In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone, numerous players have been complaining about issues with slow downloads since the latest update. MeinMMO shows you some tips for PS4, Xbox One, and PC that can help you.
As the update itself can be up to 39 GB in size, a download would take several days. Although there are sometimes sudden spikes in speed, they only last for a short period.
MeinMMO has gathered some tips for you that can help speed up the download.
Since the update, you can unlock a cool new sniper – once you get into the game.
Problem: Slow Downloads on PS4 & Xbox One
How to solve the problem: The easiest way to fix the slow downloads is to restart the console. Once you have restarted your PS4 or Xbox One, the download should continue at normal or at least higher speed.
If you experience slower speeds again, just try restarting the console more frequently. Sometimes, pausing and restarting the download can also work.
And if that doesn’t work? If restarting doesn’t help, you might be able to use a VPN service to force a faster download.
This is a bit cumbersome, as you need to install the VPN service on your Wi-Fi router. However, if you already have the relevant software, try connecting to a server in the USA or America. This should ensure faster downloads.
Problem: Slow Downloads on PC
How to solve the problem: On the PC, you have several options to bypass or fix a slow download. The fastest and easiest way is to change your region – for example, to America or Asia, depending on your location. Pause the download, change the region, and start it again. This should increase the speed.
Also check whether the maximum download speed is limited. To do this, scroll down in the settings under “Installation & Updates” to the bottom and set the network bandwidth to 0 for both values for unlimited.
Your settings should look like this.
Alternatively, as with PS4 and Xbox One, you can use a VPN service. It’s even a bit easier to set up on the PC since you only need the software.
What Activision Blizzard itself advises: The issue is already known to Activision Blizzard, and support has its own solution ready. According to the support article from Activision Blizzard, you should follow these tips:
temporarily disable or uninstall security programs
reset routers and switches (disconnect from power for a while)
ensure that you have the required admin rights
uninstall Call of Duty and reinstall it
use another network
If none of this helps, let the download run overnight and check again the next morning. You may need to manually restart the download several times.
Sony celebrates the 10th anniversary of PS Plus. To celebrate the day, players who have not yet subscribed can also enjoy the online features.
When is the free weekend? As announced by Sony on the PlayStation Blog, all PS4 players can play online without fees next weekend.
From July 4 at 12:01 PM to July 5 at 11:59 PM German time, the free online multiplayer weekend will take place. So if you haven’t subscribed to PS Plus yet but want to get a taste of the online features of your games, this could be the right opportunity for you.
Two days of free multiplayer on PS4
What do I need for the free weekend? Basically, you need a PS4, an account on the PlayStation Network, and a suitable game for the weekend. Because free games like the monthly PS Plus games are not included in the free weekend.
Still, the weekend could be worth it for you if you’ve ignored the online features of your games so far. For example, you can play a few rounds against friends from afar in FIFA 20 instead of the career mode. Or you can compete in online modes like Division Rivals in Ultimate Team against the rest of the FIFA world.
Those who usually play alone can team up with others for free over the weekend.
In games like Borderlands 3, it can also be worthwhile to play online for a change if you’ve always gone solo. Instead of searching the galaxy alone for the best loot, you can join powerful teams for a weekend and try out challenging tasks like the new takedown for multiple players.
And if you’ve only fought through the single-player campaign in CoD: Modern Warfare, you can also try the multiplayer.
The weekend could be the perfect opportunity for solo players to leave the beaten path and try online modes with friends.
What else is there for the 10th anniversary celebration? An exclusive PS4 design celebrating the PS Plus birthday is set to arrive in the PlayStation Store later this week. Additionally, there will be new PS Plus games, even with a third game extra. However, not everyone likes the selection.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The developers of Fallout 76 have rolled out the patch for the first season of the survival game. You can now download the new update 20. MeinMMO tells you what is included.
What is this update? Today, Tuesday, June 30, 2020, Fallout 76 received update 20. This brings the first season with a free season pass for all players. Since around 4 PM, the game has been under maintenance and the patch can be downloaded.
The challenges will no longer grant atoms. Instead, you will receive S.C.O.R.E. This excludes character, world, or social challenges, which will still grant atom rewards.
There are nice new skins to unlock.
With each rank you achieve through points, you can claim new rewards. These include skins, C.A.M.P. items, armor, perk cards, and even the new currency gold bars.
The goal is to defeat the evil Dr. Zorbo on the game board of the season pass and reach the finish line before him. If you want to skip levels, you can purchase level jumps for 150 atoms per level two weeks after the start of the season (July 14).
You can access the season pass and the overview of the challenges through a new option directly in the menu.
Additionally, with update 20 come several improvements to the UI, sound, and PvP as well as numerous bug fixes. You can find the complete patch notes in German at Bethesda.
This is what future updates bring
The first season is just the beginning of the new content that is expected to arrive in 2020 and 2021. The developers have already presented a roadmap for Fallout 76, showing more seasons and a legendary faction. Since it has already been revealed that the first season will last for 10 weeks, you can expect the next new features around early September.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny 2 today, on the 30th of June, the Weekly Reset is scheduled. The weekly activities are rotating, and there are new Nightfalls as well as a fresh Flashpoint. Additionally, the first Iron Banner of Season 11 starts. Read here what else you can do.
What’s happening right now in Destiny 2? With the Weekly Reset, the first Iron Banner of Season 11 begins today at 7:00 PM. The event lasts for a week and ends on July 7th.
For Strikes and Story Missions these modifiers are activated:
Solar Singe
Grounded
Brute
Keep in mind that the Singe modifier remains the same throughout the week. The other modifiers rotate daily.
Crucible: These modes and playlists you can play in PvP:
Private Match (Core Playlist)
Rumble (Core Playlist)
Control (Core Playlist)
Mayhem (Rotation Playlist)
Breakthrough (Rotation Playlist)
Elimination (Core Playlist)
Survival (Core Playlist)
Survival: Freelance (Core Playlist)
Classic Mix (Core Playlist)
Iron Banner
Reckoning: These modifiers are available:
Void Singe
Heavyweight
Escalation Protocol: The weapons of Escalation Protocol can be earned in Season 11 from the Contact Event and the Prophecy Dungeon in the current version with additional perks and mod slots. The armor still can only be obtained through the activity on Mars, but for some time now also in the “Armor 2.0” variant.
This week, the Flashpoint is on Nessus.
Petra Venj can be found currently (Curse Week 2) for a week right at the landing zone of the Dreaming City. Additionally, the 6th Ascendant Challenge is active.
These are the sources of Powerful Loot in Season 11 of Destiny 2
This is how Powerful Loot is structured in Destiny 2: Powerful Loot is available in several tiers, which grant you various power boosts. Accordingly, higher tiers also grant you higher power boosts.
Tier 1 (up to +3 above the current power level)
Tier 2 (up to +4 above the current power level)
Tier 3 (up to +5 above the current power level)
Top Gear (+5 or more above the power level. The only gear that goes above 1050 and up to a maximum of 1060)
For your information: Power levels gained through the new artifact “Seed of the Silver Wings” are not counted in the calculation of the power levels of your drops. Here, the average of the gear and weapons is crucial.
Sources of Powerful Loot in Season 11:
Tier 1:
Weekly Flashpoint
Prime Engrams
Gunsmith Bounty – Complete 8 of his bounties
Weekly Story Mission: Luna’s Call from Eris
Complete 3 Nightmare Hunts
Zavala’s Vanguard Bounty – Complete 8 of his bounties
Complete 5 Nightfall: The Crucible. Higher difficulty levels grant more progress
Crucible for 4 matches in a rotation playlist
Shaxx’s Crucible Bounty – Complete 8 of his bounties
Gambit Bounties from the Drifter – Complete 8 of his bounties
The MMORPG Neverwinter was released in 2013 and continues to receive regular updates and expansions even now, seven years later. The latest is Avernus. MeinMMO author Andreas Bertits introduces you to the online role-playing game and has also spoken with Randy Mosiondz, Bill Yeats, and Jared Sears from Cryptic Studios.
Neverwinter is fundamentally based on the father of role-playing games, Dungeons & Dragons. Epic adventures in the fantasy world of the Forgotten Realms are at the center. Neverwinter relies on typical D&D elements such as adventure modules that guide you through the story and the game world, as well as diverse classes and team play. Because in D&D it is primarily about overcoming challenges as a group of different characters.
Neverwinter may not look as modern today as perhaps Black Desert Online, but it offers a lot of content for newcomers and also endgame content for veterans. All of this should keep not only D&D fans but RPG enthusiasts engaged for a long time.
So how does Neverwinter play these days? After all, it has gone through many changes over the years.
In Neverwinter, you experience typical D&D adventures.
This is Neverwinter
What does the MMORPG offer? Neverwinter is based on the fourth edition of the pen-and-paper rulebook Dungeons & Dragons. Typically for an MMORPG, you first create a hero from eight classes and 14 races. Traditionally, you decide whether you want to be a tank, damage dealer, or healer. Each race offers you advantages and disadvantages as well as special bonuses.
Then your adventure begins in the besieged city of Neverwinter. But you will not stay there forever, as the adventures take you across the Forgotten Realms and even beyond. You will explore the icy Icewind Dale, the humid jungles of Chult, and even be taken to the horror dimension of Ravenloft. Everywhere you will face numerous challenges, exciting stories, action-packed fights against monsters, and plenty of loot.
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Basically, the MMORPG Neverwinter is based on the D&D rules of the 4th edition – with some adjustments to make the game also enjoyable as an MMORPG. This includes the combat. While it is turn-based in the pen-and-paper version, in Neverwinter, you engage in action-packed and fast-paced real-time battles against the monsters.
You have to actively dodge, aim, and strike. You don’t just click skills in the hotbar like you might in some other MMORPGs. This makes the fights dynamic and exciting. Nevertheless, there is an action bar where you can place special skills and execute them in the encounters.
Especially the fights against the many boss opponents become exciting and tactical challenges that you should only face as a group. You must recognize and exploit the weaknesses of the bosses in order to defeat them. This is often far from easy. Together as a team, victories over the boss monsters are always something very special.
Fights in Neverwinter are tactical and action-packed.
What’s the catch with Neverwinter? Neverwinter isn’t the most modern game anymore, as you can tell by the graphics and the many zones into which it is divided. There is no open world. The game areas are sometimes larger and sometimes smaller.
Furthermore, grinding is definitely to be expected. Especially those who want to face the adventures solo will have to level up their character between quests. Those who find grinding tedious will have to bite the bullet here.
In addition, Neverwinter offers PvP elements, but these are not the focus of the gaming experience despite constant improvements. So those looking for a PvP MMORPG might not be happy with Neverwinter.
However, you can expect plenty of PvE content. You will be busy for months playing through the stories of the now 19 adventure modules. Furthermore, Neverwinter simply offers that special D&D atmosphere. If you love Dungeons & Dragons and might have grown up with the pen-and-paper game and the novels, you’ll surely feel right at home.
Randy Mosiondz, Lead Designer of Neverwinter, revealed how the developers keep the game interesting even seven years after release:
It is mainly thanks to listening to our players. We wouldn’t have the long-term success we have now, if we didn’t recognize the value of the player experience. When we release updates that the players like, they will let us know, and we provide even more such experiences. If they don’t like it, we work to remove the elements they don’t like.
Randy Mosiondz, Lead Designer for Neverwinter
In Icewind Dale, there is an open PvP zone.
How does PvP work?
PvP does not take center stage in Neverwinter. Everyone should be aware of this. There are several PvP options.
Domination: On a special map, you fight in 5v5 battles for control of points that you must capture and hold.
Gauntlgrym: Gauntlgrym is a very large PvP zone where 10 players fight against 10 opponents. The goal is to achieve 2,000 team points through battles.
Fortress: Guilds receive their own fortresses that they can expand. In 20v20 battles, sieges around these “strongholds” take place.
Open PvP: In Icewind Dale, there is a special area where every player can be attacked. Anyone who enters this zone to collect the valuable resource black ice will have to compete with other players.
So there are some interesting PvP options in Neverwinter, yet the focus remains on completing quests in PvE and experiencing the story.
Neverwinter is a free-to-play MMORPG and therefore finances itself through microtransactions. The Zen marketplace allows you to purchase epic companions or additional inventory slots with the in-game currency “Zen.” You acquire this currency with real money.
However, it is actually not necessary to engage with the Zen marketplace, as you can earn almost everything and also experience the story without spending a dime. While it is possible to progress faster through real money investment, those who are not interested in becoming the best player quickly can completely avoid the Zen marketplace.
You can also buy almost any item at the auction house with collected astral diamonds. One could say that the microtransactions in Neverwinter only serve convenience and are interesting for those who want to save time or compare themselves with others by reaching certain achievements faster. If you just want to experience the story, you don’t need to worry about microtransactions.
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In Infernal Descent, you are plunged into the Nine Hells.
How has Neverwinter evolved?
In the seven years that Neverwinter has been on the market, 19 adventure modules have been released, bringing plenty of new features, improvements, and changes.
Module Name
Release Date
Contents
Fury of the Feywild
22.08.2013
New campaign, salvaging feature, upgrading companions, weapon crafting and handiwork
Shadowmantle
05.12.2013
New campaign, ranger as a class, additional paragon path for existing classes, artifacts
Curse of Icewind Dale
13.05.2014
New campaign, PvP campaigns, keys for dungeon chests, class artifacts; paragon path for rangers
Tyranny of Dragons
14.08.2014
New campaign, artifact equipment, warlock as an additional class, race change, armor enhancement
Rise of Tiamat
18.11.2014
Extension of the last campaign, paragon path for warlocks, gem cutting, artifact off-hands and cloaks
Elemental Evil
07.04.2015
Paladin as an additional class, level increase to level 70
Strongholds
11.08.2015 with PvP extension on 15.09.2015
Guild fortresses and guild PvP
Underdark
17.11.2015
New campaign, Mantol-Derith as a new area
The Maze Engine
15.03.2016
New campaign
Storm King’s Thunder
16.08.2016
Additional areas in Icewind Dale
The Cloaked Ascendancy
21.02.2017
New campaign and River District area – expanded on May 2 with the Shroud of Souls update
Tomb of Annihilation
25.07.2017
New campaign and new area Chult – expanded on 24.10.2017 with the Swords of Chult update
Lost City of Omu
27.02.2018
Completion of the last campaign with a new area Omu and powerful items
New campaign with a new area, additional equipment, balancing update for DPS classes
Avernus
30.06.2020
Continuation of the last campaign, adjustments to the scaling system
Especially regarding scaling, that is, the adjustment of the difficulty level to the players’ level, which the new expansion Avernus addresses, Jared Sears, Lead System Designer for Neverwinter, told us more:
With Undermountain, we introduced the first scaling in Neverwinter. Since the original game setup did not have a backend scaling setup that would work with our combat and evaluation system, this was quite a large undertaking. The initial results were not quite what we ideally wanted or how the players wanted it to work.
We continued to work on scaling, including building more infrastructure so we could improve and develop the system further. Avernus is the module where we felt ready to release the next step in scaling, which brought it to a proportional style that many in the community desired.
But that’s not enough, as it’s still not as seamless and precise as we’d like it to be. Work on the next development is already underway and will be another big step in scaling for Neverwinter.
Jared Sears, Lead System Designer for Neverwinter
In Avernus, you dive into battle against the dark Zariel.
What does the new expansion Avernus bring?
With Avernus, the now 19th expansion of the MMORPG Neverwinter has been released, which according to Bill Yeats, Art Director for Neverwinter, was in development for six months. Since June 30, you descend into the first layer of the Nine Hells. Avernus is one big battlefield. There, devils fight against demons in what is called the Blood War. In the D&D lore, both monster races are at odds over which form of “being evil” is the “right” one.
Already in module 18, Infernal Descent, which serves as a prehistory to the RPG Baldur’s Gate 3, you experienced the beginnings of this new story and got a taste of the Nine Hells when the estate of the Vallenhas family was drawn into this fiery dimension and you were to save hundreds of innocent souls. Now the situation is escalating.
Over the years, we have explored many different locations on the Sword Coast and beyond. Bringing experienced adventurers into the first layer of the Nine Hells seemed to us a good choice to offer players new challenges.
A lot is happening in Avernus. We conclude the Vallenhas storyline that began with Infernal Descent and move on to a confrontation with Zariel herself, the ruler of Avernus.
We have a huge new adventure zone (where you can even drive an infernal war machine) a new “Path of the Fallen” campaign, new top-tier weapon sets, and a new trial known as “Zariel’s Challenge.” As the story progresses and the follow-up episodes are released, there will be more gameplay and rewards.
Randy Mosiondz, Lead Designer for Neverwinter
With these infernal machines, you can ride across the landscape in Avernus.
You must uncover the secret of the arch-devil Zariel. To do this, you use the so-called infernal machines, vehicles that somewhat resemble Mad Max films, and with which you move from quest to quest while demons and devils pursue you.
You explore a large new game area full of dangers
You experience the continuation of the great Avernus storyline
The expansion brings a change in scaling. In this case, your item level, which determines your hero’s strength, is compared to the maximum of the map. The difference is then adjusted to character stats, damage, and hit points. This means that the difficulty level of an area is better matched to your character. Thus, even high-level players will always have a challenge, and for example, they won’t be able to farm areas that have become too easy for them.
Another reason why we decided to place players deeper into Avernus is the continuation of the storyline that we started with the Infernal Descent module (which was inspired by the Dungeons & Dragons campaign book Descent into Avernus).
Bill Yeats, Art Director for Neverwinter
Very interesting about the Avernus module is the ability to drive with the infernal machines, vehicles that seem somewhat unusual for a fantasy scenario. In this regard, Jared Sears, Lead System Designer for Neverwinter, explains:
I don’t think it’s fair to say that there’s any innovation in this module that constitutes a premiere for an MMORPG. With the majority of updates, it’s difficult for an MMO to say this. We never focus on doing something new for the sake of being new; our aim is always to find what would be a great addition for our audience and what serves them best.
For this module, it’s the first time players can drive vehicles in a zone that can also run over enemies. This wasn’t just an idea we had for something new to add to the game; it came from exploring what we could do to ensure that the hellish landscape of Avernus felt unique, vivid, and exciting. Hopefully, our players will feel the same excitement as when we first jumped into a rusty apocalyptic death machine and roared through the war-torn landscape.
Jared Sears, Lead System Designer for Neverwinter
In Avernus, there is a war between demons and devils.
Neverwinter and the future
How is Neverwinter doing approximately 7 years after release? Neverwinter has its loyal community and is playable on PC, Xbox One, and PS4. The exact player count cannot be determined, as no numbers have been disclosed for the own PC launcher or the console versions. Only Steamcharts indicates that an average of 3,190 players were online at peak times over the past 30 days. The ratings on Steam for the past 30 days stand at 82%.
Neverwinter is thus basically doing well. This is also evident from the fact that the developers continue to add new content in the form of large expansions.
Neverwinter has a Steam rating of 81%, but what are the developers planning to do to increase its success?
It is really an ongoing process. We have been working to build a strong relationship with our community through initiatives like the Collaborative Development Program (CDP). This provides us with a good relationship and a closer connection to our player base. Internally, we focus on improving the quality of our releases by addressing long-standing issues and enhancing the player experience.
Randy Mosiondz
What’s next for the MMORPG? There are still many adventures to tell in the fantasy scenario of D&D. D&D consists of more than just the Forgotten Realms. With Avernus and Ravenloft, we have already received two scenarios that take place in other planes/dimensions. But there are more worlds and dimensions.
Even the Forgotten Realms themselves have more to offer. For example, the land of Maztica far to the west or the desert kingdom of Zakhara to the south. And in the east lie the realms of Kara-Tur. So you would still have plenty to explore.
Our game focuses on the Forgotten Realms, primarily Neverwinter and the Sword Coast, and the associated planes that are part of Faerûn’s cosmology. While I am a big fan of all D&D locations (especially Dark Sun), if we were to visit these other locations, we would have to discuss with Wizards of the Coast to ensure that we can do well there.
Randy Mosiondz
Avernus tells an epic story in Hell.
Regarding graphical improvements, Bill Yeats and Randy Mosiondz explain:
Bill Yeats: As for the artistic side of things, I would love to upgrade the entire game to a PBR renderer (physically based rendering). That would be amazing for both me and the players.
Randy Mosiondz: We are always looking for updates to the Cryptic engine that would provide us with new and interesting gameplay. The nice thing about a shared engine for all our games is that innovations made in one game can sometimes be transferred quite easily to another game.
Bill Yeats and Randy Mosiondz
If a player wants to return to Neverwinter after 5 years: What development would you like to talk about that you are particularly proud of and that has changed the game for the better?
I think one of the biggest things is that we are over seven years old and still going strong. We are still free-to-play, we have a great community, regular updates with a lot of content, and we are available on both PC and consoles.
As MMORPGs gained popularity and the player base grew, I believe there was a trend toward action combat games and quick engagement. Fortunately, Neverwinter has these elements, so we just had to focus on offering more of the type of content that our player base enjoys.
Randy Mosiondz
Avernus tells a very unusual story in the first layer of the Nine Hells.
For whom is Neverwinter interesting?
The MMORPG is particularly worthwhile for those who like D&D. You get the right atmosphere here, along with the Forgotten Realms providing the appropriate scenario. Furthermore, Neverwinter is interesting for those who enjoy PvE and stories in an online role-playing game.
Neverwinter is also worthwhile for console owners, as the controller controls are intuitive and work without issues. In addition, some quests can be completed in a relatively short time. So if you don’t have much time but still want to experience a mini-adventure, you will surely have fun with Neverwinter.
Is it worth getting started in 2020? Neverwinter has an enormous amount of content to offer. This may seem overwhelming at first glance. So take it easy. Start with the main story and slowly work your way through the modules. You will surely find players to support you, whether newcomers or veterans who can lend a helping hand.
In addition, there are always guilds looking for new members, which can also offer you help.
New players and those who want to check back in should take the following from Randy Mosiondz:
One of the major changes is the streamlining or simplification of much of the combat systems. The earlier systems were fine, but there were a number of balancing issues. Players could easily end up in a situation where, if they made certain decisions, they could end up having a bad player experience. After we made our combat revisions, this led to a better player experience for more players.
Randy Mosiondz
Pros
Very extensive content
Action-packed fights
Good team play
Exciting stories
Regular large expansions
Cons
Graphics are outdated
Those who want to progress quickly may not be able to avoid spending real money
PvP is just an addition
Neverwinter surely has a bright future ahead
I have been a fan of Neverwinter since 2013, but I don’t play it consistently. I usually only jump back in when a new adventure module is released.
For me, Neverwinter is simply a fantastic D&D gaming experience that I can experience online with friends. I grew up with D&D as a pen-and-paper game, and today there are hardly ever opportunities to play as we used to. That’s where Neverwinter comes in handy.
With the new module Avernus, fans are offered something new and different. The hell dimension is varied and challenging. Neverwinter feels almost like a new game due to its unusual atmosphere, and that feels great after so many classic fantasy adventures.
I am confident that the MMORPG will accompany us for many years. There are still so many adventures and possibilities in the game that I would like to experience.
Andreas Bertits Author Mein-MMO
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In a series of tweets, Amazon’s MMO New World presented another weapon type: the War Hammer. However, they do not look very different from each other visually, and fans are disappointed.
In Amazon’s MMO New World, as a player you can carry various weapons, train with them, master them and unlock cool abilities. In addition to swords, bows or staffs, there are also massive War Hammers, which New World has now introduced in a series of tweets.
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These are the strengths and weaknesses of the War Hammers
These are the strengths of the massive War Hammers: The War Hammers in New World are among the most powerful melee weapons and have a longer range than, for example, swords. Their powerful strikes are excellent for breaking opponents’ blocks, and their wide-reaching attacks hit multiple targets.
These are the weaknesses of the War Hammers: As strong as the War Hammers may be, they also come with disadvantages. Due to their size, they are among the slowest melee weapons in the MMO and must be wielded with both hands. A protective shield cannot be equipped during this time. And especially agile fighters and bow or shotgun users can pose a serious threat to you as a War Hammer wielder.
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New World has already introduced three of the War Hammers in their tweets:
Buccaneer’s War Hammer: Can only be found in Deadman’s Anchor, a dangerous pirate fortress in Cutlass Keys, for groups of level 25. The combination of the “Electrified” and “Lost Bane” effects makes the weapon very strong against the Lost.
Ancient War Hammer: Obtained from ancient foes. Guarantees at least one perk, and higher-tier versions can have up to 3!
Residual Hate: Legendary hammer that can be found in the most dangerous corruption breaches in Aeternum. Particularly strong against corrupted enemies.
This is what the community says: The special War Hammers are not often found, and it takes a lot of work to acquire the legendary weapons.
Similar to what has already been the case with the swords, comments from fans wishing for the legendary weapons to have a special appearance to distinguish them from afar are accumulating under the tweet.
One Twitter user antidotcb writes: “Could you please make these hammers unique so that people can actually see the difference between these 3?”
Jorge Argota raises a valid question that New World has not yet answered: “Why do all your weapons look like color adjustments and not like different skins?”
Whether Amazon will meet the fans’ wishes before the release is unclear. The beta of New World starts on July 23, allowing more players to check out the MMO and provide their feedback to Amazon.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The PvE mode of Fortnite “Save the World” was supposed to be free back in 2018. However, the date has been postponed multiple times. Now, Epic has issued a final statement: The PvE part of Fortnite is now released, but remains a premium title and will thus cost money.
The statement fits, according to the developers, right with the third anniversary of Fortnite. But contrary to expectations, they announced that they had decided not to make Save the World free after all.
However, instead of offering it for free at a later date, the developers have now decided that it should remain a “premium experience” and therefore will never be offered for free.
Save the World is not going to be free
Save the World is no longer in Early Access, but “finished” and released
This is now different: Save the World is now officially no longer in Early Access. This means that the game is now “completed” and there will be no major changes to it.
According to the developer, the main story is now completed, which does not mean that there is nothing left to do in Save the World. One should continue to fight against the husks in Pine Tweaks.
Additionally, the known stamps for Early Access in the Battle Royale mode and in Creative mode will be removed.
What does this mean for Fortnite: Save the World?
That Save the World is no longer in Early Access also affects the game itself. There will be fewer updates, Epic says:
“New content will not be released as frequently after this official release, but that does not mean the end of Save the World.”
But the developer has a solution to ensure that the “replay value” is still kept. They want to:
Introduce new adventures that will take place in seasons
Implement an annual schedule that is divided into seasons
Introduce a new package system
The new system is very similar to the Battle Royale mode, in which there are seasons that affect the game. However, even though the systems are similar, the seasons will take place independently in both modes.
There is now a new package system in Save the World
What is new? On Thursday, July 2, 2020, a new package series will start in Save the World. These are intended to replace the old Founder’s packages but will provide benefits for both new and old players.
The first Metal Llama package is already known and is supposed to include the following items:
The new heroine “Metal Llama”
A weapon schematic
A back accessory
Challenges that unlock V-Bucks, X-Ray tickets, and a legendary Troll stash llama
Access to Save the World
The package is supposed to cost 19.99 euros and include all these contents.
The new Metal Llama package is the first of many
All cosmetic items included in the package can be used in Save the World, Battle Royale, and Creative mode.
Founders receive bonuses as gifts
What impact do the changes have on Founders? Founders refers to the players who have purchased a Founder package, i.e., have paid for the game.
These players are now supposed to receive a reward. All players who have purchased a Founder package now receive a free upgrade to the next package tier. This way, they benefit from the bonuses that the higher package offers.
Additionally, only Founders who purchased Save the World in Early Access can benefit from the V-Bucks advantages. Daily login rewards and missions offering V-Bucks will not be available for new players of Save the World.
For many players, this V-Bucks offer is particularly worthwhile, as it is the only way to obtain V-Bucks without spending money. Since this option will no longer be available for new players, some players will likely reconsider whether purchasing Save the World is really worth it.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Now it has actually happened: The Grau 5.56 received a nerf in Call of Duty: Warzone. MeinMMO presents you with 3 assault rifles with setups that have very similar characteristics to the formerly strongest assault rifle.
High range, allowing players to skip the sniper rifle
Strong iron sight (front & rear)
Low recoil for accurate shots
Low fire rate to save ammunition
Downside: High time-to-kill
The most important point on the list is the manageable recoil combined with the highest range in its class. This is exactly where the developers focused their nerf: The assault rifle now plays much more wobbly and the damage drop (the distance at which hits deal less damage) kicks in earlier.
Which weapons can compete? To find a worthy AR counterpart, we look at the recoil and ranges of other assault rifles as well as their special features that set them apart from other ARs. Besides the popular M4A1, which is suitable for almost all tasks in Warzone due to its versatility, three stand out:
M13
Kilo 141
CR-56 AMAX
These 3 assault rifles can be equipped with attachments to become really stable weapons and can replace the Grau well. MeinMMO presents a setup for each of these weapons that will make you miss the nerfed assault rifle a bit less.
3 Setups for Assault Rifles as Gap Bridgers After the Grau Nerf
There was a reason why the Grau 5.56 was preferred over these weapons. The AMAX is still quite new, the M13 consumes ammunition endlessly, and the Kilo has a peculiar side recoil. However, the Grau also had a significant flaw with its high TTK, and with some practice and adjustment, these assault rifles play very comfortably as well.
M13 Setup – Incredibly Stable but Very Bullet-Hungry
M13 Setup for Warzone:
Muzzle: Suppressor (Monolith)
Barrel: Tempus Marksman
Underbarrel: Commando Grip
Ammunition: 60-round magazine
Grip: Grooved Grip Tape
The M13 is really stable and makes it as easy as the Grau 5.56 to keep the target on your enemies. The TTK is also very close to the usual value of the Grau.
This assault rifle would be the perfect companion for the battle royale if it weren’t for a major problem: Its insatiable hunger for bullets. The M13 fires 923 rounds per minute (RPM), while the Grau only needs 750 RPM for similar performance.
The 60 rounds of the largest magazine are used up in 3.9 seconds on the M13, compared to 4.8 seconds on the Grau. In a firefight, you will definitely feel this difference, as the damage per magazine also decreases at the same time. In terms of game feel, you are closest to the Grau 5.56 with the M13. When trying the M13, also check out our laser setup for the assault rifle.
Pro
Plays very similarly to the Grau before the nerf
Contra
Deals less damage per bullet
Drains ammunition quickly
Kilo Setup – 100 Rounds in the Magazine but Odd Recoil
Kilo 141 Setup for Warzone:
Muzzle: Suppressor (Monolith)
Barrel: Singuard Arms 19.8″ Hider
Underbarrel: Commando Grip
Ammunition: 100-round magazine
Grip: Grooved Grip Tape
The Kilo 141 is the first assault rifle available for your own loadouts in CoD MW 2019. With the nerf of the Grau, this rifle is likely to get more attention in Warzone because it is really stable when you attach the “Commando Grip.”
The recoil is somewhat unusual and tends to pull more to the left than upward. However, once you fire a few shots, the AR stabilizes and you hardly have to readjust. This is especially pleasant in conjunction with the 100-round magazine.
If assault rifles continue to make up part of the meta in Warzone, this AR has the best chances of stepping in as the direct successor of the Grau 5.56. The large magazine makes the weapon somewhat slower, but the “smaller” 50 and 60 round magazines also perform well and are worth a try.
The Kilo 141 has always been considered a strong weapon for beginners and could now earn a new, more prominent title – Best Assault Rifle of Warzone.
Pro
Recoil is hardly noticeable after the first shots
100-round magazine
Contra
Unpredictable recoil, especially with the first bullets
Somewhat sluggish with 100 rounds
CR-56 AMAX – High Damage but Slow
CR-56 AMAX Setup for Warzone:
Muzzle: Suppressor (Monolith)
Barrel: XRK Zodiac S440
Underbarrel: Merc Grip
Ammunition: 45-round magazine
Grip: Grooved Grip Tape
The AMAX was introduced with the start of Season 4 for Modern Warfare and Warzone, together with the rapid-fire SMG Fennek. It could be described as the tamer brother of the AK-47, as the AMAX sacrifices the high range of the AK for better handling.
This makes it a strong choice in Warzone as a heavy assault rifle still offers high range. However, of the 3 weapons here, it plays the most challenging. While the recoil is low, the weapon requires more horizontal control, which is somewhat more difficult than compensating for upward recoil.
Try either the “Merc Grip” or the “Commando Grip” to manage the recoil. The Commando grip is somewhat quicker but does not provide as much control with the AMAX as its Merc counterpart. Here you can find out more about which grip you should choose.
Overall, the heavy assault rifle is a bit slower but can deliver hard hits at long distances. In our extensive special on the CR-56 AMAX, you will find more information about the assault rifle.
Pro
Stable heavy assault rifle
Deals a lot of damage at high range
Contra
A bit more difficult to control
Slower than the competition
In the coming days and weeks, it will show which direction the wind blows for weapons. Perhaps ARs are out for now and we’ll see more snipers with SMGs or a completely new playstyle.
Do you already know which rifle will replace the Grau 5.56 for you? Or have you preferred to leave the “meta weapon” in the closet?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Your characters should be firmly anchored in storytelling in Diablo 4. Blizzard shows how they do this without pulling you too much out of the game world.
What does Blizzard say? Quarterly, the Diablo 4 team presents insights into the development of their hack-and-slash series Diablo. Recently, the latest update was released, in which Blizzard focused on storytelling.
Stay a while and listen.
How storytelling is changing
What’s changing: The overall tone of conversations is intended to be better represented in Diablo 4 than it was in its predecessor. In D3, they relied on UI windows that displayed the character’s portrait and name. In the new part, they are using different tools.
This is what simple conversations with NPCs in Diablo 3 look like
A mix of tool-generated and manually choreographed cameras is supposed to help in Diablo 4.
When you interact with NPCs in the world, the camera zooms closer to your characters but stays in the isometric view. For this, a library of animations is utilized to capture the tone of the conversations.
More complex conversations work similarly in terms of camera technology. However, the difference is that the “movements and animations of the characters are created manually and tailored to the conversations” here.
Why is this being done? The goal is to narrate complex moments of the story while keeping you as a player as immersed in the game world as possible. They don’t want to “pull you out” of the game world.
What does this look like? As an example, Blizzard shows a snippet of a conversation with an NPC.
Cutscenes with your “real” character
How does this work? Another method that aims to make storytelling feel more “real” is the real-time cutscenes.
The game controls the camera and aims to make the narratives feel “like in a movie.” The advantage is that your character is displayed in these cutscenes with the current gear they have equipped. So you’ll see “yourself” in action.
A demonstration of this technique was already shown during the BlizzCon demo. Since then, the team has made significant progress with the cutscenes and the engine, Blizzard explains. There will not be a BlizzCon in 2020.
The appearance of these cutscenes is shown by Blizzard in two screenshots. Don’t worry, they won’t spoil the story for you.
This technique only appears in the “most important moments of the story.” However, it seems to fit the new words of the head, who said, Diablo 4 will be really scary – “material for nightmares”. When you’re anchored in the story and the cutscenes with your character, it feels even more believable.
The ARPG Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem launched on Steam in February with a player peak of 127,000. It was a surprising hit. The Diablo competitor filled a gap in the genre but could not hold on for long. With a peak of currently 1000 players, the title is a flop. However, the developers are not giving up and are investing.
This is what happened: On February 13, 2020, the ARPG Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem was released on Steam and filled a gap in the genre. Fans of hack and slash were waiting then, as they are now, for the release of Diablo 4 or Path of Exile 2, or at least for Lost Ark. But none of these games are in sight.
Wolcen came at the right moment to sweeten the waiting time for these players. It’s no wonder that the title reached a peak of 127,000 concurrent players on Steam despite the launch issues.
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Currently, the peak according to Steamcharts has barely 1000 concurrent players. The issues are mainly bugs, weak performance, and some balance difficulties. This is also reflected in the current Steam rating of 52%.
This is what the developers plan now: The French development studio is by no means at the end. Since the release, they have continuously expanded their team and do not plan to stop. Gradually, the now 50 employees are returning to their office and even plan to move to larger premises by the end of the year.
Currently, their team is divided:
Team 1 is working on the final “Second Dawn” patch 1.0.16.0, which focuses mainly on further bug fixes and balancing. It is scheduled for release at the end of July.
Team 2 is working on the “First Chronicle” patch 1.1.0 with new content, adjustments to gameplay, and performance optimizations. The release is planned for the fall.
The developers also promise to communicate more with the community about their future plans. A support page is expected to be created soon, where players can reach out directly. Previously, this was only possible through a web form.
This is how active players help: For the upcoming “Second Dawn” patch, the developers are in contact with some active players to receive direct feedback on bugs and further “Quality of Life” improvements.
This is what the community says: The community has mixed opinions. Many comments gather under the official post on Steam:
Steam user trise says: “Too late, guys”
Steam user Dave wants more patches: “You need to bring patches faster, otherwise you will soon have no players left”
Steam user tzaeru is more positive: “Great! Hopefully, the new employees will help break the horizon. … Despite the difficult start, I think you are on the right track, good job!”
Steam user Gothicpolar is also pleased: “Thank you! <3 I look forward to the future of the game!"
Whether the developers can still save their title will have to be seen by the end of the year. Are you still playing Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem and do you think the title will pull through?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Elmo from Sesame Street plays Overwatch – or at least a player who perfectly imitates him. This leads to many funny encounters.
In online games like Overwatch, you can’t avoid using voice chat at least as a listener. However, besides insults, there are also sometimes really funny encounters. One of them is with an anonymous player who entertains his teammates as “Elmo”. He is quickly gaining popularity.
This player is the focus: Some streamers in the higher ranks of Overwatch keep reporting about a player named “Elmo” who speaks just like that in the voice chat. He is one of the popular characters from Sesame Street – kind-hearted, but often a bit cheeky. Elmo taught children, among other things, the letters of the alphabet.
Just like this, the player behaves and speaks continuously in his high, somewhat annoying voice. Almost always in a good mood and ready for fun, he usually plays Reinhardt to protect other members of his team. Like here, with the streamer TheKristenRae:
However, the funniest scenes are when Elmo lets himself go and a curse word or a somewhat double entendre comes out. This usually happens to the amusement of his teammates, who immediately scold Elmo for it and thus keep the conversation going. Elmo always over-exaggerates his apologies – apologies are now possible in Overwatch. Whether all this good mood and laughter affects the gameplay seems to bother no one.
Whenever Elmo appears in the lobby of a well-known streamer, not only does the streamer enjoy it, but the chat also celebrates it appropriately.
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Why does “Elmo” do that? In a conversation with the magazine Dexerto, the player revealed: “Elmo loves Overwatch, because even though the community is a bit difficult right now, Elmo believes that it is still a lovable community. And Elmo thinks that the game is a lot of fun.”
To lift the overall mood in the matches he participates in, he embodies Elmo – by the way, this naturally brings a little attention.
Who is behind Elmo? Who exactly the player with the Elmo voice is, is not entirely clear and is quite intentional. However, he has revealed that “Elmo has been playing Overwatch since the beta. Elmo started as a Genji player, but now Elmo is a tank main. Maybe one day Elmo will reveal who he is. For now, Elmo will only say that he is a Grandmaster and Top 500 player for a long time.”
So it wouldn’t be surprising if a bigger streamer, known to the community for a long time, is behind Elmo.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The streaming platform Twitch has banned the account of US President Donald Trump. Examples of his misconduct include political speeches in which he spoke about Mexican immigrants. The ban on Trump comes after the controversial suspension of streamer Guy “Dr Disrespect” Beahm.
This is Trump on Twitch: Donald Trump’s channel on Twitch has 125,173 followers, with an average of 197 viewers watching.
The channel started in 2019. The broadcasts included Trump’s campaign appearances, the so-called “rallies.”
Why was Trump banned? Donald Trump’s channel has received a temporary suspension, as insider Rod “Slasher” Breslau knows. Trump’s channel was only temporarily suspended, not permanently like Dr Disrespect’s, as Breslau reported a few days ago.
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As Twitch informed the US site Venturebeat (via venturebeat), the channel was temporarily taken offline due to “hateful conduct.”
Twitch cites two examples of this behavior. At a campaign event in 2016, which was recently shown on Twitch, Trump spoke about Mexican immigrants:
“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people. But I speak to border patrol, and they tell me what we’re getting. And it’s also very logical. It’s absolutely logical. They’re not sending us the right people.”
Trump at a campaign speech in 2016
At a more recent campaign event, Trump spoke about “tough hombres” who break into young women’s homes when the man is away. Then you call “911”, but the emergency number is not available.
The Twitch CEO, Emmet Shear, is being called on to take a tougher stance, many demand.
Twitch seems to be under pressure to take a tougher stance
This could be behind it: Trump’s channel has been around since September 2019 and has been regularly broadcasting since April 2020; however, Twitch has yet to take any action against Trump’s speeches. The question is: why is Twitch taking action against the channel right now?
Some suspect that this “new tough hand” could also be behind the ban of Dr Disrespect, one of Twitch’s most important streamers, who had just signed an exclusive contract with the platform in March.
The fact that Twitch is being so open about Trump’s case can be seen as a sign that they wanted to set an example and take a stand.
The world is still wondering why Dr Disrespect was banned.
So far, neither Twitch nor the streamer himself has named the exact reason for Dr Disrespect’s ban. This leads to much speculation and theories. We have compiled the main theories as to why Dr Disrespect was banned from Twitch.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The MMORPG Guild Wars 2 (GW2) is colorful and diverse. Players celebrate this every year with parades for the LGBTQ+ community, and they are a wonderful spectacle.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many “Christopher Street Day” parades or other events were canceled this year. However, this did not apply to the Tyria Pride 2020 in Guild Wars 2. The parades took place again this weekend, vibrant and spectacular.
Players in colorful costumes celebrating and dancing [Source: Tine of Nice Dreams via YouTube]
Colorful Costumes, Fireworks, and Kites
What is Tyria Pride? Tyria is the world in Guild Wars 2 and is the namesake for this event. For several years now, parades have been taking place in Guild Wars 2 in June.
They aim to support the LGBTQ+ movement, not just ideologically but also actively with donations to charitable organizations. For this purpose, players from the European and American megaservers come together for parades.
Guilds and players from the LGBTQ+ community meet, as well as those who simply want to show support.
How colorful is Tyria: Players do not gather just any old way. For the parades, colorful colors and costumes are brought out. Players often cloak themselves in rainbow colors or pastels. Outfits can also be quite extravagant for some.
During the parade, fireworks are launched. You will also find all sorts of kites and balloons there. Everything that shines and draws attention is allowed.
A colorful parade for Tyria Pride and Black Lives Matter in 2020
Marching for a Good Cause
The parades are not just a spectacle for in-game fun. A serious issue is being highlighted here, and donations should be collected for this purpose.
The invitation to the event is made through the Guild Wars 2 forum, among other places. Here, information is provided not only about the location, time, and reason for the parades, but also about the important purpose of the donations:
Residents of Tyria!
You are invited to celebrate Tyria Pride 2020 with us on June 27th and 28th at 4 PM on the EU server and at 4 PM on the NA server.
We mainly march to show our support for players of gender and sexual minorities. Some of them have discovered Guild Wars 2 as one of the few safe places where they can just be themselves and escape the problems of the real world.
In other words, we march to spread the message of positivity, acceptance, and love!
Supporters and advocates of equality for all are especially welcome, as are members of the LGBTQIA+ communities! (here the abbreviation is further extended by groups such as diverse and asexual)
In addition to the fun in the game, we also want to support charitable causes! For the third consecutive year, we are partnering with “Gamers Giving Back,” who lead the organization on the NA side. Together we are raising funds for “Rainbow Railroad,” a charitable organization dedicated to supporting LGBTQ individuals who seek a safe haven away from countries where their lives are in danger—just because they are who they are.
How much was donated? For Tyria Pride 2020, a nice sum was raised again. In total, supporters donated nearly €1,800, which can now be used for those in need.
The chat is also actively used during the parades. Calls for “Tyria Pride 2020” are joined by many other declarations of tolerance. However, this year Tyria Pride stood not only for LGBTQ+. The recent events of police violence in the USA also brought “Black Lives Matter” into focus.
Therefore, the organization decided in 2020 to encourage its participants to also donate to BLM organizations. They provided links to the donation website of Tyria Pride, where supporters can get informed or split their contribution.
Why “E-Sport” does not equal “E-Sport” is explained by our guest author and expert Timo Schöber – Head of the think tank Esportionary – using a current example in politics.
The CDU/CSU parliamentary group of the German Bundestag presented a position paper (via cducsu.de) on volunteer work in Germany on June 16, 2020. What may initially sound less relevant for E-Sports is associated with high significance for electronic sports. Under point 2.6 of the document, it states that E-Sports should be included in the Tax Code (§52 AO via gesetze-im-internet.de), specifically in the corresponding application decree. However, the parliamentary group qualifies this addition, stating in the document: “E-Sports falls under the term sport as long as it involves electronic sports simulations”.
Various organizations have generally welcomed this step towards E-Sports, for example, the eSport-Bund Deutschland (via gameswirtschaft.de) (ESBD), but also pointed out that the limitation to sports simulations is not productive.
Why the initiative of the CDU/CSU Bundestag parliamentary group is more of a step in the wrong direction will be outlined below.
About the author: Timo Schöber is the author of the bestseller “Screen Athletes“. In addition, he is working as a lecturer at the European University Viadrina and is the head of the think tank Esportionary.
E-Sport versus eGaming: Adaptation of the DOSB’s stance
E-Sport: Sports simulations, such as FIFA or NBA2k.
eGaming: All video games except sports simulations, such as League of Legends and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
This classification has been widely criticized, not least because the DOSB does not classify E-Sports based on what happens in front of the screen, but rather according to different genres. E-Sport is defined by competitiveness, training, performance, and athletic aspects. It does not matter which genre is played. E-Sport differs from gaming by what happens in front of the screen: high APM numbers (actions per minute), multitasking, preparation for competitions and opponents, comprehensive training plans, supplementary sports, nutrition, and so on.
The CDU/CSU Bundestag parliamentary group is clearly adapting the DOSB’s position. This weakens the position paper on E-Sports overall, as the views of the largest German E-Sports critic (DOSB) have been adopted. Apparently, the sports lobby in Berlin has done an excellent job.
But not entirely: It states that E-Sport would fall under the definition of sport when it comes to sports simulations. This means that it is acknowledged that E-Sport does not only consist of sports simulations; otherwise, the second half of the sentence would be obsolete. This makes the approach of the CDU/CSU Bundestag parliamentary group even more questionable: If one knows that E-Sport is not just sports simulations, why then adopt the DOSB’s position regarding genre classification?
The political focus on sports simulations exists in this form only in Germany. It not only hinders discussions about E-Sport but also paints a false picture of E-Sport as a whole.
Currently, there is only one sports simulation among the most important eSports titles (via Esportsobserver). However, FIFA is considered only a Tier 3 game. This means that FIFA plays only in the third league of the “big” eSports disciplines. The current Tier 1 games, i.e., the most important eSports disciplines, are the MOBAs League of Legends and Dota 2, as well as the tactical shooters Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Rainbow Six Siege.
This also highlights the pure professional scene. The most successful sports simulation based on prize money is FIFA 19 with around 3.3 million US dollars in total. In comparison, the The International 2019 in Dota 2, which is a single tournament, distributed over 34 million US dollars in prize money. While this is an outlier, other games also distribute significantly more prize money at individual tournaments than FIFA 19 did in total within a year, such as League of Legends alone at previously held three tournaments.
FIFA 19, as the most successful title of the major sports simulation in E-Sport, ranks 28th among all eSports disciplines when considering the prize money distributed. Even when cumulatively considering the four most successful parts of the FIFA series, FIFA still only ranks 14th. Furthermore, in FIFA, pay-to-win aspects (via esports.com) are implemented, which further diminishes the eSports status of the game series. Sports simulations are part of eSports, but they are by no means the most important. Particularly MOBAs, tactical shooters, and real-time strategy games are much more relevant, as is the controversial Battle Royale genre, which is heavily debated in eSports.
Why the Tax Code is important
§52 of the Tax Code regulates charitable purposes. With a charitable status, various benefits are associated, such as tax advantages. In addition, it also offers many indirect advantages, particularly regarding social perception. When something is officially deemed charitable, it is often viewed very positively by the public.
Charitable status is also of great importance for political reasons. On one hand, because charitable organizations can access government funding to advance projects of societal benefit.
On the other hand, something that is charitable is perceived differently in political discourse than something that does not have this status. This means that the debate (via Zeit.de) about whether eSports is a sport or not could be revived – which would make a separate mention of eSports in the Tax Code entirely unnecessary. After all, sports is a charitable purpose (§52, paragraph 2, number 21 AO).
E-Sport is charitable
The media coverage primarily focuses on professional E-Sport: full arenas, high prize money, well-paid professionals. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. E-Sport is primarily a grassroots sport (via t3n.de). Grassroots players are usually also fans of professional organizations and players. They buy merchandise, attend events, and fund competitions, for example, through in-game purchases of game content. They bring passion and dedication to E-Sport and simultaneously create a huge base, a foundation of fans without which the comparatively small area of professional sports would not be possible.
Based on this passion, numerous grassroots clubs in E-Sport have been established across Germany in recent years. They bring the topic into society. They offer training in the areas of media competence and youth work. They create socialization points in the form of clubhouses to bring gamers out of their rooms and into the community of the club.
They educate parents, schools, and universities about E-Sport. They support students with thesis work and develop their own research projects. They organize tournaments and events for everyone, often in collaboration with, for example, youth associations. They organize charity events to support their region.
They provide training plans and support youth in E-Sport by, for example, demonstrating that supplementary sports are important and that school comes before E-Sport. They network with local and regional companies and traditional sports clubs. Many such sports clubs also recognize the opportunities of E-Sport, for instance, in attracting new talent, which is why they are creating their own E-Sport divisions.
All of this is lived charity, especially in grassroots sports, frequently for their own region or state.
The “initiative” of the CDU/CSU Bundestag parliamentary group is basically a regression because it aligns almost entirely with the DOSB. This will harden the fronts that exist between various parties in E-Sport and sports. On the other hand, the legal uncertainty for traditional sports clubs with E-Sport divisions remains: Will they lose their charitable status because they not only offer FIFA and NBA2k, but also E-Sport titles like League of Legends and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive?
The recognition of E-Sport as a sport, as well as the acknowledgment of the charitable contributions of grassroots players and clubs will, in any case, not materialize. This is not only unfortunate but a slap in the face for all those who dedicate themselves day by day to E-Sport, society, and youth in this field. At this point, politics has clearly failed, especially considering that the CDU/CSU as governing parties in the coalition agreement (via Welt.de) of 2018 had previously agreed: “We acknowledge the growing importance of the eSports landscape in Germany. Since eSports teaches important skills that are significant not only in the digital world, requires training and sports structures, we will recognize eSports fully as an independent sport with club and association law and support the creation of an Olympic perspective.”
Valorant has a similar game principle to the tactical shooter Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO). Since Riot launched their shooter, player numbers in CS:GO have steadily declined. But is it only because of Valorant?
At its peak in April 2020, the game had over 1.3 million players simultaneously on the servers. An average of over 850,000 players was recorded.
The numbers for CS:GO have been declining since May.
But already in May 2020, there were first dips in the stats, and the growth ended. In the following months of June, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive went downhill:
In May, player numbers fell by 10.36 percent, which corresponded to 88,809 players
June saw another loss of 12.39 percent, which is 95,278 players
Recently, the number of average players of CS:GO according to Steam Charts was 673,517. This is a loss of an average of over 180,000 players compared to April. What could be the reason for this?
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is declining, Valorant is rising?
Is Valorant responsible for the decline of CS:GO? One reason for the decline in Counter-Strike could be the success of Valorant. Riot’s tactical team shooter has adopted many successful concepts from CS:GO.
Especially the weapons and gameplay of Valorant is immediately familiar to any CS:GO expert, and the 11 agents with their supportive skills add even more tactical depth to the game. So has Valorant siphoned players from CS:GO? Some numbers serve as evidence:
The decline in CS:GO began shortly before the release of the Valorant beta. The lowest point was on April 7, when the beta started.
Shortly before the end of the Valorant beta, the numbers for CS:GO rose slightly again
With the release of Valorant on June 2, 2020, the numbers for CS:GO visibly fell again
Everything was fine until April, but then it slowly went downhill.
Additionally, some CS professionals and former professionals, including players like swag, TenZ, Freakazoid, Skadoodle, Summit1g, and shroud have temporarily or permanently switched to Valorant and established themselves there. And when great idols like shroud play a game and recommend it, it is not surprising if fans and other CS:GO players end up with Valorant.
How does it look on Twitch? On the streaming platform Twitch, Counter-Strike has also lost ground. The numbers fell in May by 17,200 average viewers from 120,643 to 103,443 users.
However, Valorant also lost significantly, namely over 400,000 average viewers since April 2020.
Currently, Valorant ranks seventh in the Top 10 Twitch charts with 76,987 average viewers, while CS:GO ranks sixth with an average of 106,535 viewers. So CS:GO still has a significant lead here. All of this data comes from Twitchtracker.
What else could explain the decline in CS:GO? Besides the success and competition from Valorant, the easing of the COVID-19 pandemic and lifting of lockdowns could also be a reason for the declining numbers in CS:GO. During the global lockdowns and restrictions, a lot of time was spent playing online games like CS:GO.
Now in the summer, as infection rates are decreasing in some countries and good weather invites outdoor activities, interest in online shooters like CS:GO might be waning.
Player numbers for CS:GO continue to decline, but with still over 600,000 average players and peak numbers of over 1.2 million gamers, Valve’s shooter is far from being done.
The YouTuber Iceycat25 passed away in the week of June 28. In the community of Rainbow Six Siege, he was a well-known figure, appreciated and honored by many players. Now fans and players want to see a tribute for the YouTuber in the game.
Who is Iceycat25? As one of the first YouTubers, Iceycat25 accompanied the tactical shooter Rainbow Six Siege. He is known for his videos on gameplay and operators, which often dive deep into the material.
Many current players of Rainbow Six have claimed to have gained their knowledge of strategies and the game itself from Iceycat25 and his videos, from which they learned. His last video discusses the rework of the map House, which came with the Season 2 patch and the reworking of a special operator:
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The last video by Iceycat25. The thumbnail comes from the intro.
Iceycat25 was considered a kind of pillar of the community.
The co-host of the podcast that Iceycat25 produced announced on Sunday, June 28, on reddit that the YouTuber had taken his own life. He was 42 years old.
Players demand tribute to Iceycat25
In another thread on reddit, the user OperationRainbowSix presented a weapon skin that he designed as a tribute to Iceycat25. The skin is universal for any weapon, is colored in icy blue tones, and features a wild big cat, also made of ice – The logo of the YouTuber.
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In the title, the user requests that Ubisoft adopt this skin and bring it into the game. The post has already received over 14,000 upvotes, and many players agree in the plea for a monument to the YouTuber.
Another suggestion from the community is to bring a weapon charm. It is also possible to bring an ice sculpture in his honor to the map during the upcoming rework of the Chalet, as the user I play casual suggests:
They should place a monument for him in the Chalet rework. An ice cat sculpture would fit the map, and he would be remembered in a way he would have wished. […] Rest in peace. I have never seen this man’s videos, but I will remember him.
The ideas are receiving great support. Players believe that Iceycat25 deserves such a gesture for his long service to Rainbow Six on YouTube. However, there are also voices that view the matter more critically. After all, honoring him might create the impression that suicide is being rewarded:
Someone in another thread emphasized that you don’t want to encourage suicide by placing a monument for him. It could be misunderstood as a reward that remembers him, which could be harmful.
Cyberpunk in an online world? That doesn’t seem so unrealistic, as the mysterious “Codename: SYN” might just hit the nail on the head.
Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the major story games that is eagerly awaited this year. Since its announcement, the Cyberpunk genre has seemingly gained some momentum as more and more developers are dedicated to creating neon-colored futuristic worlds. The Chinese company Tencent has also taken on such a project, currently running under the name “Codename SYN”. The first video shows excerpts from the project.
In SYN there are also hairy companions
What is shown in the video? The first tech demo of SYN shows only a few aspects of the game, which are still just a rough concept. The game is supposed to take place in the year 2035. The world has since evidently changed significantly and is much closer to a dystopian Cyberpunk reality.
Because real friends are somehow “meh”, women apparently have cybernetic animals as loyal companions, accompanying them in their street battles. Battles? Yes, because SYN is supposed to be an “open world FPS”. However, it is unclear how many players share a world and how often they encounter each other.
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The video places a clear focus on the art style and the look of character creation. At least visually, this demo can absolutely convince – even if the big eyes look a bit creepy.
SYN is still a long way from being playable: However, it must also be clearly stated that SYN is still only a pure tech demo and is in an extremely early state. Even if the game is supposed to be an “open world FPS”, all the shown elements should be taken with caution. So far, the developers only want to show their rough vision for the game and demonstrate what is possible with the engine.
If you like big eyes …
When is the game supposed to be released? No details have been provided yet. Given the early development stage, which has so far been nothing more than a tech demo, one should not expect it in 2020 or 2021. Unless, of course, the developers from Lightspeed & Quantum Studios, who also made PUBG Mobile, really buckle down.
Whether the game will ultimately meet expectations – whenever it is finished – and satisfy the hunger for a “Cyberpunk Online” remains to be seen. If there are any news about it, you will find out here at Mein-MMO.de.
These are the positive reactions: But not all of our readers see it so negatively.
Our reader D1avolus writes that there will always be dissatisfied people: “And in China, they prefer to play this and that, Australians prefer to play log tossing^^ You can never please everyone. You get something “for free” and still complain. Typical German, right?”
Also, Millerntorian tries to see things more calmly: “(…) So what, over the course of 10 years of membership, many gaming gems have come around. So one can also skip one or two months. And considering the small amount (of course, you always get the discounted offers for extending your membership. That’s clear), I certainly don’t expect a huge surprise every time.”
Especially regarding NBA 2K20, opinions are divided. Some do not understand how the game can be part of the anniversary bundle, while others do not understand the annoyance over the sports game.
NBA 2K20 is a basketball sports game. A game that stirs emotions.
What the community says
On reddit, there is a heated debate about the new PS Plus games.
Here are the negative reactions: Some users are not very happy with the PS Plus offer in July. User TongueUser1K writes on reddit:
So dumb. Whoever wants 2K20 usually gets it within the first two months. It has already been on sale 8 times this year. In two and a half months, 21 will come out, what a joke. Tomb Raider is okay, I think. I have played it once, but no longer own the disc.
Others see the problem less with the games but with the timing. Many would have preferred a blockbuster for the anniversary instead of 3 relatively uninteresting games:
User Faemsa is not bothered by the games, but by the timing: “NBA2K20 would be a good upgrade for me and Tomb Raider (which I have already completed) is a great game! So it is great that you all can enjoy it. It’s a pretty solid month, but as a 10th anniversary? The end of the console generation? I expected a month with an AAA exclusive title like GOW, HZD (which I also own, but would have been more fitting). The previous months (in which nothing was celebrated) had those blockbuster games.”
SmtNocturneDante is bothered by the nature of the anniversary: “I really didn’t like how they celebrated the 10th year, I also didn’t know they would give a free theme for the celebration, but that’s not even remotely enough. There should have been a good selection of games that hadn’t been on sale recently.”
These are the positive reactions: But not everyone in the community sees the games so negatively. For example, user Sisco98 writes:
So, Erica, this is the birthday surprise. I am happy with it, I have been watching it for a while, but haven’t bought it – thankfully.
How does the overall opinion look? Observing the comments under various articles and on reddit, it becomes clear that a majority of users are dissatisfied with PlayStation Plus’s anniversary selection.
There is a heated debate over NBA 2K20 and Tomb Raider, while the thriller game Erica is barely noticed. The game relies on real film footage instead of video sequences using the graphics engine. It was surprisingly released at Gamescom 2019.
More games for your PS4? Are you looking for exciting games to keep you entertained over the summer months? The Midyear Sale has started in the PS Store. We present you the 10 best games of the Midyear Sale 2020 and reveal which games are particularly worth it. And the best part: You don’t need to be a subscriber for the offers.
Sony has released the games for PS Plus in July 2020. The special thing: Thanks to the 10th anniversary of PS Plus, there are 3 games. However, the users’ joy is limited. Some believe that these games are not appropriate enough for the anniversary.But there are also more positive voices.MeinMMO explains why the games are not well received by subscribers.
Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration – an adventure game
and Erica, a kind of thriller adventure
However, the 3 games are not well received by all players. We present you the opinions of our readers from MeinMMO and thoughts from other users.
PlayStation Plus celebrates its 10th anniversary. However, the way it is done does not please everyone.
Anniversary and old games: What users are annoyed by
These are the points of contention about PS Plus in July 2020: We first present the biggest criticisms from the community. The criticism or assessment varies greatly.
The games are all good but come at a wrong time. They are not anniversary games, the users say.
The age of the games: NBA 2K20 will be replaced in about 2 months by NBA 2K21, and Tomb Raider is also several years old.
The nature of the anniversary: Many users wished for something “special” like a discount voucher for longtime subscribers for the store or an exclusive title.
What concerns MeinMMO readers
These are the negative reactions: MeinMMO reader Ron expresses his anger very clearly. He writes:
Super weak action from Sony. Sorry, but bringing NBA 2K20 for a 10th anniversary? This might interest some in the United States, but basketball is not that popular here in Europe. It should have been Fifa. I don’t even know Erica, and Rise of the Tomb Raider has been available for under 15 euros for quite a while. This is really disappointing.
Also, user Dave cannot understand Sony’s selection for the anniversary and feels similarly: “I also don’t understand, on the occasion of the anniversary, I would have expected some exclusives like God of War or Horizon [Zero Dawn]. But of all things, NBA 2K20, which is being ripped apart because of its terrible loot box system? Hmm.”
These are the positive reactions: But not all of our readers see it so negatively.
Our reader D1avolus writes that there will always be dissatisfied people: “And in China, they prefer to play this and that, Australians prefer to play log tossing^^ You can never please everyone. You get something “for free” and still complain. Typical German, right?”
Also, Millerntorian tries to see things more calmly: “(…) So what, over the course of 10 years of membership, many gaming gems have come around. So one can also skip one or two months. And considering the small amount (of course, you always get the discounted offers for extending your membership. That’s clear), I certainly don’t expect a huge surprise every time.”
Especially regarding NBA 2K20, opinions are divided. Some do not understand how the game can be part of the anniversary bundle, while others do not understand the annoyance over the sports game.
NBA 2K20 is a basketball sports game. A game that stirs emotions.
What the community says
On reddit, there is a heated debate about the new PS Plus games.
Here are the negative reactions: Some users are not very happy with the PS Plus offer in July. User TongueUser1K writes on reddit:
So dumb. Whoever wants 2K20 usually gets it within the first two months. It has already been on sale 8 times this year. In two and a half months, 21 will come out, what a joke. Tomb Raider is okay, I think. I have played it once, but no longer own the disc.
Others see the problem less with the games but with the timing. Many would have preferred a blockbuster for the anniversary instead of 3 relatively uninteresting games:
User Faemsa is not bothered by the games, but by the timing: “NBA2K20 would be a good upgrade for me and Tomb Raider (which I have already completed) is a great game! So it is great that you all can enjoy it. It’s a pretty solid month, but as a 10th anniversary? The end of the console generation? I expected a month with an AAA exclusive title like GOW, HZD (which I also own, but would have been more fitting). The previous months (in which nothing was celebrated) had those blockbuster games.”
SmtNocturneDante is bothered by the nature of the anniversary: “I really didn’t like how they celebrated the 10th year, I also didn’t know they would give a free theme for the celebration, but that’s not even remotely enough. There should have been a good selection of games that hadn’t been on sale recently.”
These are the positive reactions: But not everyone in the community sees the games so negatively. For example, user Sisco98 writes:
So, Erica, this is the birthday surprise. I am happy with it, I have been watching it for a while, but haven’t bought it – thankfully.
How does the overall opinion look? Observing the comments under various articles and on reddit, it becomes clear that a majority of users are dissatisfied with PlayStation Plus’s anniversary selection.
There is a heated debate over NBA 2K20 and Tomb Raider, while the thriller game Erica is barely noticed. The game relies on real film footage instead of video sequences using the graphics engine. It was surprisingly released at Gamescom 2019.
More games for your PS4? Are you looking for exciting games to keep you entertained over the summer months? The Midyear Sale has started in the PS Store. We present you the 10 best games of the Midyear Sale 2020 and reveal which games are particularly worth it. And the best part: You don’t need to be a subscriber for the offers.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Pokémon GO, the next big feature should be the invitations to raids. Now, Niantic is surprisingly postponing this adjustment.
This feature is about: A few weeks ago, Niantic announced the raid invitations. This will allow you to invite friends to raids who are not nearby. They can then participate via a remote raid pass.
More than the announcement happened initially, but then nothing else came. It went quiet around the feature. Now, Niantic has announced that raid invitations will not be appearing for the time being.
No raid invitations this month
This is what Niantic says: Niantic spoke up on Twitter, stating that we will not receive raid invitations this month for the time being.
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As a reason, they mention technical difficulties that prevent the launch in June.
Furthermore, they state that they are working on a later release date and will share this date soon on their channels.
What does this mean? In our interview with Niantic , the developers mentioned that remote raids will play a significant role during the GO Fest. Invitations to such raids would surely have been a good option there. Now it is questionable whether these invitations will be in the game by the end of July – after all, the GO Fest starts then.
Moreover, this will likely annoy many trainers. Especially during the Corona times, many players worldwide wish to still participate in raids with their friends. While there is the option for remote raids, it only works if you can see the gym in the vicinity. For many trainers, this new feature did not help much. Raid invitations would have improved things significantly.
What happens next? For now, we have to manage without the invitations. The program in the next few weeks offers plenty to do.
Before the GO Fest, a three-week event marathon awaits us. There are new special research tasks to solve, and more shinies will be added to the game. So, we can tackle many tasks in the coming weeks even without raid invitations.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Genre: MMORPG | Developer: Round 8 Studio| Publisher: Neowiz, Bandai Namco | Platform: PC, Xbox One | Release: 13.03.2020 (Xbox), Spring 2021 (PC)
The action MMORPG Bless Unleashed is currently only available for the Xbox One console. However, the release for PC has finally been announced, and it is coming to Steam. Find out why PC players can look forward to it and why Bless Unleashed should not be associated with the unsuccessful Bless Online in this exclusive interview between MeinMMO and the developers.
What kind of game is it? Bless Unleashed is an open-world action MMORPG set in the world of the failed MMORPG Bless Online. The online role-playing game features contemporary graphics with the Unreal 4 engine and a sophisticated action combat system.
You can choose from up to five classes and chain your skills into devastating combos. There is also open-world PvP in certain zones.
Fast-paced action battles in a colorful world – This is Bless Unleashed.
Until now, all of this was only available on Xbox One, as Bless Unleashed was released in March 2020 only for this console. However, this is set to change with the upcoming PC port:
When will Bless Unleashed be released on Steam? The release for PC has been announced for spring 2021.
Will there be crossplay between Xbox One and PC? Not at launch, but possibly later.
And there are many more questions about the “new” game. What does it have to do with the unsuccessful and now-defunct Bless Online? And what has been optimized for the PC release?
These and many other questions were posed by us from the MeinMMO team to Koven Park, the Development Lead of Bless Unleashed.
Koven Park is the developer lead of Bless Unleashed
The differences between the console and PC versions
MeinMMO: When will Bless Unleashed come to PC, and can you tell us more about the financial model of Bless Unleashed? Will it be on Steam?
Koven Park: It will launch as a free-to-play game on Steam in early 2021. The game will also be accessible through the official Bless Unleashed website.
MeinMMO: What are the strengths of Bless Unleashed, and what distinguishes it from other MMORPGs even in 2020?
Koven Park: Bless Unleashed was developed with a strong emphasis on implementing intuitive action combat and open-world content. Therefore, I believe the greatest feature of Bless Unleashed is that you can grasp actions at a glance and perform fun combos that are not possible in other MMORPGs with tab-targeting.
Another strength is that it is built on an open-world basis to present content that is based on exploring the vast world.
I also want to mention the Union content as a unique feature. A Union is a group with a strong bond that can bring together users with the same inclinations. This content benefits players who want to fight, protect, and explore in the game according to their individual preferences.
MeinMMO: Why did you say you wanted to bring the game not only to Xbox One but also to PC? Wasn’t it primarily tailored for console players?
Koven Park: It is true that we developed the game from the beginning with a focus on consoles. Many Xbox users responded positively and loved it, but in some cases, PC users expressed their dissatisfaction that it was only available on Xbox. I think the main reason is that we wanted more users to enjoy our game regardless of the platform.
With our special expertise for the console, I gained confidence that the PC version could also be successful with the same action. So we tried to implement the operation and action that we had as a goal not only with the gamepad but also with a combination of keyboard and mouse. So far, the results are satisfying.
MeinMMO: What are the main differences between the console and PC versions?
Koven Park: The content does not differ between the console and PC versions. However, it may differ in player experience.
The biggest difference is that PC specifications can have more flexibility than the fixed standard specification of the console.
Since the optimization, such as the frame affected by the action ability, has already been tailored to the console, the PC can utilize a configuration that allows for smoother gameplay.
The second major aspect is the difference between the display of the PC and the console. When creating the console version, there were settings that took into account the distance from the TV.
However, with the PC version, I thought there are factors where users might feel uncomfortable when the display comes closer. Through the above consideration, a wide range of applications, such as wide monitor support, adjustment of character camera distances, UI, etc., have been applied to the PC version.
MeinMMO: Does the PC port include a larger content update, and if so, what can we expect from it?
Koven Park: Of course! Bless Unleashed will continuously receive larger updates. In addition to content that improves quality of life and world dynamics, such as a fishing system or more notable field bosses and elite monsters that will increase with each new field.
We plan to develop dungeons for 10 players and elite dungeons and keep the original story up to date. In the case of the major XB1 update “Saurin’s Deception,” the high expectations of users regarding the number of innovations and quality improvements have been met.
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The atmospheric announcement trailer for the PC version of Bless Unleashed.
Bless Unleashed has nothing to do with the failed Bless Online
MeinMMO: In retrospect, the PC launch of Bless Online is viewed rather critically in the West. Do you as the team behind Bless Unleashed feel that you faced strong headwinds from the beginning, even if perhaps undeserved?
Koven Park: I would like to take this opportunity to mention that Bless Unleashed is a completely different game from Bless Online. Bless Unleashed is being developed by a new development team that previously worked on projects such as Monster Hunter. And unlike Bless Online, we listen closely to our players.
We are committed to providing a gaming service where our users come first. From the moment of announcement (now) and even after the start of live service, we promise to provide a gaming service that will also satisfy those who were disappointed by Bless Online.
We will also hold a closed beta and do our best to invite as many players who played Bless Online as possible. I strongly recommend experiencing the unique and exciting open world of Bless Unleashed directly.
The current team of Bless Unleashed has nothing to do with the failed Bless Online.
MeinMMO: What would you like to say to all the people who hesitate to play Bless Unleashed because the name is burdened by the first PC version Bless Online?
Koven Park: First of all, I would like to apologize for the disappointing result of Bless Online a few years ago. Unfortunately, Bless Unleashed shares the same world and some locations and characters. But it is a completely different game produced by a different studio. In fact, the Bless IP is also being used for the development of other mobile games.
I would appreciate it if people could perceive Unleashed as a different game from Bless Online. We initially brought together developers who were familiar with action (projects like Monster Hunter, etc.) and gradually redeveloped small aspects to improve the problems of the existing MMORPG.
We hope that users who have not yet come into contact with the game will feel that Unleashed is a different game as soon as they experience and enjoy it directly.
MeinMMO: How can we imagine the development of Bless Unleashed? Did you discover a lot of potential for a fresh start while developing Bless?
Koven Park: As I said before, I cannot say anything more about BO because it was produced by another studio. Therefore, I would rather talk about the development of Unleashed.
Bless Unleashed is a project that has been thought about a lot from the beginning and in which a lot of time has been invested. Why do we feel so much tension and pressure when fighting a boss? The rigid frame we have for attacks and hits, the arrangement of UI/UX relative to distance from the screen, the graphical implementation of spatial perception, all of this required a lot of consideration and effort.
I have been developing large projects for a long time, but the Unleashed development team has worked with such extraordinary passion that I believe users will understand their sincerity.
Bless Unleashed focuses on wild, dynamic action, not tab-targeting like the old Bless.
MeinMMO: What are the biggest differences from Bless Online? Testers have said that the performance on the console is surprisingly good and the game looks quite good for that. What have you improved here compared to Bless Online?
Koven Park: Instead of comparing our game to BO, I would rather talk about the charm of Unleashed. I would prefer to explain more about the action, which is the greatest strength of Bless Unleashed.
Conventional MMORPG combat is typically games where skills are executed with targeting. You play by locking the target, looking at the effects on the ground, or observing the status and UI of other players. However, Bless Unleashed is an MMO where action is at the forefront. A game where you determine the combos while observing or dodging the actions of the monsters.
On this basis, the entire combat against monsters and the dungeon content has been redesigned. Many aspects of the game are completely different, such as combat design, the combo system, etc.
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This is what the gameplay of Bless Unleashed on Xbox One looks like.
More about the story, endgame, and solo viability
MeinMMO: How long does the leveling and story phase take, and can you say something about what this phase looks like?
Koven Park: The story of Bless Unleashed is fundamentally based on the conflict and conspiracy story between God and his followers and those who oppose God. We tried to make it as real as possible for the users so they can become one with the characters in the game and experience the story of the world.
We wanted to delve into the story of Carzacor, to show the villains who caused the catastrophe, and to make the world feel alive through the stories of the darkness and the people living in it. The broad context of the story is based on heroes hunting down the villains who have ruined the world.
So far, the simple text for the story will contain more than half a million words of story, and it will continue to grow as we constantly update the story and the stories of the characters within it.
The world of Bless is colorful and full of fantastic creatures.
MeinMMO: Long-term motivation is a critical factor for the success of an MMORPG. Can you describe what the endgame looks like at the moment?
Koven Park: The continuous development and growth of characters and items over a long period is essential. In addition to this basic structure, we will further expand the growth area to achieve a higher motivation for continued play. Our development team refers to this goal as “growth shock.”
Once a certain growth level is reached, the appearance of your hero will change drastically. In the same way, content will continue to be added for characters that have changed enough to be affected by this growth. The goal is to continuously offer challenging content, such as dimensional rifts, monster arenas, mythical dungeons, etc.
MeinMMO: Please explain the “growth shock” again in more detail.
Koven Park: The term “growth shock” is mainly used internally at the studio. It essentially places the character in a different perspective upon reaching a certain level, providing players with a different progression style than before.
And when players reach the “growth shock” stage, we add challenges and content to further motivate them in the game.
MeinMMO: Do you feel that the way people play MMORPGs has changed over the years? And if so, have you had to adapt to that, and how?
Koven Park: To meet current trends, we have made changes to content that were originally large or required multiple players. These are now more casual and can be utilized with fewer players or even solo.
A main type of such content is the battle against field bosses. Although multiple players can gather to fight a large and threatening boss in the field, it is also quite possible for solo players to engage. The fight against the field boss begins when multiple players gather, and all participating users will be rewarded.
It’s casual and immediate as players can gather and part ways as they please, and players can experience many adventures by simply exploring the game field.
Such bosses often bring players together.
MeinMMO: Can you tell us what the biggest changes have been since the release of Bless Unleashed on Xbox One?
Koven Park: While there has been quantitative growth, such as the addition of 8 dungeons along with other content, the biggest change in providing the game for Xbox One users has been the balance in the early to mid-areas of the game and updates that reduced the stress associated with upgrading items.
The development team is working hard to communicate and synchronize with our players to make the game more enjoyable.
Fights experience the most changes and will continue to evolve. There are further plans to significantly change the player progress changes, which we consider the core of the combat system.
This could include adding a new class, expanding and evolving unique abilities, class switching, and Bless upgrades. We plan to give each class more individuality by strengthening future abilities while expanding growth motivations.
What are Blessings? In Bless Unleashed, Blessings refer to passive bonuses that you unlock throughout the game. This allows you to better tailor your hero to your individual play style. For example, there is a Blessing that grants you significantly more hit points. Ideal for building a particularly tough tank or making a DPS class a bit less fragile.
MeinMMO: What are the “additional features” besides typical dungeons and PvP content that players can invest their time in? And will there be housing?
Koven Park: There is no housing per se, but a settlement system in Bless Unleashed. Players can gather field workers in their personal estate to craft items and tame mounts.
There is a variety of content located in the fields and throughout the world of Bless Unleashed. For example: field bosses, elite monster hunting, invasion quests that trigger events in specific regions, and prestige quests linked with a variety of powers and connections. Finally, there are life skill-related contents, such as “superior gathering.” This is in addition to fishing, gathering, and mining, allowing users to compete with other users for powerful gathering materials.
Through content distributed across the world, players can naturally evolve and compete with each other.
Many contents of Bless Unleashed can also be completed solo.
“Bless Unleashed can also be played as a single player game”
Koven Park: Compared to the time when MMO games were new, things are now more individual and different from when a large group of over 40 players would perfectly work together to complete raids.
However, the downside of this has already been highlighted in earlier MMO games, where even in these games, the number of players required for each content was reduced.
According to the preferences of current players, Bless Unleashed can also be played as a single-player game. However, this does not mean that everything can be completed from start to finish alone.
Even though Bless Unleashed can be played alone, it will be easier to experience multiple contents with other players. Regarding dungeons, there are also arenas for two players in addition to dungeons for 5 players, where players can casually participate.
This is what PvP looks like in Bless Unleashed
MeinMMO: What does PvP look like in Bless Unleashed? Many PvE enthusiasts fear unfair PvP or grief play. We’ve read that you want to make PvP fairer. What does that mean, and would you say Bless Unleashed can only be played in PvE?
Koven Park: I think I can answer both of the above questions with the following explanation. The open-world PvP system in Bless Unleashed is governed by a “Fame” system. To illustrate: a player who kills several players without reason gains “Notoriety,” but gains an advantage in attack power once a certain value is reached.
With increasing notoriety, the player can also be attacked by other players first. Players who kill notorious players gain honor and boosts in return for protecting other players.
Players who are not interested in maintaining this system can use safe zones or the peace declaration, which states they do not play PvP. This allows them to completely avoid PvP for a certain time.
In the open world, PvP can occur in certain zones.
MeinMMO: It sounds like you can only escape PvP for a certain time. Is there a way to avoid PvP entirely? And what exactly is the “peace declaration” about?
Koven Park: There are “Safe Zones” and “Contested Zones” in the world of Bless Unleashed. “Safe Zones” are areas where PvP cannot occur, while “Contested Zones” are areas where players are open to PvP against other players.
A “peace declaration” is an item that protects the user after a certain period of time, even while they are in the “Contested Zones,” essentially making them immune to PvP for a specific duration. The item can be freely acquired.
Who should play Bless Unleashed, and what’s next?
MeinMMO: What types of MMORPG players do you appeal to with Bless Unleashed?
Koven Park: While this may just be the ideal of the development team, we want to include all types of users who play MMORPGs. We believe there are 3 main types of MMORPG players:
Adventurer: An independent player who enjoys exploring the world, collecting, and crafting.
Guardian: A player who prefers to be in a group, enjoys PvE with others, collaborates with other players, and fights bosses.
Destroyer: A player who enjoys PvP and competitive advantages. Only victories satisfy them.
Unions were created to satisfy these groups of players, and when users reach a certain level in the world, they can join one of the three Unions.
The Union, which is much larger than a guild, is a community of users with the same inclinations who receive benefits for doing what they please without having to participate compulsorily in aspects they do not want to engage in, such as battlegrounds, dungeons, or field content. We also plan content like competitions between Unions and later world events.
These are Unions: The Unions are a mix of social meeting points and factions. There are three of them in the game. Each caters to PvE players, PvP fans, or crafting enthusiasts:
– Sentinels: Enhance survival chances in PvE – Artisans Society: Allow better crafting – Court of Ravens: Offer advantages in PvP
In the Unions, you can experience special quests and team up with like-minded players.
MeinMMO: Some players wish that guilds and social features play a more significant role in Bless Unleashed. It could provide more benefits to be in one. Do you have plans to improve this?
Koven Park: Guild achievements, guild contributions, and guild growth have been added through the latest update. We plan to continuously add benefits through content such as a supply room and guild missions, as well as content among communities.
Bless Unleashed offers a large world to explore and is continuously expanding.
MeinMMO: Can you give us a special insight into the future of Bless Unleashed?
Koven Park: We are preparing a diverse and aggressive update through long- and short-term plans. We hope that Bless Unleashed will be recognized in the PC MMORPG market as an open-world MMORPG with fun action. I hope many players will enjoy the game!
MeinMMO: Okay, last question: Based on your data from the last few months, is there a feature that surprised you by how popular it is with players?
Koven Park: There was an early prologue that contained a lot of story. However, in the early stages of the game, players told us they wanted to skip the prologue. So we added the option to skip the prologue.
However, it turned out that players who did not skip it played the game much longer in the end than those who did skip it. In general, the biggest dilemma in MMORPG creation is the low preference for storylines, with the focus often on combat or progression, which is why this was an unexpected outcome.
We will stick to our original goals and focus on the importance of details, as we know that the story, combat, and other systems are important parts of the game.
MeinMMO: Thank you for the interview!
Finally, a new action MMORPG for PC!
I have to admit that after the huge disappointment with Bless Online, I had no real desire to deal with the Bless IP anymore. And since Bless Unleashed was initially only available for the Xbox One, I was even less interested as a pure PC player.
But with the announcement of the PC launch, I became curious. Because I can’t stand the outdated tab-targeting system in many MMORPGs and much prefer to swing my weapon freely and unrestrained to sweep my enemies away with combos, AoE, and skill shots.
All of this seems to be finally possible in Bless Unleashed on PC. Since I have always liked the colorful art style of Bless (there are even cat people!), a game in this world with a fast-paced and dynamic action combat system suits me just fine. Let’s just hope that the new developers will have more success with Bless Unleashed than the old team had with Bless Online.
Jürgen Horn Editor at MeinMMO
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
