In Destiny 2, there is a multi-week event, and the Hunters winning is allegedly already planned by Bungie. Additionally, Titans are using an unusual weapon in the competition to still achieve victory: math.
So it is in the event: On the evening of April 27, the Guardian Games 2021 entered their second round. The clear winner of the first week was the Hunters. Their flag was almost permanently at the top every 7 days.
The event is about achieving as many medals as possible for your class; the score is then visually represented in the social space with flags (see title image). The clear victory in week 1 is well-deserved for the Hunters, but now allegations of manipulation are surfacing.
Has Bungie manipulated everything? Bungie is said to have secretly determined the Hunters as the winners of the Guardian Games.
The reason is said to be that at this year’s highly publicized victory celebration, Cayde’s successor is to be announced to honor all Hunters.
Bungie is allegedly manipulating the Guardian Games for story-related reasons.
The “winning streak” of the Hunters can’t be explained any other way.
Cunning Guardians have already found the ultimate proof of this in the data: The boss in the Tower, Zavala, congratulates the Hunters on their victory in the 2021 competition. Here is a screenshot of the message that is circulating online:
Zavala congratulates the Hunters on their victory – Source: Forbes.com
Conspiracy Theory in Destiny 2 Debunked
Therefore, everything is correct: The message from Zavala means nothing since Warlocks and Titans also receive this message. Bungie has simply prepared congratulations in the data pipeline for every potential winner. If Cayde’s successor is really to be announced (that is, Crow!), then the Hunters do not necessarily have to win.
It is strange, however, that the victory ceremony, which lasts several days, is specifically announced in the Season 13 roadmap. Whatever awaits us there could transition into the next season, which starts on May 11.
Here’s the explanation: Bungie has already predicted in advance that Hunters would dominate the first days of the competition. This is simply because there are more Hunters than Warlocks or Titans in terms of numbers. More Guardians of a class also means more medals – if everyone plays equally.
To balance this out, a catch-up mechanic is in place. The loser of an event day collects a daily bonus of 10% on future medals.
This system was implemented by Bungie precisely to prevent conspiracy theories and allegations of manipulation, as these became so loud in 2020 that the Destiny developer had to/wanted to grant data access.
Titans and Warlocks have not yet lost. It is certainly possible for Hunters to win the Guardian Games 2021 by a large margin, but not because Bungie has predetermined it. By the way, while writing this article (9:00 AM), the Warlock banner is flying high in the Tower.
A Titan in Guardian Games outfit with clenched fists – that’s how we know it
Titans Use Math Instead of Their Fists
This is how Titans want to “cheat”: What do you associate with Titans? Exactly, raw power. However, some of the tough-guy archetypes are now playing it smart like Warlocks and using their brains. The player LogPowerslave has noticed that you can outsmart Bungie’s catch-up mechanic in the Guardian Games with mathematics (via Twitter).
If you intentionally lose the first 9 event days, the accumulated catch-up bonus becomes so large that Titans can easily win. It’s about the percentage distribution of players per class. Mathematically, Titans should be able to win this year as well.
Whether all Titans adhere to the tactic remains to be seen.
The table and the calculations therein could, of course, be utilized by all classes, but the name “Uncle Log’s Guardian Games Calculator for the Glory of Titans” speaks a clear language.
What Guardians can do with math, when they’re not busy calculating DPS numbers for the best raid exotic …
Will the Hunters continue to dominate the Guardian Games, or has Bungie created a reasonable catch-up mechanic this year? Are you diligently collecting medals for your class or are you finished with the competition as soon as you have snagged the event exotic including catalyst? Let us know in the comments.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Genre: Simulation | Developer: Raiser Games | Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch | Release: 2021
YouTubers Life 2 is the sequel to the simulator of the same name. You take on the role of a YouTuber whose goal is to become the best. The game provides you with a lot of tools and gameplay features.
In the simulation game with cute anime design, you work every day to improve your status as a YouTuber. You complete missions and quests based on real tasks of a YouTuber.
You take care of your channel and produce new videos
You stream live for your followers
You take photos and post them on the social media channel Insta-Life
You engage with your community and interact with fans
You maintain friendships and network with other YouTubers from the game
Throughout the game, you earn money for your videos and streams that you can use for your daily life and future investments to promote your channel.
This includes buying normal food as well as new video and streaming equipment to improve the quality of your content. You can also get new furniture for your gamer pad or clothes for your character.
Fundamentally, you have to manage your in-game life by making decisions about your purchases or determining how your day should look to gain new fans with your content or make useful contacts.
Meanwhile, you compete with other streamers and YouTubers and must always keep an eye on current trends to adjust your content strategy accordingly. Otherwise, you’ll be left behind.
You are accompanied in your YouTuber adventures by a small drone that acts as your buddy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ex8r3GBmxk
Trailer for YouTubers Life 2 on YouTube.
Build your YouTuber life
What features are there? In a gameplay presentation and the subsequent Q&A, we learned more about the features of YouTubers Life 2 from MeinMMO. The foundation of the game is a classic simulator, which means you can primarily create a character.
You can customize your avatar’s appearance as you like: Starting with the face, body type, and hair, and ending with a variety of shirts, hats, shoes, and pants.
And you can unlock additional customization options during the game. This includes various furniture for your apartment. You can furnish it like a real gamer pad with posters of games, merchandise, or figures.
Or you can give different rooms different designs that you use as backgrounds for shoots or streams. The feature works similarly to other simulation games like The Sims or Animal Crossing. You can rotate, flip, and place the furniture as you like.
This is what I would look like in YouTubers Life 2.
You can buy the new items either with hard-earned money or unlock them. This is done, for example, by completing special tasks, achieving goals, or building relationships with NPCs and other YouTubers.
When you talk to the NPCs, you can become friends with them through various dialog options and take selfies together. The NPCs will also give you quests where you can get new items for your appearance or your pad as rewards.
And as we learned in the gameplay presentation, you can also stir up drama if you want to. This happens, for example, by arguing with another YouTuber. For this, there are the appropriate dialog options you can choose when interacting with NPCs.
This could even attract real haters like in real life.
You can freely design your apartment and shop for new items that you can buy with in-game currency.
How does a day in the game go?
The gameplay flow is divided into days, which later sum up to a year. In general, it is up to you how you spend your day in YouTubers Life 2.
The game sets the goal of becoming the number 1 YouTuber by the end of the year, but as the developers revealed to us, there is no game over. If you don’t achieve the goal within a year, you simply move on to the next year.
Accordingly, there is also no time pressure, and you can do whatever you feel like on those days. A classic day in YouTubers Life 2 could look like this:
So the day could start: You wake up in the morning and plan to record a “Let’s Play” video first. However, you don’t sit down in front of the camera immediately, but first check the trends in your menu.
In the gameplay presentation, we were told that the new trend system significantly influences your success as a YouTuber. What is cool right now? What are people talking about? And how can you participate? Therefore, it is important to stay up to date.
Let’s assume it turns out that horror games are currently trending, and you have the perfect game for it in your collection.
But even then, you don’t just sit in front of the camera to start playing. It matters how your recording room looks. For example, if you hang up the appropriate decorations, it will give your video a bonus.
While recording, you play a mini-game that determines the quality of your video. You have a selection of reaction types that you need to use in various situations to score more points. Over time, you unlock new cards with a greater variety of reactions.
Of course, there will also be gaming events that you can attend.
So the day could continue: After recording, editing, and uploading the video, you move on to the next activity. For example, a stream that is also accompanied by a mini-game. Here you have to play a kind of “mini-dance-dance-revolution” and press the right buttons at the right moment to collect points.
And at the end of the day, you decide to take a cool photo for your followers on Insta-Life. If you haven’t posted on social media for too long, your followers will start to worry and ask where you are.
For the photo, you can not only change your own clothes to match the trends but also the furniture in your apartment. This way, you can set up a room that has a Mediterranean feel or another room with a Gothic look.
How many activities you can complete in a day depends on your energy bar. For example, streaming continuously consumes energy, and you can stream for as long as your bar is empty.
Afterwards, you are exhausted and must either eat something or go to sleep. Sleeping also has the effect of saving your progress and showing you an overview of your status.
In that sense: Good night!
This is not what YouTubers Life 2 wants to be
What about microtransactions? In addition to the actual features and goals of the game, an important point during the gameplay presentation was also what the developers want to avoid with YouTubers Life 2.
The developers revealed to us that the target audience for the game is younger people aged about 12 to 20 years, possibly also kids who follow YouTube with great interest. Therefore, it is important for the developers that YouTubers Life 2 does not have microtransactions.
All items in the game can be earned by either completing quests or starting new relationships with NPCs and receiving items from them. You don’t need any additional money. So once you buy YouTubers Life 2, you get the complete package.
Will I really become a YouTuber? Furthermore, YouTubers Life 2 does not intend to be a guide on how to become a YouTuber in real life. The game is intentionally kept light-hearted and has also fantasy elements, such as an item that can erase NPCs’ memories or NPCs that are not 100% human.
Although the real processes behind YouTube, trends, and streaming were used as the basis for the game, there is also an intentional disregard for realism to provide more fun and variety.
This is the future of YouTubers Life 2: During the gameplay presentation of the game, the conversation naturally also revolved around the content that players can expect after the launch of YouTubers Life 2.
The developers want to stay true to their previous approach. The complete DLC that the predecessor game received was free. This is how it should be handled with YouTubers Life 2 as well. This goes hand in hand with the developers’ goal of not imposing additional costs, such as microtransactions, on the game.
Although it was not revealed to us what specific content will be released. In the predecessor, players received new outfits, accessories, and new career opportunities in the form of a fashion channel in the DLCs.
It is therefore quite likely that YouTubers Life 2 will also introduce similar content as new content.
Conclusion: A cute game to relax
What I saw during the presentation of YouTubers Life 2 immediately reminded me of simulation games like The Sims: Superstar or Animal Crossing. Fans of these games might enjoy YouTubers Life 2, especially since decorating the apartment plays a large role.
It looks like a relaxing game where you can pursue the goal of becoming the biggest YouTuber. The gameplay is framed by mini-games and other activities, of which there are plenty.
The cute graphic style of the game is well suited for a younger audience, especially for kids who are interested in YouTube and trends. At the same time, the game does not take itself too seriously and is definitely not a guide on how to break into the YouTube business.
It features funny and even paranormal elements that lighten the atmosphere and give the game a unique charm. It is a game I would play with my nephews or nieces.
PS to the developers: Please allow us to give the drone a name of its own. I want to name mine Waffles.
Irina Moritz Community Manager at MeinMMO
Disclaimer: YouTubers Life by U-Play Online is published by Raiser Games. Raiser Games is co-financed by Webedia Group, which also includes Mein-MMO.de,
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
On Guild Wars 2, the big finale of the Icebrood Saga was released on April 27. MeinMMO editor Alexander Leitsch played the patch and is divided. Although he participated in an epic battle between two dragons, the entire patch felt rather disappointing.
What kind of patch was it? Since September 2019, the so-called Icebrood Saga has been running. It is a continuous story that has been continued every 6 to 8 weeks and has led me to an epic moment.
During the season, a duel between two Elder Dragons was brewing: The Ice Dragon Jormag wanted to take out his brother, the Fire Dragon Primordus, at all costs. This was a special moment for me because, on the one hand, Primordus has accompanied me since the story of Guild Wars 1, and on the other hand, the previous battles against the Elder Dragons have all been staged very epically.
However, the big finale of the Icebrood Saga has two faces for me:
On the one hand, the epic and visually stunning battle between two dragons
On the other hand, the resulting consequences, the weak ending, and the generally small scope of the episode
Overall, the patch was a huge disappointment and, without exaggeration, the worst finale that any of the Living World seasons or an addon has had.
About the author: Alexander Leitsch has been writing about Guild Wars 2 on various gaming sites since 2011. For nearly 7 years, he led the GW2 fan site Guildnews.de and has over 9,000 play hours in the MMORPG. He devours every new patch and is also very active in the game’s community.
Massive dragons clash
What happens in the episode? At the beginning, we meet in the Eye of the North, the hub of the Icebrood Saga. There, we talk to the dragon Aurene, our ally, about the upcoming battle. Because she stands for balance, and should one of the two Elder Dragons, Jormag or Primordus, kill the other without being killed herself, the balance would be in danger.
So we lure the two Elder Dragons to a location where we have a slight advantage and where we could prepare for the battle.
In fact, the scene of the battle is something epic. On the left side is the massive Ice Dragon, and on the right side is the Fire Dragon. Both fight each other and also us, as we stand in the middle of the arena. It’s exciting: How do I win against the dragons? And does the battle end in another massive explosion of magic? How much does this explosion damage our world?
2 massive dragons fighting each other.
The battle that I can actively experience mainly takes place against the small champions of the dragons:
On the one hand, there is Ryland, a Charr and son of Rytlock, who plays an important role in the story of GW2.
For Primordus, our friend Braham fights, who, as a Norn, always aimed to take out Jormag.
This very battle against the two champions is rather disappointing. They mainly draw attention with a lot of health, less with cool mechanics. I rarely have to dodge, mainly deal damage, and it sometimes takes so long that I could calmly have dinner in the meantime. That’s not how I imagine an epic battle.
After we have defeated the two champions, the dragons become momentarily vulnerable. We use special crystals to deal damage to them. Yay, totally creative and exciting …
After a short regeneration, I fight against the champions again, make the dragons vulnerable again, and then deal damage to them. And that again and again.
After 4 rounds, both dragons completely go insane, attack each other, and kill themselves in a massive explosion. BAM. 30 minutes of gameplay, and both dragons are dead.
The conclusion of the battle: Visually, the battle had a lot to offer, but in terms of mechanics, all excitement and fun were somehow absent. At no point did I feel that I could die or that the dragons had an ace up their sleeves.
What happened after the battle? The champions of the dragons, Ryland and Braham, survived. How that was possible, I don’t know. After all, they were directly underneath the two battling dragons and in the midst of their explosion of magic.
However, while Braham regains consciousness and behaves “normally”, the Charr Ryland goes berserk. He accuses his father of not risking anything and babbles something about a hard childhood because his dad was so famous.
So we continue to fight him until, in the end, dad Rytlock stabs him in the stomach with a knife. The scene afterwards was quite dramatic, but whatever. The fight had, by the way, more mechanics than the fight against the dragon champions, but it was still boring due to Ryland’s incredibly high health points.
Ryland, before being possessed by the Elder Dragon Jormag.
How does the patch end? After the death of Ryland, there is a brief meeting of our hero group along with the dragon Aurene. We talk about the fact that the released magic was not completely absorbed by Aurene, but floated somewhere away.
Anyone connecting the dots will notice that it was probably absorbed by the underwater dragon, the last of the 6 Elder Dragons. He lives somewhere between Tyria (our continent) and Cantha (the continent of the upcoming expansion “End of Dragons”).
However, no bridge is built here yet. There is also no real epilogue, no cool cinematic, nothing that puts me in a spirit of departure or makes me excited for the upcoming expansion.
1 hour of gameplay and no feelings of happiness
What is the problem with the update? For me, 3 things about this patch are disappointing:
The scope of the patch is really small with just under 60 minutes of gameplay
The battle offered few highlights
A cool transition or epilogue at the end is missing
The last point is at the top of the list.
The second season of the Living World ended with us flying into the jungle on airships. The airships were destroyed in a cinematic by massive vines, and we crashed. That was a cool cliffhanger, and I wanted to know what would happen next; I was excited for the upcoming expansion.
The finale of the third season revealed who had been harassing us all along and introduced the antagonist of the new expansion: the god Balthasar. Here, a certain hatred for the god built up, which I wanted to take down in Path of Fire.
However, with the Icebrood Saga, I was left with nothing. The epic feeling of battle was quickly gone, the fight against Ryland reminded me of a petulant child, and the outlook for the upcoming expansion End of Dragons essentially went down the drain.
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All we have so far about End of Dragons is this trailer from 2020.
Even the last 3 updates of the Icebrood Saga were rather disappointing. The developers themselves admitted this in a livestream. It was stated that many resources were diverted for the new expansion End of Dragons. Therefore, the content at the end of the saga was smaller.
But a season finale should be treated with more love. As a long-time fan who has been looking forward to the dragon Primordus since 2008, his death is certainly a harsh disappointment.
Of all the previous finales that Guild Wars 2 has had, the Icebrood Saga leaves by far the worst feeling. And I truly hope that the upcoming expansion will at least justify it in part.
But there is still other content! Yes, that’s true. One can:
Experience the fight against the dragons in a group
Unlock new achievements
Earn new rewards in the form of a new greatsword, a shield, and new infusions
But all that is not as important to me as a good story and a good transition to the new expansion. And those are not given in the season finale.
Guild Wars 2 brings new content this summer: A small ray of hope after the disappointing episode was the latest blog post from Guild Wars 2. In it, they explain their content plan for the summer and the time until the expansion. At least there are some highlights planned, including the return of the legendary puppet:
Players of the Call of Duty: Warzone are on the hunt for the next weapon superstar, and assault rifles are under close scrutiny. Warzone expert “JGOD” has collaborated with his community to create a ranking of the popular weapon class, and MeinMMO presents his results and top representatives.
What is it about? With the launch of Season 3, the weapons meta of Call of Duty: Warzone has been disrupted:
Marksman rifles no longer outshine everything at range
The FFAR 1 is no longer the king of close combat
Now, one question arises: Which weapons should I actually take? For the popular assault rifles, we want to provide you with a decision-making aid. Therefore, we show you the ranking from CoD YouTuber “JGOD,” who has evaluated and ranked all 20 assault rifles.
MeinMMO shows you his ranking and a deeper categorization for the best representatives of the weapon class, so you can decide which weapon is suitable for you.
[toc]
The 20 Assault Rifles of Warzone in Ranking
CR-56 AMAX – Range/Sniper Support
RAM-7 – Sniper Support
AK-47 from Cold War – Sniper Support
FARA 83 – Sniper Support
FFAR 1 – SMG
Krig 6 – Range
M4A1 – Range
AS VAL – SMG
Grau 5.56 – Range
M13 – Range
XM4 – Range
Groza – Sniper Support
AN94 – Range
Kilo 141 – Range
FAL – Range
FR 5.56 – Range
QBZ – Range
Oden – Range
AK-47 from CoD MW – Sniper Support
FN Scar 17 – Range
Currently at the top is the CR-56 AMAX – and by a wide margin. Notably, the top 5 weapons on the list are specialists for close combat. Only the AMAX can do both and excels in both long- and close-range combat. Additionally, the Krig 6 manages to secure second place among the range weapons as a newcomer in the weapons meta.
If you want to take a closer look at JGOD’s results, check out his spreadsheet (via Google Docs). Here you will find his weapon rankings and setups for all weapons in Warzone.
The 3 Best Assault Rifles for Sniper Support
What do Sniper Supports need to excel? As a secondary weapon to a sniper rifle, the firearms need strong values in the following categories:
High Mobility
Good movement speed and a short aiming time for close combat
Good Damage Range
Cover as much of the area where the sniper is inefficient as possible
Strong Damage
In close combat duels, almost every millisecond counts
The weapons are used in the range that is too close for a sniper rifle – usually between 40 and 60 meters max. Additionally, they have to compete with submachine guns at very short distances. Currently, especially the rifles from Cold War offer very strong values in the important mobility – yet two rifles from CoD MW have made it to the top of the close combat assault rifles:
CR-56 AMAX
RAM-7
AK-47 from Cold War
CR-56 AMAX in Close Combat
What is the AMAX capable of? The assault rifle has been one of the strongest weapons in the game since the start of Warzone. It is controllable, has immense damage, and a decent range. In terms of mobility, it leaves a little to be desired. Nevertheless, JGOD states that the AMAX is currently the only assault rifle that he would call overpowered. Just like with the FFAR 1 before its nerf, you can achieve a time-to-kill (TTK) of under 500 milliseconds (476 ms) with only chest shots.
CoD Warzone: CR-56 AMAX Setup – Sniper Support
Muzzle: Silencer (Monolithic)
Barrel: XRK Zodiac S440
Underbarrel: Commando Foregrip
Ammo: 45-Round Magazine
Grip: XRK CR-56 Patterned Grip
instead of the grip also “Tactical Laser”
RAM-7 in Close Combat
What is the RAM-7 capable of? The weapon from Season 1 of Modern Warfare shines with a large initial damage range and inflicts full damage without attachments up to 28 meters. It also comes with good handling and a high rate of fire, allowing it to hit hard. The TTK for torso hits is 561 milliseconds and can be reduced to 491 ms with 2 headshots. Here are more details on the RAM-7 in Warzone compared to weapons from CoD MW.
CoD Warzone: RAM-7 Setup – Sniper Support
Muzzle: Silencer (Monolithic)
Barrel: FORGE TAC Eclipse
Laser: Tactical Laser
Underbarrel: Commando Foregrip
Ammo: 50-Round Magazine
AK-47 from Cold War in Close Combat
What is the AK-47 capable of? In JGOD’s ranking, the AK-47 from Cold War ranks 3rd in close combat because it offers a strong blend of values. As a “Cold War” assault rifle, it is very mobile and after a few buffs, also well controllable. Additionally, it provides a strong TTK of 500 milliseconds if your chest shots hit.
CoD Warzone: AK-47 Setup – Sniper Support
Muzzle: GRU Silencer
Barrel: 15.5″, ultra-light
Stock: KGB Skeleton Stock
Underbarrel: Spetsnaz Grip
Ammo: Bakelite 60-Round
The 3 Best Assault Rifles for Range
What do Range Assault Rifles need to excel? For longer distances, different requirements must also be met:
Pleasant Bullet Velocity
Hits are easier to land when the bullets fly quickly
Strong Second Damage Range
Even in the second damage range, the TTK should be appropriate
High Precision
The recoil should be easy to manage
Range assault rifles compete with sniper rifles and must therefore be effective at long distances. Mobility usually plays no role here – what matters is that you can hit and quickly eliminate distant opponents. According to JGOD, the best three assault rifles in this category are:
What makes the AMAX strong? Yes, the AMAX also wins the range ranking. At the moment, this assault rifle is a powerhouse at all distances due to its high damage paired with controllable handling. However, the AMAX can be categorized as a “sweaty weapon”. The recoil is manageable, but the weapon fights with you. It is just on the edge of good playability. Opt for alternatives if you find it too shaky. The AMAX eliminates enemies in the second damage range with chest hits within 571 milliseconds.
CoD Warzone: CR-56 AMAX Setup – Range
Muzzle: Silencer (Monolithic)
Barrel: XRK Zodiac S440
Optic: VLK 3.0x Scope
Underbarrel: Commando Foregrip
Ammo: 45-Round Magazine
Krig 6 for Range
What makes the Krig 6 strong? This assault rifle is stable, has strong movement, a large range for the first damage tier, and inflicts torso damage even in the stomach. The meta newcomer is receiving a lot of attention with the start of Season 3, and rightly so. Another advantage is the low damage drop-off in the second damage tier. While the third place, the M4A1, increases from a strong 593 milliseconds to an average of 816 ms, the TTK of the Krig 6 only rises from 644 milliseconds to 736 ms.
CoD Warzone: Krig 6 Setup – Range
Muzzle: Agency Silencer
Barrel: 19.7″ Ranger
Optic: Axial Arms 3x
Underbarrel: Field Agent Foregrip
Ammo: STANAG 60-Round
M4A1 for Range
What makes the M4A1 strong? This assault rifle remains a popular mainstay. In the multiplayer of CoD MW, it has always been considered a meta weapon and can bring this strength into Warzone as well. It offers a good mix of all values without being exceptionally strong in any area. Essentially, it is a Grau 5.56 for players who want a bit more damage. If you prefer more stability, it’s better to go for the Grau.
CoD Warzone: M4A1 Setup – Range
Muzzle: Silencer (Monolithic)
Barrel: M16 Grenadier
Optic: VLK 3.0x Scope
Ammo: 60-Round Magazine
Underbarrel: Commando Foregrip
Slowly it becomes apparent that the weapons meta with Season 3 is much more open than it was a few weeks ago. Players are using old classics, trying out new rising stars, and generally employing many different firearms. The adjustments of Season 3 have been very beneficial – and the perhaps slightly too strong AMAX is already on the developers’ radar.
Which weapons are you currently using to take down your opponents? Are you relying on the old arsenal or trying something new? And which assault rifle is your favorite? Feel free to leave us a comment on MeinMMO.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Today, Tuesday, April 27, 2021, the next raid test on the beta servers of WoW Classic for the upcoming addon The Burning Crusade was scheduled to start. In this test, Karazhan will be opened, and you can help eliminate bugs and provide feedback. However, for technical reasons, the test has been postponed for now.
Update 11:00 PM – The raid test has been postponed for now (via Blizzard Forums). The reason is a technical issue that the developers need to fix first. There is no new date for the start yet.
What kind of raid is this? Karazhan is a raid for ten players and the first raid available back in The Burning Crusade. The instance is located in the Deadwind Pass in the Eastern Kingdoms.
In the huge tower of the guardian Medivh, twelve bosses await, many rooms full of enemies and secrets, and even special events like the theater event or a chess game that you must win during a boss fight.
The atmosphere resembles a noble castle that has been more or less abandoned for a while – except for the undead and demons now haunting it. The flair, the scope, and the overall design make the raid the best raid WoW has ever had – according to MeinMMO author Benedict Grothaus.
When will the test take place? You have the opportunity to test this raid as some of the first players before it is released (again) as part of The Burning Crusade Classic. The test was initially set to start on April 27 at 11:00 PM German time but has been postponed for now. There is still no new start time.
Moroes, the butler of the tower, is one of your first enemies.
A special server is available for the test: “Badge of Justice”. Characters created here start immediately at level 70 with strong gear, allowing you to head straight to Karazhan and thoroughly test everything.
How long exactly the test will run has not been revealed by the developers. It is expected to last “at least a few days,” and you can provide feedback directly in-game using the F6 key.
What is a raid? Raids, or instances, in MMORPGs are mostly visited by larger groups of players. In WoW, this size ranges from 10 to 40 players.
In raids, you typically find the best loot available in the game. Additionally, you’ll be fighting against the major villains of the story, learning more about the narrative and proving how good you are at PvE. Raids are akin to the highlights of WoW.
TBC Classic – Sign up for the beta and test
How can I participate? To participate in the beta and the raid test, you must register on the official Blizzard site. There, a lottery will determine who will gain access, and you will be invited directly if you are selected:
The beta has been live since March 24th, meaning for a little over a month now, and many players have already been invited. If you haven’t signed up for the test yet but want to participate, it might be a bit late for Karazhan. However, you still have a chance for the next raid test.
Make sure to check your Battle.net launcher if you have the option to switch to the Classic beta in WoW. If this option is available to you, you have access – even if no confirmation email has arrived yet.
When will TBC Classic be released? It is still uncertain when exactly TBC Classic will be released. The beta has been running for a while now, and with Karazhan, the first raid is being tested. A little more work needs to be done.
The date for the GO Fest 2021 in Pokémon GO is known. The big event will start in July and will again take two days.
When does the GO Fest 2021 take place? The official dates for the GO Fest 2021 are July 17 and 18, 2021. Exact start times are not yet known, but this likely most important event in Pokémon GO will take up quite a bit of time again. By comparison: The GO Fest 2020 ran on both days from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM local time.
Information about the price for the event is also not yet known. Last year, players had to purchase an access ticket for the two-day event. As soon as there is more information, we will keep you updated here at MeinMMO.
GO Fest 2021 again worldwide
Where does the GO Fest 2021 take place? Like in 2020, the GO Fest 2021 will once again take place as a two-day global event. This was the first time last year – previously, the GO Fest always took place in selected locations that required travel. This will also be the case this year.
However, what exactly to expect at the GO Fest is still under wraps by the developers. In the official announcement, they emphasize that in addition to the GO Fest this year, the 25th Pokémon Anniversary and the five-year anniversary of Pokémon GO are also upcoming. Accordingly, one should prepare for a big event.
These clues exist: Part of the announcement is a teaser image showing several Pokémon. Pikachu, Marill, Scyther, Fletchling, and Igamaro can be seen there. The music notes in the event logo are striking, especially in connection with a part of the English announcement: “Stay tuned for more details!” – “tuned” is also a term from the music world in English. In the Pokémon GO subreddit, some players already suspect that this might refer to Meloetta (via reddit).
The music notes could be a clue
Meloetta is a mysterious Pokémon from the 5th generation. In its “Singing Form” it is of the Normal and Psychic type, but in its “Dancing Form” it switches the Psychic type to “Fighting.” It is closely related to the theme of music and belongs to the Pokémon of the fifth generation that are still missing in Pokémon GO.
Last year, it was the mysterious Pokémon Victini that took an important role in the GO Fest 2021. Could Meloetta be its successor this year?
Another parallel to last year’s GO Fest is, besides the global setup, the two-day period. In 2020, there were two thematically different days. Saturday was characterized by habitats and different spawns, while on the second day Team Rocket took control of the event. It’s conceivable that this year will again feature two different event days.
The players of Valheim continuously amaze the community with their crazy ideas. The latest of these is a luge track where the Vikings ride down a slope on a raft used as a sled and pass various “stations”.
This is the luge track: The track starts at the top of a mountain and players need to build a raft to use it. At the start, there is a wooden structure where the raft can be placed.
Once the raft is set, the support pillar can be removed. Then speed is of the essence: The player must quickly jump onto the raft, and then the ride begins. Down a steep slope and through tight curves, the raft gains more speed – all without water and wind.
The creators have come up with various stations, some of which thematically relate to the bosses of Valheim. Shortly after the start, for example, the raft flies through a ring in “Moder’s Fall”, where it picks up speed again and leads into the forest in “Eikthyr’s Bow”. So you also visit different biomes.
The attraction is called “Skyrock Raft Luge” – roughly translating to Sky Rock Raft Luge. The reddit user okayshima_ shows in an extremely popular clip how the track looks in action. In just a few hours, the post gained over 12,000 upvotes and dozens of awards:
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How long did the construction take? According to the post creator, planning and construction took several weeks, working mainly on weekends. Most of the work was done by one person who was also responsible for acquiring the wood. However, he did not remember the exact number of hours.
However, the entire construction involved a lot of planning. At certain points, the creators need to have workbenches because they must repair the raft during the ride. Otherwise, it would be destroyed. On a test server, they had previously created a design, as explained by okayshima_.
The passage with the free fall looks quite dangerous and likely led to a few accidents. If you want to replicate the track, you should be cautious about such things. Otherwise, you might end up like another track builder who paid for his creation with his life – or you might create such accidents like the original creators themselves:
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The Valheim community is known for continually creating crazy or massive builds and presenting them to fellow players. This is thanks to Valheim’s building system, which opens up countless possibilities for constructing various things.
Most of these builds are created on servers where players play solo or only with their friends, so few people get to enjoy the attractions. However, that might change soon:
In Destiny 2, on April 27, the sports competitions are entering the second half. Who won the first event week and what else is lined up?
What’s going on in Destiny 2? For a week now, Destiny 2 players have been participating in the Guardian Games 2021. The sporting competition is about collecting as many medals for your class as possible. The first round of the competition was decisively won by the Hunters. Congratulations!
Part of a Guardian’s basic knowledge is: The Singe modifier remains the same for the whole week, while the other two change daily.
A huge Servitor waits for its punishment in the Ordeal this week
Crucible: These playlists and modes are active in PvP:
Private Match
Rumble
Control
Elimination
Survival
Survival: Freelance
Conflict
Petra Venj is now located in the “Rheasilvia” area of the Dreaming City (so it’s maximum curse week 3). The 1st Ascendant Challenge is simultaneously active for a week.
These are the sources for Powerful loot in Season 13 of Destiny 2
This is how Powerful loot is structured in Destiny 2: Powerful loot comes in several tiers that grant you different power boosts. Accordingly, higher tiers also grant you higher power boosts.
Tier 1 (up to +3 over the current power level)
Tier 2 (up to +4 over the current power level)
Tier 3 (up to +5 over the current power level)
Peak gear (+5 or more over the power level. The only gear that goes over 1300 and up to a maximum of 1310 – after that, the level jumps are diminished by +1)
Did you harvest medals for your class for a week and are you staying true to the competition in Round 2? Or is the implementation of Transmog ruining your mood in Destiny 2? Let us know in the comments.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Technomancer is one of the most versatile classes in Outriders. It has its strengths both solo and in a team. We at MeinMMO present you here a build that allows you to complete the expeditions in the endgame at rank 15 alone.
What kind of build is this? It belongs to the pestilential builds, which are among the strongest combinations in Outriders. Some YouTube videos and our own experiences from our tests served as inspiration. This is not a meta build with the best mods in the game.
With this build, you can solo almost all expeditions; we were able to complete most of them with gold and challenge rank 15. And this without a group.
You don’t need any legendary armor pieces or even level 3 modifications. You can build this entirely with epic gear.
What are Expeditions? These are a type of mission that you unlock in the endgame of Outriders once you complete the main story. There are a total of 15 missions.
Additionally, there are the challenge ranks that apply only to the expeditions. The higher the rank, the harder the missions. At the same time, you will also receive gear with higher levels.
The amount of rewards you can earn at the end depends on the time in which you complete the mission. There are gold, silver, and bronze rewards. An overview of the expeditions can be found here: Expeditions are the endgame of Outriders – This is how they work
Technomancer Build – Skill Tree, Abilities, Gear
The build is based on the Pestilence skill tree, which massively increases your weapon and poison damage.
This is our skill setup:
Br/8-Boost Amplifier (x3)
Increases weapon damage by 8%
Siphoning Module
Increases life steal from weapons by 5%
Penetrating Alloy (x2)
Increases armor piercing by 10%
BL-STM-Chaos Nexus
Increases critical damage by 15%
Exposing Poison
Whenever an enemy is affected by poison, they also receive the vulnerability status
Mark of Damnation
Vulnerability caused on an enemy is 40% more effective
Nitrogen Capsules (x2)
Reduces the distance considered “long range” by 3 m.
Turret Fire
Activating field weapons abilities increases your and your group’s damage by 30% for 10 seconds.
Purification
Enemies affected by poison take an additional 10% damage
Mastery: Assault Weapons
Increases damage with assault weapons by 20%
Expert: Assault Weapons
Increases damage with assault weapons by 12%
Two Sides of Power
Increases damage taken from all sources by 15% and damage dealt by 20%
Sniper
Increases weapon damage at long range by 30%
UT-14-Magazines
Increases your weapon’s magazine size by 50%
Purification 2
Enemies affected by poison take an additional 15% damage
Enhancing Antenna
Using decay abilities increases your and your group’s damage by 40% for 10 seconds.
The catch with this skill setup: By using your abilities, you can increase the weapon damage of you and your group by 70%. Additionally, there are many more damage bonuses.
But what abilities should be used for the build?
The Skills of the Technomancer Build
These 3 skills are crucial for the functioning of the build.
Pestilence Balls:
This skill is extremely important for dealing damage. On one hand, you poison the enemies and deal 25% extra damage through your perks.
On the other hand, the Pestilence Balls also increase your attack. The poison effect spreads across multiple enemies and damages them continuously.
Thanks to the healing ability of the Technomancer, the continuous poison damage also keeps you alive. So make sure to poison as many enemies as possible.
An armor mod ensures that the skill can be maintained permanently if you achieve enough kills.
Pestilence Turret:
The Pestilence Turret is usually used to poison masses of enemies.
Since we are already doing that with the Pestilence Balls, we need the armor mod that turns the Pestilence Turret into a Frost Turret. More on that below.
There is already the Freeze Turret, but that belongs to a different category of skills (gadgets), while the Pestilence Turret is part of the decay skills.
This is important because the buff from “Enhancing Antenna,” from the Pestilence skill tree, is only activated by decay skills. This buff lasts for 10 seconds.
The turret activates this buff not only, but also has only a 7.7 seconds cooldown.
This way, you can maintain the buff almost permanently.
As a big bonus, the turret with the frost mod can freeze a lot of enemies.
Scrap Shard
The skill primarily serves to activate the “Turret Fire” buff.
This gives you, as already shown above, a 30% damage bonus when activating field weapon abilities.
This gives you another decent damage boost.
As a nice bonus, you can deal damage to enemies with the mine and stagger them.
Weapons and Weapon Mods
These stats should the weapon have:
Critical Damage
Damage at Long Range
Damage at Close Range
Here it is again a god roll, for which you first need to find the appropriate mods.
These weapons are the best: We have experimented with various weapons. Since the build is based on Pestilence Balls, it mainly depends on your primary weapon. Its base damage should be as high as possible.
Unfortunately, there is no weapon standing to collect exact data. In our tests, however, a tactical assault rifle turned out to be the strongest choice so far.
Although the fire rate is rather low due to the tactical variant and the burst fire mode, this is easily outweighed by the damage per hit. Overall, tactical rifles seem to be among the strongest weapons in the game.
These weapon mods should you take:
To maximize damage, you should use rank 3 mods like Fortress or Rampage.
Both are only available through legendary weapons and are initially unavailable to many with some bad luck.
But with the buffs from the Pestilence Balls and the skill tree, you are not dependent on rank 3 mods.
In our test, we were able to complete the Star Grave at challenge rank 15 and gold rank with the build. We used the level 2 mods Claymore and Bone Shards.
It is difficult, but quite possible. However, keep in mind that the difficulty varies from expedition to expedition.
What about the secondary weapon? It should only be used when you should not have Pestilence Balls available. Take here a defensive option with mods like Shield Maiden or Life Essence.
These are god rolls, which you first need to find with the right mods.
Alternatively, stats like status power or cooldown reduction can be used to enhance poison and frost effects or to reduce your cooldown. Healing also works, as you become a little more resilient and regain more health points through your dealt damage.
The build is therefore quite flexible. The important thing is to maximize your weapon strength. Equally important are, of course, the mods.
These mods our build has:
Headwear
Freezing Components: The Pestilence Turret causes frost instead of poison
Protective Death: When you kill enemies while aiming with the sights, you gain armor for 10 seconds. Can stack three times.
Upper Body Armor
Blood Rage: Killshots increase your weapon strength. Can stack up to three times. Reduces every 10 seconds.
Ice Trap: Every time your health drops below 30%, all enemies within 10 meters are affected by frost. (Cooldown: 5 seconds)
Lower Body Armor
Euthanasia: Increases damage against poisoned enemies by 15%
Reserve Magazine: Grants an additional Pestilence magazine before the cooldown is triggered.
Gloves
Poisons Bullet: When you kill enemies affected by poison, 40% of the ammunition in your magazine is instantly replenished.
Dum-Dum Bullets: Increases damage from assault weapons by 10%.
Footwear
Ross Cure: You deal 15% more damage to enemies affected by poison.
Emergency Status: Every time your health drops below 30%, you gain a golem for 4 seconds. (Cooldown: 10 seconds)
Although there is a legendary item and a rank 3 mod in this set, these are not crucial and can just as well be replaced by an epic item or a rank 2 mod.
Today, on April 27, the latest episode of the Icebrood Saga was released in Guild Wars 2. This is also the grand finale of the season and transitions into the upcoming expansion “End of Dragons”. We at MeinMMO spoke with the developers about the time between the season finale and the upcoming expansion as part of Find Your Next Game.
What is happening right now in Guild Wars 2? The MMORPG hosted the so-called Icebrood Saga from September 2019 to April 2021. During this time, a content update was released every 2 months, bringing new story content, achievements, and sometimes new areas. Each patch was referred to as an episode.
The finale of the Icebrood Saga has now taken place. In this, 2 giant dragons fight against each other, and as a player, you are right in the middle of the epic battle. We have already participated in the battle and have also published a preview report on it: New Patch brings epic battles, but also big disappointments.
However, ArenaNet, the developers of the game, have now revealed that there will be a major event in July regarding End of Dragons and also shared which content will be released by then. The puppet is a real highlight that last appeared in the game in 2014.
Presentation and Beta Events for End of Dragons
When will we learn more about the new expansion? On July 27, there will be a livestream from ArenaNet where new details about the upcoming expansion End of Dragons will be shared. The following topics are expected to be covered:
New details about the setting
An outlook on the story
Information about upcoming beta events for End of Dragons
Additionally, it was announced that the third generation of legendary weapons will be released with the expansion.
In an interview, Joe Kimmes, the lead designer for the Icebrood Saga, revealed that the dragon assistance missions were intended exclusively for the current season of the Living World. Attack missions, however, are expected to continue in the future. Whether these will come directly with the new expansion is not yet known.
Together with the new information about the announcement stream, three new concept arts for the expansion were also shared, which we have embedded here for you:
When will the new expansion be released? The exact date of End of Dragons has still not been revealed. However, it is certain that the release will take place no earlier than August 2021, as there will be a major announcement in July.
A short-term release in August or September seems possible, as there were only 7 weeks between the announcement of Path of Fire (August 1, 2017) and its release (September 22, 2017).
Guild Wars 2 will receive at least 4 major updates before the expansion
What will happen in the coming weeks? Already in March, the developers revealed that some new content is planned for the summer. A total of four major updates have been announced, which are expected to keep players engaged in the coming weeks and months:
On May 11, a balance update will be released that is set to adjust all classes and elite specializations in the game. This update could already make important changes to ensure that the current classes align with the upcoming elite specializations in End of Dragons.
On May 25, all previous episodes of the Living World will become free. Therefore, anyone who missed out on old content from seasons 2, 3, or 4 can catch up without the use of gemstones or real money currency. Each episode will be available for free for one week and can be permanently unlocked during this time.
Along with this, a new achievement will allow players to unlock a precursor for a future legendary weapon of the third generation. These legendary weapons are set to be introduced with the expansion End of Dragons. Additionally, a special amulet will be awarded for the completion of all 4 seasons of the Living World.
For July 13, two interesting new features have been announced:
Firstly, the legendary armory will be introduced, allowing the unlocking of legendary weapons and armor for every character of level 80 on an account.
Secondly, the puppet will return, a very popular boss fight from 2014. This is a true highlight for veterans of the game.
The roadmap for Guild Wars 2 in summer 2021.
The Twisted Puppet as a highlight of the summer
What is the puppet? This opponent is a boss fight that was in the game in January 2014 and was removed after 4 weeks.
In this, you fight against a massive figure of Scarlet, a deranged Sylvari from the Living World Season 1. Here, players must first defend 5 access points to special platforms and then later be teleported to one of those platforms. On these, the 5 “lanes” take turns fighting the puppet until it finally lies in the dust. Meanwhile, the other lanes must continue to defend their accesses.
The fight was a huge highlight for all players in 2014, but was removed after 4 weeks and has not been available in the game since then. This will change on July 13, 2021.
A huge puppet, controlled by a giant airship.
The puppet will receive slight adjustments for its return to adapt to the current version of the game. The specifics of these changes will be explained in the future.
How long will the fight last? This boss fight is a “limited-time event.” So the puppet will not remain in the game forever. How long the event will run has not yet been revealed.
What else will happen before End of Dragons? Before the end of summer, several smaller events and festivals are planned:
May 14: A week of bonuses in World vs World – 100% more world experience, 25% more reward track, and 50% more magical sense
May 25: New PvP league season and a week of bonuses
June 18: WvW event without the downed state
June 22: The return of the annual event “Dragon Mayhem”
July 5: sPvP tournament week and the Tournament of Legends
July 23: A week of bonuses in World vs World – 100% more world experience, 25% more reward track, and 50% more magical sense
This provides both interesting events for newcomers and an exciting event for veterans surrounding the instanced fractals, a type of dungeon for 5 players. Most recently, the Sunqua Valley was released as a new fractal in September.
What happens after End of Dragons? In an interview, Joe Kimmes, the lead designer of the Icebrood Saga, told us that Guild Wars 2 is not meant to conclude with End of Dragons. Even though the name contains the word “end”, it is intended to continue afterward. He states:
We will continue to work on Guild Wars 2 even after the expansion. The end of one storyline is usually the beginning of a new one.
Joe Kimmes in an interview
Learned from the mistakes of Heart of Thorns – at least a little
The developers of Guild Wars 2 have laid out a solid plan to make the content drought between the last episode of the Icebrood Saga and the new expansion bearable. Especially with the puppet, they have a small treat up their sleeves that cheers many veterans and myself.
In addition, there are some sensible updates regarding content such as legendary equipment and balance. Both are ongoing issues that concern the community. Balance, on one hand, nearly automatically brings fresh air into dungeons and PvP, as suddenly other builds might become playable. The desire for account-wide legendary equipment has existed for years and will finally be fulfilled in 2021. This might motivate some players to reclaim old legendaries.
I am particularly glad that there is a plan for the content drought. Because in 2015, when the first expansion Heart of Thorns was released, there were almost 7 months with no new content. In 2017, on the other hand, the developers went to the other extreme. There were only a little more than 2 months between the last episode and the expansion.
I am still somewhat skeptical about the topic of “instanced content.” The last new raid was released in 2019 and the last fractal in September 2020. Fans may have to wait at least until the new expansion, possibly even longer.
On July 27, there will finally be the big announcement for End of Dragons. I am also curious about what new information about the expansion will be shared and will cover the event here on MeinMMO.
Alexander Leitsch
MMORPG expert at MeinMMO
Anyone interested in upcoming MMORPGs outside of Guild Wars 2 should check out our list of upcoming games in 2021. There you will find several titles that sound really interesting:
Overall, xQc feels once again unfairly persecuted: He is doing nothing different than many other streamers. He is very open and transparent about the streams. He feels he is getting an unjustifiable amount of hate. It is said that he makes “shameless deals”, even though everyone around xQc in Texas is making exactly such “shameless deals” and operates sponsored streams.
He feels he is being criticized for things that others do constantly and get away with. He finds that unfair.
In the stream, when he had to listen to fans say he had led them to gamble away their money, xQc said, “I want to censor that, but I won’t. You guys are overreacting,” followed by “Gambling is bad, gambling is shit” and ultimately turned off the auto-read messages, as bigwinboard reports.
What’s behind it: Gambling streams have been around on Twitch for a long time. Normally, this is done by small, specialized streamers.
The problem here is that the most popular streamer on Twitch is indulging in gambling, exposing many young people to these mechanisms. The same phenomenon occurred in Germany when MontanaBlack, the largest German streamer, turned to casino streams.
The field of “casino streams” is apparently highly profitable for streamers:
On the other hand, the content is well received by viewers. It’s somewhat addictive.
xQc is apparently currently seeking new content. In recent weeks, he has been highly successful with streams of GTA 5. He has played on the server “No Pixel 3.0”, but has since been banned four times:
He feels he is being criticized for things that others do constantly and get away with. He finds that unfair.
In the stream, when he had to listen to fans say he had led them to gamble away their money, xQc said, “I want to censor that, but I won’t. You guys are overreacting,” followed by “Gambling is bad, gambling is shit” and ultimately turned off the auto-read messages, as bigwinboard reports.
What’s behind it: Gambling streams have been around on Twitch for a long time. Normally, this is done by small, specialized streamers.
The problem here is that the most popular streamer on Twitch is indulging in gambling, exposing many young people to these mechanisms. The same phenomenon occurred in Germany when MontanaBlack, the largest German streamer, turned to casino streams.
The field of “casino streams” is apparently highly profitable for streamers:
On the other hand, the content is well received by viewers. It’s somewhat addictive.
xQc is apparently currently seeking new content. In recent weeks, he has been highly successful with streams of GTA 5. He has played on the server “No Pixel 3.0”, but has since been banned four times:
He says that this is actually nothing different from gambling. He sees parallels here.
Overall, xQc feels once again unfairly persecuted: He is doing nothing different than many other streamers. He is very open and transparent about the streams. He feels he is getting an unjustifiable amount of hate. It is said that he makes “shameless deals”, even though everyone around xQc in Texas is making exactly such “shameless deals” and operates sponsored streams.
He feels he is being criticized for things that others do constantly and get away with. He finds that unfair.
In the stream, when he had to listen to fans say he had led them to gamble away their money, xQc said, “I want to censor that, but I won’t. You guys are overreacting,” followed by “Gambling is bad, gambling is shit” and ultimately turned off the auto-read messages, as bigwinboard reports.
What’s behind it: Gambling streams have been around on Twitch for a long time. Normally, this is done by small, specialized streamers.
The problem here is that the most popular streamer on Twitch is indulging in gambling, exposing many young people to these mechanisms. The same phenomenon occurred in Germany when MontanaBlack, the largest German streamer, turned to casino streams.
The field of “casino streams” is apparently highly profitable for streamers:
On the other hand, the content is well received by viewers. It’s somewhat addictive.
xQc is apparently currently seeking new content. In recent weeks, he has been highly successful with streams of GTA 5. He has played on the server “No Pixel 3.0”, but has since been banned four times:
The currently largest streamer on Twitch is Félix “xQc” Lengyel (25). He has now accepted a sponsored stream and played blackjack live on Twitch in the casino. This “gambling stream” is harshly criticized by viewers and colleagues. The streamer entices young viewers to gamble. But xQc does not understand all the fuss. He is very transparent and open. Furthermore, “Pokémon” openings are hardly anything different.
What has xQc done now? During a normal stream on April 22, the controversial streamer xQc landed in a crypto casino, on a gambling website.
He told the viewers with a grin beforehand: He had promised them long ago never to engage in gambling and had never done so. Then he mumbled something incomprehensible along the lines of “Let’s just leave it at that” and got started.
He wanted to clarify that his trip to the casino was not sponsored. Overall, he admonished his viewers:
Gambling is bad. Don’t do it. I shouldn’t do it either.
xQc
Afterwards, he then gambled for an hour on Twitch and “won and lost $70,000,” as he himself writes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9QF2GurUl8
4 Hours Sponsored Stream from the Crypto Casino
On April 24, xQc streamed for about 4 hours again from the casino as part of his regular 10-hour program in the categories “Slots” and “Blackjack”. This time, however, the stream was sponsored by the crypto casino he was in:
xQc played a few hands at a blackjack table with a real dealer
He played at various virtual slot machines
The casino is described as “unlicensed”. On reddit, a user points out that one is actually not allowed to play in the casino if one is based in the USA (via reddit).
The stream was hugely successful, at one point almost 120,000 viewers watched xQc while he was playing slots.
In doing so, xQc made it clear over and over again how bad it actually was what he was doing. His stream on April 22 was titled “RARE GAMBA STREAM (PLEASE DONT GAMBLE EVER) (DONT USE ANY OF THESE SITES) (GAMBA = BAD FOR LIFE) STARTING AT 30K).
Almost 120,000 watched xQc gamble in “Slots”. Source: Bigwinboard
This is the criticism from fans: Even while he was streaming, xQc received quite a bit of feedback in the chat. People wrote their messages and the automatic program read them out loud:
“I watched you play slots and tried it myself. I lost all my money. I can’t pay my rent. Will you give me my money back?”
“I could have used my money to pay off my loan, now I’ve lost everything.”
“30% of your viewers are under 18 and use mommy’s credit card: We are watching Félix lose 100k.”
Asmongold: Casino is 1000 times worse than girls in bikinis
This was the criticism from colleagues: The big WoW streamer Asmongold said he hates gambling. Twitch should ban it. “Gambling is a thousand times worse than bikini girls”. (via twitter).
xQc had previously complained about the streamers in bikinis. “The Hot Tub Meta is the most pathetic thing that has ever happened on Twitch.”
The well-known WoW streamer Asmongold says: Twitch should make gambling illegal.
The streamer Moist Ciritical also criticized xQc: Gambling is growing bigger on Twitch and that is dangerous. He actually has no problem with it, but when he notices that many young people are watching it, he finds it concerning. If your favorite streamer has a big payday and you are an easily impressed teenager, that could become a problem.
This is how xQc reacts to the criticism: xQc dismisses Moist Critical’s criticism. He has also streamed “openings” of Pokémon cards. In this scenario, streamers open old, valuable packs of the trading card game Pokémon in hopes of finding particularly rare and thus expensive cards.
He feels he is being criticized for things that others do constantly and get away with. He finds that unfair.
In the stream, when he had to listen to fans say he had led them to gamble away their money, xQc said, “I want to censor that, but I won’t. You guys are overreacting,” followed by “Gambling is bad, gambling is shit” and ultimately turned off the auto-read messages, as bigwinboard reports.
What’s behind it: Gambling streams have been around on Twitch for a long time. Normally, this is done by small, specialized streamers.
The problem here is that the most popular streamer on Twitch is indulging in gambling, exposing many young people to these mechanisms. The same phenomenon occurred in Germany when MontanaBlack, the largest German streamer, turned to casino streams.
The field of “casino streams” is apparently highly profitable for streamers:
On the other hand, the content is well received by viewers. It’s somewhat addictive.
xQc is apparently currently seeking new content. In recent weeks, he has been highly successful with streams of GTA 5. He has played on the server “No Pixel 3.0”, but has since been banned four times:
He feels he is being criticized for things that others do constantly and get away with. He finds that unfair.
In the stream, when he had to listen to fans say he had led them to gamble away their money, xQc said, “I want to censor that, but I won’t. You guys are overreacting,” followed by “Gambling is bad, gambling is shit” and ultimately turned off the auto-read messages, as bigwinboard reports.
What’s behind it: Gambling streams have been around on Twitch for a long time. Normally, this is done by small, specialized streamers.
The problem here is that the most popular streamer on Twitch is indulging in gambling, exposing many young people to these mechanisms. The same phenomenon occurred in Germany when MontanaBlack, the largest German streamer, turned to casino streams.
The field of “casino streams” is apparently highly profitable for streamers:
On the other hand, the content is well received by viewers. It’s somewhat addictive.
xQc is apparently currently seeking new content. In recent weeks, he has been highly successful with streams of GTA 5. He has played on the server “No Pixel 3.0”, but has since been banned four times:
He says that this is actually nothing different from gambling. He sees parallels here.
Overall, xQc feels once again unfairly persecuted: He is doing nothing different than many other streamers. He is very open and transparent about the streams. He feels he is getting an unjustifiable amount of hate. It is said that he makes “shameless deals”, even though everyone around xQc in Texas is making exactly such “shameless deals” and operates sponsored streams.
He feels he is being criticized for things that others do constantly and get away with. He finds that unfair.
In the stream, when he had to listen to fans say he had led them to gamble away their money, xQc said, “I want to censor that, but I won’t. You guys are overreacting,” followed by “Gambling is bad, gambling is shit” and ultimately turned off the auto-read messages, as bigwinboard reports.
What’s behind it: Gambling streams have been around on Twitch for a long time. Normally, this is done by small, specialized streamers.
The problem here is that the most popular streamer on Twitch is indulging in gambling, exposing many young people to these mechanisms. The same phenomenon occurred in Germany when MontanaBlack, the largest German streamer, turned to casino streams.
The field of “casino streams” is apparently highly profitable for streamers:
On the other hand, the content is well received by viewers. It’s somewhat addictive.
xQc is apparently currently seeking new content. In recent weeks, he has been highly successful with streams of GTA 5. He has played on the server “No Pixel 3.0”, but has since been banned four times:
On April 28, the multiplayer shooter Scavengers will launch its closed Early Access on Steam. We have many keys for you to grab here. Get a glimpse of the new PvPvE game.
Update April 28: Some of you have already received an email from us. However, there was a small error in the system, and the email states that it is about Conqueror’s Blade. This is not the case; the key in the email is for Scavengers. You can redeem it on Steam.
The error affects about the first 300 emails.
What is Scavengers? In this free third-person shooter, the developers combine elements of a survival game where you fight for your survival on a hostile planet with fast-paced PvP action. In Scavengers, Earth has been ravaged by a catastrophe and is completely frozen over. On the surface, monsters and wild people lurk, wanting to tear you apart.
In this environment, you must leave the safety of your orbital bunkers to collect data that aims to secure the survival of humanity. You will be guided by an AI, which couldn’t care less who you bring the data to. Therefore, in Scavengers, you not only have to contend with the monsters, but also with other players.
This is the gameplay: In a match with 60 players, you land with your team, consisting of 3 people, on a snowy map. Your task is to locate the data points on the map and collect the most of them. At the end of the match, you must reach the dropship that will take you back from the planet to orbit.
While playing, you can choose from 6 different explorer characters. 3 of them are immediately available, while the other 3 are unlocked through in-game currency that you can earn during matches. They have unique abilities and weapons that set them apart from each other. So you can choose the character that suits your play style the most.
There are various weapons for melee and ranged combat, ammunition, and gear that you can collect or loot from other players. You can also find and repair vehicles to move faster across the map.
There is a leveling system. You gain EXP when you complete general tasks in the game, such as killing enemies, collecting gear or data points.
You must be careful not to starve and not freeze by hunting animals or seeking sources of warmth.
Scavengers features a crafting system that allows you to upgrade your gear or shields.
In the PvE aspect of the game, you must face various types of NPC enemies and bosses that you will fight more often at the beginning of a match than other players.
Strong storms will regularly sweep across the map, and you must seek shelter in buildings, or else you will receive a frost debuff. When this happens, you will slowly lose your max HP and cannot heal, but must first warm up at a fire.
While you play, the current ranking will be displayed in the upper right corner of the screen, showing which team has collected the most data points. So don’t get too excited if you’re in the lead; it may happen that the remaining teams will rush together to take you down.
You can watch the trailer for the closed Early Access here:
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What can I win here? In collaboration with the developer Midwinter Entertainment and the publisher Improbable, we are giving away 3,000 keys for access to the closed Early Access of Scavengers on Steam.
You will be able to get a feel for the game before it officially releases.
The Early Access of Scavengers begins tomorrow, on April 28, so you can dive right in and jump into the game. Upon entering the game, you will be able to play a tutorial in the lobby that teaches you the gameplay basics and controls.
How do I get a key? If you want to join the Early Access of Scavengers, you can easily do so in this giveaway.
Simply leave us a comment under the article to receive a guaranteed key.
Register in our giveaway tool for a chance to win a key. These will be randomly distributed among all participants.
Update: The giveaway has ended. Enjoy the Early Access!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The shooter Scavengers mixes various shooter content and has a special idea. It aims to enable battles with a very large number of players. In an initial test, it was already possible for 1,700 players to compete in a match.
What kind of game is this? Scavengers combines elements from classic shooters, battle royale, survival games, and cooperative gameplay into a completely new type of game. You fight against other players, but you cannot win a round alone.
What’s new? The developers of Scavengers are experimenting with a new multiplayer mode that focuses primarily on massive scaling. In an initial test, 1,700 players from America and Europe could fight against each other and were later even supported by thousands of NPCs.
In the end, over 9,000 characters were able to participate in the battle.
This is what a “traditional match” looks like in the trailer for Scavengers.
1,700 players in a match and it’s chaotic
What happened in this test? For the test, the 1,700 players were placed on a special map, where traditional battle royale is not played. Instead, admins in the form of giant monsters were present on the map, causing chaos for the players, as editor James Davenport describes in his article (via PC Gamer):
The admins pushed the players around like a tennis ball
They made meteors rain down or created deadly red fields
They threw players down slopes
During the course of the event, additional virtual players were summoned, so that by the end, 9,600 characters were reportedly on the map.
The idea behind it was primarily to stress the servers, which were heavily loaded with 1,700 players, thousands of NPCs, and many effects. Those who want to see images from the event can find them at PC Gamer ((via PC Gamer).
What’s next for the mass battle? What the developers will do with the experiences from the test is not known. A mode with thousands of players has not been announced so far. The test itself is interesting because there are players who want exactly such mass battles.
Dreams of MMOs with huge worlds and battles
Why is the stress test so interesting? Some players wish for huge battles with thousands of participants, which should actually be possible with advancing technology.
However, while in MMOs from the 90s and 2000s hundreds of players could participate in battles simultaneously, the number of players has tended to decrease in recent years. Smaller PvP arenas and dungeons have taken hold instead of huge battlegrounds.
The later hype trends, MOBA (5v5), battle royale (100 to 150 players), and survival games (often with servers for 50 to 100 players) also did not address the topic of mass battles.
What’s the problem? One reason for the adjusted player numbers is often performance. This is drastically limited by increasing graphics and many effects, as can be seen, for example, in the PvP area of Cyrodiil in ESO.
Scavengers could theoretically set a new record with its 9,600 players and with completely different and more modern graphics. Battles in EVE Online look more like a series of orange dots and Excel spreadsheets, as you can see in this YouTube video:
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What do you think about mass battles in shooters and MMOs? Do you hope to eventually fight with thousands or are you content with small dungeon and PvP groups?
To obtain the various Neymar cosmetics in Fortnite, you need to complete a series of new challenges. Are you ready to take on the field and face the new challenges of the game?
What are these challenges and cosmetics? All variants and accessories of the secret S6 skin are accessible at once – the skin has already been showcased by Fortnite. The outfit of Neymar Jr. as well as other cosmetic items can be obtained by completing some very specific challenges related to the world of football.
Players will therefore flock to these challenges in the coming days, especially since some items can be unlocked by completing a very large number of epic tasks.
Neymar Jr’s Tasks
These tasks await you:
Talk to a character related to football (1)
Complete 3 football-related character challenges (3)
Complete 5 football-related character tasks (5)
Kick a football 500 meters while dressed as Neymar Jr (500)
Score a goal with the football toy while equipped with Neymar Jr’s outfit (1)
Eliminate three opponents as Neymar Jr. (3)
Complete epic level challenges (45)
Complete epic level challenges (49)
Complete epic level challenges (52)
Complete epic level challenges (56)
Complete epic level challenges (60)
Neymar Jr’s Task Rewards – in order
You will receive these Neymar rewards when you have completed the tasks:
Complete 1 challenge: Football toy and a Neymar Jr banner
Complete 2 challenges: Matador loading screen
Complete 3 challenges: Neymar Jr skin
Complete 4 challenges: Back accessory “Joia Trophy”
In the action game Dying Light 2, you fight against zombies primarily in close combat. Unlike its predecessors, it now does away with classic firearms. So, what weapons do you use against the zombies?
What’s going on in Dying Light 2? In a new AMA, Lead Game Designer Tymon Smektała answers community questions about the upcoming zombie game. One fan question directly addressed the weapons. In response, it was stated that there will be no firearms in Dying Light 2. However, there is a shotgun (via PCGamesN).
The setting of DL2 takes place years after the predecessor. During that time, most of the weapons that were important in the first part were simply destroyed. So, you won’t randomly find weapons produced on an assembly line. Instead, you’ll be able to craft various ranged weapons yourself.
How does weaponry work in Dying Light 2?
Actually, using a shotgun breaks the rule of not having guns in the game. But because you assemble it yourself, it is likely to look “simple” and fit into the post-apocalyptic setting anyway.
The focus here is on close combat with weapons like swords and the parkour opportunities that can also be used in combat.
What the developer says: In the AMA, the question arises about how weaponry looks in Dying Light 2. Tymon Smektała, Lead Game Designer of the game, explains that there are no firearms in the world of Dying Light 2. He cites the reason that civilization has been wiped out, and thus no one would be able to create professional firearms.
Nonetheless, there will be ranged weapons, bows, and more modern weapons. But then Smektała backtracks and explains that there is indeed something very close to a firearm: a homemade shotgun.
You will find parts to build the shotgun during your exploration adventures. You can carry it in your left hand while holding a machete, a sword, or a hammer in your right hand.
The downside of the shotgun: Smektała explains in the AMA that the shotgun breaks very quickly. Although you can combine and use it with other weapons in combat, durability is quite low.
However, the shotgun seems to be very powerful, as Smektała emphasizes: “You have to decide for yourselves when to use this powerful weapon.” It’s more of an “Oh-Shit-Button” that you use when you see no other way out.
The complete AMA video with Tymon Smektała can be seen in the embedded YouTube video. The part where weapons are discussed starts at about 4 minutes and 45 seconds (Question 4).
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When is the release of Dying Light 2? So far, no concrete release date is known. However, Dying Light 2 is supposed to be released in 2021. We have summarized the important information regarding the release date and the game itself in the linked article. Originally, the game was supposed to be released in Spring 2020 but was then postponed.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Today, on April 27, 2021, the Spotlight Hour featuring Finneon begins in Pokémon GO. MeinMMO shows you all the bonuses here and reveals who might benefit from the event.
What is a Spotlight Hour? This event takes place every Tuesday evening in Pokémon GO and highlights a special Pokémon for one hour. Additionally, there is a bonus to complement the event.
This week you will encounter Finneon. The Water-type fish Pokémon is from Generation 4.
Spotlight Hour with Finneon – Start Time and Bonuses
When does it start? As you may already know, the Spotlight Hour starts again today at 6:00 PM local time. In the game, you will notice that most spawns around you will be Finneon. The event lasts for one hour and should conclude around 7:00 PM.
These are the bonuses: While the event is active, you will be able to find Finneon everywhere. Additionally, there is a bonus that affects your experience points. You will receive double experience points for catching Pokémon.
What you need to know about Finneon: Finneon is the pre-evolution of Lumineon. Both species belong solely to the Water type. Upon evolution, its fins become significantly larger. The Pokémon story behind Finneon is that it uses its glowing fins to lure in its prey. During the day, it stays close to the water’s surface. In the evening, it disappears into the depths of the sea.
Is there a Shiny Finneon? No, the shiny form of Finneon has not yet been released in Pokémon GO. You cannot catch it during the Spotlight Hour today.
Is the Spotlight Hour worth it today? If you are still missing Finneon in your collection, you can catch a few. However, it is not a “Must Have” Pokémon. Therefore, the Spotlight Hour is mainly worthwhile for trainers who are still hunting for experience points and can take advantage of the XP bonus.
What’s next in Pokémon GO? In the coming weeks, several new Pokémon from Generation 6 will be released in the game. The Spotlight Hours will continue to take place on Tuesdays and Raid Hours on Wednesdays. We have put together all events in May 2021 for Pokémon GO in an overview for you. This way, you’ll know right away which dates you need to keep free.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In recent days, complaints have been piling up in Outriders. The reason is players who kick others from the group in the Expeditions before they can receive their rewards. This causes a lot of anger and frustration.
What is the problem? Numerous complaints have come from the Outriders community from players who were playing in random matchmaking groups. There, they were playing Expeditions, the endgame activity of Outriders.
Recently, there has been a trend in Expeditions of nasty group leaders kicking other players from the group before they can collect their loot at the end of an Expedition.
This is how players are reacting: The affected players are obviously not happy about this and are venting their frustration on the Outriders subreddit (via reddit). There are dozens of posts on the topic where frustrated players report their incidents and discuss the issue.
Garecules writes: “I understand that there are legitimate reasons for the option to kick other players, but it is getting out of control” (via reddit). He is currently stuck at Challenge rank 7 and doesn’t have much time to play.
However, the problem does not seem to be limited to the lower ranks. Trickmalpais writes: “Imagine joining a lobby, completing a CT15 Gold [Expedition at Challenge rank 15], and getting kicked right after the completion. […] If you have your group open, then don’t be like that. It’s pretty easy not to play with other people. I don’t know who peed in your cereal” (via reddit).
Numerous players report the same or similar experiences. They also discuss possible solutions to the problem. Some even post sad memes on the topic:
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This is what players are suggesting: There are numerous ideas to prevent the problems. However, it also shows that the solution is not that simple.
For example, deactivating the kick function would increase the risk of AFK players just being carried through the missions. Therefore, many suggest a voting system so that the team leader can only remove someone if the other team member agrees.
This would only work if random players are involved. If there are two trolls, that would quickly become pointless as well.
Another idea is to deactivate the kick function only for the last part of an Expedition. However, there is still the risk of some jokers going AFK as well.
Many therefore recommend looking for “real” players on other platforms who are seriously interested in co-op. Ideally, one has friends to play with, or one should go solo. This is not an optimal solution, but still better than taking the risk.
How is Outriders doing otherwise? The game still has numerous problems. Players are still waiting for the restoration of their inventory after a serious bug deleted it.
At least a patch is in the works that is supposed to fix numerous bugs and issues, and the restoration of lost items is also said to be coming soon, according to developer People Can Fly.
For Valheim there are now official speedrun categories including leaderboards and a world record. While many players need hundreds of hours to defeat all bosses in the game, one player has completed all five in less than 90 minutes. All without cheats, but with a few tricks.
This is the record: The player and speedrunner NickRawcliffe has defeated all bosses in Valheim in one hour, 23 minutes, and 46 seconds – a world record as of now (via speedrun.com).
How did he do it? Rawcliffe played in a so-called “New Game+”. He didn’t start completely fresh, but took his character from an old save. This is allowed in this speedrun category.
He was allowed to bring all items from a previous save that can also be obtained in the game. Cheat items like the sword Dyrnwyn are prohibited. However, he could set all skills to the maximum level if he wanted.
In his inventory were some of the items needed to summon bosses as well as some food, weapons, and armor. This saved him time gathering resources or crafting items. We have included the full run with his video here for you:
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How does such a speedrun work? There are different categories for speedruns. Rawcliffe’s record is found under the category “All Bosses, New Game+, Random Seed, Glitchless”. There are some rules:
What does “random seed” mean? In Valheim, the world is created by a so-called “seed”. This forms the basis for the random, procedural generation of the map on which you play.
The seed determines what the world looks like, where bosses and special items spawn. If the seed were not random, speedrunners could simply choose a world where all bosses spawn directly. You can read more about this in our best seeds in Valheim and what you can find there.
The rules are not officially from the game, but set by the Valheim speedrunning community. The players want to set a challenge for themselves and master it – similar to the player who only wants to kill the end boss in his “Boss Challenge”.
Yagluth is the current end boss. NickRawcliffe was really lucky with him.
The challenge in the speedrun is to find the bosses as quickly as possible. Since the seeds must be generated randomly, each boss is always in a specific biome, but not guaranteed to be found.
Rawcliffe had to find all Vegvisirs first, which show him the locations of the bosses, and then visit and defeat the bosses. He was especially lucky with the end boss Yagluth – during the search for the Vegvisir, he stumbled directly over the boss’s altar and was able to fight him right away.
How can I participate? The leaderboard is generally open to everyone, and the community around Valheim speedrunning is just getting started. So you still have good chances to secure a spot.
It is important that your entire speedrun is recorded without edits and submitted. A timer must run that accurately tracks when you start the game and reach the goal. All of this will then be uploaded and presented on the website speedrun.com. There are different categories:
All bosses
Specific bosses
Multiplayer
along with various specifications such as New Game, New Game+, Glitchless, Standard, Random, or Set Seed
A speedrun is a great way to set yourself a new goal in Valheim if you find you have nothing else to do. Try to break a record. For example, there is already a German record for the boss Eikthyr by player Nilsibus, who currently ranks 6th in the world. Alternatively, you can find here on MeinMMO 5 things you can do in Valheim after defeating the end boss.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Call of Duty: Warzone received the best update since its release with the launch of Season 3 – still, the battle royale suffers from some problems. Under the banner of “Find Your Next Game”, MeinMMO takes a closer look at the current state of the shooter and shows whether it’s worth diving in for beginners and veterans alike
Genre: Battle Royale Shooter | Developer: Raven Software / Infinity Ward | Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S | Release: March 10, 2020
What’s going on with Call of Duty? Since the release of CoD Mobile and Modern Warfare in 2019, the franchise has evolved more towards games-as-a-service.
CoD MW and the current Black Ops Cold War are still full-price games, but new gameplay content comes to the game for free and there is now also a free-to-play title that brings the refined CoD gunplay for free on PC and console: Call of Duty: Warzone.
The battle royale shines with fast-paced gameplay, innovative BR mechanics, and a large variety of different weapons. However, it also struggles with problems:
Bugs, glitches, and errors in the game are common
Cheaters regularly ruin cool gaming nights around the world
Communication regarding changes to the game leaves much to be desired
Recently, the joint Season 3 kicked off with the premium title Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, and Warzone received a major update. There was a comprehensive map update of the main map “Verdansk”, many weapon changes, and fresh challenges with which you can unlock cosmetics.
Some voices in the community consider the Season 3 update to be the best patch of Warzone ever. Longtime CoD expert and YouTuber “TheXclusiveAce” says in his English video (via YouTube) – “I think this was the best weapon balancing update in a CoD for a very long time.”
But is that enough to be exciting for returnees? And what about beginners?
MeinMMO shows you why Warzone is a better game with Season 3 and whether it might be worth checking out.
[toc]
Season 3 brought the best update yet …
Why was the update so good? After a boring Season 2 with little new content and a monotonous weapon meta, Season 3 really took off and brought:
It wasn’t quite like that. Verdansk did not completely disappear, but was replaced by a “younger” version – Verdansk ’84. The map is different in many places, has new hot spots, and in some locations feels like an entirely new map.
For the nuke event, the leaks and rumors were correct: the “modern” Verdansk was nuked. Through a live event with two special modes, players could experience the downfall of Verdansk live. Indeed, some Warzone players can now call themselves “The Destroyers of Verdansk”. The winners of the second event mode launched rockets at the city with their victory.
Equally important and good were the changes to the weapons.
Since the introduction of Cold War in Warzone in December 2020, the tactical rifles of the new CoD title have been a power in the battle royale. First, the DMR 14 and later the AUG dominated Warzone and even caused small protests in “the real world”. There was also the assault rifle FFAR 1, which dominated close combat with its low time-to-kill. This made the weapon meta very one-sided. At a certain level, only these weapons were played.
With the Season 3 update, everything is different now. The nerfs demanded by the community were consistently implemented, and more weapons are now considered “top-tier”. There are even a few new candidates for the top. Additionally, the developers commented on the most important changes in the English patch notes (via ravensoftware.com). On the topic of weapon balancing, this was a significant step in the right direction.
Overall, this was a really strong update – possibly even the best so far: There’s a lot of new content to see, a fresh weapon meta to discover, and a positive signal in communication. All things that many players have long wished for from Warzone.
The new map offers many changes to discover.
… but the update was far from perfect
What wasn’t so good? The positive aspects of Season 3 come with a certain aftertaste, especially for players wanting to experience the nuke event:
The live event ran poorly
There was only one map update
Old bugs reappeared
Cheaters remain a problem
The introduction of the new map was a disappointment for many players. There were massive server problems when the event modes were online, and the event times were also not optimal in Germany. The first mode “The Destruction of Verdansk – Part 1” lasted over 2 hours, while part 2 only lasted an hour – both starting at 9 PM. There were players who stood in the queue for the entire time and missed the event.
The event is over, and the current Season 3 will not be further affected by it. However, the start of the season is burdened by it.
Another point is the map changes themselves. Warzone ran for a year with only one large map, which only received small changes over time. A stadium opening here, a moving train there. And even though Verdansk ’84 comes with innovations at many locations, it remains just a map update. It remains to be seen how long this can keep players engaged.
Additionally, the cheater problem remains acute. The developers regularly post on Twitter about how many cheat accounts they have banned and give hope for a better, cheat-free future.
But there can still be no talk of a real improvement in the cheater plague in Warzone. Players still frequently encounter others using cheat programs and enjoying almost perfect precision with aim-bots and/or can see their enemies through walls.
Season 3 does a lot right, but Warzone is burdened and continues to struggle with problems that players have been complaining about for months.
Warzone offers beginners an innovative battle royale
Is it worth it to jump into Warzone? The free battle royale is a full-fledged CoD title. If you are into battle royale and wish for top-notch gunplay in a rather realistic setting, then you should check out Warzone. It offers:
Huge map with 150 players
Solo, duo, trio, and quad battle royale
Tons of weapons
Loadouts to bring your own weapons into the match
The Gulag – A respawn duel
Cash system to buy equipment
Reviving teammates
Contracts that keep the match moving
The frequent respawns and mobile CoD gameplay make Warzone a fast-paced battle royale with a lot of action if you go for it.
Warzone’s biggest concerns are currently more technical in nature. There are some issues with game bugs and unfortunately, cheaters are something that should be mentioned in a Warzone recommendation.
However, Warzone itself is a really strong battle royale that can provide a lot of fun. Especially for newcomers, Warzone offers a lot to do, overwhelming you with a huge selection of weapons and provides three extensive leveling systems:
Weapon level, through which you unlock attachments for your firearms
The matchmaking system initially ensures that you mostly play with players who are on your level. The better you get, the stronger your opponents become, and the weapon meta becomes more important. However, especially for newcomers, Call of Duty: Warzone offers a new and varied experience for fans of “battle royale” mechanics.
Pro
Free CoD gameplay
Battle royale with lots of action
Countless weapons
Regular updates and seasons
Contra
Problems with errors and cheaters
Often strict weapon meta
Warzone is a battle royale for casual play, not for grinding
Should veterans check it out again? A look at the changes is absolutely worth it for the new map. There are quite a few new locations, but also familiar areas that give a feeling of security.
Additionally, there are changes to the weapons. Currently, players are once again looking for the next hit, which has brought a certain dynamism to the weapon selection. You see players with the Grau, M4A1, M16, but also newcomers like the FARA 83, Krig 6, or the Sykov pistol, which has found an akimbo niche in close combat.
However, if you want to grind Warzone like at release, problems arise. The longer you play, the more the small annoyances become apparent. Whether it’s players lurking under the map or just cheaters ruining your mood with impossible headshots – the more ambitious and the more you play, the more Warzone can disappoint you.
Currently, it’s more of a shooter for casual play, not for deep dives. A night here, an hour there – for more Warzone, you currently need strong nerves. However, in the time when it runs without incidents, Warzone at the start of Season 3 is genuinely fun.
The battle royale is a cornerstone of the CoD franchise and is expected to be developed further over the coming years. Each new premium “Call of Duty” has an impact on the gameplay and story of Warzone.
The current Black Ops Cold War brought more than 30 new weapons into the game and a new, smaller map – Rebirth Island. The current map update is also inspired by the “Cold War” setting, and Warzone now takes place during this time period.
According to the developers, this is expected to continue. Each current CoD title influences Warzone, bringing new story, new content, and fresh winds. In between, map updates and content from live seasons are meant to keep the game fresh.
In terms of communication, cheaters, and bugs in the game, the developers are optimistic and regularly announce new records for player counts (via Twitter). Creative Director Amos Hodge from developer Raven Software said in an interview with the US site “VGC”: “I can tell you that we at Raven are ramping up like crazy” (via videogameschronicle) and makes major announcements for the coming weeks and for the mid-season update of Season 3.
However, the future of Warzone will also depend on whether players remain similarly optimistic. Because despite the best update of all time with Season 3, Warzone falls short in important aspects:
Little content in the first year
Cheater elimination insufficient
Annoying bugs reemerge
Communication could be much more open
Conclusion: Season 3 shows what Warzone can achieve
For beginners looking for a suitable battle royale, Warzone is a strong, free shooter. The CoD title offers a lot of content, refined gameplay, and innovative “battle royale” mechanics that set Warzone apart from the competition.
However, the game is far from error-free. The longer and deeper you dive in, the more you notice the small but annoying bugs, you encounter cheaters from time to time, and get a sense of how tightly the weapon meta often is in Warzone.
If everything runs smoothly and you have teammates who are on your level, Call of Duty: Warzone is one of the best BR games on the market.
For veterans, a return can also be worth it. With Season 3, Warzone is a better game, but with old mistakes.
The revised map and the very good weapon adjustments have breathed new life into the gameplay. Warzone has shown what is possible and you should definitely check out the new map.
Whether Warzone can maintain the positive impression of the season update will only become clear in the upcoming weeks. However, generally, I feel more hopeful than before the season start.
Maik Schneider Freelance author at MeinMMO
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
