In Anthem, everything revolves around the Anthem of Creation. But what is it and what can it do?
What is it about? Just before the release of Anthem on February 22, the two BioWare writers Cathleen Rootsaert and Jay Watamaniuk talked in an interview about the backstory of Anthem.
What does Anthem mean? At the center of the story is “Anthem of Creation” left behind by the Shapers. Not much is known about the Shapers, but they seem to be something like gods. The Shapers have left the world of Anthem.
What remains are their mysterious relics, which are the main force of change, but also of violence in Anthem. The most powerful of all Shaper artifacts is the Anthem of Creation – a technology with the ability to create and destroy.
Where does the Anthem come from? The authors state that the people of Fort Tarsis don’t really know what came first – the Shapers or the Anthem. Both existed together.
The unfinished world of Anthem arises from the Shapers trying to work with the Anthem of Creation. However, the Anthem could not be contained. It could not be shackled by the Shapers. The Shapers could not subjugate it to their will. The story of how this situation came to be was lost over time.
Players will encounter strange machines in the game, which may still be half-operational, completely dead, or coming back to life. A big point is to find out what the connection between the Anthem and the huge, dangerous machines is, says Jay Watamaniuk:
“Is there a connection? What kind of connection is it? And how do we try to survive in a world with these two huge forces?
A streamer has achieved victory in Apex Legends. However, for the streamer ToeYouUp, this was a different challenge than for most gamers. He only has one arm and won with the help of his foot.
The American ex-Marine and streamer lost an arm in a motorcycle accident. But that doesn’t stop him from playing – and even winning. In a close battle, he was the last of his team to defeat the last other surviving player and win.
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How did he manage that? In his streams, you can see how ToeYouUp manages to pursue his passion for gaming despite his missing arm. He clamps his PS4 controller between his remaining hand and his foot.
He then operates the analog sticks with his hand, using his thumb and index finger when both need to be operated simultaneously. The shoulder buttons are partially operated with his toes, and the ball of his foot serves as a support for the second grip.
Unknown streamer becomes a star: Many players celebrate Apex Legends and so the clip of ToeYouUp’s victory quickly went viral. Although ToeYouUp has had a maximum of 40 simultaneous viewers since his launch according to SullyGnome, the clip has already been viewed over 140,000 times.
The video clip of his victory also gained a lot of attention on reddit. In a thread with more than 5,000 upvotes, many commented on his victory. Most congratulate ToeYouUp on his win or tease able-bodied players, saying it’s their excuse for not winning. The user MickeyGrandia writes:
And I can’t even win with 2 hands
Apex Legends is currently very popular. The clip could be the moment that leads ToeYouUp to greater recognition.
What do you think of ToeYouUp’s victory?
Apex Legends became a hit out of nowhere. How that happened and what makes Apex so good has been contemplated by Benedict:
Our author Tarek was able to test an Invaded mission from The Division 2 during the beta. In this endgame variant of the story missions, you encounter a particularly strong faction.
While playing the Invaded mission “Jefferson Trade Center” from the private beta, I had a lot of fun, as I could experiment with the 3 specializations for the first time and take a look at the new enemy faction Black Tusk. Overall, my impression is positive and gives me hope for future endgame content.
What are Invaded missions? Once you have completed the story campaign and reached level 30, another faction invades the game world. This faction is the Black Tusk, which you can face in Invaded missions. These missions are harder variants of the normal story missions.
The Invaded missions are meant to bring momentum to the PvE endgame of The Division 2 along with the new faction and provide a greater challenge.
Instead of simply increasing the number and strength of enemies, the Invaded missions also provide a more demanding challenge. The Black Tusk are
more tricky and tactical than the usual enemies due to better AI,
better equipped – and they use bomb drones and remote-controlled cars with explosives
and spawn less frequently in the same pattern.
Additionally, other enemy types such as four-legged turret robots are introduced, which emit an EMP pulse upon destruction.
How do I test the Invaded mission? To unlock the specializations and the Invaded mission, you need to complete part of the beta. We have summarized everything for you about the endgame part of the beta.
Impressions from the Endgame
This is how the Invaded mission plays: The Black Tusk usually proceed wisely, trying to flank and encircle, and they can make your life really difficult. They rappel down from helicopters in outdoor areas and can pose significant challenges due to their positioning.
Although they can generally withstand more than the usual enemies, only the larger tanks have significantly more health, which can still be dealt with quickly if you concentrate on a specific spot on their armor.
You will face significantly more waves of enemies compared to the normal mission flow. However, I am not worried about the difficulty level. Our equipment was at level 30 and was a mix of high-end and purple loot, but still far from optimum.
Moreover, not all skills were available. Therefore, players still have plenty of room for improvement to better prepare against the Black Tusk. Accordingly, as you progress and get better gear, you will find it easier to cope.
Overall, the Black Tusk reminds me of a stronger version of the LMB from The Division 1. The fight against them is challenging and motivating, considering the technical difficulties of the beta.
Good prospects for the future?
Gameplay-wise, the Black Tusk is an interesting enemy, which should serve as a good entry point at the beginning of the endgame. I am curious whether Massive will introduce even higher difficulty levels and what else is planned for the PvE area. So far, I think the prospects are fairly good.
The Black Tusk appears as a faction still mysterious and threatening. What kind of organization are they? Who is behind it? Similar questions arise as when the mysterious Hunters from the predecessor appeared. Fans are already speculating about a connection between these two dangerous and enigmatic factions.
We have summarized 4 theories about the Hunters for you:
This is what Massive still needs to work on: I do have a few minor points of criticism:
Sometimes it is hard to see the individual enemies.
Grenades and drones are difficult to see, making dodging harder.
Additionally, the ammunition for the specializations should drop significantly more often.
I was barely able to test the signature weapon, which was a bit unfortunate. Because the specializations are actually a cool way to go tactically.
When I had ammunition for my .50 caliber sniper rifle, it was a powerful weapon against heavily armored enemies. But unfortunately, during the entire mission, there were perhaps a maximum of two ammunition drops. My teammates fared even worse.
What I would still wish for: Massive still needs to work a bit on the balance. The number of enemy waves is sometimes too high, you’re literally bombarded with enemies. If that is reduced, I don’t think an adjustment of the time-to-kill is necessary. Enemies can take a lot of damage, but it felt okay to me if there weren’t so many.
If Massive adjusts the technical and balance aspects in general, the Invaded missions are already a good start for a strong PvE endgame.
What do you think about the Invaded missions? Would you agree?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
I started with Apex Legends shortly after it was released, and now I can hardly stop playing. This is mainly because I really go into each round feeling relaxed. Why is that?
Shooters are nerve-wracking and raise adrenaline levels. Accordingly, some ambitious gamers (like I am) can quickly become frustrated and ‘salty’ after a few defeats.
However, this never happened with Apex Legends. Something makes this battle royale shooter different from its genre counterparts. By now, I have invested well over 30 hours in Apex Legends, even though the game was only released on February 4.
What makes Apex Legends better than other BR games?
Apex Legends differs from other battle royales through some features. These are the reasons why I enjoy it so much, even though I actually don’t like battle royales.
I feel like I have more influence
The most important difference from most other BR shooters is that there are heroes to be controlled in Apex Legends. I don’t play “a soldier” or some captive, but a legend with unique abilities.
Especially the different skills contribute significantly to the game feeling. They stand out despite the same available weapons and cater to special playstyles or tactics that other BR shooters do not allow.
With the composition in a three-person team, new strategies also come into play. A nice change that I miss in some other games like PUBG or Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, although the latter even offers different characters in the blackout mode. There, everything always feels somehow the same – and dull.
Even though the skills make up only a small part of the actual gameplay, they contribute to making players feel special. Especially in tense situations, they can be the deciding factor.
When I win such a fight, I perceive it as a victory through my class and skill. On the other hand, if I lose, it could be because I underestimated an opponent’s skill. However, it was rarely ‘just luck’ and thus significantly less frustrating.
Better communication, even without voice
Another great feature is the ‘pings’ and especially the situational signals that players can give. If I see an item, I can highlight it for others, and if someone needs it, they can mark it for themselves with a ping as a response.
The various types of markings also help a team communicate better. It is possible to give various signals, such as:
guard this area
There was an enemy
Enemy contact
I’m going here
The signals are also supported by voice output from the characters themselves. This allows a team to communicate quickly and easily, even without using voice chat. In the heat of battle, it can happen that one makes mistakes or stumbles over words.
This cannot happen with the pings. They are always accurate. I have even experienced playing in a fixed team and still more communication occurred through the pings, as they are simply more precise.
Fewer players per map but more teamwork
Another significant advantage of Apex Legends is that fewer players play on a huge map. With only 20 squads of three people each, I usually have more time to equip myself.
The battles become more tactical because I often encounter better-equipped people, and it feels generally better to fight with good equipment. In the fight itself, it often happens that I can truly rely on my teammates.
In Apex Legends, there is no way to play alone or only with two players, even if that might be possible soon. Three players are always grouped together, and so far, I have only had a few games that really annoyed me.
Much more often, it happened that we work together towards victory. Playing against each other brings no advantages, and you often benefit from the skills of others as well. It simply feels like more teamwork.
There are also some disadvantages
Apex Legends is indeed very good, but that doesn’t mean it’s a perfect game. The abilities of one or the other legend could certainly be a bit weaker. At least they shouldn’t be exploitable, like Caustic’s gas traps.
However, significantly larger problems arise from some bugs that still haunt the game.
Some errors prevent playing in a party and require a relog.
Other bugs can simply kick players out of the game. (Apex Legends shuts down, or the error “Party leader has left the game” occurs)
In rare cases, some weapons may simply become unusable.
All in all, the errors occur more individually and are more of a minor annoyance. What will be changed in the upcoming patches and with the upcoming seasons remains to be seen.
What do you think of Apex Legends?
Our author Jürgen shares my view. Even though he is a huge Fortnite fan, he enjoys Apex Legends even more:
In the currently running Private Beta of The Division 2, fans keep finding interesting details. The next one might just be a reference to the movie “National Treasure” starring Nicolas Cage.
What is it about? Recent discoveries suggest that The Division 2 is making the most of its setting. The current Private Beta has only been running for about 3 days, yet players are finding many cool things, references, and stories:
A glove statistic that veteran players will likely find amusing, showing the number of closed car doors
On the “Hotel Grand Washington” mission, which is available in the beta, there is a secret loot room that can only be opened with a key.
Now it’s about a side mission from the beta that strongly reminded the folks at Polygon.com of a certain movie starring Nicolas Cage. The mission takes you to the National Archives of Washington D.C.
Steal the Declaration of Independence
This is the side mission “National Archives”: The objective of the mission is clear – the Division is to break into the National Archives and retrieve the Declaration of Independence.
As in the movie with Nicolas Cage: In “National Treasure,” Cage tries to steal the important document as well.
The reason is a map on the back of the declaration. However, this leads more to an Indiana Jones-style treasure hunt.
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In The Division 2, however, it’s about something else: The goal of the side mission is also to steal the Declaration of Independence. However, in this case, it is from the clutches of the True Sons. Furthermore, the Division does not suspect a treasure map on the document, but just wants it back due to its symbolic value.
In the mission, you shoot your way through the ranks of the True Sons to get it back. However, the declaration is located in the National Archives, which is part of a stronghold. So you’ll need to make your way to dismantle it.
So is the parallel to the movie far-fetched?
One should not forget how much attention to detail was in the predecessor. For example, an Easter egg was placed at Grand Central Station that directly references the movie “I Am Legend.”
This is what the Easter egg related to Mr. Bean from The Division 1 looks like.
Additionally, there have already been Easter eggs for
Evolution items and stones play a big role in Pokémon GO. There is also a new evolution stone in Generation 4 that is useful. We will show you which Pokémon you can obtain with the help of the items and which monsters are particularly interesting.
What are evolution items? With these special items, you can evolve specific Pokémon. These evolutions do not work in the normal way. These items have been around since Generation 2, and more and more Pokémon require a stone or item for evolution.
We will show you how to get the evolution items and which Pokémon can be evolved. At the end, we will present you a selection of the best Pokémon that you can get through this feature.
Evolution items from Generation 2
How many evolution items are there? Overall, there are 5 different versions of these items in Generation 2. Each one helps different Pokémon in their evolution. The following list shows all evolutions:
Evolution item
Pokémon
Sun Stone
Gloom to Bellossom
Sunkern to Sunflora
King’s Rock
Barboach to Whiscash
Seel to Dewgong
Metal Coat
Onix to Steelix
Scyther to Scizor
Dragon Scale
Seadra to Kingdra
Up-Grade
Porygon to Porygon2
Which Pokémon uses Up-Grade? It is often asked whether Up-Grade is a special item, or what it can be used for. Up-Grade only helps Porygon to evolve. The item has no other use.
Evolution items from Generation 3
Are there Pokémon that can evolve in Generation 3? In this generation, evolution items do not play a role. No Pokémon is evolved using these items.
For the Pokémon of the Hoenn region, you only need enough candy to carry out the evolutions.
Evolution items from Generation 4
What items are there in Generation 4? In this generation, the Sinnoh Stone was introduced as a 6th item. This is also the only item that helps in evolution. You can evolve the following Pokémon with it:
Evolution item
Pokémon
Sinnoh Stone
Rhyperior to Rhyperior
Magmar to Magmortar
Electabuzz to Electivire
Murcrow to Honchkrow
Togetic to Togekiss
Skorupi to Drapion
Drifloon to Drifblim
Sneasel to Weavile
Porygon2 to Porygon-Z
Roselia to Roserade
Zangoose to Seviper
Gligar to Gliscor
Shroomish to Breloom
Tangela to Tangrowth
Yanma to Yanmega
male Kirlia to Gallade
female Snorunt to Froslass
How to get the evolution items and evolution stones
The Sinnoh Stone is another way to obtain evolution items. It is not received in the same way as the other 5. Therefore, we differentiate here between the “old” evolution items and the Sinnoh Stone.
How to get the old evolution items: You receive these items from PokéStops. With a rather low probability, you receive an item when spinning the photo disc.
A guaranteed evolution item can be obtained from the 7-day spin, meaning if you spin PokéStops for 7 consecutive days. Which item it is will be determined randomly.
How to get the Sinnoh Stone: The Sinnoh Stone can be obtained from trainer battles. It can be distributed randomly as a reward, but it is not guaranteed.
Additionally, you can receive this stone from research breakthroughs, which means after completing field research on 7 days. Also without guarantee. The Sinnoh Stone is rare in Pokémon GO.
Can you buy evolution items? There are no evolution items available for purchase in the shop; they can only be obtained through the mentioned ways.
These Pokémon are particularly worth evolving
If you do not yet have enough evolution items for all Pokémon, take a look at the following list. We will explain which evolutions are particularly worthwhile and how you can effectively use your items. These Pokémon are the strongest:
Electivire: This Pokémon is one of the best Electric attackers. It is worth investing your Sinnoh Stone and Stardust.
Weavile: The Ice and Dark type Pokémon is among the best attackers of their respective types.
Roserade: Roserade is the best Grass Pokémon in the game with the move Grass Knot.
Slaking: This Pokémon is well suited for gyms, as it counters the fighting Pokémon that attack very well.
Some Pokémon that can be evolved with the items can also hatch from eggs:
In the latest installment of the Far Cry series, Far Cry: New Dawn, you will be sent on expeditions. A new video now shows how they unfold.
What is it about? On February 15, Far Cry: New Dawn, the direct sequel to Far Cry 5, will be released. New Dawn follows directly from one of the endings of the fifth installment of the Far Cry series and brings you back to Hope County. However, things have changed, as not only have atomic bombs fallen in the game, but also 17 years have passed since Far Cry 5. Moreover, there will be villains you will hate.
In the post-apocalyptic world, resources are scarce. One way for you to acquire rare items in New Dawn is through the new expeditions. A new video shows an expedition and explains how the feature works.
The pilot Roger Cadoret, who also lives in Prosperity, is happy to take you on expeditions in his helicopter. These activities take place on various maps that are outside the normal map of Hope County, Montana. So you will find yourself in places like Arizona or on an aircraft carrier off the coast of Florida.
Expeditions have three difficulty levels that can be repeated infinitely. Higher difficulty levels also promise better loot.
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What can be seen in the video? The video shows an expedition on the aircraft carrier. The goal is to retrieve a box from the carrier. How you proceed is up to the player: Either you fight your way through Rambo-style or you sneak past the guards and simply steal the box.
With your loot, you make your way to an extraction point and must fend off enemies until you are picked up. After that, you still need to escape without your helicopter being destroyed.
By the way: In the helicopter, you have to sit in the back. The front seat is reserved for your new dog friend, Timber.
The publisher of Red Dead Redemption 2, Take-Two, has faced a setback on the stock market. The stock fell by nearly 14%. As a silver lining, Take-Two is now pointing to Red Dead Online, where more content is expected starting April 2019.
This was the trouble: The publisher behind Red Dead Redemption 2 is Take-Two. They had their earnings call last week on Wednesday afternoon German time. There, they revealed their figures and answered questions from analysts.
One might assume that after the excellent sales figures of RDR2 in 2018, the stock would rise – but the opposite was true.
Red Dead Redemption 2 sold exceptionally well in the Christmas quarter, but the outlook for the current first quarter of 2019 is not as high as Wall Street analysts would have liked.
Take-Two’s profit expectations have been raised, but they’re still at a relatively low level.
This is how the stock market reacted: According to Marketwatch, analyst Evan Wingren (KeyBank Capital Markets) downgraded his recommendation for Take-Two’s stock from $147 to $119.
The reason stated by analyst Wingren was “minimal revenue from Red Dead Online until fiscal year 2020.”
The fiscal year 2020 begins on April 1, 2019.
Take-Two’s stock price fell by almost 14% following the presentation of the figures.
Another analyst, Michael Olson (Piper Jaffray), however, said that this negative assessment was too harsh. He maintained his high price target of $152. The executives of Take-Two have “delivered” and exceeded expectations.
Nonetheless, this resulted in a steep decline in Take-Two’s stock, from which the stock was able to recover somewhat last week, but a loss in value remained.
Take-Two’s stock plummeted after the figures were published. Source: Finanzen.net
This is the problem with Red Dead Online: While the single-player game “Red Dead Redemption 2” has indeed sold excellently. However, the title launched without a multiplayer mode.
Although gold is already being sold for microtransactions, players do not know what they should even purchase with this gold.
As a result, the revenues from Red Dead Online are still low, and therefore the revenue expectations for the current first quarter of 2019 are down, while Wall Street had huge expectations.
More content for Red Dead Online is expected starting April
This is what Take-Two says now: The CFO of Take-Two states that they expect online content for “Red Dead Redemption 2” to come significantly faster in the second quarter of 2019. Therefore, they also expect profits to rise at that time.
Take-Two’s CEO, Strauss Zelnick, also says they expect stronger new content starting April 2019. They are excited about it and are looking forward to it.
This is the overall situation on the stock market for video game companies: Recently, some major video game companies have faced losses on the stock market.
According to Venturebeat, the major western video game companies alone lost an incredible sum of 20 billion US dollars in market value in January 2019.
Observers like Venturebeat believe that it is due to the rise of Fortnite. The studio behind Fortnite, Epic, is not publicly traded. Investors find it difficult to participate in the success of the studio. Apparently, many analysts and investors have the impression that the rise of Fortnite comes at the expense of established studios, even if they deny it.
Marketwatch even talks about the “Fortnite effect.”
These are some of the plans to push Red Dead Online forward in 2019:
With the Spectral Blades focus from Destiny 2: Forsaken, the Nightstalker Hunter gained new tactical options. The support-based archer becomes a stealthy space ninja with X-ray vision. Learn how to play this subclass correctly here.
With the Forsaken expansion, the Guardian classes in Destiny 2 received a total of nine new Supers. These enriched the original palette with new, refreshing gameplay opportunities. The accompanying Super abilities were either entirely new or upgraded with small but significant additional mechanics.
The abilities of the new Super of the Spectral Blades
This is how you unlock the new Super: The Spectral Blades were introduced as one of the new Forsaken Supers. You unlock the new abilities with a Seed of Light, which you can earn throughout the story and through various activities in Forsaken. We have summarized how to get the Seed of Light for you here.
What makes the Spectral Blades Super so special? Instead of a Void Bow, the Void Hunter summons two Spectral Blades, which transforms the previous one-time Super into a “Roaming Super”. This means your character is in third-person view during the Super and can be played actively for a longer period.
After activating the Super, your Hunter becomes invisible and also gains the ability “True Sight”. This reveals and highlights all enemies behind solid objects or walls. When initiating an attack, the Hunter becomes visible again and the X-ray effect disappears.
How does the Super work? There is a light attack and a heavy attack. The light attack allows the Hunter to lunge forward briefly with his blades. While it is not particularly effective for movement or closing gaps, the effective hit range is very generous.
Additionally, the attack speed increases after rapid consecutive hits. This enables the Nightstalker to focus his entire Super on a single target in PvE and take them down quickly.
The heavy attack deals more damage and returns the Hunter back to stealth mode. This attack is especially valuable in PvP, as a well-aimed strike can eliminate multiple targets. The effective hit range is even larger than that of the light attack.
How to use the Spectral Blades Super in PvE
The Spectral Blades in regular PvE: In the easier part of PvE, this Super is a great method to quickly eliminate many small enemies or groups of enemies. In strikes or story missions, larger enemy waves can be completely wiped out with just a single Super activation. The attacks of the Spectral Blades can hit multiple targets at once.
The Spectral Blades in challenging PvE activities: In harder activities, this Super is less useful. You can still use it to deal damage to powerful enemies or bosses, but doing so risks being crushed by the boss or being shot through by enemy fire.
In Nightfall strikes, the Super can be used to escape difficult situations or as a last resort to revive your teammates.
The Spectral Blades in Gambit mode:In Gambit mode, the Spectral Blades Super performs very well. During invasions, the Spectral Blades are excellent for sneaking through the portal unnoticed and taking out your four human opponents undetected.
Since the Super lasts relatively long, there’s no need to rush and it’s best to initially target an isolated enemy. You can then eliminate the other team members with calculated movements. Or you can take out the entire group at once if the opponents are close enough together.
An experienced Spectral Blades Hunter should be able to wipe out a complete opposing Gambit team within 30 seconds without any issues.
This is how to effectively use the Super in the Crucible: This Super of the Nightstalker should always be activated controlled and preferably outside of a combat situation.
When the Super is ready, check your radar first to get a general sense of the direction of a target. Then activate the Spectral Blades and use X-ray vision to locate the exact position of potential enemies.
If an enemy is within range, they should be eliminated with a single heavy attack to become invisible again immediately after the kill, wasting as little Super energy as possible.
What to do if you get detected: If an enemy notices you while you are lurking, there are basically two ways they might react. Either the enemy runs away in a panic or they engage you head-on.
In either case, you should use the following tactic: First, jump up with a double jump, then fully wind up with the light attack and activate the heavy attack just before the Hunter starts to lose height.
This movement combo is nearly unpredictable, so it can be used as a defensive evasion tactic or to catch an enemy that is trying to escape.
The neutral skills of the Spectral Blades
What are neutral skills? Neutral skills encompass all abilities that can be used outside of the Super. In English, this is referred to as the “Neutral Game” of the subclass.
Caustic Smoke: The melee ability “Caustic Smoke,” where the Hunter throws a small smoke grenade, is best used in PvE to temporarily incapacitate small enemy groups. These enemies are briefly prevented from firing their weapons or taking cover. Meanwhile, the Hunter can take care of higher-priority targets.
In PvP, the smoke bomb is useful for temporarily blocking specific zones or narrow passages. But it can also effectively stop or slow down fleeing enemies.
Flawless Execution: This skill is the essence of the Spectral Blades subclass, offering a variety of advantages and combo possibilities after a successful activation. If the user lands a precise kill while crouched, the ability activates and grants the Hunter the following three buffs for about 10 seconds:
Invisibility
True Sight
Shard Strike
True Sight: With this skill, the Hunter sees the silhouette of any enemies within their field of view. They can even detect them through solid objects or structures, as long as the Flawless Execution effect is active. Combined with the invisibility effect, which is simultaneously active, you can choose your next victim at your leisure.
This is what the X-ray vision of the Spectral Blades Hunter looks like.
Shard Strike: The Shard Strike significantly increases the melee range of the Hunter. This allows the user to quickly strike enemies nearby. The Hunter can cover large distances to hit fleeing or jumping Guardians.
Another feature of the Shard Strike: upon a successful hit, the target is weakened and becomes 50% more vulnerable to any incoming damage for a short time.
This is the only direct alternative to the “Hammer Strike” of the Solar Titan. In group activities like Gambit or Raids, it can apply a debuff to stronger enemies or bosses, making them more susceptible to any damage.
How to use the skills of the Spectral Blades in PvE
The Spectral Blades Ninja performs surprisingly well alone in PvE. However, in challenging group activities, it is a poorer choice compared to the alternative talent trees of the Nightstalker. The focus of the Way of the Wraith is clearly on PvP. Consequently, its effectiveness in other activities is limited.
What are the pros and cons? The abilities of the Spectral Blades allow for extended invisibility and other advantages that can be quite useful in PvE. However, the buffs from Flawless Execution are typically rarely necessary. In challenging activities, they serve more as a survival aid instead of an effective killing method.
The only exception is the Shard Strike. With it, you can significantly weaken high-priority targets for you and your team, proving to be a powerful tool against annoying blockers, high-ranking targets, or the boss in Gambit.
Especially since Gambit bosses are constantly surrounded by multiple small enemy groups, the Flawless Execution skill provides a good opportunity to eliminate pesky enemies unnoticed and continuously weaken the Ahamkara with the Shard Strike.
How to use the skills of the Spectral Blades in PvP
Therefore, gameplay is important: A well-played Spectral Blades Hunter is a feared opponent in PvP, as you often don’t notice them at all.
Many Guardians, however, do not utilize all their options, blindly jumping into an enemy group to slash with the light attack. In this subclass of the Nightstalker, sneaking is particularly important. Only with invisibility does it unleash its full potential.
What makes this class so good in PvP? With the ability to see through walls, you gain a significant advantage over other players. Early detection of an enemy and their position often decides victory or defeat in PvP during a direct confrontation – especially against multiple opponents.
However, there is also a disadvantage. You basically have to play crouched all the time. This is not suitable for every Guardian. Moreover, you are less able to evade enemy attacks while crouched because your running speed is significantly reduced.
Tips to consider as a Spectral Blades Hunter
For optimal use of the Spectral Blades, factors beyond just the Super and respective skills are also important. To be particularly effective as a Spectral Blades Hunter, you should keep an eye on your stats.
Correct distribution of stats
Focus on these stats: As a Spectral Blades Hunter, the following two stats are particularly important: Resilience and Mobility. Recovery can be neglected because, when played correctly, you are predominantly in an invisible state. As long as enough small enemies run into your blades, you have nothing to fear from being hit occasionally.
Why are these stats important? High resilience is required to absorb as much damage as possible until you can land the next crouched precision kill. High mobility allows for faster running and sneaking. Additionally, it increases the Hunter’s jump height. However, keep in mind that sprint speed remains unaffected.
The right weapon choice
Things to keep in mind regarding weapon choice as a Spectral Blades Hunter: To maximize the effectiveness of the Spectral Blades, you should consider weapons that make it easy to land consistent precision shots, especially while crouched.
Weapon perks like “As a Rock in Stormy Seas” are perfectly combinable with this subclass, opening various gameplay possibilities – in PvE and PvP. Weapon perks that are usually considered poor or situational gain entirely new significance with the Way of the Wraith.
Weapons to avoid: Weapon types with high spread (most shotguns, fusion rifles) or a projectile (grenade launchers, rocket launchers) are unable to achieve a precision kill, thus activating True Sight. These are therefore rather unsuitable for Spectral Blades.
Also, weapons that have too much recoil, like many auto rifles or submachine guns, make effective sneaking difficult. Options like hand cannons, sniper rifles, or the recently adjusted scout rifles are much better suited for this task.
Build Suggestions & Loadouts for the Spectral Blades Focus
In the following section, we will combine various weapon types and exotic armor pieces to promote the effectiveness of certain playstyles while creating the greatest possible synergies.
However, the suggested builds are personal recommendations and do not necessarily reflect the best possible composition.
This is what the build is about: This build consists of the combination of the exotic precision shotgun “The Chaperon,” the scout rifle Black Scorpion-4SR, and the exotic helmet “Weak Head Radar”.
The Chaperon fires a single precision round with very high range. The helmet keeps the radar displayed while aiming and also provides a higher radar resolution while crouched.
With this setup in conjunction with the Way of the Wraith, an attentive player can absolutely dominate the battlefield without dying even once.
The main focus is on the Chaperon, so in this loadout, armor pieces with the perks “Shotgun Reserves” and “Shotgun Finder” are advantageous.
What role does Black Scorpion play? This fully automatic scout rifle has been the new “Underdog” since the last major update. The high rate of fire offers an impressive time-to-kill in the Crucible – almost on par with Luna’s Howl or Not Forgotten.
As this weapon is a bit harder to control, it is all the more important to land the first shot. The improved radar proves to be a highly beneficial factor.
If you want to know which perks are best suited for this weapon, check out Aztecross’ video on it:
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This is how you play this build: With the Black Scorpion, you should try to land a crouched precision kill as quickly as possible to activate Flawless Execution and secure the three buffs. After that, move into close combat unnoticed and try to achieve another crouched precision kill with the Chaperon.
If successful, this cycle starts over. Correctly executed, you move invisibly and with X-ray vision from one target to the next. Depending on distance, you can either defeat opposing players with the scout rifle from afar or with the exotic shotgun up close.
The Weak Head Radar supports defensive players, who are just waiting for an unsuspecting enemy to run across the battlefield. With the combination of the extended radar and True Sight, you will be well-informed about everything that happens. With this setup, you should hardly be surprised.
The legendary machine gun “Hammerhead” is best suited for this Spectral Blades build, as it has an impressive range. This allows quick elimination of multiple targets with precision shots to become invisible again.
This build is particularly suitable for solo players who want to tackle harder PvE content, such as Nightfalls or the Shattered Throne. It’s all about defensive and careful gameplay along with high survivability.
An area in the Shattered Throne
The loadout consists of a pulse rifle and a shotgun. Which of the two options you choose depends on personal preference and the availability of the respective weapons. The shotgun should definitely have the perk “Rifled Barrel”.
Why is the perk “Rifled Barrel” so important? Rifled Barrel provides a short-term damage increase for up to three consecutive shots if an enemy is previously hit with a melee attack.
This perk pairs perfectly with the Shard Strike of the Void Hunter. By hitting a target with a melee attack, you not only activate the shotgun’s perk but also the weakening effect of Shard Strike simultaneously. Combining these two damage bonuses means that almost any enemy can be easily eliminated by a single Nightstalker.
This is how you play this build: The core of this build consists of the primary pulse rifle, which should have the weapon perk “As a Rock in Stormy Seas”. This perk provides the weapon with enormous stability, improved handling, and slightly more aim assist while the user is crouched.
This makes the weapon as precise as a laser, allowing the user to quickly and accurately take down distant targets. Flawless Execution is then triggered, and you become invisible with each kill. The exotic helmet Graviton Forfeit extends the invisibility effect and keeps the wearer alive longer.
The Graviton Forfeit increases the duration of invisibility from about 10 seconds to nearly 13 seconds. The other benefits of Flawless Execution, True Sight, and Shard Strike are also extended by three seconds. This gives the user a bit more time between kills to relocate safely before turning their attention to the next target.
Against powerful enemies or mini-bosses, the shotgun with Rifled Barrel or the infamous sniper rifle Whisper of the Worm is deployed depending on the situation. Here, too, the combination of Flawless Execution and Graviton Forfeit works perfectly for quickly disappearing after a kill.
This build is not strongly specialized and can be effectively used in both PvE and PvP. The main feature of this setup is the synergy between the exotic bow Le Monarque and the exotic Hunter gauntlets Oathkeeper.
The exotic bow fires a poisonous arrow on a perfect draw that can poison multiple enemies. To achieve a perfect draw, the player must release the arrow immediately after a full pull, also landing a precision hit. If you pull the bow for too long, the poison arrow becomes a regular arrow.
This is what the Oathkeeper does: The exotic perk allows you to draw bows indefinitely. The real crux is that the gauntlets fire the drawn arrow as a perfect shot each time; hence, every shot fired is considered to be a poison arrow. This is advantageous in both PvE and PvP.
This is how you play this build: As a bow is rather disadvantageous at short range, a hand cannon or submachine gun is used as the kinetic weapon, allowing you to easily take down enemies with precision kills or, if necessary, even from the hip in close quarters. The bow then comes into play at medium to long range.
For larger enemies and bosses, you use machine guns or a rocket launcher. Additionally, you can weaken the boss first with Shard Strike to deal even greater damage afterward. In the Crucible, you can generally achieve more kills with MGs and grenade launchers.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
What was special about the Trials: The Trials had a kind of skill-based matchmaking, as players competed against teams that had as many victories on their cards as their own team. Additionally, there was no random matchmaking; players had to form teams.
This led to the Trials essentially becoming a replacement for “Ranked PvP” in Destiny: the best players faced off against each other. It was an ambitious PvP – players also called it “sweating.”
Skilled streamers like the German zwetschkE built their careers and audience base by drawing followers to their streams through the Trials. A kind of community of the best players formed, competing against each other to see who would be the ultimate champion that weekend.
Team play, strategy, and communication were important. Frustration and heroic moments became memorable experiences for the players.
For many, the Trials were a ritual and an integral part of Destiny that entertained them even when not much new was happening.
This is how it was in Destiny 2: With Destiny 2, the Trials returned, but now as “Trials of the Nine” and as 4vs4. Players had to achieve seven victories instead of nine.
However, the poor state of PvP in Destiny 2 negatively affected the Trials from the start, and players left the mode. Many veterans criticized that PvP had become too slow in Destiny 2. Team shots were prioritized, and there was a lack of heroic moments.
Bungie announced plans to revise the Trials, adapt them more to the desires of hardcore players, and then bring them back. However, that has still not happened even six months later.
On the page Forbes argues that the “Trials of the Nine” do not have specific issues, but that PvP in Destiny 2 overall did not work before Forsaken. Therefore, Bungie could simply bring back the Trials with minimal adjustments.
Forbes says they just have to turn the “Trials of the Nine” back into the “Trials of Osiris,” with:
3vs3
active power advantages
the respawn rules like Osiris
and new armor and rewards
The frustration that Bungie is not doing anything is also evident in player discussions. Guardians repeatedly demand that Bungie must bring back the Trials.
Okay, okay, okay – did the Trials have to give way to Gambit?
What is behind this? The obvious explanation for the Trials being removed with Forsaken is the Gambit mode. This was newly introduced with Forsaken.
It is known how proud Bungie was of this mode and how central they wanted to promote it with Forsaken.
However, Gambit has had enough time to shine and has established itself. It seems unreasonable why Bungie has not yet commented on the Trials. After all, they were an important part of Destiny 1. Ultimately, the Trials provide a completely different player experience than Gambit.
Despite all plans for 2019, there is still no clear commitment to the Trials. It’s time for Bungie to take action.
The quest line for unlocking the Kul Tiras humans is available on the PTR of World of Warcraft. We show you what you need to do.
After nearly six months of waiting, players of the Alliance will soon be able to access the allied race of Kul Tirans. The somewhat stockier humans can be unlocked with the Patch 8.1.5 of World of Warcraft. The progression of the quest line and the themes it covers have already been tested on the PTR.
These requirements must be met: In order to start the quest line, players must fulfill certain conditions after the launch of Patch 8.1.5. Most players likely have already completed the majority of the requirements:
Exalted with the “Pride of Kul Tiras” faction
Completion of the War Campaign of Patch 8.0 and Patch 8.1
The story achievement “A United Nation”
This is how the quest line unfolds: To seal Kul Tiras’ return to the Alliance, Jaina wants to build a ship worthy of High King Anduin Wrynn. She commissions the hero (that is us) to gather the necessary people and materials. The colleagues at wowhead have already created a video that presents the entire quest line.
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First, you travel to Brennadam to find a legendary shipbuilder named Dorian Atwater, who is already retired. After delivering a letter from Jaina, you can convince her – as Dorian is a woman – and she joins the project.
The next step takes you to a sawmill that is being haunted by void forces. There are several battles, at the end of which Dorian helps the workers of Kul Tiras to gather enough wood for a whole ship.
However, the wood is cursed by ancient Drust magic and must be cleansed. For this reason, we proceed to the Thorn Speakers in Drustvar. Some remaining troops of Gorak Tul must be eliminated to allow the Thorn Speakers to purify the wood.
In Drustvar, we also deal with the missing delivery of ores that are also needed for the ship. There we reunite with one of the willow beasts – namely the one created by the creepy girl Annekke Lehmann. The beast is, however, tamed and the original owner of “Princess” is happy to see her again.
Gathering the Crew: In the penultimate step, it is essential to find a worthy crew for the ship. Many people who were important throughout the campaign in Kul Tiras are invited.
The captain will be Tandred Pride of Kul Tiras, Jaina’s long-lost brother.
Brother Pike will be the Tide Sage of the ship (who are important in Kul Tiras for navigation and calming the sea).
Rosalinde Mertens will become the first mate, and all her “Storm Tacklers” will be part of the ship’s crew.
Lieutenant Tarenfeld from the Watchtower will be the ship’s gunner.
Dorian Atwater, the builder of the ship, will take care of the ship’s outfitting.
The quest line ends with the christening of Anduin’s new ship. As a player, you can choose one of four names; the choice is permanent but will likely have little impact on the story. The options are:
Anduin’s Wrath
Dawnsailor
Lionheart
Tiffin’s Melody – named after Anduin’s mother
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Finally, the ship is brought to Stormwind and presented to Anduin. You then gain access to the Kul Tiran humans and their mount. So, the quest line is also worthwhile for collectors.
Are you excited about the Kul Tiran humans as a playable race? Or do you not feel like leveling another character?
This is how to stay informed: Do you want to miss no more news about World of Warcraft? Then leave a like on our WoW Facebook page!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In one of the main missions of the The Division 2 Beta, there is a hidden loot room. We will tell you how to find this secret.
What happened? Players have discovered a secret room in the first mission of the Private Beta. Excited, they share their discovery with each other and speculate in the subreddit of The Division about possible further secrets in the game.
The secret room can be found in the first of the two main missions “Hotel Grand Washington”. In this mission, you have to rescue the civilian Eleanor Sawyer from the clutches of the Hyenas. How to find the key and where to enter the secret room has been explained by the reddit user lespretend.
Secret Room in Hotel Grand Washington
Here’s how to find the key: First, enter the building through a garage and quickly reach a room that suspiciously looks like a meth lab.
There, you have to stand your ground against a group of enemies. Once you’ve cleared the area, keep to the right and look for an open door. In the hallway behind it, you will find a corpse leaning against a laundry cart.
It will not be immediately marked as lootable; you need to get close and move until the message “Search corpse” appears.
Once you do this, you will find a Suite 3 key. Suite 3 is not easy to find as there are several rooms with that number in the level. So, keep your eyes peeled.
The door to Suite 3 is located in the hallway just before entering the roof of the hotel. Here is a screenshot of the correct door; you can see the elevator to the roof in the background:
What is the reward? In the room, there are a few boxes with resources and loot. The rewards might be better on higher difficulties and level brackets.
There are many other keys in the game, and fans have also found boxes that can be opened with faction keys. They are hidden all over the game world and reward you with loot.
Players think it’s cool and speculate: Players are now happily speculating about more such secrets in other story missions.
Some have already reported other rooms that could be opened with such keys. Developer Massive has apparently incorporated such elements more into the game world. However, there is no shortage of funny details. For example, an audio log has been found that makes a clear reference to the ongoing discussion about US President Donald Trump and the wall to Mexico.
There are also funny discoveries for veterans, like the gloves that show how many car doors have been closed. The “Hotel Grand Washington” mission shows that you can also stumble upon such details in missions.
Not only because of this is it worth playing the missions of the Beta: If you complete the second mission “Jefferson Trade Center,” a part of the endgame will be unlocked for you, where you can test the 3 specializations . In our summary, we explain how exactly this works.
Since the 2nd generation, one Pokémon in Pokémon GO is still missing: Farb eagle. However, Niantic is now giving clear hints about the Pokémon.
The 2nd generation was released back in early 2017 and most players will have already filled their PokéDex. However, there is still a Pokémon missing between Damhirplex and Rabauz: Farb eagle.
Now there are clear hints about the missing Pokémon. Niantic has not officially said anything about it yet, but the developers are hiding small details in their images on Twitter that hint at Farb eagle.
Here Niantic might hint at Farb eagle
This has been shown: Observant players may have already discovered the hints on Twitter. The cover photo of the official Pokémon GO page has been changed and now shows green color spots.
Also, an image of Spoink was uploaded with a green background. Niantic seems to be hiding a message.
Therefore, they might mean Farb eagle: The missing Pokémon is directly connected to green color. It uses its tail as a kind of brush, distributing green paint. You can still see the color hanging on its tail.
On Reddit, players now agree: It must be hints for Farb eagle. “ShoMeUrNoobs” writes regarding the new cover photo: “Definitely Farb eagle. That’s the only thing that makes sense with this design.”
The green color is hidden in the background here.
Why is Farb eagle still not in the game? Why this Pokémon is still missing is not well understood. However, it could possibly be due to its special move.
The Pokémon has a very special attack called “Mimic.” It can replicate any attack from its opponent and execute the same attack.
Whether Farb eagle can learn this attack in Pokémon GO remains to be seen. It could also be due to this attack that Niantic has not released the Pokémon earlier. If Farb eagle can indeed master every attack in the game with Mimic, it could be quite a larger effort for Niantic to program.
Some Pokémon are still missing in the 3rd generation. We have a list for you:
In Anthem we play Freelancers who protect people with their Javelins. BioWare has now explained why this is the case and how the Freelancers came to be.
What is it about? In a new interview with GamesRadar, BioWare authors Cathleen Rootsaert and Jay Watamaniuk discussed the story of Anthem. They explained, among other things, what the Freelancer faction is about and how the Javelins were created.
What are Freelancers? Our characters in Anthem belong to the Freelancer faction. These are brave warriors who protect the people of Fort Tarsis.
How did the Freelancers come to be? The story of the Freelancers in Anthem begins 500 years before the game. Back then, humanity was oppressed by a powerful group. However, the authors did not want to reveal who these adversaries were.
A woman named Helena Tarsis was able to unite the people, who then rose against their oppressors and were able to defeat them. The soldiers under Helena Tarsis’ banner were called the Legion of Dawn. The Legion of Dawn was already featured in a small lore trailer.
At the time of this war, the first Javelin was created, which, although not overpowering against the enemy, gave humanity a chance. Under the leadership of Helena Tarsis, the Legion of Dawn was able to achieve victory.
Years later, when Helena Tarsis died, the Legion of Dawn split into three factions:
The Freelancers, who continue to protect humanity with their Javelin
The Sentinels, something like the police of Fort Tarsis
The Dominion, enemies of the Freelancers and likely the main antagonist of the game
How were the Javelins created? As the authors explain, the Javelins were a secret project. They were created with a variety of innovations and technologies and the secrets of the Arcanists in their underground laboratories.
By the way: Members of the Legion of Dawn are said to have been among the best Javelin pilots humanity has ever seen.
It has happened: Fortnite: Battle Royale will get a rudimentary ranking system, at least temporarily. What are the reasons for this step, and is it enough? Our author Robert analyzes the ranked play and the matchmaking problem of Fortnite.
This is the problem: More and more frustrated players are speaking out and complaining about the extremely high difficulty in Fortnite: Battle Royale. Players feel they have no chance in matches because they are up against much stronger players.
Epic’s previous measures to solve the problem have been of little help. Now, Fortnite will introduce a ranking system for the first time as part of the Valentine’s Day event to allow players of similar skills to compete against each other.
What are the reasons for the players’ frustration? What actions has Epic taken so far?
Fortnite: Battle Royale is in an identity crisis
Fortnite: Battle Royale has been characterized by easy access since its launch but is also very hard to master. The coordination between the various tools you can find on the map and the extensive building mode is essential for success in Fortnite.
Fortnite has a high “skill gap”: Strong players reliably defeat weaker players. And this “skill gap” continues to grow.
This is what has changed in Fortnite: At the launch of the battle royale mode in September 2017, only a few weapons and items were available.
Now, just before Season 8 in 2019, the situation in Fortnite is much less clear.
Epic has added new components such as vehicles, airplanes, and healing items, which provide a deeper and more tactical gaming experience.
One of the newer additions: Airplanes
At the same time, new weapons and items are continually being added to the game, while other tools are being removed.
This is the dilemma: From this situation, a dilemma emerged for Epic:
Fortnite: Battle Royale should be easily accessible and have a low entry barrier. It should be a game for everyone. This is also highlighted by the many platforms on which Fortnite can be played.
At the same time, the game is becoming more diverse and varied. Fortnite is getting more complex. In addition, veterans now have a gigantic experience advantage. Newcomers are pitted against players who have been honing their skills in Fortnite for months.
What are the consequences of this dilemma? Players who just want to play Fortnite: Battle Royale casually or newcomers currently have a very hard time being competitive.
Opposing players who can quickly build a tower have an advantage over “casual” players who are not (yet) familiar with the mechanics.
Those who have to quit in each round after a very short time may, in the worst case, abandon the game in frustration. As a potential consequence, Fortnite: Battle Royale may gain fewer new players or lose part of its player base that plays Fortnite just for fun and not competitively.
This could lead to declining revenues for Fortnite developer Epic, which primarily comes from cosmetic items such as skins.
Thus, all parties, both players and developers, have a keen interest in ensuring that Fortnite: Battle Royale is played by as many people as possible.
For an average player like me, this is a real problem. While I could still win a round here and there, I had no chance against the top players.
But it’s not just players like me who notice that Fortnite: Battle Royale is getting harder. Professionals like Ninja and NICKMERCS have stated that they, too, are facing increasing difficulties in securing rounds.
There are thus two movements:
Weaker players or newcomers quit in frustration
And those who stay are getting better and stronger in Fortnite
This combination creates a significantly more competitive gaming experience. At the same time, Apex Legends, a strong battle royale competitor, has entered the market, putting further pressure on Fortnite developer Epic.
Epic has recognized the problem, albeit unnoticed by many, and has attempted to counteract it with various measures, albeit with moderate success.
Out to make builders fearful: The Minigun
These were Epic’s solutions – so far
Indeed, Epic recognized the signs of the times early on. Those who master building perfectly have a tremendous advantage in fighting against other players.
Epic has attempted to break the dominance of the building mode with a series of measures. This was intended to give players in Fortnite a chance who cannot keep up with the best in terms of building skills:
The Minigun was introduced, which could quickly destroy enemy structures. Unfortunately, the weapon remained largely ineffective, especially in solo mode.
Mobility items such as the grappler, the Quad Crasher, or the plane aimed to better storm enemy structures.
Particularly the new items from Season 7 were criticized by professional players, as they would only help “weaker” players, such as the dynamite and the boomboxes.
These measures by Epic to help “beginners” have already been heavily criticized by “professionals,” streamers, and ambitious players. They desire a “hard Fortnite” where players with more skill have many advantages.
Designed to create chaos among builders: The Quad Crasher
Epic’s latest attempt? A ranking system: With the Valentine’s Day event, Epic will introduce a league system that aims to categorize players based on their skills. The players of the best league will compete for the overall victory at the end.
This solution is limited to the specific event. However, it could be a first step towards a more sophisticated system.
Could skill-based matchmaking help solve Fortnite’s problems?
What other approaches are there? A widely discussed and controversial post in Fortnite’s subreddit addresses the issue and also directly offers a solution: Skill-based matchmaking could ensure that matches are fairer, as only players of roughly equal strength compete against each other.
This is how skill-based matchmaking works: Based on various parameters, a player’s individual performance is determined. It is important to draw on qualitative factors for evaluation, rather than quantitative ones.
The relative win rate is a stronger criterion than the total number of victories, as many victories can also be achieved by completing as many rounds as possible.
Further influencing factors for matchmaking could be:
K/D (Kill-to-death ratio) – The K/D shows how many opponents a player eliminates before being defeated.
Kills per minute – a criterion that can distinguish offensive from defensive players.
The aforementioned win rate, which relates victories to the rounds completed.
Such performance classification is already used in many competitive games and would help Epic to sort players into performance groups that then compete against each other.
What are the advantages of skill-based matchmaking? Specifically, casual players and newcomers would benefit from such a system. They are less likely to risk being completely destroyed in a round and can achieve successes faster.
As their skills and experience grow, these players rise together and encounter increasingly stronger opponents. This ensures a consistently challenging experience. However, there are not only advantages.
What are the disadvantages of skill-based matchmaking? Particularly, the best players are not supporters of a system that sends them against equally strong opponents, as this makes every round a true test of strength.
Streamers like Ninja and Tfue also enjoy having lighter rounds from time to time, in which they can achieve victories with ease. These would then become rarer.
Another problem arises when very good players of the same level come together: turtle behavior. During some tournaments, professionals have barricaded themselves in self-built towers like turtles to avoid being eliminated.
This is neither spectacular nor exciting for viewers who want to see action-packed duels. For this reason, Epic has attempted to effectively counter the building function.
Does skill-based matchmaking not also lead to longer loading times? When the servers have to classify all players into skill clusters, matchmaking will likely take longer. Especially in team modes, precise calculations would need to be made to ensure a fair gaming experience.
Whether skill-based matchmaking can be a solution in light of the accompanying disadvantages is questionable.
Conclusion
Frustrated newcomers and casual players, too strong opponents for streamers, and pressure from the competition: Fortnite: Battle Royale must do something to keep a large player base satisfied. The many anti-building measures were the first step, and the ranking system in the upcoming Valentine’s Day event is the next.
Epic is trying something new, as it has often done in the past; perhaps the first version of skill-based matchmaking will come soon. I am curious what other measures Epic has up its sleeve to ensure that Fortnite remains a fun experience for ALL players in the future.
Surely, every player has small improvement ideas for World of Warcraft. We will tell you which 5 points could benefit the players in Azeroth.
In a game as large as World of Warcraft, one cannot like everything – it’s simply impossible. Small details annoy almost everyone, and one or another adjustment would please even the biggest fan. We have picked out five small details that could make World of Warcraft a better game and would enhance the fun without much effort.
Sign Up
for Island Expeditions
Island Expeditions are a controversial topic. While some players enjoy the feature, others completely avoid it. However, those who like to sign up for one or another island to farm some transmog gear find one aspect frustrating: You can only sign up for island expeditions in the main cities.
Islands would serve perfectly as “fillers” while traveling and completing world quests or collecting Ancients’ Coins for the Moon Festival. But that’s not possible since at least one player in the group must always remain on-site in Boralus or Dazar’alor – it’s annoying.
Suggestion for Change: Let’s allow sign-ups for island expeditions everywhere through the normal group finder. It’s possible for almost all other features, so why not for islands? The requirement for a player to stay at the “sign-up table” should quickly become a thing of the past.
Summoning Stones
in Front of Dungeons
The War Mode in World of Warcraft has revived PvP, but it causes some problems when forming groups. Those who form a group for a “Mythic+” dungeon must travel manually to the dungeon. Usually, two players do this, and then summon the rest of the group at the summoning stone.
However, often the War Mode complicates things. Typically, one of the two players is in War Mode while the other is in PvE mode. This means both players cannot see each other and therefore cannot begin summoning the rest of the group. One of them must first go to a resting zone and deactivate War Mode.
Suggestion for Change: Players should be able to see the avatars of other characters in the group near summoning stones to perform the summons. Otherwise, they should be unable to interact with each other, and collaboration should only be for summoning.
Merchants
for Conquest Points
Conquest points
are a steady reward for PvP in World of Warcraft. Each week,
it is required to collect 500 conquest points to receive a predefined
reward. These are equipment items with a solid item level that can be viewed in advance, making it clear what one is actually saving for.
If one has not earned his reward in the previous week, he must “farm” it again to reach the next reward. This means one can sometimes work for weeks on rewards that one already knows in advance will not provide an improvement. This is frustrating and demotivating.
A worse reward. Farming isn’t fun.
Suggestion for Change: Blizzard should allow players to decide what to do with their conquest points. A merchant offering a range of equipment items would be suitable for this. This merchant should not have something for every slot so that PvP is not the “only correct” equipment variant but should have a broader offering to make conquest points worthwhile.
The
“Beachhead” Quests
Anyone actively playing Battle for Azeroth is likely already tired of this quest. In every area, there are world quests for the Tortollan, which are time-consuming and test the players’ patience – because they are simply boring. The goal is to protect twelve turtles until they reach the water. Crabs and seagulls want to stop them and must be shot by players. However, the crabs and seagulls move so slowly that it hardly seems to be a real threat.
Ultimately, it comes down to watching the turtles slowly trudge toward the sea.
Suggestion for Change: The quest’s goal should be to shoot a certain number of seagulls and crabs, which should also spawn faster. Then, the quest wouldn’t feel like something you can only endure with three cups of coffee.
A
Reasonable Reagent Bank
Crafting materials
vary greatly in value. Depending on whether a new raid is upcoming or a new patch has started, their value can multiply. Those who diligently store crafting materials must deposit them into their resource bank to save space. But it is precisely here that the space is severely limited. If one keeps ingredients from more than the current expansion, the bank quickly reaches its limits.
The result is that one constantly has to sort out resources or send them to bank characters if he does not want to part with them. This is incredibly frustrating.
Is your bank also so full of stuff?
Suggestion for Change: Blizzard could take a cue from other MMORPGs, such as Guild Wars 2. There, each resource has its own slot in the bank, ensuring everything is neatly organized and fits perfectly. This would also benefit World of Warcraft and free up inventory space for many players who are still holding onto old resources that might become important again when a specific transmog set is to be crafted.
What minor detail changes would you make to adjust World of Warcraft? What minor adjustments would be necessary to give you much more enjoyment from the game?
The tank MMO World of Tanks has received a new vehicle category in a recent update: wheeled vehicles. They play differently than other tanks and significantly change the gameplay. We tested the new tanks together with the developers.
What are wheeled vehicles? Unlike classic tanks that operate on tracks, wheeled vehicles have four or more wheels. While this prevents excessive vehicle weight, it enables very light and fast vehicles that can still carry heavy guns and are ideal scouts.
In World of Tanks, wheeled vehicles were introduced on February 6, 2019, as part of the French tech tree starting from tier 6. In a hands-on test with the developers, we were able to try them out live and ask questions about their use in the game.
All about wheeled vehicles
What can wheeled vehicles do in the game? Wheeled vehicles are extremely light and can achieve very high speeds. From tier 8 onwards, the vehicles have a high-speed mode that makes them even faster. Speeds of almost 100 km/h are possible.
With this, wheeled vehicles can cross the map in no time and breach enemy lines. They then maraud behind enemy lines, seeking out easy targets like artillery or damaged tanks, which they can then easily take out.
Especially against heavy tanks with weak points and cumbersome tank destroyers with fixed guns, wheeled vehicles are ideal.
Because the opponent cannot follow them quickly enough with their gun once they have zipped past. However, a frontal hit from a heavy gun can often be the end for the light wheeled vehicles.
However, their arch-enemies are medium and light tanks that can keep up with the speed and agility of wheeled vehicles and engage in wild battles with them.
Another significant advantage is that not all wheels of wheeled vehicles are necessary to move the vehicle. Later models have six or even eight wheels; you can lose several of them and still drive. A tank that loses a track remains stuck until the damage is repaired.
Moreover, wheeled vehicles have an improved auto-aim feature to hit anything at higher speeds.
If you don’t know the turning radius of wheeled vehicles, it can result in quite a mess.
What are the disadvantages of wheeled vehicles? The downside is that the vehicles are not very maneuverable at such high speeds. Tight corners can be a problem, and in high-speed mode, you need a large turning radius.
If you still go too fast into a corner or over an unfavorable hill, you can quickly sail off and potentially roll over!
Additionally, wheeled vehicles have a significant problem in tight spaces. They cannot turn on the spot like a tank with counter-rotating tracks can. This becomes an issue when you find yourself in a close combat situation in a narrow alley and need to maneuver multiple times to get out.
In our tests, this happened more than once, and we were stuck for a long time until we finally freed ourselves.
What are the differences between wheeled vehicles and light tanks? Wheeled vehicles and light tanks may look very similar at first glance. Therefore, we asked one of the developers what the significant difference was.
Light tanks are still the better passive scouts. They have a better view range and can hide well in bushes and scout the area.
Wheeled vehicles, on the other hand, play a more active role on the battlefield. They are better suited for actively scouting the enemy and confusing them with quick hit-and-run attacks.
Wheeled vehicles in the game – a completely new gameplay
How do wheeled vehicles play? In several battles, we could get a picture of the new vehicles. It was noticeable that they are indeed extremely fast. So if you like to press the gas, you’ll be all set here.
As the maps in World of Tanks are still mostly quite small, you are quickly at the other end of the map.
Despite all the speed, the vehicles do indeed play differently than tracked tanks, which are simply much more maneuverable. And in close combat, it often happens that you get stuck in narrow alleys and find a swift end.
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If the wheeled vehicles are used optimally, they can zip around the opponent like the wind and hit them on the flanks. If you enjoy this type of gameplay, you should definitely take a look at the wheeled vehicles. However, it takes a lot of skill to master these vehicles optimally.
How do I get the wheeled vehicles? Wheeled vehicles can be obtained normally in the game. Currently, they are only available as part of the French tech tree starting from tier 6. This is because the French excelled in researching wheeled vehicles and began early on.
However, other nations with wheeled vehicles will follow.
At the start of the Private Beta of The Division 2, we will keep you updated in our live ticker about everything happening around the Beta.
Starting today, February 7th, the Private Beta of The Division 2 begins. Officially, the servers are set to go online at 10 AM in the morning. Just in case, we are setting up our live ticker here to report any server issues or simply when something interesting happens.
Feel free to visit our Discord channel for The Division. There, you can chat with others about the Beta and maybe also grab some invites. It is also possible to invite friends. How exactly this works, you can find out here:
The live ticker for the Private Beta of The Division 2
February 11, 10:35: The servers are offline. Ubisoft thanks you for your participation and asks for feedback in the corresponding forum. We hope you had a lot of fun.
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February 10:33: If you haven’t had a chance to test the endgame content of the Beta yet, here’s a reminder: You can test the 3 specializations with a Level 30 character, including high-end equipment. It’s against the Black Tusks, a faction of the endgame. We have summarized for you how this works.
Feel free to participate in our survey: Which of the 3 specializations will you play?
February 9, 09:56: Currently, maintenance work is underway. It is likely that the same problems are being addressed as in the past days. This is now the third server maintenance. Whether the Beta will be extended is not known.
Live ticker from Saturday, February 9
Note for Sunday, February 10: There is again supposed to be a server maintenance. It starts at 9:30 in the morning and should again last until approximately 12:30.
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February 12:05: The patch apparently addresses performance issues and crashes that some are experiencing. If you still have problems, you should restart the Beta.
February 12:00: The servers are back online. You also need to download a small patch. Ubisoft has published the patch notes in their own forum.
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February 9, 19:00: Further maintenance work has been announced for tomorrow morning. It is expected to again take about 3 hours. What exactly is to be fixed is not known.
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February 9, 17:12: If you have completed the “Jefferson Trade Center” mission, you should now receive a new mission: “Welcome to the Endgame”. This unlocks the specializations.
February 9, 16:38: By the way, from 5 PM the 3 specializations along with Invaded Mission will be unlocked. But don’t be surprised if there are technical problems or delays. We will keep you updated.
February 9, 14:47: Currently, there seem to be no special incidents. This evening, however, it could look different when the larger influx of players begins again.
February 9, 13:30: The servers are back online!
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February 9, 12:50: Massive has postponed the server launch again by 30 minutes. The servers are now expected to start at 1:30 PM.
February 9, 12:35: If after the server restart you still have issues with black screens, you need to be patient. They want to bring a patch for this problem quickly.
February 9, 12:25: Massive has also commented on this on Twitter. They recommend PS4 players to download the patch soon so that they can start on time at 1 PM. Why PC players are not mentioned, whose patch is significantly larger, can only be guessed.
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February 9, 11:55: A patch is also now available for PC. This one is a hefty 1.19 GB. It may contain further fixes, but there is still no official information.
February 9, 11:36: Meanwhile, an update for Playstation 4 has been released. It is 185 MB large. What changes the patch brings is currently unclear. Also, when it will be released for Xbox One and PC is not known. It might be the update that has already been announced in advance with the contents of the Beta.
February 9, 11:24: Massive has also commented on this on Twitter. The maintenance is now supposed to last until 1 PM.
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February 9, 11:15: And we must now retract the message again. The maintenance is apparently being extended. The problem apparently does not lie in the server capacities. Unfortunately, we cannot provide you with an exact time, but we will keep an eye on it.
February 9, 11:00: According to the Division stream, the Beta should go online again at 12:00. Thanks to MrTriggahigga for the tip.
February 9, 09:30: The servers are now offline. We are keeping an eye on the situation and will inform you here if something happens.
February 9, 08:44: Friend invites are apparently available again, as Massive announced via Twitter. If you want to know how you can invite friends, visit our corresponding article.
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Additionally, a live stream from the developers is currently running, which you can watch here:
https://www.twitch.tv/thedivisiongame
Ticker from February 7
February 10:25: Several players report problems. On PC, it seems that the game starts in windowed mode for some and a black screen occurs. In the subreddit for The Division.
February 10:30: Several players report on PC that they have been banned. Ubisoft is apparently working on the problem.
February 10:36: Via Twitter, it has now been announced that they are investigating the ban issue.
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February 10:54: Some players are facing the error code OSCAR-1, they cannot connect to the server.
February 11:03: A player affected by the ban reports that he can play again. Additionally, there may have been a small patch on PC.
February 11:09: Also in our Discord channel, a PC update is reported. Apparently, it has resolved a login issue.
February 12:04: If you are having trouble starting the Beta on PC, you should update your drivers, close background applications, and restart your PC. This is not a guaranteed solution, but it has helped some.
February 13:29: Meanwhile, Ubisoft has published a blog post regarding the errors. They want to tackle the problems as quickly as possible and find solutions.
February 14:00: A clever fan has figured out how to fix the annoying sound bug that keeps the characters silent in dialogues. Here’s how to fix this bug yourself – at least on PC: The Division 2 Beta: How to fix the annoying sound bug on PC
February 18:35: Friend invitations are currently disabled, as Massive announced on Twitter. They want to resolve the issues first but plan to bring them back as soon as possible.
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February 18:38: If you are having issues with Delta 03, unfortunately, you will have to be patient. There is no proper fix for it yet. Massive is asking for patience as they work on the issue.
February 18:41: The Delta-03 error is related to players constantly losing connection to the servers. It apparently affects many players and occurs on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Those who want the Love Rocket from the Valentine’s event of World of Warcraft should level their twinks. The requirements are increasing.
In World of Warcraft there are numerous mounts that are only available during specific events. One of them is the Great Love Rocket, available every year during the Valentine’s event “Love is in the Air”. For 2019, however, the requirements are a bit higher. Those who have not leveled their twinks yet should catch up now.
New requirements for the Love Rocket: From February 12 to 26, the “Love is in the Air” event will take place in World of Warcraft. Here, players can earn the “Great Love Rocket”, a mount that may be included in the reward chest from the event boss. However, this special chest is only available to characters who have reached at least level 110. Previously, this limit was set at level 98, but it has now been raised with a hotfix.
Why the new limit? Blizzard wants to offer the “best” rewards of the events, such as rare mounts, only for active characters that have reached at least the current content. The developers had already introduced this in previous years. The level limits are now aligned with the current expansion Battle for Azeroth.
Other events follow the adjustments: Blizzard wants to apply these changes to other events as well. The Brewfest and the Hallow’s End, which take place at the end of the year, will have the same requirements for their mounts. Those who get their twinks to at least level 110 now will avoid the stress in the second half of the year.
If you need tips for leveling, check out our leveling guide for 2019:
Currently, only 3-player teams are possible in Apex Legends. However, a leak and a statement from the head of Respawn Entertainment give hope that solo and duo modes could soon be available in Apex Legends.
What is the current situation? Anyone who wants to play Apex Legends must necessarily compete in 3-player teams. Those who don’t have two friends are assigned random teammates (Randoms) by the game. Apex Legends is currently played exclusively in trios.
These are clear indications of solo and duo game modes. However, such data mining findings should always be taken with caution. They could also be blatant fakes.
Has the head of Apex Legends hinted at new modes? Another vague hint comes from Vince Zampella, the head of the developer Respawn Entertainment.
A fan wrote to him, expressing that he really wants the solo mode in Apex Legends. For that, he would even come to the developers’ office and bring donuts – flavors according to the developers’ wishes.
The studio CEO immediately responded: “Any kind of donut?” Fans interpret this as a kind of commitment that there are indeed plans for solo and possibly duo modes in Apex.
However, it should be noted that some heroes, such as the tank Gibraltar and the healer Lifeline, make little sense in solo game modes. The strengths of some heroes would have to be adjusted for solo rounds.
