September brings new and fresh multiplayer games to the market. In addition, there are some exciting updates and expansions for existing titles. We have picked out the 6 MMOs and online games that we highly recommend in September 2020.
What kind of games are these? The selected titles are online games that you can play together with friends or strangers. Some of these games are new in September, while others offer a special update that makes a return worthwhile.
The selected games on the following pages are mixed up. The order is random and does not reflect any ratings. You will also find a preview of further innovations in September and the month of October, which has many new games in store.
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Marvel’s Avengers – Action Game
Genre: Action Game | Developer: Crystal Dynamics | Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One | Release Date: September 4, 2020 | Model: Buy2Play
What kind of game is this? In Marvel’s Avengers, you take on the role of a superhero fighting against the hostile faction A.I.M. However, you have lost a lot of reputation after a disaster on A-Day devastated the city.
The game offers a single-player campaign and many different multiplayer contents, which you can complete together with 3 friends or alone with NPCs. Additionally, it emphasizes action-packed battles.
These characters are included at the launch of Marvel’s Avengers.
Here are the highlights of Marvel’s Avengers
Marvel’s Avengers aims to become a “Games as a Service” title and plans many innovations after release. New characters were already announced with Spider-Man exclusive for PS4 and Hawkeye. New missions are also already planned.
The new action game offers you the following highlights:
Why should you play Marvel’s Avengers in September?
The official release of Marvel’s Avengers took place on September 4. As only a few multiplayer titles have been released in recent months, many players are looking forward to teaming up with various heroes. A release is a good time to start with a game because everything is new and unfamiliar for everyone.
However, there has also been criticism of the game and its gameplay. In a survey on MeinMMO, many users stated that the spark has not ignited despite some good approaches. Some were also bothered by the exclusive content on PlayStation.
In the latest “This Week at Bungie,” the developers of Destiny 2 talked about a few things – just not about a popular character: Uldren Sov, the lost Prince. A small detail in the Triumph icons, however, hints at a continuation of his story.
What is this detail? In the stream on Friday, September 4th, the developers briefly showed new Triumphs along with symbols. Most of these can be associated with specific areas such as Earth, the Dreaming City, or the Moon.
One of the symbols, however, caught the attention of some players. It was already seen on the armor of the famous Awoken Prince Uldren Sov in Destiny 1 and presumably serves as a Triumph for the Cosmodrome. Uldren has been hiding there for a while.
This small hint, however, is all that could promise a continuation of the story about Uldren Sov. Fans are currently clinging to it.
The return of Uldren Sov and the continuation of an epic story
Who is Uldren and what is his story? The story of the Prince of the Awoken has been traceable since Destiny 1. He first appeared there and then disappeared suddenly, only to reappear out of nowhere in Destiny 2 and kill the beloved character Cayde-6.
Fans then speculated how the story should continue, but there wasn’t really much official information. At Christmas 2019, Bungie revealed what Uldren was up to, but the story itself has not come to an end yet.
Why does Uldren return at all? Uldren’s motives or the reason why the Traveler revived him are not entirely clear. Some players suspect that the Prince may itself be a victim of deception or is trying to ask the Guardians for help to save his people.
This idea has been floating around since 2018, even before Uldren’s death. So you’ll still have to wait for a resolution.
When does the story continue? So far, there have been no official statements regarding when the story will continue and whether it ever will. However, the developers spoke in the latest stream about the features for the upcoming expansion Beyond Light, as well as the hint to Uldren was found. It will be released on November 10th. In our special, you will learn what “Beyond Light” has in store for you.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Some toxic players in Rainbow Six Siege have been causing you to kill your own team – And thus get kicked from the game. If you’re asked for grenades by strangers in a match, it’s best not to respond.
What kind of trick is this? Recently, there have been repeated reports that players in Rainbow Six Siege are being asked for grenades. However, once they show these, they are killed by their own teammates.
The grenade then falls sharply to the ground and detonates, killing the surrounding players. Friendly Fire is always active in Rainbow Six. As a result, the player who owned the grenade gets kicked from the team. Reddit user DankDoodle69_ shows in a short clip how this looks:
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According to some players, this trick has been around for a while and is quite well known. However, beginners seem to fall for it time and again. If you are new, you can find some useful tips for getting started in Rainbow Six here.
Why are you kicked from the game? Behind this mechanic is a system designed to prevent trolls from ruining your game. Since team kills are often exploited by griefers, damage to your own teammates is supposed to be punished.
This has been the case for quite some time with the “Reverse Friendly Fire” system. This system also ensures that you are automatically kicked if you kill too many friendly players. It is actually meant to prevent teammates from ruining your game.
How can I prevent this? The new Squad Finder from Rainbow Six helps you find teammates for a fixed team with whom you can then play together. This reduces the chances of finding trolls in the team. You can find useful information on what the Squad Finder is and how to use it at GameStar, here.
If you don’t want to look for a team or can’t find any teammates, you should simply ignore when teammates ask for grenades. While this is not necessarily good for communication, it protects you from trolls.
With the upcoming Season 3 of Year 5, several changes will be introduced in Rainbow Six. In our special, you will find all important information about Season 3.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
World of Warcraft has experienced many ups and downs. But which moments were the worst? Which feature or content frustrated you the most?
In almost 16 years, World of Warcraft has seen many ups and downs. While we often ask which expansion of the MMORPG has been the best in recent years, the question of the worst, most terrible time is rarely asked. That’s exactly what we want to do today and find out which expansion of WoW particularly annoyed you – and why.
After all, each expansion not only had a whole range of features but also always had one or two quirks that, in retrospect, did not really sit well with a larger part of the community. Here are a few examples that come up repeatedly:
Vanilla: The original game was still unrefined. The balancing was a catastrophe. Mechanics like endless “Corpse Runs” consumed players’ time abundantly. Probably also a reason why many of you stopped playing with WoW Classic.
Burning Crusade: Endless attunement quests, a lot of reputation grinding, and the introduction of “Space Aliens” with the Draenei disturbed many players.
Burning Crusade – not popular with everyone.
Wrath of the Lich King: Raids were divided into normal and heroic, the group finder was introduced, and obtaining all rewards from the Argent Tournament was one of the longest grinds in the entire game.
Cataclysm: The popular, classic world was destroyed, the origins of WoW irreversibly ruined.
Mists of Pandaria: Hundreds of daily quests per day, the Asian look, and the cuddly pandas did not appeal to many players at launch.
The time travel story with a parallel dimension was not liked by everyone – the content also has a rather bad reputation.
Warlords of Draenor: Too few activities in the endgame and a garrison system where you basically had to stand at the mission table all the time if you wanted to be effective.
Legion: A tiring, random system for distributing legendary items, the grind for artifacts
Battle for Azeroth: Too many ill-conceived systems like Island Expeditions and Warfronts. Plus, a lot of effects on items, such as Azerite abilities, that took further and further away from the gameplay experience of the original class. And of course, Corruption effects.
Battle for Azeroth is at the top of many “worst expansion” lists. How about you?
Which WoW expansion annoyed you the most?
But now let’s get to you! Take a moment to bring to mind all the expansions of World of Warcraft and then vote on which time in WoW was the least popular. Keep in mind that you only have one vote.
Please leave a comment after voting and explain why the expansion you chose was the worst time in the history of World of Warcraft or which feature drove you away.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The known leaker BKTOOR has discovered a new shotgun for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and in CoD: Warzone. Fans of Modern Warfare 2 may already know it and it could come to the game with Season 6.
This is the AA-12 shotgun, which some of you may already know from Modern Warfare 2.
The video shows the weapon in a raw form, as is common with such leaks. Detailed textures, animations, and sounds are usually added later. Clipping errors can still be seen.
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This is what made the AA-12 special: In Modern Warfare 2, shotguns were very popular weapons. The AA-12 was not known for its high damage but rather for being the only fully automatic shotgun in the game.
The leaked gameplay already shows that the weapon is styled similarly to the version from MW2, although it currently has a significantly higher recoil. However, this may change in the final version.
When could the weapon come to the game? It is likely that the AA-12 will find its way into the game with the upcoming Season 6. In the still ongoing Season 5, 3 new weapons have already been released, including the FiNN, an LMG that appeared with the Mid-Season Update.
The Season 6 is expected to start between the end of September and early October. However, due to the early development stage of the weapon, it is quite possible that it will not be released until the middle of the season.
Craftopia (PC) was released on September 4 in Early Access on Steam and is doing well there. The game mixes various genres and combines them in a colorful world. Due to the many freedoms and possibilities, it is well received by the first users.
What kind of game is this? Craftopia is, according to the Japanese developers POCKET Pair, a multiplayer survival action game, and that’s not all that defines the game:
You start by creating a character and exploring an open world with it.
In it, you can chop down trees, mine rocks, fish, as known from sandbox games.
You can also catch animals (with a crystal) and use them for breeding, which is reminiscent of Pokémon.
You can build automated production chains to create new products from your plants or animals, similar to the factory simulator Factorio.
At the same time, you can also fight and explore dungeons. You have access to weapons, skill trees, and spells.
Additionally, you need to eat food yourself, as in survival games.
All of this takes place in a colorful graphic style that is somewhat reminiscent of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
The trailer for Craftopia gives you a small overview of what is possible in this co-op game:
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How does multiplayer work? Craftopia is not an MMO with persistent servers but a single-player or co-op game. One user can “host” a world and accommodate up to 7 other players.
They can then roam the world together, fight enemies, or build massive factories.
How much does Craftopia cost? You can currently purchase Craftopia on Steam for 18.89 euros. This makes it 10% cheaper than the regular price, which is 20.99 euros.
Ramsis writes: “It is a pretty relaxing game, to be honest. The game is beautiful where it matters, offers many options for combat, and of course is a gigantic sandbox and survival game. Think of the game as an extension of Breath of the Wild, with plenty of side content and silly things to experiment with. Around 20 dollars is a pretty reasonable price for a sandbox game where you can roam around and act as silly as possible…”
Dirt Nasty says: “[…] Some of the reasons why I think the game has great potential: Many movement options – You can run, crawl, sprint, dodge, glide, climb, hold onto walls, and there is ‘Slow Time’ in the air. The combat animations are very fluid. There are many crafting options. The art style and aesthetics are well done.
The user D3athbySp0rk praises the visuals, the easy entry, and the overall gameplay in his long review, but criticizes the sound and some bugs. In summary, he writes: “This game is very much in ‘Early Access’. If you are willing to be an ‘Early Adopter’, then you can enjoy what the game has to offer, even if it’s not much. It is still extensive, and you can have a lot of fun with it. If you are looking for a deep experience, in my opinion, it is best to wait and see where the development goes and what Pocket Pair adds. There is a whole range of skills and some weapons/items displayed in the menus, but labeled ‘coming soon’ and locked out.”
In Craftopia, you can take on many roles, such as that of a farmer.
However, there is also criticism of the game. The performance is reportedly not yet optimized, and there are still some bugs and glitches in the game. Furthermore, there seem to be many translation problems into English and issues with multiplayer:
The user Lograin writes: “Warning! The game has not yet been translated into English; only a few menu items have been updated so far. It seems that you cannot change the resolution either…”
The user Lexe has found many bugs: “Currently, multiplayer is unplayable, crafting stations suddenly disappear but still cost resources, animals do not die as planned, rubberbanding in dungeons, many bugs.”
Sneakiest Bear describes the situation of Craftopia as follows: “You can see glimmers of hope in this game, but in its current state, it is unplayable. The basic aspects of the game are there, but it is far from a product I would like to pay for. Things like awkward animations, movement, and the way your character feels while playing are not pleasant; it is hard to describe, but when you play it, something feels ‘off.’ It feels more like a pre-alpha than an early access, and it definitely should have taken more time before its early access release. It’s a game to keep an eye on in the future, but right now, I wouldn’t recommend it.”
If you don’t want to live as a farmer, you can also explore dungeons and fight bosses in Craftopia.
If you like cooperative games in this art style, check out Genshin Impact. This open-world game is set to release at the end of September for PC, consoles, and smartphones, but it focuses more on RPG elements and combat. Additionally, it is also not an MMO.
In Pokémon GO the 4th season of the PvP league will start soon. There are many changes in the game. We will show you all the new features.
When does Season 4 start? The new season begins on Monday, September 14, at 10:00 PM our time. At the same time Season 3 ends and you can collect your earned rewards.
With Season 4 there are also some new features, including adjustments to rank progression and rewards, which should now be based again on Season 2.
All new features of Season 4
This is the schedule: Each league will take place at a different time. This was also the case in the two previous seasons.
Super League: September 14 to September 28 at 10:00 PM German time
Hyper League and Premier Cup: September 28 to October 12 at 10:00 PM German time
Master League and Premier Cup: October 12 to October 26 at 10:00 PM German time
All leagues and the Premier Cup (without WP limit): November 3 to November 9 at 10:00 PM
Between the Master League and all leagues, a brand new Halloween Cup will also take place. It runs from October 26 to November 3 at 10:00 PM.
What is the Halloween Cup? In this special cup, only Poison, Ghost, Bug, Dark, and Fairy Pokémon are allowed to participate. There is a limit of 1,500 CP.
As a reward, you may encounter Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle in Halloween costumes.
What changes in Season 4: In the new season, there are adjustments to rank progression:
You can reach rank 2 by participating in a certain number of battles.
For ranks 3 to 9, you must achieve a certain number of wins.
Rank 10 is only available if you have at least a rating of 3,000.
Additionally, there will again be a GO Battle Night during the season. This will take place on Thursday, September 24, from 6:00 PM to 11:59 PM our time. There will be another Flying Cup where only Flying Pokémon with a maximum of 1,500 CP can be used.
What rewards are there? During the season, you will receive rewards in the form of encounters with a Pokémon upon reaching a certain rank. These are identical to Season 3:
Pidgeot from rank 1
Galarian Zigzagoon from rank 4
Galarian Porygon from rank 7
Geronimatz at rank 8
Zurrokex from rank 9
Wrestler Pikachu from rank 10
At the end of the season, there are also rewards for reaching a certain rank. However, these have been adapted again to resemble Season 2:
At ranks 1 to 3, you will receive Stardust as a reward.
At ranks 4 to 10, you will receive Stardust, TMs, and a Raid Pass as rewards.
If you reach rank 10, you will get a brand-new avatar pose!
If you reach at least rank 7 at the end of the 4th season, you will receive a Top Fast TM instead of a Top Charged TM.
Geronimatz is one of the possible rewards in the PvP league.
Changes to attacks for numerous Pokémon
With the start of Season 4, numerous attacks will also be revised. In addition, some monsters can learn new attacks.
These attacks have been revised:
Bug Buzz: This Bug-type charged attack can now lower the defense of the opposing Pokémon.
Nitro Charge: This Fire-type charged attack now deals less damage and increases the user’s attack.
Light Lamp: This Bug-type charged attack can now lower the attack and defense of the opposing Pokémon.
These attacks can now be learned:
Attack: This Bug-type charged attack lowers the attack of the opposing Pokémon. Only Masquerain and Voltula can learn this new attack.
Honey Bee, Light Lamp: This powerful Bug attack fits perfectly with strong Bug Pokémon like Honey Bee.
If you are still looking for a strong team for the PvP league, then check out our Tier List. There we show you the best Pokémon from each league.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Recently, Massive introduced the new Summit mode for The Division 2. In principle, it is what many have long wished for and is intended to breathe new life into the game. But how is the fight through a skyscraper being received so far? And is that enough to win you back as an agent?
The current state of The Division 2: The mood among players and the community regarding The Division 2 is currently at a noticeable low. For many agents, neither the new raid in the short term nor the major Warlords expansion in the long term has really made a difference.
The major problem with the game: Although new players are certainly offered numerous hours of great entertainment in The Division 2, for veterans and seasoned players, things look quite different, especially in the endgame – despite Seasons.
At an advanced stage, some deep-rooted problems of the loot shooter become evident – whether it concerns loot, skills, or game balance. Additionally, there are hardly any activities at the moment that invite for long-term play and are genuinely enjoyable. Many simply miss replayability and long-term motivation in the game, even when ignoring the other issues.
In The Division 2, the fire is fading not only in New York or Washington D.C.
Massive likely won’t have many opportunities left to turn things around. Because it seems that more and more agents are losing interest in the game – despite the existing potential. And really exciting content has not been foreseeable until recently. But now a new mode is supposed to fix this and bring players back to The Division 2.
This mode is supposed to save The Division 2: On September 2, Massive introduced the new game mode “The Summit” . It is a replayable PvE mode that promises to deliver an action-packed experience that varies with each run – similar to the popular Underground mode from The Division 1.
The Summit essentially represents a “greatest hits” collection from all PvE experiences that have existed in The Division so far and allows players to battle through a 100-story skyscraper in New York solo or in groups – with changing environments, enemies, tasks, modifiers, and bosses.
The mode is supposed to provide exactly what so many have wished for – namely, more replayability and the missing long-term motivation. For many, The Summit represents the last glimmer of hope that The Division 2 can still get back on track and finally become attractive in the long run.
How The Summit is being received so far: On paper, The Summit sounds quite promising. But how is the mode being received so far?
Even if there are some who feel The Summit is coming too late: Currently, there is, at least in principle, a sense of emerging optimism. The sentiment is that Summit sounds exciting and cool. Many are genuinely curious and looking forward to this new mode. Even many agents who have quit admit that The Summit looks interesting, has potential, and that they will check back into the game for it.
Moreover, additional content from Title Update 11 such as the 3 new exotics or a new gear set has also been well-received by numerous players and creates excitement (and hope) for more.
Many are looking forward to it – the new gear set Hunter’s Fury
However, there remains notable skepticism and caution – a significant amount. Many point out that numerous other features have sounded good in the past, only to falter when implemented or were broken by the developers due to some seemingly inexplicable decisions.
In short: Massive is finally bringing what many have essentially been asking for since the release of the game. At first glance, the mode looks promising and many are excited about it, but hardly anyone can or wants to commit just yet to whether The Division 2 will achieve the much-anticipated breakthrough with this new feature that so many have hoped for. But what about you?
Can The Division 2 win you back with The Summit? In line with the discussions around The Summit, we have prepared a survey and now want to know how you feel about this new mode.
Keep in mind that you only have one vote. Thank you for your time and participation.
In New World, a preview event for the game ran until September 5. The developers provided a glimpse of upcoming content and the next tests. However, these are still quite a while away and not for everyone.
Now, however, the preview is over and the MMO is entering a new development phase. This will even take place completely without testers.
When will the next test take place? The next event is planned for November. The developers revealed this in a new blog post. So, while you won’t have to wait until the official beta and the release in 2021, you will still have to wait a few more weeks.
However, this test will initially be a closed alpha with NDA. When the next open test will take place is still unknown.
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In Destiny 2 today, on September 4th, we have a visit from Xur. Where will the Exotic vendor with the noodle face set up shop this time? And what Exotics does he have for you? Read here everything about Xur’s location and inventory this weekend.
What’s happening in Destiny 2 right now? This week is all about the upcoming Autumn expansion Beyond Light and the new icy Stasis element, which is making its way into the game.
There was a lot happening. But this week still has something to offer – the visit of the mysterious vendor Xur.
All information about Xur on September 4, 2020 – PS4, PC, Xbox One, Google Stadia
When does Xur come? As is customary for summer time, Xur arrives at 7:00 PM German time on a planet of his choice and makes himself comfortable there for a few days. You can purchase selected Exotics and some other items from him until the next Weekly Reset on September 8th.
Where is Xur? Here is his location this weekend
Xur’s position: Xur is located on Nessus, in the Guardian’s Grave, right on Calus’ Barge. Here you can see the location in the screenshot:
Xur’s position on Nessus (Barge)
Xur’s inventory from September 4th to September 8th – All Exotics at a glance
Weapon: Merciless – Fusion rifle for 29 Legendary Shards
Titan: Aeon Safe – Gauntlets for 23 Legendary Shards
Mobility: +20
Resilience: +4
Recovery: +10
Discipline: +2
Intellect: +19
Strength: +11
Total: 66
Hunter:Enemy Finder – Helm for 23 Legendary Shards
Trials of Osiris from September 4th – September 8th
The Trials of Osiris are also returning this weekend.
Which map is up this time? You can enjoy the whole weekend on Javelin-4.
When exactly do the Trials happen? This PvP peak activity starts today, on September 4th, at 7:00 PM and runs until the weekly reset next Tuesday, September 8th, at 7:00 PM.
New to the Trials of Osiris? We have summarized everything you need to know about the Trials here for you.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Although the M4A1 now has a lot of competition, it is still one of the best weapons in Call of Duty: Warzone. With a specific setup, it can even be very strong – OP, as two experts claim. Independently, they have come up with almost the identical build that is particularly effective at medium distances.
Update January 3, 2022: We have reviewed the setup options in the article and can still recommend the attachment combinations.
After numerous changes in the meta, the Bruen Mk9 was the temporarily strongest weapon, and the question of whether the Grau or the M4A1 is actually the best assault rifle, the two have now found a new build for the M4 that they are extremely satisfied with.
Both are convinced that the setup makes the M4 a feared weapon in Warzone. Nickmercs even calls it “the best M4 class” in the current Season 5 of Warzone in his English video, which we have embedded here for you:
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Laser: Tactical Laser (Vikkstar) or Underbarrel: Commando Foregrip (Nickmercs)
Which optic you want to use is a matter of taste. However, the 3.0x scope is slightly better suited for medium-distance combat, which is why we would recommend that more.
Laser and underbarrel make no significant difference. Both help you aim better, and the Commando Foregrip is one of the best underbarrel attachments for better aim. The laser additionally helps with the aim down sight speed but is also visible to opponents.
However, the most important attachments are the barrel, the suppressor, and the magazine, which define the weapon’s strength. In the video, Vikkstar shows his version of the M4 build. We have embedded it here for you:
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How do I use it best? The setup can be ideally used at medium range, just below the range of DMRs and further than most standard assault rifles.
It plays similarly to the strong M4 setup by jackfrags from Season 3, but forgives mistakes better with a larger magazine and can also eliminate several opponents consecutively. In Warzone, you are well prepared for:
Fights in the open areas where there are at least some hills and rocks for cover
More expansive areas like Airport, Farmlands, or Quarry
Urban areas and streets without house fights
As a complement for a loadout, the R9-0 shotgun with Dragon’s Breath ammunition is perfect, as the M4 with this setup is not really strong at shorter distances. With the R9-0, you can also protect yourself against run-and-gun players with strong SMGs.
If you want to build a loadout from this, you have quite a lot of freedom. A heartbeat sensor and C4 are always useful equipment, and you can experiment quite a bit with perks. Overkill is almost mandatory if you want to carry the R9-0 as well. In our special, we explain the 5 most popular perks in Warzone and what makes them so good.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Genre: MMO | Developer: Amazon Games Studios | Platform: PC | Release: 2021
New World hosted a preview event at the end of August, where many players could try out the new MMO. MeinMMO editors Alexander Leitsch and Leya Jankowski also entered the world of Aeternum and summarize their experiences here for you.
What makes New World special? Originally, New World was developed as a sandbox survival MMO with a full focus on PvP. However, the PvE content is now more in focus, while PvP in the open world is now optional and mainly plays a role in instanced fort battles.
Whether the shift towards more PvE content would really benefit the game was long uncertain. After all, New World was in an alpha state, where players had to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
The current preview event offered the chance to take a closer look at the game and finally talk about the experiences. And despite some quirks, New World was able to convince us, at least for now.
If you want to learn more about New World and its content, check out the MeinMMO overview of the game. There you will find all the information on PvE, PvP, the story, and the gameplay of the game.
The first steps, the PvE, and the quests in New World
A friendly introduction: In New World, you begin your adventure with character creation. This is, especially compared to other MMOs, rather weak. You have the choice between a male and a female character, as well as some options for appearance such as hairstyles, skin color, or facial hair.
The editor does not go deep into detail. There are no detail adjustments to body shapes and proportions as in Black Desert.
The options for characters are limited. The body type is only differentiated between male and female.
With your freshly created character, you land on a beach in Aeternum, the game world of New World after an intro sequence. There you will immediately be attacked by one of the Corrupted. This is the hostile NPC faction that has been corrupted by the mineral Azoth on the island and will encounter you throughout the game.
In the first few minutes, you will learn the combat system. Step by step, you need to attack, block, dodge, or swing harder.
New World does not have classes, but lets your equipment determine the playstyle. Each weapon has a skill tree that you can level up and unlock new abilities. We will dive deeper into the combat system later.
In the tutorial, you will learn everything important about combat right away.
Quests and monotony: In the first period, you spend time completing quests, killing Corrupted, and getting familiar with the gathering system. The game gives you the task to craft a weapon and scout certain locations.
However, already in the first levels, a certain monotony sets in with the quests, which, the longer you play, becomes worse. While at the beginning you still experience a bit of variation, from level 8 onwards, the quests mainly consist of killing X enemies and opening X chests. Only the location and the numbers differ.
The worst experience we had was with the Azoth staff. This item is important for the later PvE events in the open world and can be obtained either by purchase or through a quest line. And this quest line was really painful.
This is what the typical quests look like that you can currently complete in New World.
Over more than 3 hours of gameplay, you repeatedly complete exactly the same task: kill enemies, open chests. However, the locations for this are extremely far apart and not in logical order. Therefore, you run from north to south, back to north, and then again to south.
The awkward part is that crafting the Azoth staff could actually bring some variation into the boring quests:
You could charge the staff after crafting at special locations, for which some lore could have been added, and despite the walking distances, this quest would have felt different from the rest.
Instead, the game tells the story this way: We assemble the staff from things we found in the chests of enemies. Just like we find almost everything in these chests.
One of the main activities while questing: opening chests.
The strengths lie in cooperation: Although the quests in New World are very monotonous, the developers ensured that players can cooperate well even without groups.
Every chest appears for every player, so you cannot take anything away from anyone. Additionally, one hit on the enemy is enough to get loot and progress for the quest. Here too, it does not matter who attacked the enemy first.
Moreover, the breaches, events in the open world, provide a good variation. Suddenly Corrupted appear that you must defeat. These events are usually designed for groups and are a lot of fun, at least in the first rounds. You can easily join other players there and complete one breach after another. Some even use these events to quickly grind to max level.
The combat system has so much potential, but…
How do the battles in New World work? The MMO relies on a combat system reminiscent of Dark Souls. You must actively aim at your target, strike, block, and dodge. You can only use 3 abilities per weapon.
There are a total of 3 weapon sets in New World, which you can freely switch between. This offers a lot of dynamism in combat.
Through the weight system in the equipment, you can determine how much defense you want. The heavier the equipment, the weaker your dodges or climbing abilities become.
The heavier the armor, the more defense you have. At the same time, however, your mobility is restricted.
Why is this so good? The combat system is very tactical. Due to the sometimes long animations, you must decide carefully when to strike and when to block or dodge. Timing and experience play an important role. The few abilities also ensure that they must be used wisely.
While fighting is initially very slow and exhausting, we have increasingly fallen in love with the combat system over time. Especially in PvP, duels 1-on-1 are a lot of fun.
However, fighting is by no means polished.
Where are the problems? New World frequently experiences slight “desync”, meaning one has the feeling of hitting the opponent, while they are apparently at a different location and the attack misses.
In addition, the game has a major issue with “stun-lock”. Whenever you are hit, your character staggers slightly and cannot perform any action. If you are then hit by many enemies, they keep you in this state permanently. This can be frustrating in PvP, especially when fighting against a superior number of enemies.
Conversely, the combat system is not designed for catching up to a fleeing player due to the long animations. Those who react quickly can sprint away or teleport with the life staff. This is one of the weapons in New World that has a powerful teleport skill. This teleportation poses a significant problem for open-world PvP, as one can never catch up to opponents with a life staff.
In New World, you have 3 weapon sets, but they all share a common cooldown for abilities.
Another personal issue we see is the global cooldowns for abilities. For example, if you use the attack on the “Q” key with the sword, the “Q” attack is also on cooldown after switching weapons. This can sometimes lead to very strange situations.
Some abilities have a cooldown of a few seconds, others even of minutes. So, when you use the long cooldown, the ability with a short cooldown is also disabled for that long. This does not fit the game at all and also reduces the incentive to switch weapons during combat.
Moreover, the individual skill trees for weapons offer little variation. The number of different weapons is also limited. There are:
Sword and shield
An axe, which can be used in melee or ranged combat depending on the skill tree
Hammer
Bow
Musket
Life staff for healing
Fire staff for damage
There is certainly room for more variety by the time of release.
These are the weapons currently available in New World.
Crafting and the game world are two great strengths of New World
How does crafting work? Another plus point in New World is the crafting system. It is divided into three areas:
Gathering – For example, wood or ore
Refining – Processing the logs into planks
Crafting – Creating furniture for housing or grips for swords from the planks
A player can learn and master each discipline. The system is intuitive and easy to understand, but it takes a lot of time.
The various crafting disciplines in New World.
However, crafting is an important component of the game. After all, the best equipment is crafted through this. Anyone who does not want to master crafting must buy what other players have crafted in the trading post – and at significantly higher prices.
In crafting, especially gathering is a lot of fun. This is due to the really well-designed sound effects and also the beautiful game world you explore while doing it.
What makes the game world so good? Graphically, New World is among the best MMOs ever. The world is colorful, rich in plants, and offers many beautiful animations, such as the trees swaying in the wind, or the campfires burning everywhere.
In addition, there is a very well-executed transition between day and night, where the position of the sun constantly changes and casts new shadows around the world.
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All accompanied by a beautiful soundtrack and many sound effects. Especially when gathering, the chopping of trees or hitting with the pickaxe feels really good. Hearing the sounds of other gatherers in the distance is also a small detail that makes the world cohesive.
Aeternum invites exploration and discovery. Unfortunately, however, the game world has too few contents to truly explore this.
What is annoying about the game world? As beautiful as the world is, it somehow feels empty and monotonous over time. Many places, especially the settlements in the game look nearly identical. The creatures you fight are almost the same everywhere. Either they are animals, where there seem to be very few different species in Aeternum, or they are the Corrupted.
This is what settlements in New World look like.
Moreover, there is simply not much exciting to discover. While there are various “landmarks” to uncover, there are no incentives such as lore, achievements, or simply a mist that would otherwise lie over the map and then disappear.
Even with a beautiful open world, it feels like it is not being fully utilized, also regarding the lore. This is only told in small diary pages, of which some were not even filled during the test. Here Amazon could take a page from Fallout 76, which wonderfully tells its story in the open world.
The movement: In New World, you can sprint and climb, but not swim and jump. The latter is often frustrating during movement in the game world, as it necessitates long detours in some places. Although the character swings over many obstacles, so that you don’t get stuck on rocks or fences, there are still times when you need to circumvent objects that are not that large.
Moreover, the MMO currently has no mounts, even though they would be helpful for the very long travel distances:
What is PvP actually about? To experience PvP in New World, you must decide on one of the 3 factions. The quests for this are available around level 11.
After joining a faction, you currently have two options to experience PvP:
You can either activate it in the open world. Then all players who also have PvP active can attack you.
Or you participate in a war for a fort. If you have not yet reached level 60, you will be leveled up for this event, but depending on your level, you will not have access to all weapon skills or all 3 weapon sets.
However, both systems currently have their issues:
In the open world, usually only high-level characters or players who are in groups have PvP active. As a low-level character, there is always the danger of being killed immediately.
The PvP wars only occur at certain times. If you can’t make it then, you are out of luck. Additionally, usually more players wanted to participate in a siege than there were spots available.
Nevertheless, the sieges of forts are really fun. We already noticed this during the preview event in August when we participated in a war with a level 60 character along with developers.
In a war, the first goal is to capture points outside the fortress. Afterwards, the gates can be blown up with siege weapons. Finally, the core of the fortress must be taken.
The problem with the factions: While you must join a faction in New World, you hardly notice the rivalry. This is because New World has moved further away from the PvP idea.
If you deactivate PvP in the open world, you collaborate with all players. The faction does not matter here. Also in settlements, you always get quests, regardless of whether the settlement belongs to you or not. Even housing can be continued in “hostile settlements”.
This makes the factions currently seem pointless. Only in the battles for the forts do they play a role, although even here one could allow the fight between all companies, and the system could then work without factions.
What does the endgame in New World look like? We could not reach the endgame of New World during the preview, but we did talk to some players who were already level 60.
In the current version of New World, the following endgame content is available:
Furthermore, crafting plays a role that needs to be leveled up to access T5 equipment, the best in the game.
However, once you have obtained the best equipment, you reach a dead end. The PvP and PvE battles for the forts only occur at certain times. Outside of these times, New World currently offers no worthwhile content.
This is the Spriggan, which can currently be fought in the arenas.
While you can continue beating bosses in the arena or mobs in the open world, this only costs durability of the equipment in the end. On reddit, players report how frustrated they are to get gray equipment in the endgame that they can do nothing with.
What kind of game does New World actually want to be?
Is New World now a game for PvE or PvP fans? At present, it feels like New World does not yet truly know where it belongs. The PvE content forms a solid foundation, but there is currently little to discover based on that:
The beautiful game world is indeed there, but it is not utilized.
Quests are there, but they are too monotonous.
The world events provide variation but always run exactly the same.
The crafting is good, but it does not feel like it is appropriately linked with the other content.
The same problems also confront the PvP players:
There is optional PvP in the open world, but it is hardly used. The incentives currently are too small to take the risk.
The wars in the endgame are exciting, but they occur too irregularly to focus solely on them.
There is little rivalry between the factions.
Currently, New World wants to serve many players at once, but does not have a clear focus on a player group. The foundations for all areas are laid, and the game felt like a really good alpha. Now it must become a good MMO by 2021.
New World particularly shone in this preview with its beautiful and atmospheric graphics, an interesting combat system, good crafting, and the social aspect. Thus, the foundations for a really good MMO are laid.
However, many of these contents lack the final polish to really implement them well. Some other aspects, such as quests or endgame, still need a lot of work.
Pros
Beautiful game world
Good gathering and crafting system
The combat system has a lot of potential
The game emphasizes cooperation; you cannot take anything away from others
The wars in the endgame are a lot of fun
Cons
The quest system is one of the weakest ever
The combat system needs several adjustments
The factions feel insignificant
Whether the game can retain players in the long term is currently uncertain
The more I play, the more fun it becomes
During the preview event, I played over 40 hours of New World, and the longer I was in the game, the more I learned to appreciate the combat system, despite all its flaws. In this aspect, and in the appearance and design of the game world, I find New World currently very strong.
However, I sometimes struggled through the quests until I finally switched to farming world events. If New World wants to appeal to many PvE fans, there is an urgent need for improvement here. I could very well imagine a system similar to the hearts in Guild Wars 2, which function almost like quests, but are embedded in the open world with flexible tasks. That would fit well into the design of New World.
But no matter what happens by 2021 and what changes Amazon makes, New World won’t become a classic theme park MMORPG. But it doesn’t have to be either. I am certainly much more positive after the preview event and will actually miss the MMO when the preview is over. I am already looking forward to the beta in 2021.
Alexander Leitsch MMORPG expert at MeinMMO
New World has helped me to slow down every day
Throughout the entire event, I looked forward to wandering through the world every day and gathering my resources. In doing so, I thought about what beautiful things I would create from them. Because the crafting system is one of the greatest strengths in New World. The dreamy atmosphere in the surreal game world has turned this into a little meditative ritual.
I hardly cared about the PvP and the large power struggles of the factions. I contributed my part by diligently completing the city projects that help the settlement grow. I diligently brought items to the chairman of my faction, the Syndicate, and slaughtered monsters for him.
I played the preview event solo and clearly felt that New World is definitely designed for a group experience. Solo leveling was quite tedious and making real progress was difficult. However, I found it all the more beautiful when other players helped me by chance along the roadside when I was once again surrounded by 4 monsters and had to take flight. It is rewarding to help others, and so I often jumped into battle or provided healing when I saw someone in trouble.
Overall, I hope that Amazon now catches up in filling the truly beautiful world and brings it to life. Environmental storytelling only works if the imagination is stimulated. Simply distributing written pieces is not enough. It is also uncertain how long the game can motivate in the endgame, as there are hardly any reward systems here.
Leya Jankowski
Brand manager | part of the editorial team at MeinMMO
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Jessica Blevins, the wife of streamer star Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, gave an interesting insight into the management of the streamer in an interview. She stated that the two specifically take breaks to spend time together.
This is Ninja: The streamer is considered the greatest streamer of all time. He has over 14 million followers on Twitch – more than any other streamer.
The streamer star is not solely responsible for his success. Behind him stands Jessica Blevins. She is Ninja’s wife and also his manager. She negotiates the numerous deals and collaborations that Ninja enters into.
Jessica Blevins on early rising and intentional breaks
This is what happened: The Blevins couple was invited to an interview with the US magazine Forbes. The discussion mainly revolved around Jessica and her duties as Ninja’s manager.
There, she talked about the daily routine and the hard work behind Ninja’s success.
We often only see the successful streamer Ninja, but behind him is also manager Jessica Blevins
These insights were shared by Blevins: Jessica Blevins explains that every day is different, but it is currently relatively organized: “Every day is different. Right now, during the Corona crisis, it is more consistent because we are not traveling. I start my day pretty early, much earlier than Tyler, because he usually stays up very late. When Tyler wakes up, he usually wants to start streaming immediately.”
Before Ninja starts streaming, the couple takes 10 minutes to make decisions on these requests. While Ninja is streaming, Jessica continues to handle the requests.
Afterward, Jessica shares something interesting about Ninja’s streaming: “We try to get him off the internet around 6 PM and spend time together as a couple to watch Netflix or have dinner.”
If one day becomes busier, they try to balance it out with “date days.” On those days, Ninja should not stream, and they take time for themselves.
Finally, she mentions that her origin as a small-town girl from Wisconsin is important to her:
I love that these platforms [Twitch and Instagram] hold me accountable and keep me grounded. I won’t start posting Gucci bags and “Hey, we’re here at this huge Hollywood event.” It’s a fun, exciting thing that we get to do. However, I don’t want it to completely take over my identity, as I am really that small-town girl from Wisconsin.
Why is this so exciting? Especially with such big streamers like Ninja, there is a huge apparatus behind them. As a viewer, you get the impression that there is just one person sitting there playing video games, but in reality, it involves hard work and many overtime hours.
Now it seems that has changed a bit. The couple seems to choose intentional days of balance so that the state of being a “slave to the stream” doesn’t come up again.
A moment that went around the world and that Ninja would like to forget.
Such an action also shows that Ninja is an advertising figure in need of a good manager. This role is fulfilled very well by wife Jessica Blevins, judging by the success.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
On Friday, September 4th, the reissue of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 was released. MeinMMO author Max Handwerk looked at the multiplayer mode – and didn’t want to get off the virtual skateboard.
The atmosphere is right, the level design is stylish across the board, and the controls allow you to execute combos as if you had traveled back in time by years. This conclusion was also reached by the testers from GamePro.
But not only the graphics of Pro Skater 1 and 2 have arrived in 2020: As is customary for a competitive sports title today, there is also an online multiplayer. And I took a closer look at that.
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What does the multiplayer mode in Tony Hawk have to offer?
A nearly relaxed online atmosphere: For me personally, the online component in a Tony Hawk game is a new experience. My PlayStation 2, on which I used to play the skateboarding games, was not connected to the internet during my younger years. That’s why the pressure was initially high – after all, you don’t want to completely fail online when you’ve accumulated years of experience in single-player mode.
The nice thing is: As soon as you launch Pro Skater 1 + 2, any stress is immediately gone. This is ensured by the music, but also by the nostalgic sounds – like the scratching of the board or the loud effect when executing special tricks. Additionally, the player’s skater tends to cheer a bit when a trick is successfully performed. This all contributes to a good mood.
The newly designed map “Roswell” also offers plenty of space for tricks in multiplayer
This is how Tony Hawk runs online: Despite all the good vibes, of course: winning is still the goal. You get the opportunity in various match types that run in sequence. None of them lasts particularly long, typically the time limit is 2 minutes or less.
Depending on the mode, there are different objectives:
In the trick tournament, the winner is the one who collects the most points.
In graffiti, you have to tag more objects with tricks than your opponents.
Combo Mambo: Here, the player who achieves the highest combo within the time limit wins.
Combo Challenge: The first to reach the specified combo score (for example, 150,000 points) wins.
Score Challenge: The first to reach the stated total score wins.
In the tests, up to eight players participated simultaneously. They then skate around the map together and try to earn points. However, you cannot interfere with each other because there are no collisions. Pushing opponents off their board while they’re executing their best combo doesn’t work.
You will still notice your fellow players: The current score is always displayed at the top left. And as soon as three names suddenly appear in front of you, you start to sweat a little. You then try to execute an epic trick combo – because the time limit only stops for you once your last combo is finished.
This means that even if the time is up and you’ve already put down the controller, an opponent can still take your victory away. Then you get particularly annoyed – but only for a moment. Because almost as soon as a round ends, the next game begins.
Messed-up combos cause frustration – but only for a moment
This is how the online mode sucked me in: I intended to only test the multiplayer – but once you start, it’s quite difficult to stop. Because the matches are so short and entertaining, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater activated the classic “Just one more” syndrome in me.
When I lost, I thought: “Come on, just one 2-minute match and I’ll end with a victory.”
And when I won, it was: “Wow, that went well. I’ll play another short match.”
This is also because you almost completely control the outcome yourself. If you didn’t collect enough points, it wasn’t because the opponent tricked you, but simply because they had better combos. You can’t just let that stand. And when you finally say “That’s enough now,” the map suddenly changes – and you have to take a quick look at it again!
Just as one round ends, the next one calls
Furthermore, the good mood and the gameplay in the game are simply fun. You don’t feel like you have to beat your opponent at all costs to have a good time. Whether that remains the case in the coming weeks is open. After all, Tony Hawk has just been freshly released and it’s the many new impressions that are initially fun.
However: If you are looking for a fun multiplayer game for a quick session, you are in the right place. As long as you manage to stop in the end and not get stuck in a “Just one more game” cycle all evening.
The splitscreen is fun but struggles with weak frame rates.
What about local multiplayer? You can also play Tony Hawk together on the couch without the online component. There are also modes like “free skating” or “tagging”. Otherwise, the modes only differ in the number of players from the online feature.
Accordingly, the remake is also a lot of fun in split-screen – with one downside: the frame rate noticeably decreases in split-screen. It’s not a complete dealbreaker, but you do notice the difference compared to single-player mode.
Nevertheless, it holds true: If you are looking for a fun game for two, the Tony Hawk remake is the right choice. And if you have no interest in skateboarding, you will surely find something in our list of the best couch co-op games.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Level like the great Pandaren role model Doubleagent? That will soon become more difficult in World of Warcraft. Collecting XP through professions will be drastically reduced.
In World of Warcraft, there are many methods to reach the maximum level. Whether it’s quests, dungeons, PvP, or pet battles, there is something for every player. However, much of that is not possible if you want to play a purely neutral character. This can be done by creating a Pandaren and never joining either of the two factions. In this case, the character is stuck on the Wandering Isle, but will never have to participate in the conflicts between Horde and Alliance.
Such a Pandaren was Doubleagent, who has been leveling on the island for many expansions. Time and again, he reaches the level cap there with the launch of a new expansion – almost two years ago, he reached level 120.
Pandaren like Chicho are now hurrying to become 120 before Shadowlands.
What will change? However, with Shadowlands, this task will likely become significantly more difficult. The experience points gained from collecting herbs and ores will be drastically reduced by a whopping 60%. This will increase the necessary time to level through this method to 2.5 times. This change will already go live with the pre-patch starting in a few weeks. Additionally, there will be massive nerfs to heirlooms.
Many have taken Doubleagent as an example and are now trying to replicate his achievement to become the first neutral Pandaren at level 120 on their realms in Europe – like Chicho and Pandémia.
Doubleagent is a legend.
Leveling neutral Pandaren has become easier: Nowadays, leveling a neutral Pandaren is also not as hard as it was a few years ago. The reason for this is that pet battles have been added as a new daily option to complete around 1/3 of a level in just a few minutes each day. Additionally, the hefty 100% XP buff is still active. Therefore, neutral Pandaren level at double speed while picking flowers – both of which are advantages that Doubleagent did not have back then.
With the new expansion Shadowlands, leveling a completely neutral character will become even more difficult. The XP bonus will be removed, and the experience points gained by collecting herbs and ores will be reduced by about 60%. Nevertheless, we can assume that players like Doubleagent, Chicho, or Pandémia will continue to work towards reaching level 60 in Shadowlands.
What do you think of this leveling method? An interesting thing? Or a waste of time?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Attention! A serious bug is currently circulating in Fortnite that launches you or your opponents from the Season 4 map into the storm. There’s no defense against it. We show you gameplay of the crazy bug.
This is the bug: Players discovered that there is a bug with Groot’s ball. This is actually intended: You use Groot’s ball and are encased inside this sphere made of branches. The ball protects you from enemy fire and heals you as long as you are inside. Additionally, you move faster across the map with it – almost like the Baller from one of the previous seasons.
Essentially, this is a defensive ability that protects and offers a new means of mobility. Unfortunately, with this ball, there is a bug. When colliding with players, they suddenly get launched off the map at high speed and perish in the storm.
This is what the Groot bug looks like in the game
What players are showing: On reddit, players are actively sharing their in-game footage after they or other players have fallen victim to the Groot bug. One such player is Xientraa. In his clip, he first takes down an opponent. A nearby enemy, standing within melee range, surprises him and presumably activates the Groot ball.
Then you can see how Xientraa is blown far from the map.
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In the comments, a player asks what happened. User Potion_Pult explains: “The Groot ball has the ability to knock players back without dealing damage when the ball collides with them. I suspect that when this is activated while a player is within the radius of the ball, the game believes they have been struck so hard by the ball that they are inside it. As a result, the recoil is multiplied and catapults them away.”
So be sure to keep your distance from opponents or stand with your back to the wall when you are sure that an opponent has the Groot ball. However, this is often not so obvious, which is why players are now hoping that the bug will be quickly fixed.
A new leak about the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is currently circulating online and already shows first gameplay of the multiplayer. The short clip also features first weapons and perks that are partially already known from Modern Warfare and Warzone. Additionally, the leak showcases the VIP game mode.
This is what the leak contains: In a short video, the game mode “VIP” can be seen, played on a map apparently set in Miami, which is already known from a previous leak. In this mode, the objective is to protect and escort a crucial NPC or to prevent that from happening.
In the match shown in the video, the teams take turns. Once a round is over, the sides switch, and each team pursues the other objective for that round. In the clip, the Cuban DGI faces off against the American CIA, both intelligence agencies.
Where does the leak come from? The video originally comes from a streamer who was only able to stream for a few minutes before his channel was shut down (via PCGamesN). However, that time was enough to capture and upload video material.
The clip appeared on YouTube, where it has already been removed. The reddit thread is likely to be locked as well, and the video deleted.
Additionally, some perks are already visible in one frame, but are not described in detail. Due to the quality of the clip, the names are not clearly readable. However, they likely include:
Furthermore, there will apparently be Wildcards again, as known from Black Ops 4. Wildcards are additional perks with smaller effects such as extra attachment slots for weapons. However, even the famous Overkill perk in Black Ops 4 was a wildcard.
What players say: Under the clip in the reddit thread, players are not particularly enthusiastic about the gameplay. They criticize that it looks somewhat clunky and doesn’t provide a good feeling while watching.
A frequently mentioned point of criticism is the weapon sounds. According to the players, they don’t sound good, likely because they are somewhat spoiled by the extremely realistic sounds from Modern Warfare.
However, the clip is a leak and not official gameplay. Whether and how the criticism proves to be true and justified later remains to be seen. The actual and official presentation of the multiplayer is still to come. When Cold War itself was shown, the reveal event was quite well received by the players.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Not everyone likes Sylvanas in World of Warcraft. However, one player refused to accept any of her missions for 2 expansions.
The story of World of Warcraft has changed significantly in recent years. Above all, the image of the Horde has been drastically altered by the recent wars. A constant change of leadership positions – Thrall, Garrosh, Vol’Jin, and Sylvanas – has sparked multiple conflicts, and the direction of the Horde has changed several times. After all, the story of WoW is long and complex.
Many players were not happy about this, which led to various protest actions. However, one Paladin took it further than most players. He refused to acknowledge Sylvanas as Warchief until the end.
The final step “Swear loyalty to Sylvanas” – he never did.
What happened? The Tauren Scolex was dissatisfied with the story of Legion and Battle for Azeroth. He did not want to serve the Banshee Queen – and simply did not do it. In an interview with Polygon, he explained:
Sylvanas has always been a malevolent person driven by vengeance, using cheap tricks in battle, and always thinking only of herself and her people. “Her people” never included the Horde.
His Paladin could not accept Sylvanas as Warchief, because “Sylvanas treats her subordinates as minions, not as equals.” He could not believe that someone like Sylvanas became Warchief and not a veteran like Etrigg or Saurfang, with whom his Paladin had fought in many battles.
Nothing is happening at the Auction House – they are still recovering from the Legion.
Sylvanas then committed several terrible crimes. She not only burns down the Night Elf civilization, but also uses the plague against her own people. For these and many other reasons, Scolex never completed the introductory quest for Legion, and the corresponding content of the expansions remained unavailable to him. It simply was not “his Warchief.”
This is what his game world looked like: Because Scolex never completed the questlines for the entry of Legion and Battle for Azeroth, he was trapped in a rather strange parallel world. Without the progress from the quests, the environments did not change either. Orgrimmar is still in a rather lightly devastated state from the Legion attacks, and many NPCs are not performing their actual tasks. He describes:
The streets of the city were not so crowded, there were hardly any people in the Auction House, bank clerks were not behind their counters, but the gates of Grommash Hold were barricaded. Everything was a bit more relaxed and life was good.
This also meant that he could hardly level his character through the usual activities, as a multitude of features were hidden behind the main quest he never touched.
The Grommash Hold is closed.
That’s why Scolex is now joining again: After nearly 4 years, Scolex has now decided that it is time to rejoin the current events. The reason is not that the Horde now has a council, but there is another reason.
Scolex has long wanted to unlock the Tauren heritage armor, which would suit such an honorable (and stubborn) Tauren well. But the corresponding NPCs for the questline simply do not appear unless Scolex advances the main questline. He does not want to level another Tauren, so now the time has come to swear loyalty to Sylvanas – at least for a short while. Because maybe we will settle the score with her in Shadowlands …
What do you think? Is this a “cool, different kind” of role-playing? Or is it absurd to get so caught up in quests and limit oneself?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Pokémon GO now distributes better rewards in raids. Players who fight quickly and effectively against the bosses will be rewarded. We show you the changes.
What’s new: With the introduction of Mega Evolutions, there have also been several changes in the regular raids. There is now a speed bonus, and the system for obtaining Premier Balls has been altered.
Now there are further adjustments due to player criticism. In general, there are now more Premier Balls, and the items received per raid have also increased.
Changes to Raid Rewards
These 3 adjustments are: Fundamentally, 3 things have changed in Pokémon GO raids. These include:
Level 5 raids now give more items
The Premier Balls for dealt damage are increased across all raid levels
In level 5 raids, there are more Premier Balls for speed
There are now more Premier Balls in raids.
What does this mean? How exactly the changes in item rewards will affect gameplay remains to be seen. So far, there are not enough reports on what drops from the raids.
However, the other adjustments are quickly explained. It is now even more important to bring effective Pokémon and not necessarily the suggested team. If you deal a lot of damage yourself, there are now more balls. The same applies to speed. With the right counters, you will be faster in raids and get more Premier Balls.
More balls also mean a greater chance of catching the raid boss. So it is worth paying attention to the right counters.
The strategy game Crusader Kings 3 has been newly released on Steam since September 1. Since there is currently a lull in new MMOs, we take a closer look at the game. Our author Schuhmann explains how he plays Crusader Kings 3 and why it feels a bit strange nowadays.
Crusader Kings is, at first glance, a series that mixes strategy and RPG elements in the medieval period.
To the uninitiated, it involves things like: “Christians reclaiming the Iberian Peninsula from the Arabs”, “Bloody Crusades over Jerusalem”, and “Viking invasion of England”. It looks like a “game of thrones”, and Crusader Kings is often compared to the fantasy epic “Game of Thrones”.
For many hardcore players, however, Crusader Kings has been about building a genetically superior dynasty for 16 years by intentionally choosing who to marry to ensure that the next generation of characters is better than the previous one. It is a “game of genes”.
In Crusader Kings 3, characters have various “genetic traits”: The most desired trait is “Genius”, which gives +5 to all skills. In Crusader Kings 3, Genius also supports character development in the new “Lifestyle” system with a substantial bonus.
However, it is also beneficial if rulers are physically strong, particularly attractive, and fertile.
This lovely young lady is a “Genius”: This brings enormous advantages in the game.
Everything in Crusader Kings 3 depends on 5 open values and some hidden ones that are influenced by these genetic bonuses. Those who are particularly beautiful receive a diplomacy bonus and are revered by their vassals, who pay higher taxes and recruit more troops for them.
This is important: Because when the Vikings come to raid, and they will, you want to meet them with a proper military force and not just with a few half-naked peasant lads.
A Genius Changes the World of Crusader Kings 3
Particularly important is the “Learning” value, as a wise ruler creates faster cultural progress and can thus drive inventions forward:
It’s up to the player whether a land like Ireland remains undeveloped and wild in 930 A.D. – with little military strength and a weak economy that is plundered and occupied by nasty Vikings
or if early marketplaces are established, people pay taxes, and obediently rally for the king.
If you have a series of fools in power, it can take centuries for inventions to enable the leap from the clan age to the feudal Middle Ages. A genius in power can influence the fate of the world in Crusader Kings 3.
That’s why it’s so important that the ruler has “good genes”.
Those new to Crusader Kings might think that genes are a matter of chance: sometimes you get a good ruler, sometimes you don’t.
But those who have been playing Crusader Kings for a while know that genetics is also something that lies in the player’s hands. While it’s about probabilities, these can be influenced.
Breeding your own dynasty, “breeding”, is a theme that is openly and frequently discussed in the game forums. However, journalistic articles apparently consistently ignore this: probably too sensitive a topic.
This nice gentleman has 2 positive hereditary traits: Besides being “Intelligent”, he is also “In Perfect Health”.
Players Have Been Searching for the Kwisatz Haderach for 16 Years
Ultimately, you breed the king in Crusader Kings in one generation, with whom you will play in the next generation: If you marry two smart people together, offspring will come out who are also sure to be “smart” and even have the chance to become even smarter and thus receive a higher bonus.
Many have been playing this game of genes since the first Crusader Kings. In forums, there has always been discussion about how to breed the “Kwisatz Haderach”: This is the desired result of a breeding program across generations from the sci-fi epic “Dune”.
It is the “Overman”, who embodies all positive genetic traits and carries none of the negative ones.
In Ireland, rulers have up to 4 wives. That’s already 17 children in the 1st generation – the men receive the first conquered territories and become vassals.
I have been playing Crusader Kings for sure for 15 years primarily in the same way:
I start at the lowest level and at the earliest possible time in Ireland – with a preferably young ruler. In earlier titles, I could create my own. In CK3, there is a 24-year-old chieftain in Ormond who is suitable.
My character snatches up the woman with the best genes he can find and populates the world properly.
From my small county, I first conquer the neighbors and become a duke. Then I slowly take Ireland and crown myself king. Now it’s Scotland and Wales turn.
I distribute the conquered provinces among my offspring and ensure that they too are married to genetically strong women: In Crusader Kings, “Nobles” with their own realms breed best. Because the game mechanics ensure that landowners have more offspring, while landless dynasties remain small and die out.
I rely on an elective monarchy: This ensures that the best one of a generation becomes my ruler (and my character) for the next 20 to 50 years – if all goes well.
Ireland is united, the queen is a genius, and parts of divided England are already green and the year is 930 A.D.
Gene Experiments with a Guilty Conscience
This playstyle has been possible since Crusader Kings 1, and when you realize what you are doing, you get a pretty uneasy feeling.
Ultimately, it’s the same as explained in the movie “The Crimson Rivers”: You are running a breeding program over generations, which has a slightly Nazi-like vibe. But it’s just so much fun to play with the characters and see what comes out. It fulfills a desire for power and is an exciting dynasty simulator.
There is a fascination in this playstyle. You look at the world you have created like an ant farm, and you know: “Practically every character there was created by my decisions.” Then you look around after 200 years and see that the great-great-niece has somehow become the Empress in Byzantium, because last Monday you urgently needed an alliance and married a daughter there. Or there is an obscure French branch of your own dynasty that you can’t quite explain how that happened.
I have always played Crusader Kings like this, but a bit sheepishly and with a guilty conscience. I thought I should see it more as an RPG and less as a medieval breeding program.
What surprised me after nearly 30 hours in the new game: In Crusader Kings 3, this playstyle is massively supported. What I previously did with a slight guilty conscience, many apparently did so much that it has now become a playstyle that Crusader Kings 3 fully embraces and supports:
When I want to marry someone, I can specifically search for “heritable traits”: In Crusader Kings 2, I had to painstakingly type in the individual traits.
CK 3 presents me the women with good genes through settings.
There are now “Dynasty” perks that promote such breeding programs: A game mechanic ensures that positive traits are particularly well passed on in my dynasty.
There is even a special bonus “Strong Blood” if I manage to breed a ruler who has good traits from all 3 genetic areas.
In Crusader Kings 2 there were “4 positive genetic effects” – in Crusader Kings 3, I have already seen around 12 or so.
Additionally, at the early start in Ireland, a ruler can have up to 4 wives. This quickly leads to a family tree in which you can completely lose yourself. In the past, it took several generations until you had enough offspring to occupy each free county. Now it can happen immediately.
Those who play longer unlock “genetic bonuses” for their family.
The Community Loves Incest, and So Does Crusader Kings 3
A catch with such “breeding programs” is incest. The likelihood of inbreeding was measured in Crusader Kings 2 by how many different relatives a character had in the last 5 generations. It was simulated this seriously:
If everything goes normally and no incest is practiced, that’s 62.
If you had fewer than 32 different ancestors, the likelihood increased for the negative trait “Inbreeding”.
If it was less than 17, you certainly had this negative “Inbreeding” trait, which makes a character practically useless.
With the gameplay involving genes, it quickly becomes the case that you flood Ireland with your own descendants. They are then in the key positions of power, and only there do characters have many descendants: Because the count or duke of a province may mechanically have more children than a simple NPC without a “great house” behind them.
After just a few hours of gameplay, your own dynasty has spread across the realm and continues to multiply from there. The AI likes to marry dynasty members to each other, as it makes sense for vassals to marry the neighbors’ children, securing militarily valuable alliances and enabling inheritances.
Inbreeding can lead to unintended side effects in Crusader Kings. Children are born with particularly negative traits, may be fertile, or suffer from genetic defects. They also tend towards madness. This has also been frequently discussed in the community of Crusader Kings 3.
Some made it a fun challenge to keep the bloodline as “pure” as possible – reminiscent of “Game of Thrones”; where the Targaryens married children among each other. The dynasty was also considered prone to rampant madness.
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In Crusader Kings 3, the developers have also considered this gameplay mechanic. There are the traits “Pure Blooded”.
If you practice incest over generations, the developers say, there is a chance that the dynasty will notice the negative consequences of inbreeding less, because it has managed to breed out “negative traits” from the gene pool over time.
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In test reports on Crusader Kings 3 (like those from our friends at GameStar), I often read: the game has consistently developed Crusader Kings 2 further. This is certainly true.
What the developers have essentially done: They have looked at how people actually played Crusader Kings 2 and made it easier for them to play as they wanted to.
And apparently, many want to play Crusader Kings as a genetic building kit, dynasty, and incest simulator – just like I do.
I play Crusader Kings exclusively in single-player mode, but it is also a game that you can play in multiplayer. If you want to play strategy games as an online game against other humans and not just against the AI, which you can easily outsmart at some point, we recommend a series of titles:
