Get a key for PlanetSide Arena worth almost 40€ (Paused)

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.

Win a Legendary Edition key for PlanetSide Arena worth almost €40
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Even Blizzard wonders why Hearthstone is becoming less popular

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:

More on the topic
Hearthstone is missing exactly one feature and that is Ben Brode
von Cortyn

Are you still actively playing Hearthstone? Are you still spending money on Hearthstone? Or have you left the card game behind?

Have you seen the probably happiest Hearthstone player?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. pcgamer.com

This is how the terrible Fortnite event for children ended

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.

Source: The Guardian

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.
https://twitter.com/marc0835/status/1096724840004882433

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.

Shortly after the event, Epic Games sued the organizer.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Anthem is really fun for me because it is not a loot shooter

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.

For me, Anthem is as if BioWare thought in 2012 about how MMORPGs could look in 2020 and then landed on Anthem.

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.

anthem-storm-ansicht
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.

anthem-storm-ultima
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.

Anthem Haluk angry
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.

More on the topic
Anthem has 6 difficulty levels – these are the differences
von Patrick Freese

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.

Anthem-Titan

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.
Anthem-Ranger-Fliegen
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.
anthem-ranger-colossus
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.

The €15 I paid for access are already easily covered in entertainment for me. How the game is after 30 hours remains to be seen. I am looking forward to it and will go look for treasure chests this evening.

More on the topic
What you should know before buying Anthem before the launch
von Micha Deckert
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

FIFA 19: Game of Thrones star now has his own Ultimate Team card

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:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt1OkEkF3rA/?utm_source=ig_web_options_share_sheet

Akinfenwa jokes about Björnsson

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.

björnsson-card fifa 19

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.

akinfenwa fifa 19

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.

Another user sees in this image a new promo campaign from EA: With the start of season 8 of Game of Thrones, EA Sports might bring characters from the series into FUT 19 – after all, many other special cards are already making their way into the game. He would prefer GoT cards, says the user.

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…

More on the topic
FIFA 19 gets a new update, finally fixes annoying bug in Pro Clubs
von Tom Rothstein
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. gamesradar
  2. reddit

Shiny Latias comes to Pokémon GO – but only for a short time

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.

These are the best counters against Latias

How do I effectively hit Latias? The Pokémon is a Dragon and Psychic type. It has quite a few weaknesses. It is weak against the types Dragon, Ice, Fairy, Bug, Dark, and Ghost.

Source: Reddit

These are the best counters: 

  • Rayquaza with Dragon Tail and Outrage
  • Palkia with Dragon Tail and Draco Meteor
  • Salamence with Dragon Tail and Draco Meteor
  • Dragonite with Dragon Tail and Draco Meteor
  • Latios with Fire Spin and Dragon Claw
  • Gengar with Shadow Claw and Shadow Ball

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:

More on the topic
Pokémon GO starts weekend event with new Pokémon Perlu
von Noah Struthoff
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Day One Patch for Anthem is already live – This is what the players say

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.

What is this patch? BioWare released a Day-One patch just before the official release of Anthem, which is supposed to fix many issues with the action RPG. The patch notes include about 170 entries of improvements.

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.

Don’t want to miss any news about Anthem? Then follow our Facebook page for Anthem.

What players say about the Day-One patch

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?

More on the topic
What you should know before buying Anthem before the launch
von Micha Deckert
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Reddit

Guild Wars 2 announces a mount that no one wanted

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:

  1. Battle Maul: Your mount charges at the enemy and deals damage.
  2. Chain Pull: The skill specifically deals damage to fortress gates and serves as a kind of siege weapon.
  3. 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:

  1. The balance of servers.
  2. The balance of classes.
  3. Reasons to make winning worthwhile.
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von Alexander Leitsch

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.

Edge of the Mists GW2 WvW

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.

More on the topic
Guild Wars 2: The Best Classes in PvE and PvP 2025
von Alexander Leitsch

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.

Guild-wars-2-wvw-01

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.

More on the topic
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This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Black Ops 4: New commercial shows DrDisrespect, Brexit, nuclear strike

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.

All the important info about Operation Grand Heist can be found here at a glance: The new Operation Grand Heist for Black Ops 4 is coming – Here’s what it contains

Black Ops 4 Grand Heist

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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Link to the YouTube content

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

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Black Ops 4 fans speculate: Is Alcatraz prison coming to Blackout?
von Sven Galitzki
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

The drop chances for Eververse items in Destiny 2 are this high

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.

Eververse-Destiny

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.

Destiny 2 Prisma Matrix

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:

d2 everversum drop-chancen
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.

d2 everversum chancen scharlach
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.

More on the topic
What you should finish in Destiny 2 before Season 5 ends
von Sven Galitzki
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Bungie
  2. Reddit

In the latest livestream of Anthem, the future was discussed

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.

anthem-hover

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.

anthem-vanity-chests
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:

More on the topic
What you should know before buying Anthem before the launch
von Micha Deckert
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Apex Legends hat mit der Havoc die 1. neue Waffe – Community flippt aus

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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The Havoc is popular among players

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:

Finally something to use energy ammunition

>which energy ammunition?

-dustmagnet on reddit.

Energy ammunition is used only for the Havoc, the Devotion, and the Triple Take. With the Triple Take, a gaming grandpa in Apex Legends has even taken out a squad by himself.

Other users, meanwhile, share another popular meme from the community: The Mozambique. A sort of cult has even formed around the unpopular shotgun.

What do you think of the Havoc?

After the Havoc, the L-Star may possibly come to Apex Legends. This was leaked along with the Havoc:

More on the topic
Apex Legends is likely to get these 2 new weapons soon
von Patrick Freese


This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Fortnite: Player celebrates new driftboard, builds spectacular skate park

The Drift-Board is popular among many players in Fortnite . Some are so happy about it that they build skate parks and perform tricks there. But basketball fans also get their money’s worth.

What is the Driftboard? This is a new mode of transportation from Patch 7.40 in Fortnite: Battle Royale. While you ride on the board, you can use weapons and items. The boards are scattered all over the map.

However, the boards will only remain in Fortnite for a few days. Some players are already making the most of it and showing cool tricks.

Fortnite-Drift Board
The Drift-Board in Fortnite

A skatepark in Fortnite: A player showcased his artwork on Reddit. Using Fortnite’s building feature, he designed large ramps and jumps as well as half-pipes. He placed the parts as a kind of giant skatepark in Retail Row.

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In the video, you see the player Saves_II performing cool tricks on the self-built parkour. The video is getting a lot of support on Reddit. There is much praise for the Fortnite course, which wasn’t even built in Creative mode.

Basketball tricks on the Driftboard: Instead of just performing classic skateboard tricks with the board, others use the board for official basketball trick shots. The video was shared by user iBolts on Reddit.

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How many attempts did he need? In the comments on Reddit, some users wonder how many attempts the player needed. User iBolts writes that he had to reset the lobby several times because the tires were accidentally destroyed. He estimates that he needed between 8 and 12 attempts for this elegant throw.

11 million stunt points with the board: A more curious video shows user BrotherSaqib who, after a collision with another player, is suddenly launched extremely high into the air with his board. He took advantage of the airtime to easily score 11 million stunt points.

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What experiences have you had with the Driftboard?

In the new Ranked Play, there is hardly any time for the boards, as there are currently much bigger problems:

More on the topic
Fortnite: The new Ranked Play already has a big problem
von Patrick Freese
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

The Day One patch of Anthem fixes even more problems than expected

The official patch notes for the Day-One Patch in Anthem have been published. The list of fixes is even longer than we had previously assumed.

What is the Day-One Patch? Anthem is currently struggling with many bugs and issues. Right at release, on February 22, a major patch will be released that is supposed to fix many issues.

This is why there are more fixes than expected: On Reddit a list of fixes for Anthem was already posted yesterday (February 19). However, this was not the complete patch notes.

The full patch notes have now been reposted on Reddit. This list is more than twice as long as the old one that was already published.

For comparison: About 160 notes are included in the patch notes. The old list had about 70 notes.

We have already summarized 17 highlights from the Day-One Patch of Anthem that still count as highlights.

More on the topic
Day One Patch for Anthem is already live – This is what the players say
von Micha Deckert

What stands out in the patch notes?

Below we summarize what particularly caught our attention in the patch notes.

Loading times

The patch notes state again:

  • Loading times have been improved
  • Many “infinite loading screens” have been fixed

The patch notes do not elaborate on how these problems were specifically fixed. It simply states that “loading times have been improved”.

Anthem-Pilot

More details on equipment and weapons

This point was only lightly touched on in the last list. In the actual patch notes, the developers go into detail about what adjustments are being made to the equipment. This involves numbers and general adjustments.

Here is an excerpt:

  • Javelin-specific equipment and/or weapons can no longer be used for Javelins for which they are not intended.
  • A problem was fixed where, under certain circumstances, Masterwork components had no labels.
  • “Deadeye” has increased ammunition from 10 -> 20.
  • “Cloudburst” causes increased damage from 16.3 -> 21

Colossus adjustments are particularly popular

Regarding the Javelin adjustments, most are pleased with the following statement: “The Colossus can now use its shield simultaneously and revive other Javelins”

Colossus

The UI is extensively redesigned

There is still a lot of criticism regarding the user interface. It is bulky and unclear. BioWare seems to be planning to work harder on this. An excerpt:

  • The squad screen now shows the correct information for each player.
  • An option has been added to hide the squad HUD.
  • The edge of the compass now pulses to indicate enemy positions.
  • A notification has been added in Fort Tarsis when a player’s vault reaches the limit of 250 items.
  • The symbols “Primer” and “Detonator” have been added to all Interceptor skills.

Some bugs and general issues revised

Anthem was still full of growing pains in Early Access. The game crashes in certain situations, or you get stuck somewhere with the character.

With the Day-One Patch, a lot seems to have been fixed.

What about the annoying sound bug?

Sound bug apparently not fixed: Particularly frustrating is a bug where players completely lose sound. According to BioWare, this is difficult to reproduce and therefore hard to fix. Nothing is mentioned about the sound bug in the patch notes.

What players are saying about the Day-One Patch, we have here for you.

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BioWare hat die schlimmste Quest von Anthem schon verbessert
von Leya Jankowski

Live stream should bring more clarification: In a live stream, lead producer Ben Irving will talk about the problems and adjustments in Anthem. Here we will surely learn more about the solutions that BioWare wants to present. We at MeinMMO will keep you updated as soon as we know more.

The stream is today (Wednesday), February 20, at 10:00 PM.

Update February 21: The stream has now ended. The developers talked about the future of Anthem and explained how they want to bring more long-term motivation to the game.

The Day-One Patch comes alongside the release of Anthem: The launch of Anthem is on February 22. Then PS4 players will also get to try their hands on Anthem for the first time. Here you will find all the details:

More on the topic
Everything about the PS4 release of Anthem: preload, start time, first tests
von Leya Jankowski
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

How to trigger the various endings in Far Cry New Dawn

In Far Cry New Dawn there are multiple endings. They can be categorized as “Good Ending” and “Bad Ending”. We will show you what you need to do for each.

You can shape the ending of Far Cry New Dawn according to your preferences. Your actions once again determine life and death. In this overview, we show you which endings are available.

Keep in mind that significant spoilers about the story of Far Cry New Dawn will be revealed here.

All Endings of Far Cry New Dawn

What endings can you decide on? You decide whether to shoot Joseph Seed in the chest or spare his life. Interestingly, the ending scene where you toast with a beer bottle with Carmina at Rush’s grave does not change.

Whether you kill Joseph or not is more a decision for yourself. For the good feeling.

Joseph Seed

Additionally, you determine the fate of Mickey, one of the twin bosses.

Important: Even after the story ends, you can continue to roam the map and complete missions or engage in other activities.

Kill Joseph Seed

Throughout Far Cry New Dawn, you will encounter Joseph Seed again. He is the main antagonist from Far Cry 5. You team up with him in New Dawn.

At the end of New Dawn, you find yourself together with Joseph Seed in a place, just the two of you. It gets emotional. He speaks to you and asks you to pass God’s judgment and “free” him, meaning to kill him. He takes your hand and points your gun at his chest.

If you take him down, the ending scene will come soon after and the game will be over. Many refer to this as the “Good Ending” because the crazy leader, whom you hated from part 5, finally dies.

Let Joseph Seed Live

When Joseph Seed asks you to kill him, you can simply wait. Although he asks you multiple times to go ahead and kill him, you do not have to. After a while, your character lowers the weapon. You can then just walk away and ignore Joseph.

After that, you should also head to Rush’s grave to experience the ending.

Whether you kill Joseph Seed or not is a decision for your conscience. There are no direct consequences on the ending of Far Cry New Dawn.

You can view both endings in the YouTube video by PowerPyx. If you are not interested in the fight against Ethan, simply skip to 8:15. Both endings are shown in succession.

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Kill Mickey: Yes or No?

Another fateful decision lies in choosing one of the two twins. Mickey and Lou are the main villains of New Dawn, consistently showing their brutal nature throughout the story.

You cannot prevent Lou’s death. However, you can influence Mickey’s fate.

The Twins Mickey and Lou

She is severely wounded after a fight and lying next to her lifeless sister, but makes you an offer. If you spare her life, she will never return – you will never see her again. It sounds as if she wishes to improve herself and wants to take control of her life.

If you kill Mickey … then you will have the same closing scene as mentioned above. You will toast with Carmina at Rush’s grave. This only gives you a clear conscience, knowing that Mickey will not change her mind about the deal. You take her life.

If you accept Mickey’s deal … then you will not find Mickey again when you return to the spot where she offered you the deal. It seems that she remains true to her agreement. At the stone she was leaning on, you will find a letter.

It states that you still have to fight a few highwaymen, as they are not willing to leave the area easily. Mickey herself would now be gone to check on her mother, whom she left behind years ago. Mickey wants to find out whether her mother is still alive.

All endings are also discussed by YouTuber deffinition in this video:

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What decisions have you made? Did you kill everyone or spare someone?

More on the topic
Far Cry New Dawn shows what happened to your FC5 hero
von Patrick Freese
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Fallout 76: Player banned with 900 hours of gameplay – allegedly for too much ammunition

Despite heavy criticism, Fallout 76 captivates many players. Some apparently spend several hundred hours in the game. Particularly frustrating for these players is when they are seemingly banned without reason.

What happened? The player and Reddit user Glorf12 claims to have over 900 hours of playtime in Fallout 76. However, Bethesda has now banned him. The reason given was that he allegedly carries too many items.

Why was Glorf banned? In an email that the support team sent him regarding the ban, it states that he obtained more than 100,000 units of one or more rare items in a too short time. This concerns Ultracite ammunition, which is used for particularly powerful weapons in the game. Bethesda has long had plans to take action against Dupers.

More on the topic
With a blow against Item Duper, Fallout 76 delights its players
von Andreas Bertits

Glorf himself claims that he legally crafted the ammunition and distributed it across his various storage and inventories using multiple characters and accounts.

He says he never duplicated items and is not aware of ever owning such a large quantity of items. He thinks the ban stems from other players who reported him on suspicion.

Fallout 76 email from Bethesda regarding Glorf's ban

Who is the player? Glorf12 is a more or less well-known player in the community. Even before his ban, he shone with his playtime. In another thread, he presented his build, which he assembled after over 500 hours of playtime in Fallout 76 .

Shortly before his ban, he published a list of farming locations for certain items on Reddit, stating that due to an illness, he has so much time to play and shared his favorite “farm spots” with the community.

The response to the action was almost entirely positive. Many active players were happy to receive tips and wanted to emulate Glorf. Even a Bethesda employee got involved and congratulated him on his playtime, thanking him for the help he provided.

Fallout 76 conclusion at Camp McClintock soldier title

The community is divided

However, the frequent player also faced negative criticism. Some players deemed the amount of playtime calculated to be roughly 10 hours per day since the release of Fallout 76 as too much and “unhealthy.”

Others, however, doubted whether Glorf really invests that much playtime. They were particularly suspicious that he mentioned how much he had played shortly before his ban.

In a thread, Reddit user Fack_behaviourgames remarks that the post with the farming spots is just an alibi. Glorf wrote that to legitimize his “duping” and thus evade a ban.

Fallout 76 legendary weapons crossed
Among the most popular items to duplicate are also weapons.

The larger part of the community, however, does not doubt Glorf’s version. His post, in which he reports his ban, has now received over 12,000 views.

He has not yet received a corresponding response from Bethesda but is trying again. With the last patch 6 for Fallout 76 on February 19, he has not been able to play again.

As soon as Bethesda can resolve the issue, he should be unbanned. Until then, he wants to play Warframe.

What do you think of the whole situation?

Another player explored the forbidden Vault 63 and now asks: “Please don’t ban me”:

More on the topic
Fallout 76: Player enters forbidden Vault 63: Please do not ban me
von Andreas Bertits
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. comicbook

The worst weapon in Apex Legends is the most celebrated

Apex Legends offers a wide selection of 19 weapons. However, a kind of cult has developed around one of the weapons. It has already become a meme in the short time since release.

Which weapon is it? The weapon in question is one of the four shotguns available in Apex Legends, but it is not the shotgun that Dr DisRespect gets so upset about. It is the Mozambique. From a model perspective, it is more of a pistol with shotgun pellets, and the Mozambique is considered the worst weapon in the game.

The Mozambique has three shots in the magazine and can deal 45 damage points to the body and up to 66 to the head according to its official statistics.

Apex Legends Mozambique in-game

Why is the Mozambique so bad? Aside from its low damage and small magazine, it is almost impossible to kill someone with the Mozambique. It has a large spread and is also very inaccurate, meaning the full damage of 45 to the body almost never occurs.

This makes it nearly impossible to kill an opponent with a full magazine, as two shots would have to land perfectly or hit the head. Most players prefer melee attacks over the Mozambique.

More on the topic
These are the best weapons and essays in Apex Legends – With tier list
von Jürgen Horn

The Mozambique – how a weapon became a meme

Mozambique causes legendary frustration: Shortly after the launch of Apex Legends, many players already noticed that the Mozambique simply isn’t good. Nevertheless, all features that apply to other weapons also apply to the Mozambique.

There are weapon skins for the unpopular shotgun, which can even be legendary. There are four different Legendary skins that repeatedly cause disappointment in the community.

Legendary items from loot boxes are rare. The joy is that much greater when a legendary item appears, and the frustration is that much greater when it is a skin for the Mozambique. Because hardly anyone wants to use this weapon.

Apex Legends 3 skins for the Mozambique with Legendary
Image source: reddit.

The Mozambique as a curse: There are also memes about cursed supply ships and supply crates now.

The appearance of “cursed crates” is even more frequent. The community often posts images on reddit of supply crates containing three Mozambiques with ammunition. The crates should actually hold good gear, not the most useless weapon.

Apex Legends cursed crate with 3 Mozambiques
Image source: reddit.

Not even developers like the Mozambique: It goes so far that even the developers of Apex Legends claim that the Mozambique is useless. A reddit user posted a comment from a developer from the official Discord:

I just killed someone with the Mozambique. Still a bad weapon, lol.

Apex Legends comment from Respawn about the Mozambique on Discord
Image source: reddit.

The Mozambique as a toy weapon: There have even been comparisons of the Mozambique to “Nerf Guns.” Nerf Guns are actually toy weapons for children that shoot largely harmless foam darts.

The portrayal of the “Nerf Mozambique” is almost too true for many. Comments like: “Actual fact.” One user shared his experience with such a situation:

An opponent I landed with had a Mozambique. I followed him and beat him to death. I only took 20 damage in the process.

Image source: reddit.

The Mozambique as a mission: Other players have made it their mission to pay special attention and love to the Mozambique. The German streamer JayezHD played an entire round in Apex Legends only with the Mozambique.

He even managed to win the round and has recorded 6 kills. While this is still significantly less than the current world record of 34 kills, it is an impressive achievement for the “worst weapon” in the game.

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Community is thinking: How to buff the Mozambique?

How the Mozambique could be improved: There are already some suggestions from the community for improving the Mozambique. In its current state, it is simply too useless, which is why no one would willingly use it.

A simple increase in damage or magazine size seems somehow “boring.” Therefore, a very special idea has gained great popularity within the community: Akimbo.

Akimbo is a variant in which two weapons are used simultaneously. Since the Mozambique has the size of a pistol, it could receive a hop-up attachment that allows two Mozambiques to be used at the same time.

The idea sounds a bit like Reaper from Overwatch, the corresponding reddit post quickly received over 25,000 upvotes.

Image source: reddit.

Parts of the community are against it: Other players argue that the Mozambique should not be changed at all. It should remain as it is to not jeopardize its meme status. The creator’s reasoning is quite bizarre:

If my only option after landing in a zone with 4 other teams is to take a Mozambique, I usually just die. While that is sad, when it happens, I can just go to Reddit and cheer myself up with the memes about the Mosambaby.

-Chad_Kid on reddit

What do you think of the Mozambique? How would you improve it? Would you leave it as it is?

A completely new weapon was just introduced in Apex Legends:

More on the topic
Apex Legends is getting this new weapon today
von Benedict Grothaus
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

The new Dark Zone in The Division 2: 8 changes you need to know

All information about the Dark Zone in The Division 2 can be found here. These are the 8 biggest changes and new features.

Update: You can read our Dark Zone guide for The Division 2 with all information and tips here.

What is the Dark Zone? As in The Division 1, the Dark Zone is also one of the most important parts of the endgame in the second part. In this area, PvP and PvE elements are mixed, players can fight NPC enemies and search for gear, or hunt other players and steal their finds.

For The Division 2, developer Massive has made several changes aimed at making the Dark Zone interesting and fair for as many players as possible. This includes new rules and features that we will introduce to you.

[toc]

1. There are now 3 Dark Zones on the map

Unlike its predecessor, The Division 2 now has three different Dark Zones scattered throughout Washington D.C.

the division 2 dark zone map

These are the 3 Dark Zones in The Division 2:

  • Dark Zone West – Georgetown
  • Dark Zone South – Waterfront
  • Dark Zone East – Capital Station

How big are the Dark Zones in comparison? There are no exact data on this. There are speculations that the three zones combined are nearly as big as the Dark Zone from the first part.

Each of these Dark Zones has features that distinguish it from the others. For example, the Dark Zone South is the smallest and narrowest of the three, while the Dark Zone East is the largest and most expansive.

So it was in The Division 1: The Dark Zone was a large, contiguous area divided into several “brackets”. It spans from south to north in the center of Manhattan, bordering Central Park.

the division dark zone map
This is what the Dark Zone in The Division 1 looked like.

2. Normalization of Equipment

The balancing of player equipment in PvP was one of the biggest problems in The Division 1. Players equipped with the best sets and weapons were perceived by parts of the community to have an advantage. This is intended to change in The Division 2.

How normalization works: All values of gear pieces are set to the maximum. This also affects your weapons and mods. For example, if you have a weapon equipped whose base damage is not at the cap, it will be raised to the maximum value. This only applies to your time in the Dark Zone.

Players do not have to grind forever or improve stats to keep up with more advanced players. Builds will still work normally.

So it was in The Division 1: Except for the Striker Set, which was slightly weakened in the Dark Zone, all gear in The Division 1 functioned normally.

the division 2 weapons 1

3. Fewer Players per Server

This is how many players can be in a server: In total, The Division 2 has room for three teams in a Dark Zone. That makes a maximum of 12 players per instance.

So it was in The Division 1: In the Dark Zone of the first part, there were 24 players, double the number of teams. Due to the smaller size of each Dark Zone, the player count had to be adjusted. This aims to make encounters with other players more interesting.

4. New Perk System

Through its own ranking system, certain perks can now be unlocked in The Division 2. However, these perks only remain if you can maintain your rank.

the division 2 residential

This is how perks work in the Dark Zone: In addition to the player level, there is a separate progression system in the Dark Zone. Every five levels allows you to unlock another perk. In your Operations base, you can influence which bonuses will be useful to you. This way, you can optimize your playstyle in the Dark Zone.

These include bonuses such as

  • Extra space for contaminated items
  • increased rewards for rogue agents
  • additional ways to obtain equipment

You can also drop in rank if you die too often as a rogue agent. Therefore, you can lose the perks as well.

So it was in The Division 1: While there was already a separate progression system for the Dark Zone, a high level had no advantages. It simply indicated that one had spent a lot of time in the Dark Zone.

the division 2 hyänen 2

5. Changes to Loot

This is changing about the loot: Gear is subject to a few new rules in The Division 2. Only rare gear is contaminated. This means that not everything needs to be extracted. The rest goes directly into the inventory.

Weapons and gear correspond to the level of the player who extracted the items. The values are determined after the gear has been recovered. This way, even stolen loot adapts to your level.

So it was in The Division 1: All gear found in the Dark Zone was contaminated. Therefore, you had to take it to the extraction zones and extract it. The only exception was the loot obtained from supply drops.

Level and values of the gear were also determined directly with the find.

the division 2 dz pvp

6. Matchmaking

This is how matchmaking works in the Dark Zones: Matchmaking works in The Division 2 through two methods. Level ranges and world ranks, which also return.

There are three level “buckets”:

  • Level 1-10
  • Level 11-20
  • Level 21-30

Once you have unlocked one of the world ranks, you will now be assigned based on your Gear Score.

Solo players will be happy: If you prefer to go solo, you can probably breathe a sigh of relief. The matchmaking in the Dark Zone has been adjusted so that solo players are more likely to be placed in instances where other lone wolves are present.

So it was in The Division 1: In total, there are no major differences in matchmaking. However, solo players were not previously prioritized to be matched with other lone wolves.

the division 2 dz 2

7. Going Rogue in The Division 2

As in the first part, you can become a rogue agent in the Dark Zones by taking out other players. With each kill, you rise in the Rogue level until you activate the manhunt. You are now visible to all other players on the map.

The innovations for rogues: Rogue agents can now crack locks on Dark Zone caches and hack new SHD terminals to receive rewards.

Furthermore, you do not have to end your manhunt immediately but can deactivate each terminal individually until you have the last one. This increases your reward but also the risk of being caught before you can end the manhunt.

In total, there are now three variants for an agent’s status in the Dark Zone:

  • Rogue
  • Disavowed Rogue
  • Manhunt Status

If you’re “only” rogue, you will be shown as “suspicious” to other players. As long as you don’t kill a player, they can’t attack you. However, as a disavowed rogue, you become a target.

The safehouse camping that was often abused in The Division 1 is likely to be a thing of the past. Turrets now guard the exits of the Dark Zone and attack any rogue agents and hostile NPCs.

So it was in The Division 1: For rogue agents, there were only the Rogue and Manhunt statuses. Rogue agents had hardly any benefits or options to benefit from their status.

the division 2 hyänen 4

8. Occupied Dark Zone

This is how the Occupied Dark Zone works: During this event, all rules are thrown out the window. There is no separation between Division and rogue agents.

Thus, in the occupied Dark Zone

  • there is no rogue status
  • a limited notification system
  • active friendly fire
  • no equipment normalization

This event is supposed to be active in only one of the three Dark Zones at a time, allowing for enough variety. How often such an event will be active is currently unknown.

So it was in The Division 1: The Dark Zone in the first part was relatively free of rules for rogue agents for a long time. With Patch 1.8, Rogue 2.0 then changed many things, which should overall ensure more fairness.

  • Friendly fire was removed
  • The rogue status must be activated manually

This was different for a long time. One could accidentally go rogue if other players ran into the line of fire. The manhunt could be ended if one survived long enough. Not every fan was satisfied with Rogue 2.0 and wished for the return of the old, freer system.

Thus, the goal of the Occupied Dark Zone is to provide fans with a harder variant of the Dark Zone.

The Division YouTuber MarcoStyle shows a lot of material and comments extensively on the innovations.

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What do you think of the information? It’s best to head into the Dark Zone with your clan:

More on the topic
Clan System in The Division 2 – Here’s why you should play in clans
von Tom Rothstein
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

This is how The Division 2 will prevent overpowering skills in PvE and PvP

In The Division 2 there’s new information about the skills, the agents’ abilities. Massive wants to ensure that these are not OP in PvP.

The Division and Balance: The Division 1 had long-standing issues with overpowered weapons, gear sets, and skills.

For example, the seeker mine was considered overpowered in PvP in early 2017, as it dealt heavy damage with the air detonation mod. Numerous agents complained that they were constantly killed by other players without even seeing them.

Because the seeker mine autonomously finds enemy targets and rolls close to them, only to explode. You just had to activate this skill, and the kills would come by themselves. Massive had to intervene.

Seeker Mine in The Division
Seeker Mine in The Division

Such occurrences should not be repeated in The Division 2

100%-PvP-Team: In an interview with gadgets, Associate Creative Director Chadi El-Zibaoui‏ discusses the skills and their balance. He emphasizes that they have a team of developers focused 100% on the PvP area and are in constant communication with the Massive team to ensure that there will be no “unbalanced skills” in PvP.

Regarding balance, El-Zibaoui states that they will make small tweaks to the skills until the release day of The Division 2. And when the game is in the hands of the players, they will have more data to adjust the skills that feel too powerful.

Division-Turret
Turret in The Division

Separate balancing of PvP and PvE: The developers are pleased to announce that in The Division 2, there is separate balancing for PvE and PvP modes.

In The Division 1, there were constant complaints that nerfs in PvP negatively affected the player experience in PvE.

“In The Division 2, we want to keep PvP competitive and healthy without negatively impacting players who enjoy PvE,” says Massive.

This way, the developers can quickly respond to balance issues in the “Agent versus Agent” combat without having to touch the PvE area.

division-2-shield-skill

No OP Skills in PvE either

Top Skills are more challenging: According to El-Zibaoui‏, the skills offer you a lot of freedom to customize your playstyle thanks to their mods. The approach in development was: “The more powerful the skill, the more challenging it is for the player.”

This means, for instance, if you set up a special turret with high damage output, it won’t automatically shoot at the enemies; instead, you have to trigger the shots yourself.

All Skills in The Division 2: There will be a total of 8 skills, all of which can be modified with different mods. They include:

  • Pulse – Pulse Generator
  • Turret – Turret
  • Hive – Drone Nest
  • Chem.-Launcher – Chemical Launcher
  • Firefly – Firefly
  • Seeker Mine – Seeker Mine
  • Drone – Drone
  • Shield – Shield

How all the skills will play with the various mods will be revealed at the launch of The Division 2 on March 15, 2019. If you pre-order certain editions, you can start on March 12.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

What you should know before buying Anthem before the launch

The release of Anthem is just around the corner. What you can expect from BioWare’s shooter and more information you should know before buying, we have here for you.

BioWare will release its new action RPG Anthem on February 22. For all those interested who are still unsure if the game is for them, we have compiled six things you should know before purchasing Anthem.

While some players on PC and Xbox One have already been able to dive into Anthem in early access, PS4 players will only be able to experience the shooter in a few hours.

You can find everything about the PS4 release of Anthem here.

This article was published on February 13 and updated on February 20 with the latest information.

1. What is Anthem?

In Anthem, you take on the role of a freelancer. Freelancers are brave warriors who protect the people of the city of Fort Tarsis with their battle suits, known as Javelins.

anthem-javelin-freelancer

At launch, there will be four Javelins: Ranger, Storm, Interceptor, and Colossus, each offering different gameplay styles. The Javelins all have different abilities that can be modified.

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The story revolves around the titular “Anthem of Creation” – the Anthem of Creation. This powerful anthem causes chaos in the game world by creating or destroying new things.

These changes are expected to be constant in the game, through smaller events or giant Cataclysms, of which players already got a taste in the open demo.

2. Anthem aims to offer a story but remains an online shooter

The developers want to offer an action RPG paired with an MMO shooter in Anthem. However, the typical BioWare story should not fall short.

But if you hope for a comprehensive story like in pure single-player games like Mass Effect or Dragon Age, you will likely be disappointed: Anthem is and remains a multiplayer online game. The story will have less scope than what you would expect from the single-player RPGs from BioWare.

At its core, you will be out in the field with your team, experiencing your adventures. The story is supposed to unfold within Fort Tarsis, where the developers say there is “single-player content” available.

3. What editions are available and what do they cost?

Anthem will be available in the Standard and Legion of Dawn editions. Both versions can already be pre-ordered, but do not alone grant early access. For that, you additionally need the subscription with EA Access or Origin Access.

Here are the costs of each edition:

  • Standard Edition: 59.99 Euro (PC), 69.99 Euro (PS4, Xbox One)
  • Legion of Dawn Edition: 89.99 Euro (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
anthem legion of dawn packs

Bonuses for the Special Edition: The Legion of Dawn Edition includes bonuses such as an armor pack, a legendary weapon, a Javelin gear upgrade, and the digital soundtrack.

How to redeem your bonus content, we have here for you.

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4. This is the long-term motivation Anthem aims to provide

A major factor for long-term motivation in Anthem is the loot system, which aims to follow the Diablo series. Players collect various gear parts with random bonuses that can also have different rarity levels.

For endgame content, various activities await, such as challenges, quests for factions called Contracts, or Strongholds, raid-like dungeons meant to be tackled with a group.

anthem_swarm_tyrant

These activities include six difficulty levels:

  • Easy
  • Normal
  • Hard
  • Grandmaster 1
  • Grandmaster 2
  • Grandmaster 3

The Grandmaster levels will only unlock once players reach pilot level 30, the current maximum level. As difficulty increases, loot quality should also improve.

Additionally, BioWare aims to pursue the approach of a TV series with Anthem: The world in the game is supposed to be constantly changing, and events like the powerful Cataclysms could bring new details to the landscape or completely remove them.

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5. There will be optional microtransactions, but no loot boxes

In Anthem, there will be optional cosmetic items that players can purchase either with the real-money currency Shards or with Coins. Coins can be earned during gameplay, for example, by completing challenges in the demo.

The developers from BioWare has strictly rejected P2W. Players shall not be able to buy items that make them more powerful. Everything players can purchase with money is cosmetic.

There will also be no loot boxes in Anthem. You should be able to buy items directly in the cash shop without being reliant on chance and loot boxes.

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6. How Anthem is received in early tests and early access

In various playtests, the two recent demos, and in the early access, some players have already been able to form an impression of Anthem.

Some gaming journalists had the chance to test Anthem over a longer period and particularly compared it to Destiny 2 and other online shooters. The fast-paced gameplay received praise, but there were doubts about the depth of the story and Anthem’s unique identity.

Our author Gerd Schuhmann believes that Anthem has its roots more in MMORPG than in Destiny. In his opinion, the title is more comparable to a Star Wars: The Old Republic, as a sort of advanced MMORPG, than to Bungie’s loot shooter. BioWare itself does not define Anthem as a shooter, but rather as an action RPG.

Our author Robert noted in his preview report on the demo that flying in Anthem is quite challenging.

Our author Sven finds Anthem refreshing, as indicated by his preview reports of the demo. He is particularly excited about the diverse gameplay of the Javelins: Why Anthem fascinates me like no game in a long time

On our platform MeinMMO, users particularly praise the gameplay:

  • The Javelins are quite distinct from each other
  • Teamplay makes a big difference
  • Numerous options for different skills, loadouts, and weapons help to individualize your playstyle
  • Flying with the Javelins feels great, and the vertical gameplay is refreshing

In early access, some players have already reached the endgame and are giving their feedback. Criticism includes the endgame loot, which leaves some players frustrated due to its random bonuses.

Players are divided on various issues, including the story and the endgame content.

Should you buy Anthem or not?

Anthem is for you if: You enjoy loot shooters in the style of Destiny 2 or The Division. You should also like hunting for better gear, like in the Diablo series.

However, it should be noted that Anthem is not a pure loot shooter. The game has strong elements of an RPG and combines these two genres.

If you enjoy experiencing adventures with friends or even with strangers, Anthem might also be something for you. All activities feature matchmaking, so you never have to play alone, even if your friends aren’t available.

Anthem Screenshot

Anthem is not for you if: You prefer to compete against other players rather than facing computer-controlled opponents in PvE. Anthem will not have a PvP mode at launch. Whether this will ever be added is uncertain, as the developers want to wait for player feedback first.

If you still don’t want to forfeit a PvP mode, you might want to check out The Division 2, which will be released on March 15 and offers both PvE and PvP content.

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You should also enjoy exploring together with other players, because BioWare focuses the shooter entirely on teams of four players. Although some missions can also be completed alone, freeplay is always designed for four players.

Bug fixes and new content announced

With the release in early access, BioWare was able to identify some bugs with the help of the community, which are to be fixed with a day one patch.

In addition, there are some practical changes, such as the end bosses of the strongholds now dropping loot or that the Colossus can now use his shield and revive at the same time.

BioWare has announced the first expansion for Anthem for March. New content will be added, such as new events, missions, a new stronghold, and an expanded progression system.

If you are still uncertain about the purchase due to concerns about long-term motivation, you can wait for this expansion in March. Then it will be easier to assess what the free DLCs will add to Anthem.

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This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.