When will Blastoise come to Pokémon Unite? What we know about the Pokémon so far

Sayumi (Lena) Sayumi (Lena) Reading time 2 minutes

Blastoise and Gardevoir were announced before the release of Pokémon Unite. After Gardevoir found its way into the game on July 28, it is now Blastoise’s turn. Here is what we know about the Pokémon.

The Water-type Pokémon Blastoise (DE: Turtok) has been present since the first generation in the main Pokémon games and is one of the iconic trio of starter Pokémon. Blastoise evolves from Wartortle, which in turn evolves from Squirtle. The developers TiMi have firmly announced Blastoise for Pokémon Unite, and he was already playable in the beta of the MOBA.

What can Blastoise do? In the closed beta of Pokémon Unite, a glimpse at Blastoise’s moveset was available. With attacks like Water Gun or Hydro Pump, he is classified as a ranged attacker. With a toughness value of 3.5/5 stars, Blastoise is just below the already known defenders Slowbro and Crustle. Thus, he is declared a defender by the game.

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Like other Pokémon, Blastoise will likely receive its own skins. A leak shows one of the possible Blastoise skins.

His starting attacks are Skull Bash and Water Gun. After that, you can choose between Water Spout or Hydro Pump at level 5, which then replaces Water Gun as an attack. Water Spout damages the opponent and reduces their movement speed. In contrast, Hydro Pump is a pure damage move.

At level 7, you then have the choice between Surf and Rapid Spin. The former stuns affected opponents. After an upgrade, Blastoise temporarily gains a protective shield once Surf hits. If Blastoise uses Rapid Spin, he rotates around his own axis and is freely controllable.

After reaching level 13, Rapid Spin increases Blastoise’s movement speed and reduces the damage from opponents to him. If you choose one of the two attacks, it replaces the starting attack Skull Bash.

Here you can watch a video featuring him, his attacks, and gameplay from the closed beta:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5ZhN3RoeDk
Attention: Since these are the closed beta details from March 6, 2021, both attacks and values can still change until the official release of Blastoise. As soon as there is more information about Blastoise, we will update this article.

When is the release of Blastoise?

What we know about the release: Already on June 17, more than a month before the official game release, Blastoise was announced along with Gardevoir. While Gardevoir is already playable, there is no fixed release date for the Water-type Pokémon.

Some players expected Blastoise two weeks after the release, as Gardevoir was added to Pokémon Unite directly in the first week after the game’s release. However, on August 3, only patch notes for the following day were posted, which included bug fixes and balancing. However, there was no trace of Blastoise. Users are now speculating whether the turtle will arrive in August or even wait until September.

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Some players hope for the soon release of Blastoise

This is how the first new Pokémon was released: Since the tweet in June, there has been no further mention of the two Pokémon. However, a few days before the release of Gardevoir, the tweet from June 17 was retweeted by the official account. Shortly thereafter, a post was made one day before Gardevoir’s release announcing the Psychic-Fairy Pokémon.

It is possible that the release of Blastoise will follow a similar pattern.

Are you among the players who are looking forward to Blastoise? What do you think about its abilities from the closed beta? Do you have any guesses about when Blastoise might finally become playable? Let us know in the comments.

Pokémon Unite: Update changes 14 Pokémon tomorrow – Patch Notes

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

Pokémon GO: Today is the last raid hour with Dialga – Who should use it?

Franzi Korittke Franzi Korittke Reading time 3 minutes

Today, on August 4, 2021, there will be a raid hour in Pokémon GO again. Just like last week, you will encounter the legendary Pokémon Dialga. We will show you which counters you should use to defeat this monster and tell you who should definitely take advantage of the raid hour today.

What is a raid hour? Every Wednesday, a one-hour raid event takes place in Pokémon GO, where trainers face off against legendary Pokémon in numerous level 5 raids. Because of this short event, corresponding raids start in almost all gyms during this time.

This week, you have the last chance to encounter the legendary Pokémon Dialga. We will show you which counters you should use.

Raid Hour with Dialga – Information and Counters

When does it start? The raid hour starts today as usual at 6:00 PM local time and lasts one hour, ending at 7:00 PM. Before the start, you will see black eggs in the gyms that will hatch during the short event.

Is there a shiny Dialga? Yes! The shiny variant of Dialga is now available in the game for the second week in a row. It is distinctly different from the normal Dialga due to its green color.

Pokémon GO Dialga Shiny
Normal Dialga (left) and shiny (right)

These counters you should use: The legendary Pokémon Dialga is of steel and dragon type, making it particularly weak against ground and fighting type attacks. You should take advantage of this weakness and adapt your team accordingly.

Based on the overview from Pokebattler, we present you the best counters against Dialga below (via pokebattler.com):

PokémonMoveset
LucarioCounter & Aura Sphere
(Shadow) MachampCounter & Dynamic Punch
ExcadrillMud-Slap & Drill Run
(Shadow) HariyamaCounter & Dynamic Punch
GroudonMud Shot & Earthquake
Landorus (Therian Forme)Mud Shot & Earthquake
Landorus (Incarnate Forme)Mud Shot & Earth Power
RhyperiorMud-Slap & Earthquake
BreloomCounter & Dynamic Punch
(Shadow) MamoswineMud-Slap & Steamroller

In mega evolution, the following two counters are also suitable against Dialga:

  • Mega Lopunny with High Jump Kick & Focus Blast
  • Mega Charizard Y with Fire Spin & Blast Burn

How many trainers are needed? Experienced players can win the raid with the best counters with just 3 people. We recommend that you fight against Dialga with at least four trainers. To play in a larger group, you can also participate in other raids with your Remote Raid Passes or invite friends via Remote Raid. This makes the raid a bit more relaxed.

Who should take advantage of the raid hour?

Dialga has been very rarely encountered in the game. However, due to its strong attack values, it is one of the best attackers in Pokémon GO. Thus, it is a suitable candidate for use in raids and the PvP league. Additionally, this monster has only been available in its shiny form since July 23, 2021.

For this reason, everyone who has not yet caught a strong specimen should take advantage of this raid hour. It is also worth it for all shiny hunters to participate in this one-hour event to possibly obtain a shiny Dialga.

If you already have enough strong and shiny Dialga, you can also use the raid hour to collect some candies again. Because already on Friday, August 6, 2021, the raid boss will change, and you will no longer have a chance to encounter this legendary monster for the time being.

More about Pokémon GO:

What happens next: Dialga will only be available in the raids until August 6 and will then be replaced by the new raid boss Palkia. Additionally, on that day, the 2nd Hyperbonus event that you earned during the GO Fest 2021 will also start. We have taken a look at what events await you in August and summarized them for you.

Will you take the chance to participate in the raids with Dialga again today? Or have you had enough of this Pokémon and are looking forward to the next raid boss? Feel free to share your opinion on this on MeinMMO in the comments.

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

What is the status of Overwatch 2? – The current state

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

A glimmer of hope on the horizon for Overwatch fans. Blizzard mentioned the title in the earnings call – and promised more information.

Almost 2 years have passed since the announcement of Overwatch 2 at BlizzCon 2019, but for many players, it does not seem that much has really happened since then. New images are rare, many details are still unknown, and everything is quite nebulous. During the Activision Blizzard earnings call for Q2 2021, there was at least a small ray of hope.

What was said? Allegedly, Overwatch has reached an “important internal milestone” in recent weeks. Although Blizzard does not explain what exactly this milestone is, it at least allows for speculation that we might soon enjoy an alpha or beta.

What is Overwatch 2 actually? This is not entirely clear either. Basically, Overwatch 2 is a successor, but it is also supposed to be integrated into the old game. The major balancing and PvP changes in Overwatch 2 will also be seen in Overwatch 1, and both games will share a player pool.

Overwatch 2 5 heroes title title 1280x720

However, Overwatch 2 features many graphical improvements and an extensive cooperative story campaign in which heroes can even distribute talent points and thus customize themselves. Whether the story campaign can really hold attention for a long time or is only something for lore fans remains to be seen.

When will there be more information? Although no specific date for further information was mentioned, more details and presentations are expected in the coming months. It is said:

After the great feedback from our latest community update, the team is already looking forward to revealing more about the game in the coming months as they reach the later stages of production.

In the last community update, Blizzard let a slightly bigger cat out of the bag, as Overwatch 2 moves away from the tried-and-true 6v6 principle. Instead, each team is reduced to 5 characters. This means greater importance in hero selection, but also more responsibility for each individual player – and a greater chance to “carry” the entire team.

More about Blizzard and Overwatch can be found here:

The announcement of the 5v5 change was met with mixed feelings by players. Especially the professional teams were upset and fear for their existence, as a smaller team size also means that some players will no longer be needed.

Are you excited for Overwatch 2? Or has the long wait for the shooter – or the current scandal surrounding Blizzard – already eliminated your anticipation?

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

Fortnite introduces 2 new arcade skins known only to oldies

Christos Tsogos Christos Tsogos Reading time 3 minutes

On the course of yesterday, Patch 17.30 was deployed on the Fortnite servers, adding new content. Among the new content are also two new arcade skins from the 90s that some of you should know. We are talking about Cammy and Guile from “Street Fighter”. How to possibly get them for free and what you need to do is explained here.

Which skins are meant? As in the last season in Fortnite, numerous skins were also released in this season. This time, however, round two of the “Street Fighter” collection starts with the honored guests Guile and Cammy. Both made their first appearance in “Street Fighter II”.

  • Fortnite-Street-Fighter-Guile
    This is Guile, did you know that he has no eyebrows?
  • Fortnite-Street-Fighter-Cammy
    This is Cammy, also known as Killer Bee
Here are the two new Street Fighter skins for Fortnite.

How to get the skins?

There’s good news and bad news.

The good news: Cammy will be available through a “Cammy Cup”. Along with her skin, you will also get her Back Bling, so the full package. All you need to do is reach first place. But you won’t go home empty-handed if you’re not a tryhard; you only need to reach 8 points to get an exclusive “Street Fighter” loading screen.

The bad news: Unfortunately, Guile will not be available to earn. Instead, he will appear as an offer in the Fortnite Item Shop. Together with Cammy, they will be released as a bundle on August 7. In addition to the skins, there will be another bundle that includes two pickaxes and a glider.

Fortnite-Street-Fighter-Schläger-Gleiter
Two pickaxes and a jet for takeoff

Info about the Cammy Cup

When does the Cup start in Fortnite? The Cammy Cup will take place as a duo tournament on August 5 from 19 to 22 o’clock. You have three hours to give it your all. Even if it doesn’t work out in the tournament, you will still have the option to purchase Cammy along with Guile in the shop. And as a consolation prize, there’s also the loading screen.

  • Fortnite-Street-Fighter-Cammy-Cup
  • Fortnite-Steet-Fighter-Ladebildschirm
    Loading screen
Here you see the rewards of the Cammy Cup

How do I best score 8 points? If you want to play it safe, just camp. Hide with your teammate in a bush or a secluded cabin and wait for the points to come to you. Since placements yield the most points, you should have your 8 points together quickly.

If you’re interested in more about Fortnite, you might also find this appealing:

But if you want more action, dare to enter the battlefield and try your luck. You also have the option to earn points through eliminations. You get 1 point per elimination. You can find more information about the points placement on the Epic Games website (via. epicgames.com)

Do you like that characters from other game universes are coming to the Fortnite island and joining in, or would you prefer to see your own Fortnite skins again? Let us know in the comments what you think of it.

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

Survival-MMO Rust is not hard enough – Bring sharks that eat you

Benedict Grothaus Benedict Grothaus Reading time 3 minutes

The survival MMO Rust (Steam, PS4, Xbox One) has been working on a new update for some time now. Parts of it are already in the game and as dangerous as they sound. Apparently, Rust is not hard enough yet – that’s why the developers are now making water deadly.

How hard is Rust so far? Rust is generally considered one of the hardest survival games to date. This is partly due to the fact that many players enjoy PvP, making it difficult for newcomers to get a “easy” start. On the other hand, the game itself is also a challenge:

  • you start each time naked with only a rock and first need to find a place for a safe shelter
  • your base gets wiped regularly and you have to start over each time
  • buildings decay if you don’t maintain them
  • NPC camps can get in your way, and just when you explore cluelessly, you might encounter deadly dangers
  • good materials for stronger equipment can only be found in later areas or in reinforced camps
  • biomes, like mountains with their cold, present an additional challenge, especially since resources here are fiercely contested among players

Even experienced veterans warn: Get used to dying when you start with Rust.

How will Rust get even harder? In a new update, the developers are making Rust even more dangerous – specifically, they are making water deadly. In Rust, you are stuck on an island surrounded by water, and in precisely this water, sharks are now lurking.

If you swim out too far, too deep, or just at the wrong place, one of these sea predators might attack you unexpectedly. Especially without preparation, you will quickly find yourself respawning.

However, the sharks have a reason for their existence. Because the update makes water generally more interesting.

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YouTuber SHADOWFRAX gives a brief insight into the features of the update.

The sea as a new biome with many features

What else is coming? The entire update revolves around the sea and its contents – literally. Because you will get new underwater laboratories to explore. These are procedurally generated, meaning they look different after every wipe.

In the laboratories, you will find strong loot and may encounter enemies, similar to tunnels. The laboratories have a “moonpool,” which is an entrance at the bottom. Here, you can simply swim in or use new submarines, because the update also includes:

  • Submarines as new vehicles for 1-2 people – available for purchase from the boat dealer
  • Toripedos on the submarines in two variants: for combat against targets beneath the surface and on it
  • Fishing as a new feature to catch fish that you can gut or sell
  • Harpoons as a new weapon for underwater, so you can defend yourself against the sharks

The underwater visibility is also improved, allowing you to see the laboratories and sharks better. The sea will thus be a new biome full of life that you can explore – and a bit more like the peaceful Subnautica, just less peaceful.

More about Rust on MeinMMO:

When can I play the update? The contents are already playable on the test servers of Rust, and the update is expected to go live on Thursday, August 5.

You will surely find more about the update soon with your favorite streamers on Twitch or even in the major role-playing projects, as long as they survive long enough:

Twitch streamer fears that small streamers will ruin the new Rust project

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Source(s):
  1. PCGamer

Pokémon GO brings new legendary monsters – How strong will Zacian and Zamazenta be

Franzi Korittke Franzi Korittke Reading time 3 minutes

In the course of the 3rd Hyperbonus event, there will be 7 new monsters in Pokémon GO. Two of them are the legendary Pokémon Zacian and Zamazenta. We have looked at what kind of monsters they are and compiled all the information for you.

What is it about? For GO Fest 2021, trainers had the opportunity to participate in various global challenges. This unlocked three additional events. For the last of these events, the 3rd Hyperbonus, new Pokémon are set to come into the game, including 2 legendary ones: Zacian and Zamazenta.

Zacian’s Power

What kind of Pokémon is that? Zacian is a legendary Fairy-type Pokémon. It is primarily associated with the video game Pokémon: Sword and Shield and graces the cover of Pokémon Sword. It does not have a pre-evolution or further evolution.

Zacian will be available in Level 5 raids in its heroic warrior form from August 20, 2021, at 10:00 AM to August 26, 2021, at 10:00 AM. It has a weakness to Poison and Steel-type attacks. You should therefore use appropriate Pokémon to defeat it.

Pokémon GO Zacian
Zacian in its heroic warrior form (via pokemon.com)

Its strength: As seen in the overview from gamepress, Zacian in its heroic warrior form can showcase a solid attack value and its defense is also decent (via gamepress.gg). Its stamina, however, is only average. Its form “King of the Sword” can display significantly better stats.

Zacian’s maximum strength after the raid is estimated by gamepress to be 2,188 CP. With a weather bonus, it can even reach 2,735 CP. If you level this monster up to level 50, it could have a maximum of 4,329 CP.

In Pokémon Sword and Shield, Zacian can learn a whole range of attacks. Which attacks it will have in Pokémon GO is still not known. However, the moveset is also crucial alongside the stats to determine if it becomes a good attacker in the game.

Zamazenta’s Power

What kind of Pokémon is that? Zamazenta is the counterpart to Zacian and therefore represents Pokémon Shield. It is also a legendary Pokémon and belongs to the Fighting type.

In Level 5 raids, Zamazenta will face you as a raid boss from August 26, 2021, at 10:00 AM until September 1, 2021, at 10:00 AM. This monster will also be found in its heroic warrior form. To defeat it, you should use Psychic, Flying, or Fairy-type attacks.

Pokémon GO Zamazenta
Zamazenta in its heroic warrior form (via pokemon.com)

Its strength: According to gamepress, Zamazenta is as strong in terms of attack, defense, and stamina as Zacian (via gamepress.gg). How good it actually is cannot be stated with certainty yet, as the exact moveset is also still unknown.

The fact that Zamazenta and Zacian have exactly the same stats is also shown in the overview of maximum strength. According to gamepress, it will also be catchable after the raid with a maximum of 2,188 CP. With a weather bonus, it reaches 2,735 CP. Also, at level 50, Zamazenta can therefore reach a maximum of 4,329 CP.

Like Zacian, its other form “King of the Shield” has significantly better stats. Here, especially the defense stands out. However, these forms of Zacian and Zamazenta are not yet catchable in the game.

More about Pokémon GO:

Which of the two legendary Pokémon are you most looking forward to in the 3rd Hyperbonus? And which attacks do you wish for Zacian and Zamazenta? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments right here on MeinMMO.

In the coming weeks, you can expect more exciting events, spotlight hours, and raid hours in Pokémon GO. We have looked at which events are particularly worthwhile in August and summarized them for you.

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

What needs to change after the Blizzard shock – Video Talk

Irina Moritz Irina Moritz Reading time < 1 minutes

The scandal surrounding Activision Blizzard is causing increasing waves in gaming. Maurice Weber, Leya Jankowski, and Heiko Klinge discuss the lawsuit and its implications in a video.

A state agency from California has sued Activision Blizzard – and the allegations are shocking. Sexism, harassment, and systematic discrimination against women have reportedly been a daily occurrence at Blizzard for years and were known to the company’s management.

After the release of the indictment, the situation escalated further: from striking employees to expressions of solidarity from the entire industry, to the departure of Blizzard CEO J. Allen Brack.

In this video, Maurice discusses the scandal and its implications with Leya Jankowski, editor-in-chief of Mein-MMO, and Heiko Klinge, editor-in-chief of GameStar – and what it means for all of us.

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We also present you with additional articles on the topic, which you can find on MeinMMO, GameStar, and GamePro:

Finally, Activision Blizzard stated in a statement that Blizzard CEO J. Allen Brack will be leaving the company. His position will not be filled; instead, it will be split into two “Co-Leads.” This role will be taken over by the two vice presidents Jennifer “Jen” Oneal and Mike Ybarra, who are to lead the developer together.

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

How to Become a Mage with Area Spells in New World

Matthis Dillmann Matthis Dillmann Reading time 3 minutes

The MMORPG New World offers you various weapons for combat. If hammers and muskets seem too “normal” to you, you can devote yourself to the arcane arts and torment your enemies as a powerful mage with fire and ice. We will show you how to effectively use your area spells as a mage.

What is this about? If you want to use magical abilities in New World, you have to resort to the Fire Staff or the Ice Gauntlets. Both weapons possess certain skills that allow you to use powerful area spells. We present a build here that allows you to defeat multiple enemies at once.

How do I distribute the attributes? For mages, intelligence is the most important attribute, as it improves and strengthens your spells. However, you should also invest some points in constitution and focus. Constitution increases your health points, and focus influences your mana regeneration.

How to use the Fire Staff for area spells

What is the Fire Staff? The Fire Staff is considered one of the most powerful weapons in New World, and that’s why it has landed in the highest category in the weapon tier list we’ve reported on for PvE and PvP. Here, we use the two skill trees Flame Invocation and Pyromancer.

Which skills do I use with the Fire Staff?

  • Meteor Shower: Casts a spell that causes meteors to rain down. Deals 34.0% weapon damage on impact and an additional 20.0% weapon damage for every second the target remains in the area.
  • Flamethrower: Creates a beam of fire from the tip of the staff, dealing 34.0% weapon damage per second. Each hit ignites enemies, dealing 3.0% weapon damage per second over 6s.
  • Incineration: Causes a fiery explosion for 130.0% weapon damage and knocks all enemies back 3.0 m. Ignites enemies, dealing 3.0% weapon damage per second over 6s.
This is what one possible build looks like for the Fire Staff (via. New World Fans)

How to use the Ice Gauntlets for area spells

What are the Ice Gauntlets? The Ice Gauntlets are the second weapon in New World that allows you to cast offensive spells. From the two skill trees Ice Storm and Elementalist, we only use Ice Storm here. This skill tree provides AoE damage and restricts enemy movement.

You can find more builds for New World here:

Which skills do I use with the Ice Gauntlets?

  • Ice Spikes: Creates a path of ice spikes in a straight line starting from the player for 8 m, dealing 56.0% weapon damage. The path ends in a powerful spike that deals 157.0% weapon damage and knocks enemies back. By pressing the left mouse button, you can end the path earlier.
  • Ice Storm: Deals 17.0% weapon damage every 0.25s and slows targets within a 5 m radius of the frozen area. 25% slow, 20 m range, and 5s duration.
  • Ice Wind: A column of freezing winds that knocks players back 5 m and deals 16.0% weapon damage with each hit. The range is 7 m, with the last 2 m causing increased damage of 20.0% and not knocking back enemies.
This is what one possible build looks like for the Ice Gauntlets (via. New World Fans)

In addition to these builds, there are of course others that are also well-suited to instill fear in your enemies as a mage. Also, many changes might occur before and after the release.

Have you been able to gain experience as a mage in New World and are excited about the possibilities? Or do you find the Fire Staff and Ice Gauntlets not so great? We would love to hear about your experiences, so please share them with us in the comments.

After the end of the beta, MeinMMO editor Mark Sellner looked into what needs to be improved before the release of New World.

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

Wow, CoD Warzone: Blizzard loses 1 million players, warns of sexism crisis – stock rises

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

Activision Blizzard has presented the financial results for Q2 2021. Blizzard continues to struggle with active player numbers, the studio behind WoW, Overwatch, and Diablo has lost another million players. Additionally, Activision Blizzard warns of the potential negative impacts of the sexism crisis. However, the numbers from Call of Duty: Warzone and the mobile title are so strong that Activision Blizzard’s stock is rising despite everything.

These are Activision’s quarterly figures: The video game publisher has exceeded expectations for Q2 2021.

  • Revenue was $1.92 billion – only $1.89 billion was expected
  • Revenue per share was $0.91 – $0.75 was expected.

Compared to the pandemic year 2020, revenues have even risen further.

What number is concerning? A number that Activision Blizzard likely does not find pleasing appears at the very end of the business report: it is the “Monthly Active Users.” These are all players who have logged in at least once a month.

Here, especially the game studio Blizzard has lost a significant number of players in recent years. Over three years, they have lost a third of active users, and the negative trend continues:

  • In Q2 2018, Blizzard still had 37 million users
  • In Q2 2019, there were still 32 million users
  • In Q2 2020, there were stable 32 million users – here WoW Classic apparently prevented further losses
  • But in Q2 2021, there are only 26 million users left – thus, the number of active users fell by another million compared to Q1 2021.
More on the topic
Wow, Overwatch, Diablo 3: Blizzard has lost nearly every 3rd player
von Schuhmann

Call of Duty Warzone and Mobile save Activision Blizzard

This was the big bright spot: What is currently casting a positive light on Activision Blizzard, is the success of Call of Duty, with its trio of the full-price title Cold War, the free-to-play title Warzone, and the mobile offshoot.

It is said that the numbers are far higher than before the introduction of Warzone: Compared to 2019, the numbers have tripled. Call of Duty Mobile is also positively mentioned, having risen by more than 10%.

Additionally, the company’s mobile studio, King, is praised: here too, revenue has grown by 15%.

The titles from Blizzard also received praise: Here, Activision Blizzard particularly highlights WoW Classic, where Burning Crusade is said to have boosted subscription numbers.

Where exactly Blizzard has lost that million players, if WoW is doing so well, remains unclear. It could be Overwatch, where not much has happened for months. However, it is said that the development of Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 is progressing well. The mobile title Diablo Immortal has however been delayed.

Call of Duty: Warzone is incredibly strong. The success of Activision Blizzard is currently built on this title.

Activision Blizzard warns of possible negative consequences from the sexism scandal

This overshadows everything: The sexism scandal, following the lawsuit, is also reflected in the business report. This scandal around Blizzard has dominated international coverage of gaming in the past two weeks.

Activision Blizzard warns investors that they could experience a “longer period of significantly lower productivity”; additionally, negative public reactions and further negative consequences for the company could arise. They will closely examine all of this.

The report also contains further statements that Activision Blizzard is committed to ensuring the well-being of employees and ensuring that all staff feel safe and welcome.

Good business figures cushion the impact of the sexism scandal

This is how it affected the stock price: Activision Blizzard’s stock had recently fallen sharply and hit the lowest level in 2021. On August 3, it still looked like it would be a bad day on the stock market: After the resignation of Blizzard CEO J. Allen Brack, the stock plummeted by another 3.5%.

However, the positive business figures halted this downward trend and gave the stock a boost upward. Before the official trading start on August 4 and after the business figures were announced, Activision Blizzard’s stock had already risen by 5.8%.

The stock is not as high as before the sexism scandal – in recent days, the stock has fallen from about $90 to below $80.

The news of the departure of Blizzard President shook Activision Blizzard’s stock yesterday, but it apparently only lasted a few hours until the business figures smoothed things over:

WoW: President J. Allen Brack leaves Blizzard – After sexism scandal

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. finance yahoo
  2. Investor.Activision

3 exciting changes for Season 15 of Destiny 2 that you do not have on your radar

Sven Galitzki Sven Galitzki Reading time 4 minutes

With the upcoming Season 15, Destiny 2 will soon see a number of new features introduced, but some cool things may not be on the radar for some Guardians. Here’s what you might have missed.

When does Season 15 start? At the end of August, Season 15 will kick off in Destiny 2 – with the Weekly Reset on 24.08, the current Season 14 will end and the new season will begin.

What’s the deal with the changes? The new season traditionally brings various changes and new features. Many of these have already been announced, while some may have only been mentioned in passing or a long time ago. Therefore, not all the cool details have been retained in players’ memories.

Here we present three exciting things that some might not remember for the upcoming season. Additionally, another cool and almost forgotten feature might make its way into the game in Season 15, unless Bungie introduces another season before the next major expansion “Witch Queen”.

This is already confirmed for Season 15

Update for the Guardian’s Light classes: Since the introduction of Stasis with the Beyond Light expansion, many players have complained that the original Light subclasses of the individual Guardian classes, and especially their customization options, lag far behind the Stasis classes.

Other subclasses are also set to shine alongside Stasis soon

However, at the end of May, Bungie announced in its TWaB blog that they plan to address the balancing of Light subclasses in Season 15 while also continuing to work on Stasis. The goal is to give the Light classes across all areas of the game more significance based on player feedback.

The nature of the changes has now been communicated. Here you can find out more: Destiny 2 brings extensive class adjustments in Season 15 – Here’s what’s changing

Legendary Stasis weapons: As part of Season 15, new Stasis weapons will expand the Guardian’s arsenal, as the studio announced back in February 2021. For the first time, these will be legendary energy and power weapons utilizing the Stasis element. Until now, there have only been exotic representatives based on icy powers that cause Stasis damage.

By the way, this is just the first wave of legendary Stasis weapons, with more to follow.

The exotic pistol Cryosthesia 77K 

Three-Peeking “Nerf”: Also, a pesky PvP phenomenon will finally be addressed in Season 15 – the so-called Three-Peeking or Third-Person-Peeking. This is a tactic that can be increasingly observed in the Crucible – especially in competitive modes like Trials.

Players use the Third-Person perspective of Destiny 2 to their advantage, to look around corners or to get a better overview without putting themselves in danger. For this, they use the sword, which is automatically wielded in the Third-Person view in Destiny 2, or perform an emote that is also displayed in 3rd-Person.

Therefore, in competitive PvP and in the Trials of Osiris, emotes will be disabled in Season 15, and it will no longer be possible to draw weapons held in Third-Person for which you have no ammunition. Bungie says this is a good start to address the issue. While this is a small change, it is greatly welcomed by the PvP community.

This might still come in Season 15

Dino armor: In March, Bungie came up with a special initiative: Players were asked to vote on how they would like to dress for the Festival of the Lost, Destiny’s Halloween celebration in 2021 – as monsters or as dinos? The vote clearly favored the dinos. For the Festival of the Lost 2021, there will thus be corresponding universal armor ornaments in a dino look. But what does this have to do with Season 15?

Concept art of Dino armor

Well, the community currently strongly suspects that Season 15 could be extended until the Witch Queen expansion in 2022. There are currently no signs that Bungie will insert another (mini) season. This would mean that the spooky Festival of the Lost would also fall into Season 15 and let you roam around as Dino warriors.

Also interesting:

Are you looking forward to the new Season 15 and its contents? Are you running out of steam with Destiny 2? Or have you long since put the game aside, and the new season with its many changes won’t change that? Let us know in the comments, as well as other readers of MeinMMO.

By the way, you can also look forward to crossplay as part of Season 15. Here are more details: Destiny 2 reveals what the new crossplay can do for PS4, PS5, Xbox, Stadia, and PC – And what it can’t

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

CoD Warzone loses its biggest Twitch streamer – “Would rather play the damned Pokémon!”

Jürgen Horn Jürgen Horn Reading time 2 minutes

In CoD Warzone streamer Nickmercs currently leads the rankings in streaming on Twitch. But the pro is fed up. He has lost all passion right now and would rather be playing just about anything else than Warzone.

Who is Nickmercs? Nick ‘Nickmercs’ Kolcheff is currently the biggest Twitch streamer for Warzone. In July 2021 alone, he was watched by his fans on Twitch for more than 2.5 million hours (via Sullygnome). He is also one of the highest-paid gamers.

Furthermore, Nickmercs created many popular guides and videos for Warzone: he is undoubtedly an authority in the game.

But currently, he is out of steam, announcing in a kind of farewell video that Warzone doesn’t excite him anymore.

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The fire for Warzone is out

These are Nickmercs’ reasons: Nickmercs addresses in his video that he is currently out of steam. He says:

I have no desire to play Warzone. I mean zero, nothing! I’d rather play that damn Pokémon! I’m serious, man. I just don’t want to play anymore. My fire for Warzone is extinguished. Not for gaming, but for Warzone. I am just burned out.

Are cheaters and hackers to blame? In another statement, Nickmercs laments that cheaters are ruining the game right now. He doesn’t explicitly mention this as a reason for his supposed retirement, but he clearly states:

Hacking has reached a point in Warzone where it’s just different for me. In my last four tournaments, I got “hacked out.” Hacking is totally crazy right now and I believe there are really a lot of players who hack. And nobody is doing anything about it. As if they don’t care. At least that’s how it seems to me.

Will Nickmercs ever play Warzone again? That’s hard to say, because Nickmercs could jump back into Warzone at any time. Preferably when the next CoD comes out at the end of 2021 and shakes things up again. He says:

There has never been a better time to stop playing CoD, you know? It’s August, there are still a few months until the next CoD comes out. You see that it’s currently the worst time to play Call of Duty in general.

So it is quite possible that Nickmercs will change his mind at the launch of the next CoD game. What we can expect in the big new CoD 2021 is revealed here.

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

New shooter on Steam has a luxury problem: “We’re getting players faster than server capacity”

Patrick Freese Patrick Freese Reading time 3 minutes

The new shooter Splitgate is quite popular on Steam. And this success is currently becoming a curse for the team, as the developers simply cannot keep up with the servers. In the video, a developer explains the situation.

What kind of shooter is it? Splitgate is an old-school shooter that is currently taking off on Steam. In the game, players compete against each other in arenas. The gameplay is reminiscent of Halo, but is expanded with portals that allow you to teleport or shoot through.

Due to server issues related to the massive success of the shooter, the team has already postponed the official release date. Now the developers explain where the problems lie.

Too many players in too short a time – These are the problems developers face

This is how it has gone so far for Splitgate on Steam: At the beginning of August 2021, Splitgate already had over 53,000 concurrent players just on Steam. Combined across all platforms (the game is also available on Xbox and PlayStation), there were a whopping 100,000 concurrent players. This milestone was announced by the Splitgate team on July 31 via Twitter (via Twitter.com).

Splitgate concurrent players Steamdb
Concurrent players and Twitch viewers of Splitgate – Source: SteamDB.info

The servers couldn’t handle this large influx of players. Over the weekend, there were queues before matches that exceeded the 90-minute mark.

This is what the team says: In a TikTok video, developer Olly Freeman discusses the current server situation and compares it to opening a restaurant. He explains that they can’t simply “buy more tables” and solve the problem that way. Because that would mean they would also need to hire more servers and cooks. And cooks would then need more pans and more space in the kitchen to serve the new tables.

https://www.tiktok.com/@splitgate/video/6990016046044318981?lang=en&is_copy_url=0&is_from_webapp=v1&sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6969631606983673349

On Twitter, the situation is explained in more detail (via Twitter.com):

“The growth rate of our player base is higher than the speed at which we can increase server capacity. We are working on a long-term solution to increase server capacity to well over 100,000 concurrent players, but that takes time. Thank you for your patience ♥”

What can players do about the long queues in Splitgate? If you want to play Splitgate but don’t want to wait too long, you can check out the shooter’s Discord server. The team keeps you updated on the current server status and how long the queues for matches are (via Discord.com).

Aside from the high queue times, Splitgate is definitely an online game we recommend in August 2021. The portals make the shooter unique. A mix of futuristic and also real weapons is included as you blast your way through the 20 different arenas. The game is fast and easy to understand.

More on the topic:

Have you already played Splitgate and formed an opinion on the game (and its queues), or are you waiting for the server issues to settle down so you can start with normal wait times?

Share your thoughts on the topic here on MeinMMO in the comments and discuss with other players.

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

CoD MW & Warzone: Unlock New Weapon CX-9 – This is what the Submachine Gun can do

Maik Schneider Maik Schneider Reading time 3 minutes

For a long time, there have been rumors about the weapon, and now it is finally playable in public matches: the CX-9 submachine gun from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Battle Royale Warzone. We will show you how to unlock the weapon and what it can do on MeinMMO.

What is going on? Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is the CoD from 2019 and is actually at the end of its lifecycle. However, the developers still had a few weapons in store that were not playable in public matches and the Battle Royale Warzone:

  • Sykov pistol
  • CX-9
  • RAAL LMG

All 3 weapons are part of the survival mode of CoD MW and will gradually come to Warzone as well. The Sykov pistol came a while ago, and now the CX-9 submachine gun has made its way into the game. MeinMMO shows you how to get the weapon and whether it is as OP as one would expect at a release.

Unlock CX-9 – Here’s how to get the new SMG

How do I get the weapon? First off: The weapon comes from CoD MW, and you can only complete the unlock task in Modern Warfare or Warzone. You cannot unlock or use the weapon in Cold War. You can get the CX-9 submachine gun in 2 ways:

  • Get 2 long-range kills with a submachine gun in 5 different matches
  • Purchase the “Soap Operator Bundle” in the real-money shop

To get long-range kills, the enemy must be at least 30 meters away from you. The task is easiest in the normal multiplayer mode of CoD MW. Grab a SMG with low recoil, like the MP7, and make sure to maintain a certain distance between you and the enemy while getting your kills. It’s best to play the matches all the way through; otherwise, there might be issues with unlocking.

If you only play Warzone, dominate the Plunder mode with an SMG. Land at the location “Storage Town” and get your long-range kills. Once you have secured the two kills, you can leave the match, and the kills will still count.

Beware when purchasing the bundle: If you acquire the SMG for CoD Points in the shop, you will only receive the blueprint version. You level up the weapon upon usage but cannot modify the CX-9 yet. You have to unlock the base version through the task.

cod warzone operator bundle soap cx-9

CX-9 receives a nerf before release – Not OP!

What can the SMG do? The CoD YouTuber and Warzone expert “JGOD” took a closer look at the CX-9 and found that the new SMG was nerfed and does not come into the game with the strong stats it had in survival mode. A good news for the meta in Warzone.

Nevertheless, he notes that the CX-9 has a certain strength as a well-controllable SMG with a high reload speed, a good range for the first damage area, and a high rate of fire:

  • Time-to-Kill chest: 588 milliseconds
  • Rate of fire: 1,020 rounds / minute
  • Range: 17 meters without attachments
  • Reload speed: 0.885 seconds with sleight of hand
  • Mobility compared to “Cold War” SMGs is rather average

The stats make the CX-9 a strong ally in close combat, especially in modes with larger teams. The weapon practically burns through your ammunition. However, the quick reload with sleight of hand makes you forget that almost – 0.885 seconds with sleight of hand is an impressive stat, and the weapon is extremely fast to be ready again.

JGOD also suggests a setup. The YouTuber particularly points out that the barrel with the integrated monolithic suppressor greatly affects your mobility. He sees the CX-9 as a pure submachine gun for use up to 15-20 meters with either sights or hip fire.

Warzone: JGOD’s CX-9 Setup

  • Muzzle: Suppressor (Monolithic)
  • Stock: CX-FR
  • Underbarrel: Merc Foregrip
  • Ammo: 50-round drums
  • Perk: Sleight of Hand

If you want to check out JGOD’s analysis yourself, we embed his English video here:

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More updates on CoD:

Now the CX-9 has finally come to Warzone along with the popular operator Soap and the public matches in CoD MW. How the submachine gun performs in the meta will be shown in the coming days. The weapon has certain potential, but it will have a tough time with the current competition among SMGs.

You can find an overview of the current best submachine guns in Warzone here.

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

Hardcore player builds pyramid in Minecraft from over 125,000 blocks

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

A Minecraft player takes it to extreme feats in hardcore mode. His pyramid consumes over 125,000 blocks of sandstone.

When one sets a construction project in Minecraft, one usually follows through – even if it becomes much larger than planned and consumes more resources than one can actually spare. But putting over 125,000 blocks into a single project is something that only a few would attempt – because that requires endurance and the courage to see it through in hardcore mode.

What did the player do? Evoker_1 built a massive pyramid measuring 256×256 blocks. He used sandstone as the material and quite a lot of it. The project consumed a proud 125,000 sandstone blocks.

The pyramid is so big that Evoker_1 even has a hard time capturing it all in one picture while flying around it with elytra:

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What is so special about it? The sheer amount of resources needed to build the outer wall of the pyramid is mind-boggling. 125,000 blocks are over 1950 stacks of sandstone – or over 54 times the entire inventory full of sandstone.

Besides the sheer size of the pyramid, it is also notable that Evoker_1 apparently accomplished this in a survival hardcore world. In that world, one only has access to the resources one has mined oneself. Additionally, the pyramid was built in a “hardcore” world. Here, the player has only one life – if he dies, he can no longer play in that world and it will be locked.

More current news about Minecraft can be found here:

How do other players react: The community in the Minecraft subreddit is quite enthusiastic about the construction but has quite a few other points to note. Not only is the sheer number of sandstone blocks impressive, but so is the crowning touch of netherite blocks. After all, netherite is one of the rarest resources in the game and just the top of the pyramid requires a whopping 96 stacks of ancient debris.

The whole endeavor is rewarded with a whopping 36,000 upvotes – a lot for the Minecraft subreddit. There are comments like:

  • “Damn, this whole world is fantastic! The fact that you did this in hardcore mode is the cherry on top.”
  • “I love that it all thematically fits the desert and then suddenly there’s an X-WING and an AT-AT, lmao.”
  • “I don’t know how you can muster the courage to use an elytra in hardcore mode.”

What do you think of this project? Simply impressive or a huge waste of time and resources?

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

Pokémon GO: All Events in August 2021 and which are worthwhile

Patrick Freese Patrick Freese Reading time 3 minutes

In August, events like the Hyperbonus Part 2, the Community Day with Eevee, and 5 Spotlight Hours will start in Pokémon GO. We show you an overview of all events and which ones you should participate in.

What kind of events are these? Just before the month changes, the developers at Niantic announce what will happen next month. This is a first overview of the August events in Pokémon GO. Traditionally, the list expands with new event announcements in the following weeks.

We will regularly update this article here on MeinMMO as soon as there are new announcements from Niantic. You can always use it as a source for event information.

Last update on August 4th: Niantic has finally revealed the information about the 3rd Hyperbonus and announced that 7 new Pokémon will be introduced to the game. This includes Raffel and Wolly, which now have scheduled times for Spotlight Hours in August. Additionally, the legendary Pokémon Zacian and Zamazenta will be added to the game, which will also have their raid hours.

We have updated the dates accordingly in the overview.

August Events 2021 Overview

These events are starting: In the following table, we show you the exact timeframes and names of the events planned for August 2021. Below the table, we highlight events that are particularly worthwhile.

TimeframeEvent
August 1 to September 1Research Breakthrough with
Palimpalim
Until August 3Hyperbonus Part 1
August 3Spotlight Hour with
Magnemite and Stardust
August 4Raid Hour with Dialga
Until August 6Dialga in Raids
Until August 6Mega Raids with Mega Charizard X
August 6Hyperbonus Part 2: Space
August 6 to August 20Palkia in Level 5 Raids
August 6 to August 20Mega Raids with Mega Ampharos
August 9 to August 23PvP: Master League, Master League (Classic), and
Premier Cup of the Hyper League are active
August 10Spotlight Hour with
Shalour (eastern sea) and XP
August 11Raid Hour with Palkia
August 13 to August 16Eevee Event with special moves
August 14Com. Day with Eevee
August 15Com. Day with Eevee
August 17Spotlight Hour with
Shalour (western sea) and Candies
August 18Raid Hour with Palkia
August 20 to August 31Hyperbonus Part 3 with 7 new Pokémon
August 20New Raids with Zacian
August 20 to August 26Mega Raids with Mega Bibor
August 23 to August 30PvP: All three leagues are active
August 24Spotlight Hour with Raffel and Candies
August 25Raid Hour with Zacian
August 26GO Battle Night from 6:00 PM to 11:59 PM
August 26 to September 1Mega Raids with Mega Pidgeot
August 30Additional Raid Hour with Zamazenta
August 31Spotlight Hour with Wolly and XP

Which events are particularly worthwhile in August?

Spotlight Hour with Magnemite: On August 3, from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM local time, the Spotlight Hour with Magnemite takes place. Even if the Pokémon may not be very appealing to many of you, the bonus here is what makes it enticing. You will receive double the amount of Stardust for catching Pokémon.

If you play the hour effectively, you can easily replenish your Stardust supplies.

Hyperbonus Part 2: Starting from August 6, Hyperbonus Part 2 will commence. This brings Scaraborn Raids and Shiny Scaraborn to you. So, if you haven’t caught the regional Pokémon yet, you should definitely take advantage of the event with its raids. What to expect with the 2nd Hyperbonus in Pokémon GO.

Community Day with Eevee: The Community Day with Eevee begins on Friday, August 13, at half-past noon. From Friday, the evolutions of Eevee can already learn the special moves. Following that, there will be two days of Community Days, focusing on Eevee over the weekend.

For the shiny hunters, this is a good opportunity to catch more specimens for the shiny evolutions. For the Eevee event, trainers request a name trick reset.

More about Pokémon GO

Which of the events in August 2021 in Pokémon GO are you looking forward to the most? Are you targeting certain Spotlight Hours that you want to take full advantage of, or is your focus on the new raid boss?

Let us know your opinion on this here on MeinMMO in the comments and exchange ideas with other players about the upcoming events.

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

WoW: Blizzard’s Head of Human Resources is Leaving – Following Shocking Allegations

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

The gaming publisher Activision Blizzard (WoW) is still grappling with the aftermath of a sexism lawsuit: The focus of the lawsuit and subsequent reports was repeatedly on the company’s Human Resources department. Now the head of this department, Jesse Meschuk, is leaving the company as further incidents come to light that report severe difficulties in his department.

What is known about Meschuk’s departure: Very little is known; it is only known that Meschuk has already left the company this week. Activision Blizzard made this announcement in connection with the resignation of Blizzard CEO J. Allen Brack.

Meschuk was the head of the Human Resources department and held the rank of “Senior Vice President of HR,” so he was very high up in the hierarchy.

It appears that Meschuk has also withdrawn publicly: His Twitter account and LinkedIn page have been deleted.

Human Resources department of Blizzard in focus of the lawsuit

What were the allegations against the Human Resources department in the lawsuit? In the lawsuit of a state agency in California, the Human Resources department was repeatedly mentioned negatively. The lawsuit followed a two-year investigation with Blizzard’s knowledge.

It was stated:

  • Numerous complaints about discrimination, sexual harassment, or retaliation were filed with the Human Resources department, but these complaints remained without consequence.
  • An internal investigation found that employees felt “a significant lack of trust” towards the Human Resources department, which was “not held in high regard.”
  • The Human Resources department responded to complaints “dismissively” and did “not keep them confidential.”

“Broken Human Resources department”

This intensified the situation: After the filing of the lawsuit, further allegations surfaced in tweets and reports, which were not directly aimed at Meschuk but rather at the Human Resources department as a whole. It was repeatedly referred to as “broken.”

Employees spoke with the US site Axios and raised further allegations. It is said:

  • the Human Resources department even protected individuals who behaved abusively from consequences.
  • Those who complained were told: “This is not a fight you want to take on.”

Further articles on the sexism scandal at Blizzard

“They behave like a brat”

Here are some illustrative cases: The site Axios quotes former Blizzard employee Nicki Broderick. Broderick recounts that she clashed with a manager who was considered untouchable:

  • The manager once stood over her desk and did not let her leave or reach for her phone.
  • When she complained, she was told: “That’s not harassment. He didn’t touch you.”
  • After the incident, Broderick’s career was, as she says, severely limited: She was not assigned new projects and was not considered for a promotion for three years.

In other cases, the Human Resources department told her she was “acting like a brat” or that Broderick should “suck it up” and return to her desk.

https://twitter.com/alaurei/status/1418027382745669635
Nicki Broderick started at Blizzard as an intern when she was 20 years old.

Another employee says she was physically attacked by a colleague, but this was questioned by the Human Resources department. She was told that they were surprised she was not crying or more hysterical.

Blizzard did not protect her but instead suggested she work from home or switch departments. When she complained again to the Human Resources department, she was told: “He really feels sorry and truly wants you to work at Blizzard. And he says you were really nice to him.”

“As if you’re just talking into the void”

Moreover, the Human Resources department was said to be poor at documenting discussions and showed no transparency. One employee stated it felt like you were just talking into the void. Furthermore, every report made to the Human Resources department was a double-edged sword. One employee said:

“They told everyone what you reported to them. Nothing said to the Human Resources department remained confidential.”

Why was the Human Resources department so inadequate? According to sources from Axios, it was a problem that at Activision Blizzard, the Human Resources department was apparently understaffed and that personnel there changed constantly. There was little consistency, resulting in a lack of trust in individual points of contact.

At Blizzard, the signs are pointing towards change. The sexism lawsuit has already significantly altered the personnel direction of the WoW developer:

These are the two new heads of Blizzard – what they have done so far

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

Crazy bug turns players in the MMORPG ESO into giant skeletal dragons

Jürgen Horn Jürgen Horn Reading time 2 minutes

In The Elder Scrolls Online the infamous “Transformation Bug” strikes again. This time, a player suddenly turned into a gigantic, undead skeletal dragon and entertained the community with the absurdity of the situation.

What kind of bug is that? In The Elder Scrolls Online, there is a curious bug that transforms players into different shapes when they perform certain actions in the Crown Store. The bug causes many laughs by turning players into dogs, cats, or loot box merchants.

However, the latest version of the bug surpasses all others, as a player truly became a gigantic, undead dragon!

Bug in the Crown Store transforms players into dragons

This is what the bug looks like in action: The ESO player and Reddit user Andrew_The_Man1 uploaded a video on Reddit (via reddit.com), where he slides through the capital city of the Wood Elves as a fat skeletal dragon. The bug forms do not have their own running animations, so they glide smoothly around.

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The video has, like nearly all incarnations of this bug, been celebrated frenetically by fans of The Elder Scrolls Online:

  • ComradeSnowball (via reddit.com): “See? The Necro needs a nerf!”
  • UnclassyEarthMuffin (via reddit.com): “This is really the best [version of the bug]. Everyone else turns into some animal. But this is really the best, Fus Doh Rah!”
  • Brofmars (via reddit.com): “Oh, that’s cool, I just turned into a mud crab.”

Interestingly, the player behind the current bug only recently started playing ESO, and the bug was a big surprise for him.

The bug has been occurring in various versions in The Elder Scrolls Online for a long time and is related to viewing items in the ESO Crown Store under certain circumstances. At the time of the news, there is a pet in the shop that features the dragon boss from the Dragon’s Bones DLC.

MyMMO author and ESO expert Melli has found out how it works and explains here how to transform into a cat or other pets in ESO. Have fun replicating it!

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

CoD Warzone finally reveals the start date of Season 5 – Shows first trailer

Sven Galitzki Sven Galitzki Reading time 2 minutes

Season 5 is starting soon for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and CoD Warzone. The exact date has now been officially revealed. Additionally, a cinematic trailer for the new season has been released to set the mood.

What’s happening in CoD right now? Season 5 is on the way for CoD Cold War and the Battle Royale Warzone. However, no official information was available about its start date – until now. Recently, the Call of Duty Twitter account finally revealed a solid date.

When does Season 5 start? Season 5 of Black Ops Cold War and Warzone starts on August 12.

https://twitter.com/CallofDuty/status/1422603187672936449?s=20

Depending on the exact start time in the USA, the new season might actually begin for us early in the morning on August 13. As soon as there is a specific time, we will update this information as quickly as possible.

The first trailer for Season 5: In addition, they delivered the first trailer for Season 5 almost simultaneously with the tweet. This is a new cinematic traditionally shown in-game to introduce a new season and drive the story in Warzone step by step.

There’s already a first look at the new operator of the season and a new weapon in action. According to a leak, the name of the new female operator is Kitsune, and the new weapon is said to be the MP Tec-9. However, there hasn’t been any official information on this yet.

Here you can watch the trailer in more detail:

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What do we already know about Season 5? The new season has not been officially introduced yet, but this is expected to happen in the coming days since Season 5 starts on August 12. Everything we currently know and speculate about the upcoming season has already been summarized for you here: CoD Cold War & Warzone: Everything we know about Season 5 – Start, Leaks, Rumors

Also interesting:

What about you? Are you excited for the new content and will you be there right at the start of the new Season 5? Do you think CoD Warzone is slowly running out of steam? Or have you put the battle royale aside long ago? Let us know in the comments along with other readers of MeinMMO.

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

Pokémon GO: Bonuses for the 3rd Hyper Bonus Known – 7 New Pokémon Coming, Including Legendary

Patrick Freese Patrick Freese Reading time 3 minutes

The 3rd Hyperbonus in Pokémon GO has finally been announced with details. A total of 7 new Pokémon are being released, including the two Legendary ones Zacian and Zamazenta. Additionally, there are two event weeks and other bonuses. We show you all the information in the overview.

What kind of bonus is this? During the GO Fest 2021, players had some global tasks. Since all of them were completed, Niantic rewarded the trainers with a total of 3 Hyperbonus events. There has been a long silence regarding the third event, but since August 3rd it is finally clear how the event will take place in Pokémon GO.

You can expect 7 new Pokémon. These include the Legendary Zacian and Zamazenta, Raffel and its evolution Schlaraffel, Wolly and its evolution Zwollock, and also the Pokémon Legios. We will show you everything you need to know about the event here.

All Bonuses & Start Time of the 3rd Hyperbonus – 2 Raid Weeks Included

When is the start and end? The event for the 3rd Hyperbonus runs from Friday, August 20th at 10:00 AM to Tuesday, August 31st at 8:00 PM. The times refer to your local times.

Which Pokémon spawn in the wild? During the event, you will encounter Raffel and Wolly more frequently in the wild. They will be joined by Galar-Flampion, Unratütox, and with luck, you might even encounter Legios. You can get a first glimpse of the squirrel Raffel, the fluffy sheep Wolly, and Legios in the event trailer that we embed here. The two new Legendary Pokémon Zacian and Zamazenta are also featured.

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7-km Eggs: If you receive 7-km eggs during the event, they can contain the following Pokémon: Galar-Mauzi, Galar-Ponita, Galar-Flegmon, Galar-Porenta, Galar-Zigzachs, Galar-Flampion, and Galar-Flunschlick.

How Raids are changing: During the event, there will be two raid weeks. The bosses in the battles will change, and you will have the chance to encounter Shiny Galar-Mauzi, Galar-Porenta, Galar-Smogmog, and Galar-Flunschlick. Further down in the article, we show you the raid overview.

Timed Research: During the event, a timed research will run in the Today overview. If you complete the tasks, you will encounter Pokémon from the Galar region.

Shop: At the start of the event on Friday, Galar uniforms for your avatars will be available in the Pokémon GO shop. You can get the Arena Challenger uniform for free. There will also be the Dragon or Dark uniform.

Raid Week 1

When does it run? The first raid week starts on Friday, August 20th at 10:00 AM. So it coincides with the event start. It will end on Thursday, August 26th at 10:00 AM local time.

These Pokémon appear in Raids:

DifficultyRaid Boss
Level 1Galar-Flegmon
Galar-Porenta*
Icognito U*
Galar-Zigzachs*
Level 3Galar-Smogmog*
Lapras
Legios
LegendaryZacian
MegaMega-Bibor*
Pokémon marked with an asterisk (*) can also be encountered as Shiny

Raid Week 2

When does it run? The second raid week starts on Thursday, August 26th at 10:00 AM. It ends on Wednesday, September 1st at 10:00 AM local time.

These Pokémon appear in Raids:

DifficultyRaid Boss
Level 1Galar-Mauzi*
Galar-Ponita*
Icognito U*
Galar-Flampion
Level 3Relaxo*
Galar-Flunschlick*
Legios
LegendaryZamazenta
MegaMega-Tauboss*

This ensures a lot of variety in the Raids of Pokémon GO, and you have the chance to catch the new Legendary Pokémon.

More about Pokémon GO

How do you like the event for the 3rd Hyperbonus in Pokémon GO? Are you satisfied with the bonuses or would you have preferred different spawns or legendary bosses? Do you think Niantic will find a way to bring Hoopa into the game together with the event, or will we have to wait longer for the release?

Share your opinion on the subject here on MeinMMO in the comments and discuss with other players about the event.

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

2 new Warcraft games are being tested internally at Blizzard

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New Warcraft games are coming from Blizzard. Two of them are currently being tested – but when will we see the first images?

Although Activision Blizzard is currently focused on the sexism and discrimination scandal, game development is not entirely at a standstill. In the latest “Earnings Call” for Q2 2021, there is a small announcement, as several Warcraft games are slowly coming to light.

What was said? Typically, the Earnings Call discusses the revenue of Activision Blizzard for the last quarter or year. However, it often also provides a look into the future and reveals a few details that are not announced through other channels.

It has long been known that Blizzard is working on several mobile titles for the Warcraft franchise. Now it has become known: Two of them are already in the “internal test phase”, indicating that an alpha or beta may not be too far away.

What kind of games are these? Exact details are still unknown. What is certain is that they are “mobile experiences”, meaning games for Android and iOS. Whether the two mentioned games will also be playable on PC or if that will only be possible through various emulators is also not yet known.

WoW Mobile Game title
What could a Warcraft mobile game look like?

What type of games could these be? For years, there have been speculations about what Warcraft games Blizzard could be planning. Particularly likely would be various hero-collection games, where players can collect and level up popular characters like Sylvanas, Arthas, Jaina, or Uther. But a strategy spin-off in the style of an “auto-brawler” would also be conceivable.

In principle, there are many successful mobile titles that could appeal to a large player base with slight modifications and the beloved Warcraft flair.

When will there be more information about the games? That is still uncertain. However, the fact that the games are already being tested internally creates the possibility of potential leaks that may come to the public. Especially in the tense situation surrounding the sexism and discrimination scandal, it is conceivable that one or the other frustrated employee might let something slip.

If there are images or videos of one of the two Warcraft games, we will report on it from MeinMMO.

More news about Blizzard can be found here:

Is there more news? Yes, albeit little concrete. In the Earnings Call, Allen Adham, one of the co-founders of Blizzard, mentioned that “so many games as never before” are currently in development. This includes completely new franchises, that is, entirely new game universes that have not yet been revealed. Adham is currently responsible for Blizzard’s “Incubations Team”, which focuses on developing new game ideas and concepts and then creating rough prototypes.

At least for the coming years, this is likely to mean that more Blizzard games will be coming – at least if the company manages to overcome its current difficulties.

Would you be interested in a Warcraft mobile game? How should the game look to please you?

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