Hacker in Red Dead Online hangs cheats on streamers to get them banned

Irina Moritz Irina Moritz Reading time 2 minutes

In Red Dead Online, there is currently a hacker targeting streamers, taking over their identity and attempting to ruin their reputation.

What does the cheater do? The streamer HazardousHDTV wanted to quietly try out the new update of RDO “The Naturalist”, like many other players.

But while he was playing, he quickly realized that someone had it out for him. A hacker pulled the streamer out of a free event, dragged him along with other players into a lobby, and blew everyone up.

Hazardous then left the lobby and returned to the game after a while to continue playing. Just to be blown up in a lobby again.

During this, the streamer noticed that his hostility rapidly increased and he received XP for the killed players. The hacker posed under his name and pretended that Hazardous was responsible for the cheating and the kills.

The same action was taken by the hacker in the stream of SwolTV. There, he took over the name of the streamer ThatDevilJames and continued griefing calmly. Swol also received XP for killed players and was blamed for cheating.

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“They see your IP, ISP, postal code, region, country, and much more”

This is how it continued: Both streamers were forced to end their streaming sessions, but this did not solve their problems. Swol tried to continue playing on the PS4. However, while the hacker could no longer directly attack him in the game, he managed to access the streamer’s IP address.

The hacker then attacked the streamer’s internet connection until he couldn’t establish a connection at all. The same happened to Hazardous.

They [the hackers] can easily access your sensitive personal account information because Rockstar Games’ security system has huge flaws in its online products.

Hazardous to PCGamesN

These were the consequences for the streamers: Even while the streamers were offline, their names were misused for griefing. Several other streamers complained to Swol, for example, that he allegedly barged into their lobbies and killed everyone there. But he was actually offline at that time.

The hacker was diligently working to destroy the streamers’ reputations and have them banned for cheating. And they are not the only ones who were defamed by him. A whole bunch of other streamers are struggling with the griefing attacks.

For the streamers, however, it is not only their reputation at stake. Both make money with their channels and could not work anymore because of the hacker. Hazardous was particularly hard hit.

Users who obtain your IP address from the game can easily execute DDoS attacks. My internet has been offline more often than online since August 7. It has a huge impact on my life, business, and my ability to deliver new content for my community […].

Hazardous to PCGamesN

Everything that Hazardous claims is necessary is a paid mod. This has apparently existed for a long time, and there are various videos on YouTube explaining how it works.

Modding and hacking are far from being the only problems of Red Dead Online. The latest update completely ruined the game and caused it to rain alligators in the game.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Head of Rainbow Six: “You are not prepared for what is coming next year”

Benedict Grothaus Benedict Grothaus Reading time 2 minutes

More is becoming known about the upcoming Season 3 of Year 5 in Rainbow Six Siege. Now the Creative Director and the Lead Game Designer of the game have also responded – and hinted even more. They may only have a few short sentences, but they carry quite a weight.

Here’s what the bosses say: On Twitter, Creative Director Leroy Athanassoff and Lead Game Designer Jean-Baptiste Hallé have made some hints about the upcoming content for Rainbow Six Siege.

Hallé stated that the upcoming Season 3 of Year 5 “will be the biggest […] Season yet” and will change the meta like no other (via Twitter). YouTuber Skittlz has already played the season in advance and confirms: “This is a whole new game” (via Twitter).

The recently banned YouTuber BikiniBodhi wrote elsewhere that all of this should get the nickname “Siege 2.0”. Athanassoff then responded with: “Man, if you think this is 2.0, then you are clearly not prepared for what’s coming next year.”

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The title image comes from a YouTube video by Ubisoft.

Season 3 shakes up the meta – Year 6 the whole game?

What changes with Season 3: It is already known that the upcoming Season 3 “Shadow Legacy” will bring the Splinter Cell protagonist Sam Fisher aka Zero as an operator, as well as presumably a new gadget.

The new gadget is the “Mini Breach Charge”, which will completely change the meta. With it, many attacker operators suddenly have the ability to partially destroy reinforced walls, taking cover away from defenders.

Reinforcements are, besides some good reconnaissance, one of the most important tactical elements for victory in Rainbow Six Siege. They determine which routes opponents can and cannot take. Moreover, they provide important hiding spots and cover for defenders. The latter will practically disappear with the new gadget.

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von Benedict Grothaus

What comes next and with Year 6? We already know that there will be a major rework for operator Tachanka, which is set to come this year, either in the upcoming Season 3 or in the last Season 4 of Year 5.

RAinbow Six Siege Oregon TAchanka Throw Title
Tachanka is currently quite weak and is therefore set to be reworked.

Additionally, there is already a leak that reveals the second operator coming in Year 5: Aruni, a quick-witted Thai boxer. Since the leak about Zero (then still under the name Scout) turned out to be correct, Aruni is also quite certain. Seasons 3 and 4 of Year 5 are the first in which only one operator is introduced.

However, there is currently nothing that could back up Athanassoff’s statement regarding Year 6. Nothing is known about the upcoming seasons after Year 5 yet. So it remains to be seen whether we are really not prepared for what is to come.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. PCGamesN

“Red Dead Online” fixes the completely broken game, reverts everything

Eilyn Rapp Eilyn Rapp Reading time 2 minutes

The last update in Red Dead Online was supposed to fix bugs, but now the game is completely broken. Rockstar has promised a fix, which is now live in the form of a rollback for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Update – August 13: The issues with the latest update for Red Dead Online should be at least temporarily resolved on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. However, this is not due to a fix, but a rollback that has reset the game to a state before the update:

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Many players are not happy about losing their progress, but say it’s better than nothing. Some report, however, that they are still having issues logging in and cannot play.

No information is available yet about a fix for the PC version.

What was the problem? On the night of August 11, an update went live for Red Dead Online. This was supposed to fix the issues that the major content update from July 28 had caused.

But instead of fixing the bugs, the update introduced a whole list of new bugs. It has even reached the point where Red Dead Online is currently unplayable.

A fix is in progress

What Rockstar says about the dire situation: After players complained about the state of the game, Rockstar responded to the reports. They posted on Twitter that they were aware of the issues.

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They also stated that they are already working on fixes to remove these bugs from the game.

When will the fix come? Rockstar has not announced when they will bring the fix. It is only known that they are working on it. As soon as there is more information, they will inform the players.

The game urgently needs a fix

That’s why the fix is so important: Red Dead Online is currently in a terrible state and therefore needs the fix as soon as possible. It has reached the point where players cannot even play properly.

  • There are frequent disconnects, issues with the loading screen, and blue screens
  • Some cannot log in at all
  • Players cannot even shoot
  • Camps do not appear
  • Horses disappear while riding
  • Animals and NPCs do not appear at all
  • It seems like it literally rains alligators in story mode
  • A bald man is wandering around
  • Things suddenly catch fire

The list of all the bugs is even longer than it seems here. It is clear that the game is not playable when the basics like shooting, hunting animals, or riding are not possible.

Moreover, no one knows what is up with the bald man. Some players have already encountered him, albeit in different ways. One player met him while the man was just running in place:

https://twitter.com/RiveL01263858/status/1293268176541753344?s=20

According to the player, the game crashed afterwards when he tried to shoot the man.

It all seems a bit creepy when suddenly everyone and everything disappears, and only one man is wandering around. Maybe he will become a new meme among players, like the dead donkey-head woman, which we probably owe to a glitch from the first part.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Even the world champion in Fortnite is accused of cheating in a tournament

Eilyn Rapp Eilyn Rapp Reading time 3 minutes

Fortnite world champion Bugha has been accused of cheating during a tournament. The reason was an alleged teaming with a colleague during the solo tournament. There was a warning from Epic.

This was the situation: Bugha, who won the Fortnite World Championship 2019 in solo, played in the FNCS solo tournament and was in a Discord call with his teammate “Owl” during it. The problem was that he was also participating in the same tournament and they were even in the same rounds.

Now they are accused of having teamed up during the tournament to gain advantages. A clip showed how Bugha was taken out by an opponent and then his teammate immediately jumped in and tried to eliminate the opponent.

https://twitter.com/7marSP/status/1293004188037926913?s=20

Bugha supposedly encouraged Owl to eliminate the opponent, basically as revenge for his death. However, it was not clear from the outside why the two knew they were right next to each other.

In another clip, you can see Bugha spotting his teammate from a distance. They shoot at each other, but it doesn’t escalate into a real fight. Bugha then “warns” Owl that an opponent is nearby.

https://twitter.com/7marSP/status/1293014259341963264?s=20

World Champion Receives a Warning

How did Epic respond? After these clips, Bugha received an in-game notification that he was warned for collusion (teaming). Although this has no further consequences for the world champion, it is meant to remind him to refrain from such behavior in the future as it violates the rules.

fortnite-bugha-warnung

Why is this considered cheating? When several players are in a call but are actually competing against each other, there is a possibility that they share information that could give them an advantage in the game.

Players who have teamed up in a tournament have already been banned. Teaming is clearly considered cheating in Fortnite and is not allowed. These rules were introduced and initially confused players.

Bugha Does Not See It as Cheating

This is how the pro reacted to the accusation: For Bugha, it is clear: he did not cheat. He does not see having been in a call with his colleague, who was simultaneously his opponent, as a problem. After all, they did not share any information about the match itself.

They always fought each other whenever they encountered each other, but others only see one clip and already form an opinion (Bugha via Twitter).

His teammate Owl took it a step further and created a video showing that the two did not collaborate and fought each other when they encountered each other.

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Whether it was cheating or not, both pros only received this warning.

The anti-cheat system of Fortnite seems to have issues distinguishing between when cheating occurs and when it is simply a harmless incident. A player was banned for using a glitch during a tournament, but not intentionally.

Fortnite cheater offensichtlich titel
Does Fortnite’s anti-cheat system even recognize the right cheaters?

However, the problem with Fortnite’s anti-cheat system became evident when a young Fortnite pro conducted a test. He set out to prove that the system is simply terrible.

For this, he installed an aim-bot on his PC and used it during a tournament. He made it so obvious that everyone could see it. Yet he managed to reach the finals of the tournament while cheating and was only banned afterward.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Dot Esports

Professionals say: CoD Warzone has “Demon Weapons” and that is a huge problem

Benedict Grothaus Benedict Grothaus Reading time 2 minutes

A nasty graphic glitch is currently annoying some players in Call of Duty: Warzone. The bug has also been criticized by professionals who are particularly bothered by it. One even lost a tournament because of it, as he says.

Update – August 14: In the meantime, the developers have prioritized a bug fix for this error. A fix for the “Demon Gun Glitch” is expected to come as soon as possible.

What kind of bug is this? It concerns the “Demon Gun Glitch”, also known as the “Alien Gun Bug”. Due to this, the models of weapons get distorted to the point where only a huge tangle of textures is visible. The glitch has been plaguing Warzone for some time and has been appearing since the start of Season 5 more frequently.

With smaller weapons, this results in it looking like you are just holding a handful of junk instead of a gun. Aiming becomes nearly impossible because half the screen is filled with distorted textures.

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Larger weapons become so distorted that even the player is fully covered. Instead of him, only a large cube of dark textures is running around.

If you encounter such a player, it is almost impossible to kill them because you can’t accurately tell where in this tangle of graphic glitches they are. The professional and YouTuber Nick “Nickmercs” Kolcheff shows in a clip from his stream how this looks:

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Demon glitch makes the game “die”, says pro

Why is this such a big problem? While the glitch is just an annoyance for most players that ruins a round for them, it costs professionals substantial prize money at times. Nickmercs, for example, reports that he lost a recent tournament with a $15,000 prize pool because of this bug.

He also notes that he cannot completely understand how opponents can even see him. If they are hindered by the glitch just like him, it should be harder for them. In a video, he discusses the issues with Warzone and turns instead to the new and extremely successful Fall Guys.

The pro Dennis “Cloakzy” Lepore complains that a billion-dollar company like Activision cannot fix even a “simple bug”: “The game will die”.

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Is there a fix? The developers are already working on fixing the demon bug. However, there is still no date for when it will be the case. The issue has only been recognized so far, and a fix is supposed to come. Meanwhile, the bug fix is on a “fast track” and is expected to appear as soon as possible.

A temporary solution, according to some users, is currently to refrain from using weapon skins. This way, you can apparently at least prevent your own weapons from exploding like possessed demons in your hands. Weapon skins in Call of Duty seem to be somewhat problematic lately anyway. A player who spent hundreds of hours grinding for the rarest camo did not even receive it in the end.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Dexerto

MMORPG Bless Unleashed starts its first PS4 beta next week

Irina Moritz Irina Moritz Reading time < 1 minutes

The action MMORPG Bless Unleashed launched in March on Xbox One. Now PS4 players can also test the game, starting next week.

Since March 12, the free-to-play MMORPG Bless Unleashed has been running on Xbox One and seems to be doing quite well. The reactions from the first tests were quite positive and now a port to the PS4 and the first beta test have been announced.

When is the beta? If you are interested in participating in the Bless Unleashed beta test, make sure to set aside time on the following days:

  • The PS4 beta starts on Thursday, August 20
  • and ends on Monday, August 24.

What exactly the players can expect in the beta test is still unknown. However, it can be assumed that players will not immediately have free access to all content of the finished game.

You can watch a gameplay trailer for the PS4 beta launch here:

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How can I participate? If you want to join the beta and take a look at Bless Unleashed, you just need to enter your email address on the official Bandai Namco website.

If you manage to snag a key, you will be notified by email.

Is it the same game as Bless Online? Some MMORPG fans may still have a bad taste associated with the name “Bless.” In 2019, the MMORPG Bless Online received massive criticism and ultimately failed. The servers were shut down.

However, Bless Unleashed is a completely different game. It only shares the game world with Bless Online as well as the various locations. It is produced by a different studio.

The differences and further information about Bless Unleashed can be found in our detailed “Find Your Next Game” interview with the developers of the MMORPG.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

FIFA 21 gives you more control as a manager – What is new in career mode?

Max Handwerk Max Handwerk Reading time 4 minutes

In FIFA 21, the Career Mode provides you with more options to manage your club in detail. The new controls make you more of a manager overseeing even the smallest steps of your career.

This is the state of the Career Mode: The Career Mode is perhaps the largest offline mode offered by the FIFA series. Here, you can take control of your favorite club and lead it to the top of the world.

You manage budgets, oversee talent scouting, train your team, and of course, try to make good transfers for your club. This makes your team stronger. 

In recent years, fans of the Career Mode have repeatedly wished for a comprehensive overhaul of the mode. Especially in FIFA 20, the mode struggled with bugs. A completely new Career Mode shouldn’t be expected this year either – however, EA Sports offers a few new features in FIFA 21 that give you even more control over your club. We’ll introduce them to you here. 

fifa 20 career mode
As a manager, you lead the destiny of your club

More options for player development

This is how you control development: Those who want to succeed in Career Mode must engage with the talented young players that the mode offers. They have the potential to become the strongest players in the game. However, you need to train them and give them time to develop.

In FIFA 21’s Career Mode, you will have more options to promote your talents and shape them into the players you need. You should be able to specifically train individual parameters of the players. For example, if you have a player who is particularly strong in heading, you can further develop this skill.

To this end, the training menu has also been revised. You can now better see what exercises you are conducting for which purposes and can create training groups for that purpose. 

Positions can be changed

What changes with positions: Particularly interesting is the new player development with the new position change feature. Depending on the skills your players possess, you can now consider “retraining” them. If, for example, your right-back is lacking a bit of attacking drive and speed but shows good positional play and has a good build-up, you might consider developing him into a center-back. This is possible not only with talents but also with already established players. 

mbappe
Mbappé is a strong forward – But you can also retrain him as a midfielder

The options to build your team become significantly more versatile. However, the developers explained at a presentation event for FIFA 21 that while it is theoretically possible to retrain a forward into a center-back, it takes quite a long time. So, if you want to put Cristiano Ronaldo in defense, be prepared for a long and arduous training path. 

By the way: If your players have to play out of position, it affects their performance. They become unhappy, which can even directly negatively impact their stats. So, you shouldn’t demand this from them too often.

Keep an eye on the calendar

Here’s why the calendar is important: With all the new development opportunities, you shouldn’t overload your players. Therefore, you should pay attention to the new weekly planning: If the match schedule is full, you can arrange a day for recovery in between. If you have a few days without a game, it might be a good idea to train more.

The calendar is supposed to play an important role

Also, the opponent is not to be neglected: You want to play against Real Madrid in full strength, while for a friendly match before the season, you might need less power. In FIFA 21, you should be able to plan the weeks precisely.

The Interactive Match Simulation gives you direct control

This is the match sim: Lastly, the mode also features the new “Interactive Match Sim” as one of the most important innovations. This allows you to simulate a game. However, the match does not jump directly to the result, but lets you follow the situation via a radar directly.

During the simulation, you can intervene live by changing the line-ups. For example, focus on a defensive setup if you’re leading 3:0, or switch to offensive to recover from a deficit.

Match simulation
You can take control at any time

However, the best feature is the direct intervention. You can jump into the game at any time and take over the match. Then you play as usual and can score against the opponent. It’s also possible to jump back into the simulation from the match. This allows you to execute situations like free kicks or penalties briefly yourself, and then continue to observe how your team performs without you. Or you simply jump directly to the result. 

Moreover, EA Sports promises more realism in Career Mode than before. For example, the results of other teams will be more realistic, and transfers should feel closer to real football. In Ultimate Team, however, EA Sports is pursuing a more fantasy-oriented approach. 

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Bungie talks about the new damage type Stasis and the future of Destiny 2

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

More information about the major expansion “Beyond Light” and the upcoming years, as well as the new damage type Stasis, can be found at Destiny 2. After Guardians were only able to use different aspects of Light for 6 years, they can finally use a new element in “Beyond Light” that draws its power from Darkness.

Where does the information come from? The Production Director, Justin Truman, gave a video interview to a Chinese website. The questions are in Chinese, but his answers are in English.

Destiny 2 Luke Smith Justin Truman Fix the Timeline
The nice gentleman on the right is Justin Truman. On the left, we see the Yoda of Destiny, Luke Smith.

Who is the antagonist of Beyond Light? The expansion “Beyond Light” takes players to the frozen moon of Europa, Jupiter. There, they will encounter Eramis, the ruler of a Fallen empire. She has learned to tap into the power of the mysterious Pyramid ships, with whose appearance the Destiny 2 campaign ended in 2017.

And to defeat Eramis, players must do the same and learn to wield the power that comes directly from the threatening ships.

eramis fallen boss beyond light destiny 2
Eramis – has learned something from the ships.

This is the special feature of Stasis: With the next expansion, a new damage type comes to Destiny for the first time in 6 years: the element Stasis.

Truman says: The old damage types (Arc, Solar, Void) are all embodiments of Light. However, Stasis will be the first manifestation of Darkness.

Stasis will revolve around controlling the battlefield, rather than simply dealing damage – also a first in Destiny, explains Truman.

The Production Director promises that Bungie will soon provide more details on Stasis.

By the way, these 3 races could also receive the new Stasis powers.

The story of the next 3 years is interconnected

This is what Bungie says about the upcoming years of Destiny 2: Truman briefly outlines the next three years of Destiny. The next 3 expansions should be seen as a “trilogy”. The stories will be interconnected:

  • 2020 brings “Beyond Light” that takes players to Europa, where they can wield Darkness as a weapon for the first time
  • 2021 will see a foe from the shadows appear in “Witch Queen”
  • 2022 will see Bungie release “Lightfall” – the climax and showdown in the battle between Light and Darkness

Even though Bungie already has plans for the future, the current focus of the development team is completely on Beyond Light: It should meet players’ expectations.

More surprises planned for the present

This is what will happen before Beyond Light: Due to the extension of the Season 11, players now have enough time to complete all outstanding tasks and bid farewell to some old areas. The “Festival of the Lost” will return this season.

Truman says that there are still “some surprises” prepared for the current season. Players will experience them before “Beyond Light” kicks off.

Destiny 2 jenseits des Lichts FYNG
There’s a lot waiting for us in Destiny 2.

The expansion “Beyond Light” marks the beginning of a second phase in the life of Destiny 2. The game will also be released for PS5 and Xbox Series X. Bungie has opted not to develop a Destiny 3, but feels fully committed to Destiny 2 and has tied itself to the game until 2022:

Destiny 2 will continue as an MMO for years – Beyond Light and plans until 2022

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. gamecores
  2. reddit

WoW: With this combo, any player can deliver one-hits in PvP

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

A nasty combo delivers one-hit kills in World of Warcraft. The Paladin Rextroy shows how it works – and reveals that any class can do it.

Hardly a week goes by without Rextroy grabbing attention. The exceptional player from World of Warcraft continually finds new ways to create insane combos that defeat bosses or other players in a fraction of a second. Because of him, Blizzard even introduced a new debuff. His latest trick works even with all classes. The combo therefore requires not a single ability from a specific class, making it relatively easy to replicate.

What kind of combo is this? In the video, we see Rextroy with his Paladin demonstrating the combo multiple times. Aside from some protective spells, Rextroy seems to do nothing and instead waits for the perfect moment. Once the passive effects are activated, he uses a trinket and an Azerite ability, and most opponents simply burst. Only a few classes or particularly well-equipped enemies survive the attack unscathed.

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In most cases, the enemy dies immediately or needs just one more attack as a finisher.

What do you need for the combo? The combo is once again based on stacking particularly devastating corruption effects. This time it’s about “Surging Vitality.” This is a corruption that can grant a hefty bonus to versatility when taking damage. If all equipment has this bonus, one can reach up to 7,208 versatility.

Then, a second set of items is needed that has the bonus “Increases all versatility from all sources by 12%.”

Additionally, the trinket “Telecommunication Device” from Mechagon is required as well as the Azerite ability “Gripping Flames” at rank 3.

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This is how the combo works: The trick is to wear Set 1 to trigger Surging Vitality, then leave the fight and switch sets. The bonus from Surging Vitality remains and is subsequently amplified by the percentage bonus to versatility.

This way, a character can achieve up to 208% versatility.

Now, a weak target must be killed with the Azerite ability “Gripping Flames” (a spontaneous damage attack). This is because the next use of the ability deals 100% more damage.

With that, the combo is prepared. Now Rextroy fires the telecommunication device at a PvP target and times it so that the projectile hits at the same time as his Gripping Flame. Most opponents should be taken out immediately.

Anyone wanting to replicate the combo will of course need to farm the corresponding corruption items and trinkets. Moreover, one should hurry a bit, as the corruption effects will disappear with the pre-patch 9.0.1, which is already playable on the PTR.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. wowhead.com

Do games make children dumb and violent? A new study says the opposite

Jürgen Horn Jürgen Horn Reading time 3 minutes

Video games are still perceived to be harmful to children and teenagers. However, a new study from England found that games can actually benefit children during the Corona crisis and even positively impact reading skills and empathy.

What kind of study is this? The non-profit British organization “National Literacy Trust” surveyed nearly 5,000 players aged between 11 and 16 years about games. The focus was primarily on the positive effects of gaming, such as putting oneself in others’ shoes, reading skills, and communication.

Contrary to the often-heard opinion that games make children dumb and aggressive and lead to rampages, the study concluded that gaming is indeed beneficial for children and teenagers during the current times of lockdowns and contact restrictions.

Gaming improves empathy and reading skills in kids

Children who play also read: According to the study, 4 out of 5 kids (79.4 percent) read material related to the games they played at least once a month. This mainly included in-game communication (39.9 percent) as well as reviews and blogs (30.5 percent) about their favorite games. However, 21.8 percent read books and 19.4 percent read fan fiction about games.

Subsequently, 35.3 percent of the children and teenagers stated that they could read better overall because of games.

Games make kids creative: Another interesting finding of the study is that 62.5 percent of the teens who play games also write about them creatively. This includes tips for other players, as well as blog entries and reviews, and fan fiction.

WoW Zappy Boy Zekhan titel title 1280x720
Especially games with complex virtual worlds like WoW often stimulate the imagination of players.

Games help young people with social contacts: Another important point of the study concerns the social behavior of kids. Many of the young people found that they could make social contacts more easily online as well as offline through games.

This is especially important during the Corona crisis and the contact restrictions, as games allow for safe contact with friends or even to meet new people. Other studies have already proven that a lot more gaming occurs during the crisis. Additionally, kids are more likely to discuss and share their experiences in games rather than the stories from books they’ve read (76.3 percent vs. 29.4 percent).

Strengthening empathy through virtual worlds: Another positive aspect found by the study relates to empathy and immersion in literary worlds. A total of 73.1 percent of respondents indicated that they can much more easily immerse themselves in a story in games and feel part of it compared to reading the story alone.

Interestingly, 65 percent of participants stated that they can better empathize with other people thanks to games, which supports the development of empathy.

Mass Effect Story
Games with gripping stories make it easy for players to empathize with the characters.

All in all, the study concludes that games can be meaningfully used to encourage young people to read and write, as expressed by Jonathan Douglas, the Chief of the National Literacy Trust:

This research clearly indicates that things that young people already enjoy are the best way to introduce them to the broader pattern of reading and writing. It is exciting to uncover the possibilities that playing video games can offer young people to engage with reading, stimulate creativity through writing, improve communication with friends and family, and support empathy and well-being.

Ultimately, it depends on which games you give your children to play. Brutal action games like Doom or the proverbial killer game Dead by Daylight might not be the best ideas here. However, these 10 games that we recommend are definitely suitable for children.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Fortnite permanently lowers shop prices – gift yourself an item for the celebration

Eilyn Rapp Eilyn Rapp Reading time 2 minutes

Epic has announced that V-Bucks prices in Fortnite will be permanently reduced. To celebrate, all Fortnite players will receive a pickaxe as a gift.

What are V-Bucks? V-Bucks refers to the in-game currency available in Fortnite. They can be purchased with real money in the game shop or earned through the PvE mode if you purchased the “Save the World” founders pack.

With V-Bucks, you can purchase various skins and cosmetic accessories to customize your character.

More on the topic
List of all skins and outfits for Fortnite 2023 – Here’s how to get them
von Jürgen Horn

Prices are now being reduced

What’s new? Epic has announced the Fortnite Mega-Drop. With this, V-Bucks prices and real money offers will be 20% cheaper. This is not a limited-time offer, but is intended to remain permanent.

This means clearly for you: 1000 V-Bucks now cost only €7.99 if you purchase them directly in the Fortnite shop.

Important: The discount is activated directly in the Fortnite shop on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Mac, and Nintendo Switch without you needing to change anything. Mobile players must first activate direct payment through the shop when making their purchase. More information can be found on the official Epic Games page.

V-Bucks are a coveted item, as some children demonstrate. Two children have already ruined a whole family vacation because they spent saved money on V-Bucks.

Gift for all Fortnite players

Why is there a gift? To celebrate the Mega-Drop, Epic has decided to gift all active Fortnite players a pickaxe.

What kind of pickaxe is it? The new harvesting tool, Starfall Pickaxe, is now available for all players for free. To secure the pickaxe, you simply need to log in to Fortnite, and the gift will appear.

Fortnite-sternschnuppe-spitzhacke
The new Starfall Pickaxe that players receive for free

If you prefer to run through the Fortnite world with Hulk gloves instead of a pickaxe, you can also grab these for free. However, they are only free if you participate in the Marvel’s Avengers Beta. But they will later also be available in the item shop, and players will likely already be able to use the V-Bucks discount for the purchase.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Epic Games

Comparing Trainers’ Eggs in Pokémon GO with Loot Boxes – Demanding More Transparency

Noah Struthoff Noah Struthoff Reading time 4 minutes

There’s currently a lot of stress around eggs in Pokémon GO. A petition has even been started, demanding that players receive more insights into the hatching probabilities. There have even been comparisons to loot boxes.

What happened: A thread has appeared on reddit that is causing quite a stir. In it, the user SpecB compares several mechanics from Pokémon GO, such as eggs, raids, or lures, to loot boxes from other games.

He demands that the probabilities of these mechanics be disclosed. How likely are Shinys? What is the probability of which Pokémon hatching from eggs?

According to the reddit user, Niantic is obliged to disclose such data, as the app stores from Android and Apple require this for loot boxes. SpecB believes that the mechanics of Pokémon GO can be compared to loot boxes.

Thousands of players agree with the user, and there is even a petition that one can sign.

Eggs are like loot boxes – Trainers want to see data

What exactly are loot boxes? Such boxes are used in numerous games. You can open them, often for real money, and receive items. However, you don’t know beforehand what is inside the loot box. In many games, such boxes entice spending real money, as players hope to get strong items that are often quite rare in the boxes.

In many other games, loot boxes are controversial. In 2019, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo decided that loot boxes on their platforms should be more transparent. Players should be shown how likely the various items are. The Android Play Store and the Apple App Store also have very similar guidelines.

Loot boxes are common methods for distributing items in many games.

This is the comparison: SpecB compares many things from Pokémon GO to loot boxes from other games. He also calls on the community, saying: “What the community can do to make Niantic disclose the loot box probabilities.”

For the loot boxes in Pokémon GO, the reddit user provides several examples:

  • Eggs: Here, one needs to buy additional incubators besides the infinite incubator to hatch many eggs – what and how often something is in the eggs is not mentioned anywhere.
  • Raids: Besides the daily pass, Trainers are encouraged to participate in more raids, as there are unique rewards and raid-exclusive Shinys – what rewards are available at what chances and how high the chance of Shinys is is not explained anywhere.
  • Lure modules: These modules can be earned in the game or purchased. Sometimes there are rare Pokémon in the modules – which Pokémon and how rare they are is not mentioned anywhere.
  • Incense: The principle here is very similar to that of lure modules – but also here no information is distributed about which Pokémon and how frequently they appear.
The content of eggs is particularly a contentious issue.

What is now being demanded? SpecB and numerous commentators under the thread are now calling for the disclosure of probabilities. They want more transparency from Niantic, arguing that the app stores require such disclosure for loot boxes.

Therefore, every player supporting this initiative should write to Niantic’s support and inform them about the handling of loot boxes. Additionally, they should write to the support of the app stores and describe the same problem there. SpecB has even drafted suitable texts that Trainers only need to copy.

In conclusion, there is even a petition, which interested Trainers can sign. As of now (August 13 at 1:00 PM), there are about 850 signatories.

Why is there currently so much stress about it? The last major outrage was the release of Shiny Kapuno. The rare Pokémon could mostly be found in eggs, but those who wanted the Shiny often had to hatch numerous eggs and invest a lot of money.

Kapuno was extremely rare in the eggs. There were reports from players who didn’t get a normal Kapuno in over 180 eggs, let alone a Shiny.

This reignited the discussion about the disclosure of probabilities from eggs. After all, as a Trainer, you want to know how likely it is to get the desired Pokémon.

Pokémon GO Kapuno Willow Title
The probability of getting a Kapuno was very low during the Dragon Event.

What has Niantic said about the accusations? So far, the development team of Pokémon GO has remained silent about the statements. Niantic is generally not very transparent regarding the disclosure of probabilities.

In event announcements, it often says, “With luck, you may also find Shiny XY.” However, there are no accurate numbers. These are painstakingly compiled by dedicated Trainers. Thus, we currently at least know approximately how likely Shinys are in Pokémon GO.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

MMORPG Albion Online: Mega-update introduces a mysterious world where you can actually live

Andreas Bertits Andreas Bertits Reading time 2 minutes

The MMORPG Albion Online received a very extensive update. We explain what to expect with “Rise of Avalon”.

What is included in this update? According to the developers, “Rise of Avalon” marks the beginning of a new era for the MMORPG Albion Online. You can look forward to some truly significant innovations. This includes a distant land to explore as well as cursed dungeons where you will face demons and other dark beings.

Also included are powerful new items, the new Avalon weapons, and further improvements to the game. Among other things, crafting and cooking will be revised, and the balance of battles will be adjusted.

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The new update “Rise of Avalon” for the MMORPG Albion Online is here.

The MMORPG Albion Online grows

What are the biggest innovations? There are three things that stand out particularly in this update. The wilderness of Avalon is by far the most significant innovation:

Wilderness of Avalon

The wilderness of Avalon is a new, large land where you will face many enemies to get valuable treasures and important resources.

It is even possible to build a shelter there together with your guild. In the wilderness of Avalon you will live away from the Outlands and can carry out your activities in peace. The game world will thus be expanded with a new, large area.

You have the opportunity to live in this world if you settle there.

Additionally, you can travel faster through the magical network of the roads of Avalon, trade quicker, and also avoid attacks by using the portals of these ancient pathways.

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Many dangers await you in the corrupted dungeons.

Also very interesting are two other new features:

Corrupted Dungeons

These new dungeons cater to solo players and offer plenty of challenges. Here you will face powerful demons, have to overcome traps, and also ambush other players who wander through the dungeons alone.

This way, you not only get special rewards but can also rise in a leaderboard.

Interestingly, these dungeons are intended for solo players but still offer PvP, which could lead to exciting duels.

New Avalon Weapons

During your adventures, you can acquire 15 new Avalon weapons, which have special abilities. To obtain these artifacts, you must defeat special Avalon opponents.

Through these items, you can also expand upon the destiny board, allowing you to craft and battle with these elite weapons.

The search for the new items should provide additional motivation for some players.

Albion Online Corrupted Dungeons
The new update from Albion Online introduces cool Avalon weapons.

The large update “Rise of Avalon” significantly expands the MMORPG Albion Online. There are plenty of new things to discover.

The update is now available for the online role-playing game.

Have you had the chance to check out the new update for Albion Online? What are your thoughts on it?

Albion Online is one of the best free-to-play MMORPGs. In the list, you will find many more exciting online role-playing games that you can check out.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. MMORPG.org.pl

Dead by Daylight: The new matchmaking was so bad that it is now gone again

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

The disaster that was recently called “matchmaking” in Dead by Daylight has disappeared. Is everything better now?

A few weeks ago, the developers of Dead by Daylight seemed quite proud that they had developed a new matchmaking system. The times of unfair matches were supposed to be over, and the promised age of balanced games was to begin. However, it worked out “so well” that they are now throwing in the towel and bidding farewell to the new matchmaking system.

What was the problem? Since the change a few weeks ago, Dead by Daylight has been trying to calculate a matchmaking rating (MMR) for all players in the background. The rank achieved then had no influence on the finding of teammates. Killers and survivors were selected based on the MMR. This was supposed to result in fair, balanced matches.

However, that was not the case. Instead, there were endless complaints and problems. Professionals faced complete newcomers, and balanced matches were not to be thought of in many cases. Dead by Daylight has never been so unfair as it was at that time.

Are you struggling to start as a killer? Then check out our comprehensive overview and find your perfect killer!

What has happened now? Via Twitter, the developers announced that the new matchmaking system has been disabled on all platforms. The decision was made after collecting a lot of data, listening to feedback, and reviewing reports.

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So it is now: Without the “new” matchmaking system, Dead by Daylight once again chooses teammates and opponents based on rank achieved. While this is also not a good indicator of a player’s skill, as rank is almost always equated with time invested in playing, it is better than the new system. For now, the matches are again somewhat more balanced and should provide more enjoyment – on both sides.

Dead by Daylight Nurse in front of black skull title 1920x1080

The community is amused: In the Dead by Daylight subreddit, the mood is rather amused. Players are already used to the matchmaking becoming completely chaotic every few patches, with some error sneaking in that ruins the entire system. They actually expect that the developers will eventually “accidentally fix the matchmaking”. Overall, however, there is a positive mood that this broken system has now been retracted.

It is to be hoped that the “new” matchmaking system will be significantly revised in the coming weeks and months before the next test run with the entire player base begins. At least Dead by Daylight wants to alleviate the fears of the killers soon …

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. reddit.com/r/deadbydaylight/

Marvel’s Avengers shows specs before PC beta – This is what your computer must be able to do

Irina Moritz Irina Moritz Reading time 2 minutes

Tomorrow the next beta test of Marvel’s Avengers for PC, Xbox One, and PS4 begins. Square Enix has now announced the minimum and recommended requirements for PC.

The next round of beta tests for Marvel’s Avengers is just around the corner. This time, PC and Xbox One players can also participate, provided they have pre-ordered the game.

If you want to try Avengers on PC, your gaming rig must meet certain minimum requirements, as always.

You need at least this hardware:

  • Operating System: Windows 10 64-bit   
  • CPU: i3-4160 or equivalent AMD CPU
  • 8GB RAM   
  • NVIDIA GTX 950 / AMD 270 (minimum 2 GB video RAM)   
  • DirectX 12   
  • 75 GB free space on the hard drive

For comparison: The loot shooter The Division 2 from Ubisoft had similar minimum hardware requirements that you need to play. So if you were able to play a game like The Division 2 without issues, Avengers will also be trouble-free for you.

Marvels Avengers Hawkeye
The playable character Hawkeye is among the first free content to be released after Avengers’ launch

What the developer recommends: Together with the specs, Square Enix also released a “High-resolution Texture Pack” patch to make the game look better on high-end PCs. It requires an additional 30 GB of storage space. The recommended requirements for this are as follows:

  • Operating System: Windows 10 64-bit   
  • CPU: Intel Core i7 4770K, 3.4 GHz or AMD Ryzen 5 1600, 3.2 GHz
  • 16GB RAM   
  • NVIDIA GTX 1060 (6 GB video RAM) or AMD Radeon RX 480, (8 GB video RAM).   
  • DirectX 12   
  • 110 GB of storage space on an SSD

These optional requirements are for those who want to experience their Avengers heroes in particularly beautiful graphical settings. In addition, the texture pack supports ultra-wide resolution and multi-monitor configurations.

Fans with particularly powerful machines will be able to enjoy themselves fully.

More on the topic
Marvel’s Avengers: The best mission in the beta is hidden – Here’s how to find it
von Alexander Leitsch

When does the next beta start? If you haven’t had the chance to test Marvel’s Avengers yourself yet, you can soon catch up.

  • Tomorrow, on August 14, the pre-order beta for PC and Xbox One begins. PS4 players will enter the open beta.
  • From August 21, the open beta will start for everyone who wants to check out the game. Pre-orders will no longer be necessary.

On PC, players will also have the freedom to choose between a controller and mouse-and-keyboard controls.

For PlayStation players, Marvel’s Avengers announced quite a few exclusive content after the release, but not everyone was excited about it.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Gamesradar

Destiny 2: Those who are fast can easily complete all PvP tasks of the Solstice

Philipp Hansen Philipp Hansen Reading time 2 minutes

In Destiny 2 this week is perfect for those who do not want to play the Crucible but want to upgrade their event gear forSolstice of Heroes.

This event sends players into PvP: Players of Destiny 2 spend the summer with the Solstice of Heroes 2020. The goal is to level up battered armor through challenges, making it stronger and more visually impressive – this year Bungie has listened to your criticism of the summer event.

Some of the tasks require proving yourself in PvP – for many Guardians a nightmare. They primarily play Destiny 2 for the PvE experience. While the PvEvP mode Gambit is often available as an alternative, it’s not popular with everyone.

But this week, Destiny 2 is helping you out and ensuring that you can quickly complete the PvP challenges in the summer event.

This week is special: During the week of August 11 until the reset on August 18, the special mode Momentum Control is available as the Crucible playlist.

Those who diligently complete challenges will end up with impressive armor

Momentum Control is perfect for Crucible haters in Destiny 2

In Momentum Control, the Crucible plays much faster, and inexperienced players can keep up.

  • Weapon damage is significantly increased
  • Some hand cannons or scout rifles can kill with just one shot – auto rifles need about 3 shots
  • There’s no radar, so PvP enthusiasts will always know where you are
  • When you get defeated, you respawn instantly back into the fight

So equip an elemental weapon that matches your armor quest and dive into the battle. Most perks play a minor role. If possible, pay attention to good handling or Fixer Grip and Snapshot.

If you’re looking for more tips and tricks to quickly upgrade your Solstice armor, you’ll find them here:

More on the topic
Upgrade your Destiny 2: Solstice Armor quickly – How to save time in the event
von Philipp Hansen

That’s why PvP is also worth it now: Many of the grind-heavy kill tasks are traditionally farmed in PvE. However, in PvP you receive a bonus on many of the quest steps during the Solstice of Heroes. A defeated Guardian counts as much as 5 defeated PvE enemies.

Anyone who wants to upgrade their Solstice armor to the final tier (Glorious) must also achieve 7 victories in the Trials of Osiris. You do not need to maintain a win streak – you can secure victories intermittently over the month.

´titel-trials-osiris-destiny-2
For the final armor upgrade, you must venture into the Trials

But many Guardians want to get this step over with as quickly as possible. Therefore, many Guardians may be trying their luck in the Trials this weekend. This means that the player pool is larger, and you have a better chance of avoiding the stronger teams.

Can’t decide which character to play for the Solstice of Heroes? We have good news, because your second and third characters will need to grind noticeably less: Bungie clarifies whether faster event progress is now a bug or a feature

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

CoD Warzone secretly introduces 3 new items – Here’s how to get them, what they can do

Maik Schneider Maik Schneider Reading time 4 minutes

In Call of Duty: Warzone, you can find three new items since the start of Season 5 – a “Durable Gas Mask”, the “Specialist Bonus”, and the “Improved UAV”. MeinMMO explains how to obtain these power items and what they can do.

After each update of Call of Duty, many players might feel like kids during Easter who are actually too old for egg hunting: They don’t want to search but are still happy to find something. This time, the egg hunt takes place in the freshly renovated stadium.

The stadium hides strong items in secret rooms

In addition to the secret changes of Season 5, several items have been added that you can now grab in the stadium:

  • Durable Gas Mask
  • Improved Recon Drone
  • Specialist Perk

The better drone (A-UAV) could be started with a small trick before, but as a lootable item, it wasn’t available until now. The “Durable Gas Mask” is brand new to the game. Additionally, there are reports that you can find the “Specialist Bonus”, which provides you with more perks.

Call-of-Duty-Warzone-Stadion-2-Titel
Initially, the opening of the stadium was a mystery, now the oval structure hides secrets.

Blue access cards pave the way

How do I get the items? To secure the advantages, you need to proceed similarly to the hunt for the Enigma blueprint that you can find in the stadium.

Land at the start of the round in the stadium and clear the entire area as best as you can. In the home arena of the “Verdansk Sparks”, you will randomly find “Blue Access Cards”, which open up the stadium’s “Secret Rooms”, where you can find high-quality loot – not to be confused with the “Red Access Cards”, which allow you entry into the loot bunkers of Warzone. They have also returned to the game since the start of Season 5.

If you have a blue keycard, you still need to check which room the card can unlock for you:

  • EL-21 opens the Executive Lounge on the top floor of the stadium
  • P2-16 opens the room in the Parking Lot on level 2, which is the lowest level of the underground garage
  • CL-19 opens the room in the Concourse Level, which is on the middle main floor of the stadium

We will embed an English video here that precisely shows where each room corresponding to the cards is located. Start the video at the beginning, skip to 1:00 minute:

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Once you gain access to the VIP rooms, celebrate a short loot fest with the legendary chests, and with a bit of luck, you will obtain one of these very powerful items for your match. However, all three tools are quite rare and correspondingly hard to get.

For the simple variant, you need some luck as well – an enemy can also drop these items when you take them down. So stay near the stadium and keep an eye out for strange, unknown items on defeated opponents.

Significant advantage if you grab even one of them

The 3 tools provide you with a strong advantage, as you either save a lot of cash or even obtain more perks for your gameplay.

However, all items are indeed very rare, and there is still little information about the “Specialist Perk”. What we know, we have gathered for you.

cod warzone 3 geheime stadion items
Specialist Bonus – Source: YouTube / Durable Gas Mask – Source: reddit / Improved Recon Drone – Source: reddit

What can the gas mask do? No surprise here – this is a gas mask that lasts twice as long as its known counterparts. Instead of the usual 12 seconds, you will survive with this mask for a whole 24 seconds in the gas. A long time that can quickly make the difference between victory and defeat in the endgame.

What can the A-UAV do? An improved version of the normal reconnaissance drone. The range is significantly increased because it shows enemies across the entire map, and you can even see the direction of the opponents. For soldiers who are a bit further away, the Ghost perk, which normally protects against drones, also fails. An invaluable tool that you can acquire with some luck and cash even until the end of the round.

What can the Specialist Perk do? Now it gets really exciting. This bonus was not available in Warzone before. In Modern Warfare, you have the ability to forgo killstreaks and instead collect more perks with kills. This way, you can increase your perk collection to as many as 6 bonuses.

However, in regular MP, you select beforehand which perks you will take additionally – in Warzone, you apparently don’t have this luxury. In a YouTube video by the small English YouTuber “BHarp”, you can see how the new bonus works:

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The description on the item states “Gives all Perks”. If that actually holds true, it is currently the over-item in Warzone. You will also benefit from perks that are hardly ever used in Warzone, but can pack a punch as a “bonus”:

  • Kill Chain: Find more killstreaks in loot boxes
  • Hardline: Reduces costs at buy stations
  • Alarmed: When enemies look at you, you get a signal
  • Revive: Revives are done 25% faster.
  • Refill: Your equipment recharges every 50 seconds

And several others. With the Specialist Bonus, you are essentially a super soldier who benefits from nearly every loadout advantage available and doesn’t just carry the best perks and equipment in Warzone.

Secret changes in Warzone are no longer surprising. Many players are already used to checking the day after updates to see what has actually changed. And even when adjustments are found in the patch notes, they are often inaccurate, as seen with the nerfs of the two top weapons Bruen Mk9 and FAL. Here you can find out whether the two guns are still among the strongest weapons of the battle royale.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. reddit: Gasmaske
  2. reddit: A-UAV
  3. YouTube - BHarp: Spezialist
  4. Dexerto

Valorant: How to dominate in the new Deathmatch mode – Weapons, Gameplay, Tips

Jürgen Horn Jürgen Horn Reading time 4 minutes

In Valorant there is a new game mode called Deathmatch. This throws many familiar mechanics out of the window and requires a new approach to the game. What you need to keep in mind in the new Deathmatch mode and how to win there is explained here.

What is Deathmatch? The new Deathmatch mode in Valorant arrived – together with the German agent Killjoy – with Act 2 of Season 1 in the game. It is not about tactical approaches and strategically used skills. Rather, Deathmatch is all about a good old shooting spree!

That’s the basic idea. In the following paragraph, you will find more information about the specifics of Deathmatch.

Kills, Maps, Weapons, and Agents – These rules apply to Deathmatch

How many players compete in Deathmatch? In a round of Deathmatch, 10 players face off against each other. There are no teams, everyone is an enemy and has it out for you!

What is the goal of Deathmatch? You need to get as many kills as possible. Whoever gets to 30 kills first wins the game. Dead players respawn after a few seconds and are briefly invulnerable as long as they do not move.

How long does a round last? A round of Deathmatch lasts a maximum of six minutes. If a player reaches 30 kills first, the round ends early. If no one has 30 kills after 6 minutes, the player with the most kills at that point wins.

What weapons are available? All of them. You can buy any weapon from the game without cost – at the beginning of the game and after each respawn.

valorant deathmatch - 02
After each respawn, you can go wild in the shop with infinite money.

Which agents are available? Here you also have the free choice of agents. But since there are no teams and many skills would be useless, hero abilities are all disabled. Your agent is purely cosmetic and does not bring you anything else in the game.

What is the benefit of playing Deathmatch? The mode is mainly meant to be fun and to train your aim and skills in the game. Since the rounds are very short, there is only little XP as a reward. 500 points can be earned per round and there are no additional bonuses for kills and headshots. Moreover, your actions in Deathmatch do not count towards challenges and your matchmaking ranking for ranked play is not affected by this.

Tips and Tricks in Deathmatch

Get the best weapons: Before each round and after each respawn, you can freely equip yourself in the shop. Since the weapons in Deathmatch work the same way as in the regular game, you should choose only the best each time. For quick Deathmatch rounds, the two powerful assault rifles Phantom and Vandal are especially recommended.

If you like to make one-shot kills, go for the Operator and if you want to make a big impact, take the hefty Odin. If you’re looking for more information about the utility of the weapons in the game, check out our tier list of weapons in Valorant.

Don’t be a camper: Deathmatch games are actually notorious for some players cheekily standing in a corner and mowing down anyone unsuspecting who crosses their path. To prevent this, in Deathmatch, the positions of all players are revealed every 5 seconds. You see this as red shadows on the minimap, so pay attention to this and try to camp as little as possible yourself.

valorant deathmatch - 04
Every 5 seconds, red shadows are shown on the minimap, indicating the positions of the opponents.

Play aggressively: The goal is to get kills – and a lot of them! So you should always give your all and play aggressively. Rush forward, change your position, and shoot everything that moves. Those who are always in motion and seize every opportunity will win the game in the end. To improve your aim, you should also adjust your crosshair optimally.

Kills are life: Since no one heals you in Deathmatch, you have to take care of that yourself. Whenever an opponent dies, they leave behind a glowing health pack. Picking it up fully restores your health and shields. So if you want to stay in the game longer, kill opponents but also make sure to grab that health pack and not let any enemy snatch it away from you.

valorant deathmatch - 03
This is what a health pack looks like. It heals and instantly reloads your weapon.

Skip reloading: The health packs not only give you full health and shields but also immediately reload your weapon. This happens without any reload time or animation. So if you’ve just made a kill, immediately grab the health pack and don’t waste time reloading manually. If an enemy shows up during that time, you will have a major disadvantage and cannot shoot.

Use wallbanging: If you have a weapon that shoots well through walls, you should also check out our useful guide to wallbanging in Valorant. There you will learn where you can effectively take down opponents through walls.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Dexerto

PS5 and Xbox Series X launch without major titles – But that’s not so bad

Andreas Bertits Andreas Bertits Reading time 4 minutes

Halo Infinite has been postponed to 2021. This means that a major launch title is missing for Xbox Series X. However, it raises the question of whether such games are really important for the launch of a new console generation like Xbox Series X and PS5. MeinMMO author Andreas Bertits believes it is not as bad as some might think.

When a new console generation is released, players are of course excited about what the hardware can achieve and how new games will look on it. We already got a taste during the first presentations of the new titles for PS5 and Xbox Series X.

Games like Horizon: Forbidden West for PS5 or the new Forza Motorsport for Xbox Series X look extremely good in the announcement videos. But when will these games be released? Most are planned for 2021 and beyond. At the launch of the consoles at the end of 2020, the line-up does not look very spectacular – especially since recently Halo Infinite was pulled as a launch title for Xbox Series X.

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Halo Infinite was intended as a launch title for Xbox Series, but will now be released in 2021.

No major launch title for PS5 and Xbox Series X

At the launch of the consoles, some interesting games are planned, but the major blockbusters are missing on both sides.

PS5 titles like Godfall, Spider-Man: Miles Morales or Bugsnax are certainly exciting, but the community would probably have preferred something like a new God of War, which hasn’t even been announced yet. That is, a major title from a well-known brand that has many fans. A game that was already a huge success on PS4 and generated enthusiasm, and from whose sequel fans expect even more. Something that utilizes the PS5’s hardware and amazes players. Especially since Spider-Man: Miles Morales is supposed to be just a kind of standalone add-on.

More on the topic
Xbox Series X – All about release, specs, price, games and controller
von Benedikt Schlotmann

For Xbox Series X, it looks even “worse” in essence. Because there are no exclusive games at all. All titles for Xbox Series X are also being released for PC. Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 could still be a game that will be released at the end of 2020 for Microsoft’s new console and may serve as a good launch title. However, Hellblade is not as big a brand as Halo, which many were looking forward to its new installment, Halo Infinite.

Considering this situation, it seems that no truly major launch title will be available at the start of the PS5 and Xbox Series X.

godfall gameplay details header
There are a few launch titles, such as Godfall for PS5, but the big hits are missing.

It’s not as bad as it seems

However, the situation is not quite as bleak as it appears. Major launch titles are indeed important and can lead to more console sales, but they are not essential.

All one has to do is look at the situation at the launch of PS4 and Xbox One. Both consoles were released at the end of 2013 and had no real blockbuster launch games available. PS4 launched with Killzone: Shadow Fall and Xbox One with Ryse: Son of Rome. Titles that are barely discussed today.

And yet: The PS4 sold more than one million units in the first 24 hours in the US alone, according to IGN. Xbox One also reached these numbers – albeit globally, as Techmalak reports. The demand for the devices was so high that they were sold out for some time – and this, without having truly major launch titles available.

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PlayStation 5 – Everything we know about Sony’s upcoming PS5
von Sven Galitzki

Here, a trust advance plays an important role. Players know that Sony releases good games for its consoles, which are very successful. This was the case with PS4 with titles like Ghost of Tsushima, The Last of Us Part 2, Horizon: Zero Dawn or God of War. Microsoft may not quite keep up regarding exclusive games, but the Xbox also has a loyal fan base that is already looking forward to the next console generation. Halo then plays an important role here.

Both companies make a promise to players with their new consoles. Buy the devices and you will receive some really good games in the future that utilize new technologies. Including SSDs for very short loading times. With the prospect of already announced titles, some find this promise along with the trust advance sufficient to take the plunge at the launch of the consoles.

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On PS5 and Xbox Series X, you can at least play some new cross-gen games like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.

There’s plenty to play

Moreover, it’s not as if those who buy a PS5 or Xbox Series X at the end of the year have nothing to play – both consoles are backward compatible. At least for PS5 partially. This means players can access a large catalog of titles they can play right away, many of which will at least partially benefit from the new hardware. Loading times should generally be shorter due to the SSD, and some of the games, such as Cyberpunk 2077 or FIFA 21, are said to receive updates that will make them look better on the new consoles.

Furthermore, cross-gen titles like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will be available in optimized versions for PS5 and Xbox Series X. However, these will not be next-gen games that truly utilize all the new features and the better hardware, yet they will be playable as new titles on PS5 and Xbox Series X at launch.

So, those who decide to buy a PS5 or Xbox Series X at the end of the year will have to forgo the major next-gen launch titles for now – which is a pity – but there are enough titles to keep them occupied. And when the big games arrive in 2021 and beyond, the early buyers will be ready.

This is likely to lead to a situation at the launch of the next-gen consoles where, despite the missing launch highlights, the devices will still be very much in demand.

Do you see it differently? We have started a survey to hear from you: “PS5 / Xbox Series X: How important are strong launch titles for your purchase?”

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

shroud had so many viewers on his first stream on Twitch that he doesn’t even believe it himself

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

Streamer Michael “shroud” Grzesiek returns to Twitch after almost 300 days in Mixer exile: The viewer numbers are incredibly high. 516,000 viewers peaked as he played Valorant . He threw some jabs at Dr Disrespect and, despite the new “Uncle” look, is truly the same: Just a guy who plays.

This is the situation:

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This is how shroud switched to Mixer in October 2019: Smiling.

515,000 concurrent viewers at shroud

These were the viewer numbers: shroud streamed for 7 hours and 37 minutes in the “Valorant” category. On average, he had 222,888 viewers. At the peak, relatively at the beginning of the stream, he reached 516,289 viewers.

This is a huge outlier. Typically, only special events achieve such heights: live presentations like those from Ubisoft or Sony and the finals of major esports tournaments.

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“I am just a normal guy”

This is what shroud says himself: He was surprised by the viewer numbers. He said:

“I don’t know why so many of you are here, but I appreciate it. I am just a normal guy who likes to game a lot. This is crazy, guys. Just crazy.”

shroud

shroud said he expected about 150,000 or 200,000 viewers, not that many.

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This was the stream: At the beginning of the stream, there were some technical issues. Even shroud made his viewers wait before things started. Later he said he wanted to change the resolution from 720 to 1080 without closing the channel, which caused problems and the delay.

But unlike Dr Disrespect, who staged his return to YouTube with a huge lead-up, clips, and a bombastic intro, shroud was just back and played Valorant. The shooter gained significant momentum on Twitch due to his presence.

shroud appeared on camera with a beard and glasses and said that he could now be called “Uncle shroud”. He liked that.

He also threw a small jab at Dr Disrespect:

“I’m not going to come out here with a crazy 7-minute intro driving a Lamborghini down the street and yelling at kids like an old man. I think a lot of you were expecting that, and I’m sorry about that.”

shroud
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Shooter god currently prefers WoW

Actually he said he wanted to perform yesterday when the new Twitch deal was announced. But he had a WoW raid – that took priority. And he also didn’t want to show WoW in the first Twitch stream.

Shroud WoW Classic Title
Shroud was excitedly playing WoW Classic.

shroud has a thing for WoW. He is actually a well-known shooter player, but he plays the MMORPG for relaxation. Even if no one is watching him. It was like that back in 2019, in his last days on Twitch. He left everything behind, stopped streaming, just to peacefully play WoW – his true passion at that time:

Shroud is so into WoW Classic that he plays it but skips Twitch.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. polygon
  2. kotaku