Funcom has entered into a new partnership, from which at least three new games are expected to emerge. All of them are set in the sci-fi universe of DUNE. One of them even sounds like an MMO.
This was announced: In a press release, Funcom announced the collaboration with Legendary Studios. The partnership lasts for six years. At least three games are expected to be developed for PC and console.
That’s why it sounds like a new MMO is coming: One of the mentioned games is set to be an “Open World Multiplayer”.
This already sounds for many fans like the MMO specialist Funcom is ready to venture back into a proper MMO after the success of the survival game Conan Exiles in 2017.
Conan Exiles, the salvation for Funcom.
There are indications that Funcom has already announced or is developing several other games:
A title with “Funcom IP” from Rocket Pocket for Halloween 2019 was mentioned
After Conan Exiles rescued the studio in 2018, things seem to be looking up. Since all other previously known games are not MMOs, it is quite possible that the new DUNE “Open World Multiplayer” will become an MMO.
At least this game is being emphasized.
Even after the success of Conan Exiles, Funcom is working on more titles.
When will the games be released? No exact date has been mentioned yet. However, the press release states that the multiplayer is supposed to enter pre-production “still in 2019”. The title is being produced by Funcom Oslo.
Since a remake of the film classic DUNE is planned for 2020, a date around the release or shortly after the film sounds plausible.
The Dune series is a six-part novel cycle that was published between 1965 and 1985. In addition to the two original trilogies, there are numerous spin-offs set in the universe of Dune.
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In addition to the announcement, Funcom has published a quarterly report for Q4 2018. According to it, 2018 was the most successful year ever for Funcom.
Revenue was 46% higher than in 2017 and profits were the highest Funcom has ever achieved. Thus, the foundation for a DUNE MMO looks solid.
A new patch has been deployed on the test server of Overwatch (PTR). The new patch introduces the new hero Baptiste and several other changes to many heroes and the way damage is dealt. We take a look at the PTR patch notes and Baptiste’s abilities.
Who is Baptiste? Baptiste is a new healer/DPS hybrid that Blizzard recently introduced with a background video. He fills the role of an offensive healer with aggressive abilities and has the capacity to make his teammates invulnerable.
The patch for Baptiste on the PTR is already live, but it can currently only be played on PC. However, Baptiste’s appearance has nothing to do with the new map Paris, as some fans assumed.
These are the skills of Baptiste in Overwatch
This is what Baptiste can do: His abilities revolve around a balance between damage and healing, similar to what has been the case with Moira and Ana:
Biotic Launcher (Weapon): The standard attacks of the Biotic Launcher fire three shots in quick succession. The Biotic Launcher is a type of pulse rifle with 45 shots. With the alternate fire mode, Baptiste shoots small healing grenades, of which he can carry 10.
Regenerative Burst (Shift): Heals Baptiste and surrounding allies over a short period.
Amplification Matrix (Ultimate Ability, Q): Creates a small field that amplifies all projectiles from allies. Every projectile that passes through the matrix deals double damage or healing.
PTR patch from February 26 – The patch notes
Changes to damage: In addition to the new hero Baptiste, other changes have been made in Overwatch. Among other things, many types of damage have been adjusted:
Damage boosts are now calculated when a projectile is fired, not when it hits.
Knockbacks are now more consistent and flying characters can be slowed down and knocked back.
The armor of Brigitte is one of the reasons for the change.
PTR patch buffs some heroes, nerfs Ana
Changes to the heroes: Many heroes have received minor adjustments. Ana has been slightly nerfed and heals less. Many other heroes have received a buff:
Doomfist has less cooldown on his abilities
Hanzo can reveal enemies over a larger radius
Widowmaker can now see health bars with her ultimate
Mei does more damage with her blaster, but her ice wall has fewer hit points
Moira now heals more with her standard healing
Soldier: 76 deals more damage, can shoot faster after sprinting, and his tactical visor now also targets objects like Junkrat’s remote bombs
In the next 2 days, shiny hunters should definitely play Pokémon GO. The new event might give you a chance to catch 4 new shinies in the wild.
Here’s why it’s so good: Niantic has announced an event in Pokémon GO around Pokémon Day. In this event, there is a chance to catch shiny Pidgey and Rattata for the first time. Additionally, there are Eevee and Pikachu with flower crowns, which may also be shiny.
You should hurry: The event, where the Pokémon will appear more frequently, starts today at 10 PM. However, it ends in just 2 days, on February 28. So the opportunity is limited.
We will show you all the possible shinies and tell you how you can best search for the shimmering monsters.
Shiny Pidgey and Shiny Rattata
What do the shinies look like? For shiny Pidgey, you need to look closely, as the Pokémon is only slightly lighter than its normal form. For shiny Rattata, it’s a bit more obvious. This shiny form is significantly paler than the normal Rattata.
The shinies of Pidgey and Rattata
Here’s why you should catch them now: The event only lasts for two days and ends already on February 28 at 10 PM. After that, Pidgey and Rattata will become significantly rarer again. In November, Pidgeys were already so rare that many trainers requested more spawns.
Pikachu and Eevee with flower crowns
What we know so far: Currently, Niantic has only announced the two Pokémon with special flower crowns. They haven’t said anything about a possible shiny yet.
This is what the shinies with flower crowns look like.
The likelihood of a shiny: Looking at previous events with Pikachu and its hats, it is quite possible that these special Eevee and Pikachu can also be found shiny.
For instance, there has already been a shiny Pikachu with a witch hat and a party hat. A shiny Pikachu with a flower crown is therefore not out of the question. We will see this at the start of the event.
Pikachu with a party hat has also been available as shiny.
Here’s why you should catch them now: As before, Pokémon with special headgear can only be caught during limited events. Once the event ends on February 28, you won’t see the flower crown Pokémon again anytime soon. It is therefore advisable to keep an eye out for these monsters now.
How to have the best chance at shinies
To increase your chance of shinies, we have a few tips for you. They don’t guarantee a shiny, but they increase your chance by allowing you to click more Pokémon.
Such clusterspawns can be found in every city
Visit large clusterspawns, as the chance of encountering a potential shiny is highest there.
Plan a good route for yourself, as it’s not worth being at the same spot multiple times in half an hour.
Check the Nearby list. If you see several potential shinies at a PokéStop, deviate from your route and visit that stop.
Do the shiny check. Click on potential shinies, and if it’s not one, you can flee. While catching, you might miss another Pokémon that could be shiny.
Don’t get discouraged, as shinies are rare in the wild. The likelihood is 1 in 450. So, statistically, you need to click a lot of Pokémon for a shiny.
A new trailer for the Wrathstone DLC for the MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online has now been released. The trailer showcases epic battles and promises an engaging story.
You do not see the dragon itself, but you can already hear it breathing heavily.
We will show you the trailer and present the first reactions from the fans.
Watch the trailer for the new DLC here
Bethesda has uploaded the trailer for the Wrathstone DLC on YouTube and Facebook. It aims to excite players for the Season of the Dragon, which has now begun:
PC players can already start the expansion.
Console players on PS4 and Xbox One will have to wait a little longer. They will start on March 12th.
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In the trailer, you can also hear the loud exhale of a large monster; it sounds like a dragon. This creature is still hidden behind a large door.
A glimpse from the new trailer
How fans are reacting: The trailer is receiving mostly positive feedback. For example, Yoshi H. writes on Facebook: “The Dwemer boss is awesome! The extra mechanics are fun and not too difficult.”
Today, on February 26, an update for Red Dead Online, the multiplayer mode of Red Dead Redemption 2, was released. This brings new weapons and daily tasks. We look at the reactions of the fans.
How is Red Dead Online doing currently? The online mode is still in a beta phase. This started in November and is currently still being improved. There is no end to the beta phase in sight. Now there has been a bigger update that players have received with mixed feelings.
What do players say about the new update?
We have taken a closer look at the mood on Reddit, after the latest update, and show what players like and what is not well received.
This is well received: Some are happy that there are finally new contents for the online mode. Especially the methods against griefers give hope.
The most important thing I saw is that you can now sell heron feathers at the butcher.
It has also been praised that a bug with fish baits has been fixed. Some that were bought from the catalog could previously not be used due to a bug. That has now changed.
Arthur is still skeptical about the new update
An important weapon is missing
Shortly after the update, players noticed that a particularly important weapon has not yet been unlocked: Evans Repeater.
This is poorly received: Player Detective–Phelps- writes: “Lol, there is a daily challenge to achieve 5 kills with Evans Repeater, but that [rifle] is not even in the game yet.”
Player desmondao writes: “Damn. Why do you promise us all this stuff on the 26th and then make the 26th just a start for a larger content drop? […] Great job. Delaying Evans Repeater by a week but bringing the daily challenge today, LOL.”
In general, players complain that contents like clothing, game modes or weapons are actually “finished”, but are only unlocked in small pieces in the game. And not, as hoped, everything is implemented on the day of the update.
Contents of the February update
The update brings new gameplay, weapons, clothing, balancing and improvements based on community feedback. However, some of the contents are currently not yet released.
The new game mode Jester Gold
Gameplay
Daily challenges: Every day you can complete these tasks to earn XP and gold nuggets. If you complete all seven, there is an additional reward.
Jester Gold: A new free-roam event where players compete for a golden armor.
Horse target racing: New horse races where riders must shoot at targets. However, you only have limited ammunition.
Fishing challenges: Compete with other players in fishing. The one who catches the highest total weight wins.
New showdown modes: The three modes Up in Smoke, Spoils of War and Plunder will be available soon. They are currently not yet unlocked.
Weapons: You can buy these new weapons through the Wheeler-&-Rawson catalog and at local gunsmiths once they are unlocked.
Rare Shotgun: A double-barreled long weapon
Evans Repeater: A high-capacity rifle, particularly effective at medium and long ranges
Here you can see the new weapons
Measures against griefers: Since the release of the online mode, griefers have been a problem that parts of the community have repeatedly encountered. Now there are a few improvements.
Player markers are no longer visible at greater distances
Aggressive players are marked on the map with a dark marker
In Destiny 2 today, on February 26th, is the Weekly Reset – for the last time in Season 5. The weekly activities are rotating. There is a new Flashpoint, fresh Nightfall strikes, and challenges.
Only one week left until Season 6 – the Season of the Vagabond in Destiny 2 starts on March 5th. However, the last week of the current season should still be exciting.
Because there are still virtually no official details about what Guardians can expect in the new season starting in March. Bungie has also been tight-lipped about the second premium DLC 2 “The Joker’s Wildcard”.
Nightfall Strikes from February 26th on PS4, Xbox One, and PC
This week, Destiny 2 offers you the following three Nightfall strikes:
Guardians of Nothing
The Twisted Tower
Alien Terrain
For this task, the game recommends a power level of at least 540. However, if you are in a team, the Nightfall strikes can also be completed at lower levels.
You can also customize your Nightfall experience with a challenge card according to your needs through various optional modifiers.
Coordinate your equipment in advance. Because the respective loadout will be locked for the duration of the Nightfall strike.
Here’s how to get powerful loot from the Nightfall strikes:
Complete one Nightfall
Complete the Nightfall with at least 100,000 points
Strikes and Story Missions
For the heroic story missions the following modifiers apply:
Arc Burn
Blackout: Enemy melee attacks are significantly stronger, and the radar is disabled
Grenadier: Grenade abilities deal more damage and recharge much faster
In the Vanguard Strikes the modifiers are identical. The burn element remains active until the next reset on March 5th. The other two modifiers rotate daily.
Here’s how to get powerful loot from Vanguard Strikes and heroic missions:
Complete 3 heroic story missions
Complete 3 heroic strikes with a focus of the same light element as a member of your fireteam
Crucible Activities and Gambit
This week, you have the following activities to choose from in PvP:
Quickplay
Competitive
Rumble
Lockdown
Private Match
In Gambit, triple Recklessness points are available from February 26th to March 5th.
Here’s how to get powerful loot in PvP and Gambit:
Participate in 5 Crucible matches
Participate in 3 Gambit matches
Escalation Protocol
In the Escalation Protocol, you might be able to get the following weapon this week:
The Flashpoint is located on Mercury this week. If you master the marked heroic adventure there, you will receive powerful loot.
A powerful reward from Ikora Rey is available for completing 20 random bounties.
Upon reaching 5,000 Clan XP, you will receive a powerful item from Hawthorne. As a clan member, you can grab two additional powerful gear pieces from the weekly raid challenges “Strength of Remembrance” and “One for All, All for One.”
The Vagabond offers a powerful item when you successfully complete the weekly bounty “In the Mill.”
Ada-1 has the following powerful weapon forms available for you this week:
Bow
Hand Cannon
Auto Rifle
Petra Venj is located at the Pavilion in the “The Shore” area. For completing a mission and the Ascendant challenge, as well as 8 daily bounties, you will receive a powerful gear piece from her. This week the 2nd Ascendant Challenge is active.
You will receive the weekly bounty “Grave Tide Summoner” from Spider . If successful, you’ll get a powerful item.
Your loadout for the prestige raid sections in the Leviathan raid:
a kinetic Hand Cannon
a Sniper Rifle in the energy slot
any Power weapon
Modifier: Prism
The raid challenge takes place in the Royal Baths.
This week’s highlights in Eververse:
a weapon ornament for the MIDA Multi-Tool
a cosmetic ornament for the Hunter’s Raiden Flux chest piece
The action RPG Anthem currently stands at 60 points on Metacritic after initial tests and reviews. Analyst Michael Pachter has a bold explanation for this: According to him, Anthem was tested on PC but is simply not a PC game.
Reviewers praise the gameplay and acknowledge that it offers a lot of potential. However, they criticize the game’s story and point to a variety of bugs. The campaign lacks flow, the story lacks emotion, and the game is overall still not polished, according to the consensus of the press.
One of the 3 quest NPCs for side missions: Sentinel Brin – she really hates Skar
Early release for PC was the mistake
This is what the analyst says: Analyst Michael Pachter works for Wedbush Securities. In a conversation with the influential business site CNBC he explains his perspective and how Anthem could affect EA’s stock price.
According to him, EA made a mistake by allowing reviews of Anthem on PC that came out so early.
Because of Origin Access Prime, PC players were able to play a week before the actual release and write reviews, which were then already available at the console release on February 22.
Pachter says:
“In my personal evaluation, Anthem is simply not a PC game – There is flying in the game and when you control a flying hero, it’s like driving a car: the controls just don’t work well on PC, but they work perfectly on video game consoles.”
Michael Pachter to CNBC
Pachter estimates that the console version of Anthem will be rated about 10 points higher than the PC version.
According to Pachter, such a higher value would still be “bad, but not a disaster.”
Ironically, flying is supposed to be Anthem’s Achilles’ heel on PC.
The press also explicitly praises the gameplay and flying through the world, but had other points of criticism that have nothing to do with the controls.
Pachter’s idea that Anthem is not a PC game, but rather made for consoles, is quite interesting and plausible. However, basing the thesis on flying seems problematic.
Long loading screens were a point of criticism from many testers.
This is what other analysts say: Various analysts are mentioned on the business site CNBC who share their assessment of how Anthem could affect Electronic Arts’ stock price.
Guilherme Fernandes (Newzoo) believes that the negative reviews are not a cause for concern for investors. They should consider that not every new game will be a hit like Apex Legends. Most of EA’s revenue, after all, comes from the extremely popular annual releases of sports titles.
Piers Harding-Rolls (ISH Market) had already said before the release that introducing any new franchise represents a significant risk.
Actually, it is just a harmless micro-holiday in World of Warcraft. But behind the “Great Style Check” are the machinations of a sinister character.
Micro-holidays in World of Warcraft are actually of little significance. They are small gimmicks that often last only one day and highlight small aspects of the game world. However, “The Great Style Check,” where characters must show off their best transmogs, has a dark secret. The Astral “Shadreen” appears in other places in the game.
Shadreen, the Sinister Astral
Shadreen, an Astral touched by the Void, appears in several places in the game. So far, she has been mentioned in three different locations or can even be encountered.
Shadreen at the Great Style Check: At the end of a style check, after the winners have been announced, Shadreen appears in rare cases. She is an Astral, like one encountered on Argus (similar to the Spacefarer).
Shadreen – the dark Astral appears multiple times in the game.
She approaches the organizers of the style check and engages in a brief dialogue:
Shadreen: “Have you gathered the information that I need?” Nastasia Schönschau: “Yes, here are the results.” Shadreen: “… you did well. My master will be pleased with this.”
This dialogue may seem insignificant, but it raises the question of what kind of “master” Shadreen could serve. Most Astrals do not have a master, but at most, princes. However, creatures that are associated with the Void often speak of “masters” – frequently ancient gods or other entities of the Void.
Shadreen in the Telogrus Rift: Those playing on the Alliance side may have already found Shadreen elsewhere. She can be found in the area “Telogrus Rift,” the starting area of the Void Elves. The rift is a remnant of an ancient planet that was destroyed by the Void.
But here, Shadreen is not just standing among the NPCs – she appears on an island that can only be reached with a Goblin Glider and is actually not accessible. Even more interesting: She only appears every ten minutes for a few seconds.
Shadreen in the Telogrus Rift – ominously observing. – Image source: wowhead
Shadreen is also located outside the “safe” area of the Telogrus Rift. Other NPCs warn against crossing these boundaries because “whoever crosses this boundary will be swallowed by the shadows.”
This raises the question of whether Shadreen was swallowed by the shadow or is part of the aforementioned shadow. After all, Shadreen also carries the title <The Assessor>. But what does she assess and for which master?
Shadreen in Patch 8.1.5: In the upcoming Update 8.1.5, Shadreen is involved in a longer quest line. For the Brawler’s Guild, you need to solve a murder case and find out at the very end that Shadreen is behind the murders. She has made another Astral, Xan-Sallish with the title <Blade of the Assessor> capture Bizmo and impersonate him (the operator of the Brawler’s Guild).
When players kill Xan-Sallish, they receive a mysterious letter written by Shadreen, which translates to the following:
You are my eyes when my eyes are elsewhere. See everything. Remember, hold tight, report. How they move, how they fight, their choice of armor, their weapon preferences. Do not miss any detail.
Pay special attention to the heroes, the champions, those who shape destiny. Observe from afar. If you are close, intervene if you deem it necessary.
Do not disappoint me, Xan-Sallish. Know that I have my eyes on you as well.
Shadreen
In the same quest line, we also learn that an invisible creature within the Brawler’s Guild is devouring the souls of the fallen fighters. This creature named Zkohl’krothaa has the model of Yogg-Saron and is clearly an entity of the Void.
This creature lurks in the Brawler’s Guild and consumes the souls of the fallen. – Image source: wowhead
Theories about Shadreen – A Deceiver Among the Mortal Races
What exactly all these incidents with Shadreen mean is material for much speculation. The most common theory is that Shadreen is trying to infiltrate the mortal races of Azeroth for her master. This is why she is interested in the Great Style Check and receives a lot of information about how the various races of Azeroth dress to look appealing.
That she has already begun to “exchange” individual individuals for Astrals is shown in the quest line surrounding Bizmo and the Brawler’s Guild in Patch 8.1.5.
That the Blood Elves willingly provide her with all information during the Great Style Check suggests that Nastasia Schönschau may also be an Astral in disguise and has been deployed by Shadreen.
Other theories suggest that Shadreen mainly wants to weaken the Alliance from within. This is why she observes how the Void Elves are integrated into the Alliance and how the Void finds a place in the otherwise light-oriented community. After all, the Void Elves are still considered a danger and, possibly with the help of powerful Void forces, could pose a significant problem within the Alliance.
One thing is clear: Blizzard has more in store with Shadreen and the Astrals. Whether we will see this during the course of Battle for Azeroth or will have to wait for material for a later expansion remains to be seen.
What do you think of Shadreen and her machinations? Are they all just insignificant coincidences? Or is there a great plan of the Astrals and the forces of the Void behind it?
Another intriguing theory we had a few days ago, which goes in a similarly dark direction:
Fortnite just released the 3rd teaser image for Season 8. With this 3rd image, there is now certainty that something hidden has been decoded.
It won’t be long until Season 8 starts. This Thursday, it will begin, and the new chapter will commence. Until the start of this season, developer Epic Games keeps feeding fans with small teaser images.
This is the latest teaser: On Twitter, this text was posted along with an image:
Awaken beasts
from fire and ash
Fight them
and loot the treasure
Just 2 days until Season 8
German translation – Original in English on Twitter
This image was shared by Fortnite with its players – Teaser number 3
This is what the fans also found out: Already after the second teaser image, fans suspected that the total of four teasers would eventually form a skull image. They combined the already published images.
The 3 teaser images that have been released so far, combined
Now everyone is eagerly waiting to see what motif will appear on the fourth image.
What can be seen in teaser 3? Fans are still debating what exactly the animal in the third teaser image is supposed to represent. On Reddit many agree that it is at least some kind of tiger.
A player writes “What the hell is that supposed to be? A tiger?” and receives the reply “Yes, that’s exactly what it is.”
Others also see a dragon here and believe it could be a kind of tiger-dragon. Still, others compare it to the Pokémon Entei. “Entei confirmed for Fortnite,” writes MushroomBot.
This is the Pokémon Entei, which the tiger from Fortnite is compared to.
What does the teaser mean for Season 8? The image of a skull is slowly coming together, which fits well with the speculated pirate theme. It is unclear what Fortnite intends to do with this tiger. Player TheRDJ64 writes “I believe we will be fighting bosses. Also, I am totally ready if we get a similar battle like Fortnitemares .”
Everything we know so far about Season 8 in Fortnite:
The Javelins in Anthem actually play very differently. However, due to a bug, it is possible to mix various abilities or equip armor pieces from other suits.
What happens due to the bug? Currently, some players are reporting in the Anthem subreddit that they can equip their Javelin with armor pieces that are actually meant for other suits due to a glitch. It should also be possible for a class to suddenly use the abilities of one of the other Javelins.
For example, the freelancer Feefski posted a video of his Colossus, which was able to use the abilities of an Interceptor in the final battle of the Stronghold Mine against the Tyrant. In the video, you can see the bulky Colossus teleporting to the boss like an Interceptor, attacking him with invisible knives, and then raising the shield of his own class again.
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The player LemonKing attempted a mixture of Interceptor/Storm and made free play unsafe. The incredibly agile Interceptor can thus make use of the powerful elemental attacks of the Storm. Together with the melee attack of his own class, LemonKing’s Javelin becomes a one-man combo machine.
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How does the bug occur? The game seems to assume that users have equipped a Javelin when they are actually using another one. The bug seems to occur when players enter the forge multiple times.
Bug allows Javelin to wear other equipment: This glitch also enables other strange combinations. Players report that they can equip their Javelin with armor pieces that are actually intended for other classes.
In Pokémon GO you can now receive another reward in PvP mode. We show you a list of all the bonuses.
What rewards are available? In the PvP mode, both winners and losers receive numerous rewards for the battle. This includes, among other things, the Sinnoh Stone.
These bonuses have now increased. The first trainers report that they also received Technical Machines, or TMs, for a trainer battle.
To help you keep track of the rewards, we show you what new bonuses are coming your way.
These rewards are new in PvP
This is new: There are now both Quick and Charged TMs from the rewards. Trainers report that they received rewards from trainer battles and team leader battles.
A Charged TM
This is what TMs can do: With this item, you can teach your Pokémon new moves. This way, they get the best movesets and become strong attackers. Depending on which TM is used, you can change the Quick or Charged attack.
What other rewards are there? The list of rewards from PvP is quite manageable. Recently, special candies were added. Here you can see all the bonuses:
Stardust (between 300 and 1000)
Special Candies
Sinnoh Stones
Quick and Charged TMs
Which items you receive is random. It doesn’t matter whether you won or lost the battle. The reward is independent of this.
If you want to be more informed about the rewards, check out our December post. There we explain how the rewards are determined.
Farbeagle is here! We show you how to catch the Pokémon best:
On March 1, the Open Beta of The Division 2 will start. We summarize all important information regarding the start, download, and the content for you.
When does the Open Beta run? The Open Beta of The Division 2 starts on March 1 and ends on March 4 on PC, Xbox One, and PS4. All players can participate. The servers will be online from 10 AM.
Preload and download size: According to Ubisoft, the preload starts on February 28 at 10 AM, which is 24 hours before the start of the Open Beta.
If you still have the Private Beta client on your hard drive, you only need to install a beta patch. The update should already be available for all platforms.
The changes in the patch are extensive and are already being celebrated by fans. We have summarized the highlights of the patch notes for you.
How large is the download? The client should take up around 50 GB of storage, depending on the platform. So make sure you have enough hard drive space available.
As soon as the preload is available, the beta client should be available in the respective store for the various platforms:
Xbox Live
PSN
Uplay
Epic Games Store
What’s included in the Open Beta of The Division 2
These are the contents you can look forward to: All contents of the Private Beta are available in the Open Beta, along with numerous bug fixes and balance changes, and also new content:
3 main missions (one of which is new in the Open Beta)
In this scene from Fortnite , a grenade, a shockwave, and the hearty effort of a player come together.
What is it about? A video has been circulating on Reddit, shared by user shyyGun with the community. Within 12 hours, it has already received 32,000 thumbs up.
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What happens in the video? In the video, two players can be seen. At first, it seems that shyyGun (from whose perspective you see the video) intends to take out the other player. He aims at him with his sniper rifle. The opposing player spots him, but doesn’t shoot. He doesn’t show any weapons either.
Then shyyGun starts dancing, showing that he does not want to take out the opponent. The opponent comes out of cover and drops Ice grenades.
These grenades cause a recoil and freeze the opponents’ feet – this type of grenade does not deal damage.
Player shyyGun throws the grenade at the opponent but is pushed back himself and eventually slides with his icy feet over the edge of the map. He drifts down on his glider, alone. But when he looks up, the opponent reappears.
This is what makes the action special: The opponent does not simply watch from above as shyyGun falls to his death. Instead, he bravely throws himself down the abyss and activates the rift next to shyyGun, allowing both players to reappear unharmed at the surface and calmly glide onto the map. This saved his life.
This is how many viewers likely reacted when the opponent activated the rift
In the end, shyyGun drops his weapons from his inventory to the opponent and applauds in full respect for the strong action.
How Players React to the Video
On Reddit, the video is extremely popular and celebrated by many players. They write:
Dang, that was smooth! That’s how you find best friends online
All joking aside, he really reacted quickly
That was unexpected, cool clip
That was the best! Wow, you could have killed him, but in the end, he saved you!
Play duos with the guy. The rift had 195 IQ!
I really didn’t expect that
A player asks shyyGun who ultimately won. He replies: “It ended with both of us on a wooden floor over water. When the storm came, we waved goodbye with emotes and I edited us into death. That was real Romeo and Juliet stuff”
As a team, the two should really rock in Season 8. What we know so far:
In the world of Anthem, there are many different inhabitants. Among them are the colossal Titans. Here we show you where the locations for these powerful bosses are and how you can defeat them.
What are Titans? Titans are large bipedal giants that can be found as boss opponents in Freeplay. They possess an arsenal of various attacks, including wide-area fire explosions and laser attacks.
Titans have an almost impenetrable body armor and possess tons of hit points. Therefore, it is best to challenge these powerful creatures with a complete team. Fighting a Titan alone can quickly become frustrating.
In Freeplay, there are various locations where Titans can be found. Titans can be part of a World Event or can also randomly appear in the world.
Here you can find Titans in Freeplay
Here we show you a few places on your world map where you can encounter Titans:
In the center of the oasis east of Fort Tarsis
At the circular water basin southeast of Fort Tarsis
In the vicinity of the large Eddian tree
South of the Eddian tree near the river
Here’s why it’s worth defeating Titans
Since Titans appear relatively often and drop good rewards, it is worth defeating every Titan you come across.
If you weren’t lucky at a location to find a Titan, you can simply end the expedition and fly back to the desired location. With this method, you can even farm Titans on an easy difficulty level.
Here you can find Titans in World Events
If you are looking for a challenging fight against a Titan, you should keep an eye out for World Events. Titans are relatively rare as World Events, but they are among the most intense fights you can experience in Freeplay.
The area “Gorge of the Great Falls” is best suited, as many events can take place in this environment.
In the center of this area stands the massive, mushroom-shaped “Eddian Tree”
These are the weak points: The Titans have several weak points. These become vulnerable each time the Titan itself launches an attack. They include the two forearms, as well as small openings at the upper back end and in the middle of the torso.
When the weak points are attackable, they flicker in orange flames for a short time. If you shoot at them during this time, you deal increased critical damage.
When the forearms glow like this, it’s time to unleash fire!
Cover is important: When fighting a Titan, you should always stay near a massive object that offers you protection. Regardless of which Javelin you are using, Titan attacks can hit you suddenly and unexpectedly.
If you read the Titan’s movements correctly and get to safety early enough, you should be able to avoid most of its attacks.
Attacks: This is what Titans can do
In the following section, you will find a list of all attacks you can expect when fighting a Titan. These attacks are unique among the enemies of Anthem and challenge all your skills as a Javelin pilot.
Here’s an important tip: If you deal enough damage to the weak points before the Titan can complete its attack animation, you can even interrupt the upcoming attack. The Titan stumbles for a moment and occasionally drops ammunition or armor packs.
Abilities that deal high single-target damage, such as the Colossus’ railgun, are ideal for dealing enough damage in a short time.
Fire Rings
What does this attack do? In this attack, the Titan channels its power by touching the ground with its hand. It then creates several large rings of fire that spread widely from the Titan’s position. The burning rings usually appear at different heights.
If you are hit by a ring, you take significant fire damage and your Javelin overheats immediately. This results in you being unable to fly.
How should you respond? As soon as you see the Titan moving its hand towards the ground, you should quickly distance yourself from it. You need to pay close attention to the height at which the rings appear and react accordingly. Skilled Interceptor pilots can jump over the rings, while a Colossus should quickly gain altitude.
In general, you should be as high in the air as possible during this attack if you want to survive it unscathed. For this reason, Storm pilots have a significant advantage due to their long hover time during this attack.
Energy Spheres
What does this attack do? The Titan creates an explosive sphere out of nothing, which can appear at any possible point in the air or on the ground. These usually appear right next to your Javelin to catch you off guard.
Some Titans can also fire them as projectiles, with the energy spheres seeking their target and flying steadily towards you and your teammates.
How should you respond? With this attack, timing is everything. You need to dodge at the right moment to escape the explosion. Colossus pilots have it a bit harder with this attack because they don’t have a dodge maneuver. With the other three Javelins, you should wait until the sphere is almost upon you or almost explodes. Just before that, activate your dodge maneuver and quickly roll sideways.
Your double jumps give you a bit more distance and should be used in combination with your dodge maneuver.
Energy Beam
What does this attack do? This attack involves a glowing laser beam that originates from the Titan’s chest. This attack is usually aimed at a Javelin and tracks it until the energy beam ends. If you are hit by this beam, you suffer continuous heavy damage.
The important thing about this attack is that the Titan reveals its weak point on its chest as long as it is firing the energy beam.
How should you respond? As soon as you see the Titan leaning forward and channeling energy from the ground, you should immediately take cover and break the line of sight to the Titan. If the Titan cannot see you, it cannot hit you.
Once the laser is activated, at least one team member should step into the danger zone and deal as much damage as possible to its weak point. Because compared to its regular weak points, which are attackable more often, the Titan takes the most damage at its chest opening.
Elementals
What does this attack do? In this attack, the Titan summons several small elementals next to its feet. These so-called “Zinder Elementals” are independent enemies and look like small black clouds of energy.
They don’t have particularly many hit points, but they are highly explosive and pursue you quite aggressively.
How should you respond? You should eliminate these elemental creatures as quickly as possible as soon as you see them. Because if a few of them get too close to you, their combined explosions can cost you a lot of health very quickly.
Since these enemies react to combo attacks, the Storm provides an optimal defense strategy against the Zinder Elementals.
An Interceptor, on the other hand, should be a bit more cautious, as although the small clouds invite close combat, it is far from recommended to detonating them by doing so. We have a guide for you that will help you play the Interceptor a bit safer:
Although Titans are now relatively well-known, there is still very little information about where the Titans originally come from or what their exact goals are.
Some clues suggest that Titans are not native inhabitants of the world of Anthem. However, the Anthem of Creation most certainly has something to do with the appearance of these dangerous beings.
According to lore entry, new Titans continuously emerge in the playable stronghold “Heart of Rage”.
What a stronghold is, you’ll find out in our endgame guide.
Are you looking for more tips and tricks for Anthem? We have a comprehensive overview with various guides and assistance:
In addition to the missions and quests, there is also Freeplay in Anthem. We’ll tell you how the World Events work there and how you can find them in this article.
What is Freeplay?In Freeplay of Anthem, or “Free Play”, you can explore the map outside of Fort Tarsis without quests or missions. In Freeplay, you can go on expeditions with up to three friends or through matchmaking with random players.
Instead of missions, you will encounter World Events in Freeplay that require different approaches from you.
What are World Events? These are events that you will be informed about during your time in Freeplay. You can decide whether or not you want to participate in the activities.
In addition to the randomly appearing World Events in Freeplay, there are also limited-time events. You will be informed about these at the start of the game under “News.” You can also check the info at the table next to Owen in Fort Tarsis.
You will encounter Titans among other things in the World Events.
Finding World Events in Anthem – Map Shows Locations
Here you will find the events that you can encounter in Freeplay. In the Anthem subreddit, user del_tango has also created a map of the locations of events and Titans.
We will list the events in the original English with our German translation. The correct designation will be provided later.
Outlaw Gangs: Some outlaws attack an area. Defeat all enemies and the reinforcements that arrive gradually.
Find Corvus Agent: A Corvus agent has been killed nearby. You need to scan for the data and protect the area. Once you’ve found two data points, you must fight a boss to obtain the third file.
A map of the World Events in Anthem. Click on the image for a larger version. Source: Reddit
Rescue Corvus Agent: A Corvus agent is being attacked by Skorpedons. After that, either Dominion, outlaws, or Scars will appear. Protect the agent to complete the event.
Sentinel Support: Some Sentinels have been attacked by enemies. Revive them and defend them. You may also have to escort them to their destination.
Arcanist Secrets: Activate a vault within the time limit and then collect nodes. The vault still needs to be set, so stay nearby while you fend off enemies.
Scorpion Infestation: A Skorpedon nest is nearby. Eliminate it so that the Skorpedons do not attack the nearby settlement anymore.
Your buddy Owen keeps you updated on events in Freeplay.
Strider Distress: A Strider has been disabled in battle. You must alternately repair the Strider and fend off enemies to complete the event.
Enemy Encampment: Owen informs you about an enemy encampment. Destroy the camp defenses and their supplies.
Silence the Shaper Relic: Collect all Shaper fragments while the Shaper artifact spawns enemies.
Dominion Titan: The Dominion is trying to unleash a monstrous Titan. Destroy any equipment being used for it before it can be unleashed. If you fail, you must confront the Titan.
Titan: Titans spawn in various locations, as you can see on the map. If one appears, you must fight it. Compared to the other events, this is a rare occurrence.
For more info and guides on Anthem, you can find them in our overview:
For the open beta, a lot of issues from the previous testing phases are being resolved in The Division 2 – much to the delight of numerous fans.
For the open beta phase, the beta client of The Division 2 has now received a massive update.
While the changes cannot be tried out live yet, Ubisoft has now released the corresponding patch notes. They are quite substantial and will make the fans cheer.
What is so special about these changes? The list of changes is enormous. What particularly pleases the fans is the fact that the adjustments encompass almost all essential criticisms made by players from the previous testing phases.
Immediately noticeable: The developers have listened carefully and implemented the fans’ feedback extensively. In addition to technical aspects such as server stability and performance, there has been a focus on bug fixes and balance adjustments.
As part of the open beta, players will have the opportunity to form their own opinions about the changes starting March 1.
We have already compiled some highlights for you:
More ammunition for special weapons: One of the biggest criticisms during the private beta was the insufficient amount of ammunition for the individual weapons of the three specializations.
They could hardly be used – even for a special weapon it was simply too rare, according to fan feedback. For the open beta, the drop rate for this ammunition has now been increased.
Revision of weapon mods: Weapon mods such as attachments, magazines, or scope devices not only bring additional bonuses to certain attributes in The Division 2 but also have negative effects on some stats.
In the eyes of numerous fans, the disadvantages often outweighed the advantages. Some mods were hardly worthwhile or even counterproductive. This criticism has not gone unnoticed by Massive. Therefore, they ensure that the benefits always outweigh the corresponding drawbacks.
Adjustments to enemies: There has been a lot of criticism and suggestions for improvement regarding the balance of enemy types and bosses. The fans were particularly disturbed by:
disproportionate health points for some bosses and enemy types
too strong armor or weapons for some bosses and enemy types
partially overly strong skills
too high precision, especially when using grenade launchers. Even from a distance, players were hit as if by a sniper, even when in cover
too strong skills without noticeable cooldowns. The spamming of remote-controlled bomb charges and suicide drones particularly drove numerous fans to the brink.
All these problems and numerous other aspects of enemy balance have been revised for the open beta.
Adjustments to player skills: Some skills such as the turret or the seeker mine were still somewhat unbalanced in their behavior, according to numerous players.
Here too, the developers have taken action and are bringing numerous improvements. Among other things:
The flight and follow behavior of the drone has been improved
The sniper mod of the turret now deals extra damage on headshots
Improvements in turret aiming
Improved pathfinding for the seeker mine
Increased speed and lower detection probability for the airburst mod of the seeker mine
Countless bug fixes: The update also massively addresses bugs that were discovered and reported by fans during the previous testing phases. The list of resolved issues is huge and essentially covers all currently known problem areas of the game.
From technical issues, general gameplay as well as the different game modes (PvP, dark zones) to user interface and localization, there have been extensive improvements and optimizations.
This is what the fans say: The excitement on Reddit and other forums is great. Hardly anyone expected such a scope with this update. Many are excited about how strongly and quickly Massive is already gearing up before the launch of The Division 2.
They are particularly pleased that the developers seem to have learned from their initial mistakes with The Division 1.
Now they consistently pursue the philosophy that also helped them turn things around with The Division 1 and create a successful game. Namely, to work hand in hand with the community to adjust the game according to the players’ wishes.
What’s next: Massive and Ubisoft emphasize that the game is still actively being developed and that further updates and changes are expected until the official launch on March 15.
They will continue to listen closely to fan feedback and implement it consistently in the game – before and after release.
Zenimax Online has released the Wrathstone DLC for the MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO). The community is already actively discussing the new update.
What was the mood before the update? Before the update, there was some nervousness among players. This was due to the announcement of major adjustments to the race bonuses, and fans feared that their builds would be completely thrown off.
Due to the new Wrathstone dungeons in ESO, there was some stress in the community.
Additionally, there was some criticism that the new story takes place in group dungeons, leading solo players to feel excluded.
What is the mood now? The maintenance work is complete, Wrathstone and the update have been launched, and ESO fans are already actively discussing on Reddit and the official forum. Overall, the mood is good. The first impressions are positive and players are gradually examining the details in peace.
The new ESO DLC Wrathstone is going down well with fans so far.
New content and changes are generally well received
How ESO fans are reacting to the two new dungeons: The community on Reddit is somewhat divided on this. While the “Depths of Malatar” have been well received, there are apparently balancing issues with the “Frostvault”.
Some perceive the boss in the Frostvault as significantly too strong. TQSkull writes in the official forum: “Constant dying at the final boss, his fire phase doesn’t seem to be working properly.”
This is what players think about the revised race bonuses: The fear that many things would change for the worse has not been confirmed. Many find the changes quite successful after the first testing.
Terion_Fyr writes in the forum: “The changes are good. You will still fight like before the patch.”
And0ssus agrees: “I think the Wood Elf changes are great. I only play mine in PvP, but more regeneration than before.”
Ynishii says: “My tank lost 1,000 health, but on the other hand gained 2,000 magicka. So not really tragic.”
However, it will take time before players fully familiarize themselves with all the adjustments and observe all the effects in detail. Generally, though, these changes have been quite well received so far.
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How did the situation with loading times go? In the official forum, a survey shows how long the first loading took. It is clear that the situation was far from as bad as feared. Most players needed only about 5 to 10 minutes to be able to play. A few took 30 minutes or longer.
Were there problems? After the update, many addons did not function correctly. However, the problem has since improved, as the creators of these addons reacted quickly and released adjustments.
In the coming days and weeks, it will become clearer how well Wrathstone and the new ESO addon are truly received and whether there are any long-term issues.
The new Overwatch hero is already well received by fans, even though nothing is known about his abilities yet.
Last night, Blizzard released the first story trailer for the 30th hero of Overwatch. Baptiste will be a “combat medic” and has a not-so-glorious past, but he aims to improve the future of the world. For many aspects of the character, Blizzard is already receiving praise – because Baptiste does not fit the typical stereotype of a Haitian.
Baptiste lost his parents in the war with the Omnics.
“No Voodoo” is receiving praise: Blizzard is receiving special praise for creating a Haitian character that does not resort to typical Haitian stereotypes. Funkatron82 notes on Reddit that Baptiste has nothing to do with Voodoo, which is a common theme in almost all portrayals of Haitian characters in the media. While many players suspect that there will eventually be a “Voodoo skin,” that is not the core aspect of the character.
Instead, Baptiste has a serious backstory that deviates significantly from the stereotypical portrayals.
Baptiste feels like a protagonist: It is also frequently noted that Baptiste feels more “like a protagonist” in his presentation, rather than a background character. This was particularly criticized with Moira and recently Ashe, as they are not portrayed as independent characters but are too reliant on others to shine. In contrast, Baptiste would stand out strongly.
There is a bit of mockery: However, some players note with a smile that Baptiste fits a completely different stereotype – that of an anime superhero. After all, he lost his parents at a young age, was part of an evil organization (Talon), which he has now turned his back on and now wants to make the world a better place. This leads to comments like:
“You can tell he’s a protagonist because he lost his parents.”
“We still have to wait and see how close he sits to the window and in the back row of the classroom.”
“He doesn’t carry a huge two-handed sword at all. There is room for improvement.”
Reactions on YouTube are positive: The story trailer for Baptiste is surprisingly well received on YouTube as well. After many of Blizzard’s videos in the past received rather negative ratings, the origin story for Baptiste has over 95% thumbs up.
In the coming days, Baptiste should be fully introduced, so we can also gain an insight into his abilities and playstyle.
What do you think of Baptiste? Do you like the design of the character? Or do you base your judgment on his abilities before making a first impression?
In FIFA 19, the update 1.10 for PS4 and Xbox One is now live. It is available for download and installation. Here are the patch notes in German.
Update 1.10 is now available for everyone: After the latest title update was released for PC last week, it is now live for console players on PS4 and Xbox One since today, February 26.
The patch size is: You need to download about 1.4 GB before you can play FIFA 19 online again.
Patch Notes for Update 1.10
What’s changing:
The goalkeeper’s movement speed with manual control during normal gameplay has been further reduced. This change reinforces the speed reduction of title update 7.
The issue has been fixed where players occasionally switched positions on the field without the controlling player requesting such a switch. Many fans complained about this on social media.
In FUT 19, players’ overall ratings were occasionally displayed incorrectly on the player performance screen in FUT online matches. This was merely a graphical issue that had no impact on gameplay but is being fixed nonetheless.
In Pro Clubs, there has been an issue since launch where the Pro, who should play as a CAM, was classified as a LB regarding positioning and player ratings.
This Pro can play CAM again if he wants to
Position bugs should now be resolved
Anyone wanting to play CAM can finally play CAM: The bug in Pro Clubs has finally been resolved after nearly 5 months. EA states that CAMs will no longer be treated as left-backs.
You can now occupy this position again without getting rapidly poor ratings and constantly seeing a red arrow above you forcing the LB position on you.
In other game modes, players should now reliably play in the positions assigned to them.
By the way, the CAM bug is just one of the reasons why Pro Clubs fans are disappointed with FIFA 19:
In Fortnite the 8th season is starting soon. We will show you what is known so far about changes, the season theme, the start, and other special features.
This is the big event before the season starts: For several days now, the ground in Fortnite has been shaking from time to time. This is causing cracks on the map. Apparently, this is leading to a major event that will change the Fortnite map.
All information about Season 8 in Fortnite: Battle Royale
When does Season 8 start? The new Season 8 will start on Thursday, February 28, in Fortnite. The exact time is not yet known. However, in recent years, a major patch has been released around 10:00 AM at the season start. The servers should then be online with the new update and the new season between 11 AM and 1 PM on Thursday.
What is the theme of Season 8 in Fortnite? The first teasers for S8 show that players can expect a pirate theme in the coming weeks. The first teaser image showed a typical pirate hook. Along with text that hints at lost treasures.
There is a free Battle Pass for Season 8: What is special about the new season is that you can earn the Battle Pass for free through in-game tasks. You can do this easily before the start of Season 8. However, you only have until the start of S8 to do this.
What map changes might there be? Currently, there are only speculations regarding the new map of Season 8.
With the rising temperatures, we are likely to say goodbye to the snow soon. In the snow-covered winter biome of Polar Peak, a lot of water will be created, which might wash over the map as waves.
The ice biome in Fortnite – Could a new water area emerge from it?
In addition, there are the earthquakes currently plaguing Fortnite. Players speculate about underwater areas that might emerge where the map breaks apart due to the earthquakes: new swimming spots could emerge here.
Therefore, it is assumed that new vehicles will be introduced into the game that fit the season theme. If it is a water theme, Epic Games has the opportunity to introduce cool water vehicles like speedboats or jet skis.
Additionally, a respawn system is currently being developed. There will be more information about this during Season 8.
Will the eggs play a role? A small hint from an Epic Games employee suggests that something will happen with the eggs that players already found weeks ago in Fortnite. Perhaps snakes will hatch from them.
And what will happen with these eggs?
This year, a world championship in Fortnite will start, but a professional sees it with concerns:
