Google Stadia launched on 11/19 and fans are now arguing on the internet. Many criticize Google’s poor service, while others emphasize that Stadia itself is really good.
These are the issues with the service: Although many pre-order customers have already received their Stadia devices, they still cannot use them. Instead, they have to wait for an email from Google containing a code to log in.
Users do not understand how a huge company like Google can provide such poor service. Without the code, they cannot use the hardware. One user wrote on Reddit:
I’m sitting here with a 130 dollar device and it is useless until they send me an email. Truly incomprehensible for such a large company.
There are also pre-order customers who complain that Stadia has not yet been delivered. However, Google has already charged the money from their accounts.
What other problems are there with the code? Some buyers are also disappointed because without the Stadia code, they cannot choose a unique username for themselves. After all, Google advertised during the pre-order that the name would be something special. One Reddit user writes:
I pre-ordered Stadia in June and others who ordered later are already playing. And my desired name is probably already taken. I really feel like a loser.
What disappointed buyers expect: On Reddit, some of the disappointed and deceived players now expect compensation for Google’s mistakes.
A free game or at least an extension of the Stadia Pro subscription included in the pre-order is being demanded. However, Google has yet to comment on this.
Players say: “Great technology”
Google Stadia advertises that it is hardware-independent. You can play on both PC and smartphone.
This works well with Stadia: There are also users who have already received their package with code and controller and can play. With the technology behind the streaming service, players are positively surprised. For instance, Reddit user Lamushi writes:
I played Stadia in the Chrome browser and to be honest, it runs smoothly! I have no problems or lags and I have a 200mbit internet connection. Did I mention that I’m also downloading a PS4 game?
Other players are also positively surprised and share how well the technology works. User ctodReddit writes: “I played for several hours last night. And the first impressions are great. I was even able to use my Xbox One controller wirelessly, which is a nice surprise.”
Stadia players: “I don’t need a high-end PC anymore”
Others praise the technology for allowing them to play games without issues even at high settings, even if they do not own a gaming PC.
Reddit user getemacidoutofmybody writes for example, that he searched for a decent gaming PC for a long time but would have had to pay at least over 1000 dollars, not including the monitor. And that wouldn’t even be enough for 4K. With Google Stadia, he can now play 4K without investing a lot of money.
He also adds that he can now even play Windows games on his old MacBook: “There are so many ways to play Windows games on a MacBook, but it has never been easier.”
More info about Google Stadia? Then check out our overview article. Here you will find all the important information about Google Stadia:
For this year, it seems that Fortnite still has quite a bit planned. They are even delaying the end of Season 1 in Chapter 2.
What has been delayed? The current season has allowed players to dive into Chapter 2, but this season was supposed to be coming to an end. However, Epic has now postponed the end because they have more planned for the time before it.
When does Season 1 end? There is no exact date yet. However, Season 1 is supposed to end in February 2020, which would be significantly longer than previous seasons.
Is Epic planning something big for Christmas?
What has been announced: On their website, Epic promises players “more content for you to unwrap, as well as new gameplay features, free rewards, and a live experience that you won’t want to miss” for this year.
Christmas is often the time for events – but it is quiet in the gaming world around New Year’s Eve.
Because all this requires a lot of preparation, Epic is delaying the upcoming season and thereby extending the current one.
What could we expect? Last year, the game featured tasks for “14 Days of Fortnite”. Each day there was a new task to complete. Something similar could be expected this year as well.
However, since Epic has also announced a live event, it could be something bigger this time. Live events usually happen mostly at the end of a season. For instance, there was a battle between robot and monster or the destruction of the old map.
What else can we expect in Season 1? The current season is significantly longer than the seasons of the previous chapter due to the extension. Previously, there were always extension tasks so players had something to do towards the end.
Something similar could also be expected this time. However, there are different weekly tasks in Chapter 2, called missions here. More missions could appear up until the season ends.
There is also a new patch in Fortnite. We will tell you what has changed:
There has been intense discussion about the matchmaking in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare for some time. It is unclear which system the new CoD installment uses, and the developers remain silent. Now, two CoD experts have tested the matchmaking themselves, and here’s what they found.
This only leads to further debates. Many wish for a player search based on connection quality. For some, it would already be acceptable if the developers would even talk about it.
What kind of matchmaking does Modern Warfare use now? This is a question that well-known YouTubers and CoD experts Drift0r and TheXclusiveAce have asked themselves and taken matters into their own hands.
Based on their own tests, the two tried to find out exactly how player search works in Modern Warfare 2019. And it apparently works differently than many players assume.
Famous YouTubers test the matchmaking in CoD Modern Warfare
How was it tested? Both used three different accounts for the tests.
one with poor stats and K/D ratios
one average account in terms of performance
and one with good, or in Drift0r’s case, outstanding stats
They entered five different matches with each of their three accounts and recorded info about all other players in the lobby – including stats such as player level, K/D, win/loss ratio, average points per minute, and more.
In short: They gathered info from 30 lobbies to determine whether the matchmaking in the new Modern Warfare uses SBMM, i.e. skill-based matchmaking.
These are the results: Here you will find an overview of all important insights gained during the tests:
The matchmaking in Modern Warfare does not prioritize skill over connection. It prioritizes the best/fastest available server.
Players with good stats and a high K/D are not necessarily grouped together.
It seems that Modern Warfare tends to match players of similar ranks/levels with each other.
Sometimes players are grouped based on their recent performances. However, this refers to the latest performances from the last few matches (likely from the last 5), not the overall performance of a player.
It is also apparent that some form of matchmaking rating is active. This system is partially responsible for which players are grouped in a lobby.
What does this mean now? Contrary to the widespread belief that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare relies on SBMM, the results show that Modern Warfare rather focuses on the best server. No skill-based matchmaking is used – at least not purely.
Because both YouTubers agree that at least some form of matchmaking rating is active. This would be based on specific stats and sometimes ensures that players with similar stats are matched in a lobby. This would cause some games to feel more “skill-focused” at times.
However, currently only the developers know exactly how the matchmaking in Modern Warfare is structured and which criteria it considers. And they remain silent about this as well. It remains exciting to see if there will ever be an official statement from Infinity Ward regarding this matter. However, with the recent test results, there is now at least a slightly better insight into the mechanics of player search used.
The tests in the video: Here you can find the videos of both YouTubers about their experiment:
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Google Stadia is now available and the first user experiences and reviews are coming in. So how do the readers of MeinMMO feel about it?
What is currently happening with Stadia? The cloud-based gaming platform from Google has been online since yesterday. This allows users to play directly on Google’s server, bypassing their own hardware, and essentially “have a PC provided”.
The launch line-up of games for Stadia was updated shortly before release. Instead of the originally planned 12 games, the service launched with 22 games. Big names like Metro Exodus and Final Fantasy XV are on the list.
The state of Google Stadia: The gaming media have also had the opportunity to test Google’s new platform and have shared their experiences.
The reactions have been mixed so far. The colleagues from Forbes describe Stadia as a “technical disaster“, while Nils Raettig from GameStar believes that Stadia is currently the best solution for cloud gaming, even though it has its problems.
With Stadia you can stream the available games regardless of hardware
The advantages of Stadia are:
Independence from personal hardware
Independence from the operating system
No updates
Short loading times
These are the disadvantages of Stadia:
No crossplay
Too few games at launch, no new titles included
Good internet connection is necessary
No mod support
But what do you think about Google Stadia? Have you been able to make your own experiences with it? Or would you rather wait for the first reviews? Have the reviews changed your opinion? Vote and tell us in the comments!
Today, on 20th November, Epic Games released the patch notes for the new Fortnite update 11.20. We will show you the changes and new content.
This is included in the new update 11.20: The update brings some changes to the game, such as the new feature to find a selection in the locker even faster.
Additionally, an item has been brought back that you need for the Alter Ego challenges.
Bandage Bazooka returns
Which item is coming back? The Bandage Bazooka was removed from the game due to a bug that caused synchronization issues.
Now it has returned with update 11.20. This is particularly important, as some players still need to complete an Alter Ego challenge with it.
This shows the Bandage Bazooka in action.
New feature for locker selection
What is this feature? With the last update, a feature was added that allows you to search for cosmetics in detail in the locker.
Now the feature is getting an upgrade: You can now search for season items. Simply enter the name of the season in the search field to find the desired items faster.
The daily challenges return
What are these missions? In the past seasons, you received 1 challenge daily, which could accumulate up to 3, in addition to the weekly missions. One task could be replaced daily, granting you a different challenge.
Now, after update 11.20, these daily missions are back. This allows you to earn some additional experience points.
The graphics improve on PC
How is the graphics improved? The PC version of Fortnite now supports Microsoft DirectX 12. This is supposed to increase FPS performance and prepare Fortnite for the future.
What is new? In creative mode, you can now create your own nerve-wracking game modes with the new “Time Target” item. This device counts down the time while you are in a match.
The new map marker: With this device, you can mark and name the locations you create on the island. So let your creativity run wild!
New eerie crypts: Rumors suggest that there is a forbidden area in Hexsylvania. On the way there, it is said that new weapons and recruits can be discovered. On the exploration tour, there are magical keys and golden coins.
The Swamp Knight: A mysterious hero whose otherworldly gift gives him an advantage over the fog monsters. Increases damage against fog monsters by 45%.
Swamp Monster “Ken”: A freshwater melee master who inflicts massive damage to opponents in melee combat thanks to his “From the Depths” advantage.
Battle Breakers crossover: Battle Breakers is now available. Monsters from outer space are holding the world’s greatest heroes captive, and the heroes from Save the World are joining the fight! Complete missions to unlock Save the World content in Battle Breakers and receive the Blade Master Razor as a reward.
The grind for Artifact power annoys players of World of Warcraft. But it looks like that might soon be a thing of the past – as early as Patch 8.3.
At BlizzCon, Blizzard announced that in the next expansion “Shadowlands”, farming Artifact power would be a thing of the past. But apparently, this grind will stop a bit earlier. The latest version of Patch 8.3 Visions of N’Zoth has removed an “infinite” trait. This makes farming Artifact power almost unnecessary.
What has changed? Until the last update, there was an “infinite” trait in Patch 8.3. This allowed players, starting from Heart of Azeroth Level 85, to unlock additional bonuses with each level. It increased the resistance against corruption so that players could equip more corrupted items. It was therefore necessary to level the Heart of Azeroth further so that this resistance against corruption would continue to increase. It directly contributed to the strength of the character.
In the latest version of the patch, this trait has been removed. The Heart of Azeroth no longer provides new, passive effects starting at Level 80 that would be particularly important.
The increased resistance against corruption can instead be acquired from the final boss N’Zoth or in the horrific visions, allowing players to upgrade the legendary cloak week by week.
Why is Blizzard changing this? Blizzard revealed in a post that they want to implement player feedback and agree with it. They say:
We have heard players’ feedback and agree that there is value in reaching a point where you no longer have to collect Artifact power.
What else does Artifact power bring? In Patch 8.3, farming Artifact power is only worthwhile for 10 levels – from Level 70 to 80. Then the Heart of Azeroth has received all meaningful upgrades. After that, further levels provide no significant advantage; they merely increase the item level of the neck by 2 points. This is such a minimal improvement that makes farming almost unnecessary. Thus, when the Heart of Azeroth reaches Level 80 in Patch 8.3, you can stop farming Artifact power.
How are players reacting to this? Players mostly welcome this change. In the comments on wowhead and reddit, there’s a lot of positive discussion. For instance, Wasselin says:
That’s good. The fact that there was still an infinite grind after the discussion at BlizzCon was quite surprising.
Or from AlakeiThancan:
Thank the gods, Blizzard finally understood that nobody wants an infinite grind in a game with 12 classes.
Furorion helps us to upgrade the cloak.
However, there are also a few players who find it annoying that leveling the Heart still provides any bonus, no matter how small it is. They still feel obliged to continually level the Heart. Lostelf writes:
So instead of fixing the issues, they shift half the bonuses of leveling into a raid… but still allow us to level the Heart? What purpose does that serve? Make it stop leveling at Level 80 and that’s it.
What do you think about this change? A step in the right direction? Or is it not well thought out?
Diablo 4 will offer so-called Keyed Dungeons that are part of the endgame and are meant to challenge you significantly. But how do they differ from the Greater Rifts in Diablo 3?
What are Keyed Dungeons?Diablo 4 aims to provide you with hundreds of dungeons that you can explore in the endgame. You will revisit the dungeons repeatedly. Using special keys, you can transform them into endgame dungeons known as Keyed Dungeons. Depending on the key, you will face different challenges that are supposed to make even high-level players sweat, but in return, they offer valuable loot.
Keyed Dungeons versus Greater Rifts
How do the keys work? During your adventures in the open world of Diablo 4, you will find keys repeatedly. These belong to specific dungeons. If you use a key on a dungeon, it will become a Keyed Dungeon. Depending on the key, the dungeon will have a specific difficulty level and special affixes.
The affixes represent special challenges. They are something you must master, which makes them unique to these Keyed Dungeons.
How do Keyed Dungeons differ from the Greater Rifts in Diablo 3? The Greater Rifts, also known as Grifts, function similarly by offering you special challenges at high levels, but there is a crucial difference.
In Diablo 4, the dungeons are places in the world, and you can gather a lot of information about them. They are not other dimensions that surprise you with the content.
How do the dungeons challenge you? You can inform yourself about the dungeon, the monsters within, the layout, and the events in advance. The key will also indicate how difficult the dungeon will be to master and which affixes the key adds.
This allows you to better prepare for the dungeon. You can devise strategies and equip yourself accordingly in advance. You need to assemble a build with which you can effectively master the dungeon. It’s essential to continuously adapt your hero to the affixes of the dungeons, and mastering each build is important so you can choose the perfect one. The endgame dungeons in Diablo 4 will demand everything from you.
Players are excited
What players think about Keyed Dungeons: Overall, the idea is quite well received, although there are opinions that this system is heavily inspired by World of Warcraft.
Thunderclaw states on Reddit: “I like the direction of Keyed Dungeons. They resemble WoW Mythic Dungeons more, where you know what the specific monsters and challenges are, so you can equip and specialize properly.”
Peteyonline, on the other hand, writes: “Don’t you mind that it’s exactly the same as WoW M+ Dungeons? Not just “a bit”, they literally took the concept and brought it to Diablo, which means the loot will always be the same exact pieces, only scaled with the dungeon’s difficulty. This takes the identity away from the items and makes you just search for a higher number instead of getting something unique.”
What do you think about Keyed Dungeons? Do you like the concept?
Developer David Kim talked about the endgame of the upcoming action RPG Diablo 4. But Blizzard wants to include player feedback to meaningfully shape thousands of hours of endgame content.
What does the endgame of Diablo 4 currently look like? The hunt for better items also plays a major role in Diablo 4. In addition, there is the leveling of the character and the increasing power that comes with it.
In the endgame of Diablo 4, you will continue to improve your hero and look for new items.
David Kim is asking for player advice to fill thousands of hours of endgame meaningfully. What could a leveling system look like for this?
An Endgame with Open Questions
What are the plans for items in the endgame? Blizzard wants to provide more opportunities for you to customize your items while giving more value to your decisions. This means you need to think more about how you improve an item and what exactly that improvement means.
Additionally, Ancient Items are coming to Diablo 4. Their role is still somewhat unclear. They are supposed to be extremely powerful objects. However, David Kim explains that players were somewhat confused when Ancient Items were announced.
Blizzard now needs to consider what role these items will actually play and then communicate that accordingly.
What about leveling your hero? Blizzard is currently considering whether there should be a fixed level cap or if you should be able to develop your hero infinitely. Both systems have pros and cons. Kim is asking how a leveling system should look if you play for thousands of hours:
A fixed level cap means a goal that players can achieve. It also provides a sense of accomplishment and power. But what happens when the level cap is reached? Do you just raise it with an update?
An infinite level-up offers players constant motivation to keep playing. But how powerful will the player become? How powerful will items and other sources from which the character derives power remain? Will items eventually become irrelevant because the player has already become too powerful through leveling up?
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Here’s how you can help: Blizzard states that both systems have their appeal and that you can incorporate things to prevent making players too powerful through endless leveling. A system like this should not fail for that reason.
According to David Kim, Blizzard does not want to make this decision alone, and therefore asks the community for advice on the endgame of Diablo 4. The community is already actively discussing this.
What are players saying right now? There’s a heated discussion taking place. The majority currently seems to lean towards having a level cap. However, there are supporters on both sides.
Weaslelord writes on Reddit: “A finite, logarithmic power scaling is the way to go. Make sure the game has enough interesting aspects so that players have enough goals. Infinite leveling systems are a boring reward/progression system.”
jy3 counters: “Infinite XP that does NOT grant power seems to be the perfect solution to make everyone happy. David and his team have succeeded.”
What do you think? Would you like to level up forever in Diablo 4, or should there be a level cap?
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is getting a new crossover. This time, “Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds” is on the program. As a reward, you will receive a weapon that should be familiar to Aloy fans.
What kind of event is this? A new crossover is coming to Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. This time it will be as icy as the expansion, because “The Frozen Wilds” is upcoming. This is the frosty addon of the popular game “Horizon Zero Dawn”, in which the heroine Aloy embarks on a new adventure.
The heroine Aloy in “The Frozen Wilds”
When does the crossover start? It kicks off for German console players on November 22 at 1 AM with “Part 1”. In December 2019, the event will continue with “Part 2”. It will run until January 9, 2020.
The event and Aloy’s “Stormslinger Prototype”
What do you get for the event? If you complete the event, you will receive “Banuk Warrior Symbols”. You need to collect these to craft the light bowgun “Stormslinger Prototype”.
This is the weapon “Stormslinger Prototype”
The design and name are based on a weapon that can also be obtained in “Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds”. The prototype can be further developed in Monster Hunter World. However, you will have to wait until December when the crossover is expected to be continued according to the Monster Hunter World roadmap.
What else can you get? There is also a charm for your weapons. The decoration is called “Focus” and is also available for the “Banuk Warrior Symbols”.
What does the event quest entail? If you want to get these badges, you have to hunt a Zinogre in the Frost Islands. So make sure to check the strengths and weaknesses of the monster.
This will be your opponent – Zinogre
Are there prerequisites for the event? For the crossover, you need the Iceborne expansion. PC players will have to wait until next year. You must also have reached Master Rank 24 or higher. You should have accomplished that after completing your story.
How you can get the new weapon and more tips for the event can be found here:
Our author Schuhmann is having problems with Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC, all the issues you can imagine. A PC game hasn’t caused this many headaches in years.
PC gaming is no longer as bad as many console players imagine and as it was for me in the past.
Ten years ago, I regularly sat with a screwdriver in front of my computer to fix something: A fan was clogged, a contact was loose.
This is what the “clean” version of a PC repair looks like. Mine was always much worse.
There were Windows reinstalls, I had to defragment hard drives regularly, power supplies didn’t have enough power after a graphics card upgrade – all that stuff.
Everything was great until I met Red Dead Redemption 2
But with my new computer, I haven’t had any problems for years. The only thing I still regularly do is install graphics card drivers and occasionally check and clean the registry.
My PC is completely oversized for everything I play on it. The games have been running smoothly for years.
My screwdriver has been unemployed since then.
At least that was the case until Red Dead Redemption 2 landed on my hard drive.
Just the installation took hours and crashed multiple times.
That was a launch error that many had: like Twitch streamer JERICHO.
Because I wanted to play desperately, I searched for a solution to the startup problems of RDR2, rummaged through forums, followed the advice, and somehow got Red Dead Redemption 2 to run in windowed mode and with DirectX 12 instead of Vulkan.
That’s the old illusion: If I tweak something on the 50 different sliders in the menu – reduce shadow quality or something, it suddenly runs much better.
After the change, the game ran, but I had the worst graphic glitches. Strange flickering at the bottom of the screen – I felt like I was back in the early 90s.
When Red Dead Redemption 2 ran somewhat stably after initial patches, I noticed stuttering – the game just froze for several seconds. The audio track continued to play, but nothing else happened.
Despite great graphics and an exciting story, the stuttering ruined any sense of immersion when the world suddenly stood still for 8 seconds.
When the stuttering was finally fixed after a patch, I wanted to play online – but the game randomly crashed again and again. Online, nothing worked. So I continued with the story, which was just starting to bring me joy.
Once I tried something myself – immediately messed up
The latest problems with Red Dead Redemption 2 were then on my account. For 2 days, the game crashed because “virtual memory” was missing. It wouldn’t even load anymore.
I was about to throw Red Dead Redemption 2 against the wall for good, then I realized that earlier, when I wanted to clean up the registry, I had removed the auto-start program.
I had removed a program that managed the SSD hard drive. I never understood what that thing did. Now I know: It also regulates the virtual memory and ensures that my PC functions as it should.
Without the program in the autostart, Red Dead Redemption 2 no longer worked. While I could play everything else wonderfully, Red Dead Redemption 2 didn’t work.
The only thing I still tinker with on the PC only made it worse! Okay, that was my fault.
But what is Rockstar’s fault: Every time RDR2 crashes and I want to log back into the Rockstar Launcher, I have to do some captcha work and find buses, crosswalks, or traffic lights. I feel like an idiot every time because I never know if that picture that shows 99% landscape and 1% traffic light still counts as a traffic light or not.
Captcha also simply claims: No, that’s not it. Try again, you robot-dude.
Even worse is that my colleague Patrick Freese says: He has no idea what my problem is. For him, Red Dead Redemption 2 runs perfectly – and has since day one.
Maybe this is the game’s revenge on me for daring to doubt it before the PC release.
In Pokémon GO there are new raid bosses thanks to the very effective week. This time, the focus is on 3-star raids, as there are a total of 16 different Pokémon.
That’s why the bosses are changing: The “very effective week” event is here and brings new raid bosses along with Shiny Tentacha. This will be the main focus, as there is a guaranteed Charged TM in each 3-star raid.
Pokémon with an asterisk (*) can also be found in their Shiny form.
This is noticeable this time: The focus is entirely on the Level-3 Raids. You can battle a total of 16 different bosses and catch more Pokémon than ever before.
If you need Charged TMs, you should also do the 3-star raids. There are guaranteed Charged TMs in each raid.
This Pokémon is rare: You can find Kastadur in the 3-star raids. This Pokémon is from Generation 5 and is very rarely found in the wild. Mainly it is in 10 km eggs.
Now you can challenge it in the Level-3 Raids and secure some candies for its evolution. However, you don’t need more than the evolution. The evolution, Tentantel, is not really strong.
Which raid bosses are worth it? Apart from the numerous possible Shinies, there are also some bosses that are good in the Pokémon GO meta. These include Despotar and Psiana, as well as the evolutions of Keifel, Tanhel, and Sichlor.
How long are these bosses available? The bosses have only changed as part of the event. They will be available until November 26 at 10 PM. After that, there will be completely new bosses, as Terrakium will also come into Level-5 Raids.
Have you heard about this find by the data miners?
In Destiny 2, the Vex Offensive: Last Stand is now the final content for Season 8. However, this hyped content disappoints many players (at least so far) and seems almost lazy in the eyes of our author Sven.
In this endgame activity for 6 players (with matchmaking), players face several waves of Vex in the Black Garden before they confront a final boss. The Last Stand now replaces the previously “regular” Vex Offensive.
That’s why I was looking forward to it: A sort of hype arose around the Vex Offensive: Last Stand. Ikora has been building a Vex Portal in the Tower with the help of Guardians for weeks, with which we were supposed to confront the Immortal Spirit, a Vex boss, as part of the Last Stand. Many were curious about what it would ultimately entail. So was I.
Already before Season 8, Bungie announced that during each future season, something should happen that would then be resolved at the end of the respective season. Additionally, Bungie promised a developing world, and the portal was a visible part of that. Now, all of this culminated.
Accordingly, many Guardians speculated about what would happen once the portal was finally completed and we went hunting for the new Vex boss. Many were looking forward to a sort of potential season finale or at least a lead-in to the end.
This is what the Guardians expected: Some hoped for a new mission, others for an updated mode for the Vex Offensive with new mechanics, some for a new Strike, and others for a community challenge like just before Shadowkeep on Mars.
Ultimately, it was said that we would use the portal to hunt the Immortal Spirit across all timelines where it has nested. And there should be a considerable number of these.
This is why Vex Offensive: Last Stand disappoints
This is how the Last Stand is received: When the content finally went live, however, many – probably most, including myself – were disappointed. Even many players who approached the endeavor with very subdued expectations shook their heads. But why?
This is how the Last Stand runs: The Last Stand has now replaced the regular Vex Offensive. But otherwise, in principle, nothing has changed:
The recommended power level and the modifiers remain the same.
The first two encounters are exactly identical to the regular version.
The final boss was simply replaced by the Immortal Spirit. But even there, the fight mechanics remain the same – except for the typical rotating shield of the huge Hydra.
Vex skulls are used to shoot down the shield, after which damage can be done to the boss. This process may need to be repeated multiple times.
There are no special rewards (except for an emblem), and there is no pinnacle gear.
Even story-wise, nothing has changed (so far?). There are some new dialogue lines where we are told to eliminate the hundreds or thousands of copies of the Immortal Spirit that are now wreaking havoc in the Black Garden. But otherwise, everything is still the same.
Guardians can’t actually use the portal in the Tower. Instead of starting the Last Stand via the Vex Gate in the Tower, it’s “teleported” using a probe into the Black Garden, summoning the Immortal Spirit there instead of the regular boss.
By the way, this boss, in my opinion (and according to reports from other Guardians) is even simpler than the previous final boss of the Vex Offensive, meaning there isn’t even a new or tougher challenge.
In summary: The potential season finale or a slow transition to the next season hoped for by some is still absent.
Is there more to come? Some Guardians still speculate about this, as otherwise, the Last Stand of the Vex Offensive would be a complete disappointment.
Ultimately, Bungie announced that actions during a season would be resolved at the end and/or lead into the next season – and this has definitely not happened so far. There was only a new boss – nothing more. It is certainly conceivable that something will happen with this yet.
Some fans hope that the hunt for the Immortal Spirit could trigger events that lead into the next season. Some Guardians assume that the community must defeat the Immortal Spirit often enough for the story to progress. So far, however, it’s all pure speculation.
This is why the Last Stand is the biggest disappointment of Season 8 for me: What disappoints me particularly: The Last Stand, in my opinion, almost evidences laziness on Bungie’s part.
Not only has the boss of the activity simply been replaced and nothing else has changed – there are also clearly evident traces of pure copy-paste with the Immortal Spirit.
The Spirit occasionally sends out explosive drones that track players and detonate upon approach. Many Guardians might recognize the drones from the Menagerie. But if anyone still has doubts:
If you are sent to the virtual afterlife by these, it states that you were eliminated by Pagouri. Pagouri is the Vex Hydra boss from the Menagerie and not the Immortal Spirit. So they simply copied the data here and didn’t even bother to adjust it for the “new” boss.
Though other new activities from Season 8 like the Nightmare Hunts also offer little – especially compared to the Menagerie from Season 7 – the Vex Offensive disappoints particularly.
If you received a good roll of the now overall 6 weapons from the loot pool, there is hardly any reason to engage with this activity further. Unfortunately, the Last Stand changes little in this regard – at least so far. After defeating the new boss once (or 3 times for the achievement), there still is no reason to endure this activity, which is very monotonous in the long run.
For me, the Vex Offensive, at least with the Last Stand, is the biggest disappointment of the entire Season 8. And looking at the comments on Reddit, I probably am not alone in this.
Consequently, I hope that something happens with the Vex Offensive in the coming weeks and that Bungie can achieve a good transition to the next season. But after the comments from Community Manager Cozmo, I currently find it hard to believe.
He stated in response to a fan: “Sorry that you found it disappointing. We will forward everyone’s feedback to the team. Let us know what you liked, what you didn’t, and what could be improved for future seasons.” So it doesn’t seem like something significant is coming our way.
Guiding for future seasons? Generally, I am somewhat concerned about the future of Destiny 2 and the new season model if content like the Vex Offensive or the Nightmare Hunts represents what awaits us in the future.
This season, such weak activities and content were still mitigated for many by Shadowkeep. But in the next season, this will be different. There won’t be any larger expansion to cushion the season.
At the latest then, Destiny 2 could face a content problem that the new model was supposed to avoid. Because I doubt that activities of such quality can motivate and entertain players in the long run.
What do you think of the Last Stand of the Vex Offensive? A disappointment or did you not expect more? How do you think Season 8 will end?
The POTM election in FIFA 20 has a result: Serge Gnabry is the Player of the Month for October. How strong is the card?
This is the POTM: Every month, the Bundesliga “Player of the Month” or “POTM” is chosen. In the first round, Robert Lewandowski prevailed, followed by Amine Harit.
In October, Bayern player Serge Gnabry won the election. The competition included Robert Lewandowski, Goncalo Pacienca, Filip Kostic, William, and Benjamin Hübner.
https://twitter.com/EAFussball
How strong will Gnabry’s POTM card be
This is Gnabry’s card: Serge Gnabry already has a rating of 84 in his normal form. The POTM variant gets a total of 3 rating points on top. There are significant upgrades in dribbling, shooting, passing, and physicality.
Gnabry is already considered one of the best wingers in the game. There is hardly anything comparable in the Bundesliga. The new card should mean a significant upgrade for any Bundesliga team in FUT. In career mode, Gnabry is one of the best talents.
This is what the POTM Gnabry SBC looks like
What you need to do: To get POTM Gnabry, you need to complete three partial SBCs. It’s not entirely easy, but the requirements are largely fair considering the card.
Three teams need to be redeemed. The first challenge requires an 83-rated team with 70 chemistry that includes a TOTW player and a player from Germany.
Team 2 requires an 84-rated team, 65 team chemistry, a TOTW player, and a Bundesliga player. For Team 3, you just need to redeem a squad with an 85 rating and 60 team chemistry.
Is the SBC worth it? Overall yes. The Gnabry SBC is listed at futbin, where you can also find some suggestions, for about 180,000 coins. However, this is likely due to the early phase of the solutions. The price is probably settling at around 150,000. The only drawback: The reward packs in the challenge are not exactly outstanding.
Also popular SBCs are the Flashback Challenges. Who could get a Flashback card in FIFA 20? Some suggestions:
The LoL streamer Tyler “Tyler1” Steinkamp was determined to reach the “Challenger” rank in Season 9 of League of Legends. He streamed 80 hours of LoL and failed. Yet, in the last 7 days, there was no more successful channel than his on Twitch.
This was his goal: The Season 9 of League of Legends ended on November 19. Tyler1 aimed to climb one more rank. He wanted to go from “Grandmaster” to “Challenger”.
The rank “Challenger” is the highest rank in League of Legends, with only 300 players allowed to be Challenger in one of the major regions at the same time. The 301st is already “Grandmaster.” Challenger is LoL at its highest level.
Tyler1 is indeed a strong LoL player, but he doesn’t always keep his composure, and in the “Solo Queue,” you are also reliant on good random teammates.
Tyler1 would have needed a “really good run” to achieve this: He would have needed to win more games than he lost.
By the end of the marathon, he was far from his goal and had reached a state where he was completely frustrated. He applauded Riot Games for the season and cursed at teammates and opponents.
The Twitch Streams Keep Getting Longer
How much did Tyler stream? From November 15, he had four marathon streams (via sullygnome):
15.8 hours – then there was an 8-hour break
17.5 hours – then another 9-hour break
18.8 hours – then 7-hour break
30 hours
In the last 30-hour stream, according to a post on reddit, he played 19 to 29. In the end, he lost much more than he won.
Tyler1 is known for his play with Draven.
So Close to the Goal
This is how the streams went: The bitter part was that Tyler1 was at one point only one win away from achieving his goal and finishing the season as a Challenger.
But he lost that match. This set off a spiral that gradually made him “tilt”. However, he could not stop: He had to become Challenger.
He later returned to that crucial match as “the point at which everything went wrong.”
In the stream, there are several scenes where the streamer apparently loses it and loses control. One moment where he can be seen completely tilting can be found here.
Tyler1 convinces himself that other players are hunting him because he is so well-known. They want to provoke him on purpose. He watches a scene of another player killing him and then purposely shouts: “Now the dwarf will get upset.”
According to Tyler1, his opponents are always like that. They intentionally hunt him and ruin his streak.
His Fans Enjoy the Event
How it’s received: Tyler1 is an extraordinary Twitch streamer. Fans appreciate his savage humor.
No one knows: Is he really as angry as he seems at the moment, or is that part of his show? Tyler1 plays with the image of the raging, muscular maniac who is about to rip someone’s head off.
Tyler1’s fans enjoy seeing him struggle. He can get upset like few others. The fans clearly had fun during the marathon.
The stream was extremely successful overall. In the last 7 days, no channel was watched more than Tyler1’s.
With 2.38 million hours viewed in the last 7 days, he is far ahead of all other Twitch channels.
Who was Brad McQuaid? In the field of MMORPGs, Brad McQuaid was considered a veteran. He became known for his work on the MMORPG Everquest, which is based on his design and which he developed for Sony Online Entertainment.
Later, he developed Vanguard: Saga of Heroes with his own company, Sigil Games, but returned to Sony after they purchased the assets of Vanguard. McQuaid eventually worked again on the Everquest series before parting ways with SOE again in 2013 and announcing the MMORPG Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen in 2014.
The team behind the MMORPG Pantheon mourns the deceased Brad McQuaid (center).
Farewell to a developer legend
When did Brad McQuaid pass away? The designer unexpectedly died on November 18, 2019, at the age of 51. The cause of death is currently unknown. He apparently passed away suddenly during the night.
The team requests that Brad McQuaid’s family be given privacy during this difficult time.
Reactions from colleagues and friends: The sudden death of Brad McQuaid is a shock to many.
“It breaks my heart to write this – Brad McQuaid has passed away,” tweeted former SOE president John Smedley. “Brad was an incredibly talented creator and EverQuest would not exist without his genius. We will miss him.”
MMO developer Raph Koster, who also worked at SOE, said: “Shocked and saddened to hear that Brad McQuaid aka @Aradune has passed away. A big-hearted guy who loved games and the worlds he built. So many memories of design discussions with him over the years. He was so proud of @PantheonMMO. Way too soon. ? RIP Brad, you will be missed.”
SOE producer Scott Hartsman wrote: “Oh no. Brad was a friend and an icon in our world of world-building. Just in disbelief. My heartfelt condolences to his family as well as to the families of @PantheonMMO and @EverQuest.”
The team is shaken but continues
What do his colleagues at Pantheon say? The team that Brad McQuaid worked with on the MMORPG Pantheon is also in shock.
The official Twitter account released the message: “With deep regret and profound sorrow, we share that Brad McQuaid, Chief Creative Officer of Visionary Realms, passed away last night in his home. Brad was a visionary, a mentor, an artist, a pioneer, a friend, a husband, a father. He touched thousands of lives with his dreams and concepts. He changed the landscape of video games forever. He will be deeply missed and remembered forever in life and in Pantheon.
Thank you, Brad, for bringing us together through your worlds. Rest in peace, Aradune. All of us at Visionary Realms extend our deepest condolences to Brad’s family and ask that you respect the privacy of Brad’s family during this difficult time.”
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What will happen to the MMORPG?The team explains that they are shattered by the news. However, they remain committed to the game and the community. Pantheon has never been just one person’s project.
Brad McQuaid’s family has already given the developers their blessing to move forward. And that is set to happen now. Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen will continue to be developed. More details will be shared by the team later this month.
In Pokémon GO the very effective week has started. This event brings new spawns, bonuses, and for the first time also Shiny Tentacool. We provide you with an overview.
How long does the event last? The very effective week lives up to its name and lasts exactly 7 days. On November 26 at 10 PM, the bonuses will end.
During the week, you can chase special spawns and challenge special raid bosses.
Everything you need to know about the very effective week
What are the bonuses? You will primarily be rewarded for battles. The benefits include:
Double Stardust from Trainer Battles
More potions and revives from PokéStops
A guaranteed Charged TM from Level 3 raids
Special spawns, raids, and quests centered around effective Pokémon against Team GO Rocket and other trainers
What new Shinies are there? There are no surprises here. Only Shiny Tentacool is new in the game, but this was already announced in advance. No other new Shinies are available.
These new quests are available: Only one field research has been added to the event. It is as follows:
Use a very effective Charged Attack in a Gym Battle
Reward: Encounter with a Tentacool
Which Pokémon are more common? 8 spawns are more common in the wild. They include:
Machop* (Pokémon marked with a star may be Shiny)
Corphish*
Rhyhorn
Snorunt*
Teddiursa
Tentacool*
Torchic*
Gastly*
Machop can also be found in the wild
The majority of the spawns consist of Rhyhorn, Corphish, Teddiursa, and Torchic.
For shiny hunters, Tentacool is particularly interesting. Other rarer Shinies are Gastly and Machop. Many players may already have enough Shinies of Torchic and Snorunt due to a Community Day.
Anyone still looking for strong Pokémon should mainly hunt Machop, Gastly, Rhyhorn, and Snorunt. Their evolutions are very good in battles.
What about the raid bosses? A lot has changed here, and especially the 3-star raids are full of Pokémon. A detailed list of the monsters can be found in our overview of the raid bosses.
The new killer and the new survivor in Dead by Daylight are here. We will tell you what the killer “Oni” and Yui can do.
After the trailer for the new chapter “Cursed Legacy” was released yesterday, the PTB followed shortly thereafter. On this test server, you can already play as Oni and the new survivor Yui. We will reveal what abilities and perks the new characters bring with them.
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What can the killer “Oni” do? At the beginning of the match, the Oni is a basic killer without any special abilities. He has to rely entirely on his normal melee attacks.
However, this changes once Oni hits a survivor. He then gains a large amount of blood and builds up his ability. Already wounded survivors leave additional blood orbs every few seconds (or when using objects) that Oni can absorb.
Once his ability is fully charged, Oni can activate his “Blood Fury”. This grants him two new abilities.
Demon Dash: Oni accelerates after a short charging time and then sprints away. It is more difficult to steer him around corners, but he can still take steps sideways to correct his running direction. He does not collide with objects and can run as long as the Blood Fury lasts.
Demon Strike: With a powerful blow from his mace, survivors are knocked to the ground in one hit. This strike can be used during the “Demon Dash”, has a greater range, and needs to be charged briefly.
If Oni knocks a survivor down, the ability ends and he must collect blood again.
These are the perks of the killer The Oni: Like all killers, Oni comes with three of his own perks. These are initially exclusive to Oni but can later be unlocked for other killers through the blood web:
Zanshin Tactics: The aura of all pallets and climbing spots is revealed within a radius of 24 meters. This perk has a cooldown of 40/35/30 seconds when a survivor is injured.
Blood Echo: When a survivor is hooked, all other injured survivors are affected by the Hemorrhage effect (increased bleeding) until they are healed. Additionally, they are affected by Exhaustion for 45 seconds.
Nemesis: Each time a new survivor becomes the obsession, that survivor’s aura is revealed for 4 seconds. Additionally, the obsession is affected by Oblivious for 40/50/60 seconds (they cannot hear the terror radius).
These are the perks of the survivor Yui Kimura: Like all survivors, Yui also has three of her own perks that she starts the game with. However, these can be taught to other survivors. The perks are:
Lucky Break: This perk activates every time the survivor is injured. For the first 120/150/180 seconds, the survivor leaves no blood trails. The perk is disabled for the rest of the round once the full duration has expired.
Any Means Necessary: At a thrown pallet, you can use a skill to set the pallet back up for 3 seconds. This skill has a cooldown of 160/140/120 seconds.
Breakout: As long as the survivor is within 6 meters of a survivor being carried by the killer, their movement speed increases by 5%/6%/7%. The carried survivor can escape the killer’s grasp 20% faster.
When will the characters be released? The chapter “Cursed Legacy” is currently on the PTB, so on the test server. It will take another 2-3 weeks until the release, probably in early to mid-December.
What do you think of the two new characters and their abilities? Cool and definitely something new? Or are the perks and abilities too weak or boring?
Today, on Wednesday, November 20th, the Fortnite servers will be shut down on all platforms (PC/Mac, Xbox One, PS4, Switch, iOS, Android) to deploy a new update. But what can players expect from the update?
Before players can embark on their exploration journey, the servers will be shut down as usual.
Update 12:15 PM: Update 11.20 is now available. In the German patch notes, we show you what has changed in the game.
Fortnite servers will be shut down – when and for how long?
Downtime start in the morning: At 9:30 AM German time you may join a new lobby for the last time. By 10 AM, the servers will no longer be accessible and Fortnite will be down.
How long will the maintenance last? Based on experiences from the past weeks and months, the work should be completed around lunchtime.
Technical issues or other delays may extend the maintenance work. If this is the case, you will find out here.
If Epic Games releases the patch notes today, you will find them here on MeinMMO right after the downtime.
What new content does the update 11.20 bring?
What new features will there be in Battle Royale mode? Fortnite Status did not give any hints in the tweet about what the update could bring. However, these changes might come:
Unfortunately, what else the update might bring for Battle Royale mode is still unknown.
What will the update bring for Save the World mode? There are expected to be several changes and new content for Save the World. Following things will be added after update 11.20:
The battle against the Storm King
New mythic Storm King weapons
Gameplay changes (from community feedback)
Finished Storage Usage
In the development plan, found on the official Epic Games website, all changes affecting Save the World can be seen.
What do you think the update 11.20 will bring? Are you looking forward to it?
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is actually heavily focused on realism. However, sometimes this premise seems not to hold. Instead, quirky tricks from movies and action games work.
What kind of trick is this? Some users have discovered that trash bins can save lives. They apparently cushion a fall from absolutely lethal heights. Reddit user Finn_Branklin proved this in a short clip:
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He jumps from one of the high-rise buildings in the huge map Tavorsk District in the large Ground War mode. However, he neither uses his parachute nor does he die.
Instead, the trash bags in this specific container cushion his fall. Afterwards, he casually takes out an opponent with the powerful shotgun-pistol.
This happens all the time, on all bins of this type. Most of the time, however, you don’t fly away like I did.
This is how the trick works: This quirky trick probably results from programming intended to prevent players from climbing onto bins. User Thapman has a possible explanation:
I think that this bin was not designed for climbing. The object moves you down, but he [Finn] also had some speed.
Effectively, this means that his fall was only calculated from the top of the container since his first fall was finished when he reached the magical trash bags.
Such a “slip” mechanic is used in many games but can be utilized here to negate fall damage. We still don’t know whether this is an exploit or even a homage to Assassin’s Creed or Dying Light:
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What is it useful for? Other than the style factor, the trick probably has little use since it has so far only worked in Ground War. Here, players also have a parachute to protect them.
However, such a bin appearance also has a certain surprise effect. Especially annoying campers can be caught off guard with this. However, they also need to park right next to the bins.
In League of Legends the new champion Aphelios has been teased. Through his biography we know his role and the backstory of the character.
What do we know about Aphelios? The new champion will be a marksman or AD-carry, depending on which term you prefer. He is referred to as the “Weapon of the Lunari” and belongs to the same people as Diana and Zoe.
Developer Reav3 had already announced beforehand that Aphelios would be very difficult to master. He confirmed this again on reddit with a short statement: “Mastering the champ requires an almost fanatical belief,” which also hints at the Lunari cult.
Teaser image for the new marksman
When does Aphelios appear? The new marksman has not yet appeared on the test server. However, in a few days, update 9.24 will be rolled out. It is possible that Aphelios is already included.
This would mean that Riot Games would quickly release a new champion. Senna, the new support, was only released with patch 9.22 about two weeks ago.
Children of Fate of the Lunari and Surprise for the Players
What do we know about the background of the champ? Aphelios has a twin sister, Alune. They were born together on a special night. He was particularly physically strong, she had special magical abilities.
In a fateful moment, when Aphelios fought against the Solari and the siblings were actually spatially separated, a connection formed between them:
Only now did the two become aware of the full extent of their fate. Aphelios had to transform his body through pain into an empty shell to let the power of the moon take hold of him. Alune had to remain lonely and isolated in her fortress, but she could see through her brother’s eyes and guide him.
Together they were the weapon that the Lunari needed, bound by sacrifice and pain. Only separated could they be together, while their souls brushed against the veil. So far and yet so impossibly close, they formed a unity that they did not understand.
What impact this connection has on playing the champion is not yet known.
AD-Carrys in League of Legends
How do the players react? On reddit many players are surprised that there is already an announcement for the new champion. Many have hardly had experiences with Senna and may already look forward to the next new character.
Especially the appearance and the story have received a lot of praise so far. A reddit user writes AlexanderOdom:
Oh dear. He looks good. He should bring in a lot of money.
What do you think of the first information about Aphelios? Are you looking forward to a new marksman?
