In Diablo 3, Season 18 is currently running. In the top 3 of the leaderboard, there is a close race led by Wizard and Necromancer.
What’s happening in Diablo 3? A few weeks ago, on August 23, Diablo 3 started Season 18. It is themed “Season of Trinity” and motivates many players to compete in the rankings again.
What was the last standing? When we looked at the leaderboards on September 13, Wizard, Necromancer, and Witch Doctor occupied the top three spots on the leaderboard. They had times of:
Wizard – GR 134 in ~14 minutes and 23 seconds
Necromancer – GR 133 in ~14 minutes and 46 seconds
Witch Doctor – GR 130 in ~14 minutes and 53 seconds
The currently best classes in Diablo 3 – Status: October 12
How does the leaderboard look? We will look at the various leaderboards and show how well each class is currently performing.
Solo: In solo play, Wizard and Necromancer continue to vie closely for first place. But the Witch Doctor has also caught up and is now just two levels behind the Necromancer.
Wizard – GR 137 in ~14 minutes and 40 seconds
Necromancer – GR 136 in ~14 minutes and 48 seconds
Witch Doctor – GR 134 in ~14 minutes and 49 seconds
Crusader – GR 130 in ~14 minutes and 14 seconds
Barbarian – GR 128 in ~14 minutes and 36 seconds
Demon Hunter – GR 125 in ~13 minutes and 23 seconds
Monk – GR 125 in ~14 minutes and 38 seconds
Here you can see that the Necromancer is still hot on the Wizard’s heels. It remains exciting to see if the order will change by the end of the season.
If you also want to compete at the top of the leaderboard, take a look at our tier list. There we present the best builds for the classes in Season 18.
Duo: A strong team has already broken GR level 150 in duo play. This is a combo of Necromancer and Barbarian.
Trio: At the last check in September, the duo groups were still at GR level 141. In the meantime, they have improved significantly and have broken level 150.
Quad: The 4-player groups had already reached level 150 of the Greater Rifts back in September. In the meantime, they could improve their time by nearly 3.5 minutes.
Which class are you playing in Season 18?
Are you also excited for this year’s BlizzCon? Recent events could make the convention “interesting”:
Blizzard roars from one shitstorm to the next. Is this breaking the game studio’s neck now?
Almost a year ago, I wrote an article in which I lamented about the then-current state of Blizzard. I was sad because Blizzard continued to stray from what I loved about gaming. My hope was that Blizzard would recover in 2019 and get back on the right track. Not only in terms of new games but especially regarding PR disasters, strange statements, and “bowing to China”.
Even though the year is far from over, it can already be said: 2019 did not work out. Blizzard has been staggering from one shitstorm to the next for a year now, sometimes even with a running start.
BlizzCon 2018 – The beginning of the end?
The proper wave of negativity started with BlizzCon 2018. Normally, Blizzard’s trade fair is always a great success and a highlight, but the 2018 event could have also run under “Failures, Bad Luck, and Mishaps.” Many fans were disappointed that the big announcement at BlizzCon was “only” Diablo: Immortal. A mobile game that would not be released on PC.
The question “Don’t you guys have phones?” became a meme that still appears again and again today. Blizzard was accused of losing contact with its core player base.
The core gamers, the ones who had built Blizzard up, were no longer important, only fast money in the mobile market mattered. That was and remains the concern of many.
According to reports from some employees, workers were summoned one by one into the offices to receive their layoffs like on an assembly line. This, along with reports that Blizzard exploited its employees and their passion while paying comparably low wages, caused further outrage.
The discontinuation of the eSports league for HotS
Although the “Heroes of the Storm” league was still advertised in presentations at BlizzCon 2018, a different message came shortly afterward. The HGC, the largest HotS league with high prize pools, was discontinued. Many pro players were already counting on the HGC and had prepared for it. They and the game’s casters suddenly found themselves without a job and had to reorient themselves.
It was no surprise that Blizzard had to endure massive criticism here as well. However, there was no exact reason given as to why the tournaments for HotS were canceled. It fit with the fact that the number of developers for HotS was drastically reduced. After all, development has slowed significantly since BlizzCon.
All-time low of employee morale
The many layoffs, the harsh criticism from HotS fans, and the general work climate at Blizzard led to the morale of the developers reaching an all-time low.
This point is not a real shitstorm, but still a smoldering fire that has become increasingly intense over the last few months. In World of Warcraft, players have long been dissatisfied with the current expansion “Battle for Azeroth”.
Many did not like the game’s mechanics, the overall setting, and the content. Within the community, Battle for Azeroth is considered by many players to be the worst of all expansions.
In this state of dissatisfaction, Blizzard stuffed extremely many mounts into the shop of World of Warcraft that can only be purchased with real money. The criticism here was that instead of actually improving the game, Blizzard simply churned out mounts to offset losses.
When there was then a “See You Later” bundle at the end of 2018, in which Blizzard removed many items from the shop under the small threat that they might never be available again, the anger boiled over.
Since then, every mount in the shop has faced criticism, especially since the quality of the mounts that are actually available in the game is declining, and more and more often only “recolors”, i.e., reskins of existing mounts, can be found.
The “Purity” patch of Hearthstone
Another incident took place in the Hearthstone subreddit. During a patch for Hearthstone, there was a small detail change in the game. Jaina’s chest was packaged a bit more modestly. This was taken lightly, but a few months later another patch arrived.
This removed a large part of the brutality and nudity from the game. Blood was removed from several cards and rather “raunchy” demons like the succubus were replaced with completely different cards.
At that time, fans speculated that these changes happened in deference to China, where extremely strict rules apply concerning depictions of violence or revealing clothing.
Blizzard argued that the portrayals were no longer contemporary and did not represent what Hearthstone wanted to stand for. This personally annoyed me especially because succubi had always been an integral part of Warcraft.
The reason for the penalty was that Blitzchung made a political statement during a stream, supporting the protests of the residents of Hong Kong. But not only he was removed from Hearthstone, but also the two shoutcasters who conducted an interview with him.
They were supposed to never work with Blizzard again, although they had immediately sent the stream into advertising right after his statement. Meanwhile, their penalty has also been reduced to “6 months suspension”.
For the players, it is clear that Blizzard acted this way because they did not want to fall in the eyes of the Chinese government. China is a huge market, and anyone who wants to establish themselves there needs the approval of the government. Any “Anti-China” comment is not taken well.
Within 2 days, all hell broke loose. All subreddits for all Blizzard games were flooded with boycott calls. Tens of thousands of players declared that they had deleted their Blizzard accounts and would never buy another game from the company if Blizzard did not reconsider its stance on human rights.
At the same time, the protesters from Hong Kong and the angry players wanted to send a message. They made the Overwatch hero Mei a symbol of resistance, hoping that China would ban images of Mei and thus also ban Overwatch in China.
Mei became a symbol of resistance in Hong Kong.
Even American senators have dealt with the incident, and even other game companies issued a statement about it, like Epic – which is ironic since Epic Games is largely owned by the Chinese company Tencent. But that would be material for another article.
BlizzCon 2019 – Predestined to fail
With this heated atmosphere, we are now heading toward BlizzCon 2019 in a few weeks. This should be the “best BlizzCon ever”, as numerous new announcements are expected. But can gamers really be happy about it when in the background, an avalanche of negative news is still raging, gaining momentum, and showing no signs of stopping?
Especially the last event with Blitzchung and Hong Kong could also influence BlizzCon. Hundreds of fans announced that they wanted to wear T-shirts at BlizzCon that read “Free Hong Kong”. Keeping the various Q&A panels free of all questions regarding this decision will also be difficult.
Blizzard is sitting on a powder keg that is already on the verge of exploding.
If BlizzCon is not to end in the next major scandal with a shitstorm, it is urgently time for Blizzard – especially the management – to clarify a few things. That Blizzard adheres to its own values, which are still proudly displayed on the company’s campus.
Another year of disastrous PR could break Blizzard’s neck. Because even if there is a big difference between “complaining loudly” and “really turning your back on Blizzard,” the group choosing the latter is apparently growing. Some are even already burning their games.
It would be very ironic if a company that advertises honor, responsibility, decency, and slogans like “The world always needs heroes” in its games ends up going under because of the fear of not profiting in a country whose government has nothing to do with freedom of speech and pluralism.
In Destiny 2 there are new ways to upgrade your gear since Shadowkeep. Where to get the somewhat rare materials and how to use them properly, you can read here.
Since the major autumn expansion Shadowkeep, much has changed in the Destiny universe. In addition to new missions and weapons, new resources have also found their way into Destiny 2.
To level up your weapons and Armor 2.0 gear and make them stronger, you will now need: enhancement cores, upgrade modules, legendary shards, as well as enhancement prisms and ascendant shards – to keep track, let’s take a closer look at upgrading gear.
Banshe-44 has everything you need
These are the relevant materials and their sources:
Legendary shards, you find by dismantling legendary gear.
Enhancement cores, formerly known as masterwork cores. Can be obtained rarely by dismantling gear, completing activities or bounty runs, and from the Spider.
Enhancement prisms are rarer and can drop from high-level activities and can be purchased from the gunsmith in the Tower.
Ascendant shards, you get from the hardest activities in the game or can be purchased from the gunsmith in the Tower at a high exchange rate.
Upgrade modules are also available from the gunsmith and can be obtained from different reward sources.
You can earn all mentioned resources through the season pass.
Continuously rewards you – the season pass in Destiny 2
Infusion
If you want to keep your beloved weapons and armor, you must always infuse your gear. This means you “sacrifice” an item with a higher level to increase the power level of your weaker weapons or armor.
For example, you can infuse any other kinetic weapon (power level 920) into your exotic revolver “The Last Word” (power level 750). After this process, “The Last Word” itself will be at level 920 and the other weapon will be gone.
This is how infusion worked so far: The process costs varying amounts of glimmer, legendary shards, or enhancement cores depending on the level difference or rarity of the gear.
Here’s what you need to know about infusion in Shadowkeep: Since Shadowkeep, every infusion process always costs just one upgrade module.
The only exception is identical gear. For example, if you infuse the new raid gloves into the identically named pair of gloves, this process usually costs you only glimmer. This way you can cost-effectively level up the gloves with the better stats.
Not so easy to find: Ascendant shards
Upgrading Gear
This is how upgrading gear worked so far: You could upgrade your weapons and armor up to level 10. For weapons, this improved a stat by up to 10 points, and with multi-kills, you created orbs of light. The armors provided better damage reductions.
Each level became more expensive and required not only glimmer and legendary shards but also many enhancement cores. Once a piece of gear reached level 10, it was referred to as a “masterwork” in Destiny 2.
Here’s what you need to know about upgrading gear now: The process essentially remains the same. The difference is that upgrading an item from level 7 to level 9 now requires enhancement prisms.
You need the ascendant shard to make the final step to level 10 and have a full-fledged masterwork.
With the switch to Armor 2.0, the functionality of your masterwork armors also changes. All armor pieces have an energy value from 1 to 10. With each masterwork level, the available energy value increases and allows you to use more intensive mods.
Armor 2.0 offers armor stats and energy level
Furthermore, all Armor 2.0 gear now gives you a boost to your abilities:
Mobility (increases speed and jump height)
Resilience (increases your maximum health)
Recovery (affects health regeneration after taking damage)
Discipline (determines how quickly your grenade charges)
Intellect (determines how quickly your super charges)
Strength (determines how quickly your melee charges)
Every 10 points, you gain a skill tier. Once you have leveled an armor piece to a complete masterwork, you receive a bonus of 2+ on each of the 6 stats.
Your masterwork weapons behave just like before Shadowkeep.
What do you think of the new upgrade system – unnecessarily complicated or well thought out?
Are there other opinions? Although the protests against the punishment Blitzchung received represent a large majority, there are also voices that say the pro gamer was rightly punished.
Absolutely understandable what happened. When you watch a soccer game, you don’t want to suddenly hear a segment about the current Turkey/Syria crisis.
Florian G. on Facebook.
Blitzchung violated the rules that Blizzard set for its tournaments. A fact he was reportedly very aware of, and therefore expected the penalty.
In one of the large discussion threads on this topic on reddit, user Afalau also wrote:
It doesn’t matter what Blizzard said, you would still have gotten angry.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
The credibility of Blizzard’s statement is indeed heavily questioned by many.
“Guidelines must be followed”
Are there other opinions? Although the protests against the punishment Blitzchung received represent a large majority, there are also voices that say the pro gamer was rightly punished.
Absolutely understandable what happened. When you watch a soccer game, you don’t want to suddenly hear a segment about the current Turkey/Syria crisis.
Florian G. on Facebook.
Blitzchung violated the rules that Blizzard set for its tournaments. A fact he was reportedly very aware of, and therefore expected the penalty.
In one of the large discussion threads on this topic on reddit, user Afalau also wrote:
It doesn’t matter what Blizzard said, you would still have gotten angry.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
One of the main reasons why Brack’s statement regarding China’s influence is so doubted is another statement published on Hearthstone’s official account on Weibo, a Chinese social media service.
This is the post in question: The content of the post stands in stark contrast to what Brack says. It states:
We are very outraged and disappointed about what happened at the event and condemn it in every way. We oppose the dissemination of personal political views in this manner. The participant is banned from events effective immediately, and our work with the casters is terminated. We will always respect and defend the pride of our country.
Statement on Hearthstone’s Weibo channel, via Rod Breslau @Slasher
This statement was unearthed by reddit users and translated into English by IGN.
However, it should be noted that this account is not directly under Blizzard, but under the Chinese publisher NetEase, which distributes ActiBlizz games in China (via IGN). Therefore, it is hard to say how much influence Blizzard had over the publication of the post.
This is not an apology
Players are also annoyed by Brack’s statement because he does not apologize for the company’s behavior. There are many explanations that explain Blizzard’s actions and attempt to make everything more understandable. However, an admission of guilt is lacking.
An apology typically contains words like “I’m sorry” or “excuse me”, none of which appear in this statement. It is purely damage control, nothing more. Anyone who tries to present this as an apology distorts the facts.
The credibility of Blizzard’s statement is indeed heavily questioned by many.
“Guidelines must be followed”
Are there other opinions? Although the protests against the punishment Blitzchung received represent a large majority, there are also voices that say the pro gamer was rightly punished.
Absolutely understandable what happened. When you watch a soccer game, you don’t want to suddenly hear a segment about the current Turkey/Syria crisis.
Florian G. on Facebook.
Blitzchung violated the rules that Blizzard set for its tournaments. A fact he was reportedly very aware of, and therefore expected the penalty.
In one of the large discussion threads on this topic on reddit, user Afalau also wrote:
It doesn’t matter what Blizzard said, you would still have gotten angry.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
One of the main reasons why Brack’s statement regarding China’s influence is so doubted is another statement published on Hearthstone’s official account on Weibo, a Chinese social media service.
This is the post in question: The content of the post stands in stark contrast to what Brack says. It states:
We are very outraged and disappointed about what happened at the event and condemn it in every way. We oppose the dissemination of personal political views in this manner. The participant is banned from events effective immediately, and our work with the casters is terminated. We will always respect and defend the pride of our country.
Statement on Hearthstone’s Weibo channel, via Rod Breslau @Slasher
This statement was unearthed by reddit users and translated into English by IGN.
However, it should be noted that this account is not directly under Blizzard, but under the Chinese publisher NetEase, which distributes ActiBlizz games in China (via IGN). Therefore, it is hard to say how much influence Blizzard had over the publication of the post.
This is not an apology
Players are also annoyed by Brack’s statement because he does not apologize for the company’s behavior. There are many explanations that explain Blizzard’s actions and attempt to make everything more understandable. However, an admission of guilt is lacking.
An apology typically contains words like “I’m sorry” or “excuse me”, none of which appear in this statement. It is purely damage control, nothing more. Anyone who tries to present this as an apology distorts the facts.
The credibility of Blizzard’s statement is indeed heavily questioned by many.
“Guidelines must be followed”
Are there other opinions? Although the protests against the punishment Blitzchung received represent a large majority, there are also voices that say the pro gamer was rightly punished.
Absolutely understandable what happened. When you watch a soccer game, you don’t want to suddenly hear a segment about the current Turkey/Syria crisis.
Florian G. on Facebook.
Blitzchung violated the rules that Blizzard set for its tournaments. A fact he was reportedly very aware of, and therefore expected the penalty.
In one of the large discussion threads on this topic on reddit, user Afalau also wrote:
It doesn’t matter what Blizzard said, you would still have gotten angry.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
In one of the large discussion threads on this topic on reddit, user Afalau also wrote:
It doesn’t matter what Blizzard said, you would still have gotten angry.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
One of the main reasons why Brack’s statement regarding China’s influence is so doubted is another statement published on Hearthstone’s official account on Weibo, a Chinese social media service.
This is the post in question: The content of the post stands in stark contrast to what Brack says. It states:
We are very outraged and disappointed about what happened at the event and condemn it in every way. We oppose the dissemination of personal political views in this manner. The participant is banned from events effective immediately, and our work with the casters is terminated. We will always respect and defend the pride of our country.
Statement on Hearthstone’s Weibo channel, via Rod Breslau @Slasher
This statement was unearthed by reddit users and translated into English by IGN.
However, it should be noted that this account is not directly under Blizzard, but under the Chinese publisher NetEase, which distributes ActiBlizz games in China (via IGN). Therefore, it is hard to say how much influence Blizzard had over the publication of the post.
This is not an apology
Players are also annoyed by Brack’s statement because he does not apologize for the company’s behavior. There are many explanations that explain Blizzard’s actions and attempt to make everything more understandable. However, an admission of guilt is lacking.
An apology typically contains words like “I’m sorry” or “excuse me”, none of which appear in this statement. It is purely damage control, nothing more. Anyone who tries to present this as an apology distorts the facts.
The credibility of Blizzard’s statement is indeed heavily questioned by many.
“Guidelines must be followed”
Are there other opinions? Although the protests against the punishment Blitzchung received represent a large majority, there are also voices that say the pro gamer was rightly punished.
Absolutely understandable what happened. When you watch a soccer game, you don’t want to suddenly hear a segment about the current Turkey/Syria crisis.
Florian G. on Facebook.
Blitzchung violated the rules that Blizzard set for its tournaments. A fact he was reportedly very aware of, and therefore expected the penalty.
In one of the large discussion threads on this topic on reddit, user Afalau also wrote:
It doesn’t matter what Blizzard said, you would still have gotten angry.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
Are there other opinions? Although the protests against the punishment Blitzchung received represent a large majority, there are also voices that say the pro gamer was rightly punished.
Absolutely understandable what happened. When you watch a soccer game, you don’t want to suddenly hear a segment about the current Turkey/Syria crisis.
Florian G. on Facebook.
Blitzchung violated the rules that Blizzard set for its tournaments. A fact he was reportedly very aware of, and therefore expected the penalty.
In one of the large discussion threads on this topic on reddit, user Afalau also wrote:
It doesn’t matter what Blizzard said, you would still have gotten angry.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
One of the main reasons why Brack’s statement regarding China’s influence is so doubted is another statement published on Hearthstone’s official account on Weibo, a Chinese social media service.
This is the post in question: The content of the post stands in stark contrast to what Brack says. It states:
We are very outraged and disappointed about what happened at the event and condemn it in every way. We oppose the dissemination of personal political views in this manner. The participant is banned from events effective immediately, and our work with the casters is terminated. We will always respect and defend the pride of our country.
Statement on Hearthstone’s Weibo channel, via Rod Breslau @Slasher
This statement was unearthed by reddit users and translated into English by IGN.
However, it should be noted that this account is not directly under Blizzard, but under the Chinese publisher NetEase, which distributes ActiBlizz games in China (via IGN). Therefore, it is hard to say how much influence Blizzard had over the publication of the post.
This is not an apology
Players are also annoyed by Brack’s statement because he does not apologize for the company’s behavior. There are many explanations that explain Blizzard’s actions and attempt to make everything more understandable. However, an admission of guilt is lacking.
An apology typically contains words like “I’m sorry” or “excuse me”, none of which appear in this statement. It is purely damage control, nothing more. Anyone who tries to present this as an apology distorts the facts.
The credibility of Blizzard’s statement is indeed heavily questioned by many.
“Guidelines must be followed”
Are there other opinions? Although the protests against the punishment Blitzchung received represent a large majority, there are also voices that say the pro gamer was rightly punished.
Absolutely understandable what happened. When you watch a soccer game, you don’t want to suddenly hear a segment about the current Turkey/Syria crisis.
Florian G. on Facebook.
Blitzchung violated the rules that Blizzard set for its tournaments. A fact he was reportedly very aware of, and therefore expected the penalty.
In one of the large discussion threads on this topic on reddit, user Afalau also wrote:
It doesn’t matter what Blizzard said, you would still have gotten angry.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
The credibility of Blizzard’s statement is indeed heavily questioned by many.
“Guidelines must be followed”
Are there other opinions? Although the protests against the punishment Blitzchung received represent a large majority, there are also voices that say the pro gamer was rightly punished.
Absolutely understandable what happened. When you watch a soccer game, you don’t want to suddenly hear a segment about the current Turkey/Syria crisis.
Florian G. on Facebook.
Blitzchung violated the rules that Blizzard set for its tournaments. A fact he was reportedly very aware of, and therefore expected the penalty.
In one of the large discussion threads on this topic on reddit, user Afalau also wrote:
It doesn’t matter what Blizzard said, you would still have gotten angry.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
One of the main reasons why Brack’s statement regarding China’s influence is so doubted is another statement published on Hearthstone’s official account on Weibo, a Chinese social media service.
This is the post in question: The content of the post stands in stark contrast to what Brack says. It states:
We are very outraged and disappointed about what happened at the event and condemn it in every way. We oppose the dissemination of personal political views in this manner. The participant is banned from events effective immediately, and our work with the casters is terminated. We will always respect and defend the pride of our country.
Statement on Hearthstone’s Weibo channel, via Rod Breslau @Slasher
This statement was unearthed by reddit users and translated into English by IGN.
However, it should be noted that this account is not directly under Blizzard, but under the Chinese publisher NetEase, which distributes ActiBlizz games in China (via IGN). Therefore, it is hard to say how much influence Blizzard had over the publication of the post.
This is not an apology
Players are also annoyed by Brack’s statement because he does not apologize for the company’s behavior. There are many explanations that explain Blizzard’s actions and attempt to make everything more understandable. However, an admission of guilt is lacking.
An apology typically contains words like “I’m sorry” or “excuse me”, none of which appear in this statement. It is purely damage control, nothing more. Anyone who tries to present this as an apology distorts the facts.
The credibility of Blizzard’s statement is indeed heavily questioned by many.
“Guidelines must be followed”
Are there other opinions? Although the protests against the punishment Blitzchung received represent a large majority, there are also voices that say the pro gamer was rightly punished.
Absolutely understandable what happened. When you watch a soccer game, you don’t want to suddenly hear a segment about the current Turkey/Syria crisis.
Florian G. on Facebook.
Blitzchung violated the rules that Blizzard set for its tournaments. A fact he was reportedly very aware of, and therefore expected the penalty.
In one of the large discussion threads on this topic on reddit, user Afalau also wrote:
It doesn’t matter what Blizzard said, you would still have gotten angry.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
The credibility of Blizzard’s statement is indeed heavily questioned by many.
“Guidelines must be followed”
Are there other opinions? Although the protests against the punishment Blitzchung received represent a large majority, there are also voices that say the pro gamer was rightly punished.
Absolutely understandable what happened. When you watch a soccer game, you don’t want to suddenly hear a segment about the current Turkey/Syria crisis.
Florian G. on Facebook.
Blitzchung violated the rules that Blizzard set for its tournaments. A fact he was reportedly very aware of, and therefore expected the penalty.
In one of the large discussion threads on this topic on reddit, user Afalau also wrote:
It doesn’t matter what Blizzard said, you would still have gotten angry.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
One of the main reasons why Brack’s statement regarding China’s influence is so doubted is another statement published on Hearthstone’s official account on Weibo, a Chinese social media service.
This is the post in question: The content of the post stands in stark contrast to what Brack says. It states:
We are very outraged and disappointed about what happened at the event and condemn it in every way. We oppose the dissemination of personal political views in this manner. The participant is banned from events effective immediately, and our work with the casters is terminated. We will always respect and defend the pride of our country.
Statement on Hearthstone’s Weibo channel, via Rod Breslau @Slasher
This statement was unearthed by reddit users and translated into English by IGN.
However, it should be noted that this account is not directly under Blizzard, but under the Chinese publisher NetEase, which distributes ActiBlizz games in China (via IGN). Therefore, it is hard to say how much influence Blizzard had over the publication of the post.
This is not an apology
Players are also annoyed by Brack’s statement because he does not apologize for the company’s behavior. There are many explanations that explain Blizzard’s actions and attempt to make everything more understandable. However, an admission of guilt is lacking.
An apology typically contains words like “I’m sorry” or “excuse me”, none of which appear in this statement. It is purely damage control, nothing more. Anyone who tries to present this as an apology distorts the facts.
The credibility of Blizzard’s statement is indeed heavily questioned by many.
“Guidelines must be followed”
Are there other opinions? Although the protests against the punishment Blitzchung received represent a large majority, there are also voices that say the pro gamer was rightly punished.
Absolutely understandable what happened. When you watch a soccer game, you don’t want to suddenly hear a segment about the current Turkey/Syria crisis.
Florian G. on Facebook.
Blitzchung violated the rules that Blizzard set for its tournaments. A fact he was reportedly very aware of, and therefore expected the penalty.
In one of the large discussion threads on this topic on reddit, user Afalau also wrote:
It doesn’t matter what Blizzard said, you would still have gotten angry.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
In one of the large discussion threads on this topic on reddit, user Afalau also wrote:
It doesn’t matter what Blizzard said, you would still have gotten angry.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
The credibility of Blizzard’s statement is indeed heavily questioned by many.
“Guidelines must be followed”
Are there other opinions? Although the protests against the punishment Blitzchung received represent a large majority, there are also voices that say the pro gamer was rightly punished.
Absolutely understandable what happened. When you watch a soccer game, you don’t want to suddenly hear a segment about the current Turkey/Syria crisis.
Florian G. on Facebook.
Blitzchung violated the rules that Blizzard set for its tournaments. A fact he was reportedly very aware of, and therefore expected the penalty.
In one of the large discussion threads on this topic on reddit, user Afalau also wrote:
It doesn’t matter what Blizzard said, you would still have gotten angry.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
One of the main reasons why Brack’s statement regarding China’s influence is so doubted is another statement published on Hearthstone’s official account on Weibo, a Chinese social media service.
This is the post in question: The content of the post stands in stark contrast to what Brack says. It states:
We are very outraged and disappointed about what happened at the event and condemn it in every way. We oppose the dissemination of personal political views in this manner. The participant is banned from events effective immediately, and our work with the casters is terminated. We will always respect and defend the pride of our country.
Statement on Hearthstone’s Weibo channel, via Rod Breslau @Slasher
This statement was unearthed by reddit users and translated into English by IGN.
However, it should be noted that this account is not directly under Blizzard, but under the Chinese publisher NetEase, which distributes ActiBlizz games in China (via IGN). Therefore, it is hard to say how much influence Blizzard had over the publication of the post.
This is not an apology
Players are also annoyed by Brack’s statement because he does not apologize for the company’s behavior. There are many explanations that explain Blizzard’s actions and attempt to make everything more understandable. However, an admission of guilt is lacking.
An apology typically contains words like “I’m sorry” or “excuse me”, none of which appear in this statement. It is purely damage control, nothing more. Anyone who tries to present this as an apology distorts the facts.
The credibility of Blizzard’s statement is indeed heavily questioned by many.
“Guidelines must be followed”
Are there other opinions? Although the protests against the punishment Blitzchung received represent a large majority, there are also voices that say the pro gamer was rightly punished.
Absolutely understandable what happened. When you watch a soccer game, you don’t want to suddenly hear a segment about the current Turkey/Syria crisis.
Florian G. on Facebook.
Blitzchung violated the rules that Blizzard set for its tournaments. A fact he was reportedly very aware of, and therefore expected the penalty.
In one of the large discussion threads on this topic on reddit, user Afalau also wrote:
It doesn’t matter what Blizzard said, you would still have gotten angry.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
Are there other opinions? Although the protests against the punishment Blitzchung received represent a large majority, there are also voices that say the pro gamer was rightly punished.
Absolutely understandable what happened. When you watch a soccer game, you don’t want to suddenly hear a segment about the current Turkey/Syria crisis.
Florian G. on Facebook.
Blitzchung violated the rules that Blizzard set for its tournaments. A fact he was reportedly very aware of, and therefore expected the penalty.
In one of the large discussion threads on this topic on reddit, user Afalau also wrote:
It doesn’t matter what Blizzard said, you would still have gotten angry.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
The credibility of Blizzard’s statement is indeed heavily questioned by many.
“Guidelines must be followed”
Are there other opinions? Although the protests against the punishment Blitzchung received represent a large majority, there are also voices that say the pro gamer was rightly punished.
Absolutely understandable what happened. When you watch a soccer game, you don’t want to suddenly hear a segment about the current Turkey/Syria crisis.
Florian G. on Facebook.
Blitzchung violated the rules that Blizzard set for its tournaments. A fact he was reportedly very aware of, and therefore expected the penalty.
In one of the large discussion threads on this topic on reddit, user Afalau also wrote:
It doesn’t matter what Blizzard said, you would still have gotten angry.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
One of the main reasons why Brack’s statement regarding China’s influence is so doubted is another statement published on Hearthstone’s official account on Weibo, a Chinese social media service.
This is the post in question: The content of the post stands in stark contrast to what Brack says. It states:
We are very outraged and disappointed about what happened at the event and condemn it in every way. We oppose the dissemination of personal political views in this manner. The participant is banned from events effective immediately, and our work with the casters is terminated. We will always respect and defend the pride of our country.
Statement on Hearthstone’s Weibo channel, via Rod Breslau @Slasher
This statement was unearthed by reddit users and translated into English by IGN.
However, it should be noted that this account is not directly under Blizzard, but under the Chinese publisher NetEase, which distributes ActiBlizz games in China (via IGN). Therefore, it is hard to say how much influence Blizzard had over the publication of the post.
This is not an apology
Players are also annoyed by Brack’s statement because he does not apologize for the company’s behavior. There are many explanations that explain Blizzard’s actions and attempt to make everything more understandable. However, an admission of guilt is lacking.
An apology typically contains words like “I’m sorry” or “excuse me”, none of which appear in this statement. It is purely damage control, nothing more. Anyone who tries to present this as an apology distorts the facts.
The credibility of Blizzard’s statement is indeed heavily questioned by many.
“Guidelines must be followed”
Are there other opinions? Although the protests against the punishment Blitzchung received represent a large majority, there are also voices that say the pro gamer was rightly punished.
Absolutely understandable what happened. When you watch a soccer game, you don’t want to suddenly hear a segment about the current Turkey/Syria crisis.
Florian G. on Facebook.
Blitzchung violated the rules that Blizzard set for its tournaments. A fact he was reportedly very aware of, and therefore expected the penalty.
In one of the large discussion threads on this topic on reddit, user Afalau also wrote:
It doesn’t matter what Blizzard said, you would still have gotten angry.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
Are there other opinions? Although the protests against the punishment Blitzchung received represent a large majority, there are also voices that say the pro gamer was rightly punished.
Absolutely understandable what happened. When you watch a soccer game, you don’t want to suddenly hear a segment about the current Turkey/Syria crisis.
Florian G. on Facebook.
Blitzchung violated the rules that Blizzard set for its tournaments. A fact he was reportedly very aware of, and therefore expected the penalty.
In one of the large discussion threads on this topic on reddit, user Afalau also wrote:
It doesn’t matter what Blizzard said, you would still have gotten angry.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
The credibility of Blizzard’s statement is indeed heavily questioned by many.
“Guidelines must be followed”
Are there other opinions? Although the protests against the punishment Blitzchung received represent a large majority, there are also voices that say the pro gamer was rightly punished.
Absolutely understandable what happened. When you watch a soccer game, you don’t want to suddenly hear a segment about the current Turkey/Syria crisis.
Florian G. on Facebook.
Blitzchung violated the rules that Blizzard set for its tournaments. A fact he was reportedly very aware of, and therefore expected the penalty.
In one of the large discussion threads on this topic on reddit, user Afalau also wrote:
It doesn’t matter what Blizzard said, you would still have gotten angry.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
One of the main reasons why Brack’s statement regarding China’s influence is so doubted is another statement published on Hearthstone’s official account on Weibo, a Chinese social media service.
This is the post in question: The content of the post stands in stark contrast to what Brack says. It states:
We are very outraged and disappointed about what happened at the event and condemn it in every way. We oppose the dissemination of personal political views in this manner. The participant is banned from events effective immediately, and our work with the casters is terminated. We will always respect and defend the pride of our country.
Statement on Hearthstone’s Weibo channel, via Rod Breslau @Slasher
This statement was unearthed by reddit users and translated into English by IGN.
However, it should be noted that this account is not directly under Blizzard, but under the Chinese publisher NetEase, which distributes ActiBlizz games in China (via IGN). Therefore, it is hard to say how much influence Blizzard had over the publication of the post.
This is not an apology
Players are also annoyed by Brack’s statement because he does not apologize for the company’s behavior. There are many explanations that explain Blizzard’s actions and attempt to make everything more understandable. However, an admission of guilt is lacking.
An apology typically contains words like “I’m sorry” or “excuse me”, none of which appear in this statement. It is purely damage control, nothing more. Anyone who tries to present this as an apology distorts the facts.
The credibility of Blizzard’s statement is indeed heavily questioned by many.
“Guidelines must be followed”
Are there other opinions? Although the protests against the punishment Blitzchung received represent a large majority, there are also voices that say the pro gamer was rightly punished.
Absolutely understandable what happened. When you watch a soccer game, you don’t want to suddenly hear a segment about the current Turkey/Syria crisis.
Florian G. on Facebook.
Blitzchung violated the rules that Blizzard set for its tournaments. A fact he was reportedly very aware of, and therefore expected the penalty.
In one of the large discussion threads on this topic on reddit, user Afalau also wrote:
It doesn’t matter what Blizzard said, you would still have gotten angry.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
In one of the large discussion threads on this topic on reddit, user Afalau also wrote:
It doesn’t matter what Blizzard said, you would still have gotten angry.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
Are there other opinions? Although the protests against the punishment Blitzchung received represent a large majority, there are also voices that say the pro gamer was rightly punished.
Absolutely understandable what happened. When you watch a soccer game, you don’t want to suddenly hear a segment about the current Turkey/Syria crisis.
Florian G. on Facebook.
Blitzchung violated the rules that Blizzard set for its tournaments. A fact he was reportedly very aware of, and therefore expected the penalty.
In one of the large discussion threads on this topic on reddit, user Afalau also wrote:
It doesn’t matter what Blizzard said, you would still have gotten angry.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
The credibility of Blizzard’s statement is indeed heavily questioned by many.
“Guidelines must be followed”
Are there other opinions? Although the protests against the punishment Blitzchung received represent a large majority, there are also voices that say the pro gamer was rightly punished.
Absolutely understandable what happened. When you watch a soccer game, you don’t want to suddenly hear a segment about the current Turkey/Syria crisis.
Florian G. on Facebook.
Blitzchung violated the rules that Blizzard set for its tournaments. A fact he was reportedly very aware of, and therefore expected the penalty.
In one of the large discussion threads on this topic on reddit, user Afalau also wrote:
It doesn’t matter what Blizzard said, you would still have gotten angry.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
One of the main reasons why Brack’s statement regarding China’s influence is so doubted is another statement published on Hearthstone’s official account on Weibo, a Chinese social media service.
This is the post in question: The content of the post stands in stark contrast to what Brack says. It states:
We are very outraged and disappointed about what happened at the event and condemn it in every way. We oppose the dissemination of personal political views in this manner. The participant is banned from events effective immediately, and our work with the casters is terminated. We will always respect and defend the pride of our country.
Statement on Hearthstone’s Weibo channel, via Rod Breslau @Slasher
This statement was unearthed by reddit users and translated into English by IGN.
However, it should be noted that this account is not directly under Blizzard, but under the Chinese publisher NetEase, which distributes ActiBlizz games in China (via IGN). Therefore, it is hard to say how much influence Blizzard had over the publication of the post.
This is not an apology
Players are also annoyed by Brack’s statement because he does not apologize for the company’s behavior. There are many explanations that explain Blizzard’s actions and attempt to make everything more understandable. However, an admission of guilt is lacking.
An apology typically contains words like “I’m sorry” or “excuse me”, none of which appear in this statement. It is purely damage control, nothing more. Anyone who tries to present this as an apology distorts the facts.
The credibility of Blizzard’s statement is indeed heavily questioned by many.
“Guidelines must be followed”
Are there other opinions? Although the protests against the punishment Blitzchung received represent a large majority, there are also voices that say the pro gamer was rightly punished.
Absolutely understandable what happened. When you watch a soccer game, you don’t want to suddenly hear a segment about the current Turkey/Syria crisis.
Florian G. on Facebook.
Blitzchung violated the rules that Blizzard set for its tournaments. A fact he was reportedly very aware of, and therefore expected the penalty.
In one of the large discussion threads on this topic on reddit, user Afalau also wrote:
It doesn’t matter what Blizzard said, you would still have gotten angry.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
In one of the large discussion threads on this topic on reddit, user Afalau also wrote:
It doesn’t matter what Blizzard said, you would still have gotten angry.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
Are there other opinions? Although the protests against the punishment Blitzchung received represent a large majority, there are also voices that say the pro gamer was rightly punished.
Absolutely understandable what happened. When you watch a soccer game, you don’t want to suddenly hear a segment about the current Turkey/Syria crisis.
Florian G. on Facebook.
Blitzchung violated the rules that Blizzard set for its tournaments. A fact he was reportedly very aware of, and therefore expected the penalty.
In one of the large discussion threads on this topic on reddit, user Afalau also wrote:
It doesn’t matter what Blizzard said, you would still have gotten angry.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
The credibility of Blizzard’s statement is indeed heavily questioned by many.
“Guidelines must be followed”
Are there other opinions? Although the protests against the punishment Blitzchung received represent a large majority, there are also voices that say the pro gamer was rightly punished.
Absolutely understandable what happened. When you watch a soccer game, you don’t want to suddenly hear a segment about the current Turkey/Syria crisis.
Florian G. on Facebook.
Blitzchung violated the rules that Blizzard set for its tournaments. A fact he was reportedly very aware of, and therefore expected the penalty.
In one of the large discussion threads on this topic on reddit, user Afalau also wrote:
It doesn’t matter what Blizzard said, you would still have gotten angry.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
One of the main reasons why Brack’s statement regarding China’s influence is so doubted is another statement published on Hearthstone’s official account on Weibo, a Chinese social media service.
This is the post in question: The content of the post stands in stark contrast to what Brack says. It states:
We are very outraged and disappointed about what happened at the event and condemn it in every way. We oppose the dissemination of personal political views in this manner. The participant is banned from events effective immediately, and our work with the casters is terminated. We will always respect and defend the pride of our country.
Statement on Hearthstone’s Weibo channel, via Rod Breslau @Slasher
This statement was unearthed by reddit users and translated into English by IGN.
However, it should be noted that this account is not directly under Blizzard, but under the Chinese publisher NetEase, which distributes ActiBlizz games in China (via IGN). Therefore, it is hard to say how much influence Blizzard had over the publication of the post.
This is not an apology
Players are also annoyed by Brack’s statement because he does not apologize for the company’s behavior. There are many explanations that explain Blizzard’s actions and attempt to make everything more understandable. However, an admission of guilt is lacking.
An apology typically contains words like “I’m sorry” or “excuse me”, none of which appear in this statement. It is purely damage control, nothing more. Anyone who tries to present this as an apology distorts the facts.
The credibility of Blizzard’s statement is indeed heavily questioned by many.
“Guidelines must be followed”
Are there other opinions? Although the protests against the punishment Blitzchung received represent a large majority, there are also voices that say the pro gamer was rightly punished.
Absolutely understandable what happened. When you watch a soccer game, you don’t want to suddenly hear a segment about the current Turkey/Syria crisis.
Florian G. on Facebook.
Blitzchung violated the rules that Blizzard set for its tournaments. A fact he was reportedly very aware of, and therefore expected the penalty.
In one of the large discussion threads on this topic on reddit, user Afalau also wrote:
It doesn’t matter what Blizzard said, you would still have gotten angry.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
Five days after the banning of Hearthstone Grandmaster Blitzchung, which sparked a wave of protests, Blizzard has also commented on the incident. However, this has not improved the mood in the community.
What happened? During an interview at the Asia Pacific Hearthstone Grandmasters tournament, pro player Chung “Blitzchung” Ng Wai spoke out for the freedom of Hong Kong, where significant political unrest is currently ongoing.
But now Blizzard has released a statement in which the company’s head, J. Allen Brack, addresses the reasons for the penalty and especially reduces the severity of the punishment.
You can find more details about Blizzard’s statement in our article:
Disbelief in the Community
What are the reactions? Although Blizzard is clearly backtracking with the statement regarding Blitzchung’s ban and admits that they made a mistake in this case, the mood in the community has not improved. Many fans and personalities from the gaming industry welcome the drastic reduction of the punishment for the pro gamer and the two casters.
However, they sharply criticize several points from J. Allen Brack’s statement and other things Blizzard has done or not done in recent days. Calls for boycotts on social media and in forums continue.
Blizzard employees protest in front of the Orc statue on the company campus
China has no influence on the decision
Especially one sentence from Brack causes disbelief and mockery in the community on reddit and social media:
I want to be clear: our relationships in China had no influence on the decision.
J. Allen Brack
In a large thread on the Hearthstone subreddit, many users do not believe Brack, asserting that this is not true and that Blizzard imposed the harsh penalty without considering China’s interests.
Among the personalities from the gaming industry who also doubt the truthfulness of the statement are Rod “Slasher” Breslau, one of the most well-known eSports consultants, and Kotaku journalist Jason Schreier.
Rod Breslau.
What our readers say: Some of our readers also believe that the statement claiming China had no influence on the decision is not true. Reader Npu1se_gg wrote, for example:
No one believes that. There isn’t any PR talk that could be more empty than what was in that letter. And then to post such a statement on a Friday afternoon/evening … there’s pure calculation behind it, to let it go unnoticed over the weekend.
He is not alone in his opinion.
Hearthstone post on Weibo
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
In one of the large discussion threads on this topic on reddit, user Afalau also wrote:
It doesn’t matter what Blizzard said, you would still have gotten angry.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
Are there other opinions? Although the protests against the punishment Blitzchung received represent a large majority, there are also voices that say the pro gamer was rightly punished.
Absolutely understandable what happened. When you watch a soccer game, you don’t want to suddenly hear a segment about the current Turkey/Syria crisis.
Florian G. on Facebook.
Blitzchung violated the rules that Blizzard set for its tournaments. A fact he was reportedly very aware of, and therefore expected the penalty.
In one of the large discussion threads on this topic on reddit, user Afalau also wrote:
It doesn’t matter what Blizzard said, you would still have gotten angry.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
The credibility of Blizzard’s statement is indeed heavily questioned by many.
“Guidelines must be followed”
Are there other opinions? Although the protests against the punishment Blitzchung received represent a large majority, there are also voices that say the pro gamer was rightly punished.
Absolutely understandable what happened. When you watch a soccer game, you don’t want to suddenly hear a segment about the current Turkey/Syria crisis.
Florian G. on Facebook.
Blitzchung violated the rules that Blizzard set for its tournaments. A fact he was reportedly very aware of, and therefore expected the penalty.
In one of the large discussion threads on this topic on reddit, user Afalau also wrote:
It doesn’t matter what Blizzard said, you would still have gotten angry.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
One of the main reasons why Brack’s statement regarding China’s influence is so doubted is another statement published on Hearthstone’s official account on Weibo, a Chinese social media service.
This is the post in question: The content of the post stands in stark contrast to what Brack says. It states:
We are very outraged and disappointed about what happened at the event and condemn it in every way. We oppose the dissemination of personal political views in this manner. The participant is banned from events effective immediately, and our work with the casters is terminated. We will always respect and defend the pride of our country.
Statement on Hearthstone’s Weibo channel, via Rod Breslau @Slasher
This statement was unearthed by reddit users and translated into English by IGN.
However, it should be noted that this account is not directly under Blizzard, but under the Chinese publisher NetEase, which distributes ActiBlizz games in China (via IGN). Therefore, it is hard to say how much influence Blizzard had over the publication of the post.
This is not an apology
Players are also annoyed by Brack’s statement because he does not apologize for the company’s behavior. There are many explanations that explain Blizzard’s actions and attempt to make everything more understandable. However, an admission of guilt is lacking.
An apology typically contains words like “I’m sorry” or “excuse me”, none of which appear in this statement. It is purely damage control, nothing more. Anyone who tries to present this as an apology distorts the facts.
The credibility of Blizzard’s statement is indeed heavily questioned by many.
“Guidelines must be followed”
Are there other opinions? Although the protests against the punishment Blitzchung received represent a large majority, there are also voices that say the pro gamer was rightly punished.
Absolutely understandable what happened. When you watch a soccer game, you don’t want to suddenly hear a segment about the current Turkey/Syria crisis.
Florian G. on Facebook.
Blitzchung violated the rules that Blizzard set for its tournaments. A fact he was reportedly very aware of, and therefore expected the penalty.
In one of the large discussion threads on this topic on reddit, user Afalau also wrote:
It doesn’t matter what Blizzard said, you would still have gotten angry.
Whether the situation calms down before the upcoming Blizzcon or if the event will be overshadowed by the incident is currently hard to predict.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Apex Legends has a new weapon since the launch of Season 3: The energy sniper rifle “Charge Rifle”. This should be familiar to some players from Titanfall 2 – and gets an adjustment less than 2 weeks after launch.
This is the Charge Rifle: Along with Season 3 of Apex Legends came the new Charge Rifle. This is a sniper rifle that uses energy ammunition and has some special properties:
The shot does not lose height and hits a target immediately (“hitscan”)
Firing consists of two parts: Charging and the actual energy shot
Even the beam during warm-up causes damage, and the actual shot does even more
In Titanfall 2, the Charge Rifle was considered an “Anti-Titan weapon” and was used to literally melt the giant mechs. Also in Apex Legends, it delivers significant damage. This will soon be adjusted.
Charge Rifle weapon balance: The current balance of the Charge Rifle is not where it should be. Changes are coming.
It has not yet been specified how the rifle will be changed. Many fans and the site gamesradar assume that the Charge Rifle will soon receive a nerf. The reason for this is likely that the unintended balance currently makes the weapon too strong.
How the Charge Rifle could be adjusted: In several threads on reddit, players discuss how the Charge Rifle could fit better among other weapons. For example:
Damage could be directly reduced
or instead, the cost of ammunition could be increased.
The famous Twitch streamer Shroud currently finds the balance of the Charge Rifle quite pleasant. It is powerful if opponents have no cover. However, as soon as you can’t hit them for the entire duration of the shot, a Longbow would be better.
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This is what makes the Charge Rifle so strong: Those who use the weapon on the new map will quickly find that it can deal immense damage even at long range. With two well-aimed shots, an opponent can be taken out at any distance.
The strength of the weapon lies in the fact that its shot hits exactly on the crosshair and the beam already causes damage while aiming. This gives the shooter an indicator of whether the actual shot will hit and allows for easier corrections.
This leads to the Charge Rifle currently being considered a particularly strong weapon in the community:
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The Community Day with Trapinch is over in Pokémon GO and many fans are disappointed. The spawns were poor in numerous locations, leading to various complaints.
What is the problem? Usually, a Community Day in Pokémon GO brings the event Pokémon particularly frequently in the wild. While this did happen today at noon during the Community Day, the spawns were significantly reduced.
So there simply wasn’t enough Trapinch for many players. Instead, numerous Pokémon with weather boost were present, displacing the event Pokémon.
Poor Spawns on Community Day – What happens now?
What players report: All around the world, there are images of players showing poor spawns. Although there are numerous Pokémon nearby, very few of them are Trapinch.
Here a player shows their nearby list during the Community Day. Source: Reddit
Especially in urban areas, there were few Trapinch around. While some were found, it was not comparable to other Community Days.
Here we compile some opinions from players on Reddit:
vongolasprint: “I thought it was Lotad Community Day.”
keskisormi: “Yes, more Swablu and Sunkern than Trapinch in Finland. I thought the new large cluster spawn I got at home would be enough for a fun CD since I couldn’t go to the city today. Had enough coins for 3 Incense, got only a handful of regular Trapinch and no Shiny. Only 15 minutes left and I lost hope. I really wanted one, so this is more frustrating than usual.”
Desmondlocket: “If I get another Pidgey from my Incense, I will start crying.”
spola90: “We had sunny weather in the first two hours, and even with the weather bonus I saw more Wingull and Crawdaunt than Trapinch. I ended this Community Day with about 500 candies, about half as many as I get on a normal Cday. A total disappointment.”
Shiny Trapinch was harder to obtain due to the few spawns
What stood out: There are reports that in parks, significantly more Trapinch were present. This was the first time such observations were made.
So the player “ttmmoo123” says on Reddit: “Community Day spawns significantly lower in areas with many spawn points and significantly higher in parks with 0 spawn points.”
Can we expect a repeat? This is not to be expected for now. The spawns weren’t completely broken, as was the case with the Community Day with Bunnelby, but they were simply reduced. This has happened repeatedly in the last times, but a Community Day has not been repeated for that reason.
It can be suspected that Niantic has tried something new here and wants to attract players to parks.
What did you think? Are you satisfied with your haul?
Currently, the new MMORPG Astellia is doing well in the West. However, some players are currently troubled by bots and gold sellers. The developers are now taking action against this and also comment on AFK farming.
What is being done against bots? In an official blog post, it is stated that Astellia does not tolerate any kind of bots or gold sellers in the game. The use of any software that leads to automated gameplay will also be punished with permanent bans.
These are already being implemented, as the post informs players:
As some of you may have already noticed from our in-game presence, we have begun the first phase of a multi-stage process to remove players who violate the terms of service from the game.
Why are bans happening only now? According to the post, they wanted to ensure that no accounts are punished unjustly, as bans are immediate and permanent.
Therefore, the banning process was delayed a bit. Those who encounter bots or gold sellers in-game should report them directly so that action can be taken effectively.
In addition to the topic of bots, a section was devoted to AFK farming, which is practiced by some players in Astellia.
AFK-Farming too unattractive to be punished
What is AFK farming? In AFK farming, the player leaves their PC but simply keeps the corresponding game running. In-game, their own NPCs are supposed to kill enemies and thus provide loot.
They are set to aggressive and attack all enemies in the vicinity.
With a corresponding potion, you can maintain several Astels over a certain period.
These then kill mobs and provide loot and asper, the in-game currency of Astellia.
AFK farming also exists in other games. In Guild Wars 2, this was popular with the servants of necromancers or ranger animal companions. Nowadays, it is forbidden there, also because players have found very lucrative places for it.
What do the developers think about it? According to the blog post, this farming method is allowed because it does not violate the terms of service.
The developers believe that the rewards would be much too low and that there is also a certain risk that the Astel or the player themselves will die during the action.
The permission only applies as long as no automated movement is executed. Once a bot or script intervenes in the farming, it can lead to a permanent ban again.
Astellia is well received by players
How is Astellia performing in the West? Aside from the issues of bots and gold sellers and localization errors, Astellia is currently doing quite well in the West. Just yesterday, on October 11th, a new server opened, which is intended to relieve the existing European server Aquarius.
In the endgame, there was also an update this week that brought higher classes and the first legendary dungeons. Players can also look forward to a Halloween event that will arrive in the game on October 22nd.
We have also played Astellia and given our verdict:
A guild has encountered issues due to its name “GAY BOYS” in WoW Classic. Too many players reported them, and they were automatically renamed. Many of the reporters were not exactly friendly. However, the guild fought back.
What kind of guild is this? The guild “GAY BOYS” plays on the official Classic servers of World of Warcraft that opened a few weeks ago. According to some member statements, it is not a troll guild (via ArsTechnica).
Instead, the guild’s goal seems to be to create a community of gay players who can experience WoW Classic together. LGBTQ+ community actions occur in World of Warcraft and other MMORPGs frequently:
Why was it reported? The guild has now been reported multiple times by other players due to its name. According to one of the members, Ahmil Jilani, the reports were quite homophobic and toxic:
If you look at my chat logs, you would see multiple messages from people […] writing “F*** the gays, reported,” alongside other extremely hateful and discriminatory comments.
According to Jilani, giving in to this demand would be a sign of being on the side of toxic players. Nevertheless, the sheer volume of reports from other players was enough to activate WoW Classic’s automated system and rename the guild.
System Renames Guild, Blizzard Apologizes
This is what happened to the guild: Blizzard’s policies prohibit expressions “that may be considered vulgar or offensive by other players.” After the many reports, the guild was renamed to the machine-generated name “Guild ZFXPK.”
This is how the guild reacted: From the players’ perspective, there is nothing offensive about the guild’s name, which would warrant a report. After all, it is truly about a guild for gay players, and it is outdated to report this:
To say that there is something inappropriate about the words GAY or BOYS is, in itself, inappropriate, childish, and discriminatory. People who found the name inappropriate should take a look in the mirror, as it is 2019, and we have the right to exist as a community.
Therefore, resistance was also shown against the renaming through support tickets. And Blizzard even sided with the guild. The guild should regain its original name. However, it could very well happen again, as the automatic system would react again to increased reports.
This is not the first time this has happened: In 2016, another guild with the name GAY BOYS landed on the radar for renaming. The response from support in the forum was that it might be better to express oneself in one’s guild name without using words that give other players a reason to be offended.
In GTA Online, a new mode called “King of the Hill” goes live, where you and your team must capture and hold various points on the map in a PvP match.
What is this new mode? In the new PvP mode of GTA Online, you must fight together with your team for dominance on a map. Choose a weapon, occupy the key points, and defend them against other players.
The matches are designed for 16 players and will feature teams of 8 or 4 players. The battles will take place on a total of 7 different maps distributed across San Andreas.
What else is new in GTA Online? Another new feature in the store is the hot Ocelot Jugular, a sports car that really stands out. This beauty costs $1,225,000.
But there are still a number of bonuses that GTA players can get. If you link your Twitch account with your “Rockstar Games Social Club” account by October 16, you will receive a Master Penthouse for free.
Other benefits that will end on October 16 include:
Double GTA Dollars and RP for all client jobs until October 16
Special Cargo Sell Missions will also bring double cash rewards this week
Discounts of 25% to 40% on a long list of stylish and expensive cars.
Discounts on vehicle armor, ammunition, and warehouses
Today, the group stage of League of Legends Worlds 2019 starts. Now the favorites join the world championships. Before the start, teams, fans, and the developers at Riot themselves are building up the hype. Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok holds a special place in this. Images of him crying are being used to fuel anticipation for the Worlds.
What’s happening in Berlin today? Today, October 12, the World Championships of League of Legends officially begin. Actually, matches have been taking place for 10 days already. But that was just about filtering out 8 “smaller teams”.
The Play-Ins went according to plan: the 4 favorites, who are the third-placed teams from the major regions USA, Europe, China, and Korea have prevailed – the 8 teams from smaller regions have been knocked out. Today, the “strong teams” are joining.
Wunder, the top laner from G2 Esports, could be one of the big stars of the Worlds.
LoL Worlds are staged
What is the staging like? In the run-up to the LoL Worlds, there are trailers from fans, teams, and Riot themselves, who wanted to weave a “narrative” around the LoL Worlds.
At the center of these stagings is usually the player Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok. The legendary mid-laner of SKT1.
Faker and the fall of the champion
This is Faker’s situation at the Worlds 2: Faker is a “comeback” story. A fallen champion wants to prove himself once again.
For Faker has returned with his team after a legendary defeat. The fan trailer “He’s back” tells the story of the pampered Faker and the fall of the champion.
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This is how SKT1 stages the narrative: The team of Faker, SKT1, also released a Twitter trailer for the Worlds. This trailer also starts with the crying Faker.
The message from SKT1 is: “We had a revolution, we are new, it’s happening.”
He looks much more confident here.
Riot focuses on Berlin and 4 top stars – including Faker
This is how Riot stages the Worlds: Today, a trailer from Riot was released, focusing on 4 players from the top teams and the city itself.
Alongside Faker, Rookie from Invictus Gaming, Rekkles from Fnatic, and Caps from G2 Esports make an appearance. This feels more balanced with a strong focus on Europe.
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Here, Faker is not crying for once, but confidently states: “When you look at the story of the World Championship, it is only OUR team that truly belongs on the throne.”
When does it start? Right now, the first games are beginning. SKT1 will open the group stage against Fnatic.
In the League of Legends, the group stage of the LoL Worlds starts today. Riot clearly states how to handle “sensitive topics” like Hong Kong during broadcasts: Personal beliefs should be kept to oneself while on air.
This is the message from Riot Games: LoL eSports director John Needham has publicly addressed this with a clear message:
Players and casters should keep their personal views on topics like politics, religion, or similar matters to themselves and not express them when they are in a Riot broadcast.
These topics are incredibly nuanced, require a lot of attention and understanding – this does not work over a live broadcast.
Therefore, all casters and players are urged to refrain from discussing such matters live.
It is further stated that there are employees and fans in places like Hong Kong. They do not want actions on Riot platforms to lead to escalations there.
LoL is supposed to be a positive force in the world that brings people together. This may seem naive, Needham admits, but that is Riot’s hope.
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There won’t be a Blizzard situation at the LoL Worlds
What this is about: This needs to be understood in the context of Blizzard. Here, a statement from a Hearthstone player caused a stir. He shouted “Freedom for Hong Kong” in a Blizzard live stream on Twitch.
Blizzard heavily punished him for this. This led to a wave of outrage – but Blizzard has since relented.
LoL wants to avoid falling into such a situation from the outset. They have taken measures to do so.
Casters did not mention the word “Hong Kong” anymore.
Why is the topic currently so big? The topic “Hong Kong” is particularly current and sensitive because China reacts negatively when Western companies position themselves against China and for the protests in Hong Kong. The basketball organization NBA just had to experience this.
This has led to a kind of “over-cautiousness,” so that Western companies sanction their employees or other representatives when they express themselves in this direction.
At the LoL Worlds, teams from Mainland China and Hong Kong are participating. Therefore, this is a topic that particularly affects LoL.
The current Blizzard head, J. Allen Brack, has released a statement regarding the current turmoil surrounding the ban of the Hearthstone player Blitzchung. In it, there are some explanations regarding the punishment as well as the values of Blizzard.
The reason for this was that he expressed support for the protests in Hong Kong during an interview. Many fans saw this as Blizzard bowing to China, and it sparked a shitstorm during which
Here’s what the response says: Brack assures in the response that Blizzard still stands by its values “Think globally, act responsibly, and every voice matters”. He explains in longer paragraphs why this ban occurred:
Over the weekend, Blitzchung used his platform to express his position on the situation in Hong Kong – contrary to the rules he acknowledged and understood. Therefore, we took action.
For the same reason, the casters were also punished, as they did not maintain the focus on the gaming event but instead drifted off topic. The official broadcast should focus “on the tournament”, and the official channels should concentrate on the game.
What about China? Brack further explains that the long-standing close ties with China had nothing to do with the decision:
The views that Blitzchung specifically expressed were NOT a factor in the decision we made. I want to be clear: our relationships in China did not influence our decision.
We have these rules to keep the focus on the game and the tournament so that a global audience has something to gain from it, and that was the only consideration in the actions we took. If it had been opposing views, delivered in the same controversial and deliberate manner, we would have reacted the same way.
This is how it goes on with Blitzchung and Blizzard
What is Blitzchung’s punishment now? In the response, it is stated that the punishment against Blitzchung has been reconsidered. They reacted too quickly, and the process was not appropriate.
Blitzchung played fairly and won, hence he will receive his prize money back. However, he violated the rules, which would entail a punishment. The ban has been shortened to six months. The same applies to the two casters.
In an unconfirmed comment from Discord, it is said that Blitzchung will keep his Grandmaster status. Once his ban expires, he may compete again as a Grandmaster.
This would significantly lessen the severity of the punishment.
What it all means for Blizzard: Blizzard’s image is still tarnished in the community. Whether and when the company will recover from this remains to be seen. BlizzCon 2019 could still be affected by this:
Players report that the new exotic weapon Divinity Destiny 2 causes crashes. This applies not only to themselves but also to players nearby. This bug is exploited in PvP.
Which weapon is it? In the new expansion Shadowkeep, a new raid was also introduced to Destiny 2. One of the weapons that you can earn in the Raid Garden of Salvation is the exotic “Divinity”.
It is a trace rifle that requires special ammo and its unique abilities ensure that your opponent takes increasing damage under sustained fire. So it is a weapon that can really hit hard against boss enemies.
What is the problem with Divinity? There are currently increasing reports that using Divinity can lead to game crashes. It is enough just to shoot at the opponent for your client to crash.
According to reports, the crashes are not limited to a single platform, affecting players on PS4, Xbox One, and PC alike.
This bug affects not only the actual owners of Divinity but also players in their immediate vicinity, leading to further problems.
How is this bug being exploited? According to reports on Reddit, the crash bug of Divinity is mainly exploited in PvP. When players shoot their opponents with the weapon, there is a certain chance that they will be kicked from the game.
While it’s a gamble since the bug can also kick the user themselves, it seems worth the risk. Players on Reddit are therefore demanding that Bungie fix this bug as quickly as possible.
Is there a solution? So far, there are no known solutions for the crash problem related to Divinity. If you are affected, the only option is to avoid using this weapon until Bungie releases a fix.
In the Reddit thread on the topic, the community manager Cozmo wrote that the reports about the bug have been forwarded and it is currently being investigated.
Are you familiar with this crash bug of Divinity? Has your game crashed because of it, or have you suddenly been kicked out of a PvP match for no reason lately?
In a livestream on Friday evening, the developers of ArcheAge announced a new feature for Unchained. Some saw this as an indirect Pay2Win and went up in arms.
What feature was announced? In the livestream, the developers talked about the ability to gift clothing sets that are available in the real money shop to other players.
This new function is primarily meant to allow players to make each other happy. However, many suspected this to be an indirect Pay2Win and complained.
In the meantime, the developers have also responded to the criticism.
Players are up in arms, developers yield
How did the players react to the feature? There was a lot of criticism in the official forum and on reddit after the announcement. Players suspected that the gifting feature could allow real money to be exchanged for in-game currency.
These changes naturally open up the whole world of Pay2Win through the sale of items from the real money shop to other players. Gamigo is already backing away from their “no Pay2Win” promise, even before the launch on October 15th. [..]
This is the direction in which the game is going. It’s whaling time.
No matter who leads Trionworlds, it will always remain Trionworlds.
Many other users agreed with kokodo88. They see the problem especially critically in ArcheAge because a lot of gold is needed to obtain the best gear. This path would thus become especially simplified at the start of the game.
How do the developers respond to the criticism? After not even four hours, there was an official statement from the developers on this topic. It states:
Hello everyone,
The ability to gift items from the shop on the in-game marketplace has been disabled for ArcheAge Unchained.
We are interested in ensuring that our revised gameplay experience meets the expectations of our community and is not marred by our past.
We considered introducing the ability to gift items from the shop, as the items are limited in trade and cosmetic. In hindsight, however, it is understandable how gifting could circumvent certain rules.
The decision to remove gifting was unanimous internally and will therefore be carried out.
The players are glad about the developers’ decision, and reddit user kokodo88 has adjusted his post and linked the statement.
The first feedback from there is very positive. Among the testers is also the well-known YouTuber TheLazyPeon. They are all optimistic that, as long as the Pay2Win promise is kept, ArcheAge Unchained could be very successful.
Especially the dark atmosphere of the expansion was highly appreciated by many fans who wanted more of it. Shadowkeep also delivers tons of new lore for players interested in that.
However, there were also many Guardians who were disappointed by the story of Shadowkeep and expressed their displeasure publicly on Reddit. The community also criticized that most of the new areas on the moon were actually copied from Destiny 1. This gave them a bad taste of recycling.
Here’s how you can vote: We want to know what grade the MeinMMO community will give Destiny 2: Shadowkeep. That’s what this survey is for.
Vote further down in the Apester tool what grade you would give the game. The rules are:
1 – extremely bad, really unbearable
10 – the best thing that has ever happened to you
Also, let us know in the comments which aspects of Shadowkeep you liked or disliked. We will incorporate these comments into our review of the test.
The survey ends on October 13. So you still have plenty of time to thoroughly test the new content of Shadowkeep.
Here’s how to submit a user review: You can also give Destiny 2: Shadowkeep a rating on our site and write a user review.
To do this, you need to click on the red box on the right side in any Destiny 2 article. The best user reviews will be featured on our site as full-fledged articles.
This is what Shadowkeep offers: The latest expansion of Destiny 2 is the first major update that Bungie released after parting ways with publisher Activision. Some features and systems from D2 were revised partly for that reason.
But now it’s your turn: Tell us what you think of Shadowkeep so far. How do you find the new armor system? Have you tried the raid yet? How does Shadowkeep compare to other expansions? Share it in the comments!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Season 11 of Fortnite is starting soon. A leak now shows how the game could continue at the start of the new season. We are talking about Chapter 2, and images of a new map can be seen.
What kind of leak is this? An image was uploaded to the Apple Store that shows what Season 11 in Fortnite could look like. It was in the Italian Apple Store and was removed shortly after, but some players photographed this image before it was taken down.
Just like in Season 10, there was a similar problem. The Brazilian Twitter account of Epic released the trailer for Season 10 much earlier than expected. Epic Games had to officially release it afterwards.
Leak shows next chapter and new map
What can be seen in the leak? In the uploaded image, you can see many hints pointing to the new Season 11. For example, it shows:
A new map with a river and other POIs
Boats on the river – a new mode of transport?
A new variant of the default skins
These three things could indicate a major change at the start of Season 11. After two years, the long-awaited map would finally be coming to the game. However, this has not yet been officially confirmed.
Here is how the leaked image looks: The data miner ShiinaBR posted on Twitter the leaked image that was uploaded in the Italian App Store.
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What is this teaser about? Epic tweeted the first official teaser for Season 11 in Fortnite. The teaser shows the loading screen from the “Last Stop Challenges.” The hint states: “The end is near. 48 hours…”
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When does Season 11 start? When exactly the new season starts is still unknown. Season 10 ends on October 13 at 8 PM, along with the overtime challenges.
After that, the live event will take place on Sunday, October 13 at 8 PM, right after Season X ends. Whether the new season will start immediately after or there will be a longer downtime in between is still unclear.
Fortnite: Chapter 2 instead of Season 11
This is interesting: Epic has not yet mentioned Season 11. The current season is called Season X.
It is possible that Fortnite will not start Season 11 at all, but that the next season will be called “Chapter 2” and a new beginning will take place.
What do you think? Would you be excited about the things shown in the leaked image?
It has been exactly one month since the Vault Hunters have been roaming the world of Borderlands 3. A lot has happened since release – what works, and what still needs improvement? An initial assessment.
The game primarily delivers what is familiar at launch: Fans of Borderlands have eagerly awaited the third numbered title and the fourth official installment of the Borderlands series. Borderlands, Borderlands 2, and Borderlands The Pre-Sequel have set a high bar.
The series is characterized by numerous loot and skill opportunities, a distinctive graphic style, and quirky humor. All elements that Borderlands 3 also builds upon.
Especially praised were the large variety of weapons, some improvements over the predecessors, and the retention of the Borderlands formula. Players are having fun with the game – whether it’s about farming bosses, collecting legendary weapons, or finding funny Easter eggs.
Overall, the mood around Borderlands 3 – especially at launch, but also currently – can be described as positive. However, some criticism points have also arisen alongside the enthusiasm.
At launch, good vibes dominated in Borderlands
This was not so well received: On the one hand, there were scattered voices wishing that Borderlands reinvented itself a bit more strongly than it does in part 3 of the series. There were also some flaws, especially regarding the technical side of the game.
For example, there was criticism regarding the partially shaky performance of the game. There were lags in menus and frame rate drops. Especially the splitscreen mode is lacking in terms of performance. To this day, these issues have not been comprehensively addressed. Although there have been some patches – they have been received more or less mixed.
Patches in Borderlands 3 – This is the mood
This was patched: The patches in Borderlands 3 have mainly dealt with rebalancing the Vault Hunters or some weapons. Among other things:
This is how the patches were received: The patches are seen as a double-edged sword, trending towards the negative. It causes some frustration in the community that popular play styles are nerfed – some builds are thereby made more difficult or even unplayable. Patches that enhance or improve certain elements are primarily well received – like for example with Zane, who had severe bugs. Weaknesses are generally unpopular in the community.
Many players would rather see technical issues addressed than balancing issues in a game that largely does without PvP. The back and forth of the Vault Hunters causes some frustration.
Story completed, and now? The endgame in Borderlands 3
This is what the endgame in Borderlands 3 offers: A month after release, most players have completed the story in Borderlands 3. And now?
After the story, there is definitely still plenty to do. Borderlands 3 offers:
The Mayhem Mode with crazy modifiers and random elements
Is that enough in the endgame? It depends. Many players use the endgame opportunities to collect all special weapons or reach the maximum level. However, those who are primarily driven by the story feel somewhat neglected currently. Mainly, there is the option to tackle the True Vault Hunter Mode – which only shows already known scenarios. Hence, there is a segment of players currently standing in the world of Borderlands 3 without too much to do.
What’s next – DLC and updates
What’s next? Borderlands 3 recently launched an event series for the tenth anniversary of the series. The first week made boss fights more lucrative, in the second week, there were more rare enemies. However, these events were mainly for players who are primarily interested in collecting weapons. In the coming weeks, more events will be added:
These will be the major innovations: One can expect completely new content from the Bloody Harvest Event coming at the end of October. It will immerse the world of Borderlands in a spooky atmosphere, bringing new weapons, special missions, and also a new boss. The event will come in the form of a free update – just like the “Maliwan Takedown Event,” which will follow later.
The conclusion: Overall, the mood around Borderlands 3 can still be considered positive. Players continue to discover new aspects and secrets in the game, which keep it fun in the long run. The Borderlands formula continues to work.
However, there are certainly some critical points that mar the gaming experience. The back and forth with the patches and some technical issues make less happy. Here’s hoping that the technical problems will be resolved. Besides, it is slowly time for new content – after all, Borderlands 3 should also offer much to discover in the long term!
Fortunately, there is soon a new supply! Maybe in the form of this potential raid boss?
The last vendor reset (Vendor Reset) of The Division 2 before Title Update 6 is here. To give you enough time to clean up your gear for the expansion next week, here is an overview of the items available.
What happens during the vendor reset? In The Division 2, the merchants of Washington vie for agents’ hard-earned credits every week. The reset brings new goods to the city and occasionally a strong value for the players’ builds.
Offers from the vendors change on the night from Friday to Saturday, and to spare you the extensive city tour to the individual sales points, we have put together a small display of the best offers.
Last vendor reset before Title Update 6
What do the items look like this week? The vendor reset brings a few stable average values this weekend, but doesn’t blow anyone away. However, a few of the rolls could be quite useful for some agents.
These are the 5 best values of this week
Alps Backpack
Vendor: Clan Level 30
Attribute: 608 Skill Power
Overlord Vest
Vendor: Clan Level 15
Attribute: 16% Health
Airaldi Gloves
Vendor: Campus
Attribute: 9% LMG Damage
D&H Holster
Vendor: Dark Zone West
Attribute: 517 Skill Power
Airaldi Holster
Vendor: Clan Level 7
Attribute: 26,165 Health
The Overlord Vest with 16% Health is the strongest value this week. While the top value for health with normal vests is around 30%, a build that focuses on a lot of health can work with the 16%.
However, this vest is not reachable without clan hopping, as the armor is available at one of the lower clan levels.
Cassie continues her hide and seek
And where is Cassie hanging out? Cassie seems to be constantly on the run and frequently changes her location. With one of the latest updates, the rotation of the secret arms dealer was changed and is no longer synchronized with the other vendors.
What else is there to report about The Division 2? The post-apocalyptic shooter is about to receive Title Update 6 and its largest expansion yet. While TU6 will be available for all players starting October 15, “Episode 2,” the free content expansion, will be available on October 22. Owners of the Year-One Pass can play the new content starting October 15.
Check here for the latest information on upcoming expansions:
The Icon Swaps 1 in FIFA 20 are now available. From now on, you can earn Legends. How the event works, you can find out here.
These are Icon Swaps: In previous FIFA titles, getting Legends was not easy at all. You could either pull them from packs with a lot of luck or buy them on the transfer market for a high price. These two options are still available. However, the Icon SBCs will no longer exist.
This third way of getting Legends, is replaced in FIFA 20 by the new Icon Swap event. According to EA, it is intended to allow more players to use Icons. Overall, the event aims to allow players to earn Legends. How exactly does it work?
Since when is Icon Swaps running? Icon Swap 1 has been live since Friday, October 11, a bit behind schedule! From now on, you can earn tokens through various tasks to exchange them for Icons in SBCs.
Drogba is part of the first Icon Swaps
This is how the Icon Swaps event works
These Legends can you earn: Overall, there will be three major Icon Swaps during FIFA 20. At each of the three event times, there will be a new selection of exchangeable Icons. Once an Icon has been in a Swap selection, it will not appear again in another form in the remaining Swaps. The first selection of Icons available since the event started looks as follows:
These Legends can you earn in the first Icon Swaps
Icon Swaps: Player Tokens and Rewards
This is how you get Icons: Each Icon card in the Icon Swaps costs a certain number of so-called Player Tokens. These are player items earned by completing various tasks. From October to December, you can earn a total of 24 tokens, which you can then exchange in Icon Exchange SBCs.
At the current time, you can earn 12 tokens – the second half of the tokens for Icon Swap 1 is now online. So if you have received all the tokens from the first half, you can now go after Legends like Drogba.
The Icons cost a different number of tokens. The cheapest Icon is Schmeichel with 6 tokens. Then come Jay-Jay Okocha and Pep Guardiola with 8 tokens:
The top Icons, on the other hand, will be significantly more expensive. Hagi or Owen, for example, will cost you a total of 20 tokens. This means you have to complete many tasks over a long period.
This is how much Drogba costs: For Didier Drogba, you need a total of 23 tokens. The striker will be very hard to get – you may miss only a single token if you want to have the Chelsea legend.
The Swap items only work for their respective Icon Swap selection. This means: If you earn a token in Icon Swap 1, you must exchange it in Icon Swap 1. In the second selection, it will no longer work.
All rewards at a glance: How many tokens do you need for which Icon? Here you will find all Icons in the list:
Schmeichel – 6 tokens
Okocha – 8 tokens
Guardiola – 8 tokens
Giggs – 9 tokens
Nesta – 9 tokens
Roberto Carlos – 11 tokens
Crespo – 12 tokens
Kluivert – 12 tokens
Klose – 12 tokens
Ballack – 14 tokens
Pirlo -14 tokens
Keane – 15 tokens
Rivaldo – 15 tokens
Wright – 16 tokens
Ferdinand – 16 tokens
Rui Costa – 17 tokens
Zanetti – 17 tokens
Sánchez – 17 tokens
Base Icon Pack – 18 tokens
Butragueno – 19 tokens
Gerrard – 19 tokens
Hagi – 20 tokens
Owen – 20 tokens
Drogba – 23 tokens
This is what the Icon Swap tasks look like
This is what the tasks look like: The tasks in the Icon Swap will be quite challenging. For example, you will have to score goals in FUT Champions – which already requires at least qualifying for the Weekend League.
Also, the First Owner Tasks will be used as announced by EA. These are objectives that can only be achieved with players you have owned as the first user. This means: Players that you have either pulled from
Objectives
Packs
Or SBCs.
Players from the transfer market, however, are not eligible. This makes completing the tasks more difficult because you cannot simply buy suitable players. Instead, you have to hope to pull strong players – and that takes a lot of luck.
For example, there are tasks where you must have seven first-owner players from a specific league in your team. With this team, you then must win a certain number of games. This is not necessarily high, but gathering the players will not be easy.
The community was already expecting that the tasks could be quite tough. Because the Gold Weekly Objectives, which currently exist as part of the season progress, are quite difficult. However, the rewards in the Icon Swaps are worth it.
In upcoming FIFA games, Bastian Schweinsteiger might be an option for an Icon card. Will there perhaps be a strong card for the World Champion in FIFA 20?
In Pokémon GO a Halloween event is expected this year as well. Is it starting soon? A tweet from Niantic suggests so.
This is what the tweet shows: Not many details are provided by the tweet from the official Pokémon GO account. Aside from a small ghost emoji and the message that October has begun and it is almost time to make things a bit spooky, Niantic has not revealed any further information.
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When does Halloween start in Pokémon GO? The teaser can at least be seen as confirmation that another Halloween event will take place. But when exactly it will start is still unknown. Last year, the Halloween event started on October 23 and brought Giratina to the raids. This year it should likely start in late October as well. What could it bring?
This is what leaks say: Since Halloween traditionally revolves around spooky ghosts, these will likely be the focus of the event. Some ghost Pokémon from the 5th generation could come into play. According to leaks about the event, the following Pokémon could become important:
Quabbel and Apoquallyp
Makabaja and Echnatoll
Dark and Psychic Pokémon could also play a role. Additionally, dataminers have found hints of the return of the Pokémon Kryppuk.
Will Shiny-Kryppuk come?
It could bring a new special research task. Text files with the names “Quest Title Kryppuk 2019” or “A spooky message 2019” have been found by dataminers. Fans hope that the Shiny version of Kryppuk could also come – after all, many trainers have already caught Kryppuk.
When exactly the Halloween event starts is still unclear. Until then, you can pass the time in other ways – for example with EX-Raids at new gyms:
