In the League of Legends world, the group stage is coming to a close and some teams have officially been eliminated. A shoutcaster duo is particularly mourning one of them.
Which team is being mourned? The Taiwanese commentators JR and Nash closely follow the League of Legends Master Series featuring teams from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. Both have been commenting on the tournaments since 2015 and are closely connected to the teams.
However, on Thursday, they witnessed the elimination of the CTBC J Team in the Worlds, which affected them greatly. JR even broke down in tears live and said:
“I never thought it would hurt this much to say that they are leaving the Worlds stage now.”
Strong emotions at the LoL Worlds were already evident among the eSports players themselves. The commentator’s outburst was captured in a Twitch clip:
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All hopes of the entire LMS rested on the CTBC J Team, especially because they started the LoL Worlds 2019 well.
How did it go for the J Team before? The entry into the group stage went very well for the J Team:
On October 12, they achieved a victory against FunPlus Phoenix and temporarily topped the Group B standings.
This was followed by a defeat against GAM Esports on October 13.
However, on October 15, they prevailed against Splyce and went into the crucial match day with a 2:1 record.
However, everything went the other way yesterday. They secured a victory against GAM Esports, but faced defeats against Splyce and FunPlus Phoenix. With a 3:3, they only placed 3rd and the J Team was eliminated along with GAM Esports.
Group B standings LoL Worlds
LMS has two more teams, but the chances are slim
How are the other LMS teams doing? Besides the J Team, there are two more representing the LMS at the Worlds. The Hong Kong Attitude team is currently in 4th place in Group A. Even with three wins, they would only achieve a 3:3. That could already be too little, as the J Team demonstrated yesterday.
The ahq e-Sports team occupies the same position. They are currently at the bottom of Group D with a 0:3 record, facing the same fate.
The hope of an entire region: The J Team had given the entire LMS hope for advancement with their strong start. Consequently, the casters reacted emotionally after the elimination.
Since Season 5, no LMS team has reached the knockout stage. The region’s greatest success came in Season 2 when the Taipei Assassins even won the Worlds.
When will it continue? Today, on October 18, more group stage matches will take place here in Berlin. This phase will last until Sunday, and then the knockout stage will continue on October 26.
Other teams are doing significantly better, as Faker and SKT1 prove. They had a weak league, but are now making a comeback.
Not all players are satisfied with the new Armor 2.0 system in Destiny 2 . Bungie wants to change that soon. Read here how the changes will look and why they are coming.
This is how mods work in Armor 2.0: Armor 2.0 aims to give Guardians more freedom than ever before in assembling builds. This includes how your armor looks but also how your gear can be assembled for combat.
What is the problem with Armor 2.0? While the promised customization for a personalized fighting machine is not as extensive as some hoped. While it is possible to create some powerful builds thanks to Armor 2.0, the freedom is still smaller than previously advertised. The reason for this are the restrictions in mod selection.
Not all mods can simply be used in every piece of armor or slot. All armor pieces are assigned to an element (Arc, Solar, and Void). This element determines which mods you are allowed to choose at all.
Only found on Arc boots: Shotgun Scavenger
For example, only Arc armor pieces offer support options for shotguns. Solar and Void armor are therefore not interesting for shotguns. On the other hand, you will only find suitable traits for SMGs on Void armor (like the powerful Recluse).
Players complain that artificial restrictions have been imposed and that the promise of free combinations is not really kept.
The Bungie development team comments: In the current TWaB – Bungie’s weekly message to the community – it is explained what ideas are behind the decisions regarding Armor 2.0 and what changes players can expect soon.
These are the three principles according to which Armor 2.0 was designed:
Creativity: The costs and elemental affinities should make the player think. Guardians should decide which mods are most important to them and then create combinations creatively.
Balance of strong and weaker mods: Weak mods can also be useful for builds, as they cost less. If all mods cost the same, only the strongest mods will be selected.
Clarity: If every mod is available for every piece of armor and independent of elemental affiliation, it quickly becomes confusing. Internal tests have shown developers that it is more player-friendly when not overwhelmed by the variety of mods.
This is the idea behind elemental affiliation: Bungie wanted to create thematic groups or connections with the affinities. Guardians should have a connection between the different weapons and elemental armors. It was considered in the assembly:
Ammunition: Each element should cover a good mix of primary, special, and power weapons.
All ranges: Melee, mid-range, and long-range should be covered.
General, Specific, and Seasonal mod slots
This is changing with general mods: These mods can be used regardless of the element. However, they cost significantly more than specific mods. According to Bungie, players should also actively weigh up what is important for their build here.
Developers note that there are not general variants of all mods. As an example of why this is the case, they cite ammunition gatherer mods. The “Scavenger mods” are special because some weapons use ammunition that is difficult to assign to the normal archetype.
With the start of the next season in December, there will be general variants of the ammunition gatherer and finder mods. These will then be automatically unlocked and can be creatively combined immediately. Bungie still needs time until then to fine-tune the ammunition economy.
The new Iron Banner armor
Further adjustments to mods
Stacking identical mods: Starting next season, you will be able to stack two identical mods – that is, equip them in parallel. For example, it is possible to use the “Hand Cannon Loader” mod twice to reload even faster.
However, the bonus effect when stacking does not increase evenly. The second mod will give about half the bonus of the first base mod. Two identical mods thus achieve the value of an “enhanced” variant.
Mods in the collection: Players will soon be able to see which mods they already own and where to obtain missing ones. The collection will also display elemental affiliation and energy costs. This change is coming with the next update on October 29.
At Gamescon, Bungie’s Creative Lead Lars Bakken spoke to the community
The Community’s Wishes
This is what players demanded: Since the launch of Shadowkeep, Guardians have repeatedly expressed their concerns about the Armor 2.0 system. For example, a corresponding Reddit thread already has 13,000 upvotes and almost 1,000 comments.
The post urged Bungie to completely remove the elemental affiliation of armor and mods.
As one of many, Redditor suenopequeno stated: “I just don’t see any value in the affinity system.” Many users, like Greaterdivinity, agree and add, “It’s just an additional grind and luck” because in addition to the desired stats, the armor piece now also has to have the matching element.
While some admit that Bungie wanted to curb overpowered combinations, this is clearly the minority in the comments. Many players feel limited by the promised freedom. This should improve at least a little with the announced adjustments soon.
What do you think of the planned changes – is it enough adjustment or are you still not satisfied?
The latest update from Borderlands 3 has addressed many weapons in the game and nerfed some of the most popular ones. This apparently did not go down well in the community, as fans reacted with mockery and memes.
Since the patch, various memes have been circulating in the Borderlands 3 subreddit, where fans complain about the nerfs. In a thread with almost 7,000 upvotes, a player refers to the game as “Nerflands 3” and complains about Gearbox’s actions:
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Play the way we want! Choose one of four Vault Hunters and use any weapon! It doesn’t matter which, we will nerf that motherf****r into the ground! Because reasons!
Fans criticize that this approach is “not very Borderlands.” Ridiculous strong weapons are simply part of the game. Borderlands is about being crazy and fun. Nerfs and what players consider unnecessary balancing simply don’t fit.
Nerfs cause disputes
What happened to the weapons? The source of the dispute was previously announced nerfs for popular weapons, including the Lyuda, Butcher, and Hellwalker. However, the Flakker seems to have been hit the hardest:
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The weapon has gone from “Top 5 to hot garbage.” Originally, the Flakker could shoot a lot of projectiles, all intended to inflict high damage on target. This made it a unique weapon.
However, the spread was not as the developers intended it. Therefore, it has been changed to fire its entire magazine when the trigger is pulled. The original strength of the Flakker seems to have been lost with that.
Dispute among fans: However, there are not just accusations from fans against the developers. Some players see it all more differentiated and complain about the reactions of their fellow players. They react with further memes that mock how others now complain:
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Some other users even see that the nerfs were necessary:
The Flakker was ridiculous strong as it was. It had outshined nearly every other weapon. No matter how important your weapon was for your build, the Flakker could probably replace it with ease.
In Fortnite Chapter 2, a supposed bug has been discovered that allows you to gain a lot of experience points with little effort. We will show you how it works.
What is this bug? There are 4 bridges affected by this glitch. If you visit these bridges, you will receive over 2000 XP. You just have to go there and do nothing else.
This is a pretty simple way to quickly accumulate some experience points.
These bridges bring you extra points
Which bridges are affected? 3 bridges are located not too far from each other on the new map. The other bridge is a bit further away in the snowy mountains.
Locations on the map:
You can find the bridges:
Between Salty Springs and Pleasant Park
East of Pleasant Park towards the river
South of Steamy Stacks
South of Misty Meadows, near the snowy mountains
This is the location Steamy Stacks
These additional XP are also urgently needed
What do these experience points bring you? You need them to level up and upgrade the Battle Pass. In this season, there have been some changes with the Update 2.10 that affect the game.
With the new level-up system, Epic promises that you will grind less and have more fun, but it seems harder than ever this season to level up at all.
That’s why this bug is worth it: If you are having trouble leveling up your Battle Pass, this bug is beneficial for you. If you feel you’re not getting enough XP after a successful match or that you are taking too long to reach the next level, you should try the bug.
Has Epic said anything about this? So far, there has been no reaction from Epic. So you should be quick before Epic removes the bug from the game again.
Avoid this location on the map if you don’t want to get killed right away:
However, during the announcement of this mobile version, Riot made a small joke and took a nasty jab at Blizzard.
What happened? In the stream, a developer from Riot revealed that they had listened to the community’s feedback and were working on a mobile version of TFT. She concludes with the words:
It has turned out that you all actually have smartphones out there.
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That earned her lots of “LOL” comments in the chat and laughing emojis.
Why was it a jab? At BlizzCon 2018, Blizzard officially presented Diablo Immortal to the worst possible audience. The event was mostly attended by PC gamers who were desperately asking if Diablo Immortal would also be available for PC. After Blizzard said there were currently no plans to release Diablo Immortal on PC, boos erupted from the crowd. This led to the developer’s question:
Don’t you have smartphones?
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Last year, this was widely used as a negative example of failed PR and for nasty memes.
Not everyone finds it funny: On Reddit, there are also many places warning Riot not to lean too far out of the window. In recent weeks, there has been a huge backlash against Blizzard because a Hearthstone player was banned, which many interpreted as “catering to the Chinese government”.
This backlash could have easily spilled over to Riot Games, which is completely owned by the Chinese company Tencent. Riot must be glad that hardly any negativity has transferred over to the LoL developer.
What do you think of this action? A successful, harmless joke? Or should one not throw stones when living in a glass house?
The NPD Group has published the US sales figures for games in September 2019, and a curious situation emerges: The heavily criticized sports game NBA 2K20 is in first place – even ahead of Borderlands 3!
What do the charts look like? According to the NPD Group, 2K’s NBA 2K20 was the best-selling game in the USA in September, ranking in position 1. Closely followed by Borderlands 3 in 2nd place. Positions 3 to 5 are occupied by FIFA 20, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, and Madden NFL 20.
Thus, the game has sold better than Borderlands 3 from the same publisher.
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Why was the game criticized? When NBA 2K20 was announced, it faced a storm of criticism. 2K showcased casino mechanics for the MyTeam mode. You can spin a slot machine or turn a wheel of fortune in the game to obtain in-game items. Not only were these items seen as Pay2Win, but the entire system resembles gambling.
Games with gambling mechanics are currently under extreme scrutiny. For example, GTA 5, which introduced a casino for the online mode. Furthermore, NBA 2K20 has a PEGI rating of “3+”. Thus, even small children are introduced to gambling mechanics.
Also curious is that NBA 2K20 and Borderlands 3 come from the same publisher. However, Borderlands 3 is said to have no Pay2Win mechanics and gambling for in-game items plays no role. With NBA 2K20, the publisher, however, took the exact opposite approach.
Even the PEGI Ratings Board, which issues the age rating, has faced heavy criticism.
What did PEGI say about the situation? A spokesperson defended the age rating and explained that the mini-games in NBA 2K20 do not encourage or teach gambling, as they do not involve traditional gambling.
https://youtu.be/ZLrtNIYcmiE
NBA 2K20 is still extremely popular
Has the criticism affected the sales figures of NBA 2K20? Given the situation, which especially haunted the US gaming press and caused strong reactions, one would actually think that NBA 2K20 did not sell well. However, as can be seen, that was absolutely not the case. It was the best-selling game of the past month.
Why is the game selling so well despite the criticism? Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the USA. The NBA has an extremely large fan base. NBA games sell like hotcakes in the USA every year.
The majority of NBA fans probably either haven’t followed these discussions or are simply buying the game anyway, because it is just the new installment in the series.
What does the community say? On reddit, the title is being discussed. While there is still criticism regarding the casino mechanics, it is also mentioned that NBA 2K20 is fun and that these casino elements are not needed. It seems that people are coming to terms with it.
kainomac says: “I totally forgot about these casino elements. I don’t use them at all, to not influence how I play the game. The gameplay is one of the best in recent years.”
prettygordo writes: “Apparently, most of the outraged people simply don’t play MyTeam.”
The Division 2 is going into maintenance today, on October 18, just before the weekend. The servers on PS4, Xbox One, and PC will be offline for an hour. Find out here why the maintenance is necessaryand what the patch notes say.
These are the maintenance times: The current server downtime was scheduled very last minute and announced on Twitter only about 10 minutes before the start. Here are the times:
Start of maintenance: 11 AM in our time zone
Servers of all platforms will be offline for about 60 minutes
If you are in the game, you will be logged out and will not be able to log back in during this time
Servers should be back online by 12 PM, if everything goes as planned
Already the second maintenance in two days
The developers have not been following the usual maintenance schedule on Thursdays for a few weeks now and seem to be implementing short-term maintenance more often shortly after updates.
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What is coming with the update?The patch notes: The update unlocks the Discovery difficulty mode just before the weekend.
Shortly after TU6, this mode was disabled because items from the Hard mode had ended up in the loot pool of the much easier mode. Some agents were certainly pleasantly surprised this week when an unexpected raid weapon dropped in the warm-up mode of the raid.
As many agents are currently still revising their builds after the update, it was even more important to get the mode online before the first weekend of the new update.
Here’s what the patch notes say:
A faulty script in the operations base was fixed, which could block progress for some players
Discovery Mode in the raid is back, the assault rifle Eagle Bearer should no longer drop there
In Kenly College, you now need to have completed all sections for the exotic Diamondback rifle to be collected in the chapel
What else can I expect in The Division? The developers continue to work on updates and are closely monitoring their game after the update. Minor maintenance work is still expected in the coming days.
With TU6, many changes and balance adjustments were made to the game, check here if you need more information:
Fans of Bethesda’s Fallout 76 have been looking forward to private servers for a long time. Next week, it will finally happen. But there is a catch…
What are private servers? When Fallout 76 was announced, the question quickly arose whether one could also play on self-created servers, with a strong focus on PvP or group play. Similar to Conan Exiles. You determine who plays along or may even be playing alone. These private servers should even allow mods.
When are the servers coming? In the current “Out of the Vault” article, Bethesda explains that the work is completed and the feature will be introduced next week (calendar week 43). However, no exact date has been mentioned yet.
Here is the catch
What do players want from the servers? The desire for changeable worlds, mods like those known from Fallout 3 and 4, as well as the ability to decide who they want to play with, is great in the Fallout 76 community. Therefore, private worlds are highly anticipated.
What is the catch? Bethesda casually mentioned in the “Out of the Vault” article that it is a paid service. Thus, it will apparently not be possible to simply open a server on your PC and invite players like in Conan Exiles.
Bethesda does not elaborate further, but it seems to be some kind of “server rental” function, as has been hinted at before. You will apparently rent server space on Bethesda’s official servers and then open your own world there.
What do players think about this announcement? Many are disappointed that this function is now supposed to be paid, or rather, that it is apparently the only way to start private servers. The community had hoped to be able to set up their own servers without having to pay extra. Correspondingly, there is a lot of frustration.
KristyBanalia writes on Reddit: “Sorry, but this was promised as a feature before launch and not as an additional service or paid service. Being able to host a private server in the future is literally the only reason I bought this game in the first place.”
toxicityj explains: “I will not pay for private servers. There is a certain appeal to having the whole world to myself, but then I pay a recurring fee to play a diluted single-player Fallout game, and why should I do that?”
There are still many questions to clarify
What questions are still open? Bethesda’s announcement has caused some confusion. Not only because the service is suddenly supposed to be paid now, but also because there are still some questions left unanswered:
How much does the service cost?
Is this some kind of monthly “subscription”?
Is there a list of servers to choose from which one to play on?
What about stash size? Can you finally store more?
What adjustments can you make to the server? Hardcore PvP rules? Spawn rates?
What about mods? Bethesda explains that it will be possible to use mods on the private servers, as mods are important for the community. However, this feature will be added at a later point in time. First, private worlds will start next week.
The Halloween event 2019 has started in Pokémon GO and brings various field research tasks and new Shinies. We provide you with an overview of the event.
How long does the Halloween event last?This event runs for 2 weeks and is active until November 1 at 10 PM. Until then, you can hunt for shiny ghosts and encounter the mysterious Pokémon Darkrai.
In addition to the new spawns, there are also 6 new field research tasks in the game that will remain active during the Halloween event. Furthermore, there are some rare Pokémon in the wild.
Everything you need to know about the Halloween event 2019
These are the new field research tasks: From the quests, you get various event Pokémon and stardust. They complement the normal field research in October.
Catch 5 Drifloon or Shuppet
Reward: Encounter with a Sneasel
Evolve 3 Drifloon or Skuntank
Reward: 1 rare candy
Land 3 great throws in a row
Reward: Encounter with a Golbat
Defeat a Team GO Rocket Grunt
Reward: Encounter with a Mismagius
Take 5 photos of ghost Pokémon
Reward: Encounter with a Sableye
Catch 10 ghost-type Pokémon
Reward: 1000 stardust
Golbat can be obtained from a quest
These quests are particularly worthwhile: The task with the great throws is difficult, but it pays off. Golbat is otherwise very rare in the wild, making it a great opportunity to gather candy for its evolution. If you have already evolved the Pokémon, you don’t necessarily have to complete the task. The evolution Golgantes is not really relevant for the meta.
It is also worthwhile to complete the quest with the Rocket Grunts. Mismagius is not incredibly common in the event, and if you want a good chance at the new shiny, you can focus on this quest.
Which spawns are more frequent? In the wild, you will find various ghost and dark-type Pokémon. Here’s the list of spawns. Pokémon with a star can be shiny:
Pikachu in costume*
Drifloon*
Honchkrow*
Houndour*
Shuppet*
Litwick*
Poochyena*
Sableye*
Skuntank
Driftloon*
Golbat
Litwick
Mismagius*
Litwick evolves into Skelabra – It’s worth it
Which spawns are worthwhile? Particularly strong is Litwick. This Pokémon evolves into Skelabra, which is one of the best ghost attackers in the game. Here you should definitely throw some Nanab berries.
The rest is especially a paradise for shiny hunters. Almost every Pokémon can be shiny, giving a good chance at a shiny Pokémon.
Which new Shinies are there? There are no unannounced Shinies. However, the shiny version of Mismagius has been caught for the first time. Additionally, all 4 Pokémon in costumes can be shiny. These include Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander.
The starter Pokémon in costumes are mainly found in raids. In the wild, you only find Pikachu, not the other starters.
This is important about Darkrai: The mysterious Pokémon is a level 6 raid. This means that its CP in the raid is higher than initially assumed. You will need more players than previously thought. You now need at least 3 strong players in suitable weather, or 4 players in any weather.
In Pokémon GO, there is also a new special research task. It revolves around Kryppuk:
In the latest “Inside the Vault” article, Bethesda announced that the Wastelanders update for Fallout 76 will be delayed. This means the highly anticipated NPCs will not be available in the game until next year.
What did Bethesda announce? In the latest “Inside the Vault” article, Bethesda announced the delay of the Wastelanders update. It was originally scheduled to be released for Fallout 76 this year. That is no longer the case.
What reason do the developers give for the delay? The article states that this is the largest update for Fallout 76 so far and it simply needs more polishing. This means additional optimization work is required.
Bethesda will no longer release buggy updates
What is the background? The last updates for Fallout 76 brought bugs and technical problems. Bethesda received a lot of criticism for that. This should not happen again with Wastelanders. Especially since Bethesda already has the reputation of releasing games in a not especially polished state, as seen with Fallout 4 and Fallout 76. The titles initially struggled with technical issues and bugs.
If Bethesda were to release Wastelanders as soon as possible, it could lead to another series of bugs, and the community would surely become quite upset again. This could further tarnish the company’s image. Thus, a delay to optimize Wastelanders and release it in a good condition is a good decision.
When will the update come? Bethesda did not specify an exact date but explained that it is expected to be released in the first quarter of 2020.
What is special about Wastelanders? The update introduces NPCs into the game. So far, the post-apocalyptic game world has only been populated by players, robots, and monsters. Many have long wished to encounter NPCs that offer quests. With Wastelanders, this wish is set to be fulfilled.
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How do players react to the delay? While the community is somewhat disappointed because they were looking forward to the NPCs, fans of Fallout 76 understand that this step is necessary. No one wants any more bug-ridden updates like the last ones.
Darkgod2611 comments on Reddit: “The delayed Wastelanders feels a bit like a punch to the gut. But, if they take the time to improve it and we avoid another bug chaos, then it’s worth the wait.”
Smitje agrees: “Delaying Wastelanders to the first quarter of 2020 is unfortunate, but probably necessary.”
What do you think about the delay of Wastelanders? Did Bethesda make the right decision?
On October 15, ArcheAge Unchained was released, and the MMORPG was supposed to be available directly on Steam. However, issues caused a delayed release.
Is ArcheAge Unchained now on Steam? Yes, since Thursday, October 17, at 9:00 PM, players can purchase ArcheAge on Steam. The Silver package costs €25.99 there, just like in the in-house Glyph shop.
However, Steam has some disadvantages compared to purchasing from Glyph:
Currently, none of the more expensive packages are available on Steam, but the developers plan to change this in the future.
The first created character receives all rewards of the purchased package. If you buy from the official shop, you can specify the character who will receive the mail. This happens together with the assignment of the package.
Certain regions are excluded from purchase, which does not directly affect Germany, but includes Russia, Ukraine, or South America.
What about the queues? On Thursday during prime time, there were again hours-long queues for the large European servers Alexander and Halnaak. Currently, there are also restrictions on which faction and race newly created characters can belong to on both.
On the newer servers Tinnereph and Gildaron, it was significantly emptier: here there were only short queues on Thursday, which is also due to the fact that many players expect a server merge in the future.
In doing so, they might lose their own homes, which is why they are not taking any risks and are avoiding the new servers.
When does housing begin? Housing in ArcheAge Unchained has been intentionally disabled at launch so that players have time to prepare and the best spots are not already taken.
Destiny 2 will make sandbox changes in the next update. The Striker Titan and Dawnblade Warlock will be nerfed. We show what specifically is changing.
What are the changes about? Although there were already some changes to the sandbox with the release of Shadowkeep, the developers are now addressing some aspects that have been demanded by players for some time. The Striker Titan and the Dawnblade Warlock are now in the crosshairs. The One-Eyed Mask is also now on Bungie’s radar.
When will the changes come? The changes are scheduled to be implemented in the next update 2.6.1. This patch is slated for October 29.
Sandbox Adjustment in Update 2.6.1 – What Changes
For the upcoming changes, the PvP and PvE will be adjusted separately. This way, affected Titans and Warlocks will still be able to spread death and devastation in PvE, but in battles against other Guardians, the two classes will be somewhat hampered.
How the Striker Titan Changes
What is the problem with the Striker? Anyone who regularly plays in the Crucible knows the problem with the Striker Titan. It often happens that Strikers hit one or even several enemies multiple times with the same super. The Titan often appears like an unstoppable killing machine.
The perks Trample and Touch of Thunder from the Juggernaut code are largely responsible for this.
Trample: Eliminating enemies with Chaos Fist extends their duration.
Touch of Thunder: Melee kills immediately restore health.
With Trample (and especially the Shoulder Charge), you can keep the super up for an incredibly long time – allowing you to hit enemies multiple times, even after respawning. Additionally, Titans have been able to regenerate quite well after kills in the super. These perks have worked perfectly together. That is likely to change now.
How the Striker Changes – Juggernaut Code
Trample:
The amount of super energy granted per kill has been adjusted.
The maximum amount per kill that can be returned has been reduced from 15% to 13% (before diminishing returns)
The lower end of diminishing returns has been reduced from 5% to 3.25%
Kills for diminishing returns of super energy have been adjusted and split into PvE and PvP opponents
Previously, it was 15 kills. Now it is 14 enemy kills (PvE) or 7 player kills (PvP), with players counting double for diminishing returns
The cost for the light attack in the super has been increased by 50% (from 2% to 3%)
Health regeneration from kills will no longer trigger on super kills
Changes to Shoulder Charge: A bug has been fixed that allowed players to shoot just before the shoulder charge, transferring the buff from Double Punch to the Shoulder Charge.
What do the changes mean? In short, Titans should no longer ruin your fun in the Crucible quite as often. It will now be unlikely for a Striker to catch you multiple times with their super. Also, you should fare better against Strikers now since they can no longer regenerate immediately in the super.
What about the One-Eyed Mask? Even though the reaction is coming very late, it is finally bringing movement to the game. Although Bungie has not been specific yet, they have announced changes for the next update. They have also acknowledged feedback regarding abilities and gear that were not explicitly mentioned in the blog.
How the Dawnblade Warlock Changes
What is the problem with the Dawnblade? The other class that will be getting a nerf is the Dawnblade Warlock, which sweeps through the Crucible like a combat jet and is considered too strong by Bungie. The Dawnblade has unbeatable speed, homing flame swords as a super that deal area damage, and can also extend the duration of their super through super kills. Basically, it is an airborne version of the Striker.
How the Dawnblade Changes – Flamekeeper
Eternal Flame:
The amount of super energy granted per kill has been adjusted. However, this was handled differently than with the Striker Titan, as it pertains to an area damage effect.
The lower end of diminishing returns has been increased from 0.75% to 0.95%
Kills for diminishing returns of super energy have been adjusted and split into PvE and PvP opponents
Previously, it was 30 kills. Now it is 21 enemy kills (PvE) or 7 Guardian kills (PvP), with players counting triple for diminishing returns
What do the changes mean? It looks like the diminishing returns for super energy will kick in earlier. Thus, the Dawnblade will likely not be able to maintain its super for as long in PvP as it has been possible so far. However, in PvE, the super should still remain effective against waves of enemies.
What do you think of these changes? Right decision or is Bungie breaking the classes?Are you happy that the One-Eyed Mask will likely be adjusted soon?
For the Halloween event 2019, there is a special research task in Pokémon GO focusing on Drifloon. It is called“A Spooky Message 2019” and consists of 3 stages. We will show you how to solve it.
Now the Halloween event is back and brings another research task with Drifloon.
The special research named “A Spooky Message 2019” has 3 stages and should be manageable during the Halloween event.
The Quests for the Special Research “A Spooky Message 2019”
The 3 stages revolve around the number 108 again. This number is connected to Drifloon, as it is said in the Pokémon world that Drifloon consists of 108 souls.
We will now show you each stage of the special research and give you tips on how to best solve the stages.
A Spooky Message – Chapter 1
Catch 10 Ghost-type Pokémon
Reward: Encounter with Litwick
Land 8 great throws
Reward: 1080 XP
Use 108 berries while catching Pokémon
Reward: Encounter with Sableye
Reward for completing the chapter: 10x Pokéballs, 1080 Stardust, 8x silver Pinap Berries
You can get Litwick from the quest. Its evolution is quite strong
What you should do: Once you have caught the 10 Ghost Pokémon, you will receive a Litwick. You should catch this with a Pinap Berry. The evolution Lampent will be very strong. During the current event, you will even get 12 instead of 6 candies.
A Spooky Message – Chapter 2
Catch 10 Dark-type Pokémon
Reward: Encounter with Mismagius
Visit 8 PokéStops that you have not yet spun
Reward: 1080 XP
Catch 108 Pokémon
Reward: Encounter with Drifloon
Reward for completing the chapter: 10x Pokéballs, 1080 Stardust, 8x Silver Pinap Berries
Here you can find Mismagius – Maybe even as a Shiny
This is important here: You will already encounter Drifloon at this stage. You do not have to spin PokéStops that you have never visited. This will make many players happy as finding unspun PokéStops is always hard.
A Spooky Message – Chapter 3
All tasks completed automatically
Reward: 3x 1080 Stardust
Reward for completing the chapter: 10x Drifloon candies, 8x Drifloon candies, 1080 Stardust
Are there differences to 2018? From the tasks, the special research is identical. Only the Pokémon rewards are different. Last time, there were Pokémon like Drifloon, Shuppet, and Slurpuff. These will not be present this time.
Have you heard about the live event? We will tell you if it’s worth it:
Many players of Hearthstone can currently only play it with limitations or not at all on their smartphones. What’s going on?
Currently, one of the regular events is taking place in Hearthstone, as the Hallow’s End is active again in Blizzard’s card game. Besides some quests, a cool card chaos, and a strange arena run, there is primarily one thing that stands out to players: Hearthstone is barely playable on many mobile devices.
What is the problem? Numerous players report that with the Halloween patch, Hearthstone is barely playable on mobile devices. User panickkkkk reports that almost every action can lead to a crash of the game, including:
Opening the game
Accessing the collection
Ending a turn
“pretty much everything else”
The fun seems to be lost here. Other players are also complaining; user gramosom is confronted with the following screen when he tries to play Hearthstone:
Some players take it with humor and say that Blizzard is subtly suggesting they should find a few active friends. However, this does not make Hearthstone playable.
The problem has existed for days: For days now, complaints have been popping up in the Hearthstone subreddit that receive hundreds or even thousands of upvotes, indicating that many players feel the same way. For some, the application won’t start at all, while others report that the game regularly freezes or certain menu items simply can’t be selected anymore.
There has only been a limited response from Blizzard so far. In the official forum , they ask players to specify their smartphone model along with the operating system. It can therefore be assumed that a corresponding patch should come soon and that Blizzard is working on the problem.
Are you also struggling with Hearthstone’s issues? Or is everything running smoothly for you?
Many players and fans were concerned about how the loot box system and microtransactions in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare would look. Now Activision has revealed concrete details: There will be no loot boxes or supply drops at all – possibly not even in future CoD titles.
This is likely to please many: As Activision has now announced in its latest blog about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, fans of the franchise can expect a major change with the latest installment of the CoD series: In Modern Warfare, the hated loot boxes and supply drops will no longer exist.
Instead of loot boxes, a seasonal battle pass system will be introduced. This finally puts an end to previous speculation and rumors.
A revolution for the entire Call of Duty? Few would have thought this change possible after the developments of recent years. The loot box and microtransaction system was continuously expanded despite some heavy criticism from players, generating millions for Activision.
Especially in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Activision went too far with loot boxes and supply drops for many. Many emphasized that the game had more microtransactions and loot boxes as a full-price title than some free-to-play games. There was particular outrage when new weapons were put in loot boxes in Black Ops 4. Besides greed, there were also allegations of pay-to-win.
Many feared that the aggressive loot box model could continue in Modern Warfare. But that apparently is not the case. Furthermore, this philosophical change could also serve as a model for other Call of Duty titles. Treyarch, the developers of Black Ops 4, have already tweeted regarding this announcement: “These are great news for the Call of Duty community, starting with Modern Warfare”.
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It looks like Modern Warfare is just the beginning of a general shift. Other series installments could also do without loot boxes in the future.
This is how the new system will work in Modern Warfare: We summarize the most important information from the blog for you.
A new battle pass system will be introduced, not a loot box system.
All content that affects gameplay (such as base weapons and attachments) can be unlocked simply by playing.
The new battle pass system will allow players to see the content they earn or buy.
Battle passes will be available at the start of new post-launch seasons and will bring season-specific content.
With the new battle pass system, players will be able to earn “Call of Duty” points (CoD points) just by playing the game.
There will be a free and a premium reward track for content within the battle pass system. New base weapons will be earned through gameplay. New attachments for these weapons will also be earned through playing Modern Warfare.
The battle pass and the in-game store will offer a selection of cosmetic items that do not affect gameplay.
The battle pass will not be available at the release of Modern Warfare on October 25. The system is expected to follow later in the year. Everyone will have the chance to unlock the many rewards that the game already offers by then.
There will be no season pass. New maps and modes will be free for all players and will be released simultaneously on all platforms.
Also interesting: The site CharlieIntel, a reliable source for everything related to Call of Duty, claims to have learned that this is not just a statement shortly before the release, but that Modern Warfare will indeed not feature loot boxes – not even retrospectively, i.e., never. The system is supposed to be fundamentally changed, so that there is a direct path to new content – without RNG like with loot boxes.
What do you think about these changes? Do you prefer a battle pass?
Borderlands 3 receives another hotfix on October 17 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. This update includes many adjustments for weapons from all manufacturers and nerfs for some of the most popular and best weapons. Additionally, three of the Vault Hunters will receive a buff with this patch.
What’s in the update: The new update tweaks the weapons of all manufacturers. Many weapons will receive adjustments or buffs.
Three of the Vault Hunters will also become stronger:
When is the update coming? The update will be released today, in the night from Thursday, October 17 to Friday, October 18 at 12:00 AM German time. A precise size is not yet known.
Patch Notes – Nerfs for popular weapons
These nerfs are coming: The adjustments to the weapons include the nerfs of four of the most popular and best guns from Borderlands 3:
Lyuda (sniper rifle/Vladof): The damage bonus for critical hits is reduced by 30%.
Flakker (shotgun/Torgue): Now consumes the entire magazine when fired and deals 33% less damage.
Hellwalker (shotgun/Jakobs): Damage reduced by 8%.
Butcher (shotgun/Hyperion): Damage and accuracy reduced by 25%.
Additionally, Hex and Firestorm grenades will receive a significant nerf of 70% on their damage.
The patch also includes several bug fixes. For instance, shield boosters can now be removed automatically.
This is what the future brings: So far, there is nothing from the announced adjustments to the Mayhem mode in the patch notes. This will presumably appear in a larger patch in the future.
Until then, we first have to see how the buffs and nerfs to the Vault Hunters and weapons will play out.
Google has finally announced the release date for Stadia after much speculation about games and technology. However, if you want to play with your own controller, you will need a cable. Only certain devices support wireless gaming.
Why do I need a cable? In a new video about the release date of Google Stadia, the new Stadia controller was also discussed. The video states that wireless play with the Stadia controller is only available through the Chromecast Ultra.
If you use another controller or do not have a Chromecast Ultra, you must have a cable to be able to use Google Stadia.
The Stadia controller comes with a USB-A to USB-C cable in the sales box, which can also be used for gaming. With the cable, you can easily connect the controller to a PC.
For a Pixel 3 or Pixel 4, which are currently supported by Google Stadia, an adapter is additionally required, as the USB-C port is used by the controller.
Google Stadia Controller and Chromecast Ultra
Is the Stadia controller only usable with Chromecast Ultra?
On Reddit, user stockeepops asked what this means for the Stadia controller. And there is an official statement from Google:
At the launch of Google Stadia, wireless play with the Stadia controller is only available using the Chromecast Ultra. All other devices require a cable.
If you have a Chromecast Ultra and want to play wirelessly, you absolutely need a Stadia controller.
You can also use the Stadia controller on other devices, but you will need a cable connection for that.
The official Stadia controller includes a USB-A to USB-C cable.
This is how wireless gaming is possible: If you have an official Stadia controller and a Chromecast Ultra, you can play wirelessly on your TV. Those who pre-ordered the Founder’s Edition or the Premiere Edition of Google Stadia will have no problems:
In the pre-order editions, among other things, a Chromecast Ultra, 3 months of Stadia Pro, and the controller are included.
I bought a controller for the Buddypass: Those who enjoy Google Stadia thanks to a Buddypass need both devices to play wirelessly. Otherwise, they can only play wired.
For Stadia players, this means:
If you only own a Stadia controller but not a Chromecast Ultra, you must use the included cable to play on your smartphone or browser.
If you purchased a Google Stadia controller, you will definitely need a Chromecast Ultra for wireless gaming. However, the controller should include a cable, so wired streaming should not be an issue.
Can I use other controllers wirelessly with Stadia? While you can use any controller with Google Stadia, if you want to play in the browser (Chrome) or on mobile devices, you will need a USB cable. At least that is what Google states in the official FAQ:
You can use many common HID-compliant controllers when playing via USB cable on Chrome or mobile devices.
“HID-compliant” refers to all devices that allow direct input on the computer. This includes controllers, keyboards, and PC mice.
Do you want to learn more about Google Stadia and the upcoming release? Then check out our article where we summarize all the important information for you:
At the beginning of November, a new live event featuring Regigigas will start in Pokémon GO. However, this costs real money. In return, a lot is offered. So, should you take the plunge?
However, only paying players can participate, so you have to ask yourself if it’s worth paying $7.99 here. However, those who purchase the ticket will also receive various benefits.
Live Event with Regigigas – Is there something to miss?
These are the bonuses from purchasing a ticket: If you fork over the money, you’ll be offered a lot. Here’s what you get:
The special research “a colossal discovery,” which gives you Regigigas
A medal for your collection
10 free raid passes that you can use during the event
A Sinnoh Stone and an Unova Stone
An avatar pose that is only available through this event
This avatar pose is available upon purchase
What you need to know about Regigigas: The legendary Pokémon will also be in the EX Raids in mid-November, replacing Mewtwo. Therefore, the event only gives you an early chance at the Pokémon. If you just want the Dex entry, you can wait until the EX Raids.
What advantages does the event have? If you are planning to raid that weekend anyway, you can look forward to the 10 free passes available through the event. However, these must be used between 11 AM and 7 PM.
Over that weekend, the Regi Trio will be in raids. So, if you want shiny variants, you’ll need to use raid passes anyway. 10 passes cost 1000 coins in the shop without a box, which is about 9-10 euros. If you are spending that anyway, you might as well buy the ticket for $7.99.
The shiny Regi Trio is only available for 4 days in-game.
Another advantage is the acquisition of an Unova Stone. This is currently quite rare and can only be obtained through research breakthroughs. So, if you haven’t received such a stone yet, you have a guaranteed chance here.
What you must not forget is the entire event in which you are participating. Special research is generally popular among players, and here you get the chance for another one of those.
Special researches with Professor Willow are popular.
This is what players hope for: Besides all the advantages, some trainers also hope that the shiny chance for ticket buyers is increased. After all, there have only been paid events, which brought more shinies so far.
However, this has not been confirmed by Niantic and is only a speculation.
Are you missing out with the event? If you don’t invest money, you lose nothing. After all, you can obtain the items and Regigigas outside of the event as well. Only the pose and medal are only available with the pass.
However, if you plan to invest some raid passes that weekend anyway, you can easily combine that with the live event.
What do you think? Will you participate in the event or would you rather save the money?
With the launch of Shadowkeep in early October, Bungie has nerfed several perks in Destiny 2. YouTuber Aztecross now has concrete numbers regarding the nerfs, showing just how hard they hit the perks.
Which perks were nerfed? In the Patch Notes for the Shadowkeep release, a total of eight perks can be found that were weakened with the release of the new DLC:
Rampage: Kills with the weapon increase damage (up to 3 stacks)
Kill Clip: Reloading after a kill grants increased damage
Swashbuckler: The weapon receives increased damage after melee kills and kills with the weapon
Multikill Clip: Reloading increases damage based on the kills previously achieved
Desperado: Reloading while Outlaw is active increases the fire rate
Surrounded: The weapon receives bonus damage when three or more enemies are nearby
Master of Arms: Kills with any weapon briefly increase the damage of that weapon
Onslaught: Stacks of “Rampage” increase the fire rate
The adjustment should align the PvE multipliers with those from PvP.
The
Impact of the perk nerfs
The nerfs are severe: YouTuber Aztecross has taken a look at some numbers regarding the nerfs. His conclusion is quite devastating: All of the perks are now significantly weaker and not just a little.
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Previously, Rampage and Swashbuckler granted a damage bonus of about 66% (now 33%) and Multikill Clip one of 100% (now 50%), effectively halving their damage. Kill Clip is also said to deal less damage now, but a comparison value is missing. Rampage and Kill Clip were among the strongest perks.
With Surrounded, critical damage was previously increased by 62% and body damage by 40%. These have now both been reduced to 30%, which goes against the intention of the perk. It is now hardly worth it to land critical hits as no one takes the time to aim properly in a melee.
Onslaught and Desperado seem to have been hit particularly hard. While the perks still increase the fire rate, they now also reduce the damage of the weapons. The faster you fire, the less damage each bullet does.
This is still playable: The only perk that Aztecross claims is hardly affected by the nerfs is Master of Arms. The perk can be found on the weapon Lone Wolf.
The submachine gun is still one of the strongest weapons in the game, and builds around it are likely still quite potent. However, anyone wanting to look for other perks should check out the new artifact:
On Astellia, there was an unusual incident on Tuesday. Players were able to enter an area that shouldn’t actually exist yet. Now they are being punished for entering and are quite upset.
What happened? On Tuesday, October 15, players were briefly able to enter the PvP area Avalon, which wasn’t supposed to be accessible yet. The developers quickly disabled it and pointed out that there are currently missing quests and NPCs in Avalon.
However, some players had already made it into the area and gathered items and progress there. Therefore, all players who entered Avalon received a trading ban:
The ban is meant to prevent items from the PvP area from circulating. They could provide advantages over other players.
The ban is set to last until October 22, but it will be lifted once all items from Avalon have been deleted.
Players affected by the ban are dissatisfied with the reaction from the developer Barunson E&A. From their perspective, they did not make a mistake.
Players are upset about a punishment that shouldn’t be
What do players think about the trading ban? Almost all affected players voice their negative opinions about the trading ban in the official forum. They feel unjustly punished because they couldn’t have known that Avalon was not yet released.
I was on Avalon with a few guildies for maybe 20 minutes – did a green quest, captured a stone, and participated in a short PvP. […]
We did not “bug in” there; it was opened normally. We did not gain any advantage from it, but simply enjoyed the opening innocently.
Even users who are not affected think the punishment is too harsh. A user named Aya writes:
I wasn’t in, but I still don’t understand how one can come up with the idea of punishing players. The affected players neither cheated, exploited, nor engaged in bug using … at least not knowingly.
That you want to remove the items is clear, but punishing others for your own mistakes …
Only a few players defend the developers’ actions. They see it as the only way to prevent items from the new area from entering the trade.
What does the Community Manager say? Meanwhile, CM Venecia has spoken in the forum. He emphasizes that the trading ban is by no means intended as a punishment, but serves to maintain fairness:
The mistake was on our part and we do not deny that. I would like to officially emphasize again that this is in no way intended as a punishment, or something we like to do. […]
Our only concern now is to offset the effect that this had on the game. Overall, only very few players were affected (~ 120 players). We are not banning any accounts, as this was obviously an oversight, but we will take all necessary actions to ensure that this mistake does not affect the overall game.
However, Venecia could not yet say how long the trading ban will last.
This action is not the first misstep that players accuse the developer of. Previously, there were already discussions about gold sellers and bots and pre-order rewards.
PvP Season and Halloween
What else is happening in Astellia? On October 14, the first PvP season started in Astellia. In this, players can compete for weekly prizes and a reward at the end of the season.
The focus of these rewards is the currency Zender, which can also be used to purchase some shop content.
When does the Halloween event start? On October 22, Halloween will arrive in the MMORPG. It is expected to bring spooky decorations, Halloween-themed events, and plenty of sweets.
There will also be a limited mount skin available in the cash shop. More detailed information about the event will probably not be available until next week.
