The new MMORPG from Perfect World is called World of Jade Dynasty (PC) and is set to continue the now-defunct Jade Dynasty. It utilizes the latest technologies like ray tracing and showcases current gameplay for the first time.
What kind of MMORPG is this? The creators of Perfect World previously announced the new MMORPG World of Jade Dynasty in 2015. To explain what it actually is, we need to delve a bit deeper. We summarize it briefly for you:
The studio behind Perfect World operated the MMORPG Jade Dynasty since 2007, which ran for 11 years.
The development split into World of Jade Dynasty and Jade Dynasty 2.
Both are set in the same universe but target different player groups.
Jade Dynasty 2 is expected to be a mobile MMORPG.
World of Jade Dynasty, on the other hand, is set to come with the latest technology and be PC-exclusive for now. However, a console release is also on the cards.
Perfect World Entertainment intends to please all players with this step and deliver a version of Jade Dynasty perfectly tailored to them.
What’s new? During ChinaJoy 2021, the developer showcased current gameplay from World of Jade Dynasty. It looks visually appealing but reveals relatively little of the actual game so far.
The setting hasn’t changed either; you still move through an alternative China from the first part of Jade Dynasty in an open world, completing quests and engaging in PvP.
What you will see that is new is an MMORPG that can display many details thanks to current technology and development with a PC focus. In the gameplay trailer, for instance, you can even see jumping sparks on the ground after a lightning strike, as well as individual stones on a gravel path.
You can see the first scenes of the game in this video:
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When can I play this? World of Jade Dynasty is expected to launch for PC in 2022, initially only in China. When we will ultimately see the game is still unclear. Overall, the developer has not yet commented on a release in the West.
However, both Perfect World and the original Jade Dynasty have been available in our region, so it is quite conceivable that World of Jade Dynasty will also be released here.
Did you play Jade Dynasty back then and are you looking forward to the remake? What do you think of the graphics and the first gameplay scenes? Or are you perhaps one of the players of the still-operating private server of Jade Dynasty? Let us know in the comments.
Game developer Niantic activated some bonuses in Pokémon GO due to the corona pandemic that made playing easier during times of lockdowns and restrictions. However, now a large part of those bonuses has been removed, including the convenience of PokéStop distance in some parts of the world. This has really upset the players.
What has Niantic changed? We players in the German-speaking region still have bonuses such as increased raid damage in remote raids, double effectiveness of incense, or more items from buddy Pokémon. However, in some parts of the world, the developers have changed the bonuses and instead activated adventure bonuses.
Players now have to get closer to PokéStops to interact with them. This point in particular is met with great misunderstanding. In the community, these changes are perceived as a “slap in the face”, which has been handed out entirely against the interests of the players.
New Pokémon bonuses active, some removed
These are the bonuses: As of August 1, some corona bonuses expired. We have addressed this and explained for you how the bonuses in Pokémon GO will continue. Niantic stated that in some parts of the world, there will now be adventure bonuses that reward spinning gym and PokéStop discs.
However, in some parts of the world, such as the USA or New Zealand, it is now necessary to approach PokéStops more closely to interact with them. Dataminers from PokeMiners report that the interaction distance with PokéStops has been reduced from 80 meters to 40 meters (via reddit.com). These changes do not yet affect players in Germany.
YouTuber threatens to boycott Pokémon GO
This is how players are reacting: The community is angry about these changes. Because the corona pandemic is not over yet. Not even in the parts of the world where the bonuses have been disabled. In social media, players reach out to the developers.
YouTuber Reversal has 379,000 subscribers on YouTube and is known for his videos and livestreams about Pokémon GO. He mentions that he would quit Pokémon GO if Niantic does not make any changes (via Twitter.com):
“The removal of the double distance is a slap in the face of the #PokemonGO community. I say that I will give up GO if changes are not made as quickly as possible. I refuse to report on a game that is not in the interest of its players.”
In response to Reversal’s tweet, “@siriuslyjenn_” explains that now 3 stops are no longer safely reachable. Now the coordinates of the stops are so poor that they have to go over a busy road or into the woods to reach the stops.
“If Niantic is trying to annoy players, then they are successful. These changes are bad. We are still in the middle of a global pandemic. Even if we weren’t, these were simply quality-of-life changes that make no sense to remove” (GigavoltRyan via Twitter.com)
“I used to spend a lot of money on it but then didn’t play Pokémon GO for a few years. The pandemic brought me back. The decision to reduce the interaction distance between PokéStops will likely lead me to uninstall the app again for a few years.” (MarkMalevolent via Twitter.com)
“With the reduced stop/gym distance in Pokémon GO, the game is less fun for me. So little that I am losing interest in investing money. I’m not alone in this. Niantic, I hope you won’t miss the extra money #BoycottNiantic (PokeBrewMan via Twitter.com)
“No reason to revert to the old [settings]. No one wanted that and no one likes that. […]” (Bensheesdie via reddit.com)
“I won’t spend any more money on this game until they restore the distance. If they keep it [as it is now], I will probably slowly stop playing altogether” (Apanick_Attacka via reddit.com)
Players suspect that Niantic is now looking at how revenues and player numbers change due to the changes in the USA and New Zealand throughout August. “With that, they will then decide whether to activate the changes in other countries,” suspects reddit user aznknight613 (via reddit.com)
What do you think about Niantic’s changes? Would you also reduce your playtime or even stop playing Pokémon GO completely if the reduced (normal) stop distance is activated for you?
Let us know your opinion in the comments here on MeinMMO and exchange ideas with the community about these special bonuses.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the wake of the sexism scandal involving video game publisher Activision Blizzard, a new incident has come to light: In 2018, an employee allegedly installed two video cameras in the bathroom of an office building. According to an internal report, an employee contacted the police.
Now an uncomfortable incident from 2018 has surfaced.
Where did this happen? The bathroom incident did not take place in California, but in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. There is a QA department of Activision Blizzard: They handle quality assurance for games, hunt for bugs and issues; think of them as professional alpha testers.
2 Video Cameras Found in the “Unisex” Bathroom
This is what happened there: On August 23, 2018, a man came to the local police station and showed them a memo from the HR department. It stated that someone had “installed a recording device without authorization” in the unisex bathrooms of the office building and Activision Blizzard was initiating an internal investigation.
A police detective went to Activision Blizzard the next day and learned that an employee had discovered two cameras in the bathrooms. The cameras were removed and sent to California for investigation.
The cameras were installed in a way that they monitored the bathrooms.
The police quickly found out who the culprit was. An employee had purchased “MICRO SD cards, waterproof camcorders, and batteries,” which matched the cameras in the bathrooms.
When confronted with the evidence, the suspect admitted to installing the cameras about 3 weeks prior. He was an IT employee.
Employee Fired Immediately for “Despicable Behavior,” Security Measures Strengthened
This is what Activision Blizzard says: In a statement to the U.S. site Waypoint, they said: When the incident was reported, they initiated an internal investigation, removed all cameras, and notified the authorities.
Once the authorities identified the culprit, Activision Blizzard fired him for his “despicable behavior.” The company then hired crisis consultants to speak with employees and tightened their security measures.
This is how it turned out: The employee pleaded guilty to invasion of privacy and received probation. However, he violated it and had to attend a program for sex offenders.
As part of the lawsuit against Activision Blizzard, several past incidents are now coming to light, which are being used as evidence that there have been simmering issues beneath the surface for a long time:
The shards of domination are being revised. There are thick buffs for the controversial sockets from World of Warcraft.
Patch 9.1 of World of Warcraft introduced a new system that many players do not like: the shards of domination. These special “sockets,” which can only be used in very specific slots, grant massive set bonuses when the correct sockets are combined with the appropriate shards. Two of the three set bonuses are now being massively buffed to keep pace with the other shards.
What was the problem? On one hand, the shards of domination are not very well received among many players. The fact that for a new feature you have to farm not just one item but three different ones is met with confusion. After all, you need the shards for:
The basic, correct shard
Equipment that can hold shards of domination (especially from the raid Sanctum of Domination)
Stygian Ember to further upgrade the shards
The second problem was that the shards offer three different “set bonuses,” but one was much stronger than the other two. The “Unholy” set outshone the Blood and Frost sets and was generally always the correct choice.
What has Blizzard done now? Blizzard is buffing the set bonuses of the weaker sets significantly:
Blood Link – The damage and healing has been increased by 20% at all ranks.
Winds of Winter – The amount of damage and healing accumulated by the winds has been increased by about 45% at all ranks.
The developers hope that these changes will make all the bonuses interesting and compete a little better with each other. Previously, the Unholy set was so strong that hardly any player considered the above bonuses.
When do the changes go live? With the next realm restart during the weekly maintenance. This always happens on Wednesdays in the early morning hours, which is August 4, 2021 for us. You should then notice the improvements to the shards on your gear.
More news about World of Warcraft can be found here:
Player reactions are mixed: The players’ reaction to this announcement is mixed. While some players praise Blizzard for finally taking the route of buffing weak abilities instead of nerfing strong ones, others wonder why the shards were allowed to go live with such a performance disparity.
At the same time, some players are quite frustrated that they have already spent their Stygian Ember to upgrade their Unholy shards. Had they known that the other shards were going to be buffed so massively, they might have made a different decision.
What do you think of this adjustment? Is it good that Blizzard is buffing the underpowered shards and set bonuses? Or is the whole system rather underdeveloped?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The developers of FIFA 22 explained in the pitch notes where the gameplay has been modified. Here you will find an overview of the most exciting changes that could affect your game.
What’s happening with FIFA 22? On July 29, 2021, a new gameplay trailer was published online, showcasing some scenes from the game in action. Among other things, Hypermotion was shown in more detail, and topics like the goalkeeper rewrite were also addressed.
At the same time, EA Sports released a new pitch notes article that explains in detail what changes players can expect in FIFA 22. You can find it here (via EA Sports).
We will show you the most important innovations that could effectively impact your gameplay on the field.
1. HyperMotion and New Animations
A lot has already been said about HyperMotion. The new next-gen feature brings the biggest animation rework in FIFA history, including 4,000 new animations. Everything is designed to seem more realistic and closer to real football. This ranges from small tackles to free kicks and dribbles.
How this ultimately affects gameplay remains to be seen. However, there are likely to be many new situations that players will need to adapt to – whether it’s in duels, sprinting races, or finishing.
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This is new: There are some adjustments regarding skill moves and tricks. They should still feel effective, but timing will be crucial.
Some well-known moves have been adjusted. For example, the speed of the “Bridge” and the “Directional Nutmegs” has been reduced – both tricks were very popular in FIFA 21 because they were strong.
A new option is to execute skill moves right when your player receives the ball. Previously, this was only possible with feigned shots – now it’s also an option for skills with the right stick. While harder to control, they provide extremely quick movements:
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How effective these four new moves will be remains to be seen.
Not a proper skill move, but an exciting mechanic is the “Explosive Sprint.” It gives you a slight speed boost when you press the sprint button at the right moment. This is useful when you are in a one-on-one situation and want to sprint past the defender at a slight angle. However, this only works straight ahead.
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Also useful: The ability to push the ball very far ahead when you are in the middle of a sprint. To do this, you need to press the right stick twice – it looks like this:
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This is new: In addition to a new AI, FIFA 22 also includes a new type of tactics – especially in the offense. There are now two different sections that you can adjust.
Building Up Play in Your Half
Chance Creation in the Opponent’s Half
Here you can specify whether you want a controlled, safe build-up until the halfway line, but then want to act with sudden sprints in the opponent’s half. Or whether you prefer to dizzy the opponent with possession passing play before the penalty area, but initially play long balls forward.
The new tactics give you more control over how your team should generally behave.
Aside from the attack tactics, there are also adjustments to the known tactics. You can now define the width and depth of your team more precisely, and there are some revised instructions for your players.
This changes the defense: The AI has been readjusted, bringing with it new tactical orientations. The new “Tactical AI” aims to create more football-like behavior in the next-gen version of FIFA 22.
In defense, this is noticeable in that the defense now secures different zones instead of single players. It shifts collectively and ensures better coverage.
Importantly: The work rates and also the exhaustion will have a noticeable impact on the positioning of the players. This also applies to playing in wrong positions: Players positioned in central defense will have poorer positioning if that’s not their actual position.
This should attack the FIFA 21 meta, which often placed fast players in center back positions. Also interesting: There is a new way to intercept passes. This should be particularly effective if you place players directly in the path of a pass instead of directly engaging the opponent or the ball.
Furthermore, there is a comprehensive adjustment of the goalkeeper AI – by the way, also on older consoles and PC. They are now expected to act significantly smarter and more reliably. This was positively noted in the first MeinMMO test of FIFA 22.
This changes in attack: In attack, players should now make decisions up to six times faster, so they do not take as long to respond to new situations. This should result in better running paths – especially since offensive players are expected to have a better view of their surroundings now.
The players coordinate with each other and should generally be more often in the right place than before. This raises hopes that players will position themselves so that dangerous attacks can be created more through passing play and crosses, rather than just through skill moves, dribbles, and speed.
5. Player Switching
This changes: A seemingly small but interesting change is the possibility of a new player switch. In addition to switching with L1/LB or the right stick, you can now also use “Icon Switching.
For this, you press the right stick in defense, causing four icons to appear above your players. Using the right stick, you can then accurately select which player you want to take over. This means you won’t accidentally switch to the wrong players anymore.
This is what the player switching with icons looks like
6. New Settings in FUT
This changes: In certain competitive modes, your settings will be automatically adjusted – and for less assistance. This means that fewer automations will take effect in the game and you will have more control. However, this also means you need to act more precisely overall, for instance, to successfully play passes forward.
This is new: With FIFA 22, you will receive comprehensive statistics after the game and also at halftime. There are a lot of different facts included.
Among other things, the game will inform you where exactly your players spent the most time. Where you lost the ball most often, and where you won it. You can see precisely: What types of shots led to success? Which passing types were strong? And where can you possibly improve?
The new stats provide insight into your game
Furthermore, there are very detailed data on your individual players. They show you a heatmap, various shots, as well as the different subtypes of shots and the same for passes or defensive statistics.
In short: You will get plenty of numbers and visual representations of your performance. And this can especially at halftime possibly help you adjust your tactics even more successfully.
Asmongold is one of the biggest streamers on Twitch. For some time now, he has mainly been showcasing the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV and the beta of New World. However, he has faced frequent criticism here – in his latest one, he was even a bit harsh.
This is what Asmongold says: On his second channel “Zackrawrr”, Asmongold is currently showing only New World. In a discussion, it was about comparing games that have been on the market for a long time with newcomers like New World.
The user stated that such things cannot be compared, content and errors are disproportionate. However, Asmongold had clear words for that: “People don’t have to do anything, just expect a better game. This game is goddamn trash for the biggest company in the world.”
In doing so, Asmongold refers to the corporate giant Amazon behind New World. He has previously believed that New World was not ready for release and finds concrete reasons for this again.
What bothers him? Asmongold explains that he apparently does not like the state of New World. He criticizes on Twitch as well as in a tweet (via Twitter.com):
there are too many bugs
the design is bad
PvP is “at best mediocre”
the servers are terrible
New World often feels like the PvP of Dark Souls. The problem is not even the objective quality of the game, but the wasted potential.
A good game but “far below expectation”
Asmongold explains after his harsh designation for New World: “It’s a good game, don’t get me wrong. But in light of the people making it, it falls so far below expectation that it’s already embarrassing.”
Apparently, the streamer expects a better game from Amazon – which doesn’t stop him from playing and streaming it almost daily. He even promises an “honest” review once he has reached the maximum level 60.
Even though Asmongold exclusively plays New World on his second channel, he mainly showcases Final Fantasy XIV on his main channel now. Those who know the streamer may still remember him as the biggest WoW streamer in the world.
However, he has temporarily turned his back on Blizzard’s MMORPG – partly thanks to New World and FFXIV. For WoW, this is certainly a bad sign, thinks MeinMMO author Benedict Grothaus:
We want to create a ranking of the most popular Alliance Raids in Final Fantasy XIV. Join us and tell us which one is your favorite.
Here’s what it’s about: One of the endgame activities in MMORPGs is the large raids designed for many players. Final Fantasy XIV also features such raids. They are considered the pinnacle of PvE.
The largest of these raids are called “Alliance Raids” because they consist of an alliance, meaning 3 groups of 8 people each. They are also referred to as 24-man raids. Like most combat content in the endgame, these instances are spectacularly staged. They tell their own stories and provide players with powerful gear and upgrade materials.
So far, there are 4 major Alliance Raids in FFXIV, one per expansion:
The Crystal Tower was the first 24-man raid in Final Fantasy XIV and told the story of the Allagan Empire and its downfall.
In the “Shadow of Mhach” raid, a mysterious airship appeared in the sky during the Heavensward expansion. Players explored it and learned more about the great Mage War between Amdapor and Mhach.
In the Return to Ivalice, players traveled to the east of Hydaelyn, where they sought out the destroyed land of Rabanastre and uncovered a century-old secret.
YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse is the latest 24-man raid in FFXIV and takes place in the first shard world. There, the Dwarves Anogg and Konogg discover strange ruins in the mountains, where even stranger machines lurk.
How to vote: Let us know your favorite Alliance Raid using the survey tool below. You can only cast one vote, and the choice cannot be changed afterward. So think carefully about what you are voting for.
So let it out: Which of the 4 raids did you like the most? Was everything good about it, or did you only find certain sections really good? Tell us in the comments about your experiences in the Alliance Raids.
Have fun voting!
The next ally raid is coming with patch 6.1 in the new expansion Endwalker:
World of Warcraft has always required a subscription. But why is that? More and more players are asking themselves this question and are unwilling to pay for it anymore.
When World of Warcraft was released, it was entirely normal to pay a subscription for the game. You would pay between €11 and €13 per month, depending on the subscription option chosen. However, as the years went by, competition for WoW and other business models increased. Many players are now asking themselves: What do you actually pay a subscription for? Why does World of Warcraft still rely on a subscription model?
In recent days, this topic has gained momentum in the WoW subreddit and has sparked some interesting discussions.
What speaks in favor of a subscription? Blizzard has always justified a subscription by stating that the funds are needed to provide good service. The maintenance of the server infrastructure, paying support staff, and the ongoing development of the game through patches and updates are primarily funded through the subscription.
If you don’t pay, you can’t play – unless you have a lot of gold saved up.
This is what the post on Reddit says: In the WoW subreddit, “Last_Judicator” posted and elaborated in a few lines that a subscription for World of Warcraft is no longer relevant. His main arguments are:
There has been an item shop in the game for a long time, so you certainly aren’t paying for the privilege of not having one.
There are many months without new content and often long droughts between major patches.
Expansions still cost a considerable amount. So you pay twice – once for the expansion and then again to play the content.
Almost all other major MMORPGs have found alternative payment methods and do not “force” the player into a subscription.
Support staff has been significantly reduced in recent years.
Why is this relevant right now? Typically, such posts with a few dozen up or down votes quickly disappear into obscurity, but Last_Judicator’s post was different. It received a lot of support (91%) and nearly 16,000 upvotes – quite a lot, which very few posts achieve. Many other players are chiming in below the post and sharing their opinions as well.
What are the other players saying? There is almost unanimous agreement that WoW’s payment model is outdated and conflicts with other aspects – such as the item shop or the costs of new expansions. One of the most popular comments is from zoidao401:
“It’s incredibly simple … People pay it. That’s it, that’s the only reason they need. Too many people have invested [a lot of time] in the game to quit, so they will continue to pay. As long as enough people pay for it, [Blizzard] will continue to demand it.”
There is also a lot of agreement with the comment from Magnific3nt, who cynically complains about the current content system of World of Warcraft:
You pay monthly for something that gets released but is then locked behind weekly time gates and has a weekly cap.
More current news about World of Warcraft can be found here:
However, there are also some dissenting voices that make it clear that they are happy to pay for World of Warcraft because it has brought them many thousands of hours of fun and joy that other games have not been able to deliver over so many years. For instance, “DaenerysMomODragons” writes:
Believe it or not, but many people enjoy the game in their own way. Sure, many do not, and most of them have already canceled their subscription. Just because you no longer enjoy a game doesn’t mean that everyone who sees it differently is somehow delusional.
What do you think about this matter? Is it okay that WoW still sticks to the subscription model?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Hardly any Minecraft project is celebrated as much and is as satisfying to look at as this falling sand that forms a picture.
Although Minecraft is fundamentally a rather simple game, players continuously manage to impress and create highly creative artworks within the game. Some of these are large structures like castles or entire cities, while others are a creative exploitation of the game mechanics. The latter is the case with KevinJNguy01, who creates an artwork with colored sand that is second to none.
What is there to see? In the Minecraft subreddit, KevinJNguy01 has released a video of his latest Minecraft project. It shows a strangely elegant structure made of stacked sand. After a single torch is broken, the entire structure begins to collapse and slowly forms an image – precisely on the last block.
How does it work? Sand is one of the few blocks in Minecraft that is affected by gravity. This means that when a block of sand is “floating in the air” and is not supported by anything, it will fall until it reaches the ground. That is exactly what KevinJNguy01 has taken advantage of to create a huge artwork.
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The catch: Torches attached to the sand blocks keep the next sand block in position. When the sand block with the torches falls, the torch becomes detached, causing the next sand block to fall as well. This results in a pretty long chain reaction that slowly creates the image of the Minecraft main character Steve enjoying the sunset.
This is how the community reacts: In the Minecraft subreddit, the post has literally exploded. Almost 100,000 upvotes and over 1,000 awards ensure that the post with the video is one of the most popular posts of all time. Accordingly, the comments below are also very positive:
“This is enough to make a Minecraft veteran cry… and that’s okay! <3”
“At first, I thought I was gonna get rickrolled. Now I love it.”
“My computer whispers to me: Don’t do it” – A reference to the fact that falling sand can consume a lot of processing power in Minecraft.
By the way, KevinJNguy01 had to cheat a little for this project. He raised the world height limit to over 1,000 to stack the sand tower that high.
What do you think of this project? Just a really nice thing? Or a huge waste of time?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
With “United in Stormwind,” there are 135 new cards in Hearthstone. We want to highlight 5 special cards that will soon cause chaos.
The new Hearthstone expansion “United in Stormwind” is on the brink and brings a whopping 135 new cards. As usual, there is a selection of “Standard” cards that don’t particularly stand out and some cards with some pretty crazy effects. They may not fit into every deck, but they can cause laughter or have devastating effects.
We present to you 5 of these cards that have particularly caught our eye and reveal what delightful chaos they can create.
1. Sheldras Mistelmond
The legendary Druid minion Sheldras Mistelmond has stats of 5/5 and a mana cost of 8, making it quite weak, but it has a pretty devastating battle cry: The next 3 spells you draw will be cast when drawn.
This can, of course, be dangerous if the wrong spells are cast, but a well-tuned deck can save up to 30 mana just to activate particularly powerful buffs. So, if you create a deck that essentially only includes expensive spells – in addition to minions – you can bring about some truly awful combinations.
Whether exciting and valid decks will be found around Sheldras remains to be seen. But at first glance, the ability to play three spells for free seems pretty devastating.
2. Search for Guidance
We already talked about the Priest questline in another article, but it’s just too interesting not to mention it in this list as well. The quest “Search for Guidance” puts Priests on the path that guarantees them a win in the end. In several steps, the quest requires you to play cards with costs from 2 to 8 mana, with an intermediary step that sometimes requires drawing a card from your deck via “Discover”.
If the Priest completes the questline, the “Purified Shard” will be shuffled into the deck, which then only needs to be drawn. This is a spell for a whopping 10 mana but only has one simple effect: Destroy the enemy hero.
Even if the quest isn’t completely finished, it’s likely to put psychological pressure on the opponent, as the mere fear of the Purified Shard could lead to hasty decisions.
3. The Demonseed
Warlocks have a major drawback, which is the loss of their own health points. Some of their cards and even the hero power deprive the Warlock of his health points, making it necessary for him to constantly heal with various effects or to end the match very quickly.
The questline “The Demonseed” ensures that the loss of health points is no longer a problem. If the Warlock manages to get through the questline, for which he has to suffer a whopping 21 damage points during his own turns, the reward is salvation: a minion that, with its battle cry, ensures that the enemy hero loses health points during the Warlock’s turns instead of the Warlock himself.
A pretty risky quest and 21 self-inflicted damage points is a big number. But fortunately, the Warlock has access to many cards with lifesteal and Soulshatter that can make up for it.
4. Enthusiastic Banker
The Enthusiastic Banker is a double-edged sword and will probably decide many games on her own. As a neutral minion for 3 mana with stats of 2/3, the probability is quite high that the Banker will perish relatively quickly. If, however, she lasts longer, she becomes a real “loot box” for the respective player.
At the end of her owner’s turn, the Banker stores a card from the deck. The card is thus removed from the deck and transferred into the Banker’s deathrattle. If the Banker is then defeated, the deathrattle ensures that all previously stored cards go to the player’s hand.
However, there is a danger that the opponent will simply silence the Banker – thus sending all stored cards into oblivion.
Additionally, the Banker can help you get into fatigue quite quickly. If she unexpectedly lands on the battlefield due to a spell or another effect and is not removed, she will eat away at your deck each turn …
5. Lady Prestor
There are very few cards in Hearthstone that cause your entire deck to change. One such card is Lady Prestor. She is already known from vanilla times in World of Warcraft and is the dragon lady Onyxia in the guise of a noblewoman who advises the king’s son Anduin. In Hearthstone, she is a 6/7 minion for 6 mana – that’s pretty solid. Her battle cry will throw your deck into chaos, as all minions in your deck will be transformed into random dragons!
The minions, however, retain their original stats and costs. This means that it is possible to play Deathwing for 1 mana or suddenly have a Ysera with stats of 1/1 in hand.
The possibilities are nearly endless and can lead to you suddenly having an extremely devastating deck or complete nonsense.
In any case, Lady Prestor is likely to be suitable for penny pinchers who want to play with big dragons but do not have them in their collection.
When will the expansion be released? It starts on August 2, so already next Tuesday. As a rule, the release of a new expansion takes place in the evening hours, between 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM. Then you will be prompted to restart the game. After that, you can play the new content, open card packs, and experiment with the new cards.
Are you looking forward to the new Hearthstone expansion? Or have you lost interest in the card game due to the current Blizzard scandal?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
During a livestream on Twitch, a man broke into the apartment of the streamer girl__fighter. Apparently in an aggressive mood, he vandalized and even knocked over the streamer’s desk.
This was the situation live on Twitch: While the Russian streamer Victoria, known on Twitch as girl__fighter, was live talking to her chat, a man broke into her apartment. He reportedly smashed a window to gain entry.
The conversation is somewhat confusing, but apparently the man, who turns out to be a neighbor, is disturbed by the streamer’s broadcasts. They seem to either be too loud for him or he doesn’t like the content – girl__fighter usually shows her pole dancing in the livestream.
After a brief, heated conversation with the streamer and one of her friends, the situation escalated. It sounds like the man is hitting the desk. He is then sprayed with pepper spray and knocks over the table in the process.
The video ends at this point, presumably because the streaming setup or the camera was damaged. The microphone continues to record for a few more seconds, but the stream ends shortly thereafter. girl__fighter is said to have gone live again shortly after, so it seems that nothing happened to her (via Dexerto.com).
Meanwhile, both the recording and the clip from the Twitch channel have disappeared. However, you can still see the situation on other sites (via streamable.com). There is currently no official police statement. The streamer’s social media channels have been set to “private” since the incident.
Who is the streamer? girl__fighter primarily streams in the Just Chatting and Hot Tubs categories. In doing so, she usually showcases her skills in pole dancing or stretching exercises. Both are listed as her hobbies in her description.
When she plays games on Twitch, it’s usually the shooter Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, which she uses to “blow off some steam.” On average, she had 276 viewers during her streams in July (via sullygnome.com). In the following clip, you can see a snippet of her content:
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Burglaries on Twitch also affecting other streamers
The break-in at girl__fighter is not the first of its kind. Recently, there have been various strange situations where strangers have appeared at streamers’ residences or worse:
girl__fighter shows that not only large streamers are affected, but apparently the danger of unpleasant situations grows along with fame. It becomes particularly dangerous when a streamer’s home address is known. One of the biggest streamers, Amouranth, has a lot of experience with this:
Twitch is the largest and most popular streaming platform in the world, currently providing millions of people a stage. MeinMMO shows you which streamers generated the most viewer hours in July 2021.
Who are these streamers? In our list, you will find the biggest streamers in July 2021. We use the values from the analytics website sullygnome over the last 30 days (as of July 31; via sullygnome.com).
While the data refers to July, it shows the biggest streamers of the current month. We update this list at the end of each month or the beginning of the next.
We look at the biggest streamers worldwide, without consideration of language, gender, content, and region. Event channels like GamesDoneQuick or ESL are not included. Unlike the biggest streamers by followers, this list considers the activity of the streamers.
What are viewer hours? This term refers to the total time that all viewers have spent watching a streamer. If about 10 people watch a stream for 2 hours, that results in 20 viewer hours.
The value reflects somewhat better how active and popular a streamer truly is, as only streamed hours can be viewed. Followers simply indicate how many people follow the stream. They are counted even if the streamer is no longer active on Twitch, as long as the followers do not click the “unfollow” button.
Roshtein wins one million euros at a slot machine.
Who is Roshtein? The streamer is originally from Sweden but now lives in Malta, apparently due to the laws regarding gambling. Roshtein shows almost exclusively slots, i.e., casino streams.
Roshtein is known for his appearance with a black hat, a trimmed beard, and usually sunglasses, along with striking black clothing and jewelry. He is one of the first streamers on Twitch to achieve success with slots.
Roshtein is often seen in conversation with Trainwreckstv, a variety streamer who has also switched to slots. The two frequently exchange places on the fifth spot of the biggest streamers.
How did he become so successful? Roshtein’s trademark is high stakes at the slot machines. Where other streamers consider 10 euros per “spin” too much, Roshtein rarely bets less than 50 euros per spin.
This way, his winnings are also significantly higher than what one usually sees among slot streamers, and that is exactly what draws in viewers. The big numbers and the associated emotions of the streamer regularly attract tens of thousands.
There are rumors that he does not play with real money but uses special test accounts and only sells his brand with the big numbers. However, this has not been confirmed (via CasinoFM.de).
What is his best clip? In his most popular clip, Roshtein hits the “jackpot” on one of the one-armed bandits in the online casino. He wins one million euros with one spin and goes wild with excitement in front of the camera. The clip shows well how the streamer is so successful on Twitch:
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Who is Gaules? The Brazilian is originally from esports and was active in Counter-Strike between 2000 and 2007. After his career as a pro gamer, he first switched to coaching and organization and later worked as a commentator and analyst.
Gaules is also one of the co-founders of the Brazilian esports organization g3nerationX, which operated in Counter-Strike until 2016. Today, he is a full-time streamer and still shows CS:GO on his channel in Portuguese.
How did he become so successful? As a former pro and expert in Counter-Strike, Gaules frequently streams CS:GO tournaments on Twitch and comments on them for his Brazilian audience. He has made a name for himself over the past few years.
Counter-Strike is currently the most popular game in Portuguese Twitch after GTA V, and Gaules benefits from being the most well-known streamer in the field. However, due to his fame, he has also had problems:
What is his best clip? In his most popular clip, he simply gives away a key for Battlefield 4 and explains how to redeem it. As there is not much else to see in that short segment, we are including his second place clip here.
In this clip, you can see Gaules commenting on a match in CS:GO and getting quite emotional. Even without understanding Portuguese, one can tell that he lives for this game:
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Who is loud_coringa? The young Brazilian is relatively new on Twitch and is already at the very top. He works as a content creator for Loud.GG, a Brazilian esports and lifestyle organization.
On Twitch, he usually presents a trendy, modern style that suits his young and almost youthful appearance well. His target audience appears to be mainly younger gamers.
How did he become so successful? Coringa mainly streams his role-playing rounds in GTA V Online, which currently represents the largest category in the Portuguese or Brazilian area of Twitch. This alone can generate many viewers.
However, the massive reach of Loud.GG also contributes to this. The company was the first esports organization to reach over one billion views on YouTube (via esports.gg). Due to the popularity, especially in Brazil, Coringa has an immense reach that he can optimally utilize with Twitch and GTA V.
What is his best clip? Coringa’s most popular clip shows the streamer with a young woman, both smirking and apparently discussing something. More representative of his stream is his second place clip.
Here he shows a role-playing scene in GTA where dozens of players are standing in a circle around some others, while a second group is apparently arriving. This seems to be a larger event that demonstrates how big and organized the Brazilian role-playing scene is:
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With this temperament, xQc has become a star on Twitch.
Who is xQc? The native Canadian originally comes from esports and is a former Overwatch pro. He made a name for himself particularly during the Overwatch League with the Dallas Fuel team. But he was out shortly after.
xQc is well-known for his explosive personality. He often has outbursts and gets upset over things, displays these outbursts live on stream, and does not shy away from harsh language. His chat and community celebrate him for his emotionality.
How did he become so successful? On Twitch, xQc has always shown a lot of Overwatch and has built up a community over time through his strong gameplay. After his esports career, he made streaming his profession and showcases various games.
For some time, he has been involved in role-playing. He initially started with the Rust project “No Pixel”, where he caused quite a stir, and shortly after landed in GTA V Online. Here he primarily shows how he has disputes with the police or finds ways to assert his loud personality.
What is his best clip? In his most popular clip of all time, he plays Cyberpunk 2077 and encounters a male prostitute with his male character. “Accidentally,” he pays the NPC for a private session and can only watch in shock as the scene unfolds:
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Who is Asmongold? Especially for WoW players, Asmongold is known as the biggest streamer of the game on Twitch. In this role, he embodies the classic “nerd” who is completely devoted to World of Warcraft.
As such, Asmongold has established himself over time as a voice and echo for the WoW community and its sentiments. Many players are interested in his opinion, even if his style is highly polarizing: you either love him or hate him.
Otherwise known only by his first name “Zack”, he sometimes shows games and opinions on Twitch and YouTube under the name “Zackrawr” that have nothing to do with Asmongold or WoW, but rather reflect himself.
How did he become so successful? Over the years, Asmongold has built a loyal community of fans, most of whom love WoW just as much as he does. At times, he was even the biggest streamer on Twitch and can repeatedly achieve success with new releases:
However, he often criticizes the game and the developers as well and has recently started to play other games. He is currently exploring Final Fantasy XIV as well as New World, which he often plays on his second channel – although he thinks the game is not ready enough.
What is his best clip? The most popular clip of Asmongold shows the kickoff of a special action by the streamer: Shortly after the release of Shadowlands, Asmongold met with other big names like Esfand to stage a rather outrageous wrestling match. We have embedded the entire video here instead of just the clip:
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The currently biggest streamers by viewer hours can vary greatly depending on which games or categories are trending. So it can happen that you will also find German stars like MontanaBlack here from time to time. You will also find on MeinMMO the 5 currently largest German streamers by active viewers.
Which streamers are your favorites?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the past week, the news mainly revolved around Activision Blizzard and the beta of the new MMO New World. We will bring you up to date in our news podcast.
These are the topics: The MMO New World has finally launched its first beta, and players can now get an impression of the gameplay and content. Among them is the WoW streamer Asmongold, who has criticized the game.
There were also difficulties with new releases. The shooter Splitgate was overwhelmed by new players and had to postpone the release because the servers couldn’t handle the influx. There were complaints about strong pay-to-win elements in Pokémon Unite. Activision Blizzard was also shaken by a scandal and a staff strike.
Here you can find our overview of the coverage on the topics:
Besides the news, we also share our expert opinions on the respective topics in the podcast, and you can add your own thoughts in the comments. Join the discussion with us!
This is important for you: In early July, the MeinMMO podcast was moved to the new platform Julep. Therefore, from now on, you need to use the new podcast feed from Julep for your apps. The old feed will no longer be updated after the end of July.
If you follow us through a platform like iTunes or Spotify, then you don’t have to do anything. The platforms will automatically switch to the new feed. It may take some time, so please bear with us if the episodes appear a bit later.
In addition to the news, we also offer special special episodes where we focus on a specific topic within gaming. This week, we took a close look at the scandal surrounding Activision Blizzard.
Suggestions or Criticism?
This is how you can contribute: You can actively participate in improving the podcast. If you have feedback like suggestions or criticism, or simply want to submit a cool topic proposal that needs to be discussed, feel free to visit our Discord server.
Alternatively, you can also directly send an email to [email protected] and share your thoughts with us. Write us your opinion and discuss with us!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
From July 26 to August 1, 2021, things were heating up in New World, but there is also a lot of news regarding Guild Wars 2 and Final Fantasy XIV. Likewise, there is a scandal at Blizzard. As always, find out the most important MMORPG news of the week here in our summary on MeinMMO.
The controversy of the week: The ongoing scandal at Blizzard is heating up the gamers’ sentiments. Therefore, our editor-in-chief Leya Jankowski analyzed the situation in a column and wonders how Blizzard could handle this so terribly wrong.
The discussion of the week: New World is also dominating the discussions right now. The streamer Asmongold complains that the game is not ready for release, even though he plays it daily.
The Kickstarter MMORPG Wagadu Chronicles introduces a new region (via MassivelyOP)
Blade & Soul 2 will launch soon in Korea (via MassivelyOP)
These were the news of the current week from the vast world of MMORPGs at a glance. What was your personal highlight this time? Or did you experience something exciting this week? Or perhaps we forgot something important? Let us know in the comments.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Dean Hall, the creator of the survival classic DayZ, is currently working on a new game: Icarus. It was originally scheduled for release in August. However, there is now a delay with a consolation: starting at the end of August, pre-order customers can play the beta.
What kind of game is this? The new survival MMO from RocketWerks takes place in space and has a dystopian sci-fi flair. After a failed terraforming project, the “Icarus Program,” a special material was discovered on the “second earth.”
You are part of one of the squads exploring the new planet, collecting the material, and uncovering its mysteries. You will return to the new planet repeatedly, putting your life on the line. Because you must face various dangers:
The wildlife of the planet does not welcome you, and you must defend yourself
Hunger and thirst must be fought against so you can explore the world at all
Oxygen is also running low since the planet’s air is toxic
Random weather events make your life even harder
The focus of the game is heavily on PvE aspects and offers classic survival features like crafting and exploration. However, you are always pressed for time. If you don’t reach the landing ship that takes you back to the orbital station in time, you will be left behind. Icarus is among our 8 new survival games to look forward to in 2021.
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When and where will Icarus be released? Icarus was supposed to be released on August 12, but it has now been postponed to November (via Steam). Currently, only PC (Steam) is known as the platform. There will be multiple beta tests before the release.
This is what the beta offers: Along with the announcement of the delay, the developers provided a roadmap showing which contents you can play during the different weekends of the beta:
August 28-29: Focus on exploration and building, only the forest biome is playable
September 11-12: Storms sweep across the world and pose a danger, still only in the forest
September 25-26: the arctic biome is accessible and brings new animals and snowstorms
October 9-10: you can explore the desert biome with its new dangers
October 23-24: factions are coming, for which you can complete missions
November 6-7: a special community event with prizes
The roadmap for the beta.
The beta starting in August will no longer be under an NDA, as the developers invite streamers and content creators to produce content for their communities. So, starting August 28, you will likely see videos and streams about Icarus.
How do I participate in the beta? If you pre-order Icarus, you will receive guaranteed access to the beta tests. The developers also want to distribute keys to content creators so they can invite their communities. So keep an eye out on Twitch if you want to participate.
Icarus sounds promising, and with Dean Hall behind the project, a creative mind is in charge. DayZ, which also came from him, is considered one of the founders of the modern survival genre. It remains immensely popular and is among the best and most beloved survival games overall:
Michael “shroud” Grzesiek is one of the most well-known streamers on Twitch and for some time now he has been absolutely excited about New World. But even though he is known for enjoying competing against other players, he prefers PvE in Amazon’s new MMORPG.
This is what shroud says: In one of his recent streams, shroud explains what he will probably spend most of his time doing in New World. He says: ‘When this game comes out, I don’t know how much PvP I will actually do. I like the PvE aspect more, which is really strange.’
Actually, shroud is known as a shooter god and “human aimbot”, who enjoys jumping into every battle against other players to destroy them. In New World, however, he seems to have found his calmer side.
The new MMORPG delivers a mix of all possible contents, which shroud probably wants to see at least once. We have embedded the entire video here for you, the quoted part starts at minute 3:05:
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This is what shroud also says: Even if shroud seems to be more fond of the PvE aspects, he reveals that he will still play PvP and show it. He apparently wants to experience the wars: ‘Of course, I will also participate in wars and stuff like that. But I really don’t care about world PvP.’
Through PvP, in New World, it is determined which faction and which guild currently controls the territories. For this, they receive taxes and fees from the players there, which they can use to finance expansions. PvP is thus a quite important aspect.
However, what bothers many other streamers about the system is the scaling. A post on reddit explains that some known players seem to be annoyed when they lose to a “newbie” at a higher level (via reddit.com).
However, shroud is not bothered by this scaling at all: ‘I like the scaling system. Maybe it needs a few tweaks here and there, but I really like it. I like that a level 20 player can kill someone at level 60.’ So it seems that in PvP, skill matters more than gear and stats.
How does that fit together? shroud already predicts that particularly engaged (‘sweaty’) players will devise the optimal build for every available content. They will have an optimized setup with weapons, skills, and attributes for open PvP, instanced PvP, and PvE.
However, a lot of Azoth is needed for this, which he already considers to be the most important resource for everything. Azoth is used in New World for everything, such as redistributing stats, fast travel, or switching weapon skills.
At the moment, shroud is trying not to play too much so that he doesn’t ruin the fun for the release on August 31. However, one of his streamer colleagues is playing extensively: Asmongold is almost daily in Aeternum and is rather critical about the release:
Spitting is probably too mean in WoW Classic. The emote will soon be removed from players – at least when they want to spit on someone.
In the PTR of the upcoming patch of Burning Crusade Classic, players have noticed a small but significant change. There seems to be an adjustment to the emote system. The spit command can no longer be applied to other players.
What has been done to the emote? Apparently, Blizzard has changed the programming for the emote /spit (/spit). The emote is no longer executed in chat when targeting another player. However, the emote works perfectly if no player is targeted. Then, as usual, the message “[PlayerName] spits on the ground.” appears.
Why is the emote being disabled? There is currently no official explanation from Blizzard for this, but players have a plausible suspicion. In Burning Crusade Classic, it has become common on many realms to spit on players with the shop mount. For many players, the shop mount represents the bad, new changes in World of Warcraft that they do not want. Therefore, players using the shop mount are often spat on.
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Some have even set up a macro or parts of an addon so that players with the mount are automatically targeted and spat on.
This clearly falls under “harassment” and players with the shop mount feel bad when they are constantly spat on. Blizzard might want to prevent exactly that.
More news about WoW and Blizzard can be found here:
This is how the community reacts: In the World of Warcraft subreddit, people are mostly joking about this change. It seems clear to the players that they will simply agree on another emote, like /slap. Moreover, it is still possible to type the emotes manually, so disabling the emote serves no significant purpose. Accordingly, the reactions are also cynical and sarcastic:
“Faction and race peace has been achieved in World of Warcraft with this change.”
“People will just agree on another emote. Where will this lead? Will all emotes be disabled in the end? Huge brains at Blizzard.”
“You did it, Blizzard. You fixed your toxic corporate culture with this. /s”
Please note that this is still a change from the PTR. This change is not yet present in the live game.
Do you consider this action by Blizzard to be a good idea? Or does it achieve nothing, as players can simply use another emote?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Despite everything that is happening at Blizzard and World of Warcraft , Cortyn still enjoys the MMORPG WoW. But is that actually okay?
For Blizzard fans and players of World of Warcraft, the last few days have been tough. Of course, not nearly as tough as for the affected employees of the sexism scandal at Blizzard. Nevertheless, it is currently not easy to fully enjoy the fun in World of Warcraft.
Currently, two points are particularly decisive. There has already been a lot of discussion about both in recent days, but I still want to address them.
The sexism scandal looms over everything
The largest and clearly most important point is the current investigations and revelations regarding sexism and discrimination at Blizzard. The corporate culture there must be a complete disaster, where women are treated like prey and equality of opportunity exists only on paper, but not in everyday life.
To make this very clear: I find these revelations extremely important and every single atrocity that comes to light is disgusting and deserves to be heard so that such things can be avoided in the future and the perpetrators receive their just punishment.
I appreciated the strike and the demands of the Blizzard employees and hope they are implemented. At the same time, the players also staged a kind of “strike”: Many WoW players logged off simultaneously on my realm at 7:00 PM to show solidarity with the strikers. Others simply “threw themselves into the maw” at the same time in Oribos, also as a sign.
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I also found that fundamentally a good thing and a way to make a statement if one wants to undertake any activity.
But as is often the case when people stand up for a cause, it quickly becomes an opportunity to profile oneself. At exactly 7:04 PM, I was messaged by someone from my Battle.net list asking why I wasn’t logged off. I was asked if I didn’t care about the suffering of the employees. Of course I didn’t, but I also don’t consider “simultaneous logging off” to be a meaningful way to make a statement or to effect any change. I don’t want to deny anyone their participation and for some, perhaps just feeling like they are doing “something” helps.
I believe that in my position at MeinMMO, where I (and other authors) report on such incidents, I contribute solely through the reporting in more than a dozen articles to generate attention for the issue and create pressure.
Here is a series of articles about the big Blizzard scandal:
Such incidents where active players are attacked for still playing WoW, I am experiencing again and again in recent days and weeks. Not only in the game, but also in the subreddit and on YouTube. Players are starting to attack each other. There’s quickly the assertion that “everyone who still plays the game is mindless” or that they are a “cow that doesn’t realize it’s being milked,” as “no one has fun anymore, but no one can admit it but the addicts.”
Here’s my problem: I enjoy the game. Even despite the incidents at Blizzard, World of Warcraft remains a game I enjoy. A game not only created by the perpetrators of the scandal, but also by the numerous victims who fulfill their dream in the video game industry with it.
I enjoy it and will continue to enjoy it, and nonetheless I can condemn the incidents at Blizzard.
Everything is hated and everyone is a professional author
The second point does not have the societal weight of the Blizzard scandal, but it bothers me personally massively.
I like World of Warcraft. I like the game in its current state. I like the raids we have had so far, I enjoy the “Mythic+” system, and I have fun with the different covenants and also think Patch 9.1 is pretty good. Above all, I really like the story which, contrary to what many others say on YouTube or in the WoW subreddit, I do not perceive as “poorly written,” but largely as consistent and comprehensible.
The Jailer, Zovaal, at the height of his power.
I like how Sylvanas has developed over the last 4 to 5 cinematics, how her doubts slowly grew. How doubt begins to sprout in the conversation with Anduin, how she appears shocked for a moment when she learns that Nathanos is dead and the Jailer is holding his soul from her. I liked how a “flashback” from her time as Arthas’ slave, triggered by a single word from the Jailer, gives her the final push to reconsider her decision.
And my circle enjoys it too. Apparently, my guild and raid group is one of those quirky groups that do not hate every story development with a passion and do not accuse the writers every five minutes of being able to find better authors in kindergarten.
Tyrande as Avatar of Elune.
When I talk with the guild or raid team about the cinematics, there’s the same enthusiasm as with me. They enjoy the development of the story, had goosebumps during the cinematics, and their experience has been just as positive as mine. The latest part of the covenant campaign was wonderfully funny, had great characters, and a really nice finale with an appearance by Elune. I loved it. Everyone in my direct WoW circle loved it.
But looking at YouTube, apparently around 85% of the people found the cinematic bad. Just like the last cinematic. Or the one before that. Or the one before that.
How “well” the Tyrande cinematic was received.
Yet I am fairly certain that I do not praise WoW unduly. I too find some things poorly resolved. I find the domination shards extremely boring and poorly thought out, but that only minimally affects my enjoyment of the game. Perhaps because 1-2% performance does not affect me much since I never want to mythic raid anyway.
What I’m actually getting at is: If you enjoy the game, then enjoy it. If you don’t enjoy the game or believe that a boycott helps those affected – then don’t play it. Make the statements you want to make. But don’t condemn other players who still like World of Warcraft or other Blizzard games. Don’t argue with people just because they do not participate in a “logout protest.” Stop making others feel bad for enjoying something when you don’t like a particular story development.
What I read every day in the subreddit, on YouTube, but also sometimes in our comments, I find increasingly hard to comprehend. I would simply wish for a little more objectivity and differentiation. I believe it would do everyone good.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The new MMO New World is widely well-received. The many features seem to excite most players. However, one of them provides unexpectedly more fun: the voice chat, which is used for quite … strange scenes.
What are the crazies up to? In a clip on reddit, a player shows how he runs through New World together with other players. However, they are not doing what players usually do in the MMO, such as completing quests, collecting important resources, or occasional PvP.
They are all naked and running around like crazy, slaughtering anything that comes in front of their musket or axe, and shouting something in the best ‘redneck’ slang.
The crown of it all is the recording player. He lets banjo music ring through his voice chat, which gives the whole scene something crazy and surreal. A bit like out of a silly slapstick movie or a twisted cartoon:
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How do they do that? New World has the voice chat as an integrated feature. Any player with a microphone can use it at will – or deactivate it if they do not wish to. There is even a descriptive title for players who prefer to play without voice.
In this case, the player states: ‘VOIP [Voice Over IP; the voice chat] is the best thing they have added to this game.’ Some other players agree.
Completely absurd parties thanks to voice chat
This is how the action comes across: Under the post, other players discuss the voice chat in New World. Most find the action absolutely brilliant and throw in something like: ‘Imagine a zerg legion of Syndicate players chasing you while playing this music. Awesome’ (via reddit.com).
Another user chimes in: ‘This is enough. This is all I need. This is my game’ (via reddit.com). And apparently, the naked banjo players are not the only ones with such ideas. Another player posts a clip of him standing with friends in front of a fort, and all of them dancing to the music in the voice chat (via streamable.com).
Another player apparently uses the music for moral support: ‘Me and 2 other friends went to a fort full of players. We didn’t want to win, we just wandered around and played ‘Duel of the Fates’ from Star Wars’ (via reddit.com).
What is this actually for? New World offers numerous group features that require coordination, such as PvP sieges or dungeons. The chat is actually intended for such activities so that players do not have to resort to third-party programs like Teamspeak or Discord.
The new MMO from Amazon has not yet been released but is already causing some bizarre scenes that players apparently are having a lot of fun with. Shortly before that, a female streamer was banned for milking a cow. Her reaction to it is a pretty silly apology video – to the cow.
Another female player has utilized the possibilities in New World for ‘creative criticism.’ She created an account that sounds official to pose as an Amazon employee and trolled in the chat with this account:
In Fortnite a grave has appeared at a spot where a popular NPC is usually found. Players are now wondering what has happened there and are paying tribute to the supposedly dead character.
What NPC is this? Bushranger has been in the game since Chapter 2: Season 1 as one of the many skins in Fortnite. On the island, the friendly, living tree can also be found as an NPC with whom you can interact.
Bushranger is one of the most popular NPCs in the game. In 2019, he won the Community Choice against Rustler and Wake Rider. While he doesn’t really know how he ended up on the island, he enjoys being there.
Recently, Bushranger tried to make friends with the aliens that appeared in Season 7. He adopted an egg that you were supposed to help take care of. He was usually found near Risky Reels.
What happened to Bushranger? Where Bushranger usually waits for players, a fresh grave with a shovel beside it and flowers on top has been standing since July 29. When you approach the grave, calm music plays in the background.
Players are now fearing that something has happened to the friendly tree:
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This is how players are reacting: In the community, players are puzzled about what happened to Bushranger and whether the grave could really be his. Some players hope that “only” the hatched alien baby is buried there.
Others see the Imagined Order behind it, which effectively controls the island. They suspect that Bushranger’s efforts to befriend the aliens were unwelcome: “IO killed Bushranger because he adopted a parasite egg. IO viewed him as an alien sympathizer” (via reddit.com).
In any case, many players visit his grave and mourn him with emotes or small tributes. One player even depicted Bushranger with an alien as a tribute to the living tree:
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Is Bushranger really dead? Whether it is really Bushranger’s grave has not yet been confirmed. However, a leak suggests that the grave is connected to the NPC in the data (via Twitter.com). But even if it is, that doesn’t mean the popular tree will stay dead for good.
The “Loop,” which resets time in Fortnite, could bring Bushranger back – unless, of course, the organization itself eliminated him. However, players suspect that Bushranger will meet the same fate as the popular Marvel tree Groot.
It is unusual for Fortnite to kill an NPC in the middle of an ongoing season, especially one so popular. The current Season 7 is expected to run until September 12, and such changes usually happen during a larger event at the season change.
