Recently, the largest community event in Elite Dangerous started. However, this space mission caused numerous pilots to be unable to log into the game for hours upon its launch.
This is what happened: On January 13, the launch of a massive community event was set in Elite Dangerous. Nearly 12,000 pilots, including developers of the game, wanted to embark on the huge space mission Distant Worlds 2.
However, the launch faced initial difficulties, causing thousands of players to be unable to log into the game for hours.
This is how the launch went: To make the launch of the space expedition as smooth as possible given the large number of participants, the departure to Beagle Point, the destination on the way to the journey at the edge of the galaxy, was staggered in several waves.
In total, space explorers were supposed to take off from the starting point in three waves at different times last Sunday. The pilots were divided into regions within a 12-hour time window – starting with Europe, followed by the USA, and lastly Oceania.
This is how the launch caused problems: However, when thousands of pilots from the European and simultaneously largest group initiated the first jump to hyperspace from the starting system, the game servers collapsed.
Overload was the result; for more than two hours, many players were stopped from participating in the expedition. Even many who did not participate in the expedition could not play during this time.
Thus, pilots could not log into the open game (multiplayer). Even in singleplayer, many could not play Elite Dangerous since the game requires a permanent online connection and the login servers were overloaded.
Were problems foreseeable? Numerous fans had anticipated server issues. This is because the previously largest mass event in Elite Dangerous encountered technical problems in 2017 as well – albeit with “only” about 3,000 participants. For many, these problems were therefore predictable.
How did Frontier respond? The developers confirmed the server issues, apologized to the community, and immediately set to work to resolve the problems. Although this took several hours, Frontier could provide stable servers again for the start of the second wave from the USA.
This is how fans reacted: Contrary to some fears, fans took the server crash mostly calmly and even with humor. In Discord servers and forums, there was good mood, and it was joked that only elite players would enjoy crashing the game.
Moreover, hardly anyone had expected that the servers would withstand the initial onslaught of hyperspace jumps.
What is Distant Worlds 2 all about? As part of this event organized by the community, players want to travel together through the Milky Way over the course of 8 months, thereby creating the ultimate MMO experience for space explorers.
The destination on the way is Beagle Point, a nearly legendary space station among explorer pilots at the edge of the galaxy. New waypoints are communicated weekly that can be explored by participants. On weekends, pilots then meet at predefined gathering points and continue their journey from there towards Beagle Point.
Frontier is also participating in the huge community event. On the one hand, some developers are taking part themselves, and on the other hand, there are special missions and community goals that Frontier contributes for the long journey.
Once Beagle Point is reached, the return will be on a different route. On the return journey, they aim to follow the route that the spaceship USS Voyager from Star Trek also flew.
The journey is seen as exciting and dangerous among fans. Numerous parts of space are unexplored along the route. Additionally, Thargoid aliens often ambush players unexpectedly.
The expedition is accompanied by the Fuel Rats and Hull Seals, among others. The Fuel Rats refuel players who run out of fuel in unexplored and hard-to-reach areas of space. The freshly founded Hull Seals are also a network of helpful pilots who can repair damaged ships.
The online RPG Shroud of the Avatar offers a bundle that is quite expensive. For $7,000 or $8,000, there’s a package with all the bells and whistles.
Yes, Shroud of the Avatar (SotA) is still around. The now significantly reduced development team is currently also diligently working on Episode 2, which is planned for the end of the year.
However, the team needs money for development. This is currently being generated through the sale of decoration items and donations from fans. Now a bundle has been offered that is quite something.
Interestingly, all bundles offer the same content, and the prices seem to follow a “first come, first served” principle. So those who act quickly will still get the bundles at a cheaper price.
The bundle includes:
A property deed for a plot that you can place anywhere: It is tax-free for one year if placed outside a player city and you will never have to pay taxes if it is within a city
Title: Lord of the Isle or Lady of the Isle
A unique “Lord of the Isle” house that will be introduced later
An additional house currently available in the store
A keep cellar of your choice, available in the store
A castle wall set available in the store
1,400 crowns
999 bank slots
12 “Prosperity Tools”
2 unique in-game items (to be announced)
Early access to Episode 2
Episode 1 box with a signed map from the team
One hour of one-on-one conversation with the technical director Chris Spears via video conference
A real silver ring, personally crafted by Lord British, numbered
An in-game version of the Lord British ring, numbered (including a placeable decoration version)
Tour of the Portalarium offices
Dinner and drinks with Lord British, Darkstarr, and Atos at a yet undisclosed location in Austin, Texas, or New York City
This is how the cash shop is supposed to look better: The developer studio Portalarium is aware that the item shop does not sit well with many MMORPG fans. Therefore, it will be moved from the website into the game. Additionally, there will be adjustments to the prices.
The developers admit that some items were offered at a high price compared to the item shops of other online games.
Similarly, the team is revising the in-game currency COTOs. It will be offered a bit cheaper in the shop, but you will not receive them as frequently as loot in the game anymore.
This is how players are reacting: Shroud of the Avatar is a heavily contested game. There is a small but loyal fanbase that actively participates in financing the game, and there is a group that expresses their disappointment over how the online game has developed and continues to do so.
While critics are currently mocking the very expensive “Lord of the Isle” bundle, even fans are showing some skepticism.
The price seems too high for many, which is why some content has already been adjusted. The developers explain that some fans have explicitly asked for such bundles.
And in the official forum, some players are even inquiring about financing options because they would like the bundle but cannot afford the price all at once.
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Patch 7.20 of Fortnite brings numerous skins and outfits. We show you the leaked skins from the latest update to Fortnite that will soon be available in the shop.
What we know about new skins: In every new patch, there are also numerous new outfits that are added to the code of Fortnite. These outfits will then be introduced into the game by Epic in the following weeks. Dataminers are already searching for these skins with the release of the patch and are releasing them.
We will show you the skins and the other additions that Epic will likely release in the coming weeks.
What the dataminers found in the code
These 8 skins were found by the dataminers: In patch 7.20, the dataminers found a total of eight skins. The names of the skins are not yet known and will be released later.
These 3 gliders are new: The dataminers also found three new gliders for the game. You can tell that the gliders are partially designed to match the skin. For example, there is a mini helicopter that serves as a parachute.
These 5 pickaxes are new: Some of the skins also come with matching pickaxes. You can find, for example, a real battle axe as a pickaxe or the icy pickaxe named “Ice Bringer”.
These 7 back bling items are new: Numerous back bling items were also found anew in the code. There are now dragon wings or two wooden swords for the back.
It is important to know: All of these are cosmetic items. So no one will gain any special powers from a skin or a pickaxe. They are only for visual purposes.
When will the new items be available in the shop? That is not yet known exactly. Epic Games has first integrated these skins and items into the code and can release them at any time.
If Epic stays true to its line, all items will be released in the next two weeks.
In the new patch, Epic not only brought the skins but also numerous other changes. Here are the patch notes:
Pokémon GO announced that Kapilz will soon be able to learn the move “Strauchler”. We will tell you how good this move is.
This is what makes Pokémon GO special right now: Niantic announced the new Hoenn event for today, January 15th. During the event, any Kapilz that evolves from Knilz can learn the move Strauchler.
This move of type Grass greatly enhances your Kapilz and makes it one of the best Grass attackers in the game. We will reveal what Kapilz can do with the move and why you should definitely invest in this Pokémon.
What do the values tell us? The attack value of Kapilz is fantastic. It has the highest attack value of all Fighting Pokémon and, after Roserade, also the highest attack value of the Grass Pokémon.
Its other values, however, are rather weak, which is why Kapilz can be quickly defeated. It is, therefore, more like Gengar, a glass cannon.
How good is the move Strauchler? Strauchler is a move of type Grass and is not widely used among Grass Pokémon yet. The move has two charge bars and a base damage of 90.
The move has immense damage that it deals per second and thus makes it one of the best Grass attackers in the game. In some situations, Kapilz even becomes the best Grass attacker. So, you should definitely invest in this Pokémon.
This is why Kapilz is worth it doubly: Starting tomorrow Groudon and Kyogre return to raids. Kapilz with Strauchler is a top counter against both Pokémon. So, if you have a strong Kapilz in your lineup, you can send it into battle against both Legendary Pokémon.
How do I get Kapilz with Strauchler? Niantic’s announcement states that only Kapilz that are evolved from Knilz during the event will learn the special move.
Visually stunning and spectacular trailers with rendered scenes are now the norm in the video game industry – also with Battlefield 5. However, it is also possible to create an impressive work solely with in-game material as proven by a cool short film.
What happened? After Battlefield 5 showed its first moving images of content from Chapter 2: Lightning Strikes in the form of a short trailer shortly before the upcoming release on January 17, there is now a video highlight of a different kind to behold.
Gage Allen, a professional trailer producer who has created videos for games like Stellaris, Conarium, or Starpoint Gemini, made a short film in honor of the Battlefield series.
What makes the film so special? The special thing about it is that Allen does not use rendered scenes or special promo material for his short film. He solely uses unscripted in-game footage from the multiplayer of Battlefield 5 and Battlefield 1, which he recorded himself over the past two months.
The movements of the soldiers and the war machinery are not always as fluid as one might expect from rendered trailers. However, the choice of scenes, camera work, editing, and sound all reach nearly cinematic quality.
Thus, the film showcases the attention to detail and impressive scale of some maps from the latest Battlefield titles. The spectacular series-typical environmental destruction is also highlighted.
Another highlight of the short film is the acoustic background. To give it a worthy and almost emotional touch, Allen was able to recruit former U.S. Air Force pilot Ty Harper as the voice artist. Accompanied by his distinctive voice and dramatic music, the visuals gain an enormous additional impact.
What does the short film show? The short film “This is Battlefield” focuses on the destructive nature of war as well as the costs and consequences that come with it.
It is not an advertisement nor a trailer that aims to make viewers jump off their sofas and immediately start playing Battlefield. It is a beautiful clip with an almost melancholic character, reminding us of how visually impressive the Battlefield games can be.
Here you can watch the film: We have embedded the complete short film “This is Battlefield” by Gage Allen for you below.
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The “Orange Shirt Kid” thrilled thousands of fans with his dance for Fortnite, leading the developers to incorporate his wild dance moves into the game. However, his mother is now suing Epic.
Here is the background: In April 2018, a video went viral in the Fortnite community. The “Orange Shirt Kid,” as fans affectionately called him, participated in a contest by Epic Games and wanted to showcase his dance in Fortnite.
The video starts with “I crap my pants when the dance comes to Fortnite.” But Epic chose other winners.
But now the mother of the boy is suing Epic Games, as they use the dance and do not mention the boy anywhere.
The lawsuit is not an isolated case
This is the context: This lawsuit against Epic is not an isolated case. Actor Alfonso Ribeiro (Carlton from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) and rapper “2 Milly” have sued the game developers for allegedly stealing their dances.
They accuse Epic of profiting from their dances. The accusation also included that Epic is exploiting “black artists and black culture.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZqOJNeTwXw
This is the current case: Now the mother of the “Orange Shirt Kid” is also jumping on this “trend” and is suing Fortnite.
She believes that her son’s “creative products” are being exploited. The law firm behind the lawsuit is the same one that filed the previous cases.
The other dances were already known before Fortnite and Epic then took them.
But the dance of the “Orange Shirt Kid” only became famous because of Fortnite.
In a dance competition, Epic called upon its community to develop and submit dances. This also led to the “Random Dance,” as players call it.
Although the boy did not win the competition, he impressed the audience, which is why the dance was later brought to Fortnite, thanks to a petition.
Therefore, it is now difficult for the plaintiffs to negotiate successfully. After all, the dance arose thanks to a competition by Epic, and the rules of the competition clearly state that the dancers transfer their rights to the dance by submitting the video.
It remains to be seen whether the mother will win her lawsuit or whether she will pursue this “trend” without success.
We have created a list of dances in Fortnite for you:
A crucial feature was still missing from the Darkmoon Faire in World of Warcraft. With the next patch, all players should finally be satisfied.
The Darkmoon Faire is one of the most frequently recurring events in World of Warcraft. Every month it opens its gates on the first Sunday of the month and remains until the following Saturday. Numerous unlockable toys, achievements, cosmetic items, or bonuses for professions, experience points, and pet battles await you.
With the Update 8.1.5 of WoW finally comes one of the features that has been missing for more than a decade: A working roller coaster.
What does the roller coaster bring? Just like the children’s carousel, a ride on the roller coaster grants a buff that increases the experience gained and reputation earned from all sources by 10% for one hour. So if you were always too good to ride a wooden murloc, you can now ride the roller coaster with the “big kids”.
For the roller coaster ride, the game switches to first-person perspective, so that, similar to many theme park simulations, you experience the ride from that viewpoint. Those who suffer from motion sickness may want to refrain from this. The exact course of the ride can be seen in this video:
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Criticism of the missing looping: Although players have so far shown amusement about the roller coaster, there is also criticism. After all, a looping is missing, and that is a “missed opportunity”. Because what is a roller coaster without a loop? But perhaps the safety regulations of the fair simply do not allow it … .
In summary, the roller coaster is definitely a funny but rather useless feature. It will not fulfill any new, unique purpose at this point.
Stay informed: If you don’t want to miss any news about World of Warcraft, feel free to leave a like on our WoW Facebook page.
Only those involved know exactly what is happening with Destiny. Little is leaking out. However, there are three main crisis points for which Activision could indeed be held responsible, based on everything we know:
The casual orientation of Destiny 2 – it was probably Activision’s idea to sell many more games now that it is on PC
The idea that Destiny 2 must become an “eSport title” and therefore must be as polished and balanced as possible – it is part of Activision’s philosophy to turn everything into an eSport and an event, like with Overwatch
These are the 3 problems that can be fairly certainly traced directly or indirectly back to Activision’s influence, based on everything we know or suspect.
This influence has already led to some gritting of teeth in the aftermath of Destiny 2. The mistakes Bungie has admitted to have all come down to time constraints and casual orientation.
But what is Activision not to blame for?
Bungie is already to blame for many issues itself. That’s because
too little content comes to Destiny 2 – these are probably problems with the tools and organizational structure of Bungie. They had to restructure heavily for 3 years because they were not prepared for the launch of a live game
Destiny 2 was rebooted in 2016 and therefore was not finished in fall 2017 – something must have gone significantly wrong in the process, with the dismissal of a game director and a renewed reboot, Destiny 1 had already been “restarted”
and the failures, mishaps, and incidents that occurred in winter 2017 – that was a nightmare cycle of mistakes, shitstorm, apology, and reiterated mistakes. Much surely lay on the “too early release” of Destiny 2, but there were so many communication errors involved that it is hard to search for blame anywhere other than at Bungie itself
Central figure for the future of Destiny: Luke Smith
What disadvantages does Destiny 2 have now due to the separation?
The subsidiary studios are gone – Activision had provided Bungie with several studios to supply Destiny 2 with content. Vicarious Visions and High Moon Studios did great work. The PC port and the Forsaken main campaign were praised.
Bungie has to take care of a lot more stuff – If Bungie does not find a partner, they will also have to handle the publishing part. What impact this will have is unknown. Especially here in Europe, we could suffer and move further out of focus of Destiny – Bungie is actually a purely US studio.
The scapegoat is gone – Now people can no longer pin every problem on the evil publisher, but Bungie has to take responsibility.
DeeJ – already the scapegoat for many angry players.
These advantages does Destiny 2 have through the separation:
They can now do what they think is right without having to make compromises. Recently, it has become clear that Bungie wants to take Destiny in a “core gamer” direction. They can now do this without making any compromises.
If they fail, they will fail with their own ideas and not because they had to make a compromise between core gaming (The Taken King) and casual gaming (Destiny 2 Vanilla).
That both games are supposed to come from the same team is actually hard to explain without referring to “external influences”.
The biggest advantage of the split is the symbolic power.
Without the change, it would have been difficult for Bungie to market a “Destiny 3” in a way that convinces players that something has really changed.
Potential buyers would have said: “I already bought Destiny 1 and Destiny 2 and each time it took a year until you made the game I wanted. Why should this time be different?”
Now Bungie can say: “This is the Destiny we always wanted to make. This is now solely our decision. No one is now interfering with us. Check it out, this is what you always wanted.”
The separation from Activision has not solved many problems for Bungie – but it has done one thing right: It has now built a functioning narrative framework around Destiny 3.
Destiny 3 will be of significantly more interest after the separation from Activision than without this separation. But it still has to be a good game.
In Fortnite: Battle Royale, the dragon eggs are now accessible for the first time. But if you want to find them, you need to know exactly where to look. We will reveal it to you.
Where are the dragon eggs? As already known from a leak, the dragon eggs are located in Fortnite in the basement of the Castle on Polar Peak. You can now visit the location without a glitch for the first time. You just need to use the newly uncovered passage to the basement rooms to the right of the main entrance.
There you enter a basement, where on the right side there is a corridor with vases. In front of the first vase, you break the floor. This way, you can delve deeper into the dungeon of the castle.
There, you will have to hack through several grid walls until you find four dragon eggs in the last room.
Dungeon and Dragons
What can the eggs do? Nothing. So far, the dragon eggs are just decoration. You cannot break them or interact with them in any other way.
What else is found in the dungeon: The prison includes, besides the eggs, a back exit and another prison wing with an Iron Maiden. You reach these rooms by hacking the wall opposite the entrance of the room with the dragon eggs. Additionally, there are plenty of chests to be found in the dungeon.
What is up with the dragon eggs? The eggs themselves are quite large, and if you look closely, you can see that a serpent-like shape is inside them. It is highly likely that in the coming weeks, more and more details about the dragons will be revealed and their hatching will become the big plot of Season 7.
It is quite possible that the dragons will eventually become a kind of “vehicle” that you can ride and fly on. Then aerial battles between dragons and planes would be possible. Perhaps the next theme will also have something to do with dragons. After all, Fortnite’s Season 8 and the final season of Game of Thrones both fall in April 2019.
He started as a Counter-Strike pro and is now sailing the seas of Sea of Thieves. Summit1g is currently enjoying massive success and even surpasses the popular Fortnite streamer Ninja.
What happened? Streamer Jaryd “Summit1g” Lazar has just reached an important milestone on Twitch.TV. He now has over 40,000 paying subscribers. According to a statistics site, he has overtaken the streamer Ninja, who is the face of the battle royale shooter Fortnite on Twitch.
Streamer’s success continues to grow through Sea of Thieves
Who is the streamer? Summit1g was a professional player in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. He played for teams like A51 and Team Mythic. He is now a full-time streamer and gained much attention by streaming CS:GO and DayZ. He has also attracted many viewers with streams of H1Z1 and PUBG.
His popularity increased further since he started streaming the pirate adventure Sea of Thieves last year.
Summit1G
What’s new: Now, Summit1g has the most subscribers on the streaming website Twitch.TV (as of January 15). According to the website Twitch-Stats, Summit1g’s channel has 44,265 subscribers, putting him ahead of Ninja and Shroud. However, these are not official numbers. The over 40,000 subscriptions are confirmed by a tweet from Monster Gaming, congratulating summitg1g.
Ninja is in second place with 41,582 subscribers. Ninja recently streamed a massive New Year’s show on Twitch and is the face of a huge Fortnite community.
Is he the biggest Twitch streamer? The over 44,000 subscriptions are the paid subscriptions on TwitchTV. However, followers are also important. These are viewers who follow a channel for free and do not pay for a subscription. Here, Ninja is far ahead with over 13 million followers – In August 2018, he surpassed 10 million followers.
Shroud is in second place with nearly 5.1 million followers
Summit1g is in fifth place with 3.4 million followers
What does the streamer say about his success? Summit1g expressed his thoughts on Twitter, writing “Somehow I break my records daily. Thanks again for the support, guys. Crazy.”
Success without jumping on the hype train: The special thing about Summit1g’s streams is that he didn’t jump on the Fortnite bandwagon and ride the hype, but tried something different. He chose the pirate game Sea of Thieves, where he showcased his skills. He is especially known for his role-playing, which causes some panic attacks among players:
In Pokémon GO, the popular monsters Kyogre and Groudon are returning. And that brings several reasons for trainers to play.
What’s it about? Niantic announced the Hoenn event, starting on January 15th and active for two weeks. This revolves around Generation 3 in Pokémon GO. At the same time, the bosses in the gyms are changing. Kyogre and Groudon are taking their places back as raid bosses and players are thrilled. But why are they so excited?
Groudon and Kyogre are the best attackers of their types
Why are Groudon and Kyogre important? Both Pokémon are particularly strong and must not be missing from any Pokémon collection.
Kyogre
Kyogre is the strongest water attacker in Pokémon GO. It is best used against fire, ground, and rock Pokémon. Because it is particularly effective there.
The best moveset consists of Waterfall and Hydro Pump.
What does this mean for players? If you fight these two Pokémon in the new raids and secure specimens for your collection, you will be well-prepared for future raids, gym battles, and PvP. Many types can be countered with these two Pokémon.
Shiny Groudon? Trainers are hoping for it
The shiny form of Kyogre is already active in Pokémon GO. Therefore, you will have the chance to catch shiny Kyogre through the raid battles of the Hoenn event again. But what about Groudon?
The trainers’ hope: There are many positive reactions on social media regarding the Hoenn event. Trainers are especially excited about the return of Kyogre and Groudon. But questions remain. Player PineMarte writes: “So the real question is, if Kyogre can appear in its shiny form, are they releasing shiny Groudon now? Or should only one of the T5 bosses be catchable as shiny?”
Others firmly believe that shiny Groudon will be released in the game. Player HokTomten writes, “They probably didn’t include Rayquaza in the event because they didn’t want 2 new T5 bosses at the same time. That’s why they are giving us shiny Groudon (new) and shiny Kyogre (old), and Ray will get his own month.”
That would be good: For trainers, this would be a new incentive to participate in many raids. Many players are excited about new shinies, allowing them to expand their collection with another rare Pokémon.
No official shiny Groudon announcement: While many players are hopeful for shiny Groudon, Niantic has not mentioned this shiny form in the announcement. Screenshots of emails are already circulating on social media, supposedly showing how customer support from Pokémon GO has confirmed shiny Groudon. But such screenshots could also be fake, so they should be taken with caution. Whether Rayquaza will be activated as a raid boss is also uncertain. Niantic did not announce it.
Conclusion – Raiding is worthwhile again
You now get the chance to catch the best water and ground attackers, Kyogre and Groudon
In the online shooter Fortnite today the big update 7.20 is coming. This brings new weapons and a glider. Additionally, there is the new mode “One Shot.” We will look at the patch notes in English.
After three smaller content updates, today on January 15th, the first “real” patch for Fortnite 2019 is coming. The patch 7.20 brings many bug fixes, a new weapon, and with the reusable gliders also a highlight.
The special thing about the patch: No weapon is going into the vault. This was something players were concerned about.
Highlights of the Patch Notes 7.20 for Fortnite Battle Royale
New Mode: In “One Shot” you only have 50 health. The only weapons here are sniper rifles, and you can only heal yourself with bandages. The gravity in the mode is lower than normal, allowing you to jump higher.
New Weapon: The “Scoped Revolver” is coming. It uses medium ammunition. The weapon comes in epic (42 damage) and legendary (44 damage). You can find the revolver on the ground, in chests, and supply drops, or pull it from vending machines.
New Item: Reusable gliders are now coming as an item. The glider takes up one slot in your inventory. The item is rare and has 10 charges. The item can be found on the ground, in chests, or in supply lamas. You can also get the glider from vending machines.
If you have the item, you can activate the glider using the jump button while you are in the air.
Balance Changes to Weapons:
The minigun shoots 37% faster but can overheat
The 3 sniper rifles (Bolt-action, suppressed, semi-automatic) and the hunting rifle in Fortnite now have the same trajectory as the heavy sniper rifle
The target point for sniper rifles has been reduced so you can hit the enemies you aim at
On the zipline, you can now choose which direction to slide. The speed at which you slide increases after a short time – you no longer start at top speed.
In Destiny 2, numerous Supers will be adjusted at the end of January. Who will be the winners and losers of the upcoming changes? And what does the community think about it?
On January 29, 2019, Destiny 2 will receive its next update. Included are nerfs and buffs for the three Guardian classes. Even beforehand, these upcoming changes are being hotly debated within the community.
Although a final judgment will require players to try out the changes to the Supers live, on paper, many can already see which class will benefit the most and which will face the harshest cuts.
Hunter – the big loser
In one thing, many Guardians seem to agree: the Hunter will likely be hit the hardest. With the upcoming update, two of the currently most powerful Supers will be weakened, one of them being the Hunter’s.
Although he will not be completely nerfed into the ground, but rather brought into line with the other classes, he will reportedly face the strongest cuts, according to the community.
Here are the strongest cuts for the Hunter: The Blade Barrage must take a nerf to its currently strongest Super. It won’t be completely devalued, but in the future, it will require more skill to use this ultimate ability effectively.
The majority of damage will shift from impact to the delayed explosions of the knives, requiring the Super to take more time to unleash its full potential. Timing will thus play a more significant role. This also gives opponents in PvP more time to eliminate the Hunter in his Super, which was previously rarely possible.
Furthermore, the explosions can also damage the Hunter himself, and the distance to the opponents could thus become an additional factor to consider when using the Super – in both PvP and PvE.
The Hunter’s Spectral Blades will also receive a nerf. The damage resistance in stealth mode will be reduced, making it easier for others to take out the Hunter during this Super in PvP. Additionally, the duration of the Super will be shortened when cloaked.
What will be buffed for the Hunter: Some abilities of the Hunter will also be strengthened. The Golden Gun with 6 shots will, for example, return a Golden Gun shot if a kill is made with this Super.
This will make this ultimate ability more dependent on the skill of the individual player. It will also enhance its effectiveness against groups of enemies. Many fans are curious whether this bonus shot will also be granted in conjunction with the helmet Celestial Night Hawk, which could greatly increase the attractiveness of this Super.
The Arc Staff and Whirlwind Shield will deal more damage with their heavy attacks. Additionally, the radius, duration, and damage of the first shot from the Möbius Quiver of the Nightstalker will be increased. It should become easier to land multiple hits. Whether these Super attacks will thus become more attractive remains to be seen. Fans are still unsure about this.
The nerfs to the Hunter clearly aim for better balance in PvP, but they will also have implications for PvE, where, unlike the Crucible, there have been no complaints from players regarding the weakened abilities.
The Warlock – The second loser
Alongside the Blade Barrage, the Nova Warp of the Void Warlock is currently one of the most powerful Supers in the Crucible. And this ability is also set to be nerfed with the upcoming update. Many players believe that the Warlock will be hit almost as hard as the Hunter.
What will be reduced for the Warlock: The Warlock’s movement speed during Nova Warp and the damage of the explosion in PvP will be reduced. This will make it less easy to tear apart entire groups, and escaping the Nova Warp will be easier in the Crucible.
Additionally, its effectiveness against other Supers will be weakened if they provide corresponding damage resistance. Opponents with such an active Super won’t be able to be killed by an explosion.
Moreover, each explosion will soon consume more Super energy, resulting in a reduced overall duration of the Super. Additionally, one should be able to withstand better against weapons or other Super attacks, as the damage resistance of the Warlock will be decreased during Nova Warp.
What will be buffed for the Warlock: The duration of the Dawnblade will be increased. This change is particularly welcomed by Warlock fans, as the Super can already be extended with kills. Furthermore, the Chain Lightning of the Stormcaller will hit one more target.
For the Catastrophe of the Void Warlock, the explosion radius and damage from cluster bombs will be increased. Also, the target-seeking of the cluster bombs will be improved; however, they will no longer trigger each other.
Overall, these smaller buffs do not compensate for the nerf of the Nova Warp for many fans. While many agree that this Super was indeed overpowered in its current state and needed changes, they feel Bungie has once again turned the wrong screws. A reduction of the duration and explosion radius would have sufficed.
The Titan – The winner of the upcoming changes
The Titan is the only class that won’t face any significant nerf in the upcoming update, but it is also the only class currently without an overpowered Super. Thus, there are only changes to the functionality of some abilities and buffs for Titans.
What will be buffed for the Titan: The most significant boost will go to the Sunbreaker Titan. The damage of the burn effect caused by Sunspots on enemies will be doubled.
Additionally, the duration of Sun Warrior will be increased from 3 to 5 seconds, and all damage will soon be increased. It will be interesting to see how the Sunbreaker plays with these changes, as this build is currently rarely used.
The Fire Hammer will also be strengthened. Its impact radius and target-seeking of the tornados will be improved. For the Sentinel, most damage will be shifted to heavy attacks, similar to the Arc Hunter.
The Striker Titan will soon have 3 levels of how long he can remain airborne due to the end speed. At each level, Guardians will be able to deal four shocks instead of just three as before. The damage bonus will also be significantly increased.
The light shoulder charge when stomping will soon cost 85% less Super energy. Furthermore, post-update, players will be able to stomp every 0.5 seconds.
What will be nerfed for the Titan: The Titan currently has no truly overpowered Super abilities that players feel need a nerf. The Titans’ Supers are generally viewed by most players as being in a good state. Bungie likely saw it similarly and has not nerfed any Titan abilities.
Therefore, many players believe that the Titan will benefit the most from the upcoming changes, even if the buffs must first prove in practice whether they actually contribute to the Titan’s attractiveness and effectiveness.
What fans think about the upcoming adjustment of the Supers
This is how the community is discussing it: The upcoming changes are traditionally hotly debated – on Reddit, in other forums, and also here at MeinMMO.
Many players cannot understand the nerfs to their favorite class. In particular, many Hunters and Warlocks see themselves in the victim role, enviously glancing at the Titans and already cursing the upcoming update. After all, the most powerful Supers of both classes are being nerfed.
However, there are indeed players who, even as Warlocks or Hunters, admit that the nerfs, whether in this form or not, were indeed necessary and that balance is being restored – especially in the Crucible.
All classes should ideally feel equally valuable. No one should have an overpowered Super that overshadows other classes and their abilities. Moreover, fans point out that one should first play the changes live before forming a final judgment.
However, a large portion of the community agrees on the fact that Bungie once again has balance in the Crucible in focus and is making the necessary changes for it. However, the effects will also be felt in PvE, which many find unfortunate. Because hardly anyone has complained about the PvE performance of the abilities affected by the nerf.
What do you think about the upcoming changes to the Supers? Has your favorite class been ‘nerfed into the ground’? Can you understand the adjustments? Or would you have made different changes?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The story of World of Warcraft is trapped in an eternal cycle. Many players believe that the heroes should finally lose – including Cortyn.
World of Warcraft has endured like few other MMORPGs over many years. Nevertheless, the processes have become similar over the years, not only regarding gameplay but also story-wise. There are some recurring events that many players are now fed up with.
Here are some examples:
Arrogant bosses who mock us “weak mortals” before getting beaten and defeated right after.
The “Enough!” screaming of many NPCs who stun all players and then teleport to safety after almost being defeated.
After each catastrophe, a larger one follows, which is always overcome.
Especially the word “Enough!” that many bosses keep using to stun all players and then escape has long become a meme.
Of course, this type of fight design serves a purpose because NPCs can still deliver monologues or dialogues while the fight is essentially “paused”. However, this technique has become so overused that it is wearing thin for many players.
When the Legion attacked with the pre-event of the associated expansion, everything looked like a major catastrophe. The whole world was attacked, chaos prevailed everywhere, many characters died, and places were devastated.
However, even if “from the story’s perspective” these places are recovering or have been completely destroyed, it is not visible in the world. A noticeable consequence of the last great threat is missing.
Actually, Duskwood has been wiped out – but the NPCs are still lively.
Here the reason is clear: It would be a lot of work to revise the old areas with each catastrophe, which would create more phasing, further separating players. So there are strong arguments against it.
However, this does not mitigate the feeling that all the threats are without consequences and that the game world can no longer reflect what has actually happened in the story. More and more information needs to be “thought out” when (which is especially important for role-players) the game world is more than just an accumulation of mobs to farm.
Immersion in the game world of WoW is becoming increasingly difficult if one is not only hanging around in the current areas of the latest expansion.
The wish for a defeat
A wish that occasionally flares up on Reddit is for a defeat. Despite all the efforts and defeated raid bosses, the heroes of Azeroth should come out as clear losers from an expansion.
Because this is another recurring “problem” in the story of World of Warcraft. No matter how great the enemy and how powerful the threat, in the end, it is always somehow averted. At the end of Legion, there was at least a “small” setback due to the sword of Sargeras, but that feels secondary in the current content of Battle for Azeroth and hardly plays a role.
That is why I hope that “Battle for Azeroth” does not end with us fighting N’zoth and defeating him. I hope we fail and this time not only face an apocalypse but actually experience it. At least his quotes already suggest that.
Surely, this would be a radical change, and old areas would not fit into the storyline again as they are not being updated, but it would be a fresh approach, something new and a storyline that would break the “status quo” a bit.
What changes would you suggest for the storytelling system of World of Warcraft? How could the storyline of WoW be better represented in the game world?
The Early Access phase of the sandbox MMORPG Legends of Aria is expected to launch on March 21. We will explain 5 things you should know before the launch.
The isometric view from above does not allow for the same level of detail as a third-person view.
Furthermore, the development team does not have the budget to provide overwhelming graphics. Although the Kickstarter campaign in 2014 was successful, it only brought in around $105,000. This is not enough to create a AAA game.
The choice of the ISO perspective is not by chance. It allows for the creation of an MMORPG in the style of Ultima Online on a low budget, which even shows similarities at first glance.
Of course, everyone else is also invited to take a look at the sandbox MMORPG. However, one can tell from the title who the target audience is meant to be. Anyone who wishes for a new Ultima Online and wants to experience an MMORPG in this style should feel right at home.
2. Player freedom is at the forefront in the sandbox
Just like in Ultima Online, quests are hardly a topic in Legends of Aria. You are meant to find your own path in the game world of Celador. Therefore, the developers place great importance on player freedoms.
You can become a trader
You can be a blacksmith
You experience your own adventures as a wanderer in the wilderness and dungeons
You build yourself a big house
You participate in the economy of the game world
You build an empire
You compete with other players in special PvP zones
You simply explore the world together with friends and live a kind of second life there
PvE is more prominent than one might expect
The previous test phases have revealed that players are missing a bit of content. While it is fun to explore the world, fight monsters in the dungeons, and participate in the economy, for many this is currently not enough.
A sandbox MMORPG needs to motivate players in the long term. Players must always have something to do. Especially regarding endgame content, there are still many open questions.
It is possible that you can purchase the ability to create a shard. This is essentially a private world that you create yourself, where you can even set the rules. Should there be PvP? Do you want to introduce quests? What is the story in your shard? Other players then visit your world and experience adventures there.
It was not until late in the development of the MMORPG that the team decided to offer a large world called Celador, where players can venture.
Celador offers you both PvE and PvP opportunities and aims to be a home for those who do not wish to create their own shard. Thus, LoA targets both sandbox fans looking for a new “home” and players who enjoy creating their own worlds.
4. Development is still ongoing
It must be emphasized that the launch of Legends of Aria will still be an Early Access phase. From everything heard so far from the alphas and betas, the MMORPG will still be a rough diamond. Some problems can be expected; not everything will run smoothly.
You must be aware of this if you want to play LoA. It is not a finished product yet, and the state is likely still quite “early”.
The team has set itself the goal of continually developing and improving Legends of Aria. You can therefore expect many updates.
This also means that some game elements you see at the start of the Early Access phase may not necessarily remain in the game. There may be larger changes and adjustments. This is simply part of the development phase of an MMORPG.
Legends of Aria is not a AAA MMORPG. The graphics alone will likely not appeal to everyone. Furthermore, sandbox games have it tough anyway, as many MMORPG fans are calling for the “next big World of Warcraft”. LoA is definitely not that.
Also, players who want to experience quick success will probably not be happy with LoA. Just improving your character takes a long time. You increase skills by using them, and by the time you have trained all skills, a lot of time may pass.
If you want to play, you should be aware that you have to invest a lot of time to progress in the game world. Just as it used to be in MMORPGs and especially in Ultima Online.
However, this allows you to build a much greater bond with your character and the game world and eventually gives you the feeling of truly achieving something. LoA is not a casual game.
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:
