The new MMORPG Crowfall launched this week, but the launch apparently attracted hardly any players. And this despite a relatively large number of supporters investing money into the game beforehand.
What kind of game is it? Crowfall is a new MMORPG strongly focused on PvP. It started its development back in 2015 with a successful Kickstarter campaign and gathered more and more supporters over the years to help bring the game to launch.
The official launch took place on July 6, 2021, at 1:00 PM. The servers were reset for the launch. This means: Even backers who had been able to play during the testing phases of the game had to or could start from scratch again. A large release hype around Crowfall did not materialize.
Apparently few players on the servers after the launch
Update: On July 9, Crowfall’s team commented on the numbers. A first response came through the official Crowfall channel on Twitter, which addressed the question of whether the numbers were correct. The answer was: “We are taking it slow and steady. Our focus is on the quality of the experience we deliver while driving growth. Thank you” (via Twitter).
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Creative Director J Todd Coleman also commented more specifically via Twitter. To the question of whether the numbers regarding the player peak were accurate, he replied: “Not really. Registered emails cannot play (we are not F2P)” (via Twitter).
According to Coleman, the peak was about 20% of the active player base, he explained further: “Which means that more than 25% of our backers have already played during peak time (more if you include non-peak hours).”
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In the meantime, the bot in Discord has been adjusted. It now uses the paid accounts as a reference size, which according to the bot is currently about 90,229.
Here continues with the original article.
Here are the numbers: In the MMORPG subreddit, user “Lewpac22” shared a screenshot that showed the current player counts on the Crowfall servers. At the time of the screenshot, there were 3,139 concurrent players in Crowfall.
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These figures were read by a bot, which is continuously updated in the Crowfall community Discord. As of the current status (July 8, 6:45 PM), the numbers are even slightly lower: 2,433 concurrent players are counted there. Considering the daily trend, player counts are sometimes even lower.
Especially in context, these are very low numbers – particularly regarding the backers who originally supported the game financially. As of 2018, Crowfall officially announced reaching the mark of 50,000 supporters through Kickstarter and their own shop (via Crowfall.com). Even if all currently active players belong to this group, that would be only 4.87% of the 50,000 supporters.
In addition, the bot reports that the current number of players corresponds to only 0.45% of the 489,350 registered users who have created an account as a “Crow” to be active in the forum.
What are the problems? Even before the release, there was criticism regarding the PvP MMORPG Crowfall. Among other things, optimization, the interface, and the tutorial were criticized. The latter was important as it should explain a specific system in Crowfall: The game features multiple running campaigns. Only the “Eternal Kingdoms” form an existing social space. A closer look at the difficulties with Crowfall can be found here.
In the reddit post, a user explains: “I am a backer. Didn’t even bother to download the game. I’ve somehow lost all interest. It just doesn’t look like what I imagined. An MMO without a persistent shared world just doesn’t look like an MMO to me. The Eternal Kingdoms don’t really count” (via reddit.com).
Other users comment that they also expected something different from the game – or simply did not notice that it was coming out now.
With a spotlight, EA aims to prepare for the upcoming EA Play on July 22. Four developers of different shooters will discuss the “Future of FPS” in the stream, sharing their ideas and insights and even revealing some details about the upcoming Battlefield 2042.
Here are the facts: Two of the developers from Battlefield 2042 presented some information about Battlefield 2042 today, on July 8. There were also a few interesting facts about the development of the shooter and some features:
Players can combine things like tornadoes with wingsuits to catapult themselves across the battlefield.
The development of Battlefield 2042 has already taken three years so far.
Three different game modes will be playable at release.
Hazard Zone will be a mode for squads and a “contemporary mode, not a classic Battle Royale.”
More information specifically about Hazard Zone will be available in the fall.
Some popular maps from the past will return in Battlefield 2042. This is about the “love letter to veterans.”
Developing a new map for Battlefield 2042 takes between 6 and 12 months – especially the balancing for so many players takes time. On MeinMMO you can find more about the 7 starting maps of Battlefield 2042.
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Some of the info was already known beforehand but might have been overlooked by some interested parties. If you want to learn more about Battlefield 2042, definitely tune in to the EA Play on July 22, 2021.
One important topic of the discussion was also the “future of shooters” and how the genre should develop. With new technology and ideas, shooters might evolve in ways you are not used to. Some of the developers had interesting approaches to this.
Who is speaking here? The ideas and insights into the development and future come from renowned staff members of several studios and games. The discussion included:
Vince Zampella, founder of Respawn (Apex Legends)
Chad Grenier, Game Director of Apex Legends
Christian Grass, General Manager of Ripple Effect Studios (formerly DICE L.A.)
This is what the future of shooters looks like: Many statements from the developers about the future are rather general. The developers are confident that many great opportunities are ahead, but Vince Zampella for instance says he doesn’t even know yet what will be possible.
Christian Grass, on the other hand, has a very concrete idea of what shooters should achieve in the future. He wants shooters to become more social and compares them to traditional sports:
Look at traditional sports. You can go outside, just kick or throw a ball around, watch on TV or in the stadium […] It will be more than just the game.
And I think we are just at the beginning. We can turn it into something social. A world where you hang out – not just for competition, but to simply ‘be’ with your friends. I think there’s a great potential in that.
Christian Grass
Oskar Gabrielson sees the future more on the technical side. With cloud computing, it should be possible to create strong visual effects for visually striking games: “That’s still a few years away, but then you’ll be able to see pretty cool shooters.”
When can I play Battlefield 2042? The new shooter will be released on October 22, 2021, for PC, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. You will still have to wait a while, but at least you can look forward to more info during the EA Play on July 22.
In League of Legends, the so-called queue dodging is widespread. Players leave the queue to gain an advantage. However, Riot Games is now taking action against this, banning players for up to 12 hours and deducting league points.
What is queue dodging? This method involves simply leaving the game before it even starts, for example by closing the client or disconnecting the internet.
This usually happens in champion selection, and players leave because they didn’t get their desired position or champion. Some players also leave when their team seems weaker than the opponents.
Queue dodging is especially common in ranked and ARAM (All Random All Mid) modes. In the latter, champions are assigned randomly, and not everyone is satisfied with their champion. However, the developers are addressing this in the upcoming update.
Severe penalties of up to 12 hours and 10 LP
What is Riot Games doing against queue dodging? With the upcoming patch 11.15 expected to be released on July 21, tougher penalties will be imposed on players who repeatedly leave a queue within 12 hours.
The following penalties will apply in normal and ranked matches:
Level
Queue Lock
LP Deduction (Ranked only)
1
6 minutes
-3 LP
2
30 minutes
-10 LP
3 (new)
720 minutes (12 hours)
-10 LP
The penalties for ARAM will also be adjusted:
Level
Queue Lock
1
15 minutes
2
30 minutes
3 (new)
720 minutes (12 hours)
The developer BarackProbama explains in a blog post that queue dodging fundamentally worsens the player experience. Queues become longer and the selected radius of teammates and opponents increases, which affects the quality of matches.
The changes are primarily aimed at players who regularly exit a queue. While there are not many of them, they disproportionately ruin many matches (via LoL).
In Diamond+, 33% of all games are interrupted by queue dodging
How common is this method? According to Riot Games, only 42% of all ranked matches in the highest leagues – from Diamond 1 and above – start without issues. 1% of all players are interrupted by a login error with the champions, 24% end during the ready-check, and in a full 33% of matches, there is an intentional queue dodge.
Statistics of queue dodges by Riot Games.
However, only about 1.6% of all players who are ranked from Diamond 1 and above leave the queue 3 times or more per day. This 1.6% of players are the target of the new change.
Are further changes planned? Yes, but they will be implemented later in the game:
On the one hand, champion selection will receive a reporting function to report players who intentionally attempt to ruin the game.
On the other hand, work is being done to ensure better distribution when filling roles. Each player can specify a primary and secondary role. So far, matchmaking has only considered the number of players who need to play their secondary role on both teams. In the future, the exact same positions must be filled by the players in their secondary role.
What do you think about the changes to queue dodging? Are they just right, going too far, or maybe not far enough?
In LoL, there is currently also discussion about the new champion Akshan alongside queue dodging. Many especially consider one ability to be far too strong:
How strong will the players of FC Bayern be in FIFA 22? We look at the predictions and tell you what ratings Neuer, Lewandowski, Müller and Co. might receive in the next FIFA installment.
Last year, the ratings of the Bayern players negatively surprised many FUT players to some extent. They were in many cases significantly lower than one would have expected. This was especially curious because FC Bayern managed to win the Champions League in 2020 and many players performed at top levels.
That’s why we are particularly excited this time and are already looking at the predictions for the ratings of FC Bayern.
What are rating predictions? Before the official player ratings of FIFA 22 are known, the community tries to estimate how strong the players might become in the new FIFA installment. For this, the performances of the players in the last season are reviewed and predictions are made.
Forecast for the ratings of Bayern players in FIFA 22
Where do the predictions come from? The predictions for these FIFA 22 ratings come from realsport101.
These are the predictions: We first show you the player rating from FIFA 21 and then the predicted value for FIFA 22. This way you can see the possible development.
Manuel Neuer: 89 -> 89
Robert Lewandowski: 91 -> 92
Thomas Müller: 86 -> 88
Joshua Kimmich: 88 -> 89
Leon Goretzka: 84 -> 86
Kingsley Coman: 84 -> 84
Alphonso Davies: 81 -> 82
Dayot Upamecano: 79 -> 81
Niklas Süle: 84 -> 82
Serge Gnabry: 85 -> 85
Leroy Sané: 85 -> 85
Lucas Hernandez: 82 -> 82
Benjamin Pavard: 81 -> 79
Marc Roca: 77 -> 74
Sven Ulreich: 79 -> 76
Omar Richards: 70 -> 73
Corentin Tolisso: 80 -> 78
Bouna Sarr: 77 -> 75
Jamal Musiala: 61 -> 73
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting: 75 -> 73
It is important to keep in mind that these are merely predictions from the FUT community. The official player values in the finished game may differ significantly from these assessments.
What do you think about the ratings? Tell us in the comments!
If you are interested in these FIFA 22 ratings, you can see which Bundesliga players urgently need to be improved here:
On reddit, a PC gamer surprisingly realized that he had been using the wrong setting for years. The particularly annoying thing is that he only noticed this mistake after 4 years of gaming. Now, reddit is having a laugh about his error.
What happened? Without realizing it, the thread starter had probably been gaming for almost 4 years on an integrated graphics chip instead of his dedicated graphics card, even though he had a graphics card installed in his computer. This was because he had kept his HDMI cable connected to the wrong port for years.
In a later comment, he explains that he has an AMD Ryzen 5 2400G, 16GB RAM, and a GTX 1050 Ti installed in his gaming PC. Red Dead Redemption 2 ran quite well with “FPS Boosting Mod” on the integrated graphics chip, without him ever questioning why he had such low FPS.
So he has a graphics card installed in his computer, but the 1050 Ti has probably been quite bored for the last 4 years. He himself writes quite perplexedly: “I’ve been playing on the integrated graphics [of my CPU] since 2017 and had no idea.”
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Some processors have an integrated graphics chip (APUs). These chips are mainly used in office computers, as such processors do not need a dedicated graphics card. With some APUs, it is even possible to game at low to medium settings.
When did he notice the mistake? He never noticed the issue, as his games seemed to work perfectly fine.
But a few days ago, he came across a thread on reddit. Here, a user complained that he suddenly had abysmal framerates. One user pointed out to him that he likely plugged his HDMI cable into the motherboard instead of the graphics card.
At that point, the PC gamer probably had a suspicion and had to think about his own PC. Because he writes:
So I plugged the HDMI into the GPU and holy crap, I have never felt so stupid in my life.
His comment in the subreddit “buildapc” has caused great amusement. Besides the laughter and mockery, there are also some users who can definitely relate to the mistake.
Where does the problem come from? Many motherboards offer various built-in HDMI ports. If you use a processor with an integrated graphics chip, you can plug your HDMI cable directly into the motherboard and get a display.
However, dedicated graphics cards have their own HDMI and DisplayPort connections. Once you install a graphics card on your motherboard, you need to connect your cable to one of the graphics card’s ports; otherwise, you won’t get a display, or you will continue using the chip on your motherboard.
About a month ago, the new MMORPG Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis appeared in the Microsoft Store and on Steam. With Sega as the developer and Microsoft as the publisher, the game has a lot of potential – but how does it look a month after release? We at MeinMMO take a look at the game.
How many people are currently playing PSO2: New Genesis? Phantasy Star Online 2 was released in 2020 in the West and built a small community on Steam. However, with the release of New Genesis, the player count rose significantly but is now slowly declining. Although player numbers are falling, PSO2 has almost doubled its player base with New Genesis.
While the average player count in January 2021 was still around 5,200, it surged to up to 17,580 in June due to the release. Currently, the player numbers on Steam range between 7,000 to 10,000 active players per day.
It is important to note that the mentioned numbers refer only to players on Steam. However, the game is also offered outside of Steam, and unfortunately, we do not have those numbers. The general picture presented by the development should, however, largely correspond with the Steam numbers.
Why are player numbers declining? According to the community, New Genesis offers cool classes and has fun movement mechanics that make the gameplay enjoyable. However, there is a lack of content. After playing PSO2:NG for 20 to 30 hours, you have really seen almost everything New Genesis has to offer.
We must assume that many players enjoyed their time with the game and have now already played through the available content. Currently, there is a significant content gap in the endgame, which the developers promise to fill, yet have not been able to do so so far.
The content that the existing PSO2 offers has likely been completed by many players, given the age of the game. Player numbers are definitely decreasing because players simply have little to nothing to do at the end.
What do players say about it? There is much discussion about the game on Reddit, where we find some interesting points of view reflecting player opinions. The comments often underline what we have already inferred from the numbers.
One user, killerkonnat (via reddit), writes: ‘The game was released 3 to 5 months too early. The gameplay is nice, but it offers ridiculously little content.’
This opinion is echoed by user DanishJohn (via reddit): ‘The content schedule for the game is quite slow. I would suggest coming back in two years when they have new stuff made and then continue playing. You really don’t have to worry about not catching up with current players.’
A_Crow_in_Moonlight even refers to the game as alpha (via reddit): “Honestly, it feels like an alpha. The game looks beautiful, the combat is decent, and there are many interesting systems to build upon… and that’s it. […]. Right now, everything feels like placeholder content. NGS can be a fun game, but at the moment it’s not a game you can invest dozens or hundreds of hours into.’
Conclusion after one month
After listening to the feedback on Reddit and analyzing the player numbers, as well as considering the previous content of the game, the following conclusion can be drawn.
Pro
The movement system feels great
Graphically, there has been significant improvement, even for the old PSO2
Fighting has become more dynamic
The open world is a meaningful addition
The shop offers some quality of life adjustments but is not pay-to-win
Contra
Launched with very little content
Also hasn’t been able to deliver new content quickly enough
The overall system of having both games in one launcher can be confusing for new players
Even though combat and graphics have improved over PSO2, there are still some areas for further enhancement
In conclusion, we can say that PSO2: New Genesis is not in a great position a month after release. Player numbers are dwindling and are likely to continue falling unless new content for the game arrives in a timely manner.
Nonetheless, the game is not bad; it currently offers too little to keep a potential player engaged for long. We at MeinMMO will of course continue to keep an eye on the game for you.
What is PSO2:NG? New Genesis is not exactly a new game. Phantasy Star Online 2 was released in Japan in 2012 and in the West in 2020. However, with New Genesis, completely new content has been released that functions independently.
Both games, however, run through the same launcher and when you create a character, you can choose whether to play PSO2 or New Genesis. You can even transfer your character back and forth later, but only the appearance will remain, not the attributes and equipment.
In this video from TheLazyPeon, you can see the first impressions of PSO2:NG:
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How does New Genesis play? A lot has changed with the major update. Previously, you would only meet players in dedicated hub areas to then go together into instances, but New Genesis is a true open world where you can meet other players. The game has thus become more of an MMORPG.
Another highlight of the game is the incredible freedom in movement. You can perform normal jumps, double jumps, and even wall jumps, and then glide down slowly. With a little practice, you can almost fly over the map.
As for combat, New Genesis features an action combat system that has been further improved compared to PSO2. You must actively aim and attack your opponents with the mouse buttons. In New Genesis, you can experience this with six different classes:
Hunter, a melee fighter who relies on his sword and can take a hit
Fighter, a melee fighter who focuses more on damage than on defense
Ranger, a ranged fighter who can support teammates in battle
Gunner, a ranged fighter with two pistols and a lot of mobility
Force, best compared to an elemental mage
Techer, a ranged fighter with long range, who supports his teammates
New Genesis does not include the classes Braver, Bouncer, or Summoner that exist in PSO2, these can still only be played in PSO2.
What do you think of New Genesis? Have you played it yet? How do you assess the current situation? Feel free to leave us a comment.
In Rainbow Six Siege you can now buy Outbreak Packs. These old event cosmetics from 2018 cause a lot of frustration among players who complain about greed.
This is ‘new’: You can now open ‘Outbreak Packs’ in the team-based tactical shooter Rainbow Six Siege and unlock 50 rare cosmetics. But wait, the Outbreak Packs aren’t that new – they were already available in 2018.
This ‘innovation’ is not well received by many players for two reasons:
Ubisoft is accused of greed
Making the rare items available again hurts the veterans who were active in 2018
What is different now? In 2018, the Outbreak Packs were introduced along with a cool zombie mode. Here, players could cooperatively face the undead threat, which felt quite similar to Left4Dead. On top of that, players earned the Outbreak Packs and unlocked event loot – even the rare Elite Skins.
But now, in 2021, there’s no zombie mode. Only the packs with the event items are in the game. If you want the (again) limited-time loot, you’ll have to raid your R6 account this time.
The Outbreak Packs also contain the “Black Viper” Elite Skin for Ash
Players find Outbreak Packs “greedy”
That there are cosmetics only this way is not a developer’s mistake. The zombie mode is not supposed to return. It is intended that players get the 50 items from the Outbreak Collection through the shop – randomly. By the way, you only get 1 item per pack. So, if you want everything and didn’t play in 2018, you’ll need 50 packs.
A single Outbreak Pack costs 300 R6 Credits
600 Credits correspond to €4.99.
Alternatively, an Outbreak Pack can be bought for 12,500 Renown. This corresponds to more than 10 hours of pure gameplay – the amount of Renown depends on your performance.
This is how players react: Primarily, players complain that the developers just want to cash in quickly. The term “Cash Grab” is frequently mentioned under the official announcement tweet from Rainbow Six Siege. The US site Game Rant even titles “Rainbow Six Siege: The Return of the Outbreak Packs Triggers a Controversy in the Community Over ‘Greed'” (via gamerant.com).
The former pro Niclas ‘Pengu’ Mouritzen is one of the best players and hits the nail on the head for many when he says things like: “Wait, so the old skins are back, which can be bought for real money, but without a game mode? The old content loses its value because the skins were so ‘rare’, PLUS it’s just a money grab?”.
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What this means is that the cosmetics from 2018 now lose significant rarity. Anyone who ran around with an Elite Skin “Black Viper” for Ash showed they were part of the OG Outbreak event. Now, anyone who runs around with it could just have bought 50 Outbreak Packs.
Would this be the ideal solution? Players are puzzled as to why Rainbow Six Siege does not simply bring back the entire Outbreak mode. The creepy zombies would also fit perfectly to the upcoming Rainbow Six Extraction coming out in September 2021.
The latest installment in the series is a co-op shooter that takes place after a mysterious parasite outbreak. The whole game is supposed to draw on the PvE mode Outbreak from Siege and build on that idea. Our MeinMMO author and Rainbow Six expert Benedict Grothaus demands that the new Rainbow Six: Extraction needs 3 things from Siege to be really good.
What do you think of the return of the Outbreak Packs in R6? Do you hate FOMO – that feeling of missing out – and are you happy that you can now get the event loot from 2018? Or do you agree with the upset players: Zombie items without a zombie mode are a no-go? Let us know in the comments.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
With the C58 came a new assault rifle in Season 4 to Call of Duty: Warzone and like many representatives of the popular weapon class, the C58 is considered very strong. The assault rifle is a kind of “Cold War” version of the CR-56 AMAX and MeinMMO shows you why you should definitely try the rifle.
What kind of weapon is this? The C58 strongly resembles the Austrian weapon Assault Rifle 58 (StG 58) and would thus be the predecessor of the StG 77 (AUG) in the Austrian Armed Forces. The technological basis comes from the FN FAL, which is also present in the game as a single-shot assault rifle (via Wikipedia).
In Warzone, the assault rifle even comes with the characteristic wooden stock and belongs to the long-range assault rifles with a rather lower rate of fire. Handling and values reminisce of the CR-56 AMAX – the strong assault rifle was particularly popular in Season 3, but lost some of its appeal after a nerf.
Now the C58 presents itself as a strong alternative in Warzone, bringing the highest damage of all meta assault rifles specialized for range. MeinMMO shows you the value comparison, tested setups and why the weapon is among the best.
[toc]
The C58 is basically the AMAX from Cold War
What makes the C58 strong in Warzone? The story is quickly told: The C58 is stable and deals strong damage. In Warzone, there are often large distances between you and your opponent – every Warzone player should have an automatic favorite weapon with controllable recoil at range.
And the C58 could be such a favorite weapon. Although the reticle wobbles a bit more than with the very stable competitors Krig 6 or the popular FARA 83, with a bit of practice you can land simple hits. The strong bullet velocity also helps. With a maximum value of 1,155 meters/second, it is a good deal above the similar AMAX and rather on the level of the FARA or XM4.
In terms of damage, the C58 surpasses all the alternatives mentioned here. Among the assault rifles, the C58 is only surpassed by the AK-47 from Cold War and the FFAR 1 – both weapons are complicated companions at range. Damage, stability, bullet velocity – exactly what you want from a long-range weapon in Warzone, and the C58 delivers.
Damage comparison with long-range competition – torso hits / without attachments. Source: truegamedata.com
What can the C58 not do well? The biggest disadvantage of the C58 is its rate of fire. With 553 rounds/minute, it is very low, and every missed bullet increases the time-to-kill by already more than 0.1 seconds. This brings the C58 additional disadvantages in close combat, where a bullet can easily miss. The C58 is therefore somewhat limited in its area of operation. Competitors like the FARA (790 rounds/minute) or XM4 (721 rounds/minute) tend to forgive missed shots more.
What area of use is recommended? Due to its values, the C58 is somewhat one-dimensional and specialized. Therefore, we recommend using it as a long-range all-rounder, which you should only rarely use in close combat.
CoD Warzone: C58 Setup for Easy Hits at Long Range
What does a strong setup of the C58 look like? The assault rifle already performs well with a standard long-range setup, but due to the very vertical recoil, you can skip the “Field Agent Grip.” Use the free space to boost your ADS speed or increase important mobility with a stock – the C58 can do that.
Warzone C58 Setup
Muzzle: Agency Suppressor
Barrel: 18.5″ Special Ops
Optic: Axial Arms 3x
Ammunition: 45-Round Drum
Grip: Airborne Elastic Wrap
Barrel and muzzle increase the bullet velocity to the maximum and provide you with range, sound suppression and recoil control. However, you lose some ADS speed, which you can make up for with the grip.
For secure hits, use the large 3x Axial Arms optic. With this optic, the visual recoil is very low, and hits can be accurately placed. The 45-round magazine reduces the ADS penalty compared to the largest magazine, which holds 55 rounds. However, since your damage per bullet is extremely high, you don’t necessarily need the very large magazine.
What else can I try? If the C58 feels a bit too wobbly in this form, swap the grip for the under-barrel “Field Agent Grip.” This will give you even more control.
If you prefer to focus on mobility, you can swap the Special Ops barrel for the Ranger variant. This will lose you some control and range, but you’ll be faster in sight. If movement while aiming or sideways movement is more important to you, then go for a stock instead of the grip (SAS Combat Stock or Looting Stock).
Currently, there are also many recommendations for the “Royal & Kross 4x” optic. The larger zoom further reduces usability in close combat, but the optic helps with recoil. If you want to see some recoil gameplay with the Axial Arms 3x and Royal & Kross 4x optics, we’ll embed a video from the YouTuber “JustLawlyTTV” here:
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The Warzone is richer by a strong assault rifle and brings with it a strong AMAX replacement with the C58. If you had a great time with the strong assault rifle from CoD MW in Season 3, the C58 will make you happy now as well.
If you want to check out more meta alternatives of the Warzone, visit our list of the best weapons of Warzone. We keep the list regularly updated and inform you about current changes to the weapon meta.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny 2, the Solstice of Heroes event is running and rewards you with really cool armor. We explain what tasks await you in 2021, how to quickly generate Elemental Orbs and open Solstice Packages, and what the armor glow is all about.
The Solstice of Heroes 2021 started in Season 14 in Destiny 2. During the event, you level up a ragged armor set until it shines bright. To show off your final armor, however, you will need to do quite a bit of grinding and work.
MeinMMO reveals the tasks you can expect for all 3 upgrade levels and how to complete all steps as quickly as possible. You can return to this guide whenever you unlock new tasks. In the end, we have tips that have proven effective in past Solstice events.
If you need general information about the Solstice event and the European Air Zone, you will find it here:
This is how the event armor works: Visit Eva Levante in the Tower; she will initially give you a helmet. Now quickly complete a run in the European Air Zone (EAZ). You will then receive a complete Solstice set and can start grinding.
Your goal during the event is to continually upgrade the armor. This increases its rarity level, improves its stats, and also changes its appearance. Be sure to visit the statue of heroes in the Tower for this.
At this statue, you level up the event armors after completing all tasks.
Upgrading the Solstice set occurs in three stages:
The blue Renewed set
The legendary Majestic set
The Resplendent set and free armor glow
You have this long to do it: The summer event started with the reset on July 6 and ends on August 3.
You have just over a month until the Solstice of Heroes ends. During this time, you must level up the Renewed set and the Majestic set. To unlock the Resplendent set, you also have time beyond the event’s end; the tasks do not expire.
Buy and unlock Focus Glow in Destiny 2
Explaining the armor glow: The Solstice armor can shine brightly. You must either purchase this effect (Void, Arc, Solar, and Stasis) or earn the glow in neutral white.
Starting with the Majestic set, you can purchase universal armor ornaments with elemental glow effects in the Eververse.
This costs 6,000 Glimmer (earnable currency) or 1,500 Silver (real money currency).
According to your focus, the armor will then automatically glow in the elemental color. The glow is strongest when supers are charged.
Those who diligently level the event armor walk through Destiny in splendid attire.
If you complete the hardest challenges and level the armor to the Resplendent set, you will automatically receive a white glow effect for your Resplendent armor. You don’t need to spend anything; just master the tough tasks.
Will you only receive one Solstice armor? No! If you are looking for gear with high stats, you can draw random rolls from the boxes. The chance for armors notably increases after completing the upgrade, by the way.
If you accidentally dismantle the event armor, don’t worry: Visit Eva in the Tower and click in her inventory on the right – here you will receive the Solstice armor again.
The tasks for the 3 armor sets are nearly identical for all classes. It may just happen that a Hunter needs Arc kills, for example, while the Titan needs Solar kills. Once you have completed all the tasks for a set, return to the Tower and meditate at the large statue of heroes. You will then receive the next armor set.
Do I have to wear the complete set all the time? No! You only need to equip the armor piece for which you currently want to complete tasks. If an armor piece is finished or does not provide a task for the current activity, equip an exotic or your regular armor with mods.
Renewed Set (blue)
Complete the European Air Zone (start the event activity in the Tower)
Collect Elemental Orbs (200) – use your special weapon or abilities of your class, and you will see small orbs appear in the matching element after a kill
Use 20 finishers to defeat damaged enemies
Complete a playlist activity – a strike, Gambit, or Crucible match
Collect 50 Elemental Orbs in Strikes, Crucible, or Gambit matches – Hunter: Stasis or Solar, Titan: Stasis or Arc, Warlock: Stasis or Void
Complete 2 public events
Defeat 30 enemy Guardians in Gambit or in the Crucible
Complete a patrol
Create 50 Orbs of Power – By getting quick kills with Masterwork weapons or your super, you will create Orbs of Power (previously Orbs of Light)
Run through 3 lost sectors
Collect 50 elemental orbs in patrols – patrols refer to everywhere in Destiny 2; these can be patrols or public events, for example. Hunter: Void, Titan: Solar, Warlock: Arc
These tasks should not take you long. If you cleverly combine the tasks – using the appropriate element and completing events and patrols simultaneously – you can easily finish in an evening. Just play the activities stated, and where your required foes are waiting. This way you will automatically complete all patrol tasks on the side.
Tips for the Solstice Packages: Collecting the 10 Solstice Packages in the EAZ is really easy in 2021. Because the objects are now permanently shown on the map.
You can see the boxes in the European Air Zone now permanently, even through walls.
Finding the required 150 key fragments will take longer. But fortunately, you will also receive key fragments outside the European Air Zone. Grab bounties from Eva or complete the other armor tasks.
Final tip: Open the packages immediately when you can. Due to a bug, many Guardians find Solstice Packages disappearing from their inventory.
Majestic Set (purple)
Defeat 5 mini-bosses in the European Air Zone before the boss appears – you have 5 minutes for this, and the kills of your two teammates count as well
Defeat enemies in the EAZ (200)
Collect 200 Elemental Orbs – Arc, Void, Solar, or Stasis
Collect 50 Elemental Orbs of the appropriate element in the EAZ – Hunter (Solar), Titan (Arc), Warlock (Void)
Achieve 100 quick kills – this means 100 double or multi-kills, whether through your weapons or abilities
Receive 20 Empowerment buffs: Check which elemental day is currently in the EAZ (Prism day counts for all elements) – then equip the appropriate focus/subclass and the corresponding elemental weapon and collect Elemental Orbs. Watch out for the Prismatic Taken in the EAZ – they immediately give you the full Empowerment buff.
Complete Altars of Sorrows (Moon) or the seasonal Override activity (H.E.L.M.) – Altars provide 5% per wave, and Override provides 30% per run
Complete Blind Well (Dreaming City) or Taken Hunts – In Blind Well, you can quickly farm ability kills; however, in Taken Hunts, you can often and quickly complete the activity through bait resets.
Collect 50 Solstice Key Fragments – you will also do this during activities, EAZ, and event bounties
Achieve 50 melee kills – Hunter (Arc), Titan (Solar), Warlock (Void) important: You do not need to perform charged melee, just hit with the appropriate focus.
Complete Europa events or the Battleground activity – Public events provide 20% and Battlegrounds 34%
Collect 100 Elemental Orbs in Strikes, Gambit, or Crucible – Hunter (Arc or Stasis), Titan (Void or Stasis), Warlock (Solar or Stasis)
Complete 3 Nightfalls, Glory-ranked matches (PvP), or matches in the Trials of Osiris – If you don’t feel like PvP, choose the lowest Nightfall difficulty and will automatically have teammates.
To fully upgrade the Majestic set, a significant grind is ahead. These tasks may take the longest, but they are not really hard. You just need to pay attention to set the appropriate elements for focus and weapons. Compared to last year, the tasks go much quicker.
Once you have the Majestic set, you can equip armor glow.
Resplendent Set and White Glow
This is now different: The tasks for the Resplendent set are shared across all characters. So you do not have to complete a raid with all 3 characters – one completion is enough to gain the glow for all armors. Players also report that already completed tasks are retroactive. On your 2nd and 3rd characters, the tasks are automatically marked as completed when you later obtain the set.
The final upgrade does not give you a new armor piece but unlocks the white glow.
Complete a raid – any raid, the final boss must fall. The boss kill is all that is needed – with Riven, for example, you do not have to play the heart phase for the task.
Complete a dungeon – complete the Pit of Heresy, the Shattered Throne or Prophecy solo or in a team
Defeat 15 Guardians in the Trials or Competitive (Glory PvP) or 15 Champions (PvE)
Each armor piece has only one task, which leads you into the endgame. Only equip the item for which you are currently fulfilling the task. You can also play the activity normally and switch the armor just before completion. Don’t forget that you have unlimited time for the 5 tasks, even if the Solstice is already over.
5 Tips for the Solstice of Heroes 2021 in Destiny 2
Since veterans are not playing the Solstice for the first time, here are some tried and tested tips.
This is how to speed up with the 2nd (and 3rd) character: If you have completely upgraded a armor set with one character, your next character levels up twice as fast. Visit Eva in the Tower and unlock “Accelerators”. You do this every time you have completed all tasks of a set.
With the Accelerators, it goes faster.
When you play your third character, it goes three times as fast thanks to the Accelerators. So if you want the Solstice armor for Titan, Hunter, and Warlock, you save a lot of time. This feature has been long desired by Guardians and was thought to be a bug last year.
Forgot what you need to do? You can inspect your gear piece. Directly under the name – still above the elemental display – are the quests. If you navigate in the menu over a Solstice armor piece, you see the counter for the current task.
Find a fireteam: Ideally, go out with the same class. That way, you all have the same tasks and elements – If your friends list is on summer vacation, you can quickly find helpful Guardians through LFG tools. The official companion app is currently bustling with efforts to find teammates.
Which task should you tackle first: Start with the most grind-intensive tasks first. Along the way, you will complete many other, smaller tasks. If you think about the right combos before an activity, you can significantly reduce the grind.
What do you think about the grind during the Solstice of Heroes 2021? Did Bungie adjust the right screws and make the event more attractive and accessible? Or are you not up for all the tasks? Feel free to let us know in the comments if you have more tips for other Guardians.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In League of Legends, Riot has introduced the new champion “Akshan”. His W ability “Going Rogue” is already causing a stir: The new LoL champ can revive teammates through his passive ability. Riot Games clarifies: This can even happen when Akshan himself is dead.
This ability is the focus: The new champion Akshan has the ability “Going Rogue” mapped to the “W” key.
The passive (always activated) part of the skill has this special effect:
If an opponent kills one of Akshan’s teammates, they are marked as a “Scoundrel”.
If Akshan defeats one of these scoundrels, he receives bonus gold and all teammates who were killed by that scoundrel are revived at the base.
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This is what Riot says now: The Riot Games employee who designed Akshan has further clarified the scope of the ability: Indeed, Akshan can also revive players when he is already dead.
To do this, he must have dealt damage to the scoundrel 3 seconds before his death.
A small consolation: Akshan cannot revive himself in this way.
However, in a fast group fight, where a lot can happen in 3 seconds, the “passive” could prove to be game-changing.
The developer, from whom the statement comes, says, however: An extreme situation, where Akshan revives the whole team through an Ignite kill after his death, has not occurred in the test games.
Furthermore, Akshan has a relatively low skill to consistently deal damage. His wave clear is also significantly worse than that of Sivir, for example.
This is how the ability is being discussed: The YouTube comments are filled with statements about how extremely strong Akshan is, especially his “W”. Other champions have had their resurrection abilities restricted, so that now such a powerful passive ability comes into play, few can understand (via YouTube):
“Aatrox’s resurrection is being removed, but a passive like this comes into play? WTF”
“Honestly: The W passive not only needs to be nerfed but should be totally removed. I really don’t understand who thought it was a cool idea to make it a passive and not even an ultimate, but just a W. It really doesn’t make sense and doesn’t seem fun.”
“He has a batarang, a grapple, stealth, bonus gold, and he doesn’t care if his sidekick dies. Please give this champion a skin that looks like Batman.”
“His W should be his ultimate. Holy shit.”
“I just want to remind everyone that Blitzcrank’s W slows him down.”
Akshan is currently causing a lot of discussion in LoL:
The GO Fest in Pokémon GO is coming up in a few days. For this occasion, bonuses for the trainers have been added. We from MeinMMO have looked at what new bonuses await you and who will receive them this time.
What is it about? The Pokémon GO Fest 2021 takes place on the weekend of July 17 to 18, 2021. Players can look forward to numerous bonuses at this event. Just a few days ago, it was announced by Google that trainers using the Google Play Store would receive a gift with items in Pokémon GO.
These players can expect a Super Incubator, incense, and 30 Ultra Balls. However, Apple users will go empty-handed and will not receive these gifts from Google. Niantic has now also announced further bonuses (via pokemongolive.com). We have summarized which these are and who will receive them.
New Bonuses for GO Fest 2021
As with the items that Play Store users receive as gifts for GO Fest, the other bonuses will also be exclusively sponsored by Google. This is because Google is the main sponsor of Pokémon GO Fest this year. However, this means that not all trainers can take advantage of the respective bonuses.
Four times points in Google Play Store
From July 12, 2021, to July 18, 2021, Google Play users will earn four times points on all purchases related to Pokémon GO. The purchase of a ticket for GO Fest will also be considered. With the collected points, you can later get special vouchers in the Play Store.
You can then use these for Pokémon GO, for example. So if you wanted to buy a coin package for the game, you might want to wait until July 12. The only requirement is a Play subscription. This means that only Google Play Store users can benefit from this bonus. Apple users will go empty-handed.
3 months of YouTube Premium
As Niantic announced, “eligible trainers” will also have the opportunity to get “YouTube Premium” for free for a period of 3 months. You won’t see ads while watching videos or listening to music. In addition, you can also put the app in the background and continue listening.
This offer, however, is only valid for new users. Whether there are further restrictions on which trainers can benefit from this offer is not yet known. As soon as there is new information on this, we will inform you here on MeinMMO.
Attention: Anyone who takes advantage of this bonus should read the terms and conditions carefully beforehand (via youtube.com). It states that users must cancel this service in time. Otherwise, the subscription will automatically renew and costs will be incurred after the 3-month trial period.
Update from July 13, 2021: As Niantic has now announced, all trainers of Pokémon GO have the opportunity to take advantage of the 3-month trial membership for YouTube Premium (via pokemongolive.com). Thus, only players who already have or had an account with YouTube Premium or YouTube Music Premium are excluded.
You must already provide your payment method during the trial period. However, according to Niantic, this will only be charged after the 3 months. After the trial months, you will likely pay €11.99 monthly for this subscription. You can book the trial membership through this link to YouTube.
Videos for the GO Fest by “The Try Guys”
In addition to the four times points in the Play Store and the free trial membership for YouTube Premium, all users can enjoy videos from the American online comedy group “The Try Guys.” In their videos, they prepare in a humorous way for the upcoming GO Fest.
They are supported by celebrities such as actor Jordan Fisher and snowboarder Chloe Kim. The central themes of their videos will revolve around fitness, music, and exploration. You can find the videos on the official “The Try Guys” account on YouTube.
Below you can see the first video. In this, the upcoming topics and celebrities are teased. At the end of the video, you can choose the respective topic that interests you.
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Already after the announcement of the first sponsored items, many trainers were disappointed that they were not considered as Apple users. Also, with the new bonuses, only Google users are partly considered. So the Twitter user Elite4Stephan asks, “Why is iOS forgotten with deals and sponsorships?”.
The reddit user InvisibleSoul8 writes that he would have preferred if these bonuses had been announced earlier by Niantic. That way, trainers would have been able to decide in advance whether they wanted to buy their ticket through the Google Play Store instead of iOS.
A more timely announcement of the bonuses would have also been wished by Twitter user Late Halloween Bob. He has already purchased his ticket for the GO Fest and therefore cannot utilize the four times points in the Play Store (via twitter.com).
Whether there will also be items or special bonuses for Apple users for the GO Fest 2021 is not yet known. If Niantic comments on this, we will inform you here at MeinMMO.
If you’re interested in more about Pokémon GOthis might also interest you:
What do you think about the new bonuses for GO Fest 2021? Can you benefit from them or have you gone empty-handed so far? What other bonuses would you wish for? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments!
Have you actually seen the new Pokédex in Pokémon GO? We took a look at how it looks now and why it is a bit forgetful.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The publisher and developer Nexon announces its new game Project HP with a teaser trailer. It is an action game focused on PvP that emphasizes melee combat. We at MeinMMO have looked into the information for you.
What is Project HP? Project HP is the new project from developer Nexon, with the Game Director of Vindictus, an MMORPG from 2010 that still attracts players, at the helm of the team.
In the first teaser trailer, the game seems to take inspiration from For Honor, adding a sprinkle of magic and fantasy. It is intended to be an action PvP MMORPG, with a focus on conquest battles. These battles will consist of either 12 vs 12 or 16 vs 16 players.
Alongside traditional swords and axes, there will likely also be magic, as clearly visible in the trailer. The game looks really good in the initial scenes.
Why is this exciting? Medieval PvP games like For Honor, Chivalry, or Mordhau are consistently popular. While they may not always be huge hits, they have their fans and loyal players.
The publisher Nexon wants to enter this market. To do so, they are spicing up the genre with a hefty portion of fantasy. The developer emphasizes that it will be a “premium triple A” title targeting high-performance PCs.
Here is the teaser trailer for Project HP:
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Who can play this? There is no release date for the game yet, but an alpha is set to begin in August, which will be limited to South Korea. It is still unclear whether the game will come to the West, let alone when.
Additionally, you will need decent hardware to run the graphically beautiful game. Currently, a minimum requirement of an i7, 16GB RAM, and an RTX 2060 is mentioned. However, this is an early version of the game, so the requirements may change and are not final.
However, Nexon has previously released games in the West that were actually optimized for the Asian market. One thing is certain: We will definitely have to wait a while before we can dive into the turmoil of Project HP.
Do you enjoy For Honor, Chivalry, and the like? What do you think of the fantasy approach of Project HP? Would you want to play as a simple knight in a game where wizards roam the battlefield? Feel free to let us know in the comments.
Tomorrow, on July 9, the new MMORPG Swords of Legends Online (SOLO) will start. MeinMMO editor Alexander Leitsch has already played the beta extensively and introduces some things he wishes he had known before his first adventures in SOLO.
Who is speaking here? Alexander Leitsch is the MMORPG expert at MeinMMO and has already spent over 80 hours in Swords of Legends. He has summarized his main experiences with the new MMORPG for you and written some beginner tips.
1. Try all classes early and decide on one
Swords of Legends offers you 6 different classes at release, each with 2 specializations:
Berserker – A classic melee fighter who can deal damage or tank
Sword Mage – A DPS class that attacks with swords in melee or ranged combat
Bard – A class with a string instrument that can deal damage or heal
Summoner – A damage dealer in ranged combat who can also heal in the second path
Spear Master – A melee fighter who can act as a damage dealer or tank
Reaper – An assassin with scythes who can also be a healer in the second path
However, the leveling system is not very suitable for twinks. You will experience the same story and the same quests repeatedly, which can quickly become monotonous. However, you need to reach the max level for many in-game content.
The fourth, fifth, or even sixth class can become quite exhausting during leveling. Therefore, I recommend testing each class briefly up to level 5 or 10 and then deciding on one to level up to the max level.
Berserker
Sword Mage
Bard
Summoner
Spear Master
Reaper
2. The real fun begins only at Max Level
If you want to dive into PvP arenas, group dungeons, or housing, you need one thing first: a character at max level. And yes, even twinks have to reach the student level 1 each time to experience this content.
But the fight through the sometimes quite tedious and monotonous quests at the beginning of the game is worth it:
The action-packed combat system makes the many endgame content really fun
Especially the PvP with the 3v3 arenas, Capture the Flag or the mass battles in a specific PvP area is well done
For PvE fans, there are several dungeons that will be expanded shortly after release with another difficulty level and raids
3. The equipment system is extremely fair
If you first think of grind and pay-to-win regarding equipment when it comes to Asian MMORPGs, you are completely wrong with Swords of Legends.
You can obtain the best equipment quite easily through dungeons, crafting, or in PvP with arena currency. Additionally, equipment upgrades never fail and cannot be permanently destroyed.
For more information about the equipment system, you can find it here:
Cultivation is a kind of tutorial through which you unlock almost all new game content such as bounty hunts, PvP, or housing. Additionally, you will find daily and weekly tasks there for which you receive good rewards in the form of gold or other currencies. All active events will also be displayed to you in a calendar.
By default, you open cultivation with the “J” key.
It’s worth checking cultivation regularly and completing the tasks there.
The cultivation in Swords of Legends Online.
5. There is open-world PvP, but it’s not worth it at all
Upon reaching the maximum student level 1, every character gains the ability Bloodlust. Once activated, you can attack other players in the open world who also have the ability – meaning all players who have reached max level.
However, attacking a player who has not manually activated the Bloodlust ability will result in penalties:
For kills of other players, you accumulate stacks of “Niedertracht”.
If killed with many stacks of Niedertracht from other players, you end up in jail and must spend in-game time there
In the beta, I had to spend nearly 5 hours in the in-game jail for two player kills
Moreover, there is absolutely no reward for killing other players, not even reputation, loot, or currency. Thus, the system exists but really serves no actual purpose. More about this can be found here: Players are confused about PvP in Swords of Legends – We clarify it.
6. Housing is cool, but offers no real advantages
When you reach student level 1, you unlock the new housing feature. Here you can acquire your own island where you can build and plant materials for house construction. In addition to building your house, you can also change the background music and determine the weather on the island.
Although housing is well implemented in SOLO, there is a small catch: the system is completely separated from the rest of the MMORPG.
Everything you grow on your island is only related to housing. Conversely, you can hardly do anything outside of your island to improve your housing, except for a few rare drops for music or gold that you need to gather for expansion. In my opinion, the developers could have done much more with housing, such as growing your own food for buff food.
My housing area from the beta at night.
7. Make use of the many side quests
Swords of Legends offers not only quests, dungeons, and PvP, but especially many small content pieces that you can complete in parallel, including:
Bounty hunts, which you learn starting from level 20 and with which you can challenge bosses all over the game’s maps
Treasure chests that you can find all over the world using the compass or special maps
Mini-games like Bomberman or an in-game card game in which you can compete against NPCs
A special origami world where you can complete jumping puzzles
Classic MMORPG elements like fishing or cooking
These various elements particularly sweetened my playtime in the beta.
Fast travel in Swords of Legends works in several ways:
First, there are small cloud symbols all over the map. These are activated when you approach them. Once activated, you can simply click on them and will automatically walk to them. This method is quite slow but perfect if you want to go AFK for a moment.
In the capital Wolkenstieg and in your class area, there is a table with a map. You can use this to travel immediately to any area, but you will land there at a designated point. With the first visit to your class area, you also acquire a skill that allows you to teleport to the class area every 10 minutes. This way, travel becomes much faster.
At a certain level (somewhere in the 20s), you unlock a skill that allows you to teleport anywhere. However, it has a long cooldown. You can find the skill in the spellbook under “K”.
With these tips, you should be able to travel through the game world much faster.
In July, the first raid Xuanjiu Jade Palace will start
In August, two more raids will follow: Waves in a Tempest and Horror of Huaixiu
Later in August or September, two more raids will come: Ruins of Nuo and Ice World
In addition, the first hard mode for the raid Xuanjiu Jade Palace is expected in September
Furthermore, new events and new dungeons have been announced for the end of the year. A new class is also expected, although it’s still unclear when exactly.
In China, the homeland of SOLO, there has already been a level increase, new PvP modes, and a total of 3 new classes. So content updates are ensured.
The medieval MMO Conqueror’s Blade launches Season 8 titled Dynasty. After the last focus on Vikings, the new season centers around Chinese and their war machinery. This includes new units and even a new weapon type: the Pike.
Here, the Tang Dynasty served as inspiration, whose nearly 300-year reign once led ancient China into a cultural golden age. This era inspired the new campaign where you will explore the new starting region Longting along with the metropolis Hao Jing.
The major highlight of the season in the medieval MMO is a new weapon type: the Pike. This is basically an oversized spear with which you can overshadow any other melee weapon. With it, you can execute deadly combos from a distance and impale enemies before they even have a chance to reach you. You can unlock the Pike through challenges in the game.
Additionally, the developers created a stylish cinematic for the new season.
https://youtu.be/mb_nHxTjYr4
New Units and Battle Pass
This is also included in the new season: In Season 8, you can unlock and command three new seasonal units:
Club Monks(3-star): These generally peaceful monks take up arms when necessary.
Shifu Garrison (4-star): A veteran unit that was once involved in an epic siege.
Modao Battalion (4-star): A disciplined elite troop that works particularly well as the first wave of attack.
Shenji Grenadiers (5-star): You can unlock this unit in the unit tree.
Later in the season, the fortress Linwu will be introduced. This castle was once besieged for 40 years. In the game, it serves as the setting for 10vs10 battles.
What does the Battle Pass offer? Over 100 tiers of premium rewards can be earned in the new Battle Pass. This includes the new hero outfit “Grim Emperor,” the troop uniform “Shadow Legion,” the hero outfit “Iron Warrior,” additional emotes, and other weapon skins.
Fans of the current Call of Duty can be excited – a “recognized” leaker is talking about new content possibly coming for Black Ops Cold War in 2022. Additionally, some popular maps from the past have surfaced on the datamining radar and could make their way into the game.
What’s happening with CoD? Currently, Season 4 is underway in Call of Duty, which is nearing its mid-season. New content is expected to arrive on July 15, bringing some updates for Black Ops Cold War and the Battle Royale Warzone. A new survival map for the Cold War zombie mode called “Mauer der Toten” is likely to be included. We also already know about some weapons and the map “Rust”, which is expected to come in Season 4.
However, it’s pretty quiet around CoD right now. There is little information available on Warzone, Cold War, or the new Call of Duty from 2021. Amid this “drought,” an intriguing piece of information for Cold War has emerged – a supposed insider has “heard” that Cold War will continue to receive content even after the release of the new Call of Duty at the end of 2021.
New content for Cold War also in 2022
Where does the leak come from? The information comes from the well-known leaker account “Tom Henderson” (via Twitter @_Tom_Henderson_). Many exciting early insights about Call of Duty have already emerged from this account. For example, “Henderson” had predicted a Free2Play “Battle Royale” for Modern Warfare – Warzone was released a few months later.
What does the leak say? Here is the related tweet embedded:
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Tweet translation: “I was recently told that Black Ops Cold War will likely be the most supported Call of Duty title after its “cycle” ends, as revenues post-launch are exceeding expectations.”
It’s not guaranteed that support will continue after the release of the new CoD in 2021 – this is an unconfirmed leak. However, some fans of Cold War will likely be crossing their fingers. Back with CoD in 2019 – Modern Warfare – many players wished for more content or a longer live service for the shooter. While 2 maps and a weapon were released after the end of the life cycle, CoD MW is far from a full live service.
What could come in 2022? Speculation often points in the direction of the zombie mode. Since Cold War has an extensive zombie mode, this mode typically is missing from the next CoD. The upcoming CoD in 2021, currently titled “Vanguard,” will likely not feature the undead and will provide a different co-op experience.
However, the zombie mode is currently very popular, and even the mode experiment “Outbreak” is well-received by players. CoD has its own zombie community that publishes many guides and is very active on social media.
It would make sense for Cold War to continue providing content to this part of the community that the new Call of Duty may not want to deliver. It will be exciting to see how CoD addresses the “zombie dilemma” and a longer support for Cold War is definitely a possibility.
Season 5 again with popular classic maps
Where do the leaks come from? The leaks regarding the new maps in Season 5 originate from well-known dataminers and leakers within the CoD environment. Unlike the leaks from “Henderson,” the information comes directly from the game, which does not necessarily make them more reliable.
Many of this data is only temporarily in the game or used as placeholders. Nevertheless, leaks from CoD datamining have proven to be reliable – although not particularly accurate. The information comes from “@TheMW2Ghost” and “@Cheezburgerboyz“.
Which maps could come in Season 5? Both accounts indicate a total of 3 maps that have previously appeared in a CoD:
MW2Ghost suggests that either Plaza and/or Yemen could come in Season 5
The Cheezburgerboyz mention Plaza and Slums as maps for a remake
Yemen is known from Black Ops II and looks like a desert city with many small and large buildings as well as plenty of narrow alleys. Plaza is also from Black Ops II and offers a symmetrical layout resembling a shopping mall. The map Slums has made its way into Black Ops 2, 3, and 4 and is set in Panama. Even back then, the elements of the map were reminiscent of 80s style, which would fit well in Cold War.
The mid-season update is expected to hit CoD next week and bring a fresh breeze to Cold War and Warzone. As soon as there is new information on upcoming content, you will find it as always piping hot on MeinMMO.
The FaZe Clan is the largest e-sports organization in the world when it comes to followers on social media, but the gaming clan is embroiled in a scandal over the cryptocurrency “Save the Kids.” The clan leader, Richard “Ricky” Bengston, known as FaZe Banks, distances himself from his members but is now facing criticism himself.
This is the situation:
The FaZe Clan is the largest e-sports clan in the world. They recognized the potential of content creators early on, reaching millions of followers on YouTube and Twitch. On Twitter alone, they have over 4 million people following them.
In early June, 4 members of the FaZe Clan promoted the cryptocurrency “Save The Kids” on their private social media accounts. This coin is suspected of being part of a “pump and dump” scam, where anyone who listened to the FaZe members lost money.
The FaZe Clan has suspended the 4 members. The clan leader, FaZe Banks, condemns their behavior and distances himself from it. However, he has also advertised a similarly unsuccessful crypto coin: BankSocial (BSocial) was not a hit either.
Here’s why the 4 members were “suspended”: We have already reported on MeinMMO that 4 members of the FaZe Clan promoted the coin “Save the Kids”, including FaZe Jarvis, who has been permanently banned from Fortnite, and his older brother FaZe Kay. They acted as ambassadors for a coin that initially gained value but then rapidly fell.
The YouTuber “SomeOrdinaryGamer” raised the allegation: The coin could have been a scam following the “pump and dump” pattern.
In a “pump and dump,” insiders buy low, create hype, and sell the product at its peak, causing the price to fall rapidly and costing anyone who jumped on the hype train but missed the exit.
Clan leader Banks distances himself from the “Save the Kids” nonsense
This is what FaZe Banks says: The clan leader, Banks, has explicitly distanced himself from this incident. He claims he was not involved in the process at all and knew nothing of the “SaveTheKids nonsense.” The people “built the crap on their own”: If people had come to him, he would have ended the whole thing immediately.
No one is more upset about the events than the FaZe Clan itself. It is “embarrassing.”
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These are the allegations against FaZe Banks: After Banks distanced himself from “Save the Kids,” allegations arose that he himself had promoted a similar coin called “BSocial” in a now-deleted tweet at the end of May. Banks then offered $10,000 to a user who follows the currency’s Twitter account and likes it.
Banks said: He is “heavily invested” and firmly believes that the coin will “pop,” meaning it will shoot up.
However, the coin “BSocial” has since lost significant value.
The accusation against Banks is, therefore, that while he distances himself from people, he himself has advertised a cryptocurrency that has lost significant value.
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“Expert” tip or paid advertisement: The result was the same
What’s behind it: FaZe Banks sees himself as an expert in cryptocurrency who wanted to do something good for his fans and give them a hot tip.
Nevertheless, his recommendation was also not a hit but performed similarly poorly to “Save the Kids”: the cryptocurrency that his clan members apparently made paid advertisements for.
This example shows how difficult and volatile the unregulated market of cryptocurrencies is. Even people who are seriously involved with it, like FaZe Banks, can be wrong. There is no safety there.
Gaming influencers have their expertise in Call of Duty, CS:GO, and creating YouTube videos: They should consider whether they want to use their credibility and risk giving investment tips.
The leader of the FaZe Clan shows business acumen, but not everything appears to be completely clean:
This example shows how difficult and volatile the unregulated market of cryptocurrencies is. Even people who are seriously involved with it, like FaZe Banks, can be wrong. There is no safety there.
Gaming influencers have their expertise in Call of Duty, CS:GO, and creating YouTube videos: They should consider whether they want to use their credibility and risk giving investment tips.
The leader of the FaZe Clan shows business acumen, but not everything appears to be completely clean:
The SciFi-Survival MMO Dysterra starts its Closed Beta on Steam. If you want to participate, we have good news. Here you can win one of 400 beta keys for the beta launch on Steam.
What is Dysterra? In Dysterra, you collect resources and food like in all survival games, build yourself a protective home, and try to survive. In addition to hunger, thirst, and creatures, temperature and radiation pose additional challenges.
A special feature are the so-called “Terrafires”. They erupt eventually and devastate everything in the area. Together with other players, you can prevent these disasters if you contain them in time.
Unlike many survival games, the focus in Dysterra is more on cooperation and PvE. The Terrafires, in particular, require teamwork, otherwise, everyone suffers.
The game is played from a first-person perspective and you use futuristic weapons that you can craft yourself. The trailer should provide a good overview of the game.
https://youtu.be/VUKg3Mrnf94
When does the beta run? The Closed Beta of Dysterra runs until July 22, 2021. You can access the game with a valid key on Steam. Then you just need to download the game and you can enjoy playing until the beta ends.
Secure your access now
How to get keys: In collaboration with publisher Kakao Games, we are raffling off 400 access keys to the Closed Beta at MeinMMO. If you want to participate in the test, use the embedded raffle tool here. With a bit of luck, you will get a key. The keys will be sent out during the day.
A new trailer shows one of the game modes of New World for the first time in detail. The “Outpost Rush” is the PvP of the MMO – more precisely, PvEvP – and strongly resembles common survival titles like Conan Exiles.
What kind of mode is this? Outpost Rush is a so-called PvEvP mode, in which players fight not only against other players but also against the environment. The mode was already introduced in April as a return of the PvP, which had previously been removed.
In Outpost Rush, two teams of 20 players each compete against each other and try to capture or destroy the titular outposts. There are various ways to do this:
at its core, you are playing against another team, so kills are important in any case
collected resources can be used to upgrade the outpost
you can summon powerful NPCs to assist you in the conquest
a boss grants the team that kills it a strong bonus and temporarily freezes the opponents’ points
Scattered across the map are three outposts and several PvE objectives that you can tackle. The goal is to reach 1,000 points. You can sign up for Outpost Rush solo or with a team of up to five players.
The developers have now shown the first gameplay in a video, in which you can see the features in just under three and a half minutes. We have embedded the video here for you:
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How much survival is involved? A key aspect of the mode is the construction and improvement of the outposts that you hold. You are supposed to build and reinforce gates or set up turrets and oil cauldrons to keep enemies at bay.
For the expansion, you need resources like wood and ore, which you find and mine in the surrounding area. Both building and gathering resources are significant components of the gameplay of modern survival titles like Conan Exiles.
In many survival games, you have to build a base and reinforce it so that other players can’t tear it down and steal your loot. The better you fortify your base, the harder it becomes for the opponent.
It appears to work similarly in New World, except you can’t build freely but can only place predefined components. However, the pure gameplay could also come from a PvP-focused survival MMO, just condensed into pure PvP battles without other survival features.
When can I play myself? New World is set to release on August 31, 2021, for PC, a closed beta starts on July 20. The development of the game has been quite adventurous – from a PvP game to the now more construction and PvE-focused MMORPG.
Shortly before the beta, in June, another update for New World was released with some changes. The update once again altered and adjusted important aspects of the game. If you want to prepare for the beta, you should inform yourself here at MeinMMO:
More story is coming: Patty Mattson, the voice of Sylvanas in the English original, is also trying to smooth things over a bit. Since she has portrayed Sylvanas for many years, she may have some insight into the future of the Banshee Queen. She explains: “Remember – this is just [Patch] 9.1… there is still much to be revealed…”
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When it comes to World of Warcraft and its associated story, some people clearly know no bounds and go overboard – especially when the story doesn’t develop exactly as they would have liked.
What do you think? Can you understand the drastic reactions? Or do you have no understanding for such behavior?
There is a lot of criticism aimed at the story writers of World of Warcraft. Some “fans” are so angry that they are sending death threats.
The latest cinematic for World of Warcraft is being wildly discussed. Especially on social media, many people are upset and criticize how “poorly written” the story of Shadowlands and Sylvanas Windrunner is. However, some critics go far beyond the target – they send massive insults and even death threats to the responsible authors.
What happened? Christie Golden has been facing massive backlash on Twitter for several days now. There are critical tweets, insults, and even some death threats. In response, the author explained:
Well, the first death threat. That didn’t take long. Reported, blocked, and also blocked everyone who liked it.
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Who is Christie Golden? Long-time Warcraft fans may already know Christie Golden, as she has written various novels for WoW, including “Arthas – Rise of the Lich King,” “War Crimes,” and “Before the Storm.” She is also the author of the upcoming “Sylvanas” book. Additionally, she has been working directly at Blizzard for several years and is responsible for the story in World of Warcraft.
Former story chief shows solidarity: Golden receives support and encouragement from Chris Metzen, who was the story chief of Warcraft before leaving Blizzard a few years ago. In the minds of many, Metzen is regarded as the “story messiah,” even though his work also received a lot of criticism back then.
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On Twitter, Metzen showed solidarity with Golden and stated:
Hey Christie Golden, I love what you’re doing. Your creativity brings life to the worlds. Stories and their twists are certainly important, but having the courage to tell them at all is what really matters.
Nearly 3,000 “likes” agree with Metzen on Twitter, though a discussion has also erupted under the tweet.
More news about World of Warcraft can be found here:
More story is coming: Patty Mattson, the voice of Sylvanas in the English original, is also trying to smooth things over a bit. Since she has portrayed Sylvanas for many years, she may have some insight into the future of the Banshee Queen. She explains: “Remember – this is just [Patch] 9.1… there is still much to be revealed…”
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When it comes to World of Warcraft and its associated story, some people clearly know no bounds and go overboard – especially when the story doesn’t develop exactly as they would have liked.
What do you think? Can you understand the drastic reactions? Or do you have no understanding for such behavior?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
With the ROG Phone 5, ASUS presents its fourth gaming smartphone aimed at enthusiasts and gamers who do not want to compromise. In our test, the device offers excellent performance, good battery life, and a great display. However, we found a missing feature that ASUS’s new gaming smartphone does not offer.
Which device is it? The ROG Phone 5 is ASUS’s fourth gaming smartphone. Since the character for 4 represents death in many Asian countries, ASUS decided to skip the number.
Already the ROG label (Republic of Gamers) from ASUS indicates that we are dealing with a gaming device. The 144 Hz display, attachable cooler, and software with many extra settings for games also point in this direction.
Overall, ASUS has released three devices: the standard version, the Asus ROG 5 Pro, and the Asus ROG 5 Ultimate. Pro and Ultimate offer slightly more power than the standard version, a small, customizable OLED on the back, and additional accessories.
Which device did we test? We at MeinMMO tested the Pro model. This is the mid-range device with additional features. The current price here is around 1000 Euros for a configuration with 16 GB of RAM and 256 GB of system storage. In our test, we explain for whom the device is worthwhile.
[toc]
ROG Phone 5 – How we tested
How did we test the device? We could extensively try out the smartphone. Overall, we were able to use the ROG Phone 5 in everyday life for four weeks. During that time, we played games, surfed, and took photos. You can read about our experiences in our detailed review.
The package contents of the ROG Phone 5 Pro.
Design and Build – Playful and Gaming-Oriented
The ROG Phone 5 measures 172.8 x 77.2 x 10.29 mm and is thus one of the larger representatives among smartphones. Weighing 239 grams, ASUS’s gaming smartphone is also not exactly lightweight but rather heavy.
Smartphones
Weight
Samsung Galaxy S 21 5G
169 grams
Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
193 grams
Oppo Find X3 Pro
193 grams
OnePlus 8 Pro
199 grams
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
229 grams
Asus ROG Phone 5 Pro
239 grams
Weight of various smartphones in comparison
The high weight gives the gaming smartphone a very robust and stable feel and lies quietly in hand. The rounded corners also provide a pleasant haptic feel.
The back is smooth and slippery. The included Aero Case (phone case) significantly improves grip. We definitely recommend using the case for better handling.
Otherwise, ASUS opts for a strongly playful design: on the back, there is a mini-LED screen that can be configured. However, this is not new, as the manufacturer Xiaomi also uses a small, customizable panel on the Mi 11 Ultra.
Various views of the Rog Phone 5.
In addition, the manufacturer relies on many playful elements that remind of gaming, such as the SIM card slot decorated with GLHF (good luck, have fun).
With the cool backlighting, the ROG Phone is eye-catching. Anyone watching me with the device immediately notices the striking lighting.
ASUS relies on several ports for the ROG Phone 5
At the bottom, we find a USB-C port for charging and a headphone jack.
On the left side, behind a rubber cover, is another USB-C port that can be used for charging if the bottom one is occupied by the external cooler.
On the right side, there is the opening for a SIM card. Alternatively, two SIM cards can also be inserted into the smartphone. However, only one card can be used at a time.
What we didn’t like: The beautiful casing and the display are very prone to fingerprints and touches. Especially after a few days of use, the fingerprints are clearly visible.
The high weight is also very noticeable in hand and in pocket at first. In comparison: The already a few years old Galaxy Note 9 weighs 201 grams and feels significantly lighter in everyday use.
Display – Crisp Sharp and Rich Colors
ASUS uses a 6.78-inch AMOLED display with a maximum refresh rate of 144 Hz for the ROG Phone 5. The display achieves a maximum resolution of Full HD+. The display is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus, which is said to be the hardest display glass currently available (via Corning.com).
The display itself is color-rich and bright. Colors appear rich and realistic. Due to the slightly higher blue values, the display looks quite cool.
The large display is also perfectly suitable for series or movies thanks to its rich colors and size.
What do 144 Hz mean for a smartphone? The higher the Hz rate, the less motion blur there is. This is especially important when something moves quickly. For example, scrolling quickly through your news feed or the Amazon app feels significantly smoother at 144 Hz compared to 60 Hz. Games and videos also look much smoother.
You can see how big the difference is between a 60 Hz and a 120 Hz display in this YouTube video. The YouTuber compared 60 Hz, 90 Hz, and 120 Hz:
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60 Hz vs 90 Hz vs 120 Hz in comparison on a smartphone.
Camera – Decent Pictures, but Poor Features
The ROG Phone 5 features a so-called triple camera. This means that the camera includes three different sensors:
The main camera has a resolution of 64 megapixels
The ultra-wide sensor offers 13 megapixels and a maximum angle of 125 degrees.
Additionally, there is a macro sensor with 8 megapixels.
How good is the camera? Photos in daylight look good. The images offer decent colors.
For small details and macro photography, such as small animals, flowers, or other small objects, the camera lacks some sharpness.
Close-up: Left the ROG Phone 5 and right the Galaxy Note 9. The right image has higher contrasts and better depth of field.
In low light, generally good pictures can be taken if the phone is kept still or on a tripod. However, if the phone is held loosely in hand and a snapshot is taken, contrasts and details are lacking, and the image is noisy.
Wide shot: Left the ROG Phone 5 and right the Galaxy Note 9.
Overall, the camera’s features in this price range are rather weak. For example, there is no telephoto lens for zoom shots. Here, even the otherwise good main camera is not a proper substitute if you want to get really close. Perhaps ASUS did not want to compete with its own Zenfone 7 Pro, where you get a top camera with a great telephoto lens.
Macro shot: Left the ROG Phone 5 and right the Galaxy Note 9. The right image is sharper and more detailed.
Performance and Benchmarks – Under Load, the ROG Phone 5 Gets Warm
Inside the smartphone, Qualcomm’s fast Snapdragon 888 with Adreno 660 graphics unit is used. Additionally, it has 16 GB of RAM. The Snapdragon 888 is currently the best SoC (System on Chip) you can get in an Android smartphone.
How does the device perform in benchmarks? In benchmarks, the ROG Phone 5 ranks among the fastest smartphones currently available.
In recent benchmarks, the device is well ahead and only falls behind a few high-end devices. In the benchmark tool “3D-Mark”, the ROG Phone 5 scores 5724 points in the Wildlife benchmark, just a few points behind the Black Shark 4 Pro (5765 points) and the Legion 2 Pro (5775 points), while the Apple iPhone 12 Mini is significantly ahead in the benchmark (7679 points).
In GeekBench 5, the ROG Phone 5 unsurprisingly ranks at the top ahead of Samsung’s own Exynos processor and the Snapdragon 865.
We have embedded the benchmarks for you here as a gallery.
Images from Geekbench 5 with the ASUS ROG Phone 5.
In practical testing with some games, the smartphone has no problems. Performance-hungry games like the popular “Genshin Impact” run smoothly on the device, and the frame rate remains stable. However, Genshin Impact officially only supports 60 Hz, which are consistently achieved.
Under load, you also feel the Snapdragon 888’s biggest problem, which is high heat development. Those who play for a long time quickly find a warm block between their fingers. While this is not directly uncomfortable, it is noticeable. The included AeroActive cooler is meant to help dissipate heat.
However, the phone remains noticeably warm with the cooler. The AeroActive cooler is also quite loud when running at normal speed.
Honkai Impact 3rd on the ROG Phone 5. On the left, you can display Game Genie, Asus’ gaming software.
Android and Software – Minimalist, Very Clear Android
The ASUS Rog 5 runs on the latest Android 11 and uses its own Zen UI overlay. It is very straightforward and provides direct access to all important functions such as the in-house gaming software.
The ASUS software is called “Armoury Crate Gaming Software”. Here, several settings can be made. You will find not only all currently installed games in a library-like style but can also start and configure all games directly from there and optimize performance.
We could not observe significant effects on heat development or FPS of the device.
Battery – Enduring Even Under Load
Inside the device is a 6000 mAH strong battery. Compared to the ROG Phone 3, you can no longer remove and replace the battery.
The phone can only be charged via USB-C connection. Wireless charging is not supported, which may disappoint some.
How long does the battery last? With mobile data activated, multiple apps such as a music player (VLC, Spotify), and an active mobile hotspot, the ROG Phone 5 lasts about 8 hours before we need to recharge the device. When idle without active apps, the battery lasts easily two and a half days before we need to recharge the phone.
Under load with demanding games, the runtime drops significantly. About 3 hours are possible here.
How fast does the battery charge? On the other hand, the device charges quickly with the included power supply: it takes less than one and a half hours to charge from 15% to full.
What alternatives are there to the ROG Phone 5?
Currently, there are four noteworthy gaming alternatives to the ROG Phone 5:
Red Magic 6 Pro
Xiaomi Black Shark 4 Pro
Legion Phone Duel 2
Razer Phone 2
Especially the Red Magic 6 Pro offers you the same fast processor, even a 165 Hz display and also an external cooler. Here the price starts at 750 Euros depending on the seller, making it more affordable than the ROG Phone 5 Pro, which starts at 1000 Euros.
The Black Shark 4 Pro also uses the Snapdragon 888 and has its own 120W power supply. Officially, the device was released at the end of March 2021, but the gaming smartphone from Xiaomi is currently not officially available in Europe. Alternatively, Xiaomi also has the Xiaomi Black Shark 3 (S), which still uses the older Snapdragon 865, but also offers a 144 Hz display.
Lenovo’s Legion Phone Duel 2 also uses the Snapdragon 888 and has a 144 Hz AMOLED display with HDR10+. Weighing about 260 grams, it is slightly heavier than the ROG Phone 5 and has a built-in fan on the back of the device. Some testers criticize that the fan is noticeably loud.
Alternatively, you can still get the predecessor model. The Lenovo Legion Duel uses the older Snapdragon 865 (+) but also offers a 144 Hz display. However, you should be patient as Lenovo has announced a successor to their current model.
The Razer Phone 2 features an LCD with 120 Hz. Inside, it still has the older Snapdragon 845 and with a maximum of 64 GB of internal storage, it has the smallest storage among the current gaming representatives. The device is from 2018, but you can now get the Razer Phone 2 for less than 400 Euros.
Conclusion: High-end Phone with Extra Functions for Gamers
With the ROG Phone 5, you get a robust and well-crafted smartphone with plenty of accessories and lots of extras if you want to game on your phone.
The ROG Phone 5 is a smartphone for gamers who want to make no compromises when gaming. The ROG Phone 5 offers extensive features, a great display, and a lot of gaming functions that you can configure, and the battery life is adequate for a gaming smartphone.
However, we miss an IP68 certification. This protection certificate is now offered by several manufacturers for their high-end devices and means that the device is protected against dust and water.
Thanks to the large battery, you can also play for several hours without having to plug it in again. Watching movies or series is a lot of fun thanks to the great screen with HDR support. The fast 144 Hz display will especially please users who play fast games like shooters.
For casual gamers and people looking for a fast smartphone only, the ROG Phone 5 is only conditionally recommendable. There are cheaper alternatives that do not focus as much on gaming and are thus more suitable for everyday needs. Moreover, the device at nearly 240 grams is not exactly light.
In any case, whether gaming or not, you get an extremely powerful gaming smartphone with a lot of performance.
