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.
In The Division 2, the developer Massive has hidden a joke in the statistics about gloves that only Division veterans will understand. The gloves count how many car doors have been closed, a reference to the reveal trailer for The Division 1 from 2013.
This is the joke: In The Division 2, players can view statistics about equipped items in the character selection menu of the ongoing private beta:
Weapons show how many bosses you’ve killed or the number of multi-kills
Chest armor reveals how many repair kits the agent has used
The mask indicates how many minutes have already been spent in the Dark Zone
The knee pads provide information on how many minutes the player has spent crouching behind cover
All relatively normal and reasonable statistics.
However, the gloves count how many car doors have been closed.
What’s with the car doors? This is a joke that only veterans understand.
In the first reveal trailer for The Division from E3 2013, a player was seen taking cover behind a police car and elegantly closing the car door as he slid along the vehicle to take up another position.
The closing of the car door in the 2013 trailer was so elegant and smooth that players raved about the graphics of The Division for weeks, claiming that a new era of gaming was dawning – all because the car door was closed so spectacularly.
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Later, there were discussions about a downgrade in graphics from 2013 to 2016. Some felt that the animation in the final game was no longer as elegant.
The highly anticipated release of Anthem is just around the corner! The experiences we gathered from the previous demos have been summarized for you in 6 brief points.
Anthem is ready to go: While some players can start as early as February 15, most of us must wait for the official release on February 22.
To shorten the waiting time, we have compiled our six key experiences from the demos for you.
1. There is a lot to experience in Freeplay
In Freeplay, you can test your weapons and collect resources needed for crafting. However, there are also many secrets to discover and events to master while you zip around the game world.
World Events are varied: Each time you embark on a new Freeplay expedition, in addition to the open game world, you can expect World Events. These events can appear in various locations and at different times. The length and type of mission are also diverse. In the end, you can grab a chest with loot.
Exploration should be rewarded: In Freeplay, there seem to be small loot chests hidden all over the world, which can be reached through secret underwater passages or found in caves. In the full version, there are supposed to be lore collectibles that contribute to the overall background story of Anthem.
What could be found in the demo can be seen in this video:
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Javelin choice is crucial:The four Javelin types distinguish themselves in various ways. Some of you may opt for the powerful stomp of the Colossus, while others swear by the aerial pirouette of the Interceptor. One thing is certain: Each suit has its own unique touch.
The differences become clear during gameplay: The choice of Javelin drastically influences the play style.
This is how the Javelin plays:With the air-striking Storm, it is advisable to stay close to large rocks and similarly high structures so that you can take cover while hovering. The melee-focused Interceptor can quickly zip from one combat situation to the next. Its wide range of movement options allows the player to retreat from a fight just as quickly as they started it.
The balanced Ranger resembles a soldier, while the Colossus represents the resilient rhinoceros among the Javelins and can take some powerful hits.
Enemies have random drop chances: Often in Freeplay, a hostile Scar unit has left us a gift in the form of new weapons on the ground. These drops were predominantly of common (white), uncommon (green), or rare (blue) rarity levels in the demos.
Since loot in the full game depends on the selected difficulty level, green and blue drops could quickly turn into orange (Masterwork) or perhaps even gold (Legendary) drops.
Loot drops are displayed in diamond form in Anthem
Challenges reward long-term: In the demo, various actions allowed for the completion of challenges. Players will still be able to complete these challenges in the finished game.
The challenges can be viewed in the Codex and reward crafting blueprints. These allow for the creation of better versions of your weapons. For more information on challenges, check out our Endgame hub for you.
4. Combos are essential
What are combos? In Anthem, a combo consists of the combination of a primer ability and a detonator ability. Priming an enemy means applying a lasting status effect like acid or frost. You then trigger the detonator ability to launch the enemy and multiply the damage.
Why are combos important? Properly combining primers and detonators is the key to victory. Combos allow you to take out many enemies in a short time with various abilities and in coordination with other Javelins, or deal massive damage to a large enemy.
5. Health does not regenerate on its own
Health must be collected: In Anthem, the survivability of your Javelin consists of two values: shields and health. The only exception is the Colossus, which is the only Javelin without a rechargeable shield system.
If your armor takes damage, you must collect glowing red orbs to regenerate your health.
Defeated enemies drop health: After each successful kill, you have the chance to receive loot, ammunition packs, or health from your enemies. This design decision aims to challenge players to make tactical decisions within a fight.
You have to consider whether to brave the fray despite critical health to quickly collect a health orb or wait until the situation calms down while searching the surroundings for red pickups.
6. Klauninchen are not our enemies … or are they?
What are Klauninchen? Klauninchen are small rabbit-like creatures found throughout the world of Anthem. Essentially, these unique beings are friendly to us. However, some players do not fully trust these cute critters.
The player can decide whether to kill Klauninchen in the wild or to leave them alone. What the long-term consequences of killing these little bunnies will be is still uncertain. Perhaps one day we will meet the “mother of all Klauninchen?”
The beta for The Division 2 is in full swing. From now on, players can experience how fully equipped agents with strong endgame gear play and get a feel for the special abilities.
What’s new? From now on you have the opportunity to take a peek into the endgame of The Division 2. With three agents at level 30, you can freely shoot through a new endgame mode.
The agents also have top-notch endgame equipment, all three specializations, and new abilities such as:
Explosive crossbow for the survival specialist
Grenade launcher for the demolition expert
Large caliber sniper rifle for the sniper
What is an “invaded mode”? This endgame mode features a harder version of the normal story missions. The differences are as follows:
There is a new faction “Black Tusks” as opponents
New enemy types
Smarter AI
Better loot
When a mission is “invaded”, all enemies in it are replaced by the Black Tusks, completely changing the combat dynamics.
How do I unlock the endgame content? Once you have completed the normal version of the second story mission at the Jefferson Trade Center, you can log out of the current character and get the choice of three different agents.
Log in again with one of them and you will gain access to the “invaded” version, that is, the endgame mode of the trade center mission.
But beware: You can only play the fully equipped characters in the invaded mission. The rest of the beta content is not accessible to them.
Everything about the ongoing beta can be found in our live ticker.
The current expansion Stormblood of Final Fantasy XIV is slowly coming to its end. It is the optimal time for interested players who haven’t quite ventured into the MMORPG to start with FFXIV.
It can be really intimidating to get into an MMORPG that has been running for over five years and is regularly updated. The amount of content can overwhelm a new player, but now is exactly the right time for FFXIV.
Base version of Final Fantasy XIV available for free as Twitch loot
How can Twitch Prime users get it? Twitch Prime members can currently secure a code for the base version of Final Fantasy XIV.
To do this, you just need to go to your Twitch loot page and click on “Claim your loot”. The code will then be displayed directly in the bar below. The offer ends on May 3, 2019.
What is included in the base edition? The loot pack for Final Fantasy XIV on Twitch includes the following:
A code for the PC version of FFXIV
All content from FFXIV: A Realm Reborn
Max level is 50 (currently at 70)
30 days of playtime
If you create a character on one of the preferred servers, you will even receive an additional 15 days of free playtime. So it’s a great opportunity to dive into the MMORPG and test it beyond the limits of the free trial version.
Everything about account creation, servers, and the first steps in Final Fantasy XIV can be found in our beginner’s guide:
What is Shadowbringers? The new expansion of Final Fantasy XIV is set to release on July 2 and seems to be selling well already. Many new features and content have already been announced, which players can expect either at release or shortly thereafter. Coming are:
With the pre-order of the addon, you will also receive a ring from March 1 that gives you a 30% EXP boost up to level 70, allowing you to quickly bridge the slow leveling phase.
Why is this important? In Final Fantasy XIV, you must first play through the main story of the MMORPG to reach the endgame. There are over a hundred hours of content that you must play through if you don’t want to pay for a story skip.
To experience the new expansion of FFXIV along with other players and not to fall far behind in story and gear, it is advisable to start as early as possible.
If you start leveling and gathering gear now, you will have more than enough time to be ready for the release of Shadowbringers on July 2. This way, you can leisurely explore the world, the jobs, and the features of FFXIV and decide what you like and what you don’t.
Current patch is good for catching up
What are “catch-up patches”? The “odd” patches in FFXIV, such as 4.1, 4.3, etc., are designed to help players obtain strong gear without having to do high-end raids. Patch 4.5 is the last major content patch before the release of Shadowbringers.
In the current patch, for example, players can run the normal 24-player raid to obtain upgrade items that can raise their gear to the currently highest level. This also makes it easier for newer players to quickly catch up to veterans.
No further major content patches are expected before the addon release that would significantly increase the item level of gear. This means that the new players starting Final Fantasy XIV now will no longer fall behind veterans in their progress.
Server transfer will be temporarily free
Why is that? At the end of March after the Fan Festival in Japan, the FFXIV team plans to split the European data center. The servers that have been known as the “Chaos” data center will be split into Chaos and Light.
During this phase, transfers between the individual servers will be free for a while to give players the option to decide which new data center they would prefer to go to.
Why is this important? In an MMORPG like Final Fantasy XIV, social contacts with the community are important and contribute a lot to the enjoyment of the game. Since the data center split will not occur until March, you have enough time now to check out a server and try to make connections.
If you find after a while that you don’t like it there, the free transfer gives you the opportunity to move your character along with its belongings to another server.
When searching for Apex Legends on Google, ads for Fortnite often appear. What’s behind that?
What has happened? Many Battle Royale fans looking to find out about the new, up-and-coming Battle Royale game Apex Legends may have a bizarre experience. Instead of the sought-after game, Fortnite: Battle Royale sometimes appears at the top of the search results.
Google as a weapon against Apex?
How does the ad for Fortnite show up for Apex Legends? The reason for this strange advertisement is likely that Epic Games, the developers of Fortnite, have placed ads on Google targeted at the Battle Royale player demographic.
Therefore, anyone searching for Apex Legends will also be recognized by Google as a relevant audience for Fortnite: Battle Royale and might see the ad from Epic.
And many unsuspecting users habitually click on the first search result and unknowingly land on Fortnite.
Why is Epic doing this? Epic’s ad can be seen as a concrete measure against the competition. However, it is most likely just a standard advertising measure managed by an external agency.
There, they likely have the Fortnite advertisement running for all relevant products. Therefore, it is probably not an intentional measure against Apex.
Nonetheless, Apex competes with Fortnite. Both games are free-to-play and attract players with fun gameplay and unique features. Fortnite has building and many game modes, while Apex has numerous thoughtful features and unique heroes.
Competition invigorates the business
That’s why it’s good that Fortnite has competition: The competition between the Apex developers at Respawn Entertainment and Epic Games is a very positive thing for us players.
Already, we can see that Epic suddenly introduces the ranked play feature that has been demanded for months. And this comes shortly after rumors about a ranked feature in Apex surfaced.
Apex is already planning seasons and a battle pass for the upcoming month and is sure to bring many new heroes and game modes throughout the year.
Both developers will therefore engage in this arms race for the favor of the players, and both games will be continuously developed and expanded with good, fan-desired features.
As long as neither of the two games ultimately fails, it’s a good thing for the audience.
In Fortnite, you can’t always have luck. Such was the case with professional player Kyle “Mongraal” Jackson, who first destroyed his keyboard out of anger during his stream and then accidentally sat in his food.
What happened? When you’re gaming and you have really bad luck, something might get broken out of frustration. This is what happened to the 14-year-old Fortnite prodigy Mongraal.
On Twitch, three short clips from one of his streams went viral, showing him not only destroying his keyboard but also accidentally sitting in his food.
Videos show how Mongraal destroyed his keyboard
This is how it all started: The professional player Mongraal, who is already signed with Team Secret despite his young age, participated in the Architect Pop-Up Cup of Fortnite. In the first clip, you can see how the player gets eliminated before he even found a weapon.
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This frustrated Mongraal so much that he took his keyboard and slammed it hard onto his desk. The keys went flying in all directions and the keyboard was unusable. Only the LEDs still worked, glowing ominously red.
The rage continued: Once you’re in a rage, it doesn’t go away so quickly. While trying to fix his keyboard and put the keys back together, Mongraal was overtaken by anger a second time.
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In the second clip, you can see Mongraal hitting the keyboard because the keys don’t fit easily into the case. His anger had not subsided and the keyboard responded to this renewed act of violence with complete failure.
That was the crowning finale: Amidst all the destructive rage, misfortune also struck the professional. When he sat down on his bed frustrated after the keyboard’s final demise and wanted to try fixing it again, you could hear nothing but complaints in the stream: “I put my butt in my food!”
Because on the bed was still his dinner, a full plate of pasta with sauce, which the boy had now spread across the bed and his backside. He must have forgotten in his anger that his dinner was waiting for him there.
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A new MMORPG for PC has launched in South Korea with Astellia. Astellia aims to come to Europe as well. Surprisingly, the developers are saying all the right things that MMORPG fans in Germany want to hear. A localization in German has now been promised for the launch.
We reported on Astellia for the first time in June 2017 on MeinMMO . At that time, it seemed like a typical Korea MMORPG published by Nexon: very colorful and typically Asian.
After that, we lost sight of the online role-playing game for years.
But two years later, Astellia has become much more interesting for us Europeans.
In anticipation of a port to Europe, the developers are cleverly clearing away many reservations that German MMORPG players have against Asian imports.
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The special gimmick of the game: The special twist of Astellia are the Astels.
“Astels” are summons that a player can additionally bring onto the field. A warrior might summon a “Healing-Astel” that keeps him alive, or a DPS-Astel that helps him defeat enemies more quickly.
There will be more than 30 of these Astels. Three can be active at the same time. This is intended to give players strategic options, allowing them to focus on individual fights.
That’s why Astellia is suddenly exciting: In recent interviews (via mmoculture), the developers are making every effort to say all the right things to us in Europe about a new MMORPG:
They have opened an office in California to directly manage the West launch from there
The game will be distributed from California for Europe and North America. Astellia will support three languages at launch: English, French, and German.
The gender lock of the original version will be loosened: Two classes will be playable for both genders at launch. The rest will be released later. Players will have the opportunity to choose their gender for free when the option becomes available.
Update: The list was updated on February 9, 2019. It was first published on February 1, 2019.
The trophies and achievements of Anthem
We categorize the trophies by Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum and list the achievements in tables for you. We will update the Xbox points as soon as they are known.
Whether there are still secret achievements or if these 47 are all the trophies, we do not know yet. Many details about the trophies and achievements are still missing. As soon as the in-game translations are available, we will update this article.
Those who catch the monsters in Pokémon GO also receive candies for it. Now, a player has reached an incredible milestone, collecting one million candies.
What happened? If you don’t develop much, candies tend to accumulate here and there. It happens that you have over 5000 Pidgey candies lying around. However, trainer “Jeroen026” casts such quantities of candies into the shadows. He has collected over a million Pokémon sweets in total.
We from MeinMMO asked the player a few questions about this crazy success.
That’s why this trainer collected a million candies
What’s behind the collecting: For Jeroen, it has never been important to develop Pokémon. He preferred to follow the well-known Pokémon slogan “Gotta catch ’em all!”
Catching became the focus for the player as he set himself the goal of completing his Pokédex solely by catching.
This Pokémon is what Jeroen has the most candies of.
From then on, his passion for collecting candies began. If you catch all Pokémon in the wild, you don’t have to spend the candies on developments.
This is how he set goals: Jeroen set small goals for himself and continuously achieved them: 100 candies from each Pokémon, owning a total of 250,000 candies, and many more goals were gradually achieved.
How did he manage to do that? Since day one, the trainer has been collecting. He has completed only 4000 developments in total. This is extremely low for a player with over 100 million XP. Jeroen also rarely uses the Nanab Berry, only for Pokémon that do not have 1000 candies or those that are rare.
Another trick is trading Pokémon. Jeroen has traded over 19,000 Pokémon and thus earned numerous candies. He generated many candies from rare monsters this way.
What Pokémon does the trainer have the most candies from? Jeroen has the most candies from Pikachu, followed by Pidgey and Rattata. From each of these Pokémon, the player has over 40,000 candies. Additionally, there are over 20,000 candies from Magikarp and Swablu.
How much XP is contained in these candies? If one manages to spend that one million candies and put everything into developments, it would amount to nearly 60 million experience points. This applies, of course, only if he were to use a Lucky Egg and develop during an XP event. Without that, it would be “only” 15 million XP.
What’s next? Jeroen wants to continue collecting his candies. Currently, his goal is to own over 1000 candies from every Pokémon. Not many are missing.
Exotic gear has become rare in Destiny 2. Some players are hoping for the return of an item from Destiny 1.
What is it about? Since the first Destiny 2 expansion Forsaken, players have been rewarded less frequently with exotic gear. While exotic drops have thus become special again, there is a significant downside: with random rolls returning, it has become even harder for players to find exotics with the right perks.
The Glass Needles could only be purchased from the old noodle-faced Xur. This made the needles even more desirable, as in Destiny 2 the strange merchant only visited once a week in the predecessor.
How could the needles fit into Destiny 2? Some Guardians agree with NoctisNoctua on Reddit. They believe that the drop chances for exotic gear are so low that they hardly want to hunt for the right perks for their respective playstyle. NoctisNoctua himself stated that he plays several hours a day and only receives one or two exotics every few weeks.
The Guardian donk1999 states that the merchant Xur could regain relevance for hardcore players with the introduction of Glass Needles. Additionally, it wouldn’t hurt so much when only a few exotics drop and you don’t get the item you need.
Joey141414 thinks that Glass Needles are not needed because exotics are so rare, but because you often only receive the same items. He mentions that he often only gets gear that he already has. If he at least had the option to re-roll the items, the duplicates would frustrate him less.
The user MimirX disagrees and prefers a revamp of the collection instead of Glass Needles. Instead of the fixed rolls of the items we have already collected, he believes that items in the collection should also be re-rolled.
For now, Guardians have new gear coming during the Crimson Days:
The German game developer Crytek loses another game and likely also a studio. They are letting go of the online shooter “Warface”. The previous Crytek team in Kiev is going independent and will continue to work on the F2P shooter.
This is the announcement: There is another restructuring at Crytek. The developers of Warface are leaving the company and taking their game with them.
So far, Warface has been developed at Crytek Kiev, one of the last three bastions of Crytek alongside the headquarters in Frankfurt and a studio in Istanbul.
Crytek announces that Warface is now being developed by “Blackwood Games”. This is a new company under the creative director of Warface, Michael Khaimzon, and the previous development team from Crytek Kiev.
It is said that Blackwood will take over the further development of the Warface franchise, along with all future updates. This is an important strategic change.
This is Warface: It is a free-to-play first-person shooter in a military style. Warface was released in 2013 for PC, but only came out in 2018 for PS4 and Xbox One.
This is the situation of Crytek: Between 2007 and 2013, Crytek was on an expansion course. The developer opened branches around the world, acquired studios, and invested.
But for some years now, Crytek has been shrinking again, just as quickly as it had previously grown.
In 2014, Crytek closed its branches in the UK and the USA.
In 2016, it parted ways with 4 studios in Budapest, Sofia, Seoul, and Shanghai. At that time, the company announced that it would focus only on core brands and the CryEngine.
Even now, after losing Warface, the company emphasizes again that it wants to focus on its own “core brands” and long-term plans.
At the moment, the focus of Crytek seems to be on “Hunt: Showdown” which is still in Early Access on Steam. Additionally, Crytek is working on a new title together with the wonder technology SpatialOS.
BioWare promised to wait for player feedback after launch and then decide whether Anthem will still receive a competitive multiplayer mode.
Before the release, there are many players, who are even relieved that there is no PvP. A post on Reddit, where a player listed his opinion on the advantages of the missing mode, reached nearly 4000 upvotes in a short time.
Even our MeinMMO readers seem to have little interest in PvP in Anthem. In our survey about the mode, in which about 1400 readers participated, 72% of you said that the shooter does not need a PvP mode.
I also see the advantages of Anthem not having a PvP mode, but I am also afraid of a possible lack of variety.
That’s why I wish for PvP: I am a Destiny veteran from the very beginning and have experienced many highs and lows with Bungie’s shooter. Through various dry spells and content droughts, PvP has always brought me back, as it provided a break from the everyday grind.
Especially the PvP in Destiny 1 captivated me, the mode in Destiny 2 also has its moments.
Each round against my human opponents brought me something new, exciting for a short time and made me log into the game again, even when there were no new contents. With friends or completely solo, one could always kill some time and then devote oneself to other things.
Anthem also promises regular updates and wants to become something like the Netflix of games, where players will want to check back repeatedly. Even the first expansion has already been announced. Whether the constant flow of content can be maintained, we will probably only find out after the launch.
But what will players spend their time doing in Anthem when the current contents have already been chewed through and new food is still far away? Will events and different difficulty levels in the activities be enough to keep players or will they prefer to seek another game during content droughts?
This is how I envision PvP: Especially because of the flying Javelins, I find the idea of a possible PvP exciting and challenging. The verticality offers its own pitfalls: instead of just being on the ground or on elevated platforms, opponents can lurk everywhere.
However, Anthem could also be stretching itself too thin: if the PvP is designed to be too demanding, it might deter players.
In the worst case, PvP could lead to a split in the player base: those who love the mode and those who loathe it. The main thing is that no one is forced into PvP, because that doesn’t go down well in Destiny 2:
A report from the business site Bloomberg announces mass layoffs at Activision Blizzard. On Tuesday, hundreds of employees at the company behind WoW, Call of Duty, Overwatch, and (still) Destiny 2 are expected to be let go.
This is supposed to be the announcement: Activision Blizzard allegedly plans to announce the layoffs on Tuesday. The number of layoffs could be “in the hundreds,” according to Bloomberg.
Activision Blizzard is responding to poor sales figures and aims to bring about change. Apparently, Activision hopes to see a boost on the stock market from the layoffs.
Where does the report come from? The US business site Bloomberg reports on the planned mass layoffs. They reference “a person who wishes to remain unnamed because the changes have not yet been officially announced.”
What is the idea behind the layoffs? According to Bloomberg, the layoffs are part of a “restructuring” of the company. Allegedly, Activision Blizzard wants to centralize and increase profits.
This is the situation at Activision Blizzard: The company seems like a wavering giant. At the end of 2017, it employed nearly 10,000 people.
However, it has not been performing strongly in recent years. In November 2018, they admitted that key titles are no longer performing as well as they once did:
Just the loss of Destiny 2 could mean a revenue loss of 400 million US dollars annually, Bloomberg reports. Analysts believe, according to the business site, that sales figures at Activision Blizzard will drop by 2% in 2019.
This is what has happened recently: Additionally, there have been some personnel changes in the company:
This is the overarching market situation: Bloomberg notes that it is not only Activision Blizzard being battered on the stock market, but also Electronic Arts and Take-Two are experiencing such harsh times because their sales prospects for 2019 are not looking too bright.
The video game industry is a business that lives off “hits,” Bloomberg states.
Apparently, analysts do not foresee any hits for 2019 for the companies, or at least not as significant hits as in the past years. Without a “new” Red Dead Redemption 2, 2019 will be weaker for Take-Two than 2018, as per market logic.
Even at Activision Blizzard, the stock analysts currently do not see any revenue drivers in the pipeline.
For months, there have been rumors that Activision is planning a “centralization.” It is allegedly said that Blizzard’s independence will be restricted,
