The Division 2: Episode 2 starts next week – What you need to know

Sven Galitzki Sven Galitzki Reading time 5 minutes

Finally, we know when the new DLC “Episode 2 – Pentagon: The Last Castle” and Title Update 6 for The Division 2 will be released. This free DLC will continue the story of The Division 2. We summarize all the important information regarding the release of the new content for you.

Where do the new details come from? The news comes from the Ubisoft Launcher on PC. There, specific details about the release date of Episode 2 and Title Update 6, as well as the content that players can look forward to, were revealed.

All important information about Title Update 6 and Episode 2 in The Division 2

When will Episode 2 and Title Update 6 be released? The second DLC and the next major update will be released on October 15, which is already next week, for The Division 2 on PC, Xbox One, and PS4.

However, content from Episode 2 will initially only be accessible to owners of the Year-1 Pass. They will have 7 days of early access.

All other players can start with the second DLC from October 22.

The Title Update 6, along with all its improvements, changes, and a new mode for Conflict (PvP), will be available to all players from October 15.

What is Episode 2 about? In short, it is about defending the Pentagon. The elite mercenaries Black Tusk want to seize important military secrets there, and the Division must ensure they remain secret.

Attention, potential spoilers ahead. Read at your own risk.

Here are the contents of Episode 2 – Pentagon: The Last Castle

Two new main missions: At the beginning of Episode 2, players will follow a transmission from another Division agent who is searching for a bio-reactor in the Pentagon. This reactor would enable the replication of the anti-virus samples that were secured at the Tidal Basin.

The Black Tusk at the Pentagon

You will fight your way through flooded areas and troops of the Black Tusk to reclaim the Pentagon. After securing the new Safe House, two new missions can be played:

  • Pentagon
  • and DARPA Research Labs

In the Pentagon, agents will uncover the location of the bio-reactor. However, the Black Tusk have already infiltrated the complex and are trying to steal the reactor.

In DARPA Research Labs, players must fight their way through the Pentagon to the DARPA labs, where the Black Tusk are already transporting the reactor through an abandoned tunnel network from the Cold War.

Division-2-Operation-Zero

New specialization: Owners of the Year-1 Pass will unlock a new specialization on October 15 – the Technician. Players without the annual pass will need to unlock this new specialization option by completing various tasks.

The Technician carries the P-017 Multi-Rocket Launcher as an individual weapon. Players can lock on to and engage up to 6 targets (depending on the available amount of ammunition). After launch, the up to 6 rockets will track their targets.

Additionally, the Technician has the Maxim 9 pistol, the skill variant Artificer Hive (drone stock), and the grenade mod EMP grenade.

The-Division-2-Invasion

New classified assignments: For owners of the Year-1 Pass, there will be two new classified assignments – at a boathouse and in the Mexican embassy.

In the assignment Marina, it is against the Outcasts. They have stored weapons and supplies in a boathouse on the Potomac River, which they use as a transshipment point. Agents are tasked with securing the weapons and equipment.

In Embassy, a helicopter loaded with supplies from the JTF was shot down by the Outcasts and crashed through the roof of the Mexican embassy in Washington. Agents are to locate the helicopter and recover the pilot and supplies before the Outcasts can get to them first.

The Division 2 Kampf Screenshot

What’s in Title Update 6

The next major update for The Division 2 brings a lot of improvements and changes that will be active for all players from October 15.

The changes include, among other things:

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Almost all changes are based on player feedback and the work of the Elite Task Force.

the-division-2-pvp

New Conflict mode (PvP): The new PvP mode is called Team Elimination and offers a teamwork-based tactical experience. The new mode will also start on October 15 for all players.

In two teams of 4 agents each, it’s a “Best of 7” match. The maximum 7 rounds end when a complete team is wiped out or time runs out.

Additionally, there will be a new PvP map. The new map “Wharf” will be similar in size to the existing Conflict maps of The Division 2 and is set in an abandoned fishing harbor. It will have numerous opportunities for flanking and elevated positions.

division-2-raid-x2

2nd Raid postponed

What about the new Raid? Actually, the second raid of The Division 2 was supposed to start with Episode 2, where players would face the True Sons. However, according to the information, this raid has been postponed – the new date is currently unknown.

The extra time allows developers to improve the overall quality of The Division 2, which would also benefit the raid.

What about the expeditions? Although not an exclusive feature of Episode 2 or Title Update 6, the expeditions, which flopped in Episode 1, are now making a comeback in an improved form with a new reward system. More about that can be found here:

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

LoL apparently censors “Hong Kong” at the Worlds – and one team is named so

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

At League of Legends the LoL Worlds 2019 are currently taking place. The team “Hong Kong Attitude” has reached the main round of the League of Legends World Championships. But casters are not even mentioning the word Hong Kong anymore – probably due to the charged political climate. They are now improving live. It feels like self-censorship.

Which team is it about? The team “Hong Kong Attitude” qualified through the “Play Ins” of the League of Legends World Championships. They won the decisive series of the group stage against Isurus Gaming, a team from Argentina.

Hong Kong Attitude achieved one of their victories with a “Backdoor” play. The LoL team attacks the enemy base while the opponents are far away. It looks like an “Oops” moment when the opponents arrive too late to their own funeral.

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 The team “Hong Kong Attitude” has been around since 2017 under this name.

Casters censor themselves: Hong Kong … eh HK A

This is now noticeable: Apparently there is a directive from Riot Games to the casters and analysts that the name “Hong Kong” should no longer be mentioned.

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There are three instances where a caster says the name “Hong Kong Attitude,” but then corrects themselves and refers to it as “HKA” or “HK Attitude.”

These instances have been listed by a user on reddit:

In one scene (the Twitch clip above), it seems the caster even smiles slightly after their “slip” but then the production quickly cuts away.

Here it is at 3:55.

Here it is at 8:53:

What is the reason for this? This is being discussed on reddit. It is believed that the directive to no longer say “Hong Kong” comes from Tencent, the Chinese mega-corporation behind Riot.

Reddit users also believe that the US stream is being broadcast with a delay. Interviews are said to be “pre-recorded.” They probably want to keep the option of cutting out political statements.

What is going on with Hong Kong right now? At the moment, the residents of Hong Kong are protesting against the increasing influence of mainland China. This has immense political ramifications, and China seems to want to keep the issue out of the public eye.

The protesters in Hong Kong want the world’s attention on their concerns.

People who are protesting are using gaming channels as a forum for their political beliefs and to draw attention to Hong Kong and the situation there.

Because a Hearthstone pro expressed his protest in a live stream, Hong Kong is currently a big and uncomfortable topic for Blizzard.

Update 10.10, 10:44 PM: There is now a statement from Riot regarding the noticeable handling of the word “Hong Kong.”

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Soon there will be Legendary Cloaks again in WoW and you will definitely need them

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 3 minutes

Legendary capes are coming back for all players in World of Warcraft. Even the tailor is the same as back in Mists of Pandaria …

Currently, the upcoming Patch 8.3 Visions of N’Zoth is being tested in World of Warcraft. The patch narrates the great conflict of players against the Old God N’Zoth, who has now regained his full strength. To overcome this enemy, players need the help of Wrathion, the Black Prince. He takes his job seriously and provides all players with a legendary cloak again – just like he did years ago in Mists of Pandaria.

What can the legendary cloak do? The legendary cloak actually has “only” strong attributes and a new passive effect. It reduces loss of sanity by a certain percentage, depending on the level of the cloak. Sanity is a new resource that will apparently be used in several aspects of Patch 8.3. You’ll need it to explore the “Terrifying Visions” of Stormwind and Orgrimmar.

The corrupted visions of Orgrimmar and Stormwind can only be tackled with a cloak.

The Terrifying Visions are new scenarios that can be tackled with 1-5 players. Each time, however, you only have limited time to make progress. This time is determined by the character’s sanity. It is impossible to complete the scenario in the first run. The legendary cloak, which reduces the loss of sanity, is therefore essential if you ever want to successfully finish the visions.

On the other hand, it has been implied that sanity will also play a role in the final boss fight against N’Zoth in the new raid Ny’alotha. This would mean that the cloak is also essential for progress raiders.

Thus, it seems clear that collecting and upgrading the cloak is mandatory if one wants to experience all the content of Patch 8.3.

Wrathion helps us upgrade the cloak.

Item level still too low? In the current version of the PTR, the legendary cloak is only at an item level of 430. This is not particularly strong even by the standards of Patch 8.2.5. It can be assumed that the item level will be increased and that the cloak is currently this low only for testing purposes. When the patch goes live, the cloak is likely to be strong enough to surpass most “ordinary” cloaks significantly.

Especially cool loot includes these rings – they have negative effects!

Players find it amusing: Player reactions to the legendary cloak are mostly amused. It is often joked that Blizzard is not even trying to hide that “Battle for Azeroth” is just “Mists of Pandaria 2.0”. After all, Wrathion also crafted a legendary cloak back then. Beyond that, many find the cloak in its current form rather “boring” due to the lack of special effects.

Many years ago, Wrathion crafted a cloak for the players – back then still with a turban on his head.

However, one should not forget that the PTR of Patch 8.3 is still in a very early stage and much can change.

Are you looking forward to finally wearing an orange item again? Or is a legendary item worthless if every player can easily obtain it?

You can find all information about Patch 8.3 in our comprehensive overview.

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

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

Players exploit glitch at Moxxi in Borderlands 3 to make millions

Max Handwerk Max Handwerk Reading time 2 minutes

In Borderlands 3 there is a lot to collect. Money is also one of the items that players can hoard in large quantities. There is now a trick at Moxxi that makes earning money easier.

Here you can find Moxxi: Moxxi can be found in Borderlands 3 aboard your ship – the Sanctuary. There, Mad Moxxi has opened a branch of her well-known bar and is happy about tips that can earn you decent rewards.

In the bar, you will also find the occasional slot machine. And these little machines are currently capable of providing you with a lot of cash.

Moxxi Borderlands 2
At Moxxi you will find some slot machines

Glitch makes earning money extremely easy

This is what the glitch does: Currently, there seems to be a reliable method for players to increase their chances of getting money from the machine, when the story is completed.

Effectively, players locate one of the slot machines that pays out money. Once this is done, a fast travel to any map is followed by an immediate return to the Sanctuary. Upon returning to the machine, one finds that the machine can suddenly spit out ten times the amount of money.

You can also draw weapons from the machine

Legendary loot is also up for grabs: Now the vault hunters simply play until they can cash in the money. This can be repeated and, while it costs some money, the overall wins noticeably exceed the losses. Some players report making several million in a very short time.

The machines also spit out legendary weapons or even Eridium, if you are lucky. While the numbers cannot be pushed high, the machines can be easily relieved of their legendary loot.

The glitch therefore represents a very easy way to farm legendary weapons and money. It is quite unlikely that this is intended by Gearbox, and it is likely to be fixed in a future patch. Undertaking this process is at your own risk – those who exploit glitches may be banned.

For farming, bosses are more advisable – and provide more thrills than the one-armed bandit. Which weapon you find with which boss can be found here:

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Apex Legends now has its coolest feature: Here’s how to find Vault Keys and open Vaults

Benedict Grothaus Benedict Grothaus Reading time 2 minutes

Since today, on October 9th, you can finally open the secret Vaults on the new map in Apex Legends. We will tell you how to find the Vault Keys and get the loot.

What are Vaults and Vault Keys? The Vaults are secret treasure rooms scattered across the new map of Season 3, containing tons of high-quality loot (Level 3 and Level 4).

Currently, there are three known Vaults in World’s Edge, all located in the southern part of the map in cave passages. Here is their position on the map:

Apex Legends Loot Vaults Season 3 Location

However, the Vaults are locked. To enter them, you first need a keycard, the Vault Key.

Find Vault Keys and open Vaults

How to find a Vault Key: You can grab the keys from the flying Cargo Bots (another change from Season 3), which transport loot crates across the map. The crates pulse in three colors that indicate the strength of the loot: blue, gold, and purple.

One of the sections of the cargo box can also start glowing red today. If you catch such a box, it means a Vault Key might be inside. To pick it up, you need a free inventory slot.

Finding and opening a Vault: Once you own a Vault Key, you will see locked and open Vaults on the map. Make your way to reach one of the locked Vaults before another team does.

When you arrive there, you need to interact with the door. This has only been possible since today, because previously there was only a countdown waiting there. A few seconds later, the door will open for you. A short clip on reddit shows you exactly how it all looks:

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What you need to know about Vaults

What are Vaults good for? The Vaults contain high-quality loot of the highest tier. Anyone who gets a keycard can:

  • either further extend their lead as the top team
  • or make a comeback from a previously less forgiving round.

From the previous screenshots and videos, it is evident that the contents are limited to “defensive” items, meaning strong backpacks and armor, but no legendary weapons like the L-STAR or Kraber. Nevertheless, the loot should give many teams a strong boost.

Apex Legends Loot Vault Door

What you should watch out for: While the position of the Vaults will be shown to you, they are not secret to teams without a card either. It can happen that some teams specifically wait for players who have a card with them.

Whenever you pass a Vault (whether with or without a card), approach cautiously and secure the area. It is quite possible that campers are lurking there to ambush you. The new Legend Crypto will help you scout very well.

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This is why cinemas have the same FPS problem as the Playstation 4

Benedikt Schlotmann Benedikt Schlotmann Reading time 4 minutes

What do the PS4 and most German cinemas have in common? They all only achieve 60 FPS. This will now also become a curse for cinemas after the PS4.

What is the problem? Since October 3, 2019, Ang Lee’s film “Gemini Man” starring Will Smith has been showing in cinemas. The film was shot in 120 FPS, but you can hardly see it anywhere.

The reason is that most German cinemas cannot play movies with such a frame rate at all. The cinemas are struggling with the same problem that the Playstation 4 has.

Cinema and PS4: Too few FPS for new technology

Cinema and Playstation currently have the same problem

This is why the PS4 cannot achieve more than 60 FPS: The team at Oxide Games explains in an interview with GamingBolt the problem of the consoles as follows:

“If you have 720p at 30 FPS and want to double both the pixels and the frame rate [to 1080p], it requires four times as much power.”

Four times as much power because you want to double both the frame rate and the pixel density (so 2+2). And this is where the problem of the Playstation 4 and also the Xbox One lies.

Full HD or 4K is not a problem for the PS4 Pro, but it often cannot render the game at 60 FPS. The PS4 Pro therefore renders many games in 4K resolution only at 30 FPS to keep performance consistent. In doing so, the console upscales and does not achieve a native 4K resolution.

This much power does the Playstation 4 offer: The performance of the Playstation 4 Pro increases only slightly to just over double: The Playstation 4 reaches 1843 GFLOPS, while the Playstation 4 Pro achieves 4200 GFLOPS.

GFLOPS:
GFLOPS stands for “Giga Floating Point Operations Per Second” in English. The number indicates how many additions or multiplications the processor of the PC or console can perform per second. One GFLOP is 109 calculations that the processor can handle per second. GFLOPs describe the performance of the processor.

For a native 4K resolution with 60 FPS, the performance of the Playstation 4 Pro would have needed to quadruple instead of double!

Playstation 4: Either high resolution or high FPS

The Playstation 4

How do PS4 games handle this? In Borderlands 3, for example, players can choose between 4K resolution and Full HD resolution:

  • If the choice falls on the higher resolution, then the console renders the game in 4K at 30 FPS on the screen.
  • If players choose the 1080p resolution, the console delivers 60 FPS.

Scott Velasquez, Online & Social Product Owner of Borderlands 3, also explains in an interview with the PlayStation Blog:

If you prefer resolution on a screen that only supports 1080p, the game upscales it using the console hardware to a higher resolution.

This mainly offers the advantage of achieving a sharper image at a 1080p resolution, at the cost of the FPS rate.

The Playstation 4 will soon have a successor. Everything we know about the Playstation 5 can be found in our comprehensive preview:

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Other games like Anthem even cap at 30 FPS – no matter which resolution is used. The developers cite graphics as the reason, which is more important to them:

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Already 60 FPS are rare in the cinema

Cinema hall

This is why 24 FPS are common in cinemas: In cinemas, the standard format for films is 24 frames per second, short 24p. This is a compromise made by filmmakers: films should not flicker or exceed film material costs.

With the emergence of sound films, 24 FPS then also represented the official speed, so that the sound does not run faster or slower than the film.

This is why cinemas cannot show the film: Almost all digital cinema cameras that can also show 3D films today operate at a frame rate of 60 FPS. Most filmmakers use the same or a very similar technique.

The film Gemini Man was mainly shot in HFR 120 FPS.

HFR:
HFR stands for High Frame Rate, which means high frame rate. A high frame rate means that a movie is shown particularly quickly. The normal cinema standard is 24 FPS. HFR indicates that, for example, Gemini Man already runs significantly faster at 60 FPS than an ordinary film in the cinema.

In contrast to the normal 24 frames per second, a film in 60 FPS offers two and a half times the information for the human eye. Thus, action scenes, for example, appear much smoother, almost like in a first-person shooter. But the film also appears artificial because of this – with 3D films, this is often intentional.

120 FPS provides even five times more information than the usual 24p cinema material.

However, Gemini Man is not the first film shot in HFR. Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy was also shot at a higher frame rate, specifically at 48 frames. This was not a problem for cinemas, but Gemini Man with more than 60 FPS surpasses the limits.

Better than the Playstation 4 is only Munich

This is what Munich can do: If you live in Munich, you can watch Gemini Man in 120 FPS: Only the Mathäser Filmpalast in Munich has the necessary technology to show the film in 120 FPS.

The Playstation 4 will soon have a successor. Everything we know about the Playstation 5 can be found in our comprehensive preview:

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

Nightmare Hunts in Destiny 2: Here’s how the new difficulty level Hero works

Philipp Hansen Philipp Hansen Reading time 3 minutes

You can now tackle the Nightmare Hunt on “Hero” difficulty in Destiny 2. What changes with the new level and is it worth it for you?

What is the Nightmare Hunt? The Nightmare Hunt mode (English: nightmare hunt) is a new PvE activity that you can tackle in a fireteam of three since Shadowkeep. Each week, you can take down 3 different Nightmares and receive Powerful Gear (Level 1) as a reward.

The titular Nightmares are familiar enemies from the Destiny universe. Among them are:

  • Crota, known as a raid boss from Destiny 1.
  • Taniks, a popular strike boss in Destiny 1.
  • Dominus Ghaul, the Cabal warlord whom you face in the original Destiny 2 campaign.
Crota, Son of Oryx

This is new now: Since the weekly reset on October 8th, you can choose between two difficulty levels:

  • Master, with a recommended power level of 860 and one negative modifier
  • and the new Hero level with a recommended power level of 920 and four negative modifiers.

Under the challenging conditions, you will find various Elemental Burns known from the Nightfall. Your opponents inflict significantly more Solar damage on you, for example.

Other negative modifiers require specific artifact mods from the seasonal artifact. Without these mods, the protected Barrier Champions or the unstoppable champions charging at you are nearly impossible to defeat.

Both variants have matchmaking – you do not need a fixed fireteam.

You should pay attention to all the modifiers

As an additional reward for the Hero level, you have drop chances for seasonal mods and an increased chance for the Essence of Rage. From this essence, you can craft the shotgun “One Small Step”.

How to convert essences into weapons and armor at the Enchantment Table, you can read here:

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Is the heroic difficulty worth it?

This is what the players say: Some Guardians wonder whether the harder “Hero” difficulty even has different rewards compared to the standard “Master” level, where there are Powerful Loot (Level 1) for 3 successful runs. The mission selection does not provide any information about this. The difficulty has, however, increased.

Stonehedgeman 13 writes on reddit: “Why should anyone care? You could just do Master instead of Hero.”

User Almighty_Nothing also notes: “It looks like it doesn’t bring anything. Could it have a higher chance for exotics? But nothing was communicated.”

In the comments, it is pointed out that the Essence of Rage has an increased drop chance.

Reward for the hunt: The shotgun One Small Step

However, the problem seems to be that the game itself does not show Guardians why they should face the higher levels of the Nightmare Hunt.

With the remaining on October 15th, the next higher level of the Nightmare Hunt is already waiting for the players. This time, the activity will not have matchmaking, but hopefully with additional rewards.

Do you prefer to hunt the Nightmares on Master or Hero? Have you noticed any further differences in loot?

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This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
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ESO: You can now play the prologue to the new DLC – And you should too

Alexander Leitsch Alexander Leitsch Reading time 2 minutes

The new DLC Dragonhold for The Elder Scrolls Online will be released at the end of October, but you can already dive into the prologue. This also holds some rewards for you.

What is the prologue and who can play it? The prologue to Dragonhold is a quest line that leads to the story of the new DLC. To play these quests, you need Elsweyr, as the tasks take place in the southern part of the expansion.

You do not need the new DLC Dragonhold. Instead, you can simply start the quest line by purchasing the item “Letter from Kasura” in the Crown Store. However, you will receive this for free and do not have to spend any crowns for it.

eso-dragons-01

Is it worth playing the prologue? In addition to an exciting story, there are two rewards for completing the prologue to Dragonhold:

  • A dragon horn curiosity as a souvenir.
  • A dragon guard banner for your home.

There is also a special bonus if you and other players are quick enough. If enough of you complete the prologue quest line by the end of the Dragonrise event, then all players will receive:

  • A gold boost throughout northern Elsweyr.

The Dragonrise event runs until Monday, October 14 at 4:00 PM our time, and progress can be tracked on the official page.

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The Season of the Dragon comes to an end

What happens in the prologue? After receiving the letter from Kasura, you must find an imperial messenger of the Hinzuur and begin your adventure.

During this, you will join the sword master Sai Sahan, who should already be known from the main story. Together with him, you will explore abandoned refuges to uncover ancient secrets and find a way to win the fight against the dragons.

Sai Sahan from ESO with map

When does Dragonhold come out? The end of the prologue leads you directly to the Dragonhold DLC. This will be released on October 21 for PC and Mac and on November 5 for the PS4 and Xbox One consoles.

However, there was criticism of the content beforehand, as the DLC does not offer any innovations for the endgame. However, simultaneous performance improvements through Update 24 are coming, which many players are looking forward to.

With Dragonhold, the season of the dragons officially ends. We do not know in which direction it will go afterwards, but players speculate about a Skyrim expansion.

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This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
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Man breaks into Valve, steals items worth $40,000 – Uses a trash can

Andreas Bertits Andreas Bertits Reading time 2 minutes

A thief stole Valve equipment and games worth $40,000. The fact that he wasn’t caught is thanks to a trick.

What was stolen? In June 2018, a thief initially gained unnoticed access to the offices of Valve, the studio behind Steam. There, he managed to steal games and equipment worth $40,000. He did this over several occasions.

Dota-Underlords

Burglary with a Trash Can

Where exactly was the break-in? The affected offices are Valve’s in Lincoln Square South, Bellevue, Washington. Other companies such as Unity, Epic Games, The Pokémon Company, and Samsung also have some premises there.

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How did the thief manage to steal the items unnoticed? The 32-year-old man, Shawn Shaputis, entered the building with a recycling trash can and simply loaded various computers, accessories, and games into it. Although he was filmed by the surveillance camera, the security staff likely thought he was a service person. Someone who was just picking up the trash.

With the trash can, he then left the building and loaded everything into his car. He later sold some of the games at a Gamestop store. There are even surveillance videos of that.

Portal Robot
There was a break-in at the developer of Portal 1 and 2.

How was the thief caught? Shawn Shaputis was arrested in June 2018 for further thefts after he had a police chase in a stolen FedEx delivery van. In his car, the officers then found the equipment and games from Valve.

Shawn Shaputis now has to answer in court.

Was anything else important stolen? It is currently unclear whether the thief might have managed to seize any trade secrets from Valve. However, that seems rather unlikely. He was probably just looking to take games and computers to sell them.

Moreover, Valve likely will not store important files on any employee PCs.

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US revenues from Fortnite are said to have fallen by 52% – Here’s what it means

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

Fortnite still earns a lot of money in 2019, but not nearly as much as in 2018. In the second quarter of 2019, revenues in the USA are said to have dropped by 52%. This comes from a new report. The company surveyed US customers via email.

Where do the numbers come from? The numbers come from Edison Trends. This is a US company that monitors the market. Edison sends out millions of emails to US customers, analyzes the data, and then makes a report.

Fortnite-Zahlen-Edison
The dark blue represents Fortnite – you can already see that it’s going down.

Hype peaked in May 2018 – drop in June 2019

How have Fortnite’s numbers developed? Revenues from Fortnite steadily increased from November 2017 to May 2018, but have actually been steadily declining since then.

In May 2018, the peak of the Fortnite craze was apparently reached. At that time, Fortnite was considered a “cultural phenomenon” and mainstream media reported on the game.

This hype lasted quite long but gradually faded. People got used to the game. Although Epic constantly changes Fortnite, it cannot maintain the success permanently.

In June 2019, around the Fortnite World Cup, a significant drop in revenues is noticeable. It seemed that the air was out of Fortnite. This is also reflected in the mood in the game and the forums.

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Grandma buys grandchildren something for “this Fortnite” for Christmas

What was the trigger in December? The big outlier was December 2018. The months prior consistently saw declining revenues, but in December, Fortnite’s earnings shot up again, reaching an all-time high that far surpassed the peak in May.

This was likely due to exceptionally good “Christmas skins” and because many parents and grandparents wanted to give their kids something related to Fortnite for Christmas. During that time, Epic even brought Fortnite to stores and offered many bundles – likely to reach an older generation that still views digital purchases with suspicion.

Frozen-Fortnite-TItel
This was one of the skins from Christmas 2018 in Fortnite.

Where do the 52% come from? Fortnite earned 52% less money in the second quarter of 2019 compared to the second quarter of 2018:

  • In the second quarter of 2018, Fortnite was at its cultural peak – it had maximum significance
  • In the second quarter of 2019, Fortnite stagnated and fell – the major downturn began only in the third quarter of 2019

At the moment, it seems that revenues will continue to deteriorate.

Even though Fortnite’s revenues are declining: Compared to competitors like PUBG, Apex Legends, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, the numbers are still enormous.

Fortnite-Chart-Geld

What do Fortnite players spend their money on? According to the report, players predominantly spend their money on V-Bucks (83%). This is the premium currency of the game. With V-Bucks, players can purchase the Battle Pass or skins in Fortnite. This currency can also be earned by players themselves.

For packs (13%) and bundles (3%), the direct sales, players spend significantly less money.

Fortnite-Apex-Loyal

Apex Legends players are loyal buyers

What about other games? For other games, the curve is similar. Players spend the most at release, and then it tapers off.

One exception is Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. This is the only “purchase game” on the list of 4 online games. The massive increase in spending in October 2018 was simply due to people purchasing the game.

It is also interesting that Apex Legends players are reportedly the “most reliable”. 62% of the people who spent money in Apex Legends in June 2019 also did so in July 2019.

It should be noted that PUBG is now significantly stronger in the Asian market and on mobile than in the West. It doesn’t look as bad worldwide as the US numbers suggest.

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CoD Modern Warfare: New details about SpecOps – what cooperative fans can expect

Patrick Freese Patrick Freese Reading time 3 minutes

The Spec Ops mode for Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2019 has now been presented in more detail with a trailer and additional information. We show you what is new.

What kind of mode is Spec Ops? After the end of the campaign, you have more stories to experience in the new Modern Warfare. The Call of Duty team describes the mode as the Armistice group needing to stop a global terrorist organization. You are to cut off their access to weapons, funds, information, and hardware in Spec Ops.

The mode will be available right at the release on October 25 on all platforms. You will fight in four-player teams, with which there are multi-stage objectives to achieve.

In this new action-packed trailer, you will get your first impressions of this special mode.

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Spec Ops with Operations and Missions

How are Operations played? Operations are played on a variety of maps. The largest and most extensive multi-stage experiences are set to take place in the environment around the city of Verdansk. The activities for 4 players are called “Operations.”

Killstreaks such as airstrikes or drones are also present in the Spec Ops mode. You won’t miss vehicles there either. The developers speak of tanks, helicopters, off-road vehicles, and more that you can use.

But the enemies are also well-equipped and deploy soldiers in helicopters or even Juggernauts to fight against you.

Here you must work as a team to win. Right from the start, there are four multi-stage Operations. In the Seasons after the release, more will follow and will be available simultaneously on all platforms.

Modern Warfare Spec Ops Ballern

How are Missions played? You play the Missions alone or with up to four players. Operations offer you plenty of tactical possibilities. Missions, on the other hand, are individual, special assignments. The developers explain that “your knowledge of specific weapons, Killstreaks, and other tools will be tested.”

For each Mission, you receive 1-3 star ratings, and you can play them repeatedly.

Rewards: If you complete a content from Spec Ops, you will be rewarded for it. These can be unlockable items and equipment. You can then also use these in multiplayer mode.

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Features in Operations – What is special

To distinguish the Operations, the developers have integrated some features:

  • You can use all Operators, equipment, and progress from the multiplayer mode
  • The equipment is mode-crossing; you have access to favored primary and secondary weapons, perks, and equipment
  • Role choice among: Assault, Recon, Technician, Demolition, Medic, and Heavy
Modern Warfare Spec Ops

The Survival Mode

What kind of mode is this? The Survival mode is a wave-based horde mode. Waves of enemies appear one after another that must be defeated. Up to four players play together in co-op on one of three multiplayer maps. With each new wave, the enemies become more difficult.

This mode has already been hotly discussed because it is exclusively reserved for PS4 players for almost a year.

The trailer for Spec Ops is well received. Another gameplay video without gameplay is also being celebrated:

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This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
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FIFA 20: Will Schweinsteiger get another strong special card at the end of his career?

Max Handwerk Max Handwerk Reading time 3 minutes

Bastian Schweinsteiger ends his professional football career. The right time to honor him in FIFA 20, according to the fans.

This is how Schweinsteiger’s career went: FC Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Chicago Fire. Bastian Schweinsteiger was not one of those players who signed with a different club every year. Schweinsteiger became an icon especially at FC Bayern Munich. He was one of the defining figures in German football during the 17 years since his professional debut.

FIFA 20 Schweinsteiger
Schweinsteiger bids farewell

His list of titles is long: He won numerous German championships and cup victories, along with two cups in England as well as the title in the Europa League and the Champions League. Schweinsteiger’s trophy cabinet was crowned with the victory in the World Cup 2014. Especially in the final against Argentina, Schweinsteiger stood out at that time.

How strong is Schweinsteiger in FIFA 20

Schweinsteiger’s stats in comparison: In the current edition of the series, Schweinsteiger is no longer a particularly strong card. At the end of his career, Schweinsteiger still had a rating of 72 and has now appeared in central defense.

Schweinsteiger in FIFA 20
Schweinsteiger in FIFA 20

Looking back at some previous installments of the FIFA series gives a good impression of how strong Schweinsteiger was on the pitch.

Schweinsteiger in recent years / Source: Futhead

There were also special cards that occasionally pushed Schweinsteiger into the 90s range. It’s highly possible that he might get a particularly strong card again now, at the end of his career.

Is Schweinsteiger’s End of an Era card coming?

What End of an Era cards are: With the “End of an Era” cards, the FIFA series celebrates players who have achieved impressive feats in their careers. In FIFA 19, for example, Arjen Robben, Fernando Torres, or Petr Cech received strong special cards at the end of their careers – and are of course missing in FIFA 20 now.

FIFA 20 End of an Era Robben
Arjen Robben received another really strong card

This is what Schweinsteiger’s card could look like: Now it’s also time for Schweinsteiger to receive another really strong card. At least that’s what the community thinks on reddit. And they already have a suggestion for what the card could look like:

FIFA 20 Schweinsteiger End of an Era
Could this be what an EOAE Schweinsteiger would look like? / Source: HelpMeImDrowning/reddit

An End-of-an-Era card for Schweinsteiger would definitely be well received. And an Icon card in upcoming games would probably also be justified considering Schweinsteiger. There are not too many German Icons in FIFA 20. You can find all the legends here:

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Designer was 6 years at Guild Wars 2 – Now planning mobile games at PC level

Andreas Bertits Andreas Bertits Reading time 2 minutes

Roy Cronacher worked at ArenaNet as a designer for the MMORPG Guild Wars 2 until May 2018. He has now started his own studio, aiming to shake up the mobile games market. He wants to take ideas from PC and console games and create great games for tablet and smartphone with his team.

Who is Roy Cronacher? Cronacher worked as a game design team leader at ArenaNet and was co-responsible for the MMORPG Guild Wars 2. He developed the Revenant class. In May 2018, he left the company.

Guild Wars 2 Revenant
Roy Cronacher developed the Revenant for Guild Wars 2.

A Mobile Game at PC Level

What is Cronacher doing now? As has been reported, he founded his own development studio, Tenacious Entertainment. Together with some former colleagues from ArenaNet, he is already working on a new game.

For his company, he has already secured 3.3 million dollars from investors.

What kind of title is it? Tenacious Entertainment aims to create mobile games, but they want to differ from the mobile games we are currently experiencing.

Accordingly, a first mobile game is currently in the works, which is a PvP arena combat game.

When will the game be released? No exact release date has been specified yet, but it is expected to be released in 2020.

What is special about the mobile games? Cronacher states that he wants to take concepts that have proven themselves on PC and console and present them to the mobile mass market. Essentially, he aims to develop mobile games that are on par with PC or console games.

Moreover, he wants to completely avoid pay-to-win mechanics. The games are meant to shake up the mobile market and offer something new and innovative.

Tenacious Entertainment Team

Teams Leaving ArenaNet, Founding Their Own Studios

Why does this sound familiar? Roy Cronacher is not the only former ArenaNet employee who has now founded a new studio. The former founder of ArenaNet and ex-president Mike O’Brien has also launched a new company.

The studio ManaWorks also consists of former developers from ArenaNet. Mike O’Brien and his team, however, apparently want to create a new MMO.

Why is this curious? From ArenaNet, where there have been some layoffs recently, two new studios have now formed, which are working on interesting projects. It is quite possible that the games will carry some of the atmosphere of the Guild Wars titles.

However, we will have to wait a little longer before we learn more about the games.

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Dead by Daylight nerfs the Nurse – Her reign of terror ends

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 3 minutes

The Nurse in Dead by Daylight is undergoing a major overhaul. She will now be significantly weaker and the community is divided.

If you look at various tier lists for Dead by Daylight, all professionals seem to agree: there is no killer on PC as powerful as the Nurse. Although she is considered particularly hard to master, once you reach a solid level with her, survivors fall quickly. Games against the Nurse are always stressful, and good players often finish them in just a few minutes.

But that has now come to an end. The next patch for Dead by Daylight significantly nerfs the Nurse. However, she is also being revamped, so she will receive some new addons and passive abilities through this.

Dead by Daylight Nurse Cosmetic

What will change? The Nurse will undergo a fundamental change in how her Blink (teleportation) functions. From now on, the Nurse will not be able to teleport immediately after the exhaustion of a teleport but must first recharge for some time. She will receive one Blink charge every 3 seconds, starting from the moment the exhaustion animation begins.

What changes for the addons? Almost all of the Nurse’s addons have been revised and have new effects. She can now only receive additional Blink charges if she can no longer jump to places outside her line of sight.

Other addons inflict negative effects on survivors when they are hit by a Blink attack. For example, they will reveal their aura while healing or scream in panic when the Nurse “teleports through them” using Blink.

There will also be a lot of addons that improve cooldowns. The exhaustion time can be reduced during chain blinks or the duration in which the Nurse can initiate a chain Blink can be increased.

Some addons are also clear improvements. The “Bad Man’s Last Breath” causes the Nurse to lose her terror radius and the red stain for 16 seconds after a successful Blink attack (with a cooldown of 60 seconds). Other addons ensure that the Nurse has the movement speed of a normal killer (115%) after a successful Blink, but cannot teleport for one minute.

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How does the community react? The players of Dead by Daylight are not united in their opinions about this change. While many players welcome that the Nurse is finally being dethroned, some feel that these cuts are too drastic. Many players complain that killers are losing “the only solid killer who can stand up to ‘Survive with Friends’ groups.”

Image source: reddit.com/r/deadbydaylight

This has also prompted users from the Dead by Daylight subreddit to create several memes.

Most are sure that with the Nurse’s overhaul, the Spirit will now take over the new dominance. You can already see her appearing frequently in the top ranks, and without the Nurse, this popularity is likely to grow even more.

The Nurse gives up the number 1 spot to the Spirit. Image source: reddit.com/r/deadbydaylight/

The complete preliminary Patch Notes for Update 3.3.0 can be found here.

What do you think about these changes? Is it good that the Nurse is being adjusted and weakened? Or is this a clear mistake by the developers?

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Teamfight Tactics: Patch 9.20 nerfs Frozen Heart significantly – Patch Notes

Alexander Leitsch Alexander Leitsch Reading time 3 minutes

Patch 9.20 for Teamfight Tactics has been released and brought some balance changes. We have compiled the highlights of the update for you.

What are the biggest changes in 9.20? The new update brought, unlike Patch 9.19 two weeks ago, no major innovations. Nevertheless, there were some adjustments, including the nerf on the item “Frozen Heart”.

The duration of the effect was reduced from 4 to 1 second. Previously, the Frozen Heart was especially strong in combination with the assassin Pyke, as it hit many champions on the board. The strong nerf weakens both the item and Pyke.

Pyke, the successful assassin in TFT

Somewhat surprisingly, the adjustments to the XP and the appearance rate of the champions came as well:

  • Required XP for Level 5: 12 ⇒ 10
  • Required XP for Level 9: 70 ⇒ 66
  • Chance of champions at Level 8: 15/25/35/20/5 ⇒ 15/20/35/22/8
  • Chance of champions at Level 9: 10/15/33/30/12 ⇒ 10/15/30/30/15

The innovations ensure that players continue to try to reach level 8 as quickly as possible and find rare champions.

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Why is Patch 9.20 smaller? According to Riot Games, the first set of champions is drawing to a close. Therefore, the developers now only want to make small changes.

With the second set, new champions and origins will be introduced. Then the updates will also be more significant. However, we do not yet know when exactly Set 2 will be released.

Teamfight Tactics News Download

Buff for Guardians, Nerf for Beasts and Assassins

Which champions and origins were strengthened? The new update mainly benefited the Guardians and Gunslingers, although the buff for the latter was smaller than originally on the PBE:

  • Guardian – Armor bonus increased from 35 to 45.
  • Leona – Health increased from 750 to 800.
  • Gunslinger – Additional shots increased from 1/2/3 to 1/2/4.
  • Gangplank – Attack damage increased from 55 to 60.
  • Lucian – Ability damage increased from 100/225/350 to 125/250/375.

There were also small buffs for various champions, including the newly introduced champion Kai’Sai from two weeks ago:

  • Aatrox – Armor increased from 25 to 35.
  • Fiora – Health increased from 400 to 450.
  • Kai’Sai – Ability attack speed increased from 30%/60%/90% to 50%/75%/100% and shield from 300/600/900 to 400/700/1,000 increased.
  • Volibear – Attack speed increased from 0.6 to 0.65.
League of Legends Lucian

Which champions and origins were weakened? The new update mainly affected the previously strongest combo of Beasts and Assassins. It received several nerfs:

  • Assassin – Chance for critical strikes reduced from 10% to 5% with 3 Assassins.
  • Beast – Attack speed per increase reduced from 12% to 10%.
  • Akali – Attack speed reduced from 0.85 to 0.8.

Additionally, the Knights were slightly adjusted:

  • Knight – Damage reduction reduced from 15/35/65 to 15/35/60.
  • Poppy – Health points reduced from 800 to 700.
League of Legends Gnar

Buffs for many new items

What changed with the items? Many of the items introduced in Patch 9.19 are still not perfectly balanced. Therefore, there were some adjustments:

  • Deathblade – “Initially has 0 upgrades” was adjusted to “initially has 1 upgrade”.
  • Mercury – Cooldown reduced from 5 to 3 seconds.
  • Thief’s Gloves – The average quality of item combinations was decreased.

Besides the nerf on the Frozen Heart, there was also one on the Infinity Blade. The critical damage was reduced from 150% to 125%.

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Pokémon GO: Raid hour with Giratina starts today – Everything about counters and Shinies

Max Handwerk Max Handwerk Reading time 2 minutes

Tonight, the next Raid Hour begins in Pokémon GO. You can once again hunt for Giratina. Here you will find all the info on counters, times, and Shinys.

This is the Raid Hour: The Raid Hour is a regularly occurring event where a specific Raid Boss appears more frequently for 60 minutes. In most cases, this is a Legendary Pokémon.

In October, you will encounter the legendary Pokémon Giratina more often – including tonight. Just yesterday, you were able to hunt for Mewtwo during a make-up Raid Hour.

Giratina Raid Hour
Giratina can be found more often in October

All info on the Raid Hour with Giratina in its Altered Form

The Raid Hour starts at this time: As usual, the Raid Hour starts at 6 PM local time. It runs until exactly 7 PM. At every gym where no other raid is currently taking place, you can challenge and catch Giratina.

Shiny Giratina is catchable: Even Giratina with an alternative coloration is available. The chances for a Shiny are,  as is common with legendary Shinys, about 1 in 19. 

Shiny Giratina

This is how strong Giratina is: Giratina in its Altered Form is not exactly an overwhelmingly strong Pokémon. Compared to Giratina’s Origin Form, it looks weak. However, during the Raid Hour, you can also collect Giratina Candy to power up the Origin Form if you already have it in your possession.

These are the best counters against Giratina: If you use the right Pokémon, you can defeat Giratina with just three players. You only need to reach level 25 if you have a high friendship level or the right weather conditions to assist you.

Giratina is a Ghost and Dragon-type Pokémon, making it particularly vulnerable to Ice, Dragon, Fairy, Dark, and Ghost types. Accordingly, the following counters are recommended:

  • Rayquaza with Dragon Tail and Outrage
  • Palkia with Dragon Tail and Draco Meteor
  • Brutalanda with Dragon Tail and Outrage
  • Dragonite with Dragon Tail and Outrage
  • Gengar with Shadow Claw and Shadow Ball

You’ll find more good attackers against Giratina in its Altered Form in our Counter Guide:

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New MMO Last Kings is also coming to Steam – Here’s what we know

Andreas Bertits Andreas Bertits Reading time 2 minutes

The new MMO Last Kings (Mobile, PC) hits a similar note as the battle epic Conqueror’s Blade. The release on Steam is planned for the year 2020. We present you the online game.

What is Last Kings? The MMO comes from Barunson E&A, who are also behind the new MMORPG Astellia. You create a hero and set out to establish, expand, and defend your own kingdom.

To do this, you need to assemble an army. Because you will face many battles.

You move your army across a map to various locations, where you then plunge into tactical battles. This way, you gradually conquer more and more of the world. But other players are doing this as well, leading to large PvP battles and alliances. You can team up into guilds and also engage in guild wars.

Essentially, the gameplay is somewhat reminiscent of the strategy MMO Conqueror’s Blade.

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Tactical Hero Deployment

What makes the MMO special? You must always proceed tactically in battles, as your heroes have special powers and skills that you can use in critical situations to turn the tide.

Besides that, you not only fight against other players but also free your lands from bandits and protect your population.

Additionally, you descend into dungeons where your heroes can gain experience to learn new, powerful skills.

Furthermore, you decide how you want to develop your kingdom. Will you focus on agriculture to keep your people happy, or will you become a military power?

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Launch in 2020

Which engine is being used? The developers are using Unreal Engine 4, which is supposed to ensure detailed graphics. First screenshots and the trailer look really good.

When is Last Kings coming out? The strategy MMO is planned for release in 2020. The PC version will be available via Steam.

Will the game be released on other platforms? Last Kings will also be released for mobile devices. However, there is no release date yet.

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WoW: Blizzard lets two of the most popular characters flirt – Is there something going on?

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

It seems like there’s a spark between these two fairy races in WoW. Will there soon be a honeymoon in Suramar with Thalyssra and Lor’Themar?

In World of Warcraft, while primarily about war and the conflicts between individual characters or even entire factions, moments of romance also shine through. It seems that such a story is developing in Patch 8.3, at least if the data mined statements are interpreted correctly.

It revolves around Lor’themar Theron, the current leader of the Blood Elves, and the First Arcanist Thalyssra, the current representative of the Nightborne.

WoW Legion Suramar Thalyssra Rebellion
Once a resistance fighter, now soon to be Lor’themar’s partner?

What is being said? From the game data of Patch 8.3, a dialogue between Thalyssra and Lor’themar has already been extracted. This little conversation takes place between the two:

Lor’themar: Thank you again for leading our forces alongside me in Nazjatar, Thalyssra. Your insights and bravery were key to our victory.

First Arcanist: It was my honor, Lor’themar. I am relieved that the war is finally over. Now you have no excuse to decline my invitation for a visit to Suramar.

Lor’themar: Well, uh … I have been away from Silvermoon for quite a while. Undoubtedly my people need me –

First Arcanist: Halduron assured me that Quel’Thalas is safe. And Rommath said that if you put on a show, he will personally teleport you to the Night Hold.

Lor’themar: It seems my most loyal allies are conspiring against me!

First Arcanist: Does it really take a conspiracy for you to spend time with me alone?

Lor’themar: No, my lady. It would be my pleasure.

First Arcanist: An appropriately gallant answer, Regent Lord. Perhaps there is still hope for you! Maybe I can even teach you … to enjoy the simpler pleasures of life.

Lor’Themar: Perhaps you can, First Arcanist. Perhaps you can.

First Arcanist: I will accept, if you stand by my side as an advisor … and friend.

It is definitely interesting that Thalyssra apparently sought the help of Halduron and Rommath (the two advisors of Lor’themar) to make her invitation. The fact that the two advisors are giving the Regent Lord a little nudge towards companionship with the Nightborne is an intriguing detail.

What FIFA 20 needs to improve to become really good

Max Handwerk Max Handwerk Reading time 6 minutes

FIFA 20 has been running since the end of September on players’ consoles and PCs. The game impresses in many respects, but others spoil the fun. This is how the current fan feedback looks.

Here are the reviews for FIFA 20: For an initial assessment of the game, it’s worth taking a look at the reviews. Especially at the release of the game, the reviews were predominantly positive to very positive.

The ratings on Metacritic showed that the game is apparently going in the right direction – even if it doesn’t reinvent the wheel. An overview of the ratings can be found here:

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How is the game received by players? Since the release, enough time has passed for players to form a comprehensive opinion. Some points are heavily praised while others completely fail. We have summarized this in an overview: What works – and on which points should FIFA 20 urgently improve?

How FIFA 20 is received by players

Gameplay

What is liked about the gameplay: The gameplay in FIFA 20 feels overall slower but also somewhat more realistic. Many fans praise that the attributes of a player are reflected in the game. The foundation of FIFA works, therefore.

This is especially noticeable in passing stats or speed. Players with significantly better passing stats are more likely to get the ball to their teammate than those who aren’t born playmakers. Fast players can utilize their speed better and are not intercepted by every defender – unless they are positioned correctly.

FIFA 20 Gameplay
The gameplay overall creates good mood among players

Because the defense has changed. Active defending is significantly more emphasized compared to FIFA 19. It’s not that simple, which is why it requires an adjustment of defensive behavior compared to its predecessor, especially at the beginning of the game. How to achieve this is explained in our defending tips.

What is criticized about the gameplay: On “reddit“, there are some discussions about gameplay. While most agree that gameplay has made a step forward, there are still several points of criticism. Most notably: headers have become extremely difficult and rarely lead to success.

The main points of criticism are grounded in the fact that the translation of controller input to the execution of an action sometimes takes too long – or does not occur at all. However, this is less about the fundamentals of the gameplay but rather about another, yet very strong criticism.

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Servers in FIFA 20

The problem with the servers: Many players report that their internet connection often disrupts their experience. There are occasions when games start to lag extremely or suddenly run at twice the speed as before. These are known issues from earlier installments, but especially in the first days of FIFA 20, the servers ran quite poorly.

FIFA 20 Server
The connection sometimes struggles significantly

At times, it was not possible to find an opponent or finish a game without problems. Skill moves are executed with such a delay that they become useless. And there are also complete outages, making it impossible to connect to the online features in FIFA 20.

“The game is fantastic when it responds. But when the connection is poor – well.” This conclusion in a post by reddit user “ad1075” summarizes the thoughts of many players. They hope that the server issues will be a thing of the past in the future. The game would definitely benefit from that.

Goals in Ultimate Team

How the new tasks are received: New in Ultimate Team is the season progress. It resembles the battle pass from Fortnite: By playing XP, you can secure various bonuses.

FIFA 20 Choreo
Choreographies give you new customization options for your club

These range from packs to club items like choreographies or emblems to new players. And it is well-received overall that EA Sports has implemented such a system: It’s possible to earn decent rewards without investing extra money.

However, the best rewards require an extremely high amount of XP. And obtaining those in large quantities is not easy – or rather, it’s extremely time-consuming. For example, in the gold objectives for the first week, you have to score a header with a player who has at least a physical rating of 82 in two separate rivals matches.

FIFA 20 Goals Gold Week 1

Players desire slight changes: This is an extremely specific and difficult goal. Many players wish for more ways to earn XP. Reddit user “Carloops” suggests, for example, that players should earn a certain amount of XP for completing matches. This is currently completely missing.

Also difficult, some players find that some objectives are tied to specific modes like “friendly matches”. “I don’t want to play friendly matches, I don’t want to play squad battles. I don’t have time for that, I only have enough for rivals and Weekend League,” complains player “so_grandiose“, who also receives much support for this.

However, other players point out that this is precisely what it’s about, trying something different. And modes like the “Mystery Ball” are well-received in the community.

Volta

How Volta is received: The Volta mode was one of the major selling points for this year’s FIFA. Many players desired a new street mode before release. So everything is good?

Not entirely. Volta has proven to be a double-edged sword in the community, for several reasons. It is particularly well-rated when played on the couch with friends – meaning offline. That’s where the street futsal hybrid is the most fun. Alone or online, it looks quite different.

FIFA 20 Volta Mode
In Volta, many players see potential that is not being tapped

User “Mohd759” described Volta as a “disappointment” from the time of the demo because it is not FIFA Street, but only FUT in a smaller scale. “SebJS74” agreed weeks later, seeing Volta more as an “extended minigame”. Moreover, many players hoped to start a type of “Volta Pro Club” online with their friends. However, this function is missing, just like a possible incorporation into Ultimate Team. Many players see a lot of wasted potential here where EA could still improve.

Additionally, it is said that Volta is partly extremely difficult in terms of finishing – which can be frustrating on one hand but also pretty funny. Many players agree that Volta at least provides incredibly funny moments that are happily shared on “reddit“. Like this video from user “Arabskillz“, who consistently failed against the goalkeeper or the post itself:

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Source: ArabskillZ/reddit

Career Mode

How the Career Mode is received: Anyone who has been following FIFA 20 will have noticed: The Career Mode still isn’t really running smoothly. To put it bluntly: Players who primarily want to play Career Mode in FIFA 20 are extremely frustrated.

And rightly so: Numerous bugs make the Career Mode extremely hard to enjoy. Top teams are underperforming in their leagues, sending strange lineups into matches, and the European competitions aren’t functioning properly – the criticisms are numerous. Under the hashtag “FixCareerMode”, the issue has ranked high on FIFA’s agenda – a solution is still pending.

FIFA 20 Career Mode
The career currently causes a lot of frustration

The previous patches haven’t yet addressed the career issues. EA announced that they would like to address the problem, but it would take longer as it involves an offline mode.

Many players had hoped the Career Mode would improve compared to previous installments. This hope has been disappointed despite some innovations so far – and we hope that it will be addressed in the future.

Overall, FIFA 20 is seen as a good entry in the series – but EA should urgently address these points to continue optimizing it. The pay-to-win factor is also a recurring source of frustration in FIFA. You can see here how likely you are to pull top players in FUT:

More on the topic
FIFA 20: How unlikely is it that you will draw the best players like Messi
von Max Handwerk
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

WoW Patch 8.3 – Blizzard will “Titanforging” replace

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

With Patch 8.3, many things in World of Warcraft will change. This includes the mechanics of “Titanforging”, which could soon be replaced.

That items in WoW can be titanforged has been in the game for quite some time. Occasionally, loot is randomly upgraded and is then significantly stronger than it would normally be. This system may be shaken up a bit in Patch 8.3, as Blizzard has mentioned changes.

What is the problem with Titanforging? Titanforging divides the WoW community. Many players dislike it because you can no longer specifically farm for the best items, but also have to hope for a minimal chance that the corresponding item will be upgraded.

Moreover, there is the rare case where players pull an item from “easy” content that is stronger than what mythic raid players receive. Many players find this unfair.

Furthermore, Titanforging has too many “RNG” mechanics. The appearance of a socket can drastically improve the value of an item, even though it is several item levels behind a supposedly “comparable” item.

What does Blizzard want to change? Ion Hazzikostas revealed in the introduction video for Patch 8.3 that the old god N’Zoth is currently attacking various Titan forges. The developers have therefore asked whether they should not also modify the “Titanforging” system. Even if Hazzikostas does not mention any concrete plans, they intend to create something “twisted and corrupted” as fits the Old Gods. At the same time, they want to ensure that the hardest content comes with the best rewards in the game.

World_of_Warcraft_Battle_for_Azeroth_Ion_Hazzikostas

How are players reacting? In the comments, for example on wowhead, many players are demanding the complete abolition of this system. They do not want any variation of it; it should simply disappear.

Others fear that this is just a new implementation of additional effects on items, similar to the “benthic” gear in Patch 8.3. This is also unwelcome at least among the vocal part of the community.

You can find many more details about Patch 8.3 visions of N’Zoth in our overview article.

What do you think of the developers’ plans to exchange and modify the “Titanforging” system for something else? Or should the concept be completely discarded?

More on the topic
These rings from WoW Patch 8.3 are powerful – but they have major disadvantages
von Cortyn

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