In the data from the new update 16.40 of Fortnite some data miners found hints of an upcoming PvE mode. This could reopen old wounds for the original fans of Fortnite.
What kind of mode is this? The well-known leaker and data miner HYPEX found images a while ago for a supposedly new map in Fortnite. According to new information, however, it is not intended for Battle Royale, but for a new mode (via Eurogamer).
Daybreak is supposed to be a PvE mode with sandbox survival. The description found states: “You wake up alone and unarmed on the coast of an island, with no memory of how you got here. Quickly search for weapons and ammunition before night falls and creatures roam the hills.”
You should also be able to play cooperatively with other players, who you will need to find after landing – even if you start as a team. The goal is to repair a helicopter and escape before the third night falls.
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Why does the mode annoy the early fans? Before Battle Royale existed, Fortnite already had a PvE mode: Save the World. This was the original Fortnite, which you had to buy back then.
In Save the World, you have to gather resources and build a fort to defend it against zombies that crawl out of the ground at night. The gameplay was primarily designed for co-op.
While features such as classes, abilities, and quests that exist in Save the World appear to be missing, Daybreak sounds quite similar with its nighttime defense and survival theme. For players who spent money on Save the World, this could be a deep blow.
After the somewhat bumpy start of Save the World, Epic created the Battle Royale mode just a few months later. It became so successful so quickly that the PvE mode was almost completely neglected.
Originally, Save the World was supposed to become free, but Epic stated in 2020: This will never happen. At that time, Fortnite was also officially released and has not been in Early Access since then.
In Save the World there are unique classes, but the PvE mode is tiny compared to Battle Royale.
For Save the World, that was back then something like the nail in the coffin. Epic stated that updates for the PvE part would now be less frequent, and many of the original players were sad one last time before they left the game, partly in tears. Although there are still updates, such as a new season now in April 2021 (via Epic), they are now released only rarely.
With the new mode, old wounds could now be reopened. Those who have not yet fully processed that Epic simply cut Save the World may feel really mocked by the new mode.
But at least there is now a huge war over a golden Lara Croft in Battle Royale …
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Destiny 2 announces the start of the new Season 14 with today’s Weekly Reset from May 11, 2021. MeinMMO informs you about what changes the Season of the Splicer brings and provides you with the key information you need for the launch.
What is happening in Destiny 2? Today, the event “Guardian Games 2021” ended, which the Hunters dominated for three weeks in a row. With that, Season 13 concludes and the new Season 14, the Season of the Splicer, finally kicks off.
Before you dive into the fresh content, you still have to load the Update 3.2.0, which brings several fixes and changes. Many Guardians are currently complaining about server issues on the evening of May 11.
However, we will provide you with the key information as usual and help you ensure that the start of the new season goes smoothly.
The most important information for the season launch:In Season 14, the Vex have succeeded in trapping the Last City in a simulation of eternal darkness. It is our task to hack the Vex network and show the time-traveling robots who wears the pants in the cyber world.
Mithrax helps the Guardians with hacking
The Guardians are not alone, but expand the Avengers roster with the Splicer Mithrax and the Fallen House of Light. Because this alien group is friendly to us after we rescued their leader (Mithrax) from a Knight of the Hive in 2017. The new allies have captured the hearts of the Guardians, as they bring cute baby aliens that look like Baby Yoda.
These new activities await you today:
An introductory mission introduces you to the story of the Fallen Splicers, Mithrax, and the digital hacker world (Free2Play). The mission starts automatically when you log in.
Ada-1 returns to the Tower and finally brings the cosmetic transmog feature that Guardians have been wishing for since 2014 (Free2Play). Why there was criticism for transmog before its release, read here.
The “Endless Night” begins. The goal of Season 14 is to make the sun rise again (Free2Play).
The H.E.L.M. center in the Tower will be expanded: Here, many story-relevant dialogues will play out, and you will access the Splicer technology (Free2Play).
Stasis Aspect quests: Even in Season 14, you will further develop the Stasis focus. New aspects and fragments should be expected (requires Beyond Light).
Override activity starts: It is a new activity that comes with automatic matchmaking for 6 Guardians. This is likely a new horde mode where you hack into the digital Vex world and steal codes (requires paid season pass – however, all Guardians can test the new activity for free for one week).
What else awaits you in the Season of the Splicer is summarized here:
You can now earn one of 3 new weapons in the Trial by Fire each week. Among them is also the famous Unification from Destiny 1 – will the classic be as strong as before? By the way, the Grandmaster difficulty will only be activated in the middle of Season 14.
Playlist Strikes are available with the following modifiers:
Arc Burn
Heavyweight
Grounded
It should be noted here that the burn modifier does not change throughout the week. However, the other modifiers rotate daily.
In the Glassway, two Hydras await in the boss area
Crucible: These playlists and modes can be played in PvP:
Private Match
Rumble
Control
Elimination
Glory Survival
Glory Survival: Freelance
Team Scorched
Petra Venj can now be found in the Dreaming City right at the spawn point – as always for the 2nd curse week. Additionally, the 3rd Ascendant Challenge is active.
Sources for Powerful and Pinnacle Loot in Season 14 of Destiny 2
This is the new max level: In the Season of the Splicer, the maximum power level of your gear is raised to 1,320. This is a rather small jump of only +10 (from the previous Season 13). This should reduce the annoying grind, and if you were diligent in Season 13, you will only need to play the pinnacle activities to boost your level.
Next week, you will find here again all the important sources for powerful loot and pinnacle gear that will bring you to the new power level of 1,320.
Until then, here is the provisional list for pinnacle gear:
Complete 3 strikes with appropriate focus
Reach at least 100,000 points as a team in the Nightfall: Trial by Fire
SteelSeries introduces the Rival 5 as a strong all-rounder for all games and could thus be a strong competitor for Logitech’s G502 Hero. Because the G502 is already an all-rounder for gamers. But there are some differences between the mice.
In its official presentation, SteelSeries introduces its new Rival 5 as an all-rounder mouse: Battle Royale, FPS, MOBA, and MMOs, all games should be playable with it without any issues.
And here comes Logitech’s successful G502 (Hero) into play, which has a strong market position among all-rounder mice. SteelSeries wants to shake that throne and deliberately positions the Rival 5 against the G502 in its presentation, describing it as superior in weight.
The G502 is, according to Logitech, the best-selling mouse in the world. A look at Amazon seems to confirm this, where the mouse occupies two top positions at the bestsellers in gaming mice, both wired and wireless. The all-rounder mouse seems to be a lucrative business. We present the Rival 5 and have collected initial reactions.
Rival 5 aims to be a strong all-rounder among mice
Here’s what the Rival 5 offers: The Rival 5 is an ergonomic right-handed mouse that caters to all hand sizes and grip styles, with a focus on claw and fingertip grips.
This is what the mouse looks like when applying Claw Grip (left) and Finger Grip (right).
The Rival 5 weighs 85 grams, features 10-zone RGB, and is equipped with the optical TrueMove Air sensor. The sensor is an in-house development by SteelSeries. The sensor is currently used in the SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless and the Rival 3 Wireless. A maximum of 18,000 DPI is possible with the Rival 5.
Under the mouse buttons, SteelSeries installs switches that are said to be particularly durable. The buttons are designed to withstand at least 80 million clicks and are also water and dust resistant (IP54 certified).
The SteelSeries Rival 5 in different views.
How much does the Rival 5 cost and where can you buy it?
Has anyone tested the mouse yet? The online magazine KnowTechie was able to test the mouse (via KnowTechie.com). The testers praise the good workmanship and pleasant feel of the new gaming mouse. Programming the buttons is also very simple. There is criticism for the front thumb button, which is not very easy to reach.
Notebooksbilliger has also tested the mouse (via Notebooksbilliger.de). Here, the high-quality workmanship and the extensive software are praised. Despite its size, the mouse is very lightweight and offers pleasant ergonomics. Criticism is given for the non-detachable cable.
This is what early voices are saying about the SteelSeries Rival 5: In the subreddit “MouseReview”, users are already discussing the new gaming mouse (via reddit.com):
“As a successor to the Rival 600, the model looks great. They basically addressed all the issues of the old model: better cable, round feet, more easily accessible third thumb button, flush RGB zones, softer edges in the area of the palm rest, removal of detachable sides/adjustable weight gimmicks.”
“Feels like a refreshed Rival 600, and it’s overall better – lighter, more buttons, good cable, and a good sensor.”
“The SteelSeries software lacks features, but honestly, it’s a step ahead of everyone else in terms of stability. It looks nicer, it runs nicer, it’s less intrusive, there’s no bullshit, and it just works.”
Logitech’s G502 Hero is the biggest competitor for the Rival 5
What is the biggest difference? Logitech’s G502 Hero weighs a total of 121 grams and is therefore very heavy. With additional weights, it can be increased to 139 grams. The wireless Lightspeed version of the G502 weighs only 114 grams.
Here, SteelSeries takes a different approach with the Rival 5. Because the new Rival 5 weighs 85 grams and is therefore significantly lighter than the competition. SteelSeries itself writes in the presentation that the Rival 5 is “30% lighter than the competition in the same category (G502)” (via steelseries.com).
G502 vs Rival 5 at a glance:
Logitech G502 Hero
SteelSeries Rival 5
Weight
121 – 139 grams, weight system
85 grams
Buttons
11 buttons
9 buttons
Sensor
HERO sensor, up to 25,600 DPI
TrueMove Air sensor, up to 18,000 DPI
SRP Price
89.99 Euros
69.99 Euros
RGB
LIGHTSYNC RGB: 1 zone
10-zone RGB
What other competitors are there? Another competitor is Razer’s Basilisk V2. This, like the G502 and the Rival 5, opts for an ergonomic design and also offers 11 buttons that can be freely assigned. The Basilisk V2 is slightly lighter than Logitech’s mouse at 92 grams.
We at MeinMMO count Logitech’s G502 among the best gaming mice currently available. This is due in part to the great sensor, the many features, and also the frictionless mouse wheel, which, so far, can only be found on Logitech mice.
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This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The new graphics cards of the 3000 series from Nvidia are currently highly sought after, as hardly anyone can get them. A creative player in Valheim has now found a very simple solution: he builds them himself. However, it will likely be difficult to integrate his RTX 3080 into a PC.
This is what the RTX 3080 looks like in Valheim: The player and reddit user __-GH05T-, often simply referred to as ‘Ghost’, repeatedly presents crazy builds he creates in Valheim. One of his latest ideas is a graphics card.
Made of wood, iron, and stone, he has built one of the coveted RTX 3080s and proudly announces in his post: ‘I finally managed to get one, guys! I have an RTX 3080 … okay, I had to build it myself … but who cares!!!’
In a video, Ghost shows in detail what he has built. The characteristic shape of the graphics card made from various parts of wood, stone, and metal is visible. Even the connections, motherboard interfaces, and the fan can be seen, although the fan does not move. Ghost has also partially recreated the internals of the card.
The short clip received over 3,000 upvotes and several awards in just a few hours:
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Another reason for the shortage is so-called scalpers. These individuals buy large quantities of the cards either personally or through bots, only to resell them for exorbitant prices to honest buyers. In January, scalpers made over 15.2 million dollars profit with the RTX 3000 cards.
One reddit user even makes a joke about the situation with the graphics cards under the post: ‘Let me guess, you’re putting this up for sale on eBay for 500 units of snake meat? Damn scalpers’ (via reddit).
The community continues to amaze with crazy builds or ideas like secret rooms where treasures can be hidden. After all, Valheim’s building system invites players to let loose and create anything.
Some players just find building too little, and they improve the game fundamentally, for example with mods and custom content. While the developers are also working on updates, these are still a while away. Until then, players are simply providing the coveted content for Valheim themselves.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Fortnite, you can now get the Lara Croft skin in gold. To do this, you only need to visit a new NPC on the edge of the map. However, pretty much everyone is doing that right now.
This is the new NPC: The golden skeleton queen Aurelia has appeared in Fortnite with the new update 16.40. She is not located in the center of the map but rather far to the south. Below Flush Factory, you will find the small island “Isla Nublada,” where an ancient ruin stands.
Inside the crumbling monument, you will encounter Aurelia, who apparently is after a tribute. Right next to her lies a legendary, golden Scar – one of the most useful weapons in the game. And it plays a role in the Lara Croft skin.
The island is located at the very bottom southwest of the map. It is directly off the coast of Flush Factory, near Misty Meadows and Slurpy Swamp. The picture shows you the location:
Here below you will find the island
How to get the golden Lara Croft skin from Aurelia
How does it work? In theory, it’s quite simple: You need to fly to the island and grab the golden Scar from Aurelia. Be careful, the skeleton queen will get very angry and attack you afterwards.
What is crucial here is that you become the golden Lara Croft when you are wearing the Lara Croft Anniversary skin from the Battle Pass and remove the Scar from her shrine. Then the skin should transform in-game and will later be found in your locker. Successful players are already showing the skin on reddit:
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Here there are problems: Apparently, the transformation does not work equally well for every player. As several players report in the Fortnite subreddit, it can happen that the gold skin is not unlocked directly (via reddit). Others say it only worked with a different Lara Croft style. Yet other users explain that while they had the gold skin in the match, they only found the variant in the locker later.
There seem to be difficulties here. As soon as there is something new about this, we will keep you updated at MeinMMO. As of now, however, the approach is
Select Lara Croft (Anniversary)
Land at Aurelia
Grab the Scar
Get out
the most promising variant. However, this is quite difficult at the moment.
Massive battles for the Lara Croft skin: Currently, only players get the golden skin if they collect the golden Scar first in the match. This is leading to hilarious battles on the small Isla Nublada.
Anyone wanting to visit Aurelia faces serious competition right at the start
At the moment, there is practically a war at the beginning of a match when you want to visit the good Aurelia. A ton of players land on the small island, where there isn’t much loot distributed, aside from the Scar and a few chests. Accordingly, it gets wild as soon as everyone has landed on the island.
This can lead to frustration. After all, probably a large portion of these players just want to grab the skin. Patience is required here: Either you keep plunging into the chaos over and over until you manage to be the first to get your hands on the golden weapon, or you try again later when the initial rush has calmed down.
Today, on May 11, Destiny 2 receives the new update 3.2.0 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S as well as on PC and Google Stadia. Before you dive into Season 14, the patch brings maintenance work and a server down. We will guide you through the update and provide you with all the important times and changes.
What’s happening today: In the MMO shooter Destiny 2, patch 3.2.0 is waiting to be downloaded. The update fixes annoying bugs but also brings major changes and starts a new season. Only after the download can you tackle the fresh content of the Season of the Splicer.
Update 20:00: The maintenance has now been extended by 3 hours, so until 23:00 German time. However, another server downtime is not planned.
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Update 19:45: Bungie is currently investigating the error code “Honeydew”, which appears when starting activities or landing on locations (via Twitter).
Update 19:20: Currently, the servers seem to be overloaded for many Guardians, and you will be informed that you are joining the game in the order that you logged in. However, we at MeinMMO were able to log in normally.
Update 19:01: Update 3.2.0 is now available on all platforms. On PlayStation 5, it is 5.5 GB in size.
Since Bungie already conducted long maintenance last Friday at a really inconvenient time, today’s Destiny downtime is relatively short. Nevertheless, the servers are going completely down.
MeinMMO will update this article multiple times on May 11 to provide you with all the necessary information and already has the most important times for today.
Maintenance on 11.05. – Everything about the process and server downtime
The important times today:
18:00 German time: Maintenance work starts in the background
Around 18:45: the Destiny servers go offline, by now you will be kicked from ongoing activities
Starting from 19:00: Update 3.2.0 will be available for download worldwide
Once you have downloaded (and copied) the patch, you should be able to log back into Destiny 2
By 20:00 all maintenance work should be completely finished
This evening, you will force your way into the Vex network
As always: Due to maintenance work, there may be login issues throughout the evening, and you may encounter queues while logging in. If you use third-party applications or the official companion app, these will only be available in a very limited manner.
What’s changing in the Season of the Splicer
This is the new season: As soon as you log in after patch 3.2.0, Season 14, the Season of the Splicer, begins. You will most likely be greeted by a cutscene and a seasonal story quest. However, the start of a season always brings extensive changes to the sandbox and the balance.
These changes are already known:
Bungie has already presented several buffs that make your weapons stronger – especially Linear Fusion Rifles benefit, but many mediocre perks are also receiving more power.
Nerfs for swords like the Complaint and Falling Guillotine affect PvE. In PvP, the 120 hand cannons are in for it. Here you can read more about the nerfs to your best weapons in Season 14.
Stasis abilities now have support for colorblindness.
The nav mode when you summon your ghost is revised: You can switch between quests, loot pursuits, and tracked triumphs anywhere.
You can now select the H.E.L.M. hub directly from orbit.
Umbral engrams will automatically decrypt when you focus them.
Glory, Valor, and Infamy (PvP and Gambit) are being clarified and standardized – This is happening as major changes for the rank system are planned in Season 15.
Surge weapons receive their own mods (which were previously partially included with auto rifles).
Season 14 will create more balance between Stasis and the Light classes
If any unknown and important changes sneak in with update 3.2.0 in Destiny 2, we will keep you informed.
Patch Notes for Update 3.2.0 of Destiny 2
Bungie releases patch notes for every update. Here, the Destiny developer lists all the fixes and changes that update 3.2.0 brings. Only here does it reveal what is happening at the start of Season 14.
Here are the patch notes: Bungie has now also released the patch notes for 3.2.0. We are embedding the German changelog here – be warned, it’s quite extensive:
Are you already on the starting blocks waiting for the new update to finally play the new season? Or do you adhere to the wisdom “never play on patch day” and don’t rush? Feel free to use the comments to exchange ideas while you wait.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
As part of an event, MeinMMO editor Alexander Leitsch was able to try out the first dungeon of New World. Originally, New World was supposed to be a game focused on PvP and aimed to completely avoid instances and many classic PvE content. Now, dungeons have been announced quite suddenly. Can this really work?
What’s the deal with the dungeons? In a major alpha update in March, New World announced the expeditions. These are instances where 5 players can experience a story together and face bosses.
Meanwhile, two more new dungeons have even been announced that New World will receive.
What is the problem with dungeons? In an initial version from 2018, New World offered hardly any PvE content and focused on PvP battles and even some survival elements. At the end of 2019, the concept was surprisingly completely overhauled and the open world with PvE quests and world events became the focus.
However, the PvE content could not convince during the first open test in summer 2020. The quests consisted mainly of tedious kill tasks, sometimes supplemented by the need to collect additional materials. The Spriggan, a boss in an instanced PvE arena, was even defeated by the first guilds during the test and did not seem to be a major challenge.
I was therefore quite skeptical about the announcement of the dungeons:
On the other hand, New World announces 3 dungeons just 5 months before release, which did not exist so far. I was worried that the dungeons had been created in a knee-jerk reaction and were not well implemented.
But after the test, I have a completely different opinion. Especially the visuals of the dungeon and the various mechanics of the bosses impressed me, making me eagerly await the beta in July.
You can watch the complete dungeon run in our video on YouTube:
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How is the first dungeon structured? The Amrhein excavation dungeon is aimed at players of level 25 and is thus accessible while still in the leveling process. It is a dark kind of mine where various creatures roam:
On one hand, you encounter the “Lost”, which are lost souls that died on the island and are trapped in a world between the living and the dead.
On the other hand, you encounter the “Ancient”, beings that populated the island of Aeternum thousands of years before humans.
Within the dungeon, you will face various boss opponents and repeatedly find diary entries that shed more light on the story of the Amrhein excavation.
The Amrhein excavation is a very dark and mysterious place.
In the test, I set out with an Amazon employee and two colleagues from GameStar. The agreement was that the Amazon employee would take on the healer role while I would play somewhat defensively, thus taking on the role of tank.
New World does away with classes and makes your gameplay dependent on the equipment and the unlocked skill trees. However, specialization also comes with consequences. Those wearing heavy armor lose mobility and cannot dodge as well anymore. This is also a disadvantage for tanks.
The way to the first boss: In the first few minutes, we mainly fight against small trash mobs and behave like a wild bunch of chickens. The dynamic yet very tactical combat system requires quite a bit of practice. About 70% of our attacks go nowhere, and blocking animations needs to be trained first.
Here I already develop a love for the game that I had already felt back in summer 2020. I immediately realize that my low damage or loss of health points is my fault and not because my equipment isn’t good enough or that I need to grind more. I feel that “I’m lacking the skill,” which motivates me to instantly get better in the MMO.
An additional highlight on the way to the first boss consists of a puzzle we need to solve. First, we must defeat certain enemies, and then we need to activate platforms by standing on them. Once that is done, a new bridge appears in a small cutscene leading us to the boss.
We had to solve a puzzle about mysterious platforms to create the bridge.
Why the first boss is so cool: The first boss is one of the ghosts and caught us off guard with some mechanics:
He can summon pink AoE fields from which you should quickly move away.
He also regularly summons his ghost army, which runs from one side of the battlefield to the other and knocks us down in the process. Dodging skillfully is required here.
Finally, he has a powerful strike that should definitely be dodged and cannot be blocked.
In the fight, group members die one after another, but we can immediately respawn and rush back into battle – just from the entrance of the dungeon. As long as at least one player is alive, the boss does not reset.
By the way, such a mechanic does not work with the final boss. Here, a thick door blocks the way.
You should quickly get out of this pink circle.
This is what the final boss offers: After some more trash mobs, we reach a large door with the final boss of the dungeon behind it. Until then, we had spent about 40 minutes in the dungeon.
The final boss is named Simon Grey and is a huge colossus in metallic armor. For the tank, it is important to keep moving and avoid the sluggish but very dangerous attacks of the boss.
In addition, the colossus has some minions around him that must be taken out first. Throughout the fight, he summons the adds multiple times, so you will be overwhelmed if you do not get them under control early.
In our run, we unfortunately did not manage to defeat the final boss, partly because we were only 4 players instead of 5. However, I have already seen an official video from Amazon in which the boss was defeated. The fight lasted about 7 minutes.
Those who defeat the boss will receive personal loot consisting of potions and various equipment at the end.
This is what the final boss Simon Grey looks like.
Dungeon run gives hope for good PvE content
How has New World developed? In recent months, details about the development of New World have been shared repeatedly:
The MMO has received 4 new weapons compared to summer 2020
Almost all systems of the MMO – including crafting, combat, class balance, UI, and enemy behavior – have been revised
But much of that has not been seen yet. The current alpha test is still under NDA. Therefore, it has been difficult to gauge whether the PvE in New World truly has a future.
What does the dungeon mean for PvE? First of all, a lot of good. Because Amazon has shown with the Amrhein excavation that they can create boss mechanics and challenging PvE fights. And this was just a level 25 content. I am now really looking forward to endgame dungeons.
However, this experience should also be approached with caution. A good dungeon does not automatically mean that the quests and events in the open world will now be much better. But at least my hopes regarding New World and the PvE content are currently greater than ever.
Outriders has been struggling with numerous issues since its release. This has led to controversies within the community and also accusations against developer People Can Fly and its communication with players. Now, the community manager thearcan has given a very open statement about the situation.
What is it about? It all started with a reddit post by user DocDevice (via reddit). In it, he expresses his concerns about the supposedly poor communication from the developers and community managers regarding the numerous issues with Outriders.
What kind of problems are there? In addition to server problems at launch, a severe inventory bug, and other issues, there are currently difficulties with damage mitigation through equipment. This doesn’t work properly, leading to many players dying quickly in the endgame.
Additionally, many players feel as if they are being virtually ignored by the developers. The list of improvement requests is long, and numerous frustrated voices can be found on Outriders’ social channels. DocDevice takes this as an opportunity to give the developers tips based on a specific example.
Outriders should communicate openly, “like Star Wars: Battlefront 2 did”
This is what should be emulated: DocDevice compares the situation of Outriders with the problematic release of Star Wars: Battlefront 2 in 2017, the multiplayer shooter from the Battlefield developers DICE.
Alongside changes to the game, DICE achieved this through better communication in the form of the then community manager F8RGE, who now has a sort of cult status among fans and currently works as a producer for DICE. (via Twitter)
Therefore, the Reddit user now suggests that the developers of Outriders should proceed similarly, communicate more, and appoint a capable community manager: “If PCF really wants to be successful here, they should follow suit. Have a ‘face’ we can talk to, a mediator who understands what players want but also knows the corporate landscape. Someone who could ‘translate’ between us so we stay updated on what needs to be fixed/added/changed and to gather our opinions on what should be tackled first.”
There is even a suspicion that developer People Can Fly is deliberately withholding information and limiting communication on reddit.
This prompted the actual community manager thearcan/SE Toby to respond with a remarkably open statement.
thearcan/SE Toby is Senior Community Manager at Square Enix and claims to have about 8 years of experience in the field. Previously, he managed the subreddit for the game Life Is Strange.
He oversees the Outriders subreddit, the official Twitter account, and serves as the developers’ spokesperson to the community. He is very active in the Outriders subreddit; however, he faces criticism regarding his communication.
“I was open and honest and at this point caused more harm than good.”
This is what the community manager says in his statement: First, he clarifies that no one from People Can Fly or publisher Square Enix actively limits what he can write and what he cannot.
Rather, the restraint stems from his experiences with other communities and the past weeks in the Outriders subreddit. To illustrate this, thearcan provides a specific example of a reddit post he made about the multiplayer issues:
I gave as transparent a view of the situation from our side as possible. I was open and honest. My response was completely misinterpreted by certain elements in the community, and a whole week was spent with these sub- and then content creators and their audience literally misquoting me.
And by misquoting, I mean literally the ‘The developers don’t care about us, look at what they said’ type of thread titles. We as a whole team were demonized based on intentionally provocative comments that were completely false. I was open and honest and caused more harm than good at this point.
Even after correcting his statements, the issue continued, and the claims received significantly more attention and reach than anything he could correct at that time, the community manager explains.
He makes it clear that people certainly have a right to express criticism and may be angry. However, his restraint also has another reason.
Since launch, I have worked weekends and long nights due to the problems we were facing to support Outriders as best as possible. And when I take a few days off (for example, on a weekend), I usually come back to a flood of complaints claiming that we have stopped communicating and have given up on the game.
All complaints are very highly rated, indicating that there is a general consensus on the topic in the community. Therefore it is difficult for me to take time off work, as this exacerbates perceived communication problems.
At this point, I am quite exhausted. This is no one’s fault, and no one at Square Enix or PCF is forcing me (or has ever asked me) to work this much. It’s my choice. It always has been.
But in this state, I return to my role every day. And day by day, I feel that we can’t win, no matter what we (or I) do or say. […]
I am not trying to be a victim or seek sympathy. I am not telling people that they should not express their concerns about real issues […] I am not saying that people do not have the right to express their complaints.
I am simply explaining my own human limits.
The full and more extensive statement can be found in the reddit post: reddit.com
Community reacts with understanding and anger
The author of the post, DocDevice, has since supplemented his reddit post and relativized his criticism. He apologizes for accusing thearcan of a lack of effort.
It now states: “I was completely wrong, we have a very dedicated CM who is being overwhelmed from all sides. […], I encourage everyone to read his post and take a moment to understand what they are currently dealing with.”
This is how players are reacting to the statement: The remaining reactions are mixed. Many praise the openness of the response and see it as a nice change from the “watered down” statements of most developers and publishers in the industry.
User Freschu writes (via reddit.com): “This is ‘Realtalk.’ It totally confuses me how it came to this point. There are so many ways to express frustration, to raise concerns. For some reason, these few voices choose exaggeration, toxicity, defamation, and entitlement.”
Others, however, also have understanding for the frustration within the community and feel that both sides are correct in some points. sicsche writes about this (via reddit.com): “I think PCF is very much responsible for the situation. The entire community here was very supportive from the start of the demo and remained cool even after the initial launch problems.” However, this has changed due to all the problems.
Some see it as merely whining about his job and feel that he should actually know what comes with it. Distict-Ad-7416 finds the situation predictable (via reddit.com): “8 years as a CM and you are surprised by the backlash that this game has received? Listen, I understand, we are all human, we have limitations. But you should have seen that coming from a mile away.”
That problems with a game can lead to strong reactions from fans is nothing new in the community.
The problem with hate comments and nasty feedback has existed for quite some time; in some cases, this toxic behavior has even escalated into death threats.
Aggressiveness in discussions is increasing
Where else have there been these problems? A prominent example is EA’s failed loot shooter Anthem. Released in 2019 in a dismal state. Initially, however, like Outriders, the game was supported by an active and engaged community, especially in the subreddit. Community manager Jesse Anderson was particularly active.
After a few months and many other issues, the subreddit became increasingly worse and more toxic (via ScreenRant.com). Posts targeting developer BioWare became more and more frequent. The developers almost completely ceased their communication.
Things ultimately escalated further with Cyberpunk 2077. The game was delayed multiple times, from late October 2020 to December 10. Some developers from CD Projekt RED received death threats from angry players.
Similarly, with the remastered version of Sony’s Spider-Man, where the original actor’s face for Peter Parker was changed, which drove some hardcore fans crazy. The developers of Insomniac Games still received death threats afterwards.
At this level, the criticism of Outriders does not seem to have reached yet. Nevertheless, it shows how quickly emotions can escalate and lead to a very aggressive mood.
What do you think of the statement? Do you find the openness good? Do you also see the current way of discussing critically, or do developers just have to put up with such things?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Many players and fans are excited about The Division: Heartland – including MeinMMO author Sven Galitzki. However, he fears that it could be a wrong step for the series and is concerned about the future of The Division 2.
In addition to new content for The Division 2, a mobile game, a novella, and a Netflix film are also planned. The new free-to-play game The Division: Heartland is expected to be part of this future. The community has received this new project with much interest – they are curious about what it specifically entails. However, there is also considerable skepticism, which currently prevails for me.
This is what we currently know about Heartland: This is not really much – at least at the present time.
It will be a standalone free-to-play game (not a Division 2 expansion) and comes from Red Storm Entertainment
It will take place in the Division universe but does not require any prior knowledge of the previous Division games
and it will be available for PC, PlayStation and Xbox consoles, as well as cloud services
As for the time frame: 2021 / 2022. Neither the genre nor any other details are currently known. So far, there is only a single image related to it:
About the author: Sven has been working at MeinMMO since 2018 and has been intensely managing the shooter sector as an author and responsible expert since then.
He is a huge Destiny fan and has spent a lot of time in the franchise. However, countless hours in both parts of The Division, various “Call of Duty” offshoots, and the Battlefield series are also part of his portfolio.
Why Heartland could be a wrong step for The Division 2
What could Heartland be as a game? There are 2 major and quite plausible theories. And I personally see both as problematic, if not even “life-threatening” for the future of the current main game The Division 2.
For the most part, the 2 most common theories rely on the name as well as the currently only image of the game. Parts of the western United States and the Midwest are referred to as American Heartland – a rather rural area with smaller towns, some forests, and many farms. This corresponds with the currently only image, which depicts such a scenery. The new Division spin-off, whatever it ultimately turns out to be, is likely to break with the previous series tradition and probably take place for the first time outside of a major American city.
Many, including myself, believe that in such an open, vast, and rather rural scenario, especially 2 game concepts would fit well – partly because they are currently trending and successful in numerous other games, but are lacking in the current spin-off The Division 2:
Battle Royale
or a type of Survival
On the way in the Survival mode of The Division 1
Sure, it is currently pure speculation, and Heartland could theoretically end up being an RPG or a collectible card game. However, with Red Storm Entertainment as the developer, it is more likely that it will stay in the shooter realm. After all, they are primarily known for numerous shooters from franchises such as The Division, Far Cry, Rainbow Six, or Ghost Recon. Thus, it is also unlikely that they will stray too far from loot, skills, and shooter mechanics – after all, that is what has defined the series so far. Battle Royale or Survival indeed appear to be the most plausible in this context.
Why I see Heartland as a threat to The Division 2: Well, The Division 2 has had a tough time with players for some time now – especially among long-term agents and veterans. It feels like more and more players are dropping out. Overall, the setting and core mechanics are well received, the game can convince until the endgame and is fun up to that point. However, at the latest then, deep-rooted problems with long-term motivation and the associated systems become clear.
The Division 2 has offered virtually no content in principle that can captivate and convince in the long run. The seasonal model, raids, and even the major expansion “Warlords of New York” could not change that. Even more than 2 years after release, the main criticisms, aside from loot, balance, or bugs, are still largely:
lack of enjoyable modes that keep players engaged in the long term – they should just look at The Division 1
lack of fresh wind/fresh ideas, little innovation
too little substantial content over time
Will Heartland be a survival game or a battle royale set in a rural area?
And players are not asking for anything impossible here: In the first part, Survival was very well received (English: Survival – a mix of Battle Royale and indeed Survival). However, the developers are still reluctant to bring the mode to The Division 2. Many see, therefore, in Heartland finally a potential, plausible explanation. Also, Underground (English: Underground – a kind of endless mode) had many fans in part 1. Although The Division 2 also boasts The Summit as an endless mode now, it offers many too little variety and ultimately cannot compete with Underground.
If one of the two aforementioned theories turns out to be true and Heartland is not a strategy or collectible card game, it could be counterproductive and even problematic for the future of the current flagship The Division 2. This would bring exactly what players are longing for in The Division 2 – but in a new, standalone game. Whether this would actually be beneficial for long-time fans? The risk of losing one or the other to the new game is significant.
And yes, new content is also coming for The Division 2, like a completely new game mode that has never existed in the franchise before. However, if they finally offer players in Heartland what they have been asking for years – and do it for free – then it could get tight for the still paid The Division 2. Despite the new content and especially if those should still be paid (Summit is tied to the paid Warlords expansion) – particularly concerning potential new players.
The endless mode of The Division 2 – the known and popular Survival from part 1 is still missing
In my eyes, as a big fan and long-time player, it would have made much more sense to consolidate resources on the current flagship (if that can still be said about The Division 2) and integrate any new modes into the main game – especially if it’s about a Battle Royale or a Survival mode. It would only be logical and also what players have been demanding almost consistently.
Otherwise, The Division, in my opinion, seriously risks coming off second best to a free-to-play spin-off from its own house and completely disappearing into obscurity, should Heartland be implemented somewhat enjoyably and learn from the mistakes of the previous two Division games. In that case, Heartland could ultimately not be an expansion of the Division universe into another game, but the coffin nail for the main game of the franchise.
What do you think about all this? That was my current perspective. But since this is not universally valid, I would be very interested to know: How do you see the whole thing with Heartland? Fresh wind for the franchise, which could also benefit The Division 2? A stab in the back of part 2? Or a daring experiment, where the outcome still seems completely open? Feel free to share your opinion with us and other readers of MeinMMO in the comments.
Season 3 significantly changed the weapon meta in Call of Duty: Warzone and brought already two major balance updates. MeinMMO shows you five meta loadouts from Warzone YouTuber “JGOD” that you can use after the latest changes to remain competitive.
What is it about? The selection of weapons in Call of Duty: Warzone has become much more exciting with Season 3. Since the integration of Black Ops Cold War in December, there has always been at least one overpowered weapon dominating the battlefield and players’ loadouts. Currently, however, as many weapons are considered “meta” as ever before.
This is a welcome development, but it also leads to uncertainties in weapon selection – especially shortly after a balance update. So that you know which weapon combinations are currently considered strong and meta, MeinMMO presents 5 loadouts with the appropriate weapon setups in this special.
The recommendations come from CoD YouTuber and Warzone analyst “JGOD”, who presents his top loadouts in a recent video. We compile the information for you, show his setups, and provide details on the weapons. We embed the English video here for you:
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CoD Warzone: Top 5 Loadouts with Overkill in Season 3
In total, JGOD shows 10 loadouts in his video. The first 5 are his experimental setups, which he uses to experiment a bit or loadouts with the perk “Ghost”, which he later picks up in a match.
However, we want to show you his five Overkill loadouts. In these loadouts, JGOD includes two strong meta weapons that he picks up with the first loadout crate in the match. This way, he always has the best weapons available right from the start and later picks up the essential Ghost perk. Preferably with the free loadout delivery that drops in every match.
In his Overkill loadouts, JGOD always relies on the following additional equipment:
A meta loadout with the AMAX for long range and MP5 for close combat.
Meta Loadout: Stoner 63 with MP5 from Cold War
In his first Overkill combo, JGOD shows the Stoner 63. The LMG is wonderfully stable and allows you to land easy hits at long distances. The Stoner is a classic long-range rifle, which slightly lacks mobility. However, if you hit almost every shot, this can be overlooked. As a secondary weapon, the MP5 from Cold War is in the loadout. The MP5 comes with the best time-to-kill of all submachine guns, but it is a pure close-combat weapon – as its recoil is quite noticeable.
Warzone Stoner 63 Setup
Muzzle: Agency Suppressor
Barrel: 21.8″ Special Operations
Optic: Axial Arms 3x
Underbarrel: Field Agent Grip
Ammunition: Quick Mag
Warzone MP5 from Cold War Setup
Muzzle: Agency Suppressor
Barrel: 9.5″ Special Operations
Stock: Plunderer Stock
Underbarrel: Field Agent Grip
Ammunition: STANAG 50-Round Drum
Stoner 63
Meta Loadout: FARA 83 with LC10
The FARA was introduced in Season 2 and was a dust collector in the first months. After a rework with Season 3, the FARA shines and can be used in both close and long-range combat. A small nerf weakened its strong headshots, but for JGOD, the FARA remains an excellent option as an all-round rifle focused on range. As a secondary weapon, the LC10 is in the loadout. The submachine gun is very stable and offers a large initial damage range where you deal full damage.
Warzone FARA 83 Setup
Muzzle: GRU Suppressor
Barrel: 19.5″ Liberator
Optic: SUSAT Multi-Zoom
Underbarrel: Speznas Grip
Ammunition: Speznas 50-Round
Warzone LC10 Setup
Muzzle: Agency Suppressor
Barrel: 13.9″ Special Operations
Stock: Plunderer Stock
Ammunition: STANAG 55-Round
Grip: Snake Wrap
FARA 83
Meta Loadout: Kar 98k with RAM-7
The Kar 98k is a DMR from CoD MW and has been a popular sniper rifle since the release of Warzone. Currently, it is even the most popular weapon and ranks first in our weapon charts from May by far. The Kar 98k is mobile, has fantastic bullet velocity, and headshots always knock out your enemies. In the second weapon slot is the RAM-7. The assault rifle from CoD MW offers strong headshots, a decent fire rate, and a high range – currently a very reliable sniper support.
Warzone Kar 98k Setup
Muzzle: Monolithic Suppressor
Barrel: Singuard Custom 27.6″
Laser: Tactical Laser
Optic: Scope
Stock: FTAC Sport Comb
Warzone RAM-7 Setup
Muzzle: Monolithic Suppressor
Barrel: FSS Ranger
Laser: Tactical Laser
Underbarrel: Commando Foregrip
Ammunition: 50-Round Magazine
RAM-7
Meta Loadout: Krig 6 with Bullfrog
The Krig 6 is a well-controllable assault rifle and is gradually taking over the roles of the old classics Kilo 141, Grau 5.56, and the M13. It is easy to play, has a strong second damage range, and is more mobile than the competition from CoD MW. For close combat, the Bullfrog is in the loadout. The submachine gun was also affected by the nerfs from the last balance update but holds up well and remains high on the tier lists. This is due to its good control, still strong headshots, and the large magazines of the small SMG.
Warzone Krig 6 Setup
Muzzle: Agency Suppressor
Barrel: 19.7″ Ranger
Optic: SUSAT Multi-Zoom
Underbarrel: Field Agent Grip
Ammunition: STANAG 60-Round
Warzone Bullfrog Setup
Muzzle: GRU Suppressor
Barrel: 7.4″ Special Operations
Stock: KGB Skeletal Stock
Ammunition: 65-Round
Grip: Snake Wrap
Krig 6
Meta Loadout: CR-56 AMAX with MP5 from CoD MW
As the strongest all-round rifle, the CR-56 AMAX continues to hold its ground. The assault rifle shines with high damage and is still a fantastic option for those who can handle its recoil after its nerf. The AMAX is clearly a rifle for advanced users – as the extra damage comes at the cost of significantly stronger recoil compared to the long-range competition. As a secondary weapon, JGOD includes the MP5 from CoD MW. The submachine gun offers a good mix – it is controllable, strong, and effective even in hip fire.
Warzone AMAX Setup
Muzzle: Monolithic Suppressor
Barrel: XRK Zodiac S440
Optic: VLK 3.0x Optic
Underbarrel: Commando Foregrip
Ammunition: 45-Round Magazine
Warzone MP5 from CoD MW Setup
Barrel: Suppressor (integrated, subsonic)
Laser: 5mW Laser
Underbarrel: Merc Foregrip
Ammunition: 45-Round Magazine
Extra: Sleight of Hand
CR-56 AMAX
JGOD is one of the most active and well-known Warzone experts and regularly releases videos to keep the community informed about meta changes or playing styles in the battle royale. However, JGOD also has certain preferences and emphasizes in his video with the loadouts that the weapons and setups are just guidelines. Try them out, experiment with different attachments, and over time find your favorite weapon.
With Pam-Pam, a new Pokémon from the 6th generation has arrived in Pokémon GO. Here you will find everything you need to know about the evolution of this monster into Pandagro.
What kind of Pokémon is this? Pam-Pam is a new monster from the Kalos region, of the Fighting type, which has recently appeared in the game thanks to the completed Fairy Bonus.
Its evolution, Pandagro, is of the Dark and Fighting types, but cannot be evolved simply by spending candy. We will take a closer look at the evolution here.
This is how you complete the adventure for Pam-Pam’s evolution into Pandagro
If you unfold the adventure, you will see your progress with the Dark-type monsters
This is how to evolve Pam-Pam: As with some newer monsters like Flauschling and Parfi before it, Pam-Pam’s evolution is tied to a small task. Evolving into Pandagro requires not only 50 candies but also catching 32 Dark-type monsters while Pam-Pam is your buddy. You need to proceed as follows:
Set Pam-Pam as your buddy
Catch 32 Dark-type monsters
Collect Pam-Pam candies until you have 50
Now Pam-Pam is ready to evolve.
Why so complicated? In the main Pokémon games, Pam-Pam has a unique method of evolution. It evolves when it reaches level 32. However, a Dark-type monster must also be in the trainer’s team at the same time. If these conditions are met, Pam-Pam evolves into Pandagro. In Pokémon GO, the method was implemented a bit differently with the 32 Dark-type monsters requirement.
This is how you get Pam-Pam: Since May 11 at 10:00 AM, Pam-Pam is exclusively available in Level 1 raids after trainers have completed the Fairy Catch Challenge. It will remain there until May 17 at 8:00 PM. It is weak against Flying, Psychic, and Fairy Pokémon. You can gain an advantage with these monsters. However, the Level 1 battle should generally not pose much of a challenge.
After that, the monster doesn’t disappear but rather changes location. On May 18, the Yveltal event with Team Rocket starts. From this point onwards, you will find Pam-Pam in the “Strange Eggs” – that is, the 12-kilometer eggs you can get after defeating Team GO Rocket.
Thus, there are opportunities to obtain both Pam-Pam and the required candies for its evolution.
Where can I find Dark-type monsters? If you currently see few Dark-type monsters in your area, you can also look forward to the Yveltal event. More Dark-type monsters like Houndour and Carvanha are expected to appear in the wild. Additionally, you may encounter Galarian Zigzagoon in a limited research task, which also falls into the Dark category. So if you are currently seeing too few Dark-type monsters, you will have better chances starting May 18.
On Amazon.com, you can currently get gaming accessories for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X at significantly lower prices. MeinMMO presents which deals are worth it in May 2021. Among them is a top headset for the Xbox Series X and the beyerdynamic MMX 300, which is a top recommendation for gamers on PC and console.
What do we present to you? Currently, there are several offers on Amazon.com related to gaming headsets that provide you with good sound or voice output. We present you gaming headsets that you can get during the Amazon Gaming Week.
How long do the offers last? The offers run from May 10 to May 16, 2021. During this period, the devices are on sale.
beyerdynamic mmx 300
For whom is the headset suitable? If you are willing to spend a lot of money on a headset that focuses on a wide and fantastic sound image and is also very robust, you should check out the Beyerdynamic mmx 300. The MMX 300 is one of the absolute classics for PC and console gamers.
This is what the Beyerdynamic mmx 300 offers: The German manufacturer opts for a metallic arch between the ear cups. Cables are equipped with strain relief. beyerdynamic provides a very robust headset here.
Soundwise, the Beyerdynamic headset offers a balanced sound profile: The headset has a large frequency range from 5 Hz to 35000 Hz and provides a good sound image in both highs and lows despite the breadth. The sound is suitable for both gaming fans and users who enjoy listening to music or watching movies.
Unfortunately, the microphone cannot keep up with the sound quality of the headset, sounding somewhat muffled at times and is also not replaceable, which is surprising for such a flexible headset, as the cushioning can be easily swapped out.
This is what users say: The headset has an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars based on over 2,000 reviews on Amazon. The high sound quality, numerous features, and compatibility with common consoles are praised. Some buyers criticize that the true potential of the beyerdynamic MMX300 can only be realized with an external sound card.
Pro
high-quality craftsmanship
balanced sound
compatible with PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X
Contra
non-replaceable and inflexible microphone
Here you can buy the headset: Currently, you can get the headset for 235 Euros (299.00 €), saving you 64 Euros (21 %).
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SteelSeries Arctis 7 – Powerful Wireless Headset
For whom is the headset suitable? This gaming headset offers you not only good wireless quality but also a strong battery. Additionally, you also get good ergonomics for long gaming sessions.
This is what the SteelSeries Arctis 7 offers: The SteelSeries headset opts for matte plastic and padded ear cups. The manufacturer forgoes LED lighting.
Particularly interesting is the ski goggle band that SteelSeries has integrated into its headset. It is a rubber band that perfectly adjusts the headset to your head.
Also practical is the SteelSeries Engine software. With this, you have extensive options to configure the headset’s sound as desired.
This is what buyers say: The gaming headset is rated on Amazon with 4.5 out of 5 stars based on more than 10,000 reviews. The high comfort (4.6 stars) and good craftsmanship (4.6 stars) are praised. Some reviewers criticize the software.
Pro
high comfort
good craftsmanship
software with many options (SteelSeries Engine)
Contra
some issues in the software (wireless connection)
Here you can buy the headset: Currently, you can get the headset for 158.99 Euros (179.99 €), saving you 21.10 Euros (12 %).
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Reading Tip for Gaming Week: Until May 13, 2021, you can get 5 gaming laptops cheaper during the Amazon Gaming Week. We present the offers and tell you which ones are worth it.
Corsair HS75 XB – Gaming Headset for Xbox Series X
For whom is the headset suitable? Are you looking for a stable headset that offers Dolby Atmos and good sound? Then you should check out the Corsair HS75 XB. If you have an Xbox Wireless Adapter, the headset could also become an option for the PC.
This is what the Corsair HS75 XB offers: With this headset, Corsair offers a gaming device designed for Xbox. The headset offers decent sound quality, has a reasonable microphone, and also impressive Dolby Atmos. Additionally, the headset scores with a high level of comfort.
The device supports “Xbox Wireless”. So you don’t need a dongle if you want to connect the headset directly to the Xbox Series X.
This is what buyers say: On Amazon, the gaming headset has a rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars based on more than 3,000 reviews. Praises go to the good sound, the decent microphone, and the many features like Xbox Wireless support. Criticism mainly concerns the mediocre build quality.
Pro
simple connection with Xbox Series X thanks to “Xbox Wireless”
high comfort
Dolby Atmos support
decent microphone
Contra
mediocre build quality
presses on larger heads
Here you can buy the headset: Currently, you can get the headset for 142.99 Euros (179.99 €), saving you 37 Euros (21 %).
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More Xbox gaming headsets on MeinMMO: Are you looking for a device for your new Xbox Series X|S? Then check out MeinMMO’s buying guide. Here we present the best gaming headsets for Xbox Series X|S.
EPOS I Sennheiser GSP 300
This is what the headset offers: The GSP 300 from EPOS is designed for gamers in a closed over-ear design. Thanks to the jack plug, it is compatible with PCs, consoles, and other devices. Meanwhile, the “noise-cancelling” microphone can be muted simply by lifting the microphone arm.
The headphones are supposed to eliminate background noise. The noise-cancelling microphone also reduces unwanted noise during conversations on Discord. Thanks to a supplied audio adapter, the headset is compatible with PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch.
The closed acoustic gaming headset GSP 300 provides a balanced sound with good ergonomics. The high comfort is ensured by the “memory foam” ear cushions and the lightweight design of the gaming headset.
This is what buyers say: The gaming headset is rated on Amazon with 4.2 out of 5 stars based on over 3,000 reviews. Sound and microphone are particularly praised, while a few users criticize the inner seam of the ear cushions as being too weak.
Pro
balanced sound
high comfort thanks to “memory foam” ear cushions
thanks to jack adapter, also compatible with Xbox and PS5
Contra
weak build quality on the ear cushions
Here you can buy the headset: Currently, you can get the headset for 69.99 Euros (99.99 €), saving you 30 Euros (30 %).
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Razer Kraken X USB
For whom is the headset suitable? The Razer Kraken X offers pleasant comfort, high sound quality, and additionally provides virtual 7.1 surround sound for users with a limited budget.
This is what the Razer Kraken X offers: The Razer headset is entirely made of plastic, but it is comparatively inexpensive as well. However, the build quality seems quite stiff and not very high-quality. The important controls, such as a switch for the microphone and a volume dial, are located directly on the headset itself.
However, the headset performs well in terms of comfort. It fits comfortably and provides good cushioning on the head even after long sessions.
The Kraken X primarily focuses on virtual 7.1 surround sound. This is virtual 7.1 surround sound, which performs well. In order to use it, you necessarily need Razer’s Synapse software. A code for it is included with the headset. The basses in the sound profile are somewhat pronounced, but otherwise, the headset provides a good and rounded sound profile.
This is what users say: On Amazon, over 10,000 buyers rate the headset with 4.3 out of 5 stars. Many praise the good sound quality (4.1 stars) and the very good comfort (4.5 stars). Some buyers find the basses to be too weak when gaming, which slightly disturbs the overall sound.
Pro
decent virtual 7.1 surround sound
high comfort due to good padding
good sound profile
important functions on the headset’s body
Contra
slightly dominant bass
not very high build quality
Here you can buy the headset: Currently, you can get the headset for 45.99 Euros (69.99 €), saving you 24 Euros (34 %).
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More recommended gaming headsets: If none of the presented gaming headsets caught your attention, take a look at our best list: Here we present the best gaming headsets that you can currently buy.
We also explain what to look for when buying a gaming headset. If you are looking instead for a combination of microphone and headphones, you will find the right selection in our buying guide as well.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Twitch streamer Asmongold has many complaints about World of Warcraft. He recognizes patterns from Blizzard to bully players and is fed up with it.
The biggest WoW streamer Asmongold currently has a lot to criticize about World of Warcraft. Again and again, he explains in his streams what is currently going wrong or which systems in the MMORPG urgently need improvement. Now he has organized his thoughts and compiled them in a longer post. He finds little good in Blizzard and justifies his thoughts by recognizing annoying patterns.
Who is speaking? Asmongold is considered the ultimate WoW streamer. Whether on Twitch or YouTube, his videos are viewed by many players and fans, which gives his words a wide reach. He has been playing World of Warcraft for nearly 15 years and is a huge fan, but he also repeatedly criticizes the MMORPG.
He recently wrote a long Twitter post on “Twitlonger” addressing World of Warcraft: Shadowlands and WoW: Classic, discussing the current state of both games and urging the community not to accept everything anymore.
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Asmongold begins by pointing out that there have always been doomsayers in WoW. According to them, if you listen to such people, Burning Crusade killed WoW or WotLK equipped everything with a “casual easy mode”.
However, the nature of the criticism has changed over the years. Instead of long 2000-word posts explaining why a system is not good or harmful, WoW fans are now left with only short, disappointed tweets.
Asmongold primarily criticizes mechanics such as Soul Ash or Conduit Power – two systems that players have long complained about and which, in his view, serve no reasonable purpose other than to artificially extend WoW. He concludes this with a strong statement:
World of Warcraft was a game where you wanted to waste your time. Now it is just a game that wastes your time.
Systems are only there to artificially extend playtime
One of Asmongold’s biggest criticisms is the playtime extension through systems that are designed to slow down players. Despite massive criticism of the systems during Alpha, Blizzard insists on the “time sinks”.
Asmongold finds it particularly critical that the solutions to these problems, which players have been demanding for months, are then packaged as new content in a patch:
To put it simply: Stop creating systems with obvious flaws. Stop waiting until the X.2 or X.3 patch to bring improvements that were already suggested in the Alpha. It is just ridiculous that you keep presenting us with dysfunctional systems only to then entice us to come back later and pay more money so we can finally use the systems properly. (…)
Humans have evolved to recognize patterns, and I think everyone sees the pattern here.
Patch 9.1 is still some time away – but even then, there will probably only be minor fixes for major system problems.
Blizzard: Incompetent or deliberately flawed
Afterward, Asmongold also attacks the developers and Blizzard as a whole. According to him, there are actually only two possible explanations for the state of the systems.
The first possibility is that the developers are seriously incompetent. They actually have no idea how players interact with their systems and really need 6 months full of errors to reach the same conclusions that players have already reached during Alpha.
The second possibility is that they are doing it deliberately, that they are deliberately withholding improvements to artificially extend playtime and improve company figures without having to create new content and instead just prolong existing content.
The truth is, I don’t think it’s either of the first or the second. I think it is both.
He continues to complain that there are far too many repetitions. He asks how many variations of the Gorm mount there should still be or why one has to complete the same quest 20 times for an achievement.
Asmongold also directly answers these questions with another suspicion. Blizzard is so overloaded with micromanaging these many systems that finding a perfect balance is nearly impossible.
Moreover, Asmongold is annoyed that Blizzard brings significant innovations with each expansion that end up being discarded.
Blizzard wants to reinvent the wheel with each expansion, and they do. But they don’t make a wheel; instead, they build a hoverboard. Then we spend the whole expansion asking: How will it fly? What fuel does the hoverboard use? Can we have a seatbelt on the hoverboard? We waste our time creating the perfect hoverboard in every expansion.
We reach it halfway, and in the end, we throw the hoverboard away and work on a new one. Meanwhile, the player base just wants a new wheel all the time.
Asmongold continues to play despite severe criticism
Despite all this criticism, Asmongold continues to play World of Warcraft instead of throwing in the towel. He is often criticized for this, and many voices say that one should simply cancel the subscription; otherwise, Blizzard would never understand the criticism. Bare numbers are the only thing that could ever lead to a change in thinking. However, Asmongold explains his continued play like this:
The reason I am sitting here writing this after midnight is not because I think poorly of the game. But because I love the game damn it. That’s why I care so much, and I want the game to improve. This game has been a big part of my life for the past 15 years, and I’ll be damned if I let it sink without a fight. I WANT to play this game for the next 15 years, even now in the content drought of Shadowlands. I still log in every day and do the little activities I enjoy. (…)
We had a taste of WoW’s potential with Legion, and now imagine if that level of inspiration and innovation had carried over through BFA and now into Shadowlands. I would never leave the house again, and I would be proud of it!
Do you agree with Asmongold and his views? Or do you have a different perspective on the entire development?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Fortnite: Battle Royale there will be a skin of Beast Boy from the TV series “Teen Titans”. You can secure the Beast Boy skin in a tournament before it appears in the item shop. We will show you how to get Beast Boy for free.
What kind of skin is this? In Season 6, one of the founding members of DC’s Teen Titans came to the Fortnite island. In the Battle Pass of Season 6, there is Raven, known from the TV series. But Raven probably needs her partner, as “Beast Boy” is also coming to the Fortnite world next.
The Beast Boy skin comes with 2 different style variants and can transform into a gorilla with a built-in emote – a capability that defines the superhero from Teen Titans. In a tournament, you can get the new cool outfit for free.
The Beast Boy set will soon appear in Fortnite
How to get the Beast Boy skin for free
To earn the skin for free, you must participate in the Teen Titans Cup. We will show you how to get involved and what requirements must be met.
When does the cup take place? The Teen Titans Cup, which is a duo tournament, will take place on Wednesday, May 12, 2021, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM.
You have 3 hours to play a total of 10 matches and collect as many points as possible. In duos, you will compete in “normal” rounds against your opponents.
How to participate in the Teen Titans Cup
What do you need to do? Since this is a duo tournament, you first need a partner to participate in the tournament with you. However, anyone who wants to participate in the cup must meet the following conditions:
Important: These conditions apply to both duo partners who participate in the tournament together and must be fulfilled by both.
In the Teen Titans Cup, you have the chance to secure various rewards
What are the rewards?
What can you win for free? Those who can prove themselves in the cup will receive another skin for free. As mentioned above, the Beast Boy set is available to win in this cup. The items from the set are included in the prize:
The outfit “Beast Boy”
The back accessory “Couch Titan”
Only players who place among the top 2,625 will receive the skin set for free and ahead of everyone else.
Additionally, all players who score at least 8 points in the tournament will receive the loading screen “BBRae”. If you cannot score that many points, you will not leave empty-handed this time – all participants in the tournament will receive the spray motif “Beaste Freunde” for simply participating.
The loading screen “BBRae”. Created by Gabriel Picolo.
Can you get the skin outside of the tournament? If you do not place among the top 2,625 players, you still have a chance at Beast Boy. The skin will appear in the item shop on Friday, May 14 at 2:00 AM. The complete Beast Boy set will also be available then, but players will have to pay for it.
What do you think of the new skin? Will you try to get the outfit for free? After all, there are already so many skins in Fortnite that one or the other might have a real collection to show.
In Pokémon GO there is a spotlight hour starting today, on May 11, featuring Dratini. We will show you the bonuses of the event and analyze for whom it is worth participating.
What is a spotlight hour? Every Tuesday evening, an event of this kind takes place in Pokémon GO. For the duration of 60 minutes, a Pokémon is in the spotlight and spawns almost everywhere in the wild. This is accompanied by a bonus that makes the hour even more attractive.
This week, you will encounter Dratini at the event. It is a Dragon type and can evolve into Dragonair and later into Dragonite.
Spotlight Hour with Dratini – Start Time and Bonuses
When does it start? As you may know from the past weeks and months, the spotlight hour starts again today at 6:00 PM local time. In the game, you will notice that Dratini will appear everywhere around you, and the other Pokémon will swap out.
Here is the bonus: In addition to the many Dratini spawns, you will get a candy bonus during the event that affects your Pokémon transfers. You will receive double the candies for sending Pokémon.
This bonus also counts for Pokémon that you caught before the event and are only now sending.
Here’s what you need to know about Dratini In the early days of Pokémon GO, this Pokémon was particularly popular, as at that time Dragonite could show its full strength and shine. In February 2018, Dratini had its Community Day (if you enjoy a bit of nostalgia, read our article about the Community Day with Dratini.) By now, there are much stronger dragons in the game. But Pinktini and the shiny family are still popular among trainers as collectible Pokémon.
Is there a shiny Dratini? Yes, you can catch shiny Dratini in Pokémon GO since 2018. Today during the spotlight hour, you have the same chance.
The shiny family of Dratini
Is the spotlight hour worth it today? From two perspectives, the spotlight hour is definitely worth it for you today. If
you are looking for shiny Dratini
you have saved Pokémon that you want to send with the candy bonus
Additionally, there is currently a bonus that gives you triple experience points for catching Pokémon. Since you can catch Dratini relatively easily and thus achieve great throws, you are looking at a lot of experience points.
Will you participate in the spotlight hour today, or do you already have enough Dratini and shinies, which is why you are skipping the event today? Let us know your opinion here on MeinMMO in the comments and exchange views with other players.
In 2021, the MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online (PC, PS4/PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S) will have events that are meant to be fun and bring you rewards. We will introduce these events to you.
Events play an important role in MMORPGs. Players look forward to special events as they provide a break from regular activities in the game and usually offer valuable rewards or help players level up faster.
Therefore, fans of the MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) are excited about the celebrations, festivals, and events that take place throughout the year. In 2021, there will be such events again.
We will present to you the ESO events that are known for the year 2021, and we will update this article accordingly as new events are announced.
Keep in mind that the exact dates of the events are usually only announced shortly before their start. Where no exact date is known, we mention the period during which the events have usually taken place.
In ESO, there is always much to celebrate.
These are the ESO Events 2021
Midyear Mayhem
Period: A midyear mayhem already took place in January. Whether there will be a second one in June or July is currently unclear.
Process: Through a quest for the midyear mayhem, you travel to your faction’s main gate in the PvP area Cyrodiil. There you complete a quest and receive a scroll that grants you a 100% bonus on the Alliance War. Now, it’s about defeating as many enemy players in ESO PvP as possible. In return, you will receive rewards like mount styles or collectibles.
Who is this event for? The midyear mayhem is primarily aimed at PvP fans who enjoy participating in Alliance Wars.
The Midyear Mayhem in ESO is aimed at PvP fans.
Pan-Elsweyr Festival
Period: July to August
Process: You will venture to Elsweyr, the homeland of the Khajiit. There, you will need to complete daily quests in the northern and southern regions to collect event tickets. You can then exchange these tickets with the NPC Impresario for unique rewards. Additionally, you can obtain the first part of a mount.
Who is this event for? In principle, all players can benefit from this event and its rewards. Especially if you collect mounts, you should not miss it.
Anniversary Event
Period: Summer
Process: The anniversary event celebrates the content of the MMORPG that was released in the first year after launch. Therefore, the activities will also take place in the areas that were introduced back then. These are Orsinium, the Imperial City, and Craglorn. You can expect a series of daily quests and you will need to defeat bosses and collect loot. During this event, you will get the second part of the mount.
Who is this event for? If you’ve been with ESO since the beginning, you can celebrate this long time with a nostalgic look back at the first year.
New Chapter Event
Period: Summer
Process: This event is meant to introduce you to the new chapter Blackwood of ESO. Special events and rewards will make the story appealing to you. The exact process is not yet known. The event will reward you with the third part of the mount.
Who is this event for? If you are considering getting ESO Blackwood, participate in this event. It could not only make your decision easier, but you will also receive some rewards.
With the New Chapter Event, ESO Blackwood is meant to be made appealing to you.
Witches Festival
Period: October to November
Process: The Witches Festival essentially represents the Halloween event of ESO. You will receive an EXP bonus and take on a special quest. Through this, you will obtain event tickets that you can use for items such as spooky decorations or skins. In this event, you will receive the first part of a special house.
Who is this event for? If you want a new house, then this event is for you. Additionally, if you enjoy spooky experiences, you should participate in the Witches Festival.
Celebrations of the Undaunted
Period: November to December
Process: As an Undaunted, you venture into this event in dungeons for four players. You can use the dungeon finder or travel directly to the dungeon. There, you need to defeat the leaders. This will earn you the Undaunted Reward Chest, which contains many valuable and useful items. You will also frequently obtain special versions of items. Additionally, here, you will receive the second part of the special house.
Who is this event for? Every player should participate in the Celebrations of the Undaunted. The dungeon runs are fun and provide interesting loot that is always useful.
Process: Through a scroll from the Crown Store, you will reach the New Year’s Herald Breda, who has a special quest for you. This way, you will receive rewards. Furthermore, there are additional holiday quests during which you can celebrate together properly. You will receive plenty of gifts that are very worthwhile, including usually crafting styles, recipes, collectibles, and furnishings for your houses. In this event, you will obtain the third part of the special house.
Who is this event for? If you are in a celebratory mood and want many gifts, you should definitely participate in the New Year’s Festival. This way you can end the ESO year properly with your friends.
If new events and activities, such as mini-events, are announced, we will update this article for you.
Which ESO events are you looking forward to the most in 2021?
Patch 9.1 of World of Warcraft brings a lot, but Cortyn from MeinMMO is especially looking forward to three things. They are small allusions and cool details that make WoW more colorful and simply create a good feeling.
Slowly, very slowly, the first major update of World of Warcraft Shadowlands is coming within reach. Patch 9.1 Chains of Domination brings some major content and improvements, but also numerous small things that may go unnoticed.
In my opinion, Patch 9.1 Chains of Domination may not be the gigantic patch with a lot of content, but rather a “feel-good” patch with many small adjustments that will improve the overall experience for me.
I want to introduce you to three things from Patch 9.1 that I am really looking forward to.
Glasses Transmogs
Even though World of Warcraft offers a fairly extensive transmog system with thousands of items, there are a number of shortcomings. Other MMORPGs allow players to dye armor at will or have other freedoms in customization. Here, WoW is still somewhat restricted, although the number of items is regularly increasing.
However, a tiny detail in all the transmog items has been missing for far too long: glasses.
To be honest, this is even my personal highlight, as especially on an RP realm, the look of my characters (in most cases) is carefully thought out. There just haven’t been reasonable, ordinary glasses. Until now, you could only get safety goggles from engineers or completely over-the-top sparkly glasses straight from the 80s disco.
With Patch 9.1, that will finally change, as numerous glasses transmogs have been found in the game data. Here are a few examples from Wowhead:
Whether it’s my well-read gnome mage, the storytelling draenei, or my sexy blood elf secretary in gothic style, who can’t escape simpering arcane mages – a pair of glasses rounds off so many of my transmog sets.
It finally allows the finishing touch for the appearance of many of my characters. A small detail that is extraordinarily important for the representation of my characters.
You see: I am excited.
Besides, there are certainly a number of players who would like to adjust their character a bit to the real-life model. A stylish selection of glasses offers just the right opportunity to refine one detail or another.
Reunion with Old Friends
Yes, for some grumbling players, this is just “reheated content” and “the developers just can’t think of anything new anymore.” On the other hand, there are people who find that the new stories are totally crazy and have nothing to do with the Warcraft they loved so much.
But I really like what I’ve seen from Patch 9.1 so far.
Ner’zhul, orc shaman and first lich king, also makes an appearance in the latest raid.
The dreadlords are back as well and finally it comes to light where they originate from.
Garrosh Hellscream appears once again.
These are all, admittedly, old characters whose story would normally have long been told. But the fact that the expansion takes place in the afterlife allows and necessitates these big characters to be met one more time.
Above all, it provides the opportunity to give the characters one last cool scene and a bit more personality.
After all, orc Ner’zhul is actually a pretty important figure, but after the end of Warcraft 3, he hardly played a role anymore. There, Arthas united with the Helm of Domination and the orc soul and the shaman never played a proper role again.
Meeting his soul one last time and getting a bit more information about him is enticing. Small details for which I still love World of Warcraft after so many years.
My last point is Tazavesh, the Veiled Market. A new mega dungeon that deals with the story of the mysterious intermediaries and reveals more about their culture.
Okay, a new mega dungeon is anything but a small detail of the patch. In comparison to the large raid, it is probably just a minor thing, especially since the dungeon is not directly available for Mythic+.
However, “mega dungeons” have had a very special significance for me since their introduction.
Tazavesh will be one of Cortyn’s highlights – that’s already clear.
Whether you think back to the Blackrock Depths in Vanilla, the revamped Karazhan in Legion, or Operation: Mechagon in Battle for Azeroth. Mega dungeons have always been a special experience for me.
While I forget my first visit to ordinary dungeons over time because you simply repeat them so often in Mythic+, mega dungeons are different.
I still remember very well how we jumped into the magical vortex in Karazhan for the first time, which made us shrink.
I can still hear my tank in Discord, who was nauseated when Karazhan was suddenly turned upside down and the perspective distorted.
I still remember how much I had to laugh when we completely messed up this electric dodge run with the 4th boss of Mechagon and were overwhelmed by where the dungeon even starts or ends.
Mega dungeons always bring back many of the “first times” that you can experience in MMORPGs. Memories that last long and do not fade easily.
I already know that Tazavesh will provide me with another such experience, even though I basically haven’t seen anything concrete from the dungeon yet. But when it comes to this kind of content, I have blind trust in the developers because they can do it.
In other areas, I am less optimistic and skeptical – but that is not what this is about.
What things from Patch 9.1 are you looking forward to? Is there a cool detail or feature that you’re really excited about?
The Korean company NCSoft has been one of the world’s most successful studios producing MMORPGs for over 20 years. They are behind Lineage, Blade & Soul, and Aion. In the West, they were responsible for publishing Guild Wars 2 and WildStar. A graph showing NCSoft’s revenue figures since 1998 now reveals why so few new PC MMORPGs are being released.
This is the situation:
NCSoft has been in the MMORPG business since 1998. They are one of the largest game companies in the world. With titles like Lineage, Aion, and Blade & Soul, they have shaped the Asian MMORPG market. They operate globally, having released Guild Wars 2 and WildStar in the West.
The last PC MMORPG they released was WildStar (2014), which failed despite all efforts and had to be discontinued. The long-awaited action MMORPG “Project TL”, which is set to be released on PC and consoles, has been in development for 10 years but seems lost.
Instead, NCSoft has focused on mobile games since 2017, such as Lineage M, Lineage 2M, and more mobile games related to Aion and Blade & Soul.
Why are there hardly any large PC MMORPGs anymore?
This graph shows why PC MMORPGs are dying out: In its quarterly report for Q1 2021, NCSoft displayed the revenue development since 1998.
NCSoft’s financial report shows the revenue development of the company since 1998.
Here you can see that the company grew steadily from 1998 to 2005 with its initial titles Lineage and Lineage 2. Between 2005 and 2008, revenue stagnated for 4 years until it rose again in 2009 with the new MMORPGs Aion, Blade & Soul, and Guild Wars 2, and continued to grow relatively linearly until 2016.
In 2017, Lineage Mobile was released, a mobile version of the 20-year-old PC MMORPG “Lineage.” Revenue exploded and remained at nearly double the level of before the mobile phase for 3 years.
In the pandemic year 2020, revenue skyrocketed even further.
This is how successful mobile MMORPGs are: Another graph from NCSoft shows: In the last 9 years, MMORPGs have taken over the mobile market and the Google Play Store at least in terms of revenue, replacing the previously dominant casual games.
NCSoft considers itself a leader in the MMORPG trend with Lineage M and Lineage 2M.
In their view, mobile gamers now demand “immersive gameplay” from their games, that is, games that captivate them.
Within 9 years, MMORPGs have become the most lucrative types of games in the Google Play Store.
An MMORPG for everyone – for casuals and pros, for smartphone, PC, and console
This is the way forward: NCSoft has stated that after the “PC phase” and the “mobile phase”, they now wish to tackle two more phases:
They want to bring their games to consoles, as there is a demand for MMOs there.
Ultimately, the endgame is that people will play the same games on PC, mobile, and consoles.
As the “new game” in the pipeline for PC and consoles, NCSoft currently has only “Project TL”: The long-awaited MMORPG has been in development for 10 years. In the second half of 2021, “internal tests” are set to take place.
This is how NCSoft envisions the future of MMORPGs: One game for PC, mobile, and consoles.
This is the problem: In South Korea, the future seems to be heading towards NCSoft creating an MMORPG that is supposed to run on mobile and PC – perhaps even on consoles in the West. The idea is that people will play the game on the go with their smartphones and run it at home via an emulator on their computers.
However, players of PC MMORPGs in the West have developed a strong aversion to mobile games.
Yet, based on the numbers, it seems at least in the medium term unlikely that NCSoft will develop another MMORPG focused solely on PC players after Project TL.
From NCSoft’s depiction of sharks for hardcore users, whales for mid-core users, and a school of fish for casual players, it is clear to see NCSoft’s mindset: they aim to reach as many players as possible since each one generates revenue. And clearly, revenue is primarily in the mobile sector.
The Elder Scrolls Online has been around for over 6 years now, and the game has changed a lot since then. This can be confusing for returning players. But with our tips and advice, you’ll be able to return optimally.
2021 is once again a great year for ESO fans. With the new chapter Blackwood, the realms of Oblivion finally make a prominent return to the game this summer. Unfortunately, there isn’t a new class, but now you can lead NPC companions into battle, who also have their own story. But when returning to a large MMORPG like ESO after a long absence, confusion can set in. You suddenly find yourself in the world again, with an inventory full of strange items and tons of messages pointing to all sorts of new features.
This can quickly ruin the fun or even prevent you from checking out an old game again. But don’t worry, it’s not as bad as it seems. We from the ESO team at MeinMMO have summarized our experiences in the game along with tips from the community from the German ESO Facebook group as well as the popular ESO streamers Alex0s and MiezeMelli here in a comprehensive returnee guide.
A special thanks to the following community members for your tips and advice:
Tanja Burri
Julia Gore
Yorghan Elkaroon
Samuel Crow
Sonja Kolthof
Bastian Lassdass
[toc]
Old Hero or New Character?
As a returning player, you already have at least one character that you created earlier. Is it worth playing that character again or is it better to start fresh?
The Benefits of Starting Fresh with a New Character
Reasons to choose a new hero: Unless you already have a powerful character at max level, it would be a good idea to start over with a new hero. ESO thrives on its story and atmosphere, which unfolds especially when you are there from the beginning.
Start fresh or let the old heroine out again?
Additionally, this way you will get to know the many new systems and tutorials from the start and can optimally reap the new rewards as you level up. Once you are familiar with the game again, you can always bring out your old hero.
Here are all the advantages of a restart at a glance:
You get to know the game and the story properly from the beginning
You won’t be overwhelmed by numerous skills and passive abilities and can reintegrate optimally.
You can test the new, now changed racial bonuses and save yourself the expensive race change tokens (you received some for free).
You receive the newly introduced rewards per level, including a mount starting at level 10.
You can immediately focus on a role like DD, Support, or Tank.
You can play the new classes of the Warden (introduced with Morrowind in 2017) or the Necromancer (released in 2019 with Elsweyr). There is still no option to change classes.
What You Can Do to Reacquaint Yourself with Your Old Hero
How to get back into your old hero: However, there are certainly some of you who have an old, beloved hero whom you don’t want to give up. In that case, you’ll just find yourself lost in the wilderness and confronted with the following things:
Your old build and skills have probably become obsolete due to various patches and upgrades. It’s likely that all your skill points have also been reset.
Your mailbox is probably full of information about past events, so clean it up.
Make sure to check your notifications for received items. You may have received free stuff while you were away. And what’s better than starting the game with a few gifts?
If you are now no longer satisfied with your hero, you can still change your name, race (much has changed here as well), and appearance for a fee.
This is what the Champion system looks like.
Help, what happened to my veteran ranks? Those who were around much earlier and knew the good old veteran ranks will be surprised. Because they are now gone.
Now, when you level up beyond the max level, you instead receive so-called Champion Points (CP). The Champion Points were recently significantly revamped in Update 29. Instead of the previous 9 constellations, there are now only 3, and these provide you with access to passive bonuses, including a higher chance to catch fish or more damage for certain actions.
The respective skills in the constellations give you corresponding bonuses that noticeably accumulate over time.
More Useful Tips for Anyone Returning to Tamriel in 2020
Depending on how long it’s been since you last played ESO, the following advice will make your return easier.
Pay Attention to the Zone Guide and the Class Guide
This is how you find your way around the world again: One of the biggest problems in ESO was that you often got lost in the large areas and could even miss exciting quests.
But finally, in 2019, a solution to this problem came: the Zone Guide. You can find it in the group finder menu or on the left side of the map. There you will see detailed listings of quests, wayshrines, dungeons, crafting stations, and other things to discover in the selected region.
The Zone Guide makes returning and reorienting in ESO much easier and less confusing, so be sure to give it a try.
This is what has changed from the old system: In the past, you could only wander around in your faction’s areas and only play regions that were appropriate for your level. But thankfully, this was changed in 2016 with One Tamriel.
Everyone can now play with everyone.
Since then, you can go anywhere you want, regardless of race, alliance, or level. So you can truly play ESO like a typical Elder Scrolls game without a rigid framework that restricts your play style.
And yes, it really doesn’t matter what level you are. The game scales you, your companions, and the enemies to a common level, so theoretically, you can play with complete beginners and absolute veterans as a mid-level hero, and everyone can receive appropriate loot and experience points.
Join Guilds, Including Trade Guilds!
Here’s what guilds offer: In ESO, you can join not just one but up to 5 guilds. It’s best to find a beginner-friendly group that can assist you with questions. The ESO community is still one of the friendliest and most helpful in the MMORPG genre.
Once you have gained a bit of experience, you will surely also get invited to dungeons or even “trials” (that’s what raids are called in ESO). There you can earn special gear that scales optimally due to the aforementioned One Tamriel. So you can comfortably go into instances even before reaching the maximum level.
This is why guilds are essential for crafters: The guild is especially invaluable if you (still) don’t have ESO Plus. Without the crafting bag, your inventory will fill up quickly with resources. You need them for crafting dailies, but you can safely store them in the guild bank. And if you are missing a certain herb or material, your guildmates will surely help you out quickly.
Reasons for Trade Guilds: Trade guilds are especially useful if you find a lot of stuff that you just want to sell. You can utilize the trade system optimally through the trade guild and achieve better prices for your items.
This is the optimal distribution of guild memberships:
1 Raid or Dungeon Guild
1 Personal Guild (for the guild bank as extra storage, but you need to have 10 members to unlock this)
1 Casual Fun Guild, e.g. for roleplay – ESO is actually very suitable for this
1 Trade Guild with several different trading locations
1 additional guild at your discretion, for example a PvP guild or another trade guild if you want to sell a lot of stuff.
You Can Now Steal and Sell Expensively
This is how thievery works: Since the Thieves Guild addon, you can steal and sell items much better and more effectively. However, you must not be seen. Ideally, you should steal in secluded corners or sneak up from behind unsuspecting NPCs and pick their pockets.
In this manner, you can obtain valuable items that you can sell to special fences in every major city. There are also daily quests for heists in these thief hideouts, which can be quite lucrative. So you can quickly make a lot of money. But be careful not to get caught, as it can get expensive.
You can also be a thief and get rich now.
Complete Area Quests and Collect Sky Shards
Here’s why you should do this: Especially at the beginning, you should go hunting for sky shards to earn enough skill points. Additionally, always complete the respective area quests, as they also grant skill points.
You will always need them, especially since with Greymoor, the antiques system comes a new skill line for all heroes, for which you will again need new skill points.
On PC, you can find sky shards particularly well with mods and addons. We have linked some especially useful ones for you here. Don’t forget the best mods for the user interface:
This is why you should go there: Crafters in ESO have to walk a lot. Each craft has its own workbench, and you can only create, dismantle, enhance, and research there. In many cities, the individual crafting stations are often far apart, and you will frequently have to run quite a distance for profitable crafting dailies.
However, luckily there are places where the crafters are closely grouped together. You can craft particularly effectively in:
All of these places have no long walking distances, so the relevant crafting stations are all located in one place, and you can complete your crafting dailies in no time.
There’s Now Housing and It’s Even Free!
Here’s how to get your free house: You currently receive a nice house from the Elsweyr main quest line with unlockable additional rooms. This is the perfect way to get into housing.
If you don’t have access to Elsweyr, you can settle for at least a small room. This is also available for free through a questline that you can get from the Crown Store.
The housing allows you to create your perfect home and fill it with all kinds of knickknacks from your adventures. Additionally, you can place access points to the bank and crafting stations here.
These are house guests: Also cool are the new house guests. These are NPCs that you can place in your house. They will walk along designated paths and make your housing feel more alive.
You Can Now Change Your Item Attributes Under “Personalities”
This is why roleplayers love this feature: For some time now, you can not only use a ton of cool emotes, but you can also change the entire animation set of your hero. You do this by opening the menu where you find your costumes and selecting the “Personalities” tab.
This allows you to become, among other things, the heroic leader, the sly thief, the cold-blooded assassin, or the drunken bum staggering around with a full mug. Personalities are worth their weight in gold, especially for roleplaying. You can obtain them from the Crown Store or as rewards for certain actions and dungeons.
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This is why you no longer need to farm equipment endlessly: Since the “City of Clockwork” DLC was released, you can change your equipment during crafting. So if you like the axe you just looted but want it with a different attribute, you can now easily change it.
Provided you have already researched the respective attribute for the equipment category beforehand. So if you want the axe to be “Precise” instead of “Infused,” you’ll need to have already unlocked the “Infused” attribute for axes via deconstruction. Then you just need the coveted transmutation crystals, which are obtainable through:
Dailies of the Undaunted
Raids
Arenas
PvP
Thanks to the transmutation system, you no longer have to farm new equipment every time a patch nerfs your previous attributes or if some aspects of the loot don’t suit you.
This is why ESO Plus is useful: You can play ESO with all your purchased addons at any time without restrictions. However, if you subscribe to ESO Plus, you get many useful benefits. If you intend to play longer, you should definitely consider at least a monthly subscription. Among other things, you’ll receive the following advantages:
You get an unlimited bag for crafting materials that would otherwise clutter your inventory
You can further indulge in housing because there are more placeable objects in the subscription
The subscription offers many benefits, especially for crafting.
Claim Your Daily Login Reward
This is why you should log in every day: For some time now, ESO offers you a small reward just for showing up each day. Log into the game and claim, for example, an XP booster scroll, tasty buff food, or other useful items for free.
Visit the Stable Master Every Day
This is the benefit of your daily visit to the stable: This simple trick was particularly recommended by the community. Because every 24 hours, you can buy a horse upgrade from the stable master at the local stable. Don’t miss your daily upgrade, as you won’t be able to claim it retroactively.
Speed: You ride faster
Carrying capacity: You get an additional inventory slot, the most useful upgrade.
Stamina: Your horse consumes less stamina when sprinting and you will be thrown off less frequently.
Play ESO at a Relaxed Pace, Don’t Rush Through the Content
This is why relaxation is important: This tip has also been mentioned frequently in the community. Because you should definitely enjoy ESO without pressure and stress. The game never forces you to reach a specific level quickly or to complete a certain quest line.
Rather, the vast world of Tamriel invites you to explore thoroughly. So don’t just run straight to the quest, but take detours, explore new areas, and occasionally do a small instance through the dungeon finder or the guild.
We had you vote on which Primals in Final Fantasy XIV are your absolute favorites. Here are the results.
What it’s about: The Primals play a central role in the world and story of FFXIV. They represent the summons from the Final Fantasy universe and appear in the game in the form of spectacular boss fights. They enjoy great popularity among players.
In a community survey, we at MeinMMO wanted to find out which of these Primals is the player favorite. You answered us, and here is the community ranking of the most popular Primals.
This was the vote distribution: As there are now many Primals in FFXIV, participants could choose up to 3 favorites. Therefore, the results add up to more than 100%. A total of 822 votes were cast.
Rank 25: Enkidu (0.97 %)
Rank 24: Zurvan (2.07 %)
Rank 23: Bismarck (2.19 %)
Rank 22: Ramuh (2.31 %)
Rank 21: Garuda (3.89 %)
Rank 20: War Goddess (4.74 %)
Rank 19: Phoenix (4.87 %)
Rank 17: Leviathan (5.84 %)
Rank 16: Ifrit (6.45 %)
Rank 15: Titan (6.57 %)
Rank 14: Odin (7.42 %)
Rank 13: King Mogul Mog (7.91 %)
Rank 12: Sophia (8.39 %)
Rank 11: Sephirot (8.64 %)
Here are also the Top 10 Primals that you chose in our survey.
Warning: From here on, there are heavy spoilers about the story of FFXIV.
Rank 10: Ravana
9.73 %
This is Ravana: The first Wild Tribe that players encounter in the Heavensward expansion are the Gnath. They are insect-like beings connected by a large swarm mentality. At the top of this swarm mentality is Ravana, their god and an absolute warmonger.
Ravana’s entire existence is geared toward combat and conquest. He believes that one can only survive by subjugating and plundering others. Accordingly, his love for battles is great, and he challenges the Warrior of Light to a duel, which he ultimately loses.
Why Ravana is popular: The battle against Ravana introduced a series of new fun mechanics that hadn’t been seen in FFXIV before. For example, he switches between three stances that influence his sword attacks and the damage he takes. Players had to pay close attention to when to use their strong burst combos.
At the same time, Ravana, despite his warmongering nature, is still honorable. After his defeat, he keeps his promise and withdraws his Gnath army, so they no longer attack the surrounding areas and leave the residents in peace.
Rank 9: Knights of the Round
10.22 %
This is the Knights of the Round: While King Thordan and his knights were worshipped as holy in Ishgard, they were actually power-hungry murderers. 1,000 years ago, they murdered the great dragon Ratatoskr and stole its eyes, in which the incredible power of the dragon was sealed.
By doing so, they unleashed the war that would last 1,000 years and cost countless lives. For Nidhogg, the brother and partner of Ratatoskr, went mad with rage and grief. He swore to avenge his sister and eliminate every single descendant of Thordan, whether they were guilty or not.
Why the Knights of the Round are popular: As the final boss battle of the first expansion Heavensward, the fight against the Knights of the Round is spectacularly staged. Although you mainly fight against King Thordan, his knights also come into play repeatedly. After all the events in Heavensward, the battle against them is truly gratifying.
Additionally, the Knights of the Round are an extremely popular summon from Final Fantasy VII, which holds a high nostalgic value for many fans. Seeing these knights in better graphics and even fighting against them was a cool experience for many.
Rank 8: Lakshmi
10.71 %
This is Lakshmi: Lakshmi is actually not an evil deity. Worshipped by the snake-like Ananta, she is the goddess of good harvest and peace. According to the legends of the Ananta, she brings life and joy. But not when she is summoned as a Primal to take revenge.
The leader of the Qalyana tribe of the Ananta was so angry and full of grief over the murder of her daughter that she summoned her goddess Lakshmi and asked for help. She wanted her daughter to be resurrected. But the distorted image of the benevolent Lakshmi made her and her fellow tribeswomen her slaves.
Why Lakshmi is popular: Lakshmi is one of the most beautiful Primals in FFXIV, and this is reflected in the fight. The setting is very oriental, and Lakshmi’s attacks look like large lotus flowers. During the battle, she tells you that she does not want to hurt you. You should surrender and live in joy in her realm.
Moreover, Lakshmi’s boss theme is very cheerful and sounds enticing. Additionally, Lakshmi was a source of memes in the community. Her name, for example, was often used as “Lakshmimimi”. Additionally, there was the phrase “If you want a lot, play with Vril,” which is a mix of the Pril advertising slogan and the Vril mechanic from the fight.
Rank 7: Alexander
Alexander Boss Fight
10.83 %
This is Alexander: In ancient times, the huge colossus Alexander was built as a refuge. In it, philosophers and scholars were to pursue the secrets of life and the world undisturbed. But his power to manipulate time fell into the wrong hands.
Power-hungry goblins wanted to use him to create a world where they would dominate everything. To prevent this, players must infiltrate Alexander and destroy him from within. A plan that the Primal itself has set into motion because its mere existence would annihilate the world.
Why Alexander is popular: When you first enter the new zone of the Dravanian Hinterland in Heavensward, Alexander is the absolute highlight. The gigantic Primal sits half-submerged in a lake, covered by a magical dome.
The sight definitely leaves a deep first impression, and as a player, you want to find out what is behind it. Moreover, Alexander comes in stylish steampunk look, which had been rather rare in FFXIV until then.
This is Shinryu: Powerful artifacts should not simply be thrown into any abyss to get rid of them. This bitter lesson was learned by the NPCs and the player character in FFXIV when the traitor Ilbert used the dragon eyes of Nidhogg in battle to summon the powerful dragon Shinryu.
After Shinryu was later captured by the Garlean and held on the roof of the palace of Ala Mhigo, the crown prince Zenos took an interest in him. He fused with the dragon to become even stronger and to defeat the Warrior of Light. However, that did not happen.
Why Shinryu is popular: The fight against Shinryu was the final boss battle of the Stormblood expansion and was correspondingly spectacularly staged. Players fight on a platform high in the sky and can be thrown off at any time by Shinryu’s attacks.
Moreover, the giant dragon ultimately destroys the platform, and players have to hold on tightly to his scales to avoid dying. The cool fight and top-notch music evidently left a big impression on FFXIV players.
On the next page, we continue with ranks 5 to 1.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
