The new game from Ubisoft, The Division 2, has received a Mature rating from the ESRB, meaning it’s suitable for players aged 17 and older. The report contains some information about what to expect in The Division 2. We hear about the drug “Spice” for the first time.
This is the ESRB’s rating: As with The Division 1, ESRB recommends that only adult players aged 17 and older should play “Tom Clancy’s The Division 2”.
The ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) is responsible for the age assessment of video games in the USA.
It states: In The Division, there is blood, drugs are depicted. In addition, the game shows intense violence and contains strong language.
This is what the ESRB says exactly: The Division 2 is a tactical third-person shooter where players assume the role of an elite government agent fighting against hostile groups in a fictionalized Washington, DC.
Gunfights include realistic shootouts, screams of pain, and blood splatter.
People are shot in the head at close range, and a bound person is beaten multiple times with a hammer (most of this happens off-screen).
A fictional drug called Spice is present in the game, along with references to other drugs: bags of Spice, a drug lab, and ingredients needed to produce drugs are shown. The word “drug lab” is smeared on a wall.
The words “Fuck, Shit, and Asshole” are heard in dialogues.
Is this a surprise? No, this is not a surprise. The Division 2 takes place in the world of Tom Clancy. He has written hard political and military thrillers like “The Hunt for Red October” or “The Raid.”
The survival MMO Atlas is receiving heavy criticism, yet many players still invest hundreds of hours into it. The survival expert Sascha took a look at the new game from the creators of ARK. After 13 hours, he understood what is so appealing about Atlas.
Atlas is a new pirate survival MMO from Grapeshot Games, a subsidiary of Wildcard. Therefore, Atlas is the latest title from the creators of ARK Survival Evolved. The game made headlines right after its release for many negative reasons.
There were multiple delays for the early access launch, complaints about poor performance, and numerous bugs. On Steam, only 30% of 16,426 players rated Atlas positively. (As of January 3, 2019, 3:00 PM)
According to Steam Charts, however, there are on average over 39,000 players. So, Atlas must be doing something right. To find out, I had to see the game for myself, so I set sail.
A wrong decision can ruin everything
The first decision in Atlas is crucial and can massively impact your gaming experience.
The server choice: By this I mean not the choice between PVP or PVE, but the right choice of spawn. Each spawn server accommodates up to 150 players and they are dispersed throughout the game world. Especially at the start, you should choose a server that includes “Freeport” in its name. These are the safe islands with ports where no PVP is allowed. Perfect to learn the basics of the game.
I chose a Freeport with as few players as possible. That’s not so easy, as most are already full and only a few have spots left. After character creation, I spawned directly in the harbor. <<You are cold>> was the message thrown at me immediately. No wonder, my pirate is completely naked except for a linen pair of pants.
The first steps
Similarities to ARK are notable: While I am virtually overwhelmed by all the hints and tips, I remember ARK. The menu navigation and the first scenes of Atlas look very similar to ARK. Why would the controls be different?
So I run off blindly, diligently collecting the first resources like stones, fibers, and wood and try to craft my first tools. My countless hours in ARK are paying off here, even though I gave up on the dino title a long time ago due to its sci-fi setting.
Fast, frustrating death: But there is a problem. The biting cold. Even by the comforting campfire, my pirate freezes to death and it quickly happens that I die. After respawning, I lost all my items, but at least not my learned skills. After dying multiple times without making significant progress, I recognized my mistake. I spawned too far north.
Several fires were needed to keep me warm.
The first hours were pure waste of time and nearly brought me to my knees. I blame no one for not wanting to touch Atlas again after that.
But I wanted to give Atlas another chance. I found a new Freeport where I could spawn. The golden mean had just a few spots free, and when I arrived there, it was neither too warm nor too cold for my character. Perfect to start properly now.
Without motivation, grinding is hell
Everything for the great sea voyage: In Atlas, gathering resources and leveling up the character is a lengthy process. Anyone who has played on the official ARK servers will be familiar with this.
The grind for materials and experience points can quickly become frustrating. However, with the right motivation, I did find it quite enjoyable.
And I’m not alone in this. Most players I encountered were all busy gathering resources as if there was no tomorrow. Hours of chopping wood, mowing thousands of bushes, and smashing hundreds of stones, but for what?
To get off this one island and sail the sea with their own raft. Because what is a pirate without a ship?
A sea voyage, that is fun and really cool
The feeling on the raft or a larger ship is fantastic. I can literally feel the danger that comes from the deep and rough sea. I sailed my little raft out to the open sea. Always following the wind, in search of treasure. I found the necessary treasure map earlier in a bottle on the beach.
Excitement on the open sea: Whether it’s large sharks or ghost ships on the horizon, the feeling that my raft could be destroyed at any moment gave me an adrenaline rush.
I haven’t had this much fun in a long time. Also, the dives to catch fish with the spear were exciting. But I already loved that in other survival games like Raft or Stranded Deep. The danger of the open sea stirs a certain fear in me, making it even more thrilling.
A ghost ship in the distance … better not sail towards it!
Navigation using the compass needs to be learned. Because without a destination, one can quickly get lost.
Fast death due to open PVP: Heading to the next island is not a bad plan. But outside the Freeport, it is PVP territory on a PVP server, and the players on the next island were not very friendly.
A whole stretch of beach filled with shipyards, large galleons, and higher-level players is a sight to behold. But after the first encounter, I was immediately shot down and my raft sunk.
After 13 hours, Atlas showed me that it is more than just an “ARK re-skin”, as it is often referred to.
Reason 1: The naval gameplay. The shipbuilding and mechanics set the title apart despite its similarities in the menu navigation and grind gameplay from ARK. They provide me with lasting enjoyment.
I was initially skeptical about whether I would even enjoy the title, as I already dislike ARK. However, since it is the sci-fi setting that bores me in the dino game, I decided to give Atlas a chance and was not disappointed.
Reason 2: The pirate setting. I enjoy building my own raft and later a full ship. The idea of sailing the terrifying sea with my friends, encountering dangers, and finding treasures fascinates me and drives me to keep playing.
If you enjoyed gathering resources, building bases, and taming animals in ARK, you will also find enjoyment in Atlas. At least if you can do without the dinos.
You should stay away from Atlas if … you as a fan of the pirate setting expect to jump into action quickly, as you see in the trailers. Then prepare for a harsh disappointment.
You need to invest many hours into the game to achieve even a fraction of something. I’ve heard of groups needing over 40 hours to build a large ship.
However, private servers with adjusted settings can already help with this.
I’m looking forward to many more hours on the open sea. The performance has steadily improved in recent days, and Grapeshot Games is diligently working on further patches.
I’m excited to see what the future holds for ATLAS and will definitely keep an eye on the title.
What do you think, why is Atlas played by so many?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Heroes of the Storm has introduced its latest hero. The angel Imperius likes to engage in close combat and relentlessly pursues enemies.
Players of Heroes of the Storm have wanted this hero from the Diablo universe for several years. Now Imperius has finally arrived on the PTR and is available for all who want to take a look at the angel. Blizzard has released its “Hero Spotlight” video as well.
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In Heroes of the Storm, Imperius is a “bruiser”, a sturdy melee fighter who can also dish out solid damage (comparable to Sonya). Let’s take a look at his abilities:
Imperius’ passive ability is Stigma of the Archangel. When Imperius hits enemy heroes with one of his basic abilities, he gains a Stigma (maximum stacks: 3). Imperius’ next automatic attack consumes all stacks and deals increased damage per stack.
With Celestial Charge, Imperius charges forward after a short wind-up time and impales all struck enemies. These are briefly stunned. The ability can also be used to leap over obstacles, such as terrain.
Solarion’s Fire shoots a burning wave straight ahead. All struck enemies take damage. Enemies hit directly in the center of the flame take additional damage and are slowed for a few seconds.
Imperius’ third ability is Molten Armor. This creates an aura around Imperius that deals persistent damage to enemies in the vicinity. The damage alternates between all available targets and heals Imperius for the damage dealt.
His first heroic ability is Angel’s Blade. For a few seconds, Imperius gains a strong shield that protects him from damage. If the shield is not depleted, Imperius can reuse the ability to fire several blades at a target and deal damage.
His second heroic ability is Wrath of the Angiris Council. Imperius charges at an enemy after a short delay and then disappears with them into the sky. Imperius can then select a landing location, where he lands with the enemy hero and deals damage.
Are you excited for Imperius, the new warrior in the ranks of Heroes of the Storm?
Overall, opinions about Heroes of the Storm are currently mixed. For many, the game is already “dead”,because Blizzard has pulled some developers off. What has led to the failure of Heroes of the Storm has been revealed in this article:
2018 has brought flops for some games and game developers. Valve was also affected. Artifact, the Dota card game, was supposed to be the next big hit. However, the numbers look anything but rosy.
What happened? On November 28, 2018, Artifact was released on Steam. The pay-to-play card game has since almost continuously lost players. At the beginning of 2019, the game is not even in the top 70 of the most played games on Steam anymore. (Currently ranked 76, as of January 3, 2018, 3:25 PM, via Steam)
Artifact is steadily losing players
What is the reason?On Reddit, the topic of Artifact and the declining player numbers has been widely discussed. The community finds numerous reasons why Artifact apparently failed.
One of the most frequently mentioned reasons is the poor marketing, monetization, and competition. Artifact was barely advertised in advance and rarely appeared in the press. There was little information to excite players. Only a few controversies caused a stir.
In addition, Artifact is pay-to-play. It costs nearly €18 and also requires purchases of booster packs and tickets if one does not want to win right away. The system of purchasable cards via the Steam Marketplace sounded interesting to many but turned out to be rather unpopular. Especially after the most popular card cost more than the game itself.
The purchase price itself also disappointed many players. Competitors like Hearthstone or Magic: The Gathering Arena are free to play and provide insight without having to pay. Players can only get an idea of Artifact if they pay.
This is how the trend looks: Artifact started in November 2018 with over 60,000 simultaneous players. However, this is also the peak it has ever reached. Since then, Artifact has lost about 90% of its players.
Until December 21, the player numbers steadily declined. On that day, a new patch was released that introduced a kind of ranking system. Such a feature was frequently requested, but it simply came too late for many players.
The patch briefly raised the numbers again, but since then they have also steadily declined. In the past 30 days, Artifact has averaged 8,653 players.
Whether Artifact will recover remains to be seen. With Valve, a huge corporation stands behind the game, which can afford streamers or highly rewarded tournaments if necessary, so at least possibilities are open for Artifact. Whether the interest still exists remains to be seen.
On Thursdays, the Weekend League Rewards are available in FIFA 19. However, this week the players were surprised: The game shocked everyone with tiny coin amounts as rewards – only afterwards were the real rewards given out. The FIFA community takes it with humor.
This is what happened: As every Thursday, FIFA players who participated in the Weekend League wanted to claim their well-deserved rewards. Normally, depending on the rank, players receive various packs, FUT Champions Points, and at least 1000 coins.
But this Thursday, a nasty surprise awaited: Instead of the usual rewards, the screen displayed tiny coin amounts as rewards.
For example, user “ShapeShifter400” was delighted to receive a whole 9 coins as a reward:
This is how the community reacted: On Twitter and Reddit, many users posted their rewards – and reacted humorously: “Man, you were lucky. I only got seven,” a player commented on ShapeShifter400’s post.
Another feels disadvantaged: “I’m tired of grinding all weekend to finish as high as possible and then seeing a Silver 1 loser get 12 coins. I bet there were enough Top 100 players who didn’t get even 10.”
Others didn’t even participate in the Weekend League but still received an incredible amount of 1 to 12 coins credited. They are now happy about the unexpected windfall: “Great, now I just need 2,388,989 coins,” comments one who seems to be already eyeing the transfer market.
Looking ahead to the upcoming TOTY event, some announce their next commitment: “I have 11 coins! Just a few million more for TOTY Messi.”
Thanks to the free coins, only about 2.5 million away: Lionel Messi in the Inform variant
Real rewards came shortly after
That’s why fans took it with humor: The fact that players took the tiny rewards lightly is because the correct rewards were credited just seconds later. The initial shock was followed by relief – and fun regarding the strange EA error with the rewards.
As usual, there were also Player Picks, this time featuring players from the TOTW 16 – such as Rashford or Milinkovic-Savic.
Of course, as every week, there were disappointed gamers who didn’t pull the hoped-for players from the packs. But at least they could enjoy the free coins. Like the player “PS4_Gerdinho90,” who can now even forgive the past mistakes of the game with a wink: “Guys, we were finally compensated!”
In week 5 of season 7 in Fortnite: Battle Royale, the task is: Search between a giant stone man, a crowned tomato, and a circled tree. We will show you the location where you should search.
What is it about? In Fortnite, you need to search at a specific location to find a treasure. This location is vaguely outlined by the game and directs you to a spot on the map. On our map, we show you where to find the searched location.
Where to search between stone man, tomato, and tree?
In the seventh season, Fortnite is again starting the “search between” challenges. If you find the searched location, there is an upgrade in the battle pass.
Where should you search? Fortnite specifies three locations in the challenge. Players should search exactly between them. In week 5, that is a giant stone man, a crowned tomato, and a circled tree. These locations are all near Tomato Temple. So look in the east.
Requirement: To complete the task, you must have the paid version of the battle pass.
The searched location: In the east of the map, at grid coordinate G4, you will find Tomato Temple. Northeast of it, around H4, stands the giant stone man. Southeast of Tomato Temple, at the border of G4 and H4, is the circled tree.
So, approximately in the middle of that should be the searched spot. That would be on the map the position directly in the last E of Tomato Temple. For that, we will embed a screenshot with the searched location in the article here.
Video guide: To ensure you find the searched spot in Fortnite, we will show you a YouTube video here where the player loots the searched treasure.
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On Twitter, Pokémon GO announced the first Safari Zone of 2019. This will take place later this month, in January 2019, in Brazil.
What is the Safari Zone? Since 2017, Pokémon GO has regularly held Safari Zones. Special Pokémon appear at a specific location, which can only be caught there for a limited time.
The highlight of each Safari Zone is a regional Pokémon that trainers can catch on-site.
For 2019, Niantic announced a Safari Zone in Porto Alegre, a city in Brazil. This confirms that Safari Zones will continue in 2019. Possibly also in Germany, just like 2018 in Dortmund.
This is what the Safari Zone in Brazil brings
If you’re still looking for a vacation destination for the end of January, you might consider Brazil. The bonuses that the Safari Zone brings are very good.
When does the Safari Zone start? Starting this month, from January 25, the Safari Zone Porto Alegre will begin. Numerous event Pokémon will spawn along the banks of the Guaíba River. The Safari Zone will run all weekend until January 27.
Which Pokémon can be caught? According to the image released by Niantic, the Safari Zone revolves around the following Pokémon:
Relicanth (regional Pokémon from Oceania)
Kindwurm
Plinfa
Chelast
Panflam
Enton
Safari Zone with possible Shiny: If Niantic stays true to form, there should also be a new Shiny for this Safari Zone. Players believe it will be Enton.
That’s why the Safari Zone is also interesting for German players
Whether Niantic will handle the Safari Zone in Brazil the same way is unknown. However, the player base is sure that a new Shiny is on the horizon.
That’s why these Shinys are special: Besides Pinsir, for example, Wingull or Roselia were also released in the same way. These then spawned for a while with an increased probability in the wild. The Shiny rate for these Pokémon was also increased, which is why many players could catch one of the Shinys.
One can now hope that the Safari Zone in Brazil will run similarly to the last Safari Zones, because then trainers from Germany can also benefit from the event.
A new event awaits players. Eggs in Pokémon Go now yield more candies and Stardust:
A weekly challenge in week 5 of Season 7 of Fortnite has you dancing on a water tower, a fire watch tower, and a flight control tower We will show you the locations of the towers and the water storage.
For the weekly challenges of week 5 in Season 7, you will have to dance again. In three different stages, you need to dance on three different towers. The towers are spread throughout the map.
We will show you the exact locations of the towers and tell you how to successfully complete this task.
Dance on a water tower
Here you can find the water tower: To complete the first phase, you need to dance on a water tower. The only water tower in Fortnite is located in the area of Retail Row. There, in one corner stands the silver water tower.
This is how you complete the task: It is best to land directly on the water tower, as otherwise you will have to build up. There is also a chest directly on the tower, giving you a chance for a weapon right at the beginning of the game. Just perform a dance emote and the task is complete.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Si7bMQTM1TU
Watch out for your surroundings: Since everyone wants to complete the task at the beginning, players will be crowded. Make sure you are not surprised by other opponents.
Where is the fire watch tower in Fortnite?
Here you can find the fire watch tower: For phase 2, you need to dance on a fire watch tower. This tower is located in the forest of Lonely Lodge. The tower is huge and should not be missed by you.
This is how you complete the task: This tower is a bit easier to climb. It is significantly higher than the water tower from phase 1, but you can easily get up via the stairs. There, you perform the dance emote again and phase 2 is complete.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDVhZF8hSzI
Dance on a flight control tower
Here you can find the flight control tower: For the last tower, you need to go to the snow area of Fortnite. The flight control tower is located at the airport of Frosty Flights. The large, red tower is not hard to find.
This is how you complete the task: The tower also has a staircase that allows you to reach the roof easily. There, you only need to perform the dance emote and you have completed this challenge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9ins5TdaTc
Which challenges are also waiting for you in week 5, you can find out here:
Are the plans of Deathwing from World of Warcraft finally bearing fruit? A user notes that we are getting closer to the “end times.”
Every now and then, we take a look at interesting theories around the lore of World of Warcraft that spread within the community on MeinMMO. Yesterday, reddit user greenteaalmond wrote down some thoughts and compared the lore of “Cataclysm” with the current events in “Battle for Azeroth.”
He concludes that the plans pursued by Deathwing and thus also N’Zoth in Cataclysm are not that far removed from the current events in Azeroth.
The End Times Become Reality
The greatest parallels can be found in the dungeon “End Time.” Players find this in the Caverns of Time. The dungeon “End Time” takes place basically in the future where Deathwing succeeded and led the world into the “Hour of Twilight.” Here, there are various boss battles against former leaders of the Horde and Alliance, all of whom have changed.
The personalities of these leaders in the boss battles correspond quite precisely to the development these characters have undergone in the current timeline:
Tyrande has turned to the night and lives “in darkness.” The first precursor of this has basically arrived with her questline where she became the Night Warrior and made the “dark side of the moon” her aspect.
Jaina clearly positions herself on one side in the faction war. This also happened in Battle for Azeroth, where she joined the war and no longer negotiated neutrally, but stands clearly for the Alliance.
Sylvanas is a rather “crazy” version of herself. Many players currently see her this way, who see little of the “old” Sylvanas left in her due to the burning of Teldrassil or the massive use of the plague. The craziness also fits well with the fact that Sylvanas will take the Blade of Xal’atath, which also drives its bearers into madness.
Baine is angry and disappointed that he could not protect Azeroth and the Horde. These doubts are also often seen in the latest Patch 8.1 Tides of Vengeance, where Baine repeatedly emphasizes that he “must put an end to it, or else the Horde will fall apart.”
Furorion Also Fits into the Plan
Another point of greenteaalmond’s theory is Furorion (Wrathion), the supposed last black dragon – which has turned out to be incorrect as the island expeditions are full of black dragons.
Furorion is one of the most enigmatic figures in World of Warcraft. Whether he is good or evil is not exactly known.
Although Furorion has always been a supporter of the heroes, he has done everything but have a clean slate:
Furorion welcomes the faction war and has been doing so since Pandaria. There, he wanted the war to escalate so that one side emerges as the winner. Allegedly, this was to fend off the Burning Legion more easily.
Furorion helped the players, but specifically wanted “weapons corrupted by the Sha” for upgrades – weapons that stem from the blood of an Old God.
Furorion gave the players a special gem, the “Eye of the Black Prince.” Its description says, “The gem trembles, almost as if it has a life of its own.” This is a description that closely resembles the Blade of Xal’atath, which also has “a life of its own.”
Furorion helped free Garrosh and brought him to Draenor with Kairozdormu and the Infinite Dragonflight.
In Warlords of Draenor, Furorion briefly appears several times, namely when Admiral Taylor’s soldiers are corrupted. He is also at Khadgar’s Tower just before Cordana Teufelsang is corrupted.
The thought is obvious: Furorion works with the Twilight’s Hammer and is also being manipulated by N’Zoth, just like his father Deathwing.
The Twilight’s Hammer and the Naga Gain Power
This theory also involves the idea that the Twilight’s Hammer and the Naga apparently gain power, which is particularly evident on the Darkshore. Numerous cultists are at work here and perform powerful summons. For instance, the creature of the Old Gods, Soggoth, is freed from its prison.
The Naga, meanwhile, are pushing onto land and trying to claim the lands for Azshara, who is also in league with N’Zoth.
The theory goes so far that the author assumes that the Twilight’s Hammer cult is flourishing “to full strength” again and is long at work corrupting the various leaders of the factions in diverse ways.
What do you think of this theory? Is it well thought out and do the puzzle pieces fit well with what we have already seen in “Cataclysm”? Or are these all just coincidences that surely weren’t intended? Let us know your opinion in the comments!
Stay informed: If you don’t want to miss any news, theories, or memes around World of Warcraft, then follow our WoW Facebook page.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Fortnite: Battle Royale, tasks and missions from Week 5 in Season 7 are now available. We show you tips and guides on how to solve the challenges.
What tasks are there? In Week 5 there are tasks of various kinds. You should dance at places, land at named locations, shoot with suppressed weapons, and deal a certain number of damage points.
Free and paid: As always, there are seven tasks in the new week. These are divided into free tasks and paid tasks. For the paid ones, you need the Battle Pass of Season 7. It costs 950 V-Bucks in the game, which is €9.50. If you do not have the pass, you can only complete three of the seven tasks.
All challenges and missions from Week 5 in Season 7
Oops, unfortunately this table is no longer available.
Oops, unfortunately this table is no longer available.
Challenge 1 – Phase 1 Land at Polar Peak
How does it work? This challenge is divided into several phases.
Challenge 3 – Eliminate opponents with a suppressed weapon (hard)
How does it work? For this task, you just need to use weapons that are equipped with suppressors. You do not need to get the kills in one match; you have time for it. This makes the task quite simple.
Challenge 4 – Phase 1: Dance on a water tower (Battle Pass only)
How does it work? This task is divided into 3 phases. You need to dance on top of a water tower, on top of a fire lookout tower, and finally on top of an air traffic control tower. In our guide, we describe where you can find these places:
Challenge 5 – Search 7 chests at Wailing Woods or Paradise Palms (Battle Pass only)
How does it work? Head to Wailing Woods or Paradise Palms and diligently search for chests there. It’s best to do this right at the start of a match when not many players have been to these locations yet.
Challenge 6 – Search between a giant stone man, a crowned tomato, and a circled tree (hard, Battle Pass only)
How does it work? For this task, we have a guide here on MeinMMO for you. You can use it as a reference to solve the task:
Challenge 7 – Eliminate an opponent from less than 5 meters away (hard, Battle Pass only)
How does it work? Taking down opponents from this short distance is easy with certain weapons. For example, shotguns are great for this, as they are most effective at short range.
The space sandbox game Elite Dangerous invites long adventures. Two players, who have impressively documented their adventurous journey for 18 months and are gaining more viewers, are taking a particularly long route through space. They lose ships on their journey, argue, and are hunted by bounty hunters. MeinMMO spoke with the friends about their motivations.
All this happens for a reason: Zach and Skoomer are two passionate players. When their friends told them that there was nothing to do in Elite Dangerous, the two took this as an incentive for a video series. In this, they want to prove the opposite and show how much fun one can have in the sandbox game.
They stage their journey so well that they are now gaining greater attention in the community and are being showered with positive feedback. But what led to this?
Image of Skoomer, the creator of the video series in Elite Dangerous
A very special video series
On June 9, 2017, Skoomer published the first video on his YouTube channel. In it, he and Zach set off from the Sol system on an adventure called “Elite: Strange Worlds,” which has not yet been completed.
What is special about their videos? In their videos, the two players focus on entertainment, role-playing, and stunning visuals. For the latter, they use the “Camera Suit,” which was released with patch 2.3.
This allows for capturing images of the characters and ships from various perspectives. They aim to show what is possible in Elite Dangerous.
A special highlight is also the story that Zach and Skoomer experience.
The two friends experience extraordinary stories. Will they even be playing a finished Star Citizen in the future? Image of Skoomer
This trailer shows how impressively the journey is staged
A year after the release of the first video, the two released a trailer. This perfectly summarizes the journey and captures the mood that runs through the entire series. When you watch the video, you will quickly recognize the unique atmosphere.
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The project by Zach and Skoomer has many fans. Their YouTube channel CaptainSkoomer has already grown to over 35,000 subscribers. Their videos consistently receive positive signals. The first video in the series has a strong 2,037 likes against just 14 dislikes. The viewers are excited about the format:
YouTube user Heradin commented under the embedded trailer that after watching the video, he dreams of traveling through space in the real world.
Viewer F1rools22 believes that because of the visuals and good editing, the videos are even better than the official PR work by Frontier, the developer of Elite Dangerous.
And there are many other positive comments as well. Both the story and the visuals, along with the selected soundtracks, are highlighted.
In Elite: Strange Worlds there are also dramatic moments that players love
What makes the story of “Elite: Strange Worlds” special
While the first 11 episodes focus on the beginning of the journey and special locations, the story quickly gains momentum afterward. Skoomer loses his spaceship in an accident, nearly losing his life. There are also complications in acquiring a new ship.
After they have calmed down a bit, they try to contact each other again, but in vain: Skoomer finds that his communication device no longer works. He can no longer connect to the outside world. What follows are dramatic events. The scenes become darker and more emotional. The two suffer from mental problems due to loneliness, while they desperately try to find each other.
Meanwhile, we also learn from a radio report in the latest episode that bounty hunters will soon be appearing, who have their sights set on Zach and Skoomer.
There are beautiful views in Elite: Strange Worlds
The route for their journey through space
For their video series, Zach and Skoomer have chosen a particularly long journey with much to discover. There are also some abandoned and dangerous locations along the way across space.
Where is the journey heading? From Sol, the main planet in the south of the map, they first head to the center of the galaxy. After that, Beagle Point is the destination, a system very far out in the north of the map.
Subsequently, they take the route back to Sol, but this time not through the center. They go completely along the edge of the galaxy until they reach their starting point.
These places are visited by Zach and Skoomer on their journey through Elite Dangerous
Where are the two now? After more than 28 episodes and now 18 months, they are not far from Beagle Point in the north of the map. The outward journey is almost complete.
The return journey will, however, be many times longer. When this mammoth project will end is still uncertain.
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Community events become boring, but is that a problem?
Skoomer alias Till contacted us, as he had read the article about the Community Event Distant Worlds 2. Although he thinks it’s good that there are such community projects, he believes that the full potential is not utilized there:
Such expeditions in Elite: Dangerous always sound exciting and thrilling. But when you participate in the game itself, you generally don’t notice a new star coming at you after every jump – and that thousands of times. This leads to many people considering exploration boring.
With their project, they want to show in contrast what can be achieved with creativity in such an adventure. Skoomer said to us:
But I wanted to change this perception of this “boring gameplay” and show people what can be made out of such a journey – with enough creativity.
There are many stories to tell in Elite Dangerous. Image of Skoomer.
In December of this year, there was an update that further improved Elite Dangerous. You can read more about it in this article:
According to sources, the huge MMO company Nexon from South Korea is up for sale. Potential buyers include Electronic Arts (FIFA, Battlefield), Kakao (Black Desert), and Chinese giant Tencent (LoL). The deal is estimated to be around 9 billion US dollars.
In 2012, there were rumors that the Korean giant Nexon might buy Electronic Arts (via golem). Now, there are opposite rumors: Nexon is allegedly up for sale and Electronic Arts is one of the few companies that might be interested in purchasing.
It’s about almost 9 billion US dollars
New rumors say: According to Reuters, Nexon founder Kin Jung-ju plans to sell his shares in the company. Reuters refers to the report of a Korean business magazine.
Kim Jung-ju’s shares, along with those of his wife and his personal company, are said to amount to 98.64% of Nexon and be worth approximately 8.9 billion dollars. With such a high sum, the pool of potential buyers is thin.
The Deutsche Bank and Morgan Stanley have been entrusted with the execution of the deal.
Potential buyers include:
Kakao Corp, the Korean publisher behind Black Desert
According to MMOCulture, the rumor is causing a stir in Korea. There are concerns that the largest Korean publisher could fall into the hands of foreign companies.
Why is he allegedly selling everything? Allegedly, Kim Jung-ju is tired and exhausted from increasing regulations and a lawsuit he faced for allegedly bribing a prosecutor (via Kotaku.) However, he has since been acquitted of the charges.
There are reports that Kim Jung-ju had already announced in 2018 that he did not want to pass the company Nexon on to his children (via Investor).
Nexon has not yet made an official statement regarding the rumor. It is said that they are preparing a public announcement, which may still take a few days.
Kim Jung-ju
This is the company in question: Nexon is a South Korean-Japanese publisher of video games. The company was founded in 1994 in Seoul by Kim Jung-ju (now 50) and Jake Song. However, Song left the company quickly, later developing the MMORPG Lineage for NCSoft and then ArcheAge.
Some of the most well-known games published by Nexon include:
MapleStory and MapleStory 2 – MMORPGs with a cuddly look
The new free games on PSN are now available and can be downloaded. You can get these games for free for PlayStation 4 (PS4) if you have a PS Plus subscription.
With a slight delay of two days, the new PS Plus games are now online and you can add them to your library immediately.
These are the PS Plus games for PlayStation 4: For gamers on PS4, there are the following free titles:
Steep
Portal Knights
There is now also an interesting offer for those who are considering renewing their PS Plus subscription or want to subscribe again.
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What is Steep? Steep is an open-world sports simulator from Ubisoft. Players are immersed in the snowy world of the Alps, where they can climb the mighty mountains. How you make your way down is entirely up to you. You can choose between classic skiing, snowboarding, paragliding, and wingsuits.
You can watch Steep gameplay here:
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Who is this game for? The sports simulator offers extreme winter sports enthusiasts a vast snowy area to enjoy. The high speed of the wingsuits or snowboarding conveys the feel of extreme sports quite well. The game succeeds in simulating the feeling of being on a mountain appropriately.
You can also perform tricks and stunts during your quick descent from the mountain, although not to the same extent as seen in Tony Hawk. If you also enjoy exploring an open world with friends, you can do that in Steep. The game offers a co-op mode.
The fun that Steep provides is, however, short-lived and you should not expect a deep game experience here.
What is Portal Knights? A cute action RPG that can be played both solo and in co-op mode for two to four players. The gameplay of Portal Knights is simple: You create a character, choose your class, and start playing. Complete quests alone or with friends, level up, or build and design your own island.
The 3D sandbox world of Portal Knights regularly receives new content in the form of quests, bosses, and gear. You can watch gameplay of the game here:
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Who is Portal Knights for? Fans of games like Trove or Minecraft, who especially enjoyed the social aspects, will also have fun with Portal Knights. If you enjoy collecting resources and building in colorful RPGs, then you can express your creativity here, especially in designing your own home, your personal island.
The focus of the game is primarily on co-op mode. The couch multiplayer, designed for two players, is perfect for playing with younger siblings or children. The controls are easy and the gameplay is simple to understand.
PlayStation Plus in January 2019: The entire line-up of games
Here are all the games available for free on PS Plus in January:
Steep (PS4)
Portal Knights (PS4)
Zone of the Enders HD Collection (PS3)
Amplitude (PS3)
Fallen Legion: Flames of Rebellion (PS Vita, Cross Buy with PS4)
Super Mutant Alien Assault (PS Vita)
How to get the free games?
At the beginning of each month, Sony makes several of their PlayStation games available for free to all PS Plus subscribers. These games can be downloaded directly from the PS Store and will then be added to your game library. PlayStation Plus costs about 60€ per year.
After the subscription expires, the games will remain in the library, but cannot be started until a new subscription is purchased.
There is currently more happening in the PSN store:
More than 18,000 Overwatch players in South Korea have been punished for toxic behavior.
A new year begins with good resolutions and in Overwatch by Blizzard, this is clearly the intention to create a more peaceful and friendly gaming community. Many players in South Korea have now experienced this, as they will not be able to play for a while in 2019. More than 18,000 players have been punished.
What happened? Blizzard has released a list of 18,188 players from South Korea in the official forum who have either been temporarily sanctioned or permanently banned.
As is customary in South Korea, the names of banned or sanctioned players are made public and can be viewed by everyone. This is quite normal in South Korea, whereas it does not happen in the West. Here, players are usually only informed personally.
What were the players punished for? The primary reason for the punishments was not cheating or dishonesty, but the toxicity of the players, such as:
being afk during the game
intentional throwing
offensive chat
harassment
Harsh penalties also for us? It is unclear whether many players in Europe and America have been subjected to account penalties as well. After all, lists of banned players are not published here, and penalties are only quietly pronounced.
However, it can be assumed that bans also occur regularly and in larger waves in regions outside Asia.
Blizzard is working on the community: Especially in Overwatch, the behavior of some players can often be a problem that can greatly spoil the fun for everyone else. Therefore, the developers are working hard on better systems to filter out toxic players. Just last year, an improved reporting system was introduced, and positive rewards through endorsements were implemented at the same time.
In Fortnite, developer Epic did not end the event “The 14 Days of Fortnite” as previously announced. As compensation, everyone who participated in the event will receive the glider from Day 14. Some players wished for a different response.
These were the “14 Days of Fortnite”: In Fortnite, the event “14 Days Fortnite”, the big Christmas and New Year event, took place. For fourteen days until the afternoon of January 2nd, players could complete special challenges in Fortnite and receive a reward each day.
Additionally, there were rotating game modes and special skins in the shop. The patch rhythm was also slightly different. Updates suddenly came on Saturday or Sunday – the next one is now back to the normal Tuesday schedule.
Here was the mistake: It’s about the exact end date of the event. The culprit is Epic designer David Spazinski. Two weeks ago, someone asked on reddit: “How long will the rewards be available? Can we still receive them after the 14 days are over?”
In response, Spazinski stated: Even if all 14 days were completed, there would still be “a few days” to finish the challenges. If he remembers correctly, the rewards would be available until January 3rd or 4th.
This is how it really was: With the end of the last challenge, on January 2nd at 3:00 PM, the event was definitely over. The challenges had disappeared and could no longer be redeemed.
The one or two bonus days that Spazinski had promised did not happen.
On reddit, a post quickly appeared that highlighted Spazinski’s mistake with the headline “So that was a damn lie.”
This is how Epic is responding now: The developers of Fortnite, Epic, apologize for miscommunicating the end date of “14 Days of Fortnite”.
As a compensation, they are gifting the “Equalizer Glider” to every player who completed any challenge of the event.
This is how players are responding: There are some complaints. Players would have liked to get the “Disco Wrap” for New Year’s: the reward for Day 13. Some thought they could complete all the missing challenges one or two days later when they are not caught up in the holiday chaos. But that chance is gone.
Some players would have preferred if Epic had simply extended the event instead of giving out the glider.
Anyone who decides to start a family has to make compromises with hobbies. This can become especially difficult with MMORPGs. Here, a change of mindset is necessary to continue having fun.
Playing as part of youth life
Ah, how I used to play all night long.
I took my first steps in the MMORPG genre in 1997, when Ultima Online was released. As a fan of the Ultima series, I simply had to play the online version. However, at that time, it was anything but easy. Because there were no internet flat rates yet, and when the monthly phone bill came, I would sweat through one or another T-shirt, fearing that I was once again over budget.
There were also technical issues with the telephone system. Although we already had an ISDN line, our telephone system would always disconnect me when someone called.
Nevertheless, I played as much as I could. Everquest joined in 1999. However, that same year I also met my future wife. Gaming took a back seat. However, my wife is also an avid gamer, which allowed us to enjoy our hobby together. Especially Diablo 2 was played extensively online.
How job and family change everything
In 2003, I received the offer to take up an internship at Computec Verlag. So I had myself trained as an editor. The advantage was that I had to “play” a lot of games, including many MMORPGs.
In 2004, my first daughter was born. And suddenly, everything changed.
People often say that life turns 180 degrees with the birth of a child and then think: “Yeah, right. Just talk. That won’t happen to me!” But exactly this radical change that everyone talks about has occurred. And in many ways.
While I previously thought less about my future and perhaps wasn’t the most responsible person in the world, friends and family didn’t recognize me after the birth of my daughter.
A child means a lot of work that a father cannot just shift onto the mother. And a child requires a lot of attention. So gaming took a back seat, as the little one needed to be occupied, and there was less and less time left for gaming.
At work, I was also unable to work as many overtime hours, much to the chagrin of the bosses. In 2008, my second daughter was born, and in 2011, the third. And each time, another person comes into life who needs time and attention and whom one must care for. It’s a balancing act to get family, work, and leisure under one roof.
And yet it is still important for me to play. It’s a part of me that I don’t want to give up. However, the days when I spent every minute of free time at the computer in other worlds are over. Nevertheless, there is still time for gaming. This time must be used wisely.
Hours-long raids, which used to be the order of the day in World of Warcraft, have become rare and need to be planned carefully – and even then, something often gets in the way. Trying to become the most powerful player on the server or at least keep up with other players has become basically impossible.
Of course, one might buy certain boosters in in-game shops, but as a family man, I ask myself whether I could spend the money somehow more wisely. For example, on a trip to the movies, which nowadays costs quite a bit for a family of five.
Nevertheless, I still play MMORPGs. However, differently than before. It is no longer important for me to try to keep up with other players. I no longer go after all set items, I don’t like grinding, or try to analyze the game mechanics to get the best build. I play at my own pace.
You have to find your own fun
It’s about having as much fun as possible in the time I can spend in an MMO. And for me, this usually happens through the story and through quests. And by exploring the game world.
I’m particularly grateful to the developers who also incorporate shorter quests into an online game. Missions that can be completed quickly in 15 minutes. Of course, I still play longer quests.
It’s precisely the opportunity to quickly accomplish something in between and enjoy a sense of accomplishment that makes an MMO attractive to me. While others may not find this as appealing, I’m glad that more and more developers are offering content for players like me.
I still have a great time in online role-playing games and enjoy trying out new titles.
If I get the job to test an MMORPG, I particularly enjoy that time because then I have to play that game more intensively. It brings back memories of earlier times.
However, generally in my free time, it has changed significantly due to work and family how I play. Shorter gaming sessions are necessary, which should be as exciting as possible and in which I can enjoy a sense of achievement despite the short time.
Some may find that a pity, but I have come to terms with it and think it is good this way. One does change over time, and other things find their way into life that one has to take care of as well. The gaming industry has recognized this as well and offers appropriate content for players with less time.
I’m glad that I can still pursue my hobby in my own way. And that’s the good thing about computer games and, in this case, online games. You often have the opportunity to enjoy the games in your very own way.
The Azerite traits in World of Warcraft cause problems for some players. Sometimes they simply stop working.
Azerite traits are the great strengths that are found on certain items in World of Warcraft. There are numerous traits that can be unlocked on chest, shoulder, and head armor. They provide more damage, stronger healing, or better survivability – but they don’t always work.
What happened? On Reddit, the user ChewpRL mentioned that he was quite disappointed with his damage during a G’huun kill. After some research, he found out that it was because his Azerite traits weren’t working. He made sure that he had the Heart of Azeroth equipped and that the traits were activated – but in combat, many effects did not trigger.
Multiple players confirm the issue: Following the description, more players reported the same issue, stating that sometimes traits or even all of them would not work in certain situations or fights. The problem is therefore not an isolated case, but affects several players.
How can the problem be fixed? Currently, there are several “workarounds” to eliminate the issues with the traits. Some players recommend logging out and back in. Others claim that after removing and re-equipping the affected armor pieces, the bonuses become active again.
Bug generates mockery: As is currently common, the bug primarily leads to nasty and cynical comments. The problem is referred to as “Next Level RNG” or decorated with meme quotes like “You just don’t need to balance traits when they don’t work at all.”
A final fix for the problem can only come when Blizzard releases a corresponding patch for World of Warcraft. So far, the developers have not commented on this.
There are new raid bosses in Pokémon GO. In line with the new egg event, Niantic has also released new raid bosses for the arenas.
After the Christmas event ended, the raid bosses also disappeared. Now, a new wave of bosses brings fresh air to the arenas. This is also related to the new egg event.
We show you a list of the current raid bosses and tell you how to defeat the Pokémon.
These are the new raid bosses in Pokémon GO
On Reddit, various players have compiled the new raid bosses and created a list. This is based on player observations. You can also see how many players are needed to defeat the respective bosses.
Which raid bosses are there? The opponents are a colorful mix of all types. None of the bosses are making their arena debut. However, some Pokémon that have not been raid bosses for a long time are making a return.
The Pokémon marked with an asterisk can appear to you as shiny.
The current raid bosses at level 1 / Tier 1
Sheinux*
Wailmer*
Karpador*
Bamelin
Makuhita*
The current raid bosses at level 2 / Tier 2
Sandamer
Kapilz
Flunkifer*
Tyracroc
The current raid bosses at level 3 / Tier 3
Starmie
Counter: Raikou with Thunder Shock and Thunderbolt
Counter: Elevoltek with Thunder Shock and Thunderbolt
Counter: Gengar with Lick and Shadow Ball
Tohaido
Counter: Machomei with Counter and Dynamic Punch
Counter: Raikou with Thunder Shock and Thunderbolt
Counter: Elevoltek with Thunder Shock and Thunderbolt
Machomei
Counter: Mewtwo with Confusion and Psychic or Psycho Cut and Shadow Ball
Counter: Rayquaza with Air Slash and Aerial Ace
Counter: Lugia with Extrasensory and Aeroblast or Sky Attack
Alola Raichu*
Counter: Mewtwo with Psycho Cut or Confusion and Shadow Ball
Counter: Despotar with Bite and Crunch
Counter: Hundemon with Outrage and Leer
Donphan
Counter: Kyogre with Waterfall and Hydro Pump
Counter: Roserade with Razor Leaf and Solar Beam
Counter: Gyarados with Waterfall and Hydro Pump
The current raid bosses at level 4 / Tier 4
Rizeros
Counter: Kyogre with Waterfall and Hydro Pump
Counter: Roserade with Razor Leaf and Solar Beam
Counter: Gyarados with Waterfall and Hydro Pump
Geowaz
Counter: Kyogre with Waterfall and Hydro Pump
Counter: Roserade with Razor Leaf and Solar Beam
Counter: Gyarados with Waterfall and Hydro Pump
Despotar
Counter: Machomei with Counter and Dynamic Punch
Counter: Hariyama with Counter and Dynamic Punch
Counter: Kapilz with Counter and Dynamic Punch
Alola-Knogga*
Counter: Gengar with Dark Claw or Lick and Shadow Ball
This boss is still missing: Many players are not satisfied with the new raid bosses. Especially missing, for the umpteenth time, Absol as a raid boss. This Pokémon can only be obtained from raids. As long as it is not available in raids, it cannot be caught by any player.
How long will the bosses stay? Normally, the raid bosses change at the end of an event or when a legendary Pokémon leaves the arenas. The egg event ends on January 15, just like the current legendary raid boss Heatran. One can therefore assume that there will be new raid bosses then.
All information about the current event in Pokémon GO can be found here:
The Boombox is new in Fortnite, but already it is becoming a powerful weapon in combination with the airplane.
What is the killer combo? The new Boombox is causing quite a stir. When used in conjunction with the X4 Stormwing airplane, it becomes an overpowering weapon. The combination blows away player structures with ease.
Many players find this combination too exaggerated and that Epic Games should stop this combo in Fortnite.
How powerful is the new Boombox
What can the Boombox do? The sound system works using sound waves. It emits these waves and can destroy the structures of opponents. It doesn’t sound that dangerous.
How does it become so strong? A video recently surfaced on Reddit showing how this Boombox can be used effectively. If you place the Boombox on an airplane and take off, the sound system flies with it.
When you fly your airplane close to enemy structures, the Boombox destroys them with ease.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agMxD8_4JHg
What is the problem? Usually, the Boombox has to be placed somewhere to function. But together with the airplane, it becomes portable and can quickly disrupt opponents and destroy their cover.
What is Epic doing?
Since then, players take more damage when sitting in an airplane that explodes.
Will Epic make adjustments? It can be assumed that Epic will make some changes. The player community wants to spread this video as quickly as possible to get attention and complain.
The criticism of the Boombox was already a thorn in the side of many professionals even before this video was released. eSports professional TSM_Myth stated that Epic is trolling with this weapon. The outcry will likely be even greater after this video.
Twitch star Ninja has revealed how much money he made with Fortnite in 2018:
The Destiny franchise is often criticized for having easy fights and missions. However, throughout the history of the series, there have been several tough encounters that Guardians have struggled with. We present 8 of the hardest battles. At the end of the article, you will be asked.
In Destiny 2 and its predecessor, it’s all about kicking nasty aliens in the behind and then looting some great loot. Especially in the endgame, the franchise’s history includes some really tough boss fights that have given many Guardians nightmares.
Before we look at the contenders for the hardest fights, we should first define what difficult really means!
Crota, the son of Oryx
What does “difficult” actually mean in Destiny? Destiny and Destiny 2 allow each player to define the difficulty of an activity themselves. This is possible in several ways:
You can use worse equipment, thus imposing a level penalty on yourself
Activities designed for groups can be approached solo
The mechanics of the activities are not known
Certain activities allow you to select the desired difficulty level
However, that’s not what this is about. We are looking at fights and activities that were extraordinarily difficult at release, whether due to certain modifications or game-imposed disadvantages for players (such as a level penalty).
Considered tough at launch: Skolas!
We present some candidates for the title of hardest battle in Destiny history. At the end of the article, you’ll have the chance to vote for your favorite.
Destiny 1: The Prison of Elders – Skolas with Arc Burn
The presentation of the Prison went wrong: That the Prison of Elders would not be a walk in the park was already demonstrated by Bungie before the release of the second Destiny expansion, House of Wolves.
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In fact, community manager Deej, developer Matt Sammons, and streamer ProfessorBroman had to capitulate when facing the Arc Burn and Hive enemies, as their coordination was insufficient and the classes were not adequately prepared.
Bungie, however, shot itself in the foot with the highest difficulty level, which involved battling the major boss of the expansion: Skolas.
Skolas was “difficult” in multiple ways: Not only was the final battle above the then max level of 34 (Skolas was designed for level 35), but players also had to defuse mines and manage regularly occurring debuffs. Since the Fallen have a penchant for Arc weapons, Skolas was a true gauntlet when combined with Arc Burn. Many enemies could kill the Guardians with a single hit.
Omnigul, General of Crota
Admittedly, there were ways to trivialize this fight. Those who had a Titan with a shield and the exotic shotgun “The 4th Horseman” could significantly shorten the fight.
However, those who wanted to defeat Skolas in a normal way had to prepare for long hours of frustration. Skolas is still considered by many players to be the hardest fight ever. This is accompanied by criticism of Bungie for allowing the battle to be fought at a level that players couldn’t reach at that time.
The 4th Horseman – the secret weapon against Skolas
How difficult is Skolas today? If you want to relive memories, you can easily conquer the Prison of Elders and Skolas solo today. A small tip: Bring a sword! This blocks the debuff damage from Skolas enough that you can always survive.
Destiny 1: Crota’s End on Hard
How difficult was the son of Oryx: In Destiny 1, the heroic versions of the raids were equipped with new stumbling blocks and were set at a higher level. In the case of Crota, however, Bungie went too far.
The hard mode of Crota was set at a higher level (33), which was above what players could even reach at that time (32). Thus, enemies dealt more damage while Guardians dealt less damage to them.
Those who wanted to finish Crota normally had to proceed with good coordination. In this case, that meant: picking up heavy ammo from enemies or using a corresponding ammo synthesis. Then everything had to go smoothly: the sword bearer had to attack at the right moment and the rockets had to hit perfectly.
How difficult is Crota today? In retrospect, the Crota raid was only a challenge because the enemies were at a higher level. Today, many Guardians (with cheeses) play the raid solo. Due to the shortness of the raid, many players were able to earn the Flawless Raider trophy in Crota.
Destiny 1: Omnigul with Arc Burn and Light Switch
Why the witch was a true nightmare: The Omnigul strike polarized like no other in Destiny 1. It undoubtedly featured the most enemies in a strike, and Guardians had to deal with dozens of enemy waves. Omnigul’s scream only added to the chaos.
The strike became particularly exciting in its Nightfall variant with the modifiers Arc Burn and Light Switch. The witch dealt Arc damage, which could vaporize Guardians in an instant. The thrall and shank could quickly flatten you thanks to Light Switch, which significantly increased the melee damage of your enemies.
To ensure that the Hive wouldn’t wipe the floor with the Guardians immediately, players approached the boss fight with utmost caution. Entering the boss room was seen as a death sentence; Omnigul was picked off from a safe distance. However, even outside the arena, we had to deal with thrall, reckless knights, and shanks.
How difficult is the Omnigul strike today? The strike itself is fun; fighting against Omnigul is particularly challenging in the SIVA variant and demanding, but no longer as “unfair” as it was back then.
Destiny 1: The Abysmal Eye with Void Burn
Why was the strike so difficult? The strike particularly caused headaches during the boss fight. Introduced with the Rise of Iron expansion, the Abysmal Eye quickly became known as a tough nut to crack.
Combined with Void Burn, the boss fight turned into a true nightmare. Trapped in a small arena, a continuous beam of Void light and a relentless ogre kept Guardians on their toes.
The frustration went so far that Guardians preferred to spend minutes looking for a safe spot rather than approaching the fight normally.
How difficult is the Abysmal Eye today? Similar to Omnigul, the strike can still be demanding, but is easily manageable when played cautiously.
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Why the Escalation Protocol was so tough: With the release of the Warmind DLC, Guardians on Mars could try out a new horde mode, the Escalation Protocol. In up to seven waves, a large number of enemies must be eliminated. The final boss in the seventh phase also has weekly changing modifiers.
At the start of the Escalation Protocol, the activity was considered unbeatable. This was due to two reasons:
Players were initially at too low of a level
Even though the activity is designed for up to 9 players, only fireteams of 3 players could land on Mars
Even though Guardians developed strategies over time to allow more players to participate in the event, the protocol was still considered extremely difficult even for 9 players.
How difficult is the Escalation Protocol today? Currently, the activity can be completed with 4-5 players if everyone pulls together. Bungie has also made “farming” the activity easier. Those who successfully complete the protocol can start again in the sixth round.
The Escalation Protocol is still popular today, as it is possible to find the best PvE shotgun in the game, the Ikelos shotgun.
Other tough challenges in Destiny history
What other activities are considered particularly difficult? In addition to the fights presented, there have been more highlights in the history of Destiny that are considered particularly hard to master:
The Fallen Saber’s War Satellite with Arc Burn: While the strike with the Arc Burn was already considered difficult, defending the war satellite at the start of the activity was a true hellride. The section was so tough that Guardians glitched under the map to avoid enemies on the surface.
The Fallen Saber
The mission “Embrace of Fear” in Destiny 1: Those who wanted to own the exotic scout rifle “Malevolent Touch” had a tough road to travel with this modified story mission. During the boss fight, you had to deal with poisoned ground, a multitude of enemies, and an annoying final boss.
The Exodus Crash strike: The strike is rightly considered one of the least popular activities in Destiny 2. The final battle is tough, as Guardians have to deal with numerous exploding shanks. To make matters worse, the boss often teleports out of the arena, preventing any meaningful damage phases. Additionally, the boss is partially invisible.
Why are there so few difficult activities in Destiny 2? Bungie has removed two of the essential factors from Destiny 1 in the sequel:
Elemental Burn has been significantly weakened and replaced by a lighter “Scorch”
Bungie no longer releases activities that are set at a higher level than players can currently reach.
The changes made with Destiny 2 demonstrate Bungie’s efforts to make Destiny accessible to a broader player base. However, these weakening measures stifle the impulse to complete activities in ways Bungie did not intend.
A strike boss in Destiny 2
Thus, particularly Nightfall strikes have become games of patience, as there was a great fear of being sent back to orbit as soon as all Guardians fell. This playstyle has been successfully halted by Bungie with Destiny 2.
Now it’s your turn: What activity represents the epitome of a nightmare for you? Which fight still gives you sweat? Vote in the following poll. Each participant has one vote.
Do you miss a brutally hard encounter from Destiny or Destiny 2? Let us know in the comments!
