Fallout 76: If you’re a jerk in Wastelanders, even NPCs will find you silly

Benedict Grothaus Benedict Grothaus Reading time 5 minutes

With the new Wastelanders update, human NPCs are returning to Fallout 76. But they are not just decorative characters; they actually react to you. MeinMMO author Benedict Grothaus played it and finds: It feels almost like karma.

Wastelanders will launch on April 14, 2020, after a delay and finally brings back the NPCs that many players have been waiting for. They will settle back in Appalachia, ensuring there is something to do.

I was invited by Bethesda to the Wastelanders test server and was able to get a glimpse of it beforehand. I have already played for about 15 hours and have interacted a lot with the NPCs.

To test things a little more, I behaved differently towards the people in Appalachia with various characters – with an interesting result.

NPCs react to the player

Already after the first steps out of the Vault, you will encounter two women as a new player who will talk to you. I spoke with these women in different ways:

  • friendly
  • neutral
  • with a lie

With the friendly and neutral options, not much changed. They still talked to me, answered more questions, and gave me some useful tips that may not have been particularly helpful but were definitely interesting.

Fallout 76 Wastelanders First NPCs
These two ladies engage you in one of your first conversations.

However, things got exciting with the lie. It was not only immediately uncovered but also penalized: They refused to continue speaking with me. This was something I did not expect and reminded me of the karma system from earlier Fallout titles. And this theme persisted throughout all the quests I completed.

Examples of how detailed the dialogues are and how costly that was for Bethesda can be seen here:

More on the topic
Fallout 76 spent more money on NPCs than planned – And that was exactly right
von Benedict Grothaus

Behavior influences quests

Depending on how you interact with NPCs, you can alter the course of quests. This opens up various solutions to reach your goals in different ways.

Especially important are the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes, which can fundamentally determine your behavior. Strength options are often brutal and harsh, while charisma options are friendly or diplomatic.

With such options, you can make quests easier or harder. If you squeeze all the information and maybe even the last caps out of an NPC through your strength, you will progress faster but won’t receive any extra info.

If you take a friendly approach, they might talk more with you, and you could even find additional rewards or alternative solutions. However, this may take longer overall.

Depending on how selfish or altruistic you are and regardless of your stats, you might also be able to exploit the emergency situations of some NPCs to increase your reward – or you may refrain to improve your “karma”.

More on the topic
Fallout 76 Personality Quiz: Are you a Raider or a Savior?
von Benedict Grothaus

No consequences for quest NPCs – so far

The only area where I have not yet noticed a difference is in the outcomes of conversations with important quest NPCs for main quests. These seem to ultimately always lead to the same ending.

However, I have only been able to play through the initial quests so far. Therefore, I cannot say for certain whether the decisions might have an impact later in the game.

But since I accidentally killed an NPC previously and received quite a bit of trouble from bystanders, I can well imagine that early decisions could still influence the course later on.

Fallout 76 Wastelanders Screenshot Duchesse
Duchess and her regular customer Mort are important characters and guide the story in the beginning themselves.

What is karma in Fallout?

Karma is roughly the principle of cause and effect and is represented in the Fallout titles (between Fallout 2 and New Vegas) in the form of points and specific titles. It serves as a type of “general reputation,” as it was referred to in Fallout 1. However, in Fallout 76, it works a bit differently.

Overview: Karma in earlier Fallout titles

Karma is used to categorize the player as “good” and “evil”. It is determined by actions that generally fall into these categories.

For example, destroying an entire town is considered entirely evil and thus “rewarded” with negative points. Donating water or caps, on the other hand, is seen as good and increases karma.

Depending on the disposition, this can have certain effects on your game. Some companions will only join you at a certain karma value. Certain NPCs and groups will attack the player if they are too good or too evil.

Some particularly positive or negative actions may even be mentioned on the radio. This encouraged players to replay the Fallout titles to explore different paths.

Karma in Fallout 76: There is no karma system in Fallout 76, at least not as a numeric value or in the form of titles. Instead, NPCs actually react to you depending on how you deal with them.

If you are unfriendly to them, they will not want to have much to do with you. If you meet them kindly, however, you may be able to extract additional information from them.

The included system is somewhat similar to Fallout 4, where karma was replaced by affection with companions. Wastelanders also offers companions with whom you can interact and even fall in love – but I haven’t reached that point yet.

Fallout 76 Wastelanders Escort NPC
Who follows you or not was determined by karma in earlier titles – In Fallout 76, there are quests for that.

Can I be “good” or “evil”?

In principle, yes – it depends on you how you behave. However, it is not clearly defined, at least not as far as I have seen so far. Yet, this “karma” feature offers a great option for role-playing.

In Fallout 76, many players have decided to take on specific roles. For instance, there are already:

Fallout 76 Fallout 4 Preston Garvey 2
Do you want to embody Preston Garvey? Go ahead, but don’t complain if no other player likes you afterwards.

Those who, like these people, play Fallout 76 as a role-playing game can enjoy the “good” and “evil” decisions to shape their own character. There is also a certain influence on gameplay.

Starting April 14, you can see for yourself what Wastelanders is all about. Then the new update will be available for free on all platforms, and Fallout 76 will finally also be available on Steam. More about Wastelanders and why Wastelanders is what Fallout 76 should have been, can be found in my detailed preview.

Those who, like these people, play Fallout 76 as a role-playing game can enjoy the “good” and “evil” decisions to shape their own character. There is also a certain influence on gameplay.

Starting April 14, you can see for yourself what Wastelanders is all about. Then the new update will be available for free on all platforms, and Fallout 76 will finally also be available on Steam. More about Wastelanders and why Wastelanders is what Fallout 76 should have been, can be found in my detailed preview.

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

Guild Wars 2: This content is needed for the new expansion to be convincing

Alexander Leitsch Alexander Leitsch Reading time 6 minutes

The MMORPG Guild Wars 2 has faced several issues particularly in the last year. Nonetheless, it is still expected to be developed long-term, as a 3rd expansion titled “End of Dragons” has been announced. However, this must deliver some content to convince users, according to our author Alexander Leitsch.

Update August 26: In the meantime, the name and a first trailer for the “End of Dragons” expansion have been released. You can find more details here.

What is the current situation of GW2? The MMORPG by ArenaNet is in a very mixed position as of early 2020.

Last year there were mass layoffs, content droughts, and the main heads of the game left the studio. 2019 was the toughest year for the studio, an developer admitted.

On the other hand, there are regular monthly updates that have been released since September, including:

Additionally, there was a roadmap for each quarter and a third expansion was announced.

GW2 Expansion 3 Cantha
The teaser image for the 3rd expansion of GW2

Why is the expansion so important? Although there is no release timeframe for the new expansion yet, many players hope that the MMORPG will continue for a long time.

Moreover, expansions have consistently brought back both new and old players to Guild Wars 2 and have also led to better revenues. Therefore, a successful release is just as important for the studio as it is for the players.

But what does the expansion need to be truly successful? I will now share my point of view on this.

Elite Specializations or a New Class

What does this mean? The two previous expansions, Heart of Thorns and Path of Fire, both offered new specializations. These involve traits and skills that enhance each class with a new playstyle.

The Ranger, for instance, became a Druid and learned useful buff and healing skills. The Elementalist, on the other hand, became a Weaver and could weave together multiple elements to create new skills.

Heart of Thorns also introduced a new class, the Revenant. This class utilized the skills and unique traits of already defeated heroes or villains from the past.

GW2 Revenant Shiro
The Revenant with the Shiro legend.

What do I wish for? MMORPG players are used to using the same classes and skills for years. Still, fresh changes are important.

I have looked forward to discovering a new aspect of my Ranger in every expansion. Leveling and learning a new class has also been a lot of fun.

I personally think a new kind of progression would be cool. I would wish for them to introduce 2-3 completely new weapons into the game and distribute them across the various classes. This would have several advantages:

  • Each class would receive new skills, even though it would break the old pattern.
  • There could be tons of new skins in the game, from simple weapons to completely crazy designs.
  • It would provide some equipment progress, because a new weapon would have to be crafted at the highest level initially, not counting the Legendaries.

If ArenaNet doesn’t introduce expansions to the class system, then even new content might end up feeling similar. Additionally, they have set expectations with the last two add-ons that would otherwise be disappointed. Hence, class progress is a must for any expansion.

Group Content

What does this mean? By group content, I refer to dungeons, fractals, and raids, that is, instances, but also tasks in the open world. Especially in Guild Wars 2, world bosses and large meta-events are very popular.

A highlight for many players even today is a run in the Dragon’s Stand. The entire map revolves around the fight against an Elder Dragon, which you undertake with at least 60 other players. It is a breathtaking feeling, especially the first time.

However, hardcore content should not be completely neglected either.

Guild Wars 2 Mordrem
The servants of Mordremoth from the Dragon’s Stand.

Why is this important? While the story can usually be completed solo and quite quickly, it is precisely these group contents that offer long-term tasks, provided they are designed correctly.

With the right challenges and rewards, they ensure that veterans spend weeks or months with them, rather than just speeding through the content in a couple of hours.

Therefore, I wish for at least one area like the Dragon’s Stand, where we have a large, rewarding meta-event with special skins from start to finish. And new raids would, of course, be great.

A New, Coherent Story

What does this mean? In the third expansion, we will likely be heading to Cantha, a continent from Guild Wars 1. Personally, I do not like that, as the current lore isolates the continent from all non-human beings. However, this can certainly be rewritten.

What is much more important to me here is that we do not receive an incomplete story, as was the case with both previous expansions. Although they always had a beginning and an end, it was noticeable that content was cut in the middle that was originally meant to be included.

Guild Wars 2 Heart of Thorns
In Heart of Thorns, an entire storyline about the Sylvari was removed. That was a shame.

What do I wish for? An expansion usually tells a story arc that should have an ending, even if it is a little more open and leaves room for a continuation.

As a lore fan, it is difficult for me when a story does not make sense or is not completed in an expansion. This dampens my enjoyment of the entire expansion.

Therefore, I wish not only for a clean transition to the story arc after Cantha, but also a clear and meaningful story for the expansion itself.

Not Just Fan Service

What does this mean? The Path of Fire expansion already took us into the Crystal Desert and Elona, two regions that were already playable in Guild Wars 1.

Many Easter eggs were embedded there to excite the players of the predecessor. However, some of the stories told were quite strange, like the encounter with Kormir, which many felt unnecessary.

Some of it was purely service for the fans of the first part.

What do I wish for? If we are going to travel to Cantha, then the continent should have changed significantly. Isolated Easter eggs and recognition of special places are certainly welcome.

However, 250 years, a strict government, and the unification of all human tribes should have left their mark. And I do not want to suddenly encounter old characters who should have been long dead, right, Koss?

Something Unique

What does this mean? This point is personally the most important to me. Each expansion needs something unique:

  • Heart of Thorns introduced masteries. They provided vertical progression in the form of gliding, jumping mushrooms, new languages, and rewards.
  • Path of Fire utilized the system to introduce various mounts.

Now, the third expansion also needs something that serves as a unique attribute, a reason for every (former) player to consider the purchase.

Guild Wars 2 Griffon Title
The Griffon, one of the mounts from GW2.

What do I wish for? This question is a bit more complicated, as it is not so easy to find unique selling points:

  • Some players hope that the Tengus (bird-people, see title image) will become a playable race. I do not share this wish, but I understand the idea behind it.
  • Others hope for a proper housing system, which certainly has its appeal.
  • I would personally wish for a solo PvE content that becomes increasingly difficult. Perhaps a trial that scales infinitely and where I can challenge myself until I reach my limits, combined with daily or monthly achievements.

Honestly, I don’t really care what it is. I just hope it keeps me engaged long-term and brings some fresh wind into Guild Wars 2.

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

Pokémon GO: 10 field research tasks that are particularly worthwhile in April 2020

Noah Struthoff Noah Struthoff Reading time 3 minutes

In Pokémon GO there have been new field research since early April 2020. We will show you in this article which of them are particularly worthwhile.

These are the quests: In Pokémon GO, there have been new field research to complete since April 1, which include new Pokémon as rewards. Here we show you the quests that are particularly good because they feature rare monsters or valuable shinies.

This way you will know which quests you should take and which tasks you can safely delete.

The best field research in April 2020

Land 5 great curveball throws: For this task you will receive a Pandir as a reward. The quest is quite rare and Pandir can only be caught in this field research. So if you want to secure a shiny, you should focus entirely on this quest.

The task is a bit tricky, but we give you tips on how to complete it more easily.

Pokémon GO Pandir Overview
You can catch Pandir #8 this month. You can see the form at the bottom right

Land 3 great throws: This quest has existed for months, but the contents are still interesting. There are Nebulak, Liliep or Anorith. All of them can be shiny.

While Nebulak is a fairly useful Pokémon and a shiny Gengar with good IVs will certainly often come into play, Liliep and Anorith are quite rare in the wild. So if you want to secure a shiny, you should primarily focus on this quest.

Land 3 fabulous throws in a row: This quest is also quite old, but a Larvitar as a reward is still good. The evolution Tyranitar belongs to the best Pokémon of type Rock and Dark – candies and good IVs for a Larvitar can’t hurt.

Battle against another Trainer: After disappointing Pokémon from this quest in recent months, there is finally something good again: Burmy!

Burmy only appears with the plant cloak but can be shiny. So if you enjoy battling in the PvP league, you can easily combine this quest with it and hopefully snag a rare shiny.

Send 3 gifts to friends: This is probably one of the best quests currently available. Quick to do and you will receive a Magmar as a reward.

If you don’t have a Magmar nest in the city, you rarely encounter the fire Pokémon. Magmar can also be shiny, so the encounter is definitely worth it.

Pokémon GO shiny magmar wild encounter catch
With luck you can encounter shiny Magmar

Evolve a Pokémon: This field research is quick to complete and you can receive either Eevee or Alolan Diglett as a reward. While Eevee is more of a consolation prize, Alolan Diglett could become a real jackpot.

In the wild, Alolan Diglett is quite rare and otherwise only obtainable from 7 km eggs, where only currently only fossils can be found. You might hope for a shiny Alolan Diglett in this quest and thus obtain a quite rare shiny.

Trade a Pokémon: This task awaits Tannza for you. This Pokémon is rarely found in the wild and a shiny is therefore quite valuable. Additionally, the rate for shiny Tannza is higher than for other shinies. So you have good chances.

Give your buddy a snack: This quest is currently still under discussion as to whether it will disappear with the end of the April Fools’ event. If not, then you have an easy task that will yield a Trevally at the end.

The Pokémon can currently be shiny and if you want to increase your chances of getting a shiny, you should focus on this quest.

Catch 3 different plant-type Pokémon: Here you will receive a special candy if you catch 3 different plant Pokémon. The quest is quickly completed if there is no event going on.

Good examples of common plant Pokémon are Kinoso, Myrapla, Samurzel or Roselia. In some quests in April, plant Pokémon are also available. So combine them to complete the quest quickly.

Spin 10 PokéStops or Gyms: Here you will receive 5 silver pinap berries as a reward. These berries are particularly important for catching raid bosses and provide double candies and an increased catch rate.

Especially now with Landorus, it is worthwhile, because the raid boss is finally useful again. So use the quest to get the rare berries and secure 6 candies when catching Landorus.

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

The 5 most popular PS4 games for a group of passionate gamers

Benedikt Schlotmann Benedikt Schlotmann Reading time 6 minutes

On reddit, a PS4 player analyzed the data of around 700 players on PlayStation 4. With this data, he created a list of the PS4 games that were particularly popular with this group of core gamers in March 2020: The top 5 positions are occupied solely by multiplayer online games, especially shooters.

Where does the data come from? The data is not official data from Sony. The reddit user s0vs0v collected the data and explains in his post where it originates from:

  • You add “ps-timetracker” to your PSN friends list. This can take a moment.
  • Once a day, you receive a PSN message containing the day’s statistics.
  • At the end of the month, the user combines all this data into a large table.
Destiny 2 Duo

Large friends list provides interesting data for PS4

What data was evaluated? The user collected various data about the games. However, the data is based solely on PlayStation 4. It includes:

  • the name of the game
  • how many hours the games were played by the friends list
  • the number of players on the friends list who played the game during the period
  • how many game sessions were started
  • how much time players spent on average per game session.

How much data was evaluated in total? The data comes from 703 players.

  • The data thus represents a group of particularly active players and not the general user base that also plays on PS4.

The leaderboard contains the 100 titles that were played the most on PS4 by these players in March 2020.

What are we presenting to you? We present to you the 5 most played titles.

However, please note that the ranking is based on the evaluation of reddit data, not our own.

5th Place – Destiny 2

Genre: MMO Shooter | Developer: Bungie | Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Stadia | Release Date: September 6, 2017 | Model: Buy-to-Play

Destiny 2 Trio

Destiny 2 ranks 5th on the leaderboard:

  • Destiny 2 has 1737 play hours with 45 players
  • If we go by average play hours per player, Destiny 2 would have landed in 1st place: Because Destiny 2 is played for an average of 38.5 hours.
  • 621 game sessions were started, averaging 2:48 hours per session.

What is Destiny 2? Destiny 2 is a first-person shooter. It combines aspects of loot shooter, RPG, and especially social aspects. And the best part is: Destiny 2 is free.

What has happened in the game recently? Season 10 has now started in Destiny 2, where many players are still expecting some surprises. And more content is expected to arrive in 2020, even though the year is supposed to unfold differently than 2019 – as Activision is no longer aboard.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. reddit.com
Pages: 1 2 3 4 5

“15 Exotics in 3 Hours” – Destiny 2 surprisingly drops double loot

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

In Destiny 2 it is currently raining coveted loot. The current Nightfall Strike, Nightfall: The Ordeal, is spitting out double loot. Players are already in a loot frenzy.

This is the “bug”: The current Nightfall Strike gives double loot. Players do not need to cheat, no absurd glitch, to get the double loot: Just finishing the Nightfall Strike, Nightfall: The Ordeal, is enough to grab the loot.

The Nightfall Strike “The Hollow Guardian” has been active since March 31st. The strike came with Forsaken to Destiny 2 and strongly resembles the original “Prison of Elders” known to Destiny veterans from the “House of Wolves” expansion (2015).

This new hot spot for loot was highlighted by YouTuber Mtashed in a video. He urges players to take advantage of it “as quickly as possible before it disappears again.”

Destiny-2-Lootrausch
“My treasure!” – A happy Mtashed loots double.

According to Mtashed, this is now a great opportunity to get in Destiny 2:

The YouTuber then shows his haul from 3 hours. Including some exotics that he proudly presents. Mtashed says he farmed 15 exotics in 3 hours, all at double speed.

At the moment, it is said that you can farm Nightfalls twice as efficiently as usual. That is “crazy.”

More on the topic
Destiny 2: The best 5 weapon exotics for PvE in Shadowkeep
von Philipp Hansen

This is how it is being reacted to: Generally, players in Destiny 2 are a bit cynical at the moment.

  • One player says he has farmed “30 Beaver Errors” in the last 3 hours. That’s harsh.
  • Another expects that Bungie will now disable Destiny 2 to fix the glitch. A hint that Bungie often disables exotics that cause trouble.
  • A third adds: This should be the speed that is normal. Because farming exotics and grinding for materials is tedious.
  • Some even suspect that Bungie is doing this “intentionally” to give players a reason to play Destiny 2 now.

At the moment, glitches and problems are piling up in Destiny 2. Due to the corona virus, Bungie has moved its work to home office. In recent weeks, there have been some bugs and issues.

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Thus, the Trials of Osiris do not always give loot – a disadvantage for players. However, the current bug is turning out to be advantageous.

It is clear that such a farm spot greatly increases the yield and reduces the time players need to achieve their goals in Destiny 2. It is quite possible that this loot frenzy will end on Tuesday with the new weekly reset. Perhaps Bungie may intervene even earlier.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. gamerant
  2. Reddit (Nightfall-Loot noch aktuell?)

EVE Online: “Seeing over 100 players in space blew my mind”

Andreas Bertits Andreas Bertits Reading time 4 minutes

In our second part of the interview with the EVE Online player Pandoralica, he talks to us about the faction wars in the space MMO.

What are faction wars? EVE Online recently received a major update that changed the faction wars. There are now loyalty points for PvP kills in the faction war, but the payouts of loyalty points for faction war missions assigned by agents have been reduced in return. We spoke with the EVE Online fleet commander Pandoralica about the faction wars, which take place basically around the clock.

EVE Online
In EVE Online, battles are constantly taking place, including faction wars.

The well-known EVE player Pandoralica, who has been active in the space MMO since 2008, explained it to us as follows:

A faction war is fought by players, but for one of the four main factions within EVE. There are certain areas where the empires fight for sovereignty, and the players fighting for their empire enjoy some advantages. To take over a system, players must claim objectives, which in other MMOs are dungeons, and when enough of them have been successfully captured, the system eventually flips. Obviously, this rarely happens without the enemy at least trying to stop it, leading to a fight between a handful of players or fleets of hundreds when things get a bit crazy.

In faction wars, people have a clear incentive with system benefits to argue, while player organizations fight for all sorts of reasons. Wars can be started over income, personal grudges, or just for fun. Similar to the real world, morale plays a big role, and it is not uncommon for groups to create and push narratives in the media (usually Reddit) to keep their members engaged and battle-ready.

EVE player Pandoralica

Battles Full of Tension

The player also explained the individual factions to us:

Caldari, Amarr, Gallente, and Minmatar are the four main factions engaged in an endless war. Why they are at war, I have forgotten, and I doubt they would remember if they had to be honest. Each of them has their own ships, weapons, and styles. Then there are so-called “pirate factions,” which are usually a combination of two main factions and may have their own ships. Now there are the “new guys” called Triglavians, who have entered the game fairly recently and are currently developing their own ships and identities. To fly these ships, players must find the right factions, weapon systems, or defense modules, but they can master all skills and are not tied to a specific one.

EVE player Pandoralica
EVE Online Frostline 2
The space MMO EVE Online is full of exciting stories.

That’s why the battles are so interesting: Also regarding the faction wars, Pandoralica shared an exciting anecdote with us, as EVE Online thrives on such stories:

It has been 10 years since I actively fought in a faction war, but I still remember the first large fleet I ever joined. Back then, my experience was no more than killing a helpless miner with a few friends, and seeing over a hundred fleet members in space blew me away. In EVE, there’s no game mechanic that forces people to join a fleet or follow orders, so everyone had to be there voluntarily. Our fleet commander at the time was Fatmanpaul, and although a fleet in a faction war consisted of random people, everyone seemed to trust him and his decision-making. With a hundred random internet spaceship nerds in voice chat, you would expect it to be complete chaos, but everyone was surprisingly disciplined.

After months of planning and preparation and four days of continuous focus on the fleets, we finally destroyed one of the largest structures in the game, which people expected to be invincible. It was more of a relief than excitement when it finally exploded and the team that had worked on it began to celebrate. But the fun part was sitting back and watching over a thousand players fly around trying to grab the hundreds of loot containers floating everywhere.

EVE player Pandoralica
eve online lifeblood
Newcomers in EVE Online have a tough time.

What is EVE? To conclude, Pandoralica revealed to us how he would explain EVE to someone who doesn’t play video games, and he also gave newcomers a tip:

Imagine you are sitting with your friends creating a science fiction series about spaceships, battles, and entire wars, but the villains in this series can write their own story. Every day there’s a new episode, and it’s up to you to make it a good one.

I would argue it is actually the most complex game, and it depends on the player’s mindset whether they see it as an obstacle or a challenge. There are many stories of people who had to try multiple times to “get it.” My advice would be to stick to what you enjoy and get better at that small part of the game, and let the friends you make slowly take you on the journey to discover the rest.

EVE player Pandoralica

In the first part of our EVE interview with Pandoralica, we mainly talked about the security systems in the individual sectors of space. Here too, the player had an interesting story to tell, in which his team lost 5,000 euros in a battle.

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

FIFA 20 brings back an old fan favorite, but no one wants it like this

Max Handwerk Max Handwerk Reading time 2 minutes

In FIFA 20, an old fan favorite, Jonathan Biabiany, received a strong new card. However, it is so expensive that the fans are quite upset.

Who is Jonathan Biabiany? The winger has been equally loved and feared in FIFA for years. His overall rating was never the highest – but the speed. That speed!

Since FIFA 13, Biabiany has been a weapon to reckon with, especially in Serie A teams. The winger easily outpaced nearly every defender. A classic pace monster – and correspondingly popular.

In FIFA 19, there was only a silver card with still 94 pace for Biabiany, while in FIFA 20 his card looked like this:

FIFA 20 Biabiany

Still fast, of course. But not the same weapon as before.

Biabiany is back – but way too expensive

This is the card in question: During the FUT Birthday Event, Biabiany received a Flashback card. Of course: The speed was turned up again. With 99 pace and 93 dribbling, this Biabiany is not to be trifled with. It’s a pity that probably very few people will use him.

FB Biabiany
This is what the new Biabiany card looks like

This is the problem: The new Biabiany card has not only three stars for weak foot and skill moves, but also plays in the second Italian league. The Frenchman fits in very few FUT teams based on the league.

Some fans might overlook that. But since the other stats besides pace are not particularly outstanding, the hefty price of about 140,000 coins for the SBC keeps many away.

This is what the fans say: In the FIFA subreddit, many fans express anger over the requirements for the 87-rated winger. Especially now in April, the SBC is far too expensive for a player with this rating. Pure nostalgia cannot justify the price.

  • “This is one of the worst player SBCs they have released. They didn’t even improve the skill moves or weak foot,” complains user S-Yx (via reddit)
  • “Probably the worst of all time,” agrees user Pidjesus (via reddit).
  • “This is directly one of the bottom 5 SBCs in FIFA 20,” also finds user IsMiseOzz (via reddit).

Moreover, it is criticized that another French player falls into the current promo with Biabiany. Already 11 other promo players for the FUT Birthday come from France – this limits the combination possibilities.

For many players, the new Biabiany card is unfortunately not worth it. However, he should at least be interesting for players who enjoy dribbling – just like these seven strong dribblers.

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

Twitch streamer plays Destiny 2 instead of Valorant – Won’t “sell soul”

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 4 minutes

On Friday night, there was the Twitch reveal of the new shooter Valorant by Riot Games. The top shooter players showcased Valorant and achieved strong results. However, the streamer Guy “DrDisrespect” Beahm played the Trials of Osiris in Destiny 2. He said he didn’t want to sell his soul.

That was the situation on Friday night: It was already clear that the reveal of Valorant, the new shooter from Riot Games, would be the event on Friday night on Twitch. Some of the biggest shooter streamers on Twitch were streaming the event. You could feel the hype in the air.

Since DrDisrespect is a well-known shooter streamer on Twitch, many of his viewers assumed that the Doctor would also play Valorant on Friday night.

Especially since DrDisrespect had tweeted a picture of himself on April 1, depicting him as a “hero character” in Valorant.

He said that those who subscribe on Twitch would get this hero skin in the new shooter. An April Fools’ joke.

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The streamer announced at the beginning of his Friday stream that he would be playing a “new game,” but then said: “a new game for our channel” and logged into Destiny 2.

This was received only moderately well by some of his fans. In the chat, it was seen that Destiny 2

In Destiny 2, he played Rumble and the new Trials, along with the well-known Destiny streamer “The Real Krafty.”

The Doctor was initially visibly inexperienced in Destiny 2 and had to get used to the controls and peculiarities of the game. He was visibly confused by the concept of a “heavy weapon.” Why does he have a weapon when it has no ammunition?

The streamer was using endgame characters but did not reveal the mystery of how he obtained them. It appeared that he had not leveled them up.

Over time, DrDisrespect visibly got better with Destiny 2. The Twitch streamer shaped up. And ultimately, it doesn’t matter to the streamer in which shooter he dominates with “violence, speed, and momentum.”

Valorant is taking off on Twitch – the Doctor doesn’t care

This was the outcome: DrDisrespect streamed about 4 hours of Destiny 2 while many other top shooter streamers on Twitch spent their time on Valorant on Friday night.

Lupo Tatman Summit1g Valorant Title
3 of the 10 top streamers on Twitch were at Valorant. From left: DrLupo, TimTheTatman, Summit1g.

In the end, the outcome looked like this:

  • TimTheTatman averaged 88,850 viewers in the stream and peaked at 116,189 – about 3 times as much as usual
  • Summit1g averaged 115,098 viewers and peaked at 213,811 – about 6 times as much as usual
  • DrDisrespect had 20,560 viewers during his stream and peaked at 26,049 – normal numbers
Summit1g
The boost for Summit1g’s channel was enormous. DrDisrespect doesn’t have this peak. Source: Sullygnome

DrDisrespect forgoes viewers and allegedly $150,000

This is what DrDisrespect said about forgoing Valorant: During the stream, it was already mentioned in the chat at the beginning that TimTheTatman had 100,000 viewers on Twitch. He is a laid-back entertainment streamer with whom the ambitious DrDisrespect has a rivalry going on.

The remarks about TimTheTatman’s success the Doc ignored.

Later, DrDisrespect was asked if he was concerned about his viewer numbers. But he laughed and said:

I couldn’t care less [about viewer numbers.] The guy is worried about my viewer numbers. Get lost, you pussy. I don’t care.

If I were to care about viewer numbers, I would have sold my soul and could have played Valorant and Twitch Rivals all weekend and still made $150,000.

But I don’t do that, I’m just having a good time on Friday night.

DrDisrespect

What could this mean? In the clip, it seems as though DrDisrespect declined an offer from Riot Games to participate in the reveal of Valorant and pocket $150,000 – approximately €138,000.

But it should be noted that DrDisrespect is a character and not everything in the stream is meant seriously.

The numbers, however, seem realistic. So Tfue was offered $140,000 to promote a sports game from EA .

It’s also credible that Riot Games would have liked to have the Doctor involved in the presentation of Valorant. After all, he appeals to an audience that Riot Games would like for Valorant: somewhat experienced shooter fans with ambition who value gameplay.

More on the topic
Valorant tested: The shooter seems dull – But you will play it
von Leya Jankowski

However, other streamers who were part of the Twitch Rivals for Valorant did not label their streams as “sponsored.” The question remains open whether DrDisrespect was really offered money by Riot or if that was just a phrase from him in the stream to emphasize his point that he chose “Destiny and his own thing” over Valorant and against “the money and the viewers.”

Why exactly DrDisrespect chose to forgo Valorant seems to be open. Perhaps he thought the game didn’t fit his “brand,” or something went wrong during the negotiations.

When asked what he thought of Valorant, DrDisrespect pretended to fall into a deep sleep.

Then he seemingly woke up and exclaimed: “Hey, Riot, I’m just joking. Come on. Where do you want him? No, no, don’t close the conference room door. I have a great design here.”

DrDisrespect-Undertaker-Profil-e1582978447740-1140x445

DrDisrespect seems to carefully consider which deals he enters. For example, a campaign with WWE and the Undertaker was likely more to his taste. During that event, the Undertaker even went for DrDisrespect’s throat in a spectacular clip.

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

Video shows: A weapon skin in CoD Warzone makes a sniper deadlier

Noah Struthoff Noah Struthoff Reading time 2 minutes

In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone, a weapon skin is causing a stir. It is said to make a sniper stronger, although that is not intended.

There are issues: A video has surfaced on reddit showing problems with the EBR-14. When it wears a weapon skin from the Battle Pass, it is said to be stronger. An experiment in the video proves this.

Normally, skins are not supposed to make weapons stronger; they are only meant to change their appearance, but it seems there is also a technical buff involved here.

Video shows how strong the EBR-14 is with a weapon skin

This is the video: A few players wanted to get to the bottom of this and tested it thoroughly. In the clip, “ChickenYug” is seen giving his teammate a headshot with a modified EBR-14, without a skin. He stands still and survives it.

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After that, the weapon is switched, and the EBR-14 with the “Line Breaker” skin comes into play. It has the same attachments as the EBR without a skin. A similar headshot suddenly becomes fatal, even though the opponent had fully healed again. The sniper with the right skin seems to have received a damage buff, even though a skin is not supposed to have any influence on that.

How is the video received? The clip has now received over 16,000 upvotes. Many other players see it as evidence that weapon skins can actually influence damage. There is even a statement saying that this is Pay-to-Win since you can only get the Battle Pass skin by paying money.

Other players are downplaying the situation. They believe it is more of a nasty bug and hope that Infinity Ward will respond quickly. As maulla said on reddit: “This is a bug and not Pay-to-Win. Reddit can be so dramatic sometimes.”

Why is everyone screaming Pay-to-Win? For the predecessor of the current Modern Warfare, Black Ops 4 from 2018, there was harsh criticism for the loot boxes. It heavily depended on chance whether you got your favorite weapon in the right version or missed event weapons through the boxes. Some players feel reminded of that now.

However, there has been little criticism in this direction regarding Modern Warfare so far. Instead of the controversial loot boxes, Infinity Ward introduced the system of Battle Passes and scored points with the players.

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

New update in Pokémon GO ruins raids – What’s going on?

Noah Struthoff Noah Struthoff Reading time 2 minutes

In Pokémon GO the last major update brought several issues. The main problems affect gyms and raids, as there are many outages there.

What is the problem? For some time now, various trainers have been complaining about annoying bugs in the game. It seems to primarily affect iOS users. However, there are also reports from Android users complaining about bugs.

All of this seems to be related to the enlargement of the gym radius. Since this radius was increased, many of the bugs have occurred.

These bugs drive trainers crazy

What bugs are we talking about? Reports mainly concern bugs affecting raids and gyms. The following errors have been reported:

  • Raids are partially unplayable, as players often cannot deal damage and the raid gets stuck
  • Gym battles often require a restart of the app – the defeated Pokémon stays on the ground for a long time
  • The transformation animation of Ditto is bugged and takes significantly longer
  • The suggestions in the Rocket battles are not saved and need to be reselected
  • The screen quickly dims if it is not touched for a few seconds
Raid Arena
Gyms and raids are currently quite buggy

What can be done about it? There are no proper solutions. Many of the bugs cannot be quickly fixed and need a patch from Niantic. It seems that the developers are working on it, as some trainers are already reporting numerous new updates. However, a complete solution is still not available.

This is particularly bitter: The bug in raids is quite drastic, as many players lose raid passes because they cannot defeat the bosses.

So anyone who has noticed this bug recently should currently not invest further raid passes. An alternative for legendary Pokémon is the PvP League. There, players can encounter, among other rewards, Thundurus.

Keep in mind that there is a risk of contracting the coronavirus for yourself and others. The Federal Centre for Health Education recommends staying home as much as possible, keeping distance from others, and avoiding gatherings. Niantic has taken various measures so that you can play Pokémon GO from home.

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

ESO has just broken a record on Steam 6 years after release

Alexander Leitsch Alexander Leitsch Reading time 2 minutes
  • Never before have so many players played the MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online at the same time online on Steam (PC)
  • ESO was released on April 4, 2014, on PC. The record was therefore reached almost 6 years after its release
  • The record was influenced by the circumstances of the coronavirus and a promotional campaign

Update on April 12: The numbers have increased again, reaching a peak of 49,061 players today according to Steam. A new gameplay trailer for the upcoming expansion “Greymoor” has also been released, which you can find at the bottom of the article.

These player numbers: On the evening of April 2, 2020, ESO reached 34,449 players at the same time. This surpassed the peak of 32,498 reached in May 2019.

ESO is currently ranked 1st among MMORPGs on Steam. Close behind is Black Desert, which reached a maximum of 32,779 players in the last 30 days.

ESO Steam player numbers record
The player numbers of ESO on Steam (via Steamcharts)

What is the reason for this? Since April 1, the MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online is free for 2 weeks and is complemented by greater discounts. Additionally, the restrictions due to the coronavirus mean that people spend more time playing games. This also leads to overall records on the platform.

None of this would have been possible if Zenimax had not developed the story-driven MMO so strongly in recent years. ESO is constantly expanded with annual add-ons, so-called chapters, and new DLCs. The high quality that has been achieved is also recognized in the reviews on Steam.

What do the reviews on Steam look like? They are at 87% positive ratings over the last 30 days (April 2, 2020, 22:32). During this time, the atmosphere, the inviting game world for exploration, and the well-staged story for an online role-playing game have been particularly praised.

Opinions are divided on the combat system – some players desire more intense hit feedback.

What’s next: In May, Greymoor will be the next chapter, which will open an area known from Skyrim following the dragons introduced with Elsweyr. After a long time, there is also a new, larger gameplay feature with the Antiquities system.

The free 2 weeks will continue until April 14, 2020. Therefore, it is a perfect time to check out the MMORPG for yourself.

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The developers from Zenimax have released a large gameplay trailer for the upcoming expansion Greymoor. In it, you will see over 5 minutes of gameplay from the fourth major ESO expansion. Those who know Skyrim will discover some parallels here.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Cheater enforces a curfew in GTA Online due to the Corona virus

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

A player in GTA Online behaves like a police officer. He enforces a curfew due to the coronavirus and attacks other players who violate it. This particular roleplayer does not hesitate to use cheats and hacks.

This is what is happening in GTA: As reported by Polygon from personal experience, there is at least one player in GTA Online who sees himself as “Corona Police.” He wrote in the chat:

Anyone who is not at home during this session will be attacked. The Corona curfew has begun.

Message in the chat from GTA Online

Behind this “police officer” was a hacker who grabbed a player who violated the curfew and captured him in his vehicle.

However, the hacker turned out to be a roleplayer who instructed his victim to “wash his hands when he goes out of the house.”

When the player engaged with the roleplay and claimed he had to deliver cocaine, which is really an “essential service” to the public, the hacker let him go.

GTA-5-Cocaine
In GTA 5, cocaine plays a role.

Both reference the restrictions in place due to the novel coronavirus: People are supposed to stay home and, in many places, only go outside to perform “system-relevant, indispensable tasks.”

More on the topic
GTA 5 RP Server – Watching the Roleplay is already Fun
von Patrick Freese

Everyone is in quarantine in real life, everyone is affected

This is the story behind it: As Polygon writes, they spoke to the hacker who cheats on public servers and assumes the role of a “digital corona police” as a roleplayer.

He said he is in self-isolation and is playing GTA Online. He saw someone in the game getting camped. Usually, a common situation in the world of GTA. But because of the virus, everything is different:

  • The victim of the camper complained that it was unfair, as he was under quarantine. The idea being: he was already having a hard enough time in real life, he didn’t need this crap in GTA as well.
  • The camper then apologized and stopped tormenting his victim.

In real life, the coronavirus somehow affects everyone, and that changes the situation, says the hacker. The scene is the origin of the idea to play a corona police officer.

The hacker then thought: “Oh, screw it. This is a game where I can fly a hoverbike and play Mario Kart in the sky… so yeah, I can also be the corona police. Why not?”

Cover image GTA 5 Protest

It happens in GTA 5 Online more frequently that what happens in the real world directly affects what happens in the game. For example, the Hong Kong conflict was reenacted with gun violence in GTA 5 Online. Players from Hong Kong dressed like the protesters – Chinese players play the role of police officers to quell the riots.

The cover image comes from YouTube (Typical Gamer).

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Polygon
  2. YouTube Typical Gamer (Titelbild)

The 15 most annoying things you have ever seen in Fortnite

Jürgen Horn Jürgen Horn Reading time 8 minutes

Fortnite is still a big hit and delights thousands of fans. However, there are and have been several things in the game that drove large parts of the community to despair. Find out here which 15 aspects of the game the developers should have left out.

Fortnite is a successful and exciting game, no question about it. The clever mix of action and building, the funny, colorful skins, and the motivating Battle Pass are still fun. However, everything has its downsides, and there have always been gameplay elements, items, and weapons that were simply annoying and hated by the community.

We have listed here 15 of the most annoying irritations from Fortnite’s history. Enjoy getting worked up!

Place 15 – Combat Shotgun

What is it? The Combat Shotgun replaced the popular Pump Shotgun in Season 9 and was a type of shotgun with tight spread and very high range. It had a high fire rate.

https://youtu.be/pNlBLyORWmA

Why was it so annoying: Some fans never forgave the weapon for replacing the old pump. But there were other problems with it. Because the weapon had far too much range and fire rate. The typical shotgun feeling was no longer present here. However, there were many other shotguns in Season 9, but a normal Pump Shotgun was not. This annoyed many fans.

What happened to it? Epic nerfed the shotgun first by slightly reducing its range. Ultimately, the Combat Shotgun was removed in Patch 10.20.2 in Season 10.

Place 14 – Minigun

What is it? The Minigun is a type of machine gun with multiple barrels. The weapon takes some time to spin up all the barrels, but then it unleashes massive amounts of bullets to cover everything in the fire zone. It was one of the first new weapons introduced with Patch 2.4.

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Why was it so annoying: The original version of the Minigun did not have an overheating mechanic. You could happily fire hundreds of shots without reloading. That was way too strong!

What happened to it? Epic significantly nerfed the Minigun by making it overheat after too many shots. This made the weapon quite weak, and hardly anyone used it for a long time. In Patch 11, it was even completely removed from the game. Since Patch 12 it has returned, and there is also a mythical version of it that can be obtained once per game.

Place 13 – Boom Box

What is it? The Boom Box from Season 7 is a speaker that could be placed on the ground. It stayed there and played loud music, causing significant damage to buildings regularly. Players were not harmed.

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Why was it so annoying: The Boom Box completely ruined building. It was simply impossible to build anything permanent with the noisy thing nearby. And by the time you shot down the 400 hit points of the box, you had completely different problems. Some trolls even placed the box on vehicles and drove around as a mobile wrecking ball.

What happened to it? Epic quickly realized that the box ruined a key element of Fortnite and removed it with Update 7.3 from Season 7.

Place 12 – C4

What is it? C4 is a pack of explosives that you can attach to objects and detonate remotely. It was introduced in Patch 3.3. The item was very effective against buildings.

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Why was it so annoying: The sheer destruction power of the C4 charge was just too much. In the original version, the bomb simply devastated everything within the explosion radius. Especially buildings quickly disappeared, which annoyed builders.

What happened to it? This item was revised numerous times by Epic and was even temporarily removed from the game. A heavily nerfed version is now found in Chapter 2, Season 2.

Place 11 – Boom Bow

What is it? The Boom Bow was a modern bow that fired an explosive arrow. It was a very precise weapon that inflicted high damage at long range. The bow was introduced in Season 8.

https://youtu.be/qp4roXOHXlY

Why was it so annoying: The Boom Bow inflicted terrible damage and was able to eliminate players with just one hit. Additionally, it was very precise and had a high range. But the most annoying thing about it was its aim assist, which clearly showed where the shot would land. It was way too easy to score targeted one-shots with the bow.

What happened to it? In Season 9, the bow was removed again. However, it is now available as a rare mythical weapon that can be found only once per match.

On the next page, there come some really annoying things, but also a “feature” that many players actually liked.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Pages: 1 2 3

Overwatch pro allegedly sexually harassed a girl, is released by the team

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

A Twitch streamer is accusing the Overwatch professional player Walid “Mouffin” Bassal of using his fame as a pro to make advances towards underage girls online. The team has put him on the bench to investigate the incident. The player was later released.

These are the allegations: The Twitch streamer KhaleesiBB shared her experiences with the player “Mouffin” on Twitter. They were virtually together for a while. She alleges that he cheated on her even before they met in person by texting other women and asking them for nude photos.

When they met each other in person at TwitchCon, he was “in her face” within minutes and tried to kiss her. She felt uncomfortable afterward and asked friends not to leave her alone with him.

She describes the time and relationship with him in several paragraphs: Mouffin allegedly continued to text other women while she was aiming for an “exclusive” relationship and later wanted to be friends with him.

Mouffin’s behavior towards other women is described as “creepy,” unsettling, and intrusive.

Overwatch Khaleesi Twitch
The Twitch streamer KhaleesiBB. She brought the allegations to light.

Sexual Predators in Overwatch

The allegations center around Mouffin’s behavior towards other women, some of whom are said to be underage. There are mentions of 15-year-olds:

  • Mouffin allegedly asked women for “nude” photos and sent his own nude photos.
  • He allegedly used his position as an Overwatch celebrity and his charm to “open doors” – since joining the Overwatch League, he would exploit his new status.
  • He allegedly messaged “hundreds of women,” sent photos of his genitals to most of them, and did not care about their age.
  • He allegedly offered alcohol to minors.
  • Mouffin reportedly tried to cover up his misconduct by promising girls gifts, like a new computer, or by intimidating them.

The Twitch streamer states that Mouffin is not an isolated case. There are several in the Overwatch community who behave like sexual predators. Blizzard is aware of the case but has not taken enough action in her opinion, which is why she is going public.

It is said that these people cannot be allowed to get away with abusing their popularity to exploit others sexually. The community must start to stand up against this behavior, or it will continue.

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This is how the team reacted: The player’s team, Boston Uprising, has responded. They say they have heard the allegations, take them very seriously, and will investigate: Mouffin was benched for the upcoming match while the incident is being examined.

There is no statement from Mouffin himself.

MeToo in Overwatch

This is the larger context: A similar case occurred 2 years ago at Boston Uprising as well. In 2018, player Jonathan “DreamKazper” Sanchez was said to have contacted a 14-year-old girl online. It also involved sexually explicit images.

DreamKazper’s contract was terminated back then. Now, Boston Uprising is being scrutinized by fans as to why such cases repeatedly occur there. Perhaps Boston needs to be more careful in scouting who they recruit into the Overwatch League.

Dreamkazper
DreamKazper has become a catchphrase for the behavior that is now being attributed to Mouffin.

There are also several cases from the esports universe, especially in Overwatch, where young esports players contact younger female fans online. This seems to be a serious problem.

The Overwatch caster and expert Montecristo recommends Overwatch professionals to think twice before asking others for nude photos, as this could help them avoid embarrassing mistakes.

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Montecristo also wonders why there is more “sexual drama” in Overwatch than in any other esports combined.

As early as 2017, Korean esports professionals were accused of asking their female fans for “personal meetings”.

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Player Released from Team

Update 5.4, 0:03 AM: About a week after the original report, the team Boston Uprising announced that they have terminated the contract of the Overwatch player Mouffin.

According to sources informed ESPN, the Overwatch League is now investigating the incident.

The Twitch streamer KhaleesiBB, who made allegations against Mouffin, thanked Boston Uprising on Twitter. She appreciated their decision to do the right thing.

There is still no statement from Mouffin.

Update 7.4., 5:32 PM: There is now a statement from Mouffin, and it is quite unusual: The Overwatch pro says he wanted to quickly find a woman to avoid an arranged marriage.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Twit Longer (KhaleesiBB)
  2. dotesports
  3. ESPN (Gerücht zur Untersuchung)

German survival MMO on Steam changes, wants to become darker and more brutal

Alexander Leitsch Alexander Leitsch Reading time 2 minutes

The Survival MMO Valnir Rok from the German studio Encurio is set to receive a revision. It is supposed to become darker and even more brutal. Currently, it is in Early Access on Steam but has received only moderate feedback there.

What is Valnir Rok? The Survival MMO takes place in a world with Vikings. You are the last survivor of your crew after the ship you were on has been destroyed and washed ashore on an island.

There, the task is to survive, although wild monsters, other players, and the natural urge for food and drink want to stop you from doing just that. Gameplay-wise, it resembles Conan Exiles, which the game has been compared to.

Valnir Rok was released in Early Access back in 2017 but is now planning major changes.

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What is supposed to change? According to the developers, the MMO is now supposed to become really dark and brutal. They write:

Big things are happening in Valnir Rok – in the coming months, the game will undergo some changes, it will become darker and more brutal – it will not be a safe place to live. Can you prevent this apocalypse in the once peaceful land with its green meadows?

A small preview was already provided by the latest update #78, which was released on March 31:

  • It brought adjustments to the interface
  • Added a damage log
  • Improved colors and lighting effects
  • Made changes to attack animations and speeds
  • There were some balance adjustments and bug fixes.

Viking MMO impresses with realistic construction

Why could the game be interesting? On Steam, Valnir Rok currently has an average of around 4 players (via Steamcharts). The ratings are also rather mixed, with 56% positive votes out of 579 reviews.

There are some unique features of the game that have been positively highlighted in reviews. The user Asbestbrezel praised Valnir Rok in 2017 for:

  • The overall Viking setting
  • The crafting and building system, where recipes are discovered and realistic materials like mortar are used to build a wall
  • The building system is also highlighted because load-bearing walls are supposed to play a role. If these are removed, the entire building collapses, much to the delight of any trained structural engineer

Others were also excited about the game at first. But that diminished over time.

Valnir Rok Bow and Arrow
With a bow and arrow, you can attack creatures from a distance.

Where are the problems with the game? Asbestbrezel himself updated his review in mid-2018, noting that a lot of content is simply missing. There doesn’t seem to have been much change even until today.

The latest reviews of the last 90 days criticize the game for being quite boring in combat, for having performance issues, and for hardly encountering other players right now. Nevertheless, many voices see potential in the game that has simply not been tapped yet.

Perhaps the new updates can change something in this regard. As it stands, Valnir Rok certainly does not make it into our list of the best survival games of 2020.

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

Fallout 76 spent more money on NPCs than planned – And that was exactly right

Benedict Grothaus Benedict Grothaus Reading time 5 minutes

The new NPCs are the main feature in the Wastelanders update of Fallout 76. MeinMMO author Benedict Grothaus has already checked them out and is excited about the details they contain.

The new, big Wastelanders update for Fallout 76 is supposed to change quite a bit. One of the biggest criticisms of the original game was the lack of NPCs, which are now set to return. But how well does that work?

Bethesda invited me to the Wastelanders test server, where I have now spent over 15 hours of gameplay and talked to the virtual people there. And I was amazed at how damn good they have become.

Why did the NPCs cost so much? The developers already mentioned beforehand that they may have “overdone it” a bit with the creation of the NPCs.

In an interview, it was said that the designers “exceeded the budget for words”. The NPCs talk a lot more than originally planned. However, I don’t find that exaggerated but rather really, really good.

This article particularly focuses on the NPCs and their level of detail. If you want to learn more about the update in general, check my detailed preview report on Wastelanders. There, I go into more detail about the upcoming changes, story, and highlights.

NPCs make Wastelanders come alive

What role do NPCs play? The new NPCs fulfill various roles in Wastelanders. Their main aspect is to provide players with new quests. Instead of recorded holotapes, real people now give players tasks.

They are responsible for the new story but also continue the old story and provide plenty of side quests. For instance, the two factions of Settlers and Raiders allow for additional tasks to earn reputation with them and rack up rewards.

Additionally, some NPCs in Wastelanders can be hired as companions, almost like in the single-player parts of the Fallout series. They will keep you company in the camp, give you tasks to learn more about them or provide opportunities for romance.

Fallout 76 Wastelanders Escort NPC
Wastelanders brings companions to Appalachia.

How do they fit into the world: The NPCs are not just “suddenly there” as if nothing has happened, but have reasons to be back in Appalachia. While playing, I have discovered more and more of these reasons.

Instead of randomly scattered accessories and vendors, they are a lively part of Appalachia. They respond on their own to the player as they pass by and sometimes even give useful tips.

I especially noticed positively that the NPCs do not take it for granted that a Vault dweller from the local Vault helps them. I am not a hero that everyone knows. They are suspicious and show it very directly – and unless I have earned a certain level of reputation, they do not listen to me.

More on the topic
Fallout 76: Wastelanders lets you grind reputation like in an MMORPG
von Benedict Grothaus

Details bring depth to the NPCs

What kind of details are there? This cautious attitude towards me as a player (and also to you, once you play it) is already one of the details that makes the NPCs so great at the first meeting. But the more I engaged with them, the more they overwhelmed me.

Almost every NPC, even an insignificant one, has their own life and many have their own personality. In the larger camps, they roam around and go about their activities, fixing and hammering on things that need to be repaired, or making music with others.

A particularly memorable moment was my encounter with one of the Settlers, who lives with his wife and son in Foundation, the Settlers’ stronghold. He got his own dialect from Bethesda, which apparently comes from somewhere in the British Isles.

After all the other NPCs had more or less spoken to me in fluent English, I was extremely surprised when I first barely understood a word from him until I could adjust to his dialect.

This showed me how much effort actually goes into these characters and how strongly they truly bring the world to life. I look forward to more such encounters – and perhaps hope for a Swabian or Hessian in the German version!

How they make the world even more alive: The NPCs not only have personalities and real lives but also interact with the player – even unsolicited. I noticed this several times during my runs.

Depending on how well my character was equipped or leveled, they reacted differently to me. With weak equipment, they laughed at me or gave me survival tips. With strong equipment, they admired me or marveled at my weapons.

Some of the NPCs even show something like jealousy, I would say. Although my armor was in impeccable condition (I wear one of the Power Armors of the Four Riders of the Apocalypse), one even scoffed that it had seen better days.

Fallout 76 Apocalyptic Rider Skin for the Power Armor Hunger
Seriously, who could criticize THIS armor?! Ass…

This triggered a slight twitch in my eye and a desire to explain to him with my metal fist that his face could certainly use a polish as well. I actually felt how connected I felt to my character.

NPCs leave a lasting impression – and players too

Depending on how I, as a player, interact with the NPCs, they behave differently towards me. If I am nice, they are nice too. If I act like a complete moron, the NPCs think I’m an idiot too.

Fallout 76 Wastelanders First NPCs
Even in the first conversations, decisions can have consequences.

This continues over time, because depending on how I behave, quests can lead to different solutions. The end has remained the same (so far), but my options have been somewhat different in each playthrough.

At various times and with different progress in the quests, other NPCs can even be found at specific locations. That’s almost like back in the single-player parts. You can find a deeper insight into the single-player experience of Wastelanders with the colleagues at GamePro.

All in all, I was surprised at how much I actually missed NPCs. Although I had fun playing Fallout 76 before, it now feels really good with Wastelanders. The quality of the NPCs and certainly the prospect of a flirtation with my companions contribute significantly to that.

Wastelanders will be released on April 14, 2020 as a free update for PS4, Xbox One, and PC after a delay due to the crisis. For the first time, the game will also be released on Steam. Those who cannot help polish the update on the test server can get a glimpse of Wastelanders themselves at the latest then.

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

Do you want the cool bat pet in Diablo 3? Complete these 2 achievements

Patrick Freese Patrick Freese Reading time 3 minutes

You are missing 2 achievements for the Season Journey of Season 20 in Diablo 3? We will show you how to easily get them to unlock the pet and the frame. Here’s how “Flawless Victory” works.

What is it about? Many players in Diablo 3 have made it their goal to complete the Season Journey of Season 20. This brings rewards like the cool bat pet.

Others complete the journey not for the pet but simply to “finish” the season for themselves. A task that players often struggle with is the three achievements. The task is “Flawless Victory. Complete 3 achievements this season.”

We will show you three achievements that you can complete quickly here. For the tougher ones, our guides will help.

Diablo 3 Season Journey Completed
These rewards await you when you complete the entire Season Journey of Season 20 in Diablo 3.

1. Cursed and Sewn

What is it? Here, you need to kill 350 enemies at the event of a cursed chest. The problem is that not every chest spawns that many enemies.

Diablo 3 Cursed and Sewn

So you don’t have to wander through all the acts trying to find chests, we have described in our Guide for Cursed and Sewn in Diablo 3 exactly where you can find such a chest and how the event works.

Once you have done that, you are ready for the next achievement. We recommend “Boss Mode.” Especially easy to accomplish in a group.

2. Boss Mode

What is it? For the achievement “Boss Mode,” you need to kill certain bosses within 20 minutes after starting the game.

Diablo 3 Boss Mode Season 20

If you tackle it in a coordinated group, the achievement is very easy. In our Guide to Boss Mode in Diablo 3, we show you how to divide the bosses among your group members and what coordination you need to have to bag the achievement.

And what is the third achievement?

How do you get it? One of the easier achievements is reaching a Greater Rift Level 75 in solo play. The achievement is called “Simply Divine.” You won’t achieve it right after reaching level 70 in the game, but it requires a bit of practice and especially gear. However, once you have reached the last page of the season journey and completed the other achievements, a GR 75 should be possible as well.

Diablo 3 Simply Divine

If you are using the Tier List of Season 20 for Diablo 3, then this should be no problem for you. All builds on the page should easily break this level and unlock the achievement for you.

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

The skill is so strong that Path of Exile breaks the “No Nerfs in the Season” creed

Alexander Leitsch Alexander Leitsch Reading time 3 minutes

Currently, the new Path of Exile Delirium League is underway. Many players have now reached the endgame and are using a particularly strong build. The developers had to react and break an important principle.

What happened? On Thursday, April 2, a mid-season patch was released for Path of Exile, which made a significant change to the skill Purposeful Harbinger.

This is uncharacteristic for the game, as developers want to avoid nerfs within a season. Players invest a lot of time and in-game currency in the right builds and playstyles. A change to the builds means that players have worked towards a build for nothing.

Nevertheless, this nerf was sorely needed, as the developer Grinding Gear Games stated in a separate forum post (via PoE Forum). After all, the skill utilized mechanics that were not intended.

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Many things count as an aura and that is a problem

What does the skill do? Through the cluster jewels, 281 new passive skills were introduced to Path of Exile with the new Delirium league, which is very difficult. One of these new passive skills was Purposeful Harbinger.

Purposeful Harbinger ensured that auras were amplified by 10% for each herald you use. According to the developers, it was already clear during creation that the skill would become too strong.

However, they did not expect the skill to create many unintended interactions.

What is the problem? The skill was supposed to only serve to amplify the auras of skills. However, everything that counts as an aura internally was also amplified. And it seems that has been quite a lot.

As a result, the build around Purposeful Harbinger became the strongest option in the game and even “unintentionally the most powerful mechanic ever seen in Path of Exile,” according to the developers.

What was changed? The adjustment was made so that now only the aura from skills is amplified, not every aura anymore.

A change to the timer, as many players demand, however, did not bring the update.

Developers apologize for intervention

Why was the intervention made now? Initially, the developers did not want to make any changes at all. They wanted to prevent builds from changing mid-season in Path of Exile.

The first complaints were also slightly brushed off because the skill was intentionally designed to be strong. A nerf was announced for the next season. It was only later that they realized there were the unintended interactions.

When they finally wanted to take action, the developers had to switch to working from home due to the coronavirus. Therefore, the release of the update was delayed.

Path of Exile Delirium rewards
The new Delirium league is not easy, but it set a player record

Developers apologize: At the end of the text, the developers apologized for the inconveniences. They realize that many PoE players have wasted a lot of time and money. They should have reacted much sooner.

In the PoE forum (via PoE Forum), there were also some initial reactions to the patch: Most players reacted positively to the explanation and apology.

Apparently, the developers were also right in their initial assessment that the skill is overall very strong.

As user unloder100500 writes: “And the skill is still OP.”

Path of Exile is among the 15 best MMOs and MMORPGs you can play right now.

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

FIFA 20: 7 players for perfect long shots in Ultimate Team

Max Handwerk Max Handwerk Reading time 5 minutes

The long shot in FIFA 20 is a method that can lead to surprising goals. But it requires the right players. Here are 7 who excel at long shots.

What good is the long shot? Long shot goals don’t come frequently in FIFA 20. But if you have the right position and enough time to aim, a well-timed long shot can turn the tide in your favor.

A really good long shooter can also score beautiful long-range goals even from difficult situations. Many icons have particularly high ratings in this area. But even outside of the icon cards, there are extremely strong long shooters. Here we present seven of the best long shooters in Ultimate Team.

Lionel Messi

FIFA 20 Lionel Messi

What makes Messi special: Lionel Messi has three special cards that boast incredible values for long shots. The best one is – not surprisingly – his outstanding TOTY card. It has a shot rating of 98, including a 99 for long shots and a shot power of 91. The card is absolutely fantastic overall, but with more than four and a half million coins, it is unfortunately unaffordable for most players.

Nevertheless: When Messi takes a shot from long range, the chances are good that the ball will find the top corner.

Cristiano Ronaldo

FIFA 20 Ronaldo

What makes Ronaldo special: Nearly the same is true for Cristiano Ronaldo’s TOTY card as it is for Messi’s TOTY card. It is outstanding in almost all areas, particularly physical attributes are even more pronounced in Ronaldo. Alongside his 99 long shots, he also has a shot power of 99. Long shots from Ronaldo are nearly unstoppable.

However, Ronaldo is even more expensive than Messi. With over 8 million, Ronaldo’s TOTY card is among the most expensive cards in the game.

Kevin de Bruyne

FIFA 20 de Bruyne

What makes de Bruyne special: Kevin de Bruyne also received an incredibly strong TOTY card that shines with top values for long shots. It costs a lot too. With around two and a half million coins, you can get one.

But de Bruyne also received a cheaper TOTW-Moments card that is very good at long shots, too. Long shots 97, shot power 98 – this card can definitely compete when it comes to long-shot potential. Price: A total of 840,000 coins. Now, however, we want to look at some cheaper options.

The TOTW-Moments card is also a good long shooter

Gary Medel

FIFA 20 Scream Medel

What makes Medel special: Gary Medel’s Ultimate-Scream card is the cheapest super long shooter you can get. Scream Medel costs about 15,000 coins and can shoot from a distance with 99 shot power and 99 long shots.

His volleys and positioning are also very high at 98 each – he has deficiencies only when it comes to finishing. Thus, he is not an option for poorly placed shots, but when he has enough space and time, he is deadly from long range. Especially for Serie A teams, he may be a good option – also defensively!

Josip Ilicic

FIFA 20 Ilicic

What makes Ilicic special: Josip Ilicic’s Headliners card is a very strong option in Serie A attack. The forward is a very good target player and also has some long shots in his arsenal: 97 long shots, 96 shot power. Additionally, he has an 88 for finishing and 92 free kick accuracy. He is also useful for set pieces.

The card’s price has increased to 97,000 coins over the past two weeks, but it is possible that it may drop a bit in the coming days. Here, one should aim for a good deal if one wants to sign Ilicic. Additionally, the other Ilicic cards, such as TOTW or Champions League MOTM, also offer good values for long shots and are a slightly cheaper alternative.

FIFA 20 Ilicic MOTM
Noticeably cheaper, but also dangerous from afar

Marc Bartra

FIFA 20 Bartra

What makes Bartra special: Marc Bartra has scored two goals this season, and he is not particularly known as an artist from his Dortmund days. No wonder since he usually plays in defense. But in the Shapeshifters event, the center-back suddenly received a striker card. And that’s not all.

For the Bartra who plays in Spain today, he has also received a 99 in shot power and long shots. This is a huge leap from his normal CB card. Unfortunately, it was only available as part of the Shapeshifters challenges. However, if you got him: Just take a shot. And if he is on the opposing team – better not give him too much time to aim.

Christian Eriksen

FIFA 20 Eriksen

What makes Eriksen special: Eriksen’s offensive stats are not overly surprising. The playmaker is known for his vision, technique, and clever passing. But his Winter-Refresh card has another quality: deadly long shots.

Eriksen also has a 99 for long shots and a shot power of 94. He can aim as well, also sporting a weak foot with 5 stars. His price has currently settled at 200,000 coins. That’s quite a chunk – but the investment could pay off.

Not a fan of long shots? Then maybe you will find something in the list of the strongest dribblers in Ultimate Team.

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

Now there is a crazy Deadpool event in Fortnite – Here’s how the map has changed

Noah Struthoff Noah Struthoff Reading time 2 minutes

Deadpool has arrived in Fortnite and brings a huge event with him! For this, the map has changed in many places. We show the most important innovations.

This is the Deadpool event: The Marvel character Deadpool made sporadic appearances in Fortnite in recent weeks. Players had to complete tasks to get his skin. Since yesterday, April 4th, Deadpool has officially arrived through a big live event.

The superhero is hosting a massive party in Fortnite and every player can join. The yacht, located at the upper end of the map, is being used for this.

The most important map changes for the Deadpool event

This is the party yacht: The entire yacht in Fortnite has become the Deadpool area. You can already recognize it on the map, as the yacht is marked as a childlike drawing.

Deadpool Fortnite
Deadpool with a giant disco ball (Source: Forbes)

Once you arrive at the yacht, you see Deadpool’s face everywhere. A giant statue shows Deadpool holding a disco ball in his hand.

On the walls, you will find famous artworks, all depicting Deadpool. This includes “The Scream” by Edvard Munch.

Besides all the Deadpool highlights, there are currently some of the biggest battles happening there. After all, everyone wants to land on the party ship. So pay close attention to your surroundings when you visit.

Deadpool Fortnite
Famous paintings, but in the Deadpool version (Source: Forbes)

This is how the battle bus has changed: Even at the start of the round, you can tell that you are in the Deadpool event. The battle bus is being carried by a giant Deadpool balloon, and it’s clear that the superhero has arrived in Fortnite.

Deadpool Battle Bus
Changes to the battle bus (Source: Forbes)

How can you become Deadpool? If you haven’t had enough of the superhero yet, you can transform into him. To do this, you must first complete several tasks.

Ultimately, you need to go into a construction toilet or a phone booth to transform into Deadpool. You can find out how to get the skin here.

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