The financial report from Blizzard reveals that Overwatch is set to become even bigger. The team is working on the Overwatch universe and apparently on “other projects” – does this mean new games?
For Blizzard, it was once again time to reflect on the last quarter in an “Investor Call” and discuss ongoing and upcoming projects with investors.
What was said? During the “Investor Call,” Brack talked specifically about Overwatch.
“In the last quarter, I spoke about our great ambitions that we pursue with the Overwatch universe and how it can develop over time. For us, it will be a balance between working on the existing game and focusing on other work that is ahead [for the team]. Overwatch is a large, flagship franchise for Blizzard, and we will continue to allocate resources and attention so that the community and the franchise can grow.”
This suggests that Blizzard is still working on other projects within the Overwatch universe.
What does this mean for the players? What genre the new project will be is still completely unclear. Everything from a mobile game to a more narrative-driven game is conceivable.
It remains to be seen until Blizzard reveals more information and discloses what they plan for Overwatch.
When can we expect news? Blizzard has already announced that they will not be present at Gamescom this year. Therefore, major announcements can be expected no earlier than BlizzCon 2019, which will take place again in November. However, it remains to be seen whether there will be a reveal of a new Overwatch project there.
This is how the topic is discussed among fans: The reactions to Brack’s statement are rather mixed on Reddit.
Some fans hope that Blizzard is working on a campaign or developing a pure single-player game, but the chances of that are considered rather low. After all, all Blizzard games are generally geared towards multiplayer.
Other players see Brack’s words as empty rhetoric and typical “PR talk” to placate investors. They are dissatisfied with the development of Overwatch and believe that Blizzard is only adding a handful of new cosmetics to the events and otherwise hardly making any changes to the game.
What lies behind it: The interesting thing is that Blizzard repeatedly emphasizes that they see Overwatch as a franchise and not as a single game.
How exactly they will further develop this franchise remains completely open.
As soon as there is more information about a possible new Overwatch title, you will, of course, find out here.
In our survey, 3,800 MeinMMO readers voted on how they play The Division 2. The results clearly show where the game still has room for improvement.
This is what we wanted to know from you: Almost two weeks ago, we launched a survey on MeinMMO to find out how you play The Division 2.
The questions included your favorite weapons, your favorites in skills and equipment, as well as the time invested. Now we have taken a closer look at the results.
You voted – Here’s how you play The Division 2
In total, more than 3,800 readers participated in the survey about The Division 2. Some interesting results have emerged.
The most popular specialization among MeinMMO readers: While the first place is quite clear, the competition is closer than some players might have thought:
38% of participants prefer playing the Survivalist
followed by the Demolitionist with 33%
and the Sniper with 29%.
While the first place is understandable, the close gap between Sniper and Demolitionist is a bit surprising.
Currently, the Sniper is not particularly popular in the community. Its signature weapon is considered by many fans to be far too weak. Instead, many opt for the exotic Nemesis sniper, which performs significantly better than the individual heavy sniper rifle of this specialization.
Your favorite weapon class: The results for the weapons are very clear and reflect what large parts of the community prefer on platforms like Reddit – effectiveness.
Following far behind are light machine guns with 16%
and rifles with 13%, which players indicate as their favorite weapon.
In 1st place, with 59%, are assault rifles. They are considered by players to be the best all-rounder for almost all distances, opponents, and situations. Many consider them to be the best choice for the primary weapon.
Sniper rifles (7%) and submachine guns (5%) are primarily played by very few of our readers, as they are surpassed in effectiveness by other weapon classes with few exceptions or builds. They are usually used as a supplement to assault rifles or LMGs.
Shotguns and pistols enjoy hardly any popularity. So few votes were cast for these two weapon classes that they lead the survey with 0%. Shotguns are generally considered too weak and practically useless. There are rarely reasons to draw a pistol.
Attributes readers focus on with their gear: Here too, the results are very clear and show that most players primarily focus on damage with their gear and builds.
1st place goes to Attack Attributes (Red) with 63%
2nd place goes to Defense Attributes (Blue) with 26%
The 3rd and last place goes to Support Additional Attributes (Yellow). Only 11% of participants place increased value on them.
These are your favorite skills: The by far most popular skills among our readers are the Chem Launcher (37%) and the Turret (30%).
Even if the Chem Launcher is currently poorly playable for many on consoles, it is among the most popular and versatile skills in The Division 2 due to its healing and anti-armor capabilities. The Turret is very helpful for controlling large groups of enemies.
The Seeker Mine (12%), the Drone (11%), and the Drone Hive (9%) come far behind the two leaders. The remaining skills like the Shield, Pulse, or Firefly are almost negligible at 1% or 0%.
This is how much time you have invested in The Division 2: Here’s how you voted:
The exciting part is that more than half of the participants have already spent 80 hours or more in The Division 2. So there are many who really play the game intensively, and not just beyond the story.
Clearly, the game is able to engage a lot of fans in the long run.
This is how you prefer to play The Division 2: For many, The Division 2 is much more fun in a group and only there does it unleash its full potential. Consequently, the results for this question also reflect that.
Almost 45% of respondents play with a fixed group in Washington. 30% use matchmaking to find additional teammates. Furthermore, 78% report being members of a clan. Thus, the majority of participants prefer to play in a team.
However, solo players also seem to have their share of fun. At least 25% of our readers prefer to take care of law and order alone in the capital of the USA.
This shows our readers’ survey on The Division 2
This problem is emerging from the survey: The results of the survey not only show how our readers prefer to play The Division 2. They also clearly highlight the area where the game has the most room for improvement – in balance.
This is how the problem becomes evident: The Division 2 has a lot to offer when it comes to weapons, equipment, and skills with additional customization options – at least theoretically. However, due to the imbalanced balance in the game, even the very broad choices and build options are cut back in reality.
For example, currently, assault rifles are often regarded by many players as the universal Nonplusultra for most tasks that The Division 2 offers, with only few exceptions. While assault rifles dominate, other weapon classes like shotguns completely fall by the wayside or have only situational use.
In the choice of equipment, this problem becomes evident as well. Most players focus on maximum damage output, as this orientation allows for almost everything to be resolved in the game better and faster than with defensive builds.
The trend continues with agent skills. As our survey shows, primarily two skills are preferred by players. Three others are still used effectively, but clearly not nearly as often as the dominant Chem Launcher or Turret. Three of the eight skills are also almost neglected. It’s a shame considering the many cool options.
What is Massive doing about it? This issue has not gone unnoticed by the developers at Massive. They are currently working on the major Title Update 3, which aims to address many of these issues and is already being tested on the test servers (PTR) of The Division by fans.
The developers of Lost Ark have released a new part of the roadmap for their MMORPG. The game will continue to receive extensive updates in the future.
What’s new in Lost Ark? After a relatively quiet winter for the MMORPG Lost Ark, the developers at Smilegate seem to have decided to roll out the big updates now.
For several months, the team has been releasing larger updates that include balance changes, new areas, and even the new job Lance Master.
What has been announced? The latest announcement is also packed with content that Korean fans can look forward to. This includes:
A new continent called Yon: The large cities of Yon are all located underground to avoid the harsh weather conditions of the area. They were built by a people called Umar.
While exploring the continent Yon, players will be able to obtain new powerful equipment.
New quests for NPCs, with whom one can build a relationship.
The first “Marine” dungeon. It is not entirely clear whether this is an underwater dungeon.
New open-world boss and 4 new islands.
An “Auto-Travel System” when sailing: Players will be able to automatically sail their ships to desired destinations.
Balance adjustments for armor upgrades. The development of low-level armor will proceed faster.
More precise details about the individual updates will come as their release approaches. This should happen either in the course of May 2019 or in a somewhat more distant future.
What about the West release? While new updates are rolling out in Korea, there is silence in Europe regarding Lost Ark. At the end of 2018, the company Mail.ru announced that they would take over the release of the MMORPG in Russia.
Since then, there has been little new information about how far the preparations for the launch have progressed or what the monetization of Lost Ark in Russia will look like.
With the arrival of Vesprit as a legendary raid in Pokémon GO, there are now more new raid bosses. However, many players are missing one Pokémon from the list.
These are the raid bosses: The bosses are mostly very good counters against Vesprit. There are top counters like Tyranitar or Houndoom as Level 4 raids.
This boss is missing: Numerous players had hoped for Lapras among the new bosses, as the possible Shiny is no longer available in the new field research. They hoped that it could at least be found in raids, but Niantic disappoints many fans there.
These are the raid bosses for May 2019
These are 3 of the current raid bosses
Raid Level
Pokémon
Level 1 Raid (red egg)
Shuppet Sableye Sheinux Driftloon
Level 2 Raid (red egg)
Flunkifer Traunfugil Kokowei Sniebel Tannza
Level 3 Raid (yellow egg)
Gengar Torhaido Machoke Alolan Raichu Sewaddle
Level 4 Raid (yellow egg)
Absol Tyranitar Alolan Marowak Tangela Houndoom
Level 5 Raid (black egg)
Vesprit
These bosses are worth it: If you want to build a good counter team against Vesprit, you should do some raids from the list. The following Pokémon are the most worthwhile:
Tyranitar
Houndoom
Absol
Sniebel
Gengar
You should still do Tyranitar or Absol raids if you are looking for strong counters.
Here you can find Shinies: Many Pokémon from the list can be found as Shinies. This includes all Level 1 raids:
Lapras is not a current raid boss – The players are sad about it
Lapras is an incredibly rare Shiny, which is why so many players want it. In the wild, Lapras is hard to find, so one must hope for quests or raids. Currently, there are neither Lapras quests nor Lapras raids.
How long will the raid bosses remain in the game? This list will likely only change when Vesprit leaves the raids. That will not happen until May 27. In the meantime, there will surely be events. During those, the bosses may also change for the event period. This was the case recently with the ground event.
The next details for the GO Fest in Dortmund are known:
Bethesda has announced that the early access phase of the mobile game The Elder Scrolls Blades is now open to everyone on iOS and Android. Pre-registrations are no longer necessary. However, microtransactions continue to face criticism.
How do you play The Elder Scrolls Blades now? While you previously had to sign up at Bethesda.net and then wait for an invitation, you can now simply download the mobile game from the Google Play Store or Apple’s App Store.
However, not all smartphone models are supported yet. If The Elder Scrolls Blades does not appear in your app store, your phone is likely not supported yet. Bethesda is continually adding new models to the list.
Elder Scrolls Blades polarizes
What does the new version offer? Bethesda has also released a new update. This brings some new features:
There are more quests.
The amount of EXP in later quests has been increased.
You can now find gems as rewards.
Balancing optimizations have been made.
The UI provides more information.
Crashes have been fixed.
What do the players think? The Elder Scrolls Blades divides the community strongly. There are those who see it as a mobile game that is financed by microtransactions.
Thus, the game generally receives good reviews in the App Store, where currently 4200 reviews yield an average score of 4.4 out of 5 stars. Some players praise the recent improvements and see it more as an Elder Scrolls for on-the-go.
In the Google Play Store, the game receives only 3.3 out of 5 with 303 reviews. However, The Elder Scrolls Blades has an unusually high 126 5-star ratings, compared to 89 1-star ratings.
Those who rate it so poorly often feel “betrayed” by Bethesda, because the beloved RPG series The Elder Scrolls Online has turned into a mobile game. Or because it has too strong of a pay-to-win influence.
Microtransactions face criticism
What is being criticized? The microtransactions are particularly criticized. That’s why the new early access trailer for the game is currently being bombarded with dislikes on YouTube. 1783 likes are matched against 2511 dislikes (as of 1:30 PM, 03.05.2019):
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Although there have already been optimizations, such as with the silver chests, many players still feel that the focus is too much on the in-game shop. The chests, for example, which can either be opened immediately with gems or require a lot of patience if you want to open them without using premium currency, continue to be criticized.
Players would rather pay for the app than always stand in front of timers or have to pay gems so that the flow of the game is not interrupted.
So who is the game worth it for? If you can overlook the microtransactions and view The Elder Scrolls Blades as a mobile game, you can certainly have fun with it.
For a mobile game, it looks very good and is at least entertaining as a dungeon crawler in between.
Many core gamers generally reject the monetization ideas that are typical for mobile games: In mobile games, restrictions are often active that hinder “uninterrupted” gameplay, as core gamers are used to. The player is meant to be incentivized to bypass the intended game pauses through monetary investment.
Those who are used to such hurdles as mobile gamers are much less disturbed by them in their gaming experience – you become numb as a mobile player.
This explains the widely varying reactions to Elder Scrolls Blades.
Pagan Online has now been in its early phase of existence for several weeks. Many players have already tried it out and provided feedback, including MeinMMO author Benedict. We take a look at how well Pagan Online stands after its release.
What is the status of Pagan Online? Since its release in Early Access on Steam on April 18, 2019, Pagan Online has already received new updates. These provide a bit more balance between the classes and fix bugs. According to the developers, co-op is still the focus of development.
The ratings of Pagan Online on Steam are currently at 68% positive reviews, making it “mixed”. (As of: March 3 at 12:15 PM) According to steamcharts, up to 3030 players were playing Pagan Online simultaneously, and since release, an average of about 1300 players have played at the same time.
On Twitch, Pagan Online does not seem to be making a big impact yet. Since Early Access, an average of 24 channels have streamed the game, and with a peak viewership of just under 30,000 viewers, Pagan Online ranks at 59 among the top games on Twitch.
This is praised: The positive feedback still outweighs the negative. Players are particularly excited about what there is to do in Pagan Online. The following aspects are frequently praised:
that there is always something to do, like unlocking or crafting characters
the different classes
the development and localization in German
the atmosphere and the story based on Slavic mythology
the endgame. Some players with over 50, even over 100 hours of gameplay, still haven’t seen everything
Overall, Pagan Online is well-received by fans, and they are having fun with what the game already offers. Despite being in Early Access, it seems to have enough features to engage players. MeinMMO author Benedict also shares the opinion that Pagan Online is really fun, even if only in short sessions.
Lots of loot encourages continued play.
This is criticized: Pagan Online is most often criticized by people who claim to be fans of Diablo, Path of Exile, or Torchlight. They are bothered that Pagan Online plays so differently and that customization options are lacking. Complaints often include:
the fixed skills of the classes, as custom builds are not possible
the monotonous gameplay in the individual, “Rift”-like levels
the WASD controls, which many hack & slash veterans find unappealing
Graphics and character design are not to everyone’s liking.
What’s next: Currently, only five of the eight planned chapters are playable, and some features like co-op gameplay are still missing. These are expected to arrive during development but will be thoroughly tested first.
When new content will come and when you can properly play with friends is still uncertain.
The “Pantheon” as a social hub is expected to become more important.
Have you tried Pagan Online yourself? What do you think of it?
Pagan Online also features in our recommendations for May:
Activision Blizzard’s financial report strongly points towards Free2Play. Could it affect both Blizzard games Overwatch and World of Warcraft ? Or could Activision potentially separate the blackout mode from Call of Duty? Will one of the games switch to a free-to-play model? Our author Schuhmann gives his assessment.
This is in the financial report: The numbers for the current quarter from Activision Blizzard are “better than expected”, but relatively weak compared to the previous year.
Activision had a forecast for Q1/2019: $1.715 billion
the actual revenue is $1.825 billion – it is higher, which is good
the problem is: in Q1/2018 the revenue was still $1.965 billion
also concerning is that the projections for Q2/2019 are significantly lower at $1.315 billion
As a “plus point”, Activision Blizzard apparently records the layoff of 800 employees, which is presented as “strong operational discipline”.
As another plus point, Activision Blizzard highlights the Call of Duty League, which is off to a good start – they have already sold the first 5 teams.
What about Free2Play? Activision Blizzard has presented several ideas on how they want to proceed and what goals they want to pursue.
One of the concrete measures is to: “Allocate more resources to optimize the business model of their franchises, including examining possibilities around Free2Play.”
They do not elaborate on this point.
Point 3 of the list deals with the transition to Free2Play
Which games could this affect? If you look at Activision Blizzard’s portfolio, there are only relatively few franchises that do not include “Free2Play” games:
Overwatch would be an idea – the game was released in 2016 and has often been on sale. A Free2Play version of Overwatch could potentially lead Activision Blizzard to sell loot boxes more aggressively. A Free2Play approach could also increase the viewer base for the e-sport, the Overwatch League.
World of Warcraft would be another option – it still operates under a subscription model, although the numbers apparently aren’t as strong as they used to be. If WoW were really transitioned, it would certainly be a significant change.
the inoffensive solution is that they may mean future games of the franchises, where a Diablo Immortal or other games like Overwatch or Warcraft might then become Free2Play games.
Overwatch as a Free2Play title?
What’s behind it: The most likely candidate for a transition to Free2Play among the existing titles seems to be Overwatch. This actually makes sense.
For WoW, a move to Free2Play would be a huge shift – in MMORPGs, Free2Play is often understood as a loss of quality.
However, it seems that due to the growing influence of Activision on Blizzard, it is not as unlikely as it was a few years ago that changes will occur in WoW’s business model.
In any case, the transition of one of the games would already be a significant matter. If WoW or Overwatch really become Free2Play, that would be something that might be presented at BlizzCon. At Gamescom 2019, Blizzard will not be present.
One can be curious about what the review will yield concerning whether a Free2Play model is worthwhile for one of Activision Blizzard’s core franchises.
As planned, Anthem will continue its development by BioWare’s live team in Austin after launch. However, the announcement that the lead developers are stepping away from Anthem to focus on the next Dragon Age has raised concerns among players.
Live team takes care of Anthem: BioWare Edmonton was primarily responsible for the development of Anthem, but was supported by the studio in Austin.
After the launch of Anthem, the game will be fully handed over to BioWare Austin. The studio will take over the live service and thus continue to shape the future of Anthem.
This was always planned so that BioWare Edmonton could focus directly on the next project after the launch of Anthem – as indicated by the insider report from Kotaku.
BioWare Austin takes over the leadership of Anthem as planned, BioWare Edmonton is already working on the next project.
Players are concerned: Some players were worried that the lead figures of Anthem would now turn away from the game and work on new titles. Several US media outlets also immediately picked up on the topic.
The executive producer Mark Darrah and the lead producer Michael Gamble, both from BioWare Edmonton, are said to no longer be involved in the work on Anthem and instead focus on the next Dragon Age.
The game director Jonathan Warner, also from Edmonton, is still listed under the Anthem team but is taking a leave of absence due to a family health issue.
The reins of Anthem have been taken over after launch by the lead producer Ben Irving and the head of live service Chad Robertson, both based in Austin.
This is what BioWare says: The officials from BioWare quickly addressed the topic. Mike Gamble stated on Twitter that there were many (false) speculations about the handover of Anthem to BioWare Austin. However, the studio’s commitment to Anthem has not changed.
The head of live service Chad Robertson added that the team is 100% committed to Anthem and is excited to show players the new content currently being worked on.
However, they also want to ensure that they do not overpromise. Therefore, they will only talk about upcoming things once they are almost completed.
Borderlands 3 has finally been properly introduced. It is now known which monetization model the loot shooter will rely on and how it will handle microtransactions and DLCs.
These contents can be purchased with real money: On May 1, Borderlands 3 was presented at a major event. There, there was real gameplay and solid information about the shooter.
Now we also know how Borderlands 3 will handle microtransactions and DLCs. The game will primarily offer two types of paid content:
DLCs
Cosmetics
We haven’t received any more detailed information about either yet.
DLCs like in Borderlands 2?
What kind of DLCs can we expect? According to Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford, no concrete plans have been made yet.
We may expect similar DLC packs as seen in Borderlands 2. There, new characters, areas, weapons, and campaigns were included.
How many DLCs were there in Borderlands 2? Excluding skins and other minor items, Borderlands 2 had 4 DLC packs:
Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate’s Booty
Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage
Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt
Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep
Additionally, there were numerous packs and other contents.
These DLC expansions vary greatly in scope and content, but are quite popular among fans. Therefore, many are already looking forward to the DLCs.
However, during and after the event, there were ambiguities due to some of Pitchford’s statements.
What was the problem? He stated at the event that Borderlands 3 would not have microtransactions. This caused confusion, because shortly afterward the developers issued a denial.
While Borderlands 3 will not include loot boxes and other microtransactions, it will have cosmetics, which many consider to be the same thing.
However, Pitchford claimed he was only referring to microtransactions like loot boxes, XP bonuses, or other advantages.
What could the cosmetics look like? There is still no detailed information about the cosmetic items. These are likely to include character skins and heads.
This is what a Halloween pack in Borderlands 2 looked like.
Such cosmetics have already existed in previous installments of the Borderlands series.
What will the DLCs and cosmetics cost? There has been no official information on this yet.
For Borderlands 2, there was a Season Pass that included all DLCs and cost around 30 euros. Whether Borderlands 3 will be in similar price ranges remains to be seen.
What do you think of the plans? Does it bother you that there will be cosmetic items for purchase?
Time and again, we hear about intense crunch periods in game development. But for Path of Exile, it should be different. Studio head Chris Wilson does not want to run his company that way.
What does Chris Wilson mean? Grinding Gear Games founder Chris Wilson provided insight into his company via Reddit. He explains that other studios have 14-hour days or more to cram updates and patches with content.
However, he does not want that. His company should be run differently. The work-life balance of his employees is very important to him. Of course, there are sometimes overtime hours before the launch of a new league, but these are the exception. He wants to avoid crunch in the development of the action RPG Path of Exile. “I do not want to run my studio that way,” he says.
Grinding Gear Games feels committed to being open
Why does Chris Wilson explain this? He writes that he feels players expect more from the team. Updates with more content, for example. But that would then bring crunch. That is why he felt obligated to give fans an insight into how Grinding Gear Games works.
What triggered this? The Synthesis update for the hack ‘n slash Path of Exile did not go over well with players. Chris Wilson admits it fell below the quality standards he actually wants to achieve. In the future, he wants the team to improve here – but not at the expense of the work-life balance.
What’s next? In addition to improvements to Synthesis, a new league is also planned with update 3.7.0 that should offer “repeatable fun”.
With update 4.0.0, a “mega expansion” will follow, for which the developers will take a lot of time. This should also reflect the way the team works. They prefer to take their time rather than work excessive overtime.
How are the fans reacting? The openness with which Chris Wilson addresses this issue is well received in the community. Players want to support Grinding Gear Games and understand that this is simply a different way of working.
ThoughtA mentions on Reddit: “You should know that we support you. This attitude benefits not only the employees; it is helpful in improving the terrible crunch methods in the industry.”
In Fortnite: Battle Royale, major events are looming. The volcano is likely to erupt soon, and the final rune for the bunker is ready.
What is the current situation in Fortnite? The game surrounding the runes and the bunker at Loot Lake is likely entering its final phase. After being briefly disabled and seemingly appearing at Salty Springs by mistake, the final rune for the end-of-season event has reemerged in the volcano.
To solve its riddle, you must throw materials and items into the volcanic vent. This will fill a progress bar along with thousands of other players worldwide, and when it’s full, something big is expected to happen soon.
The rune demands sacrifices!
Volcanic Eruption or Vault Opening?
What will happen soon in Fortnite? There are various theories about what will happen when the rune in the volcano receives enough materials:
The volcano erupts and devastates half the map. Then Tilted Towers will likely sink, and Retail Row is also rumored to meet its end according to a plausible leak.
Others speculate about the opening of the “Vault.” This is actually a placeholder for all items that have been removed from the game. However, currently, six items are available, and players may be able to choose which items will return at a later time. Included is even the hated Infinity Blade!
Whatever happens, it will set the stage for the theme of Season 9 . Many fans suspect a science fiction theme.
Something is likely to happen here soon.
When does it start?
At the time of this article (May 3, 2019, 10:44 AM), the rune’s progress bar is about half full. It’s quite possible that it will be completely filled by the evening.
Epic is likely to trigger the event over the weekend, probably on Saturday.
This guarantees that a large number of players will be present, and perhaps a new record for simultaneous players will be set. If you want to be part of it, keep a close eye on Fortnite over the weekend!
According to a leak, the event for choosing the returning items is set to start on Saturday, May 4 at 9 PM local time. It’s very likely that the volcano will erupt by then as well.
What has happened so far…
What were the precursors to the event? The end-of-season event in Season 8 was prepared weeks in advance. Here are the individual steps:
In May, new FUT Swap Deals continue in FIFA 19. Find out what rewards and FUT Swap items are available here.
What are FUT Swap Deals? At the beginning of each month, EA releases new Swap Deals in FUT 19. You then have the entire month to earn swap items and exchange them for rewards.
The rewards: This month, the rewards are impressive. You have the choice of various special cards and different packs. This also includes again a base icon set.
What are FUT Swap items? The FUT Swap items can be earned by playing FUT 19. They are player cards whose only purpose is to be exchanged for rewards.
You earn swap items by:
SBCs
Weekly Objectives
Squad Battles
Exchanging Swap items: If you have collected enough swap items, you can exchange them for various packs or players. However, you cannot unlock all rewards, because there simply aren’t enough swap items.
So it’s best to decide at the beginning of the month which reward you want. You will find out how many swap items you need and how to earn them here:
All FUT Swap items in May
This is how you get FUT Swap items: The first FUT Swap item is, as usual, a gift from EA. The remaining items will appear throughout the month and must be earned.
Throughout the month of May, a total of 14 FUT Swap items will be released. If you want the best rewards, don’t miss any of them!
The following list will be updated as new items are released.
Currently known are:
27.05.2019 – Tim Siekman – Squad Building Challenge
How is the game financed? The developers launched a Kickstarter campaign in early April. The goal was to raise $35,000. Although the campaign started quite slowly, the team ultimately managed to raise nearly $68,000.
This allowed several stretch goals such as dynamic weather and activities at sea to be reached.
What about the graphics? Oath currently looks quite simple. However, this is set to change. The developers are currently relying on placeholder graphics. However, players should not expect a “realistic” look. The graphics are expected to look significantly better than now, but will have a stylized look.
This is what MMORPG fans have apparently been waiting for
Why is the MMORPG so popular? The MMORPG strikes a chord with players. What is being created here is not aimed at the masses but at fans of hardcore MMORPGs. Players who do not want to be constantly guided.
Additionally, the social aspect is important. Players must work together in groups. The guild system is also well received, and the raids promise a lot of fun.
Many players feel that the developers are simply focusing on fun gameplay because they want to create an enjoyable MMORPG themselves. There is no pay-to-win, and what has been seen so far looks very enjoyable. Also important to many is that Oath does not mix PvP and PvE but aims to provide separate player experiences.
The concept for the world map of Oath
What do the players think? Players feel that Oath is somewhat like Black Desert without pay-to-win. The fast combat system is something that many enjoy.
Might_Monk says on Reddit: “I hope it takes the best parts of games like Black Desert Online and ArcheAge and implements them smoothly and enjoyably.”
When will the game be released? Oath is set to enter its first alpha in the fourth quarter of 2019, with a release planned for no earlier than 2020.
A rather impressive trailer has appeared on a strange YouTube account. Is this trailer for “Left 4 Dead 3” just a fake?
Few game series have such loyal and hopeful fans as Left 4 Dead. It’s no wonder that Left 4 Dead (1&2) offered not only thrilling and nerve-wracking co-op action but also really cool PvP in the “Versus” mode within an atmospheric game world featuring cool characters.
Update: Valve has since confirmed that the trailer is indeed just a fake. What a shame.
Original message:
A video with the strange title “20190611wVLACgXBSwO4eVv.021162_h264” has appeared on a brand new YouTube channel with the suspicious name Clusterflu961.
It shows various “Safe Rooms” in long camera movements, as well as all sorts of zombie guts and overview maps of environments. On them, suspicious markings can be seen, such as “CEDA” – a well-known name of a government organization trying to contain the zombie virus in Left 4 Dead.
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The
video ends with the iconic zombie hand reaching up into the
sky and bending one of its four fingers at the last moment – fans would imagine the logo of “Left 4 Dead 3” to look just like this.
The
both “Left 4 Dead” games are two of the few games that I
will probably still look back on nostalgically for many years to come.
Hardly any other game series offered such a “pure”
co-op experience, a perfect mix of adrenaline, fast-paced
action, and satisfying “we’re casually mowing down the zombie
horde” moments. And because these memories and related
feelings are so strong, I want to believe in such a trailer.
I am aware that the probability of this trailer being fake is gigantic. I don’t even believe that the trailer was actually made by a large development studio and is supposed to announce something.
It’s just unlikely that a real “Pepsi” can would be seen in Left 4 Dead. The camera movements, while good, are not perfect. Furthermore, the last announcement from Valve was that Left 4 Dead 3 was canceled.
The “pills” are a popular item from Left 4 Dead. They have saved many lives.
But
still, I cannot extinguish that small spark of hope that glimmers somewhere in the back of my mind. I want a Left
4 Dead 3. No matter how unlikely it is and no matter how much I
should rationally say: “That’s not going to happen.”
Or to quote the panicked-ambivalent words of a good friend during a fight with zombies: “Leave me behind, but take me with you!”
At least I can confidently believe in the title “Back 4 Blood”, the spiritual successor to Left 4 Dead and Evolve, currently being developed by Turtle Rock. The rights to a “real” Left 4 Dead successor are, after all, with Valve.
But
maybe Valve will surprise us one day with a Left 4 Dead
3. I would welcome it.
Would you be happy about Left 4 Dead 3? What do you think of this trailer? Is it suspiciously elaborately produced? Or is the fake too obvious?
2019 was supposed to be the year of Ashes of Creation. But now, after the release has already been postponed, the MMORPG is becoming quieter.
What’s new with Ashes of Creation? In March, the developers announced that Ashes of Creation will only be released in 2020. The Alpha 1, which was originally planned for the second quarter of 2019, was postponed indefinitely.
To sweeten the wait for players until their first steps in Ashes of Creation, a specific feature of the game was to be introduced every month.
The topic for April was actually set to be Housing, but there has been no sign of it so far. This makes many players nervous again, as the drought phase in communication seemed to have just been overcome.
However, the developers briefly discussed the PvP standalone Apocalypse in the latest livestream, which they are still committed to.
Apocalypse causes many problems at Intrepid Studios
What is Ashes of Creation Apocalypse? A Battle Royale for Ashes of Creation was actually supposed to be released back in December 2018. This game was primarily meant to test the combat system of the MMORPG.
Originally, Apocalypse was only available to participants of the first Alpha. However, since Intrepid Studios also wanted to stress the server structure directly, they decided to release the mode as a standalone game.
Where were the problems with the game? It quickly became clear that Apocalypse was not advanced enough to function as a standalone game.
On December 20, the game went live, and by December 26, it was already offline again surprisingly. Particularly, the movement in the game, many server crashes, and the microtransactions bothered players.
When will Apocalypse be released? In a revised development plan, the release was then scheduled for February 2019. However, it has not yet taken place.
In the latest developer livestream, the topic of Apocalypse was briefly touched upon. It was announced that the final backend content for the standalone is in progress. They are in the final phase of the last 10%.
Did the problems affect the MMORPG? The live operation of a game is not comparable to development. Intrepid Studios should have been aware of this as well. Nevertheless, there were incredibly many problems during the release attempt of Apocalypse.
Resolving these issues and setting up the servers and the backend has significantly delayed the development of the MMORPG.
On the other hand, later players of Ashes of Creation can be pleased. Intrepid was able to collect a lot of data and learn a lot from the problems with Apocalypse. This, in turn, could benefit the MMORPG.
A look behind the scenes of development
This is how new buildings and environments are created: In addition to the brief mention of Apocalypse, there was also a developer diary on the topic of “Building Technology”.
It discussed how and with what methods environments and buildings can be created quickly in Ashes of Creation. However, these tools are only available to developers and not to players.
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What else was shown in the livestream? The rest of the livestream consisted of the announcement that new employees were hired and are still being sought, as well as an anecdote about the first mayoral election in the MMORPG.
The latter took place in the testing environment and was successfully conducted. However, the NPC for administering the city did not appear. Also, the first caravan sent to another city crashed at some point, flipped upside down, and flew across the world map.
It’s certain that Ashes of Creation will not be playable until at least 2020. However, there are plenty of other MMORPGs set to be released this year:
It discussed how and with what methods environments and buildings can be created quickly in Ashes of Creation. However, these tools are only available to developers and not to players.
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What else was shown in the livestream? The rest of the livestream consisted of the announcement that new employees were hired and are still being sought, as well as an anecdote about the first mayoral election in the MMORPG.
The latter took place in the testing environment and was successfully conducted. However, the NPC for administering the city did not appear. Also, the first caravan sent to another city crashed at some point, flipped upside down, and flew across the world map.
It’s certain that Ashes of Creation will not be playable until at least 2020. However, there are plenty of other MMORPGs set to be released this year:
The developers have revealed what character limitations there will be in World of Warcraft: Classic. Most players are likely to be pleased about this.
More and more details about World of Warcraft: Classic are becoming known. Blizzard has now revealed exactly how the character limitations will look on the classic servers. It has been clarified how many characters you can have per server and across all servers combined.
50 characters per region, 10 per server: Overall, you can create 50 characters in your region (such as Europe) on all classic WoW servers. The “old” restrictions apply per server, just as they did back then. This means that you can create a maximum of 10 different characters on a single server. If you want to create another one, you must delete an existing character first.
PvP servers have further restrictions: Aside from the character limitations, there is another restriction. On PvP servers, you can only create characters of a single faction. So if you have already created a human for the Alliance, you cannot create an Orc, Troll, Tauren, or Undead on the same server. You are therefore bound to your faction choice.
More on the current status of Classic can be found here:
No overlap with the current version: If you have already pushed the character limit in the live version of World of Warcraft, you do not need to worry. The character cap in Classic is separate from the current version (Battle for Azeroth). You can therefore own both 50 characters in the current WoW and 50 additional ones in the Classic version. For those who play “hardcore” in both versions, it’s possible to create up to 100 characters.
Classic requires a regular subscription: To play World of Warcraft: Classic, you will need a regular WoW account with an active subscription. There are no plans for a separate subscription just for Classic.
Are you looking forward to Classic? Will you push the character limit of 10 characters? What do you think of the PvP restrictions?
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.
The battle royale shooter H1Z1 wanted to introduce a cool tribal warrior of the Maori as a skin for the new loot box theme. However, it caused so much trouble in advance that the developers removed it from the game.
Which skin is it about? In the new loot box package “Macho”, one of the included skins is a character named “Maui”. That’s the name of a demigod from Polynesian Maori culture, who was featured in the Disney movie Moana.
In H1Z1, he is a powerful muscular man with a mask and Maori tattoos on his body and face. Additionally, there’s a weapon skin with Maori patterns.
This is the skin Maui.
The skin was supposed to represent a cool tribal warrior in Maori style, but shortly after the announcement on the H1Z1 website, there was already trouble.
Maori culture is a sensitive topic
What is the problem with the skin? Especially in New Zealand, the home country of the Maori, the skin was poorly received. The skin happily mixes several cultural customs and concepts that do not fit together at all.
A player from H1Z1 in New Zealand eventually made Daybreak aware of the problems with the skin on Reddit:
The facial tattoos are not just ornaments; for Maori, they are sacred and provide special insight into the wearer and his family. They are applied in a kind of religious ceremony. Each tattoo tells a story, and using them as a simple skin is a sacrilege for many Maori.
The skin has a facial expression called “Pūkana”, which features widely open eyes and a stuck-out tongue. While it may look dangerous, it is an expression of joy and passion.
The same applies to the Haka dance emote from the package. The Haka was once a war dance, but is now used for peaceful purposes.
A particularly significant issue is the weapon skin. The pattern would represent the sun and is another quasi-religious symbol. It has no place on a weapon, especially after the recent terrible terrorist attack in New Zealand involving such weapons.
How did Daybreak respond? The harsh criticism of the skin quickly made developer Daybreak Games rethink. They did not intend to offend Maori culture. Therefore, after careful consideration, the skin was removed from the new loot boxes.
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What do the players say? Reactions on Twitter and Reddit to Daybreak’s action among H1Z1 fans were mixed. Some welcomed the move and were glad that Daybreak recognized their mistake and wants to be more careful in the future before processing exotic cultures into skins:
“It is a big deal for many people that their culture is appreciated and not appropriated.”
“That’s respect.”
“Thank you very much!”
Other players, however, lamented what they see as an increasing “outrage culture” online and that soon nothing could be done or said without someone feeling offended.
Bungie has revealed what will change with update 2.2.2 in Destiny 2. The new patch mainly targets numerous bugs, but it also brings a controversial balance change.
When is the new update coming? On the upcoming Tuesday, May 7, the Spring Festival “The Revelry” will end in Destiny 2. Additionally, Bungie has planned the new update 2.2.2 for this day.
What’s in update 2.2.2 for Destiny 2
In the current “This Week at Bungie” blog, the studio has revealed what Guardians can expect with the upcoming update. The focus is clearly on fixing numerous annoying bugs. There will likely be no new features.
However, be aware that these are just some extracts of the upcoming adjustments. A complete list of all changes in the new update will only be available with the official patch notes on May 7.
The highlights of the update are likely to include the following five changes:
By unlocking “Green Light: Competitive” the “Harder Celebrated” triumph will also be unlocked for all who have met all other conditions during the Spring event. This also grants the event emblem “It’s Green So Green”.
Bungie confirmed the bug, initially linking it only to the poison status effect caused by the Hand Cannon Dorn. However, it seems that the Super issue was also caused by other factors, such as the Void Anchor of the Shadowshot (Hunter Super). This will now be fixed with the new update.
This was a combination of the increased Arc damage from Arcstrider and a bug that unintentionally increased the damage of Arc Staff Super attacks from the combo strike. This bug will now be fixed.
Other known changes in update 2.2.2 include:
A bug was fixed that prevented players from receiving the lore of the Dreaming City upon completing an Ascendant Challenge
A bug was eliminated that prevented Warlocks from executing a short teleport after stepping through a portal
A bug was fixed that caused the Iron Ruby shader not to appear. Players will receive the shader after the update when they dismantle Iron Banner gear.
Guardians who received duplicates from the Revelry event engrams will get an in-game notification in the week following update 2.2.2 explaining how the issue will be resolved for their account.
Guardians who received incorrect Arc week emotes after a purchase from Eververse will receive an in-game notification in the week following update 2.2.2 explaining how the issue will be resolved for their account.
Keep in mind: With update 2.2.2, the Revelry event will also end. Until then, you still have the chance to get the second exotic weapon of Season 6 – the Arbalest – directly. After the Spring festivities end, this weapon will only be available randomly from exotic engrams.
In week 10, Fortnite has hidden a secret banner again. To make it easier for you, we show you the location.
Here’s how to get the banner: This banner only appears after you have completed all challenges from week 10. Before that, you will not find anything at the specified location.
Here you need to look for the secret banner in week 10
Here is a hint: If you have completed the tasks of week 10, you will receive a new loading screen. There is always a hint that points to the location of the banner.
In week 10, the loading screen looks like this:
This is the loading screen with the hint
Where is the hint? To discover the hint, you need to look closely. On the truck that stands directly below the runes, there is also the small banner. That is where you will find the sought object.
On the truck is the banner
Here you need to search: The loading screen shows the runes that are causing quite a stir in Loot Lake. That is exactly where you need to search. The location is easy to find.
Here you find the exact spot for the secret banner. Source: Pro Game Guides
This video will help you: To see the exact location in the game again, we are embedding a video here that shows the location.
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Keep an eye on this: The location for the secret banner is a popular meeting point for campers. They are waiting for you there, hoping for easy kills. So watch your surroundings when you look past the location.
Moreover, Loot Lake is a popular place in general, as there is much to discover. So you will probably encounter more players.
What tasks do I need to complete? To find the banner at all, you need to solve some tricky tasks. This also includes following a treasure map.
You can find more tasks from week 10 in our big hub:
Nincada was last available in the Bug event, and there only from quests. Previously, it was also only part of special events or quests. For example, the Pokémon was part of the field research in November that focused on Bug-type Pokémon.
Why Nincada is so special and rare
This is what makes Nincada special: The Bug-type Pokémon has two evolutions. It evolves into Ninjask or Ninjatom. In Pokémon GO, you can only evolve it into Ninjask. Ninjatom has only been available once in the research breakthrough from November.
Nincada, Ninjask, and Ninjatom
Nincada is that rare: You cannot find the Pokémon anywhere in the wild. You could only obtain it from eggs or quests so far. This makes it quite rare.
This is how you can currently get Nincada: The only way to currently get Nincada is through the 10 km eggs. It is one of the Pokémon that you can hatch from there.
Currently, there are no other ways. However, it is possible that Nincada will also return through new field research in May or an event in other ways.
Is it worth it to hatch 10 km eggs now? Besides Nincada, you can also find some other interesting Pokémon in the purple eggs. So there is a chance for Shiny Lapras, which is currently in high demand.
It is currently worth hatching eggs
In addition, there are rare Pokémon from the 4th generation, such as Koknodon or Schilterus. So the 10 km eggs are worth it.
Nincada will probably not be part of the upcoming Ground event. However, players are hoping for something else:
