Even before the upcoming return of the Trials, there was a lot of commotion and criticism surrounding the seasonal artifact in Destiny 2. Many feared it could ruin the balance of the PvP format after a short time, causing an uproar within the community. Bungie has now responded to the feedback.
Among other things, it was revealed that power level advantages would be active in the Trials. Players with higher power levels would deal more damage and take more damage from weaker Guardians.
Additionally, Bungie announced that the bonus power levels from the seasonal artifact would also be active in the Trials. This led to an uproar. Many saw the balance in the Trials in danger shortly after the start. Some condemned the format even before the launch on March 13.
This is how Bungie responds to the criticism: Although Bungie stated not long ago that they were aware of the concerns, but the artifact would be active in the Trials, the criticism now led to a rethink.
Luke Smith, the head of Destiny himself, spoke out on Twitter and explained: The artifact will be deactivated for PvP activities where power level advantages are active, namely in the Trials and Iron Banner, until Bungie can implement a power cap feature.
This cap is supposed to enable linking the regular hunt for power with the artifact-related hunt and to prevent an infinite power increase in PvP.
By the way, as the community manager Cozmo clarified again, the deactivation only refers to the additional power. The seasonal artifact mods will remain active.
This is what the players are saying now: Numerous Guardians are pleased and celebrating this decision on Reddit and social media. Many had called for a deactivation of the artifact or at least a level cap for the Trials. Exactly what they have now received.
Initially, many had their anticipation for the Trials dampened by the confirmation of the active artifact power, but players are now looking forward to the upcoming challenges again. Even with the fact that the artifact mods remain active, many Guardians can live with it, even if it is not an optimal solution.
The quick response from Bungie is particularly praised by the community. That this issue is being resolved even before the launch of the Trials was important to many, even if very few probably expected it.
Some jokingly say they did not expect a response within the next six months and are now almost shocked. Others say this is a very rare example of Bungie actually being able to listen to the players. One should enjoy the moment, as there probably won’t be many of them.
What do you think of this decision? Does it change your view on the Trials?
On Thursday evening, Borderlands 3 introduced its second DLC “Guns, Love & Tentacles: The Marriage of Wainwright & Hammerlock”. But beyond that, the loot shooter has big plans.
This is the new DLC: The second DLC continues the story from Borderlands 3. And there’s something to celebrate: Sir Hammerlock and Wainwright Jakobs are tying the knot. You are supposed to ensure that the wedding goes smoothly as vault hunters. And it is clear that it won’t be without chaos. You can find all the information about the DLC here:
In addition to the DLC, a lot of other content for Borderlands 3 has also been announced. We are looking at the most exciting new features that we can expect soon.
There is a lot coming in the next months
What’s still coming in Borderlands 3 in 2020
The third DLC: Just as DLC 2 was introduced, Gearbox provided a tiny glimpse of the next major expansion. They didn’t reveal too much yet – but it seems we can expect a combination of the Wild West and dinosaurs! The DLC is set to arrive in summer 2020.
Concept art was already presented at the PAX East panel
Randy Pitchford also mentioned something about DLC 4 – although he emphasized that nothing was set in stone yet: The DLC is about a character who was not present in Borderlands 3 and is loved by many. We would see what it is like to be in the mind of the craziest psycho ever. A clear hint that we will likely encounter Krieg in DLC 4. We know him, of course, from Borderlands 2!
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Events in April: Once March is over and the first players have gone through the DLC, the next updates will come. One new feature will be another Mayhem mode: Mayhem 2.0. This will provide an additional, tough challenge and make the Chaos mode even crazier than it already is. There will be more than 25 new, crazy modifiers, such as “The Floor is Lava” or huge heads – literally. Mayhem 2.0 will also be really big: Randy Pitchford talked about 10 levels of Mayhem to work through.
Additionally, the seasonal event “Revenge of the Cartels” will be introduced. One can expect an event of the magnitude of “Bloody Harvest” and “Heartbreak Day”. It is certain that there will be event-specific rewards again. And the “Wedding Invitation” showed that they can definitely be worthwhile.
Another Takedown: Have you already completed the Maliwan Takedown? Congratulations! Then Gearbox has another task for you in May: The Guardian Takedown. Here, you will face the mysterious Eridians who will stand between you and exciting new loot. There will also be new bosses – just as Wotan the Invincible was introduced through the Maliwan Takedown.
The Takedown is supposed to be really challenging again. However, this time there will be a scaled version from the beginning, which the Maliwan Takedown did not have. So you don’t necessarily have to tackle it as a team of four, but you can also try it in smaller groups or even solo.
Steam users will also be excited about these new contents. They will finally get to start in the Borderlands from March:
Baldur’s Gate is known as an iconic single-player RPG. Larian Studios is the developer of the third installment of the series, Baldur’s Gate 3. They are introducing online multiplayer and couch co-op to the series for the first time. Our editor Leya Jankowski learned in an interview with producer David Walgrave what multiplayer looks like.
Why does a site for MMOs report on the single-player RPG Baldur’s Gate? As you know, we at MeinMMO usually only cover online multiplayer games with ongoing updates and live service. Therefore, I wanted to politely decline the invitation to an event where Baldur’s Gate 3 was showcased. After all, Baldur’s Gate stands for a classic solo role-playing experience that originally comes from the BioWare forge.
Then I realized that Baldur’s Gate 3 is announced with a co-op online multiplayer! So I decided to meet the developers from Larian Studios to learn more about the online multiplayer in the single-player RPG – because it could be interesting for you too.
Who are the new developers of Baldur’s Gate? Larian Studios is based in Belgium and is the creator of the Divinity role-playing series. The latest installment of the series, Divinity Original Sin 2 (2017), is a turn-based fantasy RPG. In this RPG, just like in Baldur’s Gate 3, there is a multiplayer co-op. Therefore, the developers’ decision to introduce a multiplayer mode in Baldur’s Gate is not a big surprise. Online multiplayer and local couch co-op mode have already proven themselves in their Divinity series.
This is what I saw at the event: Swen Vincke, the founder and head of Larian, guided us through a part of the Baldur’s Gate 3 campaign during a live gameplay presentation. Here I learned that Baldur’s Gate 3 essentially plays like a digital Dungeons & Dragons. There is a massive story campaign. It offers
strong character developments
and many dialogue options that affect the progression of the story,
turn-based combat
even dice that determine how successful I am with a planned action.
But how is that unified with multiplayer?
Multiplayer comes with 2 options and couch co-op
To get to the bottom of the multiplayer features, I grabbed the senior producer of Baldur’s Gate 3. From David Walgrave, I learned that you have two options for approaching multiplayer.
In summary, you can in the multiplayer of Baldur’s Gate 3:
take control of an NPC companion of a single-player player for as long as you want. This has no impact on the progression of the single-player player’s campaign
start a campaign with a group of 2-4 players, where each pursues their own agenda, and you all together influence the progression of the campaign
play in online multiplayer (for 2-4 players) or also play locally in split-screen, the couch co-op
This is the system that Larian Studios has already applied in the Divinity series.
Here is the detailed explanation:
Imagine that I start a game alone. I begin to play and have already spent an hour solo in the game. Then you can simply join in. You take over one of my NPC companions and can also just leave again. The story continues normally. That’s one way you have to play in multiplayer.
But if you say you want to play Baldur’s Gate 3 together from start to finish, then you start a campaign together. Then everyone creates a character, so I create my own, individual character and you create your own, individual character.
These are two different options to play multiplayer. We know that players do not always have the option to be online at the same time. Therefore, we support the “Drop-In & Drop-Out” multiplayer. […] In the first version, where you simply play “Drop-In-Drop-Out,” it is actually a kind of single-player story. The story is played by one person and others can just join in.
In the other option, it’s then the story of the two, three, or four people who play together. Their decisions [in the game] are completely independent of each other. So you can also walk around freely and talk to anyone. You don’t have to stay with me all the time. The decisions you make can, however, have an impact on the entire group.
David Walgrave to MeinMMO about multiplayer
When 2-4 players start a joint campaign, they can all interact independently with the NPCs and the world.
“We expect players to exploit the systems of Baldur’s Gate 3”
The battles in Baldur’s Gate 3 are turn-based. Each takes their action in turn. The action can consist of attacking, healing, using items, triggering abilities, or movement.
During the gameplay presentation, I noticed that it is also possible to exploit the environment. Perhaps there is a barrel somewhere that can be made to explode.
In multiplayer, different players come together with different ideas in mind. So one player might sneak up on the enemy from behind to land a deadly blow while another weakens them in a hail of arrows.
My curiosity for strategic decisions in multiplayer combat was awakened and David explained the principle to me.
The way Swen [the studio head] showed this in the presentation is essentially how the whole game works. When you play Baldur’s Gate 3 for the first time, you don’t understand what is possible in the first few hours. We realized that it is difficult to sell a game when we only show screenshots and videos. But if we show players how others play, then you can usually convince them. Once you understand […] that we have built a systematic world, you begin to think about how you can break the game.
Sometimes we get comments from players that they found something and believe it is a bug. But actually, the game only encourages you to use it against itself. All systems work together and against each other. We actually expect players to abuse the systems. […]
Here we set one player up, and someone else places an [exploding] barrel. Examples of this can be found on YouTube if you search for “ways to break Original Sin 1 or 2” (how to break Original Sin). This way, you can also break Baldur’s Gate 3. There are as many ways as there are people who can creatively manipulate these systems.
David Walgrave to MeinMMO about multiplayer
More about the gameplay of Baldur’s Gate 3: My colleague Peter Bathge from GameStar Plus was also at the event. He wrote a detailed preview of Baldur’s Gate 3 and created a video with gameplay. GameStar Plus is the subscription model of GameStar, which comes with several exclusive benefits. Peter played his favorite role-playing game Baldur’s Gate 2 almost 15 times.
More players wanted multiplayer in Baldur’s Gate 3 than Larian expected
David and I also talked about the importance of multiplayer and that it now plays an important component in major titles. More and more big single-player studios are incorporating multiplayer into their games. This has led to games like The Elder Scrolls Online, Fallout 76, Final Fantasy XIV or Anthem.
The senior producer told me that Larian Studios has internal statistics showing that more than 50 percent of players wanted multiplayer in Baldur’s Gate 3. So that is more than half. The team may have expected around 10 to 20 percent before evaluating the data.
I wanted to know if David had an idea of why multiplayer is so in demand.
I believe that it is not only because we offer multiplayer. It is also the way we implement multiplayer. So, the fact that everyone can move independently and make their own thing in the game. That is not just casually supported in other RPGs.
David Walgrave to MeinMMO about multiplayer
Particularly the freedom that each player has in multiplayer is seen by David as a strength. He further explained that in recent years, games that give players a toolkit to shape things themselves have become very popular. This often leads to interesting situations in multiplayer, as different minds may tackle certain challenges differently. The discussion on how to approach a fight or a puzzle is an important factor.
David explained to me what influence multiplayer has on such a toolkit in development.
I don’t know what would have happened if we had made Baldur’s Gate 3 just a single-player game. I know the strength of multiplayer is present. Honestly, I can’t imagine that we would have made Baldur’s Gate 3 just as a single-player. We realized that [a multiplayer] sells well, to be very honest. Plus, it also forces us to think about things we otherwise wouldn’t have considered. It involves certain decisions that one makes.
Very often in the designers’ offices, most sentences start with: “What if …”, “What if the person did this? What if this NPC is no longer alive? What if the building explodes? What if the door is no longer there? Many of these sentences start with: “What if … ?”, and very few sentences start with: “What if someone opened the door in multiplayer?” and that helps us think about other solutions than when we are in pure single-player. Imagine I am talking to an NPC and you are running around and […] open a door and suddenly enemies come in? We have to think about that and sometimes we don’t have our NPCs under control. But it gives us space to make our game even better and more interesting.
David Walgrave to MeinMMO about multiplayer
The strength of co-op lies in the freedom of individual decision-making
After the gameplay presentation and my conversation with senior producer David Walgrave, as a self-proclaimed co-op lover, I have at least put Baldur’s Gate 3 on my observation list. It sounds enticing to start a joint campaign where heated discussions occur about where the journey should go.
Particularly the possibility for other players to move freely and perhaps do something that I personally do not like and surprises me holds an appeal for me. But also the joint strategic decisions on how to tackle a fight best and planning moves sound thrilling.
But I can also imagine that exactly that drives some players completely crazy! If everyone is bumbling about, starting dialogues that one doesn’t notice or slaughtering NPCs that one would prefer to keep alive – that probably doesn’t appeal to everyone.
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At PAX East, Borderlands 3 introduced its second major DLC “Guns, Love, and Tentacles: The Marriage of Wainwright & Hammerlock.” We will show you what the expansion has in store.
When is the 2nd DLC release? Borderlands 3 will receive its second DLC on March 26, 2020. It is included in the Season Pass, but is also expected to be available for individual purchase. Also, Steam players can look forward to the DLC.
What is the DLC about? The new DLC is called “Guns, Love, and Tentacles: The Marriage of Wainwright & Hammerlock,” and the name says it all. The story of the new expansion centers on the engagement party and wedding preparations of Wainwright Jakobs and Sir Hammerlock, whom you have encountered in the main game.
However, it will not just be a shallow wedding story. After all, the title also includes “guns and tentacles.”
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What is included in the DLC? The story takes you to a new location: The ice planet Xylourgos. Just like in the Handsome Jack DLC, there will be plenty of unknown scenery to explore. This includes the eerie village Cursehaven, which lies beneath a decaying vault monster.
Cursehaven is the new game location
Here you will also find a crazy cult that worships that very monster – which will likely be your main antagonist in the DLC. But fortunately, there will also be new allies.
More fan favorites: Gearbox emphasized that you will team up with both new and old friends to smoothly carry out the wedding.
A big celebration is about to happen!
Besides Sir Hammerlock, who has been around since Borderlands 2, another popular character will play a major role in the DLC: fan favorite Gaige, who brings her robot buddy Deathtrap along. The former vault hunter is now working as a wedding planner – no wonder that the party in the DLC is likely to be quite explosive.
Gaige was one of the DLC vault hunters in Borderlands 2. The “Mechromancer class” has become a fan favorite – and the developers actually wanted her in Borderlands 3. However, they could not allocate enough time for her in the story – it seems Borderlands 3 is now making up for that in the DLC. Following Handsome Jack, Borderlands 3 is once again focusing on the return of beloved characters. And who knows if you will encounter more familiar faces.
Gaige is back!
More missions: In addition to the main story, there will be side missions that allow you to explore the background of the cursed village. You will face aliens, mutants, and bandits – just like always!
More gear: Of course, with the new DLC, there will also be new weapons. This includes additional legendary weapons, but there will also be strong class mods in the DLC. For those of you with a sense of style, there will also be new cosmetics, decorations, and vault hunter heads.
All that’s left to do is hope that the new DLC does just as well as the first one, which was quite well received – partly because it was generous with the loot:
Those who wanted to play Borderlands 3 on PC had to rely on the Epic Game Store until now. However, as Gearbox announced at PAX East, the Steam release is coming soon.
When does Borderlands 3 launch on Steam? Borderlands 3 will arrive on Steam on March 13, 2020. This launch comes about 6 months after the original release, also for those who preferred to avoid the Epic Game Store. Previously, Borderlands 3 was PC-exclusive there.
Launch with crossplay features: The Steam launch will come with some additional features that will facilitate entry into the community. One of them will be launcher crossplay between Steam and the Epic Games Launcher. It will be possible to:
Add friends to a friends list
Play in co-op
Send weapons to each other (though only at a later time and not directly at launch)
So those who have avoided Borderlands 3 until now don’t need to worry: You can easily play with all PC players, regardless of which launcher you use.
PC players previously had to rely on the Epic Games Store
Epic launch caused controversy
This is how fans reacted to the release: That Borderlands 3 was initially available only through the Epic Games Store for the PC version did not sit well with some fans. Many did not want to resort to the new platform and preferred to stay with Steam. This even led to a full-blown review bombing on Steam.
Gearbox head Randy Pitchford had extensively commented on the controversy at the time and explained that the decision was made by publisher 2K Games. The deal was necessary at that time – and ultimately, according to Pitchford, the new store brings a new balance that did not previously exist.
What fans can look forward to now: Starting in March, all users who have been waiting for the Steam release can finally join. And Borderlands 3 has received several improvements in the form of patches since its release, which Steam users can utilize directly. Therefore, the gaming experience is likely to be even a bit better than it would have been at launch.
However, the Steam release is not all that awaits Borderlands 3 soon. A new DLC is also coming:
The mobile MMORPG Dragon Raja was released on February 27 at 2:00 PM. The game is one of the most anticipated titles for spring 2020. We will reveal what this exciting MMORPG has to offer.
What is Dragon Raja? The mobile MMORPG takes place in a vast world that combines modernity and fantasy. You navigate through bustling metropolises while simultaneously battling creepy monsters and dangerous dragons.
Although Dragon Raja comes from China, the complete text of the game has been translated into German (though at times rather awkwardly). The cutscenes and dialogues, however, have been dubbed in English.
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Why is there so much interest in the game? Dragon Raja won the award for the most anticipated game of 2019 at the Unreal Open Day 2019. This was particularly achieved through the technical implementation and graphics of the game.
The MMORPG developed by Zulong Games and Archosaur Games was created using Unreal Engine 4 and aims to avoid pay-to-win mechanics, which is not typically common in mobile games.
This is what the game offers you: Dragon Raja features some typical content for a mobile MMORPG, such as automatic running to quest objectives. However, there is no automatic combat, and even the automatic running can be disabled if desired.
Other unique features of the game include:
4 classes: Blade Master, Gunslinger, Assassin, and Soul Dancer
All of them can be created in male, female, or lolita forms.
Various hobbies like cooking or dancing that are supposed to influence your story
PvP with up to 100 players in arenas
The story of the game revolves around the novel of the same name from China, where humans, dragons, and half-bloods are engaged in an endless war.
What about the shop? In the shop, you can buy starter gear that is useful at the beginning but becomes useless later in the game.
Additionally, you can get crystals there that you will need later for the perfect equipment. They improve your gear by a few percent and can also be earned through gameplay.
Otherwise, the shop seems free from pay-to-win content.
Can you play Dragon Raja on PC? While Dragon Raja is a mobile MMORPG, the developers themselves recommend using an emulator in their FAQ to test the MMORPG on PC as well.
What are the system requirements for Dragon Raja? According to FAQ, you need the following for the MMORPG:
Android – Android 5.0 or higher, 2GB RAM, 6GB storage, CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 or higher.
iOS – iOS 10 or higher, iPhone 6s or newer recommended.
Players are excited, but caution!
What do the first players say? 5 hours after release, Dragon Raja has already received more than 7,200 ratings in the Google Play Store. The majority give it 5 out of 5 stars.
However, some of the German reviews sound awkward and poorly translated. Phrases like “I have invested 0 dollars so far” or “I can already say it is the best game of all time” raise eyebrows, since the game has only been out for a few hours. Additionally, the developers offer gifts for all users who leave a rating in the Play Store.
Nevertheless, the overall sentiment in the ratings is positive. Criticism has mainly been directed at crashes and servers, which are already overflowing in some cases.
What does the author Alexander Leitsch think? I have only taken a brief look at Dragon Raja so far. But I am enjoying it. I will try the game in the coming days and write a more detailed review.
If you have already tried the mobile MMORPG, you are warmly invited to discuss it in the comments.
On FIFA 20, there was a disruption on Thursday evening. This seems to be a general issue with EA and generates the error code 100 in many places. The repeated problems are frustrating players – the connection often fails.
FIFA 20 servers are down: On Thursday evening, players noticed that there were connection problems with FIFA 20. It didn’t take long for EA to respond. The FIFA communication channel published the following tweet:
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They are aware of the issues and are working on a fix. Matchmaking is disabled during this time to prevent connection drops. Therefore, games are currently not possible.
However, it seems to be a more extensive problem affecting not only FIFA 20 but several EA games, websites, and services. Players of Apex Legends and Star Wars: Battlefront II are also reporting issues:
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This is what the community says: On Twitter, many players express their anger due to the ongoing problems. This is not the first time that FIFA 20 has server issues that make a game impossible. For example, at the beginning of February during the Future Stars Event, a similar error occurred, resulting in a extension of the Weekend League. This explains some of the comments from the community.
“Is this an automated tweet? Because we see the same tweet every week,” writes Twitter user IamFrench.
“The number of server issues that FIFA has this year is unprecedented,” finds user number314 on Reddit.
Also in January, there was anger from some fans, as EA fixed a bug with the Icon Swaps that favored the players. The reaction was angry because such bugs are usually fixed quickly by EA, rather than those that annoy fans. Like the server issues.
Even in FIFA 19, there were always bizarre errors. Some fans even documented these in a comprehensive list:
This weekend, from February 28 to March 1, 2020, various MMOs and multiplayer games will be available for free on Steam or their own platforms. We have picked out some highlights for you.
What kind of games are on the list? The list includes multiplayer games that you can play either alone or with friends. They all normally cost money, but will be playable for free for at least 48 hours.
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ARK: Survival Evolved
Genre: Survival | Developer: Wildcard| Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch | Release Date: August 29, 2017 | Model: Buy2Play
What is ARK?ARK: Survival Evolved is an MMO that was released in Early Access on Steam in May 2015. You enter a wild world full of dinosaurs and other dangers. The focus is on your survival, which proves to be very difficult.
You start naked and without equipment and learn new technologies over time. You begin with simple tools and end up with futuristic gear. Highlights include building your own shelter and taming and riding dinos. PvP also plays a role in ARK.
When and where will the game be free? You can play ARK: Survival Evolved for free from February 27 at 7:00 PM to March 2 at 7:00 PM. The promotion takes place only on the Steam platform and thus only on PC.
Genre: Shooter | Developer: Massive Entertainment | Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Stadia | Release Date: March 15, 2019 | Model: Buy2Play
What is The Division 2? In The Division 2 you play an MMO shooter that places great value on the cover system and the many RPG elements in the form of skills, character progression, and loot.
The game world you move in is plagued by a virus. Now the city of Washington D.C. threatens to sink into chaos, and as an agent of the Strategic Homeland Division (The Division), you must restore order.
When and where will the game be free? You can play The Division 2 for free this weekend on almost all platforms:
PC Uplay
PC Epic
PS4
Xbox One
The start time is on each platform on February 27 at 9 AM, and the promotion ends on March 2 at 9 AM. On all platforms, you can already pre-download the game since February 25, except on Xbox.
Genre: MMORPG | Developer: Pearl Abyss | Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One | Release Date: March 3, 2016 | Model: Buy2Play
What is Black Desert? In Black Desert it is a sandbox MMORPG that offers you many freedoms. In return, quests and story only play a minor role.
The game is particularly convincing with its good combat system, PvP, housing, and the few restrictions it has. You can become a fisherman or trader and even create entire production chains. Additionally, it offers you 19 different classes.
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When and where will the game be free? The MMORPG will be available for free from Thursday, February 27 at 4:00 PM to March 2 at 4:00 PM. However, this only applies to PC and only via Steam.
Genre: Strategy Game| Developer: Paradox Interactive| Platform: PC | Release Date: June 6, 2016| Model: Buy2Play
What is Hearts of Iron IV? In Hearts of Iron IV you play a nation that participated in World War II. You lead it to either victory or defeat in battle.
Tactical skill and your diplomatic decisions play an important role. The strategy game can be played alone or in multiplayer. Several DLCs for Hearts of Iron IV have already been released. La Resistance, the latest expansion, was released on February 25, 2020.
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When and where will the game be free? Hearts of Iron IV can already be played for free. The promotion ends on March 1, 2020. However, this only works through the Steam platform and does not include any expansions.
Genre: Biking Game | Developer: RageSquid | Platform: PC, Xbox One | Release Date: May 7, 2019| Model: Buy2Play
What is Descenders – Downhill Bike? In this biking game, you have to ride downhill while discovering a modern, procedurally generated world.
Unlike Trials, you experience the rides from a third-person perspective. In Descenders – Downhill Bike, you can ride alone or compete against other players online.
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When and where will the game be free? The biking game will be available for free from February 27 at 7:00 PM. The promotion ends on March 1 at 7:00 PM. However, the promotion is only valid for PC users and via Steam.
In it, 40 players compete against each other with 9 different classes. Within a round, RPG elements such as collecting XP and gear play an important role.
Currently, Shadow Arena is still in development but is expected to be released in the first half of 2020.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YD7Ah6DIhBo
When and where will the game be free? From February 27 to March 8, there will be a beta test on Steam. Anyone who possesses a key can participate for free.
Which games will be free soon? In the coming weeks, selected games will also be offered for free on Steam or other platforms. We want to give you a little preview:
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege – March 5 to March 9 on Steam
F1 2019 – March 10 to March 19 on Steam
Additionally, you can use free games again via PS Plus in March:
A new hotfix is going online today for Borderlands 3. It addresses some errors, but primarily adjusts the damage values of certain weapons.
When will the patch be released? As usual, the hotfix will go live on Thursday evening. According to the developers, it should be live by 9:00 PM. It’s best to wait a few seconds in the main menu until the familiar message appears, indicating “Hotfixes Applied”.
Some weapons will become stronger!
By the way, the patch isn’t the only new thing coming to Borderlands 3 on Thursday evening: The Steam release for Borderlands 3 was also announced.
Patch makes some weapons more useful
These buffs are included in the patch: The hotfix improves a whole range of weapons. First up are four legendary weapons that weren’t exactly among the top guns in the game. However, they should now become significantly more useful:
“The Lob” now has a magazine size of 12 instead of 4. The damage has been increased, and the cannon now fires 3 magical bullets instead of just one.
The “Woodblocker” receives a 100% increase in critical hit damage. Additionally, recoil has been slightly reduced.
The rifle “Malak’s Bane” has received a significant damage increase. Furthermore, it now costs you 2 units of shotgun ammunition instead of the previous 4.
“Ruby’s Wrath” now also deals more damage, and the cooldown for the special singularity grenade has been greatly reduced.
But that’s not all: All DAHL assault rifles will also receive a buff. They all now deal 35% more damage. This also affects several legendary weapons from DAHL – you can see which ones in our list of all legendary weapons.
So, be sure to check your bank to see if you still have one of the weapons on hand. They might be more useful to you now than before!
What else is in the patch: In addition to the buffs, as in the last patch, several bugs that could hinder you in the game have been fixed. For example, there were issues in the Cisterns of Slaughter: enemies would get stuck in places where you couldn’t reach them anymore.
Additionally, Billy the Invincible has been adjusted. The boss is now supposed to teleport less frequently. In total, several progress blockers have been removed – you can find the complete list on the official website.
All in all, this is more of a small hotfix. However, the focus for Borderlands 3 is likely also on the new DLC, which will be presented on Thursday evening at PAX East:
The Twitch streamer Asmongold was the biggest beneficiary of the hype around WoW Classic in autumn 2019. For three consecutive months, the self-proclaimed WoW nerd held the top position on Twitch. But for more than two months, Asmongold has been absent from Twitch: WoW Classic and the hype around him have taken a toll on the streamer.
His success was massive: The Twitch streamer Asmongold was ranked 5th among the most viewed streamers on Twitch in 2019. Asmongold has been on the platform since 2011, but he has never come close to having as much success as last autumn.
When WoW Classic was huge on Twitch from August to October 2019, Asmongold benefited the most from this hype. In August, September, and October 2019, he was the most watched streamer on the platform.
The hype around Asmongold was enormous. Especially in September 2019.
Asmongold abruptly stopped streaming in mid-December. The break was not announced.
He actually said, “I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual,” which turned into “I’m not really feeling it today,” “I might play normal WoW or another game tomorrow,” and finally “I’m taking a break, maybe I’ll be gone for a week.”
That was on December 15, and Asmongold, the biggest Twitch streamer for WoW, has not been seen on the platform for more than 2 months.
Asmongold is not completely off the map; he’s still tweeting, but he’s not visible on Twitch anymore.
With dungeon runs through WoW Classic, Asmongold already reached tens of thousands of viewers on Twitch during the beta.
This is what Asmongold says now: He makes it clear in a video why he took this break. He says:
He doesn’t need money anymore. He appreciates the money he earns from streams, but – to be honest – he doesn’t need it anymore.
The huge attention he received from the growth made him feel the need to put on a facade.
When he said what was on his mind, as is his way, it would have offended people, and they would have gotten upset with him.
Asmongold felt “controlled” and uncomfortable, no longer like himself.
Furthermore, there was a lot of drama around WoW Classic, which sometimes felt like a “reality TV” show.
We will soon see Asmongold again in WoW Retail.
This was the problem: Asmongold says that on this wave of success, he somewhat lost himself. He started doing things to achieve a certain effect, to deliver a show. In the end, he no longer felt comfortable with his own stream.
Now he wants to distance himself from WoW Classic, play retail WoW again, and do things that “fill him creatively.”
Esfand believes: Twitch fans drove Asmongold away
How others see it: Another big Twitch streamer for WoW, Esfand, blames the Twitch fans for Asmongold’s break.
You could hardly read anything positive about Asmongold during that time. It can weigh on someone when there’s so much negativity.
If you’re streaming in front of 60,000 people and feel like: They all hate me, that would weigh on anyone. Asmongold surely has fans, but they are often not as loud as the haters.
Asmongold, as the biggest streamer, came under scrutiny. There was, for example, a player who set out to stalk and take him down. There were repeatedly attacks and negative discussions around the streamer. Obviously, that was too much for him.
The curse of being #1
Some streamers who have temporarily or for an extended period been “#1 on Twitch” have not coped well with this position and have found various ways to deal with it:
Shroud also left Twitch, but he seems to be completely at peace with himself. However, he also doesn’t have the same pressure on Mixer as he did on Twitch.
This means that these two challenges will be available today, February 28. Based on previous experiences, they should be in the game by 3:00 PM.
By completing these tasks, you can unlock the Deadpool skin, which is also the secret skin of this season.
In this guide, we will show you the exact locations.
Deadpool’s Milk Carton – Location
For the first part of the task, you need to find Deadpool’s milk carton. However, it is not hidden as usual on the new Fortnite map of season 2.
You will find it in the battle pass menu. However, you need to enter the secret Deadpool room, which is behind the golden ventilation.
Once you have entered the secret room, you need to search for the milk carton amidst the chaos. You will find it on the urinal, which is located on the left side.
Here you will find Deadpool’s milk carton
Deadpool’s Chimichangas – Locations
Now you need to find Deadpool’s chimichangas. He has hidden 3 of them. But again, they are not hidden on the Fortnite map but directly in the battle pass menu.
Where is the 1st Chimichanga?
The first chimichanga is quite obvious. It is located in the agent meeting room, under the table next to TNTina’s propane tank.
Here is the first chimichanga
Where is the 2nd Chimichanga?
You will find Deadpool’s second chimichanga in the upgrade vault, where you can create your Maya skin.
It is located on a shelf behind Maya.
Here is the second chimichanga
Where is the 3rd Chimichanga?
The last chimichanga of Deadpool is hidden in the agent room. You need to go to the room at the top left, which is marked “Agents”.
After that, you need to select the agent “Brutus” to enter his office. In his office, the chimichanga is on the desk, on the right side.
Once you have found the milk carton and the 3 chimichangas, you are one step closer to Deadpool. The Deadpool skin is also one of the rarest skins in Fortnite.
What reward do you get for the challenges?
If you have found the milk carton and the 3 chimichangas, you will unlock a Deadpool reward.
This week there is a Deadpool spray for completing the tasks.
You told us in a survey whether you prefer to play PvP or PvE content. The result is more than clear.
What was the topic? The two modes PvP and PvE have become indispensable in modern multiplayer games. A large part of the games offers both to keep their fans entertained, and they choose the content that best matches their preferences.
In one of our surveys, we let you vote on which content you prefer to play in MMOs: PvP or PvE. The results were very clear.
This is how you voted: The survey ended on February 27. A total of 1,395 readers voted. Each reader could only cast one vote.
Here are the results:
I primarily play PvE: 47.81%
I only play PvE: 30.54%
I primarily play PvP: 10.11%
I play both equally: 9.61%
I only play PvP: 1.94%
So over 70% of you play either exclusively PvE content or prefer it to PvP. This means that the readers who prefer PvP are in the minority with 10.11%.
Even balanced players, who spend about equal time on both modes, are surprisingly few at 9.61%. Pure PvP is played by only 1.94% of MeinMMO readers.
That is interesting: In the comments under the article, you talked less about why you find PvE content great, but rather about the problems and disadvantages of PvP.
According to you, PvP is important for multiplayer games. In your comments, you say that PvE content becomes monotonous sooner or later, and you then switch to PvP to spend time there:
The thing is, PvE gets boring quickly. Good quests, exciting stories, and great environments are becoming rare in PvE games. Quests like “kill 15 wild boars” and “bring me 20 tusks” are too old-fashioned for me […]
A good PvP system offers more variety, as hardly any situation repeats itself 1 to 1.
MeinMMO reader Ron
A good MMO should offer both, but should not enforce PvP in the open world without restriction. According to you, this mode also brings problems that spoil your fun. In your comments, you listed the following:
Ganking in unrestricted open-world PvP
Poorly balanced PvP, where beginners without armor have no chance or an absurd meta prevails
Toxic behavior from other players
However, with a well-implemented PvP system, even players who prefer PvE could engage in some rounds of PvP. For example, our reader N0ma wrote:
My problem with PvP is that it is usually poorly implemented when you are a PvE player. If I have no chance in PvP anyway, then I leave it. I used to enjoy playing it in Rift. There you could easily win 1v1 or even 1vN as a PvE player with the right build.
You also expressed your opinion on why PvP in MMOs is often not well implemented: It is treated somewhat lightly by some companies.
According to some of your comments, the PvP mode is the appendage of the PvE content, and the developers do not allocate enough time and resources to build and make PvP fun.
The problem is that PvP in PvE games is usually not very good. […]
In PvE-focused titles, the truly dedicated PvPers usually make up only a small fraction of the player base and are negligible.
MeinMMO reader Drachenberg
It seems that a game is missing that implements PvP well to entice PvE gamers to play the mode more often.
Which MMOs do you think have found a good balance between PvE and PvP? What would you like to see in a good PvP system? Tell us in the comments.
In Destiny 2, the way you use and level up your weapons is soon going to change fundamentally. What is planned and why Bungie is looking to Destiny 1 for inspiration can be read here.
What is changing for weapons: In the future, you will no longer be able to level up your weapons endlessly (infusion). The weapons will have an infusion cap, a kind of expiration date.
If the timestamp runs out, the weapon will remain at its current level. However, you should be able to level up your weapons for much longer than just one season. According to current plans, the duration should be somewhere between 9 and 15 months.
These weapons are affected: If you are worried about your favorite exotic, you can breathe a sigh of relief. The planned changes will not affect the exotic weapons.
According to Bungie, they want to test the effects “first on the legendary ecosystem.” The focus is initially on legendary weapons and their abilities.
When will it happen? There is still no exact date for the sweeping changes. But Luke Smith announced in his Director’s Cut that more detailed information will follow soon.
They want to inform players “sooner rather than later.” Smith also emphasizes that the changes are not yet finalized and set in stone.
Luke Smith – The topic is a priority
Destiny and the desire for more power
Why are the changes coming? Currently, you can infuse almost all weapons and thus bring them up to your current power level. Anyone can easily keep up in the trending endgame activities or in the Iron Banner with a two-year-old weapon.
According to Smith, this brings three issues:
New weapons become just a tick on a checklist. The item is earned and then collects dust in the vault or collection.
This does not do justice to the many work hours spent on the design and development of weapons. “Every legendary [weapon] gets its own portion of special sauce,” writes Smith.
With each new update, new skills and perks, as well as activities, many eventualities must be checked. It must be verified how all the previous items fit into the current overall picture. You can read here about what problems this can cause.
Power creep is a problem: Bungie cannot simply make each new weapon significantly stronger than the old familiar fire weapons. Where this leads has been seen with overpowered weapons like the Recluse.
Since legendary weapons do not stay in the sandbox forever, they can be given creative abilities and be quite powerful. Because they will not haunt Destiny 2 for years, but have a few seasons to shine. Then there will be new carrots to chase.
The thrill from Destiny 1: Smith compares the situation to Destiny 1. Weapons like the Fatebringer were so cool and memorable because you hunted for them. The weapons could be made so strong because they would eventually “naturally lie by the wayside”.
The Guardians were thrilled when they finally got their powerful gun and still talk about the feelings of happiness today. But veterans remember: back then, old gear was regularly left behind. This made room in the spotlight for something new.
The Fatebringer was the primary weapon in Destiny 1
Old weapons do not disappear: Weapons that have expired will not simply vanish in Destiny 2. In many activities, you can still use your beloved old-timers with confidence. But no longer in endgame. For these activities, you should be hunting for new, interesting, and hopefully powerful weapons. Luke Smith jokes that this way the entire tower vault won’t have to be destroyed again.
What do you think of the changes? A good way to consistently bring new weapons into the spotlight or would you prefer to be happy with your trusty favorite weapons until the end of Destiny 2?
We have summarized the status of the end of Destiny 2 and the start of Destiny 3 here:
World of Warcraft Classic is getting new ways to spend real money in-game. At least in China, the WoW Token is now up for sale.
World of Warcraft Classic was supposed to be free of features from the “modern” WoW. Especially the in-game shop was never meant to be part of it. At least Blizzard is currently retracting this promise. The sale of the “WoW Token” is also launching in World of Warcraft Classic in China, as reported by Icy-veins.
What is the WoW Token? The WoW Token serves two functions. First, it allows players to trade in-game gold legally. Here’s how it works:
Player A can buy a WoW Token for real money in the shop and then sell it in the auction house.
Player B buys the WoW Token for gold, which then goes to Player A.
This way, Player A has “bought gold” indirectly and Player B can redeem the WoW Token for playtime.
The price of the WoW Token is determined based on the supply and demand of the players. In WoW Classic, the price will be much lower than in the modern WoW version due to the significantly lower amounts of gold.
Why did Blizzard do this? According to Blizzard’s post in China, the WoW Token was introduced due to player demand. They wished for a way to buy gold legally to avoid having to rely on illegal third-party providers. This very trading is also responsible for a large portion of account problems. At the same time, some players have earned a lot of gold and would like to cover their costs for the game with it – they surely kept an eye on our tips for gold farming in Classic.
Will we also get the WoW Token? So far, Blizzard has only made this announcement in China, and only there can players currently purchase the WoW Token in WoW Classic. Whether it will also be used in Europe and America remains to be seen; an official statement on this is not yet available. If Blizzard comments on this, we will update the article.
Good news for Diablo IV. The controller support for PC is important for Blizzard, and there is also a change to the left click that many of you wished for. The changes show: Blizzard has arrived with Diablo 4 in 2020.
Where does the information come from? In a developer update on the Diablo blog, the Blizzard team talked about the development of Diablo 4. They discussed the interface, key mappings, and the brutal cannibals as a character class.
Especially the key mapping shows that Blizzard is making a big step forward with Diablo 4 compared to its predecessors like Diablo 3. There will be significant changes to the controls. Old restrictions that annoyed players are being removed.
Diablo 4 supports controllers on PC
This is changing: Blizzard explains that Diablo 4 is now the first part of the Diablo series that is being developed simultaneously for PC and consoles. One of the biggest changes is controller support on PC. In 2015, Blizzard explained why they had no plans for controller support for Diablo 3.
Players will have the option to switch freely between “mouse and keyboard” and “controller” on PC. Accordingly, the interface must also be adjusted to unify both control methods. However, the complexity of Diablo 4, according to Blizzard, will not be reduced. You will just have to consider more factors. Both input modes should feel intuitive.
We are taking the approach of maintaining established mouse and keyboard conventions while also providing controller-friendly interaction options or alternative input options throughout the game.
This is how the controls are changing: With controller support, you will have the choice of “what” you send your commands into the game with. But the adjustments go further. The keys are also supposed to become much more customizable. This was shown by the feedback from the Diablo 4 demo from BlizzCon 2019.
The special news: Even the left mouse button does not have to be the key for the primary skill and for running anymore. Blizzard explains that many players have asked for this.
A surprisingly high number of players have requested the option to bind their primary skill to anything other than the left mouse button to separate movement and attack. More flexibility in key mapping has been on our list for a while, and the feedback from the demo has confirmed that it is an adjustment feature that players really want.
So say goodbye to the situations where you accidentally attacked an enemy while running away because you wanted to run away with the left mouse button.
Summary of the changes: In Diablo 4, you can now assign any skill to any slot from the start. This was not possible in Diablo 3. Additionally, the key mapping of all skill slots can be adjusted.
Furthermore, it is planned to support the re-mapping of skills on controllers as well.
The current Steam hit Wolcen received a new patch last night, and with patch 1.0.5., new problems arose. The update is said to have reduced the “monster density” to the extent that it is no longer possible to complete the instanced dungeons in high-level expeditions.
In the early weeks after the launch of Wolcen on Steam, there were many complaints that the game was unplayable. With patches, the action RPG became more stable in recent days, but now new complaints are emerging.
This is how expeditions work in Wolcen: After completing the campaign of Wolcen, players primarily engage in expeditions. These correspond to the “Greater Rifts” in Diablo 3. They are randomly generated dungeons.
In these expeditions, one must kill monster groups until a progress bar is filled. After that, you seek out the dungeon’s final boss, defeat them, and then have the option to either finish the expedition or advance to the next level.
Until recently, there were so many monsters in the instances that the monster density was not a problem. There were always enough creatures to comfortably fill the bar before reaching the final boss. Perhaps one had to go back and do an extra round or two if they accidentally visited the boss too early.
I started Wolcen after the patch, and immediately had a problem in the expedition. I won’t continue playing until they fix it. Where were the quality testers?
I did a run. To complete it, I had to search for and find ALL monsters on the map. It’s terrible.
Especially from level 150 onwards it’s extremely strange.
Desperately searching for monsters. Source: Reddit
Does this problem affect everyone? No, it seems to be a problem that some players have, especially at high levels, while others do not.
I was able to comfortably play through expeditions in Wolcen last night with my Psylocke mage, but I’m only around level 60 expeditions. It seems mainly those in higher expeditions are complaining.
For those affected by the problem, it is very frustrating because they have no way to complete the expeditions and it frustrates them.
Has the error demon struck again?
Players must wait – only 1 update a week for Wolcen
This is especially annoying:Wolcen can only be updated once a week for technical reasons. Therefore, players suffering from the problem will likely have to wait until next week, or they will have to search particularly thoroughly for the monsters.
For many players, the spawns in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare are a real problem. The developers Infinity Ward report various small changes, but the major overhaul has yet to happen. Now CoD MD is making another small change to the spawn system.
What is the problem with the spawns? Since the release of the shooter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, players have complained about a flawed spawn system.
The CoD soldiers appear after death at somewhat random locations, too far from the action or right in the middle of it, making it difficult to react before being taken out again. Pros from the “Call of Duty League” have even found a way to exploit the broken spawns by blowing themselves up. However, players are looking for a more solid solution.
Now, on the official Trello board for Modern Warfare, there is a rare report from the developers about the spawns. A problem on the Season 2 map “Rust” is supposed to be fixed, where players spawn in other positions despite the “tactical insertion” being activated.
Rust is a rather small map that first came into play with CoD: Modern Warfare 2.
Rust with improvements to spawn and framerate
What improvements can we expect? In total, two new entries have been added to the board, both addressing issues on the old-school map “Rust”.
Placing a tactical insertion at safe locations on Rust can cause players to spawn at other locations.
Problems with FPS (frames per second) when climbing the central tower on Rust.
In addition to the broken tactical insertion, the developers are also working on framerate drops that can occur when trying to climb the tower in the middle of the map.
So only Rust will be improved for now? At the moment, it seems so, yes. Although many players complain about the spawns in CoD MW overall, almost everything remains the same for now.
Scenes like this from Redditor “BabyFaceCase” should make the developers realize that something in their game is not working as intended. Or is it?
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Overall, the player is taken out 8 times within not even 30 seconds and has no chance to escape the nasty spawn trap. This isn’t even about the mini-map “Shipment”, where you could land four times in the highlight camera.
How likely are further adjustments to the spawns? Currently, not very likely. The topic of spawns or even dissatisfaction with matchmaking is frequently discussed by the community, but the developers have not committed to anything yet.
However, for other important topics, the responsible parties often respond quickly to problems and fix bugs in record time. However, the major issue of spawns has received little attention so far.
What are your thoughts on the topic of spawns? Should Modern Warfare improve this or are you managing with the system?
The Progen PR4 and the Ocelot R88 are the new Formula vehicles in GTA 5 Online. They are indeed very fast, but they also cost quite a bit of GTA dollars. We will show you what these cars can do.
What’s new? The new expansion “Open-Wheel Racing Series” started today, February 27th, in GTA Online. It brings some new races where up to 16 players will compete against each other.
The prices: As you might have guessed, you won’t be able to get these new racing cars for a few hundred thousand GTA dollars. No, when buying, you have to really reach deep into your pockets.
The Ocelot R88 costs 3,115,000 GTA dollars
The Progen PR4 costs 3,515,000 GTA dollars
With that, these cars replace the Benefactor Krieger, which was previously considered the most expensive car in GTA Online.
The tuning: You can tune them with front and rear wings, wheels, tires, and stylish racing designs. You can also install the usual armor upgrades, gears, engine, and turbo tuning.
The various options in the garage are shown by YouTuber Astralstate.
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This makes the vehicles fast: The cool thing is that the vehicles feature a KERS system. This stands for Kinetic Energy Recovery System. It is a boost that charges when you have to brake hard. You can trigger the boost with the left analog stick. This is an important tactical step, especially for the new races.
So you have a boost at hand in races and also in the open world that gives you strong acceleration and makes the vehicles particularly fast.
Just with this turbo, the cars are already particularly fast. Testing by YouTubers will show in the next few days how the two Formula cars differ and where they will rank in the list of the fastest cars in GTA Online.
Will you buy the parts? The necessary money can be found in our money guide for GTA Online and also directly in the Casino Heist:
In Hearthstone, you can now purchase mage packs. However, you should stay away from them, as they are simply a rip-off – at least that’s what Cortyn thinks.
While Hearthstone still offers fun to many players, there has been a major criticism for years: The game is too expensive. Those who want to effectively “join the ranks” must either invest hours in the game weekly in the mid double digits or spend a lot of real money.
With each expansion, new opportunities to spend money seem to emerge, and now Blizzard has, in my opinion, gone too far. Alongside new heroes and cards, the update has also brought a special offer. In my view, the “mage pack” is nothing but a top-notch rip-off.
What is the Mage Pack? The Mage Pack contains 5 special “mage packs.” These packs can only contain cards that can be used by the Mage class. At first glance, this seems like a good offer for all fans of Jaina who want to improve their Mage card collection or create a solid deck.
Packs cost more than usual: I find the price particularly outrageous. For 5 packs, you pay €10, meaning each pack costs nearly 2 euros. This is significantly above the price for other card packs and is anything but a good offer.
For a direct comparison: For €10 you also get 7 packs of the current expansion “Legacy of the Dragons.”
The price for the “special offer” of the Mage Pack is therefore higher than that for regular card packs.
I can only assume that Blizzard justifies the price by claiming that players can search for cards more specifically if they are Mage fans. But does that justify that you get about 28% less content in the Mage Pack than in an offer for the current packs? In my opinion, no. Especially not when considering the other issues with the packs.
Half of the cards will be useless: Furthermore, the cards in the Mage packs can also come from last year’s expansions. This means that nearly half of the cards included in the packs will not be usable in the standard format in a few weeks.
Particularly bitter: On the German page, it is currently being advertised (as of 1:30 PM, 27.02.2020) that the packs only contain cards from expansions of the current year. However, this does not correspond to reality. The English page corrected this error shortly after.
The English page lists all sets …
… the German page incorrectly only lists those from the current year.
Why is Blizzard even doing this? It seems obvious that the Hearthstone team is testing new sales strategies, and this is just a “trial balloon” to see how the community reacts to packs that, although more expensive, contain only cards for a specific class. This creates an illusion of control over what you receive. Because typically, you want “exactly this one card” to complete your deck. For me, this is simply a trick.
What should Blizzard do instead? Rather than such half-baked methods, they should give players what has been demanded for years: An option to specifically purchase individual cards or alternatively something like a “Season Pass” that allows access to all cards from the current year for a fixed price. These are both requests that have existed for a long time and would lead to more satisfaction, because Hearthstone is simply too expensive.
Such “rip-off offers” may bring in quick cash, but they certainly do not benefit the game. And that is a shame, because Hearthstone used to be one of my favorite games to pass the time.
Riders of Icarus finally arrived in the West in 2017. It offered the classic content of an MMORPG but mainly tried to convince with a large number of mounts and pets. We at MeinMMO have taken a look at where the game stands today.
What is Riders of Icarus? Riders of Icarus is a theme park MMORPG from the Korean developer WeMade. It is free-to-play and offers you:
8 different classes
A linear story told through quests and cutscenes
Dungeons and raids
PvP
A huge number of mounts
These animals are a unique selling point of the game. You can tame almost anything in the wild and even fight from your mounts. A highlight are the aerial battles that you can engage in while riding a dragon or a demon-like pegasus.
This YouTube video gives you an insight into the wildlife of Riders of Icarus:
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How is the MMORPG doing today? In Germany, you actually hear nothing about Riders of Icarus anymore. However, the game is not doing that poorly.
On Steam, since May 2018, an average of between 200 and 500 players have been checking in to the MMORPG each day, with a low point in September 2019 (which may have been due to the publisher change).
The game uses its own client, so the overall player count should be higher.
The player numbers of Riders of Icarus on Steam (Steamcharts)
Additionally, the MMORPG receives an update every 7 to 14 days. These usually involve events, minor features, bug fixes, and balance changes.
However, in 2020 a patch with many new features was already released.
What did the big update bring? On February 26, a patch was released that brought several new features for veterans of Riders of Icarus:
Increase of the level cap from 67 to 70
New raid for 10 players
New quests from level 70
A new “Mythical Armor Set”
New awakening skills starting at level 70 for each class
Additionally, the event for the Chinese New Year ended
Riders of Icarus now offers a level cap of level 70
However, the road to this stability was not easy. Shortly after release, there was a silence about the MMORPG. Even afterwards, communication was difficult.
A Year of Silence Shortly After Release
How did the release of the MMORPG go? After the official release in the summer of 2017, there was almost a year of silence. Suddenly, there were no more updates and significant bugs remained in the game.
In the summer of 2018, however, the developers returned. They did not give a reason for the lack of communication, but there was talk of new updates that should help get the MMORPG back on track.
Magician, the new class that was released in 2018
What happened afterwards? On July 26, the new class Magician was released along with additional content and an event.
In October 2018, the level cap was raised to level 67 in the “Shadows of Turimnan” update. New areas, animals, and skills were also released.
Change to a New Publisher
What happened in 2019? In 2019, the publisher Nexon, which is also responsible for MapleStory 2, handed the game over to the American company VOLOFE. Previously, the Korean company distributed the game itself in America.
With the change, the account also had to be migrated. This process was available from August 28, 2019, to February 26, 2020. Now returning players must create new accounts.
Along with the change, new content was also released, including a dungeon and 50 new quests. However, the developer remains the Korean company WeMade.
One of the dragon mounts
Has communication changed since then? The MMORPG received a Discord server for direct exchange with the new publisher.
A partner program was also established, allowing players to contact GMs, discuss with them, and test new content early. Currently, there are 4 players each from NA and EU involved.
Additionally, there is a forum where events and contests take place regularly. Currently, players are supposed to catch a specific mount and tell a story about it. The best stories receive prizes (Forum).
Riders of Icarus 2020 – Is it worth it?
This is what users are saying on Steam: Although Riders of Icarus has overall balanced reviews on Steam, 82% of the 117 reviews in the last 30 days rated the game positively, though some individual positive reviews sound rather negative.
Positives include:
The ability to ride dragons and various other creatures.
The vast game world.
The story, which is said to be a bit confusing at the beginning.
Critiques include:
The migration system, where apparently some characters were lost.
Technical issues since the acquisition by VOLOFE. Two voices even demand Nexon to return as publisher.
The somewhat dated graphics.
Flying into battle on a pegasus
This is what our author Alexander Leitsch says: Riders of Icarus may no longer be the most current MMORPG, but it offers a really cool and rare element with the combat on mounts.
The MMORPG is available in German, and the player numbers are high enough to at least not be alone in the world.
However, there were also bugs and problems with new updates, such as during the winter event 2019/20. However, the developers responded and distributed items as compensation. So not everything runs smoothly in the MMORPG, which also shows the criticism of the migration.
Since Riders of Icarus is free to play on Steam, it might be worth taking a look at the game. Perhaps this MMORPG will bridge the gap until one of the new games arrives:
