On Friday, June 19, 2020, the “Bilbo Baggins” actor Ian Holm passed away. To pay tribute to him, dozens of players gathered in Lord of the Rings Online and recreated Bilbo’s last journey to Rivendell, among other things, or performed songs for him.
Who was Ian Holm? Sir Ian Holm Cuthbert was an actor from the United Kingdom. His most well-known role was that of Bilbo Baggins in the legendary “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy by Peter Jackson, based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien.
In his role as Bilbo, he is a childhood hero and an iconic character for many fans of “Lord of the Rings,” who shaped their past.
Holm passed away on Friday, June 19, 2020, in London. According to Wikipedia, he had been suffering from Parkinson’s for several years prior. He was 88 years old. The title image shows him in his role as Bilbo Baggins in “The Lord of the Rings” and is from Filmstarts.de.
Players visit Bilbo, LOTRO hosts event
This is how players pay tribute: In the MMORPG Lord of the Rings Online, which is based on the famous story, several players gathered after the news of Holm’s death to pay their last respects.
Dozens have gathered in Hobbiton, Bilbo’s old home. A video shows them gathering around the fireplace of the small house, listening to a dwarven bard sing. Afterwards, they celebrate in Hobbiton with fireworks:
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On Twitter, other users shared how they gathered in or around Hobbiton to wish Holm a “good journey to the West” with songs. Similarly emotional, players in the MMORPG ESO honored a deceased fellow player and even helped to create a monument for him.
Some other players even made the journey in honor of Bilbo. About 300 players apparently spontaneously traveled from Hobbiton to Rivendell, where in LOTRO today the NPC Bilbo Baggins can still be met. Bilbo embarks on this journey in the first film “The Fellowship of the Ring” and is met there by the Fellowship of the Ring in the third part “The Return of the King”.
In the corresponding thread on reddit, fans wish Ian Holm a good journey and express their emotions about the action that took place so spontaneously:
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This is what the developers are doing: Shortly after the news of Holm’s death, the developers launched an event in his honor (via Twitter). Until June 23, players can still celebrate “Baggins’ Birthday.” Many fans support this action.
Meanwhile, the developers of Mordhau have set up a grave with a tombstone and hat for the deceased YouTuber TotalBiscuit. In both cases, however, the connection of the deceased to the game is not as significant as it currently is in Lord of the Rings Online. Holm’s role as Bilbo Baggins will certainly remain a strong childhood memory for many players for a long time.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Some Diablo-3 accounts were banned or temporarily closed in the last few hours due to cheats. Players notice the effect immediately in the leaderboard of Season 20.
What is this ban wave about? In the Blizzard forum, the announcement of a ban wave in Diablo 3 is making the rounds. On Friday evening, June 19, Community Manager PezRadar wrote there:
“Just to confirm what some have already seen …
Yes, many Diablo-3 accounts were closed or suspended this morning due to cheating. As you know, we hardly comment on these specific penalties, except to confirm that they have taken place.” (via Blizzard Forums)
An exact number of how many cheaters have been banned or will be banned is not available. All we know from Blizzard is that it affected “many”. Whether that means hundreds or thousands is unclear.
This is why cheaters are hit so hard right now: On March 13, 2020, the current Season 20 started. The season has already been running for over 3 months. It is likely that some cheaters started gaining advantages early in this season with bots, map hacks, or other modifications.
The fact that Blizzard is only now banning them on a larger scale hits them all the harder. Because they could have already invested many hundreds of hours into the season. And all that time has suddenly been in vain. And just before the big goal: The end of Season 20.
Many of these fraudsters do this to be at the top or at least far ahead in the rankings at the end of the season. Just a few hours before reaching that goal, their dream was shattered. Today, June 21, Season 20 of Diablo 3 ends.
Presumably, such a ban wave with this timing serves as a deterrent for the future. Because in the next season, cheaters might think twice: Is it worth cheating for months only to lose everything just before the end of the season?
Why is this important for you? Positive news for players who are working their way up the seasonal leaderboard legitimately. For these players, it is fair that the cheaters have now been removed from the rankings because this allows the “honest” players to continue climbing the leaderboard. Thus, they might still make it into the top 100 before the end of the season.
Effects visible in the leaderboard
What the players say: There are now positive feedback from active Diablo-3 players on reddit. User DiabloGuilds is happy that he was still in 99th place in the hardcore seasonal leaderboard with his Barbarian this morning.
Hours later, he already reached rank 95 without achieving a better time in the Greater Nephalem Rift. (via reddit) His rank improved because apparently cheaters were removed from the leaderboard and made room.
User ISUAdmissions thanks Blizzard on reddit. “This had a big effect on the rankings,” he writes. With his Demon Hunter, he is now in the top 300, with his Crusader in the top 750, and with his Barbarian in the top 800. (via reddit)
An insight into the leaderboard of the best Barbarians from Season 20 in Softcore (EU) – Status: 21.06.2020 – 13:17 Uhr
So it is quite possible that your rankings have also improved in the last few days.
A certain weapon is currently making life difficult for many players in Call of Duty: Warzone: the Grau 5.56. Previously, even professionals have demanded that it be nerfed. This seems to be the case for the mid-season update.
What is the problem with it? The Grau quickly became one of the top weapons shortly after its introduction and is currently among the most popular assault rifles alongside the M4A1 in both Warzone and many of the multiplayer modes of Modern Warfare.
One of the greatest strengths of the weapon is that it can even do without a scope due to a specific barrel (ArchAngel) because the iron sights are already so precise. With the right attachments, you can even build an “OP setup” that makes it even more powerful.
What the boss says: The boss of Modern Warfare, Joe Cecot, has now addressed the topic on Twitter. A player complained and asked when the Grau would finally be nerfed. 90% of the killcams showed this weapon. Cecot responded:
“We have a batch of weapon tuning in the works for the mid season update. The patch notes will outline when they drop.”
We have a batch of weapon tuning in the works for the mid season update. Patch notes will outline when they drop 🙂 https://t.co/QlaTguFOLJ
While he does not directly address the Grau, he responds to a tweet concerning the assault rifle. Many fans now assume that the Grau nerf is coming.
When is the nerf coming? So far, there is no specific date for the nerf. However, Cecot mentions the “mid-season update”. As the name suggests, it comes in the middle of the season. The currently ongoing Season 4 of Modern Warfare started on June 11 and is expected to end around August 4. Therefore, the middle of the season would be the first week of July. A Grau nerf is therefore possible in the coming weeks.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Genre: Battle Royale| Developer: Pearl Abyss| Platform: PC (Steam)|Page:Shadow Arena on Steam | Early Access Release: 05.21.2020
The MMORPG Black Desert offers its own Battle Royale mode: Shadow Arena. It has been in free Early Access on Steam since May 2020. To learn a bit more about the new and unique game, MeinMMO author Benedict Grothaus conducted an interview with Executive Producer Kwangsam Kim to discuss the future of Shadow Arena.
Among all the new Battle Royales that have dominated and sometimes flooded the market in recent years, some stand out. One of these exceptional games is Shadow Arena, which lays a Battle Royale rule set over the PvP component of the MMORPG Black Desert, creating a unique experience.
As part of “Find Your Next Game“, I spoke with the head of the new game. During this conversation, I learned interesting information about the development and future of Shadow Arena as well as the role of players in all of this.
What is Shadow Arena? The Battle Royale Shadow Arena takes a unique approach by combining role-playing elements from (MMO)RPGs with the Battle Royale rule set. When I asked Kim how the game differs from others in the genre, he replied:
“The action and gameplay of Shadow Arena are very close to that of fighting games, combined with MOBA-like skills, and everything takes place in a beautiful 3D environment. Shadow Arena combines nearly all combat mechanics you see in PvP games, such as distance, timing, combos, quick and precise aiming, and the need to make strategic predictions.”
Indeed, it is difficult to describe the game differently. Unlike classics like PUBG or newcomers like Warzone , it does not revolve around military shooting. Shadow Arena builds on RPG elements, similar to Realm Royale (which, however, was not an inspiration, as Kim informs me).
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A round in Shadow Arena: This is what the Battle Royale gameplay looks like
“Shadow Arena is its own genre”
How does Shadow Arena differ from other games? Unlike most current Battle Royales, Shadow Arena does not have a shooter as its basis, but an MMORPG, and one of the largest in recent years.
This means that players do not start a round with the same conditions, but play characters – as in an RPG. Currently, 10 characters are available, each having its own abilities, strengths, and weaknesses that differ significantly more from one another than, for example, the legends in Apex Legends.
Each hero has its roots in different game genres. We cannot say that it is a generic Battle Royale. It is a distilled form of RPG mixed with many other elements.
I believe Shadow Arena is its own genre because nothing can be compared to it.
These heroes are intentionally very different. Each hero has their strengths and weaknesses, Kim explains to me, and that is their way of balancing. If a hero appears too strong, their weakness is made more severe to take away some of their strength.
The heroes are designed to correspond to specific genres:
Fans of fighting games may enjoy Badal. His playstyle is based on strong melee combos that can be punished if not executed correctly.
For shooter fans, Orwen is more suitable. As an archer, she operates with ranged shots that need to hit well, while she is virtually unprotected in close combat.
This approach of specialized heroes is preferred by Kim over making all characters uniform.
What is the best thing about the game? The system with the heroes seems to work. As Kim tells me, the balanced matches are what players enjoy the most:
“It is the competition between players at a similar skill level and the feeling of victory after winning a match. Once you manage to win, you will fall in love with this game.”
Kwangsam Kim, the Executive Producer of Shadow Arena.
How is Shadow Arena doing? In the last 30 days, an average of 1,023 players have played Shadow Arena on Steam, with a peak of 4,948 players (via steamcharts, as of June 15). The reviews on Steam currently sit at 51% positive and are “mixed”.
Since Shadow Arena is still in development, a lot is expected to change. Particularly the points that players currently criticize are what the developers aim to fix as quickly as possible.
Since the start of Early Access, Shadow Arena has two major issues that currently take the highest priority: balancing and technical problems. These are some of the reasons why players rate Shadow Arena negatively on Steam, resulting in the game currently sitting at 51% positive ratings. When Kim answers the question about these ratings and how that should look different in the future, he states that both should be improved in the near future:
If we look at the comments, we have seen issues with lags, hacking, and balance. The price of the DLC was also a factor. Unfortunately, we don’t have a magic bullet that solves all problems at once, but we will use the Early Access period to fix everything as quickly as possible. In the first weeks, we put a lot of effort into improving the lag and minimizing the hacking while adjusting our heroes twice a week. For the DLC and cosmetics, we are considering lowering prices or even offering them for free.
One problem with this, however, is that player feedback often contradicts itself, especially regarding balance. While it helps that the team conducts tests themselves, with each update they collect more feedback and reimplement it.
Orwen, one of the heroines. Where she seems too strong to some players, she might be too weak for others.
Kim is confident that the balance issue will soon be resolved, as Shadow Arena receives updates twice a week and is not afraid to roll back updates if they don’t work. “That is basically our motto.”
The future and release of Shadow Arena – More than just Battle Royale
What else will be released before the launch? Shadow Arena is expected to grow bigger in the near future. Still in 2020, the developers plan to introduce 10 more heroes, as Kim tells me, so by the end of the year, 20 playable characters should be available.
Shadow Arena will have even more playable characters. Here: A screenshot with Haru
Additionally, a new map and a completely new mode that will not be based on the rules of Battle Royale, as well as a tournament mode with special tournament rules, will be introduced. There is just no exact time yet, as the coronavirus crisis also affects Pearl Abyss, “but we are working hard to prevent a delay in the schedule.”
For 2021, new features and expansions are planned. These are expected to come at a “more aggressive pace”.
What are the developers focusing on for the future: So far, there are no further ideas about where things might go in the next five years. It depends too much on what the community wants:
To be honest, it is very difficult to say because our planned direction depends on player feedback. We have many things prepared and a basic direction that we want to pursue, but continuous updates based on user feedback can take us to completely different places. If the game ends up being more fun in an originally unplanned direction, then we will gladly follow that path.
However, Kim mentions elsewhere that Esports is an important point for the game when it comes to balancing different modes, solo and duo. But this will probably take a bit longer.
Combos are an important aspect of combat. Those who want to excel must learn to master them.
When will Shadow Arena be released? There is no release date yet. Kim told me: “As soon as we are satisfied with the quality and the amount of content for Shadow Arena, we will be ready for launch.” So it remains to be seen how long Early Access will last.
Tips for getting started
Finally, I asked Kim for some tips for beginners in Shadow Arena. If you liked the idea of the game and its future plans, the head himself has a few suggestions for you to ease your entry:
“First, basic attacks can interrupt an opponent’s combo. You can’t just use any skill when you are close to the opponent because it gets nullified. You have to think first about which skill to use as long as you are not in range. Once you get closer, try to figure out your opponent’s timing and use your basic attack to counter their skill.
Second, to get more items and skill points, you need to attract the attention of monsters because it is much more effective to kill them in groups rather than individually. RPG players will know what I mean.
Third, in Shadow Arena, it’s about chaining combos. Combos have crowd control effects like stuns. While the opponent cannot move or defend, you can attack them with another combo. So it is important to learn and experiment with them. The AI mode is perfect for that. Basic combos all start with a kick (F).
And to squeeze in another tip: If you are in danger, do not hesitate to use your blink or ‘Dark Shift’ as the skill recharges quite quickly. It is actually better than using your survival skills or your initial elixir of speed.”
One of the great features of Shadow Arena: Monsters in PvE to gain skill points and items.
Who is Shadow Arena suitable for? In principle, Shadow Arena is worth a look for anyone who enjoys playing Battle Royale and is looking for a new approach within the genre, but also for MMORPG players who place a high value on the PvP aspect in their games.
Shadow Arena differs significantly from other Battle Royales and should therefore not be directly compared with them. Anyone who generally prefers MMOs or MMORPGs might find an interesting variety of game modes here.
Kim told me that players of Shadow Arena come from many different genres. Many come from MMOs, but also MOBA, FPS, Battle Royale and fighting game fans are among them.
Pro
Unique approach to the Battle Royale genre
MMORPG as a basis, not a shooter
Specialized heroes with their own strengths and weaknesses for every playstyle
Cool combo system
Big plans for Early Access and release
Contra
Pay2Win allegations, as already seen with Black Desert
Possibly too ambitious
Feedback could lead to the player base becoming smaller and eventually dying out
Potential: High
The approach of linking Battle Royale, heroes, and RPG with the classic rule set is something I have personally wished for in a deeper form since the early days of Realm Royale – and Shadow Arena could fill that gap.
The mechanics are unique, the graphics are great, and the PvE aspect of slaying monsters to level up is just the “cherry on top” for me in a Battle Royale game.
However, there is one catch: Whether Shadow Arena will become as good as I envision depends heavily on how it develops. If pricing policies and balancing improve a bit, while the approach with specialized heroes and their strengths and weaknesses is further deepened, it would be the right direction for me. If it goes more in the direction that Realm Royale later pursued, I would prefer to stay with the competition. After all, some decisions there already caused a massive drop after a strong rise.
It now depends on which direction Shadow Arena develops and what feedback players give. In the best case, it will become a true gem of the genre with a unique approach. In the worst case, it will fade into obscurity and be forgotten.
Benedict Grothaus Freelance author at MeinMMO
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Summer is starting soon in the survival MMO ARK: Survival Evolved with the Summer Bash event. Expect new Chibis, strong bonuses, cool skins, and more.
What’s happening in ARK: Studio Wildcard is soon launching the Summer Event “Summer Bash” for the second time this year in ARK: Survival Evolved. Previously, it was known to players as the “4th of July Event”.
The festivities run from June 25 to July 14 and bring, in addition to the typical event bonuses, 5 new Chibi-Dinos, 11 skins, and further innovations.
What’s in the Summer Event “Summer Bash” 2020
Duration of the event:
Starts on June 25, 2020
Ends on July 14, 2020
Chibi Pets:
Manta
Ammonite
Cnidaria
Plesiosaur
Astrocetus
Strong bonuses:
3x Breeding Speed
3x Player Experience
3x Harvesting Speed
3x Taming Speed
New Emotes:
Guitar Riff
Drum Solo
Headbanger
Cool Skins:
4 new Hawaiian shirt skins
3 new swimsuit skins
Spatula skin themed for BBQ-grilling for the drumstick
Frisbee skin for the boomerang
1 sunglasses skin with customizable lenses
Super Soaker water gun skin for the flamethrower
Event Colors for your Dinos:
Dino Dark Blue
Red
White
Dino Sky Blue
Dark Red
Blue
Light Gray
Cream
Camouflage
Orange
Light Blue Green
Dark Blue
Yellow-Lime Colors
Peach Colors
Coral Colors
How to get the Chibi-Dinos: You can find 5 new Chibi-Dinos during the Summer Bash event. This includes the Space Whale from Genesis Part One. Wildcard has not revealed how to obtain the Chibis at this time. In the first Summer Bash event 2019, all items could be obtained with cooked meat. However, this year, there has been no mention of that so far.
How the community is reacting: On the official site, the event is receiving positive feedback in the comments. Players are celebrating the bright colors and the new Chibis.
User ladyteruki says: “Bright colors, musical emotes, new Chibis (Astrocetus) … Man, this is the kind of event that could go on all year!”
User TheBlueBlaze007 is also excited: “Sounds like a good event. I’m looking forward to it!”
The event starts on June 25, and Studio Wildcard will surely release more information and an engaging trailer around the launch. The event and bonuses will make players especially happy who are new to ARK due to the now-concluded free promotion on the Epic Store.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Twitch streamer “SayNoToRage” has now been declared by Bungie as a person they no longer wish to work with. He is one of the largest streamers for the shooter Destiny 2. However, there have been several allegations from women against him: The streamer has sexually harassed them at gaming events.
This is the Twitch channel of SayNoToRage: The streamer has 184,153 followers on Twitch. He is primarily a streamer of Destiny 2. Last year, he streamed nearly 2000 hours. On average, he has 1178 viewers.
Because he streams so consistently, SayNoToRage is currently the third-largest streamer for Destiny 2. Only PvP specialist GernaderJake and PvE expert Gladd have achieved more viewed hours than him in the last 90 days.
The streamer is married and has a daughter and a son.
The 5 largest streamers for Destiny 2 in the last 90 days.
Streamer plays The Last of Us 2: Memories resurface
These are the allegations: In recent days, several women have said on Twitter that the streamer sexually harassed them or described other uncomfortable experiences with him.
It was triggered by a statement from the streamer JewelsVerne.
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In her stream, playing “The Last of Us 2” seemingly brought back a memory. She reported on Twitch about a sexual harassment incident involving SayNoToRage. This prompted other women to also share their encounters:
The Destiny streamer Jewels Verne says she once played a whole card game with one hand on her leg and was later asked for sex – that was Lono. The incident occurred in 2017
Another Destiny streamer, Sarah Daniels, says she was pressured by him and felt uncomfortable (via twitter)
The Destiny streamer SheSnaps writes that he messaged her after she donated to his Twitch channel. He insinuated that she worked in the sex industry and wanted to participate in a scene. Furthermore, he touched her hair during a meal and got too close to her at events like GuardianCon, essentially stalking her (via medium)
Many of the incidents appear to have occurred at gaming events, such as “Summits” or GamingCon. Bungie invites influencers to such events. The three women whose statements we are referencing are themselves Twitch streamers focusing on Destiny 2.
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Cozmo explains that they will never work with SayNoToRage again.
Bungie says they will never work with him again
This is Bungie’s response: The community manager of Bungie, Cozmo, stated that he is proud of the women in the Destiny community. Bungie hasn’t worked with Lono for a long time and will never do so again.
The communications head of Bungie, DeeJ, also spoke up and stated that they insist on creating a good environment. Those who do not meet these ideals will be removed from the guest list.
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This is the streamer’s reaction: The streamer initially released a video showing him next to his wife. In that, he apologized for his behavior, explained that he was in therapy to resolve deep-rooted issues, and also explained where these issues stemmed from: His girlfriend raped him when he was 16 years old (via dexerto).
However, he later deleted the video. He says he panicked and portrayed himself as a victim. That was not a good response.
In a new, longer video, SayNoToRage admits his guilt (via youtube). He says he realized two years ago the damage he was causing and the terrible life he was living. Afterwards, he sought therapy. His actions back then are inexcusable.
The streamer then elaborates on how he views the individual allegations in the video. He states that in his memory, he did not initiate any unwanted physical contact but that he behaved “far too comfortably” around others. He also admits to reaching for people’s hair. That was all wrong.
This is David “DeeJ” Dague. He is responsible for communication at Destiny.
The narratives make it clear that these incidents were apparently not “private” but occurred at gaming events like GuardianCon.
These are actually positive events where Bungie raises donations. They celebrate the game and the community. At the last GuardianCon, they raised hundreds of thousands of dollars:
MMORPGs are often incredibly vast and can be intimidating for new players. Which MMORPGs would you recommend for absolute beginners in the genre?
Do you remember how you entered your very first MMORPG? Not the cool moments, which were certainly plentiful, but the difficulties and frustrations.
MMORPGs are inherently large games where you often roam around with countless other people in the same online world. This can intimidate new players who have never had anything to do with MMORPGs or multiplayer games at all and may even discourage them from playing.
In MMORPG worlds, you are never alone, but have to share them with other players. In dungeons, PvP, or even in the auction house.
However, the game does not even have to be actively hard, as was often the case in the past. The sheer amount of information that one is confronted with in an MMORPG from the very beginning is very high. It can be easy to get lost.
Therefore, we want to know from you: Which of the currently trending MMORPGs should a total genre newbie start with? Which game is user-friendly and provides enough help that an inexperienced player can find their way? Or does an MMORPG have a particularly friendly community that helps newcomers? Let us know in the comments.
How can I vote? In the poll tool below, you can vote for the MMORPGs that you consider beginner-friendly. Each reader has 3 votes that they can allocate freely.
If you miss an MMORPG in the list below that you consider very beginner-friendly, let us know in the comments.
Destiny 2 will retire weapons after a certain time. What that exactly means can already be seen in some cases. And it’s already annoying, says MeinMMO shooter expert Sven Galtizki.
This means: Weapons (and armor) have a kind of expiration date. They can only be infused up to a certain power level. After that, you won’t be able to upgrade them anymore – in other words, after a certain point, they will no longer be usable for the endgame of Destiny 2 because they have too low a power level.
While new weapons are supposed to be coming, Bungie reserves the right to bring weapons out of retirement and make them relevant again.
Legendary weapons have a kind of expiration date
Sunsetting receives criticism: Some Guardians have no problem with this concept. Over the long term, it would mean always playing with new or different weapons. The “retirees” can also still be used effectively outside the endgame, where power level is not as critical or does not play a role.
However, there has also been a lot of criticism. That would be a slap in the face for those who have fought hard for weapons over several seasons – especially since Bungie repeatedly emphasizes that it respects players’ invested time.
On the other hand, there is concern that too few new weapons will be introduced and that Bungie will simply reuse old resources, forcing players to re-earn already known weapons – just with a new power level or slightly altered appearance.
This very point made me very skeptical. And there are now already initial signs in the Season 11 that support this fear.
The seasonal arsenal from Season 8
Weapon Retirement in Destiny 2 – Here’s a preview of the consequences
With the new season, it is clearly visible in some places how Destiny 2 handles weapons and what the “bringing back” of weapons looks like.
My favorite weapons are back, but I’m not really excited: On one hand, they are reusing old resources and bringing back weapons (and gear) that were very popular, but they still haven’t reached the new standard with random rolls and a slot for current weapon mods.
These include my absolute favorites among the legendary weapons – the IKELOS guns from the Escalation Protocol. The corresponding sniper, SMG, hand cannon, and shotgun still had the level of year 1 up until the Season of Arrival in year 3 of Destiny 2. Although the power level could be increased further, the rolls were fixed, and only mods from the first year were supported. In short: the weapons still looked cool visually, but were practically useless from a gameplay perspective.
The IKELOS Hand Cannon as “new” version
Now they are back in Season 11 – and indeed the entire range. You can no longer get them from the Escalation Protocol, but from the new dungeon “Prophecy” and from the new Contact event. The same weapons, the same appearance – just now with random rolls and support for current mods. Also, some other weapons and gear pieces from year 1, such as the original “Trials of the Nine” gear, are now available in this way.
And as much as I love these weapons, I am equally annoyed by this. Now I can dismantle my existing 4 masterwork versions and have to farm them all over again. There is no option to bring the already earned weapons up to date.
This is already extremely annoying in my opinion and everything but respectful toward the time I invested, but here I can still somewhat turn a blind eye. After all, the guns are now generally at the latest standard and not completely useless. I have wished for this for a long time.
The IKELOS weapons
But in another example, the consequences of sunsetting become even clearer, and I can no longer overlook that. Because what happens there worries me.
Grind for weapons that you basically already have one-to-one: Bungie makes players grind in Season 11 for some weapons that they basically already have one-to-one in their inventory.
The only difference between the guns is the maximum possible power level and a symbol in the upper left corner of the weapon icon. Everything else – both the possible rolls and the appearance or the names of the weapons are completely identical.
One of these weapons is the legendary auto rifle “Magenknurren”. This one was “newly introduced” in Season 11, now carries the seasonal emblem of the Season of Arrival and can be upgraded to power level 1360. But only if you find it now.
Magenknurren from Season 11
If you previously received the weapon with a good roll and perhaps even made it a masterwork, you are out of luck. Because it remains at the “old level” – meaning it has an old icon and can only be infused up to power level 1060. If you want to continue using it next summer, you will now have to re-earn this auto rifle.
Please, Bungie – reconsider this: I personally was very excited about Bungie’s announcement for their plans for Destiny 2 until 2022. Generally, the game is now taking a direction that I wished for in this form since the announcement of Destiny 2 – namely a large Destiny MMO that will be supported with content for years to come.
I am not categorically opposed to weapon retirement either. However, if Bungie indeed relies more on simply bringing back old retirees one-to-one with a new power level, as has already happened in the described cases, then that would be a rather severe blow to my anticipation. Because taking something out of the game and then making players re-earn it months or years later – in my eyes, that is a definite no-go and almost lazy (even if not really new). Especially if the number of truly new weapons is limited.
The Seraph weapons
There was also quite a bit of criticism for this in the community. Bungie can certainly listen to player feedback, and I hope that they will rethink this aspect. If players who already own these weapons would at least be given the option to truly infuse them to the current power level, that would be a good start. Otherwise, I am quite sure that Bungie is making a mistake here that they will eventually have to backtrack on, and probably will. And that frustrates me immensely. Because this will again be at the players’ expense.
Kaumalat is one of the rarest Pokémon in Pokémon GO. A player now shows how to find it right in front of you with a little luck.
Which Pokémon is that? For just over a year, you can encounter Kaumalat in Pokémon GO. It belongs to the fourth generation and is of the Dragon and Ground type.
Its evolutions include Knarksel and Knackrack. Knackrack is one of the best Dragon attackers in the game. Accordingly, it is very popular among trainers.
The problem is that it is hard to catch, as it rarely appears in the game. An analysis by a trainer from May 2020 makes this clear. He caught over 35,000 different Pokémon and hatched more than 600 eggs and got Kaumalat only once.
Finding Kaumalat – Professor Willow can help now, if you’re lucky
This helps now: In the community of TheSilphRoad, trainer 21WaterGuy showed that the Pokémon professor Willow can help you in the search for Kaumalat.
The trainer explains that you can obtain Kaumalat during the guaranteed daily encounter in Pokémon GO. In the picture, you see Kaumalat as a buddy Pokémon on the map and once, with a white circle around it, as a “gift” from Professor Willow.
How can you get that? For a few days now, Pokémon GO has been distributing small gifts to trainers, but not to everyone. Those who are lucky will be approached by Professor Willow. He talks about a new kind of “smoke” that he is trying out. Afterwards, a seemingly random Pokémon appears on the map that you can catch.
As the screenshot from 21WaterGuy shows, rare Pokémon like Kaumalat can also spawn. But that requires a lot of luck, as you cannot influence which Pokémon spawns.
Since not all trainers have this feature yet, the chance of encountering Kaumalat remains low. However, another possibility to obtain this Pokémon is now emerging.
In Fortnite, Season 3 has finally started and brought some new features. Among them are sharks that are supposed to serve as means of transportation. MyMMO author Eilyn Rapp did not have as cool encounters with sharks as shown in the trailer.
What are sharks in Fortnite? After a storm and a tsunami, the map of Fortnite is mostly flooded. Now there are a few sharks in various locations.
These sharks are primarily supposed to serve as means of transportation, as you can bait them with a fishing rod and they will pull you across the water. When the sharks are eliminated, they even drop weapons and ammunition.
The new sharks were briefly introduced in the Season 3 trailer and it looked extremely cool how you can be pulled across the water by sharks.
After all, the cat Meowscles was able to drive through the map without any problems and looked really cool while doing it.
The new means of transportation in Fortnite: Sharks
They can jump?!
This is what my first encounter with a shark looked like: I logged into Fortnite, started a round, and landed at “The Authority”. The agency had changed quite a bit.
In the water, I spotted a shark for the first time and wondered what would happen if I shot at it. I quickly realized it was not a good idea. The shark turned towards me, jumped out of the water directly at me, and tried to bite me.
It came so unexpectedly that I didn’t even dodge, and I took damage. Then the giant followed me onto the building until I had won the fight. My reward: A measly assault rifle and ammunition.
Shouldn’t I actually be gliding through the Fortnite map on the shark, as shown in the trailer, instead of getting a huge shock?
I did not imagine my first encounter with a Fortnite shark to be so frightening
This is how the second encounter went: During the second encounter, I had to find out that you are not even safe in houses from the beasts. Suddenly, a huge shark crawled through the main house of Frenzy Farm while I could only watch in confusion.
Eventually, it got stuck in a wall, and I was able to take revenge for the previous shock by beating it with a pickaxe. Yes, not my most glorious moment, but it had to be done.
I definitely imagined the encounters differently after the trailer, but hopefully, there will still be the cool moment when I can “ride” a shark too.
Maybe I first need to become the lord (or lady) of the seas to unlock this ability? The Aquaman skin is now available along with the Season 3 Battle Pass and can be unlocked with challenges.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny 2, the new expansion “Beyond Light” is coming. The game’s boss, Luke Smith, posed a question before the release: What is the floating thing next to the Exo-Stranger from the reveal trailer? Apparently, Bungie plans to pick up threads that are 6 years old.
The trailer features 3 heroes from Destiny 2’s past:
Eris Morn – a former Hunter who has become a bit “strange” during a mission against the Hive
The Drifter – a shady character who spends his time hosting the dubious tournament “Gambit” and who seems to have been playing his game for eternity.
the Exo-Stranger – a legendary figure from Destiny who never had enough time to explain why she didn’t have time to explain.
These are 3 pretty mysterious figures from Destiny 2. The trailer makes it clear that the Exo Stranger has called the other two to Europa to inspect the Pyramid ships.
This is what the boss says about the trailer: In a stream following the reveal, the head of Destiny 2, Luke Smith, spoke with streamer DrLupo about the reveal trailer.
He says: The trailer directly follows the end of Destiny 2, the last major event in the game.
At that time, players realized that the Traveler was not dead but was intentionally sleeping, because every action of the Traveler inevitably led to what we now see: the arrival of the Pyramid ships.
Things like the “Exo Stranger” or “Europa” are deeply rooted in Destiny. The aim for “Beyond Light” was to reach back into Destiny’s past and bring some threads together.
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This intro from Destiny 1 is referenced in the trailer.
The Darkness in the Trailer
These are the exciting details: Many scenes in the “Beyond Light” trailer mirror the “Mars video” from Destiny 1. That was the intro at the start of the game. Every parallel in the new trailer to the old video is intentional, and the director is the same as back then.
Smith points out that Eris Morn, a character who has previously been “anti-Darkness”, now shows signs in the trailer of having access to “other abilities” – this could be the new power Stasis.
This is not a Ghost – What is it then?
This is the question that Smith raises: The “fish-like” thing floating around the Exo-Stranger is getting a lot of attention. Smith suggests that the thing “is coming out of the Exo-Stranger”:
This object – I know, many questions will arise and I won’t speak too specifically about it, but the Stranger is not forged in the light. The Stranger has no Ghost. […] This is not a Ghost. This is something else. And we’ll leave it at that for now, but this is definitely not a Ghost.
Luke Smith
It is unclear what this fish creature could exactly be, but from the context, it seems plausible that we are already seeing signs in the trailer of what skills characters will receive that engage in some form with the “darkness”, literally venturing “beyond the light”.
With “Beyond Light”, the new 4th element “Stasis” will be introduced into the game. If this power does not come from the Traveler, it could mean that Guardians turn away from the Light, thus losing access to their Ghost and perhaps gaining a creature similar to the Traveler that takes over the functions that the Ghost currently performs.
Destiny Wants to Fix Old Mistakes
This is what it’s about: It is known that the story of Destiny 1 was overturned late in the development process when the writer John Staten left Bungie.
The Stranger was originally intended to be an assistant of Osiris. However, since he was cut from the finished story, she was then repurposed by Smith and used in a strange cutscene to advance the plot.
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However, the Stranger was not actually anchored in the story and felt like an outsider when she appeared.
In the finished Destiny 1, the Stranger only appeared to explain that she didn’t have time to explain things. Then the plot moved on.
The Stranger became a symbol that Destiny actually doesn’t tell a coherent story, but only pretends to. Now, however, Smith apparently wants to turn a past necessity into a new virtue six years later. The Stranger has remained memorable precisely because she was so mysterious. Now, Bungie apparently wants to tell her story.
He is the mastermind behind Destiny, Luke Smith.
There was an internal break in Destiny in 2016. The initially planned head for Destiny 2, CJ Cowan, left. After that, Luke Smith took the helm. He initially wanted to leave behind the open threads from the story that had been carried for years. At that time, he apparently had no idea what to do with the old concepts like “the Darkness”.
But it seems that has changed now. In 2017, Smith still said:
Meanwhile, many players have made a name for themselves as strong players and professionals in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone. However, a former professional sees a problem with why these players are so strong.
Who is the expert? The former pro Damon “Karma” Barlow discussed the competitive scene of Modern Warfare in a conversation with CoD streamer NAMELESS during the “Codcasts” (via Twitch).
Karma has already won the World Championship in Call of Duty three times and is counted among the best players in the world. On June 4th, he announced his retirement from eSports.
This is what Karma says: During the conversation, NAMELESS asks Karma which players he hates facing. Karma thinks for a long time and initially cannot find any concrete examples until he finally says:
“In this game [Modern Warfare]: Shotzzyy, Huke or anyone who slides. […] There are so many. Anyone who is good because they damn slide. ‘Click, Click, X.'”
With that, he refers to a method that players use, to move faster in Warzone but also to exploit certain mechanics. The “sliding” allows players to have a moment of tactical sprint when getting up and at the same time be a smaller, harder to hit target.
What bothers Karma so much about it? Karma does not directly address what he dislikes about the mechanic. However, from his words, it can be gathered that he apparently does not like the fact that such an approach now determines who is good and who is not.
The sliding in this form is useful in Modern Warfare for the first time to such an extent and has not been up for discussion before. It seems that Karma sees it as if the proper sliding is now more important than good aiming that can be trained with exercises, or knowledge of weapons and maps.
If you know your weapons and attachments, you can build really great builds – such as the M13 as a “Laser”
Especially Modern Warfare places a lot of emphasis on realism and finding the perfect setup for its weapon. For example, there are strong attachments for better aiming, which are only helpful if the weapon is also tuned to them.
Why could this remain a problem in the future? Karma continues, stating that the current professionals will probably have problems in the future – at least if the sliding system is not retained in the future or in the next Call of Duty.
This game gives false hope. […] Some of the people who are good at this game… that’s just disgusting. They better pray that you can still slide next year and do all this weird stuff. It will surely be different.
At least in the near future, sliding will likely still remain. In a look at the roadmap for Modern Warfare and Warzone, we have already shown at MeinMMO what Season 4 will bring. However, what it will look like afterward is currently only speculation.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) offers many addons on PC that make your life easier. MeinMMO author Larissa Then shares a list of her favorite addons for ESO in 2020, what they can do and why they are so practical.
Ah, MMORPGs on PC and their addons. If you want to play a game really well, you probably need them. The little additional mods that are supposed to make life easier in the game. But opinions vary. While some consider addons indispensable, others don’t use any at all.
I myself would see myself between both factions. I really like addons, but I don’t overdo it. I don’t like it when too much of the base game is lost in the interface. When I think back to how my screen looked in the WoW addon Wrath of the Lich King, when I was still the raid leader – terrible.
In ESO, the addon frenzy is limited to the essentials for me. But without these little adjustments, I couldn’t play ESO anymore. I want to tell you in this list which mods those are, what they can do and why I like them.
What can the addon do? Minion itself is not an addon for the game, but a manager for your addons. You install Minion and then you can conveniently search for addons and update them through the program.
In the process, Minion recognizes the games on your computer. So you can use it for other games besides ESO.
The addon manager Minion
Why do I like it so much? When a guild member recommends a new addon to me or I happen to stumble upon an interesting one, I can conveniently download it via Minion. I save myself the hassle of manual installation. Admittedly, it’s not complicated, but I still like to save time.
Also, I check Minion almost daily to check for updates. If a newer version of an addon is available, I can just click on update and it’s done. It takes a few seconds.
Bandits UI for the Interface
What can the addon do? Bandits UI is an interface addon. With it, you can set up your entire screen and your displays. It includes settings for the group window and for the life and co. of your character. You can even display it directly on the crosshair, so at the point you focus on in combat.
Additionally, you get a minimap if you want one and the option to display a DPS meter and compare it with other Bandits users. Essentially, Bandits is an all-rounder that allows you to do almost everything.
The settings of Bandits UI
Why do I like it so much? I love Bandits because I simply can’t live without a minimap. I tried at the beginning, but I miss something. Well, I could also have a minimap with another addon like Voltan, but Bandits provides it automatically, saving me another addon.
I also like to adjust my screen a bit. It shouldn’t be too cluttered, but my character stats and the group window need to be clear. Especially since I, as a healer, like to keep track. Also regarding buffs.
And the best part is: I can play it with a pink pony if I want. That makes my bars pink, and there’s a pony attached. That may not be okay from a roleplay perspective, but deep down, I’m still a girl.
SkyShards for the Skyshards
What can the addon do? SkyShards, as the name suggests, shows you the skyshards on the map. You can also see them on the minimap and walk directly to them. This saves you from tedious Googling for guides and ensures you don’t miss any shards.
Skyshards give you a skill point when you’ve collected three of them. Collecting them can significantly boost your character.
The display of the skyshards on the map
Why do I like it so much? I could also get a complete package with map pins, for example, which shows you absolutely everything on the map according to your wishes. But I’m already satisfied with SkyShards.
I admire the patient explorers who look into every corner and on every balcony and search for the shards themselves. When it comes to skyshards and lore books, unfortunately, I don’t belong there.
I love questing and have already shared my favorite quests with you. In hindsight, I’ve always been annoyed when a skyshard was left behind on the way. I avoid that now with the addon. It also shows me which shards I have already collected on the character.
LoreBooks for the Book Search
What can the addon do? With LoreBooks, it’s similar to SkyShards. You get books displayed on the map. If you’ve already collected them, they disappear.
This way, you always have an overview of where unread books are located while leveling or questing and don’t leave any behind.
The display of the lore books in Cyrodiil
Why do I like it so? I would probably walk past the books even more than the skyshards. The latter at least shine. However, I want to learn a lot about the lore while playing, especially regarding my interest in roleplay in ESO.
Master Merchant for Trading
What can the addon do? Master Merchant is a trading tool. You can view your sales and those of the entire guild. This way, you can always get an overview of current prices or make a good bargain, as they are marked by the addon.
If you sell items yourself, the addon remembers your price. This saves you work next time if you don’t want to adjust the gold. You can also search for items or filter them through the addon.
The display of Master Merchant
Why do I like it so? The extension makes buying and selling items and potions really easy. It also remembers how much I last set the items for. It saves time and provides clarity.
In addition, you can see who the top seller of a guild is and who is not. I’m not in any guild that focuses on trading. But for those special guilds, it’s definitely a cool tool.
Dustman for Loot
What can the addon do? With this extension, you can quickly get rid of unwanted junk from your inventory. As soon as you talk to a merchant, your loot is sold off.
With Dustman, you can set what is considered loot and what is not. For example, you can mark small potions or fishing gear if you don’t want them. This way, you have maximum control over your inventory.
The options of Dustman
Why do I like it so? I don’t know if it’s just me, but my inventory in ESO is chronically full. So I’m quite grateful that I can mark everything as loot that I would sell anyway.
This way, I just talk to a merchant and my inventory is surprisingly empty and tidy again. Maybe I should also get an addon for the inventory.
ESOTheater for Fun
What can the addon do? With ESOTheater you can simply open a window by entering /esotheater. It’s quite small and offers 10 emotions for quick access that you can customize individually.
You can also select many other emotes and filter by action through a separate window.
Quick access to your emotes with the ESOTheater window
Why do I like it so? I mainly got this addon for work. I take many screenshots of faces and poses for the articles at MeinMMO. But even in everyday gameplay, it’s just cool.
Sometimes we stand at the Harrowstorms, which according to my colleague Jürgen Horn are cooler than dragons. There we wait for them to spawn and just do emotes. We laugh our heads off and spent about 1.5 hours in ESO without actually achieving anything – as usual.
I find the selection of emotes via the menu too cumbersome. I play in gamepad mode and it takes forever to execute an emote. I can’t memorize all the chat commands either. Therefore, ESOTheater is quite practical for pulling pranks.
In GTA Online, you can easily earn 202,000 GTA dollars right now. All you need to do is complete two time trials. We will show you how to do it.
How do you earn the money? Time trials rotate regularly in GTA Online. This week, there are two easy races available that each take just under a minute. With travel time, it will take you less than 5 minutes to complete both.
Use our guides, grab the money quickly, and then make sure to pick up the free vehicles that are available this week.
This is how you complete the current time trials
Which races are these? In the multiplayer of GTA 5, the time trials “Electricity Plant” for regular cars and “Little Seoul Park” for RC Bandito cars are active. These time trials are among the easier ones. With our guides, you can complete them quickly and pocket the big cash reward for it.
The purple stopwatch and the purple remote control show you the start of the races on the map
Time trial at the Electricity Plant: Here, various vehicle options are available. In our test, we used the Tron bike “Shotaro”. After starting, you shortcut the route on the highway and speed over a hill just before the finish line. Once you’ve memorized the route, the race is easy.
Time trial Little Seoul Park: The races with the small remote-controlled cars can sometimes be tricky. However, this one in the park runs relatively easy. The curves are clear and the route is easy to understand.
In our guide to Little Seoul Park, we show you everything you need to know for the short race. The race has a time limit of 1 minute and 10 seconds.
Grab free motorcycles
What is free? Currently, you can secure cool “motorcycles” in GTA Online completely for free. This is a promotion from Rockstar Games, which only lasts a few days. So hurry up.
The free vehicles include:
The BF Raptor
The Principe Nemesis bike
The Shitzu Hakuchou
And the Nagasaki Hot Rod Blazer
The Lucky Wheel is also worth it for you right now
What should you do? If you are already online, have won the races, and secured the free vehicles, then also check out the Diamond Casino & Resort. This week, there is a Formula car to win.
The expensive Formula cars in GTA Online – the R88 can be won for free at the casino this week with a bit of luck
Moreover, there are currently double GTA dollars and RP in Open-Wheel Series races. In these races, you drive with the Formula cars and have a chance to prove your skills.
In the League of Legends rumors have circulated in recent days about an exploit regarding the champion Poppy. The Yordle champ could kill opponents from the safety of her own base practically instantaneously. Some victims complain that they were banned from LoL because they had such poor kill statistics that the system assumed they were intentionally playing badly.
This is the glitch: The hammer-wielding champion Poppy, a Yordle, is actually a cute little thing. But a new glitch turned the blue gnome into a killing machine.
Poppy could use her ability Q, the Hammer Shock, globally across the map. Normally, the skill is spatially limited. But when Poppy used the rune-modified ability “Hexflash” at exactly the right moment to blink forward a bit when the gates opened, she could use Q anywhere on the map without moving.
A player with Poppy could stay in their own base and repeatedly kill minions, enemy champions, or anything else without moving.
According to users, the basic glitch can be used not only with Poppy but also with some other champions: However, the exploit is particularly nasty with Poppy’s hammer.
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The video shows a game with over 500 kills for Poppy.
This is what it looked like in extreme cases: The well-known exploit expert Vandiril has published a video in which a Poppy gets over 500 kills in 15 minutes. While the opposing team can’t get out of their base, Poppy accumulates more and more kills and gold, making her stronger and stronger.
The video displays screenshots showing how Poppy achieves numerous kills in this manner with a perfect KDA – no wonder, as she is not moving out of the base. It is particularly nasty in the video because Poppy is also supported by Yuumi, the parasite buff cat in LoL, which Europeans love but Koreans do not.
At the end of the extremely unfair video, Poppy stands at 510-0-15.
One day suddenly heavy kills come with Poppy.
Players complain about being banned as victims
This makes things tricky: Some users complain on reddit that they became victims of the exploit and subsequently got banned because they had such absurdly poor numbers, even though they couldn’t help it.
It is said that Riot only looks at the stats, sees terrible values like 33 deaths with 0 kills, and bans users because it seems they have obviously given up on the game.
This is how Riot responds: Riot has become aware of the bug. They have announced a hotfix. For the moment, the Hexflash rune is temporarily locked. However, the actual bug is still in the game.
According to an employee from the LoL team, Riot will likely fix the basic bug in patch 10.13 (via reddit).
Riot has not yet commented on the apparently automated bans of the victims.
515 kills is a lot, but they came about in a completely dishonorable way. Even higher is the record number of a Nunu player in LoL. He managed to die 700 times in one match. This is also a dishonorable and quite hollow record:
The new expansion Path of Exile: Harvest has started. The league caused a significant increase in player numbers on Steam with its rather unusual approach.
This is the new expansion: On the night from Friday to Saturday, the new Path of Exile expansion “Harvest” launched. The name is program, as the focus of the league is the “Sacred Grove” – a kind of mysterious garden.
It was discovered by the new NPC Oshabi, who asks for your help with gardening. More specifically: You need to collect seeds, plant them in the grove, nurture them with life energy, and then harvest them. The twist: From the seeds arise enemies that you literally have to “farm.”
Design your own garden!
This is how farming in the garden works: You can choose from three different types of seeds:
Vivid
Primal
Wild
They come in three tiers, which become increasingly difficult to obtain and raise depending on their level. Of course, better seeds also offer stronger rewards.
To ensure everything blooms and thrives, you will also perform some construction work on the garden. For example, you can lay pipes to supply your plants with nutrients.
For those who think Path of Exile has suddenly become an Animal Crossing clone, there is no need to worry. After all, you are not planting pear trees here, but full-grown enemies that need to be defeated.
Those who sow seeds will reap nasty monsters
Depending on the type, quantity, and location of the seeds, different monsters will arise from your seeds – you can thus partially control what to expect in the boss fights. With the right combinations, you can breed the ancient beasts Ersi, Janaar, and Namharim.
At the end of the fights, different rewards await you. Additionally, the new league brought several new features. You can see what they look like in our comprehensive overview of Path of Exile: Harvest.
Unusual approach attracts players to Steam
Path of Exile sees a significant increase: The unusual expansion Harvest has evidently sparked a lot of curiosity in the Path of Exile community. This was demonstrated by a dramatic rise in player numbers on Steam:
Harvest led to a significant spike on Steam (via Steam Charts)
In the past week, the player counts of Path of Exile on Steam usually fluctuated between 7,000 and 13,000 players, averaging 15,537 players in the last 30 days. With the release of Harvest, it then surged dramatically, peaking at 125,432 players. This is the second highest value ever.
Will the new gardening keep players engaged? Such a jump is not completely new for Path of Exile. Regularly, in a three-month rhythm, player counts rise – every time new expansions are on the horizon. The last, Delirium, set even the PoE Steam record with 132,508 players at peak, the highest value so far. After that, it steadily declined – until the release of Harvest.
Slightly more than 7,000 players are needed for a new record. While it is unlikely that this will be broken this season, it is not impossible either. If gardening and monster-slicing in Path of Exile isn’t for you, but you’re looking for a good game to play with two, check out the best free online co-op games to play in 2020.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Initially, Fallout 76 was set to showcase some new information regarding upcoming DLCs in a roadmap at a major gaming event. However, shortly before it was about to start, Bethesda backed out and the appearance vanished.
What kind of event is this? At the big Summer of Gaming by IGN, a panel was supposed to take place on June 18, where Fallout 76 would discuss its future. The title was simply: “DLC Roadmap.”
The Twitter user @CaptainShishou noticed the last-minute change. Apparently, the panel was canceled shortly before the start of the event, as comparison images show:
Fallout 76 has been completely removed from the schedule. Instead, insights into the upcoming Baldur’s Gate 3 have been showcased, which until then was listed here as an unannounced game.
Some players and gaming websites now speculate that Bethesda is planning its own event to showcase its games (via gamerant). This could proceed similarly to EA Play 2020 on June 18/19, where EA showcased the new Star Wars Squadrons.
Some of the new features, such as seasons or public teams, will already be released with update 20. This is currently being tested on the test servers by players helping to improve it. There is no date for the update yet, but as the development seems to be quite advanced, it should only take a few weeks.
What would have been shown? We cannot say for certain what the developers would have shown at the panel. However, since it was situated in the “Gameplay” sector, it is quite possible that images of the seasons, the autumn update, or even the Steel Brotherhood would have been shown.
WoW Classic is currently in bad shape. This is mainly due to bots and hackers. If Blizzard does nothing, the second Warcraft game will die in 2020, according to Cortyn.
Blizzard, it is time for us to have a serious talk again. I’ve come to terms with the fact that you are simply letting Warcraft III: Reforged die quietly. There apparently aren’t enough developers to tackle the major problems of the game. But if you also let WoW Classic bleed out, then we have a problem. Because I simply cannot endure two dead games from the Warcraft franchise in one year.
To be honest, I only play WoW Classic very sporadically now. I log in maybe once or twice a week, chat a little, and when I have a lot of time, I do a dungeon run out of nostalgia. I can do that relatively easily, because on “my” RP realm, the current issues are manageable. But on other realms, it’s complete chaos.
I’m talking about botters and hackers.
Botters and hackers are making a fortune in Classic – What is Blizzard doing?
WoW Classic is infested with bots
For months now, the (obvious) number of fraudsters has been increasing. While in the early weeks there were only a few conspicuous characters running around and mowing down enemies automatically, it has only gotten worse.
By now, there are hackers who just fly through the air as they please. Using exploits and hacks, they farm in Zul Gurub. They teleport “under the map” and farm the herbs from the raid before resetting it. Even streamers provide evidence – like a bot that simply takes off here at the graveyard:
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Other bots have apparently been developed to be so “smart” that they even offer services. There are some mages who offer “boosts” in Zul Gurub for gold. While some of these providers are certainly honest players just trying to earn gold, in many cases they are hackers.
More and more videos are surfacing of fraudsters flying through the air or automatically farming the same dungeon for days on end – without a break.
But from you, Blizzard, there has been radio silence. There was no statement from the developers, no announcement that something would be done. Instead, you bring a PTR with new content, like a fix for the Alterac Valley. Those are nice things, but that’s not the core problem right now.
A few days ago, that changed. In the official forum, community manager Kaivax made a post. But to many players – including me – it seems like sheer mockery.
However, that reads like a bad joke. After all, you can’t report bots that are in instances this way. On the other hand, there are bots in the game that were reported months ago and continue to fly through the world or farm their instances 24/7, flooding the auction house with resources.
What sounds like a good plan in theory is nonsense in execution. This restriction only results in bots moving to the next server after 30 instances on one server. After all, unlike honest players, they have no attachment to the server and don’t care where they earn their money.
The only ones this rule affects are honest players.
The community manager posted in the official forum that within the last month 74,000 bots have been banned and also explained that detecting bots is not always as easy as players might think.
Often it is difficult to prove bots’ clearly fraudulent behavior, and false reports from the community are also regular occurrences.
It seems that Blizzard has not reached many bots with this ban wave either, as numerous ones still disturb the dungeons.
Sure – banning 74,000 bots is a big number and a good step. However, I still find it questionable why it took almost 6 months. If further ban waves take so long, and the number of bots continues to increase drastically, WoW Classic simply will not survive.
One can get pretty angry – right?
WoW Classic is bleeding out. Sure, the realms are full, and on some you even end up in queues when trying to log in – because so many bots are hanging around here. But the real players are gradually losing interest. The cheaters have already thrown the economy of the realms into chaos. This is a problem that continues to worsen every week.
To be honest, the scenario now reminds me a bit of the release of Warcraft III: Reforged. Even there, there were promises at launch that the game would continue to be supported. After the disastrous launch, they claimed they would soon be delivering new (and old) features. To this day, there is virtually nothing to see of that, aside from minimal bug fixes.
Private servers were better protected
The last point annoys me the most. I have always been against private servers in World of Warcraft. I don’t believe that anyone should profit from your property, Blizzard. When WoW Classic launched, the discussion finally disappeared. With “original” classic servers, private servers lost their justification.
But now, more and more voices are being heard in the subreddit saying: botting and hacking on this level would not have happened on private servers, and if it did, the server would have died very quickly.
Sure, private servers were individual realms with a few hundred or thousand players. But they also didn’t have a huge company like Activision Blizzard behind them.
If private servers had better protection against bots, something is seriously wrong.
It’s only a matter of time before players lose interest in playing on realms full of bots and cheaters. If you believe the voices in the forum, that point has already been reached for numerous players.
So, Blizzard, I ask you. Please don’t let World of Warcraft Classic die like this. Because nothing is more frustrating for fans than a fulfilled wish that is then taken away again.
Do take care of the bots and hackers – otherwise you shouldn’t have released WoW Classic at all.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
