Whoever carries “forbidden items” in Fallout 76 will be banned

Benedict Grothaus Benedict Grothaus Reading time 4 minutes

After some players infiltrated a secret room in Fallout 76, the first penalties are now raining down. Apparently, it was not desired to be there, as Bethesda has temporarily suspended accounts with illegal items.

This is what happened: Players who possess items in Fallout 76 that should not be in the game received temporary account penalties. Specifically, these are items from the secret developer room.

It seems that even accounts of players who never entered the room can be affected. So in the future, you should pay close attention to which items you pick up from the ground.

Fallout 76 dizzy title

The secret developer room is forbidden

Why were the players banned? The corresponding items should not be accessible to players. Therefore, the accounts were temporarily suspended, and it seems that Bethesda wants to remove the items from circulation.

The first players who entered the room initially had no problems. Shortly after the event, however, players reported receiving automatic bans ranging from 6 to 24 hours. Bethesda has previously been quick with bans, such as when a group of players dedicated themselves to hunting homosexuals.

However, they were still able to give other players the items from the developer room. Some of the corresponding items were apparently even duplicated by exploiting a bug that was removed shortly thereafter with the patch from January 10.

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Especially affected are plans for various mods, some weapons, and cosmetic items. The accounts on which corresponding items were found have now been temporarily deactivated. Since innocent players may also be affected by the duplication, they should contact Bethesda support if they are affected.

This was the situation: The reason is that the players in question have items from a secret developer room in their inventory. This room was recently discovered by some players.

The developer room contains all items in the game and even a human NPC. The NPC Wooby is the only living person in Fallout 76 who is not controlled by players. Although the room was moved a bit, some players apparently were still able to enter.

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von Tarek Zehrer

According to eurogamer, it was only possible for PC players to enter the room. They had to use third-party software, presumably hacking. However, now players who did not enter the room themselves are also affected.

https://youtu.be/wyhjkqc646I

Could this happen to me? This is unlikely. Since the corresponding accounts are currently deactivated, no one should be able to give you stolen items anymore. Whether the currently existing items can be deleted remains to be seen.

Additionally, interaction with the storage boxes in the developer room has been removed. Although the room can still be entered under certain circumstances, players can no longer take items from it.

Fallout 76 User Review

This is what the community thought: Shortly after the report, rumors circulated that the developer room was just a fake created by trolls with mods for Fallout 4. However, these actions against the corresponding accounts now indicate that the room really exists and that players were able to gain access.

If you want to go exploring in Fallout 76, there are plenty of allowed and interesting places to see:

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Eurogamer
  2. reddit
  3. Bethesda auf Facebook

Diablo 3 – Season 16: Launch with Patch 2.6.4 in a few hours, all information

Patrick Freese Patrick Freese Reading time 5 minutes

The start of Season 16 in Diablo 3 takes place along with Patch 2.6.4. We show you the most important information you need to know about Season 16 and the update.

What is it about? In Blizzard’s action RPG, the 16th season starts today, January 18. Then the gates will open again for many players who want to start a fresh seasonal character and begin from scratch.

At the same time, Blizzard has prepared Patch 2.6.4 for Diablo 3. This will change quite a bit regarding class balance.

Season 16 in Diablo 3 – Start, Seasonal Journey, Theme

When does Season 16 start and end?

  • Start of Season 16 on PC: January 18, 2019, at 5:00 PM German time
  • Start for Xbox One, PS4, and Switch: January 19 at 2:00 AM German time
  • End of Season 16: The 16th season is expected to end on Sunday, March 17, at 5:00 PM German time
Diablo 3 Tyrael Title

What bonuses are there?

  • Season theme: The 16th season runs under the theme of the Ring of Royal Grandeur
    • Everyone receives its property simply by having it without equipping the ring
  • The Seasonal Journey: You can earn 4 additional stash tabs for the season. If you have not yet unlocked 4 stash tabs, you can unlock one more by completing all of these tasks:
    • Complete a Nephalem Rift on Torment 13 (Level 70) within 5 minutes
    • Upgrade 3 legendary gems to level 55
    • Complete 2 achievements in the season
    • Kill Azmodan on Torment 13 (Level 70) in less than 30 seconds
    • Kill Greed on Torment 13
    • Reach a Greater Nephalem Rift level 60 (Solo)
    • Use Kanai’s Cube to upgrade an ancient legendary item with a gem level 50+
    • Use Kanai’s Cube to convert a legendary item
treasure goblin-diablo-3

Quickly to level 70: We have put together a few tips and helpers for speed leveling. So you can quickly reach the maximum level and get started in the Greater Nephalem Rifts.

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Diablo 3: Season 16 Level Guide – How to quickly reach Level 70
von Patrick Freese

Haedrig’s Gift

What is Haedrig’s Gift? When you reach stages 2, 3 and 4 of the Seasonal Journey, you will receive one of Haedrig’s Gifts. Each of these gifts contains parts for one of your class sets.

How does the gift work? The gift contains a piece of the set for the class with which you open the gift. If you want a complete set, you should open all gifts with the same character.

Which sets are there for which class? The contents of Haedrig’s Gift change with each season. In Season 16, the distribution is as follows:

FR7QKQEOKHM61545100720429

Do you already know which class you will play in Season 16? We show you the best classes and their builds in a tier list. Then you can see how well your favorite build performs and which class you can start with:

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Cosmetic Rewards

In this season you can deck yourself out with new gear visually. The theme this time is the Call of the Adventurer.

JGI9GRK93FDO1545100720235

Season 16 also adjusts the way archaic items are highlighted.

Patch Notes 2.6.4 – What changes for the classes?

These updated changes are provided by Blizzard for Patch 2.6.4. This will also be the basis for Season 16.

Barbarian

Diablo 3 Barbar Title
Source: Battle.net – Fan art

Crusader

Diablo 3 Crusader
  • Thorns of the Invoker
    • 2-piece bonus increased from 140% to 350%
    • 6-piece bonus increased from 5,400% to 15,000%
  • Roland’s Legacy
    • 4-piece bonus increased from 3,300% to 13,000%
    • 6-piece bonus increased attack speed from 50% to 75%
  • Heart of the Light
    • 6-piece bonus now increases Blessed Hammer damage by 12,000% instead of 2,000%

Demon Hunter

Diablo3 Demon Hunter

Monk

Diablo 3 Monk
Source: Battle.net – Fan art
  • Uliana’s Guile
    • 6-piece bonus increased from 2,100% to 9,000%
  • Inna’s Mantra
    • 6-piece bonus increased from 150% to 750%
  • Monkey King’s Garb
    • 6-piece bonus increased from 1,000% to 1,500%
  • Monk’s Raiment of Thousand Storms
    • 2-piece bonus increased from 100% to 400%
    • 6-piece bonus increases the damage of Tempest Rush by 60,000% – Previously 13,000%
    • 6-piece bonus increases the damage of Spirit Generators by 6,000% – Previously 1,300%

Necromancer

Diablo 3 Necromancer Title 2

Witch Doctor

Diablo 3 Witchdoctor
Source: Battle.net – Fan art

Wizard

Diablo 3 Wizard
Source: Battle.net – Fan art

Are you still unsure whether the new season is even for you:

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

Therefore, Atlas resorted to the last means, reset the servers

Alexander Leitsch Alexander Leitsch Reading time 2 minutes

In the pirate MMO Atlas, problems have been recurring since its launch in Early Access. While most issues are due to bugs or cheaters, there has now been a special incident. Apparently, unauthorized access to an admin account of the game was gained.

What happened? Yesterday, Lead Community Manager Jatheish announced that there would be a rollback of the PvP servers in North America.

The reason for this is the takeover of an admin account on Steam.

This account was, however, not compromised through a hack, a third-party program, or an exploit.

Atlas Building on the Ship

How large was the rollback? The rollback affected a period of nearly five and a half hours. From the perspective of American players, the rollback was implemented late in the morning.

Any progress made by players on Thursday morning was lost.

Atlas Water

How are players reacting? The reactions of players to the announced server rollback were very mixed. Some showed understanding, while others reacted with mockery.

There was particularly ridicule for the takeover of the admin account. If there was no hack or exploit, then the password must have been very simple from the players’ perspective. “RIP Security Team,” wrote the player Port, for example.

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Other players are of course complaining that they have lost progress in Atlas themselves.

However, there are also players demanding a much larger rollback. Currently, it seems that cheaters are on the rise and ruining the game for many players.

Over a week ago, the developers promised that an anti-cheat tool is being worked on. If one follows the current threads on Reddit, then it seems that Atlas desperately needs this tool.

We will show you how to get your first own ship in Atlas:

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von Sascha Asendorf
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Forum

ArcheAge sells particularly fast mount, nerfs speed afterwards

Andreas Bertits Andreas Bertits Reading time 2 minutes

Players of the MMORPG ArcheAge had previously complained about expensive mounts being “nerfed”. The developers referred to this as “normalized”. And now, even under the new owner gamigo, the old game starts all over again.

What happened? With the recently released update 5.1 for version “Relics of Hiram”, there was another normalization of the mounts. Players feel deceived and express their frustration.

ArcheAge Celestar Mount

What is “normalization”? Basically, it is just a nerf. Mounts that were offered with a certain movement speed suddenly run slower and are thus adjusted to the regular “normal” speed.

What is the problem? The mounts are offered in lockboxes for a specific amount and customers purchase these mounts in good faith, believing that their stats are correct and will remain so. Speed plays a major role.

Many ArcheAge players spend a lot of money to use a particularly fast mount.

However, seeing the speed of the mount nerfed without prior notice angers the players. They feel as though they have fallen for a bait-and-switch.

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ArcheAge-erenor-update-03

The situation repeats itself

This is why players feel even more deceived: Such a “normalization” has occurred before.

In 2017, the mount “Stormwraith” was nerfed in the same manner. Many had hoped that this practice would not continue under the new ArcheAge operator gamigo. But now, exactly the same thing has happened again.

Once again, there was a “normalization” of previously expensive, fast mounts. And again, there was no prior warning. The mounts like Lunaris and Celestar, which are now affected, were offered for weeks.

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What do players hope for now? In 2017, buyers of Stormwraith received compensation because Trion Worlds did not want to leave it at that they made a bait-and-switch offer. Whether this will also be the case now is still uncertain. Players hope for compensation, but gamigo has not yet commented.

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

Pokemon GO: How to Get the Most out of the Barschwa Event

Noah Struthoff Noah Struthoff Reading time 4 minutes

On Saturday, January 19, the event starts with Barboach in Pokémon GO. We will provide you with information about the start time, the Shinies, and the quests so that you can make the most of the event.

What are the Limited Researches? This event series takes place for the first time this month. It can be compared to the Community Day, as it also lasts for 3 hours. During this time, you will find special field researches at PokéStops that will reward you with the event Pokémon. You also have the chance to encounter a new Shiny, unlocked through the researches.

This time, everything revolves around the Water Pokémon Barboach. We will give you all the information about the event and share tips on how to proceed effectively.

Limited Researches in January – GMT+0: Exact Times and Bonuses

  • What: The limited researches in January 2019
  • When: On Saturday, January 19, from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM German time (GMT+1)
  • Pokémon of the Day: Barboach
  • Bonus: You have the chance to encounter a Shiny Barboach
Barboach Pokémon GO

This is behind GMT+0: Like the Community Day, the Barboach event also starts at 11 AM. However, the in-game notification states 10 AM. This is valid for the GMT+0 timezone. We are in the GMT+1 timezone and therefore add an hour.

Shiny Barboach and Milotic

What Niantic confirmed: In the announcement, Niantic also mentioned the Shiny version of Barboach. You can obtain it just like the regular one from the field researches.

Shiny Barboach

How to catch Shiny Barboach? It is still uncertain whether the Shiny distribution works the same way as during the Community Day with Squirtle. There were also Shiny Squirtles from the field researches. These were the same for every player. So, one PokéStop that gave a Shiny to one player would also provide a Shiny for every player.

Some trainers now speculate that it will work the same for Barboach. However, this is not confirmed but just a theory. It is possible that each Shiny may be different for all players. This will only be revealed at the start of the event. We will update the article for you then.

Which quests should I complete on that day?

A dataminer says: The well-known dataminer Chrales has already found field researches intended for the event in the code. There are a total of four:

Pokémon GO Celebi Title Quests
  • Barboach Research: Earn a candy while walking with your buddy
  • Barboach Research: Hatch 1 egg
  • Barboach Research: Land X great throws
  • Barboach Research: Land X good throws

WP for a Barboach from the quest – 100% IV

This WP must your Barboach have: Barboach obtained from quests typically have a good WP value. The chances for 100% IV Barboach are also high. Your Barboach can have a maximum of 117 WP from the quest. A Barboach with these combat points can then have 98% or 100% IV.

This list shows the WP of all Barboach over 80%:

Barboach 100er

These tips will help you for the event

  • Remember: you receive only one field research per PokéStop per day. If you already know which PokéStops you will be playing at during the event, you should not retrieve or complete quests there prior to Saturday. Spin the PokéStops only after the event starts to receive the Barboach quests.
  • Choose an area that has numerous PokéStops. The more PokéStops you have, the more chances there are for Barboach.
Pokémon GO PokéStops Map Markings
  • Collect balls! The quests with the good and great throws can only be completed with enough balls.
  • Save quest rewards before the event. You can then catch them during the event and complete the throw field researches.
  • Stock up on 2-km eggs. You can use these gradually for the research “Hatch 1 egg”.
Pokémon GO
  • Change your buddy to a Pokémon that needs only 1 kilometer for a candy. For example, Pidgey or Magikarp. This way, you can quickly complete the buddy quest.

Besides the limited researches around Barboach, the Hoenn event is also running:

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This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
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Black Ops 4: Is Blackout still Battle Royale with “Down but not out”?

Sven Galitzki Sven Galitzki Reading time 3 minutes

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 experiments with Respawns in a team mode of Battle Royale in Blackout. Here’s how “Down but not out” works. The mode will first be available on PS4, and later for PC and Xbox One.

What happened? Black Ops 4 has introduced a limited-time team playlist in the Battle Royale mode Blackout where revivals are possible in the so-called “Down but not out” mode.

This breaks with the Battle Royale tradition, which is characterized by having only one life.

cod blops down but not out

Note that “Down but not out” can currently only be played on PS4. Xbox One and PC should follow next week.

What defines the “Down but not out” mode? This additional playlist is now available for Blackout, limited-time until the end of the month and can only be played within the “Quads” team format. Teams of 4 players compete against each other. It is essentially a modified version of Quads.

In this playlist, players can be revived for the first time in the history of Blackout, even if they were completely dead. However, there is a twist.

If a team member survives until the next collapse, that is, until the play area shrinks again, all fallen teammates are revived. This is not an active revival that can be performed by players on dead teammates. One must survive until the next collapse.

cod black ops 4 black out tower

The revived players will re-enter with the Strife pistol and 5 bandages. The gear at the time of death will not be carried over.

What does this mean for players? This mechanic has a huge impact on the course of Blackout matches. One living player at the collapse is enough to bring back an entire team. Instead of the almost certain death, spectacular comebacks are now possible. The match is really only decided at the end.

Moreover, this mechanic encourages a more aggressive playstyle, leading to a hectic and exciting finale with more players in the ever-shrinking circle. Nearly 50 players at the end of a match have been quite common.

cod blackout

Beginners also get more opportunities to acclimate and find their footing in Blackout. Especially for those who are currently testing the Blackout mode for free in the Free Trial, this is a great opportunity to familiarize themselves with the team format and the Blackout mode itself.

What do I do if I don’t want to play this mode? Anyone who enjoys playing Quads but does not want to play “Down but not out” has no reason to worry. The regular Quads format is still available in Blackout – parallel to the new mode. Your gaming experience will not be limited by this.

Is Blackout with “Down but not out” still Battle Royale? This is currently being debated by many fans. One of the pillars of Battle Royale is that you only have one life during a match.

In the new mode, however, numerous players can be revived – sometimes multiple times. This is fundamentally a break with a principle that actually defines Battle Royale.

However, Black Ops 4 is trying something fresh with the new mode, but it hasn’t reinvented the wheel. There have already been limited-time modes in Fortnite where revivals were possible – for example in Team Rumble or Disco Domination. There are indeed other representatives of the genre that have played with this mechanic before.

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Have you tried the new “Down but not out” mode yourself? What do you think about it? Is it still Battle Royale?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Treyarch auf Twitter

Overwatch: “Lunar New Year” is starting soon, bringing some new skins

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

Overwatch is getting a load of new skins and celebrating the “Lunar New Year” in 2019 as well. There will be some new skins.

Recurring events are a fixed part of Overwatch and in 2019, the “usual program” will be followed. That’s why the event “Lunar New Year” oriented around the Chinese New Year will start in just a few days, attracting players with fresh rewards. Overwatch has now announced via Twitter that the Chinese New Year event “Lunar New Year” will return on January 24.

The Year of the Pig: This year is all about the pig. Since the “Year of the Pig” seems perfect for a new skin for Roadhog, fans are eagerly awaiting news from the hefty character with the hook.

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In the coming days, Blizzard plans to present a new skin daily before the event starts. This should ensure that we will get at least 6-7 new skins and likely also some new emotes, spray logos, and other cosmetics during the event.

Whether there will be a new game mode again or if they will simply repeat the game modes from previous years, such as “Capture the Flag,” is still unknown.

You have this long: As usual, the event lasts about 3 weeks. From January 24 to February 18, you have time to earn the special loot boxes and stock up on the new skins and other rewards. Only these event loot boxes have a chance to contain the items related to the event.

Overwatch McCree Title Lunar New Year
If you don’t have McCree’s skin yet, you will get a new chance!

Currently, an event is already taking place in Overwatch, the “Bastet Challenge” – you only have a few days left to secure this skin!

Are you already excited for the “Lunar Festival” event in Overwatch?

How to stay informed: If you don’t want to miss any news or articles about Overwatch, you should leave a like on our Overwatch Facebook page!

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

Why have you stopped playing World of Warcraft?

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

Many players have either paused or completely stopped playing World of Warcraft. We want to know from you: What is the reason for that? Why did you stop playing WoW?

If you look at the official forums or the corresponding subreddit for World of Warcraft, you will find a lot of criticism about the game. A large part of the player base that expresses its opinion is dissatisfied with the current state of World of Warcraft.

WoW Female Mage Angry Cower title

For some players, the frustration is so great that they have canceled their subscription and turned their backs on Azeroth.

Depending on whom you ask, you will get different reasons for taking a break.

  • Some find that there is too little content to engage with.
  • Others complain about the Azerite system or the grinding of artifact power associated with it.
  • Other players do not like the development of the story
  • or they are unhappy with the RNG factor in loot distribution and its RNG components.
WoW Human Female Yell Purple action title

While there are many reasons that can lead players to quit, it is not entirely clear which reason was the decisive one. Therefore, we are conducting a small survey here.

We want to know from you: Why did you stop playing World of Warcraft? What was the decisive reason that you are currently no longer wandering around in Azeroth?

Since we want to find out the main reason, please keep in mind that you only have one vote. If your specific reason is not listed in the survey, please choose the option “other reason” and feel free to elaborate in the comments.

If you cannot see the survey, it may be due to your ad blocker. It would be nice to disable it on our site. You can also access the survey through this link.

 

Stay informed: If you do not want to miss any news about World of Warcraft, please leave a Like on our WoW Facebook page.

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

Diablo 3: Find the best classes and builds for Season 16

Robert Albrecht Robert Albrecht Reading time 7 minutes

Season 16 in Diablo 3 has begun. A lot has changed compared to the last season. In our overview in English, you can see the best classes and builds in a tier list.

What does a new season mean in Diablo 3? With each season start, your season characters from the previous season are converted into normal characters. This means you have to start from scratch again, which entails

  • You have to level up your heroes again – all start at 0
  • You have to rebuild your Paragon level

At the same time, you have the opportunity to start a completely new season journey, where you can earn complete sets and cosmetic items again. We will show you how to reach level 70 quickly here:

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Diablo 3 Necromancer Title 2

What’s new in Season 16: In addition to the new rewards of the season journey, a visit to Diablo 3 is worthwhile because Blizzard has shaken up the meta considerably with a balance patch. In fact, Blizzard has managed to make almost all classes equally strong.

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Thus, solo players now have almost unlimited character choices for tackling Greater Rifts at higher levels. In this guide, find out with which setups and equipment you can make it to the top of the season leaderboards.

Diablo 3 Title

Where does the tier list presented here come from? Content creator and Diablo 3 expert Rhykker has long been regarded as an authority on Blizzard’s hack’n slash. His tier lists are the result of data analysis from the leaderboards and the test servers, where the “new world” can already be played.

The “tiers” are gradations of the best available classes and their setups. A combination that makes it into tier “S” is regarded as one of the best in the game, with the potential to reach the highest levels of Greater Rifts.

Builds that only reach tier “F” also achieve high Nephalem portal levels, but these are about 18 below those builds from tier “S”.

Diablo 3 Tyrael Title

Important: Whether a build is in tier S or F, all presented builds can easily complete Greater Rifts beyond the magical threshold of 70, allowing you to farm ancient items that provide the greatest bonuses.

On this page and the following ones, we will present to you the three best builds for each class in Season 16. By clicking on the build name, you will reach the overview of the required equipment and skills.

If you want to try more combinations, there is a complete overview of the studied builds at the end of the article.

[toc]

The 3 best builds of the Witch Doctor in Season 16

The Witch Doctor was long considered one of the worst classes in Diablo 3. With Season 3, everything has changed. Thanks to the balance patch, the best build of the Witch Doctor has climbed to 3rd place among the best builds overall.

Set reward of the season journey: Spirit of Arachyr

December 4th, 2010 @ 07:58:31
  1. Jade Witch Doctor (Tier S) – The Jade Witch Doctor was in tier C in the last season. With Season 16, this build has reached the podium and is now regarded as one of the best builds in Diablo 3.
  2. Arachyr Fire Bat (Tier B) – Compared to the last season, this setup has not made a significant leap and is considered the second-best setup of the Witch Doctor, but falls significantly behind number 1.
  3. LoN Spirit Barrage (Tier B) – This build focuses on the Legacy of Nightmare, purely the set bonus of just two rings. The rest of the equipment consists only of legendary items.

On the next page, you will find everything about the three best builds of the Demon Hunter.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Rhykker
Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Destiny 2: Finally it’s clear what Luke Smith does at Bungie

Sven Galitzki Sven Galitzki Reading time 3 minutes

Since the release of Destiny 2 the former game director of the game, Luke Smith, has completely withdrawn. Many are wondering if he still plays a role at Bungie and if so, what? Now there is clarity.

This is what is currently known about Luke Smith’s whereabouts: Many will remember Luke Smith from Destiny 1 and the early days of Destiny 2. But what is the former Destiny 2 lead doing now?

There is little official information. Some fans have speculated that Smith may have taken the blame for the poor development of Destiny 2 – as a kind of scapegoat. Others suspect that Smith is already working on Destiny 3.

Destiny Artwork Defeat New

Bungie itself revealed in an interview with MeinMMO at the end of August 2018 that Smith is still part of the studio and holds a leadership role there.

This is what Smith is doing now: It is now clear what role he takes at Bungie. After the split from Activision, Smith addressed fans in the current “This Week at Bungie” blog and talked about the future of Destiny – as Destiny Franchise Director. This makes him apparently the main person responsible for the future of Destiny and sets the direction for the games.

This is likely to please many players. Smith was not only responsible for the much-criticized Destiny 2, but was also a key figure in the Destiny 1 expansion “The Taken King” and the raid “Vault of Glass”. The expansion and raid were particularly well received by fans and were celebrated by many as the highlights of Destiny.

This is what Smith says about the immediate future of Destiny 2: Initially, the franchise director thanked Activision as well as the two studios Vicarious Visions and High Moon Studios for their years of collaboration. Afterwards, Smith spoke about the future of Destiny  2.

destiny_2_e3_2017_concept_parade

In the short term, Bungie is still working on the content that has already been announced as part of the Annual Pass. They have learned a lot from the “Black Armory” and want to use this knowledge for future content releases.

They especially want to ensure that new content is accessible to as many players as possible. For example, the level requirements for the first forges were too high, which meant not all players could dive into the new content.

They now want to find a middle ground where many players can enjoy fresh content, and particularly ambitious Guardians can strive for a goal. Additionally, they are looking at further improvements for catch-up mechanics that players could use in upcoming seasons.

Destiny Concept Art Tank

This is what Luke Smith says about Destiny 2 in the long term: Bungie and Destiny are meant to be together and that bond remains. They have created this universe and will now hold its future in their own hands.

A large part of the team is working on creating new player experiences, designing new enemies, or finding ways for players to continuously develop their Guardians.

They are also dealing with their newly acquired independence and its consequences. After all, they will soon be completely on their own, needing to publish games independently and determining the future of the games themselves.

In conclusion, Smith looks ahead and sees a bright future for Destiny rooted in an unforgettable past. Not everything has been lost in the dark corners of time, says the franchise director.

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von Sven Galitzki

What do you think about Smith being the main person responsible for the future of Destiny? Will this benefit the franchise without the pressure from Activision?

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

The Elder Scrolls Online: What is in the new ESO expansion Elsweyr

Jürgen Horn Jürgen Horn Reading time 3 minutes

The new addon for The Elder Scrolls Online will be the most extensive project in ESO so far. Find out here what awaits you in Elsweyr and the Season of the Dragon.

Since the big reveal stream of ESO, the cat is out of the bag. In 2019, we are heading to Elsweyr with the Khajiit. There will also be a new class, new features, and dragons!

ESO Elsweyr SunspireTrial

The new concept of ESO 2019

Everything will be different in ESO in 2019: So far, the major chapter addons like Morrowind and Summerset were standalone addons that were self-contained. Additional DLCs released in the respective years had completely different themes.

This is different in 2019. The “Season of the Dragon” will set a theme for the entire year, and with each new release, the storyline will continue. The highlight here is the new chapter addon Elsweyr.

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ESO Elsweyr DragonCombat

What’s in Elsweyr

The major features of the new addon Elsweyr are:

  • Dragons: For the first time, you will encounter (living) dragons in ESO and be able to fight them. The great dragon “Kaalgrontiid” and his kin fly over Elsweyr and threaten the ancient homeland of the Khajiit. The dragons will, among other things, appear as world events in the game world and cause chaos. You will need a good team of heroes to slay them. And yes, the dragons fit into ESO’s lore.
  • Elsweyr: For the first time in an Elder Scrolls game, you can visit the homeland of the Khajiit. There you can expect an area the size of Summerset and over 30 hours of quests and content. Additionally, there will be a 12-man raid called “Sunspire.” The new chapter will aptly be named Elsweyr.
  • Necromancer: For the first time since Morrowind, there will be a new class again. The necromancer will primarily operate through summoned undead and has long been requested by many fans.
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What’s special about Elsweyr: A major highlight of the new region is also the lore and the backgrounds of its inhabitants. The Khajiit are not just upright walking cats.

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They have a rich culture and appear in over 17 different varieties, some of which you will see for the first time in an Elder Scrolls game. Among them are the Alfiq-Khajiit, who resemble house cats.

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ESO Elsweyr Combat_FightingAMonster

When does Elsweyr come out? On June 4th, the new addon will be released for PC/Mac, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. The PC/Mac version offers early access for pre-orders starting May 20th. Existing players will receive an exclusive mount with the pre-order.

Newcomers will receive the base game for free upon pre-ordering. There is also a digital version that includes all previous DLCs and chapters.

ESO Elsweyr Environment

How much playtime will Elsweyr offer? According to the developers, the new area will be about the size of Summerset and will provide over 30 hours of quests and story.

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ESO Elsweyr Exploration

What else is coming? In February 2019, the first dungeon DLC for the new story called “Wrathstone” was released. In the third quarter, another dungeon DLC will be released, and at the end of the year, the story of the Season of the Dragon will be concluded with a story DLC.

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Can newcomers also join? As usual, the Elsweyr addon is standalone. So you can also jump in directly as a newcomer and get started.

More info about Elsweyr and other content can be found in the interview with Creative Director Rich Lambert.

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Watch the trailer to see how Dark Zones and PvP work in The Division 2

Tarek Zehrer Tarek Zehrer Reading time 3 minutes

In the new trailer, Ubisoft showcased how the Dark Zones and PvP are structured in The Division 2. You can find all the info here in the overview.

Leak confirmed: As was already leaked after the alpha, there are three Dark Zones in The Division 2. In addition, there are further pure PvP modes summarized under the term “Conflict”.

The Dark Zones are located in different parts of Washington D.C. Not all operate under the same rules. For Conflict, two modes have already been confirmed for launch.

the division 2 pvp dz trailer

Dark Zones – how they work in The Division 2

How did the Dark Zones come about? In total, there will be three different Dark Zones in The Division 2. In the predecessor, the Dark Zone was a particularly contaminated area where many corpses infected by the virus were housed.

However, the Dark Zones in Washington D.C. have an even more tragic cause.

DZ 62: In D.C., an attempt was made to distribute a cure for the green toxin. It has catastrophically failed. The remnants of this failed remedy were stored in the Dark Zones. Now the entire area is also infested with this harmful substance, a kind of yellow powder that has already been partially visible in screenshots. DZ 62 has proven to be almost as deadly as the green toxin.

What remains the same: The Dark Zones will still offer a mix of PvE and PvP. Again, players will be well rewarded with gear here. Players can once again go rogue and hunt for the loot of other Division agents.

Supply drops are also back.

the division 2 dark zone map

This is new: 

  • In total, there are 3 Dark Zones (West, South, East)
  • Instead of 24, there are now 12 players per instance
  • Gear will be normalized, all values of your gear will be set to maximum and adjusted to other players
  • Not all items are contaminated, so some can be picked up directly

Special Dark Zone without rules: There is an “occupied Dark Zone” where rules like “No friendly fire” or normalization do not apply. Thus, players can experience the most original version of the Dark Zone there. This state may change frequently among the Dark Zones. Two out of three should always be in the “normal” state.

the division 2 dz pvp

Going Rogue in The Division 2

This is how the Rogue system works: The Rogue system appears unchanged at first glance. You level up with each kill until you activate the manhunt. Then it’s about surviving and fleeing to one of three different terminals to deactivate this status. If you succeed, a reward awaits you.

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

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

  • Rogue
  • Disavowed Rogue
  • Highest Priority Target

How exactly the differences are will likely be revealed later. Going rogue now apparently means more than just being rogue.

This is how new players are protected: The safehouse camping that was often exploited in The Division 1 is likely a thing of the past. Turrets now guard the exits of the Dark Zone and attack any rogue agents and enemy NPCs.

the division 2 hack

Conflict – These are the PvP modes at launch

This is how PvP works in The Division 2: Under the name “Conflict,” there will be two different PvP modes at launch in The Division 2.

  • Skirmish – A classic team deathmatch mode
  • Domination – Two teams fight for 3 zones that must be captured

All these modes operate on the same principle: 4 against 4 on three different maps. Each mode has a uniquely tailored map. In a live stream, a Division developer confirmed that more maps and modes will follow after release. More information is expected in the coming days.

This is the complete trailer from Ubisoft.

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Until then, you can take a look at the story trailer for The Division 2 here.

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

So simple could Destiny 2 avoid a content drought

Sven Galitzki Sven Galitzki Reading time 3 minutes

In Destiny 2, there is little new content left in Season 5. However, with the simple expansion of an already existing feature, Bungie could give many Guardians something to do until the launch of the next content, says our author Sven.

What Guardians have to do until March: Although Season 5 is only halfway through, it has almost exhausted its entire potential. There won’t be many new contents left until the Season of the Vagabond, which is set to start in early March.

After the fourth and final forge of the Black Armory, Bergusia, has recently been unlocked, the owners of the Annual Pass have the quest “The Draw” remaining. This quest is set to begin on January 29 and will lead Guardians to the exotic hand cannon “The Last Word”.

Additionally, in February, the Crimson Week will take place for all players. This is a celebration for Valentine’s Day in the Destiny universe. For Guardians without the Annual Pass for Forsaken, this is the only remaining content until March.

D2_Forsaken_Gamescom_Gear_07

A content drought looms, a time without new content.

What should Guardians occupy themselves with until the new content arrives? Many players are wondering what to do for the rest of Season 5. There probably won’t be much more than playing through the already known content.

Bungie has confirmed that they will stick to the previously planned contents for 2019, but after the split from Activision, the studio will have enough to do to adhere to these plans. Therefore, no major surprises are expected.

destiny 2 a thousand voices

However, there is already a feature in the game that could keep Guardians busy until new content arrives – if it is expanded. The exotic masterwork catalysts.

How masterwork catalysts could compensate for missing content: With masterwork catalysts, players can turn a number of exotic weapons into masterworks and significantly enhance them since the Warmind expansion.

For some firearms, the stats are improved, while others even gain additional perks. Some of the best weapons in Destiny 2 will become even stronger this way.

D2_Forsaken_Gamescom_Gear_05

The hunt for these catalysts, which come from various sources, and leveling them up was one of the most popular side activities for many Guardians. Once players were done with the current content, many focused on the catalysts.

This could also give Destiny 2 an advantage now. Because not all weapons can currently be made into masterworks in Destiny 2. Currently, the exotic arsenal in Destiny 2 consists of a total of 48 weapons, but only 26 have a corresponding catalyst available.

22 firearms, including the entire exotic Forsaken lineup and the “Black Armory” arsenal as well as 4 Year 1 weapons must currently go without masterwork catalysts. Additional catalysts were indeed intended. In fact, Bungie stated at the introduction of this feature that each exotic weapon should receive one.

D2_Forsaken_Gear_PS4_07

The studio therefore has a comparatively simple opportunity to keep Guardians somewhat entertained by expanding this feature. This shouldn’t consume too many resources, especially since some catalysts are already finished. Last summer, corresponding entries for the missing Year 1 weapons were found in the databases.

Thus, the makers of Destiny 2 could keep some players busy until new “real” content arrives – and possibly even beyond. Fans have been demanding exactly this on Reddit and other forums for quite some time.

I myself loved the hunt for the catalysts and recently caught myself leveling my catalysts for the Polaris Lance and Graviton Lance with full enthusiasm, despite outstanding tasks in the Black Armory.

This was a welcome change for me from the usual weekly Destiny routine, and I would really appreciate more catalysts for the remaining weapons. Personally, new catalysts would definitely keep me busy for some time, even if they don’t really provide any new content.

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What do you think? Could additional exotic masterwork catalysts compensate for missing content in Destiny 2 at least partially, once the new content from Season 5 has been “exhausted”? Or does this feature leave you completely cold?

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

Live stream of The Division 2 finally shows gameplay from the Dark Zone

Tarek Zehrer Tarek Zehrer Reading time 3 minutes

Finally, there is new gameplay for The Division 2. Developer Mathias Karlson presented new material on the streaming platform Mixer. It introduced the new Dark Zones.

For the first time since the E3 and Gamescom demo, developer Massive shows new material for The Division 2. Since then, we have had to make do with individual screenshots, quickly disappearing leaks, and bits of information from the dev blogs.

Now it’s finally getting serious: On Mixer, they finally showed news about the Dark Zone. As suspected from the leak, there will be several Dark Zones in The Division 2, each differing in detail.

The live stream is not yet available online, but in a video from YouTuber Arekkz, similar scenes can be seen. As soon as the actual stream video is available, we will embed it in the article.

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First Gameplay of the Dark Zone

This is shown in the stream: A group of four players enters the Dark Zone at the beginning of the gameplay. Overgrown barricades, animal carcasses, and general decay shape the picture.

Exclusively in the stream, there was a look at the third Dark Zone, DZ West. It is located in Georgetown, a neighborhood of Washington D.C. This part of the capital is mostly residential.

As usual, the Dark Zones feature landmarks where you can find clusters of enemies – including a boss.

The extraction of items works like in the predecessor. You collect contaminated items, bring them to an extraction zone, and call for the helicopter. Then you must wait for it to arrive and fly away with your loot.

the division 2 screen trailer 4

VOIP is deactivated: Open voice chat will no longer be constantly active in the Dark Zone. To communicate with other players, you must be in a group or create a separate party.

This decision was made because voice chat in The Division 1 often got out of control.

Conflict – the PvP area of The Division 2

There was also gameplay for the pure PvP area. The stream provided first insights into the Skirmish and Domination modes.

This is what was shown: In Skirmish, two teams of four players compete against each other. The map on which the match took place in the stream also appears to be in Georgetown.

Overall, while the area is nested, there are several possibilities for tactical positioning in the surrounding houses.

the division 2 hyänen

At first glance, the PvP gameplay is noticeably more tactical. Due to the armor bar, players can withstand significantly less. Therefore, you quickly see how they must adapt to not get taken down immediately out of cover.

There were also insights into the Domination mode. In Domination, the objective is to capture and hold specific checkpoints.

Players earn points by capturing checkpoints. The first to reach the required number wins. Again, two teams of four face off against each other.

Information about the Clan System

Toward the end, there were also some smaller details about the clan system that is included in The Division 2:

  • It should function as simply as in no other game
  • The Division 2 can automatically determine a Clan Member of the Month
  • Being a member of a clan should be worthwhile. Details will be announced soon.
  • Up to 50 accounts per clan

That was the most important information from the Xbox stream for The Division 2.

What do you think of the information?

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You can test Blackout for free, the mode that many rave about

Sven Galitzki Sven Galitzki Reading time 3 minutes

Now you can try the Blackout mode of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 for free on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. We have all the important info about the Free Trial of Blackout.

What happened? Everyone who has wanted to try out the in-house battle royale mode of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 can rejoice. As the developer Treyarch has now announced, Blackout will be playable for free for one week.

Test Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Blackout for Free – All Info

When does it start? The Free Trial started today, Thursday, January 17, 2019, at 7:05 PM. After one week, it will end on January 24.

cod blops 4 title

Is the test version of Blackout limited? No, all characters, map locations, weapons, and equipment from Blackout are playable.

In addition, the latest changes are already included, such as the new loot interface or the reduced number of hated concussion grenades. These were introduced on January 15 with update 1.11.

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blops4-crash

On which platforms can you test Blackout? The Blackout mode can be tried on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Download Blackout for Free

Since around 7:00 PM on Thursday evening, the free download of Blackout has been available. Here’s how it works:

  • Visit the Call of Duty website
  • Click the “Download Now” button on the banner
    COD Download
  • Then select “Free Trial” under Edition
  • Select your desired platform, country, etc.
  • Then click “Buy Now” and follow the next steps

Who is the Free Trial of Black Ops 4 Blackout worth it for? Blackout is indeed a standalone battle royale mode, but it is only available in conjunction with Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. Either in a complete package or in the stripped-down and somewhat cheaper version of the game, which only includes traditional multiplayer and Blackout.

Those who wanted to take a look at Blackout since the beta phase before the launch had to pay. Now, for the first time since the beta, there is an opportunity to get a free picture of the battle royale in Call of Duty.

Blops-Fire

Everyone who specifically wanted to see this mode but was deterred by the price now has a good opportunity to do so. Even if you have friends you want to convince to try Blackout, they can now play side by side with you for a week and test the mode thoroughly.

In general, all fans of the battle royale genre should take a look if they haven’t had the chance to do so yet. It could be worth it. Because the Blackout mode is well received by fans and critics and is continuously developed close to the wishes of the community.

What is the Blackout mode anyway? In typical battle royale fashion, up to 100 players fight here in solo or team modes on an ever-shrinking map for survival. The last one standing wins. Players can use all kinds of weapons and equipment from the “Call of Duty” series. Numerous vehicles can also be used.

All important info about Blackout can be found here: Call of Duty Blackout – Everything about the Battle Royale mode of Black Ops 4

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By the way: Blackout currently has a new mode where respawns are possible.

Here you can find tips for your first steps in Blackout: With these 8 tips, you can successfully start with CoD: Black Ops 4 Blackout

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. VG247

Pokémon GO: Why you should catch Formeo now

Noah Struthoff Noah Struthoff Reading time 2 minutes

The Pokémon Formeo should be found in almost every player’s PokéDex of Pokémon GO, but have you caught all forms yet? Now is the best time for that!

What is special about Formeo? The Pokémon Formeo is a special Pokémon. It appears in four different forms.

You can catch the sun, water, snow, and normal forms. They will all be shown in your PokéDex. Depending on the weather in the game, you can catch the forms of Formeo.

In recent weeks, Formeo has been a rare Pokémon, which is why many players have not yet caught the snow form. This form only appears during snow or fog in the game, which is why it is almost never seen in summer.

Pokémon GO Formeo Sonne2

As it began to snow, Formeo was rare to find. Consequently, many players are missing this form in their PokéDex.

Therefore, you now have better chances of finding Formeo

Seize your chance: Currently, the Hoenn event in Pokémon GO is ongoing. There you have the chance to encounter numerous Pokémon from the 3rd generation. This includes Formeo. Those still searching for all forms of the Pokémon will likely find them quickest during the Hoenn event.

Pay attention to the weather in your game. The forms of Formeo appear in the following weather:

Pokémon GO Formeo Formen
Source: PokéWiki
  • Sun form: Sunny or clear weather in the game
  • Rain form: Rainy weather in the game
  • Ice form: Snow or fog in the game
  • Normal form: all other weather conditions

This speaks for the Ice Formeo: Probably the rarest is the Ice Formeo. But the outlook is good for that as well. It is expected to get cold again next week, and perhaps it will snow in the game, giving you a chance to catch the Ice Formeo.

What happens after the event? If Formeo remains as rare as it was before the event, it will be difficult to catch the form-changing Pokémon. The weather will also slowly improve. Especially the Ice form will then no longer be as frequent. So you should take advantage of the opportunity.

During the Hoenn event, you also have the chance to catch a regional Pokémon that is not found here otherwise: 

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

The future of the MMORPG ArcheAge 2019 looks good – the one from Rift does not

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 5 minutes

In an interview, the people from Gamigo commented on the future of the MMORPG ArcheAge. The outlook for 2019 seems to be quite good. However, for other former games from Trion Worlds like Rift, the prospects are not so rosy.

This was the big news: The MMO developer Trion Worlds was dissolved in October 2018. Many employees were laid off – it is said that Trion Worlds parted ways with up to 75% of the staff. The industry site Gamasutra learned from anonymous sources that 175 out of 200 people were fired.

The games and other assets were acquired by the German company Gamigo (Fiesta Online, Last Chaos). They also want to continue operating the online games of Trion Worlds. However, Gamigo did not acquire Trion Worlds itself, but only their brands – not the company itself.

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Here were the reactions to the deal: This was a surprising and swift deal that no one saw coming.

  • Players of games like Rift, Trove, and ArcheAge reacted in shock to the news.
  • Many well-known employees from Trion Worlds announced their departure in forums or via social media.
  • Even the creators behind ArcheAge, the Koreans from XL Games, were surprised. They had not been informed in advance.

Now Gamigo speaks in an interview with the site MMO Bomb about the future of the games.

ArcheAge-erenor-update-01

That’s why Gamigo was so quiet: The interview states that everything had to happen quickly. Time was a critical factor.

Therefore, they focused all time and energy on keeping the teams and the games stable.

The most important thing was to avoid downtimes.

In the future, communication with players should return to normal. They significantly increased the number of community managers and will also deliver messages in German and French.

ArcheAge Legends Return Screenshot 1

Big Plans for ArcheAge – Team Intact

This is what the future looks like for ArcheAge: The MMORPG ArcheAge is especially highlighted in the interview as a game for which big plans are made in 2019. The head behind the MMORPG, Jake Song, has returned to a leading development role in the development studio, and ArcheAge is experiencing a small renaissance in its home country.

From Gamigo, it is said that they have reached an agreement with the Korean developer XL Games and will continue to operate ArcheAge in Europe and North America.

It is further stated that a large part of the old ArcheAge team is still with the company and that the team has even grown. However, exact numbers are not provided.

2019 will be an interesting year for ArcheAge, and they will implement the plans that Jake Song has devised in Korea. The development of ArcheAge should continue at the same pace in 2019 as before, and they want to remove some “old restrictions”.

Rift-Himmelssturm-01 Titel

No Major Expansions – “Smaller, More Agile Teams”

What about other games? The employees do not go into detail about other games. They only say that they want to continue all titles.

The interviewer mentions that according to reports, they lost 75% of Trion Worlds’ workforce during the acquisition. To this, Gamigo representative Mervin Lee Kwai does not respond directly. However, it is mentioned that it was difficult to let so many dedicated people go. Last month, however, they re-hired about a dozen employees.

However, it cannot be denied that development capacity was affected. This means that it will be more difficult to manage major expansions in the near future. The smaller teams, however, are more agile.

They want to rebuild each individual team in 2019. It is said that under Gamigo US, they are capable of delivering great content for the coming years. Currently, each team is building and planning its roadmap for 2019.

In 2019, they want to bring smaller updates, but more frequently. They also promise to deliver much-needed structural improvements and to move away from aggressive pay-to-win ideas, though without providing specific examples.

Defiance-2050-1

This is what’s behind it: It sounds between the lines that Gamigo has good news for ArcheAge players, but rather sobering news for all fans of the other MMOs and MMORPGs that previously belonged to Trion Worlds.

Gamigo employees were specifically asked about the future of Rift, Trove, Atlas Reactor, and Defiance and where the games might stand in a year, but they sidestepped the question.

Players of Atlas Reactor, Defiance 2050, Trove, and Rift should prepare to tighten their belts. The teams seem to have been significantly reduced. A development pace as before the acquisition or even during the glory days should not be expected here anymore.

Because if 75% of the employees were laid off, but the ArcheAge team is almost intact, it follows that there is hardly any workforce left for the other teams. But perhaps Gamigo surprises us. One can only hope so for the fans of the games.

atlas-reactor-phaedra01

Why Did Trion Worlds Fail?

These are the titles in question: The titles from Trion Worlds were mostly in poor condition just before the acquisition by Gamigo:

Devilian ARPG-MMO

It will be interesting to see what news emerges in the future about the MMOs and MMORPGs that once belonged to Trion Worlds.

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Source(s):
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How the story mode of Overwatch could look

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

What would a campaign for Overwatch look like? A fan has already created specific ideas and some cool examples.

Since the release of Overwatch, players have had many wishes about how the game should evolve. However, few wishes are as persistent and loud as the one for a standalone campaign. Fans yearn for a story mode that combines PvE elements and the backstory of the shooter.

Overwatch Story-Mode Screen 1
Image source: Reddit

Fans’ wishes and hopes continually fuel creativity, as seen with the Reddit user JessMR. They created several examples, with quite elaborate image editing, of what the menu for a story mode could look like.

Story divided into three sections: The fundamental idea is to divide the storyline of Overwatch into 3 broad sections, which would be:

  • The Omnic Crisis: The machines attack and chaos reigns everywhere. Conflicts arise all over the world.
  • The Golden Age: Overwatch is founded and operates as a respected organization worldwide.
  • The Fall: Overwatch falls apart due to several overlapping events that the players experience here.
Overwatch Story Mode Screen 2
Image source: Reddit

Missions for different groups: Depending on the mission, the number of players would also vary, corresponding to the respective lore. There would be solo missions, for example, to resolve the conflict between Soldier: 76 and Reaper, allowing players to choose a side.

Other missions would have group sizes of 2-6 players and could thus be completed in co-op.

Bonus objectives and cutscenes: Each mission would have different objectives, sometimes even bonus objectives, such as rescuing civilians. Campaign rewards would include cutscenes and numerous dialogues between characters that reveal more about the backstory.

Overwatch Story Mode Screen 3
Image source: Reddit

The whole thing was rewarded with a lot of attention and support – 98% positive feedback and more than 13,000 upvotes.

Rumors have been around for a while: It has been long rumored that Blizzard is working behind the scenes on a story campaign or even a standalone “story expansion”. However, there are no concrete details about it yet. Should there be concrete hints, we will of course report on it.

Would you like to see a story mode for Overwatch? Or are the recurring events with the “Archives” missions enough for you?

Otherwise, the community is currently speculating about a possible hero number 30.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. reddit.com/r/overwatch/

Anthem: Download size and exact end of the demo known

Noah Struthoff Noah Struthoff Reading time 2 minutes

On January 25, the VIP demo of Anthem launches. The developer has also announced the download size of the demo. Additionally, we now know the exact time when the demo ends.

The size of the demo: On Twitter, Michael Gamble, the Lead Producer of Anthem, announced that the demo will be approximately 30 GB in size. Fans with slower internet connections need not worry, there will be a preload.

What we know about the demo

When does the demo start? There are two demos for Anthem. The VIP demo for pre-order customers and the open demo.

  • VIP demo
    • Start: January 25, 2019 at 18:01
    • End: January 28, 2019 at 03:01
  • open demo
    • Start: February 1, 2019 at 18:01
    • End: February 4, 2019 at 03:01

What you need to know about the two demos: The VIP demo is intended only for pre-order customers. Other players can only start the demo from February 1.

Progress from the demo: If you have already made progress in the VIP demo, you can carry that progress over to the open demo starting February 1. Your game save will be retained. However, you will not carry over progress from the demo to the actual game.

Anthem-Ranger-3

Then you can download Anthem: You do not have to wait until January 25 to download Anthem. From January 23, you can download both demos. However, you can only play them at the times mentioned above.

This is what the demo size tells us: 30 GB is quite a considerable size for a demo, yet other games have had a comparable demo size.

https://twitter.com/GambleMike/status/1085791198600585216

How long will the download take? Of course, it depends on your internet connection, but you should have the demo loaded within an hour.

Are you looking for more information about the demo release of Anthem? Then check out our special about the demo: 

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von Leya Jankowski
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With Season 2, PvP rewards in WoW are finally useful again

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

Blizzard has addressed a few criticisms in World of Warcraft. PvP rewards are finally becoming relevant and helpful.

Just yesterday, we reported that World of Warcraft finally resolves one of its biggest frustration moments. But it doesn’t stop there. Blizzard also has meaningful changes in store for PvP players. The rewards that players receive from the weekly cap for Conquest points are also being revised. Here too, there should be less frustration due to meaningful adjustments.

WoW Conquest Points

How do the rewards for Conquest points work? In WoW, there is a weekly cap of 500 Conquest points. At the end of this cap, there is a pre-announced reward. This is usually a piece of armor for an equipment slot. The system is designed in such a way that you have to “gradually” work through all the weeks. So if, for example, you didn’t earn the pants in week 3, you have to catch up in week 4 before you can earn the “real” reward for week 4.

This way, latecomers can also earn a complete set by catching up through continuous play over several “weeks”. Conquest points have also been available from faction assaults for a while. Otherwise, you earn them through battlegrounds, PvP quests, and the drop from the PvP box in war mode.

WoW PvP Arena battle

What was the problem? However, this system also led to frustration. Because those who saw that they would receive pants as a reward in week 3, but already had better pants, had little motivation to collect the 500 Conquest points. In the following week, this player would then have to collect 1000 points to receive the next reward. As a result, more and more players lost interest in the system.

This is going to change: Blizzard has learned from the mistakes of the first season and now offers multiple rewards in some cases. Whenever the reward is not a weapon, trinket, or Azerite item, players will have two options to choose from.

In week 3, players can choose between pants and bracers, and in week 6 between gloves and a cloak.

These choices span all 25 weeks of season 2. This gives players a higher chance of actually obtaining an item that represents an upgrade.
In the case of Azerite items, at least you can still deconstruct them to obtain Titan Residuum.

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