In Fortnite: Battle Royale, new information about the K-Pop skin IKONIK is finally available. However, the outfit is only available if you pre-order an incredibly expensive new Samsung smartphone.
What is the new skin IKONIK? The concept of the “K-Pop” skin has been circulating through Fortnite’s data leaks for a long time. Now there is new information. The skin is supposed to represent K-Pop star Jung Changwoo, who is part of the K-Pop band iKON. That’s why the skin is also called IKONIK.
New K-Pop skin only available with Samsung phone
How to get the skin? Like the controversial Galaxy skin, IKONIK is only available if you purchase an expensive high-end smartphone from the Korean provider Samsung. With the Galaxy, it was the S9 Note, but if you want IKONIK, you have to pre-order the new flagship device S10+.
This was the Galaxy skin
What does the skin cost? The upcoming elite smartphone from South Korea is set to be released here on March 8, 2019. However, the price is very high at 1,250 euros. So if you are considering buying the phone just for the skin, you should think it over again.
Since not every Fortnite player will want to buy an Android smartphone in this price range, players who wield IKONIK should be relatively rare.
The skin has the potential to become a real rarity. At least until the S10 Plus is on the market for a few years and drops into lower price categories.
What fans say about it: The news caused mixed feelings among Fortnite fans on Reddit. Many believe that the skin looks worse than the Galaxy skin, which is generally very well received.
The IKONIK skin
Others criticized the lack of originality of the outfit. The Galaxy skin would have been completely different. IKONIK, on the other hand, looks like the little brother of Drift, the flagship skin from Season 5.
Others criticized the high costs associated with acquiring the S10 Plus. “Another skin behind a $1,000 paywall,” lamented one user about it.
K-Pop fans, on the other hand, seem to be into the skin and praise the color composition.
In March, this big event is supposed to happen in Anthem, which according to BioWare can change the entire world: a Cataclysm. Here, the future of Anthem is defined, thinks our author Leya.
In the current livestream BioWare talked about the future of Anthem. My ears particularly perked up when the developers emphasized how Anthem is technically built. Their game is designed so that it is easy for developers to change components in the world.
For months now, BioWare has hinted that Anthem will truly begin after the release regarding the development of the world and its story.
The characters from Anthem are supposed to be able to die through events, or new ones may appear.
Roadmap for March shows Cataclysm
What is a Cataclysm? These are massive natural forces that arise from the Anthem of Creation. Often a gigantic storm precedes them, indicated in the sky. Cataclysms create new life forms, can shatter the ground, or even reverse the flow of rivers.
When will the Cataclysm come? The exact timing is not revealed in the roadmap. The big highlight may also come after March. However, from March we can expect events that will prepare for the Cataclysm.
The first update of Anthem in March is divided into different acts.
What a Cataclysm looks like in detail we do not know yet. BioWare is still silent about what a Cataclysm and the story events will mean for the game. It is always said that it will be something massive.
We only know that the various acts are meant to prepare for the Cataclysm. Players are supposed to discover clues and solve puzzles about the changes in the world. The Cataclysm is somewhat like the big bang that dissolves everything.
It is too early for a judgment on Anthem
Until I have not seen the events in March, I hesitate to assess Anthem’s longevity.
The story is supposed to begin now: BioWare has repeatedly emphasized that Anthem is designed to provide bite-sized gameplay,to prevent content drought .
The story of Anthem is already being harshly criticized, even though according to the developers, it is actually just beginning now. They have prepared the story for years. New missions, world events, or storylines can be added to Anthem at any time.
The world of Anthem is supposed to change over time.
The first Cataclysm will be groundbreaking: Since BioWare keeps talking about how something “big” is coming our way, I will now patiently wait and observe March.
I wonder if the developers are overstating things here, or if they manage to actually bring story events into the game that generate curiosity and excitement.
This is supposed to be a central core of Anthem: A world that continuously expands, changes, and brings new experiences.
Both games feature strong elements of a loot shooter and are therefore being compared. Some players are wondering which of the two games they want to play longer.
Therefore, it is even more important for Anthem to score with its event approach in March. Here, BioWare has a chance to make Anthem relevant in the media, even with the release of The Division 2, and attract some attention.
The Division 2 is on Anthem’s heels, and the games compete for attention.
What ideally happens for Anthem?
This is the ideal scenario: BioWare will deliver what they have been promising for months. Anthem has a long and exciting story, with great events. The media reports on the latest happenings, such as about the little clown detective Hoppel or the new activities of the Dominion.
The players have fun with the content bites and look forward to new strongholds, missions, and stories. Players temporarily overlook technical issues.
This is the worst case: BioWare cannot meet expectations. The events bring little new to the game and are boring for players. The Titan shown in the demo did not go over so well.
Although BioWare noted here that this was just a teaser. The added content leads to nasty bugs that need to be fixed repeatedly, causing frustration. Anthem goes under and only provided temporary entertainment.
This is the middle ground: The events are not of outstanding nature but keep players engaged. A core group of players forms, who support and accompany Anthem for years.
From here, BioWare can build and improve Anthem in the nature of a live-service game and gradually win over players.
Ideally, Anthem will provide cool event content for many years that keeps players happy.
What do you say? Is March as significant for Anthem as I perceive it?
Our author Schuhmann describes here why he is currently enjoying Anthem. He is also curious whether Anthem will continue to provide enjoyment for him in the long term:
Ubisoft has announced a TV series based on the pirate online game Skull & Bones. This is reminiscent of the series for the online shooter Defiance by Trion Worlds and the Syfy channel. Can we expect something similar?
A pirate series about the game: Ubisoft is partnering with Atlas Entertainment to develop a TV series for Skull & Bones, the pirate online game that was announced at E3 in 2017. Skull & Bones was delayed last year and currently has no specific release date.
The pirate online game Skull & Bones is becoming a TV series.
What do we know about the project? Not much is known yet. The main role is said to be played by a woman. The pirate experiences some adventures in the 18th century, towards the end of the golden age of piracy in the Indian Ocean. The producer is Amanda Segel, who was responsible for the horror series The Mist.
Will it be like Defiance?
What could await us: How the TV project is related to the MMO is still unclear. However, it is quite conceivable that both build on each other. Events could be referenced in the MMO. And if there is a large event in the game, it might be possible that it is discussed in the series.
Why does this remind us of Defiance? Trion Worlds and the TV channel Syfy produced a TV show about the online shooter Defiance between 2013 and 2015. Both products took place in the same universe and dealt with similar stories. Characters from the series even appeared in the shooter. If the series and the game of Skull & Bones are connected, it could happen as it did in Defiance.
https://youtu.be/hjC8_av7hhU
This is not unusual: Ubisoft has long relied on using its own brands not just for games. There have already been movies for:
Since series are doing very well, as shown by Game of Thrones, it makes sense for Ubisoft to enter this area as well. At the moment, it is still unclear when we will see Skull & Bones on TV or via a streaming service.
In World of Warcraft, there is much to do, but one thing is missing for Cortyn: A long grind for a personal goal.
Although the Patch 8.1 of World of Warcraft is not very old, it already feels a bit “overused” to me. Currently, there are only a few reasons for me to log in daily, and this will probably only change with the upcoming Patch 8.1.5.
Of course, World of Warcraft, considering the overall scope, has more content than ever before. After all, you can also have fun in old areas of the game and collect some transmog gear or pets.
However, I miss current content in World of Warcraft, for which I can grind something. Goals that I can work towards alone, without time limitations or an artificial barrier that slows me down every few hours. And that is exactly what is missing.
Reputation factions were more interesting: The absence is most noticeable with the reputation factions. These used to be something special individually.
For the Furbolgs of the Devil’s Forest, I could kill mobs all day if I wanted to. I could do the same in Skettis (Shattered World) or even in Pandaria on the Timeless Isle (the reputation with the Emperor).
For other factions, you even had to make decisions: For example, those who wanted to become Revered with the Bloodsail Buccaneers had to kill guards in Booty Bay and fall out of favor with the goblins.
Reputation with the Shen’dralar only came from special book quests, which were expensive and time-consuming.
Even in Warlords of Draenor, you could simply “grind” some factions.
WoW had many such reputation factions throughout the expansions. They were all unique, each had its special twist and were often only of interest to a small part of the players, unless you were a “completionist” who wanted everything.
In Battle for Azeroth, all reputation factions are the same. They all function through identically structured world quests, have similar rewards and predefined paths. I cannot pick a faction and repeatedly kill mobs for them or complete repeatable quests to get closer to my goal. I am limited by random missions that pop up every few hours.
I get a daily dose of maximum content presented to me, with no possibility to exceed this limit if I feel like it.
Farming reputation with a faction actively is not possible – only daily goals are exhausting.
Artificial limits prevent personal goals: I would love to farm the “Envoys” chests and spend many hours on it to get some toys. I would like to have a way to pursue my personal goals at my own pace and not depend on daily rotations. But no matter how much I want that – it is not possible.
I miss the grind. I miss doing something “relaxing” in WoW, where I can slowly work towards a goal. I would like to kill hundreds of mobs again and see how the reputation bar fills up very slowly. I miss that.
That is why I am also immensely glad that there are currently a few other games on the market that help me get through the drought period of WoW. Because I am sure, the next patch will be better again.
What are you currently missing in World of Warcraft? Do you feel similarly to me?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny 2 are and in Destiny 1 hand cannons are just cool. Why is that?
My love for hand cannons: I still remember it like today – my very first exotic weapon was the Hawkmoon. A hand cannon that harmoniously combined power and elegance, had an excellent sound, and just felt wonderful in the hand. I spent glorious months in the Destiny universe with it.
Since then, I’ve been fascinated by hand cannons in Destiny and Destiny 2. I play with this cool weapon class as often as possible. Even now, no other weapon comes to mind than the Revoker in the kinetic slot – but more on that later.
I know I’m not the only hand cannon fan out there. Hand cannons have been a cult favorite since the early days of Destiny and have a large fan base. How did this happen?
Hand cannon in Destiny 1
The three iconic exotic hand cannons
The “Trinity” of hand cannons: Every Guardian who was there in Year 1 of Destiny knows the Hawkmoon, the Thorn, and The Last Word. Really. Everyone. And everyone will be able to tell stories about them. Because they were the cult weapons par excellence:
The Hawkmoon was a PlayStation-exclusive weapon that shone with enormous range and could even compete with scout rifles and snipers. Additionally, it had random bullets in the magazine that dealt bonus damage. Thus, the Hawkmoon was a powerful weapon that continually surprised with additional damage.
The Thorn was one of the most powerful weapons in the Crucible by the end of Year 1, capable of ruining the day for several Guardians. The “Dreg’s Choice” killed sneakily, as it dealt damage over time and eliminated opponents who had already retreated to regenerate. In the Trials, one could be sure that at least 2 out of 3 opponents had the Thorn.
The Last Word turned Guardians into true gunslingers right at the beginning of Destiny. The special thing about the weapon was that it was meant to be fired “from the hip,” meaning without zooming in. Thus, The Last Word unleashed a deadly mix of stability and power. As a gimmick, Bungie invented a special firing technique: The Guardian presses down the trigger again with the palm of their hand while firing to speed up shooting. This is called the “Fanning” technique – and it fueled western fantasies.
Thorn, Hawkmoon, and Last Word
These three exotics fundamentally shaped the Destiny experience in the first year, until they were left behind or nerfed in Year 2. However, all three weapons made a comeback – the Hawkmoon with clipped wings in Year 2, the Thorn in Year 3, and The Last Word only returned at the end of January 2019 in Destiny 2. But they never regained their former power.
The Duel – Eyasluna or Palindrome?
Not only exotic hand cannons but also legendary ones drove discussions around Destiny for months.
The top weapons in Year 3: In Year 3 of Destiny 1, there wasn’t much happening in general, but a “duel” between two hand cannons always sparked heated debates: Was the Palindrome or Eyasluna better?
For a long time, these two legendary hand cannons topped the leaderboards in PvP. They belonged to the strong “Hawkmoon” archetype, had identical rates of fire, identical impact, and their reload speeds were also exactly the same.
The powerful Palindrome in Destiny 1
Just because these two excellent weapons were so similar, fan bases formed for each weapon – and all presented arguments for why Eyasluna or the Palindrome were better.
While Eyasluna could show higher stability, Palindrome boasted slightly higher range. Greater differences could only be found in the hidden stats: The Palindrome had significantly better values in aim assist and recoil direction.
According to the statistics, the Palindrome was ahead, and noticeably more kills were achieved with it in PvP. However, most Guardians agreed that Eyasluna looked significantly better than Palindrome – which was also important to many when choosing a weapon. And top weapons were both anyway…
Not only did it look good – Eyasluna
Not only exotic hand cannons but also legendary hand cannons provided months of talking points. Other weapon classes never stood so dominant in the spotlight. And then there was also a Fatebringer or Crota’s End…
Gunslinger feelings in Destiny
Cool playstyle: I remember a statement from a buddy when I received my Hawkmoon. He had started Destiny earlier than I did and was initially much more experienced. He told me that the Hawkmoon was a strong weapon, but you had to master hand cannons. You had to learn how to handle it. And he was right.
Because unlike other weapons, like automatic rifles, you can’t just spray at the opponents in the hope of hitting something – instead, every shot has to be aimed individually.
Not every Guardian is the “hand cannon type.” But when you master the weapons, they are incredibly fun. They have a strong sound and deal good damage when you land headshot after headshot. That brings out gunslinger feelings – even without The Last Word.
Hand cannon in Destiny 2
Hand cannons are doing well in Destiny 2
Hand cannons in Destiny 2: In Destiny 2, a few hand cannons have already caught attention. In Year 1, for example, the Better Devil was very popular and in Year 2, many Guardians play with the Trust. In addition, Luna’s Howl and Not Forgotten make PvP uncertain.
My current favorite weapon: I am also currently playing with a hand cannon again (at least in PvE and Gambit). An exotic one, too. Namely with the Revoker.
This weapon not only looks intense in my opinion, but also has strong perks that I personally find great. Because I don’t have to force myself into any particular playstyle to trigger any bonuses, instead, I shoot at enemies freely and when they’ve absorbed enough bullets, there are beautiful explosions that deal additional damage.
Revoker
This is a weapon just to my liking. A hand cannon with cool design, cool sound, and cool perks. Essentially, it combines power and elegance – just like the Hawkmoon once did.
The cult around hand cannons will definitely not break so quickly. And many Guardians will remember the stories surrounding hand cannons for a long time. That’s why, for me, hand cannons are the coolest weapons in Destiny.
Or do you see it differently?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok has long been considered the best player of the League of Legends. He is now 22 years old and one of the oldest midlaners in the Korean LoL league LCK. However, Faker believes that he and his team are far from being has-beens.
This is the situation: The team “SK Telecom T1” has long been regarded as the strongest LoL team in the world and has won the League of Legends World Championship multiple times. Last year, however, they did not qualify for the Worlds.
But for SK Telecom T1, who had to watch from the sidelines, it was clear: something needs to change, as long-time members of the team apparently could not perform as well as before.
Star player Faker had carried the team to success for years, but in 2018, the veterans let him down: analysts agreed that in 2018, a standout star player was no longer enough for the championship.
In winter 2018, SKT underwent a transformation, bringing in not only young players but also experienced veterans like Mata, a legendary support player who is already 24 years old. This makes SKT1 almost a retired squad in a sport where the stars are 18 or 19.
Currently, SKT stands 7-2 and is performing excellently in the Korean league, placing them third.
When Faker plays as LeBlanc, it’s raining kills.
“They only live off their big names”
This was the conflict: Faker’s team was accused by a Korean caster in a stream of being too old and over the hill (via Dexerto).
According to “NiceGameTV”, SKT1 consists of “has-beens”, or players who are past their prime. The team only lives off their big names.
A former teammate of Faker, Bang, has thus taken a stand for the team. SKT 1 have earned their results by working harder than anyone else.
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Faker says: I can still play at this level for a long time
This is what Faker himself says: In a recent interview with ESPN , Faker states that professional players in League of Legends rarely exceed the age of 22 or 23. This holds true not just for Korea, but for all leagues worldwide.
However, Faker believes that he himself will still be able to play well for a long time, especially if he takes care of himself and his health.
The average age at SKT 1 is high. The top laner and support are also relatively old. Faker finds it interesting that, as a team, they are still able to deliver good results.
He still considers himself the best, or at least the second-best midlaner in the Korean league. He just needs to bring consistency to his game to become even better.
This is what Faker says about the young competition: Faker states in the interview that, according to his own assessment in the LCK, he has yet to see a player perform so well that he was truly impressed.
Therefore, Faker is “not impressed” by the young competition. It will be interesting to see if he and his “retired buddies” will rock the LCK in 2019.
Currently, Faker has set his sights on the team “Griffin”, who remain unbeaten in the LCK after 9 games. Their midlaner Chovy is only 17 years old.
In Apex Legends, top player Dizzy has presented his tier list of weapons. This deviates significantly from the usual meta in some points.
Who is Dizzy and why is his opinion relevant? Coby “Dizzy” Meadows is an 18-year-old top gamer who was previously strong in CS:GO. In Apex Legends, he seems to particularly thrive, as he set various records and milestones:
He set the first kill record of 33 kills. He took out more than half of all players in the match.
He was the first player to reach the maximum level of 100. Just one week after release!
This kid seems to know the game. That’s why he also created his own tier list with weapon rankings. It looks a bit different than most lists on the net.
This is Dizzy’s unusual tier list
Dizzy categorized the weapons in the game somewhat differently than many other players. For him, the rather common pistol Wingman comes before both legendary weapons in the game. With the unloved Mozambique, however, he shares the same opinion as almost all other players.
These are the weapons preferred by top star Dizzy.
Dizzy’s S-Tier
Dizzy finds these weapons particularly strong and always takes them with him when the opportunity arises. The favorite here is the Wingman pistol. Dizzy places it ahead of the legendary weapons Kraber and Mastiff.
The Wingman
The Wingman is very precise, does good damage, and handles like a Desert Eagle in Counterstrike. That’s why the former CS:GO player Dizzy has probably taken a liking to it.
Wingman: The super weapon mentioned above
Mastiff: An extremely powerful shotgun
Kraber: A massive sniper rifle that guarantees instant kills
Dizzy’s A-Tier
Here, Dizzy has some extremely useful weapons that a large part of the community appreciates. However, the EVA-8 is just behind the Peacekeeper.
Spitfire: A powerful machine gun with a lot of ammunition
Flatline: A powerful assault rifle with full auto
Peacekeeper: A strong and popular shotgun with good upgrades
EVA-8: An automatic shotgun that is not appreciated by every player
R-99: A submachine gun with a high rate of fire
Dizzy’s B-Tier
In the B-Tier are weapons that, according to Dizzy, fall short of their potential, but are still good alternatives and shine in certain situations.
G7 Scout: A semi-automatic sniper rifle
Longbow: A powerful sniper rifle
Devotion: A machine gun that takes a while to get going
Hemlok: An assault rifle with burst fire
Prowler: A compact submachine gun
R-301: A reliable all-round assault rifle
Dizzy’s C-Tier
In Dizzy’s C-Tier are weapons he only takes when there’s nothing else available. Then he quickly swaps them for better weapons. This includes the sniper rifle Triple Take and the automatic pistol RE-45.
Alternator: A submachine gun
Re-45: An automatic pistol that runs out of ammo quickly
Triple Take: A sniper rifle that fires three projectiles
Dizzy’s F-Tier
The F-Tier includes weapons that are so bad they shouldn’t really be taken. This mainly applies to the dreaded Mozambique.
No one likes the Mozambique.
This makes it extremely difficult to get kills. Many players prefer to leave them behind and take out opponents with their fists instead.
P2020: A pistol with no special features
Mozambique: A very bad shotgun-pistol
However, always keep in mind that such lists depend on the subjective feeling of the creator. Some of you will surely do better with different weapons than Dizzy lists here.
We show you which Brand Sets are available in The Division 2 and what bonuses they provide. This way, you can more easily choose the right brand for your play style and optimize your agent accordingly.
What are Brands? Brands are a new feature in The Division 2. Numerous equipment parts that you will find for your agents will belong to a certain brand or manufacturer.
How do the Brand Sets work? Each of these brands offers three bonuses that differ from brand to brand and are intended to promote a specific play style and special skills with various focuses.
These Brand Sets function similarly to the Gear Sets from The Division 1.
Once you equip an item of a brand, the first bonus is activated. If you equip a second piece of the same brand, the second bonus is also activated. If you wear three pieces of a brand, all bonuses are unlocked.
You can identify the brand by its inscription and logo when inspecting the equipment. Keep in mind that not all equipment pieces belong to a brand.
These are all equipment brands and their effects in The Division 2
Currently, The Division 2 offers a total of 14 different brands. It is still unknown whether additional brands will be added.
Here you will find an overview of the weapon categories and skills for a better classification of the bonuses:
Our giveaway for PlanetSide Arena continues. We still have a batch of 50 keys for the Legendary Edition of the game for you.
Update 21.02.2019: Due to a sudden change in the beta and release plan of PlanetSide Arena, this giveaway is unfortunately paused until further notice.
What is PlanetSide Arena? The upcoming space shooter from Daybreak Games aims to excite as many shooter fans as possible. The developers plan to implement as many different multiplayer modes in their game as possible, so that there is something for everyone.
As major goals for the future, a battle royale mode with 99 players is planned, as well as large-scale battles with up to 1,000 players participating.
What are the prizes? Among all participants, we are giving away 50 keys for the Legendary Edition of PlanetSide Arena worth $39.99. It includes the full version of the game, as well as the following bonuses:
Access to the beta
Season 1 Battle Pass
3 armor palettes for the Engineer, Assault, and Medic classes
M-20 Tempest Hoverbike
How can you participate? To participate in the giveaway, you must perform at least one action in the tool below. Additional actions will increase your chances of winning.
The winners will receive their keys via email after the end of the giveaway. The giveaway ends on February 28.
The numbers for Hearthstone are declining. Blizzard is now asking players: Why are you no longer enjoying Hearthstone?
The financial report from Activision Blizzard confirmed what many Hearthstone players had already feared. Although Blizzard’s card game remains the genre leader on the market, the numbers are declining. Fewer and fewer players are spending money on Hearthstone, and playtime is steadily decreasing. They want to change that now.
Blizzard is asking for help: Dean Ayala, one of the lead designers of Hearthstone, directly asked players on Twitter:
“If Hearthstone was once your main game, but it’s not anymore – what would bring you back?”
What for some looks like a confused cry for help, many players took as an opportunity to provide constructive feedback and express their opinions.
New game modes desired: Many players simply long for new game modes that bring more variety to Hearthstone and ensure that the current meta does not settle for 3-4 months.
A few suggested modes and innovations were:
Speed Arena: Each player only has a few seconds for their turn (like a permanent Nozdormu effect).
Rotating Card Sets: Many players long for a game mode where different card sets rotate regularly. For example, cards from Karazhan or the Blackrock Mountain could return for a while while cards from “Un’Goro” could be rotated out. This way, players would be forced to develop new decks and strategies every month.
Tournament Mode: The once announced (and now canceled) tournament mode is still desired. Many fans say that this game mode alone would bring them back.
Achievements: Many players miss clear goals in Hearthstone and wish for an achievement system that could possibly include cosmetic upgrades, such as alternative designs for cards.
Particularly Ben Brode is missed: Numerous responses are also sprinkled with humor, asking “Can you rap?” or just linking a photo of Ben Brode, the former game director of Hearthstone. Brode now works for a completely different company. That Brode was an essential part of Hearthstone’s success has been addressed in this article already:
After a disastrous Fortnite event, Epic Games is suing the organizer. They must pull the emergency brake immediately.
The company Exciting Events is now in liquidation after receiving a lawsuit from Epic Games. Exciting Events held a Fortnite event in England over the weekend, which turned out to be a flop for the visitors.
The event was not authorized by Fortnite, yet the organizers used protected graphics and promoted the game.
What’s new now? The director of Exciting Events explains in an email:
Epic Games’ actions had a catastrophic impact on the company’s ability to operate, forcing Exciting Events to cease all commercial activities immediately. The director of Exciting Events will now try to limit losses for third parties as much as possible.
What happens now? With the liquidation, the company’s assets will be converted into cash. This will then be distributed among the creditors. This includes the ticket buyers as well.
The consequence of the liquidation of Exciting Events is that the company is dissolved and will not organize any more Fortnite live events in the future.
What went wrong at the live event? The Fortnite live event in Norwich received attention because visitors complained. About 3000 guests were there, but the activities were not designed for so many children:
Only 4 children could participate in archery at the same time.
At the climbing wall, there was room for only 3 children at the same time.
Many visitors complained about these circumstances on social media. They demanded their money back after the event promised much more than it ultimately delivered.
In addition, there were queues lasting several hours. The organizer apologized for this and explained that about half of his staff did not show up at the event, causing the issues. However, he wanted to refund everyone who requested it.
The new action RPG Anthem is playable in a headstart. Our author Schuhmann says: This is much better than I thought. It feels like I am playing a modern MMORPG where I only run instances.
This is my thesis: Unlike many testers who see Anthem as a “loot shooter” and compare it to games like Destiny, The Division, and Warframe, I see Anthem as a kind of “MMORPG light”. As an MMORPG where you constantly hit the “Looking for Group” button.
They left out much that we associate with MMORPGs today, especially the “Massively” is gone, and there are no side activities either. But the central co-op experience, completing a mission with 4 players, is in the foreground.
The Storm is the flying elemental mage of Anthem – and the Javelin of my choice.
This is what I’ve done in Anthem so far: According to Origin, I have spent 11 hours in Anthem. During that time, I reached level 18, completed numerous missions and side missions, and defeated the first stronghold.
However, I am stuck in the main story at the grind quest, which I cannot reconcile with my thesis at the moment. I still have to find 14 chests – and I haven’t felt like grinding that much so far. Everything else up to this point, I have already explored: In addition to the main quest, there are 3 quest lines for the factions.
I am about two-thirds through and have reached the end of the midgame. I can’t say anything about the endgame and the loot systems yet. I just take the items with the highest level – as I would in an MMORPG where I am currently leveling a character.
Unlike professional testers and streamers who have to work on Anthem, I have played for about 2 hours every day after work: So I have a much more relaxed gaming experience.
Skills are a major source of damage while leveling up.
This is how I played Anthem: I was out solo with the Storm, a kind of “mage Javelin.” About 4 days later, I also read a guide to the Storm and found out that I should have been hovering the whole time, as I get a bonus shield and generally look much cooler. Oops.
The interesting thing is that “playing solo” in Anthem is basically like playing an MMORPG and just running instances with a “Looking for Group” tool. Before each mission, you are assigned 3 team members who accompany you.
While I quest solo in “normal” MMORPGs to work my way up, in Anthem I run 4-player missions, which are basically “instances,” but set up differently. You have a bit more freedom.
NPCs like Haluk (left) or Faye are quite broken but charming.
This is how I adjusted the difficulty: I played the first day of Anthem on “Normal” – in this setting, the missions are ridiculously easy for four players, and you zip through without really noticing what you are supposed to do.
So later I switched the missions to “Hard,” then the enemies do about 50% more damage and take 50% more damage – the game is significantly better then.
In Free Play, where you tend to go solo, and in the stronghold, I switch back to “Normal” – I’m not that tough yet.
This is what makes Anthem so good: In my mind, I don’t play Anthem as a “loot shooter” but as MMORPG light, where I am constantly pressing the “Sign Up for Instance” button.
Compared to the MMORPGs I know, Anthem has several advantages:
the gameplay is really cool – the pure combat loop with skills, shooting, jumping, and flying has much more action than in a typical MMORPG
the matchmaking is instant – there are hardly any wait times in the game when it starts. I am spared from the long loading screens thanks to SSD. But once a mission starts, it’s basically 15 minutes of action.
Important element of Anthem: Flying from point to point is really fun.
it’s fun to fly to the next point – normally in MMORPGs, the time between two battles is boring; you just walk there. In Anthem, I fly like Iron Man to the next point
less linear battles – in MMORPGs, instances are linear. You know exactly what the next enemy pack is and crush it. In Anthem, battles are fragmented; people do their thing. However, this may change in the endgame.
the presentation is strong – the characters are voiced in German, the graphics are really good. Characters like Brin (she simply hates Skar) or Owen (a bit broken, but in a good mood) I find really well done.
Colossus and Ranger I have already unlocked at level 18, but have not yet played.
This is how my approach worked in practice: The first 11 hours I played with the mindset, “Anthem is an MMORPG where I am always looking for groups” and had really good experiences.
I am curious how it is in the endgame. But the first week and the first 11 hours have provided excellent entertainment so far.
I haven’t tried the other Javelins yet – but from the demo, I know that they play completely differently than my Storm.
Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane from Game of Thrones has his own Ultimate Team card for FIFA 19. With a whopping 99 Physical!
It’s about him: Gregor Clegane, also known as “The Mountain”, is a character in the world-renowned “Game of Thrones” series. He is immensely large, muscular, and brutal, and is considered the biggest man in all of Westeros – which earned him this nickname. He is the older brother of the Hound.
Initially, The Mountain was played by former wrestler Conan Stevens, until he was replaced by Ian Whyte in season 2. However, since season 4, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson has portrayed the Mountain – a 2.05 meter tall Icelandic strongman and actor.
Björnsson with his own FUT card: The current Gregor Clegane casting now has his own Ultimate Team card. And although Björnsson, as a former basketball professional, has little connection to football, his stats on the card are impressive:
Stats on Björnsson’s card: Björnsson has been made a center-back by EA, with a high overall rating of 87. This corresponds to the rating of a Piqué or an Umtiti. However, Björnsson’s Physical attribute is outstanding – here he has the maximum of 99.
This value is easy to explain: Björnsson is not only large, but also a multiple winner of strongman competitions – he was even named “World’s Strongest Man” in 2018. However, how his other stats can be explained is questionable.
Who is the guy next to Björnsson? The upper image was shared by Akinfenwa on Instagram. Akinfenwa is the guy on the left in the picture – and a cult figure in football, especially in England. He is extremely strong for a footballer and is regarded as the strongest football professional in the world, weighing over 100 kg at 1.8 meters. He is contracted as a forward at Wycombe Wanderers.
On Instagram, Akinfenwa writes about himself: “They say I’m 2big2play football” – meaning too big for football, yet he looks quite small next to Björnsson in the picture.
This is what Akinfenwa says about Björnsson: The forward jokes about Björnsson’s card: “They made The Mountain a center-back. What a collision that would be.”
He also incredulously notes that Björnsson was made faster than him. Akinfenwa has a rather slow pace of 44, while Björnsson has a solid 65.
How the fans react
Björnsson’s card is just for Björnsson: The card of “Gregor Clegane” cannot be purchased on the transfer market or obtained from packs. It was exclusively created for Björnsson.
Akinfenwa’s card, however, is in the game. Even though the forward has “only” a Physical of 83, his single stat “Strength” is still 97. So you can have this bulky player on the field.
Reactions from the community: In the comments, there are often jokes about the size difference between the two – Akinfenwa is described as a “button” compared to Björnsson.
A fan writes that he wants the Hound in the game as well, as that would create a green hyperlink in defense. To which another person notes that this would rather destroy the “chemistry” in the team as the two brothers haven’t been very fond of each other since childhood, ever since Gregor pressed his little brother’s face into glowing coals…
This weekend, a legendary monster returns to Pokémon GO. You will have a chance to encounter the shiny Latias for a limited time.
The legendary Pokémon Latias will have its special raid weekend in Pokémon GO. You can challenge the monster starting this Saturday and might encounter a Shiny.
We provide you with all the details about this special event and reveal what awaits you this weekend.
What we know about the event with Shiny Latias
How long does the event last? The raid weekend starts this Friday, February 22, at 10 PM and ends on Monday, February 25, at 10 PM.
For us German players, this event starts only on Saturday, as there are no raids available at 10 PM on Friday.
What does the event bring? This event runs similarly to the raid weekend with Lugia and Ho-Oh. During the event, you will have a chance to encounter Latias in raids. Meanwhile, Palkia can still hatch from the black raid eggs.
This is also the first time you have a chance to encounter a shiny Latias. The Shiny will be unmistakable, as it is not red, but orange/yellow.
What about Latios? Niantic announces that there will soon also be a raid weekend with Latios. This is the stronger of the two legendary Pokémon from Generation 3.
Alternative counters: The best Pokémon against Latias are mostly Dragon types. Gengar completes this list as a Ghost-type Pokémon. If you are looking for alternatives, also good options are: Mamoswine, Mewtwo, Gligar, Tyranitar, Wingull, Banette, and Absol.
How many people do you need for Latias? To defeat this monster, you need at least 3 people. However, experts are required here. With four or five people, it should be easier.
This weekend also starts the limited research on Perlu:
Before the official release of Anthem, the Day-One update was already released. While some players are happy about improved loading times, others report worse performance and additional bugs.
Highlights of the patch include the improvement of loading times and the fixing of the “infinite loading screens”.
How big is the update? The Anthem subreddit states that the patch is about 4.84 GB on PC. Xbox One players report a size between 4.84 and 5.2 GB. The PlayStation 4 can be assumed to be of about the same size.
Players celebrate loading times: Some players report in the Anthem subreddit about the improved loading times. Especially the players who installed Anthem on an HDD rather than an SSD seem to notice the improvement, writes KaneDrakkonis.
He reports that his game starts faster and the loading times from the end of an expedition to the forge are about 15 to 20 seconds.
Better performance on Xbox: The user Tycoonchoo writes in his post that he plays on the original Xbox One and that his performance has significantly improved. His loading times have halved, and he can play at solid 30fps in Fort Tarsis.
The gameplay feels smoother, and he hardly experiences any frame drops.
From the MeinMMO community, Ritsu reports that he was positively surprised by the patch: “Actually, I was not so optimistic anymore, as many weapons and other things were buggy, but if they can fix all the problems so quickly, then I can only say. Well done BioWare and keep it up!”
Other players report problems: While some players celebrate the latest update, others still seem to be struggling with issues. Users report that the patch either brought no change or even worsened the performance.
For instance, Joe2030 in the Anthem subreddit writes that he dropped from stable 60fps to 30fps due to the patch on PC. In the post, other players report that their performance worsened and they had to reduce their graphics settings.
Other issues include missing sound, stuttering or freezing of the image, as well as bugs affecting the shields and health of the Javelin. One player reports that he can hardly play with his Interceptor because only two health blocks are displayed to him instead of the usual ten blocks.
What do you think about the patch? Were your bugs fixed or do you have more problems now?
A new mount has been announced for Guild Wars 2, which will find its way into the game next week. However, fans of the World vs. World game mode are dissatisfied with the announcement. They expected completely different innovations.
What is coming in the new patch? The new mount “Warclaw” is supposed to come into the game on Tuesday. It will specifically be available only through the World vs. World mode. It is intended to bring fresh air to this mode, as mounts have previously been banned there for balance reasons.
Accordingly, the mount will be specifically adjusted for the mode and will be slower than the previous ones. Additionally, there are three skills developed for the mode:
Battle Maul: Your mount charges at the enemy and deals damage.
Chain Pull: The skill specifically deals damage to fortress gates and serves as a kind of siege weapon.
Evade: A dodge ability that provides a temporary speed boost and allows one to avoid attacks.
Can the mount be used in PvE? To unlock the mount, one will have to play strictly in World vs. World. There will presumably be a collection comparable to the Raptor. Additionally, one will have to learn World skills to gain the skills.
Nevertheless, the mount will also be usable in PvE, as the website MMOGames reported. However, one will not be able to use the “Chain Pull” skill at all.
Fans of World vs. World have different wishes
While the innovations sound exciting and interesting to outsiders, many hardcore WvW players are dissatisfied with the announcement. They are frustrated because, in their view, the development focus is on the wrong content.
What do WvW players want? Many WvW players desire no innovations but improvements to existing content. In their view, there are primarily three problems with the mode:
The balance of servers: There has always been the problem with servers that some are well-staffed with players and have people present at any time of day or night to conquer fortresses.
For this problem, the developers have already announced changes. However, the alliance system, where players are supposed to mix into a kind of server coalition every 8 weeks, is still in the works. More than a year has passed since the announcement of the alliances.
The balance of classes: The balance problem regarding classes is known from many MMOs. Here too, ArenaNet is reacting and has announced balance changes for the patch on Tuesday.
Reasons to make winning worthwhile: The goal in a World vs. World match is to defeat the other two servers. Such a match lasts exactly one week.
However, there is currently no real reason to win a match. There are no additional rewards or incentives for it. Here, players would prefer innovations over a mount that could potentially lead to new balance problems.
There are also positive voices: Despite all the criticism, there are also WvW players who express themselves positively. On the one hand, this innovation is an exclusive content for the game mode that could attract new players.
On the other hand, the innovations could bring a lot of fun. However, balance is also important for many players here. The mount must not be too fast and must not completely replace a siege weapon in the conquests.
Recently, a new season started with Operation Grand Heist in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. To kick things off, there is now a new trailer featuring the infamous Replacer and a streamer in a guest role.
This is how Black Ops 4 celebrates Operation Grand Heist: On February 19, the launch of the new season kicked off in Black Ops 4. Operation Grand Heist brings numerous new contents, improvements, and fixes that are supposed to keep players entertained in the coming months.
Coinciding with the launch of Grand Heist, Black Ops 4 has now released a crazy “The Replacer” trailer that pokes fun at recent political events and promotes the new operation.
This is what the trailer shows: The video brings back a fan-favorite character, the so-called Replacer. He has already appeared several times in trailers for the Black Ops series and is played by the well-known Hollywood actor Peter Stormare.
As the name suggests, the Replacer replaces people who are too busy playing Call of Duty – ranging from the US president, money transport drivers, to farmers, there’s quite a mix. This creates all sorts of chaos, and he apparently also contributed to significant events like the Government Shutdown in the USA or Brexit.
The well-known streamer DrDisrespect also makes a guest appearance in the new trailer and teams up with the Replacer to perfect the chaos.
You can watch the new Replacer trailer here in its entirety:
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However, not everything was positive with the launch of the new season. With the launch of Operation Grand Heist, loot boxes were introduced in Black Ops 4, which caused significant discontent among many fans. More about this: Black Ops 4 introduces loot boxes and drives fans to the barricades
As promised, Bungie ensures transparency in Destiny 2 regarding the Eververse and openly shares the chances for bright engram rewards.
This is how Bungie wants to make the in-game shop more transparent: As part of numerous revisions and improvements to the once-demonized in-game shop, Bungie promised in the summer of 2018 to provide players with deeper insights into the data of the Eververse.
This was meant to further distance themselves from accusations of gambling and other controversial elements of loot boxes that many studios and publishers have struggled with.
They assured the Guardians, among other things, that they would disclose the probabilities of bright engram rewards or allow them to view their personal purchase history on Bungie.net. They have since implemented these promises and published the relevant figures.
What are bright engrams anyway? They are essentially a type of loot box. They can be earned by playing but can also be purchased with real money in the Eververse.
They include a wide pool of cosmetic items such as shaders, sparrows, ships, ornaments for weapons and armor, and emotes.
Drop chances from the Prism Matrix
This is the Prism Matrix: The Prism Matrix is a feature of the Eververse that should give players more control over acquiring specific Eververse items.
Each week, there is a more predictable path to a limited loot pool of various items. One item can be earned freely, while other items can be obtained through paid activations.
If you have already purchased or received an item from the pool, it is checked off the list and can no longer be drawn. Thus, the loot pool gets smaller and the chance for a desired item correspondingly increases.
The chance for items from the Prism Matrix is equal for all items and increases with a smaller loot pool for all rewards alike. Thus, with 10 missing items, you have a 10% chance and with 3 items a 33.3% chance for each individual reward.
Items from bright engrams
Drop chances from bright engrams: When opening bright engrams like the Brand Engram from Season 5, you receive an item from the following three lists:
Decorative items
Consumables
Quests
Items from these lists are categorized into different categories such as accessories, which can contain several item types like ghosts or sparrows.
The rarest items are exotic accessories like ghosts, ships, or sparrows. These have a probability of 2%. Ghost projections or gestures are also among the rarest items from the Eververse loot pool with 2% and 3% chances respectively.
Most frequently, you have a chance to get legendary ghosts, ships, and sparrows. These drop with a probability of 12% each. What many fans did not expect: parts of the armor sets from the Eververse have a drop chance of 16%, which is one of the highest.
Only for shaders with 75% and for teleport effects with 20% do you have higher probabilities.
You can find the individual numbers in this overview:
Current drop rates for bright engrams (Source: Bungie)
There is a knockout system and a duplicate protection active. If you receive an item with an account knockout modifier, whether by purchase or drop, that item is removed from the list of potential rewards for that account.
Additionally, there is an increasing probability for certain items. Each time a reward from the list of potential cosmetic rewards or consumables does not drop, the chance for that reward in future drops increases. If you receive the reward, the previously increased chance decreases again.
Drop chances from event engrams: For event engrams – such as during the Crimson Week – the chances for the individual item categories are increased, and this is with a smaller loot pool. Thus, the chance to obtain all event-specific items in conjunction with the knockout system is much higher.
Drop rates for the Crimson Week 2019 (Source: Bungie)
Through this exclusion system, you only receive duplicates within the event once you have obtained all event rewards (except consumables).
It is important to note: The values may vary from event to event and are not set in stone. However, changes will be communicated in a timely manner on the corresponding homepage.
In the latest live stream, the developers talked about upcoming content for Anthem. They announced the vanity chests and repeatable story missions. Here are the new details.
Here’s what the stream was about: Besides the Day 1 patch, which is set to go live soon, the live stream on Wednesday evening mainly focused on the near future. Several Bioware developers were present during the stream. Gameplay from free play was showcased.
In a casual manner, they finally got to the nitty-gritty: The update following the Day 1 patch.
When will the update for Anthem be released? There is no exact date yet. However, the target release window is the end of March. The patch is currently being worked on intensively, and all content will be revealed later.
Despite the secrecy, the vanity chests and repeatable story missions have been confirmed as two major features for Anthem.
Vanity chests to enhance stronghold loot
These are the vanity chests: Vanity chests are special loot boxes waiting at the end of stronghold dungeons. There are a total of 4, all of which are locked. To open the chests, you need a key.
How do I get one of these keys? Bioware did not provide specifics on this. It is only known that it will work similarly to the daily challenges.
You probably complete a daily mission, allowing you to open one of those chests once a day.
What’s inside these chests? It is said that there are about 100 cosmetic items such as gestures, cosmetic items for your javelins, and crafting materials, as some of these items apparently need to be crafted.
How long will it take to unlock all these items? According to Bioware, it should be possible to actually obtain all 100 items with 100 keys. Although no details have been provided, it appears that there are no duplicates.
New vanity items in the next patch
Tip: The chests can be opened by any player. So if you are 4 people with as many keys, you can all open the 4 chests. All players will then receive the contents from all 4 boxes.
Anthem gets repeatable missions
As part of the update, a feature that allows you to replay story missions will be introduced. So players can look forward to legendary missions, similar to the contracts.
Again, Bioware has not provided any details yet. In the coming weeks, we will surely hear more.
Some questions that were addressed in more detail
About the players who can already play on PS4: Bioware’s Mike Darrah jokingly suspects a few “bad players” who might have stolen PS4 copies. It’s also possible that a few retailers are to blame for selling Anthem before release.
About the cash shop: There should be new items available in the cash shop now. In the future, the shop will probably receive an update every 4-5 days.
About crossplay: BioWare still has nothing to announce on this. However, they are working on it. Technically, there seems to be no obstacle, and they genuinely want to make it happen.
On February 22, the global release finally arrives. What you should know before it is available can be read on our site:
In Apex Legends the first content update has now made a new weapon available. The new energy assault rifle Havoc appears to be well received by the community and also leads to some amusing and teasing remarks.
This is the Havoc: With a small update today, on February 20, Respawn has implemented a new weapon in Apex Legends, the energy assault rifle Havoc. Even a dedicated website has been set up for the new rifle with some details about the weapon:
The weapon has the fire modes auto-fire and hitscan beam
The Havoc uses energy ammunition
The Havoc can utilize 2 different hop-ups, the Turbocharger and the Selectfire Receiver. This means it can only use 2 hop-ups, unlike what we previously assumed was 3 and not at the same time.
With the hop-ups, the behavior of the weapon changes significantly. With the Turbocharger, the Havoc immediately reaches its maximum fire rate in automatic mode. The Selectfire Receiver allows for switching between beam and automatic mode.
To show the Havoc in action, there is even a short official promo video.
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This is how the community reacts: The response to the new weapon is largely positive. On reddit the first threads have already appeared, where players are discussing the Havoc. Especially the two hop-ups seem to promise a great gaming experience for most players.
Also under the official Twitter post from Apex Legends there are many positive reactions. Here they are even noticeably more excited than on reddit. Many users respond with gifs or memes. The official Apex Twitter account is also actively engaging.
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Players are using the moment for memes: Some members of the community are taking the opportunity to create memes or make light-hearted jabs. One user sarcastically points out that while the Havoc is an energy rifle, the corresponding ammunition is hardly to be found in the game:
