An analyst has given his assessment of what the three biggest game hits for the Christmas season 2019 on PS4, PC, and Xbox One will be. With Borderlands 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare being two online shooters, the third place goes to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Analyst Doug Creutz commits to precise sales figures.
Who is speaking? Analyst Doug Creutz works for Cowen, which is a U.S. investment bank. The bank’s job is to find investments that are truly worthwhile. They analyze various markets – including the video game market – hoping to back the right horse.
Creutz specializes in entertainment, media, and technology and provides assessments of which new games are expected to sell best by the end of 2019.
Jedi Fallen Order is expected to be the second biggest game for Christmas 2019.
So many people are buying the games: According to Creutz, the sales figures will look like this by the end of the year:
Borderlands 3 sells about 9 million units – Release date September 13, 2019
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is projected to sell between 12 and 13 million units – Release date November 15, 2019
Creutz expects these three titles to be the best-selling games of 2019 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, placing them ahead of games like Death Stranding, Doom Eternal, or Ghost Recon: Breakpoint.
Borderlands 3 looks good for 2019.
Stock prices rise after analysis
Here is the reaction: Following this analysis, the stock prices of Take-2 (Gearbox), EA (Star War), and Activision Blizzard (Call of Duty) rose on Tuesday. EA’s stock price has remained elevated until today, while the stocks of Take-2 and Activision Blizzard have dipped slightly.
The big blockbuster is missing in 2019, but people will still buy
What’s behind it: From the industry’s perspective, 2019 is a “transitional year.” Studios are releasing some of their last titles for the current console generation PS4 and Xbox One – they are already preparing for the next generation, PS5 and Xbox Scarlett.
While the big blockbuster is missing as it was with Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2018, there seems to be a good offering: people want new games.
While Borderlands 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare are well-known names currently in their promotional campaigns, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order does come as a bit of a surprise on the list.
Here, it seems the Star Wars franchise is incredibly strong. The E3 presentation of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order wasn’t groundbreaking, and since then, not much has been heard about the game.
In Destiny 2 Shadowkeep, it is known what makes the new raid gear unique and sets it apart from the rest of the Armor 2.0. The big question is: Is it worth farming the raid armor with Shadowkeep?
Hence the question of whether raid gear is still worth it: One of the most important innovations of the Shadowkeep expansion is Armor 2.0. This is a new armor system that allows you to enhance any armor pieces with various mods. You have much more freedom than before.
The advantage is that you no longer have to compromise between looking good and having good perks; instead, you can enhance the armor you find most beautiful with powerful mods.
This advantage can also be a downside. Because farming for the best gear becomes arbitrary, since you can enhance any armor piece.
Am I only hunting for armor pieces for their looks now? Is the greed for power dissociated from farming armor pieces?
Raid gear provides extra bonuses
This is what Bungie says about raid gear: For those who love raiding, the hunt for raid gear is worth it despite Armor 2.0. Because the new raid armor pieces provide bonuses that other Armor 2.0 pieces do not grant.
This is confirmed by Bungie’s Ben Wommack in a conversation with gamesradar. He explains:
In Destiny 2 Shadowkeep, there are certain armor sets – and the raid gear is among them – that feature an extra mod slot. In this slot, you can place mods that are only active in specific activities, like the raid.
There will be fresh mods for the new raid “Garden of Salvation” that only drop in this raid and can only be used there, Wommack reveals.
In this official screenshot, the additional 4th mod slot as well as a raid mod can be seen:
What kind of mod is this? This mod states that it is only active in the “Garden of Salvation” raid. When the “Voltaic Overflow” buff is active, the chance of finding heavy ammo is significantly increased. If you equip this mod on multiple armor pieces, the effect stacks.
For comparison: “Normal” armor pieces and exotics only have slots for 3 mods with Armor 2.0:
How special is this? This 4th mod slot is supposed to ensure that certain armor pieces are distinguished from others. However, they should also only provide advantages in certain activities.
Moreover, it seems that the raid armor pieces can only reach an energy level of 10, just like any other Armor 2.0 pieces. And since the upper raid mod costs 3 energy, this means you need to make savings on the other mods and cannot equip the absolute top mods that require a lot of energy. However, the raid armor may have a higher maximum energy level than 10.
Incidentally, armor pieces with raid-exclusive bonuses have existed even before Shadowkeep. Already in the Leviathan raid, the raid gear provided perks that only granted exclusive advantages on the Leviathan. With the “Crown of Sorrow” raid and the Menagerie, new Leviathan mods were added.
In other words, this means that you will likely need different builds for various Shadowkeep activities if you want to optimally prepare your Guardian. Raid gear is thus not interchangeable with other armor pieces equipped with Armor 2.0.
In Australia, six players of the online shooter Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) were arrested for their connection to game manipulation in an eSports league.
What happened? During an unspecified eSports tournament of CS:GO, there were apparently manipulations. Bets were placed on the matches and the police of the state of Victoria intervened. Six men aged between 19 and 22 were arrested.
Game Manipulation in CS:GO
What are the allegations against the individuals? After the police received a tip from a betting agency in March, investigations were conducted, which led to the six men. They are accused of manipulating five matches of an eSports tournament.
The outcomes of the games were apparently manipulated so that these individuals could not lose their bets.
What happens now to the men? After being arrested and interrogated, the police had to release the six individuals for the time being.
Further investigations are now underway. Detectives from the Organised Crime Intelligence Unit have been involved to assist the officers. Additionally, there is close collaboration with Sportsbet to clarify the situation.
If convicted, they face a prison sentence of up to ten years.
A Serious Matter
What is special about the situation? The police state that this is the first case of betting fraud at an eSports tournament in Australia that they need to investigate.
The situation also shows that the police in Australia take the matter very seriously. They are even looking for individuals who can provide information about the situation.
Neil Paterson, Deputy Commissioner of the Victoria Police, stated that eSport is gaining more significance and that gambling is playing an increasingly larger role. Therefore, the police must work even more closely with the gaming industry in the future.
Has something like this happened before? No. CS:GO has already had several scandals. For example, there were manipulations in 2014 at the CEVO Professional League. Similar stories are heard repeatedly.
On the weekend, a new season started in Diablo 3. Season 18 is themed “Season of the Trinity” and brings unique boosts and even a brand new gem. We summarize how the new season is received by the players.
The new season runs under the theme “Season of the Trinity” and brings some changes:
Along with the season theme, there is a passive strengthening effect that creates three different circles around your characters starting from level 1. They all have different properties.
There were several balance changes to items and craftable sets.
The new gem “Legacy of Dreams” has been introduced. It works similarly to the ring set “Legacy of Nightmares.”
Everything about the changes in Season 18 is summarized in this article for you:
The new season is actively discussed in the Diablo subreddit. The changes are being received very positively. However, there are also voices that view Season 18 more negatively.
What players like: The new gem “Legacy of Dreams” is particularly praised. Players were excited at the introduction of the new gem. It is said that the gem is a clever way to make the season theme from Season 17 permanent.
Because the gem has the same effect as the ring set “Legacy of Nightmares”: If you do not have any active set bonuses, each equipped legendary item increases your damage dealt by 3.75% and reduces your damage taken by 2%.
Players see this as a great opportunity for creative, personalized builds that can also deviate from the meta. LoN builds, which are builds with the Legacy-of-Nightmare theme, the English term for “Vermächtnis der Alpträume,” were already very popular in Season 17.
Additionally, the overhaul of items and sets is well received. “Old” items, like the amulet “The Flavor of Time”, now provides legendary property effects that make pylons last twice as long.
What is not so well received: Some players fear that the ring duo “Legacy of Nightmares” has lost its significance with the new gem. Players argue that in most cases, it is now more sensible to rely on the gem instead of farming ancient versions of the rings.
Additionally, some veterans on Reddit are upset because there are also no new cosmetic rewards this season. Already in Season 17 there were cosmetics that had appeared in one of the earlier seasonal journeys. Blizzard wanted to give all players the chance to obtain these unique items again.
Also in Season 18, players will receive rewards that have existed before. This time, they are the cosmetics from Season 6. Veterans who have been playing for a long time or have played through all seasons are left disappointed again.
How do you feel about Season 18? What do you like the most, and what do you not like?
When does WoW Classic start? What does it cost? How many characters can I play? This article answers all your questions about WoW Classic.
In just a few days, World of Warcraft Classic will finally be released. For those who haven’t yet explored the topic, you will find many useful answers to the most pressing questions here. So if you know friends who have no idea how everything works with WoW Classic, you can link them to this article.
Questions and Answers about WoW Classic
What is WoW Classic? World of Warcraft Classic (“WoW Classic”) is a standalone version of World of Warcraft that is based on the patch level of World of Warcraft 1.12, which was before expansions like “The Burning Crusade” or “Wrath of the Lich King”. The game content and mechanics are therefore the same as they were nearly 15 years ago.
When does WoW Classic launch? WoW Classic launches on Tuesday, August 27, 2019 at 00:01, right after midnight.
What does WoW Classic cost? The same subscription is used for WoW Classic as for regular WoW. Thus, the costs are around €11 to €13, depending on the chosen subscription model. You do not need to purchase a standalone game for this.
Can I pay for WoW Classic with the WoW token? Yes! If you have enough gold on your regular WoW account, you can buy a WoW token with it. Since the subscription applies to both games, you can use that to fund your time in WoW Classic. How exactly you can play WoW Classic “for free”, you can find out here.
How can I install WoW Classic? You will need the Battle.net desktop app for this. Select the “World of Warcraft” menu item here. Below you can expand a menu under “Version” and select “World of Warcraft Classic”. Afterwards, click on “Install” and the installation process will begin.
What are the system requirements? The system requirements are relatively low. If you can play other somewhat current games, you should have no problem with WoW Classic. However, the requirements are higher than they were 15 years ago. You can find the exact system requirements in this article.
How many characters can I create? In WoW Classic, the same restrictions apply as they did 15 years ago. You can create 10 characters per realm and 50 across all Classic realms. Keep in mind that you can only create characters of one faction (Horde or Alliance) on PvP realms.
What types of servers (realms) exist? In the German-speaking area, there are PvP servers and “normal” servers. On PvP servers, you can be attacked at any time by players of the other faction. This is not possible on normal servers; you have to explicitly mark yourself for PvP there. However, you can visit PvP battlegrounds on both types of servers.
Which realm should one choose? Once you have decided between PvP and PvE, you should agree with your friends on a realm so that you can play together. It is best to choose a realm that is not marked as “full” in the server list. Otherwise, long wait times may occur when logging in.
Which class or race should one play? The choice of character is an important decision in WoW Classic. We have three articles for you:
Is all content from WoW Classic based on patch 1.12 available immediately? No. WoW Classic will be released in different “phases”. Many raids, PvP battlegrounds, and the honor system will be released in the coming months. There is no exact timetable for this yet.
Does WoW Classic have transmog? No. The transmog system (also “transmog”) did not exist back then. Items therefore always retain their original appearance in WoW Classic.
Can I use characters from the “normal” WoW? No. The characters in WoW Classic are standalone. You cannot copy or move characters from the current WoW. You have to start from scratch.
Can I use items from the “normal” WoW? No. Cross-account systems and items did not exist in WoW Classic. There is no connection between WoW Classic and the current WoW.
Are there differences from WoW 15 years ago? Yes. Blizzard has adjusted a few details that are not meant to change the game experience. These include the following points:
Loot items can be exchanged within a group within a certain time frame. This way, there’s no need to contact a GM.
You can report players with a right-click if they violate the rules (e.g., insults, spam, hate speech, etc.).
At the beginning, there is the “layering system” so that the areas are not overcrowded. However, this is only temporary.
Does WoW Classic also have the old graphics? There are significantly better graphic settings. However, if desired, these can be set to the “Classic” level.
Will WoW Classic receive new content? New content is not currently planned. It is also still unclear whether future expansions like “The Burning Crusade” will be released later on. The feedback from players will be awaited.
Are there any questions you would like to add to this list? Is something still unclear?
The developers of the space online game Star Citizen held an event for selected supporters – to showcase a new, special spaceship.
What kind of event was it? The Aegis VIP Event took place at Depot 1899 in Frankfurt. Attending were Chris Roberts, the founder of Cloud Imperium, along with some of the game’s developers. A special Aegis announcement was to take place.
The Aegis Nautilus Solstice Limited Edition – Warbond is a new spaceship for Star Citizen.
A new spaceship for Star Citizen
Who could participate in the event? Tickets for the event were sold. Those who had supported the space game Star Citizen with at least 1,000 USD and were willing to pay an additional $274.73 for the event tickets could participate.
What was announced? The big announcement was a new spaceship that supporters could pre-order: the Aegis Nautilus Solstice Limited Edition – Warbond. The ship costs 675 dollars.
What can the spaceship do? The Aegis Nautilus Solstice is a ship capable of laying mines. However, it is also still able to clear minefields and destroy enemy mines.
The ship is sold with a lifetime insurance and a VFG Industrial Hangar.
What is special about the ship? Aside from the fact that it is not yet available, the mine-laying feature is not yet available in the alpha of Star Citizen.
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For these players, Star Citizen is more than just an online game that will one day be released. Collecting ships, supporting the developers, and following the development has developed into a kind of “meta-game.” These players enjoy this and emphasize: No one forces them to spend money; those are free decisions.
However, there are also players who shake their heads. Backers are invited to an event for which they are supposed to pay nearly 275 dollars to buy a new spaceship for 675 dollars… some do not understand this. The fact that the ship and its mine-laying function are not yet in the game leads to even more confusion.
Furthermore, fans of Star Citizen wish that the developers focus on what has already been announced and do not come up with even more ideas for new features. Players want Star Citizen to be completed and not get lost in ever new features, or at least to leave the alpha.
The most famous monster in Pokémon GO is probably Pikachu. A Belgian trainer has now created a perfect Pikachu team, but he has also put in a lot of effort.
Now he has achieved another insane milestone. He caught 19,000 Pikachu to have a 100% IV version of every hat Pikachu.
This is what his Pikachu collection looks like now
This is the Pikachu team: In recent years, many hat Pikachu have entered the game. Many were only in the game for a few days. Nevertheless, he has one with the best possible IV of each hat Pikachu, which are extremely hard to obtain.
Each hat Pikachu at 100% IV
He not only has this team, but he has also leveled each of the Pikachu to the maximum level. Nevertheless, Jeroen still has over 52,000 candies left.
How did he manage that? We asked Jeroen a few questions about it, and he told us that he has a total of 33 Pikachu at 100% IV. Of those, he has 17 at the maximum level.
Some of the non-traded Pikachu
Some of the Pikachu he obtained through trading. In total, he traded for 13 100% IV Pikachu. For this, he had to trade about 7 specimens, Jeroen reveals to us.
All traded Pikachu
This was the hardest part: His last Pikachu in the collection was the one with the detective hat. This was only available through photobomb, making the search for a 100 one difficult.
After Jeroen had already conducted 20 lucky trades for this Pikachu without success, he gathered more lucky friends until his birthday. There, he then traded again with over 30 lucky friends for the detective Pikachu and finally got his long-awaited 100.
What other crazy goals are there? Many trainers set goals that only a few players can really achieve. We have reported on some of these milestones:
The Twitch streamer Chance “Sodapoppin” Morris mocks the hype surrounding WoW Classic in a Twitch clip. It attracts people who have nothing to do with WoW. According to him, the current hype among these players will quickly turn into disappointment because WoW Classic is somewhat outdated.
Who is that? Sodapoppin is one of the big names on Twitch with over 2.5 million followers. He started his career on the streaming platform with World of Warcraft before gradually becoming a variety streamer, showcasing and playing multiple games.
But this hype also has downsides that apparently worry him.
“Everyone is talking about WoW Classic – it must be an awesome game
This is how Sodapoppin sees the hyped players: Sodapoppin makes fun of people who are now jumping on the “WoW Classic” trend but have no idea what kind of game awaits them.
In a Twitch clip, he imitates one of these players who is fully on the hype train but has no idea about WoW Classic:
Man, everyone is so hyped for Classic. I can’t wait to play it. It must be a really awesome game. It’s everywhere on Twitter, people are looking forward to it even on Reddit. Man, I can’t wait to check it out. Let’s see why everyone is talking about it.
This is how the launch will go: According to Sodapoppin, excited players will quickly be confronted with reality at the launch of WoW Classic.
First, there will be long queues, up to 5 hours – this may be boring, but it will further fuel the hype: Apparently, WoW Classic is so good that everyone wants to play it.
But then, when the hyped people see the game, players will spend half the time drinking and only press one button anyway. Now the hype of the uninformed will turn into disappointment: “Man, this stinks. This is boring.”
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What’s behind it: Sodapoppin believes that the “WoW Classic” hype is now so big that it also attracts people who have nothing to do with WoW: They will then quickly give up because WoW Classic is “so boring” in their eyes.
It will be interesting to see if WoW Classic can retain players in the long term and strengthen its excellent position on Twitch. The question is:
Can WoW Classic also excite players who have no emotional attachment to the game?
Sodapoppin is one of the streamers who has already received some backlash regarding WoW Classic:
In Apex Legends teams in solo mode are still a problem. However, pro gamer Mendo from Team Liquid has only mockery and a lot of trouble in store for them.
Who is Mendo and what is the deal with teamers? Lucas “Mendo” Håkansson is a pro gamer from Team Liquid. For him, the new solo mode of Apex Legends is a lot of fun. However, what he dislikes are players who team up as squads here and enjoy an unfair advantage.
Despite various improvements, teamers in solo mode are still a serious problem. Regular players have little chance against the “teamers”. But Mendo is not just a regular player. He is on the hunt for a Caustic, whom he takes down just before the zone. He notices that two teamers are hiding in a house.
Pro kills teamers effortlessly, trolls them afterwards
What happened to the teamers? The two teamers were huddled in their hiding spot and probably wanted to either ambush Mendo or sneak past him. After all, only 15 players were left, and perhaps the two simply intended to wait out the victory, a particularly cowardly and boring way to decide an Apex game.
But Mendo wanted nothing to do with it. He simply stormed into the hiding place and shot the two teamers down like helpless rabbits. Their numerical superiority did them no good at all. The action was live-streamed on Twitch and we have embedded the video for you here:
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After that, Mendo added some spice to the defeat and commented on the behavior of the two as a representation for teamers in general:
“These guys spend their days getting wrecked. And then they go to Reddit and whine about the R-99. They think the bloom is a form of balancing and even believe it. They go into solo mode as a team to rack up wins. These are the guys right here!”
For Mendo, such teamers are pathetic individuals who achieve nothing in the game, do not understand the fundamentals, and then cheat to at least get a bit of self-esteem.
If you want to have a Night Saber of the Night Elves in World of Warcraft Classic, you have to put in a lot of work.
Unlike the current version of World of Warcraft, there are only a few mounts in WoW Classic. Additionally, many of these mounts have specific requirements if you want to ride them. As an Alliance player, the mounts of the Night Elves are particularly sought after. However, to be able to ride them, you need to have a revered reputation with Darnassus. This is not so easy in Classic and requires at best the willingness to pursue this goal right from level 1.
What is the problem? In WoW Classic, quests provide most of the reputation. However, the problem is that quests grant significantly less reputation once they are “gray”, i.e., below your character’s level. For example, if a character at level 50 completes a quest suitable for level 10, they only receive a fraction of the reputation (about 25 reputation points instead of 250 reputation points).
This is how to circumvent the problem: To receive the maximum bonus of reputation points during the leveling phase, you should head directly to the starting area of the Night Elves right after creating your character. This way, you can complete the early quests in Teldrassil (for levels 1 – 10) and secure several thousand reputation points!
This is how to get to Teldrassil: The journey to the starting area of the Night Elves is quite dangerous for a fresh level 1 character and can take a lot of time. Plan for one to two hours for this odyssey.
Travel from Northshire Valley through the Forest of Elwynn to Stormwind.
Enter the Deeprun Tram in the Dwarven District of Stormwind and travel to Ironforge.
Exit Ironforge through the main gate and travel east through Dun Morogh.
Enter the Loch Modan area through the tunnel and continue north.
Pass through further tunnels to the north, and you will reach the Swamp of Sorrows. Be careful! The enemies here are at a high level and will likely kill you multiple times along the way.
Travel west through the Swamp of Sorrows to the port of Menethil.
Go to the docks and take the easternmost ship; it goes to Auberdine.
Disembark in Auberdine.
Again, take the easternmost ship, which connects the Darkshore with Teldrassil.
Disembark at Teldrassil and approach the glowing tree stump. This is a portal to Darnassus.
From Darnassus, simply travel east, and you will arrive in the starting area of the Night Elves.
If you now quest exclusively in the lands of the Elves, following from Teldrassil to the Darkshore, then further to Ashenvale and later to Desolace and Feralas, you can already have a revered reputation around level 50. Then you can buy and ride the Night Sabers in Darnassus – provided you have the necessary gold.
This method has several hooks: However, this method also has some disadvantages. Darnassus only has teachers for classes that can also be played by Night Elves. For example, if you play a Warlock, Paladin, or Mage, you won’t find a class teacher in Darnassus. In this case, you have to travel back to your own area every few levels to learn new spells and abilities. You can check the classes of all races here.
A high-level mage can help here with a portal and drastically shorten the travel times, along with your hearthstone.
Can this still be done at level 60? If you don’t want to endure the torment at the beginning, you can also become revered with the Night Elves at level 60, but this will involve significantly more farming work. In this case, you have to collect a lot of Runecloth (which you can exchange for reputation in Darnassus) or alternatively complete a very long, but endlessly repeatable quest.
Another farming method is tedious: The quest “Morning Dew Research” starts at level 47 in Darnassus and asks you to collect 10 Morning Dew. You obtain these with luck by combining 2 Un’goro dirt with the quest item. You can find Un’goro dirt everywhere in the Un’goro Crater. However, crafting the quest item has a cooldown of 10 minutes, making farming this way very time-consuming.
Event around Ahn’Qiraj helps: If you have even more patience, you can also simply wait until Blizzard unlocks the event around Ahn’Qiraj. Then, there will be the opportunity to hand in almost all crafting materials to NPCs, which in turn grant reputation for the Alliance factions. When this event will occur, however, is still uncertain.
For a human to use a saber, they must first properly ingratiate themselves with the tree-huggers.
The whole thing works just as well as a Dwarf or Gnome. Typically, though, the sabers are most popular among humans. In the first weeks, probably only a few non-Night Elves will be able to call such a saber their own.
Are you trying to get a mount from another faction? Or are you just happy to get any epic mount?
The Elder Scrolls Online showcases the new trailer for the Scalebreaker DLC and its upcoming release on PS4 and Xbox One, revealing what to expect in the two dungeons and the upcoming story. Check out what the trailer shows and how a familiar face looks in the game.
In anticipation of the console release of the Dungeon DLC Scalebreaker on PS4 and Xbox One, we received the story trailer for the current Scalebreaker DLC from ZeniMax. Tomorrow, August 27th, the expansion will celebrate its release on consoles. On PC, the expansion has been well received overall and even improves the game in 4 ways.
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A powerful voice speaks of dragons and that it is time to strike back
There are glimpses into the two new dungeons, the Hoard of Maarselok and Moongrave Temple City along with their special gameplay mechanics.
You will also see various bosses from the dungeons, including the gargoyle, whose lava geysers you must block with crates.
At the end, the trailer closes with a look at the speaker: none other than the legendary swordmaster Sai Sahan from the ESO main game, who has joined the Dragon Guard.
This is the teaser for the 4th DLC Dragonhold
What about Sai Sahan? In the story quest for Scalebreaker, Sai Sahan will appear with his Dragon Guard. This is according to ESO’s head, Matt Firor, an ancient order of dragon hunters, who is now coming to Elsweyr as a saving cavalry to confront the machinations of the dragons.
In Scalebreaker, there will be a quest involving Sai, leading into the final events of the 4th and last DLC Dragonhold at the end of the year.
But until then, we all have to be patient and best to grind the two new dungeons in all game modes.
In Destiny 2, a Guardian achieved a kill in PvP that you don’t see every day. The “Unicorn” among shots. Check this out.
This happened: Just around 4 hours ago, a Guardian posted a video on reddit, and it has already gathered over 1,900 upvotes – rapidly increasing. Even during the time (August 26, 2019, at 9:00 AM) while I’m comfortably writing this article, the post has risen by 600 upvotes – things are indeed going pretty wild.
The Guardian achieves a double kill in the video. That might not sound special at first – but the way the double kill occurs is extremely lucky and probably won’t be easily replicated.
We embed the video here – if you don’t see it, you can also find it in our source references:
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This is how the double kill happened: The Guardian eliminates an opponent in PvP with a sniper and a headshot. The bullet penetrates the opponent, ricochets off a surface, and hits another enemy, who also goes down.
Interestingly, the special thing about this clip is not just the double kill. In fact, this shot also contributed to winning the match. Therefore, such a shot is truly unique.
The sniper from the “Last Wish” raid
How the Guardians are reacting: Many Guardians write that this was fantastic and impressive. The player in the video himself then asks in disbelief: “What just happened?”
The top comment mentions that this shot was “a unicorn.” It’s cool to have seen something so rare in life.
Another Guardian jokes that the Guardian truly deserves this blue chest piece – as in the end you can see the match rewards, which include a blue chest piece.
Another Guardian emphasizes that this video is special primarily because snipers with ricochet rounds are quite rare. If sniper rifles had this perk more often, you would see such lucky shots more frequently.
Videos of such artistic shots were actually quite common in Bungie shooters in the past. Especially in Halo titles, you would see them repeatedly, though this shot here ranks among the better ones:
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In Fortnite: Battle Royale, no matter how confusing it may be, there is indeed a story. It seems to be continuing now. Fortnite hints at the return of the “Visitor” in Season 10, who is the main character in the story.
What is the hint? On August 24, Fortnite tweeted an image of the Visitor, a mysterious alien. A mech is reflected in his helmet.
The image appeared out of context and is apparently a puzzle.
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However, fans now suspect that the “Visitor” is behind all these events in Fortnite.
According to the latest image from Fortnite, he might also be responsible for the mechs that cause so much discomfort to players. This could explain why Epic cannot remove the mechs from the game: They are still needed for the story in Fortnite.
That was the skin back then. Source: FortniteIntel
Visitor returns on the anniversary of the cube – fans want skin
What is special: The image from Fortnite is now coming on the anniversary of the cube – it is quite possible that something will happen here.
In Destiny 2, Bungie provides insights into the split from Activision. They were not a tyrannical boss that never allowed them to do anything cool. However, things will be different now, with Bungie as an independent studio.
Who is speaking? It is the man with the unwavering style in clothing and fashion himself: The Communications Director, David “DeeJ” Deague, is in conversation with Eurogamer.
What changes at Bungie: Bungie is doing a lot of things differently in Destiny 2 than they have in the past 5 years:
Would these changes have been possible if Activision had remained at the helm?
This is what DeeJ says about Activision:
“I don’t know. But I think we need to clear up the notion that Activision was a overlord that forbade us from doing great things.”
They started the franchise with Activision and over time decided to pursue different objectives, thus they separated. But it was amicable, says DeeJ.
Bungie will now do everything themselves
How will it continue without help? With Activision, Bungie loses the two support studios Vicarious Visions and Highmoon Studios. How will it go on with this loss?
DeeJ says:
“By doing everything ourselves. We are committed to all the things we are currently doing: Shadowkeep, the new season, the three seasons afterwards, the Moments of Triumph and the Solstice of Heroes.”
All of this Bungie is now doing themselves – there is nothing more to say about it.
Bungie wants new players
Why the new direction? DeeJ says the new idea in Destiny 2 with Free2Play and being able to join without owning previous content is something they have wanted for a long time.
In 2018, they said at gamescom: “It’s a great time to get started. You only need to buy this and that, and then you have the right to buy this.”
It has been difficult for “new people” who wanted to catch up when Destiny 2 had such hurdles due to business interests.
Now they are opening the door and saying: “Come in, look around, and if you like it, there is a community that can take you on new adventures.”
Activision is the scapegoat – but only between the lines
What’s behind it: The interesting part is:
Bungie never really speaks negatively about Activision, but does a lot differently and repeatedly states that Bungie and Activision “had pursued different goals over time” – What these goals exactly were, is left to the player’s imagination.
Bungie emphasizes that a “new era has begun” and how great that is, and that everything will be different.
There, Luke Smith made it clear that the delay couldn’t have been made earlier (i.e., under Activision), but now they can do it because they prioritize the well-being of the players above all.
It resonates: The well-being of the player had not had this value previously (under Activision).
This was the moment when the “new era of Destiny 2” was declared during the livestream.
It seems at least that the split from Activision has solved something there – even if they do not speak ill of their former partner. One can say:
Bungie is not unhappy that Activision is gone.
but Bungie is happy that they are now doing Destiny alone.
We had the opportunity to talk with the director of Final Fantasy XIV, Naoki Yoshida, and the Lore Master, Banri Oda, at Gamescom.
There has been a rumor circulating in the community for some time that the story of Final Fantasy XIV is slowly nearing its end after 6 long years. Consequently, fans are concerned about the future of the MMORPG.
Naoki Yoshida and Banri Oda discussed in our interview how the story of FFXIV and the MMORPG itself will continue.
Left: Lore Master of Final Fantasy XIV Banri Oda. Right: Director and Producer Naoki Yoshida
“Shadowbringers is a checkpoint on the long journey”
The new expansion Shadowbringers creates the sensation while playing that the story of Final Fantasy XIV is slowly approaching its end. This is also something that many fans of the MMORPG have noticed.
This is what Director Yoshida says:
If we had to categorize the current storyline of the “Hydaelyn and Zodiark” saga, then yes, this storyline is slowly approaching its end. With Shadowbringers, the story of this storyline is about 75%-80% complete so far.
The end of this saga will be a special highlight and is very exciting. However, I want to emphasize that this is not the end of Final Fantasy XIV.
Yoshida compared Final Fantasy XIV to a TV series. When a series becomes more popular and has more viewers, there is a higher chance that a second or third season will be produced. The MMORPG is currently in a good position, as the latest expansion Shadowbringers was well received by fans and critics.
Shadowbringers thus indeed brings a certain conclusion with it. It is a story that has been built over 6 years and was also very important for the development team, Yoshida said. It is definitely a culmination and the crowning of the long years of work, which is why it feels like an end.
However, there can be no talk of the end of Final Fantasy XIV as an MMORPG, and there are already plans for expansions 6.0 and 7.0. How exactly it will proceed after the conclusion of the Hydaelyn-Zodiark saga is still uncertain, Yoshida said.
We do not yet know how the story will continue in the upcoming expansions, once the Hydaelyn-Zodiark saga is concluded. Whether we will start a new saga or release standalone expansions is still being discussed.
“Please, please, please, work correctly…”
This is what the Lore Master says: Banri Oda also told us that the scenario team is very happy that the story of Shadowbringers has been well received by players and the media. Oda himself was particularly relieved at the launch of the expansion.
He was the one who wrote the quest that became notorious among FFXIV fans as “Raubahn EX”. During the launch of Stormblood, this quest blocked the progress of many players in the story. But to his relief, everything went smoothly.
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“Raubahn EX” forced players to queue for a quest. The lines were very long on all servers.
According to Yoshida, the developers first took a break after the demanding release of Shadowbringers, but they are now working on the next content patch 5.1. This is estimated to go online in October 2019.
[…] Whenever I meet the developers during meetings now, I notice that they have gained much more confidence because the things they put so much effort into are getting good feedback all over the world. Their motivation is very high.
Naoki Yoshida, Director and Producer
In the future, the development team of FFXIV has a lot planned. Part of the upcoming updates is to make the story of “A Realm Reborn” more compact:
YouTuber Felix “PewDiePie” Kjellberg is the first person on YouTube to reach 100 million subscribers. However, he gave up on the big goal of having the first channel with so many followers months ago. Nevertheless, his campaign against the Indian record label T-Series brought him tremendous growth.
This is the milestone: PewDiePie has now reached his goal of amassing 100 million subscribers on YouTube. With this, he is the 1st person to achieve this. However, he is not the 1st channel to reach 100 million fans on YouTube: This honor belongs to a company, the Indian record label T-Series.
In recent months, PewDiePie has taken it easier. Just a few days ago he got married. But between October 2018 and April 2019, there was a phase where PewDiePie did everything to gain subscribers and communicated that as well. And he was not alone.
The internet begged and shouted that one must subscribe to PewDiePie.
PewDiePie
Campaign “Subscribe to PewDiePie” brings a crazy strong finish
How did he manage to accelerate so quickly? PewDiePie reached 50 million subscribers on YouTube in December 2016 – so he had a long way to go.
The bizarre thing is that PewDiePie’s growth from January 2017 to October 2018 was actually relatively low for a channel of this size.
PewDiePie gained most months between 350,000 and 1 million subscribers on YouTube.
The PR campaign against T-Series gave PewDiePie’s YouTube channel a huge boost. Source: Socialblade
However, the subscriber count exploded from the fall of 2018. Suddenly, PewDiePie gained between 4 and 6 million subscribers per month.
This is due to a clever marketing campaign around PewDiePie, arising from a YouTube rivalry with the Indian record label T-Series. Because the Indian label consistently added viewers, threatening to overtake PewDiePie, and PewDiePie declared war on the label with a “diss track”: “Bitch Lasagna” now has 213 million views.
In April 2019, T-Series surpassed PewDiePie.
The “real” YouTube against the fake one
What was the campaign about? PewDiePie manages in the campaign “Subscribe to PewDiePie” to portray himself as “the real, original YouTube”, as opposed to “commercial, foreign YouTube”.
This is how it turned out: However, all the hype could not turn the tide. T-Series passed him and became the 1st YouTube channel with “100 million subscribers”.
However, PewDiePie used this feud perfectly to reach a huge subscriber count on YouTube, likely much faster than would have been possible through “normal means”.
Important milestones for PewDiePie: The YouTuber’s channel reached:
10 million subscribers in July 2013
50 million subscribers in December 2016
And 100 million now in August 2019
At a certain point in October 2018, the subscriptions were also a “sign against the false YouTube”, as well as a sign for PewDiePie.
For the developers at Behaviour Studios, this must have been a real stroke of luck. Because if this DLC doesn’t bring thousands of new players, then probably nothing else will.
“Stranger Things” fans have no choice: The biggest advantage is that “Dead by Daylight” with its upcoming DLC is the first real “Stranger Things” video game. While there is already an 8-bit spin-off and some skins in other games like Fortnite, that hardly counts. Dead by Daylight is a real horror game and fits perfectly with the dark atmosphere of Stranger Things.
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And that’s why thousands of Stranger Things fans will probably take the plunge into Dead by Daylight and simply buy the game “on a whim”. For newcomers, this should be a nice time, as many new players make learning the quite challenging game much easier.
Just for comparison: The “Stranger Things” trailer for Dead by Daylight currently has over 6.5 million views. Other videos from Dead by Daylight usually only reach an average of 100,000 to 300,000 viewers. The potential for new players, who come only for “Stranger Things,” is immense.
Will the expectations be met? Of course, it remains to be seen whether the “Stranger Things” chapter can deliver on its promises. After all, it would be a pity if the largest chapter of Dead by Daylight earns a reputation for being boring or simply not fun.
That was the case recently with the “Legion” chapter, which left many players dissatisfied. Such a fiasco is something you want to avoid when working with a well-known brand like Stranger Things.
Behaviour knows what the fans want: In the case of the “Stranger Things” chapter, Behaviour seems to have also hit the zeitgeist. Directly after the announcement, fans hoped that there would also be a “Scoops Ahoy” skin for Steve Harrington. He is prominently featured in season 3 and is an absolute favorite among fans. Just a few hours later, Netflix released this little video:
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The amazing development of Dead by Daylight: Dead by Daylight is already a prime example of a rather niche game that appeared relatively unpolished and yet has been refined over the years.
The player base has consistently grown, Dead by Daylight has been released on consoles, and a mobile version is on the way. Thus, Dead by Daylight is one of the few exceptions that do not blaze up like a flash and then vanish. They have gradually built a community and continually expanded it.
So far, it seems that the “Stranger Things” chapter could give the horror game a powerful boost. With the release in September, there will surely be numerous new players who will take their first steps in the horror game.
The deal with “Stranger Things” is likely the best thing that has happened to Dead by Daylight in its years so far.
The exotic grenade launcher Anarchy is one of the most interesting weapons in Destiny 2. A resourceful player has now figured out how to significantly increase the damage output. However, there is a limitation.
How does Anarchy work?The exotic grenade launcher is unique in its functionality. Fired grenades create a network amongst themselves, within which enemies constantly take damage. The grenades are connected to each other and deal damage within their linked area.
This is how the trick works: Instead of connecting the grenades together, you need to ensure that each grenade deals damage on its own. If multiple grenades are connected, you only deal damage once in the area created between the grenades. However, if the grenades are far enough apart, no connection occurs and you deal damage for each grenade individually, hence significantly more.
The Redditor Taizu- happened to see in a video how a player manages to defeat the story boss Xol without him being able to perform a single action. This player used Anarchy, but in a way that Bungie certainly did not intend.
You can watch the basic procedure in the following video. As Xol is moving, the player doesn’t even need to aim accurately to ensure that the grenades do not connect with each other.
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To really see an increase in damage, a maximum of two grenades may be connected. The remaining fired projectiles must not be connected to each other.
This way, you can significantly increase damage output, making Anarchy a relevant alternative again when fighting tough bosses. However, there is a tiny catch.
A suitable victim for Anarchy – Morgeth
This limitation applies to the Anarchy trick: To ensure that the grenades do not connect with each other, you first need to find a target large enough that you can aim at specific points without causing a connection between the grenades.
The trick will presumably only work on the aforementioned Xol as well as Argos, Morgeth, Riven, and Gahlran. All other targets are simply too small. However, with the new expansion Shadowkeep, there might be an opponent large enough to apply the trick.
Also large enough for the trick – Riven
By the way, grenades from different players do not connect. A full raid team consisting of six people can theoretically benefit from this trick. Just fire six grenades at different spots, switch to another top DPS weapon, and keep dealing damage. The grenades will take care of the rest.
Did you know about the trick already and have you tried it?
Is there still hope for German RP realms in WoW Classic? Blizzard at least gives a hint that the topic is not off the table yet.
When the realms for World of Warcraft Classic were introduced, the disappointment among some German players was quite large. Because unlike the general English realms there is no RP server in the German region. Since there is a fairly active community that has remained loyal to World of Warcraft mainly because of the opportunity for role-playing, the frustration and disappointment were significant.
Now the topic has come up again. The players wanted a definitive answer, so a clear “yes” or “no”. There was a response from the German community manager Toschayju. But even that response seems rather “meh” to the fans.
What was said? Toschayju emphasized once again that there is still no final decision on whether German-speaking role-playing realms will appear in WoW Classic in the future. However, he explained that it is “unfortunately very unlikely for the start”. This also seems logical, since the German realms have not yet been fully utilized. The server load appears to be Blizzard’s biggest concern at the moment. One should still not go for full realms.
RP realms still in the future? Toschayju further explained that he understands the frustration of the players. He himself has played for a long time on a role-playing realm and can relate to the disappointment of the players. He will pass on the feedback from the German players and send the various opinions and arguments to the responsible employees at Blizzard.
Is this just PR talk? For some, Toschayju’s answer is just the typical “Blizzard PR talk”. But one should not forget that the loud protests of the German fans had already helped,to enable German-speaking realms in the first place. If role-players now also unite, there is still hope for an RP server.
Why is an RP server so important to the players? Role-players like having a realm where they mainly meet like-minded players. This is important for the atmosphere in role-playing, as there are only few disturbances from non-role-players.
Moreover, it is easier to coordinate role-players among themselves when there is a clear RP server. Switching to the English RP server is not an alternative for most players, as it is not conducive to immersion and not everyone can write fluent English – especially not at a level that is usually required in role-playing.
Irie had the opportunity to play the new dungeon crawler from Mojang at Gamescom and thinks it could be a great family game.
What is Minecraft Dungeons? The new dungeon crawler from Mojang combines the iconic Minecraft look with the loot and dungeon-crawl mechanics of games like Diablo.
Players can explore procedurally generated dungeons alone or in groups of up to 4 players to search for new loot to upgrade their characters. You can watch a trailer here:
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This is how Minecraft Dungeons works: The element of chance plays a significant role in the game. It affects not only the loot but also the dungeons. Game Director Mans Olsen explained to me in our interview:
The way the dungeons work is that they are procedurally generated. But we have certain set sections that are fixed to give them higher recognizability and a structure. You walk through a certain part of the dungeon that is randomly generated, then you come into the fixed part. And then it’s random again.
In each dungeon, players face a series of conditions they must fulfill to successfully complete the dungeon. Some examples of these are:
Find the key to the next door
Defeat the boss
Defeat multiple waves of monsters
Rescue all villagers
Solve various puzzles
There will also be secret objectives that you unlock while exploring the dungeon.
Exploration is one of the pillars of Minecraft. So we tried to reward players who venture off the main path and explore different side paths accordingly. They will find secrets and other cool stuff.
David Nisshagen, Executive Producer
Minecraft Dungeons lava mine
However, you shouldn’t rely too much on the Minecraft look of the game. The focus of the gameplay mechanics is more on exploring dungeons and collecting loot rather than building.
For example, the option to design your own dungeons will not be available at launch. You also won’t be able to build your own base in the hub for the time being.
We have no plans to implement such features at launch. We know that many people have asked for them, but whether that actually happens or not, we can’t say yet.
We are a small team and want to focus primarily on completing the core of the game. The combat system is one of the most important aspects, and we are concentrating on that.
David Nisshagen, Executive Producer
In the loot system of Minecraft Dungeons, the element of chance plays an even stronger role than in the dungeons. You can find more about this here:
This is what Irie thinks: Minecraft Dungeons features a number of characteristics that could make it a great family game:
Controls are intuitive
Gameplay is accessible and quick to understand but still has depth
Couch co-op for up to 4 people is fluid, and you can spontaneously jump into a session and out again.
The Minecraft franchise is popular among children and teenagers, and the graphics are child-friendly
I can imagine that especially parents who are not gamers themselves could have a lot of fun in Minecraft Dungeons together with their children. Executive Producer David Nisshagen also commented on this:
We now had the opportunity [at Gamescom] to watch people play for the first time. It’s great and very moving. We have also observed multiple times that parents stood at the consoles with their children and played together. Instead of standing by and watching. They played side by side, together.
And the children then said: “We should go this way and do that.” And the adults responded: “I don’t know what I need to do!”. Or when the parents themselves are gamers, they say: “Hey, check your inventory, there are new things in there.” And there’s this interaction, and it’s wonderful. I was very touched while watching.
At the Minecraft Dungeons booth at Gamescom, you saw players of all ages
Yet despite the high accessibility, Minecraft Dungeons aims to provide enough gameplay depth to entice players for more than just a single gaming session. The high element of chance and variety of loot allow for many different builds and options to continually improve your character and tackle harder dungeons.
Many of the people on our team have kids themselves and want to play with them. […] But we are also big fans of dungeon crawlers like Diablo and wanted to create something that is fun for us as well, with enough depth and complexity. Therefore, we are trying to find a good middle ground.
Mans Olsen, Game Director
I would certainly like to try Minecraft Dungeons with my nephews.
