With Apex Legends, Electronic Arts and Respawn Entertainment have accomplished a major success. The franchise has now surpassed 25 million players, and the battle royale shooter is very well received, even though a lot was against its success.
Player Numbers of Apex Legends
Apex Legends is highly successful: As Vince Zampella, founder of Respawn Entertainment, explains, the online shooter Apex Legends reached over 25 million players just about a week after its release.
Additionally, over 2 million players played the title at peak times.
On the very first day, one million players engaged in the shooter, and after three days, that number already reached 10 million.
Why were the chances initially poor? Apex Legends should have had a hard time in the competitive battle royale market. And yet, it became a success:
Fortnite holds the dominant position in the genre. Fortnite has been credited with high player retention: players build their accounts and improve their skills in the game. It seemed almost impossible to draw players away from Fortnite.
In a game from the creators of Titanfall, which is also set in the Titanfall universe, disappointment arose due to the lack of Titans. Fans also missed wall-running.
Apex Legends is a battle royale game. This is a genre that many developers want to enter, even though the market is essentially already divided. Many of the latest battle royale games have crashed spectacularly.
A game that appears out of nowhere without hype? How can it find enough players to be successful? Especially now, with a blockbuster titled Anthem on the horizon.
But Apex Legends is achieving great success. It is a free-to-play game and invites everyone to just give it a try. What do you have to lose? And now players see how much fun the fights can be.
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How is the shooter received by Mein-MMO readers? Apex Legends is a hotly debated topic. You can find many contributions under every article on Mein-MMO.
The general tone of the community reflects the success of the game. Apex Legends is a surprise for many. A game that appeared out of nowhere and does so many things right that it can excite the masses.
For many, Apex Legends currently represents the best battle royale game, as it takes features from previous genre representatives and mixes them skillfully. It’s like a kind of “best of everything,” but that doesn’t mean the title is completely free of problems.
What do players say about the success? The community is amazed at how quickly Apex Legends is gaining new players, especially in a genre where one would think there are already plenty of games on the market. There is a belief that Respawn has achieved something truly good here, and they recognize the success. Players are just hoping that this success can be sustained in the long run.
What’s coming soon?
What’s next? Respawn and EA want to take advantage of the wave of success:
Vince Zampella has already announced loot with a Valentine’s Day theme.
New legends, weapons, loot, new maps, and more will also be coming into the game.
Today, as well as on February 19, the Rivals Apex Legends Challenge will take place, where 48 of the largest streamers on Twitch will compete against each other.
Apex Legends is currently a major success for EA and Respawn and can excite many players.
NCSoft has released the quarterly figures for the 4th quarter of 2018. The MMORPGs played in Europe Guild Wars 2, Blade & Soul, and Aion have all reported losses in revenue. In the mobile sector, there was a slight upswing again.
The year 2017 was a record year for the Korean publisher. The reason for this was the release of Lineage M. In the third quarter of 2017, the game increased mobile revenue from 93.7 to 551 billion won. This amounts to approximately 410 million US dollars in additional revenue.
How 2018 went for NCSoft: Total revenue in 2018 decreased by 2% compared to the previous year, while net income fell by 5%. Nevertheless, sales reached a strong value of 1.51 billion US dollars.
Aion is the only winner in 2018
How 2018 went for the MMORPG Aion: NCSoft made changes to the monetization model for Aion. At the beginning of 2018, they switched to Free-2-Play in Korea. This resulted in a revenue increase of 35% compared to the previous year.
There were also major changes for European players in 2018. The Patch 6.0 allowed for an easier entry for new players. Additionally, there was new content in the form of an area and two dungeons.
How 2018 went for the MMORPG Blade & Soul: Blade & Soul has been declining for the last few years, and the trend did not stop in 2018.
For European players, there were at least some major updates last year. In September, a new class, a new story, and other small content were introduced with the Update Wardens Fury.
How 2018 went for Guild Wars 2: While the previous year 2017 saw an expansion for Guild Wars 2, 2018 was completely focused on the Living World. The regular content updates, along with smaller quality of life improvements, provided a good mix.
Nevertheless, revenue decreased without the sale of a box. For 2019, they are also focusing on story updates. Following the Living World season 4, the fifth season will follow immediately.
NCSoft is planning new MMORPGs for PC, console, and smartphone
For 2019, NCSoft is focusing on a mix of mobile games and new MMORPGs for PC and console. This was announced at an event in November.
What PC games are planned? Specific projects have not yet been named by NCSoft, but the TL project, which has been in development for years, is expected to be released this year.
What mobile games are planned? In the mobile sector, they are focusing on well-known brands in a new guise. Besides the already released Aion Mobile, the following titles are planned:
Blade & Soul 2
Blade & Soul M
Lineage 2 M
Blade & Soul S
Initial information about the five planned games has already been provided.
Apex Legends takes place in the world of Titanfall but features no Titans. Could that change in the future? What are the chances of mechs in Apex Legends?
Apex Legends has burst onto the scene and taken the world of battle royale shooters by storm. The excitement for the game from the developers at Respawn is high, but there have also been some critical voices who would have preferred a Titanfall 3. However, just because Apex is not Titanfall doesn’t mean we will never see Titans – at least that’s the hope of some fans.
That’s why there are no Titans in Apex Legends: In an interview with IGN, Executive Producer Drew McCoy spoke about the possibility of controlling Titans in Apex. Allegedly, the developers had countless ideas and tried to incorporate Titans into the game repeatedly. However, this would have led to significant balance issues, which is why they temporarily discarded the idea.
The answer to the balance problem would have been weaker Titans that could better fit into the balance. However, according to McCoy, that wouldn’t have been good, as it would have ruined the “power fantasy of what a Titan should be” – big and powerful. Thus, the developers currently have no plans to introduce Titans in Apex unless they “think it fits and would make the game better.”
Mechs like in Titanfall? Not for now.
Could there be unique maps in Apex with Titans? The developers have not completely ruled out the possibility of Titans. After all, Apex Legends takes place in the world of Titanfall, and it seems a bit odd without its titular mechs. It’s conceivable that Apex Legends could get one (or more) maps where players can only control Titans. This would solve the balance problem because if everyone is overpowered, it would be fair again.
However, there are currently no concrete plans for that. Players must hope that Titans will perhaps find their way into Apex Legends in the future.
Do you want Titans in Apex Legends? Or is it good that the giant mechs have been left out of the game?
It was recently confirmed that Riot Games is not working on an MMORPG for League of Legends (LoL). But a new game is coming, and the studio is now looking for employees for this.
A cool little game is coming
What happened? Katie Chironis from Riot Games is looking for employees for a new game project on Twitter. Specifically, “artists” with experience in Photoshop, Maya, and 3DS Max are being sought. Additionally, experience with Adobe Animate, AfterEffects, Houdini, and Fume FX is preferred.
What is known about this project? According to Katie Chironis, it is a “cool new game” that is not LoL. It is a project that will be managed by a small team.
Interestingly, the sought employee must have experience in launching a new IP. This means that Riot Games is working on a new brand.
Additionally, a well-known engine is expected to be used, with employees having experience in Unity and Unreal being sought. Apparently, the decision on which engine will power the game has not yet been made.
The new game from Riot Games has nothing to do with League of Legends.
What will the new game from Riot Games be?
How far along is the game? The statement that the new employee should have accompanied a game from planning to release indicates that Riot’s new project is still in a very early development phase.
What do the players think? The Twitter post has led to some speculation. Many still wish for an MMORPG from Riot Games, even though this has been denied and does not fit the description of a “little game.”
There was speculation that it could be an online card game in the style of Hearthstone, but the idea was received with skepticism. After all, there are already many games of this type in a highly competitive market.
Time will tell what this “cool little game” from Riot Games is.
Now the developer is increasing the number of Sinnoh Stones to 10. There is currently a discussion on Reddit regarding whether all these stones are guaranteed. We will show you what is already known.
What Niantic says about the Sinnoh Stones
What is known? On Twitter, Niantic addressed the topic again and wrote: “Fantastic news! During the Pokémon GO Community Days in your region, you can earn five Sinnoh Stones by challenging Team Leaders and five additional Sinnoh Stones by participating in Trainer Battles.”
What does this mean? Now it is being discussed whether the 10 Sinnoh Stones are guaranteed, or if they are just possibilities for one stone.
Update 15.02: Niantic has confirmed via Twitter that you will get 10 guaranteed Sinnoh Stones on Saturday. It doesn’t matter what time you fight. The bonus applies the entire day!
5 of the stones were already guaranteed. Niantic confirmed this on Twitter. You can obtain these from fights with friends. Since they now use the same wording for the 5 stones from Team Leader fights, it can be assumed that these stones are also guaranteed. However, Niantic has not yet confirmed this.
In what timeframe is this valid? On Reddit , many players are writing that the Sinnoh Stones can be collected all day and not just within the three hours of the Community Day.
However, this has not yet been confirmed by Niantic. It is advisable to complete your Trainer Battles before the event starts at 11 AM. Only then will you see whether you receive a reward from 5 battles.
What do I need the Sinnoh Stones for? The stones are ideal for the Community Day. There, you can use the Sinnoh Stone to evolve a Keifel into Mamutel. In addition, numerous other Pokémon that are very strong can be evolved with the stone.
When does the Community Day start? This month, the Community Day takes place on February 16, so already this Saturday. In addition to shiny Quiekel, there are numerous other bonuses worth it.
From 11 AM to 2 PM, the event will last for 3 hours. Until 3 PM, you can evolve Keifel to Mamutel so that it learns the move Ancient Power.
We have compiled a list for you that shows not only the Sinnoh Stone, but also all other evolution items:
In addition to the content for the current week, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 has apparently also teased upcoming changes to the Blackout map. What is behind it?
What has happened? The developers of Black Ops 4 have given a brief glance at the content coming to players this week. However, at the same time, there were also solid hints about where the map of the in-house battle royale mode Blackout could soon change.
This is how Black Ops 4 teases the map changes:On Twitter Treyarch released an animated blueprint of the Blackout game world – with the words “This is the plan”. The animation then shows numerous red markings on the map in the form of small and one large red cross.
The small crosses apparently represent small buildings. They are either located in completely new places or complement already existing building complexes.
In the game itself, many of these locations also currently feature stakes with flags that resemble construction site markings.
The large X is likely to indicate a new location that will enrich the Blackout game world, according to fans’ speculation. Because the area around the large cross is comparatively empty and attracts only a few players – unless the closing circle forces them there.
Near the X, a huge flat metal disc has also been found, mostly buried under the sand. It is still unknown what it is.
In the upper left corner of the blueprint, there is also a black circle in the waters off the coast. Fans are divided on whether it is merely pollution of the blueprint or another hint.
Some speculate that the popular Carrier map from Black Ops 2 could be immortalized there.
These contents are coming this week for Black Ops 4: The map changes were not the only thing teased by Black Ops 4. This week, PS4 players can look forward to the following:
Arms Race Team Deathmatch starting February 12. Here you get more points for kills and assists, allowing you to use score streaks like helicopters or turrets more often.
Valentine’s Day weekend from February 14 to February 19. There will be 2x XP and 2x weapon XP in traditional multiplayer, 2x Merrits in Blackout, and 2x Nebulium-Plasma in Zombies.
Close Quarters Frenzy in Blackout. This is an extra playlist where only SMGs, shotguns, pistols, launchers, and knives are available. Additionally, the circle closes faster.
The Xbox One and PC will likely follow as usual one week later.
Does Apex Legends support Crossplay? Although it has already been released on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, there is currently no support for cross-platform play.
Can you play Apex Legends across consoles? If you are playing on Xbox One, you only match with players on Xbox. Matches between Xbox and PS4 players do not exist.
Can you play Apex Legends on PC and PS4 together? No, there is also no Crossplay here. PS4 players play with PS4 players, just like PC players with PC players.
Is Crossplay planned for Apex Legends? Yes. The team at Respawn is definitely interested in cross-platform play, says Mackey McCandlish from Respawn to VG247. But you should not expect this feature to be implemented anywhere near the release window.
No approximate date for the release of Crossplay has been mentioned.
Cross-progression or Cross-purchase, i.e., sharing progress and purchases across different platforms, was not promised either.
Is Apex Legends coming to Switch? The developers have not made any statements about this yet. If they plan to compete with Fortnite or PUBG on mobile devices, there will likely be an announcement. This could also include iOS and Android.
In the context of the reveal of Apex Legends, Respawn also talked about Titanfall 3:
The topic of Crossplay is controversial among players because it allows for competition between mouse and keyboard users against controller users. Here, controller users often find themselves at a disadvantage.
What players wish for: In the comments on Reddit, players often express that they would be happy about Crossplay. However, they prefer it between consoles and not together with PC players.
Xbox players would also like to compete against PS4 players or Switch players. This would then be controller against controller and would be “fair”.
“It makes absolute sense to allow Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch players to play together in competitive games. However, it does not make sense to include PC players, where cheating and control become bigger issues,” writes Reddit user AnimaOnline and receives a lot of support for it.
Solo or Duo in Apex Legends – Is that possible?
In Apex Legends, you can currently only play in teams of 3 players. Now players are asking whether in the future there will also be the possibility to enter battle as a solo or duo player.
With the help of a new website, you can now quickly find out who your most loyal companions in Destiny 2 are and how much time you have spent with them.
This is how you find your best friends in Destiny 2: Destiny 2 is launching the Valentine’s Day event “Crimson Week” today, February 12th. During this festival of love, Guardians have the opportunity to celebrate with their closest friends and test their bonds.
If you want to know who your best friend in Destiny 2 is and who you spend the most time with in the game – the new web tool Friendgame Report can help you. To coincide with Crimson Week, the site has been completely revamped and now provides you with all the necessary information.
What can Friendgame Report do? Friendgame Report is a new web tool from programmer Josh Hunt, who has already created the well-known site Destiny Sets. He describes the tool as a kind of love letter that aims to put more focus on the social aspects of the game.
The site is quite simple. Just type in your player name and you can get started. The site will then show you how many activities you have completed with each of your friends. From PvE to raids and the Crucible to Gambit, it’s all covered. Instead of activities, you can also display the time spent together.
Source: Josh Hunt on Twitter
If you click on a player, you will uncover almost everything about your digital friendship. The site will remind you when and at which activity you first met and which shared experiences connect you over weeks, months, or even years.
Moreover, you can see who your newest friends are. It includes all new players you have encountered in the last 30 days and with whom you have played a lot.
What you should note: The site works perfectly for accounts on the PS4 and Xbox One consoles. However, there may still be isolated issues with Battle.net accounts on PCs. Additionally, Friendgame Report only displays data from Destiny 2. The predecessor is unfortunately not taken into account.
The Chinese newsletter had already announced it: Mamutel will learn the move Ancient Power during the Community Day in Pokémon GO.
A few days ago, we already reported on this, and now it is official, that Mamutel can learn Ancient Power on Community Day. The move was already announced in the Chinese newsletter. Many players were unsure if this was official. Now we have confirmation.
Many players reacted disappointed to the move because Ancient Power does not strengthen Mamutel. It will therefore not be absolutely necessary to develop a Mamutel with the special move.
What we know about the move Ancient Power
What does Ancient Power do? The move Ancient Power of Rock type does not strengthen Mamutel. The Pokémon is more of a attacker of Ground and Ice types, and a Rock move is less suitable.
Therefore, it hardly pays off to develop Mamutel with Ancient Power. However, for collectors among you, a Mamutel with the special move should not be missing. It is comparable to Dragonite and the move Draco Meteor.
How do I get the move? If you still want a Mamutel with Ancient Power, you should develop the Pokémon on Saturday, February 16, between 11 AM and 3 PM. During this time window, it can learn the special move.
How players react to the new move
How disappointed are the players: On Reddit, there are hardly any positive words about the special move. Many players had still hoped, after the announcement from China, that Niantic would change the move at the last moment. This was not the case.
Many players take it humorously: “This is great! That way, we have no stress with developing during Community Day,” writes the user “Gatsiedary”.
The player “Aradanftw” wants to save TMs and asks: “So is it best if I evolve Mamutel only after Community Day? This way I save TMs.” This is indeed the best method, as it saves you the technical machines and you get the best moves with Avalanche or Earthquake directly.
Until the beginning of March, you still have the chance to get Shiny Meltan:
After having gained deeper insights into the mechanics of The Division 2 through the Private Beta, our author Tarek wants to explain why, in his opinion, it could be a feast for build creators.
The Division 2 will be a hefty game. The Private Beta alone offered a bunch of features, just a small glimpse of the game. Nevertheless, you could spend many hours experimenting with these activities alone.
I had a lot of fun trying out the various weapons and equipment that could be found. After all, there was also an endgame mission where you could play characters at max level 30, including specializations and stronger equipment.
During this, I constantly had to think about the possibilities that the system brings. But let’s first look at what we know so far about equipment and loot in The Division 2.
This is how equipment works in The Division 2
As in most loot games of today, there are different equipment slots in The Division 2:
Mask
Vest
Knee Pads
Backpack
Gloves
Holster
This equipment drops at different levels and with various rarity levels from gray (normal) to HighEnd (yellow). Exotic parts and gear sets have not yet been revealed, but they will probably be rated even higher than HighEnd.
Additionally, up to 3 mod slots are possible. But just because a piece of equipment has more mod slots, it does not automatically mean it is better. The fewer slots, the better the values of the equipment part. Nevertheless, modifications have some advantages.
This is how mods work: Equipment mods give you up to three bonuses per mod. Unlike the equipment mods from the predecessor, there is no longer a distinction between primary and performance mods. They provide you with arbitrary bonuses like “Protection from Elites” or “Explosive Resistance”.
The sum of your equipment including weapons will then be converted to your gear score starting from level 30. This shows how optimized the values of your equipment are, just like in the predecessor. Beta excerpts show that the highest gear score (with HighEnd equipment) probably lies at 350. However, this may not be final.
Brands bring fresh air
Every piece of equipment available in the game can belong to a specific brand. These so-called “brand” or equipment sets are new in The Division 2.
This is how brands work: If you combine several equipment pieces with the same symbol, you receive brand-specific bonuses. For example, there is the “Airaldi Holdings” brand, which gives you
for one piece 10% precision
two pieces 10% headshot damage
and for three pieces 10% damage bonus for precision rifles.
Up to three brand pieces can be combined this way to unlock additional bonuses. Each piece can randomly have any brand. With corresponding loot luck, you can also fully utilize two different brands.
There are sets that are particularly suited for pistols, while others increase damage for shotguns. Thus, the brand sets support your preferred playstyle.
Just here, some might already feel overwhelmed. But there are still two other types of equipment to come: gear sets and exotic equipment, both already known from the predecessor.
However, there is still no information on exactly how they work. Therefore, I will just show you how they worked in the predecessor.
This is how gear sets and exotics worked in The Division 1: Gear sets are pieces of equipment that can only unlock certain set bonuses in combination. With the normal gear sets, you could combine up to 4 pieces and unlock interesting talents. Later, classified sets were added, which even allowed up to 6 bonuses.
This allowed you to create strong sets
like the Classified Striker, the most powerful DPS set,
the D3-FNC set, which turned you into a tank with a ballistic shield
or the Reclaimer set, with which you could keep the team alive as a healer.
Exotic equipment consisted of 6 unique pieces, each with an individual ability. Some of these, like Larae Barrett’s vest, were extremely sought after at times because they were considered powerful.
Gear sets in The Division 1 had a mint green color
So much build freedom like never before?
Additionally, there is the selection of weapons, with which mods you modify them, and which skills you use. Moreover, starting from level 30, you also unlock specializations with their signature weapons and skill mods.
With all these options and those we know nothing about, one can only speculate how much choice one has in assembling the equipment and adapting their playstyle. Just the math is already big:
Equipment
Brand Bonuses
Equipment Mods
Gear Sets
Specializations
Theoretically, you can optimize your character on at least 5 levels and more. This also includes your choice of weapons and skills. For me, it currently sounds like a paradise for build creators. I can specifically play my favorite weapons and tailor my build to how I want to proceed.
The possible downsides
How is the balance looking? With such complex games, there is always the concern about the balance of all mechanics. Given the history of The Division 1, many may be concerned if it will continue this way.
As far as I can judge after the Private Beta, I am not worried about it anymore. This is largely due to how Massive handles the balancing between PvE and PvP. In PvP modes and the Dark Zones, your equipment is adjusted. All values are leveled to the same standard, thus normalized.
This way, you can adjust PvE and PvP independently of each other. The developers themselves have already announced that they will not nerf weapons that are particularly fun in PvE. Therefore, I think quick adjustments are possible in case of balance issues.
What else can we expect? There is already a small preview: Just recently, the Division developers gave a brief insight into their future plans. New specializations, gear sets, and exotic equipment are to come.
I am curious to see what the result will look like at release and how large the selection of sets will ultimately be. What I have seen so far makes me optimistic. The Division 2 could definitely be a feast for loot collectors.
Otherwise, I can still recommend this video by MarcoStyle, who explains all of this in more detail based on in-game scenes:
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World of Warcraft has enriched the life of a young man. However, his parents only realized this after his death.
Every now and then, we tell stories on MeinMMO about players who have found good friends or even their spouses through World of Warcraft. These tales are usually nice to read, but not all aspects are pleasant. Such is the case in the story of Mats Steen.
His parents only truly understood after his death how many good friends Mats had found in WoW.
Mats Steen suffered from a rare disease since birth, which caused a defect in his muscles. Instead of being able to build muscle, his muscles would atrophy over the years, increasingly restricting him.
Due to his illness, Mats always felt like an outsider. He could soon only be transported to school in a wheelchair and had to constantly have a caregiver with him. Physical education was out of the question.
However, his parents still tried to offer him leisure activities and allowed him to use the family computer when he was 11 years old. For Mats, this was the beginning of completely new opportunities. It didn’t take long for Mats to discover World of Warcraft and immerse himself further into the game world.
He became a true gamer, which led to new conflict situations with his parents. After all, he now spent a large part of his free time in front of the computer and was supposed to go to bed at 10:00 PM – which is quite a hurdle for a gamer.
A second life on a WoW server
Mats played on a role-playing server and took on the role of the character Lord Ibelin Redmoore. It didn’t take long before he came into contact with other role-players and eventually ended up in the Starlight guild.
He became a solid member, a constant conversational partner for the concerns and worries of all members. In WoW, Mats was one of many friends, equal and not a “freak” who was marginalized due to his physical condition.
Mats’ parents were still worried. They thought he would be isolated in front of the PC, and that he was only interested in playing itself, just to reach new high scores or the next level.
They didn’t really engage with the hobby and didn’t understand that Mats’ friendships with his guild were deep and that the players cared for each other.
At the age of 25, Mats passed away quite suddenly. His life expectancy had previously been estimated by doctors to be “not much longer than 20 years,” yet his death came as a surprise.
Realization after the death of their son
After Mats’ death, his father used his password to gain access to his son’s blog. This had been agreed upon while he was still alive.
The father wrote a blog post explaining the passing of his son. He did not expect to receive many responses, but that was exactly what happened.
One after another, guild members responded via email, expressed their condolences or shared stories about Mats and his character Lord Ibelin Redmoore.
They reported on the adventures they had experienced together, funny or sad situations, and other moments in which Mats had been a support for them.
It was only after his death that Mats’ parents realized how many good friends he had found in Azeroth. Several members of the Starlight guild attended the funeral and stated that candles would be lit in memory of Mats all over the world, for he had had good friends in many places who would remember him for a long time.
Thus, Mats’ parents only realized in the days and weeks after their son’s death that he was not sinking into a lonely game world.
He was among many like-minded individuals with whom he spent a large part of his free time, who had grown dear to him and to whom he had grown dear. In a world where his illness did not matter.
If you are interested in the whole story in the original English version with many heart-wrenching passages, you can find it in our sources.
A sad yet beautiful story that shows how virtual worlds and friendships cross the boundaries of the “real world” and what a positive impact games can have on the lives of people.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Anyone who has chosen the wrong team in Pokémon GO cannot change it so far. But when will something happen there at last?
If you have the same team color as your friends, you can take down gyms together and get more balls in raids. However, if you have chosen the wrong team, you are currently punished for it, as changing teams is not possible.
Players are repeatedly demanding a team change so they can take down gyms with friends. But what is Niantic planning? Is there possibly going to be a change?
That’s why a team change would be good
Team change brings advantages: Those who blindly chose a team at the beginning may now have numerous disadvantages.
In many places, one or two team colors dominate, and it is very difficult to take over and hold a gym against the last color. If you are sitting alone in gyms, it is much easier to get thrown out again. More players in a gym are more intimidating.
Moreover, the underdog team color receives fewer balls in raids. If, for example, team red and team blue have done the most damage in raids, then team yellow ends up with particularly few balls. Catching a Pokémon then becomes significantly more difficult.
Players are demanding: The search interest on Google has been consistently high over the last 12 months. Players are constantly searching for whether it is possible to change teams.
It states: “Unfortunately, it is currently not possible to change your team. We plan to add this feature to Pokémon GO in the future. We are currently working on a few other major features. Therefore, there is currently no estimate of when the team swapping will be possible.”
This is new now: A few days ago, Niantic employee Liz George was asked whether a team change will be possible in the future, replying: “This is something that is on the plan, and we will share this information with you as soon as possible. 2018 was a busy year and 2019 will be too.”
This theory exists: YouTuber “Hong&Friends” has put forth an interesting theory regarding a possible team change. In his video, he addresses it from minute 10:24. So possibly Color Eagle could help with the team change:
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Currently, there is only one map in Apex Legends. But what’s next? Are new maps coming, or will the old one be rebuilt repeatedly?
This is what the developers plan for the map: Currently, 60 players are battling in Apex Legends in 20 3-person teams on the only map, King’s Canyon. The map has been rebuilt multiple times according to studio head Vince Zampella, sometimes made larger and sometimes smaller. Now, it is said to be just right as it is.
What do the developers want to do going forward? According to Vince Zampella, King’s Canyon will not be the end. They plan to introduce more maps after the launch. However, what they will look like is still open.
“We will likely release larger maps when we decide that it will be fun,” the boss said in an interview with Venturebeat.
Apex Legends seems to be following the path of PUBG
By likely focusing on multiple maps, Apex Legends is taking the path of PUBG. There, additional, often smaller maps were gradually introduced. However, it seems that Apex is leaning towards larger maps and potentially higher player counts.
What’s next for Apex Legends? Already in March, Apex Legends will start its first of four planned seasons in 2019. There will also be a Battle Pass like Fortnite where you can unlock goodies.
In each season, there will be new heroes, weapons, and loot. This way, new content will be regularly crafted, and all players can look forward to innovations. Apex Legends may cater to players who prefer fewer but better-planned updates.
The closed beta of Conqueror’s Blade is in full swing. We’re giving away 1000 keys here that you can redeem immediately and start playing.
What’s new? Conqueror’s Blade is currently in the middle of a closed beta test. The new game from my.com combines action-packed gameplay with elements of a military strategy game.
You get the opportunity to build an army and compete in battle with other players. It’s important to choose which nation you want to align with, as this will determine the abilities, weapons, and fortifications you will receive.
You can test Conqueror’s Blade until February 15.
What can you win? Here you can win one of the 1000 keys for the closed beta of Conqueror’s Blade.
What are the conditions? To receive a code immediately, you must complete at least three actions in the Gleam tool below. After that, the code will be displayed to you in a window.
The giveaway lasts only while supplies last. Once all codes are claimed, the raffle ends.
How can I redeem the code? Once you have received your code, you can redeem it as follows:
In Destiny 2, there was a great quest in July 2018 that led players to the “Whisper of the Worm.” Eight months later, Bungie rewards the fire team that found the weapon first. They didn’t know it until then.
What happened in July 2018? Quite surprisingly, in the middle of nowhere, a quest regarding the exotic sniper rifle “Whisper of the Worm” went live in the summer of 2018.
Guardians had suspected that Bungie would come up with a surprise quest like they did with the “Black Spindle,” but it was still an adrenaline kick when the hunt began in the midst of a rather dull content drought.
A player virtually stumbled upon the new secret quest on Friday evening, July 20. From there, the news spread like wildfire that a new secret quest was active in Destiny. Nobody knew what it was about yet.
Quickly, streamers and fire teams around the world set off in pursuit of the reward. That weekend, Destiny came alive and the community thrived. It really crackled.
This is what happened: A player has now come forward on reddit. Apparently, he and his two partners were the first players to complete the quest for the “Whisper of the Worm.”
He explains that he and his friends read about the quest on Twitter at the time and immediately jumped into the race. They managed to solve the quest, but they didn’t know they were the first in the world. They only found that out now, eight months later.
Bungie contacted them and told them that they were the first with the “Whisper of the Worm” back in June. And they were also given a gift.
This is Bungie’s gift: The three Guardians received a photo that was signed by Bungie employees. It reads
“The Whisper was meant as a tribute for our players.
We are glad to have such brave Guardians like you in our world.
In love, from Bungie and the entire team 2019″
The three Guardians each received their own cards.
This is how reddit reacts: On reddit, many still think of the days of the quest. Besides Shattered Throne, these were some of the best days of Destiny 2. In general, the mood in the thread is positive and many feel a bit nostalgic.
Community managers from Bungie, Cozmo and Dmg04, also speak up in the thread and celebrate a little with the community. Cozmo mentioned it was fantastic how it developed back then.
It is known that the developers of Destiny like to observe how their players handle the challenges they throw at them:
The next update for Battlefield 5 is coming. In this context, the graphics of the game will be significantly upgraded on high-performance PCs. Ray tracing is set to be improved and the game will receive DLSS support.
What’s new? This week, a new update for Battlefield 5 is on the way for players. This will not only offer a new 4-player co-op mode but also significant improvements to the game’s graphics.
For this, the game will utilize Nvidia’s new Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) with corresponding graphics cards. Additionally, as previously promised by EA, ray tracing is set to be enhanced.
This is how Battlefield 5 will be improved on PC
Where is the information coming from? Already over the weekend, the patch notes for the latest update were leaked. EA, however, did not officially confirm these notes, so it’s uncertain whether all the graphical improvements are indeed included in the latest patch.
Nevertheless, the leak appears to be very close to the correct patch notes, as via Reddit, the Community Manager for North America, Jeff Braddock, discussed them.
This is how the graphics of Battlefield are improved: With the new update, DLSS is set to be introduced. This Nvidia system renders images at a higher resolution than your screen can display. Thus, the gameplay of Battlefield 5 will be presented in clearer images without being as resource-intensive as traditional anti-aliasing.
This upgrade unfortunately only comes for the PC players among you – provided you have the corresponding graphics hardware. Console players cannot benefit from this change.
What else is being improved? EA has already promised enhancements to ray tracing. Exactly how these changes will look remains to be seen. The patch notes only mention improvements.
What is being added in terms of gameplay in the update? The patch notes are, of course, full of changes for Battlefield 5 itself. We present the highlights:
Co-op mode Combined Arms appears
Changes to TTK and TTD to preserve consistency between TTK and TTD
Numerous smaller bug fixes for weapons, maps, and game modes
You can find the full patch notes that have been published so far here.
There is also a teaser from EA for the new co-op mode. However, this has not been received well by fans:
The latest update in Pokémon GO is live. The update 0.133.1 includes other features alongside additional Pandir forms. We present you the highlights.
What’s new? This time, there isn’t much spectacular in the Pokémon GO update. However, there will likely be more Pandir forms soon. Additionally, some changes might be made to AR photos and the connection to Facebook is expected to play a role soon.
We provide you with an overview of the most important changes in the update and tell you what we already know about the Pandir forms.
What we know about Pandir and its new forms
What was found: In the latest update, new Pandir forms were found. These are forms 9-19.
These are all the current forms. How the new forms will look is not yet known.
In the Pokémon games on the console, almost every Pandir had a different pattern, which is why Niantic can likely add almost endless new forms.
How to get Pandir? So far, there have only been Pandir in field research. For some time now, every month, a new Pandir form has been available from a quest.
It can be assumed that the Pandir forms will soon be added to the game and that this release principle, i.e., through field research, will be maintained.
When could the new Pandir come? Currently, there are 6 of the 8 Pandir forms available to catch. Only Number 2 and Number 4 are still missing. If Niantic stays true to form and releases one further form each month, the last missing forms could be released in March and April, so that new forms might follow from May.
This is, however, only speculation for now. Niantic might come up with something else for the release of the new forms. The fact is that further forms can be found in the code.
What else is new in the update?
In the new update, many small details and text snippets were found, which so far don’t make much sense. However, these changes have caught our eye:
A medal with the name “Photobomb” was found; additionally, numerous other code snippets that suggest AR images.
This could mean: We might soon be rewarded for taking AR pictures. For example, one could take numerous photos and earn points for the medal.
Numerous features related to Facebook friends. It likely concerns player levels, but also the profile pictures of Facebook friends.
This could mean: We might soon be able to share with Facebook friends which level we have reached and also see them in our friends list.
Are the features already in the game? All features have only been found in the update code so far. Niantic can release the features at any time. However, they don’t necessarily have to bring any of it into the game. This remains to be seen.
Do you want more lucky Pokémon? Here’s the probability of getting them:
Apex Legends is full of futuristic weapons. But which weapon is the best in each category and what does the tier list look like? And what do the upgrades do? Here you can find everything about the top weapons in Apex Legends.
Apex Legends is a new battle royale game with a variety of weapons. However, especially at the start of the game, many players are overwhelmed by the large selection. Since you can only carry two weapons, it is important to know which weapon to pick up and which one to leave behind.
This is how you ping weapons: Before we begin, here’s an important tip. You can use the ping function not only to indicate where you are going or where enemies are located. You can also ping weapons and let everyone on the team know where that weapon is located. Aim at the weapon and press the ping button.
Press the ping button now and everyone in the squad knows where this weapon is.
By the way, you can also use the ping in the inventory. Open the inventory and use the ping function on the equipped weapon to request ammunition. This also works with the attachments you want.
Pinging works in the inventory as well.
This is the current tier list of weapons
We have summarized the weapons from Apex Legends into a tier list. The higher a weapon is in the list, the better it is. S-tier stands for the best guns in the game. Up to tier C, everything is still okay; tier D falls a bit short of expectations.
In the following paragraphs, we will introduce all weapons by category and explain what the different attachments do for the weapons.
Upgrade: 11.02.2019: Added tier list.
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The Assault Rifles
What are assault rifles? Assault rifles are reliable weapons that are usually effective at medium range and promise a good rate of fire and decent damage. The following weapons are available.
VK-47 Flatline
What can the Flatline? This fully automatic assault rifle is very accurate and can take down enemies particularly well at close to medium range. The large magazine is an advantage here and can be further upgraded. This way, you can also defeat enemies with full shields.
Damage: 16 (body)/32 (head)
Magazine: 20 (heavy)
Upgrades: Scope, magazine, stock
Hemlok Burst AR
What can the Hemlok? Here you get a burst assault rifle that fires 3-round bursts. Since it has low recoil, it is well suited for precise bursts of fire. If you hit well, you can effectively decimate enemies from a distance.
Damage: 18 (body)/34 (head) or 54 and 74 in burst mode
Magazine: 18 (heavy)
Upgrades: Scope, magazine, stock, barrel
R-301 Carbine
What can the R-301? This weapon is a good all-rounder. If you don’t find anything better, you can confidently take the R-301 with you. The weapon is mainly known for its good accuracy, but does not deal too much damage.
Damage: 14 (body)/28 (head)
Magazine: 18 (light)
Upgrades: Scope, magazine, stock, barrel
The Submachine Guns (SMGs)
What are submachine guns? These weapons fire quickly and are extremely deadly at close range. However, they consume a lot of ammunition and are often inaccurate at longer distances. The following weapons are available to you.
Prowler Burst PDW
What can the Prowler? This weapon is a kind of mini assault rifle that fires 5-round bursts. If you hit well, you can take down enemies very quickly. The weapon performs optimally at close to medium distances. It is the only SMG that uses heavy ammunition.
Damage: 14 (body)/21 (head) or 70 and 105 in burst mode
Magazine: 18 (heavy)
Upgrades: Scope, magazine, stock, hop-up (You can switch to automatic fire)
Alternator
What can the Alternator? This weapon behaves more like a fast-firing pistol and does not fire as rapidly as other SMGs. However, it is quite accurate even at medium range.
Damage: 13 (body)/19 (head)
Magazine: 16 (light)
Upgrades: Scope, magazine, stock, barrel
R-99
What can the R-99? This weapon is a true lead sprinkler that fires its 18-round magazine in a flash. So if you want to kill someone with it, get close and make sure you hit well.
Damage: 12 (body)/18 (head)
Magazine: 18 (light)
Upgrades: Scope, magazine, stock, barrel
The Light Machine Guns (LMGs)
What are light machine guns? These weapons are heavy guns that lay down suppressive fire at medium range with large magazines. Their rate of fire is usually good and they inflict significant damage. Currently, there are two LMGs in the game.
Devotion
What can the Devotion? Anyone who knows Titanfall 2 will certainly appreciate this weapon. The Devotion fires extremely fast and deals a lot of damage per bullet. It is also quite accurate. However, the Devotion has a disadvantage: it takes some time to reach its full firing speed. You have to shoot longer until it really revs up.
Damage: 17 (body)/34 (head)
Magazine: 44 (energy)
Upgrades: Scope, magazine, stock, barrel, hop up (shorter time to maximum fire rate)
M600 Spitfire
What can the Spitfire? The Spitfire is a solid and reliable LMG. It deals a lot of damage and is ideally suited to pierce multiple enemies with one magazine. The handling is also very good and you can lay down precise suppressive fire with it. But consider the long reload time of the magazine.
Damage: 20 (body)/40 (head)
Magazine: 35 (light)
Upgrades: Scope, magazine, stock, barrel
The Sniper Rifles
What are sniper rifles? Sniper rifles are extremely precise and deal significant damage at long range. They are ideal for headshots. However, they fire slowly and have limited ammunition in the magazine. Ideally, use them from cover. They are less suitable for quick firefights.
Kraber .50 CAL Sniper
What can the Kraber? This legendary and therefore rare weapon is a true killer! It already has all the necessary addons installed and offers a complete worry-free package. It fires powerful special ammunition that you probably won’t find separately in the game.
After the 8 shots loaded in 2 magazines, it’s over. However, it inflicts insane damage! Even body shots are often fatal. Headshots guarantee a kill. However, the rate of fire is very slow, so aim carefully and make sure every shot counts!
Damage: 125 (body)/250 (head)
Magazine: 4 (special ammunition, limited to 8 shots)
Upgrades: no additional
G7 Scout
What can the G7 Scout? With its mediocre damage values, this rifle is unfortunately not a killer. But it has a crucial advantage: it is semi-automatic and allows many shots in quick succession. This makes it ideal for players who are not master marksmen and occasionally miss. This weapon forgives mistakes!
Damage: 30 (body)/60 (head)
Magazine: 10 (light)
Upgrades: Scope, magazine, stock, barrel, hop-up
Longbow DMR
What can the Longbow? This rifle is a typical sniper rifle. It deals significant headshot damage that can potentially kill an enemy immediately. It also functions semi-automatically. Therefore, you can miss occasionally and make mistakes. However, don’t miss too many, as the Longbow has only a meager 5 shots in the magazine!
What can the Triple Take? This weapon is a kind of shotgun at a distance, as it fires three shots at once. However, they are very close together and deal a lot of damage if they all hit. Therefore, you should aim well and enjoy some serious headshot carnage.
What are shotguns? Shotguns fire a load of small pellets that spread further at long distances and therefore deal less damage. However, if all pellets hit, which usually happens at close range, they can inflict a lot of damage. Therefore, shotguns are ideal for brutal close-quarters combat.
Mastiff
What can the Mastiff? This monster is a legendary weapon and thus rare. If you have found it, even entire enemy squads shouldn’t be a problem. Because the Mastiff kills most enemies with body shots and headshots are usually fatal. The shotgun pellets fly in a horizontal line, not in a circle like other shotguns.
Currently, the Mastiff leads the top damage ranking. Since it is a legendary weapon, it is already fully equipped, so you cannot add any further upgrades.
Damage: 144 (body)/288 (head)
Magazine: 4 (shotgun)
Upgrades: no additional
EVA-8 Auto
What can the EVA-8? Here you get an excellent all-round shotgun. It inflicts less damage than other shotguns, but it fires quickly and has a large magazine. This allows you to clear rooms of enemies effectively.
Damage: 63 (body)/90 (head)
Magazine: 8 (shotgun)
Upgrades: Scope, magazine
Peacekeeper
What can the Peacekeeper? The Peacekeeper is a classic shotgun that somewhat resembles a Winchester rifle. You have to pump it after every shot, which slightly limits the rate of fire. But the shotgun hits really hard, especially headshots are easy to get and very deadly due to the large pellet load. With the hop-up attachment, it is surprisingly accurate even at a distance.
Damage: 110 (body)/165 (head)
Magazine: 6 (shotgun)
Upgrades: Scope, magazine, hop-up (less spread)
Mozambique Shotgun
What can the Mozambique? This curious weapon is a pistol that fires shotgun shells. However, you have to get quite close, as the weapon doesn’t deal much damage and has a small magazine with 3 shots. If you can hit reasonably well, you can kill enemies at close range with it.
Damage: 45 (body)/66 (head)
Magazine: 3 (shotgun)
Upgrades: Scope, magazine
The Pistols
What are pistols? Pistols are light weapons that serve primarily as a backup when you don’t find anything better. However, especially at the beginning of the game, pistols can often decide a fight.
Wingman
What can the Wingman? This weapon is the only pistol that is still worthwhile later in the game. It deals a lot of damage and can also be deadly at a distance with a bit of practice. This revolver also looks cool and is ideal for Western fans!
What can the P2020? This weapon is simply a pistol, nothing more. It is average in every way and does exactly what it is supposed to do: perforate enemies. If you don’t have anything better, grab it and start shooting.
Damage: 12 (body)/18 (head)
Magazine: 10 (light)
Upgrades: Scope, magazine
RE-45
What can the RE-45? This weapon is weak, but it fires automatically. This gives you a solid advantage in the chaotic close combat at the start of the game!
Damage: 11 (body)/16 (head)
Magazine: 15 (light)
Upgrades: Scope, magazine, barrel
These are the attachments
You can find upgrades for your weapons in the game, called attachments. They are automatically installed when you pick them up and have an appropriate weapon active. The upgrades come in rarities of “Common”, “Rare”, and “Epic.” For scopes, there are also legendary versions that outline enemies in red. The different upgrades are:
Scope: There are various versions, from holo sights for short distances to the powerful 10x zoom for snipers. Legendary versions highlight enemies in red.
Magazine: Increases ammunition in the magazine. Each quality level provides more extra ammunition, and rare and epic improve reload speed.
Barrel: Each level improves recoil and makes already very precise weapons even more accurate.
Stock: Each level improves aim deviation and handling. Here, you can further enhance the already well-balanced weapons.
Hop Up: This upgrade is not available for all weapons and has a special effect. We have noted that with the respective weapon.
Jürgen’s current favorites (as of 08.02.2019)
I currently use the Flatline often, as I like to control the rate of fire myself and don’t think much of burst weapons like the Hemlok. With a solid scope, it also performs well at distance when using short bursts.
However, an extended magazine is a must for the Flatline, as it otherwise needs to be reloaded too often.
As a secondary weapon, I also prefer a weapon with heavy ammunition, otherwise, looting at the end tends to turn into micromanagement, and the menu is somewhat annoyingly fiddly in my opinion.
That’s why I often have a sniper weapon like the Longbow. Alternatively, I also like to use the EVA-8, even though I have to stock up on shotgun shells then. At close range, the shotgun is simply a great weapon.
The best weapons are useless without a shooter. Here you can find the various characters in Apex Legends:
The lead producer of Anthem, Michael Gamble, has shared 7 tips with fans at the launch of the online RPG, aimed at improving the gaming experience. Check out the 7 developer tips for Anthem here.
Shortly before the early launch, the developers at BioWare have published some basic tips on Twitter that everyone should check out before starting Anthem.
Tip 1: Avoid Spoilers
BioWare is especially known for its storytelling in games. Anthem is also expected to provide players with a rich story.
Gamble therefore urges everyone who can start Anthem early not to spoil the story for other fans. Those who particularly value the story are advised to be cautious with streams and videos.
If you’re curious and want to know more details about the story in advance, you can take a look at these articles:
Gamble’s second tip also revolves around the story of Anthem. He recommends those who want to learn more about the story and backgrounds beyond the missions to talk to the NPCs in Fort Tarsis. This is the last city of humans, serving as both an operations base and an in-game hub.
Because the people in Fort Tarsis have plenty of stories to tell. The team is proud of many cool characters they’ve created there, many of whom are incredibly funny and provide a deeper insight into the world of Anthem.
To start, Anthem gives you some coins (in-game currency) to buy new cosmetic attachments or skins. However, the developers recommend not to spend all these precious coins in the first minutes of the game.
Instead, players are advised to play for a few hours first to be sure about which Javelin and look they actually want to start with. Because the customization system is really profound.
Tip 4: Utilize the Alliance System
Players are advised to make use of the Alliance System in Anthem. It is really good and you receive a lot of coins that you can use for customizing your Javelins.
The alliances basically represent a kind of reward system that BioWare wants to leverage to encourage playing together with friends. If you and your friends undertake expeditions like missions, contracts, or strongholds, you earn alliance experience points at the end of the activity.
This has nothing to do with guilds or clans. Even points from Anthem players in your friends list who are not teaming up with you count towards it.
At the end of each week, as a reward, you receive coins – that is, the in-game currency. Each member of the alliance receives this bonus. The number of coins depends on how many alliance points you could gather during that week.
Tip 5: Play on Hard for More Challenge
Anthem will offer a total of 6 difficulty levels. Before you reach the endgame, you will have three different difficulty levels to choose from: Easy, Normal, and Hard. After that, three tiers of the Grandmaster rank will be added.
Easy and Normal should be completable solo without much trouble. Hard, on the other hand, generally requires tactical teamwork with friends or fellow freelancers.
Therefore, Gamble recommends all fans who enjoy a challenge to play Anthem on the Hard difficulty. This way, the expeditions are more intense, and you’ll get better loot. Just be careful not to get your backside kicked until you finally get good at it.
Tip 6: Keep in Mind the Weekly and Daily Challenges
These are said to include daily, weekly, and even monthly goals. The alliance system should also help to master these challenges.
The lead producer of BioWare has now specifically highlighted these challenges and emphasized that they should not be overlooked. Because the corresponding rewards are particularly valuable.
Therefore, Michael Gamble encourages players to make increased use of Anthem’s quickplay. Because Anthem offers matchmaking for everything. There you can jump into random content for selected categories without long waiting times or extensive planning, and support other players on their expeditions or request help for your own tasks if you need it.
The TOTW time in FUT 19: On February 13th, the 22nd Team of the Week will be released in FIFA 19. From 7 PM you can draw special cards from packs for one week, until TOTW 22 is replaced by the next Team of the Week on February 20th.
What are the TOTW predictions? The predictions are made based on the real performances of the players that they achieved over the past week.
While the predictions are never 100% accurate, they still provide a good overview of the players who could make it into the Team of the Week.
How you can use the predictions: If you need even more coins for Ultimate Mode, you should buy some of these predictions already. If they make it into the Team of the Week, their value will increase, and you can sell them for profit. You can find more about this in our TOTW Trading Guide.
This article is written by our reader Julian Schröder.
