Before the big CDL Championships at Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, numerous pros warn of a minimap exploit and urge the developers to fix it before the start of the World Championship.
What is the World Championship about? In August, the CDL Champs start at Call of Duty. This is the playoffs of the professional “Call of Duty League” (CDL). It is expected to be the largest event in the history of the “Call of Duty” series.
The event is essentially a world championship, where the best professional players of the Modern Warfare season of Call of Duty will be determined. A total prize pool of $4.6 million is at stake.
Normally, this event is held in a LAN format, but due to restrictions caused by the Corona virus, it will be held online for the first time in 2020.
A CDL event
What does the exploit have to do with it? Currently, the excitement for the tournament is overshadowed for many pros by an exploit that has recently been at the center of the community’s attention – the so-called “start glitch”, which actually has its roots in CoD: Modern Warfare 2.
This exploit apparently also affects the multiplayer of the current Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and creates tense atmosphere and mutual distrust among the pros before the start of the online World Championship.
Numerous prominent CoD players warn of the potential consequences of the glitch on the upcoming tournament and urge the developers to resolve the issue before the event starts.
FormaL from the Chicago Huntsmen also demands a quick fix for the start glitch (source: Activision)
What exactly does the exploit do? During the kill cam, the start glitch gives players a brief opportunity to see the positions of enemy players on the minimap, thus providing themselves with a tactical advantage.
What are the pros saying about it now? After the exploit has led to mutual distrust and has been widely discussed in recent days, numerous professionals from various CDL teams are demanding that the developers at Infinity Ward fix this exploit before the World Championship starts. After all, it’s about 4.6 million dollars.
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Moreover, there are also concerns regarding the integrity of the league, as even if one ignores this exploit – one does not know if the other team is not exploiting it. Pros who take advantage of it should be ashamed.
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What about a fix? It remains to be seen how the developers will respond to the ever-growing criticism ahead of the World Championship on August 20. An official statement has yet to be made.
Although there is still enough time for a hotfix, especially with the major update for the new Season 5, things could still change. However, currently, the glitch is not on the list of issues that the developers are looking at. And some pros are less optimistic and point out how long it took Infinity Ward to nerf the MP5 properly.
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The release of ARK Genesis Part 2 has been delayed by a few months. In the blog, the developers from Studio Wildcard explain what is behind the delay.
What is it about? In February 2020, the expansion “Genesis” for ARK: Survival Evolved was released. Originally, the first part of the expansion was supposed to be released in December 2019, but it was postponed to February. A similar fate now befalls the second part.
Home office leads to a later release of Genesis Part 2
When is the new release? In a blog post on Survivetheark.com, the team addresses the players. They explain that Part 2 of Genesis will now be released in March 2021. And then on all platforms simultaneously.
What’s behind it? In a letter to the players, the studio explains that they switched to “remote work” around the beginning of the year. So they are no longer working together in an office, but from home.
While they have made significant progress in the development of Genesis Part 2 since then, they also faced some challenges while working remotely.
After taking a closer look, they now have a better understanding of the schedule for Genesis Part 2 and therefore postponed the release to March 2021. They write:
We understand that you are eager to dive in and this news is disappointing; however, we are passionate about delivering something truly special, memorable, and accordingly epic.
This additional time allows us to provide a better and unique experience and is well worth the investment.
This special year is causing some game releases to struggle:
What is planned: To sweeten the wait for Part 2, you can dive into other content that will still be released for ARK: Survival Evolved in the coming months.
The “The Crystal Isles” DLC will be available for free on consoles. The release is planned for the last week of August
The “Tender Love and Care Pass 3” patch is expected to bring some quality-of-life changes and tweak the core gameplay. TLC 3 Pass is planned for October 2020
Esports is usually a game for young men. In games like LoL, you are considered a Methuselah at 25, who should better retire. In Fortnite, you are already an old man at 22. But in Street Fighter 5, the 39-year-old Daigo Umehara wins a highly competitive tournament in Asia. He is considered one of the best fighting game players of all time.
What a tournament was that? It was a qualification tournament for the “Capcom Pro Tour”: the Asia East. The tournament took place on July 25 and 26.
The tournament was full of the absolute elite from regions like Japan and Taiwan. It was about a tournament spot in the “Capcom Cup 2020”.
This is what winners look like: Daigo.
This is how the tournament went: In the end, the legendary Japanese player Daigo Umehara emerged victorious. In the finals, he faced the player, Keita “Fuudo” Ai (34, Japan).
Fuudo had defeated Daigo in a previous match. Daigo wanted to put pressure on his opponent but then missed a combo and gave the younger Fuudo the chance to take him out with his Guile.
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But when it came to everything, the 39-year-old won with his experience after all.
Daigo had played Ryu in Street Fighter for years but switched to “Guile” in 2017 and has mastered him to perfection. You can see the winning scene here in the Twitch clip:
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One minute of Street Fighter 5 at the highest level. And misery.
But a game for old men
This is the special thing: Daigo Umehara is 39 years old. His first documented tournament victory came 22 years ago in 1997. Umehara has triumphed in countless games by Capcom, including alone in 5 different “Street Fighter” titles.
His list of achievements is long and crowned with highlights. At 39, he can now qualify for the Capcom Cup again. For the first time since 2016.
The average age at which professional players end their careers. Source: Elias Sports Bureau, via ESPN
Esports is otherwise dominated by young professionals:
But in Street Fighter, experience seems to pay off. Many of the successful players are in their 30s. In such a game, reflexes don’t seem to be everything; rather, some skills are only learned over time: Daigo has apparently gained a lead that allowed him to win the tournament now.
Do you have time to talk about our Lord and Savior Daigo Umehara?
On the internet, there are also some tributes to Daigo Umehara, who is considered the best fighting game player in the world.
Daigo Umehara is considered a legend in fighting games.
Behind Daigo Umehara lies a fascinating origin story, almost like a superhero. He recounted in 2019 how he came to esports and what makes him successful: he developed an incredible perseverance to make it, against all odds. This will results from an encounter with a thug in the real world:
The professionals from G2 Esports faced a tough challenge on day 12 of the GSA League in Rainbow Six Siege. They almost suffered their third defeat. Analyst Kevin “Sua” Stahnke praises amateur opponents WarKidz.
Who is involved? Philipp “Daya” Kesper is a newcomer to WarKidz, having transferred from the promising newcomer FACT Gaming. Daya was already a key part of the strategy at FACT and is considered one of the individually strongest players in the teams of the GSA League, especially among the youth.
Together with FACT (then still TRSH), Daya qualified in the league qualifiers for the main GSA League and after a few match days moved to the challenger team WarKidz. He now plays in the current roster.
What has Daya achieved? On day 12 of the league, WarKidz faced G2 Esports, one of the strongest Rainbow teams in Europe and already established professionals. In the eighth round, Daya managed to secure a kill against all opponents – a so-called “Ace”.
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How did he do it? Daya is an extremely aggressive player known for playing primarily for kills and strong advances. He was also the reason that FACT Gaming was so successful for a long time because the team built its tactics around this approach.
This is how the match went: In the first three rounds, it seemed that G2 could position themselves as strong winners. They won three rounds in a row and started as attackers with a 3:0 on the map Oregon, which is usually regarded as a defender’s advantage.
In round 4, however, G2’s performance drops slightly, and WarKidz manages to adjust to the professionals’ aggressive playstyle. They counter the advances with significant camera and later drone work, preventing themselves from being overrun.
They play with a mixture of defensive reconnaissance and aggressive counterattacks. The team works closely and cautiously to ensure that even in tense situations, no mistakes occur, as seen in the first round victory.
Only after a 5:3 lead by WarKidz do G2 Esports manage to get back on track, winning four rounds in a row and clinching the match. However, even in these rounds, WarKidz proved to be a strong opponent that almost forced a tie or even won.
This is what the analyst says: In the subsequent interview with G2 analyst Sua, he discusses what happened in the match. While he is happy about the victory, he is also not “that” happy about the performance. It could have been better.
However, Sua also shows great appreciation for Daya’s performance: “The first thing I have to highlight is that you could see that Daya had his Bifi sausage and his muesli this morning. […] Daya played well today, I have to give him props for that. The ace was delicious, I liked it.”
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With a grin, he adds that Daya should drop by sometime, so that something like “last week” doesn’t happen again. Sua played as a substitute for G2 last week and lost with his team. He just doesn’t want to praise Daya too much, “otherwise he’ll get too big for his boots.”
Sua later gives additional tips that players can certainly learn from. He praises Tooobi’s drone work, innovative approaches such as new and personal strategies, and emphasizes the importance of knowing what the opponent is doing or not doing.
These are more results: Although the highlight of the day was certainly with Daya and WarKidz, the results of the other matches are more important for the overall standings. Particularly in FACT vs DIVIZON. The results:
Rogue 7:3 mYinsanity
WarKidz 5:7 G2 Esports
Turtle eSport 3:7 Team Secret
FACT Gaming 5:7 DIVIZON
For FACT Gaming, this is a particularly critical result after the last losses. It is still possible for FACT to displace the professionals from Rogue from the top 4, thus getting a chance for promotion to the Challenger League.
However, FACT would have to win their next two games (against mYinsanity and WarKidz), and Rogue would need to lose their next two (against G2 Esports and Team Secret). The colleagues from GameStar have taken a closer look at Rogue’s current performance.
Rainbow Six Siege: Here’s how you can watch the German league
All information, announcements, and streaming plans for the great German-speaking GSA League.
What’s next? The next match days 13 and 14 are the last before the playoffs. These will determine the positions 4 and 5. Both the victories of FACT and the defeats of Rogue are quite possible.
For fans of the professionals, these days are also worth it, as it shows whether DIVIZON might already be stronger than the pro teams. Anyone searching for a new team to cheer for has promising newcomers in DIVIZON with great potential to become a top team.
GameStar and MeinMMO are media partners of this year’s league for Rainbow Six: Siege in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. We will regularly report on our websites and channels about the league, matches, and teams in the coming weeks and months.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
For example, the existing moves have been adjusted, and new moves for some Pokémon have been introduced. Additionally, there is an Instant TM as a reward starting from rank 7, which is also useful to make monsters more interesting. Here are some Pokémon that are now more exciting.
Rexblisar
What changes for Rexblisar: Rexblisar is significantly stronger in Season 3 in the Super League than before. This is due to two changes: Firstly, its Instant Move Powder Snow has been improved and now deals more damage. Additionally, the move “Meteorologist” has been added to the Ice form that Rexblisar can use.
What changes for Jugong: Jugong becomes more interesting through a reward that comes from Season 2. With the Top Instant TM, this monster can learn the Ice move “Ice Shard”. So if you received such a TM at the start of Season 3, you might consider using it on Jugong.
What changes for Pelipper: Pelipper is also newly placed in the upper segment of the PvP monsters, as a move has changed. Pelipper can now also learn the move “Meteorologist” – but of the Water type.
This move makes it interesting for the Super League.
Zapdos
What changes for Zapdos: Since we’re already talking about Top TMs, Zapdos should be mentioned as well. You can teach the Thunderbird the Instant Move Thunder Shock using a Top TM, which is quickly deployable in PvP.
What changes for Drifzepeli: Drifzepeli has received a boost in that its Instant Move “Weight” has been strengthened. The Ghost move now generates energy faster and allows Drifzepeli to use its charge moves Ice Storm and Shadow Ball more quickly.
If you’re looking for good Pokémon for the league, you should definitely take a closer look at these monsters. That strong Pokémon are not always needed for victory was shown by a trainer against Giovanni: Here, a clever Magikarp tactic was used against the boss.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Soul fragments make their way into the world of Hearthstone. The new mechanic is expected to give Warlocks and Demon Hunters some cool effects.
With the upcoming expansion Scholomance Academy, Hearthstone not only introduces 135 new cards but also a few cool mechanics. We have already presented some of the new cards. Especially Warlocks and Demon Hunters can be excited, as they receive a new healing option that is heavily inspired by World of Warcraft. Soul fragments will soon be part of the repertoire of these two classes.
What are soul fragments? Soul fragments cannot be crafted with Arcane dust, but are created by other cards during a match. Various spells and minions can generate soul fragments, which are then immediately shuffled into the deck.
The spell “School Spirits”, which deals 2 damage to all minions and then shuffles 2 soul fragments into the deck, is one of the new cards.
If such a soul fragment is drawn later, the fragment is consumed. The hero is immediately healed for 2 health points and draws another card.
This is a pretty direct implementation of the soul fragments from World of Warcraft. Here, Demon Hunters generate these fragments with their attacks and can then collect them to heal or enhance other attacks. Demon Hunters are already quite annoying enough.
The Benefit of Soul Fragments
Can soul fragments do even more? Yes. Soul fragments are not only a way to continuously heal in Hearthstone but also there are some cards that interact with the fragments and require them to trigger their effect.
An example would be the Void Drainer, a Demon minion with Taunt and stats of 4/5 for 5 mana. However, if the player has a soul fragment in the deck, its Battlecry increases its stats by +3/+3 and destroys a soul fragment in the process.
Demon Hunters, on the other hand, can use the Fragment Mystic. This 3/2 minion for 3 mana deals 3 damage to all other minions with its Battlecry – provided there is a soul fragment in the deck that can be consumed.
The highlight is likely the Soulseer Malicia. She is actually a boss from WoW, but in Hearthstone, she is a dual card for Warlocks and Demon Hunters. For 7 mana, she has 5/5 stats, but a devastating Battlecry: Summon a Soul (3/3) for each soul fragment in your deck. Note: The fragments are not consumed by Malicia!
Are soul fragments worth it? Essentially, soul fragments seem to be a solid “risk vs reward” mechanic. You have to take a risk to potentially reap great benefits later, as there are 2 things that could jeopardize this mechanic:
Soul fragments must first be created. If you are unlucky and only draw the “reward effects”, you will not be able to use them.
Cards that use soul fragments must be played at the right time. If the player takes too long, they may draw their last soul fragment and ruin the usefulness of the cards.
However, even if not everything goes according to plan, the healing from the soul fragments can be a nice bonus. Especially Warlocks and Demon Hunters like to sacrifice some of their health points and are therefore reliant on healing.
What do you think of this new Hearthstone mechanic? Cool taken from WoW? Or do these effects annoy you already?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Fortnite, there is a new Legends Pack in the Item Shop, which includes multiple skins. This time, the entire pack revolves around summer and even brings back some familiar skins.
These are the skins: The Summer Legends Pack includes 3 skins, and 2 of them even have an additional variant that you can choose. The skins are modified versions of Battle Pass skins from various seasons:
Here you see the 3 summer skins and their different variants
How to get the Summer Legends Pack: You can purchase the Summer Pack right in Fortnite’s Item Shop. Simply go to the Item Shop tab and check the “limited time” offers.
However, the pack is only available for real money and cannot be refunded with V-Bucks. So if you want to buy the 3 skins, you will have to spend 19.99 Euros.
What is noteworthy about these summer skins? Although the 3 skins look brand new, they are not unfamiliar. All these outfits have appeared in a Battle Pass before.
Zoey was already in the Battle Pass of Season 4 Chapter 1, but she looked a little different back then. The candy craze has remained. Red Riding Hood now has her 3rd variant in the game with the summer look. She was first seen in Season 6.
Zoey from Season 4
Red Riding Hood from Season 6
Does Schali get the 6th variant?
The well-known mascot of Fortnite: Schali (or Peely) now gets the 6th variant of the skin in the game with this summer look, where you can even see him without his peel. The banana has appeared in various variations:
No wonder that Schali is almost the mascot of Fortnite if he can be found so many times in the game.
Schali has been involved in the history of Fortnite and has been seen in various trailers. However, the creepiest variant remains the Halloween skin, in which you can even see his skeleton and innards. If you look closely at the story, it makes the skin even creepier.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Pixelated logo, retro colors and a “Have a Good Game” inscription. If these Nike sneakers are actually sold, they could win the hearts of some gamers.
What kind of shoes are those? A sneaker lifestyle account on Twitter posted pictures of these Nike sneakers. They are based on the “Nike Blazer Mid ’77” model and feature a video game design. Even with a pixelated Nike logo, the Swoosh.
Why are the shoes special?
This is what makes the sneakers different: The new “Gamer shoe” is based on one of Nike’s classic shoe designs, the Blazer. It seems that Nike is once again trying to enter the world of gaming with a new model. In 2018, Sony already had a collaboration with Nike when they introduced these PlayStation shoes that glow in the dark.
The sneaker account “Sole Heat on Feat” posted photos of the new shoe on Twitter, which is reportedly set to be released later this year – along with some information. Officially, though, this is not confirmed, so enjoy the information and images with caution.
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The sneakers are mostly white but also feature a colorful gradient on the bottom part of the shoe. Above that, on the back part of the shoe, the phrase “Have A Good Game” is printed. The classic Nike Swoosh is not smooth, but rather roughly pixelated. In the dark, different Nike Swooshes and “Just do it” inscriptions glow on the shoe.
On the heel cap, there is a Velcro patch where various patches, like a smiley face or a heart-shaped Nike logo, can be attached.
According to another tweet from SoleHeatonFeat, Nike is said to describe the shoes as follows:
A digitized Swoosh logo combined with a gradient sole to highlight its unique character, while a removable tab on the back provides a customizable surface allowing you to attach a smiley patch to make them “yours”.
That Nike is not unfamiliar with the video game world is also shown through its sponsorship of eSports teams. In 2019, Nike made a major sponsorship deal with League of Legends. For four years, they outfitted members of the Chinese LPL with sneakers and other clothing. (via engadget.com)
When can you buy them? Currently, it is assumed that the shoes will be released in Fall 2020.
Although the official name of the shoes has not yet been disclosed, according to GameRant , many are already calling them “Have A Good Game” Blazers.
“League of Legends” skirt by Louis Vuitton
Would you purchase these shoes, or is that just not your style? If it goes similarly as with this League of Legends skirt by Louis Vuitton, you should hurry. Because even though these skirts had a proud $2,000 price tag, they sold out within an hour.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The developer of the tactical shooter Valorant, Riot Games, has accidentally revealed a new agent in advance. The latest addition is apparently called “Killjoy” and has some interesting and certainly extremely annoying abilities for opponents.
Who is the agent? So far, nothing is known about Killjoy except for her name and abilities. There is no background story yet, but she is apparently an inventor, tinkerer, or engineer – similar to Heimerdinger in LoL or Torbjörn in Overwatch – and could be from Germany.
Her abilities include completely new mechanics for Valorant, revolving around building technical devices that can even act autonomously, meaning without Killjoy’s intervention, once they are placed.
Where does the leak come from? The information comes from Riot itself. According to dotesports, the developers had an info page about the agent online for a short time and even showed a video of her abilities. Although it is no longer available, a fan has re-uploaded the video without the audio track:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ13DVVl4So
Killjoy – The New Agent in Valorant?
This is what Killjoy can do: Like all agents, Killjoy has three abilities and an ultimate.
Alarmbot: Killjoy equips an Alarmbot and throws it. The bot disguises itself after a short time and then guards a small area. If an opponent approaches the area, the bot jumps at them and explodes, causing damage and increasing the damage taken by the target from all sources by 100% for a short time. Holding the equip button recalls the bot.
Turret: Killjoy sets up a turret that guards a 180° cone in front of it and fires at opponents. Holding the equip button recalls the turret.
Nanoswarm: Throws a grenade that remains at the target location. Upon activation, the grenade creates a nanoswarm that deals damage to opponents within a radius. The activation apparently works similarly to the gas of the recently buffed Viper.
Lockdown: Sets up a device that, upon activation, locks opponents in a large radius for 8 seconds. The device can be destroyed. Once the time is up, the opponents are apparently heavily slowed down.
Since this is a leak, none of the abilities are officially confirmed. However, the video looks as if everything is already finished and functional. It is thus quite possible that Killjoy will appear like this.
How strong will she be? So far, the abilities sound extremely strong and it seems that Killjoy can secure and hold areas quite easily on her own. Especially as a defender, she may almost become a must-pick in the team.
Unlike Reyna, Killjoy could find herself well in an A or even S tier on the tier list of agents in Valorant if she appears like this.
When will she be released? So far, there is no date for her release. Although the abilities are already known and seem final, Riot will likely still be busy with balancing.
In League of Legends, hints of Champion 151, Samira, have been discovered. This would be the third new LoL champion in quick succession. We will show you what is known about the marksman Samira and why players now believe that she could be the next new champ of 2020.
This is the situation: Currently, there is a lot of new information about fresh champions in LoL. This is due to the large Spring event “Spirit Blossom” and the clear statement from Riot Games: In 2020 we will bring several new champs:
Now there are hints of Samira, a marksman, surfacing – such a botlane character has been promised to LoL players for 2020
This is Yone, champ 150.
New LoL champ dives into the fray, unleashes hail of bullets
This is what we already knew about Samira: In June 2020, a blog post from Riot Games appeared that promised three new champions. The champions were cryptically presented with encrypted words: The first two vaguely described LoL characters have turned out to be Lillia and Yone.
For the third champion, who was supposed to come in 2020, Riot asked (via riotgames):
“Do you like to laugh in the face of fear? Do you enjoy chaining abilities together to create stylish new combos? Does the idea of diving right into the fray and unleashing a whirlwind of blades and bullets delight you, and then jumping out with just a hint of health left?
If you can answer “Yes” to these 3 questions, then we might be releasing just the right champion for you. A new marksman, “dress to slay”, coming later this year.”
Riot Games in the teaser for the 3rd new hero
In addition, Riot Games released a GIF that counted down letters and ended on a flaming S.
The GIF for the new marksman led to this letter.
New LoL marksman is probably called Samira – hints found
These are the new details now: On the test server, this “red S” has now appeared as the new emote “Style: Rank S”. It is unclear what it is for.
In addition to this emote, 12 “Easter Egg” files have been found that partially reference this “S” and in which the name Samira appears.
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Therefore, people now believe that the new marksman described by Riot Games could be named Samira.
The community believes that the new heroine could be a mix of marksman and assassin, diving right into the fray.
This is the new jungler.
While we can only dream of Samira, the third new heroine in LoL, and speculate about her abilities, the other two new champs are already clearly visible. Thus, we can take a look at Lillia, the nice deer girl next door. What is possible with the heroine is shown in two videos:
In The Division 2, maintenance is being carried out today, on July 28, on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. There is a multi-hour downtime, and the servers will go offline. Learn all the important information about the server downtime and the patch notes here.
Update 11:52 AM: The maintenance was completed faster than planned today. The servers should now be back online on all platforms. Enjoy and good loot, Agents.
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What is the maintenance about today? After the Title Update 10.1 went live last week with various changes, further adjustments and balance fixes will be made to the game today.
All Important Information about the Maintenance on July 28
These times are important today: According to Massive, the maintenance will proceed as follows:
The maintenance work is scheduled to start at 9:30 AM CEST
This is also when the downtime begins, and the servers will go offline
The duration of the maintenance is estimated to be about 3 hours. During this time, you will not be able to play The Division 2.
If everything goes smoothly, the servers should be back online around 12:30 PM CEST.
Thus, today’s maintenance will be completed.
Note: The times listed here may change during the maintenance work; this is not uncommon. If there are any last-minute changes to today’s schedule, we will update this article accordingly.
Patch Notes for the Maintenance on July 28
What is changing today: In addition to some bug fixes, balance changes for PvP are the main focus of today’s maintenance. Here are the official patch notes:
A problem was fixed where the Chimera boss did not drop collectible items during the bounty mission.
A problem was resolved that prevented legendary Roosevelt projects from being completed.
A problem was fixed where the “True Patriot” set with Full Flag triggered an explosion (when one of the agent skills was destroyed) that dealt damage to the agent. This also applies to PvP.
A problem was fixed where the increase in skill damage from the Spotter talent was doubled.
A problem with the “Future Initiative” set was resolved where the “Ground Control” talent was incorrectly triggered.
A problem with the Mantis Exotic was fixed that allowed the weapon to be recalibrated.
Only in PvP:
The Quick Draw damage bonus per stack for the Dodge City Gunslingers holster has been reduced from 1% to 0.1%.
Negotiator’s Dilemma now deals the correct amount of damage in PvP.
The “Indirect Transmission” talent of the Eclipse Protocol now transmits the correct amount of damage and duration with multiple status effects.
The precision rifle talent “First Blood” has been completely disabled for Conflict and the Dark Zone and is set to be reworked.
Pistol damage reduced by 22%.
Rifle damage reduced by 30%.
Classic M1A damage reduced by 12.5%.
Precision rifle damage reduced by 30%.
Nemesis damage reduced by 11%.
What is there still to do in The Division 2? Season 2 in The Division 2 is currently in full swing. This continues the story after the events of Warlords of New York and Season 1, providing fresh content regularly.
Additionally, the 2nd raid of The Division 2 is finally in the game – Operation: Stahlross. With a team of 8 agents, you will go against the True Sons faction. Their members have settled in a metal foundry to manufacture new weapons. The Division aims to prevent that.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Sony has introduced its free PS4 games through the PS Plus service in August 2020. While you can already play the first game now, you’ll have to wait for Fall Guys. But the wait might be worth it. We explain what to expect with Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout (PS4, PC).
Which games are available in August? The lineup for PlayStation Plus in August 2020 includes the multiplayer party title “Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout” and the first-person shooter “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2: Campaign Remastered.” You can already play Call of Duty for free with PS Plus.
With Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, you can expect a colorful Battle Royale that will officially launch with PlayStation Plus in August.
Where can I watch the game? In the official trailer, which you can watch on YouTube, you’ll see the colorful, wacky gameplay. We have embedded the trailer here for you:
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What is Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout? Fall Guys takes mini-games and competitions to the Battle Royale format: Instead of equipping yourselves with weapons and clearing all opponents from the map as in Fortnite, you must compete in Fall Guys against a total of 60 players in a series of wacky tasks.
This is most comparable to Takeshi’s Castle. It was a Japanese television format in the 80s where participants had to compete against each other in a series of wacky tasks.
The game is therefore designed for multiplayer. And it’s less about winning and more about having fun with the chaos and the tasks. Just like a party game.
What makes it special? Fall Guys doesn’t take itself seriously at any moment during the game. In colorful graphics, you hop, stumble, and jump through a vibrant game world trying to survive the tasks. The game is colorful and chaotic and fully relies on the physics engine.
It’s comparable to the success story of Rocket League: Here, too, the developer Psyonix, which now belongs to Epic, released the game with PS Plus. Today, the auto-sport game is very successful.
Fall Guys Takes Off on Twitch
That’s why it’s so successful: On Twitch, the game is already a hit. Around 200,000 people watched the introduction of PS Plus, making it more successful than something like Fortnite.
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is colorful and doesn’t take itself seriously for a second.
When can I play it? Currently, Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is still in beta. The release is on August 4, so you can get started with the game directly with PlayStation Plus in August.
Is the game PlayStation-exclusive? No, the game is not PlayStation 4 exclusive. You can also play the game on PC via Steam. Here’s the official Steam page for Fall Guys. On Steam, you can pre-order the game for €19.99 and dive into chaotic challenges starting August 4.
More games for the summer break: And if you are still looking for games for your summer break: The Summer Sale 2020 has started in the PS Store. We present you the best 6 games under €20 from the sale that you should check out.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
New interesting information has emerged about the action MMO Anthem . The game launched without PvP, but internally the developers had some fun and created new PvP variants for Anthem, with elements borrowed from Battle Royale and Battlefield. There are also further news about the rework Anthem 2.0.
What about PvP in Anthem? The action MMO Anthem made waves before its release in February 2019 with a clear statement: There would be no PvP in Anthem, no “player versus player” content. BioWare wanted to focus solely on PvE.
Apparently, many readers believed that games like Destiny or The Division had failed to juggle between PvE and PvP. In these games, PvE suffered due to some balance issues in the “player versus player” mode, some MeinMMO readers thought.
The Studio Director Dailey talks about PvP modes in Anthem
This is new: The head of Anthem, Christian Dailey, was asked whether the rework could still bring PvP to the game. A player asked about PvP: Now that he has killed so many AI mobs, it would be a change.
Studio Director Christian Dailey says:
“We are doing internal game jams and testing fun and interesting variants of some of our games. True story: there is an internal “BR” and a Battlefield Anthem. I always thought a Tribes-style PvP would be fun too. But that is not a priority right now.”
Studio Director Christian Dailey
The developers have apparently already built rudimentary PvP variants for Anthem for testing purposes. But it seems unlikely that such things will ever be made public. At the moment, other things are more important.
Such “Game Jams” are meetings of game developers to conceptualize and implement a game in a short time. These are more projects for fun and to train skills and creativity, rather than to produce “release-ready games”.
7 scattered news about Anthem 2.0
What is Anthem still working on? There are scattered hints about what the Anthem team is currently working on. The information comes from the Twitter account of Christian Dailey, who is in contact with fans. He seems excited about his job, reworking Anthem with his team. There is a general consensus that Anthem provides a fantastic foundation to build upon:
BioWare will bring two versions of the “Inventory and Stats” screen. One for quick overview and one with more details
There will be no focus on the story in Anthem 2.0 because one cannot maintain as strong a content pipeline as a story that relies on cinematics needs – Dailey believes that the chosen approach works very well
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The fast-paced combat will remain – this is what they want to build on, not reinvent the gameplay
BioWare is putting a lot of work into the new interface of Anthem
Performance optimization is planned for all platforms
A “first-person view” is probably not in the cards. It would be epic, but there are more important things to address
The mini-map and radar will be refreshed
New images from Anthem excited fans.
Not only words from BioWare in Austin are coming about Anthem, but also images. We were surprised a few days ago to see that the relatively small team working on Anthem is not only focusing on gameplay mechanics and details but is apparently really creating new content:
However, the crazy raid squad had equipped themselves with numerous world buffs from head to toe and therefore achieved quite solid values on all characters. However, there was a lot of criticism – not always entirely serious – because “with world buffs, you’re not really naked”.
What had to happen, happened: The “naked” raid group got together once again.
What can be seen? In the new video lasting almost 10 minutes, we once again see the raid group in Onyxia’s Lair. As in the last time, they completely forgo equipment – there are no weapons and no gear that would boost character stats. The characters had to tackle this challenge with their pure values, which they have achieved through level 60 (and some buffs).
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With the renewed kill, they wanted to prove that Onyxia can also be defeated naked without using strong world buffs.
What buffs were there? However, they did not forego strengthening effects completely. Potions, elixirs, and all class buffs were part of the deal. They are simply part of the standard repertoire of every player. Whether they will try again without such buffs will surely be shown in the future – because soon the opening of Ahn’Qiraj is coming up.
The amazing thing: Despite the lack of world buffs, they are 2 seconds faster than in their attempt with world buffs.
In any case, a pretty impressive achievement that proves several things. With coordination, it doesn’t really matter that much about equipment in WoW Classic (at least with Onyxia), and if you set a goal in your mind, you can achieve it with enough perseverance. This was also proven by a group that killed Onyxia in under 60 seconds.
What do you think of this achievement? Impressive? Or a clear sign that WoW Classic is way too easy?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the MMO shooter Planetside 2, there was a moving moment last weekend. Many attended a memorial event to honor the player Ezrason, who passed away on July 22.
Who is it about? The player Ezrason was a big fan of Planetside 2. His older brother, who organized the memorial event, reported that they had been looking for new games together but ultimately always ended up sticking with Planetside.
Ezrason died in a hit-and-run accident. He suffered a skull fracture, and the injuries were so severe that he succumbed to them. He had married young and left behind two children.
How did the players react? Although Ezrason was not a well-known figure in the game, the story reached many players. A thread in the subreddit received 872 upvotes, which is quite a lot for Planetside standards.
Additionally, there was a memorial event attended by many players from all factions of the shooter, which was published in a recording on YouTube.
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How Planetside 2 mourns Ezrason: According to the organizers, so many players attended the memorial event on July 25 that 4 instances of the lobby “Sanctuary” were created. In the video recorded in lobby 2, about 70 players can be seen.
During the gathering, SticksInStilts, the older brother, spoke about the deceased. Afterwards, the players marched together and silently through the lobby.
At the end of the event, some players met on a map to depart from there in vehicles of all kinds in memory of Ezrason. This created a unique mourning image that probably only exists in Planetside 2:
With a vehicle convoy, players mourned for Ezrason.
Memorial events like in Planetside 2 occur more frequently in the gaming community:
As sad as the reasons for such memorial events are, they show that in games where one fights in different factions, clans, or battles, there are still people behind the screens.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny 2, weapon skins are supposed to be purely cosmetic, but some change more than just the appearance of the gun. MeinMMO takes a look at ornaments that impact gameplay.
What is this about? In Destiny 2, players can upgrade their guns and armor with skins, giving their equipment a drastically different appearance – Such cosmetic customization options are standard in shooters.
However, some skins not only change the appearance but also the properties of weapons, directly affecting gameplay. Here, we look at which weapons play differently with a skin and why that is problematic.
This is how players get weapon skins: In Destiny, skins are called ornaments and come primarily from 3 sources:
Season Pass: Owners of the pass can unlock skins for new weapons of the season
Shiny Engrams: Surprise packages contain all sorts of cosmetic items, including skins for weapons – Seasonal shiny engrams can be earned in various ways
Eververse: In Destiny 2’s in-game shop, players can purchase skins directly – Some are available only through premium currency (silver), while others can also be obtained through earnable currency (glimmer)
In a direct purchase, the most expensive weapon skins cost about 7 euros – Just a fraction of what players can invest in Valorant:
Whisper of the Worm loses the “Possessed” effect when aiming with the “Bound Hammer” ornament
This is why it is problematic: Generally, it is concerning when cosmetic items influence gameplay. Even if the differences are often nearly negligible, it leaves an unpleasant aftertaste.
It becomes even more problematic when such skins are not easily obtainable by all players.
Cold Refusal with and without ornament (below) – Nothing suggests a different sight
In the case of Cold Refusal, the skin with the open sight is only available to Season Pass holders. Guardians who want to adorn their Wings of Vigilance with the superior skin currently have no chance to obtain the ornament. Because in Season 11, the skin is not in the loot pool of shiny engrams or the Eververse.
What do you think – Is it generally cool that skins influence gameplay, as it opens up more freedom? Or do you think that skins should only be cosmetic and especially not be available only to certain players? Let us know in the comments.
Season 3 of the Battle League in Pokémon GO has started. We show you rewards, new moves, and altered damage values.
What’s new in the Battle League? On the evening of July 27th at 10:00 PM, the 3rd Season of the Battle League of Pokémon GO began. Trainers could now collect their rewards for completing Season 2 and are now starting the new chapter from scratch.
The key dates of Season 3
The leagues are switching again: As you already know from Pokémon GO, the various leagues switch. During a certain period, the Great League is active, then the Ultra League, then the Master League, and later even all three leagues together.
Great League: From July 27th at 10:00 PM to August 10th at 10:00 PM
Ultra League and Premier Cup: From August 10th at 10:00 PM to August 24th at 10:00 PM
This Premier Cup has a CP limit of 2500
Master League and Premier Cup: From August 24th at 10:00 PM to September 7th at 10:00 PM
This Premier Cup has no CP limit
All three leagues + Premier Cup: From September 7th at 10:00 PM to September 14th at 10:00 PM
When does Season 4 start? The next season begins on Monday, September 14, 2020, at 10:00 PM German time.
Keep in mind that these are provisional date indications. Niantic may change this during the season.
What’s new? Flying Cup and rewards
This has changed: In addition to the Premier Cup, the Flying Cup is now introduced, starting in Season 3. During this cup, trainers are only allowed to battle with Flying Pokémon.
There is no date for that yet, but Niantic explains: “The Flying Cup will be held during an upcoming event – more details will follow soon.” Recently, a leak found a suitable event with Pidgey.
These guaranteed rewards await you upon reaching each rank in Season 3:
If you reach Rank 10, you will also receive an avatar pose and an accessory. If you have reached at least Rank 7 at the end of Season 3, you will receive a Charged TM as a reward.
In premium battles, there are now special candies after the fourth win. However, only six instead of eight pieces.
Changes to moves in Season 3
The following moves have been changed:
Drill Peck: The charging move of the Flying type now deals more damage in PvE and PvP – From 60 to 65
Brave Bird: The charging move of the Flying type now deals more damage (in PvP and in raids) and also significantly lowers the Pokémon’s attack – From 90 damage to 130
Bug Bite: The fast move of the Bug type generates energy faster in PvP – +12 instead of +11
Hex: The fast move of the Ghost type now generates energy faster – In PvP +12 instead of +11 and in PvE +16 instead of +15
Powder Snow: The fast move of the Ice type deals more damage in PvP – From 4 to 5
Blizzard: The charging move of the Ice type now deals more damage in PvP – From 130 to 140
Flash Cannon: The charging move of the Steel type now requires longer to charge in PvP – Now requires 70 instead of 65 points
Focus Blast: The charging move of the Fighting type now deals less damage in PvP – From 150 to 140
Moonblast: The charging move of the Fairy type now lowers the opponent’s attack less frequently in PvP – The chance is now 10% instead of 30%
In addition, there are new moves for some Pokémon. Niantic states:
Washakwil, Close Combat: Washakwil can now more effectively force opposing Rock and Steel type Pokémon to use shields.
Rexblisar, Ice-type Meteorologist: This charging move of the Ice type fits perfectly with a Pokémon that prefers to show up during snowfall.
Pelipper, Water-type Meteorologist: This charging move of the Water type fits perfectly with a Pokémon that likes to appear during rain.
Impoleon, Drill Peck: Impoleon can now more effectively force opposing Fighting type Pokémon to use shields.
Could World of Warcraft still come to consoles? Suddenly, there is hope among players, as they sense a suspicious leak… But Blizzard abruptly puts an end to that hope.
For years, many players have wished that World of Warcraft would eventually be playable on consoles. Recently, rumors have been heated again, as the upcoming expansion Shadowlands features support for gamepads. Many fans suspected that this would be just the first building block – alongside some others – to make WoW playable on consoles.
Now a picture has caused excitement, as it talks about WoW on the Xbox Series X.
What happened? The Twitter account of Gematsu, a Japanese gaming magazine, has shown a screenshot from a Brazilian government page that apparently evaluated World of Warcraft Shadowlands for suitability for children and teenagers – similar to what the USK does here. However, the entry there appeared not only for PC but also for Xbox Series X.
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Therefore, many players suspect and hope that WoW: Shadowlands could be released for the new Xbox generation at the end of the year.
The Brazilian page has since edited the entry. There is now no mention of an Xbox version of WoW.
Whether it was just a mistake or something “slipped out” accidentally is not easy to determine.
Could WoW come to consoles?
Is it likely? In principle, it would be quite possible that Blizzard is already working on a console version, after all, other games (like Final Fantasy) have managed to do so. Especially the next console generation and specifically the Xbox, which resembles a typical Windows PC, could make it happen.
Will Blizzard fulfill the wish for a console version?
However, there are arguments against it, as Blizzard has consistently denied the idea in recent months. Controller support is primarily to enable a more pleasant gaming experience for people with physical disabilities.
Maybe Blizzard will surprise everyone and one day release a console version of World of Warcraft – but currently, the chances seem rather slim.
Blizzard explains: “It was a mistake”
Update 9:12 AM: Here’s what Blizzard says: In a statement to the US site Polygon, Blizzard says:
“We currently have no plans to bring World of Warcraft or Shadowlands to the Xbox Series X. The platform was accidentally listed on the page of the Brazilian Ministry of Justice, the entry has since been updated to reflect that the game will only be released on PC.”
Blizzard in a statement
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
As part of the Pokémon GO Fest 2020, Trainers could challenge the Rocket Boss Giovanni with everything they had. However, a particularly clever tactic also worked with a seemingly weak team.
This was the challenge: The GO Fest was taken over on Sunday by Team Rocket. Here, the goal was to defeat the bosses in their balloons to face Giovanni at the end.
He did not fight with his usual team but had a combination of Snobilikat, Sandamer, and Crypto-Mewtu. A trainer countered this on the weekend with an unusual tactic.
Two Magikarp and a Tengulist take down Giovanni
This is how the battle went: On Reddit, user “-Freya” shared a video of the battle against Giovanni as we rarely see it. The team consisted of:
A 10-CP Magikarp
ANOTHER 10-CP Magikarp
And a 1500-CP Tengulist
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Freya actually manages to bring the evil villain, including his Crypto-Mewtu, to heel. The special thing is: Tengulist was basically the only monster responsible for damage here. Freya only used the two Magikarp to extend the time window between Giovanni’s attacks through Pokémon swaps.
It is important to know that Giovanni was not quite as powerful during the GO Fest as he usually is. Freya wanted to take on the challenge of defeating Giovanni with a Community-Day monster like Tengulist, as many players probably have it. However, the two Magikarp are also crucial.
“The two Magikarp actually played important roles. They allowed me to stall Giovanni a bit longer; without them, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve this!
In fact, Giovanni was defeated even without using shields. The Rocket Boss has often been the target of strange teams – after all, the challenge to defeat him is significant. Just a few weeks ago, a trainer set out to attack Giovanni with only a lonely Irokex.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Numerous leaks regarding FIFA 21 have appeared on the internet, showing the menu, new gameplay, and many other details about the new football simulation. EA is taking action against this.
EA has only announced detailed information on Career Mode, Ultimate Team, VOLTA, Pro Clubs, and gameplay for August. Each mode is supposed to be presented separately.
However, more and more information about FIFA 21 is already appearing on the internet, but this does not come from EA itself.
What has happened? For the past few days, images and videos of FIFA 21 have increasingly surfaced on the internet. This seems to be leaked material that someone with access to the game has posted online.
It is not known whether the material comes from an EA employee.
What is EA doing? EA Sports is already taking action against the distribution and ensuring that the leaks are removed from video platforms like YouTube. Otherwise, the developer has not commented on the matter so far.
This message appears on YouTube for videos with leak material
The leaks show about FIFA 21
What has been leaked about FIFA 21? The leaks show footage from the new FIFA 21 menu, which heavily features the color purple, and first gameplay scenes are also visible.
The following can be seen in the leaks:
The gameplay looks significantly faster compared to FIFA 20
New and updated game faces for numerous players
An option to accept or decline a benefit situation with a button press
Division Rivals is set to offer 40 matches per week that provide points
4 new icon cards
The new gameplay scenes seem to please the FIFA community. Among them is the well-known FIFA streamer NepentheZ, who expresses positive thoughts about FIFA 21 on Twitter:
“Maybe I fall for it every year, maybe this year it’s actually different… But either way, I’m 100 percent hyped for FIFA 21. The news and leaks I’ve seen today were decisive.”
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Additionally, the FIFA community is excited about the new information on FIFA 21 and is actively discussing it on reddit (via reddit).
However, it should be noted that the leaks are not official material from EA, and thus none of the new features are confirmed. EA may change quite a bit before the release. Therefore, the leaks should be treated with caution for now.
