In the survival game Valheim, building houses is a major part of the gameplay. Especially at the beginning, you don’t have many options. With these tips, you can start building large houses early on.
That’s why building houses is complicated: In Valheim, not only the suitable components determine how your house looks. Stability is also an important factor. This makes it difficult to construct large buildings at the start, as better materials like stones or core wood are not available until later.
Regular wood is only stable up to a certain size, and support beams do not necessarily fulfill the function you might expect. What matters more is how far your parts are from the foundations.
However, players are discovering more and more useful tricks to build larger houses early on. MeinMMO shows you some of them and how you can achieve this as well.
Building houses in Valheim is not that easy.
Build large houses early – here’s how
How does it work? To build a stable house, you need to pay attention to certain factors in Valheim. Important are, for example, the distance to the ground, connection to foundations, and horizontal supports.
So that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel for each section of your house, you can simply build one section and reuse the same pattern over and over. Basically, it’s a kind of construction kit.
Use “templates”
The Reddit user unionrodent has presented some examples of what this can look like. These are 20-meter wide longhouse designs that can be easily repeated until you have a large longhouse.
Here’s what the designs look like:
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A central beam with a Y-construction or parallel beams to support the roof on both sides
This involves materials that you can collect easily at the start. Basically, you only need wood for the walls and the roof. No stones, core wood, or metals are required. Additionally, some parts provide a vent so that you don’t suffer from smoke poisoning from fire sources inside the house.
If you use such structures and assemble them, you still need to pay attention to stability. The larger your house gets, the more important this becomes. Inside the longhouse, wooden beams should always be built at a distance of four meters. Pay attention to the color in which the objects are displayed while building.
These are the important colors when building:
Blue: Foundation, directly connected to the ground or a foundation component like stone
Green: Object is on foundation and is stable
Yellow and Orange: becomes unstable but still holds
The foundation doesn’t have to be made of stone or wood
While the foundations shown above are made of stone, which can only be mined with a pickaxe or must be collected awkwardly. Additionally, you need a stonecutter’s workbench to build it, which you only get later. However, you can also simply level the ground with a hoe and build on the earth. The user only used stone because it was easier for demonstration, as he says.
To reach the upper parts, you can simply build a staircase that reaches up to the roof. This doesn’t even need a point to connect to. It is also possible to simply walk up the already placed roof walls.
Alternatively, you can also just temporarily build a second floor to work on the roof. Once you finish the construction work, you can easily remove the scaffold used.
This year, the gates of Oblivion open in the MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO). You will face the Daedric Prince Mehrunes Dagon. But who is he actually?
Who is Mehrunes Dagon? The dark Daedric Prince of Destruction is referred to as the enemy of all mortal races of the land of Tamriel. He resides in one of the realms of Oblivion. He continually attempts to conquer the planet Nirn.
The reason assumed is that Dagon believes Tamriel is actually part of the realm of Oblivion and thus his rightful possession.
What is Oblivion? Oblivion, also known as the Realm of Forgetting, is a dimension divided into several realms. Mehrunes Dagon rules here in the so-called Deadlands. The remaining 15 realms belong to other Daedric Princes.
The realms can take on different forms and are subject to their own unique rules and laws. The Deadlands, with their magma lakes and fire-red sky, resemble hell.
What does he look like? Mehrunes Dagon takes the form of a gigantic horned demon with four arms in the realm of mortals. His body is marked by tattoos and scars.
He can also take on other forms, such as that of a regular Dremora, which resemble humans with horns and demonic faces.
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In the trailer for ESO: Blackwood, you will see Mehrunes Dagon.
Where does the Daedric Prince come from? Long ago, Dagon was a ghost king who assisted Lorkhan, the Missing God, in combating the God of Destruction and World-Eater Alduin. Alduin’s task is to devour the so-called Kalpas, so that the cycle of the universe can begin anew. A Kalpa refers to the time it takes for the universe in The Elder Scrolls to form, pass away, and return to its primal state.
However, Lorkhan wanted to hide parts of the Kalpas so that Alduin could later devour them and thus explode. This was meant to prevent any further cycles of ages. Mehrunes Dagon assisted him in this.
Alduin found this out and cursed Dagon, who was to find and destroy the previously hidden pieces of the Kalpa. Thus, he became the Prince of Destruction.
Why is Mehrunes Dagon so well-known? The Daedric Prince is a familiar figure for fans of the RPG series The Elder Scrolls. He was already the villain in the game TES: Battlespire from 1997. He attacked the Academy of Battle Mages, Battlespire, to plan an invasion from there, with which he wanted to conquer Tamriel.
His perhaps most famous appearance takes place in TES 4: Oblivion, where he again attacked the continent. This led to the assassination of Emperor Uriel Septim VII. Through Oblivion gates, Dagon sent the demonic Daedra into the land, and only the sacrifice of Martin Septim, the last descendant of the emperor, could stop the invasion.
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In The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, you confront Mehrunes Dagon.
Mehrunes Dagon continues to appear throughout the history of The Elder Scrolls, including a quest in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim.
Why is he so cool? Mehrunes Dagon essentially fulfills every requirement that a villain must possess. He looks dark and demonic, follows an evil plan, and rules over a dimension that resembles hell. His backstory is interesting and quite profound.
Moreover, he keeps appearing in the story of The Elder Scrolls, and his attack on the Imperial City in TES 4: Oblivion as a gigantic, four-armed demon who tramples the inhabitants is unforgettable.
What is his role in ESO? In the new year-long story “Gates of Oblivion” and in the expansion Blackwood, Mehrunes Dagon reappears.
A Longhouse Emperor made a pact with the Daedric Prince to rule over Tamriel for him. However, this pact did not go as intended, and now four powerful weapons are in Tamriel that could cause devastating destruction.
The heroes of the MMORPG must set out to find and defuse these weapons. In doing so, they will confront Mehrunes Dagon. When exactly in the story you will meet the Daedric Prince is still unclear. The Blackwood addon would be suitable as the highlight of the ESO year 2021.
Are you looking forward to Mehrunes Dagon? Or would you have preferred another villain?
Some users are complaining about problems with the PS5 controller. A company has now disassembled the DualSense controller and examined where the issues might be coming from.
Who looked into the errors? The company iFixit took a closer look at the PS5 controller and dismantled it. iFixit is known for disassembling devices and examining repair possibilities.
iFixit identified 4 problems that may be responsible for the issues. It is important to note that this is a company specializing in repairs and that Sony has nothing to do with this investigation. Sony has not yet commented on iFixit’s findings.
These problems of the DualSense controller are mentioned by iFixit
This is the first problem: The motion sensor in the thumbstick is responsible for ensuring that the movements are registered by the console. In technical terms, these parts are called “potentiometers.”
The wear of this component causes irregularities in the material, which in turn alters the values that are transmitted.
According to iFixit, the problem lies with this very component. It is manufactured by the company “Alps Alpine” and is rated for 2 million movements. This is basically a theoretical value, as components can function longer or shorter.
iFixit also calculates what this means in practice. If someone moves the stick 120 times a minute and plays for an average of 2 hours a day, they would reach a lifespan of 4 to 7 months.
This is what a potentiometer of the DualSense controller looks like. Image source: Fixit.com
This is the second problem: A spring mechanism ensures that the joystick always returns to the center of the controller. This means that every time you release the thumbstick, it returns to its starting position, putting stress on the small spring.
The problem is that with each movement you make, this spring is stressed and will eventually wear out. The spring wants to reposition the thumbstick back to the center.
The consequence is that a worn-out spring can no longer properly center the thumbstick. The system still registers this as movement, which you know and hate as “stick drift.” You move even though you actually want to stand still.
What is “stick drift”? “Stick drift” is a problem where the thumbstick of the controller moves on its own – even when you are not touching the controller.
The problem is not an isolated incident, and controllers from Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo are affected.
This is the third problem: Here, iFixit primarily points to material wear, as the controller consists largely of plastic. Those who play a lot and actively will likely wear out the controller faster. Here, plastic rubs against plastic, which eventually strains the material.
Additionally, self-lubricating plastics are often used here, which also wear out over time. Self-lubricating means that during movements, some plastic is automatically lost to compensate for friction.
The entire joystick is made of plastic and is housed in a metal casing. Image source: Fixit.com
This is the fourth problem: Dirt is also listed by iFixit as a problem. Potentiometers are sensitive to fluctuating temperatures and humidity.
iFixit cleaned the controller with pressurized air and isopropyl alcohol and found that the problems were mitigated as a result.
How to (temporarily) fix stick drift on the PS5 controller
Available solutions: iFixit also suggests several problem solutions. While these cannot repair worn parts, they should at least help:
A recalibration of the stick can help if the spring is worn out and the joystick does not return to its position.
Dead zone calibration can also help. This ignores small movements of the joystick and prevents you from “drifting” around.
In general, you should handle your devices carefully.
The lawsuit is the reason why iFixit looked into the controller
What happened? A law firm had filed a class action lawsuit against Sony in the USA over faulty PS5 controllers. The plaintiff complained about a so-called “stick drift” and suspected that Sony had intentionally used “defective” components that were already present in the DualShock4 of the PS4.
The plaintiff criticizes that repairing a controller is very cumbersome. Anyone wanting to send their controller in as a warranty case would also have to pay shipping costs.
The law firm and the plaintiff are now hoping that more users will join them in taking action against Sony. They have ruled out an out-of-court settlement from the start.
This is what’s inside the DualSense controller
The DualSense controller is Sony’s official PS5 controller for the PlayStation 5.
What functions does the DualSense controller offer? This controller offers several new features supported by new games. These include, among others:
Haptic feedback, which allows the controller to generate vibrations to make the gameplay feel more realistic
Adaptive triggers, which should give different feels to the trigger of weapons
Built-in speakers and microphone, so you no longer necessarily need a headset on the PS5.
That’s why you need the DualSense controller: Sony has already made it clear that you need a DualSense controller for PS5 games. With your PS4 controller, you cannot play PS5 games, but you can navigate through the menus or watch movies.
What do you think about this? Have you experienced similar problems with the PS5 controller or do you think they are normal signs of wear?
We look back at the news from the past week in the MeinMMO News Podcast. Tune in and get up to date.
Here are our topics: The week before the BlizzCon is always exciting and full of rumors and speculations regarding possible reveals. But even outside the BlizzCon, there was a lot happening in the gaming world.
With the current episode of the MeinMMO podcast, we look back at the past week, so tune in and get updated. Here are our topics:
Of course, we also give our own take on the news and events and look at them from expert perspectives. But we also want to know your opinion, let us know in the comments.
Here’s how you can participate: We are of course happy about constructive feedback and suggestions for improvement regarding our new news show! Write your opinion in the comments under the article or in our Discord and let us know what you think of the new format. You can also reach us via email at [email protected].
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A new gameplay trailer for Season 2 of Black Ops Cold War and Call of Duty: Warzone shows some changes to the map Verdansk and reignites rumors of a nuke event. The roadmap also reveals two new modes for the battle royale. MeinMMO shows you the details.
What does Season 2 bring for Warzone? The new Season 2 of Call of Duty brings fresh content to the battle royale Warzone on February 25 and announces further innovations throughout the season. Included are:
MeinMMO shows you what has been announced for the Warzone and explains what it all means. We have embedded the German gameplay trailer for Season 2 here for you:
https://youtu.be/JA0N7CVn0G4
CoD Warzone changes Verdansk map in Season 2
What happens with the map Verdansk? The trailer shows only a few seconds of the new content for the Warzone, but they are quite impactful.
The trailer starts the short Warzone segment at 1:40 minutes and shows the female operator “Maxis” pulling herself up using a winch that apparently leads from a missile silo up to the surface.
The view from the missile silo.
Currently, this POI is not present in Verdansk. A few scenes later, you can see the area near a monument located south of the military base on the mountain.
The two parts of the monument are further apart, and under the foundation of the large sculpture, a missile silo seems to have opened.
The area near the monument over the military base is changing.
Afterwards, battles in the new areas can still be seen. The silos could therefore be new, accessible underground areas in Verdansk.
The permanently mounted winches at the upper “entrance” of the missile silos suggest that the new areas are always open and accessible.
Unlike the bunkers in Warzone, for which you usually need either a code or a keycard to enter.
Fights inside the missile silos are possible.
At the end of the trailer, there is a hint of a small teaser that is already in the game. If you look at the sea to the south during a battle royale match in Verdansk, you can spot a storm and below it a ship.
This ship disappeared near the map “Rebirth Island” during the “Cold War” storyline and has now resurfaced off the coast of Verdansk. What this means remains unclear for now.
Currently, it appears that this ship is related to how the stories of Cold War & Warzone fit together. The villain “Stitch” is, according to the story of Season 2, now in the Verdansk of the “Cold War” era and has sent the operator “Adler” to the Gulag.
This all ties in with the zombie storyline from Cold War. An in-game teaser plays an audio file in Russian in Warzone, which was translated by the Twitter user “@totamyipetrik”:
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MeinMMO colleague Irina Moritz also listened in and helped with the translation since she speaks Russian.
Translation of the audio file: “The Germans can hear me. This is Captain Rosental speaking. Russian ship Vodyanoi. […] We are transporting a contagious biological material. What have we done? There has been an outbreak of infection. I’m afraid we won’t be able to contain it.”
Whether the ship will become a new, accessible area, is related to the outbreak event, or will only remain relevant for the story, will likely only be revealed with the start of the season. It’s possible that all battle royale modes in Verdansk will receive zombie mechanics, thereby adding a PvE element like in the spiritual predecessor “Blackout”.
A mysterious ship approaches Verdansk.
2 new modes coming in Season 2 – Resurrection Extreme & Exfiltration
The roadmap for Season 2 shows two fresh modes for the battle royale Warzone:
Resurrection Extreme – Launching at the start of the season
Exfiltration – Expected to be released during the season
What can the new modes do? With Resurrection Extreme, the small map “Rebirth Island” will receive an intense action mode. The game mode follows the rules of “Revive”, meaning a team is only entirely eliminated when all team members are out of play.
The first 10 minutes, fallen teammates are continually revived. The “Extreme” part comes from the fact that instead of 40 soldiers, now 90 players fight for victory.
“Exfiltration” will be a mode for Verdansk. Essentially, it’s a normal battle royale with an additional victory condition. Throughout the match, you can attempt to capture a “Radio”.
Like in a “Most Wanted” contract, you become marked to all other players on the map while trying to capture it. If you succeed, the match ends, and you fly out of the city victoriously.
The first roadmap of Season 2.
New weapons and operators with Season 2
What weapons are coming with Season 2? All weapons that are new in Black Ops Cold War will also be released in Warzone. The CoD developers have officially announced six new weapons for Season 2.
Two weapons for the battle pass that you can unlock directly:
LC10: SMG at level 31 of the battle pass
This is likely the SMG “Scorpion”, which has appeared in several past CoDs
FARA 83: Assault rifle at level 15 of the battle pass
This rifle is apparently modeled after the Israeli weapon IMI Galil
Four weapons that will arrive during the season:
R1 Shadowhunter – A powerful crossbow
ZRG 20MM – A sniper rifle with high bullet velocity but low rate of fire
E-Tool – A shovel as a melee weapon
Machete – A large knife with lethal properties
What new operator skins are coming? The roadmap announces a total of four new operators, who are also featured in the gameplay trailer. The main focus of the season is the nasty “Naga”.
Additionally, at the start of the season, the female operator from the zombie story “Maxis” is coming, although it is likely she is a premium operator that you can only obtain through premium currency in the shop. However, it is also possible for Maxis to be released via the battle pass.
Throughout the season, the operators “Rivas” and “Wolf” will also be added, who are connected to the Black Ops soldier “Woods”. You will probably only get these two through the premium shop.
Warzone launches an event with Season 2 – Outbreak Challenge Event
What happens during the outbreak event? Cold War brings a new zombie mode at the start of Season 2: Outbreak. The new mode launches alongside an event, which also starts on February 25 – the Outbreak Challenge Event. The event runs alongside Warzone.
Here you can unlock special cosmetic items through challenges. It is not yet officially known how this will unfold in detail, but based on some leaks, one can make some reasonable assumptions:
It’s a zombie event
Cold War & Warzone offer various challenges to unlock items
Upon completing all challenges, there are weapon skins available
Throughout the event, zombie modes will be running in Warzone
Through the connection of the stories of Cold War, Warzone, and the zombie mode, along with the emergence of new nuke silos in Verdansk, the rumors about the so-called “nuke event” in Warzone are again heating up. This rumor has persisted for months.
What is the rumor about? It is about the map Verdansk being destroyed by a nuclear strike and then replaced by a new or altered map.
The obvious opening of new missile silos with supposedly nuclear warheads inside fosters this speculation again.
The zombie component also introduces another reason for the destruction of Verdansk: Through the mysterious ship on the coast, the undead are coming into the city and taking over a large part of the area, leading to a massive “dark aether” outbreak in Verdansk. To regain control, the city must be destroyed.
The trailer also hints at this slightly. Here it says: “Learn from the beginnings of the end.” This could be interpreted as the end of Verdansk.
However, the fact that the zombie storyline could have such a significant impact on events in Warzone seems somewhat far-fetched at the moment – but is becoming increasingly likely.
The fact is that Twitch does not comment on bans, and it is up to the Twitch streamer whether to reveal the reason for the ban and how he presents the ban publicly.
Other streamers, however, receive permanent bans for having a pornographic photo visible in their stream for seconds and apparently completely unintentionally.
These discrepancies are currently leading to a discussion about Twitch’s banning policy. Furthermore, the mood is already heated because many streamers are worried about their channels after Twitch has come into the spotlight of the music industry and distributed warnings and bans for copyright violations that date back years.
How could this be done better? A smart suggestion, on how to improve the banning policy, came at the end of January from Cohh Carnage. He sits on the streamer council of Twitch.
He has the simple idea: Why not talk to the streamer before a ban occurs about what really happened? Carnage suggests having the account managers who look after streamers talk to the affected parties about the ban.
This could clarify many misunderstandings in a short time. That would surely be a step forward to take the toxicity out of the situation.
At least in the case of “misunderstandings” Twitch would no longer look so bad. And streamers would have fewer arguments to portray themselves as “completely innocent victims” and to stir up their fans against Twitch if they would just talk to them beforehand.
The prime example of a strange ban on Twitch: DrDisrespect.
The strange incident surrounding the ban of DrDisrespect is still looming: He was a top streamer on Twitch for years, but was then banned.
To this day, no one knows why DrDisrespect was banned from Twitch. However, there is the idea that Twitch banned DrDisrespect to get out of the highly lucrative contract with him:
These discrepancies are currently leading to a discussion about Twitch’s banning policy. Furthermore, the mood is already heated because many streamers are worried about their channels after Twitch has come into the spotlight of the music industry and distributed warnings and bans for copyright violations that date back years.
How could this be done better? A smart suggestion, on how to improve the banning policy, came at the end of January from Cohh Carnage. He sits on the streamer council of Twitch.
He has the simple idea: Why not talk to the streamer before a ban occurs about what really happened? Carnage suggests having the account managers who look after streamers talk to the affected parties about the ban.
This could clarify many misunderstandings in a short time. That would surely be a step forward to take the toxicity out of the situation.
At least in the case of “misunderstandings” Twitch would no longer look so bad. And streamers would have fewer arguments to portray themselves as “completely innocent victims” and to stir up their fans against Twitch if they would just talk to them beforehand.
The prime example of a strange ban on Twitch: DrDisrespect.
The strange incident surrounding the ban of DrDisrespect is still looming: He was a top streamer on Twitch for years, but was then banned.
To this day, no one knows why DrDisrespect was banned from Twitch. However, there is the idea that Twitch banned DrDisrespect to get out of the highly lucrative contract with him:
The fact is that Twitch does not comment on bans, and it is up to the Twitch streamer whether to reveal the reason for the ban and how he presents the ban publicly.
Other streamers, however, receive permanent bans for having a pornographic photo visible in their stream for seconds and apparently completely unintentionally.
These discrepancies are currently leading to a discussion about Twitch’s banning policy. Furthermore, the mood is already heated because many streamers are worried about their channels after Twitch has come into the spotlight of the music industry and distributed warnings and bans for copyright violations that date back years.
How could this be done better? A smart suggestion, on how to improve the banning policy, came at the end of January from Cohh Carnage. He sits on the streamer council of Twitch.
He has the simple idea: Why not talk to the streamer before a ban occurs about what really happened? Carnage suggests having the account managers who look after streamers talk to the affected parties about the ban.
This could clarify many misunderstandings in a short time. That would surely be a step forward to take the toxicity out of the situation.
At least in the case of “misunderstandings” Twitch would no longer look so bad. And streamers would have fewer arguments to portray themselves as “completely innocent victims” and to stir up their fans against Twitch if they would just talk to them beforehand.
The prime example of a strange ban on Twitch: DrDisrespect.
The strange incident surrounding the ban of DrDisrespect is still looming: He was a top streamer on Twitch for years, but was then banned.
To this day, no one knows why DrDisrespect was banned from Twitch. However, there is the idea that Twitch banned DrDisrespect to get out of the highly lucrative contract with him:
The banning policy of Twitch is increasingly under harsh criticism. The platform has issued permanent bans against major streamers, but had to revoke them. Apparently, the public pressure was too great. The seemingly arbitrary suspensions and the lack of transparency from Twitch are causing ongoing discussions. Our author Schuhmann also sees a significant issue here with Twitch.
The 16-year-old Clix is currently ranked number 30 on Twitch and is one of the rising stars of the platform.
Clix was apparently banned because a pornographic image was briefly visible in his stream: One of his folders in Windows had a thumbnail that did not pass as age-appropriate. This thumbnail was – apparently accidentally – visible for a short time in his Twitch stream.
Neither Clix nor Twitch explicitly stated that the streamer was permanently banned for this, but it is likely that this “oops” mistake was the reason for the permanent ban.
However, the ban of Clix outraged so many of his fans that over 22,000 posts appeared under the hashtag “#FreeClix” on Twitter. The hashtag even trended. The streamer was unbanned by Twitch within just a day and a half.
Twitch regularly buckles under pressure on Twitter
Has this happened before? Yes, almost the same case happened with the streamer Forsen in December 2020. The Swedish streamer also accidentally showed a pornographic image, earned the nickname “Horsen” and was permanently banned from Twitch.
The same happened to a streamer in Brazil: She was permanently banned by Twitch, apparently because her young daughter was seen without a shirt. The streamer raised the alarm, saying she was losing her livelihood. The case gained significant attention on Twitter and Twitch lifted the ban without comment.
The streamer TayHuhu was permanently banned until enough people on Twitter found it totally unfair.
Whoever screams loud enough gets freed
This is the problem with these bans: It creates the impression that a permanent ban on Twitch can be circumvented if one can just find enough people on Twitter who view the ban as unfair and raise enough alarm. Then someone at Twitch notices and lifts the ban.
This makes it seem that small streamers without reach remain banned while bigger streamers manage to get unbanned.
This leads to ongoing discussions about Twitch’s bans. Time and again, Twitch ends up looking really bad.
Permanent bans on Twitch can only be lifted through a successful appeal. They are thus so bitter because they take away the livelihood of streamers. They essentially lose their job.
Because Twitch remains silent, they always look bad
The problem is that we only know the side of the banned streamer, as Twitch does not comment on the bans. Because they remain silent, the responsible individuals at Twitch have only two options for responding:
Either they let the ban stand and say nothing – then they appear as if they don’t care about “injustice”
or they lift the ban and say nothing – then they appear as if they have no backbone, would ban arbitrarily, and later fold
Why is Twitch silent? That’s their policy. Apparently, there could be trouble if they make the reasons for the bans public, perhaps for legal reasons. Generally, it is unusual for platforms like Twitch to interfere in such discussions – they can apparently only lose.
To this day, no one knows why DrDisrespect was banned from Twitch. However, there is the idea that Twitch banned DrDisrespect to get out of the highly lucrative contract with him:
These discrepancies are currently leading to a discussion about Twitch’s banning policy. Furthermore, the mood is already heated because many streamers are worried about their channels after Twitch has come into the spotlight of the music industry and distributed warnings and bans for copyright violations that date back years.
How could this be done better? A smart suggestion, on how to improve the banning policy, came at the end of January from Cohh Carnage. He sits on the streamer council of Twitch.
He has the simple idea: Why not talk to the streamer before a ban occurs about what really happened? Carnage suggests having the account managers who look after streamers talk to the affected parties about the ban.
This could clarify many misunderstandings in a short time. That would surely be a step forward to take the toxicity out of the situation.
At least in the case of “misunderstandings” Twitch would no longer look so bad. And streamers would have fewer arguments to portray themselves as “completely innocent victims” and to stir up their fans against Twitch if they would just talk to them beforehand.
The prime example of a strange ban on Twitch: DrDisrespect.
The strange incident surrounding the ban of DrDisrespect is still looming: He was a top streamer on Twitch for years, but was then banned.
To this day, no one knows why DrDisrespect was banned from Twitch. However, there is the idea that Twitch banned DrDisrespect to get out of the highly lucrative contract with him:
The fact is that Twitch does not comment on bans, and it is up to the Twitch streamer whether to reveal the reason for the ban and how he presents the ban publicly.
Other streamers, however, receive permanent bans for having a pornographic photo visible in their stream for seconds and apparently completely unintentionally.
These discrepancies are currently leading to a discussion about Twitch’s banning policy. Furthermore, the mood is already heated because many streamers are worried about their channels after Twitch has come into the spotlight of the music industry and distributed warnings and bans for copyright violations that date back years.
How could this be done better? A smart suggestion, on how to improve the banning policy, came at the end of January from Cohh Carnage. He sits on the streamer council of Twitch.
He has the simple idea: Why not talk to the streamer before a ban occurs about what really happened? Carnage suggests having the account managers who look after streamers talk to the affected parties about the ban.
This could clarify many misunderstandings in a short time. That would surely be a step forward to take the toxicity out of the situation.
At least in the case of “misunderstandings” Twitch would no longer look so bad. And streamers would have fewer arguments to portray themselves as “completely innocent victims” and to stir up their fans against Twitch if they would just talk to them beforehand.
The prime example of a strange ban on Twitch: DrDisrespect.
The strange incident surrounding the ban of DrDisrespect is still looming: He was a top streamer on Twitch for years, but was then banned.
To this day, no one knows why DrDisrespect was banned from Twitch. However, there is the idea that Twitch banned DrDisrespect to get out of the highly lucrative contract with him:
In the schedule for BlizzCon 2021, you can find the times for streams of Diablo, WoW, Overwatch, and Hearthstone, where the streams are running, and what announcements there are.
Update from February 19: We have updated the article with the information already leaked by Blizzard about WoW and WoW: Classic.
When does it start? BlizzCon 2021 starts on Friday, February 19 at 11:00 PM. It ends on Sunday morning, February 21.
The big opening ceremony kicks off on Friday evening. The program lasts about an hour, and at 00:10 AM on Saturday morning, it will seamlessly transition into the following programs. In the overview below, we show you which streams are planned for WoW, Diablo, Hearthstone, Overwatch, and the strategy section.
How long does BlizzCon last? The first day ends on Saturday morning at 02:50 AM.
On Saturday evening at 9:00 PM the second day of the show starts. BlizzCon 2021 ends on Sunday morning at 01:30 AM.
Do you need to buy tickets? From past BlizzCons, you know the virtual tickets. However, this time everything is free, so you do not need to buy a ticket for BlizzConline in the Blizzard store.
With this schedule for BlizzConline, you know exactly when to tune in for your games. Additionally, we have a live ticker for BlizzCon 2021 on MeinMMO, so you won’t miss anything.
Why “BlizzConline”? Due to the Corona pandemic, the traditional BlizzCon will take place online in 2021. This fitting name combines both aspects. In the Fireside Chat on November 2, 2020, Blizzard President J. Allen Brack revealed that BlizzConline 2021 will be free. The event is the replacement for the BlizzCon 2020 that was canceled due to Covid-19.
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All streams on February 19 for BlizzConline at a glance
What is on when? In the following graphic, we show you the program points of the main stream. Below this graphic in the article, you will learn more about the individual games and program points of the special streams for WoW, Diablo, Overwatch, Hearthstone, and strategy.
Dates for the main stream from Blizzard on Friday evening. “What happens next” from Diablo and “behind the scenes of OW 2” are repeats. These videos will run prior on the special streams we describe below.
How can I watch? As promised, you can watch the entire BlizzConline 2021 for free. You can find streams on:
Watch the opening with GameStar: If you want, you can also watch the opening ceremony together with the experts from GameStar. Just tune in to the YouTube channel of GameStar or the MAX channel on Twitch:
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A look at the creation process of the Wandering Ancient – the mount chosen by the community
The Voices of the Afterlife (01:20 AM to 02:40 AM)
The voice actors talk about their roles for the WoW characters and share background information
What we already know: Originally, fans hoped for more information about the new patch 9.1 in WoW Shadowlands and an announcement for The Burning Crusade for WoW: Classic. Blizzard leaked this information before the event. So we now know:
The Diablo team discusses new content for Sanctuary
The voice of Deckard Cain (00:50 AM to 01:00 AM)
Michael Gough, the voice of Deckard Cain, talks about the origins of the cult voice and answers some questions from the Diablo universe.
Panel discussion (01:00 AM to 01:40 AM)
The developer team talks about the latest findings
Interview with Brom (01:40 AM to 02:00 AM)
The legendary artist Brom gives an interview and talks about the inspiration for his unforgettable contributions to the Diablo franchise.
Insights (02:00 AM to 02:40 AM)
The developer team discusses interesting facts about Diablo
What is expected? The developers of Diablo 4 have hinted that the content of BlizzConline could also revolve around a new class reveal for Diablo 4. Players hope this will happen and Blizzard will reveal the 4th class.
Diablo Immortal is also a topic. Here, more details about the development status are expected, and perhaps even a release date.
There are also rumors of a remaster or remake of Diablo 2. Will Blizzard fulfill this wish of the veterans?
Here, the best players from StarCraft and StarCraft II face off against each other.
Back to the beginnings of Blizzard (02:20 AM to 02:40 AM)
A look behind the scenes of the first games that led to the founding of Blizzard Entertainment.
What is expected? Players do not expect any big announcements here. The streams mainly revolve around StarCraft and the “old” games that made Blizzard great.
Streams for Saturday, February 20.
What will be shown? On Saturday, the program of the livestreams looks like a lot of entertainment for the community. No major announcements are expected.
It starts again around 11:00 PM.
The main stream features a Diablo adventure with the web series Critical Role.
In the Warcraft stream, Thrall’s development and the sound of WoW will be discussed. After that, the cooking show with dishes whose ingredients are based on those from Azeroth will be aired.
The Hearthstone channel offers a streamer showdown with internet stars and streamers.
In the Diablo stream, you can watch artists as they design a nasty monster for Diablo.
Overwatch initially showcases community members who have achieved a lot in the workshop. Then, Soe Gschwind shows how to mold your own Pachimari out of clay.
In the strategy stream, there will be a discussion on Saturday about CarBot and artists showing how they design key figures from Overwatch and WoW.
Which of the contents are you most looking forward to at BlizzConline 2021? Let us know in the comments here on MeinMMO and discuss with other readers what the highlights might be or what your personal favorites are.
Valheim is full of dangers, but not all of them look as threatening as they really are. Even if you’ve already defeated dragons and slime monsters, you should be cautious not to underestimate tiny mosquitoes.
What kind of enemies are they? We’re talking about Deathskitos. These are blood-sucking, tiny mosquitoes that you can find in the Plains biome. Deathskitos are currently the smallest enemies in Valheim.
The nasty thing about them is that they don’t look nearly as dangerous as they really are. They can easily kill an unprepared Viking with a single strike and will chase you even into the water. Memes about these mosquitoes have been circulating in the Valheim subreddit for some time now, and they are still relevant weeks later:
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Why are these creatures so tough? Deathskitos have some characteristics that make them incredibly dangerous:
they are small and fast, making them hard to hit
the damage they deal is very high, which can instantly kill players with poor food and armor
they can fly, allowing them to reach you even on a ship if you just pass by
when they attack you, your screen shakes more than during a troll attack, quickly disorienting you
Additionally, Deathskitos constantly cover a larger area. Coupled with their high speed, you can quickly find yourself in a fight with them, and if they are guarding the loot you lost upon death, getting it back can be very difficult.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMVP6EqYjN0
This is what a Deathskito attack looks like – they even follow into swamps.
On the other hand, Deathskitos have very little health. Usually, one hit is enough to kill them – if you manage to hit them. This also has a positive side: if you’re fast enough with the ship, you can just squash them at the bow like a fly on a windshield when you “drive over” them. Incredibly satisfying.
That’s why the Plains are dangerous: Deathskitos are not the only threats in the Plains. This biome is also home to Fulings, small (and large) goblins. You shouldn’t underestimate them either, even if they are small. They can also take you out with their small clubs in an instant.
The Plains are currently the hardest of the five land biomes that you can fully explore. Therefore, you should have strong armor from the Mountains with you and always reinforce yourself with the best food you can craft. Sausages, turnip stew and, if possible, serpent meat and its stew are advisable.
MeinMMO author Benedict Grothaus says: Even I have encountered this. Although I would consider myself an experienced Viking, I have a great deal of respect for these creatures. After I had already defeated Bone Mass, the third boss in the Swamp, as well as some dragons in the Mountains, I explored the world a bit.
In the Plains, I encountered Deathskitos and underestimated them considerably. Despite having bronze and iron armor, they were able to kill me with a single hit – since then, I have become extremely cautious.
The director of Final Fantasy XIV, Naoki Yoshida, explains in an interview how he approaches the development of his MMORPG and how he managed to make the game so successful.
Among fans and in the gaming industry, FFXIV is considered one of the success stories of how to turn a failed project into one of the most popular MMORPGs in the world.
The reason for the success is mainly the way director Yoshida and his team approach the development of the MMORPG and its updates. The director explained this in an interview (via. Washingtonpost).
Long-term Planning
The team plans the content of the MMORPG generally about 2 years in advance. Especially the 10-year-old storyline of FFXIV, which will be completed with the upcoming expansion Endwalker, must always be written very early.
The 4-member writing team of FFXIV retreats completely for this purpose. According to Yoshida, they isolate themselves in a rented office room “somewhere in Shinjuku,” a district of Tokyo where the headquarters of Square Enix is located.
The story for Endwalker was already written in October 2019, although Square Enix only recently officially announced the expansion. Endwalker is set to be released in fall 2021. Other expansions followed a similar pattern.
Yoshida gives this advice to other developers as well.
Structure your system so that it can support the updates [for your MMO] and build your foundation with your [long-term] plans in mind. […]
For the development of the actual content of FFXIV, Yoshida and his team have set strict timelines.
To create a dungeon, our game design team must establish the actual content of the plan. This takes about 10 workdays, then it is submitted for approval, which costs another 30 days. Then we hand it over to the programmers, and it takes them about two weeks to program the mechanics.
It is very clear how much money and time we need for each part of the package we have for our planners and management.
Naoki Yoshida
These strict timelines were what helped Yoshida and his team save FFXIV from collapse in 2013. The director of the MMORPG emphasizes that the goals and requirements must be realistic and planned far in advance.
Standardized Approach
In order for the developers to deliver content at such regular intervals, Yoshida and his team have also placed a great deal of emphasis on efficiency.
About 60% – 70% of the content in FFXIV is therefore designed to fit into the existing tight schedules of the development team. An update in FFXIV usually consists of content that is precisely outlined and planned, allowing the developers to estimate how long it will take them.
This approach helps the team in content supply to become much more efficient. The precisely defined amount of work leads to the creation of special tools that make the development of new content even easier.
All together, this enabled the team to deliver the regular updates that fans have become accustomed to.
In update 5.5, for example, the new dungeon Paglth’an is included, which is part of the 70% of the “standardized content.”
Innovation Must Not Be Lacking
However, even though the team is efficient and regularly delivers large updates, Yoshida does not want to let them rest on their laurels. In the strict timetable, there should still be room for new ideas and fresh wind.
While it is great that his team can assess the work well, it is less exciting if players can predict the upcoming updates, says Yoshida. Otherwise, problems can arise:
[…] However, there is a great danger of boredom and fatigue. To prevent this, we leave about 30% to 40% [of the content] outside the bundled package, so we can tackle new challenges. We consider what new types of content we can provide.
And sometimes we distribute it over multiple patches to deliver something bigger. So we have a certain stability in the 60% to 70% of the regular content.
Naoki Yoshida
This “other type of content” includes instances like the island Eureka, which is detached from the open world of the MMORPG and has its own rules and mechanics.
Eureka was a completely new type of content in FFXIV that players had not experienced before and had to learn how to navigate in the instance.
Endwalker and Another 5 Years of Content
What’s next for FFXIV? According to reports to investors and Yoshida’s own statements, FFXIV is experiencing steady growth in subscription numbers, so fans need not worry about the MMORPG.
Even if Endwalker completes the story arc around Hydaelyn and Zodiark, it is far from the end of the game. For at least 5 more years, FFXIV is expected to receive new content. If the developers maintain the current pace, we can expect at least 2 more expansions after Endwalker.
Yoshida stated that theoretically FFXIV could run indefinitely as long as people play it. He likes to compare his MMORPG to a TV series that gets more seasons as long as the viewer numbers remain high.
Fans can look forward to new stories and content in FFXIV, even though the team is still very secretive about what they will look like.
However, how catastrophic the release of FFXIV was and why it had to be rebooted, we explain in detail in our article:
There is new information about the MMORPG Chronicles of Elyria (CoE). The development studio announced that it is developing a strategy game aimed at those who prefer the settlement part. Fans are not very enthusiastic.
What is the status of Chronicles of Elyria? The MMORPG raised over $1.3 million via Kickstarter in 2016. Through further actions and sales, such as in-game Advent calendars, the funding amount increased to almost $8 million.
Instead of an MMORPG, now a strategy game is coming first
What did the studio announce now? In a new video update, “Caspian” announced that another game is currently in development. Kingdoms of Elyria (KoE) is a strategy game where you build and manage a settlement.
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Studio founder Jeromy “Caspian” Walsh announces Kingdoms of Elyria in the video.
Why is a strategy game coming now? This building part has always been part of the overall concept of Chronicles of Elyria. Jeromy Walsh explains:
Chronicles of Elyria was designed from the beginning to allow players to have different experiences based on their interests. While everyone who plays begins their life in a settlement, many of you will later establish your own. For those who do, CoE seamlessly merges an MMORPG with a colony or settlement simulation.
Jeromy Walsh, founder of Soulbound Studios
This settlement simulation will now be released as a standalone game, and every backer of the Kickstarter campaign with at least Elyrian-level will receive the game for free. KoE will also be sold, with the revenue then flowing into the development of the MMORPG.
Kingdoms of Elyria will be released in four phases, with the first phase starting around the end of 2021.
What is the future of CoE? According to “Caspian”, work on the MMORPG will continue, and what the team learns during the development of Kingdoms of Elyria will influence the work on CoE.
What do the fans say about this situation? The community is somewhat divided over this announcement. Some fans believe that KoE has always been part of the game and it is not bad to release it now as a standalone product. Others feel that work on the MMORPG should continue.
Brynath writes on reddit: “To summarize: They are still working on the game, but have changed their focus again and are now developing a standalone top-down game that will somehow give them momentum to continue with the MMO.”
ZeekTheRedditor is somewhat upset (via reddit): “Desperate MMO developer advertises Banished ripoff as proof that they are still working on a multi-million-dollar MMO project.”
DeepDashin explains it on reddit: “It’s not a new game per se. KoE has always been planned to test your kingdom and settlement management, but they just pushed it forward to get money, it seems.”
The decision to want to release a strategy game now, after all that has happened around CoE, of course leads to discussions. However, these are still being handled reasonably. The major accusations are still absent, even if disappointment and surprise are palpable.
What do you think about the matter? Do you think it’s okay that the developers of CoE are now developing a strategy game to gain more money?
In the League of Legends, the Korean coach Kim “cvMax” Dae-ho (30) is considered a genius who can shape LoL teams from scratch and bring them to the top. However, a scandal overshadows his career: He is alleged to have choked a player. Now the final judgments are in.
Why is cvMax considered a genius in LoL? The thirty-year-old is a newcomer to the LoL scene. Most coaches were former professionals. cvMax came out of nowhere but convinced the manager of a second-tier team in 2017 to give him a chance.
In just two years, cvMax led “Team Griffin” from the second Korean league to the top of Korea and even made it to the World Championship. He accomplished this by discovering excellent new players and shaping them into top players in a short time.
Later, accusations surfaced that he had grabbed and choked his own top laner Sword due to dissatisfaction with his performance.
Griffin was also shaken by further scandals: Allegations arose that things went wrong with the young star player “Kavani” regarding contracts and transfers.
This was the turning point: The ban of cvMax outraged Korean fans. They considered cvMax a strict but fair coach – and the alleged choking victim, Sword, someone who seeks blame elsewhere.
With a large wave of signatures, they forced the release of cvMax, who then continued his career: 200,000 people signed the petition for cvMax’s release.
In front of the sports court, players and coaches testified that cvMax became loud during training, even touching the chair on which players sat and shaking it, but no one could really testify to the “choking”.
This is how it turned out: The hearings are now concluded and the judgments are known:
The sports court, the “South Korean Esports Fairness Committee,” has suspended cvMax for 5 months. He is not allowed to coach any team until May 2021, so his job at DRX is currently on hold, with an interim coach taking over for him.
A civil court has fined cvMax one million South Korean won, which is $901 (approximately €746).
It is currently unknown whether cvMax will accept the civil court’s judgment or appeal it. In an interview with Inven, cvMax stated that he would consult with his lawyer.
The case of cvMax has been a focus for us at MeinMMO for 2 years. For more details on the players he helped develop and how the fans campaigned for his release, read here:
That the WoW content of BlizzCon 2021 was known in advance is particularly bitter for one group: the developers. This says Cortyn from MeinMMO.
The most important content for the WoW franchise was leaked before BlizzCon. Not through a chatterbox insider, a mistakenly sent email from a gaming magazine, or data mining – but through a bitter blunder by Blizzard itself. The whole world was able to learn what the broad content of Patch 9.1 would be and, more importantly, what transformation Anduin has to undergo in WoW.
While the subreddit of WoW and various forums are wildly discussing the leaks, I particularly feel sorry for a group of people who suffer from the leaks in a different way: the developers of this content.
For many players, the leak is probably not so bad. Whether they see new images of Anduin on Thursday evening or only see the images during the official presentation on Friday night doesn’t seem to make a big difference at first glance – at least one would think.
The leaked image of Anduin – it reveals so much but also leaves some things open.
However, for the developers who have been working on the new content and story for months, this must have been a disaster. Months of planning ruined and the big moment of revelation spoiled because everything can already be found in the depths of the internet.
Just imagine if something like this had happened at the last BlizzCon, for example, with the big cinematic of Sylvanas and Bolvar. Even though Sylvanas is getting on the nerves of some players, the cinematic with the destruction of the Helm of Domination was quite impressive. The “decisive moments” in which Sylvanas simply holds the helm and it’s unclear whether she is crowning herself as the new Lich Queen or doing something completely different were grand.
If you watch the video footage from that BlizzCon, you can feel the expectant tension of the audience, followed by great astonishment when she simply destroys the historically significant helm, like in this clip:
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And now imagine how this scene would have looked if it had been revealed three days earlier through a leak that the helm was destroyed.
It would have completely ruined the tension and turned this moment into a tired “Meh, I saw that coming” – which is always easy to say in hindsight when important info has been leaked.
From an author’s perspective, this is somehow exciting. To see information through leaks in advance, to speculate and write about it, and to get lost in thought about how all this fits together.
This shouldn’t sound melodramatic, but anyone who has ever created something creative on a larger scale knows the excitement. You work on a project for a long time, trying to make it as perfect as possible. The day of the presentation is known. You visualize exactly how these contents will be presented, at what time and under what conditions. There’s a dramatic arc for the most important revelations, guiding the audience in their perception and leading them to what you want to show.
This meticulous planning by the developers at Blizzard is now ruined.
Whoever listens to game developers – whether at BlizzCon or at another convention – knows how much most of them are passionate about their projects. Even though it is often said that Blizzard is not “the old Blizzard” anymore, you can see, hear, and feel the passion of the developers when they talk about their ideas and plans.
As a WoW fan, I find this quite bitter. At BlizzCon, like most, I prefer to just be a spectator, ready to be swept away and to ride the “hype” wave of the new content for one to two hours before I approach the whole thing again in a more sober and analytical way with the author’s glasses on.
I’m pretty sure that the revelation of this Anduin development was supposed to be the big turning point of the WoW presentation. There’s probably a cinematic or at least a trailer for his transformation, and that would be the big “Woah!” moment where everyone momentarily holds their breath and thoughts race in their heads.
Hopefully, this incident doesn’t overshadow BlizzCon and ensures that WoW players still get to see a great show that might still hold one or two surprises. I wish this not only for us as players but also for the developers, who could really use an exciting surprise among their players.
Or how do you see it?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Gamers and miners want to buy an RTX 3060. But with a trick, Nvidia is now thwarting the miners. Because the new RTX 3060 is not really worthwhile for miners. This is good for gamers looking for new hardware.
Here’s what it’s about: The RTX 3000 graphics cards (GPU) are currently very sought after and everyone wants the new graphics cards. But not only gamers want to buy an RTX 3060, but also people who mine cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin with graphics cards: the so-called miners.
But Nvidia is now intentionally degrading the GeForce RTX 3060 – at least for miners.
For miners, it should not be worthwhile to buy RTX 3060 graphics cards in the future to mine cryptocurrencies. MeinMMO explains what Nvidia has in mind.
In the title image, you see the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti as a replacement, as there is currently no proper image of the RTX 3060.
Nvidia: “GeForce is made for gaming”
Nvidia explained in an official blog post (via blogs.nvidia.com) that GeForce graphics cards are primarily aimed at gamers. However, NVIDIA graphics cards can be used for many different purposes.
This is what Nvidia does: Nvidia configures the software for the graphics cards in such a way that the software can recognize certain mining algorithms. As soon as the software detects that people want to mine cryptocurrencies, it halves the hash rate. The hash rate is extremely important for mining. In this way, the efficiency is reduced by 50%.
What is a “Hash Rate”? Simply put, the hash rate indicates how quickly the many complex calculations for unlocking a new block are carried out. The higher the hash rate, the faster mining can take place.
Is Nvidia now uninteresting for miners? To appease the now disappointed miners, Nvidia has introduced a graphics processor series with CMP that is aimed at professional miners. CMP stands for “Cryptocurrency Mining Processor.” These processors are tailored to the needs of miners.
These mining processors forgo video outputs and have a lower peak voltage and frequency, and they rely on a better cooling system. This is better for miners than mining with high-clocked gaming graphics cards.
Will availability get worse because of this? No. Nvidia immediately stated that the new series will not affect availability. So it is written in the official blog post:
They (the mining processors) do not meet the specifications required for a GeForce GPU and therefore have no impact on the availability of GeForce GPUs for gamers.
Who is Nvidia’s graphics card aimed at? Nvidia is clearly targeting mid-range gamers with the RTX 3060. This means players who are willing to spend more money on their gaming PC, but on average do not want to spend more than 400 euros on a graphics card.
For many gamers, the RTX 3060 is also likely to be the more exciting product than, for example, the RTX 3080. Because the GeForce RTX 3080 is more expensive and offers 4K performance, which is less interesting for many gamers. In our analysis, we have presented both graphics cards in more detail:
That’s why Nvidia’s decision is right: Nvidia’s step to make the RTX 3060 unattractive for miners is a good decision for many gamers. Because this eliminates another competitor in the currently highly competitive graphics card market.
Currently, there are also hardly any alternatives for gamers looking for a graphics card for Full HD with high FPS or for WQHD (1440p).
Does this affect Germany at all? How strongly Nvidia’s self-sabotage affects the German market is another question. Because in Germany, crypto mining plays a rather minor role. This is mainly due to the high electricity prices.
In the USA or China, however, mining for Ethereum or Bitcoin is more in demand than ever, so in China, some users are buying dozens of gaming laptops because it is currently worthwhile:
How long mining these currencies remains allowed in China is unclear.
Because the largest Asian economy is currently reviewing whether mining in China can be banned. Here, the focus is primarily on high environmental pollution due to high electricity consumption.
Currently, there are hardly any alternatives to the RTX 3060
What Nvidia alternatives are there? Nvidia itself has two more cards on offer, which are however only difficult to obtain. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is hardly available or only at high prices. Thus, the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti was sold out after just a few minutes.
The RTX 2060 Super offers similar performance on paper. However, the same applies here that the graphics card is currently hardly obtainable, also because it is officially no longer produced in large quantities.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Valheim, players have now stumbled upon a particularly good seed. In this world, you can quickly find the bosses and biomes.
What is a seed? The worlds of Valheim are randomly generated. Each has a seed, something like a genetic code. With this code, players can generate the corresponding world for themselves.
Every world is different from the others. The biomes, landmasses, and seas are distributed differently. The spawn points of the bosses and the trader are also different. Sometimes these can be incredibly far from the players’ starting point.
What just happened? In the Valheim subreddit, a player has now shared a special seed. This one spawns all 5 bosses of Valheim and the various biomes close to the starting area. The seed was found by InfernoFPS and is, in his opinion, the “best seed”.
The starting point is located at the top right, not far from the coast. Directly in the forest area southwest of it is where the first boss, Eikthyr, can be found.
This is the seed code: You can find the seed with the code HHcLC5acQt.
This is not the first seed with good conditions for people wanting to quickly find all bosses. MeinMMO has compiled a list where you can find more particularly good seeds: The best seeds and what you can find on the maps
In the guide, you will find a detailed explanation of how to use seeds and travel through different worlds.
What do you think of the seed? Will you visit the world? Have you discovered any such seeds that provide good conditions?
Call of Duty has announced various contents for Season 2 of CoD: Warzone and Cold War. This includes the new Zombie mode Outbreak. We will show you how the mode works.
But it has now been officially confirmed: Outbreak (in German Ausbruch) is coming, and you will fight against hordes of zombies on a new map.
All that is known about Outbreak so far
This is where Outbreak is played: You will land in the middle of Russia and have to fight against the zombies in the Ural Mountains.
This is the story: With Outbreak, the story around the “Dark Aether” is continued. There is a major outbreak of it in Russia, and you need to investigate it.
There are supposed to be new possibilities for investigation. The goal is to end the deadly experiments around the zombies.
This is what awaits you in Outbreak: The developers talk about new enemies, a huge play area, information that you need to collect by vehicle, and even large team objectives that you can only complete together.
In general, the mode is designed for a new scale. You need to master special tasks to win. This includes escorting a rover or taking down an elite enemy using a satellite tracker.
This is the Zombie mode in Cold War: Already at the release of Cold War, there was also a Zombie mode. There, you fight against hordes of zombies in an old bunker in Poland. Over time, the mode has become larger and even received a second map – Firebase Z.
The Zombie mode has several story elements. This includes the Dark Aether, which you need to explore on the current Zombie maps. This allows you to travel briefly through dimensions and also fight zombies there.
This is shown in the trailer: There is a new trailer for Season 2, which also features first images of the new Zombie mode “Outbreak”. You can partially see the size of the new map and also individual tasks that you need to solve there. From minute 1:18, it’s about the Zombie mode:
https://youtu.be/JA0N7CVn0G4?t=78
What’s particularly interesting is that you can race vehicles across the map. There are jeeps as well as snow vehicles. This points to a large and diverse map.
When does Outbreak start? It starts on February 25th. Then Season 2 in Warzone and Cold War will also begin. Until then, more information about Outbreak is to be published.
On February 25th, a suitable event for Outbreak will also start. This is supposed to be related to Warzone. However, there is not much information about it yet. So you will have to wait a bit.
In Season 13 of Destiny 2, the Trials offer strong loot. But Guardians don’t earn it, the new gear is “earned” through dying. And that is a problem.
What’s happening in the shooter: In Destiny 2, Season 13 has thrown players into war with a turtle empress, and it’s naturally about the survival of the whole Earth. In Season 13, Guardians are also throwing themselves off the map in droves and jumping to their deaths, all for the sake of loot.
This self-sacrifice occurs in the Trials – the hardest and most competitive PvP mode that Destiny 2 has to offer. Here, the actual goal is to achieve 7 victories in a row without defeat and then be allowed to enter the fabled Lighthouse.
The Pulse Rifle, The Messenger, has been breaking hearts and enemy bones since Destiny 1. It can come with Desperado in Season 13 and is secretly a top weapon.
The new Hand Cannon Igneous Hammer belongs to the trendy 120s, firing at long range with even more punch. This beauty can even break the magical 100 range.
The Solar Sword, Solar Scourge, can hurl distance attacks and has significantly more punch than the well-known representative of this sword class.
Additionally, there’s a highly sought-after set of new armor.
The gear is very popular
A Suicide Season is Coming in the Trials of Destiny 2
Well, fresh loot doesn’t explain why players sign up for a match and then voluntarily lose by jumping off the map or running straight into the enemies’ line of fire.
This is the reason: Each week there’s a bounty, a mission that grants a Trials reward. The bounty fills up after completed rounds, whether won or lost. It is enough to lose 10 times and once per character, the reward that is normally given after 3 victories goes into the inventory.
This was introduced by Bungie because some Guardians would torture themselves in the PvP mode for a weekend and end up with empty hands. If you couldn’t make it past 2 victories after 100 games, it was loot-wise for nothing.
With the bounty, players at least receive “the smallest” reward that is available weekly.
After 5 wins and 7 wins, there is additional loot. After 7 consecutive wins without defeat, there is the flawless loot, something like the holy grail in PvP (at least in terms of prestige).
The 3 new Trials weapons are the objects of desire
Occasionally, this 3-win reward, which is also included in the bounty, is really in demand. In the first week of Season 13, the Messenger for the so-called “die and be reborn” was available for all Guardians.
With all this cool new loot, the bounty should really be worth it in Season 13. Thus, you collect the pretty armor week by week or gradually the unique weapons.
“Jumping off the map 10 times is more fun than getting overrun 10 times”
This is the problem: The Trials are considered to be extremely difficult. Some believe that only cheaters, streamers, and carry services are roaming here. As a normal mortal Guardian, you see no light and after several frustrating rounds, you say goodbye to the mode.
This is shrinking the player base, and right now even elite players are having trouble achieving 7 wins in a row. Professionals predicted this months ago (via YouTube)
All this cool loot should be enough to attract fresh players who otherwise wouldn’t step foot into the playlist. But that’s not quite working. Players are continually shredded – no matter how hard they try.
Some strong players, who could actually achieve victories on their own, are even deliberately hanging out in the lower ranks (resetting their ticket) to farm wins.
This is being criticized: On Reddit, it is said that losing rounds by jumping off the map 10 times is significantly more fun than getting overrun for 10 games in a row for “The Messenger.” Something is definitely wrong with the Trials:
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It’s simply faster to try to win 10 times in a row by jumping off the map. Players report having matches where both sides are trying to commit suicide faster than the other team.
Throughout Season 13, the suicide rate of Guardians will spike each time the popular loot is contained in the weekly bounty.
However, “dying and being reborn” is not fun for anyone. This shows that strong weapons and cool armor alone are not enough to bring the Trials back to their former glory. While there are some cosmetics that are only available for high win streaks and flawless Guardians, even that is not enough.
Do you have an idea of how the Trials should change to be attractive to many players? Have you also ever jumped off the map or do you disagree with this shortcut? Let us know and tell the Guardians in the comments.
Gamigo announced the closure of several servers of the MMORPG ArcheAge and the merging of their populations. This means a new Land Rush is coming, where players will compete for the few plots of land.
Why do servers need to be merged?Gamigo announces on the official website of the MMORPG ArcheAge that they have closely examined the populations of the servers. The team found that some servers need to be merged. This aims to increase the player population density.
In plain terms, this means that ArcheAge currently has too many servers for too few players. Both versions of the MMORPG are affected, ArcheAge Free2Play and ArcheAge Unchained.
Housing plays an important role in ArcheAge, which is why the server mergers are associated with a Land Rush.
The rush for land in ArcheAge begins soon
What will the merging look like? A total of 17 servers will be closed. 4 for ArcheAge Free2Play and 13 for ArcheAge Unchained.
ArcheAge Free-to-Play
In NA, Kadum and Nui will become Dochul.
In the EU, Taris and Ezi will become Arkanis.
ArcheAge: Unchained
In NA, Jergant, Stena, and Kaylin will become Akmit.
Denistrious, Runert, Tyrenos, and Wynn will become Marmas.
In the EU, Belstrom, Crazzian, and Tinnerph will become Okape.
Gildaron, Halnaak, and Alexander will become Hieronimus.
What does this mean? Players will need to search for new land on the new servers to build their houses and farms. This is because plots of land are available only in limited numbers. This means a new Land Rush is coming, where the fans of ArcheAge will compete for the scarce but highly coveted building land.
When will the moves take place? The move for ArcheAge Unchained will take place on March 5th. Already on March 4th, it will no longer be possible to play.
Those playing ArcheAge Free2Play will not be able to play from March 11th. The move is planned for March 12th.
When will the Land Rush take place? To create equal chances for all players, the Land Rush will not occur on the same day as the moves.
Players of ArcheAge Unchained can start looking for new land on March 13th. Those playing ArcheAge Free2Play will be on March 20th. The exact times will be announced later.
You want to continue playing WoW: Classic and don’t feel like playing Burning Crusade? Then you need to take action and switch realms.
Even before BlizzConline, Blizzard announced the future of WoW: Classic through a leak. As many players and fans suspected beforehand, the journey continues with “Burning Crusade Classic”. But how does the transition to the new expansion happen? What happens to players who want to continue playing Classic? We will reveal how everything will unfold.
This is what happens to the current realms: If you are currently playing on a Classic server and want to be there when “Burning Crusade” launches, you don’t need to do anything further. All realms will transition to the new expansion with the release of BC and will receive fresh features like new talents, the level cap will increase to level 70, and the shattered world will be accessible.
How can you keep playing Classic? If you absolutely don’t want to experience the shattered world and prefer to live indefinitely in WoW: Classic, where Naxxramas is the final raid, you need to take action. Even before the release of Burning Crusade, there will be the option to transfer to new realms that will remain forever in the Classic era. There will be no expansions on these realms and they will stay at the current state as known from Classic.
Literally, it says from the leak:
Before the release of Burning Crusade Classic, players of WoW Classic can choose whether to allow each of their characters to transition with the rest of their realm into the era of Burning Crusade or to continue playing the original content of WoW Classic on new realms of the Classic era.
Does the transfer cost anything? This is not known and is not indicated in the leak. However, it is speculated that this transfer will be free within a certain timeframe, as players will have to make a decision. There will certainly be more information once BlizzCon starts.
More about WoW Classic and BlizzCon can be found here:
When do you need to make a decision? There is no exact date for this yet. However, it is reasonable to assume that this decision must be made before the release of Burning Crusade Classic.
Otherwise, characters could already have data (like items, talents, etc.) from Burning Crusade, complicating a transfer. Players should start thinking about whether they want to play Burning Crusade or remain in Classic.
Will you move your characters to an “eternal” Classic realm? Or are you really excited about “Burning Crusade Classic” and will dive into the shattered world?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In FIFA 21, players are waiting for the second round of Icon Swaps as well as the new ratings from the Winter Refresh. Icon Swaps 2 has now been confirmed.
Update, February 19, 7:00 PM: The Icon Swaps Event 2 has officially started, and the first Prime Icon Moments have also come into the game with them. However, the Winter Refresh is still missing.
Here continues the original article
When does Icon Swaps 2 start? Icon Swaps 2 starts today, on February 19, 2021, at 7:00 PM. This is confirmed by a new loading screen in Ultimate Team.
The countdown in FUT ends on Friday evening at 7:00 PM.
This is Icon Swaps 2: The Icon Swaps are a way for players to earn icons through special tasks. There has already been a first batch of Icon Swaps, which included legends like Henry as well as special pack rewards.
These were the rewards of the first Icon Swaps in FIFA 21
The first Icon Swaps have now expired. Many players were actually expecting a release of the second round at the end of Season 4 last week. But instead, only the second Future Stars team appeared.
What speaks for the Winter Refresh?
This is the Winter Refresh: The Winter Refresh is the ratings upgrade at the halfway point of the season. Players who performed strongly in real football during the first half receive better cards. Some special cards of these players, such as certain POTM cards, were also retrospectively improved last year. Additionally, the Winter Refresh in FIFA 20 also introduced a Winter-Refresh team, with even better special cards.
What clues are there? Unlike the Icon Swaps 2, the Winter Refresh has not yet been confirmed. However, compared to FIFA 20, the timeframe would fit. In FIFA 20, the Winter Refresh came on Friday, February 14.
This would fit the time window this week as well, especially since the ongoing Future Stars event ends on Friday and there is room for a new event. Icon Swaps is not a specific team that goes into packs, but rather a series of tasks. Accordingly, there would still be room for another proper event.
However, the Winter Refresh is not officially confirmed yet, so it is conceivable that today only Icon Swaps 2 is on the agenda.
New Icon Moments found: Via reddit, some players showed that with the new Title Update 10, new images for Prime Icon Moments were also added to the game’s code. User alekseyrain showcased this in a post:
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Prime Icon Moments are a fourth, further improved version of the already available icons in the game. They refer to legendary moments throughout the careers of these players.
The update could be preparation for the upcoming event. Last year, the Winter Refresh and the Prime Icon Moments were released simultaneously – it is conceivable that this will also be the case this year.
Patch 9.1 of WoW: Shadowlands brings a battle that many players are waiting for. It’s time to take down Sylvanas Windrunner.
BlizzConline 2021 hasn’t even started yet, but a leak already gives insight into what players of World of Warcraft: Shadowlands can expect. Especially the big Patch 9.1 is a topic, as it will be significant. Not only will there be a massive change for Anduin Wrynn, but another issue will also be addressed. A conflict that players have been waiting for for a long time will finally take place: the fight against Sylvanas Windrunner.
What is already known? So far, it is clear that a battle against Sylvanas Windrunner will take place in the new raid “Sanctum of Domination” (Sanctum of Domination). This is a new area within the Tower of Torghast that has remained hidden until now. One of the total of 10 boss fights is, according to the leak, a “fateful” confrontation with Sylvanas Windrunner.
She’s still smiling – but will that stay?
Is Sylvanas going to die then? That’s hard to say. Sylvanas has been a driving force behind the story developments of Warcraft for several expansions and is also one of the franchise’s most popular characters. Eliminating Sylvanas might be something that both developers and players do not want at all. Whether the Banshee Queen will really kick the bucket in the new raid Sanctum of Domination will likely only be revealed with the release of the patch.
More about WoW: Shadowlands and the BlizzCon can be found here:
Fans are divided: Sylvanas has long been a controversial figure in the community. Although she has been a driving force since Warcraft III, she has undergone a significant transformation, going from the leader of the Forsaken to Warchief and later to the hunted Overlord. Whether this construct will finally be resolved and Sylvanas will meet her end remains to be seen. Players’ hopes vary widely. Some hope that Sylvanas will finally be erased from the Warcraft universe. Others hope that she will receive a “redemption” story that will turn her back into a “good” character.
Are you excited about a boss fight against Sylvanas? Do you want to finally blow out the lights of the Banshee Queen? Or would it be too early to defeat Sylvanas?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.