Which mounts are affected? Apparently, this affects all mounts that belong to the unicorn category and share a similar model. These are:
Luminous Nightmare
Pureheart Charger
Wild Dreamrunner
All “Prestigious Chargers”
The Luminous Nightmare is particularly coveted – but requires quite a bit of work.
Do you already have such a mount? The different unicorns can be earned in World of Warcraft in various ways, but they are usually tied to achievements or particularly lengthy tasks. Here are a few excerpts on how you can obtain some of the amazing unicorns in World of Warcraft:
Pureheart Charger: You need to bring 100 factions to an exalted reputation for this. This has been possible since Battle for Azeroth, but should become significantly easier with Shadowlands.
Wild Dreamrunner: You will get this mount from the Paragon chest of the Dreamweavers in Val’sharah (Legion).
There are only a few Monohorns – but they are all pretty!
More mounts of this kind are expected to be available in WoW: Shadowlands, as several placeholders for them have already been found in the game files. So, there will surely be plenty for mount collectors to do again.
The dream of the flying unicorn that pulls a rainbow behind it has thus drawn a little closer.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, a player used a nasty trick to get behind the entire enemy team. In the end, he was rewarded with loads of kills.
Those who are playing in Ground War know that there can often be a large slaughter around a flag. On the map Aniyah Palace, a player on reddit now shows his nasty trick on how he can flank all opponents.
The video by “Dezryy” has now received over 25,000 upvotes and leaves many players amazed. They now want to try the same trick.
This is how the player proceeded: In the video, you can see how he first stays a bit away from Flag E on Aniyah Palace. In the 6 seconds he has to return to the map, he runs past a wall and jumps right into the enemy’s nest.
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They do not expect that suddenly an enemy appears in their area and stand there completely unprotected. Dezryy can then eliminate one enemy after another from behind and ends up with a total of 9 kills in a very short time. Only then do several enemies rush back and manage to take him down.
What is being said about the clip? Many viewers are excited about the video. It is said that it finally brings some excitement back to the map Aniyah Palace, as otherwise one can settle in quite well there.
Other players thank for the video and want to try it themselves. They are also happy that one can finally mix up the enemy nest at Flag E properly.
Are there more clips like this? Recently, a clip about a spectacular knife throw caused a stir. There, a player threw his knife across the entire map and managed to win the round.
In Season 3 of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone, the Bruen Mk9 was introduced. The new weapon is an LMG and could compete with the current king of the class, the PKM. MeinMMO takes a closer look at the stats, attachments, and setups.
What is the Bruen Mk9? The Bruen Mk9 is a light machine gun (LMG), introduced with Update 1.20 on April 29, 2020 in Modern Warfare and Warzone. The weapon is similar in many respects to others of its kind and is primarily used for suppressing enemies.
However, the Bruen Mk9 can be modified with the right attachments to adopt some characteristics of assault rifles, similar to the secret G36 from the Holger-26. Therefore, the Bruen Mk9 is suitable for various playstyles.
A unique feature of the Bruen Mk9 is that it has no delay between pulling the trigger and firing the first bullet, unlike other “Open Bolt” LMGs in the game. It is therefore one of the three underrated weapons you should definitely try.
How strong is the Bruen Mk9? Here are some technical specifications for the LMG:
Rate of fire: 759 rounds per minute
Damage (to the torso): 34 (up to about 40m), 30 (up to about 65m), 24 (beyond 65m)
Required bullets for a kill (to the torso): 3-5, depending on distance
TTK (at torso hits): 158ms (up to about 40m), 237ms (up to about 65m), 316ms (beyond 65m)
Reload time: 4.71s (3.80s with Sleight of Hand)
The Bruen Mk9 has an additional headshot multiplier that further increases the damage. However, it is not enough to reduce the minimum number of bullets needed and thereby the TTK. You will always need at least three bullets.
The reload time is slightly faster than that of the PKM, while the stats are otherwise almost identical. Here you can find the detailed guide to the PKM. YouTuber and CoD expert TheXclusiveAce has discussed some additional stats and characteristics of the Bruen Mk9 in his video, which we will embed here:
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How do I get the weapon? Unlike the other weapons from Season 3, the Renetti and the SKS, you do not unlock the Bruen MK9 through the Battle Pass. Currently, there are two ways to unlock the LMG:
you purchase the “Encryption” bundle in the shop for 1200 CoD Points (about €11-12)
or you complete a challenge
For the challenge, you have to kill three opponents with an LMG while they are near smoke, and do this in 15 matches. So it takes a while to unlock the Bruen Mk9 at all.
However, Co-Design Director Joe Cecot confirmed that unlocking the Bruen Mk9 will soon be faster as kills will also count if you are in the smoke yourself. However, we do not know when the change will come.
The best attachments and setups for the Bruen Mk9
How do I best modify the Bruen Mk9? Through the Gunsmith feature in Modern Warfare, you can equip the LMG with various attachments. If you have purchased the bundle, you will have a pre-made blueprint that is relatively strong and well-suited for the start and unlocking further mods.
MeinMMO presents three different builds here that are useful both for Modern Warfare’s multiplayer and for the Battle Royale Warzone, catering to different playstyles.
Setup 1: BR Solo/Multiplayer 6v6
Muzzle: Suppressor (Monolithic)
Barrel: Bruen 18.0″ Para
Stock: Default Stock or Optional: Sleight of Hand
Ammunition: 60-Round Magazine
Grip: Stippled Grip Tape or Laser: 1mW Laser
With this setup, the Bruen Mk9 becomes more of a hybrid between assault rifle and LMG. With the suppressor, you have greater effective range and conceal your shots, which is extremely useful in close-quarter firefights.
The barrel allows you to aim faster without a sight, along with the lack of a sight. With Stock/Grip or Optional/Laser, you choose whether you prefer to play at medium distance and precise or at very close distance and fast.
The core of the setup, however, is the 60-Round Magazine. While this may compromise ammunition, it provides significant advantages like faster aiming, increased mobility, and above all, much faster reloading. You reduce the reload time to 1.69 seconds (1.30 with Sleight of Hand).
Setup 2: BR in Team/Multiplayer 10v10
Muzzle: Compensator or Underbarrel: Merc Foregrip
Barrel: XRK Horizon 23.0″
Sight: Any Short-Range Sight, like Mini Reflex Sight Solozero
Stock: Default Stock
Grip: Stippled Grip Tape
This setup is best suited for modes where you are not alone. While you can also play solo with it, you are a bit slower than with most weapons, so some cover fire from teammates is quite helpful.
The strength of this setup is high precision with the compensator/foregrip at medium to long range along with the strong 100-Round Magazine (Standard). This allows you to easily eliminate multiple enemies in a row, even if they are fully armored in Battle Royale.
You lack some mobility, however. If you are rushed by someone with a submachine gun or a fast assault rifle, you’ll be in trouble without a teammate nearby to cover you.
Setup 3: Suppressive Fire (Ground War)
Muzzle: Compensator or Stock: FORGE TAC Stalker
Barrel: XRK Summit 26.8″
Sight: PBX Holo 7 Sight
Underbarrel: Bipod or Stock: FORGE TAC Stalker
Ammunition: 200-Round Belt
Our third setup is not designed for getting many kills, but rather for securing targets and areas to achieve victory in a round. This completely sacrifices mobility, but allows you to fortify and hold a position effectively.
With the longer barrel and sight, you can prevent enemies from storming your position even at greater distances. The compensator provides the necessary precision, and the magazine allows you to hold out for several minutes.
Using the bipod, you can declare virtually any position as your hold point. If you have the option to mount the rifle against a wall, skip the bipod and use the stock instead.
As mentioned before, this setup is not designed for getting a lot of kills. With this configuration, your responsibility is to defend a point in Ground War or larger multiplayer modes alone, or to suppress the enemy while your own team storms.
Building the Best Build for the Bruen Mk9 – Loadouts
These loadouts are the best: For each setup, we have compiled a loadout that perfectly matches the playstyle intended for the setup. Since the setups themselves are quite specialized, the loadouts are also meant for specific situations.
For the multiplayer mode, you can choose your killstreaks as you like. Our recommendation is the VTOL Jet and Helicopter Support.
With the Renetti, you have the option to protect yourself at close range in an emergency when attacked and no teammates are nearby. However, this loadout is aimed at team play.
Loadout 3: Suppressive Fire (Ground War)
Secondary Weapon: PILA
Blue Perk: Fixer
Red Perk: Hardline or Scavenger
Yellow Perk: Eager or Amped
Primary Equipment: Claymore or Thermite
Tactical Equipment: Smoke Grenade
Field Upgrade: Ammo Box or Tactical Insertion
We generally advise against using this setup in Battle Royale, as suppressive fire is only conditionally useful here. However, the PILA rocket launcher will especially help you deal with annoying vehicles and enemies in Ground War. It can be replaced as needed.
Currently, the PKM is still considered the best weapon of its kind. However, the Bruen Mk9 could potentially replace it in the mid-term.
The Bruen Mk9 has a faster TTK and is more versatile with its attachments than the PKM. It is suitable for all modes with the right setup and has the significant advantage of no delay between trigger pull and fire. This makes it feel generally smoother and more enjoyable to play.
However, the PKM still has the advantage in its specific area as an LMG, being slightly stronger. It only falls short when it comes to modification.
The PKM is the strongest LMG in Modern Warfare – for now.
Which of the two weapons can ultimately rise to the top remains to be seen. For now, the Bruen Mk9 is still too new to say definitively.
However, the strength of the Bruen Mk9 lies clearly in its versatility. You can adapt the new LMG to many situations and have a strong setup ready for it. For those who like that about the weapon, the M4A1 might also be interesting. We have analyzed the best assault rifle in detail here.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In GTA Online there is currently a new trend where alien gangs fight each other. Now it seems that Rockstar is even promoting this event by simply giving away alien costumes.
This is the new trend: Players dress up as green or purple aliens and form gangs to beat up other players. This has resulted in 2 different gangs now.
When they meet, it creates quite a chaos. People get beaten up, killed, or run over. If the police show up, it’s hard to keep track of everything.
Sometimes innocent players are targeted and simply beaten up.
How can you get the costume for free? Starting Thursday, May 7th, a new bonus week begins, in which you can receive some discounts or earn double GTA dollars.
This week, Martian bodysuits are available for free for all players (via reddit). It’s definitely worth picking them up now, as they usually cost:
Green Martian Bodysuit: 358,000$
Purple Martian Bodysuit: 330,000$
You can save up to 350,000 GTA dollars and still be one of the cool kids without spending a single cent.
The alien bodysuits come in 2 different colors
Where can you get the costumes? There are 2 different stores where you can get the bodysuits. You can either go to a regular clothing store or to Ammu-Nation.
The only difference is that you don’t have to pay for them there, but can simply take them for free. To ensure you find the alien costumes, we have created a guide for you:
That the alien costumes are being offered for free right now is probably no coincidence. Especially now, when this trend is so popular among players, it seems Rockstar is responding. It almost seems like they are part of the alien gangs and want to fuel the fight.
Anyone who wants to see real aliens in GTA Online and wants to show off with the meeting should undertake the alien mission. While it’s not easy to complete, you will be rewarded with a rare UFO tattoo that confirms your encounter.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Korean MMORPG Lost Ark continues to receive new updates. Now, the developers have released a selfie mode, allowing players to showcase their characters.
What can the selfie mode do? In the current patch, Lost Ark has gifted players in Korea a new toy. With the selfie mode, a dedicated photo mode has been introduced to the MMORPG, similar to many games, like Final Fantasy XIV.
In a video showcasing the mode, you can check out its basic functions:
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The text in the video explains how to activate and use the mode.
The basics of the controls and features are demonstrated:
You can freely rotate the character
You can freely change the camera angle
The character can use emotes in photo mode, which can be frozen to achieve specific poses
There are a variety of filters and overlays
Although Lost Ark uses an isometric perspective like ARPGs Diablo 4 and Path of Exile, the selfie mode is fully three-dimensional. This makes it possible to take really stylish screenshots.
To celebrate the update, SmileGate has also launched a selfie competition. Players can submit their screenshots and win a lot of in-game currency. The grand prize is 100,000 crystals, which would amount to a value of about €1,300.
What has been going on with Lost Ark recently? The selfie mode is one of the smaller patches that have been released for Lost Ark in recent weeks. While players in Korea received a new major update with new dungeons on the ocean floor at the end of February, Russian players are slowly getting their content delivered.
Thus, fans in Russia were also able to step foot on the new continent Yon at the end of February, which was released in Korea just over half a year ago. The rollout of content is therefore proceeding at approximately the same pace as it originally did in Korea.
In both regions, new updates are being delivered with reliable regularity.
Misunderstandings and New Hope for the West Release
When is Lost Ark coming to Europe? For some time, a rumor circulated that Lost Ark would receive a Europe release in spring 2020. This was based on a blog post by the Russian publisher mai.ru. However, upon our inquiry, the rumor turned out to be false.
The developer Smilegate is still working on a global release. In a post on the official Facebook page of Lost Ark, this was emphasized again:
We can’t give a date, but we wanted to let you know that we are working on it and look forward to announcing good news to you in the near future.
The Division 2 has announced maintenance for today on PS4, Xbox One, and PC – including downtime. We will inform you when the servers go offline and what is in the patch notes.
Update 3:30 PM: The maintenance is now officially over, the servers should be back up on all platforms. Have fun and good loot, Agents.
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Next maintenance for The Division 2: As Massive recently announced, there will also be maintenance today for The Division 2. So anyone wanting to roam as an Agent in Washington or New York (with the Warlords expansion) will unfortunately have to take a forced break.
When is the maintenance scheduled? The important times:
The maintenance today will begin at 2:00 PM German time.
The Division 2 servers will go offline directly, and you will not be able to play – at least not The Division 2.
According to Massive, 90 minutes will be needed for the maintenance.
If everything goes smoothly, the Division 2 servers will be back up around 3:30 PM.
With the downtime, today’s maintenance will also end at the same time, and you can resume your virtual agent life.
By the way: These times, especially for the end of the maintenance, may still change during the process. The maintenance can indeed end a few minutes earlier or several hours later – both scenarios have happened multiple times. If there are changes to the schedule today, we will update the article accordingly.
What is changing today? Here’s what the patch notes say: The change log or maintenance notes are very brief today. Only one thing is changing.
A problem will be fixed which allowed points for SHD levels that were added in Conflict mode (PvP) to be awarded multiple times.
The SHD level system
What exactly is the issue with the bug? Due to a bug, it was possible to invest points in PvP and then again after leaving the mode into the various attributes.
Is a penalty looming? If that has happened to you, you need not fear sanctions. Using the bug will not be considered an exploit, and there will be no account penalties. The illegitimately awarded points will be deducted, and the points you earned honestly will have to be reallocated after the patch.
In Pokémon GO two well-known villains may soon appear: Jesse and James have been found by data miners in the code.
Who are Jesse and James? Anyone who has watched the anime about Pokémon is likely to know these two villains. Jesse and James appeared in almost every episode,
For two weeks, the strong TOTS players have been in the Weekend League rewards of FIFA 20. This finally makes the mode worthwhile, says MeinMMO author Max Handwerk – why isn’t it always like this?
The problem with Weekend League rewards: Those who regularly play Weekend League but aren’t necessarily a pro will know the problem on Thursday morning. After many exhausting matches against the Kents, Ben Yedders and Traorés of the Weekend League, you somehow drag yourself to a Gold rank. And now you’re looking forward to the Player Picks that you rightfully earned through the hard weekend in the Weekend League.
The untradable red picks are supposed to bring the appropriate reinforcement from the current TOTW for your own team. Unfortunately, you often don’t pull the Mbappés, De Bruynes, or Messis from the picks, but rather cards like this:
You need a lot of luck for good cards in the Player Picks
Selling is not possible, they don’t reinforce your team, and they are only marginally valuable in SBCs. After being briefly annoyed that all the effort in the fight for the Gold ranks was in vain again, you pick up the controller again.
Optimistically, you hope: “Who knows, maybe next week it will work out” and start the battle again – only to be disappointed by the Weekend League rewards once more. However, the situation currently looks a little different.
TOTS cards make FUT Champions rewards so much better
In the first week, I got two cards with Mitrovic and Grimaldo that don’t really fit my team and weren’t among the top picks of the first two TOTSSF squads. However, due to their stats, I decided to give them a try. And Grimaldo was so strong that I remodeled my entire team to accommodate him.
Grimaldo turned out to be an extremely strong pick, even though he didn’t fit into the team
Mitrovic also has a purpose with his 92 overall rating, even though his card doesn’t fit the team. He can significantly enhance an SBC squad and ensure that you can secure a strong player.
This means: even the “weaker” cards in the current picks can be useful due to their high stats.
Suddenly, the rewards are worthwhile: Of course, there are also players in the current picks who only have stats below 85. However, these are significantly fewer than what is usually the case in TOTW. It is rather unlikely that you won’t pick a player with a rating over 87.
At the moment, there are so many top players in the rewards that the chances are good
The higher you finish in the Weekend League, the better the chances of getting even stronger picks – and with the current outlook, motivation is higher than it has been in weeks, to get as far as possible. Because if you really hit a good pick, the Weekend League has paid off double.
Basically, every card from the Premier League TOTSSF is somehow useful
The TOTW, on the other hand, often offers players that you can’t use in any form. Compared to the many special cards that are involved in FIFA events like Ultimate Scream, FutMAS, or Future Stars, a large part of the TOTW cards cannot keep up. At the beginning of a FIFA season, the TOTW may still be exciting. But over the course of the year, there are just too many cards that are significantly stronger than the TOTW.
This unfortunately makes Weekend League rewards unappealing. The chance of picking up a top player if you land somewhere in the Gold ranks is unfortunately extremely low. Therefore, you should enjoy the TOTS as long as you can – and hope to get strong players in the rewards.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Where is the beta of the MMORPG Crowfall? In February, it was said that it was just about to launch and now it is May. We are looking into what is going on.
Now it’s early May and there is still no sign of the Crowfall beta.
When will there be new information? Today, on May 7th at 6:00 PM, there will be a Q&A session with the developers. They might finally reveal more about the launch of the beta of the MMORPG. You can follow the livestream on Twitch.
Currently, Crowfall is in alpha. However, even in this phase exciting battles are already taking place.
Progress is slow
What is the current status of the game? Players can currently play the alpha version 5.110 on the test server. Yes, this is still an alpha build. This update mainly addresses bug fixes. Still, it’s progress.
Players are already actively contributing feedback and bug reports for this update.
Additionally, players are testing the new Dregs campaign world on the test server. This is a world where the Free4All game mode applies. It is therefore not restricted to guilds or factions, unlike other modes. This introduces decisions that players must make during the campaign, which impact the outcome.
What about the official beta?On Kickstarter, it is mentioned that there are still performance issues. Therefore, the team is currently focusing on fixing these. This was already an issue in February and March. According to the developers, good performance is important due to the PvP focus, so it is essential to resolve this issue before the beta starts.
One insight we have gained is that performance is key in the Dregs campaign. For this reason, we are currently focusing on performance improvements and will continue to pursue the Dregs campaigns after we have made progress in this area.
Crowfall Team
It is also noted on the Kickstarter page that Dregs is the last major gameplay element to be implemented before the launch: “This signals that Crowfall is completing the official alpha milestone.”
This means that the beta is just around the corner – still. Because Crowfall will launch with a soft launch. This means it will transition seamlessly from beta to the release version. Essentially, there will be no further official launch.
An incredible knife kill astonishes the community in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. A knife flew across the entire map and hit the last player on the opposing team. The thrower could hardly believe it.
However, when one achieves such a kill across the entire map and even decides the round in their favor, it’s particularly impressive.
This was accomplished by the reddit user “Reckoninq,” and over 40,000 people have already upvoted his clip.
Spectacular Knife Kill Impresses Community
This is the clip: The player is still in a 3 against 4 situation and achieves 2 kills with his assault rifle. His teammate then makes it a 2 against 1, but gets caught by the last opponent.
Reckoninq then waits anxiously for the last opponent and pulls out his throwing knife. After a missed throw, he aims blindly into the air again and throws. He hits and decides the round for himself:
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This is what makes the kill so spectacular: With his knife, he hits through an open window. The knife bounces off the ground, and the opponent runs directly into the knife. So many factors had to come together for this kill to work.
What does the player himself say about the kill? He himself is also impressed. He writes about the video: “I will never achieve a final killcam like that again.”
He then explains in the comments that he practiced this knife throw and intentionally wanted to hit the open window. However, he never thought that he could actually achieve the final kill with it.
Another player threw throwing knives blindly into the air at the start of each round on every map and took out players everywhere. In a video, he compiled his successes and received a lot of praise. Knife kills are among the most spectacular actions in Modern Warfare. At least when you’re on the right side.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
There hasn’t been much news lately about the Free2Play action RPG Dauntless. Therefore, we take a look at how the title stands in 2020 and what has changed.
How is Dauntless doing in 2020? As it is a game available exclusively on PC through the Epic Games Store but can also be played on PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, it is difficult to say anything definitive about the player numbers.
The last official statement from the developers dates back to October 2019. At that time, the total player count was reportedly around 15 million according to Escapist Magazine. However, it is not clarified whether these are active players or just people who have created an account for Dauntless.
According to Gamestat, there were about 240,000 new users on PS4 between April 3 and May 3. The number of monthly active players is said to be around 310,000. However, the site estimates its data based on trophies and a selected sample of users and extrapolates that to a total player count.
In Dauntless, the battle against the Behemoths continues to be in the foreground.
Dauntless has found its target audience
What is the mood of the players? Dauntless has an active community and new players keep joining.
BromeisterBryce explains on reddit: “I just started this game 5 days ago and have already logged in for almost 30 hours. I’ve also finished the Hunt Pass for this season. I’m addicted!!!”
Dodgingss says: “I can tell you that Dauntless has been on the right track since my first purchase in 2017 and I would recommend it 100% in its current state.”
SunnyBloop writes on reddit: “As a player of Monster Hunter and Dauntless, it really comes down to personal preference. Dauntless is much more casual than MH, making it suitable for players with limited time. The combat resembles Dark Souls more than MH and although it’s easier than in MH, it’s still fun. It’s free. So why not give it a try?”
cyberrobocop is not as enthusiastic about the game: “Dauntless could have been quite good if it weren’t for the plethora of small problems that make the game problematic. Particularly the issues that have persisted from day one to the current state: dull environment, server-side detection, terrain scaling, and the sudden spike in difficulty during the last 30% of the game.”
The new Hunt Pass in Dauntless is inspired by the Fire Falcons – a faction of Slayers.
The development continues
What has changed in the game recently? Since January 2020, eight new patches have been released. These brought:
Balancing improvements, bug fixes, and adjustments to quality-of-life features. Performance has also been improved.
In addition, new content has been added. “Burnt Earth” is a new escalation that brings further restorations, new Behemoth variants, and a new volcano where you face Torgadoro, the largest Behemoth yet.
A new Hunt Pass has also been added, which is very well received by players and introduces several challenges and rewards.
The developers are constantly working on Dauntless, introducing new content and working on improvements. More updates are already planned. One can confidently say that the Free2Play action RPG is currently doing very well.
What is Dauntless anyway? In this co-op action RPG, you hunt the so-called Behemoths, gigantic monsters that live on floating islands.
Together with friends, you gear up for the hunt and must find out how to best take down these creatures. With the resources you gather, you craft more powerful equipment to take on the stronger Behemoths.
Massive has now announced a specific date for the next major patch for The Division 2. Title Update 9.1 is set to be released next week and will mainly improve the balance in the game. We show what will change in detail with TU9.1.
The next major updateis on the way: After The Division 2 already received two significant patches in April with Title Update 8.5 and Title Update 9, the next major update – Title Update 9.1 – is already scheduled for May.
After all, Massive’s shooter still has numerous issues, which are being diligently worked on. TU9.1 is set to bring the next batch of fixes and balance changes.
When exactly will Title Update 9.1 be released? After the developers recently provided a first glimpse into Title Update 9.1 and mentioned a rough timeframe, there is now a specific date.
TU 9.1 is set to be released on Tuesday, May 12th. The accompanying maintenance is expected to begin at 9:30 AM German time and end around 12:20 PM. During this time window, the patch should also become available.
This will change with Title Update 9.1 (TU9.1) for The Division 2
What’s included in the new patch? Besides the date, Massive has now also presented most of the changes that come with TU9.1.
The focus of the update is primarily on adjustments to the balance of The Division 2. Numerous annoying issues that the community has been pointing out for some time will be addressed. For example,
enemy skills
enemy weapons
and enemy abilities like grenades
will be revised. This is the first round of balance adjustments, with a second expected to follow with Title Update 10. The intention is not to make the game easier, but to address existing frustration factors.
Below you will find the most important changes from TU9.1 that await you on May 12th.
Friendly oxidizer skill deals damage to allies’ skills
“Recommended Activity” tab does not close
The talent Frenzy remains active when switching weapons
NPC Balance
Damage and “out of cover” accuracy of submachine guns used by Hyena enemies with red health bars have been nerfed.
Status effects from NPCs
Fire damage has been reduced
Bleeding damage has been reduced
This also applies to PVP
The effect duration will remain the same with TU9.1
Grenade accuracy of the NPCs
The grenade accuracy will be nerfed
The accuracy decreases further with increasing distance to the target
Less grenade accuracy with Hyena throwers
Less grenade accuracy with Black Tusk mini-tanks
Less grenade accuracy with Napalm turrets of the Cleaners
Elite enemies have higher grenade accuracy
Hunters, Rogues, and legendary NPCs have higher accuracy than elite enemies, but even here the difference to the current status quo should be noticeable
NPC accuracy when blind firing:
This will be reduced. This should be noticeable especially with legendary NPCs. However, with increasing fire duration, this will slightly increase again after 5 to 6 seconds.
NPCs will no longer blind fire with shotguns or sniper rifles. Instead, they will switch to blind firing with pistols. Hunters, Rogues, and some bosses will, however, break this rule and can do so. Additionally, tank enemies will no longer blind fire.
NPC aggressiveness:
The aggressiveness and frequency of NPC attacks on hidden targets have been reduced, and the enemies’ approach has been revised
Attack units of the Hyenas, Cleaners, and Outcasts had a bug that caused them to be very aggressive against players within a radius of 5 meters, circling around them until they ran away. That has now changed; they can also retreat.
Non-tank NPCs affected by the blind or burning status effect will no longer rush at players. They will either hold their position or retreat.
The range of the flamethrower from Cleaner tanks has been reduced
Remote-controlled explosive model car of the Hyenas
Explosion damage has been reduced
The duration of the subsequent flame has been reduced.
The duration of the resulting status effects (burn and confuse) has also been reduced
Spawn frequency has been reduced
NPC skill balance
Suicide drones of the Black Tusk deal less damage and their deployment frequency has been reduced.
The Black Tusk support station no longer heals mechanical NPCs (warhounds, mini-tanks) or destructible items.
The legendary healing station now has a healing cap – just like the standard version.
Armor kits for NPCs: These can no longer fully heal NPCs. Exceptions are bounty targets and some bosses. Hunters can still fully heal themselves.
New priorities for status effects for NPCs: Stuck NPCs (from foam) will no longer be able to run around if they have been on fire or blinded.
NPC firefly skillswill no longer deal excessively high damage (no more one-shots against players)
The likelihood that tank enemies will rush the players’ drones or towers to stomp them has been reduced
Player Balance
The enemy damage to player skills has been reduced
Status effects caused by players have been buffed (only in PvE)
Bleeding, poison, napalm, and sticking now deal more damage to NPCs
The size of the player hitbox has been reduced (against NPCs) when players fire blind from cover. This is meant to make blind firing against NPCs less dangerous.
Damage from burning and bleeding against players in PvP has been reduced
What about loot adjustments? Loot will not be addressed in Title Update 9.1, but it is a topic for TU10 (likely in June), according to the developers. There, more global changes are planned.
A streamer started a challenge and wanted to climb the leaderboard of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. After 357 wins in a row, however, it was over. A nasty aim-bot ended his streak with a nuke.
What happened? A streamer from the UK, bearing the driving name “Hype Stallion”, initiated a challenge to conquer the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare leaderboard.
Over 10 streams, he and his team supposedly amassed 357 wins in a row in nearly 90 hours and they were far from finished. But this was where it ended.
During a round of Hardpoint on the chaos map Shipment, which is currently in the 24/7 mode in the playlist, the team around “Stallion” encountered an aim-bot hacker in the opposing team. While the Stallion squad dominated the match, at a score of 118:31, the unscrupulous cheater set off a nuclear bomb, resulting in a victorious end of the game for the opposing team. The unbelievable 357-win streak suddenly came to an end.
Aim-bot ends massive win streak without remorse
What did that look like? The whole thing happened on stream and “Hype Stallion” shared the corresponding clips on Twitter:
In the first video, you can see a kill cam of “Stallion” showing the cheater at work. Here, the aim-bot gets multiple headshot kills from the hip without really aiming.
In the second tweet, the end of the match can be seen. The streamer already knows what awaits him and his team, and in complete disbelief, he utters “I can’t believe it”.
How far did they get? A few hours later, “Hype Stallion” then released another tweet, thanking his nearly 22,000 followers on Twitch and saying they will try again.
He says they reached 55th place on the global leaderboard with their 357 win streak. An impressive achievement, considering the leaderboard is filled with dubious values and hacked accounts. Currently, there is a player with 7,353 consecutive wins (May 7, 10:30 AM) – an unrealistic figure, also due to the current cheater problems in Modern Warfare and Warzone.
In Warzone, the statistics are even worse. Here, a player at account rank 33 already has 1,777,813,659 wins to their credit. If the games all lasted about 20 minutes, this one player would already have over 1.5 million years of playtime. Difficult for a game that has only been available since October 2019.
What happens now? “Hype Stallion” continues to hunt with his crew and will try again. He also inquired with Infinity Ward via his tweets whether they could adjust his statistics so he could continue working on the streak, but he has not received a response yet.
The developer continuously assures its players that they are working hard on the cheater problem. They have deployed a security team that analyzes data around the clock and issues bans and penalties. Unfortunately, there are still reports of cheating soldiers, and when they ruin such a great run, it can certainly spoil the fun.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Teamfight Tactics, the choice of items plays an important role. The lead designer of the game has revealed which items have the weakest win rates in each phase of the game. And surprisingly, some meta items are included.
Which items are the weakest? In a tweet, the lead designer of TFT shared which items currently have particularly weak win rates in each phase of a match:
Some items are weak at the start, but later become essential
Why are weak items meta? There are likely several reasons why items that are commonly built appear on the list.
One reason is that an item must first be built in order to have a weak win rate. Items like the Rebels’ Medal or the Cosmic Orb are actually never used and thus do not appear in the statistics.
The other reason is that some items may be strong, but their potential only develops in the late game and vice versa:
Warmog’s Armor, for example, can be very useful in the early stages, but its effectiveness decreases as damage increases later on.
The Chalice of Favor, on the other hand, is a strong item when you have many spellcasters close together to share mana. This is rarely the case in the early phases of the game, yet many still build the item when they have the components for it.
The Explosive Charge is built in the late game for the bonus on Kai’Sa and Rumble. However, in Stage 3, Kai’Sa is usually not the carry with full items, making the item appear weak, even though it is important for the combo in the late game.
What about Spatula? Spatula is one of the strongest items because it can either summon another champion onto the field or give a boost to character bonuses.
However, it is noteworthy that starting from Stage 6, it is considered one of the weakest items. This can likely be explained by the fact that NPCs and the carousel usually provide finished items, making Spatula no longer beneficial for the player.
After an incident of bullying, where a developer from League of Legends was harassed in the online shooter Valorant, Riot Games is now treating this issue as a priority.
What happened in the game? UX designer Tea “Greenily” C. from Riot Games actually works on League of Legends, but was harassed during a match in the online shooter Valorant. When she did not respond to a player’s advances, he even became aggressive.
A difficult situation
How does Riot Games respond to this? The development studio takes the incident very seriously. No wonder, as the company has previously dealt with accusations of harassment from some employees and had to fight hard for its image. Investigations were even launched back then.
Valorant’s executive producer, Anna Donlon, has now stated on Twitter that she feels very uncomfortable about the situation but also wants to do something about it.
I will be super realistic here: Harassment and bullying in games are not a status quo that I can accept. We have learned to mute those who harass us. And we have learned to remain silent ourselves to keep the peace. That is why we have a competitive environment that can feel detrimental.
Anna Donlon
In the battles of Valorant, things get heated, and emotions can run high.
What does Riot want to do now? According to Anna Donlon, this is a very difficult situation. Because it is also related to a deeply ingrained societal problem. However, she wants to ensure that players who are in Valorant to win and respect others are also treated with respect.
This is a very difficult topic. I cannot change society, and some of these issues are really very, very deeply rooted. But what I can say is that Riot takes this seriously. That’s why we have established a dedicated Central Player Dynamics team to promote research that fosters fair gameplay (it’s not always about punishment!).
This is a priority for us. Not just short-term, but as long as it takes to reassure a player – any player – that they can expect a similar experience as long as they play to win in Valorant and respect their fellow players.
Anna Donlon
Is this a fight against windmills? This already sounds like a Sisyphean task and very utopian. Especially in competitions, emotions can run high, and insults can occur. However, Anna Donlon has also commented on this.
In every competition, we expect tensions to run high and the situation to be tense. We will not ban anyone just because they are passionately involved when they win or lose. But I also know that some experiences can go beyond excitement. Sometimes they lead to harassment. We do not agree with that.
Anna Donlon
How Riot Games will ensure respectful interactions between players during battles in Valorant is still unclear.
What happens now? Anna Donlon explains that the first step will be to introduce codes of conduct. Players must adhere to these, or they will face penalties. But that’s not the end of it. Further measures are needed. However, the producer cannot say yet what these will look like and when they will arrive.
In Pokémon GO there is trouble following the introduction of a new system to obtain PokéCoins. It is said that players should actually have the chance to earn more coins for free, but this is causing stress.
This was announced: Niantic is testing a new coin system in Australia. Players there should receive 55 coins instead of the previous 50 free coins per day. Additionally, there are more ways to earn coins.
At first glance, this system seems to sound good, but upon closer inspection, there is much criticism from trainers, as it becomes noticeably harder to obtain the free coins.
This is how the new coin system is supposed to work
This is how to earn the coins: The way to get the 50 PokéCoins remains the same. You can still defend gyms for this, and if you get knocked out, you will receive the 50 coins, provided you have stayed long enough.
However, there should also be other ways to get an additional 5 coins. These methods can be approached comfortably from home:
Land a great throw.
Evolve a Pokémon.
Land an excellent throw.
Use a berry while catching a Pokémon.
Take a snapshot of your buddy.
Catch a Pokémon.
Use a power-up on a Pokémon.
Land a good throw.
Send a Pokémon.
Win a raid.
If you complete all the actions required for that day, you will receive the 5 additional coins. So it is not enough to just finish one of the tasks mentioned above.
Normally, you only get PokéCoins in the in-game shop – however, 50 coins are free per day.
What is the problem now? An adjustment has led to much criticism. Players are supposed to receive only 2 instead of 6 PokéCoins per hour in the gym. This means that you no longer have to sit in a gym for 8 hours to earn them, but rather for a full 25 hours. Therefore, you need to hold at least 2 gyms per day to reach the daily cap of PokéCoins.
You also cannot earn the 50 PokéCoins through the actions mentioned above. Those only grant the additional 5 coins.
This is being criticized: Many trainers are saying that they would gladly forgo the 5 additional coins if they could still easily earn the previous 50 coins.
Others do not understand this adjustment at all. “jwadamson” says on reddit: “How can you call it balancing when you offer the chance for 5 easily earned PokéCoins and change the maximum gym coins from 8:20 hours to 25 hours of defense time?”
Other trainers have even suggested ways to improve the system directly: “They should leave the gym system as it is and simply add these quests on top, while keeping the maximum of 50 coins per day intact. Trainers could then choose how they want to earn their coins.”
In Destiny 2, the special NPC vendor Xur receives a lot of criticism from veterans. After a long wait, the promised changes are finally within reach.
This update is coming to Xur: The mysterious NPC Xur visits Destiny players every weekend and has random Exotics in his inventory. Bungie has now confirmed that the rolls on his exotic “Armor 2.0” gear will finally be completely random, meaning a random distribution of stats and affinities.
Whether Xur will receive further changes is currently unknown. However, we will keep you updated on MeinMMO.
Xur is irrelevant for Destiny veterans
This is the problem with Xur: Especially for Guardians who have seen a lot of Destiny 2 and have invested many hours in the game, Xur offers very little of interest. They have all the exotic items from his stock and often see no reason to visit the NPC. Veterans miss the cult surrounding the visitor.
However, the random rolls now give veterans reasons to pay a visit to the vendor again. Especially hardcore players optimize their builds with fervor and are always on the lookout for the perfect distribution of stats.
Xur is not completely irrelevant in his current form either. Casual players or newcomers are grateful for the steady supply of fresh Exotics from the hooded figure. We hope that the changes will allow all Guardians to once again benefit from what used to be such a mysterious visitor.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The survival MMO Population Zero launched in May on Steam. However, the initial reviews of the game are rather negative. Still, many players hope that the MMO could turn things around.
Update May 7: In a State of the Game on Steam, the developers discussed current issues. Players can already use Steam features to play with friends, and they are currently working on an in-game solution. Technical problems are set to be addressed with upcoming hotfixes.
The questionable DLCs with special equipment have been temporarily disabled, and players who purchased them will be compensated. Additionally, a roadmap for May and June is expected to be released in the coming days.
However, some core content is missing, including many social features such as:
a promised factions feature that allows players to join a culture
groups
guilds
or even the ability to play with friends on a server. Currently, players are just thrown onto a random server at the start.
This has led to a lot of criticism, as for many players, the joy of an MMO lies in playing together.
In addition, there are technical problems and missing settings options, including no options for custom key bindings. Further criticism has been directed at the current tutorial and the situation with different modes and servers, which is not immediately clear.
As of now, May 5 at 5:30 PM, 64% of the 359 reviews on Steam are negative.
Currently, Population Zero especially lacks the option to play in a group.
Why is there still hope? In some negative and, above all, positive comments, there are still voices that see great potential in the game.
Because while the mentioned points are currently very serious, they can all be “relatively easily” fixed. The fundamental gameplay, the idea, and the combat system, on the other hand, are praised in many comments.
That is why many hope for a comeback like No Man’s Sky, which was in a questionable state at release and only became a really good game with a later update.
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In a video, the developers show how Population Zero has developed.
Many good approaches and a lot of potential create hope
What do the positive voices say? The positive reviews of Population Zero especially see a lot of potential for the future. For example, user DasMario*8 compared the current content in his review with a pro and con system:
+The optimization is not as bad as some comments suggest. 1440p, 78 FPS on average at high settings (5700xt) +The combat system is easy to understand +The servers are always full. Other players help with killing monsters +10 hours of playtime and still enough to do +Talent trees and crafting systems are very user-friendly +Fun to play
-Co-op mode has not yet been released -Something is missing in the lore at the start -The DLC is mediocre
The mentioned DLC refers to special equipment that is useful for getting started and will not be lost if you are killed.
The user Ser. Swett primarily writes about the existing potential. He was one of three users in the reviews to draw a comparison with No Man’s Sky:
The game has extremely much potential and I like the idea of the survival MMO. It definitely does not deserve the overwhelmingly bad criticism, as it is just an early access title and also the first game released by Enplex Games LLC [the developer].
Population Zero will probably be like No Man’s Sky … A big flop at launch and then becoming a pretty good game. So yes, just give the game some time […].
Not only visually are the two survival games No Man’s Sky and Population Zero similar. They could also experience a comparable development story.
The user Darrin, who has already invested 13 hours in Population Zero, writes about the game:
I don’t understand why people give the game such bad reviews. I have been playing for about 6 hours now, and the combat system is quite fun, the grind to get better gear isn’t too bad, and yes, it’s annoying that you can’t form groups right now, but it’s still fun.
The only problem I occasionally encounter is that there are lags and I get kicked out once in a while. Then it takes a while before I can play again, as the servers are apparently overcrowded. And if they really are overcrowded, then it should show you that there are people who like the game and find it worth the price.
However, he also warns against the DLC:
However, stay away from the DLCs. They give you starter equipment that is unique and cannot be destroyed, but I don’t think they are worth the price.
An advantage – The PvE mode: Population Zero offers various modes in which you can play. One is a pure PvE mode where you can theoretically explore the world and complete tasks together with other players. It is where your adventure begins.
In Population Zero, you unlock new content and game modes with each level. This can be somewhat confusing for beginners but is intended to be a special feature of the game.
What other features does PZ offer? In addition to various modes, including one hardcore PvP mode with permadeath, Population Zero also ensures that you become a huge alien if you die too often.
This is meant to allow you a last desperate attempt to complete some tasks and quest goals. However, if you die as a super alien, the entire cycle is over for you, and you have to wait until the restart after 7 days.
A turn would be possible, but communication is needed
What does Population Zero urgently need? In addition to the missing social features, communication is currently also being criticized. Many players would like to know if and when the features will be added.
In social networks and on Steam, the Russian developer Enplex Games has so far been rather reserved. This has also led to criticism on Twitter and in Steam reviews.
However, with appropriate updates and good communication, a turnaround is possible. Because the most important thing is usually the gameplay. And there, Population Zero seems to be rated much better than the reviews would suggest.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
This is exactly what is happening again in the next expansion Shadowlands, as reported by wowhead.
What feature is it about? Various boss mods have had the ability to broadcast a timer for a long time. Then all players within the group who also have such an addon will see a countdown. This is used as a “pull timer” to coordinate the exact timing of the attack. This way, things like an early potion (“Pre-Pot”) or the timely activation of abilities can be precisely timed.
Countdown as a standard feature in WoW – it’s about time!
How does the feature get to WoW? In the Shadowlands alpha, players can simply use the command “/countdown XX” to start a countdown. “XX” stands for the duration in seconds. These can be short countdowns of a few seconds, but also very long times over several minutes – perfect for clearly defining a raid break.
The last seconds will then be displayed in large numbers in the center of the screen – virtually impossible to miss.
Can all players use this? No. As with the addons DBM (Deadly Boss Mods) and BigWigs, this command can only be executed by the group leader or assistants. So no one needs to worry about the entire raid suddenly spamming countdowns to troll the group in LFR.
Whether WoW will adopt other features from other addons remains to be seen in the coming weeks and months as further updates to Shadowlands are released.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
With the loot shooter The Division 2, the battle royale Call of Duty: Warzone, and the new tactical shooter Valorant, MeinMMO author Maik Schneider is currently having more fun than ever in shooters. Check out why our shooter expert is doing so well right now.
It feels like never before were so many people online as during the current Corona crisis, including lockdown. Those who remain largely unaffected by the crisis, i.e., not fearing for their lives or existence, are craving fun and entertainment.
3 shooters were able to benefit from the current circumstances, as they either brought new content just before the mandated “social distancing” or were released during the lockdown:
The Division 2 released the “Warlords of New York” expansion on March 3
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare released the BR spin-off Warzone on March 10
Valorant launched into closed beta on April 7
When I played all 3 games in one day, I noticed something strange. A feeling of completeness that slowly crawled up from the input devices into my reward system and provided a strong boost of happiness hormones over and over again.
I realized that I had found something very special with this mix. With these 3 games, I can cover almost everything I desire as a gamer.
Why exactly these 3 titles?
After many years of gaming, I have almost completely dropped all reservations about new games. I am a broad-spectrum player who has been playing everything from sports games, to crazy indie titles, to sprawling strategy games for a long time. However, shooters usually take precedence over everything else.
But if a game wants to keep me engaged for a long time, it needs some very specific characteristics:
Multiplayer mode – Absolute must-have
Complexity – I want to delve deeply and discover something new even after many hours/days of gameplay
Challenge – It can get tough, and I’m happy if it gets really tough
Progress – The game should provide me with a certain progression over a long time, whether in-game or with my skills, it doesn’t really matter
If a game can offer me all of that, the chances are good that I will stick around after the initial flirtation. This happened to me with The Division 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Instead of the regular multiplayer of CoD MW, I now mostly play Valorant, and the Warzone added a damn strong battle royale.
What do the 3 games offer? The Division 2, Valorant, and Warzone pursue completely different solutions in terms of gameplay. This way, I get almost everything my gamer heart desires from the three. I can
scoop up tons of loot with Division 2 and think long about builds.
chase my pulse to alarming heights in the last circle in Warzone.
sniff competitive clan air again with Valorant.
In fact, there is only one thing I am still missing – building unnecessarily large bases. Or even creating entire worlds, like my MeinMMO colleague Sascha Asendorf, who spent more than 2,000 hours recreating the WoW capital Stormwind in Minecraft.
The Division 2 – The Loot Shooter without End
Division 2 convinced me almost from the very first moment. I find the theoretical build crafting and then going out to hunt the right parts in practice great. Even though it was a real pain to get to the right items until the introduction of loot targeting, I stuck with it and even started writing about The Division 2 here at MeinMMO last September.
Since then, I have not missed any community streams and closely follow the development of the loot shooter. Despite its current quirks and problems, I view the development of the service game positively and am curious to see how the developers will advance Division 2 in 2020.
My agent Schnitzel has already been through a lot. Here is an unposed photo with my MeinMMO colleague Sven Galitzki.
The combination of the depth of the game, good co-op options, challenging content, and prospects for more improvements and content keep making me gladly take a round through Washington or New York. As a cherry on top, the third-person shooter offers a brutally difficult 8-player raid and perhaps the next one already in June.
Call of Duty: Warzone – Finally found the right battle royale
I searched a long time for a battle royale that really takes me in. But it didn’t click for me and my team in any of the genre’s offshoots so far:
Fortnite is cool, but somehow strange.
Apex Legends was fun briefly, but it wasn’t the right fit either.
And PUBG is just PUBG.
Through the MOBA Smite, we even stumbled upon Realm Royale, where you use magic wands and turn into chickens in the knockout phase.
Realm Royale was quite funny, but the chicken-free revival in Warzone is much more to my liking.
But with Warzone, almost everything fits. The speed, the (mostly) clean mechanics, and my friends are into it too. In addition, I already knew the best weapons from Modern Warfare. Regularly, we rack up our victories and push each other to peak performance. Even Destiny colleague Phillip Hansen is now regularly playing Warzone, and we’ve already managed to secure a win together.
Since the start of the “battle royale” hype, I’ve been waiting for Warzone and currently enjoy playing it a lot.
Valorant – With the team to victory
I give the title a few early accolades, as it is still in beta. However, Valorant now fills a gap that I will definitely close with the full release. Namely, regular clan wars and smaller organized matches.
I really like the gameplay, a mix of Counter-Strike and Overwatch. I avoided Counter-Strike for a long time and never really warmed up to it. But with the broader gameplay options, thanks to the agents’ abilities, Valorant is exactly the right tactical shooter for me. Already during my long time with Destiny 1, I loved the PvP thanks to the capabilities that the abilities brought to weapon combat.
The various agents in Valorant bring special abilities and engage in Counter-Strike-like gunplay.
In Division 2, it’s all about the build; in the battle royale CoD: Warzone, you often need a good dose of luck, but in Valorant, it’s all about strategy and skill. Here, it goes bang-bang, win or lose. I am already assembling my team and am excited about the big release, which will probably take place sometime in summer.
There’s still plenty of time to improve, build one or the other damage build, and go all out in Verdansk. Which game I start usually depends on the available teammates.
But at the moment, I always have something to play and so much fun as never before in shooters.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
