In Destiny 2, a change is coming to PvP. Bungie has announced that it will adjust the way Guardians are matched in the Competitive Playlist.
This will change: Bungie has announced it will adjust player matchmaking in the “Competitive Playlist” of Destiny 2.
Players should now find opponents that match their Glory Rank more frequently.
While Bungie admits that there will still be unbalanced matches, it should happen much less frequently.
The downside of the change will be that player matchmaking might take a bit longer. They are trying to find the “best possible Glory Rank” opponents before expanding the search criteria.
The majority of other changes that Bungie introduced this week will only become active on January 29: such as the changes to Guardians’ Super abilities or the hunt for the exotic weapon “The Last Word.”
Skill-Based Matchmaking and Bungie – a Love Story
What’s behind it: “Skill-based matchmaking” has its pros and cons:
On one hand, it leads to more “fair” matches with players of a similar skill level
On the other hand, finding players takes longer, and players can be matched in such a way that lag becomes a problem
A “secret” change in matchmaking from Destiny 1 to “skill-based matchmaking” was somewhat of a mini-scandal in 2016, establishing PvP lead Lars Bakken as a sort of “Bond supervillain”.
At that time, the PvP designers didn’t even know that Bakken had secretly adjusted the matchmaking, which left everyone in despair.
Competitive PvP in Destiny 2 Probably in Poor Condition
How Guardians are reacting to the change: The big topic on reddit right now is the changes to the Super. They concern Guardians much more. Every line in the changes is being discussed.
The few comments that address the topic, however, are rather critical.
It is said that the change is just a “small fix” from Bungie for a massive problem. The bigger issues are that solo players have to face teams in “competitive play”. Furthermore, “Glory” is not a measure of skill – and the player base in that mode is simply too small.
Another opinion is that “Competitive” can never replace the beloved Trials. They are sorely missed and are the only true “competitive game” in Destiny 2.
More about the big change that many are currently talking about:
Blizzard is adjusting the knobs of World of Warcraft. Soon, the maximum item level will rise, increasing the power of player characters.
The start of Season 2 of Battle for Azeroth is approaching in World of Warcraft. With the release of the new raid “Battle of Dazar’Alor” on January 23, the item level of rewards from many sources will increase. The maximum item level of gear will also be raised.
In a lengthy forum post, Game Director Ion Hazzikostas explained how the transition from Season 1 to Season 2 will take place and what changes will occur in the various game content. We have summarized these changes for you.
Changes to the Warfronts: The new Warfront will be slightly harder but will also offer better rewards. It is important to note that these two changes will only take effect with the next Warfront that begins after January 23. For still “ongoing” attacks, the old values will remain.
The rewards from the Darkshore Warfront will increase by 15 item levels. Both the one-time quest and the world boss (Ivus) will now drop loot with at least item level 400.
All enemies in the Darkshore Warfront will be nearly 15% stronger.
The required item level to participate in the Darkshore Warfront will rise from 320 to 335.
Changes to World Quests: There are only a few changes to World Quests. The item level of some rewards will be raised.
Weapons and armors from emissary rewards now scale up to item level 385 based on the player’s item level. Previously, they only scaled up to item level 370.
Changes to Dungeons: There are a variety of changes for the instances. Players will now receive significantly better loot here but will also have to contend with tougher fights.
The item level of rewards from max level (120) dungeons will increase by 30 points. This means that there are the following rewards from the corresponding difficulty:
Normal: 340
Heroic: 355
Mythic (no keystone): 370
The difficulty of Heroic and Mythic dungeons will increase by nearly 30%.
Changes to the Reward Box: The reward box for completing Mythic+ dungeons will also be changed. In the first week, you will receive a keystone from your box that is 3 levels lower than usual to compensate for the increased difficulty.
Rewards from “Mythic+” dungeons will increase by 30 item levels. However, the first reward box in the week of January 23 will be capped at item level 385.
The reward box for the following week has no cap. Upon completion of a “Mythic+10” dungeon, you will receive a reward with item level 410+.
These changes await in PvP: PvP players can look forward to better loot. However, they will also have to wait a week.
Rated Battlegrounds will provide rewards that are 30 item levels higher than before, including those for Conquest points and the weekly box.
The rewards at the end of a match are capped at 385 in the first week so that they do not overshadow other item sources.
Changes to Azerite Items: Azerite gear is becoming more exciting because it will receive new abilities. However, this only applies to new items acquired with the start of Season 2.
The Azerite vendor now sells armor with item levels 400 and 415 for Titan Residuum.
Newly acquired Azerite items from item level 370 now have a fifth ring with additional talents.
The Heart of Azeroth will be favored again by “Artifact Knowledge.” The necessary artifact power costs for a level-up will decrease by 30% each week (for a total of 10 weeks).
Anyone interested in all the changes in detail can find the original English post in our sources.
What do you think of these adjustments? Is it a good thing that the item level is increasing so much? Or does it devalue the previous playtime?
A new event around the Hoenn region in Pokémon GO starts in a few hours. The event also brings back Groudon and Kyogre.
What happened? A few days ago, Niantic announced in a newsletter that an event around the Hoenn region will start later in January. Now they are making their announcement true and hosting a huge event with Hoenn Pokémon for two weeks.
The event brings shiny Pokémon, a new attack, and two returning Pokémon in raids.
What’s in the Hoenn event
When does the event start? Already today, on January 15 at 10 PM, the big event starts. You have 2 weeks, until January 29.
What are the bonuses? In the event, you will receive numerous bonuses. These include:
Pokémon from the 3rd generation will appear more often in the wild
New field research related to Pokémon from the Hoenn region can be found at PokéStops
New raid bosses will rule the arenas, including Groudon and Kyogre
You have a higher chance of getting 3rd generation Pokémon from 7 km eggs
The Pokémon Kapilz can learn the move Strauchler through evolution
You have the chance to find Shiny Schwalbini and Shiny Zigzachs
New avatar items from Team Magma and Team Aqua will be available in the in-game shop
Are these all the new raid bosses? It remains to be seen whether Kyogre and Groudon will also be joined by Rayquaza. All three Pokémon were already available in raids at the beginning of last year.
You should definitely invest your raid passes in the new raid bosses. Kyogre and Groudon are among the best legendary Pokémon. With Kyogre, you have the chance to get the best water attacker, and Groudon is the best ground attacker.
Which Pokémon will be more frequent in the event? It can be assumed that Schwalbini and Zigzachs will be found more often, as their shiny versions will be released.
However, it remains to be seen which Pokémon will also appear more frequently. In the announcement image, you can see, in addition to the shiny Pokémon, Camaub, Kapilz, and Barschwa. Therefore, they may appear more often in the wild.
Additionally, what’s in the event: Next weekend, on January 19, the first limited research will take place. There you will have the chance for Shiny Barschwa and field research related to the water Pokémon.
The YouTuber “Hong&Friends” also talked about the Hoenn event in his video and gives you an insight into the event:
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The new update 7.2 brings new content today, Tuesday, January 15th. This means that the servers of Fortnite will be offline on all platforms (PC/Mac, Xbox One, PS4, Switch, iOS, Android). Maintenance will bring a new patch. When are the servers going offline and when will Fortnite be playable again?
What is happening today in Fortnite? Unlike the past weeks, Fortnite fans will have to pause at least temporarily today. A new patch is coming, which means maintenance. With the new game version 7.2, some new content will be introduced to the game. When does the downtime start? How long will you have to wait? MeinMMO has the answers!
Fortnite servers go offline – When will they be back online?
When does the server downtime start? It begins at 11 AM German time. This means that you will not be able to join any active game half an hour before, at 10:30 AM. Matchmaking is disabled.
When will the Fortnite servers be back online? Based on experience from the past months, the servers will only be offline for a few hours. By 2 PM at the latest, you should be able to log in again (unless something goes wrong).
As soon as the servers are back online, you will find out as usual on MeinMMO, just like with the patch notes that will be published promptly at the start of maintenance.
What can Battle Royale players look forward to with update 7.2? The two well-known changes are already being hotly discussed in the community before the release of the new update:
What will update 7.2 bring for Save the World players? According to the announcement post in the Fortnite dedicated subreddit, PvE players will enjoy the “14 Days of Fortnite” quest in the latest update. This quest has already been available in the Battle Royale mode.
Are you looking forward to the new update? How strong will the new revolver be?
For Anthem there is a new video showing 7 minutes of gameplay in Fort Tarsis. This is the single-player hub where you experience the story of Anthem, meet NPCs, and customize your Javelin.
What does the video show? The new video from IGN First showcases gameplay of the Freelancers in Fort Tarsis. You can explore the single-player hub and observe interactions with NPCs.
So far, we have seen a lot of Javelin gameplay, but hardly any material showcasing the Freelancers. This is the character you will play. As a Freelancer, you will pilot one of the four Javelins of Anthem.
Freelancers protect the people of Fort Tarsis from the monsters lurking outside the city walls.
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Things to note about the 7 minutes of Freelancer gameplay
What is Fort Tarsis? The city will be your home in Anthem, where you will interact with factions and other people. Here you will experience your personal story and build friendships with NPCs. Fort Tarsis is expected to expand further after the release of Anthem.
You have a voice: Your character interacts with the people who live in Fort Tarsis. They do not remain silent and respond verbally to dialogues.
Relationships with NPCs: You can form bonds with the residents of Fort Tarsis. There will be no romances or sexual relationships. However, it is possible to build friendships and rivalries.
Two dialogue options: When you converse with someone, you can choose from two response options. Your choices will affect the course of your personal story in Anthem.
Find Codex items: There are items in the city that you can add to a codex. This gives you the opportunity to learn more background about the world of Anthem. In the video, you can see the helmet of an Interceptor, which reveals more information about this Javelin.
Challenges for rewards: In Fort Tarsis, you will find an area where you can take on daily, weekly, and monthly challenges. Completing these challenges will earn you rewards such as additional experience points.
You have access to a top-down map of Fort Tarsis.
Map of Fort Tarsis bigger than expected
Fort Tarsis is changing: Over time, Fort Tarsis will change, and you will gradually gain access to new areas. There will also be clutter that may disappear over time.
Fort Tarsis as a social hub? Fort Tarsis is currently intended as a purely single-player experience. However, fans have already expressed their desire for a social hub there. The developers are not averse to the idea:
In Fallout 76 there are no companions like in the predecessors. However, players have now found a way to tame wild animals and keep them as pets. Learn here how to befriend the animals of Appalachia.
What’s the benefit? Tamed animals guard your camp by waiting for you at the C.A.M.P. and defending it against attacking enemies. So they serve as guardians and also as living friends when the wasteland of Appalachia seems too empty due to the lack of human NPCs. Moreover, they make cool companions for photos.
You need these perks: The user THEANGRYHUSKY posted a thread on reddit describing a guide for “casuals.” According to him, you need the following perks and requirements:
the perk “Animal Friend” at rank 3
the perk “Wasteland Whisperer” at rank 3
6 charisma or more
a ranged weapon
at least 10% budget free in the C.A.M.P.
It is not entirely certain if you need both perks mentioned. According to another reddit user, “Animal Friend” and a charisma value of 3 is enough. However, since the guide is supposed to be “foolproof,” both perks are recommended.
This is how you tame animals: Once you have met the requirements, you just need to find a suitable animal that you can tame. Not every animal can be tamed. Certain “encounters” must occur.
Similar to the dangerous Yao Guai, which another player has tamed, you need stray animals that have at most half your level. You can often find these on the road connecting The Mire and Cranberry Bog and north of the Mire near a crashed Vertibird.
Once you have found a stray animal, you need to aim at it with your weapon by using the sights. Two buttons should now appear: Pacify and Tame. Press the button to “tame.”
The animal should now make its way back to your C.A.M.P. If it does not arrive, it was likely killed on the way and you have to repeat the procedure. This goes particularly quick with “server hopping.”
Which animals can I tame? There are a variety of creatures that you can tame. THEANGRYHUSKY has created an incomplete list of animals that have been confirmed to be tamable so far:
Yao Guai
Brahmin
Deathclaws
Giant Sloths
Mirelurk Hunters
RAD Frogs
Mirelurk Kings
the “burnt” versions of these animals
Which animal will you tame first? Or do you already have a pet?
That there are no human NPCs living in Fallout 76 is not entirely true. The only living NPC found so far has a catch:
In the latest patch 7.20 of Fortnite, the glider is changing. You will no longer have it as a permanent item.
What is the glider? The glider helps you with high jumps and brings you down gently like a parachute. Until now, this glider was permanent in your inventory and you didn’t have to do anything to own it.
However, this is changing in the latest patch. The glider will no longer be a permanent item, but can be found in the game as an item, just like weapons or potions.
The feature was removed from the game but is now being reintroduced in a modified form.
What the new glider can do:
The new glider can be found in the game like any other item. It also consumes an inventory slot.
The glider has a certain number of charges and disappears after these charges are used up. Once the glider is opened, one charge is consumed.
You do not need to select the item; you can open the glider just like before.
What does this mean for the game? With this glider, you are a bit safer. If you build up high and then get shot down, you can land safely with the glider and take no fall damage.
Additionally, you can escape faster with the help of the glider. You build a large staircase upwards and jump off from there. The glider will fly you to safety.
What players say about the glider
New item means fewer shields? Players are worried that the new glider takes up too much space. This reduces inventory space, and players can carry fewer potions and bandages. “BamboozleVictim” writes on Reddit: “Does that mean you can carry fewer shields and bandages?”
Other players are not convinced either and ask: “Why don’t you just leave everything as it is? The players are happy right now!”
It remains to be seen how the glider will change the game and whether players will ultimately be happy with the new item.
When does the patch come? Patch 7.20 will be released on Tuesday, January 15.
The new patch will also change other things that players are annoyed about:
We show you the predictions for Team of the Week 18 (TOTW 18) in FIFA 19. The following players could receive an Inform card in the new week.
The TOTW time in FUT 19: On January 16, the 18th Team of the Week will be released in FIFA 19. From 7 PM you can pull special cards from packs for one week until TOTW 18 is replaced on January 23.
What are the TOTW predictions? The predictions are made based on the performances of the players throughout the past week.
While the predictions are never 100% accurate, they still provide a good overview of the players that could make it into the Team of the Week.
Why are there so few leagues represented? Many leagues, like the Bundesliga, are currently in winter break. The Team of the Week is based on the few matches that have taken place.
How you can take advantage of the predictions: If you need more coins for FUT, you should buy some of these predictions now. If they make it into the Team of the Week, their value will increase and you can sell them for profit. More about this can be found in our TOTW Trading Guide
Duper are now being targeted in Fallout 76! More and more players are coming together to hunt the cheaters.
What are dupers? Dupers exploit bugs to duplicate rare items and weapons. As a result, these players now have legendary weapons multiple times and sometimes hundreds of thousands of ammunition. The duplicated items have been sold or given to others, leading to the strongest weapons being spread far too quickly. This has disturbed the balance.
In the patch of January 10, Bethesda addressed this bug and made duplication impossible. The patch is currently only available for PC, with a release expected for PS4 and Xbox on January 17. Consequently, there are still reports of players exploiting the duplication bugs.
Players declare war on dupers
What is the problem with dupers? Dupers are hated by the player community. Players find it unfair that their rare weapons are devalued by bug users, as they simply duplicate them. Additionally, dupers become powerful much faster, can defeat opponents much more easily, and hoard caps.
Moreover, these players sometimes sell their weapons for real money. They are thus profiting from this bug as well, which is not well received by many other players.
With the looted items, each player should decide for themselves what to do. However, most players have already reported that they throw the loot into a river or dispose of it in another way. The goal of the hunt should be to make as much duplicated material disappear as possible.
The problem with the hunt: Some players exaggerate the hunt for dupers. They also hunt players who are not dupers but merely look like one. The hunting community has already called for caution in the hunt, to only pursue the dupers who are clearly cheating.
What do you think of the idea? Are you participating in the hunt?
In their latest patch, Bethesda not only fixed the duplication but also made many other changes. These 6 changes stand out particularly:
In Fortnite: Battle Royale, three players have redefined camping. Thanks to a special skin at a certain location, the campers were virtually invisible.
Which location is it about? In Fortnite, there is a gas station south of Pleasant Park with three telephone poles along the road. From up there, you have a good field of view, but you are also maximally exposed.
This is where the camping spot is located
So it’s a pretty bad place for campers. But with a simple trick, you can be virtually invisible on the poles.
Pole plus skin make campers invisible
This is how three players found the perfect camping spot: The player TooTurntTrappin and his friends had an idea and wanted to test it. They all used the “Sledgehammer” skin from Season 5 and positioned themselves on the poles.
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The skin has a similar color and if you don’t look closely, you can’t tell that there’s a player sitting on the pole.
The theory is immediately tested, as a whole team of enemies comes along and runs right past the three campers. Even when shooting at them, they reflexively build their fortifications, but still can’t determine where exactly the shot came from.
The trick works a second time, as the enemy team comes back and falls into the trap again.
How can you still see the invisible players? In the end, however, the three get too bold. The muzzle flash from their weapons gives them away, and they have to leave their position. In the fight, the three quickly go down.
But the tactic undoubtedly worked, and just imagine what would have happened if they had used weapons like the new suppressed sniper rifle. Then the camping spot would have been almost undetectable.
Can you see the player on the post?
It’s quite possible that Epic will change something about the poles or the color of the Sledgehammer skin in this case. But on the other hand, you now know what to look out for when you encounter posts and poles.
On January 25, the VIP demo of Anthem launches. Many have wondered whether a PS Plus and Xbox Live Gold subscription are required to play the demo. We at MeinMMO asked Electronic Arts and received an answer.
You will need a PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold subscription to play the demos of Anthem. This was confirmed by Electronic Arts to MeinMMO.
Why are PS Plus and Xbox Gold needed? Anthem is an online multiplayer game. This also applies to the demo version of Anthem.
PS Plus and Xbox Live Gold are subscription models for the respective consoles that incur monthly fees. You need these subscriptions to use the online features of the consoles.
Online multiplayer in Anthem: Overall, you can embark on missions in Anthem with four players, run raids, or explore the world in Freeplay. Since these are not different game modes, PS Plus and Xbox Live Gold are required in any case.
On February 1, there will also be an open demo that everyone can participate in. Pre-ordering Anthem is not necessary for this demo. It would then be comparable to an “Open Beta”.
The demo version of Anthem will differ from the released version of the game. The demo of Anthem will be “easier” since you will earn experience and money faster. This is intended to allow you to see and test as much as possible before Anthem’s launch.
Everything about the demo at a glance: In our comprehensive overview, you will find all the important details about the demo of Anthem. Here you can read about which content you can test:
In a new Ashes of Creation livestream, six classes were introduced. The developers revealed some initial skills and characteristics of the classes. They are expected to be playable in the new fortress mode in Apocalypse.
What classes will there be in Ashes of Creation? Intrepid Studios has divided the six upcoming classes into three categories:
Warrior Classes
DPS Classes
Support Classes
Each category will have two classes, providing a small selection. The individual categories already differ in their playstyle, but there are also significant differences within them.
The Archwizard is supposed to focus heavily on area damage as a DPS class, while the Hawkeye is responsible for damage to a single target. We will introduce the classes in more detail throughout the article.
When will the classes be available for testing? The classes are expected to find their way into the PvP variant Apocalypse with the fortress mode. Currently, however, the fortress mode is only being tested internally and is not playable.
So there is still no exact date for when the classes will be available in the game.
The Warrior Classes
The Warrior Classes can take a lot of damage and go into melee combat for their battles. You have the choice between the Guardian and the Weapon Master.
What can the Guardian do? The Guardian is a classic tank. He has a particularly high number of hit points and is supposed to keep enemies away from his teammates. He uses a sword, shield, and greatsword as weapons.
The Guardian is expected to be able to use the following skills:
AoE Pull, which allows him to pull enemies toward him
He can set a mobile shield that prevents incoming damage from teammates
He gets block skills that allow him to prevent incoming damage himself
What makes the Weapon Master special? The Weapon Master is a melee DPS class with a lot of crowd control. This character can use a halberd and a two-handed axe as weapons.
During the livestream, the first skills of the Weapon Master were also introduced:
A jump skill that allows him to quickly leap to enemies
A heavy strike on the ground that enables him to control enemies
A whirlwind attack around him
The DPS Classes
The task of the DPS classes is to deal as much damage as possible to enemy players without getting hit themselves. You can choose between the Archwizard with his magic and the Hawkeye with the longbow.
What can the Archwizard do? The Archwizard is a mage and focuses on area damage. Spell damage is supposed to be particularly effective against strong armor. He uses a wand and a spell book as weapons.
The developers also revealed three skills for this class:
A teleport skill, allowing him to jump back, leaving a clone behind to distract opponents
A meteor that should deal damage to players in a large area
A kind of flamethrower skill that deals damage to all enemies in front of the Archwizard.
What makes the Hawkeye special? The Hawkeye is a kind of ranger who is supposed to target individual players with his longbow and shortbow. His attacks can pierce armor.
The following two skills were already presented during the livestream:
An arrow attack that can be directed after being shot by the Hawkeye
A hook skill that allows him to pull himself up to higher positions or walls. This should especially support the longbow.
The Support Classes
The two support classes, High Priest and Engineer, are primarily intended to support their teammates. This can be in the form of healing, but also through buffs. The Engineer, in particular, can repair the armors of players.
What can the High Priest do? The High Priest is a classic healer. While he can also deal damage to enemies with his scepter and staff, he mainly focuses on his group.
The following skills of the High Priest have already been introduced to us:
He is expected to have healing skills that are specifically designed for a target
Moreover, there should be AoE healing skills that can heal multiple players at once
Additionally, a Divine Form is planned, which will passively heal allies around him and deal damage to enemies
What makes the Engineer special? The Engineer is expected to be a hybrid class of melee and ranged fighter. He is primarily responsible for siege weapons and support for the group. He can use either a crossbow or a mace as weapons.
The first skills for the Engineer have also already been introduced:
Repair allows the Engineer to repair the armors of teammates or siege weapons
With the Earthquake Arrow, he can knock enemies to the ground
There should also be a potion that can be placed on the ground and picked up by other players. This should grant a one-time skill that allows players to overcome walls.
The developers also mentioned about the Engineer that they would not bring him into the MMORPG in his current form, as the role is too specific.
However, the other classes could find their way into the MMORPG. I have high hopes for this:
Battlefield 5 has now released the trailer for Chapter 2: Lightning Strikes, the first major update in 2019. In it, the developers showcase new weapons, vehicles, modes, and even a tractor.
What is new? The team from Battlefield 5 has now shown its players the trailer for the Lightning Strikes update. The update will be released later this week, on January 17, for all players and brings a lot of new content to the shooter.
This is a more intense version of Conquest. 2 squads per team fight on smaller, more tactical versions of the three existing maps Arras, Hamada, and Rotterdam.
On the maps, there are a total of 16 players distributed in 2 teams, 3 flags, and spawns only at HQ. Vehicle access is limited.
New weapons
ZK-383 (SMG), Model 1944 (SA), M1922 (MMG)
The weapons are available through weekly challenges in January and February
The update for Lightning Strikes also includes the Combined Arms mode. Fans will have to wait a bit longer for the coop mode, as the release will not occur until February. The developers did not provide a specific release date.
In the “Combined Arms” mode, four players fight their way through various missions together.
Fans are excited about the tractor
Notably: In the comments on Reddit, the tractor is particularly the topic of discussion. The comments about the tractor are receiving many upvotes – It seems that the focus is not so much on the rest of the trailer.
It seems that the tractor is driveable in the Battle Royale mode. And players are celebrating that.
User MartianGeneral writes that soon the tractor warfare will come. Kazenbaas responds: “How do you hype players for Firestorm?! WORKING TRACTOR TEASER!”
Player Ag250 says: “I really don’t ask for much. Allowing me to drive the tractor is all I need.”
What is also well-received: Aside from the excitement over the tractors, fans are also pleased with visual elements. User ThatGuyGooders praises the outfit that looks like it was made for the Royal Navy. He also likes the new vehicles.
What fascinates players about the idea of playing a WoW Classic from 15 years ago? We name the reasons.
For the year 2019, there is no big new expansion in World of Warcraft, but there is indeed a quite old game. World of Warcraft: Classic, the “Vanilla” version of WoW, is set to be released in the summer and still has many fans even years after its initial release.
But why are players so excited about the “Classic” experience when games have evolved since then? We have listed some reasons that made WoW in its original form so appealing.
Leveling was the game
In the current version of WoW, leveling mainly serves one purpose: You are guided through the new areas and experience the story of the expansion. This goes relatively quickly and usually only lasts a few hours. But it used to be different. In Classic, the leveling phase was a fixed part of the gaming experience and for many fans, it was what made the game. Getting the first character to level 60 took not just days but sometimes weeks or months.
Players had to engage with their game world for a long time. Anyone who had been to the cemetery in Duskwood and had to venture deep into its catacombs could expect to work for a good hour. There’s no comparison to today, where the same catacombs can be cleared in three to four minutes.
Today, after two or three hours, you finish a quest area, but back then you could spend several days in Duskwood or the Un’goro Crater. Often, players continued to grind the same enemies for several levels even after completing the (already sparse) quests, trying to make farming routes more efficient.
It has become difficult to die in the normal “solo play” of World of Warcraft. Unless you aggro enemies indiscriminately, you can hardly die. That used to be different. Azeroth was a deadly game world where dangers lurked around every corner.
Even in supposed “solo areas,” there were always strong enemies that were too mighty for a single player.
An example of this was the Sons of Arugal. These elite Worgen roamed through Silverpine Forest and made quick work of anyone who wasn’t paying close attention to them.
A second example, which occurred almost everywhere, were Murlocs. These gurgling enemies were true monsters, as it was nearly impossible to attack just “one” of them. Soon, two, three, or four more Murlocs would rush in and make life hell for the players.
This was exacerbated by low regeneration rates of mana and health points. After almost every fight, a small break was needed, and if you couldn’t take advantage of that because the next enemy was already approaching, you often found yourself at the spirit healer.
This atmosphere was a constant threat, creating a certain unease that many players enjoyed. A little extra thrill that many in the current WoW find lacking.
Social interaction was mandatory
That World of Warcraft is still a very social game today, placing great value on group activities, cannot be denied. But back then, it was more cumbersome and challenging to find like-minded players.
Anyone wishing to enter a dungeon and was looking for a group alone could expect a long time spent manually forming a group through personal whispers. Once that was done, all players still had to make it safely to the dungeon, and any potential sources of error had to be eliminated. Hunters who had too few arrows or no food for their pets were already a running cliché back then.
From today’s perspective, all this “faffing about” before the real gameplay can seem annoying. But a certain part of players liked exactly that. They enjoyed having to engage with other players and slowly build social bonds.
In addition to social interaction, the reputation on the server holds great significance for many players. Back then, servers were self-contained systems. There were no “Cross-Realm” functions, meaning players on the same server were always the same. You encountered the same faces daily, and newcomers were a rarity. Each server’s community consisted of a clear group, and every player gradually earned a reputation.
And with these circumstances came a sense of honor and prestige. If word spread that the mage Thoribald was a competent, friendly mage, then that was a point of pride. Such a reputation spread over weeks and months on the server. It felt good and gave the respective players a lot of affirmation.
While you can still have a good reputation in WoW today and behave kindly, the level of recognition rarely extends beyond your own guild or community. Typically, the “typical trade channel trolls” of a server have more notoriety.
The simplicity of the game world
Even though this point is certainly controversial (and can be discussed in the comments), World of Warcraft in its “Classic” version was a game with less complexity. There was only one game world and no different phases triggered by quest status. There was no “sharding”; if too many players were in one place, then it was simply populated. Dungeons and raids had exactly one difficulty level to overcome.
World of Warcraft generally adhered to clear, defined rules without gradations. Either you made do with what the game gave you, or you didn’t. The number of endgame activities was also lower; essentially, there was “only” PvE and PvP in its purest form – dungeons, raids, and battlegrounds.
Equally important for many: World of Warcraft had no achievements. You felt good simply for accomplishing something and didn’t need an achievement to pop up for it.
The rules were clear, understandable, simple, and direct. This was appreciated.
The fact is that World of Warcraft now has players who weren’t even born at the time of its release. These players have heard for over a decade how “great Classic was.” Almost everyone knows that one player in their guild who constantly says, “Yes, back in Classic it was better,” reminding you of grandparents with their “We had nothing, but everything was better” stories at family gatherings.
For these players, WoW: Classic is finally the opportunity to see the “promised land” for themselves, where everything was much better, much harder, much more “real RPG,” and much more demanding.
Whether this part of the player base will be long-term fans of Classic remains to be seen.
Nostalgia
The last point is also not to be underestimated, and that is nostalgia. For many players, World of Warcraft was the first real MMO experience, and many memories are associated with it. The first online friendships, exploring a vast game world for the first time, and experiencing a game that is so much more complex than anything previously experienced. This “magic” is only felt in your first MMORPG and never comes back. For that reason, many associate it with World of Warcraft, and the nostalgia factor is high.
However, whether this last point is enough to keep the fans engaged for a long time is questionable. Because objectively speaking, WoW has evolved over the years and is now more tailored to players who have many different hobbies or simply less time. And that is exactly what will be demanded from Classic players: time.
Why are you excited about WoW Classic? What makes this old version of the MMORPG special for you? Let us know in the comments!
The story of Red Dead Redemption 2 is well received by fans. A player created a film trailer that the gaming community is currently celebrating. What about you?
What is it about? A fan created a powerful trailer for Red Dead Redemption 2. Players are thrilled and become emotional while watching the 2-minute video.
Red Dead Redemption 2 trailer excites fans
This is what happened: A user posted the video of the Red Dead Redemption 2 trailer on Reddit. It is set to the song “Hurt” by Johnny Cash. The trailer comes from the YouTube channel USNIM, which created the clip in homage to the Logan trailer from 2016.
The video is well received in the community. The emotional story from Red Dead Redemption 2 fits perfectly with the mood that “Hurt” expresses.
We are embedding the trailer here for you. However, a small spoiler warning as well. While no crucial gameplay scenes are shown, it is about the story of Red Dead Redemption 2.
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What do fans say about the trailer? The mood around this video is positive. This is evident from the YouTube rating with currently over 23,000 thumbs up and only about 100 thumbs down. Within 10 days, the video has already received over 210,000 views.
Player Prizma_the_alfa connects Red Dead Redemption 2 with a lot of feeling. He writes about the trailer on Reddit: “Beautiful work. It’s funny to see that something as unnecessary as a video game can touch and impress you so much. The best game of all time.
“Sniff Johnny (Cash) makes it personally even more moving for me. My father loved Johnny. Take my upvote,” writes user Creeper_Ger.
User Cam-yee can hardly put it into words. “I’m speechless. This is fantastic.”
Another user compares the Logan movie with Red Dead Redemption 2. “Logan: Where men cried. RDR 2: Where real men cried,” writes ironyfeelsjokes.
Even on YouTube, the artist of the channel receives a lot of praise. The viewers are excited. “Incredible work, man,” “This is the meaning of quality,” and “Very well done. Now I kind of feel like playing everything all over again.”
In Fortnite: Battle Royale, a new weapon is coming soon: The Scoped Revolver. However, the prospect of a new gun has not only brought joy to the community.
Which weapon is new in Fortnite? Recently, a new weapon was teased in Fortnite. It is a heavy revolver with a scope.
The weapon is said to be very precise and hit hard. That sounds good, but many fans fear that their old favorite pistol might have to go.
Hands off the Hand Cannon!
This is what the fans fear: As soon as the new weapon was announced, criticism arose in the Fortnite Reddit community. Fortnite doesn’t just add new weapons to the game without removing other items in return.
Often, a new weapon means the farewell of an old cannon. Sometimes it hits items that no one wanted anyway, like the old revolver. But sometimes it also involves weapons that were dearly loved by the community.
This weapon might soon be removed: Since the Scoped Revolver deals significant damage at long range, it overlaps with the Desert Eagle, the “Hand Cannon.” This heavy pistol has been in the game for a long time and is preferred by many players for precise kills.
Since it doesn’t make much sense for two very similar weapons to exist in the game, many suspect that the Hand Cannon will be the one to go.
This, in turn, does not sit well with fans of the gun, and discussions are already buzzing on Reddit about whether Epic will take this unpopular step.
Gun
In case the Hand Cannon is removed, some fans have already threatened to uninstall Fortnite. Others predict a short life for the new weapon, as all revolvers so far have been removed from the game, most recently the useless gun for many players.
An Indonesian team made a catastrophic mistake at the “Bucharest Minor” tournament in the MOBA DOTA 2. The team was seconds away from a certain victory but failed to realize and instead surrendered while typing “GG”.
This is how you lose a MOBA game: The objective in every MOBA is to destroy the opponent’s “Ancient”. That is their headquarters. You protect your own headquarters while gradually tearing down the opponent’s defenses and ultimately kill the Ancient.
You can either do this yourself or with the help of minions (or creeps). These are AI-controlled mobs that rush towards the enemy base like little battle lemurs.
Minions (or creeps) in Dota 2.
There are two ways to lose:
either by having your own Ancient destroyed
or by deciding to “surrender.” For this, the majority of the team must capitulate through a vote. Traditionally, one says “GG” – “Good Game,” as a sign that one is a good loser and is only crying quietly.
This is how the situation unfolded in the tournament: In the “Bucharest Minor” tournament, the team “Boom ID” (Indonesia) was defending their base against their opponents
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
For the year 2019, the players of Hearthstone have plenty of wishes. We reveal what they would like to see in the coming months.
When it comes to innovations for Blizzard’s card game Hearthstone, the developers are reliable but not particularly creative. Each year, there are three new expansions along with fresh cards and cool new ideas, but “beyond that,” players expect rather little.
However, the community has many wishes for features and innovations they would like to see in Hearthstone. On Reddit and in the official forums, desired features are repeatedly discussed.
New game mode with old expansions – but not “Wild”
Since Blizzard started removing decks from the Standard format, there has been a wish for another main game mode aside from “Standard” and “Wild”. Players want a third format that changes monthly, allowing a handful of different expansions from the past for deck building each time.
This would ensure that old cards can also be played again, apart from the rather “crazy” wild mode, where decks have now reached a ridiculous level of effectiveness. For the players, this would result in a format every month that contains a “fresh meta.” This way, the gameplay of Hearthstone would not get stale shortly after an expansion and then become “boring” for many weeks.
More wishes for small adjustments: However, also aside from this game mode, there are many wishes for small improvements that would make Hearthstone a more popular game. The following wishes are often mentioned or have received particularly many “upvotes”:
A way to upgrade normal cards to “gold” (for reduced dust costs)
“Wild” card packs should be purchasable for gold
What are your wishes for Hearthstone this year? Should Blizzard continue with the formula of three expansions per year? Or does something fundamental need to change?
The MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online is on the verge of a major reveal. In early 2019, ESO is doing a lot right in the MMORPG space, says our author Schuhmann. Even datamining is currently helping the MMORPG.
Spoiler warning: The article mentions findings from datamining for ESO.
This is the situation: The big MMORPGs are mostly quiet in early 2019:
In WoW, people are waiting for the opening of the raid, otherwise not much big is in sight. Blizzard has analyzed many problems – but the solution is still a long way off.
ESO aims to dominate the first half of the year among MMORPGs
This is ESO’s plan: While WoW and many other MMORPGs set their highlights in the fall of a year, ESO consistently claims the beginning of the year and the summer for itself. As a console title, it avoids blockbuster games that usually come out in the fall – and WoW expansions.
The most important dates for ESO are always in the first half of the year:
The release was in April 2014
On PS4 and Xbox One, it launched in June 2015
Morrowind was introduced on January 31, 2017, and released on June 6, 2017
ESO introduced Summerset on March 21. The chapter was released on May 21, at least on PC
Datamining gives the starting signal
This is what’s happening with ESO in 2019: Last year, ESO waited until March to introduce the chapter “Summerset”. Only then did the focus really return to The Elder Scrolls Online.
new area Elsweyr – the homeland of the feline Khajiit
new enemies Dragons – for the “Skyrim” generation and fans of Game of Thrones
a coherent story spanning all 4 expansions of 2019 – that’s why there’s still little buzz, but it could be a groundbreaking decision
This is how datamining has harmed other MMORPGs: In Guild Wars 2, a large datamining leak of the expansion “Path of Fire” took the wind out of the sails months in advance:
The expansion was only officially presented in August 2017.
Back then, it took months before ArenaNet confirmed in a presentation what everyone already knew: Path of Fire would come just as leaked by dataminers.
The data mining seemed to completely tie ArenaNet’s hands, disrupting the entire marketing concept. How could one still create hype for something that everyone already knew for a quarter of a year?
“The cat is out of the bag”
This is how ESO reacted to the datamining: Zenimax presents itself differently. Shortly after the major leak, The Elder Scrolls Online released a blog post: The post began with “The cat is out of the bag.” They also announced a livestream in which they would announce the “Season of the Dragon.”
The Elder Scrolls Online didn’t directly address the leak, but seemed to confirm it with a wink. It sounded like 3 of the 4 points were confirmed with “the cat out of the bag” (Khajiit) and “Season of the Dragon” (dragons and coherent story).
There are two possibilities for this prompt reaction:
Apparently, they anticipated that the leak would come and were prepared.
Or they reacted very quickly and improvised coolly.
This is why it’s special: The leak doesn’t seem to harm The Elder Scrolls Online at all, rather the opposite. Datamining seems to help ESO to increase the hype around their game.
All information from the datamining has electrified the fans. Dragons, cats, and necros – these are all fan favorites.
Moreover, necromancers and dragons also bring controversy because they don’t actually fit into the lore and spark discussion among the community.
Rather than letting weeks go by and leaving the fans in uncertainty, they seem to take this “leak” with a wink and incorporate it into their PR machinery.
This is what happens next: Already tomorrow, on January 15, a live stream for The Elder Scrolls Online is set to introduce the new chapter.
This time, surely many eyes will be on The Elder Scrolls Online. While usually there is little going on in the MMORPG space at the beginning of the year, with first highlights arriving in March or April, ESO has decided to start the year in a full sprint in 2019.
The question is: Will the new expansion also only be released again in June like in previous years, or will an earlier release date be set, as they are currently doing?
We are excited to see if they will let more cats out of the bag during the stream. We will certainly follow that with interest on MeinMMO.
How will it be played? The Iron Banner will be held, as usual, in a 6v6 format. Bungie has once again been tight-lipped about the mode.
However, it would be a surprise if the Guardians faced each other in a different game mode than Control this time.
These rewards are available
What loot can you earn? As always, there are seven weekly bounty quests in the Iron Banner through which you can earn powerful rewards. Additionally, you have a chance for Crucible and Iron Banner items after each match.
What can Bite of the Fox do? Bite of the Fox is an interesting sniper that can shine primarily in PvP. It is carried in the kinetic slot and has an aggressive frame, which increases the impact but also increases the recoil.
What can The Hero’s Burden do? The Hero’s Burden is a submachine gun of the “Adaptive Frame” archetype. It has a rate of fire of 900, but unfortunately only has a magazine of 33 rounds.
Players, however, emphasize that the SMG can be a beast, especially at close range, with the right rolls like Zen Moment or Kill Clip.
What else is there? During the Iron Banner period, you will again earn increased PvP reputation. From January 15 to January 22, there will be a bonus on Iron Banner reputation and Valor. However, the exact amount of this bonus has not been disclosed.
Are you joining the first Iron Banner 2019? Do you like the weapons from the event or would you have preferred other guns?
