Overwatch: Yay, we can see Jeff Kaplan by the fireplace again

A Overwatch tradition continues. Once again this year, Jeff Kaplan sits in front of the fireplace – but this time he is quite active!

When Jeff Kaplan, the Game Director of Overwatch, hosted a livestream in front of a fireplace last Christmas, where he simply sat quietly for hours, it was a huge hit. For this reason, the tradition has been repeated, allowing us to watch Jeff Kaplan again in 2018 – but this time he has guests.

More activity in front of the fireplace: Unlike the previous year, the “Overwatch Yule Log” this time is significantly more active than it was in 2017. This time, Kaplan is not only enjoying the evening motionless, but he also receives visitors and switches places with other people. Among those present is Matt Mercer, who provides the voice for McCree in the English version. Charlett Chung, who lends her voice to D.Va, also makes an appearance in front of the fire.

Overwatch Yule Log Matt Mercer

Kaplan addresses community memes: Although most of the stream proceeds “quietly” again, there are small highlights. For example, midway through the stream, Kaplan receives a call from Blizzard’s Lead Software Engineer, Bill Warnecke. He proudly explains that he received the “Play of the Game” and 4 gold medals, and Kaplan confirms that this is “very important and significant” – although that is not really true.

When Bill then reports that he lost his skill rating and rank, Kaplan admits, “Yes, that’s obviously my fault” as a nod to the fact that community members often write “Thank you, Jeff” when something goes wrong in the game.

Recommended editorial content

At this point you will find external content from Twitch that complements the article.

I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms. Read more about our privacy policy.
Link to the Twitch content

At the end of the “phone call,” Kaplan even references one of the popular fan songs. He says:

“Oh, you were Reaper? Yeah, you should have chosen Mercy. You should have been some support.”

This is basically a direct quote from the fan song “No Mercy”:

Recommended editorial content

At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.

I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms. Read more about our privacy policy.
Link to the YouTube content

At another point, he says, “What? No milk? There’s no milk?”, before he sighs and remarks, “Well, it’s just a small indie studio…” and goes to get the milk.

Free loot boxes: Those who log into Overwatch also receive a bit of Christmas flair. The developers are giving away 5 loot boxes to everyone who logs in over the coming days.

You can watch the full 8-hour stream here:

Recommended editorial content

At this point you will find external content from Twitch that complements the article.

I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms. Read more about our privacy policy.
Link to the Twitch content

What do you think of this “Yule Log”? A funny, entertaining affair that provides nice “background noise”? Or is it rather silly?

More on the topic
Overwatch: Reaper just wants cookies, but Tracer is so mean to him
von Cortyn
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. dexerto.com

Although many curse Atlas, it sells really well on Steam

The new MMO “Atlas” is heavily criticized. Nevertheless, the sales figures on Steam and the viewer numbers on Twitch are excellent. The new MMO seems to have real hit potential.

Here’s how harshly Atlas is criticized: Since the launch of Atlas, the MMO has faced some criticism – even many of the positive reviews on Steam were meant to be sarcastic. The main point of criticism is that many see the game as just a “reskin of ARK Survival Evolved”, the developers’ previous game.

The criticism has become louder, after a hidden ARK menu was found within the game. Additionally, the performance, the graphics, and difficulties in logging into the game are criticized.

Currently, Atlas has 10181 reviews on Steam, which are “mostly negative”. Only 24% are positive.

atlas-lachen

So successful is Atlas though: One could think, with all the negative voices, that the game is doing poorly, but the numbers on Twitch and Steam tell a different story.

  • On Steam, Atlas is currently the top seller.
Steam-Top-Seller
  • Additionally, according to Steam-charts, it has been among the 15 most played games on Steam in the first days. Currently at 13.
  • At the moment, Atlas is number #2 on Twitch, just behind Fortnite and ahead of League of Legends and Dota 2.
Twitch-Hits

What do people who really like Atlas say? If you follow the Discord and comments on MeinMMO, you can see that Atlas has some core fans who see a lot of good in the game. They have no problem with Atlas being so close to ARK. For $20, buying an Ark 2.0 with pirate flair is okay for these fans.

  • As MeinMMO reader Sunface says: “I’m glad I got it for 20 euros […] I find it rather good than bad that it’s a reskin of ARK.”
  • Denis Hock says: “I’m thrilled with Atlas, but they completely messed up the launch. However, the game offers so much cool content. It is really complex. Especially sailing over water with your crew is something epic. It is an ARK 2.0 but with many innovations and improvements.”
  • Dave says: “All the bad reviews are mainly from false expectations. Atlas includes assets from ARK. Oh wow, you wouldn’t have expected that from a small developer like Wildcard.”
Atlas Screenshot 1

Why is Atlas so successful? Surely the timing of the release is cleverly chosen. At Christmas, no new games are released, and Atlas has almost completely captured the public eye during the Christmas period.

The idea of allowing streamers to play the open-world game exclusively for a few hours prior to launch attracted top streamers like Summit1g or Lirik. Although they didn’t like it, the game managed to get into the spotlight of thousands.

The core concept of Atlas, exploring and conquering a world, is a niche that offers its appeal to fans, which others often find difficult to grasp. ARK was also a game that people either loved or couldn’t get into at all.

Obviously, Atlas is also an ARK 2.0 in this respect

More on the topic
Atlas: Launch has already been postponed 2 times – What’s going on with the new MMO?
von Schuhmann
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Gifts are now in Fortnite – Here’s how to find and use them

In Fortnite, a small update was released on Sunday. This brought the gifts. Here’s how you can find them and use the gifts to your advantage in Fortnite.

This was included in the mini-patch: On Sunday, Content Update #1 for Patch 7.10 was released. Two more content updates are expected to follow over the holidays.

Sunday is usually not a patch day, but during Christmas and during the “14 Days” event, everything is different in Fortnite.

The main content of the patch on Sunday was the new “gifts” for Fortnite: Battle Royale.

Where to find the gifts? The gifts are consumables that can drop from treasure chests or supply drops. The patch notes also state that they can simply appear on the ground.

fortnite-burger-event-titel-01

How to use gifts: Once you have a gift, you can throw it like a portable fortress. A gift package will then appear. This creates a unique square instant room with four walls, a roof, and a floor. The walls have 450 hit points, and it takes 4 hits to break them.

If you break a wall and enter the gift, you can collect loot from the ground.

Recommended editorial content

At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.

I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms. Read more about our privacy policy.
Link to the YouTube content

What’s in such a gift? Each gift always contains a legendary weapon or another legendary item. These are the strongest items in Fortnite: Battle Royale. There are also additional items included.

We have embedded a video above where a YouTuber opens 3 gift boxes in a row, and he finds:

  • a heavy sniper rifle
  • a portable fortress
  • a legendary sniper rifle with infrared scope
  • and a legendary assault rifle with infrared scope

He would be really well-equipped for a fight.

Fortnite-Getaway

This is how players use gifts for kills: A streamer has developed a particularly creative method of using the gifts to their advantage.

He recommends using a gift as a trap room in close combat to capture players and quickly rig the walls with traps. The walls already have 450 hit points, and enemies can hardly escape the room.

Pretty elaborate for a kill, but it’s a creative use of a gift.

Recommended editorial content

At this point you will find external content from Streamable that complements the article.

I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms. Read more about our privacy policy.
Link to the Streamable content

More info about Fortnite and what’s going on during Christmas:

More on the topic
Fortnite: Damn, this mode has got me for sure
von Schuhmann
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. forbes
  2. dexerto

Das haben wir für Weihnachten und das nächste Jahr geplant

Our chief editor Schuhmann looks back at the year in the “Greetings from the Editorial Team” for Christmas 2018, presents what we have planned for Christmas at MeinMMO, and gives an insight into our plans for 2019.

Here we stand right now: When I talk to people at the end of the year, I constantly hear: “The year went by so quickly.”

I don’t have that impression at all.

I feel like since we in the editorial team discussed in January 2018 how to approach Monster Hunter World, at least 7 years have passed or even more.

Monster-Hunter-World-Wildexperting-Bine

Authors who joined MeinMMO in February, like Tarek, Micha or Sven, are now an integral part of the site and hardly imaginable without them.

We have fought many battles this year, faced stressful releases, tried out new ideas, and achieved a lot.

Not everything went smoothly. When you step on the gas, you also have to be able to improvise and sometimes risk flying off the curve. But you also reach the finish line and have a lot of fun doing it.

And even though everything went so quickly, looking back, the year feels somehow relaxed and organized.

Max-EGX
Important appointment for MeinMMO chief Dawid and author Leya: The EGX 2018 in Berlin

In a world that is becoming faster due to Google, YouTube, Facebook, Reddit, and various shitstorms, we want to be a constant for you, our readers, at MeinMMO.

We want to keep you updated on your games and offer you a cozy place to discuss what’s happening in the gaming world at eye level and with respect.

Irie
Our community manager: Irina Moritz

This is new now: The last time we heard from you was in September. There we introduced you to Irina Moritz as our new community manager. Irina has since spearheaded the “Discord” project.

There you can now find our authors and over 1000 registered users to talk with them in real time about anything and everything. This was one of the big requests from you, the community. We are glad we were able to fulfill it in 2018.

More on the topic
We invite you to our new Discord server
von Irina Moritz

In September, we were already excited that the release of Destiny 2 Forsaken could make September a record month for MeinMMO. That was indeed the case for September, but then October and November were even better.

In November, we were even the largest gaming site in Germany in terms of reached users (via meedia.de).

Thanks to our success, we can now offer you even more and more current news and even give away really cool fan packages like the latest for Destiny, that surely every Guardian is interested in.

Destiny 2 Forsaken TS 12

Thanks to all the readers who made this possible. Many of you support our site by leaving the ad blocker off and helping us ensure that we can pay our authors. We all really appreciate that here at MeinMMO.

The newest author we were able to hire thanks to your support is Noah Struthoff. This is what Noah says about himself:

I have been part of the MeinMMO team since September and initially only wrote about Pokémon GO. Now I also take care of the gaming news in the evening. When I’m not writing, I like to play Pokémon GO myself or scream my soul out in German football stadiums.

Noah-Struthoff
Noah

Christmas at MeinMMO will be “Special”

This is the plan for Christmas: We spent the last few days preparing special articles for Christmas. The site will surely look a little different next week than usual: a little more personal, a little cozier, a little more special. We hope you like it.

In addition, however, we will have several authors available every day to continue supplying you with the latest news from the community and the games. That will stay like always.

But don’t worry, we have set it up so that the authors can also take a breather and spend time with their families.

Anthem Video title

A Look at the “New” MeinMMO

This is how we will continue in 2019: We have already made some plans for 2019. We envision a new homepage that is more user-friendly and clearer. It should adapt to the fact that many more articles are being published per day today than in the early years of MeinMMO.

With the new homepage, we want to ensure that no one misses a news item that interests them.

Neues-MeinMMO
This is what the new “MeinMMO” might look like for you in 2019.

Later, we plan to introduce a new comment system.

We also want to offer you even more opportunities to participate here beyond comments, user reviews, and Discord, to discuss and be part of a really cool community.

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. And feel free to stop by MeinMMO during the holidays. It will be worth it.

More on the topic
My-MMO.de: The Story So Far
von Schuhmann
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Fortnite: Here’s how you can thank the bus driver on PC, PS4, and mobile

In Fortnite, you can thank the bus driver on PC, PS4, mobile, and Xbox One. We explain how you can thank him.

What’s new? Fortnite players petitioned to express their gratitude to the bus driver. At the beginning of a Fortnite match, players travel across the map in the bus. Now you can thank the bus driver, and it’s quite simple.

How to thank the bus driver in Fortnite?

  •  As long as you are on the bus, you can thank the Fortnite bus driver for his services on PC by pressing the “B” key.
  • Console players on PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One simply press down on the D-pad.
  • Mobile players can press the emote button at the top right of their screen to thank the driver.
    Fortnite-woche-10-ringe-05

That’s why players can thank the bus driver: Players started a petition at Fortnite that should give them the opportunity to express their appreciation to the battle bus driver. Typical Epic: Their wish was granted! Now you can thank the bus driver.

Fortnite players have made some of the wildest requests to the developer Epic. In fact, some of the most outrageous skins are adaptations of ideas from the community (including the Durr Burger skin). One of the most absurd actions was a petition to appreciate the battle bus driver. And Epic answered the petition.

The petition was successful: Specifically, players wanted a way to show respect to the bus driver (or pilot?). After all, this unknown person ensures that millions of players can land safely on the map of Fortnite: Battle Royale (most of the time).

Even though the petition that started in July has since disappeared from Change.org, Epic took the request to heart and integrated a way to express thanks to the bus driver in patch 5.30.

Fortnite-Oblivion-Titel

This action is even displayed in the game’s kill feed at the bottom left: [Player] thanks the bus driver! So the next time you play a round of Fortnite: Battle Royale, be sure to show some respect to the bus driver.

After all, this good man (or woman – no one knows) has to deal with deafening noise all day long, not to mention the 100 sweaty players cramped in that little bus.

What do you think of the action? 

Have you seen? Epic has also immortalized one of the most dramatic rescue missions in the game!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. PCGamesN

Black Ops 4: Zombies are back, but the Xbox One X crashes

In Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Treyarch has prepared something special for Christmas: Zombies with hats. However, players would prefer bonus EXP for the holidays and a fix for issues on the Xbox One X.

Here was the announcement: Last Friday, developer Treyarch tweeted:

It is cold in the world of Blackout – Where have all the zombies gone? Are they dead again? Or are they planning something special for Christmas?

Then the zombies actually disappeared for a few days with the update on December 21. Players were puzzling: What does Treyarch have planned for a special feature?

Black Ops 4 Level

Here’s what happened for Christmas: Just in time for Christmas, on December 24, the zombies returned to Blackout. However, they changed a bit; now they wear holiday hats. But they still aren’t very cuddly, as they still want brains. That probably will never change.

As the site Dualshockers reports, there is also a new spawn point for the zombies in Black Ops 4: Blackout. They now spawn at the farm below the Firing Range.

blackout-weihnachten

Here are the bonuses for the week after Christmas: Over the weekend, Black Ops 4 will be offering the following bonuses starting December 28:

  • double EXP for Multiplayer and Zombies
  • double weapon EXP in Multiplayer and Zombies
  • double merits in Blackout.

This is active until January 1 in the evening our time.

More on the topic
How Black Ops 4 wants to solve its armor problem with the new update
von Sven Galitzki

Fix Xbox One X for Christmas please

This is how players are reacting: On reddit, the patch is being discussed. However, the biggest topic there is not the zombies, but the bonus EXP. They probably wished that it had already been flowing over Christmas and not just during the weekend after.

Players are also concerned about a bug on the Xbox One X. For the past few days, there has been a glitch that makes Blackout practically unplayable on the Xbox One X. The bug persistently crashes the game when only 15 players or fewer are alive in Blackout mode.

The bug has been occurring since the new update “Absolute Zero” was released last week for Black Ops 4 on PC and Xbox One (via Dexerto). The crash is driving players on the Xbox One X to the brink of despair.

There are some comments like, “How about a fix for this by Christmas, Treyarch?”

More on the topic
Black Ops 4: Place, Bello – Player Tricks Annoying Attack Dog
von Sven Galitzki
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

This cat is worse than any raid boss!

Hours of wipes, nasty bugs, and annoying co-players can easily ruin a game night. But that is nothing compared to the cat of our author Jürgen, who consistently kills any fun.

The following situation is my daily routine: I’m happily gaming on my PC and enjoying finally managing a tough challenge in Fortnite or pulling off a perfect stealth mission in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.

Suddenly, the screen goes black and the purple lights on the PC go out. I hear a slight tapping from the nearby shelf, from where my cat Cleo suddenly looks at me innocently with her yellow-green eyes.

cat-terror-07
“Khajiit did nothing!”

Why, cat, why?

What just happened? The solution to the PC crash is quickly found. Cleo used the computer as a launching point to reach the shelf.

That in itself wouldn’t be a problem, but unfortunately, my awesome new MeinMMO PC has the power and reset buttons on the top of the case. So the feline steps on them every time she jumps onto the shelf.

The catastrophe repeats itself: And of course, the cat has to eventually come down again, and then the PC is off again in less than an hour. A miserable dilemma that I can only avoid if I randomly catch a glimpse that Cleo is about to jump.

cat-terror-11
Unfortunately, that is a perfect cat staircase.

If I get up quickly enough and step beside the shelf, she jumps onto my shoulder like a witch and from there onto another, lower shelf.

If I overlook Cleo’s jumping wish, suddenly the cat lands beside me on the PC and turns it off again!

The problem with the new PC

Why does the cat even jump on the cabinet? Cleo’s favorite spot in the evening is this stupid shelf next to my workspace. She has regularly gone up there in the evening for a long time and can watch me play and work. She even has a cushion up there that she likes to lie on.

Why does the cat have a resting place on the shelf? You might be wondering why Jürgen is so silly and prepares such a comfortable place for the creature up there. That has to do with the fact that until I got my new PC, this was no problem at all.

cat-terror-08
I’m not giving up my favorite spot!

Because the old computer had the buttons on the front of the panel, and the cat could frolic on the case as much as she wanted.

So at some point, Cleo got used to the fact that the PC is a launching platform, and she is now unimpressed by that. The fact that I experience a complete system crash every time she makes her jumps is of no concern to the cat!

Is there nothing to be done?

How could one solve the problem? So far, not much has helped. Keeping the cat out is not a good idea because she would meow in front of the door all the time and wake my wife up at night. She is a teacher and has to get up very early. So I would both offend the cat and deprive my wife of her sleep (Editor’s note: Note Jürgen’s priority order).

I could build a protective frame around the computer, but I’m lacking the necessary real-life crafting skill. The same goes for an additional shelf on the wall that she could use as a jumping point instead of the computer. With my skills, I’m more likely to tear down the wall.

cat-terror-02
She is unaware of any guilt.

Relocating the shelf is also not possible because it only fits in that spot in my small workspace. And if I move the PC somewhere else, it will sit with the cool glass side against the wall, and I won’t see the purple LEDs anymore. And I love the purple LEDs!

What sometimes works is a warning “Cleo, NO!” when I see her sneaking around the computer. But Cleo has already figured that out, and now she jumps quickly onto the table and from there onto the computer. Usually, I don’t react quickly enough, and the computer shuts down again.

Solution is in sight

So what can I do? Fortunately, the problem should resolve itself soon. No, not by giving the cat to the animal shelter! Rather, I will be moving again in February, and the new room is much better laid out.

Therefore, I should have the computer and the shelf placed far enough apart so that Cleo no longer uses the PC as a launching pad.

cat-terror-01
Fortunately, Cleo’s sister Lizzy is rather averse to climbing and only climbs onto the backrest of the chair.

I just hope she doesn’t find another way to annoy me.

So much for my dilemma with my cat. Do you also have a pet that is lovable but causes you a lot of trouble?

More on the topic
I play this on my phone until the Christmas dinner is ready
von Jürgen Horn
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Fortnite: Ice Skins in the Frost Legends Pack are a sight to behold

In Fortnite, three new “Ice Skins” are available in the game starting today. Many are wondering how to get them. However, the answer might disappoint them. The three special skins are not available through V-Bucks or challenges. You need to reach deep into your wallet for the Frost Legends Pack.

These are the skins: Last night at 1:00 AM, Epic introduced the 3 new Frozen Skins via Twitter.

They are variations of well-known and popular skins in an ice look:

  • First, we have the skin “Raven”, the raven that caused a stir back in April: Frost-Raven
  • Then the Armor Skin, which caused reports of nasty attacks by statues in Fortnite in February: Frost-Love Ranger
  • And the highly coveted “Red Knight” skin: Red Frost Knight

All three skins come with the matching back accessory.

Data miners had already found the skins a while ago, but it wasn’t known how to exactly acquire them in Fortnite. Many players are now seeing the skins on others in matches and are wondering how to get the three, as they are not found in the skin shop.

Frost Legends Pack

So to acquire the Frozen Skins: The news is sobering. The three skins are part of a special pack that can only be purchased for Euros.

For €24.99, you get the “Frost Legends Pack” which includes all 3 skins and their respective back bling.

These are the directly purchasable packs: Besides the item shop where players can spend V-Bucks, Epic has another cash shop where players can reach for their wallets:

Fortnite Packs

What’s in the Fortnite shop today? The highlight of the shop today, December 24th, is the new Krampus skin. He is available as usual for V-Bucks.

Shop Today

If you want to earn V-Bucks without reaching for your wallet right away, we recommend this article:

More on the topic
Fortnite: How to get V-Bucks without buying them in the shop
von Robert Albrecht
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Pokémon GO: Santa crafts gifts for community

The Reddit community of Pokémon-GO is currently excited about one of its members. He has crafted real friendship boxes from the game for his local players. 

What happened? The Reddit user Liucifer had quite the task ahead. To properly celebrate the Pokémon-GO Community Day in December, he decided to make small gifts for the local PoGo players, specifically 150 of them.

pokemon go real gift

“I wanted to make sure I had enough for everyone because the Pogo community from New York City is a wonderful group of people!” he said in the Reddit thread. After he couldn’t distribute all the gifts on the Community Day in December, more will follow in January.

What is inside the gifts? Liucifer put a lot of thought into how to make the gifts as poké-cool as possible. The packaging looks exactly like the friendship boxes that players can send to each other in Pokémon GO.

Such a box contains:

  • Three Lindt chocolate bonbons in red, blue, and yellow, the team colors in Pokémon GO
  • a candy cane
  • a team keychain
  • a random Pokémon card
  • a random Pokémon sticker
  • a message from Professor Willow

The gift boxes were marked with different colors depending on which team keychain was inside. This way, players could choose the gift that matched their own team.

pokemon go gift keychain

Were there any difficulties? Although Liucifer stated that he invested “some hundreds of dollars” into this gift project, money was probably the least of the problems. Since all boxes were made by hand, the bigger challenge was finding the right sizes and colors for them. The “Poké Santa” says:

“It really took a long time to figure out how to make them [the boxes] in the most efficient way possible and with the least amount of paper usage.”

The bottom of the box gave him the most trouble. He went through six or seven different prototype designs before it worked out. Finding the right color paper for it was also not easy.

c1kufssyr2621

What do people on Reddit say about Pokémon GO? The community on Reddit is thrilled with this small action. People in the comments especially praise the generosity and creativity of their fellow player, who invested a lot of time and money into the gifts.

Some players also asked Liucifer for a guide on how to make the boxes so they can create something similar for their Pokémon-GO community.

But the developer Niantic also made a small gift for the players:

Pokémon GO brings Shiny worldwide, which was previously only available in Japan

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

That’s why it takes so long to exit Battlefield V after the match ends

In Battlefield V, it takes an unusually long time to exit the game after a match ends. A DICE employee explains why this is the case. 

What is the problem? Many players complain about the lengthy process of leaving the game after a multiplayer match concludes. In an Ask-Me-Anything thread on Reddit, DICE Producer Jaqub Ajmal was asked about the reason for the long loading and waiting times.

According to Ajmal, it is due to the fundamental function of Battlefield V’s multiplayer, which aims to transition players seamlessly from one match to the next.

Battlefield 5 desert

How does the match system work? Normally, when a match in Battlefield V ends, players are redirected to the menu with the match results, scores, and stats. During this time, the game begins preparing the next round and is already loading the new map.

This process has the highest priority. If a player tries to leave the next match now, they will be ranked lower in priority and will thus have to wait longer before they can exit matchmaking. A quick termination of this loading process is currently unfortunately not possible due to technical limitations.

Battlefield-V-Trailer-02

“It is certainly something we would like to fix in the future,” Ajmal said. “But unfortunately, I cannot give you an approximate date for that at the moment.”

While the developers are tweaking the game, the sales figures for Battlefield V lag behind:

Analyst: This is why Battlefield 5 is disappointing in sales

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

I play this on my phone until the Christmas dinner is ready

The Christmas dinner is one of the highlights of the year, but it takes a long time until it’s ready. Therefore, our author Jürgen has three mobile game recommendations that you can play until the Christmas dinner is finally ready.

With these three games, the waiting time flies by! If you’re not busy cooking or decorating the dining room, you can’t do much before Christmas Eve anyway, unless you want to be in the way of your relatives.

Therefore, it is often a good idea to retreat to a warm corner with a good mobile game and play a few rounds.

IMG-20181221-WA0001

Three Mobile Games for Christmas

I, Jürgen, have prepared the following three games to optimally spend the time until the festive feast.

Fortnite

What is Fortnite? For those who don’t know yet: Fortnite is currently the most popular battle royale game. You jump with 99 other players from a flying bus over an island. There you collect weapons and try to eliminate all other opponents. Along the way, you gather better equipment and build fortifications for protection from found resources.

Fortnite-Mobile
fortnite-mobile-gameplay

Why you should play it: Fortnite is available on almost every platform: PC, consoles, Switch, as well as Android and iOS. Everyone can play together. Also, the same account is used as on the other platforms. So you can easily continue your progress from PC or console on your mobile phone.

Furthermore, the controls and gameplay have been optimally transferred to the touchscreen and offer completely different possibilities. Sniping on the smartphone is rather difficult, but dynamic-offensive gameplay is more rewarded.

More on the topic
Fortnite Mobile in Test: How the Shooter Plays on Mobile
von Robert Albrecht

And then the rounds are usually over in a few minutes. This is ideal when the food is slowly being announced and the family is already giving you dirty looks.

The Elder Scrolls Legends

The Elder Scrolls Legends Title

What is The Elder Scrolls Legends? This is an online collectible card game similar to Hearthstone. Instead of Blizzard’s Warcraft world, the background is Tamriel from the Elder Scrolls games. You play with High Elves, Khajiit, and Dwemer clockwork beings, using among other things the shouts known from Skyrim and dragons.

elder scrolls legends screenshot

Why you should play it: First of all, TES: Legends is ideal for all fans of card games who prefer to play ESO and Skyrim instead of World of Warcraft. Legends is not just Hearthstone with an Elder Scrolls theme. In addition to the usual mechanics in the genre, such as mana (here Magicka) and creatures with attack and life points, there is a unique feature called “Lanes”.

You summon your creatures and many effects into one of these two “play areas”. Therefore, you have to pay even more attention to your tactics, because a strong guardian is useless if your opponent has a strong fighter in the other lane and that breaks through unhindered.

More on the topic
Elder Scrolls Legends – How good is the card game after the relaunch
von Lucas Kaczynski

Due to the affectionate adaptation of Elder Scrolls (especially the music immediately makes your heart soar) and the many tactical possibilities, TES: Legends is an excellent online card game where you can always play a few quick rounds. It’s ideal to bridge the time until the festive feast.

Command & Conquer Rivals

c&c-rivals-01

What is C&C-Rivals? This is an online strategy game that resembles Clash of Clans a bit. You choose between the GDI army or side with the dark sect of the Brotherhood of Nod.

You then start battles against other players and must capture strategic objectives with previously built units so that an atomic missile strikes the enemy base.

C&C-Rivals-04

Why you should play it: C&C-Rivals is incredibly fun. After just a few rounds, it’s hard to put the smartphone down. The mix of strategy just works. Each unit has clear strengths and weaknesses.

For example, a Nod flamethrower tank can easily take out strong infantry units, but it looks weak against a fighter jet. The plane, in turn, doesn’t like it if a rocket launcher team fires at it. The skill in the game lies in anticipating the opponent’s moves and countering them ideally.

C&C-Rivals-01

Additionally, you put together your army from a variety of units before the battle. You can then only build the selected units, which sustainably influences your gameplay. Do you focus more on infantry or prefer massive vehicles? Or do you have a passion for high-tech units and special troops that sometimes require very specific tactics? The options are diverse, and each game plays out differently.

The best part is that rounds in C&C-Rivals are all very short. Ideal for quickly playing a round before serving the feast.

Don’t forget your loved ones

But with all your passion for games, you should always keep one thing in mind: When the food is finally on the table, you should put your smartphone down and spend time with your loved ones. Otherwise, it will definitely cause trouble.

More on the topic
The 10 Best Mobile MMOs and Online Games for Android 2022
von Jürgen Horn
More on the topic
The 10 best mobile MMOs and online games for iPhone and iPad
von Jürgen Horn

The best part is that rounds in C&C-Rivals are all very short. Ideal for quickly playing a round before serving the feast.

Don’t forget your loved ones

But with all your passion for games, you should always keep one thing in mind: When the food is finally on the table, you should put your smartphone down and spend time with your loved ones. Otherwise, it will definitely cause trouble.

More on the topic
The 10 Best Mobile MMOs and Online Games for Android 2022
von Jürgen Horn
More on the topic
The 10 best mobile MMOs and online games for iPhone and iPad
von Jürgen Horn
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

We are giving away a big fan package of Destiny 2 – Here’s how to participate

In keeping with the holiday season and the Winter Celebration in Destiny 2, we at MeinMMO are giving away a large package of various merchandising items. How you, as a Destiny fan, can sweeten the holidays even more, you can find out here.

Destiny 2 is currently in a festive mood. The Dawning event, the winter celebration of Destiny, is currently in full swing. The Tower is dressing up for the occasion and the Guardians must this year show off their baking skills to provide their friends and companions in the game with a nice celebration.

What can you win? In keeping with the winter celebration, MeinMMO now offers you the chance to sweeten your own winter experience around Destiny – through our giveaway. The lucky winner can look forward to a large package of numerous merchandising items that includes the following goodies:

  • 1x “BUNGIE STORE EXCLUSIVE EDITION” Warlock figure (Old Guard Shader, 32cm tall)
    d2 warlock figure
  • 1x Destiny 2: Legendary Collection. This includes the base game along with both Year 1 DLCs and the Forsaken expansion
  • 1x Limited Edition Titan jacket from Insert Coin in size L. The jacket can no longer be purchased.
    Web
  • 1x T-shirt from Insert Coin in size XL
  • 1x Guardian bathrobe
  • 1x Destiny card game, an exclusive set of the Limited Edition Destiny 2: Forsaken Baron Playing Cards
    d2 cards
  • 1x Keychain

Important, what you need to consider: This is a single large prize package. The winner of the giveaway will receive all the listed items.

What are the participation conditions for the Destiny giveaway? To participate in our Destiny giveaway, you must perform at least one action in the window below. The lucky winner will then be contacted by us via email after the end of the giveaway. Good luck and happy looting.

Destiny Merch Package

More on the topic
How to bake in Destiny 2: All recipes and ingredients for the holiday oven
von Sven Galitzki
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

The number of players in PUBG is currently increasing rapidly – What is the reason?

The battle royale shooter PUBG (PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds) has gained players again. And this is not only due to the sale.

What happened? Over the last few months, it was noticeable how the player numbers of PUBG continued to decline. This was partly due to strong competition, as many other games like Fortnite or Black Ops 4 jumped on the battle royale bandwagon. However, this downward trend has now been stopped, and PUBG is back. What are the reasons for this?

PUBG is getting more players on Steam again

How many players does PUBG have now? At the beginning of 2018, PUBG reached a remarkable milestone with over 3.2 million concurrent players. However, since then, it has gone downhill. Since February 2018, PUBG has lost more concurrent players on Steam every month. The peak of 3.2 million in July 2018 dropped to only 1.3 million. In November, there was a significant low with only 895,650 concurrent players at its peak.

However, the statistics from the last 30 days show a positive trend again after the battle royale shooter declined for 11 consecutive months. PUBG currently has an increase of 7.8% compared to the previous period and is now peaking at 1,109,766 concurrent players.

Steam user numbers PUBG
Where is the increase coming from?

Reason 1: The Winter Map. The increased interest in PUBG could be due to the recently added map Vikendi. This is the fourth map for PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, which is currently praised by players in the communities. What is special about this map is that it is set in the snow, opening up new tactical possibilities. This is something entirely new for players after the green map Erangel with its wide fields, the desert map Miramar, and the smallest map Sanhok. We have already taken a closer look at this for you:

More on the topic
That’s why the new snow map is a game changer for PUBG
von Patrick Freese

Reason 2: Steam Winter Sale. If you look closely, the biggest increase in players came right with the Steam Winter Sale, which started on December 20. The sale was likely boosted by the positive feedback about the latest changes to PUBG. The timing couldn’t have been better after the launch of the new and often-praised winter map.

PUBG player numbers rise
Source: Steamcharts, PUBG

These 11 highlights from 2018 are currently on sale in the Steam Winter Sale

Reason 3: Blackout. According to several reports on Reddit, some players have become aware of the battle royale genre in a military setting through Black Ops 4. Others are also returning after a break. Players praise that looting and shooting feel better in PUBG. This is one reason why some players returned to PUBG. A comment from a player who took a break from PUBG because of Blackout symbolizes this. Now they are back and celebrating the winter map.

PUBG Reddit Blackout

Reason 4: Improved performance. In recent months, PUBG has carried out the “FIX PUBG” campaign, in which developers addressed and fixed some issues. On Reddit, one often reads that players took a break due to these issues and are now coming back to see how PUBG has developed.

More on the topic
PUBG finally fixes ping issues that annoy players
von Patrick Freese
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Bleedingcool

WoW: All about Blood Beasts – how to get the special Hunter pets

In Patch 8.1 of World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth, hunters received a new family of tamable pets. Here you will learn everything you need to know about Blood Beasts and how to tame them.

Since December 22, 2018, hunters have had the opportunity to obtain Blood Beasts as companions. However, they must complete a challenge and loot an item.

[toc]

WoW Blood Beasts Crawg title

How to tame Blood Beasts as a Hunter

Here you will find the item: To tame Blood Beasts, you must first learn the corresponding ability. You obtain this through the item “Blood-Soaked Tome of Dark Whispers”.

The tome is dropped by the sixth boss in the raid Uldir, the Reborn Zul. You must defeat Zul on “normal” difficulty or higher. The item does not drop in the Raid Finder.

As of the current state of gear (December 24, 2018), getting to Zul in Uldir should not be a major problem. You can find groups cross-server through the group tool. Just make sure to play at least on “normal” difficulty.

More on the topic
WoW Gear Guide: How to Equip Yourself Properly for Uldir
von Benedict Grothaus

Here you will find the Blood Beasts: Once you have looted the tome, you just need to search for the animals. You can find them on the continent of Zandalar, mainly in the area of Nazmir, some also in Zuldazar.

The creatures you are looking for are Krog and Blood Worms. Most varieties of these beings can be tamed by you.

WoW Nazmir Bwonsamdi Shrine

What are Blood Beasts actually?

The story of the Blood Beasts is revealed to Horde players in the quest “Sinister Juju”. It is uncovered that Krog are the tadpoles of the frog loa Krag’wa, corrupted by the blood magic of the trolls. Blood Worms are somewhat like the pets of the Blood trolls.

This is what Blood Beasts look like: The models of the Blood Beasts correspond to their grim origins of blood magic. They appear as twisted, bloodthirsty versions of otherwise harmless creatures.

Both Krog and Blood Worms are also present as mounts in WoW. Blood Worms can be found as rare zone drops in Nazmir and as purchasable items from the Tallanji Expedition. Krog can be obtained as a rare drop in the Depths or as a reward for the achievement of the Uldir Raider.

wow blood beasts wowhead
Image source: wowhead.

This is what Blood Beasts can do: As hunter companions, Blood Beasts are equipped with various abilities. They possess the “Tenacity” specialization, making them particularly suitable as tank pets.

Blood Beasts have three standard attacks as well as two standard abilities, two “Tenacity” abilities, and one family ability:

  • Growl (Standard): Taunts the target.
  • Charge (Standard): Increases movement speed by 80% for 10 seconds.
  • Survival of the Fittest (Tenacity): Reduces all damage taken by hunter and companion by 20% for 6 seconds.
  • Endurance Training (Tenacity, passive): Increases health points of hunter and companion by 5%.
  • Blood Bolt (Blood Beasts): Slows the target by 50% for 6 seconds (10 meter range).

With their abilities, Blood Beasts primarily benefit hunters engaging in solo content and completing quests in the open world, where they face multiple enemies at once.

World of Warcraft: Hunter with Pet

Why Blood Beasts are cool

The response to Blood Beasts has been largely positive so far. Players are happy to finally be able to tame these beasts. Many hunters missed this at the beginning of Battle for Azeroth.

Most hunters want the animals for rather quirky reasons. One player intends to tame two Blood Beasts and name them Ernie and Bert.

More on the topic
Grieving WoW players start action to save hunter companion Hati
von Benedict Grothaus

As pure tank pets, they lack defensive abilities, control abilities for PvP, and the capability for battle resurgence (Ancient Hysteria) or combat resurrects in raids.

This has led to their status as a “prestige pet” for most hunters. It is simply cool to show that you have defeated Zul and managed to tame these eerie beasts.

Do you still need to level a hunter? No problem! This is how you quickly reach max level in WoW.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. WoW Petopia
  2. wowhead

Star Citizen has spent almost as much money as it has earned

One of the most expensive and successful crowdfunding projects of all time is the space simulation Star Citizen. The grand project of “Wing Commander” creator Chris Roberts has already consumed nearly 200 million dollars in development costs and raised even more.

This is how much Star Citizen costs: The studio behind the crowdfunding giant Star Citizen, Cloud Imperium Games, has disclosed financial reports for the years 2012-2017. In these, it is stated that over the years, 193 million dollars have been spent on development.

Star Citizen Mustang new

Star Citizen – the million project

Where does the money come from? Star Citizen relies primarily on community support for its revenue. Players can help the company through donations or purchase ships in the game for sometimes a lot of money.

On November 17, 2018, Star Citizen announced, that over 200 million dollars have been raised solely through crowdfunding.

In addition to the millions from fans, funds from investors also come in. Recently, Clive and Keith Calder invested 46 million dollars, acquiring 10% of the shares in Cloud Imperium Games. The two own a music business in England.

By 2017, total revenue from all sources amounted to roughly 208 million dollars.

Star Citizen revenues 2012 to 2017
Image source: Gamestar.

Where does the money flow? The team behind Star Citizen has steadily grown during the time donations were collected. In 2012, the team consisted of only 13 employees. By 2017, 464 people were employed.

The majority of the staff consists of developers, and most of the expenses go into their salaries. In rough terms, this means that most of the revenue flows directly into the development of Star Citizen.

Additionally, there are some employees for marketing and administration as well as general expenses.

star citizen expenses 2012 to 2017
Image source: Gamestar.

This is being developed: The developers are working with the resources on various features of the game. One of them is the single-player mode “Squadron 42”, which is expected to be released in beta in 2020. Squadron 42 has already been postponed 4 times by this point.

Other features of the game are being developed in various modules that make up Star Citizen. These include elements of:

Star-Citizen-Cunningham

What do you think of the numbers?

Do you wonder how the studio is able to raise so much money for a project? That’s how Star Citizen managed to raise 7 million dollars in a week.

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

The 3 best ideas from Reddit on how Destiny 2 could be better

On the forum “Reddit,” active players collect tips and hints on how Bungie could improve their online shooter Destiny 2. Often, these are just small changes that could solve problems that annoy players.

For Christmas, we want to take a look at which changes Guardians have wished for in the last week regarding Destiny 2 and present the top 3 suggestions that have received the most approval.

D2_Forsaken_Gambit_Vender_03

Gambit takes too long, that’s why many give up in round 2

This is the problem in Gambit: A user named redka243 on reddit.  He says: The Gambit matches in Destiny 2 simply take too long for the rewards that come at the end.

Therefore, players would quickly give up the second round if they lose the first one, to avoid the risk of having to play three rounds.

Currently, everyone would be interested in finishing a Gambit round quickly and not searching for the crucial third game.

D2_Forsaken_Gambit_09

The suggestion: The idea is to introduce a “Sudden Death” in the 3rd round of Gambit. The teams would then save the collection of 75 particles and immediately start attacking the Primeval.

The Primeval would be there as soon as the match starts.

The suggestion currently has 8,600 upvotes and more than 1,000 comments on Reddit.

Destiny-2-Boss

The most annoying milestone in Destiny 2

This is the problem with a milestone: A milestone for the strikes annoys user snowfi8986. Because for a milestone, you have to use the same subclass type as one of the two teammates. Only then does completing the strike count for the milestone, which promises powerful gear..

The Redditor considers the milestone to be the height of stupidity. If you sign up alone, you have to check what the others are using for a subclass during the ongoing strike. Especially on consoles, the loading time for the UI is terrible.

Moreover, random players never use the subclass that is suitable for the strike.

More on the topic
Destiny 2: How to quickly reach power level 650 – This is how you level up correctly
von Sven Galitzki

The solution: Bungie should simply remove the ridiculous requirement from the game.

The problem has 7,300 upvotes and 815 comments.

Destiny-2-Community

The annoying mini-bug

This is annoying with shaders: The user OnionBruhh has another problem, a classic bug. He is annoyed: When he uses a shader or an ornament, the process often stops just before the bar is full. This frustrates the Guardian a lot.

Others add: This happens more often, even during baking.

More on the topic
How to bake in Destiny 2: All recipes and ingredients for the holiday oven
von Sven Galitzki

The solution: Bungie should finally fix the damn bug.

This suggestion has 6,600 upvotes and 291 comments.

Destiny-2-ANbruch

This is what’s behind it: It’s clear that Guardians here are not complaining about the big, serious issues, but rather about perceived little things.

Because Destiny 2 is a game that players engage with so intensely and often do the same things, weaknesses at bottlenecks that everyone frequently has to go through annoy frequent players extremely.

It has long been a major wish of players in Destiny 2 to finally be able to dismantle shaders in bulk.

More about Destiny 2:

More on the topic
These are the 11 best exotic weapons of Destiny 2 in 2019
von Sven Galitzki
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Pokémon GO fixes annoying PvP bug in update 0.131.3

The new update 0.131.3 for Pokémon GO ensures that trainer battles will run better in the future. Players complained about problems that Niantic is now fixing with the patch for Android and iOS.

What’s new? For a few weeks now, trainers in Pokémon GO can take part in PvP battles. There have been ongoing issues where players couldn’t deal damage, only take damage.

The latest update for Pokémon is supposed to resolve this issue.

Alola Pokémon and no damage in trainer battles

What is changing? On Twitter, Niantic’s support explained what trainers can expect in the new update version 0.131.3. It addresses solutions for problems reported by players to support:

Niantic recommends trainers experiencing these issues to update to the new version 0.131.3 as soon as it’s available. If the problems persist afterwards, it helps to clear the app cache and restart Pokémon GO.

DSC01521

Why is this update important? After trainer battles started, many trainers couldn’t participate properly. They were in the battle but couldn’t deal damage. This caused frustration.

What changes are there for Alola Pokémon? As reported by PokémonGOHub, there are also fixes for Alola Pokémon. The message “Not very effective …” should no longer appear in the game when attacking Alola Pokémon with effective moves.

This recently caused confusion among trainers who were actually attacking with the right types but were seeing this message in the game.

More on the topic
Pokémon GO: List of all Alolan forms – Here’s how to find them
von Patrick Freese

This is how the community reacts: In comments on Reddit, players write that they appreciate Niantic’s communication. They listened to the players and are now fixing one of the most annoying PvP bugs.

Were you also affected by this issue in trainer battles?

With this probability, you will hatch the new baby Pokémon from the eggs

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

Atlas is so bad that even the positive reviews are negative

The pirate game Atlas has been released after several delays. However, for many players, Atlas is a huge flop and a scam. We look at the Steam reviews.

The story of Atlas is turbulent, and with other developer studios, one might have thrown their hands up in the air in disbelief beforehand. After all, Atlas was postponed several times at the last minute, after high-mindedly declaring that the game would be released just days after its announcement.

Atlas Dino Title

Now the game is out, and the community punishes it with negative reviews. It is one of the most unpopular games on Steam of all time. 80% of the reviews are negative, only every 5th review is positive (as of: 24.12.2018, 03:00).

Atlas is just an outsourced ARK DLC: The criticism is particularly frequent that Atlas was originally planned as a DLC for the dinosaur game ARK. This theory is also supported, as numerous assets from ARK can be found in the game files of Atlas.

Players even found a menu that was copied directly from ARK and discovered that an “Ocean” DLC was found in the game files of ARK. The assumption is therefore obvious that this DLC is simply Atlas.

Atlas Reddit
Memes like this are currently abundant.

Even the positive reviews are negative: Those who think that the 20% positive reviews are truly positive are mistaken. Many of the supposedly positive reviews are also merely sarcastic or cynical.

A particularly well-received positive review came from the Steam user Pinkie, who gave the game a whopping 10/10 points with the reasoning:

“This is the most accurate pirate game I have ever seen. It stole money from all of us. 10/10”

Atlas Screenshot 1

Here are a few more of the “positive” reviews:

  • “After you start the game, it keeps you trapped in the menu for two hours so you can’t return it. Genius marketing strategy!”
  • “Potential is present, but sadly not in the game.”
  • “I don’t even know why the game has so many reviews. You can’t even play it to judge it.”
  • “I love it! Finally something in the world that my father can be more disappointed in than me.”

In contrast, there are few genuine positive reviews, but those praise the game and hope that it will undergo a transformation in the coming months, just as ARK has done over the years.

What are the player numbers for Atlas?  Whether Atlas will recover from this debacle is questionable. However, a look at the player numbers on Steam shows that Atlas is still being bought and played. It is currently in the top 15 on Steam, with almost 40,000 players concurrently (24.12., 16:00). Its popularity seems to be unaffected:

More on the topic
Although many curse Atlas, it sells really well on Steam
von Schuhmann
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

New job Blue Mage comes to Final Fantasy XIV in January

Final Fantasy XIV will kick off with a new patch in 2019. A part of its content is the new “Limited Job” Blue Mage. Here is everything we know about it. 

What is a “Limited Job”? The Blue Mage will not be a “traditional” job as they have appeared in the MMORPG so far. As the first of the so-called “Limited Jobs” of FFXIV, it is subject to several restrictions:

  • It has a maximum level of 50 (the current maximum is 70).
  • It cannot participate in random content.
  • To enter a dungeon or a trial, it must either be alone or in a full pre-formed group.

It was primarily designed for solo gaming and is excluded from most group features. To compensate, the Blue Mage receives more EXP from opponents and gets its own exclusive content, the “Masked Carnival”.

More on the topic
Final Fantasy XIV: New Job Blue Mage Cannot Play with Strangers
von Irina Moritz

When will the Blue Mage arrive? The new content patch 4.5 will go live on January 8, but the Blue Mage will make players wait a bit longer. Fans will get their hands on the new job a week later on January 15.

final fantasy xiv blue mage cast

How does the Blue Mage learn new spells? New spells are gained by the Blue Mages by defeating monsters, but only certain ones have abilities that the Blue Mage can learn.

A special spellbook will give players tips on where to find the new spells, but only very vaguely. Producer Yoshida says the book will only give small hints like: “The monster is located in this and that area”.

final fantasy xiv blue mage shiva

However, it will not reveal which monster it is and which ability exactly will be learned from it. According to Yoshida, it should be a community-wide task to figure it out. Players do not have to adhere to the order of spells in the book.

Once the Blue Mage has found the right monster, they only need to draw its aggro and wait for the desired ability to be executed. If luck is on their side, this ability will be learned as soon as the monster is dead.

You can watch a demonstration of this here:

Recommended editorial content

At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.

I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms. Read more about our privacy policy.
Link to the YouTube content

How do the spells of the Blue Mage work? In total, there will be 49 different spells that the Blue Mage can learn. However, only a maximum of 24 can be used at the same time. These “sets” of spells will be stored in up to five different decks.

Unlike other spells in FFXIV, such as those of the Black Mage, the abilities of the Blue Mage will have elemental properties.

final fantasy xiv blue mage book
The spellbook of the Blue Mages. Initially shows only one spell.

This means that the Blue Mages can strategically exploit the elemental weaknesses and strengths of their opponents by adjusting their spell decks according to the combat situation. For example, flying monsters will be vulnerable to lightning elemental spells.

Players will also be able to heal and buff in various ways, such as through the defensive stance “Mighty Guard,” which transforms the Blue Mage into a full-fledged tank.

final fantasy xiv blue mage learn spell

In a dungeon, a group of four Blue Mages can become a true steamroller that demolishes everything.

What exclusive content does the Blue Mage receive? The “Masked Carnival” content is an arena where new rules will apply. In it, the Blue Mages will have to face different groups of monsters alone.

final fantasy xiv masked carnival preview
Masked Carnival: Selection of battle rounds

The arena will have up to 25 different battle rounds, each containing up to three phases. A preview screen will show players which opponents will appear in the battles and what elemental weaknesses they have.

To complete all rounds of the Masked Carnival, the Blue Mages will have to specifically adjust their spell sets to the elemental strengths and weaknesses of their opponents. This will result in players having to constantly change their rotation to handle various situations.

unknown
One of the monsters that may occur in the Masked Carnival and the description of its weaknesses: Sleep, Heavy, etc.

Why is the Blue Mage a “Limited Job”? It is definitely unusual to implement the Blue Mage in this form in an MMORPG. The job breaks all previous rules of Final Fantasy 14 by introducing several gameplay mechanics that are completely new.

Director Yoshida stated that the development team found no way to integrate the highly sought-after Blue Mage into FFXIV without losing its identity. Therefore, they opted for the middle ground of a “Limited Job”.

final fantasy xiv blue mage

Additionally, it can be recognized from the known abilities that the Blue Mage will be an extremely strong job. Not only can it heal and buff itself and other Blue Mages in the group, but it can also severely cripple enemies with debuffs and even kill immediately with “Level 5 Death”.

Yoshida himself said that he and the FFXIV team want to see how players use the job to break the rules of FFXIV. He said: “It [the Blue Mage] is totally strange, but it’s really fun.”

You can watch the trailer for patch 4.5 here:

Final Fantasy XIV: Watch the dramatic trailer for patch 4.5 here

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

Anthem releases new information about the demo – scope and level

In the online shooter Anthem, there’s a lot of tweeting going on again. This time the topic is the demo of Anthem. What scope will it have, and what level range will players be in?

This is how BioWare shares information about Anthem: Recently, there have been livestreams where the developers cover a topic clearly and then talk for a long time about things like recently about the loot or the customization of Anthem’s Javelins.

However, most of the time the flow of information about the new game is disorganized.

Interested players ask something on Twitter, and the producers or other employees of BioWare sporadically respond to questions.

This makes reporting on Anthem relatively difficult. The news always looks like a shopping basket, filled with all sorts of stuff from every shelf. Just like today.

anthem-tweet-demo

This is the new info about the demo: Producer Mike Gamble outlined what will be in the demo taking place in January and February 2019 for Anthem:

anthem javelins

This is the announcement about split-screen and couch co-op: Here Mark Darrah clearly states that Anthem will not support this.

anthem-matchmaking

This is the announcement about matchmaking: It is stated that there will be no prevention against having four of the same type of Javelin in a stronghold. However, matchmaking tends to assemble a diverse group with several types of Javelins.

gamble-seasonpass-tweet

This is the announcement about the season pass: Here Gamble states: “There is no season pass. Just get the game. Don’t worry about it afterwards.” The idea is to keep the community together.

If the world changes, then it will change for everyone.

Anthem-Bossmonster

However, Mike Darrah already stated in July 2018 that they do not rule out the possibility of paid DLC coming to Anthem at some point. Perhaps they will introduce a new Javelin. That could then cost money – or maybe not. They don’t want to commit to this.

More on the topic
Anthem announces dates for the demo: Anyone can play on these 3 days
von Tarek Zehrer
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.