With Title Update 6 of The Division 2 on October 15, the vendor in the Thieves Den will receive a major update and will likely have the best offer in the entire game. Check out here how you can enjoy his high-quality goods.
What benefits do vendors bring in The Division 2? In addition to enemies, projects, or missions, Division 2 also offers a few merchants to push new equipment items into the agent’s inventory.
The inventories rotate weekly, and if a good item or a strong attribute is for sale, agents can stock up on it and later transfer the high attribute value to other equipment pieces.
What is the Thieves Den vendor? This vendor is located in the Thieves Den, a kind of safe house for rogues within the Dark Zones. Unlike the other sellers, he does not have his own inventory, but drops a random item when rare DZ materials are turned in. The frustration is often high, as he does not tend to drop particularly good equipment items.
Thieves Den vendor significantly better with TU6
However, this sly character is getting a decent upgrade and may even have the best offer in the entire city. What he might have after the update and how you can benefit from his offer will be covered in this guide to the “Thieves Den Vendor”.
Thieves Den vendor after TU6 with Named Items
What makes the revamped vendor so special? With Title Update 6, the vendor gets his own trade inventory and will be part of a weekly rotation.
He will likely sell “Named Items” and gear set items. The “Named Items” will be completely reworked with TU6 and will consequently gain a new significance in the agents’ builds.
Although there is already a vendor selling “Named Items”, the secret weapon vendor Cassie Mendoza, the new vendor also offers gear set armor that grants bonuses when wearing multiple pieces of a set.
The screenshot from the last “State of the Game” on October 9 shows the new offerings of the Thieves Den vendor
In the screenshot, you can see a glimpse of his possible offerings, consisting of a named item and five set pieces, all part of another gear set.
The search for him could become dangerous
How can I use the offer? The update brings a really strong new vendor into the game, but he also comes at a price. To get his coveted goods, rare Dark Zone collectibles are not only needed, but also the search for his location within the contested areas.
Since the vendor only sells items at the highest gear level of 500, you should probably reach Level 30 before you can take advantage of his offer. Also, you need access to the respective Dark Zone, meaning you must have completed the DZ introduction missions to reach him.
On to the Dark Zone adventure
Once you have everything together, you need a bit of courage and luck in the Dark Zone while following these three steps:
Step 1: Farm Dark Zone resources
The thief vendor can still be paid with “DZ loot”, but now requires likely around 70 DZ items per purchase, depending on the merchandise.
Currency: EPA / Morphium / Integrated Circuits
With TU6, loot can be found more easily because the SHD network terminals, which can be found all over the unoccupied Dark Zones, provide a buff for some time after hacking, similar to the checkpoint buff for detecting boxes or loot, only for Dark Zone materials.
Step 2: Become rogue
With The Division 2, a new rogue status was introduced, a kind of Rogue-Lite. With this status, agents can perform rogue actions such as hacking an SHD terminal and filling a kind of rogue-o-meter from 0% to 100%. Fully loaded, the mega-map will then reveal the locations of the thief dens in the Dark Zone you are in.
Step 3: Locating the vendor
Once the thief dens are unlocked, the vendor can be found in one of the hideouts. Since the rogue status is lifted upon leaving the hideouts, multiple runs may be necessary as the hideout markings will also disappear.
The vendor will only appear in the unoccupied Dark Zones and will likely move with the change of zone status.
If you have enough change in the form of DZ materials, you may take advantage of the new vendor’s showcase.
When does the vendor inventory rotate? In our time zone, the offers of most vendors change overnight from Friday to Saturday. The exact time for the new Thieves Den vendor’s rotation is still unknown.
Even though the offers from the rotating vendors have been disappointing at times, the vendor in the Thieves Den – Thieves Den Vendor – has likely been the biggest letdown. With the offerings after the update, he should now attract more profitable business.
The Black Tusk have overrun the Pentagon and are utilizing secret technologies from DARPA laboratories
Updates on 15.10. with many changes
What else will the upcoming expansion bring to the game? On October 15, many new features will be unlocked in the game, and along with balancing and revamped mechanics, expeditions will also return.
The content expansion “Episode 2” will be available to all players without the Year One Pass starting October 22, while TU6 will launch on October 15. Check here if you want to know more:
The exotic fan-favorite Monte Carlo is back in the Destiny universe. What the auto rifle can do in Destiny 2 and why the weapon is so popular, you can read here.
This is how you get Monte Carlo: To hold the exotic in your hands, you need luck. It is a so-called world drop. This means there is no guaranteed source and no specific quest to get Monte Carlo.
The weapon can among other things be hidden in an exotic engram or wait for you after completing various activities such as strikes, crucible matches, and gambit rounds.
The timeless classic is back
This is what the exotic auto rifle can do: The weapon with a fire rate of 600 is carried in the kinetic slot and uses primary ammunition. The overall stats are solid across the board. The 43-round magazine and good handling are particularly commendable.
The unique exotic abilities are:
Monte Carlo Method: Causing damage with this weapon reduces your melee cooldown and has a chance to fully recharge your melee ability on each kill.
Markov Chain: This weapon grants increased damage through melee kills and kills with this weapon. Melee kills provide appropriate ammunition for this weapon.
During combat, your weapon becomes more powerful. The “Markov Chain” can be compared to the strong perk “Swashbuckler”. If you defeat an enemy with a melee attack, the “Markov Chain” jumps immediately to the maximum level 5. Furthermore, Monte Carlo intrinsically has the useful “High Caliber Rounds”. This causes enemies to be staggered under fire.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
This is how Monte Carlo performs in PvE: Against everything but bosses, the primary weapon shines and is simply fun. With the exotic rifle, you are most effective in the thick of the action.
With each kill with the weapon, you start the Markov chain and benefit from the damage buff for 4.5 seconds. You can increase the buff up to level 5, causing a total of 65% more damage at the highest level.
Since you are always near enemies, your melee ability should be almost constantly available thanks to the “Monte Carlo Method”. Especially with the seasonal artifact, you unlock very powerful melee mods that you can benefit from more often now.
This is how Monte Carlo performs in PvP: Even in the crucible against other guardians, the auto rifle makes a good impression. The damage values of the weapon are:
Headshot (standard): 23 damage
Headshot (Markov chain 5x): 30 damage
Bodyshot (standard): 14 damage
Bodyshot (standard): Markov chain 5x): 19 damage
The optimal TTK (Time To Kill) – that is, the time it takes you to defeat an opponent – is a good 0.80 seconds by default. You need 8 headshots and one body shot for that. If you only hit body shots, you need 1.30 seconds to take down a guardian.
With a 5x buff, you have an optimal TTK of a phenomenal 0.60 seconds. Since every melee kill in PvP grants you immediate access to the maximum “Markov Chain”, your opponents should learn to fear this firearm.
Exclusive look: Monte Carlo with ornament
Why is Monte Carlo a fan favorite?
The exotic simply looks good: In addition to the high fun factor of Monte Carlo, guardians already found the modern design of the weapon great back in the days of Destiny 1. Clean lines, a perfectly shaped sight, and the characteristic bayonet – all of this garners a lot of praise from the guardians.
The news of the return of the exotic rifle to Destiny 2 brought many guardians to reddit to make statements like: “One of my favorite weapons. It looks so good and sounds so good,” wrote user SlickMiller.
WPGfan had similar words: “Monte Carlo was probably my favorite weapon when it comes to aesthetics. It looks so good.”
What do you find convincing about Monte Carlo – the look, the playstyle, the whole package?
Many players have been wondering for some time how WoW Classic will proceed once the content is “used up.” Because everything is supposed to remain as it was back then. Some fans now have ideas for the future – and even started a petition.
This is “Classic +”: In a petition on change.org, some fans of WoW Classic are currently demanding that Blizzard should develop a WoW Classic+. This means roughly that Classic should continue to evolve after the release of Naxxramas.
The proposed path is already being exemplified by another MMORPG. Runescape has also released an “OldSchool Runescape” version that has since received new content for fans of the old version. And Runescape still has thousands of players.
The Emerald Dreamways have already appeared as the Druid Order Hall in Legion. The Dream would be good content for Classic.
In the phases, new dungeons and even new raids like “The Heart of the Dream” or “Caverns of Time: The Skull of Gul’dan” would be included. It is also possible to utilize existing content from other expansions, such as the Tower of Karazhan.
Additionally, with each phase, more classes would receive quests, adding more depth to them. The world itself would also be expanded with either revamped or new areas.
This is the problem with it: Although the idea would likely please many players, others see difficulties in it as well. It is simply easier for the developers to implement something like The Burning Crusade than to create new content.
With “Burning Crusade” it would be Illidan’s turn again – once more.
They also criticize that “Classic +” would appeal to no one except players who already play Classic. Whether this is true remains to be seen, as even Classic was said to be something only veterans would want to play. Now it has also excited new and retail players:
Tonight is the night: The live event of Season 10 of Fortnite will take place. We will show you the time, countdown, and what we know so far about the event.
When does the live event start today? Today, Sunday, October 13, the live event in Fortnite will start. The countdown at the rocket counts down the time to 8:00 PM CEST (our time) this evening. The event should start at this time.
You can see the countdown at the rocket in Dusty Depot. Presumably, the live event will also start there. It’s best to find a higher spot, like a hill, where you can keep an eye on the countdown.
The countdown still showed a week at that time
What happens during the live event? The launch of the rocket at Dusty Depot is expected.
During the live event of Season 4, a rocket was launched by the Visitor. Now there is expected to be another launch of the rocket, which was built this time by the Scientist.
The Visitor launched the rocket, which then brought the Rift and the Cube.
Many players expect a new map as a leak could be a hint. Thus, many believe it will be a huge event and that the whole map will be destroyed.
On October 12, the Robot Mecha Bundle was available again in the Item Shop. You could also purchase the emotes “Team Mecha” or “Team Monster”. This could be a hint at another fight between the 2 giants.
The flying island, which played a big role in the live event of Season 6, is now also back on the map. It could also play a role in the live event of Season 10.
Update 20:46: The event has now taken place and has taken a surprising turn. Fortnite seems to have meant it more seriously with the “end” than many players thought. You can find more about this in this article:
The German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) has announced that he wants to take a closer look at the gamer scene. One must consider what is still a video game and what is covert planning for an attack.
This is what Seehofer says: In a 30-second excerpt from an interview, Seehofer states:
that many offenders or potential offenders come from the gamer scene
they model themselves on “simulations”
one must see whether video games are still simulations or covert plans for an attack
and “we” need to pay more attention to the “gamer scene”
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from Twitter that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
Where does Seehofer say this? The Twitter channel of “Bericht aus Berlin” has published a 29-second clip in which Horst Seehofer speaks. The clip apparently belongs to an interview that will be broadcast today, Sunday, at 6:30 PM.
Bericht aus Berlin is a weekly television magazine about federal politics on ARD. This Sunday, the editorial team wants to address the terror attack in Halle and has interviewed the Federal Interior Minister for this purpose.
One of the themes of the show will be “Right-wing extremism on the internet and how effectively the security authorities can respond to it.”
What are the reactions? The clip is already causing quite a stir on Twitter – at least in relation to other tweets from “Bericht aus Berlin.”
One of the most well-known German YouTubers, Hand of Blood, reacts ironically and posts, “Finally, someone is saying it.”
An image from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
The Association of the German games industry, game, issued a statement that MeinMMO has, saying:
“Putting the games community under general suspicion shows mainly ignorance and helplessness and distracts from the real social and political causes of such acts. Games have long become an integral part of the daily lives of millions of Germans; almost every second person here plays.
It should be clear to everyone: Just as little as one can hold movies or books responsible for hate and violence, games and their community are not the cause of it. Instead, we have a frightening problem with right-wing extremism in Germany.
The Federal Interior Minister should not helplessly blame a medium and its community, but should actively address the social problems of radicalization and increasing xenophobia that lead to such terrible acts as in Halle.”
Felix Falk, Managing Director of game
The SPD politician Tiemo Wölken (via twitter) also criticizes Seehofer’s remarks. He states that what Seehofer says is nonsense and that he knows it. One must admit that the security authorities have not sufficiently addressed right-wing extremism.
Many seem to share this view. Under the tweet from Bericht aus Berlin, some users say that this is an attempt to divert the debate towards gamers to distract from the actual problems.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from Twitter that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
In the USA, a series of terrorist attacks in August 2019 triggered a similar discussion as is apparently beginning in Germany.
In the USA, gamers accused politicians of steering the debate towards gamers to avoid addressing the actual problems in the USA, such as the fact that so many guns are in circulation.
The LoL Worlds 2019 started with a bang yesterday. At the start, the SKT1 team with superstar Faker faced off against Fnatic. The Europeans were considered a dark horse to win the championship in League of Legends before the game. However, in the match, they stood no chance against the Koreans of SKT1.
The Koreans from SKT1 are in the “group of death” C alongside the Europeans Fnatic, the outsiders Clutch Gaming from the USA, and Royal Never Give Up, the strong Chinese team led by Uzi.
Yesterday, the game between SKT1 and Fnatic took place. This was both teams’ first match of the World Championship. No one really knew where the teams stood at the moment:
Kayle was a key pick for SKT1 in the match against Fnatic.
Double teleport to the bot lane puts SKT1 on the road to victory
How the match went: The match was one-sided, and Fnatic struggled greatly from the start.
Fnatic played with Garen (Rekles) and Yuumi (Hylissang) on the bot lane. SKT1 countered with Kayle (Teddy) and Nautilus (Effort).
An important play occurred after 11 minutes. Here, Fnatic wanted to catch SKT1 supporter Effort at the tower. The bot lane duo of Garen and Yuumi advanced. Behind them lurked jungler Rek’Sai (Broxah). Fnatic wanted to classically secure a kill on the bot lane as three. However, this turned out to be a mistake.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from Twitch that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
What seemed like a “3:1” situation in favor of Fnatic quickly turned out to be “5:3” in favor of SKT1. Fnatic couldn’t escape this, as they were at the enemy tower when they realized what was happening behind them.
Because Teddy and Khan teleported to the lane. Faker and Clid also made their way down.
Faker on Tristana finished the game with 9 kills and 8 assists without dying.
The 5 members of SKT1 made quick work of the 3 opponents from Fnatic. Rekkles tried to somehow kill Nautilus, but that didn’t work out. He barely escaped the situation with a few health points left.
SKT1 secured 3 kills. At that time, they already led 4:0.
Audience applause for Ryze on the run
A nice scene for Fnatic can be seen here. The score is 2:6. SKT1 makes a push through the middle and secures 2 kills.
Faker and Clid pursue the fleeing Nemesis on Ryze, who seemingly just wants to get away.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from Twitter that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
A 1vs1 develops between Clid on Lee Sin and Nemesis on Ryze. Clid is at full health, Nemesis has about 40% when it really starts. Ryze needs to hurry, as Faker (Tristana) is only a short distance behind them.
However, Nemesis manages to turn the tables and kill Clid while fleeing. Faker can’t catch him, and Ryze barely escapes. This caused applause in the Berlin arena and gave Fnatic fans among the audience some hope.
Yet ultimately, the game was a clear affair and ended after 35:43 minutes with 21:9 kills for SKT1.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from Twitter that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
A new version of ArcheAge is coming soon with Unchained, generating a lot of attention. We’ll tell you five things you should know before buying the MMORPG.
The new Unchained version of ArcheAge aims to address the shortcomings of the regular ArcheAge and improve the sandbox game.
In this article, we will reveal what Unchained actually is and what to expect in ArcheAge. Decide for yourself whether the MMORPG is something for you or not.
1. ArcheAge and Unchained do not differ in gameplay
What is ArcheAge? The popular sandbox MMORPG was released in the West on September 16, 2014. It stands out particularly due to:
A massive, open game world.
12 different class specializations that can be combined.
Many freedoms in gameplay, including PvE, PvP, life as a trader or as a pirate.
A justice system.
A comprehensive housing system.
Sea battles with ships.
ArcheAge is Free2Play, but offers a subscription that also provides gameplay advantages. Additionally, there is the APEX currency, which allows real money to be exchanged for gold.
What does Unchained do differently? The new Unchained version does away with subscriptions and APEX. Instead, it focuses on cosmetic items in the shop and a one-time purchase of the game. There are also battle passes, with the premium version costing 10 euros. This premium version, however, offers only cosmetic rewards.
However, there are no differences in game content. Both versions are expected to receive Patch 6.0 alongside the release of Unchained, and future updates are also expected to be released simultaneously.
How much does ArcheAge Unchained cost? There are three founder packs for Unchained:
For 25.99 euros, you receive the game version along with name reservation and early character creation (which is already active), exclusive titles, and 800 credits.
For 49.99 euros, you receive additional credits and an exclusive dance.
For 79.99 euros, you receive even more credits, a second dance, a premium pass, two costumes, and a glider modification.
Will Unchained be released on Steam? Yes, the new version of ArcheAge will also be released on Steam, but there will be no pre-order version available there.
Are there German servers? Just like the Free2Play version of ArcheAge, there will be no dedicated German servers. However, the game itself is available in German.
Will ArcheAge Unchained be free from Pay2Win forever? This question currently concerns many fans of the MMORPG. Gamigo, the company that bought Trionworlds, promises this, at least.
Even though Gamigo has other Pay2Win games in its portfolio, this does not automatically mean that the promise will be broken in the future. The reaction to a livestream on Friday, October 11, shows that they are at least very serious about this before the release of Unchained.
3. ArcheAge receives a graphics update
How does ArcheAge look graphically? The sandbox MMORPG was released in January 2013 in Korea. At that time, it was graphically impressive, but more than six years later, the visuals have aged somewhat.
However, the developers are already working on several updates. Initial areas are already receiving a facelift with the release of ArcheAge Unchained. Further adjustments are expected in future updates.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19twc1MT1Dk
4. Quests in ArcheAge
How does questing work in ArcheAge? Until level 30, you can play ArcheAge and also Unchained like a theme park MMORPG and follow the quests and story.
However, from level 30 onward, there is PvP in the areas, and the quests change. They become rarer, and you may have to switch continents for them. Then grinding begins.
In this process, you can kill mindless mobs but also level through labor points. The latter is especially useful if you do not want to go to PvP areas.
5. Yes, ArcheAge has PvP
Do you have to play PvP in ArcheAge? ArcheAge has two warring factions and also allows you to become a pirate, so you can attack your own faction. Since there are no PvE servers, there is always a chance of getting involved in PvP.
The general sentiment is that while you can play ArcheAge without PvP, you miss out on a considerable and, from the perspective of in-game currency, a very lucrative part of the MMORPG.
What alternatives to PvP are there? ArcheAge also offers many exciting activities outside of PvP, including:
Various dungeons for 3-10 players.
Farming and crafting activities.
Fishing.
Trading and trade routes.
Housing.
However, especially in the higher areas, you will find it very difficult to avoid PvP.
Recently, the MMORPG Astellia was also released. If you’re not into PvP and enjoy theme parks, you might find your luck there:
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.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from Twitch that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
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:
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from Reddit that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
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.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
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.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from Twitter that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
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.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from Twitter that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
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?
