The Elder Scrolls
Online had too many players and weak servers recently.
This led to queues. The developers have now solved the problem and
some players are happy. Others, however, still criticize the
performance of the servers.
This was the queue problem: Since ESO is currently in the Season of the Dragon and became unexpectedly successful thanks to numerous promotional campaigns, the megaservers in Europe were pushed to their breaking point.
As a result, five years after the release, queues had to be added again for the first time to control the influx of players. Sometimes players waited up to 40 minutes and could even prepare a full meal in the meantime.
But apparently Zenimax was lucky and finished faster than expected. Therefore, the new hardware was likely ready just in time for the Easter weekend, and server performance could be steadily improved over the holidays.
As a result, the wait times disappeared over the weekend, and players could log in again without delays. In an act of problem prevention, the servers in the USA will soon also be expanded, and the consoles will also be monitored.
Players are happy, but not all
How are the players reacting? Many players reacted with great joy to the news of the problem resolution on April 17. They praised the quick response and the fact that they could finally play ESO again without endless wait times.
“Great, I’ll renew my 6-month subscription!”
“Praise be to Zenimax!”
“Great news! I think you’ve shocked the doomsayers!”
Why not all players are happy: However, the “doomsayers” were by no means silent for long. Because as great as playing ESO without wait times is, many players were upset that it had come to this in the first place.
Players claim the servers of ESO have always been very slow and inefficient. They do not understand why it took so long for everything to be too late, effectively shutting out paying customers. Furthermore, they state that performance is still poor and has not improved:
“When are you finally going to fix the console servers? They have been terrible for years!”
“The update did nothing, server performance is still very weak!”
“What hardware do you have in those servers? The server is still a piece of trash… be honest with your paying customers and don’t lie to us!!!”
However, the majority of fans seem to be happy that ESO is running again without queues. But these fans surely wouldn’t mind better server performance.
Tonight, there will be a livestream for the online shooter Anthem . BioWare intends to present its new roadmap for the upcoming days: it seems clear that many of the planned contents and features will not arrive at the promised time.
This is the roadmap: BioWare had presented a massive roadmap for the “next 90 days” at the end of February after the first negative reviews .
In March, April, and May 2019, a lot of content and new features were supposed to be released. These were intended to significantly improve and expand Anthem.
Actually, we are already at Update 02: Stronger Together, but will it really be that big?
However, BioWare quickly fell behind this roadmap. After many problems arose, Anthem focused mainly on tackling these issues during that time.
The presentation of new content has been put on hold after the major Kotaku report.
They also missed a livestream date due to technical issues.
This is still missing: A user has created a list on reddit outlining which points still need to come in April for Anthem to keep its promises. This includes:
What is the problem? At the moment, a patch is being deployed, but hardly anyone can imagine that all the promised features, which were supposed to come in April, are actually included in the patch.
It is also doubtful that the announced features for May will be met: including the Cataclysm, which fans were very excited about.
One thing is certain: the new Stronghold really comes today – what else is in the patch is not yet known.
This is what BioWare announced: BioWare has already announced that they will present an “updated roadmap” for April and May in a livestream this evening.
The players of Anthem firmly expect that some of the planned features will be postponed.
This is how it continues: Today we will find out how Anthem will proceed:
In Fortnite: Battle Royale a major event related to the Avengers: Endgame movie is planned. Players are now speculating about the details. A teaser image has been released by Epic.
What’s new? Fortnite has now released a teaser image for an upcoming event starting alongside Marvel’s “Avengers: Endgame.” The new superhero movie is set to release in theaters this week.
The event is expected to start on Thursday, April 25. The release of Endgame in Germany is on April 24.
This is what you see on the teaser: The image tweeted by Fortnite shows the Color Bomber from Fortnite with a “Captain America” shield:
Fortnite has not provided any further details about the event, just the date, April 25.
This is what the event could look like: This announcement regarding Avengers has sparked a lot of conversation in the Fortnite community. Last year, there was an event related to Avengers: Infinity War, which made the villain Thanos playable in the game with a special mode.
On Reddit a player writes: My guesses are a Thanos game mode and Avengers challenges.
As rewards for that, a player wishes for Thor’s axe as a pickaxe, Captain America’s shield as back bling, and Groot as a pet.
It is assumed that a special game mode in Fortnite: Battle Royale will be unlocked. Many believe that Thanos will return. He was so impressively featured last year that fans are now wishing for his return. There are already hints about Thanos found in the Fortnite code.
“At least one new item is confirmed, the Captain America shield. Hopefully, Thanos will return and bring new items as well,” a user writes on Reddit.
Many players hope for cosmetic items that can either be unlocked or purchased. Thor’s axe, “Stormbreaker,” is often wished for by fans as a harvesting tool.
Update 4:00 PM: Fortnite has just uploaded another teaser for the Endgame event. It now shows Thor’s axe, which is presumably being held up by the Fish Skin. Whether this will come into the game as a harvesting tool remains unclear. There are no new details about the event yet.
This is how the teaser is received by players: The announcement has created a lot of hype in the community. The teaser on Twitter received 160,000 likes after just 19 hours. Here, two massive franchises, Avengers and Fortnite, collide.
Even the shooter pro and streamer “Shroud” writes that he will probably reinstall Fortnite now.
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What do you think the new event in Fortnite will look like? What skins or items do you wish for? Keep an eye on our Facebook page for Fortnite to not miss anything about the new Endgame event.
After the latest patch of Apex Legends did not provide a buff for the legend Mirage, there was unrest in the community. The developers believed his win rate was good enough. However, buffs have now been announced.
What buffs are coming? In a post on reddit, the developer Leeeeeee-RSPN wrote that the legend Mirage might need “a little nudge upwards.” He hasn’t specified concrete changes yet, but it’s conceivable that some adjustments will be made:
to the “visibility of invisibility”
to the duration of invisibility
to the lifespan of decoys
to the cooldown of abilities, etc.
This caters to the hopes of some players who expected more from the last patch of Apex Legends. However, Mirage will not receive a major “rework” that fundamentally changes him.
Why is a buff being introduced after all? According to Leeeeeee-RSPN, there was a misunderstanding. In another post earlier in the same thread, he said that no changes were planned in the near future. However, he was unclear in his expression:
I agree with much of what has been said here. When I said, “no planned changes,” I was (unclear) referring to larger reworks like a new ultimate or something like that. The kind of change that directly conflicts with our ability to create new characters.
We believe that this is a better focus for the moment, as he [Mirage] is in a good position.
Shiny Lapras is now findable in Pokémon GO, but the search for the rare Shiny is proving very difficult. The quest for Lapras seems to have become rare.
This quest has now been noticeably reduced. Many players report on Reddit that this field research is hardly found anymore.
This is the problem players face with Shiny Lapras
This is the quest in question: The field research “Win 5 Gym Battles” rewards you with a Lapras. This quest is currently being sought everywhere.
Shiny Lapras in the Safari Zone in Singapore
This is what players are reporting: On Reddit , a player from Cologne has spoken up. He reports that numerous trainers in his city are literally hunting for the Lapras quest, yet only 2 of these field research tasks have been found.
When you relate that to the size of Cologne and the density of PokéStops there, it is clear that this quest has definitely been reduced.
Another player reports from New York, where a map scans and reports every quest. There, it was said that on one day, there were only 4 Lapras quests, despite the fact that there are probably thousands of stops in New York.
This problem is not an isolated case: It has become noticeable that Niantic reduces the spawns of new Shinies. For instance, there are now significantly fewer Pidgey or Krabby since they can be found as Shiny. Before that, they were among the most common spawns here in Germany.
Now, for the first time, a quest has been reduced. It is therefore significantly harder than it already was to obtain a shiny Lapras.
What does it mean for the players? If you come across such a quest, you should share it with your community. It is currently extremely popular. Generally, it is important that you exchange information with your community, as this is the best way to find the rare quest.
Will Shiny Lapras become more common again? Lapras has been part of events before. So it is conceivable that the Pokémon can be obtained again in greater numbers through special events.
Lapras may soon hatch again from eggs. So far, this is not the case
Additionally, Lapras was recently featured in the Safari Zone in Singapore. So it is certainly possible that we German players will have a chance to get Lapras at the GO Fest in Dortmund. But this is only speculation.
There is hope: The Lapras quest may become more frequent soon. On April 23rd at 10 PM, the Easter event ends, and with it, the special quests will also disappear.
So there may soon be more room for the Lapras quest.
While Shiny Lapras is likely very hard to obtain, you can get Scyther with an increased chance as Shiny:
The dragons will again play an important role in World of Warcraft . An upcoming quest line will bring them into focus.
Dragons have played a major role in World of Warcraft in the past. However, after Cataclysm, they were stripped of much of their power. During Legion, even the green dragon aspect Ysera died. In Patch 8.2 Rise of Azshara, some dragons, however, are taking on a larger role again. We reveal what is happening with the once mighty creatures.
Spoiler alert: If you don’t want to know anything about the story of Patch 8.2 and the events surrounding the dragons, you should not continue reading. You have been warned.
With Patch 8.2, Magni calls the players to him to advance the healing of Azeroth. This also unlocks the new Essence system , which grants the Heart of Azeroth new, cool abilities. To use these abilities, Magni sends the players on a longer journey around the world. They must resolve various “disturbances” so that Azeroth can finally heal.
A Black Dragon for Azeroth
Ebenhorn helps Azeroth: The first encounter with a dragon takes place on the High Mountain. There, players meet the Tauren spiritwalker Ebenhorn. Those who remember the story from Legion will know that Ebenhorn is a black dragon in disguise. He helps us with the quest line to collect the first essence and then joins the Champions of Azeroth to support the healing of the planet.
Ebenhorn and Navarrogg help to retrieve one of the essences. Image source: wowhead
Observation of a Black Talon Watcher: Those who pay close attention during the quest line can spot a Black Talon Watcher lurking in the area. These are the secret agents of Wrathion, the Black Prince.
For a long time, it was thought that he was the last black dragon, as he had killed all the others. Now that a Black Talon Watcher has appeared near Ebenhorn, it reveals that Wrathion knows very well that Ebenhorn exists. This will surely have consequences in the future.
The “Black Prince” is planning something in the background.
After that, there are several more quest steps, where we are sent to Hyjal and then to the Maelstrom. There, some large Azerite Elementals are defeated, and various essences are collected that unlock new abilities in the Heart.
The Green Dragons in the Emerald Dream
Things get exciting again once the Heart of Azeroth reaches level 54. Then, in the Heart chamber, the blue dragon Kalecgos appears and asks us to travel to Val’sharah to speak with a certain Merithra.
The daughter of Ysera: Merithra carries the title < Daughter of Ysera > and thus seems to want to follow in her mother’s footsteps, who was once the guardian of the Emerald Dream. In this dream, there are numerous problems, as it is currently being overrun by Void creatures. Players assist Merithra in cleansing the dream.
Merithra is Ysera’s daughter.
A hidden detail: Those who pay close attention can discover an important detail in the Emerald Dream. Inside a hollow tree, shadowy roots can be seen. These roots are exactly where players in the raid “Emerald Nightmare” could find a “Remnant of the Void”.
Back then, shadow priests could interact with this and receive a small voice line from their blade Xal’atath. The Remnant of the Void can now be looted, but it serves no purpose in the inventory – at least none that would be immediately obvious. Another riddle of World of Warcraft seems to be brewing here.
The Remnant of the Void has taken root in the Emerald Dream…
The spirit of Ysera is missing: Merithra also explains during the quest line that the spirit of Ysera cannot be found anywhere in the Emerald Dream. No one knows where the essence of the green dragon is located. While in the raid “Emerald Nightmare,” Ysera’s spirit could be seen – she came from exactly the tree where the Remnant of the Void can now be found.
After that, we return to Magni with a new essence and Merithra in tow.
Attack of the Twilight Dragons
The next step of the quest is only available when the Heart of Azeroth reaches level 58. Kalecgos tasks the player with traveling to the Shadowlands. There is a meeting with the red dragons – the Life Binder Alexstrasza is also present.
Alexstrasza must be rescued: When we arrive, the Crimson Refuge, a large encampment of the red dragons, is under siege. The Twilight Dragons are back, and Vexiona, one of their leaders, wants to corrupt all the red dragons and lead them to the Twilight.
Vexiona appears to be under a dark influence (probably from the Void or N’Zoth), as she reveals some of her plans:
“Behold the future of all dragonflights. United. You will see the truth that I have seen, sister.”
“Your pitiful dragonflights will fall. If you will not serve the master, I will find someone who will!”
Thanks to the help of the player and Kalecgos, it is possible to repel the attack and save the red dragons. Afterwards, Alexstrasza also comes to the Heart chamber.
Where do the Twilight Dragons come from? Why the Twilight Dragons are still alive and regaining strength is still somewhat unclear. After all, we killed the brood mothers in Cataclysm and largely eradicated the swarm. However, the quest line suggests that there is a huge clutch of Twilight eggs buried under Grim Batol, dug up by the troggs. Twilight dragons also appeared during island expeditions, which sparked speculation among players.
The Bronze Dragonflight is late again
At level 70 of the Heart of Azeroth, the final quest step is supposed to take place. Here, all representatives of the major dragonflights meet in the Heart chamber and lend their power to the Heart of Azeroth. This is supposed to happen through a “great in-game cinematic” that has not yet been implemented.
After the ritual, Chromie appears, a dragon of the Bronze Dragonflight. She likes to switch between timelines and is often active in both the past and future. As a small joke, she proudly states that she is “on time for something for the first time”.
Chromie is – once again – late. But that’s what you expect from her.
How the dragonflights will continue is still unclear. However, it seems obvious that the Twilight Dragons are once again being built up as a threat and that the other dragonflights are to take on a stronger role in the conflict. So far, they have had surprisingly little to do in Battle for Azeroth.
Are you looking forward to a reunion with Alexstrasza, Chromie, and co? Or should Blizzard have left the dragons alone after Cataclysm and Legion?
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This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Players have already tested the new patch 2.6.5 in Diablo 3 for Season 17. Now there is an update with changes. A Necromancer build is significantly buffed with this.
What’s new? Blizzard has now released revised patch notes for the new update 2.6.5. The original update was already tested by players on the test servers (PTR) in the past weeks.
The patch notes reveal several bug fixes for issues that players complained about in the forums. Additionally, the Inarius set has received a significant buff. Players say it will now be an extremely strong set for the Necromancer.
Why the patch is so important for the Necromancer: Among the new changes in patch 2.6.5 for Diablo 3 is an adjustment to the 6-piece set bonus of the Inarius’ Grace set for the Necromancer.
Bone Armor additionally creates a whirlwind of bones that deals 1,000% weapon damage to nearby enemies and increases the damage they take from the Necromancer by 10,000% (previously 3,750%).
This increase to 10,000% is celebrated by players. They have long thought that the bonus needed to be increased to make the set valuable again.
What fans are saying: On Reddit , user raptir writes:
Holy grace of the Inarius set. It makes it by far the strongest Necromancer set now.
The comments on YouTube show that fans have been waiting for the patch for a long time:
Can we all clap for the Inarius buffs? Finally?!
OMG! Inarius buff! I’m so happy, the season will be great.
Finally a bit of love for Inarius! It was long overdue.
Players are also mentioning that the Inarius set will be distributed in Haedrig’s Gift during Season 17. This means you can start quickly. Necromancer fans hope that these changes will remain in the patch and be implemented in Season 17 of Diablo.
What else is changing with patch 2.6.5 in Season 17?
Torment 14, 15, and 16 have been adjusted in terms of health points and damage from enemies to more closely match levels 65, 70, and 75 of the Greater Nephalem Rifts.
The rewards in Torment 14, 15, and 16 have been increased for infernal machines, organs, and greater rift keys.
Adjustments to items:
Akkhan’s Leniency has been nerfed again after the last PTR buffs. “Every enemy hit by Blessed Shield increases the skill damage by 30% to 35% for 3 seconds. Previously, the values were 75% to 100% (currently 15% to 20% on the live servers).
Chantodo’s Will: The damage of Wave of Destruction now scales with attack power. Earlier it was tested on the PTR that the ticks scale with attack power.
The Sin Seekers now also grant a damage buff of 250% to 300% to the Rapid Fire ability.
Wojahnni Storm increases the damage of Rapid Fire by 75% to 100% every half second while channeling (previously 60% to 75%). This stacks up to 30 times.
The complete patch notes and bug fixes for patch 2.6.5 can be found on the Diablo 3 website.
What do you think of the changes? Will you bring out the Necromancer again for Season 17?
In Destiny 2, you now have a better chance to get the new weapons of Season 6 in Gambit Prime and the Reckoning mode. We explain how and where you can effectively farm all these new guns.
The Season of the Wanderer has expanded the Guardians’ arsenal with 10 new weapons that can be obtained from the new modes of Reckoning and Gambit Prime. However, for a long time, it was not clear how to get some of these new guns. Additionally, the Update 2.2.1 brought some changes to the loot distribution in the two new modes. We summarize everything important for you.
Most of these weapons have been added to the Gambit Prime loot pool and can drop after matches in this mode. With a bit of luck, you can now essentially just get most of them while playing Gambit Prime. However, Guardians have the best chances for these weapons in Reckoning.
Farming in Reckoning – What you should pay attention to
Why in the Reckoning mode? After Update 2.2.1, every boss kill at level 2 or 3 in Reckoning can drop one of these weapons for you. Additionally, the drop chance now increases in Reckoning after each run without receiving one of these weapons – and with every further “unsuccessful” farming attempt until you finally get one of these guns.
Where to get which weapons? In Reckoning, the 10 weapons are divided into two different loot pools, which are determined by the specific boss of the encounter and rotate weekly accordingly. So each week you can earn only certain weapons.
If the boss is the manifestation of Oryx, you can get the following weapons from this final boss:
Hand Cannon “Notration”
Auto Rifle “Magenknurren” (Only at level 3)
Pulse Rifle “Überdauern”
Grenade Launcher “Weltuntergang” (Only at level 3)
Submachine Gun “Survival-Kit”
If it’s a sword boss, you have the chance to get the following guns:
Shotgun “Nur noch einer steht”
Sniper “Einziger Überlebender”
Pistol “Einsam”
Scout Rifle “Nachtwache”
Sword “Für den Fall der Fälle” (Only at level 3)
Most players recommend farming for the weapons at level 2 of Reckoning, as it is noticeably easier – unless you absolutely need the weapons that are only available at level 3.
That’s why it’s worth checking out Gambit Prime: Even if you can generally hunt the new weapons most effectively in Reckoning, you might also consider visiting the Gambit Prime mode. Because there, you can specifically aim for four of the 10 new weapons and obtain them with a bit of luck.
These are the weapons in question: Specifically, you can earn there
the Submachine Gun Survival-Kit
the Sniper Rifle Einziger Überlebender
Hand Cannon Notration
and the Shotgun Nur noch einer steht
. These four weapons come as curated versions – so with fixed, predefined perk sets and already as a masterwork of level 10 with a certain stat.
The four weapons are essentially tied to different types of medals, which means certain achievements within a match. If you meet the requirements and earn one of these 12 medals, you will receive a so-called Synth – the type of Synth and the possible weapon depend on the role you assume.
Each of the different Synth types is tied to one of the four roles of Gambit Prime and therefore requires certain actions. When you receive a Synth, you have the chance at the end of the match for one of these weapons with Curated Rolls.
Note: In each match, you can only receive one of these Synths. So, you should play specifically as required for the medal of the respective Synth and for your desired weapon.
The Submachine Gun “Survival-Kit”: This weapon is tied to the role and medals of the Reaper. Earn these medals and you will be rewarded with a Reaper Synth:
Massacre: Quickly defeat 12 enemies with no more than 3 seconds between each kill
Thrillmonger: Defeat 40 enemies in one round without dying
Value Hunter: Defeat a high-ranking target. It’s enough to just shoot at this enemy if someone from your team finishes them off
If you receive the Reaper Synth, the curated SMG can drop at the end of the round.
The Hand Cannon “Notration”: This Hand Cannon is tied to the role and medals of the Collector. Earn these medals and you will be rewarded with a Collector Synth:
Fast Fill: Collect 15 particles quickly
Go Big or Go Home: Summon a huge blocker (20 particles)
Half-Banked: Load the bank at least halfway in a single round
If you earn the Collector Synth, the curated Hand Cannon can drop at the end of the round.
The Shotgun “Nur noch einer steht”: This pump shotgun is tied to the Guardian role and medals. Earn one of the following medals and you will be rewarded with a Guardian Synth:
Blockbuster: Take out three blockers with no more than three seconds between each kill
Locksmith: Defeat the last blocker at your team’s bank three times in one round
Not on My Watch: Take out an invader within 10 seconds after they appear – before they can eliminate a member of your team
If you receive the Collector Synth, you have a chance at the end of the round to get the curated version of the shotgun.
Sniper Rifle “Einziger Überlebender”: For the sniper, you need to take on the role of the invader and earn the corresponding medals. If you earn one of the following medals, you will be rewarded with a Guardian Synth:
Army of One: Eliminate all four opposing players as an invader during a single invasion
Bank Heist: Withdraw several particles from the opposite bank during a single invasion while being nearby
Denied!: Prevent enemies as an invader from withdrawing at least 10 particles by defeating opponents who are currently carrying particles
Fortnite: Battle Royale is planning a major patch with Update 8.5 that includes many bug fixes. Some players want something different.
What is bothering the fans? Since Update 8.2 and several subsequent patches, many Fortnite players are angry. There are a number of annoying bugs that are currently plaguing the game.
Therefore, Epic is now promising a major patch that is supposed to fix (almost) all problems.
This is planned for Patch 8.5
In the upcoming Update 8.5, Epic intends to first address the new bugs and thus restore order to the game. According to an Epic employee, among other things, the following will change:
Ghost Sound Bug Fix: This bug came with 8.3 and causes sounds to occur where no one is. This completely ruins the game for many players, as they expect and react to opponents, but no one is there. Epic says this bug will be fixed in 8.5.
Trap Glitch Bug Fix: Those who wanted to place spike traps on a wall ended up placing them in the middle thanks to this glitch. Moreover, it frequently happened that players moved around the traps without activating them. Here too, help is promised with 8.5.
Loot Fail Bug Fix: There seems to be a glitch where you swap weapons even though you only wanted to collect them. Conversely, it often occurs that you collect when you actually want to swap the weapon. They also want to make some changes here to fix the problem.
When does Update 8.5 come? It is expected that the patch with the bug fixes will be released on April 24, 2019.
What do players want more? However, the bugs from the last updates are not the only annoyance right now. Because Epic removed a number of features starting with 8.2 that players had grown fond of. Among other things, players are annoyed by the following:
There are no hit points regained after kills
Less material is collected
Resources are harder limited
Therefore, many players demand “Epic, revert Patch 8.2 and fix the bugs!” The latter will be addressed by Epic now, but the rollback of the patch does not seem to be on the agenda.
The World of Warcraft will feature several new areas with Patch 8.2. One of them is the gnome area Mechagon. Players have discovered an Easter egg from Overwatch in this new area on the PTR.
Who is in Mechagon? Players have found two unique NPCs while exploring Mechagon. These NPCs are the giant trogg Roadtrogg and the small gnome Junkbrat.
Roadtrogg wears a gas mask, leather armor, thick steel bracers, and wields a solid hook, while Junkbrat carries some sticks of dynamite on his chest, a grenade on his back, and a kind of grenade launcher in his hand.
The two characters are obviously a nod to Roadhog and Junkrat from Overwatch, Blizzard’s shooter.
Roadhog is a rather stout fellow, characterized by a huge hook that he uses to pull enemies towards him and a gas mask. Junkrat, on the other hand, is a somewhat crazy explosive fanatic, throwing grenades, mines, and bombs around.
With Junkertown, they fit well into the new area Mechagon, because like Mechagon, Junkertown is also full of junk and technology.
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What is Mechagon? Mechagon will be one of the new areas in the upcoming Patch 8.2 of World of Warcraft. It is meant to be a kind of farming area, similar to the Timeless Isle from Mists of Pandaria.
Mechagon is said to be full of secrets. At every corner, something is supposed to be discovered that isn’t obvious, like rare enemies or secret quests. One of these secrets seems to have already been discovered with the two heroes – an Overwatch Easter egg.
Otherwise, Mechagon will have plenty of grinding. This grind is something Cortyn is particularly looking forward to.
After the existence of a secret private server for the superhero MMORPG City of Heroes was revealed, a copycat followed. However, this was already shut down a few days after its launch due to legal reasons. But there seems to be hope.
Which server is it about? For six years, the private server SCORE (Secret Cabal Of Reverse Engineers) of the MMORPG City of Heroes (CoH) ran unnoticed and was only available to a few players before the matter was officially announced a few days ago.
There was a lot of criticism, as many CoH fans felt scammed. The community always prided itself on its solidarity, and after the MMORPG was discontinued in 2012, only selected fans were allowed to continue playing on the secret server. This upset many.
Subsequently, SCORE operator Leandro Pardini released the source code, which led to another server being opened. However, this one was already closed after only a few days.
Hope is the last to die
Why was the server closed? The reason given was that they were on a good path to a legal proceeding and wanted to protect families. It was a tough decision, but the risk was simply too great.
That’s why there is hope: The operators state that they are now looking for ways to continue the project in other ways.
The server on which the game previously ran is said to be gone and there apparently is no way to access its data anymore. However, the situation may not be as bleak as it currently seems. The team is working hard to solve the problem.
There seems to be some kind of backup that is now being checked. Perhaps this can be used to set up the server anew. However, it is unclear how this would then solve the legal situation.
A knee-jerk reaction
What is the problem? The private server of City of Heroes was operated without permission and apparently also without the knowledge of NCSoft, which still holds the rights to the MMORPG.
It is currently unclear how NCSoft will react to the whole situation. The current situation seems to be based purely on the panic of the operators, who preemptively took the server offline to avoid a lawsuit.
The team apologizes for this knee-jerk reaction and now wants to work on setting up a new server as soon as possible – hoping that NCSoft does not initiate legal action.
In the new raid Crucible of Storms from World of Warcraft, Shadow Priests are the kings of damage. But now Blizzard is taking the crown away from them: A nerf is announced for the next patch.
For almost a week now, the raid “Crucible of Storms” has been available in World of Warcraft. However, it has become clear over the Easter weekend that one class is leading ahead of all others.
The Shadow Priest dominates in the two boss fights of the Crucible and is far ahead in first place on the damage charts. This was even too much for Blizzard, so a nerf for the Shadow Priests is coming to tone them down to a healthy level.
Why were Shadow Priests so successful? The main reason for the Priests’ success lies in the fact that Shadow Priests benefit from fights against multiple targets like no other class.
They can then build their resource “Insanity” faster and distribute their DoTs much more effectively and keep them active on multiple enemies for longer. Since both fights in the Crucible of Storms take place against multiple enemies, this advantage was particularly pronounced.
This is how Blizzard wants to nerf: The developers see the problem primarily in an Azerite trait. The ability “Promising Spirits”, which increases the damage of Shadowy Apparitions by 100% and is stackable multiple times, will be reduced to 70%. This should lower the overall damage of Shadow Priests by several percentage points and bring them more “in line” with other classes.
The Shadowy Apparitions are the little “ghosts” that players can see in a fight, flying from the Shadow Priest to the enemies. The more enemies are affected by DoTs, the more ghosts appear.
This is how Blizzard justifies the nerf: Blizzard emphasizes that it is not about weakening specializations that can shine in certain situations. Every class has its strengths and fights in which it excels.
This time, however, the Shadow Priest is far above the tolerable level and therefore needs to be scaled down a bit.
It is a bit ironic that Shadow Priests dominate in the raid they are story-wise responsible for. After all, it was the Shadow Priests who carried Xal’atath in Legion. This very blade was responsible for opening the raid and has now lured the players into a trap.
The online shooter The Division 2 was released about a month ago and has already gone through quite a bit. Our author Schuhmann looks at where the game currently stands and gives an assessment of the situation.
These are the two phases of The Division 2: The previous course of The Division 2 can be divided into two phases:
The honeymoon period, in which (almost) everything was great – this lasted from the release on 15.3. to 5.4.
the current WR-5 phase, where many things are going well, but problems arise – this phase began on 5.4. with the first major update. The phase is expected to end in May when the raid goes live and the second major patch arrives, which will overhaul half the game
The April update brought Tidal Basin and the turning point for The Division 2.
This is how the honeymoon was: The release of The Division 2 went smoothly and without major issues. Many “core fans” from The Division 1 were thrilled by how Massive has further developed the cover shooter that they know so well.
The Division 2 felt complete and polished at release – especially compared to Anthem, which was released just a month before, The Division 2 had a lot to offer from day one.
some bugs and glitches were newly introduced with the patch
overall, the balance at World Rank 5 struggled in many areas – some talents are too weak, some weapon types are hardly used, Exotics play no role, and the special gear sets are practically useless
and it turned out that the “Dark Zone,” the PvP, is hardly visited
This is how Massive reacted: The developers of The Division 2 responded mainly with analysis and a “stop”:
With smaller updates, the most pressing issues were addressed – special ammo started dropping again
This is how The Division 2 currently stands: The honeymoon is over, and players are now aware of the difficulties.
The first patch was, in the eyes of many, more of a step back than a step forward. However, some see the current criticism of The Division 2 as “complaining on a high level”.
The mood around The Division 2 is still good, although not as euphoric as in the first weeks. The agents are currently in a waiting position, to see how the balance patch will unfold and how the raid will play.
Credit must be given to how well and confidently Massive has responded to the issues so far. The communication has been strong. Massive is clearly in tune with “The Division 2,” has addressed every problem and proposed solutions.
Now it will depend on how these problems are addressed in practice.
What’s next? The test server will run at least until May 2nd. The next major patch is not expected until May.
When exactly the major balance patch and the raid will come is currently still unknown.
In Fortnite: Battle Royale the season-ending event is entering its second round. This time, mysterious lasers have appeared, and players will likely need to align them together.
This has now been completed, and the rune has activated a kind of machinery. However, the big bunker still has four more devices for additional runes.
The new rune is here.
What we know about the laser rune
What happened next? Recently, a new rune appeared, which conveniently hovers over the bunker at Loot Lake this time. But so far, it does nothing. Instead, platforms have emerged at three additional locations that emit a kind of colored laser:
Volcano: Green laser
Hill north of Pleasant Park: Blue laser
Hill south of Shifty Shafts: Red laser
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What is the deal with the lasers? The lasers beam across the map and shift their alignment in seemingly random paths. Players can damage the lasers with pickaxes, which might relate to their movement. Thus, it may be that the lasers move whenever enough players have hit them worldwide.
The laser at Shifty Shafts.
A popular theory on Reddit suggests that the three lasers must all directly shine on the rune in Loot Lake for stage 2 of the puzzle to be completed.
What has been achieved so far? So far, a reaction has only been observed at one laser. The green beam at the volcano hit the rune and changed both its color intensity and its sound. So there seems to be some truth to the theory.
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EVE Online is often described as a niche game because it is not easy to get back into. CCP Games has now announced the active player numbers, and they look pretty good.
How many active players does EVE Online have? According to CCP Games CEO Hilmar Petursson, 300,000 players actively play the MMORPG every month. This is approximately the entire population of Iceland.
These are quite good numbers for an MMORPG, especially for one that focuses on PvP and does not cater to casual gamers due to its complexity.
EVE Online is not stagnating
Are there new players? According to Hilmar Petursson, it’s not just veterans playing. He says EVE Online is not stagnating, even though the MMO might give that impression. There is a very loyal fanbase that remains dedicated to the game for many years. However, new players also regularly find their way into the online game.
About 10,000 new players are expected to join each week. However, many of them do not stay for long. Therefore, CCP Games wants to gradually modernize the player experience.
What is the problem? The MMORPG is now 16 years old. The underlying technology shows signs of aging, especially during the mass battles that become a slideshow.
According to Hilmar Petursson, it was never planned for 5,000 or 6,000 players to be involved in a single battle. This only developed over the years as player-led organizations emerged and wars broke out.
Hilmar Petursson explains that 5,000 concurrent players are just about acceptable, but 6,000 already exceeds the limit.
https://youtu.be/5bMb68y2mv4
What is being done about this problem? CCP Games wants to improve EVE. To this end, the company briefly collaborated with the startup Hadean to jointly enhance this experience. However, this was only an experiment, with more to follow until a way is found to offer a modern EVE.
There can be no EVE Online 2
What does the future hold? Hilmar Petursson compares working on EVE Online to building and managing an entire city. That is why it is not easy for CCP Games to work on further EVE games, such as the online shooter Project Nova. Taking care of a city and ensuring it runs is already difficult enough.
Building a second city and connecting both is even harder. For this reason, there can also be no EVE Online 2. The “city” must run and continue to develop.
The premium Raid Passes, on the right of the picture, can now be deleted.
It sounds strange that someone would want to voluntarily delete such an item. After all, you don’t get it for free.
Here is why players want to delete the Raid Passes: Raid Passes are often received in offer boxes. So if you like to hatch eggs, you buy such a box and also receive Raid Passes.
But if you hardly do any raiding, you don’t use these passes and they accumulate in the bag. Now you can delete them and clear your bag again. So if you hardly raid, you can now empty your bag.
What do the players say about this: On Twitter, the user “TheLateGreatZK” shows a picture of his over 600 Raid Passes and writes: “Because so many people have asked why you would want to delete your Raid Passes. This is the reason: You buy boxes for other items and end up with Raid Passes that fill your bag!”
Many players are happy about this feature
“Pycrow” writes on Reddit: “My friend, who regularly buys boxes in the shop, but cannot raid because he lives in the countryside, will love this feature!”
What do the critics say? Some players do not understand why one would want to delete Raid Passes and find the function useless.
As “shilaluddin” writes on Twitter: “I pay for my Raid Passes, so why should I delete them??”
You should keep an eye out for Scyther, because the shiny rate is higher:
The developers at Treyarch have revealed when one of the most popular modes – “Hot Pursuit” for Blackout – will finally return in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4.
What is the return of Hot Pursuit about? When Treyarch unexpectedly removed the “Hot Pursuit” mode from Blackout in early April without announcement, there was a huge uproar among fans.
Many could not understand this step and demanded the swift return of Hot Pursuit. For many, it was one of the most popular modes, which was also advertised as a seasonal highlight for “Blackout“.
Treyarch yielded and brought the mode back, but shortly removed it again – much to the anger and confusion of many fans, who vented their frustrations again on Reddit. Now Treyarch has responded more quickly, and the return of the popular mode is imminent.
When is Hot Pursuit supposed to return? In one of the latest Reddit posts, where fans demanded the return of this format, the official Treyarch account spoke up yesterday, on April 22, and announced that the Hot Pursuit mode will make its return on Tuesday, April 23, in Blackout.
No specific time was given, but it’s reasonable to expect it around 7 PM our time. This is the usual time for new updates and content in Black Ops 4.
How long you can enjoy Hot Pursuit is unclear. Currently, this mode rotates with other limited-time formats. However, more and more fans are calling for a permanent stay. Whether and how the developers will respond to this criticism and demands remains to be seen.
Why was Hot Pursuit removed in the first place? Few fans could comprehend the removal of this popular game mode. Some players speculated that it might have been an attempt to force players onto the new Alcatraz map of Blackout. However, this map was too small for Hot Pursuit. Treyarch did not explain this step.
What is Hot Pursuit? The special mode “Hot Pursuit” was introduced with the Operation Grand Heist.
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In Black Ops 4: Blackout, you can chase supply drops with high-tier loot or cash in the style of cops and robbers using fast muscle cars.
Other players could use police cars to spot their opponents more quickly. During the “cops and robbers” gameplay, wild shootouts occurred from the cars.
The massive gaming market in China has been stagnating for months. New regulations have now been issued that games must adhere to if they want a license for China. It seems the government is tightening the reins.
That has long been the situation: For many years, China was regarded as an untouched “goldmine” for western game developers. A vast market waiting to be tapped.
However, to make money with games in China, one needs a “license” issued by a Chinese government agency. It hasn’t been entirely clear what the rules are for granting this license.
It was long the practice for western companies to seek a Chinese partner to obtain such a license:
For instance, Blizzard partnered with NetEase and altered games like Diablo 3 or WoW to obtain a license
Developers are encouraged to portray Chinese values and culture in a way that casts China in a favorable light. This is apparently to ensure that China comes across well when the game becomes an international success.
Why is China doing this? According to Feng Shixin, the Deputy Director of the “Publishing Bureau of the Central Propaganda Department”, online games in China generate 30 billion US dollars a year. China has 600 million players. (via Venturebeat)
The gaming industry has grown so rapidly that the country’s regulations could not keep pace.
What impact will the new rules have? Experts believe that the limit on the approval of new games will hit especially “smaller studios” in China hard, which are not yet established in the market.
Smaller studios may also struggle to adapt to the new rules. They might find it challenging to implement “anti-addiction measures” as Tencent has already done.
Many teams without financial backing have already been killed by the months-long halt, as Asian expert Daniel Ahmad told Techcrunch .
Western firms believed that the large Chinese companies had so much influence over the government that they were safe from trouble when collaborating with them. After all, they were part of the committees.
There was also concern that children could become addicted. Particularly “Arena of Valor,” a mobile version of LoL, made headline news in China for people completely succumbing to their gaming addiction, like a form of digital opium.
These are the new rules: By now, nine months later, the Chinese government agency has introduced a new process for approving games. It is clear that they are tightening the reins:
It is said that they want to control the number of newly approved games
Fewer variations of poker and Mahjong are supposed to go online – in 2017, 37% of the 8,561 approved games were variations of poker and Mahjong
Additionally, there should be new “anti-addiction measures” – These will limit how much time and money one can spend on games
Browser games must now be approved just like other games
The new “Online and Gaming” committee will decide whether games meet China’s “social values”
Blood will be completely banned – it is no longer sufficient to just change the color
Corpses may no longer be displayed
Games may not deal with the imperial history of China – this apparently concerns two genres “gongdou,” intrigue in the harem, and “guandou,” palace intrigue. Both are popular settings in China that appear in TV series (via techcrunch) – this relates to sex and corruption in politics, which is something China does not want.
The registration process will be more specific. Companies will need to submit more and detailed information about their game in advance
Developers are encouraged to portray Chinese values and culture in a way that casts China in a favorable light. This is apparently to ensure that China comes across well when the game becomes an international success.
Why is China doing this? According to Feng Shixin, the Deputy Director of the “Publishing Bureau of the Central Propaganda Department”, online games in China generate 30 billion US dollars a year. China has 600 million players. (via Venturebeat)
The gaming industry has grown so rapidly that the country’s regulations could not keep pace.
What impact will the new rules have? Experts believe that the limit on the approval of new games will hit especially “smaller studios” in China hard, which are not yet established in the market.
Smaller studios may also struggle to adapt to the new rules. They might find it challenging to implement “anti-addiction measures” as Tencent has already done.
Many teams without financial backing have already been killed by the months-long halt, as Asian expert Daniel Ahmad told Techcrunch .
Developer Bioware has announced that the new patch for Anthem including Stronghold is set to be released today, April 23. The server status for Anthem will be offline during maintenance. Here’s what’s in the update.
This is what Bioware announced: Recently, Global Community Lead Andrew Johnson announced that Anthem will receive a new update.
Here’s what you need to know about the patch and the maintenance.
An Interceptor in action
No patch notes yet, all about the server maintenance
When will the update be released? The patch is expected to go online after server maintenance on April 23.
When will the servers be offline? The maintenance is scheduled to run from 14:00 to 19:00.
By around 19:00, we should be able to play Anthem again.
What’s in the update? In addition to the new Stronghold The Sunken Cell, there will also be some bug fixes and “other improvements”. The patch notes will be released later today.
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Lineage is one of the oldest and most successful MMORPGs – at least in Asia. Since 1998, a subscription has been required to play. However, this will change soon.
What is Lineage? The MMORPG Lineage was launched in 1998 and developed by Jake Song, who is now working on ArcheAge. The enormous success of the classic online role-playing game helped NCSoft to start its victorious march on the market. Lineage was the first MMORPG to reach more than one million subscribers.
Even today, the game is still so popular in South Korea that it generates significant revenue for NCSoft every quarter.
It is a fairly classic MMORPG where you set out with friends to hunt monsters and improve your character over time.
The conquest of castles plays a significant role, as it allows control over the fortress and the ability to set prices for items in the region.
It is played from a 2D isometric perspective, similar to Diablo 3.
The veteran Lineage is still extremely popular in Asia today, much more so than many AAA MMOs.
What is changing now? As NCSoft announced, Lineage will switch its business model from subscription to Free2Play.
When will the switch happen? Starting on May 2, the MMORPG will be available in Korea as a Free2Play game.
Why is it being switched? In March, a remastered version of Lineage was released in South Korea. This brought higher resolution textures and other modernizations. However, to make the game more modern and aligned with today’s player habits, the payment model must now also be adjusted.
Free2Play as a business model is significantly more widespread in Asia than the subscription model. The new version of Lineage is expected to adapt accordingly.
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What special features does this switch offer? Just about six months ago, NCSoft stated that Lineage would not switch to a Free2Play model. However, it is now happening.
It is said that the sale of in-game items will bring NCSoft at least as much money as the subscription. For example, an EXP booster called Einhasad’s Favor has been announced, which analysts believe will ensure that NCSoft does not miss the subscription revenue.
How are players reacting? Here, Lineage actually plays hardly any role. In the USA and Europe, it is not officially playable. However, there are some fans of the MMORPG who are also happy about the remaster, but the switch to Free2Play is hardly a topic in the West.
Lineage 2 is a bigger topic since there are also official “Western” servers for this MMORPG.
