even know what you’re missing out on. The axe is really awesome (ha, that rhymes, and what rhymes is good!).
Don’t believe it? But it’s true!
Gameplay of the various weapons in New World.
The best skill is also the coolest
What can the axe actually do? You have two paths you can take with the axe, just like with any weapon. The two options are the skills weapon throw or berserker. In combination, these skills are even excellent as beginner build for New World.
With the weapon throw, you focus on attacking enemies from a distance. You will later even use disease and debuff effects to keep enemies at bay to limit their regeneration.
In the berserker tree, you go fully into melee combat. This skill is why the axe is the undisputed king of all weapons.
The skills of the axe. Especially the berserker path is incredibly strong.
What exactly makes the axe so strong? With berserker, you increase your dealt damage for a few seconds. The skill was even so strong that it received a major nerf before the open beta started. If you further develop the skill, it gets even stronger:
your movement speed increases for the duration
you heal yourself while berserker is active
activation removes all control effects
while berserker is active, you cannot be interrupted or staggered
The other skills of the tree further support you in your blood rage. The charge brings you quickly to an enemy and with the rain of blows, you deal many hits in succession to literally chop up even tough enemies.
But the best part is that you cannot die. Literally, at least for a short time. If you’ve skilled “Defy Death,” lethal damage instead sets you to 0 HP and you become immortal for 3 seconds. During that time, you can happily continue slaughtering – like a true berserker!
Those who play the axe might as well put on a helmet and chainmail and sit with a horn full of mead in front of the computer. Because the axe is the ideal weapon for any viking – and that alone makes it my absolute favorite.
The idea is even reflected quite precisely in the gameplay of the weapon, because with the abilities, you are not only a real monster in PvE, but also a pesky opponent in PvP.
Enemies run away? Charge and follow them. Getting crowded? Berserker on, heal and deal – the dead will no longer bother you. Are there too many enemies even for you? In the 3 seconds of immortality, you can take at least one enemy with you to the grave.
Ha, stupid battle axe, stands no chance against the mighty axe! Although … it can still be dangerous.
Additionally, you can choose in the fully developed tree to shorten your cooldowns or free yourself from control effects when your hit points drop. This makes you increasingly dangerous the more people beat on you.
With “Against all Odds,” you even become stronger when facing a superior force. 10% more damage for every enemy nearby also hurts other players badly. And the poor NPCs won’t see a tomorrow.
Thanks to the damage reductions, you can even be used as a tank if necessary, albeit with a very offensive orientation. So you are a true jack-of-all-trades! Well, the only thing you can’t do is heal others and distribute buffs. But the other weapons also need a small chance – after all, we still need victims!
So maybe you should reconsider which weapon you will play in New World. And if you want to complain now that I claim 90% of you have no idea: come on, I have an axe! And you?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the week from September 13 to September 19, news and stories about New World continue to dominate. But there was also some new information about WoW and GW2. We have summarized all the important MMORPG news of the week for you from MeinMMO.
The highlight of the week: Even shortly after the beta, New World continues to dominate the news:
The MMORPG Mad World hosted an open alpha that ran until September 17 (via Facebook).
These were the news of the week from the world of MMORPGs in overview. What was your personal highlight? Did you experience something exciting this week? Or did we forget something important? Let us know in the comments.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Call of Duty: Vanguard is in open beta and all players on PC, PlayStation and Xbox are allowed on the servers. You can find all important dates and information about the beta on MeinMMO.
Info on PC Download: If you are looking for the Vanguard beta in the Battle.net launcher, select Vanguard and change the version in the dropdown menu above the “Install” field.
How does the beta work? Currently, the open beta of Call of Duty: Vanguard is running. Players on PC, Xbox and PlayStation can participate in the test phase completely free of charge. In addition, the beta has been extended until Wednesday, September 22 at 7 PM.
Here you can find more information on:
Dates and times of the open beta
Who has “Early Access” when
Download and pre-load of the beta
Trailer for the second beta weekend
Content of the beta test
Information about keys or codes for beta participation
If you are eligible to participate, you can find the download for the Vanguard beta either in your console’s shop or in Battle.net. However, to start the download on PlayStation, you must be a PS Plus subscriber.
If you purchased a digital version on PC, it works automatically with your chosen account. If you purchased a disc, you will receive a code and need to log in with your CoD account (callofduty.com). Select your desired platform here.
As soon as the open beta goes online at 7 PM, you won’t need any extra access anymore.
How big is the download?
If you have access to the beta, you can start the download via your respective console shops or in the Battle.net launcher. The size of the downloads is:
Can I participate in the Vanguard beta without spending money?
Yes, there are 2 completely free “Open Beta” phases. If you are on PlayStation, you can jump into the battle starting September 16 until September 20. However, you need PS Plus.
With PC or Xbox, you can access the servers for free from September 18 to 20.
Are there codes or keys to participate in the beta?
Yes, there are such codes. However, unfortunately, you cannot simply “apply” for such a code at CoD. Currently, there are 2 ways to acquire such a code:
– Keep an eye out for beta code giveaways – Buy the code for a disc version
Players with a physical version of Vanguard on disc will receive a code for access to the beta. There are some offers online to buy such a code for a few euros. If you really want to extensively test the beta without directly buying the game, it can be worthwhile for you. Especially on PlayStation, since the beta runs over two weekends here.
Please note that you won’t carry over any progress from the beta into the main game, and there will also be a few days where you can play the beta completely for free – regardless of your platform.
What does the Vanguard beta content look like?
In contrast to the alpha, there are 6 different modes over four 6v6 maps. The tournament mode from the alpha, Champions Hill, is also back and brings a 5th map with it. Additionally, there is a decent array of weapons that you can upgrade up to level 30 to test the new gunsmith.
However, not all the content of the beta was available during the first weekend. With the start of the second weekend, the popular mode “Search & Destroy” will be added, as well as the small map “Eagle’s Nest”.
The new CoD generation goes back to its roots and brings a World War setting again after 4 years. This did not go down well with all players, and even though such a large game like CoD cannot please everyone, the feedback on the setting was noticeably negative.
On September 23, Diablo 2 Resurrected will be released, the major remaster of the popular ARPG. For the first time, the classic will also be available on PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch. Many fans are now asking: Can I play crossplay with friends on other platforms?
Will Diablo 2 Resurrected have Crossplay? The short answer is: No. At least not at launch. The developers have decided not to make this feature accessible at the beginning.
The chances that crossplay will come later are low. However, it is not completely ruled out and there is also an alternative. In an interview, the head Rod Fergusson revealed: ‘Crossplay is something we will continue to consider’ (via Eurogamer.net).
What is Crossplay anyway? Crossplay allows you to play with friends on different platforms. If you are playing on PC, you can form a group with people who play on PlayStation or Switch through crossplay.
Diablo 2 Resurrected is coming to other platforms than PC for the first time, namely PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. In our hub, you will find everything you need to know about Diablo 2 Resurrected.
The GameStar has already criticized the remaster in advance.
Co-op yes, Crossplay no – for now
What the developers say: Co-op is an important aspect of Diablo 2 and many fans prefer to play in groups. However, the fact that the remaster will not get crossplay is mainly due to the fact that the versions differ too much.
Even the group size is different on the various platforms. While PC, PlayStation, and Xbox allow up to 8 players in co-op, the Switch version only allows 4 players. Bringing together the versions under these circumstances looks rather complicated.
Is there an alternative? Instead of a real crossplay, Diablo 2 Resurrected offers cross-progression. This means that if you play Resurrected on multiple platforms, you can transfer your progress.
This way you can play alone on PC and simply transfer the progress to PlayStation, where your friends are waiting. The remaster will probably not come closer to crossplay for the time being.
Nevertheless, it is not out of the question, as the development team has already made some changes to Diablo 2:
World of Warcraft is changing some female representations in the game. That isn’t inherently bad – only when the explanation is lacking. At least that’s what the MeinMMO-WoW demon Cortyn thinks.
The sexism and discrimination scandal at Blizzard has revealed many problems with the developer. Workplace harassment, suppression, and degradation of women, all the way to sexual assaults, have scratched more than just the image of one of the once greatest and most popular developers in the world.
Blizzard has taken some measures, fired employees, and created new positions to prevent such issues from occurring again. Changes are also being made in the games. In Overwatch, the cowboy McCree is losing his name, and references to problematic developers have been removed from World of Warcraft.
I am not one of those people who just scream “Where will it end?!” with every change and already see everyone only allowed to drive at walking speed on the highway when discussing a speed limit. Similarly, I do not believe that these adjustments will continue indefinitely until everything is just genderless, shapeless blobs.
From woman to fruit. But … why?
But still, I miss a very important point from Blizzard that could simply be fixed with communication: What is the plan? What is currently the line you have chosen? How do you define inappropriate content and in what form will it be adjusted?
Good changes, bad changes
That they removed the insult “Bitch” from Sylvanas in the English client is fair enough. That the achievement named “Bros. Before Ho Ho Hos” was renamed is good. I also found it inappropriate at the time and somehow directed against women. I could also understand giving the characters like Sylvanas or Jaina newer models with somewhat more modest, but definitely cooler clothing.
My personal limit was clearly exceeded for the first time when Blizzard simply patched out the succubi from Hearthstone. Even from the standpoint that Hearthstone wanted to be a bit more family-friendly than World of Warcraft, I found that highly ridiculous, as succubi were simply an established element of the Warcraft storyline.
Such personal limits exist for all players, and they vary slightly from person to person. However, it can still be relatively easily changed if one would just communicate clearly and openly why something is being changed. Doing it without a comprehensible reason does not help with acceptance.
And that is where – as is often the case with Blizzard – the crucial detail is missing: communication.
It is completely lacking again. Sure, the changes are still on the PTR of Patch 9.1.5 and therefore not live yet. But Blizzard has known for quite some time that there is datamining, for example on Wowhead, and that such details are usually found within a few hours. I also cannot believe that they didn’t see the backlash coming from a community that observes every change with eagle eyes.
(The previous sentence was actually funny, as there is also a name of a city changed on Argus. Argus. Eagle eyes. … okay, back to the text.)
Succubi were removed from Hearthstone back then.
Community is worried and mocking
This has now caused quite a stir in the community. While a few pictures with female representations might be quite indifferent to most, it raises questions for other areas of the game that are more than just a bit of background atmosphere.
The most well-known example here is the “Den of Mortal Delights”, which translates to the “Court of Earthly Delights”. A whole area in the Black Temple, full of scantily clad handmaidens in the form of humans, blood elves, succubi, and Shivara. It was the huge harem for Illidan and his demon hunters, topped with a boss fight against “Mother Shahraz,” who accompanied every ability with an obviously ambiguous remark.
That was cool. The place was atmospheric, is still unique in World of Warcraft, and also helped shape the image of the (then) “evil Illidan,” who simply sprawled out here and made himself at home as the ruler of the shattered world, decaying in decadence.
Exactly such places and experiences are now causing concern among some in the community. Because if an image with “harem reference” is changed, are they not also going to remove a whole harem?
One thought leads to another, and the previously mentioned “Where will it end” panic spreads. Will the next target be the flirtatious lines and jokes of all player characters? Will revealing transmogs be revised to lose their revealing nature? Will succubi also be replaced by demon dogs in WoW?
All these worries could be swept away with a written page of explanation. It would only take a few words to smother all this panic, concern, and derision in the bud.
Good reasons would help, if there are any
Because it might well be that there were good reasons not just to slightly revise the image of the reclining woman but to completely replace it with another motif. Perhaps the harem parallel, which one can quickly associate with the image, has caused a few emails over the years that expressed legitimate criticism. Perhaps there are cultural spheres where this representation is seen as the epitome of the oppression of women and not just as art, as it is the case with us.
And that’s exactly the problem: We don’t know it and so far haven’t been told either. That’s why jokes are currently being made in the subreddit that every transmog with a bit of skin needs to be revised or any stone formation that reminds of a phallus should urgently be replaced with fruit. Or that all women in Illidan’s harem should be replaced with fruit plates:
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Worse still, in some areas this is even causing the opposite of what is probably intended. Because without clear explanation, one only feeds the classic troublemakers who are now shouting their disgusting slogans under the Reddit posts in the style of: “Typical, a woman is groped once and the feminazis at Blizzard ensure that all breasts disappear from the game.”
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So Blizzard, as with all the other problems surrounding World of Warcraft, please talk to your community. Explain the standards by which changes and adjustments are made. Explain why you see certain content as problematic and why it is no longer up to date, even in the context of a fantasy world.
Because if you continue to do this, you justifiably attract the mockery and derision of the community, who has no understanding of it. And then it really appears as if this is just blind and misguided activism that only happens because you currently have a lawsuit hanging over your head.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In a new letter from the developers, the creators of Final Fantasy XIV presented the new changes for the upcoming expansion Endwalker in detail. The spotlight was on the revisions of the existing classes as well as the two new jobs, Reaper and Sage.
What is the “letter from the developers”? In an event during the night of September 17 to 18, FFXIV lead developer Naoki Yoshida talked about the innovations of Endwalker. The expansion will be released on November 23, 2021.
The event lasted over 7 hours and began with a screen of Endwalker. Subsequently, there was new information about job changes and balancing, new jobs, and general gameplay.
We have already embedded the video here, which outlines the changes to the jobs. You can find the key points of the letter further down in the text. In our hub, you can find everything we know so far about Endwalker.
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What kind of jobs are they? Sage and Reaper have been known for a while. The Sage will be a healer with a special mechanic, while the Reaper is a melee DPS class.
What can the Reaper do?Reapers look like they came from Bloodborne and use a scythe as their main weapon, which mainly deals damage but also provides a few buffs for the group. The Reaper, however, is rather “selfish,” similar to the Samurai.
As a special ability, they can summon an avatar from the void, which not only fights for them but also takes over their body. They thus become a host for a more powerful being that assists the Reaper.
The avatar itself is a unique mechanic that the Reaper can work with. Through two bars that charge up during combat, Reapers can unleash powerful combos in conjunction with their avatar. We have embedded the gameplay video here for you:
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The flow of combat looks something like this for the Reaper:
uses combos to fill the soul meter (“souls”)
spends souls to use avatar abilities
fills the shroud meter (“shroud”)
consumes shroud energy to temporarily switch to an enhanced Reaper form, with even stronger combos
What can the Sage do? In contrast to the selfish DPS Reaper, the Sage will be a healer with a special twist: They heal not only with regular healing spells, but also by dealing damage to enemies. A type of vampiric healing that is redirected to a friendly target.
The Sage uses shields and selects a target to heal via Cardia. The protected target then receives healing equal to the damage that the Sage deals during that time – similar to Discipline Priests in World of Warcraft.
For healing and enhancing abilities, the Sage has its own resource. Through enhancements, skills can be transformed into damage-over-time abilities (“DoTs”). Additionally, the Sage possesses a skill that grants them more mobility and acts as a “gap closer.”
Yoshida expects that mastering the job and learning the abilities will take some time. We have embedded the gameplay here for you:
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What changes in gameplay: With Endwalker, the maximum level increases from 80 to 90. Additionally, several changes will be made to the jobs. New abilities will be added, but the game is not supposed to become more complex.
Instead, it should become even easier to coordinate within a group. Many cooldowns for skills are set to 60 or 120 seconds so that they work better together. Despite more abilities, cooperation should be improved.
The changes are based on experiences from Shadowbringers, the current expansion. However, they are not final and may be adjusted until the release in November.
Endwalker will be the 4th expansion for Final Fantasy XIV and even now the MMORPG can already show strong growth. On Twitch, it has even surpassed World of Warcraft in popularity – but a new competitor is also emerging:
The upcoming Call of Duty: Vanguard is currently playable in the beta, and MeinMMO editor Jürgen Horn finally got a chance to check it out. But how did it go for him and why does he think the supposedly stupidest innovation is actually good? Find out here on MeinMMO.
Who played? Jürgen Horn has been a big fan of shooters since the days of the first Wolfenstein, even though he was never really good at them. He just enjoys a good shootout. Therefore, he took advantage of the moment and played the beta of CoD Vanguard with colleagues Benedict Grothaus and Maik Schneider.
Why is he playing only now? Since I play on PC and don’t own any consoles, I could only join the beta for PC and Xbox on Thursday, September 16, at the start of the multiplayer.
Wild shooting with lots of action in the mountain hut
How did the first rounds go? In my first round, I was still solo and gathered initial experiences. The entry is pleasantly easy, you just click “play” and a round starts. There I initially get beaten up pretty good, as enemies constantly rush at me from various angles and take me down.
But I also occasionally catch someone, and since I’m supposed to prevent a bomb from being planted in the round, we actually win despite my rather suboptimal performance. An Austrian teammate still berates me throughout the game via voice chat: “Why are you going to the roof, are you stupid?” The rest of the lobby meanwhile insults me in Russian. So “Typical CoD,” as colleague Maik later tells me.
That’s why Combat Pacing rocks: But then Maik and Benedict are already there, and I finally get some support. Then the best feature in CoD Vanguard, in my opinion, reveals itself to me: Combat Pacing.
It basically means that many more players roam the maps than originally planned.
In the game, it gets as wild as in this game.
This is especially noticeable on small maps, like in the surprisingly detailed replica of “Eagle’s Nest” (located at Obersalzberg) mapped. This is a small map that is actually only intended for 6vs6 players. However, with the Combat Pacing “Blitz”, it allows for up to 24 trigger-happy players to shoot each other in the tight corridors of the mountain hut.
Since I’m not a big tactician anyway and prefer fast action, this mode suits me just fine. This is even more apparent because in my solo game with the unfriendly teammates, a 6v6 match took place on a rather large map, and there we sometimes wandered around forever without enemy contact.
However, here at Obersalzberg, the cabin shakes when far too many players meet in a tight space, and it’s always a blast when half a dozen enemies squeeze through the side corridor of the hut, and I greet them with the MG42 at the ready. Yes, bring on the bullets; I have plenty more!
The gunsmith is the ideal motivation spiral: After the carnage in Hitler’s mountain hut, I finally have the required level to use the gunsmith. There, my kills have unlocked various weapons, including the highly effective MG42.
Even at early levels, there’s quite a bit to set up, and the hunt for new weapon attachments is incredibly motivating. A few more levels, and I get a better magazine that suits my play style. So I’ll jump into another round; maybe it will work.
Here too, the Blitz mode promises a lot of action!
What were the highlights? It was similarly intense later in the map Hotel Royal. In this map, a luxury hotel in Paris turns into a devastated wreck when 20 players take each other out.
Where initially a well-stocked bar and doors made of fine wood stand out, by the end, the map actually resembles a battlefield where countless people are engaged in a fierce firefight.
By the way, my favorite mode is Kill Confirmed because you can snatch and capture kills in such a nasty way and not just pure shooting counts.
What is less fun? As fun as CoD Vanguard is in Blitz mode, it seems boring in Standard mode. There, too little happens, and I’m constantly afraid that someone will stab me in the back.
I almost never get that feeling in Blitz, as there’s always shooting happening somewhere, and you’re constantly in action.
Additionally, I find it very confusing that the same operator models are used repeatedly and the enemy team contains the exact same faces as my team. So the sniper Polina Petrova and the other characters from the campaign are fighting against each other in multiple copies, which does not improve the atmosphere in any way and also makes it difficult to distinguish friend from foe.
Hit potential – The ideal game for the end of the day
On the evening when I first played Vanguard, I was actually dead tired and just wanted to sleep. But after one round of Vanguard, the tiredness quickly disappeared thanks to the hot action and was replaced by an adrenaline rush.
Vanguard is simply a solid shooter that you can play a few rounds after work and perfectly unwind from a stressful workday.
At least, if you play it in the crazy Blitz mode; everything else has become too boring and sluggish for me. I can hardly wait until the release version of Vanguard is finally here so I can experience everything in full glory and with all features.
Until then, I at least have the beta, which I will still play extensively. Hopefully, it will be Fire Evening soon!
Battlefield 2042 and CoD Vanguard will compete for the shooter crown in November. For MeinMMO author Tarek Zehrer, however, Battlefield only needs to address one thing to be better: hackers and cheaters must not ruin the game.
Battlefield against Call of Duty – most shooter fans are familiar with the eternal discussion. This often escalates into disputes between fan factions, similar to what we see with the two consoles Xbox and PlayStation.
I can’t do much with the stress. Both shooters primarily cater to different types of players, and while there are certainly parallels, the comparison is unnecessary for me.
That’s why Battlefield is ahead: I prefer what sets Battlefield apart from CoD.
Huge maps
Numerous vehicles and aircraft
Destruction without limits
Team play
For this reason alone, Battlefield 2042 has the advantage in this battle. A completely different issue, which the developers DICE and publisher Electronic Arts must keep an eye on, could be crucial: the problem with hackers and cheaters.
This issue has been a major problem for the latest Call of Duty installments and other popular games.
Cheats and hacks are becoming increasingly popular
What is the problem? Every Warzone player has likely faced these issues numerous times. For ages, cheaters and hackers have made life difficult for players.
One only has to look back over the past months to find an endless list of incidents that have caused an uproar. Be it flying vehicles from the recent past, or openly cheating streamers. The issue is simply omnipresent in CoD Warzone.
Such “tools” are becoming increasingly popular and easier to use. GTA Online is also a prominent example, where cheats and hacks are among the major problems. Whether it’s wallhacks, aimbots, or other “assistances” – everything is now readily available for interested cheaters.
Destiny 2 is another title that constantly wrestles with cheaters. Here, measures are already being planned, but it remains unclear whether they will actually be effective.
There are numerous providers that simply sell such tools online. As a result, they spread rapidly and are increasingly found among both streamers and regular players.
Battlefield 2042 would therefore have a significant advantage if it could prevent the problem from arising before release. But how likely is that?
Since the alpha playtest in August, it has been clear: cheats could potentially become an issue right at the release of Battlefield 2042.
Because they are already being offered for sale, even before the open beta or the full game has been released. Wallhacks and aimbots are already available for purchase. Whether these will actually work or whether they are a scam remains to be seen.
DICE and EA should already understand that cheat sellers will pounce on Battlefield 2042 like a juicy medium-rare steak fresh off the grill.
If they manage to keep the game relatively free of cheats and hackers, it could ultimately even be the decisive factor in the battle for the shooter crown in November. After all, what good is a great game if it gets ruined by cheaters and hackers?
But what do you think about this issue? Would you agree that the cheater problem plays a decisive role? Or do you believe it has little influence? Discuss with us in the comments!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
If you want to buy a gaming mouse, you can invest a lot of money. But do you even notice that you are holding expensive hardware in your hands? MeinMMO editor Benedikt Schlotmann compared two mice and also has a tip for those who want to buy a mouse.
Gaming mice are available on the market in various sizes and at very different prices. While you can get gaming mice for 10 Euro at online retailers, other manufacturers offer gaming mice for significantly more than 100 Euro.
But is it worth investing so much money in a gaming mouse, and do you really notice the price difference? Is a cheap mouse really much worse than an expensive top model?
I tested two mice and will explain to you why the price should not be the most important factor in your purchasing decision.
Which mice did I compare? The cheap gaming mouse is the DVA Wireless Mouse “Pink Rabbit.” There is no well-known manufacturer behind this mouse. I consciously chose such a cheap model. You can currently get the mouse for 15 – 17 Euro on Amazon.
The top model is Razer’s Naga Pro. You can also read our extensive test of the Razer Naga Pro on MeinMMO. Razers mouse is currently available on Amazon for 133 Euro.
What do cheap gaming mice and high-end devices offer?
In this section, I will briefly introduce both mice and explain the features and details. You can also admire a few pictures of each mouse.
“Pink Rabbit”
First, the cool blue-pink design stands out, which suspiciously resembles a team shooter that you have probably already played.
The mouse also offers comfortable ergonomics and uses a wireless connection with a dongle. Thanks to an additional button, you can directly switch the DPI setting of the mouse.
The mouse wheel does not feel high-quality, and there is no software available to adjust lighting or other functions.
Multiple views of the “Pink Rabbit”
Razer Naga Pro
The mouse feels pleasant in the hand and offers a great tactile experience. Here, Razer’s years of experience in peripherals for gamers becomes evident. In addition, there is a very fast wireless connection and Razer’s proprietary high-precision “Focus+” sensor. Inside the mouse, Razer has installed its durable “Optical Mouse Switches” and overall, the mouse feels very high-quality.
Additionally, Razer’s Naga Pro offers many extra features. For instance, you can swap out the side panels, allowing you to use the mouse for different genres.
The software, however, seems confusing at first glance and offers many functions that some users probably won’t use. Also, the interchangeability of the side panels may not appeal to all users.
Multiple views of the Razer Naga Pro
Cheap vs expensive mouse – A cheap mouse doesn’t have to be worse
Both the expensive high-end mouse and the cheap unknown model have their advantages.
This is what the cheap mouse can do: The cheap model offers a brilliant design and incredibly quiet clicks. This is especially a strength if loud mouse clicks annoy you terribly. Additionally, there is a good battery life in wireless mode. The latency is higher than with an expensive model, but for casual gamers, that probably doesn’t matter. Especially the quiet clicks and the good battery life make the mouse a good companion when I am on the go.
This is what the expensive mouse can do: The expensive model offers you much better quality. Here, nothing creaks, and I don’t get the feeling that the charging port will eventually break off from the mouse. The sensor is noticeably more precise, and you get a much more extensive software package. You can make many more settings and customize the mouse to your personal needs.
How noticeable is the difference? Especially in terms of quality and software, you can tell that the mouse from Razer is significantly more expensive. The difference in features is also noticeable, but it should be kept in mind that the Naga Pro is already a mouse for specialists.
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Furthermore, I believe that price should not play the most important role when buying a mouse. Instead, you should pay attention to personal needs.
The price should not play the main role in buying a mouse
This is my tip: If you want to buy a gaming mouse, don’t let the price impress you. In the worst case, you pay 150 Euro for the mouse, but the device doesn’t fit at all with you and your playstyle. Here, you should consider how much DPI your gaming mouse needs.
I therefore recommend you take mice in your hand or order them for testing before buying. Because there is no recipe for the best mouse:
Every hand is different, and every user prefers different grip types.
Also, every gamer prefers different weights.
Wired or wireless variants also play a role.
Additional buttons or functions such as additional weights can also influence the purchasing decision.
There are ergonomic and ambidextrous mice. Both types have advantages and disadvantages. For those who have played for a long time with an ergonomic mouse, switching to an ambidextrous mouse can take some getting used to.
Trying out can save you quite a bit of money. I myself once bought the Logitech G903 for 100 Euro out of curiosity. But the shape of the mouse does not fit my hand at all, and since then the mouse has been sitting unused in the closet while I sadly watch as I use other mice. When I am in a store and try out a mouse and immediately feel, “I have to have this mouse,” I almost never regret the purchase.
Your “best” mouse can certainly also be a cheap 20-Euro mouse. What matters is that you can play with it without any issues, don’t get cramps in your hand, and can hold it well.
In principle, it can be stated that you get a lot of features and functions for your money. If you don’t need the ultimate all-in-one mouse in the gaming sector, you can get mice with fewer functions for less money. If you’re looking for just an ergonomic mouse for first-person shooters, you should already be happy with the Roccat Kone Aimo Remastered or the Logitech G502 Hero.
What do you think? Have you already found your favorite mouse? Is the price irrelevant to you or do you have specific ideas when you buy a mouse or other hardware?
The best gaming mice have been listed here by MeinMMO with strengths and weaknesses:
World of Warcraft is struggling – and not just since Shadowlands. However, the development team has been able to fix many issues repeatedly. But a few difficulties remain. MeinMMO takes a look at how Blizzard is tackling some of the currently biggest problems.
What are these problems? Here, we examine what WoW fans are currently complaining about the most or have been for a while. These problems are meant to reflect a certain echo from the community.
In doing so, we have tried to capture the most frequently occurring criticisms from forums, reddit, other social channels, and prominent WoW personalities. The popularity of WoW is currently even measurably declining, and these problems are certainly a reason for that.
We do not want to discuss issues like the treatment of employees and current lawsuits against the company here. While these also indirectly affect WoW, this is more about criticism of gameplay and content.
Some of the issues listed here go back years – some as far as Battle for Azeroth or Legion. They started there or have already been present before. And a small spoiler: Blizzard does not yet have an answer to every one of these issues.
So-called improvements that no one wants
What is the problem? Blizzard frequently introduces changes and systems that are met with shaking heads by players. A good example of this is restrictions in Shadowlands that serve no real purpose.
With Shadowlands came a cap on area spells (“AoE”). Many abilities suddenly had a limit of 5 enemies instead of unlimited targets. The change faced significant criticism even before the release announcement.
Furthermore, one of the new core systems received several restrictions. For example, the new covenants from Shadowlands cannot exchange important media at will but require energy. Anima, with which one can expand their covenant sanctum, was also only available in limited amounts for a long time.
The covenants are an interesting new system, but have already led to significant displeasure.
How is Blizzard addressing the problem? So far, there is no sustainable solution, but at least the specific problems are being addressed. Anima has been easier to obtain for some time now, and the other restrictions are also being loosened.
The penalties for changing covenants will also be eased. Previously, you had to expect numerous penalties when trying out a new covenant. With 9.1.5, it should be easier so you can check out the other abilities of your class.
Why exactly such changes even find their way into the game is something the community often puzzles over. In the case of the AoE limit, it was supposedly to make mythic dungeons more challenging again. However, it did not really help.
WoW removes the controversial AoE cap again.
“More of the same” – Repetitive content
What is the problem? Many WoW fans who have been playing for years feel burnt out. When you look at the release of an expansion and shortly after, the forums almost always come back to the same complaints that the game has become boring.
The problem here is that part of the community has simply seen everything, and new content is often not particularly innovative. One of the newer examples of this is Korthia, the new area from Patch 9.1.
The criticism here is that everything feels exactly like in Mechagon from BfA: You have a weekly quest that you fill with many daily tasks. Alternatively, you hunt rare enemies or search for chests. At the same time, the inventory gets cluttered with unnecessarily many different items.
Korthia quickly received the nickname “Chorethia” from players
At the same time, innovative content that kept the player base engaged is being removed or not adopted at all:
the Mage Tower from Legion was a great challenge and kept people busy for a long time, but was removed in BfA
Torghast could still be used for leveling in the beta of Shadowlands and had an endless mode – all of which was not possible at release
How is Blizzard addressing the problem? So far, we do not know exactly what the new content will look like and whether it will consist of recycled features from old expansions.
However, at least some of the old content is coming back. For example, the Mage Tower will be playable again and Torghast can be used to level up alts. Additionally, with the Legion Timewalking, popular dungeons can be played again, for the first time even as a Mythic+ variant.
What is the problem? Patch 9.1 is the content update that has taken the longest in WoW to be released since the launch of the respective expansion. Since the release of Shadowlands in November 2020 and Patch 9.1 in June 2021, there are at least 7 months.
During this time, fans had only one raid and the same 8 dungeons since the release of the expansion, along with the familiar PvP options. Even though the raid Castle Nathria kept core players busy for a while, the content eventually became stale.
Denathrius was a tough nut to crack, but soon lay in the dust for most players.
Since Legion, the community has been waiting longer and longer for the next content patch. The problem has been ongoing in WoW for several years now, but it has only become a bigger point of criticism from the community since Battle for Azeroth.
How is Blizzard addressing the problem? With Patch 9.1.5, the old dungeons from Legion are returning, even as a version for Mythic+. Additionally, warfronts and island expeditions can be started with fewer players.
As for new content, it remains to be seen what will come here. WoW head Ion Hazzikostas has already promised that class sets will return in the next raid tier after the Sanctum of Domination. However, when and where this will be is still unknown.
Blizzard is clearly working on the major problems, but has not yet provided answers for all. Some fans are already looking towards the next expansion in the hope that it will be better. Although there is currently no information on that either, MeinMMO has already consulted the crystal ball for the future:
In The Elder Scrolls Online the upcoming Update 32 was presented. It will drastically overhaul items and introduce a quality-of-life feature that you’ve been wishing for since release. You can find out everything about it here on MeinMMO.
What’s coming in Update 32? In a live stream on Twitch, the developers of The Elder Scrolls Online not only introduced the upcoming Deadlands DLC.
It also addressed the mandatory Update 32, which every ESO player is entitled to for free. It will change the stats of certain items:
Proc sets that deal burst damage now share a global cooldown of one second
A hard cap on how high the bonus for critical hits and critical healing can be
Proc sets can deal critical damage again
All item sets will offer hybrid stats
Additionally, an announcement was made that there will be a new quality-of-life feature called “Armory Assistant.” What this all means in detail will be explained in the following paragraphs.
These changes are coming in Update 32 of ESO
What’s the deal with the item changes? The planned changes to item stats delve deep into the theory crafting of ESO and address some issues.
The mentioned proc sets have caused multiple damage spikes (bursts), which led to enormous damage peaks. This was obviously not the developers’ intention; hence, this cooldown has been introduced to prevent such spikes and distribute damage bursts over a longer period.
The “hard cap” on yet unknown limits to crit bonuses is supposed to ensure that players do not invest excessively in crit chance bonuses and focus on other stats. Because crit damage/healing has been extremely popular in PvE and dominates over other stats.
However, even though crits have been somewhat weakened, they are likely to occur even more frequently now. Because the proc sets, which for a long time had no crit chance at all, will now have the ability to cause crits as well.
If you’re interested in more about ESO, you might also be interested in this:
Finally, the so-called hybrid stats will now be distributed across all sets. This means that sets granting weapon damage will now provide weapon and spell damage, spell penetration will be split into physical and spell penetration, and critical spells will turn into critical weapon and spell damage.
This latter change is well received by fans, as it allows for new and wacky builds that were previously not an option. A user commented (via Elderscrollsonline.com) aptly, “These are wild changes, and good wild changes!”
What is the Armory Assistant? Those who love to experiment with builds will adore the Armory Assistant feature. Because here you can save your character builds and change them at the push of a button at any time.
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Previously, changing your build was a hassle, as you had to rearrange dozens of skills and passives and it required much fiddling around.
However, with a wide variety of builds in ESO, where nearly every hero can take on any role in some way, this hurdle has been a headache for players since ESO’s launch 7 years ago.
The new system will be free, and you’ll get 2 slots for builds per character. If you want more, you can purchase them for real money in the Crown Store.
When is Update 32 coming? Update 32 and the final Deadlands DLC will be released in Fall 2021. However, Update 32 with all its changes should soon be available on the public test server of The Elder Scrolls Online. So the release should be coming up soon.
Call of Duty: Vanguard is not released yet and is currently still in the testing phase. Many fans are already diving into the various multiplayer modes. However, the fun is overshadowed as some are already encountering the first cheaters.
While there are occasional issues with connectivity or the game, most things run smoothly when looking at the community. The release is planned for November 5, 2021.
However, one thing is already annoying some fans: cheaters. This is a persistent issue for the entire CoD series, and Vanguard is not spared from it – even before release.
What kind of cheats are there? The community has already posted several clips on social media showcasing clear cheat users. In one case, it appears to be just a “simple” aimbot (via reddit.com).
Another clip shows that the much more annoying “silent aimbot” is also already found in the game. In this case, the cheaters don’t even need to aim anymore, but just shoot randomly around and farm kills, as this short clip from reddit shows:
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How can there be cheaters already? Fans are wondering how it is possible that Vanguard is still in its second proper testing phase and is already hosting cheaters – especially since it has only been playable on PC, the traditional “cheat platform,” since September 16.
The reddit user marponsa suspects that it has to do with how Vanguard was created: “I would assume, [that’s because] Vanguard is built on the engine of Modern Warfare and Warzone. Cheats work without problems in this game as well.”
This is what the community says: As expected, fans are not happy about the cheaters. Most respond with cynical comments or anger. Some complain that they expected the developers to take care of the problem.
Our author Tarek Zehrer also believes that the cheater issue is a significant burden for CoD:
The fight against cheaters has been going on for many years, and even with hardware bans, it seems that it is not entirely possible to deal with the issue. How things develop until release is yet to be seen.
Overall, Vanguard is causing rather mixed reactions in the community:
Marty O’Donnell (66) is the legendary composer behind games like Destiny and Halo. However, a court has now ordered him to pay about $100,000 to Destiny 2 developer Bungie. O’Donnell doesn’t seem to take this well.
What’s going on between O’Donnell and Bungie?
The composer was a key figure at Bungie for a long time and was part of the close-knit “core” team of the company. He is known for the legendary Halo soundtrack; much of the sound for Destiny 1 also comes from him.
However, in 2014, he had a falling out with Bungie and was fired. Later it became clear: He repeatedly clashed with publisher Activision, who didn’t use his music, but instead chose other music for marketing materials for Destiny 1.
Activision even prohibited him from releasing his major project “Music of the Spheres.” For O’Donnell, Activision was early on the enemy, he saw them as greedy capitalists and was bitterly disappointed by his friends at Bungie for giving up their “independence.”
This was the new lawsuit: Bungie had filed a lawsuit stating that O’Donnell had acted against the court ruling from 2015. O’Donnell had started uploading videos and other pieces on his own YouTube channel in 2019 that were related to Destiny and “Music of the Spheres.”
This is the verdict: As revealed by Eurogamer, a court approved Bungie’s lawsuit on July 12, 2021.
O’Donnell must now delete all relevant pieces from the internet. A third party will verify that all pieces from his “electronic devices” related to Destiny or “Music of the Spheres” have been deleted.
O’Donnell must also state on Twitter, YouTube, and other platforms that he did not have the right to possess or distribute these materials. He must also urge others who downloaded these pieces to delete them and destroy any copies.
O’Donnell is not allowed to comment on the process or respond to questions about it – the message must speak for itself.
The composer is also to repay all money he earned from sales, and cover court costs and other expenses. Allegedly, the costs are about $100,000, as a representative of O’Donnell stated.
Composer repeatedly published angry tweets, which he later deleted
How does O’Donnell respond to this? O’Donnell has apparently not yet complied with the court’s demands to distance himself from the material.
As Eurogamer reports, O’Donnell has repeatedly expressed frustration about the case since June 2021 and has made hints.
In June, he had announced that he would completely withdraw from the gaming industry. He hinted that he would have to close his YouTube channel – when asked why, O’Donnell replied, one should ask Bungie’s CEO, Pete Parsons.
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The FIFA 22 release is approaching, and many ratings are already known. A look at the previous values shows: There are some candidates that could be really good at the start of FUT.
What kind of list is this? It won’t be long before FIFA 22 releases – and the Early Access is just a few days away.
In preparation, EA Sports has already released several player cards that we can expect in FIFA 22. And within these ratings, there are some cards that look like they could be really good cards.
In this list, we will take a look at some cards that could be useful right at the start of FUT. Sure, cards like Neymar, Ronaldo, or Mbappé are great – but you either need extremely many coins or a hell of a lot of luck to get them.
That’s why such players are missing from this list. Instead, we look at candidates whose values suggest good performances on the pitch and affordable prices.
Pepe
This is what makes Pepe special: The values for Pepe were among the biggest surprises in the previous ratings. The Portuguese received a significant upgrade in speed despite being 38 years old. EA Sports distributed a whole 14 additional points here compared to FIFA 21.
With an 82 in defense and 87 in physicality, Pepe is likely to be a very tough center-back at the start of the season. He plays in the Portuguese league, where cards are usually not as expensive as those from the Premier League or Bundesliga. Accordingly, he could fit well into a starter team.
Lucas Verissimo
This is what makes Lucas Verissimo special: Let’s stay in the Portuguese league, because as mentioned: Here, there are usually quite cheap cards. And apparently, Liga NOS is offering some exciting starter players this year.
With Lucas Verissimo from Benfica Lisbon, you get a wonderful partner in central defense for Pepe. The Brazilian also offers decent speed, along with an 80 in defense and 79 in physicality. Sure, he probably won’t score many goals – but he should be capable of defending. Thanks to his 79 overall rating and the league, he shouldn’t be too expensive.
Rafa
This is what makes Rafa special: Our third candidate comes, as you guessed, from the Portuguese league. Rafa has been a good option in Ultimate Team for several years now and is likely to continue to be so in FIFA 22 given his stats.
The Benfica player boasts very high pace (94) and good dribbling stats (86). This should make him perfectly suited to pose a threat down the wing and set up numerous goals. With 73 shooting and 74 passing, he may not have the highest values on the ball, but it should be enough at the start of the season.
This is what makes Malen special: In FIFA 21, Hee-Chan Hwang was a very popular Bundesliga card at the beginning because the Leipzig forward had a hell of a lot of pace. This role could now fall to Dortmund’s Donyell Malen: Because the new signing also has high speed stats.
Additionally, he has strong dribbling skills and decent shooting stats. Overall: An ideal card for the start, which, thanks to an 80-rating, shouldn’t be too expensive. Thus, he is one of the most exciting cards of the current BVB ratings – like the next candidate.
Emre Can
This is what makes Can special: Recently, there has been much talk about Leon Goretzka’s 87-rated card, which has no value lower than 80 and thus has no weaknesses. Comparing it with Emre Can’s card, you can see: The Dortmund player is not far from this principle.
Can also has extremely balanced stats, lying either in the upper 70s or even in the 80s. Sure, everything is a bit lower than Goretzka – but still a damn strong card. It remains to be seen how expensive Can will be. As a Dortmund player with an 82, he might initially be priced slightly higher than other candidates on this list. Nevertheless, Can should be affordable.
On the next page, you will find another Bundesliga option, as well as some exciting cards from La Liga, the Premier League, and Serie A.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The MMORPG Guild Wars 2 showcased the new elite specializations during the presentation of the new expansion “End of Dragons”. So far, three of the total nine specializations are known, and you can even try them out yourself. We at MeinMMO will show you how.
What do we know? The large third expansion for the MMORPG classic Guild Wars 2 is called End of Dragons and will come to you after a delay in February 2022. Like the previous expansions, End of Dragons will also add nine new elite specializations to the game.
In three videos, developer ArenaNet is now introducing the first specializations and announcing a beta in which you can extensively test all three.
Update from 09/17/2021: In a stream, the next three elite specializations were presented in detail. We have added them to the article.
Update 09/15/2021: The beta for the next three elite specializations starts next week and more information is gradually becoming available.
Update 08/23/2021: The beta for the first three elite specializations is now over. There will be two more betas so that you can try out the remaining classes. We will update this article accordingly.
What are elite specializations? Starting at level 80, you can learn your elite specializations in Guild Wars 2, provided you own the expansions. This drastically changes your class and provides new mechanics, but you lose the previous ones.
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Overview of the new elite specializations
Which specializations are known so far? The new elite specializations will be revealed gradually. So far, we know about the following:
The Mesmer will become the “Virtuoso” with the dagger.
The Necromancer will become the “Harbinger” thanks to a pistol.
The Guardian will become the “Willbender” with a second sword.
The Warrior will combine a pistol and sword into the “Bladesworn”.
The Thief is still unknown.
The Engineer is still unknown.
The Elementalist will receive a hammer and become the “Catalyst”.
The Revenant will wield a greatsword and become the “Vindicator”.
ArenaNet has so far introduced 6 of the total 9 new elite specializations. We present them to you in detail:
The Vindicator – Combines Defense and Offense
What is the Vindicator? The Vindicator is the new elite specialization of the Revenant. He can summon not just one, but two new legends that thematically relate to the land of the new expansion Cantha.
The Vindicator wields a greatsword and can choose whether to play defensively or offensively, depending on which of the legends he has currently summoned. This is meant to open up new possibilities for how both work together.
The Vindicator will likely be a power DPS class.
How does his mechanic work? The legend functions as an “Alliance” legend status, so both can be merged into one legend, gameplay-wise. When you use your skills in one legend, it goes on cooldown and automatically swaps places with the skill of the other legend, which then has a 10-second cooldown.
Additionally, the Vindicator only has a single “Dodge” skill that you can modify with various traits to create what you want from your character.
You receive an F2 skill called “Alliance Tactics” that has a 19-second cooldown but switches your entire skill bar to the other variant and gives you endurance back.
His skills are all currently in offensive mode.
What can his support skills do? His aggressive healing skill deals damage to all surrounding enemies and grants you power, while the defensive healing skill heals you and your allies.
With the second skill, you leap onto an opponent in offensive mode while you spring away from your opponent in defensive mode. A classic dodge skill. With the next offensive skill, you deal damage from a distance, while the defensive version heals at range.
The “9” skill in the offensive variant breaks stuns from you and deals damage, while the defensive version provides a stun break for your entire group. Your elite skill deals a lot of damage at a range of 2000 when played offensively. The defensive version of the skill passively heals your allies while consuming your energy and health. You cannot be healed during this, but you also take less damage.
What can his active skills do? With the first skill, your auto-hit, you hit up to 5 enemies in front of you with your greatsword and deal some cold damage to your opponents.
The second skill lets you strike forward in a cone and inflicts weakness on your opponents, while the third skill is a simple leap that deals damage and cold to the target.
The 4th skill blocks the next attack that hits you, but you can activate the skill twice to deal damage with it afterward. It works like the Guardian’s counter attack. The 5th skill works like a meteor shower. It spawns random explosions around you, dealing damage to all enemies in the area. The greatsword kit is as varied as his support skills.
The trait lines of the Vindicator.
What can his traits do? In the first line, you can adjust your F2 skill according to your playstyle. For example, you can extend its cooldown to reduce other cooldowns, grant your allies power and regeneration, or heal your allies with the F2 skill when you have less than 50% health.
In the second trait line, you prepare your unique dodge skill. Among other things, you can regain endurance when you hit someone with your dodge skill, when you switch your legends, or gain an improved version of vigor when you dodge.
In the third line of traits, you can choose your dodge skill. All three change the effect your dodge skill causes. You have the option to deal damage with your dodge skill and thus integrate it into your rotation. You can also heal with your dodge skill and provide buffs to your allies.
In this video, you can see the Vindicator in action:
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The Bladesworn – Unites Pistol and Sword into a New Weapon
What is the Bladesworn? The Warrior transforms into the Bladesworn with a pistol. He uses new technology to create a kind of shooting sword. Only the best warriors are said to be able to wield such a weapon.
To achieve this, they use bullets made from special wood, sourced from the land of Cantha, so that the elite specialization thematically fits into the new maps. With the combination of pistol and greatsword, he gets a unique new weapon – the Gunsaber.
The Bladesworn will likely be a power DPS class.
How does his mechanic work? In combat, the Bladesworn cannot switch his weapon. You are always bound to your Gunsaber. Additionally, you lose your classic F1 skill as you switch to your unique weapon.
While you are in combat, you build up a buff called “Flow” that replaces the previously known adrenaline of the Warrior. You can build up to 100 Flow. Once you have more than 10, you can execute your F2 skill, charging your charges. You can have up to 10 charges. So, 100 Flow builds up 10 charges.
Once you do that, you unlock three different “Dragon-Slash” skills with varying effects that deal particularly high damage. While you charge, you cannot move, but you get a teleport skill with 3 charges.
This is the mechanic of the Bladesworn.
What can his support skills do? The healing skill has 2 charges, which you can use consecutively without cooldown. It heals you a bit when you use it and then gives you a buff that heals you once it expires. However, if you reactivate the skill before the buff expires, you gain some boons instead of healing.
The next skill has 3 charges and lets you throw a grenade that deals damage and leaves behind a wall that blocks projectiles. The skill “Electric Fence” also has 2 charges and creates a wall that cripples opponents who touch it. If they get hit twice, the opponents are even immobilized.
The skill “Flow Stabilizer” increases your flow charge and simultaneously grants you some stability, preventing you from being knocked down. This skill also has 2 charges.
The only support skill without charges is called Dragonspike Mine. With it, you can roll back and leave a mine that deals damage and cripples opponents who trigger your mine.
The elite skill is called “Tactical Reload” and restores all your skills that work with charges. At first, this may seem like little, but it is an extremely powerful mechanic. The ability has only a 30-second cooldown and charges faster than some of the other skills’ charges.
The “Dragon Slash” abilities are particularly strong.
What can his active skills do? With the first skill, you deal damage to up to three opponents in front of you. The last hit in your auto-attack chain triggers an explosion.
The second skill also triggers an explosion in front of you that deals a lot of damage but is bound to melee, while the 3rd skill has a similar effect but is designed for ranged.
The 4th skill blocks projectiles coming at you and deals damage to your opponents; the skill has 2 charges, allowing you to use it twice before it goes on cooldown.
The final skill has 2 charges and lets you leap onto your opponent and deal damage, providing greater mobility for the Bladesworn’s abilities.
With the pistol as an off-hand weapon and without your Gunsaber, you receive two new skills again. With the 5th skill, you can shoot your opponent up to 6 charges at once, which can deal a lot of damage. The 4th skill lets you leap forward and grants you Aegis. Additionally, the 4th skill returns three charges for your 5th skill, which can be a great combination.
The traits of the Bladesworn.
What can his traits do? In his first trait line, you can optimize your flow. You can increase healing that affects you while also improving your flow buildup. Additionally, you can generate more flow through movement skills or generate flow faster by switching weapons.
In the second line, it’s all about your charges. When you use the last charge of a skill, you can either burn your opponents, gain barrier, or even reduce your skill cooldowns.
The third trait line deals with your “Dragon Slash” abilities. It allows you to heal with your “Dragon Slash” skills, stun opponents, or reduce your charges from 10 to 5, making you a bit more agile regarding your cooldowns and flow.
In this video, you can see the Bladesworn in action:
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What is the Catalyst? The Catalyst harnesses magic from Tyria and enhances it with the magic of the new continent Cantha. They wield a hammer as a weapon and can leverage the ancient powers.
Catalysts can create spheres to channel elemental forces more effectively. They are thematically meant to represent the convergence of ancient soldiers and mages, explaining the melee weapon of the new elemental magician elite specialization.
The Catalyst will likely be a support class that could specialize in speed.
How does their mechanic work? The Catalyst receives an F5 skill that builds up energy while you are in combat and hitting enemies. They place a sphere on the ground, depending on which element you have equipped. The spheres of different elements provide various boons as well as other combo fields.
The sphere switches elements with you. So, if you are on fire and place a sphere, then switch to earth, the sphere changes with you to the earth element.
This is the mechanic of the Catalyst.
What can their support skills do? You receive what are called augmentations with your support skills. All your support skills are associated with an element and receive a bonus effect when executed within a sphere of their element.
The earth skill provides you with barrier and a block, while the air skill grants you speed and also serves as a stun break.
The water skill gives all your skills splash damage and adds chill when used in a water sphere. The fire skill increases your damage percentage-wise and can make your attacks unblockable.
You can activate your elite skill and receive a buff based on which element you currently have equipped. Additionally, your cooldown is reduced for every auto-hit you land while you have activated the elite skill.
What can their active skills do? The Catalyst has a total of 20 active skills, as they are divided among the four elements. Therefore, we will be shorter regarding the active skills.
In the fire element, you can:
1st Skill – You hit your opponents in ranged combat with the hammer, causing damage and burning.
2nd Skill – In ranged combat, you hurl a wave of flames at your opponents, igniting up to 5 enemies in flames for 9 seconds.
3rd Skill – You summon a sphere that circles around you, dealing damage whenever it grazes an enemy. If you trigger it again, it sends a projectile to your opponent, dealing damage. The skill remains the same across all elements, and you can create spheres of all elements before firing them.
4th Skill – You summon three small volcanoes arranged in a triangle that deal area damage and hit enemies in the center especially hard.
5th Skill – You hit the opponent with the hammer and gain buffs and extra damage when you hit a burning opponent.
In the wind element, you can:
1st Skill – You deal ranged damage to the opponents you hit.
2nd Skill – You spin and create a tornado in the target area that deals multiple area damage.
3rd Skill – This is identical across all elements.
4th Skill – Triggers a wind explosion that deals some damage and pushes you back significantly.
5th Skill – Launches a slow projectile at the opponent, stunning and causing some damage when it hits.
In the water element, you can:
1st Skill – You strike your opponent in melee, adding cold damage.
2nd Skill – Allows you to perform multiple strikes on your opponent, also causing cold damage.
3rd Skill – This is identical across all elements.
4th Skill – You leap onto the opponent, dealing area damage and healing for every enemy you hit.
5th Skill – You spin in a circle and deal damage; whenever you hit an opponent with it, you also remove a condition.
In the earth element, you can:
1st Skill – Strike in melee against your opponent, causing spikes of earth to come from the ground around you, also dealing area damage.
2nd Skill – You slowly rotate and deal damage while causing your opponents to bleed.
3rd Skill – This is identical in all elements.
4th Skill – The next attack that hits you will be blocked. If you successfully block an attack with it, you receive an aura based on the selected element.
5th Skill – Slams the ground and hits up to 5 enemies at once, immobilizing them and causing them to bleed.
The trait line of the Catalyst.
What can their traits do? Many traits focus on the buff “Elemental Empowerment,” which increases all your attributes by up to 30% when certain conditions are met. These conditions vary depending on the chosen trait. Additionally, the lines here are horizontal instead of vertical, as with the other specializations.
In the upper trait line, it revolves around the auras or spheres and modifies what happens to your character when you engage with one of these spheres. Among other benefits, you receive less damage, deal more damage, or gain stability.
The middle trait line deals with more damage and increased “Elemental Empowerment”; you improve how you gain the buff and may even double the effect of the buff.
The bottom line deals with the F5 skill, such that you gain energy when you switch your element, grant your allies buffs when you trigger a sphere, or make your spheres last up to 50% longer.
In this video, you can see the Catalyst in action:
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What is the Virtuoso? The new specialization for the Mesmer is a kind of dagger mage. Previously, the Mesmer could create clones of himself. The Virtuoso loses this ability and instead summons daggers from magic to rain down upon his enemies. His abilities were presented in detail during the stream on Friday, August 13.
He receives a dagger as a new weapon. In the meta, it will likely be a power DPS class.
How does his mechanic work? Skills that previously created clones now create daggers for you, which you can use in various ways, just as you are used to from the Mesmer. Instead of the crushing clones, you receive so-called Bladesongs, which can trigger similarly strong abilities.
His skills allow him to block or combine all the little daggers into one big dagger to deal a lot of damage. The Virtuoso should give you more time than, for example, the Illusionist or Chronomancer, as your daggers do not disappear when you exit combat. This allows you to enter a fight more actively without long preparation times.
One of the Bladesongs of the Virtuoso.
What can his support skills do? Most of his support skills are damage abilities. The Virtuoso can buff himself and build power and fury. Additionally, he can break free from a stun. All other skills of the Virtuoso are active skills that enable you to deal more damage.
What can his active skills do? His new dagger skills are, as you know from the Mesmer, ranged abilities. Some of his skills can bounce off surfaces and return to you. If you play this cleverly, you can deal damage twice with many of his abilities. The auto-attack (1) does not have a traditional “auto-attack chain”; instead, it comprises projectiles, similar to the guardian’s scepter.
What can his traits do? His specializations also enable you to deal more damage. Among other things, you receive fury equal to 10% of your vitality. Other specializations grant you simple attack bonuses like 15% more damage when you are closer to your opponent than you need to be.
He also brings some traits for condition damage, which, however, is probably less beneficial, as the character is likely geared towards power damage. To withstand a bit more, you can also trait that you gain Aegis each time you use a Bladesong.
The trait line of the Virtuoso.
In the second line, you gain even more fury, allowing you to increase your critical hit chance by up to 30%. The other trait grants you expertise for a percentage of your fury. With the last trait of the second line, you gain more fury and a speed buff for three seconds.
In the third line, you receive a dagger back whenever you block an attack or dodge, while the second trait in the line automatically generates new daggers if you have fewer than three daggers. With the last trait in the line, you again deal more condition damage and gain more daggers when you cause bleeding.
Update from 08/19/2021: After initial tests in the beta, we can achieve up to 38,000 damage per second with the Virtuoso. Some players even exceed 40,000 on YouTube. This places him among the top ranks of power DPS classes.
In this video, you can see the Virtuoso:
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What is the Harbinger? The Necromancer receives a pistol through the Harbinger and becomes a dark alchemist. He can brew and use elixirs, poison and curse his enemies, and, according to lore, will be able to transfer his “pain to others.” He loses the classic necromancer shroud and gains a unique Harbinger shroud that brings different mechanics.
He can wield the pistol as a new weapon. In the meta, it will likely be a condition DPS class.
During the stream on Friday, August 13, the developers emphasized that the Harbinger takes a new direction for the Necromancer. He uses jade magic for his elixirs to enhance his reflexes and fully utilize his pistol.
How does his mechanic work? The life force from the shroud is gradually consumed to heal yourself. Additionally, you slowly gain stacks in the shroud that reduce your maximum health by 2% each. You can stack up to 25 stacks, which means you could lose up to 50% of your health. There are various skills that benefit from the negative stacks. Furthermore, the Harbinger shroud will no longer protect you from damage, as other necromancer shrouds do.
The Harbinger is meant to be a typical “high-risk, high-reward” character and has more mobility than previous necromancer classes. The new attack skills within the shroud are supposed to be especially powerful.
The class mechanic of the Harbinger.
What are his active skills? The first skill within the shroud deals double damage and inflicts four seconds of torment on enemies, while the second skill of the shroud can cause up to 6 stacks of torment and maintain up to a range of 900. Skills 3 and 4 are movement abilities meant to grant the new Necromancer more agility, as he has less durability than his other specializations. Skill number 3 also inflicts torment on the enemy, while skill 4 provides you with an extra “Dodge” stack.
The last skill in the shroud is an AoE CC skill that lifts all your enemies into the air for 3 seconds and can also refill your life force. The Harbinger’s pistol also inflicts significant torment, making it a potentially very effective condition damage character. The 2nd skill of your pistol pierces opponents, dealing damage, making your opponent vulnerable and also inflicting torment.
The third skill of your pistol can stun the opponent and inflict poison, and your opponent then also suffers from weakness. The entire skill set of the Harbinger deals a lot of damage to compensate for his lower health.
The elixirs of the Harbinger.
What can his support skills do? The elixirs also represent an exciting new mechanic. You gain powerful bonuses through your elixirs but also always receive the negative buff that you also have in the shroud. You stack the new mechanic “negative health”. The elite elixir grants you all buffs the game offers but adds “negative health” equivalent to 20% of your maximum health.
What can his traits do? Within the traits (or specializations), you can further explore the “high risk – high reward” concept. In the first trait line, he can extract up to 25% more condition damage or power damage from his negative health.
In the second trait line, he receives defensive properties. Among other things, he gains stability, reduced cooldown on his pistol skills and expertise when wielding a pistol. Additionally, one trait allows him to share his buffs with his whole group, meaning up to 5 people. This makes the Harbinger a potential boon supporter.
The trait lines of the Harbinger.
In the last trait line, he can specialize in damage again. Among other things, you receive a skill that deals continuous damage around you while you are in the shroud. This skill also has a version that works similarly for condition damage. With the middle and last trait, he can grant his entire group speed for about 3 seconds, once again going in the direction of a boon supporter.
Update from 08/19/2021: After initial tests in the beta, we can achieve a substantial 45,300 damage per second with the Harbinger. This currently makes him one of the strongest conditions damage DPS classes.
In this video, you can see the Harbinger:
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What is the Willbender? The new Guardian is a fast defender, staying true to the motto: Attack is the best defense. He charges into battle with two swords, relying on agility and mobility. In the video, he leaps across the battlefield and can deal significant damage to his enemies.
During the stream on Friday, August 13, the developers mentioned that the Willbender tends more towards an assassin with a lot of mobility for a heavily armored class.
He receives a second sword as a new weapon. In the meta, it will likely be a power DPS class.
How does his mechanic work? The Willbender has three distinct mechanic skills. With the first (F1), you jump to your opponents and leave behind a burning field that deals damage multiple times to the enemy. All three skills are agility skills, so you can jump with all mechanic abilities.
Additionally, you can use them to deal extra hits to your opponents. The F3 skill “Courage” grants you Aegis and stability, so it’s a good way to enter the fight or to escape from one. However, all mechanic skills overwrite each other. You can only maintain one bonus from the skills at a time.
The F1 skill of the Willbender.
What are his active skills? With the two new sword skills, you can extract even more mobility from your character. With the 5th skill of the kit, you can jump twice back-to-back before it goes on cooldown. If you hit an opponent with this, the enemy is slowed and takes damage from you. The 4th skill also deals double damage and inflicts vulnerability on the target.
There are only two active skills, as he can only use the sword as an off-hand weapon.
What can his support skills do? With his healing skill at 6, he can heal himself, but also gains a block for the next few seconds. If the Willbender blocks an attack with this skill, he gains significantly more health back. The mechanic works similarly to the full counter of the Guardian, but he heals instead of dealing damage. He has two charges, allowing you to use it twice back-to-back without cooldown.
The next skill is also similar to the warrior’s bull rush. The Willbender jumps on the opponent and deals 5 times damage. If he reactivates the skill, he jumps back to his original position. His other support skills focus on dealing more damage. These are area damage attacks that can apply burning to the opponent. He can also stun his enemies for two seconds.
The healing skill of the Willbender.
The elite ability of the Willbender triggers a hand from above that slaps down on opponents. It strikes one enemy and throws them to the ground, while all enemies around are thrown away. You can use it to isolate enemies and then deal better damage to them.
What can his traits do? His specializations grant the Willbender more damage and many buffs. Additionally, he gains a class-specific buff called “Deadly Speed.” This buff can be maintained permanently with some practice and grants you 15% more damage. His stacks regain their original time once a new stack is added.
In the first trait line, you can be a true egoist. You receive more buff time on yourself, but you reduce the duration of the boons you grant your allies. The second trait removes 240 toughness but grants you 240 power, meaning you will deal significantly more damage while enduring less. This can be worthwhile, especially with the block from the healing skill. Even with the third trait, you can improve your self-healing but decrease healing for your allies.
In the second trait line, you gain more bonuses on your class-specific abilities. With the first skill, you can reduce the cooldown of your mechanic abilities to further enhance your agility. The second skill increases the damage of your mechanic abilities and grants you a bit more healing, while the third skill of the trait line grants you more defense through passive boons when you use shadow steps.
The trait line of the Willbender.
In the third and final trait line, you gain further bonuses for each of the mechanic abilities. The bonuses include boons you receive when using your abilities, reduced cooldown, and increased damage. With this, the Guardian gains access to the ability “Deadly Speed” for the first time. You can also further enhance the “deadly speed” abilities, but you’ll shorten their duration. The last skill can literally make you immortal as long as you carry the “Courage” buff, but at the same time, the duration of the skill is shortened. Overall, you can become unkillable for up to 4 seconds, but lose Aegis for Courage.
Update from 08/19/2021: After initial tests in the beta, we can achieve up to 36,000 damage per second with the Willbender. This makes him a solid power DPS character. We chose not to use the second sword as we found significantly better values with the sword/focus combination.
In this video, you can see the Willbender:
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Playing the remaining 6 elite specializations? All information about the beta
When does the beta start? The next beta starts on September 21 and allows you to try out the next three elite specializations. These include those of the Revenant, the Warrior, and the Elementalist.
During this period, any Guild Wars 2 player, whether you purchased the game or not, can participate.
The bonuses of the different End of Dragons versions.
How do you participate in the beta? You simply need to play at the specified time. The beta for the new specializations takes place on the live server, so no additional download or new registration is required.
As of the beta start, you will receive new character slots on your account, which are specifically for beta characters. There you can create the new elite specializations and fully test them within the current live content.
What is special about the beta? The characters you create are provided with equipment that has various stats, have learned all necessary skills, and are of course level 80. You also carry your mastery level over to the beta characters. It is still unclear whether you can use parts of your legendary armor on the characters.
But beware: After the beta, your character slots will be taken away again, and your beta characters will be deleted. This also applies to all items that are on this character. Additionally, all progress made with the beta characters will be reset. So, farming things here is not worthwhile.
When will the other specializations be available? ArenaNet announced further beta events for the remaining three elite specializations. These are expected to follow in October, but exact dates and which specializations will be involved are not yet known.
Which of the new specializations do you like best, and what playstyle appeals to you? Are you excited for End of Dragons or disappointed due to the delay? Feel free to let us know in the comments.
Destiny 2 will be graced by Xur today, on September 17th. The vendor brings you Exotics and, recently, also legendary gear. In addition, Xur kicks off the currently popular Trials of Osiris. Xur’s hideout, his items, and everything about the current Trials map is shown to you by MeinMMO.
This is how Destiny 2 keeps you busy: After 3 weeks of preparation, the quest for the new Exotic Agers Scepter finally starts this week. Those who have already acquired the Stasis weapon can look forward to a suitable Masterwork Catalyst starting next reset (September 21).
Even Xur has received a small change in Season 15. What will he bring this time for weapons and armor?
All information about Xur on September 17th, 2021 – PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Google Stadia
When does Xur come? Xur’s schedule is always the same. The tentacle-faced black market dealer will await us every Friday at 7:00 PM at any location in the solar system. Xur disappears every Tuesday at the weekly reset at 7:00 PM.
Where is Xur? This is his crib for the weekend
Xur’s location: You will find the vendor in the Tower. Check in the hangar at the back by the stairs:
Xur’s current position in the Tower
Xur’s inventory from September 17th to September 21st – All Exotics at a glance
What does Xur have on offer? Xur always has exotic weapons and armor for all characters with him – for Warlocks, Hunters, and Titans. Each week there is a random offer, and with the Exo armor, the stats are also randomly rolled. We will take a look at Xur’s current offer below and provide you with the most important data on the gear and also include the legendary items.
Weapon: Merciless – Fusion Rifle for 29 Legendary Shards
Titan: One-Eyed Mask – Helmet for 23 Legendary Shards
When do the Trials start? The Trials start every Friday at 7:00 PM. You then have until the next reset on September 21 to sweat. Then both Xur and the Trials will bid farewell.
Do you think Destiny 2 will break the newly set Trials record again this week? What changes do you wish for the PvP mode? Remember, a solo playlist in the Trials (Freelance) will soon start as a test, just like you know from Iron Banner.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
