Sony has announced that it will not participate in E3 2020. Thus, the PlayStation company is skipping the important gaming fair for the second year in a row, even though the PS5 is coming this year. We look at the statements from Sony, competitor Microsoft (Xbox One), and organizer ESA.
This is what Sony says: They tell the site GamesIndustry that they feel the vision of the event does not match what they have planned for themselves. Instead of one E3, they want to visit “hundreds” of events to showcase games for PS4 and PS5.
After careful consideration, SIE has decided not to participate in E3 2020. We have great respect for ESA as an organization, but we do not feel that the vision of E3 2020 is the right stage for what we want to present this year.
We will build our global event strategy for 2020 by attending hundreds of events around the globe. The focus is on making our fans feel like part of the PlayStation family and having access to their favorite content. We have a fantastic line-up of titles coming to PlayStation 4, and with the upcoming launch of PlayStation 5, we look forward to a year of celebrating with our fans.
This is how ESA reacts: The organizers of E3, ESA (Entertainment Software Association), quickly published a statement on their website. It says:
“E3 is the showcase event to celebrate the video game industry and to showcase brands and innovations that redefine entertainment loved by billions of people around the world. E3 2020 will be an exciting high-energy show featuring new experiences, partners, exhibition spaces, activities, and a program that entertains newcomers and veterans alike.
Exhibitors interested in our activities will have the opportunity to get the attention of those brands that see E3 as a key opportunity to connect with video game fans worldwide.”
ESA’s statement regarding Sony’s announcement for E3 2020
XBOX boss says immediately: We are looking forward to E3
This is how Xbox reacts: The head of gaming at Microsoft, Phil Spencer, briefly confirmed in a tweet that they are looking forward to E3 and will be attending the event. 2020 is a milestone year for Team Xbox.
What’s behind it: It is a blow for E3 2020, but they appear confident and clearly signal that they believe in what they have to offer.
From Sony’s perspective, it is likely a tactical consideration. They believe that E3 needs Sony more to remain relevant than Sony needs E3 to generate additional attention.
The last E3 2019 without Sony was considered, in retrospect, the weakest E3 in a long time. Additionally, a data scandal caused further negative headlines: the addresses of journalists were leaked.
Wherever the PlayStation 5 and the new games for it are showcased, Sony apparently believes that there will be enough interest – even without the environment of an E3.
He was the big highlight of E3 2019: Keanu Reeves.
Additionally, according to industry insider Jason Schreier, there is a bad atmosphere between ESA and Sony. There are tensions. According to GamesIndustry, Sony supposedly prefers E3 as a “spectator fair,” while others want to maintain the character of an “industry fair.”
The last E3 2019 without Sony was considered, in retrospect, the weakest E3 in a long time. Additionally, a data scandal caused further negative headlines: the addresses of journalists were leaked.
The report from Niantic came only after various players exchanged information on reddit and found out that no one has gotten the Shiny Alola Vulpix from the quest.
Alola Vulpix could not be Shiny from the quests
Are more quests affected? From the current field researches, it should only be the quests around Alola Vulpix and Sniebel. At least there are no reports of further faulty tasks yet.
However, there are indications that the task “Use 10 Nanab Berries when catching Pokémon”, which was present in the last field researches, could not yield a Shiny Scyther. At least hundreds of players claim that they were not successful with the quest.
Are the missing Shinys confirmed? There is still no official confirmation from Niantic. However, one can be quite sure that the quests are faulty. After all, Scyther and Sniebel also have a higher Shiny chance than other Pokémon. Therefore, a sighting of them in the field researches would not be unlikely.
Niantic is likely to comment on this topic in the next few hours. Possibly, the Sniebel quest will also be removed from the field research.
From September to December, Scyther seems to have been affected by this error.
Can you confirm? If you have received a Shiny Sniebel or Shiny Scyther from the above-mentioned field researches, please write it here in the comments or share it in our Facebook group for Pokémon GO.
Have you made this setting yet? This way you can save a lot of time:
Already 6 cutscenes from the WoW Patch 8.3 have been extracted from the game data. Here you can watch them.
The Patch 8.3 Visions of N’Zoth for World of Warcraft is not yet released, but the data miners from wowhead have already diligently examined the game data for some cutscenes. They found some and unearthed several cutscenes that play at various points in the patch. These mainly include the “End of War” cinematics, but also the introductory clips for Vulpera and the new Death Knights.
Spoiler warning: The short in-game sequences contain some story spoilers for Patch 8.3. If you prefer to go into the patch without prior knowledge, you should not continue reading. Alternatively, read how 3 addons can completely change your WoW experience.
This is the Vulpera intro: Anyone who creates one after the unlocking of the Vulpera will see this short intro sequence. It shows a camera movement through Orgrimmar, showcasing the Vulpera slowly becoming part of the Horde and seeking their place among them.
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Here is the Mechagnome intro: The Mechagnomes also have a short video. It shows the city of Mechagon and explains that the Mechagnomes have now found a balance between their own personality and the enhancement of their bodies. They wish to maintain this balance and join their gnomish cousins in the Alliance.
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This is the Death Knight intro: This cinematic likely plays at the end of the introductory quest for the Death Knights of all allied races. It shows the Lich King Bolvar creating new champions to become a greater force of death. All allied races and the Pandaren thus become Death Knights.
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This is the “End of War” of the Alliance: This short clip shows the final conversation of the leaders of the Alliance. The Horde and Alliance have signed a peace treaty, which Anduin now announces to the leaders. Tyrande, still in her Night Warrior form, does not accept this and rejects any peace. Driven by revenge, she turns away and vows to hunt the Banshee Queen wherever she may be.
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This is the “End of War” of the Horde: The Horde also gathers for a meeting after the treaty and discusses a new Warchief. When it seems that no one is suitable, Thrall considers it a good idea to establish a council. The leaders of the Horde will form this council and decide together on the future course within the faction.
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The fate of Ra-den: The last cinematic shows the Heart Chamber, which is just being attacked by N’Zoth. He attempts to take over the Heart Chamber with the power of Ny’alotha, and even the united forces of MOTHER, Magni, and the Champion cannot prevent this. However, through Ra-den’s intervention, it is possible to close the portal. The titanic servant is consumed by the Void in the process and is presumably dead.
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With Shadow, there is a competitor in cloud gaming. What does Shadow offer, and why might Shadow become the better alternative to Google Stadia for some players?
What is Shadow? Shadow is a cloud service like Google’s Stadia or Microsoft’s xCloud. There are no downloads; instead, users of the service do everything in the cloud, provided they have a stable and fast internet connection.
Unlike Stadia or xCloud, Shadow streams a Windows 10 PC in the cloud, not just the games.
Who is behind Shadow? Shadow is operated by the French company Blade SAS, headquartered in Paris. About 200 people work at Blade, jointly developing the cloud service Shadow. Blade first launched the cloud service Shadow in a closed beta in France in November 2017.
On Shadow’s official website, various configurations can be pre-ordered that correspond to a certain performance. If the storage size is too small, it can be further expanded. Image source: Shadow, Blade SAS.
When will Shadow be officially available? The new configuration packages from Shadow will officially launch in April 2020. Currently, Shadow can be pre-ordered on the manufacturer’s website (external link).
The manufacturer offers various configurations that promise different levels of performance. For a small fee, you can also increase the storage space to 2 TB.
What kind of internet connection do I need? According to the manufacturer, Shadow works with 5 Mbit/s, but a connection of at least 15 Mbit/s is recommended. This is sufficient for desktop use, but when gaming, you may encounter artifacts. We found that with 35 – 50 Mbit/s, you are on the safe side for gaming. With 5 Mbit/s, you can start the desktop, but gaming will not be enjoyable.
Shadow aims to provide gaming for everyone
The developers aim for the “democratization of gaming for everyone.” They mean that everyone should have the same chance to play and enjoy PC games. With cloud gaming, the barrier of needing powerful hardware for gaming to compete with other players would be removed.
That’s why Shadow focuses on a deliberately simple concept for the app and overlay with straightforward menus, so users can start playing immediately.
Shadow aims to provide a simple concept so that players can start directly. Image source: Shadow, Blade SAS.
What about latency with Shadow? According to the developers, there are seven servers in Europe, which should ensure a connection to the servers. Gaming is generally possible in other countries as well, but with significantly higher latency.
Google Stadia faces the same issue and is trying to combat negative latency.
What do all cloud services offer?
Cloud technology, especially in gaming (here: Google Stadia), offers various advantages for gamers. Image source: Google.
This is the same with Stadia and Shadow: Stadia, Shadow, xCloud, and many other services have one thing in common: They operate through the cloud. Data is stored there and streamed from there.
Data is loaded and processed in data centers and then sent back to the player. Inputs with mouse and keyboard are sent back to the data center, so the server knows what the player is doing or where they are located.
A fast and stable internet connection is therefore a prerequisite – otherwise, you’ll be staring at a blank screen.
All cloud services offer gaming on all devices. Destiny 2 on a smartphone or Assassin’s Creed Odyssey on a tablet? With cloud gaming, that’s no problem.
What is the difference between Shadow and Stadia?
Shadow appears like a virtual machine. However, it relies completely on the cloud. Image source: Shadow, Blade SAS.
What is the difference from other cloud services? Shadow presents itself as a pure service provider. This means that Shadow delivers hardware in the cloud, an app, and the appropriate infrastructure. Games or software cannot be purchased from Shadow.
With Google Stadia or xCloud, you stream games. This means a shooter like Destiny 2 is streamed through the cloud. With Shadow, you stream a complete PC with desktop. You can also run hardware-demanding applications like rendering on it. So, Shadow is not purely focused on gaming.
Instead, you can install anything you’ve already purchased on Shadow’s virtual desktop. Whether Steam, Uplay, or Battle.net – all no problem. Unlike Google Stadia, you do not have to buy games again. The developers call it “no fight for content” – no struggle over game revenue or percentages (“Commission”) on game purchases.
Another difference lies in the details: Games on Shadow are not optimized for the cloud specifically, as they rely on the standard Steam, Epic, or Uplay versions. Games on Google Stadia have been specially optimized for the cloud.
Google Stadia vs. Shadow
In the following section, we will show you what Shadow and Stadia offer and when which service might be the better choice for you.
When is Shadow my choice?
If you have a fast internet connection and a large game library with any of the well-known distributors like Steam, GOG, or Epic, then Shadow may be interesting for you. With Shadow, you can play all the games you’ve already purchased and only pay for the cloud service. If you are also interested in other hardware-intensive software, then Shadow is also an interesting alternative.
Also, if you mainly want to play F2P games like Fortnite or Apex, Shadow could also be interesting, as any game and program can be streamed with Shadow. Therefore, VR over the cloud would also be possible.
However, keep in mind that the games on Shadow are not cloud-optimized like those on Google Stadia.
When is Stadia the better choice?
Google Stadia, like Shadow, offers a complete range of devices. However, unlike Shadow, Stadia does not allow you to use your library from Steam or Epic. Image source: Google.
If you just want to play and have not purchased titles due to weak hardware, Stadia may be the more interesting alternative in the long run. Purchased titles remain in your library, and from spring 2020, you can also play acquired games on Google Stadia without a subscription to Stadia Pro. If you only want to play in Full HD, this is perfectly sufficient.
Another advantage of Google Stadia: Since the games were developed specifically for Google Stadia and cloud gaming, they are also optimized for the cloud.
If you are also interested in exclusive titles, then Stadia is also the better choice. Because Shadow only sees itself as a service provider and offers neither games for purchase nor exclusive titles.
Uplay Plus is an offer from Ubisoft. Those who pay for the subscription service get access to the entire game library from Ubisoft. Image source: Ubisoft.
Also interesting is Google’s partnership with Ubisoft: Those who purchase Uplay+ can stream all titles from Ubisoft via Stadia using the subscription model.
What does the future look like? Cloud gaming is a new approach to gaming. Instead of a powerful gaming PC, cloud gaming requires a fast internet connection. For players with weak hardware whose internet connection is also poor, it offers no benefits.
It also raises the question of whether cloud gaming will prevail in the long term and whether cloud services like Google Stadia, Microsoft xCloud, or Shadow will ultimately be profitable and generate revenue without suddenly pulling the plug.
Do you see cloud services as an alternative to traditional PCs, or do you prefer a PC that sits under your desk?
Are you interested in the competition from Google? Then check out our overview article. Here we have summarized all the important information for you:
Destiny 2 should receive hotfix 2.7.0.2 today, January 14, on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Google Stadia. However, the planned update has been postponed.
Actually, a small fix for Destiny 2 was supposed to be implemented tonight, January 14, in the form of a hotfix. However, this has been postponed. Bungie officially announced this via Twitter. Additionally, the winter Dawning event is supposed to end today.
No maintenance work and server down in Destiny 2 on January 14?
The maintenance has been postponed: For Destiny players in our region, hotfixes usually come at an inconvenient time: after work.
In the past, maintenance has typically been scheduled from 5 PM to often 9 PM. The corresponding update is usually available around 6 PM – at the same time as the weekly reset.
However, today these maintenance works are cancelled. At least that is what the Destiny developer announced on Bungie Help on Twitter. It currently looks like you can enjoy your evening with Destiny in relaxation. The reason for the postponement is currently unknown (8:15 AM on January 14).
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What should change with update 2.7.0.2 in Destiny 2?
Tonight is the planned end of the Christmas event. Even without the hotfix, the Dawning will likely go offline for the rest. So take the time until then to bake properly and collect rewards.
Update 2.7.0.2 was also supposed to fix some known issues in Destiny 2. A fix for these errors was announced:
A bug causes Tess’ Eververse icon in the Tower to flash, even if you have nothing to do or collect there. Not a game-breaking bug, but still annoying.
Significantly more disturbing is the bugged obelisk in the EDZ. It was actually planned for Guardians to finally interact with the object without any issues today. Clearly, a little more patience is needed here.
Should actually work as planned today: the EDZ obelisk
Moreover, Bungie was supposed to address the exotic bow Wishender with today’s update. This bow deals insanely high damage in certain situations. However, most players do not perceive this as an issue.
On the contrary, for many, bows (okay, one bow) are now really fun for the first time. The community manager has also forwarded this feedback to the relevant teams at the Destiny developer. He does not rule out a possible bow buff in the future.
So it looks like the Robin Hoods and Legolas impersonators among the Guardians will have to wait a little longer to shoot powerful arrows.
These issues are also known: Bungie’s development team informs that they are also working on other issues that are planned to be addressed later:
The quest for the exotic bow Leviathan’s Breath causes difficulties. The weapon from Season 8 cannot currently be approached by all players.
The gesture “Wacky Laughter” is causing trouble. It cannot be unequipped once it is already equipped.
The battle for the biggest streamers in the world continues. With Rachel “Valkyrae” Hofsetter, Twitch loses one of its biggest female streamers. The 28-year-old American is moving to YouTube Gaming after building a community on Twitch with Fortnite .
Who is she? The 28-year-old Rachel Marie Hofsetter, known as Valkyrae, has been a streamer on Twitch since 2016.
Breslau says: Valkyrae’s agency would have brokered the deal for her. They are working to secure the best possible deals for all their clients on Mixer, Twitch, YouTube, or Facebook.
Valkyrae herself announced the transition in a Twitter clip. In the video, she shows milestones of her life and also signs of her personal success that benefited her loved ones. Now she is ready to open a new chapter in her life.
Starting from January 14, she will stream exclusively on YouTube.
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YouTube recruits streamers who are already on YouTube
This is what it’s about: One can apply what the head of YouTube Gaming, Ryan Wyatt, said regarding the recruitment of Jack “CouRage” Dunlop.
The exclusive recruitment of streamers is a way to strengthen YouTube’s presence in “streaming”.
When YouTube looks at whom to recruit, they pay attention to the fact that the talents already have an “established presence” on YouTube. (via The Verge)
Wyatt therefore sees such exclusive contracts as investments by YouTube Gaming in “existing talent” that they believe in and wish to further develop.
Corinna Kopf: She also left Twitch, but a ban for inappropriate clothing played a role.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare offers many challenges that entice players to engage. But what if you find those boring? We present some weapon builds that will make Modern Warfare more challenging for you.
What kind of builds are these? The various setups and builds we show you here are special mod combinations for weapons that completely transform them. As a result, the weapons may suddenly belong to different categories or play very differently.
The goal of these builds is to provide you with weapons that change your gameplay experience in Modern Warfare and mix up your playstyle. You should fight with familiar weapons – but in a way you don’t know.
As a heads up: These setups can be quite difficult to master and are not “S-Tier”. So, they are not necessarily the “best weapons” and certainly not the best weapons in their respective categories.
The builds are meant to showcase new nuances in the weapons and gameplay and give you an incentive to try out as much as possible in Modern Warfare.
How do I build the weapons?
What you need for this: If you want to try our builds, you should first familiarize yourself with the Gunsmith feature of Modern Warfare. This is necessary to build the weapons we present to you.
If you want to use the weapons in multiplayer modes, you also need to level them up, as many attachments are only available at later weapon levels. If you just want to try them out, you can simply assemble them in a private game.
If you like a build, you can save it as your own blueprint and name it. Then the weapon setup can be accessed just like a blueprint and will be immediately applied to the weapon. This also makes it easier for you to adjust the builds to your preferences.
Some players even transformed it into a deadly sniper rifle, even though it really shouldn’t be able to do that as a shotgun. After some nerfs, it disappeared from the focus of complaints. However, its sniper build still works.
This is how you build the weapon
This is what you need:
Base weapon: 725
Muzzle: Suppressor (Monolithic)
Barrel: Tempus 32″ Competition
Sight: Brownlee 32mm Scope
Ammunition: Slug
Perk: Full Metal Jacket
This setup turns the 725 into a sniper rifle capable of hitting accurately even at the longest ranges. However, you must keep in mind that the muzzle velocity is lower than that of snipers, so you have to compensate more.
Blue perk: Cold-Blooded or Overkill (with an SMG as secondary weapon)
Red perk: Ghost or Alert Yellow perk: Scout
Equipment: Claymore and Smoke Grenade
Field upgrade: Ammo Box, Mobile Cover or Tactical Insertion
Where is the best place to use the build? As it is a sniper rifle with relatively slow aim-down-sight time, this build is particularly suitable for large maps or the Ground War mode.
Strong weapon at long distances, kills with few hits
Useful for unlocking “Splinter” and “Forest” camos
Contra
requires a lot of practice and good sniper training
only two shots, allows very few mistakes
2. Scar – The DMR Assault Rifle
What is this setup? This setup is a version of the Scar, which players probably know from Counter-Strike. There, the Scar was not an assault rifle, but a semi-automatic sniper rifle.
In our variant, we turn the Scar into a DMR that leans somewhat towards the sniper rifle.
This is how you build the weapon
This is what you need:
Base weapon: FN Scar 17
Muzzle: Suppressor (Monolithic)
Barrel: FORGE TAC 20″ LC
Sight: Variable Zoom Scope
Stock: XRK Obelisk Pro
Perk: Full Metal Jacket
This is how you build the loadout
This is the build we recommend:
Secondary weapon: X16 or Pila
Blue perk: Looting or Cold-Blooded
Red perk: Hardline or Ghost
Yellow perk: Shrapnel or Scout
Equipment: Claymore and Snapshot Grenade
Field upgrade: Dead Silence and/or Special Ammunition
Since this loadout allows for many combinations, activating the “Specialist” is recommended for this build. This way, you forgo the various killstreaks and instead receive additional perks with more kills.
Where is the best place to use the build? As this is a DMR with relatively high rate of fire and good damage, you can use it almost anywhere. Just avoid fast-paced modes like Team Deathmatch, Free-for-All, and Kill Confirmed.
Pros and Cons:
Pro
Useful for unlocking “Splinter” and “Forest” camos
larger magazine than most DMRs and snipers
Contra
less accurate at long distances
requires a lot of practice
3. PKM – The Submachine Gun LMG
What is this setup? This weapon setup allows you to effectively rack up kills. It takes the best LMG, the PKM, and transforms it into an assault rifle that is almost as mobile as an SMG.
In this build, you forgo everything else to achieve as much mobility as possible. The corresponding setup gives you a fairly balanced weapon.
This is how you build the weapon
This is what you need:
Base weapon: PKM
Barrel: Compact 18.2″ Barrel
Laser: 1mW Laser or Tactical Laser (better, but visible to enemies)
Stock: No Stock
Grip: Textured Grip Tape
Perk: Sleight of Hand
This is how you build the loadout
This is the build we recommend:
Secondary weapon: .50 GS (similar to the setup below), .357 (similar to a shotgun) or Combat Knife
Blue perk: Looting, KRD, or Sprinting
Red perk: Hardline
Yellow perk: Battle-Hardened
Equipment: Semtex and Stim
Field upgrade: Dead Silence and/or Ammo Box (without Looting)
Where is the best place to use the build? This build is comparable to our recommended Run & Gun build for the MP7. You do reload much more slowly and are a bit slower overall, but you deal significantly more damage, are stronger at distance, and are generally more precise.
You can score points in faster modes or in more tactical formats and Ground War when you want to rush enemy positions. The damage and frequency of the PKM should be sufficient to make quick work of entrenched opponents when you break through the front.
Pros and Cons:
Pro
Useful for unlocking “Dragon” camos
high mobility
extremely precise from the hip and quick to aim down sights
Contra
no longer suitable for stationary use like guarding areas
very long reload time
4. Bizon – The Submachine Gun MG
What is this setup? This setup is basically the opposite of the above PKM setup. It turns a fast Bizon, which is actually meant for fast playstyles, into a powerful “MG” with 84 rounds in the drum.
You forego MP-typical mobility and instead build for range, damage, and control – evenly across the board.
This is how you build the weapon
This is what you need:
Base weapon: PP-19 Bizon
Muzzle: Suppressor (Monolithic)
Barrel: 8.7″ Steel
Ammunition: 84-Round Spiral Magazines
Grip: Textured Grip Tape
Perk: Full Metal Jacket
Like with the 725, the suppressor here only serves to increase effective range. The concealment of shots is secondary.
This is how you build the loadout
This is the build we recommend:
Secondary weapon: X16, 1911, or Combat Knife
Blue perk: Looting
Red perk: Hardline or Killstreak
Yellow perk: Shrapnel
Equipment: Semtex or Thermite (in Ground War) and Stim
Field upgrade: Dead Silence or Special Ammunition
Where is the best place to use the build? Since you play with this build similarly to an assault rifle or an LMG, it is also suitable for similar areas of operation. You are particularly good at holding positions and securing areas.
Modes with tactical elements like Domination or Headquarters are your main areas of application. A significant advantage of the setup is the accuracy of the weapon. After the first 10-20 shots, the weapon virtually does not recoil at all, which allows for precise kills in sustained fire.
Pros and Cons:
Pro
Large magazine with low spread during sustained fire
strong for guarding areas
comparable to assault rifles and LMGs, but counts as an SMG for challenges
Contra
ammo/damage is weaker than LMGs
significantly lower mobility than other SMGs
5. Origin 12 – The DMR Shotgun
What is this setup? This setup fits quite well between the efficiency of a shotgun in close combat and the DMR build of the Scar. You modify the Origin 12 to make it deadly at short to medium ranges.
The advantage over the 725 sniper shotgun, however, is that the Origin 12 fires semi-automatically and has a significantly larger magazine. You are therefore less prone to mistakes but also have slightly less range and precision.
This is how you build the weapon
This is what you need:
Base weapon: Origin 12
Barrel: FORGE TAC Precision or FORGE TAC Aficionado (a little more accurate, but brings more disadvantages)
Sight: any medium-range scope, such as Cronen C380 Pro-Scope
Underbarrel: Command Foregrip or Stock: FTAC Hunter
Ammunition: 8-Round Shotgun Magazines
Perk: Full Metal Jacket
This is how you build the loadout
This is the build we recommend:
Secondary weapon: Combat Knife or 725 (with Overkill)
Blue perk: Cold-Blooded or Overkill
Red perk: Hardline
Yellow perk: Scavenger or Scout
Equipment: C4 or Throwing Knife and Stun
Field upgrade: Ammo Box or Trophy System
Where is the best place to use the build? This loadout is useful wherever DMRs are also applicable – with a slight bias towards shorter distances. Especially medium and smaller maps as well as modes with tactical elements are good for this setup.
Useful for unlocking “Splinter” and “Forest” camos
High rate of fire and kills in few shots
Contra
less accurate at long distance, requires precise aiming
somewhat small magazine
Other Special Builds
What other weapons are there? In addition to the builds mentioned above, we want to introduce you to a special weapon setup and discuss some other possible setups. Since the setup below is a secondary weapon, we have not included it in the main list.
Bonus: .50 GS – Deadly Hand Cannon with Obstruction
What kind of weapon is this? This setup is more of a fun weapon, but it is still quite powerful. You transform the .50 GS (“Desert Eagle”) into a true hand cannon that can kill with two shots even at medium range.
What makes it special, however, is that you hardly can aim with it. This isn’t necessarily a downside, but it makes the experience more enjoyable for you (and possibly more frustrating for opponents). It definitely ensures some laughs.
This is how you build the weapon:
Base weapon: .50 GS
Muzzle: Oil Can Suppressor
Barrel: FORCE TAV Compensator
Trigger: Quality Trigger
Grip: Textured Grip Tape
Perk: Full Metal Jacket
What makes it so special? Although this setup is indeed strong, you are somewhat obstructing yourself. Because with the oil can suppressor, you are blocking your view.
You’ll have to estimate where exactly you’re aiming. While this is technically a downside, it generally helps you get better at estimating where shots land without relying on aiming.
Additionally, you challenge yourself a bit more. Can you take down an enemy without even seeing him properly?
Secret Weapons in Modern Warfare
Additionally, there are also secret weapons in Modern Warfare. These are certain real weapon models that are not present in the game by name, but can be derived from modifications of other weapons.
With Shadowkeep, Destiny 2 received a new armor system – the so-called Armor 2.0. However, many feel that the new armor standard is not consistently thought out. We show where there are still weaknesses and where players urgently wish for improvements.
What is Armor 2.0?Armor 2.0 is the current armor system of Destiny 2, which was introduced with the Shadowkeep expansion in the fall of 2019.
This significantly overhauled the original system. Players should finally be able to customize their Guardians without having to compromise between looks and functionality. For example, armor with strong stats but poor aesthetics can still be given a cool appearance.
What is the problem with Armor 2.0? Not everyone is satisfied with the new standard. While there were indeed new freedoms, they were not to the extent that many had hoped.
In the eyes of many Guardians, Armor 2.0 was definitely a step in the right direction, but the system is seen as not consistently thought out or not fully developed in several areas. There are some annoying weaknesses.
These 3 things would improve Armor 2.0
Shortly after the launch of this new system, concrete suggestions began to circulate that address the areas where the system still has weaknesses. Just three of them could eliminate the most annoying problems of Armor 2.0 and make it what many have wished for from the outset.
These changes are what players would like to see in Armor 2.0:
Universal Ornaments for all armor pieces
The desire for an unrestricted ornament system is likely to be one of the most important aspects for many Guardians regarding Armor 2.0.
Through so-called universal ornaments, players can change the appearance of legendary armor pieces within Armor 2.0 and customize it to their liking. However, Armor 2.0 does not offer the advertised freedoms that many were expecting.
Once players have earned or acquired these Eververse armors or ornaments, they can transfer their appearance to all armor pieces using the corresponding ornament slot within Armor 2.0. Exotics, however, are excluded from this as they are tied to their unique appearance.
However, regular armor pieces cannot be used as ornaments on other armors. For example, Trials sets or the armors from the faction rallies are not available as ornaments either.
In short: not every armor piece that has already been found can transfer its appearance to another armor. Therefore, the promised freedom cannot always be realized. As a result, a hard-farmed armor piece with strong sets often still falls short of the players’ aesthetic desires.
Here, players simply wish: let us use the appearance of all previously collected armor pieces as ornaments and project them onto other equipment. That would align with what many have envisioned from the outset.
Even in functionality, the announced freedoms ultimately did not turn out to be as generous as initially hoped by some Guardians. With Armor 2.0, the armor pieces gained a so-called elemental affinity, which limited the customization options in the form of armor mods.
Not all mods can be easily applied to every armor piece or slot. All armor pieces are assigned to one of the three elements (Arc, Void, Solar), and this affiliation ultimately determines which mods can be applied to the respective armor. This, in turn, has a decisive influence on gameplay.
Yes, there are also universal mods. However, many are dependent on the element. For example, support mods for shotguns are only found on Arc armor pieces. Armor pieces with Solar or Void affinity are therefore of little interest to shotgun players.
Due to RNG, it is anything but guaranteed to receive the corresponding armor piece with the matching element. This problem becomes particularly pronounced with rare Exotics.
Thus, artificial restrictions are still created with Armor 2.0, which opposes the promised uncompromising freedom. As a result, build diversity is more limited rather than increased. The randomness factor also plays a more significant role here.
Another problem with Armor 2.0 are the so-called seasonal mod slots. Armors that are thematically tied to a specific season have such a mod slot.
The problem is: seasonal mods from other seasons cannot be applied to these seasonal slots. Thus, a seasonal armor piece from Season 8 will not function with a seasonal mod from Season 9. For example, an armor piece from the Vex Offensive or the latest raid cannot be used in conjunction with the Obelisk mods from the Season of Dawn.
However, in order to benefit from these new mods, players are essentially forced to farm the current seasonal armor every season and use it if they want good stats while simultaneously utilizing the latest mods. This is also not in line with the promised great freedoms that were supposed to come with Armor 2.0.
Here, players wish that the new seasonal mods could be used with every previous armor, making them universal. Few will want to leave behind their hard-earned and often expensive upgraded armor sets with good stats from season to season.
What do you think of Armor 2.0 so far? Where do you see the biggest weaknesses of the new system? Would these 3 improvement suggestions make the system acceptable for you?
For a quest in Pokémon GO, you also have to take a photo of your Pokémon. This can take quite a while if you have to search for the monster on the screen beforehand. We show you how to do it faster.
This is the situation: “Take a snapshot of a Pokémon” or “Take a photo of your buddy” are quests that are known in Pokémon GO. These tasks can be solved quite quickly if you turn off a setting.
Then you no longer have to annoyingly search for your Pokémon in AR+ mode and scan the ground for movements.
AR+ mode can be deactivated
What you need to do: Go to your settings in Pokémon GO. You can find them by tapping the Pokéball in the bottom center of your screen. In the top right, you’ll see “Settings”.
AR+ is a bit further down. There you need to uncheck it and deactivate the AR+ mode. Once you have done that, you can only take pictures in the regular AR mode.
If there is no checkmark for AR+, then the mode is off.
What is it good for? When AR+ mode is turned off, you don’t have to endlessly search on the screen for the Pokémon. It simply appears directly on your phone, and you can photograph it.
This also applies to your buddy if you want to pet or feed him.
This saves an incredible amount of time, as looking for the Pokémon can also take a minute. It needs a smooth surface. In regular AR mode, it doesn’t need that.
You can turn the AR+ mode back on for funny AR pictures.
What if I want to take beautiful pictures? Surely the AR mode is not suitable for that. It just doesn’t look “realistic” anymore when the Pokémon is in the picture.
If you want to photograph Pokémon again because you are at a cool backdrop, you can simply turn the AR+ mode back on. For that, you just have to check the setting again.
In Teamfight Tactics, it is important to know how to combine items and which champions bring which attributes. Cheat sheets are popular for this purpose. With a tool, you can use them as an in-game overlay and utilize other useful functions.
What kind of tool is it? The tool we want to introduce to you is called TFTacticts. It is a free overlay that offers you many functions:
It shows you all items and possible combinations directly in the game.
What can the overlay do exactly? In the upper left corner, there is a champion overview. There, you see the champions you have on the field (top row). Detailed statistics for the champions and what changes when you upgrade them are available.
In the row below, you see a team of champions that you want to “rebuild”. You can create your own teams or select directly from the meta-combs.
The team comb menu in TFTactics
In the lower left corner, there is an item overview. When you hover your mouse over a corresponding icon, you can see how it is assembled and what it can do.
Finally, you can find your name above the “bench.” There you can see current statistics of the fights. Additionally, you will receive information about your chances of rolling certain rarities of champions when you hover over them with the mouse.
What does the tool offer for match history? TFTactics is great for analyzing past matches. You can see how many of your matchups you have won and with which combo.
Does the tool have disadvantages? For TFTactics to function as an overlay in the game, you need the Overwolf application. You automatically download it with it. You can learn more about Overwolf on the official website.
TFTactics also uses advertisements so that it can be offered for free. The tool also offers an English version, but not a German one. Knowledge of champion and item names is accordingly required.
Finally, you should also keep an eye on the champion combos. These are currently up to date, but that may change with a new patch.
Are there alternative tools? Yes, besides TFTactics, there are Blitz.gg and Facecheck. The latter also requires Overwolf, while Blitz.gg does not. Both offer similar functions, but overall less than TFTactics.
TFT and auto battlers, in general, unexpectedly emerged in 2019 from a small mod. They are among the games that have positively surprised us:
In LoL (League of Legends) you can spend a lot of money if you want. We will show you how you can check in 2020 how much money you have invested in League of Legends.
Update from January 13, 2020: We have updated this article for you. Several months have passed since the original publication and you may have invested more money into the game by now. Check now how much money that has been.
What’s new? Riot Games has released a website where you can check how much money you have already invested in your LoL account. Players report that the website existed a few years ago, but it was taken down. However, it is back and working.
In LoL you can buy Riot Points. This is the currency with which you can purchase in-game items like skins, champions, or other cosmetic changes.
Many players are inclined to buy cool skins for their favorite champion. And that could become expensive over several years.
Select this and log in with your username and password.
Make sure you also select the correct server where you registered your account.
Update from January 13: Keep in mind that Riot Games changed your LoL accounts to Riot accounts in November 2019. Many players had to choose new usernames, which you now need for logging in.
After logging in, you will return to the support website.
The login button is now called “Show me the Money”
When you click on it, the amount you have invested in LoL will be displayed.
How much money have others spent? On Reddit, you can read about excited players who can hardly believe how much money they have already invested in the game.
“Oh hell, why did I have to see this? I have a problem”
“Haha no thanks (I have almost 900 skins)”
“I checked and it was 900 €. I regret nothing […]!”
“Oh 190 pounds, not bad. Will be more soon”
“790 € I’m so damn stupid. The game should be free to play. I fell into Riot’s trap, they made me addicted”
A player writes: “3100 dollars. Actually a bit less than I suspected after 9 years.”
Here at MeinMMO, the results are discussed in the community. Player Tim writes “Uff, 370 € in just 2 months of playtime =D. This can still become a lot.”
Others report amounts over 800 €, 900 €, and even over 5,000 €. What about you?
Your results? If you want, you can tell us in the comments how much money you have already invested in LoL. We will also include a poll here that you can participate in anonymously.
In GTA Online, the casino with its rooftops, pool, and grand appearance is a true eye-catcher. A player has now recreated it in Minecraft and is receiving a lot of positive feedback. Players say “That’s epic“.
What is special? A player shares his casino project with the GTA Online community, into which he invested two full days. During the construction, BentLeg25 was skeptical: “I thought the whole time, I was doing it wrong. But in my opinion, it turned out really well.”
On Reddit, he received over 3,600 upvotes and over 330 comments for his build in just one day. The community praises the video that shows various insights into the Minecraft version of the casino.
You can watch the video here:
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The casinos compared: We have compiled the various perspectives from the Minecraft video and the casino from GTA Online for you. This way, you can see how detailed the creator rebuilt the casino.
He writes that he spent two days of pure build time on it. He spread the project over three to four days.
What do players say? Overall, the feedback is positive. Players joke, “Nice, man! I can’t even tell the difference from the resolution I’m playing on.” or “The only thing missing is a valet villager.”
Others write:
Okay, that’s EPIC
That’s great. Probably PC players see consoles like this
Good job
It turned out really nice
What’s next? In the comments, many players wish to see the interior of the casino in Minecraft too. However, since that would be too extensive to fit into the size of this building, the builder wants to create it in another location.
“I was thinking about building it in another place and setting up a command block that teleports you there.”
In Borderlands 3 there are a multitude of powerful weapons. Even legendary weapons are abundant – which ones are worth getting?
What can this weapon actually do? Those who find legendary weapons in Borderlands 3 often do not immediately recognize what the firearm can actually do. Many abilities are hidden behind ominous description texts that reveal little.
However, some legendary weapons are perfect for further enhancing your Vault Hunter. While a lot depends on the respective build, it’s also important not to forget your own preferences. Here we show you some suggestions for weapons that you should try out with Zane, FL4K, Amara, and Moze.
3 strong legendary weapons for FL4K
Kings/Queens Call
If you are playing with FL4K, the probability is high that you will achieve as many critical hits as possible. The Kings Call and Queens Call are extremely well suited for such a FL4K build. They give you ammunition back when you score critical hits – and with FL4K’s “Fade Away” skill, that adds up quite a bit. Bosses can be dealt with very effectively using this weapon. You can obtain it in the fight against Tyreen the Destroyer.
After whom are the pistols likely named?
The Butcher
The Butcher is a Hyperion shotgun that also appeared in earlier Borderlands games. It has a very high rate of fire and deals a lot of damage. It is also well suited for FL4K, as you gain ammunition back with critical hits using the right skills. You can obtain The Butcher as a world drop or, for example, through the Loot-o-Gram.
FL4K deals a lot of damage
The Flood
The legendary weapon “The Flood” is primarily characterized by its extremely high rate of fire. It is not particularly accurate, but if you get close to your enemies and use the “Fade Away” skill, it still deals a lot of damage in a short time. You can find it as a world drop or from Lagromar in Konrad’s Hold.
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The Face-Puncher has a hidden ability: it deals melee damage. This means: the more you prioritize melee damage in your builds, the stronger the Face-Puncher becomes. For Amara players, this is the perfect shotgun. It is especially powerful against frozen enemies. You can find it as a world drop or from Handsome Jackie on Skywell-27.
Amara is known for melee damage
Brainstormer
The Brainstormer is a very powerful weapon when it comes to melting shields. You can benefit greatly from it in the Maliwan Takedown. You have increased chances of obtaining the gun from Killavolt and Katagawa Ball. Especially as Amara, you should use it: the Siren’s skills can enhance the Brainstormer’s ability to fire multiple electric balls at enemies upon hits.
The Cutsman is perfect against shields
Cutsman
The Maliwan SMG Cutsman is a favorite among many players – not just those who play Amara. However, especially in conjunction with an elemental build, it is a very powerful weapon. Bosses can be defeated well with it. You can find it as a world drop or from Borman Nates.
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Because it gives Zane the chance to activate all his kill skills – just through hits from his weapon. The Redistributor chains hits to several enemies, and every seventh shot is additionally reinforced. For Zane with “Seein Dead,” it is the perfect weapon to continuously activate kill skills.
Night Hawkin
The Night Hawkin is especially a favorite among Zane players who use Cryo builds. Additionally, the weapon has the special ability to become a fire elemental weapon at night while dealing cryo damage during the day. You can obtain it as a world drop or, with increased chances, from Demoskaggon.
With Zane you can quickly freeze many enemies
Lucians Call
The Lucians Call is a strong alternative if you prefer playing with assault rifles instead of SMGs. The cryo version is especially popular among Zane players, especially if you use “Seein Dead.” With critical hits, it produces additional ricochets and gives you back ammunition – it’s also a good alternative for FL4K. You can obtain it as a world drop or from the Loot-o-Gram.
If you have optimized Moze for a lot of ammunition regeneration, the Lucky 7 can help you, for example, take down bosses in seconds. The special DLC weapon comes with a lot of bonuses and is also worth it for other classes. You can obtain it as a world drop in the Handsome Jackpot.
Source: Borderlands Wiki
Flakker
The Flakker represents explosions. As a Torgue shotgun, it is perfect for Moze players if you want to deal a lot of splash damage. The combination was so good that the Flakker was nerfed – but it is still quite useful! You can find it as a world drop and from Manvark.
Despite nerfs, the Flakker is still strong
Laser-Sploder
The Laser-Sploder fires constant lasers and exploding rockets. That pretty much says it all. Moze benefits from the splash damage of the laser rocket launcher and can cause a lot of havoc. Additionally, the Laser-Sploder comes in various elemental variants. You can find it as a world drop or from Sylestro.
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Of course, you can also use these weapons easily with other Vault Hunters. If you are looking for a weapon that shoots everything to pieces with any class, you should take a look here:
Despite some issues, Monster Hunter World finds its players on Steam. A year and a half after the original release in August 2018, many seem to be returning with Iceborne. Apparently, new players are also getting into MHW. The player numbers on Steam are rising drastically. Even the peak player count from launch is back in reach.
Monster Hunter World was released on Steam on August 9, 2018: In that month, the game had an average of 188,291 players online and a peak of 329,333
now Iceborne is out and the peak player count has risen to 284,090
This strong increase in player numbers makes Monster Hunter World currently number 4 on Twitch, only behind the thriving CS:GO, PUBG, and the struggling DOTA 2.
Monster Hunter World is currently stronger on Steam than titles like GTA 5 or Destiny 2.
Thus, the number of Monster Hunters playing simultaneously has increased more than fourfold compared to December 2019 and is nearly back to the release level.
According to Steamcharts, the continuous rise in player numbers began on January 10. That night at 1:00 AM, MHW first surpassed 100,000 players logged in to Steam simultaneously. Already 10 hours later, Monster Hunter World had surpassed the 200,000 mark.
Here are the sales figures: The top seller list on Steam supports the impression from the Steam charts.
Apparently, not only veterans have purchased the expansion “Monster Hunter World: Iceborne”, but new players are also jumping in, as the base game “Monster Hunter World” is again in the top seller list.
A leak about Rainbow Six Quarantine has emerged, sharing new details about the shooter. Images of the structure, weapons, operators, and other content have been shared. However, there are doubts about the authenticity of the images.
What new information is available? In a reddit thread, 4 images of the structure of the new PvE shooter Rainbow Six Quarantine have been shared. From these, one should be able to deduce the gameplay structure:
It is supposed to be a tactical first-person shooter.
There will be three new locations: New York, San Francisco, and “TRC”, presumably Torreón City in Mexico.
The Rainbow Six Siege cosmetic system is also to be used for this shooter.
What is the truthfulness of this information? It is currently hard to say. The general information matches what was shared in the announcement at E3.
There, it was mentioned that it would be a PvE co-op experience, inspired by the Outbreak event from Rainbow Six Siege. It involved fighting hordes of zombies. The return of already known operators was also confirmed there.
However, there is also resistance on reddit against the leak. In the documents, armor materials are shown, which a fan is said to have designed. Therefore, the details of the leak should be taken with caution.
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What else is in the leaks? The leaked images suggest that the 21 operators are divided into 3 playstyles: Assault, Recon, and Support. The attackers and defenders from Rainbow Six Siege apparently work together against the AI.
Among the enemies, there are also known foes that were part of the Outbreak event in Rainbow Six Siege, including: Grunt, Breacher, Rooter, Smasher, and Apex.
For personal character development, there will be a new operator progression system.
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In the missions, Rainbow Six Quarantine relies on different game modes, including:
Sabotage
Escort
Disruption
Hunt
The last image, in turn, shows the scenarios and possible locations where Rainbow Six Quarantine is supposed to take place. As mentioned at the beginning, these are presumably New York City, San Francisco, and Torreón in Mexico.
You can find the complete images in this Imgur gallery.
Release of the shooter is imminent
How far is Rainbow Six Quarantine in development? Originally, the new shooter was supposed to be released in Spring 2020. However, in October 2019, it was announced that the release is to take place in the fiscal year 2020-21.
This begins in April 2020 and ends in March 2021. We don’t have any further details so far. You can register for the beta on the official website, which has not yet started.
There is now little mobility in Fortnite. Professional player Ninja wishes for more movement, but is it really needed? Our author Eilyn thinks: No! We present you the different opinions on this.
What is the current situation in Fortnite? At the start of the new chapter, several items were removed from the game. This significantly limited mobility in Fortnite. These many items existed in previous seasons that were used for movement:
Jump Pads
Quads
Hoverboards
Ballers
Rifts
Mechs
Shopping Carts
Planes
Golf Carts
All these items were removed at the beginning of Chapter 2. However, one means of transportation was introduced: the Motorboat. This, however, primarily functions on water.
The planes were already a radical change in Fortnite
Does Fortnite really need more mobility?
Although there are currently few means of transport in Fortnite, I don’t find that bad as an active player. Here are my reasons:
1. No frequent interruptions from third parties
Why is this an advantage? Who doesn’t know it? You’re in a fight against a team, and suddenly other opponents appear out of nowhere. They either arrived flying or driving.
You feel pressured because you hear footsteps from all directions that you cannot assign. If you’re unlucky, you have already been weakened by the initial fight and are therefore an even more suitable target.
The limited mobility has significantly improved this. Other teams are more focused on running to the safe zone rather than challenging a fight.
2. Longer survival chances
Why is this an advantage? If you land at the outer edge of the map where there are no opponents, you have enough time to gather loot.
After that, you usually have a longer way to the safe zone, but on the way, you can still gather materials and encounter few to no opponents.
This significantly increases survival chances because you will only confront a fight later. Ideally, you will have already collected good loot and enough materials.
The longer you survive, the more experience points you gain, which are needed for upgrading the Battle Pass.
3. It evokes nostalgia
As a player who has been involved since the beginning, I like to think back to the old days of Fortnite.
Of course, it won’t be the same as before, but Chapter 2 Season 1 has strong similarities with the first seasons from Chapter 1:
In the past, you also had to run to the safe zone as quickly as possible, and if you got caught in the storm, you just had bad luck. But it wasn’t so bad, because there was no other option.
That’s why I find it completely fine not to have means of transport and literally run away from the “evil” storm.
The mobility in Fortnite is being discussed
Why is movement in Fortnite currently a topic of discussion? The mobility in the game is currently being discussed in the community. Some seem to think that more means of transport are urgently needed. Others are quite satisfied with Fortnite as it is now.
Pro player Ninja wants more mobility
What does Ninja think of the current situation? Professional player Tyler “Ninja” Blevins seems to be dissatisfied with the current mobility options.
He posted his discontent on Twitter:
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In it, he says that Fortnite currently has less mobility than ever before, yet has a larger map. The safe zone would pull to one side of the map and that even 10 times in a row.
He finds that a bit annoying. Therefore, more means of transport would have to be added.
What does the community think of his statement? On reddit, Ninja’s statement about mobility in Fortnite is currently being discussed. Some seem to agree and write:
“I still hope for land vehicles. Or just bring the quads back.”
“Golf carts are the solution! It’s a 4-seater and has no weapons. If Epic would bring these back, they would have no complaints about mobility.”
“I just want to drive these cars that are scattered all over the map. It’s disappointing that they are not drivable.”
Other players, however, seem to be satisfied with the current mobility situation, writing:
“Honestly, I love the limitation on mobility. It would be cool if the storm would just move slower.”
“Fortnite is currently the best for me this way. I feel less unfairly treated, and when I get killed, it’s because the opponent was just better. I like it the way it is now.”
“I’ve learned to pay more attention to the storm. This is much better than constantly being attacked by third parties.”
What do you think? What is your opinion on mobility in Fortnite?
Do you want to play a crazy speed build in Season 19 of Diablo 3? Then try the exploding chicken with the Manajuma set. Fun is guaranteed.
What kind of build is this? You are playing a Witch Doctor build that has proven itself in previous seasons. As a small, crazy chicken, you run through the world of Diablo 3, letting your golems beat everything in their way. In your form as a chicken, you have a significantly increased running speed, which is essential for a speed farm build.
Keep in mind that this playstyle is not intended to push you to the highest levels of Greater Rifts. Here, fun is clearly the focus. It comes from the simple mechanics and the high speed with which you clear the Nephalem Rifts.
How is it played? Most of your damage comes from your companions. You do use active skills like Wall of Death or Piranhas, but the pets handle the rest for you.
A portal run goes something like this: You activate dogs and golems, cast the Wall of Death to activate its buff.
Then you run as a wild chicken to the elite enemies, wait for your pets to arrive and clear everything in the Piranado, and then run to the next group.
The whole thing is accompanied by the silly clucking that your chicken transformation makes.
Why do we recommend this? I, Patrick, enjoy playing this build every season in Diablo 3. It is my “I’m going to switch off my brain and farm a bit” build. It’s also excellent for watching Netflix on the side. The build is incredibly simple to play and feels a bit silly with the crazy chicken. A good way to take a break from more serious, brutal builds.
This is not an unknown build – some may already know it. Nevertheless, we recommend it to those who have not played it yet or need to be reminded of it.
For passive skills, use: Unwavering Will, One’s Suffering, Feast and Between Light and Shadow or – as a safer option – Vessel of the Spirit.
What gear for the Chicken Speedfarm in S19?
For this build, you wear 5 pieces of the Helltooth set. Additionally important is the Manajuma set. Additionally, you need pieces that provide you with more toughness and your pets more damage.
What you put in the cube depends on your loot luck. If you have already found a Ring of Royal Grandeur and are wearing it, you can activate the Short Man’s Finger in Kanai’s Cube first if you cause more damage that way. You should equip the two best of the three rings and then put the third in the cube.
Which Legendary Gems to use? You can experiment a bit with the gems to see what you like. For the Goldwrap belt, Boon of the Hoarder is appropriate. Then also Enforcer to buff your companions and Bane of the Trapped for even more damage.
Socketing should have a Flawless Royal Emerald in the weapon, a Flawless Royal Amethyst in the head, and Flawless Royal Topazes in chest and legs.
Paragon Points: If you haven’t reached Paragon level 800 yet, then prioritize this:
Basic:
Movement Speed > Intelligence. If you have problems with toughness, alternate your points between Vitality and Intelligence.
Offensive:
Cooldown > Attack Speed > Critical Hit Chance > Critical Hit Damage
Defensive:
All Resistance > Armor > Life > Life Regeneration
Adventure:
Area Damage > Resource Cost Reduction > Life per Hit > Gold Find Bonus
Difference between Greater Rift and Rift in the Build
This is because no gold drops from enemies in Greater Nephalem Rifts, and therefore you cannot exploit the combination of Goldwrap and Boon of the Hoarder.
Season 19 is still running with the cool season buff in Diablo 3. But soon, a new chapter will be knocking at the door:
Even Hollywood stars are connected with Pokémon GO. This is now proven by John Travolta, who played a round because his son is a huge fan of the game and the YouTuber Mystic7.
This is the situation: The YouTuber Mystic7 is known for his numerous videos on Pokémon GO. One of his viewers is the son of actor John Travolta, who has always wanted to meet the YouTuber.
A video captures the meeting. His father is also present, watching the situation with interest and even catching Pokémon himself.
John Travolta’s son is a huge Pokémon GO fan
This is the video: At minute 5:19, you can see the situation with John Travolta and his son in the video. Travolta explains that his son is a huge fan of Mystic7 and that meeting the YouTuber and playing Pokémon together would be the best Christmas gift for him. He tried to contact Mystic7 through several ways to fulfill his son’s wish.
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Afterwards, the actor also tries to catch Pokémon. Mystic7 lets him catch a quest Pokémon and his research breakthrough. In the end, neither of the monsters were shiny. With Lapras, Travolta prefers to let his son throw, who easily hits it fabulously.
Then the YouTuber and Travolta Jr. go off alone and catch Pokémon together and battle in PvP.
At the end of the video, Travolta thanks the YouTuber again for making this meeting possible.
Mystic7 (left) together with YouTube colleague TrainerTips
What is special about this: You can see that the wave of hype surrounding Pokémon GO has also reached Hollywood. Travolta seems quite interested in the video, and it is funny to see how he awkwardly tries to catch the Pokémon.
Finally, there was a bug in Pokémon GO regarding a regional Pokémon. Did you benefit from it?
Are you currently doing nothing in The Division 2 and longing for new challenges? Then you should dare to take on the Hardcore mode. It offers a very special experience and could revive the game for many agents, says our author Sven.
What is the Hardcore mode in The Division 2? Since the release of Update 6.1, there has been a new Hardcore mode in The Division 2.
Hardcore is not a new difficulty level – at least not directly. Hardcore means that your character has only one life; there are no respawns.
If your agent is down, meaning injured and on their knees, they can still be rescued by teammates or the drone stock skill with the appropriate mod. However, if they die completely, they are irretrievably gone – along with all their earned gear. Only acquired cosmetics like new clothing or patches remain account-wide.
Why you should try the Hardcore mode at least once
Nothing to do? This captivates me in The Division 2: Personally, I love hardcore modes. Whether in Diablo 3 or Path of Exile. If games offer me a permadeath mode, I play that – and only that.
And thanks to the new Hardcore mode, I have unexpectedly come to love The Division 2 again. I have always liked and enjoyed the game, but recently, like many players, I felt it was just losing steam:
Hardcore has changed that drastically; I am completely addicted to the game again – like a second love. I am also increasingly noticing: It’s not just me. Although this mode is definitely not for everyone, I still recommend everyone to at least give it a try. After all, The Division 2 doesn’t offer much right now anyway.
And maybe this new mode will bring you back to the game before further changes and fresh content arrive in February. So, you have nothing to lose except for one character, but you might discover a whole new side of The Division 2 – and perhaps even a whole new passion.
Hardcore is a much more intense experience
Many may ask: what is the appeal of Hardcore in The Division 2? For me, The Division 2 in this mode offers a completely different gaming experience – much more intense than in regular gameplay. Even re-leveling a character is a lot of fun.
Different playstyle: First of all, Hardcore encourages a different play style. In short – those who play recklessly and carelessly and just want to do everything as quickly as possible usually die quickly as well.
Whether in a group or solo, in Hardcore you are generally more cautious, approach tactically, and rush, if at all, only rarely through content. As a result, you are much more aware of the game world – at least that’s how it is for me. You notice many lovable details and things that you might have missed in regular mode when you were trying to fight your way quickly to the endgame.
Whether it’s some notable locations or the occasional cool story that you didn’t even notice. I experience all of this in Hardcore much more consciously, as you are almost forced to take more time.
Greater challenge: Additionally, the ever-present danger in Hardcore mode gives me a real kick. Death can lurk around every corner and actually matters here. Because even the weakest enemy can cost you your virtual life at the wrong moment. Enemies that would be laughed off in normal gameplay are always a serious threat here.
Every enemy encounter, every firefight that my group or I engage in feels really intense. Especially when it later involves stronger enemies. Even a normal shootout in the open world can sometimes lead to sweaty hands and frantic communication in voice chat. However, even normal enemies often cause excitement.
If you get surprised by a regular group of red enemies, it can quickly mean death – especially if they have Molotov cocktails or grenades or a flamethrower. I often took to my heels and fled from opponents I would normally have fought without a second thought. Anyone who has tried the story difficulty in Hardcore knows what I’m talking about.
Because in normal mode it’s: No problem, respawn and move on. You might be annoyed that you have to repeat part of the mission. In Hardcore mode, it means: Fury management, then possibly starting a new character right away.
Especially in the Dark Zone and in the challenging and heroic missions, the difference is noticeable. Content that I rushed through in normal gameplay takes much more time in Hardcore – even with good gear or in a group.
Different focus: Speaking of gear. Here too, the focus of the game shifts. While I was almost always focused solely on DPS in normal mode, that has changed in Hardcore. The choice of equipment becomes much more important, especially in the later stages (World Tiers) and in the endgame.
If you rely purely on damage, you run a much greater risk of losing your agent, into whom you have already invested numerous hours of gameplay. So builds and attributes come into play that you may have neglected in normal gameplay.
Additionally, coordination in the group becomes much more important – especially regarding the use of skills and skill mods.
In short: In Hardcore, it’s much more important to find the right balance between damage, armor, and skills. Those who play too one-sided usually encounter their limits sooner or later and often pay for it with the loss of their agent.
Few rewards, but what you are proud of: Hardcore is currently still in beta, which is why I hope that the mode will be further expanded by the developers and, in this process, will receive even more unique Hardcore rewards. Because there aren’t enough of them in my opinion right now.
However, the Hardcore rewards that exist still keep me entertained and set goals that I would like to achieve. So far, they are exclusively cosmetics like a Yolo cap for reaching level 2 and several unique arm patches
for successfully completing the Capitol Fortress in Hardcore
for successfully completing Tidal Basin in Hardcore
for reaching a Gear Score of 500 in Hardcore
for successfully completing the regular raid Operation Dark Hours in Hardcore
but I am currently more proud of no other cosmetic in The Division 2 than the one for the Capitol Building and for Tidal Basin.
Even though my regular agent has seen pretty much everything in The Division 2, nothing in terms of feeling or significance compares to the achievements of my still relatively young Hardcore agent.
Gear Score 500 doesn’t really entice me; however, my top goal for the near future is the Hardcore raid patch – basically almost a suicide mission. But the fact that this is achievable has already been proven by several agents. And that motivates me right now.
Technically flawless so far: In Hardcore mode, nothing is more frustrating than losing your character due to bugs or technical issues – for example, lags or suddenly respawning enemies.
However, even though the Hardcore mode of The Division 2 is still in beta, I am quite surprised in this regard. I can reassure anyone who is afraid. So far, all characters (3 of them) that I have lost have died through my own mistakes. The technology has worked perfectly so far.
Otherwise, I have not heard from my Hardcore agent buddies or from other sources that The Division 2 has a problem in this area.
Hardcore is fun but has a lot of room for improvement: All in all, I am currently having a lot of fun with the Hardcore mode. This mode is essentially solely responsible for my return to playing The Division 2 – and I am doing it really regularly and with so much motivation and enthusiasm, as honestly never before.
But Hardcore still has room for improvement. A lot of room. Initially, the current scope may suffice, at least for me. However, over time the developers need to offer more than just a cap and some exclusive patches. Currently, this is probably the biggest wish of many Hardcore players.
Many wish for further exclusive rewards or even seasons like in Diablo 3, which would then motivate them to continue playing this hardcore mode over a longer period of time – alongside general changes that players have been requesting for some time now.
Leaderboards, better drop rates for loot, and more character slots are also among the players’ wishes for the permadeath mode.
A few tips to conclude: If you want to play Hardcore, here are some tips that should make your early life easier.
If you have 4 regular characters, you need to delete one to create a Hardcore character. If a HC character dies, you must delete it; otherwise, it blocks a character slot.
Whenever possible, always play with at least two people! This has saved my agent countless times, just as he has saved others numerous times.
Unlock the Reviver Drone and the Repair Drone first – especially if you are playing solo. This should save your agent more than once.
Play generally slower, more thoughtfully, and strategically than usual and don’t rush. Every little enemy is a danger. 2 out of 3 of my characters died because I got overconfident and underestimated groups of regular enemies. Especially in the Dark Zones, PvE enemies hit really hard.
If you play in a team, coordinate your skills with each other and communicate a lot.
Pay attention to everything that grants status effects – grenades, fire, shock, etc. Avoid contact with gas especially.
Don’t just build for DPS. Damage protection and armor should not be neglected. Skills also become important later on.
If things get tight – run! It’s no shame to retreat back to almost half of the mission level. It’s still better than losing your agent.
Don’t play Hardcore on autopilot. If a mission just doesn’t work, stop and try again the next day.
Play rested and stop in time. This may sound silly, but it’s really not to be underestimated in Hardcore. I lost my first agent because I (like once in Diablo 3 with a 500-hour character) drifted off while playing.
By the way, there is no PvP in Hardcore mode.
Have you already tried the Hardcore mode? What experiences have you had with it? Can this format keep you entertained during the current content drought? Or is it not for you? I for one am already looking forward to tackling the upcoming new content in permadeath mode.
Starting Wednesday, the grind for Artifact Power in World of Warcraft begins again. But how bad will it be? What changes at the Heart of Azeroth?
Patch 8.3 Visions of N’Zoth for World of Warcraft will be released in a few days, and with it, the maximum item level of many rewards will be raised. While the really good loot will only come with the launch of Season 4 a few days later, the Heart of Azeroth can be supplied with new Artifact Power right at the start of the patch. So the grind for Artifact Power begins again – but for the last time, because it supposedly won’t exist in Shadowlands.
We reveal how much Artifact Power you need and what influence it still has.
Azerite can be farmed again!
What changes starting Wednesday? With the launch of WoW Patch 8.3 Visions of N’Zoth, the current maximum level of the Heart of Azeroth will be lifted:
The current cap is level 70 – beyond that, Artifact Power is of no use.
Starting Wednesday, you can collect Artifact Power endlessly again. There is no maximum level for the Heart of Azeroth anymore, so Artifact Power will remain meaningful until the end of Battle for Azeroth and benefits your neckpiece.
How many levels do you need to farm? Although there is no maximum level for the Heart anymore, only a few bonuses are important. At level 75, you unlock another small essence slot, which should mean a significant power increase for the character. After that, at level 80 there’s another small bonus of 3% extra stamina. However, that’s already the last significant bonus. After level 80, there are no major innovations anymore.
Is there Artifact Knowledge again? Yes. Right at the start of Patch 8.3, there will be a large batch of Artifact Knowledge, which drastically reduces the required Artifact Power for level-ups of the heart. So you only need 17,550 Artifact Power from level 70 to level 71.
For comparison: Currently, 65,000 Artifact Power is still needed from level 69 to 70.
By the way, Artifact Knowledge will continue to increase in the coming weeks, making farming to level 80 increasingly easier.
What does farming beyond level 80 bring? After the Heart of Azeroth reaches level 80, the benefit of Artifact Power drastically decreases. There are no more major bonuses to unlock. The Heart of Azeroth only increases slightly in item level with each additional level-up. This, in turn, scales with the strength of the essences in the Heart of Azeroth. The best players will continue to try to level the heart – but for most casual players, this probably won’t be of much relevance.
No Gold as a replacement: The downside of this new system is that Artifact Power can no longer be converted into gold as a reward. Currently, players with a Heart of Azeroth at maximum level receive a nice sum of gold for world quests and certain other tasks when they would have received Artifact Power. Since Artifact Power will henceforth be considered “meaningful”, this additional gold will be eliminated.
What do you think of these changes? Is it good that you don’t have to grind so much anymore? Or do you still find it too much effort?
