Pokemon GO: The best city for the GO Fest 2020 – this is how you voted

Max Handwerk Max Handwerk Reading time 4 minutes

A few days ago we asked you: Where would you like the GO Fest 2020 to take place? You answered: Here is where you would most like to see the event in Pokémon GO.

This is the GO Fest: The GO Fest is a major event for Pokémon GO players. Those who purchase a ticket for the event are offered a beautifully designed area. Here, for example, Shinys, regional Pokémon, or special challenges are hidden.

For Niantic events in 2020 cities could apply early. Last year the GO Fest took place in Germany for the first time. Specifically: In Dortmund’s Westfalenpark, where a Safari Zone has already been held. Dortmund has experience with Pokémon events, which attract several thousand players. Will the city be a candidate again this year?

Pokemon GO Fest 2020
Dortmund – or would you prefer somewhere else?

Your Top 5 cities where you want the GO Fest

That was the survey: We asked you in which city you would like to see a GO Fest if it were to come to Germany in 2020. You responded in large numbers – here are your favorites!

Rank 5: Berlin

What makes Berlin special: In our survey, the capital ended up in fifth place. Given the population numbers, the capital would likely appeal to many players – some Pokémon trainers probably come from Berlin. 

Residents of Berlin were able to celebrate last May, when a special Pokémon GO event was launched during re:publica. With the large Tiergarten, Berlin also has a suitable green area that could theoretically qualify as an event venue.

Rank 4: Cologne

What makes Cologne special: Cologne is always worth a trip – so why not participate in a GO Fest there? Especially during Gamescom, Pokémon GO often has surprises in store for the cathedral city.

Moreover, players from Düsseldorf, Bonn, or Leverkusen wouldn’t have far to travel to Cologne – not to mention Dortmund, which is only about an hour and a half away by car. The inner green belt around the Aachener Weiher and the Mediapark are popular spots that could potentially host a GO Fest.

Pokemon GO Cologne
During Gamescom, there were more Cryptos in Cologne

Rank 3: Hamburg

What makes Hamburg special: The city in the north is considered one of the most beautiful cities in Germany. And there is also a large, active Pokémon GO community here. Of course, Hamburg is not as centrally located as other destinations, but it is well connected by train from almost anywhere.

Pokemon GO Hamburg
In Hamburg, there was a small Pokémon event during the Long Night of Museums

The Hamburg Stadtpark or Planten un Blomen would make excellent locations for a GO Fest: On Community Days, there’s always a lot happening here, from the expansive Stadtpark meadow to the more secluded corners of the park. The only question left is about the weather: Hamburg is known for its “shitty weather”. However, in summer, luck might be on our side – and a GO Fest would definitely attract many players to Hamburg.

Rank 2: Munich

What makes Munich special: The city in the south is considered one of the most beautiful cities in Germany. And there is also a large, active Pokémon community here. Of course, Munich is not as centrally located… you already notice: If you compare Munich and Hamburg, they are practically two sides of the same coin.

For the GO Fest, there will be special Pokémon available

While Hamburg would be quite far for many players in the north, Munich would be quite far in the other direction. However, Munich also has a lot to offer outside of a GO Fest, and a trip would definitely be worth it. The English Garden, for example, would provide plenty of space for a GO Fest. 

Rank 1: Dortmund

What makes Dortmund special: Your number 1 is also possibly the most promising candidate: After the Safari Zone and the first GO Fest, many of you would be happy if the event takes place again in the Westfalenpark.

Pokemon GO Dortmund
Will it be back in Westfalenpark?

No wonder, many players have had good experiences with the location. All that remains is to wait and see if Dortmund will be selected again by Niantic as a suitable candidate.

Or another city?

Where else could it go? Many of your votes also fell on the point “another city”. No wonder – after all, every Pokémon trainer would be happy not to have to travel so far to the GO Fest. On our Facebook page and in our Facebook group for Pokémon GO, the topic was also actively discussed. While the cities mentioned here were mainly addressed by you, there were also a few other suggestions. Among them were:

  • Düsseldorf
  • Mainz
  • Stuttgart
  • Koblenz
  • Dresden
Pokémon GO Summer Hat Pikachu
In summer, some trainers might plan a trip to the GO Fest

There was also the suggestion to hold multiple GO Fests in different cities. That might be too much hope – but it could be conceivable that another Safari Zone or another event takes place in one of the other cities.

Wherever it ultimately goes: Should the GO Fest take place in Germany again, many trainers will surely be involved. Probably this one too – after all, he covers most distances in Germany by foot within just a few days:

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The fate of Schalke in LoL in 2020 depends on a wild Greek

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 4 minutes

FC Schalke 04 made a key change in the League of Legends before the 2020 season. After a long absence, Konstantinos-Napoleon “FORG1VEN” Tzortziou returns to the LEC. He is considered an exceptionally good AD carry, but also difficult, and at 27, relatively old.

How did Schalke perform in 2019? In the LEC, the top two spots are awarded year after year: G2 Esports and Fnatic play in a league of their own. Some of the best LoL players in the world are under contract here. G2 Esports made it to the finals at the Worlds.

Among the remaining 8 teams in the LEC, Schalke is one of the stronger teams. In 2019, they finished fourth in the regular season with 11 wins and 7 losses.

In the end, they were just one match series away from qualifying for the play-in phase of the Worlds, but lost the decisive best-of-5 against Splyce, who finished third in the regular season.

https://twitter.com/S04Esports/status/1197136647785201665

How has the team changed before 2020? The team lost 3 players:

  • The ADC Elias “Upset” Lipp (20), a German, has left Schalke – he will play for Origen next season. Upset has been with Schalke since 2017.
  • The jungler Kim “Trick” Gang-yun (24), a South Korean, joined the team in 2019 and immediately helped with his experience – he is leaving Schalke for SK Gaming after half a year.
  • The support Lee “IgNar” Dong-geun (23), a South Korean, has also left Schalke. After a year in royal blue, he is heading to FlyQuest.
https://twitter.com/S04Esports/status/1197936510814818305
There is a lot of fuss about the signing of “GODG1VEN” at Schalke

These are the 3 new players:

  • As support, Schalke has signed Han “Dreams” Min-Kook, who comes from SK Gaming, a South Korean.
  • As jungler, Erberk “Gilius” Demir (23), a German, is back at Schalke. He was there in 2016 before playing for 6 other teams in 3 years: a wanderer.
  • However, the most important new signing is probably Konstantinos-Napoleon “FORG1VEN” Tzortziou (27).

The signing of the 27-year-old was commented on with some rather nasty tweets: He is considered old, washed up, and toxic.

FORG1VEN then read these tweets aloud and commented on them smirkingly. The general tone: “You better watch what you say, or I’ll come for you – you guys are just hiding behind the tower.”

https://twitter.com/S04Esports/status/1202593817532289025
Here, FORG1VEN reads tweets about his signing. It gives a good impression of him.

FORG1VEN was considered the best ADC in Europe and a rival of Rekkless in 2016

What is going on with FORG1VEN? The Greek was a big name in European LoL until 2016. He was considered a “world-class ADC” then. A position now occupied by Fnatic ADC Martin “Rekkles” Larsson, who was still young during Forg1ven’s heyday in 2015. At that time, a rivalry was emerging between Rekkles and FORG1VEN: The older Greek was the reigning champion that the young Swede wanted to defeat to reach the top himself.

FORG1VEN’s biggest success came in 2016 when he qualified for the Worlds with H2K Gaming and made it to the semifinals.

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Forg1ven has not played professional LoL for the last few years and instead served his military duty in Greece. But now he has announced his return for Schalke.

FORG1VEN was once considered an elite, but also arrogant player. When he was asked if he considers himself the “best bot laner,” he replied, “By a wide margin.”

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In interviews, he complained about being punished for “bad behavior” and his team suffering significant disadvantages because of it. (via thescoreesports) He struggled with his role, stating that while he was recognized as an individual player, he won nothing with his teams: That was not worth all the sacrifices, he said in 2015.

In 2019, he started his time at Schalke by stating that he has always rejected mediocrity. He believes that at 27, he can still play League of Legends at a top level. (via eu.lolesports).

Tristana-LoL
Tristana is one of the champions on which FORG1VEN shined.

Schalke needs to keep morale high

This is how Schalke is viewed before 2020: According to experts at ESPN, “morale problems” are the big issue for Schalke in 2020. The team is expected to play a strong role in the LEC, but only if they maintain a positive atmosphere while the team grows together.

Strengths are seen in top laner Andrei “Odoamne” Pascu and mid laner Flex “Abbedagge” Braun – if FORG1VEN can reach the form of 2016, Schalke could become a serious threat to almost all teams in the LEC.

A special note is that FORG1VEN and Odoamne played together in 2016. They were part of the team that made it to the semifinals of the Worlds.

https://twitter.com/S04Esports/status/1203666161587675141

Schalke’s entertainment potential has significantly increased

What’s behind it: No matter how the 2020 season goes for Schalke. With FORG1VEN, they have certainly added a personality who will attract attention.

Already in the first weeks, he is the talk of Schalke:

  • Can he still deliver in 2020?
  • Can he compete with Rekkles?
  • Can he control his temperament, or does the alleged “toxicity” affect the rest of the team?

These are likely the questions that will determine Schalke’s fate in 2020. One should not have high hopes that Schalke can compete for the championship in 2020. Fnatic and G2 Esports seem simply too strong.

However, Schalke could build on their 2019 performance, play a strong role behind the scenes, and even qualify for the Worlds 2020. That would certainly be a great success.

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Borderlands 3 announces highly anticipated solo event with new patch

Alexander Leitsch Alexander Leitsch Reading time 2 minutes

In the night, a new update for Borderlands 3 will be released. Some bugs will be fixed. However, what is more interesting is that the patch notes finally give the solo event for Maliwan Takedown a new date.

What is this event? Maliwan Takedown is the current most challenging content in Borderlands 3. It is designed for 4 players, all of whom must have reached the maximum level. While there are already some solo runs, only truly skilled players can master the challenge alone.

But that is supposed to change for a short time now. For two weeks, from January 16 to January 30, the event will be easier. Then you should be able to complete it in smaller groups and even alone – the difficulty will be adjusted to the respective group size.

After the event, the difficulty will be raised again.

Maliwan Takedown Arena
Maliwan Takedown Arena

Why has the event been long awaited? Originally, Gearbox announced the event already over New Year, for the period from December 31 to January 16. However, technical issues have led to the postponement of the event.

Also, the patch that will be released tonight will not make the Maliwan Takedown easier yet. You will have to wait another week.

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Hotfix fixes reported issues

What does the patch change? The new patch fixes various bugs that were previously reported by players:

  • Fl4K’s skill “Desert and Wild” sometimes did not activate the bonus damage for animals.
  • Fl4K’s skill Rakkcelerate sometimes did not reduce the cooldown.
  • The strength of the weapon shield of the legendary weapon Cheap Tips was sometimes not listed in the tooltips.
  • The mini-boss The Arbalest of Discipline sometimes appeared only with shields.
  • The health points of the Anointed Enforcers were temporarily reduced because they were sometimes stronger than intended due to their immunity.
Boss from the Maliwan Takedown

When will the patch be released? The hotfix for Borderlands 3 will be released tonight, specifically on January 10 at 12:00 AM German time. It will come simultaneously for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

The new patch will not be the last one that Borderlands 3 will receive. Our author Max has looked at what else will happen in the loot shooter in 2020:

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New World presents the first armor sets and they look realistic

Alexander Leitsch Alexander Leitsch Reading time 3 minutes

On the Twitter account of New World, many images of armor sets have been recently presented. These include both simple and higher-grade sets.

This is the armor system in New World: The special thing about New World is that there are no classes. Your armors and weapons and the values they contain determine your play style.

If you want to play a healer, you also need appropriate equipment. In our test in January, for example, the Sages set granted us suitable values, allowing players to take on the role of the healer.

The Trapper set, on the other hand, was particularly useful in combination with ranged combat as it contained many offensive but few defensive values.

These are the first armors: The first six images show us armor sets that haven’t been upgraded significantly yet.

These sets include the already mentioned Sages and Trapper sets. But other roles can also be assumed with the appropriate armor.

Notably, the sets look very realistic and strongly reflect the respective play style.

  • Sages Set
  • Plaguedoctor Set
  • Duelist Set
  • Officer Set
  • Trapper Set
  • Inquisitor Set

The first T3 armor: The next two images show an initial T3 armor. These higher-grade armors will be significantly more complex to craft.

This is the Soldiers set, which should be particularly suitable for melee combat.

The world of Aeternum and its mysteries

New video clips: In addition to the new images, small snippets of new areas were also shown on Twitter. It is repeatedly emphasized how mysterious the area of Aeternum is, where we find ourselves.

These mysteries likely include the animal guardians, who roam the world and have caught the attention of our author Leya.

Among the various fortresses presented in the videos, this one particularly stood out. It was built in a mountain that already looks very menacing:

New alpha invitations: If you want to get an impression of the game, you can still apply for the alpha, which is still under NDA.

In the last few days, several new invitations were sent out, as announced on Twitter.

You can also get an initial impression of the game in this post:

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The Division 2 finally brings fresh information: New Exo weapon and Episode 3 are coming

Maik Schneider Maik Schneider Reading time 4 minutes

The loot shooter The Division 2 started the new year on January 8 with a “State of the Game” stream and announced Episode 3 and TU7 for February.

What is happening in Division 2? A difficult year 1 for Division 2 players is slowly coming to an end, and with the first community stream of 2020, the developers are providing a glimpse of the upcoming highlights.

What topics were discussed? The always cheerful Massive team brought some news to light and packed it into the “State of the Game” stream.

  • Episode 3/Title Update 7 (TU7) – Release in February
  • Raid coming later
  • New clothing system
  • A new Exo weapon
  • “State of the Game” schedule
division 2 year 1 roadmap
Year 1 is coming to an end. The last episode comes in February.

Episode 3 comes with Title Update 7 – But without a Raid

What do we know now about Episode 3? While not much has been revealed about TU7 yet, there have been concrete details about Episode 3 for a while that have now been elaborated on.

  • Episode 3 will be released in February simultaneously with TU7
  • The content DLC will be free for all players
  • A new area will be introduced: Coney Island in New York City
  • A faction known from Division 1 will be present: Cleaners
  • The episode comes with 2 main missions
  • Additionally, Year 1 Pass holders will receive 2 secret missions
  • There will be no test server
  • Episode 3 brings a new specialization
  • A new Exo rifle is coming

This mostly confirms what was already known or suspected.

But now the third act of the year 1 tragedy finally has a somewhat concrete release date, which is even earlier than expected. Due to the release of Division 2 in March 2019, many players also expected Episode 3 to come in March.

When will the Raid finally arrive? However, the hope for a new raid with Episode 3 has been directly dashed.

The developers are still working on the second raid of The Division 2 but cannot really estimate how long it will take. In the recap of the “State of the Game” stream, it was mentioned that the raid will be released in mid-2020.

division 2 bekleidungs kiste vermächtnis
The new legacy boxes come without duplicates and are available now.

New cosmetic mechanic and chameleon exo announced

What’s going on with the clothing? After the clothing fragments have been removed from the game, there have already been some changes in the system of how you can obtain cosmetics.

Now the developers are taking another step further and are expanding the system a bit more.

  • Textiles
    • If you pull a duplicate from a clothing box, you currently get some experience points for it
    • With the new system, you will receive textiles that you can exchange for a desired item in certain quantities
    • No release date yet for the new system
  • Legacy boxes
    • The new boxes offer a smaller pool of items and you will not draw duplicates from these boxes
    • The legacy containers come with older items and provide players with a premium way to obtain more cosmetics
    • The legacy offerings will rotate regularly and the boxes will not always be available
    • One box costs 100 premium credits
    • Legacy boxes are online! If you log in between January 7 and January 14, you will receive 3 free keys.

Currently (January 9), the legacy boxes will run for another 4 weeks, 4 days, and a few hours, and will disappear with the maintenance on Tuesday, February 11. Maybe a hint about TU7?

division 2 exotic kameleon erste bilder
The new exotic weapon changes color depending on the ground.

Show us the new Exo rifle! The first new Exo rifle since the Diamond Viper from August ’19 is finding its way to Washington with Episode 3.

This is a fully automatic assault rifle named “Chameleon”. The name is no coincidence. The heavily modified Vector comes with a very special ability and adapts its color to the surface.

What else the weapon has to offer remains unclear for now. Agents who enjoy ARs and crazy games will definitely get their money’s worth. A hybrid build with the Snowball Cannon should provide a pleasant late Christmas party.

division 2 state of the game roadmap
The next 3 State of the Game streams are packed with new information.

Year 1 almost done, the hope for Year 2 begins

What’s next in State of the Game? In the community streams of the coming weeks, further changes will be discussed, some of which will only come into the game after TU7.

  • January 15
    • Changes to the random number generator (RNG) of item stats
    • Adjustments to user interface/inventory, quality of life
    • Will not come with TU7
  • January 22
    • Overhaul of recalibration
    • Modification of the “skill strength” mechanic
    • Will not come with TU7
  • January 29
    • All important information about Episode 3

So what’s next? Until the next update in February, there will be nothing new in The Division 2. However, the mood in the Massive team remains good and the announcements raise hope for 2020.

If you haven’t been in the game for a while, it’s worth checking in again. Especially with TU6 there have been many really good changes and the hardcore mode with permadeath offers a whole new challenge but currently has no real rewards.

What do you think about the developers’ announcements? Are you excited for a return to New York with Episode 3? Or are you indifferent to the upcoming content?

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Riot is considered the new Blizzard – releasing an epic cinematic for LoL

Alexander Leitsch Alexander Leitsch Reading time 3 minutes

At the start of Season 10, League of Legends released a new cinematic. This gives viewers goosebumps, and fans are celebrating Riot for the video. But it’s not just the trailer that draws comparisons with Blizzard.

What kind of cinematic is this? In LoL, the new season starts on January 10, and to herald this and upcoming innovations, Riot Games has released a new cinematic.

It features various champions involved in battles:

  • Lux and Garen fight against Sylas. A battle in which Galio also intervenes later. Sylas himself is leading a revolt in Demacia and, according to the latest lore, will join the Freljord.
  • Caitlyn and Vi encounter Urgot.
  • Ezreal and Kai’Sa fight together against a horde of Voidlings.

In each duel, there is a faction that initially loses but continually fights to regain the upper hand. In the end, as in the other trailers, there are no winners, only fighters.

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What makes the trailer so special? In terms of content, the trailer for the new year 2020 doesn’t offer any announcements. Instead, it impresses with:

  • Amazing visuals
  • Great cinematic representation
  • A connection to the lore
  • An epic soundtrack

The song in the background is Warriors by Imagine Dragons, who also performed at Worlds 2014. However, this version is a remix produced by 2WEI and sung by Edda Hayes.

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Fans celebrate cinematic and Riot Games

How is the trailer received? Just hours after its release, the trailer already has half a million views and 280,000 likes. How accurate these numbers are is hard to estimate, as YouTube only updates data for new videos in waves.

However, the comments under the video and on reddit are very positive:

  • WigO: “These visuals and effects were absolutely stunning, holy shit, congratulations Riot and Blur Studio.”
  • SedOfAstora: “This is by far the best cinematic they’ve made in years, maybe even the best ever. I’m not an expert, but this cinematic isn’t a ‘Cool, check this out.’ It’s more like, ‘Oh my god, I want to play this game more.'”
  • Dearche: “I love it when the beat of the music syncs with the content of the trailer, like when Vi punches someone.”
  • Austin Goggans: “Beautiful, just like Blizzard, Riot knows how to make cinematics.”
Vi and Urgot in the cinematic

Cinematic like Blizzard: For years, especially Riot Games and Blizzard have repeatedly created epic cinematics that are celebrated by fans.

However, in recent years, Blizzard’s reputation in the gaming community has diminished:

Instead, Riot Games is now celebrated as the “new Blizzard.” For its 10th anniversary, the game company announced 6 new games, including the card game Legends of Runeterra and an MMO shooter.

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New games have to convince first

What’s next for Riot in 2020? For Riot Games, it is now essential to prove that they can do more than just lead a game to success. League of Legends is a long-lasting success and was among the top-grossing games in the world in 2019.

Whether the new games will impress remains to be seen. The teaser video for 2020 announced new LoL champions and updates, innovations for TFT, and another testing phase for Legends of Runeterra.

In 2020, TFT-Mobile and LoL-Mobile are also set to be released. An exciting year, during which Riot Games aims to offer more than just LoL.

Not everything around LoL is always positive. The behavior of the players is difficult, as our author Philipp has experienced:

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The Witcher as an MMORPG? This is what it could look like

Andreas Bertits Andreas Bertits Reading time 5 minutes

The Witcher is currently a hot topic thanks to the Netflix series, and the video games have more players than ever before. This raises the question for MeinMMO author Andreas Bertits whether an MMORPG could work in this world.

As a fan of the Netflix series, the novels by author Andrzej Sapkowski, and the currently extremely popular video games, I have thought about whether and how The Witcher could look as an MMORPG. Because I don’t think implementing it would be that simple.

Why could The Witcher be difficult as an MMORPG? At the time of the novels, the series, and the video games, there are hardly any witchers left in the world. However, playing such a character would be the appeal of the game. According to the lore, there cannot be hundreds or more witchers roaming the world. Even wizards are somewhat special. An MMORPG would have to deal with this reality.

However, it would certainly be possible to set the game in a different time, such as when witchers were much more common.

Witcher Netflix
The Witcher on Netflix – The series could also work as an MMORPG.

The Witcher as a Theme Park MMORPG

A Witcher theme park MMORPG could not focus on witchers and wizards. Instead, it would be possible to simply play as a regular adventurer who travels through the world and completes quests. This hero could, of course, still have magical abilities, just not be a wizard from the Academy of Aretuza. Because in the end, very few mages remain after training, who then serve as advisors and protectors of kings in the world.

This does not mean that there cannot be other magic users. Witches, for instance, or simply people who have discovered magical powers within themselves and can utilize them. Moreover, fighters or healers, as well as, of course, thieves, would be conceivable.

A theme park variant of a Witcher MMORPG would focus on storytelling similar to The Elder Scrolls Online.

The Witcher Combat Harpy
  • You explore a large region of the world, which could be gradually expanded with new areas from the universe of author Andrzej Sapkowski.
  • You complete quests received from NPCs.
  • The hunt for monsters could be a group activity, as only witchers dare to face these creatures alone.
  • You learn a lot about the world and its lore, possibly even encountering well-known characters like Geralt, Yennefer, or Dandelion.
  • PvP would take place in arenas, which are quite popular in this universe.
  • The story would be the focus, which could involve political intrigues and wars as seen in the novels.
  • You experience the action from a third-person perspective. An optional first-person view could also be conceivable.
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The Witcher as a Sandbox MMORPG

A sandbox MMORPG could also take place in the world of The Witcher. You could take on any role you envision, such as exploring the world as an adventurer or simply being a blacksmith. Monsters would repeatedly threaten your home, which is why you seek the help of other players.

It would be possible to jointly establish entire villages or towns with friends and defend them against hostile player groups and monsters. Participating in wars between kingdoms would also be an interesting idea. Survival mechanics could play a significant role as the world of The Witcher is harsh and dangerous.

Lore would also play a role, but the focus would not be on story and quests. Rather, you forge your own path in the world, perhaps going from being a nobody to the mayor of a town or even the king of an entire kingdom.

The Witcher 3 City
  • You enjoy many freedoms in forging your path in the game world
  • You must collect resources to craft equipment
  • Survival is an important aspect
  • Build your own house or establish cities together with other players
  • Defend yourself and your possessions against monster attacks
  • PvP would be possible pretty much anywhere (possibly with an opt-in method)
  • There would be wars and sieges
  • Those who wish can specialize in crafting
  • Gameplay would be from a third-person perspective (with an option for first-person view)
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The Witcher as a Coop RPG with MMO Hub

This variant might remind one of Destiny or what Blizzard is currently planning with Diablo 4. This version would allow you to play as witchers or wizards from Aretuza since you wouldn’t constantly encounter other players, but only do so in a hub or very rarely in the actual game world (as Diablo 4 plans).

In cities, you meet other players, with whom you form alliances or challenge them to duels. Together, you then take on quests that take you into the various regions of the game world. There, monster fights await you as you follow the story of the respective mission. There could be large group events, for instance, when monsters attack cities or an army starts a siege.

This variant would also focus more on story and quests. Loot would, of course, also play a significant role, as is the case with Diablo or Destiny.

The Witcher 3 Wilderness
  • You only travel in small groups (or alone)
  • You are a witcher, wizard, or maybe a shapeshifter
  • You meet other players in hubs like cities
  • Form groups
  • Together, you complete quests
  • Group events like fights against boss monsters
  • The focus is on story and teamwork
  • The search for loot is important
  • Played either from an isometric view or from the third-person perspective (with an option for first-person view)

When could the MMORPG take place? It is well known that the time coincides with that of the novels, video games, and the Netflix series. However, it would certainly be conceivable to set the MMORPG in a different era, perhaps a few centuries prior to the known timeline, when more witchers existed.

Or how about a game that takes place shortly after the conjunction of the spheres, when monsters and other races appeared in the world? There are numerous options, with the most well-known being, of course, the time of the novels, games, and series since it would then be possible to meet familiar characters.

What do you think? Would you play an MMORPG based on The Witcher? How would it look for you?

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

13 Tips for Monster Hunter World: Iceborne that I wish I had known before

Larissa Then Larissa Then Reading time 5 minutes

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is now available for PC. There are also some things for seasoned hunters to keep in mind. Our author Larissa has put together 13 tips and tricks for you.

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne finally starts for PC. Even among PC players, there will probably be some (like me) who occasionally stumble. To all those who are now diving into the Iceborne adventure, I want to share the following 13 tips.

This article was created on September 6, 2019, and revised on January 9, 2020, for the PC release.

The new capital Seliana

If you are completely new to Monster Hunter World, you will find beginner tips here.

Preparation Tips

Tip 1: Build Master Rank Equipment as quickly as possible: As you may know from other games’ addons, the new equipment in Iceborne is significantly better than in the base game. Unless you have complex gamma sets, the new equipment is worthwhile right from the start. In this case, the Great Jagras is actually a good tip.

As a weapon, Thunder is suitable, similar to the base game. But especially a fire weapon is your friend in Iceborne. Especially at the beginning, the equipment from many events can be very good.

Tip 2: Pack Teleporters. Quests in Monster Hunter World: Iceborne take considerably longer than in the base game. It can happen that you run out of items. With the teleporter, you can return to the nearest camp during battle and replenish your potions and ammunition.

Monster Hunter World Iceborne Viper-Tobi-Kadachi
The poisonous Viper-Tobi-Kadachi

Tip 3: Have items against poison and bleeding with you. The poison status effect in Monster Hunter World: Iceborne operates with high numbers. This applies not only to the monsters but also to you hunters. If you have no poison resistance, you should pack Herbal Medicine. This item heals you from poison and gives you a few health points. It is a better version of the antidote.

In the new expansion, it is also important to always have Astera Jerky with you. In many quests, I didn’t expect it and suddenly faced bleeding damage. Such items can be invaluable, especially against unfamiliar monsters. Of course, you can also crouch briefly to counter bleeding. However, the monsters usually don’t give you time for that.

Tip 4: Use Hot Drinks and Cold Drinks. Pay attention to the area you are entering when choosing your items. If you’re heading into the Frostfang Jungle, make sure to pack Hot Drinks. Otherwise, your stamina will suffer greatly in the new environment.

When you are on the quest back to the Elders’ homeland, remember to bring your Cold Drinks. Both items can be picked up for free from the box at the camp in popular quests.

Tip 5: Familiarize yourself with Seliana. The new capital Seliana has much shorter pathways than Astera. If you know your way around well, you can save a lot of time. Also, use your map and don’t wander around aimlessly.

Your companion – the Palico

Tip 6: Dance with your Palico. That’s right, in Monster Hunter World: Iceborne you can dance with your Palico!

Extra Palico Tip: Be sure to check out all your Palicos’ armors, they are top-notch in Iceborne!

Tip 7: Don’t forget to eat. Even though everything in Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is new and exciting, don’t forget to eat. The meal before your quest gives you important health, attack, or defense points.

Combat Tips

Tip 8: Practice your new skills. Most weapons have received new skills, and there is now a Clutch Claw. These can give you significant attack bonuses. So go to your training area and practice diligently. Perhaps now is also your chance to try out an entirely new weapon.

Monster Hunter World Iceborne Clutch claw
The Clutch Claw

Tip 9: Learn how to handle the Clutch Claw. This grappling hook is a brand-new tool in Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. You are automatically equipped with it, and it offers you many advantages. Not only can you quickly close the distance to the monster, but you can also deal substantial damage. Especially the recoil shot hits hard.

With this Clutch Claw, you can also wound the monster. Just attack with it and soften the affected areas. After that, they become more susceptible to damage, particularly in relation to the skill “Weakness Exploit.” With it, you deal 30% more damage to weak points and even 50% when wounded.

Tip 10: Collect all Slingshot ammunition. With the new grappling hook, Slingshot ammunition becomes extremely important, so always have some equipped. Also, watch out for those that the monster drops during the fight. You can cause this yourself by attacking the monster with the Clutch Claw. Especially with ranged weapons, you often get Slingshot ammunition.

Tip 11: Just stay down. If the monster knocks you down, stay down. Until your character gets back up, you take no damage. Especially against beasts that often use stomping attacks, this temporary invulnerability can save your life.

monster-hunter-world-iceborne-screens-04
An extra portion of muscle: Fulgur-Anjanath

Tip 12: Try out different Palico gadgets. Depending on your play style, various tools from the cats may suit you. In Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, your familiar gadgets get new attacks, so you should try something new as well. The Vitality Wasp, for example, can save your life now.

Here you can find out how to unlock all Palico gadgets.

Tip 13: Keep your distance when the monster goes to sleep. In Monster Hunter World, monsters go to sleep shortly before their death. Then you have a chance to place bombs in front of them or to capture them easily. This sleep trick is no longer that simple in Iceborne. You need to keep your distance so the limping monster can lie down.

If you finish the story quickly, you can read more about the endgame of Iceborne here:

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von Larissa Then
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Monster Hunter

Players in CoD: MW complain about physical proximity – developers respond

Noah Struthoff Noah Struthoff Reading time 2 minutes

Currently, one of the biggest points of contention in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is the collision with other players: you can be pushed to death by your own teammates. On reddit, the developers from Infinity Ward address this issue.

What is the background? Currently, in CoD Modern Warfare, there are situations where players push each other aside or forward. While this is more realistic, it is also annoying, as players report on reddit.

Many players in the community now wish that Infinity Ward addresses and fixes the problem.

Players Highlight the Problems with Collisions

This clip is going viral: A video on reddit has received nearly 10,000 upvotes, which shows the problem well.

IW why did you make it to where teammates can now push eachother from r/modernwarfare

In this instance, several players are standing on a staircase. Players coming from below push the soldier standing above into a Claymore mine, which he can see, but cannot evade. He is effectively pushed to his death by his teammates through the collision detection.

Claymores were also a major point of contention for streamer DrDisrespect.

How players are reacting: The majority of the community is angry about the player collision feature. While it is understood that this is particularly realistic, many feel that this aspect of realism could have been omitted.

The developers have already set a limit on realism before the release.

“Ridiculous, I was pushed directly into the door by my teammates, only to die immediately. I feel like they did it just for the realism. As if any player gives a damn about this aspect,” said user MrWinsaplenty, for example.

What does Infinity Ward say about it? The developers of Modern Warfare have also noticed the criticism. Joel Emslie, Art Director at Infinity Ward, commented that they will definitely look into this issue.

Response
This response was given by the developer. Source: Dexerto

He also said that he does not know how far the developers are with this issue. It may still take some time before this problem is resolved.

Recently, the developers addressed a fan request:

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This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
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Fortnite: Food Trucks – Locations of the Food Trucks

Patrick Freese Patrick Freese Reading time 2 minutes

For the “Healing vs. Toxin” challenges in Fortnite: Battle Royale, you need to visit 3 different food trucks. We will show you the locations for this challenge on the map.

What kind of challenge is this? Visit 3 different food trucks in Fortnite: Battle Royale. This is one of the easier missions in the Healing vs. Toxin Challenges, which have now been activated in Fortnite.

We will show you the locations on this overview map, where you can find the large vehicles. We know of four spots where the food trucks are located. If you know any more, please let us know in the comments.

Fortnite Overview Food Trucks Map

Visit 3 food trucks in Fortnite: Battle Royale – The Food Trucks

Where should you look? If the overview map does not provide enough details, check here for the more detailed descriptions.

North of Pleasant Park: Near some campers in grid square D2, you will find this truck.

South of Salty Springs: Near the river, south of Salty Springs, you will find the spot with the food truck. From above, you can already see the small pavilions with the blue and white roofs. Grid square D4.

Fortnite Food Truck D4

North of Lazy Lake: You will find this feeding spot directly on the road north of Lazy Lake, which also leads to Frenzy Farm. Look in grid square F5.

Fortnite Food Truck F5

South of Retail Row: You will find this food truck on a mountain in grid square G7. The truck stands there all alone, next to a wooden seating area.

The reward: For completing this task, you will receive 52,000 experience points, which will directly contribute to the progress of your Battle Pass in Season 1 of Chapter 2.

If you need to earn a few more levels to unlock cosmetics, this task can give you an advantage.

Fortnite Remedy Skin Title

If you do not want to achieve anything further in your Battle Pass and therefore forgo the XP, you can at least look forward to the purple Remedy skin, which is unlocked for completing the “Remedy vs. Toxin” challenges.

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Undead for everyone: Why you will see many more Death Knights in WoW starting Wednesday

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

Next Wednesday, the Death Knights in World of Warcraft will drastically increase. This is due to the new patch with some new features…

World of Warcraft Shadowlands will manage without a new class, but starting next Wednesday, the possibilities for class-race combinations will be drastically expanded, at least for Death Knights. All races that previously had to forgo this class can then join the undead.

These races will now become Death Knights: After the patch, all races will be able to become Death Knights. New to this are:

  • Pandaren (Both factions)
  • Void Elves (Alliance)
  • Lightforged Draenei (Alliance)
  • Dwarves of the Dark Iron (Alliance)
  • Kul Tiran (Alliance)
  • Mechagnomes (Alliance)
  • Nightborne (Horde)
  • Highmountain Tauren (Horde)
  • Mag’har Orcs (Horde)
  • Zandalari Trolls (Horde)
  • Vulpera (Horde)

New starting sequence in Icecrown: The Death Knights of the Pandaren and allied races do not start their journey in Acherus but have a special intro sequence with a small quest line. They serve the Lich King Bolvar and land after entering Azeroth to join the Horde or Alliance. They also receive the class mount of the Death Knights but do not have to play through the old starting area of the Death Knights.

WoW New Death Knight Intro

How can you play the new Death Knights? To be able to play one of the new Death Knights starting January 15 (next Wednesday), you must have pre-ordered the expansion “Shadowlands” – no matter which of the three editions. Once that is done, the account can create the new Death Knights if the allied races have been unlocked. Only Pandaren do not need to be unlocked as they belong to the basic races.

By the way, it is particularly cool that Death Knights (whether old or new) will receive a slight overhaul of their eyes. Instead of just glowing blue, there is now an icy, moving veil that reminds one of Lich King Arthas. This makes Death Knights look even more impressive.

WoW New Death Knight Eyes
The new eyes look pretty cool.

Will you also create a Death Knight starting Wednesday? Or won’t you jump on the bandwagon and stay loyal to your class?

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Ihr wollt mehr zum Spiel? Tolle Specials, heiße News und interessante Infos zu World of Warcraft findet ihr auch auf unserer WoW-Seite auf Facebook.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/

Pokémon GO: German trainer runs 500 km a week – We asked him: Why?

Noah Struthoff Noah Struthoff Reading time 3 minutes

The German Trainer TZPokemon98 took on a crazy challenge: He wanted to run 500 km in one week while diligently playing Pokémon GO. In the end, he even surpassed his goal.

Which player is it about? If you are somewhat familiar with the extreme players in Pokémon GO, you have certainly heard of TZ. He currently has the most catches and evolutions in Germany, or there is no one else known to have more.

Time and again, TZ sets himself crazy goals that he wants to achieve. Last week, it was the 500 km. We asked him about his motivation.

“When I do something, I do it right”

Why does he set such goals? On Twitter, TZ answered a few questions about his challenges and explained why he plays so extremely.

TZ Screen

He says he likes to compare himself with other players and aims to surpass one trainer after another on the leaderboards. For this, he is willing to push his limits and says about himself: “When I do something, I do it right.”

This is how the 500 km challenge went: TZ wanted to run a total of 500 km in one week. This can be well tracked via Adventure Sync. During the week, he diligently posted his progress, and by the weekend, he even trumped his goal: he ran 567 km!

This corresponds to 81 km per day. According to his own statements, he caught 15,000 Pokémon and earned over 11 million XP.

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How much do you have to play for that? TZ told us that he was out every day that week from 7:00 AM until 12:30 AM at night. During this time, he only took small breaks or took the bus to the nearest large city.

So he played Pokémon GO for over 17 hours a day, mainly running to complete the 500 km.

For the challenge, he actually took a week off. Only then did he have enough time to run that much.

What is so remarkable about it: If you thought that he obviously caught the 15,000 Pokémon in a big city with many PokéStops, you are mistaken.

TZ lives in a small town with about 9,000 inhabitants. He plays there, according to his own statements, about 50% of the time. The other 50% he plays in Augsburg. He often plays alone. He only goes out with friends if they have time and are willing.

TZ Pokemon
100,000 Pokémon have been developed by TZ

What’s next? The 500 km were far from TZ’s last goal. He wants to keep going and maybe aim for 600 km in the summer.

Other goals are 1 million catches and 1 billion XP. Both goals are not unrealistic. After all, he has already achieved over 700,000 catches and over 400 million XP, most of which he earned without spending money. Only since September 2019 has he also invested in PokéCoins.

A tough competitor of TZ is, by the way, HelsinkiTrolli. He had every shiny and lucky Pokémon in the game months ago:

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An Australian becomes overnight the number 1 on Twitch – How did he do it?

Benedict Grothaus Benedict Grothaus Reading time 3 minutes

A streamer achieved massive success on Twitch overnight in early 2020 and shot to number 1. He is benefiting from the massive success of Escape from Tarkov and a special feature on Twitch.

Who is the streamer? It is about the Twitch streamer Pestily, an Australian who has been in the business since the end of 2017. He is a former soldier and then became a streamer focusing on the hardcore survival shooter Escape from Tarkov.

According to Sullygnome, he was by far the biggest streamer in terms of viewer hours last week (as of January 9):

Escape from Tarkov pestily sullygnome
A massive growth, literally overnight.

Pestily was even able to almost twentyfold his viewer count during that week. Just before the huge increase, he had peaked at between 5,000 and 6,000 viewers. By the end of the week, there were over 100,000.

Success through Escape from Tarkov

This is where the boost comes from: The absolute majority of Pestily’s streams consist of Escape from Tarkov. He streamed it for over 2000 hours last year. Escape from Tarkov has been a massive phenomenon on Twitch for some time.

One of his most popular clips includes this action. Here, Pestily successfully hides in the bathroom and sets a trap for his opponent:

The boost for Pestily came on January 2. Here, the Tarkov developers Battlestate Games activated “Twitch Drops.” Players who watch streams long enough receive special in-game items for free.

During this event, Pestily stated on Twitter that he streamed for over 125 hours in one week. That is a considerable amount, considering the week only has 168 hours. However, that is not enough for a crazy stream record.

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How it helped him: Pestily writes in the tweet from January 6 that he was able to generate many new viewers, followers, and subscribers:

  • 12,852 new subscribers – in addition to about 5,000 previously
  • 123,464 followers – in addition to about 140,000 previously

In one week of stream time, he generated double the number of subscribers and almost the same number of followers as he did in the two years prior to his time on Twitch. He explains this during his streams as well:

Also, big streamers like DrDisrespect or xQc play and praise Escape from Tarkov. However, none could achieve such great success with it as Pestily. Some had problems with the shooter.

What’s Next

Will the success continue? The enormous numbers have already dropped again since the Twitch Drops were deactivated:

  • Nonetheless, Pestily still currently has between 8,000 and 10,000 viewers on average (in the last three days).
  • In comparison: In November 2019, it was still an average of 3,162 viewers.

Even if more viewers drop off, Pestily would have nearly doubled his average viewer count if it settles around 6,000. And all of this within a week.

What is he doing with the success? In addition to the drop event on Twitch, Pestily initiated a special charity campaign for 2020. He will completely forgo donations throughout the year.

Instead, he calls on his viewers to donate to a charity for sick children. He has linked a donation page on his stream. The goal is 1,000,000 AU$. As of the time of writing, 84,489.22 AU$ (equivalent to 52,199.61 €) have already been raised.

Escape from Tarkov pestily donation
Some donors even pay over 5,000 AU$.

What about EFT? The journey for Escape from Tarkov continues as well. There may even be a release on Steam, which, however, is still up in the air.

If you want to get a picture of Escape from Tarkov yourself, here are some tips for getting started:

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Fortnite starts Challenges – Free skin as a reward

Patrick Freese Patrick Freese Reading time 2 minutes

The new “Healing vs Toxin” challenges in Fortnite: Battle Royale reward you with a purple Remedy skin. We show you the tasks and rewards.

What are these challenges? On January 9, 2020, the new challenges started in Fortnite. They are themed around Healing vs Toxin and come with some challenges.

They were already leaked by data miners who found the missions in the code of the battle royale game.

These are the tasks: To participate in these challenges, you must have already reached Level 40 in the current Fortnite Battle Pass. This is also the first phase for the new challenges.

Once you reach this minimum level, new missions will open up for you. And these are:

Some of these tasks are quite hard and require a lot of skill from you. But if you complete them, you will receive a cool skin as a reward.

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Fortnite Remedy Purple

What other rewards are there? The Twitter account FNBRBananik shared the tasks and rewards like the skin style for Remedy, a back accessory, and a pickaxe with the community. You can see these in the embedded tweet.

Each challenge will reward you with 52,000 XP upon completion. So if you want to upgrade your Battle Pass now, the Remedy vs. Toxin challenges give you another good opportunity.

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So it will probably take a bit longer until the endless Season 1 in Chapter ends.

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Many nerfs in Hearthstone: This is changing for you with the next patch

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 3 minutes

A new patch for Hearthstone is coming and brings some adjustments. Warriors and Shamans will suffer, but Rogues are also affected.

Since the release of Legacy of the Dragons, there has been quite a bit of frustration in Hearthstone. Although the developers released some nerfs shortly after the release, the dominant classes, such as the Shaman, remain undefeated at the top. Therefore, another patch is coming in the next few hours that will bring a lot of nerfs.

It’s not just the Shaman that will be affected; Warriors, Warlocks, and Rogues will also have to endure some adjustments.

These cards will be nerfed in Hearthstone

What’s changing? The following cards of the respective classes will be nerfed. The images of the cards show the current state.

  • Warlock
    • Devilish Ritual: The cost has been increased from 3 mana to 4 mana.
  • Warrior
    • Herald of Devastation: The cost has been increased from 3 mana to 4 mana.
    • Ankarrr: The durability of the weapon has been reduced from 3 to 2.
  • Shaman
    • Dragon Pack: The card description now reads: “Call 2 Spirit Wolves (2/3) with Taunt. Give them +2/+2 if you have empowered Galakrond twice.” (reduced from “gives them +3/+3”)
    • Frost Summoning: The cost has been increased from 1 to 2.
  • One of the most powerful cards in the game.
  • Rogue
    • Nekrium Apothecary: The cost has been increased from 4 mana to 5 mana.
  • Neutral
    • Dragon Queen Alexstrasza: The Battlecry can no longer create additional copies of Dragon Queen Alexstrasza.

Cards can be disenchanted for full value: If you’re now frustrated that you crafted the aforementioned cards, you need not despair. For up to two weeks after the release of the patch, you can disenchant the cards for their full dust value and create a corresponding card. This is particularly nice for those who haven’t used these cards anyway – they will gain some bonus dust for their collection.

What else is in the patch? Aside from the balance changes to the cards, there are also some minor adjustments to the “Battlegrounds” mode. Blizzard buffs some of the hero abilities that are currently too weak and rotates some heroes back into the mode. There should also be more variety in this area going forward.

What do you think of these nerfs? Are these sensible changes that contribute to balance? Or is Blizzard tweaking the wrong values here?

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Destiny 2: The Devil’s Ruin has a secret perk that makes it even stronger

Philipp Hansen Philipp Hansen Reading time 5 minutes

In Destiny 2, pistols are currently highly sought after. We will tell you why the new exotic pistol takes it a step further, how to use the hidden perk, and how it performs in practice.

This weapon is about: The exotic pistol “Devil’s Ruin” (eng. Devil’s Ruin) is a primary weapon for the energy slot. It deals solar damage and has a fire rate of 300, belonging to the same category as the Ritual weapon Banshee.

The exotic has these special properties:

  • Closing the gap – Pulling and releasing the trigger fires single shots. Holding it down fires a laser that staggers enemies.
  • Pyrogenesis – Fully charging the laser refills the magazine from reserves.
  • Intrinsically, the pistol can stop and stagger unstoppable champions.

Besides the shooting properties of a normal pistol, Devil’s Ruin can charge a powerful laser beam. If you hold down the fire button, your magazine refills to a full 15 shots, and it’s laser time. But along with the fire beam comes a hidden perk.

Devil's Ruin Destiny 2

More under the hood than meets the eye – The hidden perk

This is how the hidden perk works: When you charge your beam, it doesn’t matter if you had 15 bullets in the magazine or just 1 shot left. The laser will be equally strong after about one second of charge time. Once you fire your laser, you usually have to reload.

However, if you release the fire button exactly at the moment the maximum charge is reached, there will be a “super laser.” The brighter beam does not add extra damage but overloads your magazine.

Instead of the regular 15 shots, your magazine temporarily holds 30 rounds. This allows you to immediately start shooting again after a laser or charge the next laser – all without annoying reloading. Theoretically, if timed correctly, you can chain laser after laser.

I tested the secret perk: How practical is the hidden overload function in everyday life? To find out, I headed to the Tribute Hall, because we just burn through our ammo reserves with the laser.

The secret perk requires significantly more precise timing than perfect reloading with Izanagi’s Burden or a perfect bow shot. If you release it a fraction too early, there’s no laser, just a normal shot. If you are just a bit too slow, the normal laser activates and you’re left with an empty magazine.

But lo and behold, after a few attempts I was able to admire the hidden function of the Pyrogenesis ability. I even managed to trigger two super lasers in a row. However, whether the muscle memory can really internalize the timing and reproduce this effect without problems in Guardian everyday life, I cannot currently say.

devils ruin super laser destiny 2
A bright flash of light and an oversized magazine – the “super laser” in action

Devil’s Ruin in practice test

This is how the weapon performs in PvE: In the current season 9, pistols have started a small hype. And also Devil’s Ruin falls in line with other representatives of the category. You cut through adds, even an entire horde you can eliminate in no time.

When you encounter stronger enemies, you charge the laser and automatically refill the magazine. The Majors have little to counter the impressive fire beam.

The only issue is the ammo consumption. But since the weapon uses primary ammo, you should frequently find supplies on the battlefield.

With the recently presented Hunter pistol build, you can turn Devil’s Ruin into a true super weapon. All you need is the pistol, the exotic armor Mechanic Trick Sleeves and a risky playstyle. Read more about this strong build here:

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Here are the exact damage values of Devil’s Ruin: In the damage test against the ogre in the Lost Sector on Titan, Devil’s Ruin has these values:

  • A normal body shot deals 1,521 damage.
  • A normal headshot accounts for 2,135 damage.

In normal mode, with these values, you achieve about 11,500 DPS (damage per second). If you fire with the alternate mode, the numbers look like this:

  • A tick from the laser reaches 1,868 damage on body shots.
  • A tick of the laser causes 2,623 damage on headshots.

This way, you even achieve a DPS of a good 21,500 with the laser.

The investigation into the damage values comes from YouTuber Ehroar. In this video, you can also see the adjusted super weapon build in action:

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This is how the weapon performs in PvP: In the Crucible, the pistol performs quite well but cannot quite keep up with the top tier. In normal firing mode, you can deal significant damage to opponents at close range.

Up to a distance of about 17 meters, you maintain full damage and make it very difficult for shotgun players. With the alternate firing mode, you essentially have a hybrid of fusion and precision rifle at your disposal.

This frees up your special slot for a sniper like the Revoker. So you essentially cover all distances.

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As a member of the “300 range pistols” family, Devil’s Ruin has the following damage values against other guardians in PvP:

  • A body shot deals 35 damage.
  • A headshot causes 51 damage.

This way, you can send a guardian to the virtual afterlife in strong 0.6 seconds under optimal conditions. Even if you miss the head and only hit body shots, you still have a solid TTK (Time to Kill) of exactly 1 second.

Destiny-2-Devils-Ruin-1140x445

The charged laser can significantly improve your TTK, but it can also perform worse than the regular pistol variant. The laser deals this damage per tick:

  • On headshots, you achieve 36 damage.
  • A body shot amounts to 26 damage.

The individual damage value decreases compared to the normal mode, but the range increases to about 19 meters. Since the charge time is about 1 second, we achieve a TTK of 1.3 to 1.4 seconds.

If you manage to pre-charge the laser, meaning you actively charge it before a duel, you can drop the enemy in an astonishing 0.3 to 0.4 seconds. However, very good timing is required for this.

destiny-2-pvp

How do players perceive Devil’s Ruin?

This is what the community says about the exotic pistol: The new exotic is very well received among players of Destiny 2. Only the quest for the weapon does not meet with approval everywhere, but it can score with many thanks to a singing Lord Shaxx.

In the extensive Destiny database, light.gg, the exotic has an excellent rating of 4.6/5 (PvE) and 4.4 (PvP). Since the weapon is still brand new, this value may still change.

Currently, the discussion about the hidden perk occupies many guardians. It is being questioned whether the function is intentional by Bungie. On one hand, the activation is unusually cumbersome. On the other hand, the laser has a different, larger fire animation compared to the standard laser.

However, players agree that Bungie is on the right track with the design of the current weapon exotics. Like Symmetry, Devil’s Ruin has a creative touch, and the alternate firing mode invites experimentation.

Here we see three new exotic weapons of season 9

Have you already tested Devil’s Ruin – how do you think the weapon performs against other guardians and in PvE? Do you use the “hidden perk”?

More on the topic
Destiny 2: The Symmetry as a Masterwork – This is what the Catalyst for the Exo-Scout can do
von Philipp Hansen
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Forbes
  2. Atzecross Gaming

CoD Modern Warfare: Wall-Bangs – What is it and why is it unfair?

Sven Galitzki Sven Galitzki Reading time 2 minutes

Players in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare are currently increasingly complaining about the so-called Wall-Banging, which allows players to take out opponents at the completely opposite end of a map without even seeing them. What is going on with this?

Another glitch issue in Modern Warfare: Currently, many players are complaining about the seemingly increasing number of glitches in the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. We reported on this recently: Even for a CoD, the glitches in Modern Warfare have become too extreme

Now, players have become aware of another phenomenon that is upsetting many and annoying some – the so-called Wall-Banging.

Wall-Banging – An annoying problem in Modern Warfare

What exactly is Wall-Banging? Wall-Banging essentially means that you can eliminate an opponent through a wall or obstacle with your weapon – sometimes even when the opponent is at the completely opposite end of the map. Locations where this is possible are referred to as Wall-Bang spots.

Players find more and more such spots on many maps in the multiplayer of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. The material composition apparently plays no role – you can shoot through such spots just as easily through a solid concrete wall as through wood.

On the popular map Shoothouse, for example, players can hit enemies at the opposite end of the map and eliminate them with just a few shots – despite the enormous distance, the wall, and the obstacles in between. With appropriate attachments like Full Metal Jacket, it becomes even faster – especially in hardcore modes.

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This is why it is unfair: The fact that this is generally unfair and certainly not intended in this form hardly requires discussion. However, Wall-Banging can occasionally be not only unfair but also game-changing, as another popular clip on Reddit proves.

In that clip, an opposing team is taken out in a gunfight match on Cargo using double Wall-Banging and the briefly flashed silhouette through sniper rifles. Right at the beginning of a round and across the map, before they could even move.

So the round was immediately lost for them after the match had started. If you know such spots, the opponents essentially have no chance.

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What do the developers say about this? Several players have reported this issue to the developers. However, an official response from Infinity Ward is still pending.

It remains to be seen how Infinity Ward will respond to the increasing glitches, including this phenomenon. Until then, it remains a problem that definitely needs to be watched.

Have you also faced this problem? Which glitches annoy you the most in Modern Warfare? Let us know in the comments.

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Controller vs. Mouse – How does CoD Modern Warfare play better?
von Benedict Grothaus
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Dexerto

New insider report sheds dark light on what is happening at Blizzard

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 4 minutes

An insider report points to profound changes at Blizzard. The influence and austerity measures of Activision are said to significantly affect morale there. In particular, the Overwatch League seems to be under pressure and facing a difficult situation.

Where does the information come from? Season 3 of the Overwatch League starts in February. This is considered to be Overwatch’s “decisive season.” However, before the start of the season, it is evident that there are serious issues with the league. Two of the top casters have left the Overwatch League. Additionally, key executives have left throughout 2019.

The award-winning e-sports journalist Richard Lewis has conducted interviews with Blizzard employees and documented them in an insider report for dexerto .

WoW-Mike-Morhaime-titel
Mike Morhaime, for many: The good soul of Blizzard. He is no longer with the company.

Employees were laid off and replaced with cheaper ones

What is the problem at Blizzard? According to reports, the mood at Blizzard is “at rock bottom.” The tipping point came in February 2019: At that time, Activision Blizzard announced it would lay off 800 employees, while it was also stated that the company had achieved record revenues.

In the months since, new hires have been made, but at lower salaries. A Blizzard employee is quoted with this statement:

Everyone in the company knows exactly what is going on. Everyone with a cushy contract has been maneuvered out and replaced by a new hire who got the exact same job a few months later.

Anonymized Blizzard employee
https://twitter.com/ZerinaX/status/1145888080169074689
In June 2019, Blizzard was hiring new community managers after positions had just been cut.

Employees in Paris were offered to relocate to Ireland and work in Cork, knowing that hardly anyone would accept this offer. This way, they had a pretext to lay off employees without clashing with the unions.

Moreover, there was uncertainty among employees following the announcement that so many jobs would be cut: People knew that a third of the positions were being eliminated but did not know if their job was among them. This significantly affected morale.

Post-layoff personnel problems have led to employees

  • having to fill various roles
  • working across multiple projects
  • having to fill the gaps
Overwatch League Nate Nanzer
Overwatch League chief, Nate Nanzer, left Blizzard in May 2019. He was considered the head of the Overwatch League.

At the same time, Activision Blizzard has proven to be stingy. An employee says:

Activision has cut performance bonuses and perks. There’s no chance they can compete with the money Epic Games is spending. Simply put: They think everyone is replaceable, maybe except for Bobby Kotick.

Anonymized Blizzard employee
More on the topic
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von Cortyn

Activision aims for maximum profit from Overwatch League

These are the effects on the Overwatch League: The Overwatch League is about to start Season 3 on February 8. It is said that the pressure is high, as the league should now generate profits after high investment costs.

Companies have invested a lot of money into the league and now they want to see results.

It is said: The Overwatch League needs “big sponsors, large viewership numbers, and flawless broadcasts.”

This has led Activision Blizzard to view the Overwatch League as a “top priority” – only the executives have no idea about e-sports.

A member of the broadcast team says:

It’s telling that there’s no one who feels at home in e-sports, starting from the “Director” level or higher throughout Activision Blizzard.

Anonymized member of the Overwatch League broadcast team
Overwatch_pete-Vlasetlica
Pete Vlastelica is the CEO of Activision Blizzard eSports and the new Commissioner of the Overwatch League.

The central figure here is identified as Pete Vlasetelica, who comes from traditional television. He was previously in leadership at Fox Sports. A source of the report says:

People are really tired of working for Pete Vlastelica. The focus is solely on commercializing e-sports rather than creating good programming for the community. Many people internally blame Pete for this and it has destroyed the morale of the teams in Overwatch and Call of Duty.

Anonymized employee

The loss of Nate Nanzer to Epic Games triggered a chain reaction at Blizzard that led to further e-sports experts leaving the company. He protected the Overwatch League from excessive interference from above becoming a problem.

Without Nanzer, this interference apparently intensified: As a result, prominent casters, the figureheads of the Overwatch League, left.

Kim Phan, an important eSports person for Blizzard, left in 2019.

Activision’s austerity measures affect Blizzard’s culture

What’s behind this: All this information aligns with a trend that has been observed for several months. For example, in recent months, the European community managers working from France have announced their departure. The positions are apparently not being filled again.

There are rumors that Activision Blizzard is pursuing an austerity program on everything that is not directly related to the development of new games. Meanwhile, some of the top developers have left Blizzard.

JAllenBrack-Entschuldigung
Blizzard CEO, J. Allen Brack, seems to be in a difficult situation.

This austerity program is particularly evident in e-sports:

There are apparently high expectations for the Overwatch League to flourish in 2020, but the pressure from Activision meets increasingly poor conditions. Issues are emerging.

More on the topic
It pains me in my soul to report about Blizzard today
von Cortyn
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Overwatch: Blizzard is criticized for putting D.Va in a school uniform

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 3 minutes

D.Va from Overwatch was a symbol of a women’s movement. The community is now disappointed with Blizzard, as D.Va has increasingly become a sexual object.

The characters from Overwatch have touched the hearts of many people worldwide and occasionally even become symbols for movements. Mei became a symbol of resistance in Hong Kong. However, long before that, another group, FAMERZ, had chosen D.Va and used her as their figurehead.

D.Va was a strong, confident woman who achieved a great career, proudly defends her country, and lives self-determined. She fit so perfectly with FAMERZ’s intentions that they even renamed themselves to ‘National D.Va Association’.

However, the group’s view has since changed, and some of the newer skins released for D.Va are to blame.

What happened? According to Kotaku, many of the newer changes in the form of skins have not been well received by the movement. They believe that Blizzard is not only taking a few steps backward but is also losing all cultural understanding of what has been done to D.Va and what she now represents.

D.Va as a schoolgirl in the “Academy D.Va” skin.

Japanese fetishes are projected onto D.Va: The biggest annoyances are the two skins “Black Cat” and “Academy D.Va,” as these portray D.Va in a rather clearly sexualized context.

School uniforms are a controversial topic in South Korea, as they are clearly sexualized. Additionally, during the peak of the “#MeToo” reports in South Korea, the hashtag “#SCHOOLmetoo” was used to draw attention to sexual assaults on children at schools. A terribly inappropriate time to put D.Va in a school uniform.

Anna from FAMERZ stated in an interview with Kotaku:

I believe they are just collecting all sexual fetishes involving Asian women and applying them to D.Va because they don’t have a female Japanese hero.

Overwatch Dva Black Cat Skin
D.Va in her “Black Cat” skin.

This may very well be true, as schoolgirl outfits are particularly popular in Japan, especially in the anime (and hentai) scene. The same goes for D.Va’s “Black Cat” skin, which transforms her into a Gothic Lolita in a cat-girl look. This is also more associated with Japanese pop culture than South Korean.

Not everything was bad: However, there are also a few positive words from FAMERZ, as the “Officer D.Va” skin is said to be well done. It shows D.Va in the typical police equipment used in Korea. At first, there were concerns that D.Va would unnecessarily be put into a skirt, but when she wore pants, as police officers do in real life, it was well received.

Overwatch Dva Officer

Does Blizzard need more sensitivity? In the end, the question remains whether Blizzard should engage more with the individual cultures that their characters represent in Overwatch. Especially when there are hashtags like “#SCHOOLmetoo,” a schoolgirl outfit seems quite insensitive and feels like a slap in the face for most female players from South Korea.

What do you think about all this? Should Blizzard show more sensitivity? Is the criticism from players justified? Or is Overwatch just a game and doesn’t need to concern itself with such issues?

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von Benedict Grothaus

Mehr zu Overwatch: Auf unserer Overwatch-Seite auf Facebook findet Ihr auch weitere News und Specials zum Spiel. Auf der Suche nach Mitspielern? Besucht unsere Overwatch-Gruppe auf Facebook und sucht dort nach Mitspielern.

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

What has become of the MMO that wanted to be like Breaking Bad?

Alexander Leitsch Alexander Leitsch Reading time 3 minutes

The indie MMO Identity wants to take you into a real-life world and provide a new gaming experience. The ambitious MMO entered Early Access at the end of 2018. But where does it stand today?

What is Identity? Identity is an MMO and simultaneously a life simulation. You play in a world that aims to come as close to reality as possible and is set in a fictional American state.

Instead of orcs, elves, or other fantasy creatures, you will encounter people wandering through cities, buying houses, and going to work.

Identity sounds interesting because it has some innovative ideas:

  • You can join the police or the criminals. This is meant to give the game a PvP component.
  • Your character evolves over time and learns many skills, especially in crafting. As a cook, you prepare food for a city, as a drug dealer, meth and other substances.
  • You start small with drug production in your garage and should work your way up to a well-known drug baron. A trailer is inspired by the successful series Breaking Bad.
  • Housing is also expected to play a significant role in Identity.
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Early Access since 2018

What happened to Identity? On November 30, 2018, the MMO launched as Buy2Play in Early Access on Steam. The game was in a very early phase at launch but communicated from the beginning that the game would be released in several modules:

  • Module 1 was the social part, where you could explore a city, enter houses, and watch YouTube videos in-game.
  • The SWAT module, which was supposed to bring PvP and additional content, was planned for 2019.
  • The racing module is scheduled to be completed in 2020.
  • The release is expected to take place in 2021.
Ingame screenshot of Identity
Ingame screenshot of Identity

How was the MMO received? Right at launch on Steam, the game received 69 positive and 111 negative reviews. The main points of criticism were:

  • Poor character editor
  • Technical issues
  • Little gameplay content outside of exploring the city

The positive reviews referred to the potential of the game and the clear communication that the first module mainly contains social features.

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von Alexander Leitsch

2019 started well, ends without promised update

What happened in 2019 in Identity? The year 2019 began with an update that brought smaller, new content. Players can now grow marijuana themselves and explore new areas of the city.

As announced, work was done on the SWAT content. In May, the developers presented a video showing the combat system and weapons of Identity. However, these contents have not made it into the game yet.

The police as a faction

What happened after the video? Since the release of the video, there has been almost silence. Neither on the official website, nor on Steam or YouTube have the developers commented.

Only in the game’s Discord was there a brief message that developments are delayed for financial reasons, but work on the SWAT content is still ongoing.

Identity has the problem that it is very ambitious. It has already been compared to Star Citizen. However, the financial situations of the MMOs are quite different:

  • Identity raised “only” $188,000 on Kickstarter. We do not know how much was raised through Early Access.
  • Star Citizen has now raised over $250 million through crowdfunding.

As early as 2018, we suspected at MeinMMO that Identity might struggle at this hurdle.

Screenshot of the city

Will Identity survive 2020?

What happens in 2020? We still do not know how the MMO Identity will proceed. However, it is possible that the SWAT update will bring enough good content for the MMO to experience a resurgence.

However, the developers would need to comment and release the update. The lack of communication makes players anxious.

It is therefore also possible that Identity will not survive 2020.

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