New maintenance work has been announced for Fallout 76. On February 14, the servers will be temporarily unavailable in the afternoon. Bethesda plans to remove items that have been duplicated by dupers.
The servers will be offline during this time: Maintenance work will begin at 3 PM. It is currently unclear how long the servers will be unavailable.
The maintenance work is addressing an issue with item duplication (Duping). We summarize the changes that Bethesda will implement.
Your items could soon disappear from your inventory
This is what the server maintenance is supposed to achieve: According to Bethesda, during the maintenance, a large list of items created through an exploit will primarily be removed.
This exploit is also known as Duping. Players manage to duplicate all kinds of items repeatedly through various tricks. This can range from harmless food items to legendary weapons. Bethesda attempted to respond to the item dupers with bans.
These items are often gifted to other players, sometimes sold for real money. Therefore, the in-game economy of Fallout 76 is quite damaged. Proven players are banned for duplication; at times, even players who merely possessed these items were affected.
A patch was supposed to stop this problem, but even after the update, Duping is still possible.
Is anything else happening during the maintenance? In addition to removing duplicated items, a server-side fix is also planned to reduce connection losses.
In Fortnite:
Battle Royale, there is a new glider that you can get for free.
But to do that, you need to gift it, and this can only be done with
2-Factor Authentication (2FA). We explain how to activate this feature and gift the item here.
Update – How to get the free banners: If you are after the free Doggus and Cattus banners, you can find a guide to it here.
What is 2FA? 2FA stands for “2-Factor Authentication“. It is a security measure that requires an additional code when you log in. Currently, you can obtain the code through either an authentication app or a confirmation via email.
Why do I need 2FA? 2FA is not mandatory, but it makes your account safer against hackers. Plus, you also get a gifted emote when you do it. There’s also an additional benefit that applies today, on February 14th for Valentine’s Day.
How to get the free glider for Valentine’s Day
Currently, there is a glider in the shop called “Heartspan”. It is free, but can only be gifted. If you want it, you need a friend to gift it to you. Epic has reactivated the gifting option until February 16th, 2019.
However, to gift something, you need a secure account, so 2FA is mandatory.
How to activate 2FA: Follow these steps, and you’ll soon have Two-Factor Authentication activated:
Go to your Epic account settings and click on Password & Security. There you will find the security settings.
Under the “Two-Factor Authentication” section, select to enable Authentication App or Email Confirmation.
Currently, the following authentication apps are supported for Two-Factor Authentication. You can find them in your respective app store:
Google Authenticator
LastPass Authenticator
Microsoft Authenticator
Authy
For Valentine’s Day, there are additional tasks where you can even get the new Battle Pass for free!
For a long time, Destiny 2 was the leader in its genre. Now, it is being challenged by new titles like Anthem and Apex. What does Destiny need to do to remain relevant in the future?
This is the situation: Destiny introduced two new concepts to the gaming world in 2014:
PvE content like in an MMO – but with shooter gameplay. Players complete missions, dungeons, or even raids together in co-op and collect loot.
Titles like Fortnite or now APEX are constantly changing, staying current, patching at a much higher rate than Destiny, and altering the world. There is more often something new.
Fresh games like Anthem, The Division 2, or even Monster Hunter World promise this PvE experience, doing activities together with friends and collecting loot. And they have an advantage over Destiny: They are fresh.
Although Destiny as a brand has a five-year head start, its position as the leader suddenly seems more threatened than ever.
What should Destiny be to remain relevant? Given the current situation, the idea that Destiny can shine as a “PvP game” seems quite hopeless. Bungie has tried this multiple times but ended up breaking more than improving.
In the PvP market, “Free2Play” titles with maximum accessibility like Fortnite or Apex dominate. These games don’t even have to be purchased, and players can jump right in without leveling up or equipping their heroes first. The path to PvP seems to be closed for Destiny now.
If Destiny could have become a “PvP mega-hit”, it would have certainly happened at some point over the past 5 years.
Destiny’s best option is to remain a “PvE shooter” that claims the gap for “co-op and loot shooters”, focuses on team play, and thrives on outstanding gunplay.
In this area, there is no alternative to Destiny. The upcoming rivals differ significantly in gameplay; they are not first-person shooters.
Only a possible Borderlands 3 could go in that direction if Gearbox manages to create something this decade.
This is Destiny’s main problem: We can talk for a long time about the difficulties in Destiny, about little mistakes and things that urgently need improvement. Players have been doing that for years.
There is discussion about PvP balance, the way Bungie communicates, or the lack of dedicated servers.
And of course, a certain fatigue has set in. Players have known Destiny for 5 years, know how Bungie works, have heard many phrases often, recognize the developers, and yearn for something new and fresh.
The real core problem that underlies all other difficulties is: the lack of content.
This has been the central problem from the start: Destiny gives players the feeling that the world could be vast and that new adventures could await around every corner, but these adventures are long overdue.
From the players’ perspective, an expansion the size of “The Taken King” or “Forsaken” could be released every 3 months, and they would consume it with joy. A new strike every 2 weeks, a fresh raid every 4 weeks, occasional surprise events, new quest lines, and fresh exotics – all of this players would eagerly enjoy.
However, highlights like Forsaken only come once every 12 months, and in between, there is usually little going on.
Bungie attempts to bridge the long content droughts between the “highlights” with tricks, time-gates, grinding, and recycling, but so far that has not been enough. This “replacement content” looks increasingly weak now that there is strong, fresh competition or games that seem much more vibrant.
How has Bungie tried to solve this problem so far? When Bungie started in 2014, the solution for the lack of content was: “We simply have massive dimensions.” There were images of gigantic office buildings. Bungie was said to employ hundreds of people.
It quickly became clear: Even if there were hundreds of developers, it was still too few. The prepared content supply was exhausted by September 2015, and then nothing came.
Early on, internal restructuring into different teams began. While some crews worked on “new things”, others were supposed to support the ongoing game with smaller updates (the live team). But this led to “permanently recycled content” that dampened morale.
By 2017, a solution seemed to be found. The significant investor Activision sent its own studios to Destiny to work on content. This resulted in Forsaken and the current “season pass content”, which offered an improved status quo that still seems insufficient.
This is why it has gone wrong so far: There are at least three major problems:
Bungie’s engine is reportedly very complex, and creating content with it is time-consuming – this was reported by the US site Kotaku, citing “internal sources”.
Then Bungie made “reboots” twice before Destiny 1 and Destiny 2, seemingly throwing away months of work because management was dissatisfied with the direction.
And the option with the “support studios”, which seemed to work now, fell apart when Bungie separated from Activision.
This is why the content problem is so hard to solve: Developing “good content” for PvE is fundamentally time-consuming and costly. You need countless people with various skills to create this content: designers, graphic artists, programmers, and many more.
Players will always consume content faster than it can be produced.
The engine will not be easily changeable for Bungie – this is thus a “fixed problem” that will only change with a possible Destiny 3 and the transition to the new console generation.
This is what Bungie needs to do with Destiny: Ultimately, the only correct path for Bungie will be to find a solution for the content problem.
All other options, like adding more time-gates or more recycling, would just be a facade to cover up the fundamental problem. Bungie would have to align itself to release substantial new content at a pace that keeps the game fresh and alive.
If Destiny wants to shine as a “co-op PvE shooter”, new content updates like Forsaken or The Taken King need to be released regularly.
Bungie’s attempt to resolve this solely through “mini-DLCs” and to keep players “somehow” engaged with endless grinding won’t be enough to keep the game relevant in the long run.
Bungie has had 5 years to solve the content shortage problem. The pressure has increased and will continue to rise in the coming months and years.
For more on the topic, we will be having a live talk tonight:
Today, on February 14, 2019, the glossy MMORPG Black Desert Online starts its open beta on Xbox One. Here you will find everything about the launch, the content, and how to download it.
When exactly does the beta of Black Desert Online for Xbox One start? Today, on February 14, 2019, the open beta of Black Desert Online on Xbox officially begins. You can start right away.
How long does the beta last? You have now 4 days to explore the world of Black Desert Online. The beta ends next Monday, February 18, 2019, at 08:59 AM our time.
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How do I get into the beta? The open beta is open to all players. You do not need any special key or founder’s pack. Just go to the homepage of Black Desert Online and click on “Sign up for Beta”. This way you also participate in a raffle and can win a full version of the game.
What is included in the beta? In the beta, you can explore the regions of Balenos and Serendia. The level cap is 40 and you have the six classes Warrior, Ranger, Mage, Berserker, Magician, and Sorceress. There are also special GM events:
Hide and Seek: On February 14 at 4 PM, you can take on a quest to find 5 NPCs within an hour. This makes exploring even more rewarding.
Master Fishermen: On February 14 at 7 PM, you can participate in the fishing event in Velia. You need to catch “Fish Bones” once within an hour to receive 10 Black Stones (armor).
Velia Beach BBQ Party: On February 15 at 4 PM, you can grill with the GMs on the beach and win Black Stones.
Whoa There Horsey: On February 16 at 4 PM, you can find and catch a lot of horses south of Velia. You can win horse equipment for this.
Cart Racing: On February 16 at 7 PM, you can participate in a silly cart race and win a dog pet and a title.
Battle of the GMs: Every day at 11 PM, you can compete with the GMs on the Red Battlefield and experience brutal PvP action. There are Black Stones for this.
Slay the Corrupted One: On February 17 at 4 PM, you can take down a big world boss.
Node War: On February 17 from 8 PM to 10 PM, you can participate in a large PvP war for resource nodes.
When is the release of the full version of Black Desert on Xbox? On March 4, 2019, you can then play the full version of Black Desert Online on Xbox One.
A new hotfix brought some changes to the PvP of World of Warcraft. Healers are mainly affected, but rogues also have to deal with a change.
There are always small balancing changes in World of Warcraft, which are primarily focused on PvP. Such a change also came today on February 14, 2019, to the European servers of World of Warcraft. Almost all healers are affected, as their mana regeneration is drastically reduced. But a few other specializations are also impacted by the changes.
And again, it affects the mana regeneration …
PvP Hotfix from February 14, 2019
Please keep in mind that the mana regeneration of many classes in PvP was already reduced by 15%-30%. The new values should not be “added on top”, but are the new total value.
Restoration druids now have a 55% reduced mana regeneration in PvP.
Holy priests, holy paladins, restoration shamans, and mistweaver monks now have a 50% reduced mana regeneration in PvP.
Discipline priests now have a 45% reduced mana regeneration in PvP.
Balance druids, feral druids, and elemental shamans now have a 35% reduced mana regeneration in PvP.
Additionally, the mana cost of the PvP talent “Care” for druids has been increased by 30%.
A small nerf for rogues: Rogues must also accept a nerf of a PvP talent. Their neurotoxin is weakened. It now increases the cooldown of affected abilities by only 1 second (previously 3 seconds). Additionally, the cooldown of neurotoxin has been increased to 45 seconds (previously 25 seconds), and the duration has also been massively reduced – from 10 seconds to only 3 seconds.
However, the developers note that there are “some technical difficulties” with neurotoxin, which is why it does not function as desired. The problem is bigger and will likely be resolved only with Patch 8.1.5.
Why the changes? Blizzard was not satisfied with the current pace in PvP. Apparently, healers were healing much longer and more effectively than the developers intended. The reduced mana regeneration should ensure that healers run out of steam faster and need to manage their mana better.
The new update 1.03 for Apex Legends causes big problems. At least for players on Xbox One. That’s why you no longer see certain skins.
What kind of update is this? On Wednesday, Apex Legends received a major update that fixed a few bugs, changed the interface, and also addressed server stability. The update has the version number 1.03.
What problems have occurred? Shortly after the release of the update, Xbox players reported two serious issues:
Crashes on Xbox One
The characters Caustic and Mirage cannot be directly selected in the selection on Xbox
What do the developers say about the problems? The Twitter account of Apex Legends acknowledged these issues and wrote:
“Hey everyone. We have discovered an unfortunate issue with the Through the Heart Valentines DMR skin, Gibraltar’s Daemon Hunter, and Neural Net skins that are causing crashes on Xbox One. We have disabled the skins while we investigate the issues.”
The skins are indeed responsible for the crashes. There’s also mention of the problems with the legends:
“We are seeing reports from players that they cannot use Caustic or Mirage after they have been unlocked on Xbox One. We are currently investigating this.”
They will provide updates when there is more information about the issues on Xbox One. Players on PC and PS4 do not seem to be affected by these bugs.
Don’t miss any news: Stay up to date with Apex Legends by following our Facebook page.
What else is in the new update 1.03? The update fixed an exploit that some players were taking advantage of. It was possible to duplicate items in the inventory. So a dupe exploit.
Fortnite has a big surprise for you this Valentine’s Day: Epic is giving away the Battle Pass for Season 8 to every player who completes the challenges.
The Battle Pass for Season 8 normally costs 10 euros, but now Epic Games is giving the pass away for free to every player.
What do you need to do? In order to receive the Battle Pass for free, you must complete 13 challenges. Anyone who successfully completes these challenges will get access to the Battle Pass for Season 8 for free.
This is how you get the Battle Pass for free
This is what Epic says: The developers want to thank the players for the enormous feedback on the “Love You” event and are therefore giving away the Battle Pass.
This was the Battle Pass from Season 7
What can the Battle Pass do? There is also a Battle Pass in Fortnite for each season. The Battle Pass guarantees two free outfits. You can unlock 5 more skins throughout the season.
Additionally, with the Battle Pass, you can complete extra tasks each week. These are part of the weekly challenges.
How do I get the free Battle Pass? You need to solve 13 challenges to obtain it. These tasks start today, as the servers are back online. The new patch and the tasks are already live. We will provide you with a detailed guide to the tasks later.
Not all challenges are available in the game yet. Only 3 out of 20 challenges are in the game. However, the remaining tasks are likely to be introduced in phases.
This is the first part of the challenges.
You have this long: You can only receive the free pass within a certain timeframe. You have until February 27 to complete the challenges. After that, the chance for the free Battle Pass expires.
This is what the fans say
Fans are excited: On Reddit , many fans are thrilled about the free Battle Pass. As one user “jawryse” enthusiastically writes: “Epic Games are the best! The Battle Pass is free!”
As one user writes: “They feel the pressure from Apex and are therefore offering the Battle Pass for free!”
Indeed, Epic must have been quite challenged lately to keep its player base engaged and not lose players to Apex. A free Battle Pass could bring many players back.
Before the release of Anthem, some players can start earlier in Early Access. What you need to know is found here.
While Anthem will officially be released on February 22, PC and Xbox One players will have the chance to jump into the game starting February 15. Unfortunately, PlayStation 4 players will not have this opportunity: there is no Early Access for PS4.
When does Early Access begin?
What time do I need to be on PC? In Germany, Early Access starts on February 15 at 4 PM.
The preload for PC began on February 13 at 7 PM. However, you can only perform the preload if you have either pre-ordered Anthem or are using Origin Access Premier.
February 15
Players with Origin Access Premier on PC receive access to the full game
February 15 with 10-hour limit
Players with Origin Access on PC
Players with EA Access on Xbox One
February 22
Regular release for all buyers
Pre-orderers of the Standard Edition on PC, Xbox One and PS4
Players on PC can participate in Early Access either with Origin Access Premier or Origin Access Basic. Xbox One users will have the chance to do so with EA Access.
What is Origin Access Premier? With the subscription service Premier, you gain access to the full version of Anthem starting February 15. Additionally, you will have access to a growing game collection and a 10% discount on Origin purchases. The subscription costs €14.99 per month or €99.99 per year.
What is Origin Access Basic? This is the cheaper version of Origin Access. It costs €3.99 monthly or €24.99 per year. Subscribers also have access to a game collection and can access Anthem for 10 hours starting February 15.
If you decide to purchase the game, your progress from the 10 hours will carry over to the main game.
What is EA Access? On Xbox One, EA’s subscription is called EA Access. It offers the same benefits as Origin Access Basic. This subscription also costs €3.99 per month or €24.99 per year and grants you access to the 10-hour trial of Anthem as well as a collection of various games.
As on PC, your progress will also carry over on Xbox One after the trial if you decide to purchase.
Everything you need to know about Anthem
We have listed our most important articles about Anthem here again in various categories:
Among the raids, there are many new faces. For the first time, Chaneira is available in raids. However, there are also other new bosses. This is rounded off by many familiar faces that have been around before.
We will list the bosses and tell you how to counter them best.
These are the raid bosses for the Valentine’s Day event
On Reddit, diligent players have already compiled all current raid bosses, so we’ve created a list.
Here are the Pokémon in question: In the new event, there are numerous pink Pokémon. The monsters with this color can also be found in raids. There are many good Pokémon for which investing raid passes is worthwhile. Additionally, there are also monsters where you can find the shiny version with a bit of luck.
List of new raid bosses in Pokémon GO in February 2019
Raid Level
Pokémon
Level 1 – pink eggs
Krabby Liebiskus Ponita Snubbull Sheinux
Level 2 – pink eggs
Schlurp Magmar Elektek Kirlia Lahmus
Level 3 – yellow eggs
Chaneira Porygon Miltank Waaty Vulnona
Level 4 – yellow eggs
Tornupto Despotar Absol Togetic
Level 5 – black eggs
Palkia
The current raid bosses at Level 1 / Tier 1
Krabby
Can be Shiny
Liebiskus
Can be Shiny
Ponita
Can be Shiny
Snubbull
Can be Shiny
Sheinux
Can be Shiny
The current raid bosses at Level 2 / Tier 2
Schlurp
Magmar
Elektek
Kirlia
Lahmus
The current raid bosses at Level 3 / Tier 3
Chaneira
Counter: Kapilz with Counter and Wuchtschlag
Counter: Machomei with Counter and Wuchtschlag
Counter: Lohgock with Counter and Focus Punch
Porygon
Counter: Kapilz with Counter and Wuchtschlag
Counter: Machomei with Counter and Wuchtschlag
Counter: Lohgock with Counter and Focus Punch
Miltank
Counter: Kapilz with Counter and Wuchtschlag
Counter: Machomei with Counter and Wuchtschlag
Counter: Hariyama with Counter and Wuchtschlag
Waaty
Counter: Groudon with Mud Shot and Earthquake
Counter: Rihornior with Mud Slap and Earthquake
Counter: Rizeros with Mud Slap and Earthquake
Vulnona
Counter: Rameidon with Rock Throw and Stone Edge
Counter: Kyogre with Waterfall and Hydro Pump
Counter: Impergator with Waterfall and Hydro Pump
The current raid bosses at Level 4 / Tier 4
Togetic
Counter: Rameidon with Rock Throw and Stone Edge
Counter: Metagross with Bullet Punch and Meteor Mash
Counter: Elevoltek with Thunder Shock and Zap Cannon
Absol
Counter: Machomei with Counter and Wuchtschlag
Counter: Kapilz with Counter and Wuchtschlag
Counter: Hariyama with Counter and Wuchtschlag
Despotar
Counter: Machomei with Counter and Wuchtschlag
Counter: Kapilz with Counter and Wuchtschlag
Counter: Hariyama with Counter and Wuchtschlag
Tornupto
Counter: Kyogre with Waterfall and Hydro Pump
Counter: Rameidon with Rock Throw and Stone Edge
Counter: Despotar with Rock Throw and Stone Edge
Ursaring
Counter: Machomei with Counter and Wuchtschlag
Counter: Kapilz with Counter and Wuchtschlag
Counter: Hariyama with Counter and Wuchtschlag
The current raid bosses at Level 5 / Tier 5
Palkia
For the legendary raid boss, we have an extra counter guide. The best attackers can be found here.
The viewing distance in Pokémon GO has been increased again:
Dead by Daylight will be playable on the Nintendo Switch later this year. We will reveal the details.
The asymmetrical horror game Dead by Daylight has been riding a wave of success for several years, and it seems that it is not going to end. Because now the developer Behaviour has stated that Dead by Daylight is set to be released on the Nintendo Switch in Fall 2019 (between October and December). However, there are critical voices regarding this decision.
What content will be included on the Switch? The exact content of the Switch version has not yet been announced. However, it is possible that certain characters, such as licensed killers (Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger) or some survivors (Bill from Left4Dead) may not be available in the Switch version. The corresponding perks will still be present, so there will be no gameplay disadvantage for the other characters.
How good will the game look? The developers already say that Dead by Daylight will run at 30 fps and in the “best possible graphics that Nintendo’s console allows.” Since the Nintendo console is a bit less powerful than its competitors, the graphics will likely be scaled back to enable smooth gameplay. By the way, a subscription to Nintendo Switch Online will be required for playing.
No Cross-Play: The possibility of cross-play, meaning playing against users on other platforms, has been directly ruled out. Players on the Switch will only compete against other players on the Switch.
Skepticism in the Community: Players are looking forward to the release on the Nintendo Switch with mixed feelings. While many welcome that Dead by Daylight will conquer another console, there is also clear criticism. The other console versions (PS4 and Xbox One) are currently not running smoothly and are facing stuttering and other technical issues. Therefore, players doubt that Nintendo’s console will be able to handle the game.
We will only see what the final result will look like in Fall 2019 – it will still take a while.
Are you excited for Dead by Daylight on the Switch?
Here’s what it’s about in Far Cry Primal: Anyone who has played one of the newer Far Cry games like Far Cry 5 and enjoyed it will likely be satisfied with Primal as well.
This spin-off of the first-person shooter series takes place in prehistoric times. You only have primitive weapons available and must navigate through a prehistoric game world.
Far Cry: Primal leads you into merciless tribal wars
The map is a revised version of the Far Cry 4 world, similar to what is the case in the upcoming Far Cry: New Dawn. This is also just a spin-off and takes place in a futuristic version of the game world from Far Cry 5.
Here’s what it’s about in Ghost Recon Wildlands: Wildlands is a tactical third-person shooter that also scores with huge game worlds. You can play the entire game with up to 4 friends, clearing enemy strongholds with a wide selection of weapons and vehicles and fighting against cartels.
Here’s what it’s about in Watch Dogs 2: Watch Dogs 2 takes place in San Francisco and also features a large game world. As part of a resistance movement, you can hack systems and manipulate the game world throughout the story.
You play in the third-person perspective, and the gameplay consists of shootouts and smaller parkour elements.
However, there are a few things you need to keep in mind regarding the offer. We show you how it works.
With this squad you are in the Wildlands
The offer does not apply to everyone
Who gets the free game? Those who pre-order The Division 2 in the Standard, Gold, or Ultimate Edition digitally on PC can choose from the three games.
Any disc versions as well as Xbox One and PS4 are not affected.
How to claim the offer: If you have pre-ordered The Division 2 digitally, it should appear in your game list on the respective download platform in the Uplay Store or the Epic Games Store.
Once that is the case, you can select one of the 3 games on this page and install it. You can only play it from the release of The Division 2 on March 15th.
If you cancel the pre-order, the title will also be removed from your library.
Until when can I get my gift? The offer is active until March 31st. You can download one of the games until then.
Players speculate about another gift
This is how the community reacts: Many are happy about the offer. A few fans who already own all titles have also spoken up on Reddit. They received a message from Ubisoft stating that they already have all 3 games in their library.
Instead, they are supposed to look forward to the release of The Division 2, as another gift will be waiting for those players. So instead of the games, there will likely be some in-game reward.
Now the fans are speculating about what the gift might be. Some suspect extra currency, while others predict cosmetic items as rewards. Overall, the initiative is well received.
Everything about the pre-order and editions of The Division 2 is summarized:
To Fortnite: Battle Royale has finally received the long-awaited update 7.4. This brings a new weapon, the Valentine’s Day event, as well as numerous adjustments and fixes.
Additionally, new features for building and materials have been integrated.
The features of the patch for 7.40 in PvP
New weapon – Infantry Rifle: This weapon fires fast projectiles. They do not lose power over distance and always deal the same damage.
Availability: Common, Uncommon, Rare
Damage: 41, 43, and 45; headshots count double
Ammo: Medium
New weapon – Cupid’s Crossbow: This weapon has been reintroduced for Valentine’s Day. It has the following stats:
Availability: Epic
Damage: 79 and 197 for headshots
Ammo: Infinite
New weapon – Sticky Grenades: This weapon is back in the game!
Bush becomes better, Hand Cannon and Rocket Launcher become weaker
Item change – Bush: The bush now absorbs one hit completely and then is gone. Fall damage does not remove the bush. Additionally, the bush is finally transparent for the carrier.
Weapon change – Hand Cannon: The controversial weapon now deals less environmental damage:
Epic: 100 instead of 150
Legendary: 105 instead of 157
Weapon change – Rocket Launcher: This weapon is now only available in supply drops, no longer from chests. The chance of finding the weapon in a supply drop has increased from 25 to 50. Additionally, the reload time has been increased.
Weapon change – Grenades: The regular grenades are no longer in the game.
New event – Valentine’s Day: There are a number of free “extension challenges”. If you complete 13 of them by February 27, 2019, you will receive the new Battle Pass for Season 8 for free!
New game mode – Catch!: There are no firearms here. Instead, you have everything that has ever existed in throwable items and grenades.
New tournament – Trio One-Day Cup: This is an open tournament played in trios. It starts on February 17, 2019.
Gameplay changes and bug fixes: Among other things, the following changes have been made to gameplay:
You gain 50 shield or health on kills. Additionally, you receive 50 units of each material. However, you can only carry 500 units of each resource. You will gather resources 40 percent faster.
The airplane can no longer break through buildings
The last storm circle moves 48% further and closes in 75 instead of 45 seconds
Floor traps now automatically have a corresponding floor piece
Snowman skins now break if they fall from greater heights
You can view your statistics on all devices
You can send gifts to your friends again. This is available until February 16, 2019.
What’s changing in creative mode: You can now adjust the size of objects. Additionally, you now have a music editor to create your own music. New Arctic-style prefabs are also being added.
The patch highlights from the update to 7.40 in PvE
New weapon – Scoped Sniper Rifle: Shoots arrows with high damage. You can buy it in the shop from February 14 to 21, 2019.
New weapon – Dragon Fist: This thick hammer is back and you can buy it in the shop from February 14 to 21, 2019.
New challenge – Frostnite 7 – Fuel Thirst: The storm closes in even faster here and deals more damage. Those who survive for 30 minutes can earn the Love Ranger Jonesy and 1,500 gold. After three times of 30 minutes, there’s a banner.
Did Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 simply copy a foreign character for the design of the specialist Prophet? This view is held by former WWE superstar Booker T, who is now filing a lawsuit.
What happened? After several class action lawsuits against Activision due to the separation from Bungie, another one has emerged – this time regarding Black Ops 4.
The former WWE superstar Booker T. Huffman, alias “Booker T,” sees his rights violated in the design of a Black Ops 4 character and has now filed a copyright lawsuit against the publisher.
What is this legal dispute about? Booker T is likely a well-known name to many wrestling fans. He was a prominent figure in the world of professional wrestling for more than 10 years.
Before he rose to fame in WWE, he was active in another wrestling organization. However, there he wasn’t known as Booker T, but as the military character G.I. Bro.
This alter ego has been immortalized by Booker T as a comic character after his active wrestling career. To promote the comics, he appeared at numerous events as G.I. Bro and has secured the copyright to the artwork and the comics.
And it is from his G.I. Bro character that Black Ops 4 seems to have heavily borrowed in designing the specialist Prophet. To support his accusation, Huffman has attached a comparison image to his lawsuit, showing G.I. Bro and Prophet from Black Ops 4 side by side.
The lawsuit states: “When seen next to each other, there is no doubt that Activision copied the character G.I. Bro. From the hair, body structure, and clothing to the facial expression, the similarities are too strong to be mere coincidence.”
However, Booker T would never have allowed the use or reproduction of his G.I. Bro figure or any of the content from his comics. There has been no contact or request. Therefore, he is now suing. It is currently unknown what amount is involved.
What are the chances of the lawsuit? It is currently difficult to assess – even though the similarity to Booker T’s G.I. Bro is hard to deny. Similar lawsuits, such as Lindsay Lohan against Rockstar Games, have rarely been successful so far.
However, those usually concerned the appearance or movements of real people. Here, it is about a protected comic character. Nevertheless, Booker T will likely have to prepare for a lengthy process that could drag on for years. Comparable cases have already shown this.
What do you think about this? Did Black Ops 4 really borrow from a foreign character? Or is someone just trying to boost their bank account through the success of Black Ops 4?
The Valentine’s Day event in Pokémon GO has started. There are numerous bonuses, good chances of finding Chansey and Shiny Luvdisc or Pii from the eggs.
What’s new:It has already been announced and now it is official: The Valentine’s Day event in Pokémon GO is running. You now have more than a week to catch numerous pink Pokémon and grab great bonuses.
The Bonuses of the Valentine’s Day Event
How long does the event last? You have until February 21 at 10 PM to catch the pink Pokémon.
These are the bonuses: The event offers not only the pink Pokémon but also other bonuses:
Lure modules last for six hours
Double candy when catching Pokémon
Pink Pokémon appear more frequently
More pink Pokémon from 7-km eggs
New raid bosses
These Shinies are new: In the wild, you won’t find a new Shiny, but the shiny versions of Luvdisc and Pii will hatch from 7-km eggs.
These two Shiny families are new.
In the wild, Shinies like Snubbull and Luvdisc await you. So capturing Pokémon is rewarded too.
This Pokémon is new in the game: There is also a new Pokémon in the game! Wonneira, the baby Pokémon of Chansey, now hatches from 7-km eggs. It’s worth hatching these eggs again.
Wonneira is now in the game.
There are new boxes: As with every event, there are also new offer boxes in the in-game shop. These boxes contain useful items that you can use for the event.
These are the new field research tasks for Valentine’s Day
There are also three new field research tasks: In accordance with the event, they are:
What two of the biggest Division experts say about the currently ongoing beta of The Division 2.
These experts are: Anyone who has already been an agent in New York and has occasionally followed the events in the Division community will sooner or later come across the names Skill Up and MarcoStyle.
MarcoStyle has been a respected Division YouTuber for years, considered the expert par excellence with his analyses, builds, and recommendations. Here at MeinMMO, we have reported on his useful analyses, such as the Best-in-Slot Guide, which helps you create the best builds.
Skill Up was a great resource in the early stages of The Division for top builds and insightful assessments, but over time his YouTube channel became less about The Division and more about general reviews. Currently, he is closely examining the beta of The Division 2.
Many Division fans place great value on the opinions of the two.
Initial impression of The Division 2 beta was still positive
Initial reviews were top-notch: Skill Up has not uploaded his own video about the beta yet, but he flooded Twitter with his initial impressions.
What stood out positively for him: There are no annoying loading times in The Division 2. Once you have logged in with your character, you can march directly from the operations base in the White House into the open world and dive into missions from there. All without additional loading times. That is quite impressive.
Here, Skill Up makes a comparison with Anthem: Anthem even has loading screens for loading screens. The player experience in The Division 2, on the other hand, is not marred by tons of annoying loading times.
His feeling after 4 hours: After playing for a longer period, he concluded that he has a good feeling about The Division 2. He is impressed by how much new stuff the game has – and he hasn’t even seen half of the beta yet.
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His best moments so far in the beta: The guys who run at you and scream like Borderlands characters.
His worst moments so far: He can’t stop killing innocent animals in the streets. Someone seems to have a guilty conscience.
Experts are concerned
Initial opinion changed: However, a few hours ago, Skill Up spoke up again on Twitter. He spent another 4 hours in the beta. He is still impressed by the new features, but he is “very concerned” about the technical state.
Here, he again makes a comparison with Anthem: The technical state of The Division 2 – at least from the beta – is more worrying than that of the Anthem demo. He is very disappointed by this.
Specifically, he mentions networking issues as well as frame rate problems, animations, sound, and glitches in general. He has also been constantly haunted by delta error codes. However, these are supposed to have been fixed with the maintenance work today.
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MarcoStyle also sees this critically: He has already released a video with the surprising title “MarcoStyle’s Depressing The Division 2 Beta Stream”. In it, he shows how “buggy” the game is by showcasing several gameplay bugs. For example, an enemy simply runs over a handrail, or another NPC gets stuck in an animation.
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But MarcoStyle is not “depressed”: The video is a reaction to a widely discussed Reddit post. A user wrote on Reddit that he has seen MarcoStyle’s stream. Generally, Marco seems very depressed about the beta and comes across as “burnt out”, according to the user. Marco ended his stream with the words, “I think the developers cared too much about packing all the features into the game and forgot to make the game fun.”
On Twitter, MarcoStyle commented on this Reddit post about his stream and explained that he is neither depressed nor burnt out. However, he is annoyed by the countless bugs and the low skill ceiling of the beta. He explains: The movement is quite slow, making it “super easy” to aim at opponents in PvP, requiring no skill. In his opinion, PvP is just boring.
And he is still allowed to be upset: “It’s a game. You press buttons and things die, and if you press buttons and things don’t work, then I have the right to be angry.”
In the video, it is still clear that MarcoStyle also had fun in the beta. He could laugh heartily at most of the gameplay bugs. At minute 13:25, he concludes that the beta did not blow him away. It is buggy and “definitely a beta”. He does not believe that all the problems can be fixed by the launch. But he is not depressed – that he is not.
What do you think of these assessments?
You can find our initial impression of the beta here:
Even a voice actress from Overwatch disagrees with the layoffs at Blizzard. She has harsh words for such practices.
The nearly 800 layoffs at Activision Blizzard have caused a huge uproar in the gaming community. This step seems particularly absurd, as Blizzard recorded a record year with huge revenue last year.
The whole situation has caused such waves that even voice actors, such as Jennifer Hale, the English voice of Ashe in Overwatch, have publicly spoken out against these practices.
What did Hale say? On Twitter, she made her stance quite clear regarding what she thinks about the current layoffs and payments to CEOs. She stated:
“The average salary of CEOs was 30 times higher than that of an employee in 1980.
Today, the average salary is 500 times higher than that of an employee.
Grab the pitchforks. It’s time.”
It should be clear that Hale is not really calling for violence. It is more about showing the development studios and especially the bosses in another way that one disagrees with the development – such as with the wallet by not buying the next games.
In other tweets, she also expressed herself critically about the incident and used a few harsher words:
Why Hale can afford this: Jennifer Hale is one of the most well-known voice actresses in the gaming industry. Not only can she be heard in Overwatch, but she also provided the voice for Female Shepard in Mass Effect and Samus Aran from the Metroid series.
Some fans believe that Hale may not be the voice of Ashe for much longer after she has taken a stand against the management at Blizzard – her current employer. Other fans think that Hale probably doesn’t care much, as she has a pretty secure position in the industry.
What do you think about this statement from Jennifer Hale? Is it good for people who work for Blizzard to position themselves so clearly? What is your stance on this whole development?
The new update 7.4 brings new content today, Thursday, February 14th. The servers of Fortnite will be offline on all platforms (PC/Mac, Xbox One, PS4, Switch, iOS, Android). Maintenance will bring a new patch. When will the servers go offline and when will Fortnite be playable again?
What is happening today in Fortnite? February 14th is not only Valentine’s Day, but also the start of maintenance work in Fortnite. The server maintenance was actually supposed to take place yesterday, but Epic identified a problem at short notice.
Special skins for Valentine’s Day
Fortnite servers go offline – When will they be back online?
When does the server maintenance in Fortnite start? At 09:30 AM CET, you will no longer be able to join an active game. At 10 AM CET, the servers will then be completely shut down. Fortnite will no longer be accessible.
When will the Fortnite servers be back online? The exact times vary. Usually, Fortnite is back online around noon. However, this depends on whether the problems from yesterday don’t recur and the maintenance runs smoothly.
As soon as the servers are back online, you will be informed as usual on MeinMMO. We will also provide you with the patch notes as soon as Epic publishes them.
What’s in the update for Fortnite: Battle Royale: The update to the new game version 7.4 will bring some great new features that players are looking forward to. In addition, there will be an event tailored to Valentine’s Day.
A new historical rifle comes to Fortnite: Battle Royale
Anthem has released its launch trailer. This clearly shows the feeling that the action RPG wants to convey: the supernatural power of a superhero.
What does the trailer show? We get primarily a taste of what the four Javelin classes are capable of. The exosuits all have overpowered skills, which they demonstrate in all their glorious power in the video.
Be it the Interceptor, which acrobatically slashes through enemies with its blades, or the Storm, which unleashes a magnificent elemental storm upon its foes.
This trailer shows: Javelin are damn powerful!
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This is what makes Anthem special: Anyone who steps into the exosuit should feel like a superhero. That’s why flying in Anthem is so important to the developers at BioWare . The complete map is designed for vertical gameplay.
Flying is one of humanity’s oldest dreams. BioWare wanted flying to be a core aspect of the superhero fantasy that Anthem fulfills. In the video, you can also see how the Javelin zooms through the areas.
Anthem fulfills a power fantasy where the world is at our feet. The launch trailer makes this even clearer. Sparks and explosions fly everywhere, and the camera cuts are fast-paced. It resembles a trailer that could have been produced for the Avengers.
From the trailer: “Feel the power of the Javelin, its precision. Trust each other, unleash your power. Never give up: You are Freelancers.”
Players take on the role of a Freelancer. These are people who are able to pilot the Javelin. They are also called pilots.
Release of Anthem is just around the corner: Starting February 15, the first players can play Anthem. This applies only to players on PC and Xbox One in the head start. On February 22, the official release will take place, allowing PS4 players to join. Will you step into the Javelin and become a superhero?
In Apex Legends there is a playable character named Caustic who decimates enemies with poisonous gas. A streamer took this to heart and used it for a spectacular multi-kill.
What happened? The streamer 1cePrime chose the nasty character Caustic in the new battle royale game Apex Legends. He can set up large barrels of gas and throw deadly gas grenades.
The gas barrels are actually traps that release toxic gas when triggered. However, the barrels are also massive objects that cannot be moved once they are set down.
The streamer took advantage of this and lured his enemies into a room with windows. Once all the enemies were inside, he blocked the doors with a gas trap. The opponents could not open them anymore and were trapped in the room. However, there was still a small gap left open.
1cePrime then threw a gas grenade in there. What happened next was a top-notch role-playing performance, as the character Caustic is in the lore of Apex a crazy psycho who enjoys killing people with gas out of scientific curiosity.
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The opponents met a miserable end in the gas cloud and 1cePrime and his team watched gleefully through the windows during the death struggle. Eventually, the entire enemy squad was wiped out and 1cePrime became the new kill leader in the match.
Heroes are the big feature of Apex
The scene with Caustic shows how cool and fitting the heroes in Apex Legends fit into the game. The skills of the legends are not just a nice addition. They can be decisive at the right moment.
How to get Caustic? Those who want to replicate the stunt of 1cePrime must first unlock the character Caustic. Unfortunately, the gas freak is only available for 12,000 units of in-game currency. Alternatively, you can buy him with real money as a microtransaction.
According to Origin, Anthem was supposed to have its release in Early Access on February 14. However, this release date is incorrect. When can players start with Anthem now?
What is the new start date? On Friday, February 15, at 4:00 PM, players with Origin Access (Premier) can start at the earliest.
What start date was assumed so far? Anthem was originally supposed to have its Early Start on February 14 at 11:30 PM. At least that was shown by Origin, the proprietary gaming platform of Electronic Arts.
Was there a display error in Origin?
It was said the whole time by EA and BioWare that the Head Start of Anthem would be on February 15.
However, due to the display in Origin, many assumed that the release would be on the night of February 14. The assumptions suggest that this was probably a display error in Origin.
Meanwhile (February 13, 11:00 PM), Origin is showing the correct date.
The confusion in the community (Reddit) was great. Because different release dates for the Early Access start in Origin have been shown so far.
However, the developers confirmed in an official dev stream that the release will be worldwide on February 15 at 4:00 PM.
Anthem has another official release: Players who have access to Origin Access or Origin Access Premier can participate in the Head Start on February 15. This applies only to PC and Xbox One.
