A new trailer is supposed to attract more players to World of Warcraft. Here you can watch “Spark of War”.
Last night (August 13 to 14, 2018) the new expansion of World of Warcraft launched. In line with the start of the new expansion, Blizzard also released a corresponding launch trailer that aims to capture the atmosphere and theme of the expansion. You can watch the corresponding video here.
Compilation of cutscenes. As usual, the launch trailer is a compilation of the cutscenes featured at the start of Battle for Azeroth. Alongside well-known characters like Sylvanas, Anduin, and Jaina, there are also a few new figures to be seen.
Priscilla Ashenwind does not think much of Jaina’s attempts to reconnect the Alliance with Kul Tiras.
Katherine Proudmoore, Jaina’s mother, is also not particularly pleased with her daughter’s actions.
King Rastakhan leads the trolls; he is considered wise and foresighted – but is often heavily influenced by his advisors.
The troll princess Talanji leads the Horde to Zandalar and grants them refuge for now until they can prove themselves.
The lo’a of death Bwonsamdi enjoys collecting the souls of trolls and is always pleased when the living make a pact with him.
How do you like the launch trailer? And more importantly: Which side are you on in the battle for Azeroth?
In Fortnite: Battle Royale, there is an unpleasant trend among pro streamers. They play the game in a squished format because they hope to gain advantages this way. This bothers the viewers greatly.
Why do pros intentionally play with terrible graphics? Pro gamers primarily care about performance and efficiency. That’s why most turn down the graphics to get more FPS. However, some players go even further and play in a 4:3 format instead of the prettier 16:9.
What is the advantage of 4:3? In the 4:3 format, everything is squished and therefore distorted. The characters appear wider as a result. This was a significant advantage for players in games like Counterstrike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) because the 4:3 format increased the hitbox of opponents. This refers to the area of an opponent that can be hit.
CS:GO trick may not work in Fortnite
Evidence against hitbox advantage: However, the trick with the 4:3 from the good old CS:GO days might not work in Fortnite. A user named Wictor1992 has looked into this and created several comparison images.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from Imgur 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.
Disadvantage instead of advantage? It is shown that in Fortnite, characters become wider in 4:3 but also shorter. As a result, the overall target may actually be smaller rather than larger. The successes that a streamer may have would then be more of a placebo effect than truly due to the distorted format.
Players hate the distorted format
Reasons against the 4:3 format: Even if the distorted format might provide some benefit, the following reasons argue against it:
It is ugly: It is simply unpleasant when someone plays in a distorted format. Especially when – like in the current Summer Skirmish Tournament – the camera switches from a 16:9 image to a 4:3 shot. Every time this happens, there is a flurry of complaints from the stream viewers. Some even feel nauseous from it.
It is unfair: Moreover, it is a form of exploit when someone gains an advantage in the game by altering the screen format. For that reason alone, players want this trend to stop.
Should Epic prevent 4:3? It would be a good thing for many if Epic would exclude the 4:3 format in tournaments. That would be fair and would be easier on the viewers’ eyes.
But what do you think? Does the 4:3 format bother you as well? Or do you not care how someone plays?
In Destiny 2, today, on August 14th, the Weekly Reset has arrived once again. The last Iron Banner of Season 3 is now live. With the weekly reset, new activities such as the Nightfall strike or the Flashpoint can be attempted.
A new week dawns in the Destiny universe. For the last time in Season 3, Lord Saladin visits the Tower and announces the start of the August Iron Banner.
The August Iron Banner: The active mode is once again Control. It will be played in a 6vs6 format. With the start of the one-week PvP event today, there are also two new features for the Guardians:
Iron Temple checkpoints will replace the normal control flags.
There will be a new Powerplay rule: If all three zones are captured, they will be locked for 20 seconds. At the end of the Powerplay, all zones will reset to neutral and must be recaptured.
Double Valor Points: Until August 17th, there are also double Valor points in the Crucible – even in the Iron Banner. For those who still need to reset the Valor rank for their Solstice armor , this bonus could prove to be quite useful.
But let’s see what else the current week has to offer.
Nightfall starting August 14th on PS4, Xbox One, and PC
This week, the Nightfall is“A Garden World”.
Until the next reset on August 21st, you have the chance to earn the following exclusive Nightfall strike reward: the exotic ship Universal Wave Function
No modifiers are active in the normal Nightfall strike!
In Prestige mode, you must activate the modifiers through the challenge cards. These cards drop for DLC owners in the normal and Prestige mode of the Nightfall strike. Don’t forget that you can upgrade your challenge cards with Xur again from Friday.
The following challenges need to be mastered:
Unbroken: Complete the Nightfall with less than 3 deaths
Armored Minotaur: Eliminate the armored Minotaurs in under 90 seconds
Heroic Strike Modifiers
The respective scorch modifier remains active until the next reset. The other two modifiers change daily. Currently, the following modifiers are active in the heroic strike playlist:
Arc Scorch: Arc damage from all sources is slightly increased
Grounded: Damage taken while in the air is significantly increased
Grenadier: Grenade abilities deal more damage and regenerate much faster
The Iron Banner is active this week in the weekly Crucible playlist.
Escalation Protocol
If the current rotation is maintained, you will once again have the chance to earn the following three weapons from the final boss of the Escalation Protocol this week:
Battle for Azeroth was released in Germany on the night of August 13 to 14 at 12:00 AM for PC, at the same time worldwide. The first 8 hours of gameplay have been a lot of fun – despite the onset of fatigue.
With Battle for Azeroth, the seventh expansion of the MMORPG evergreen World of Warcraft has been released. We have played it and are giving you an initial impression of the new gameplay, new content, and the story.
Battle for Azeroth Play Test
For the first impression of Battle for Azeroth, I played my Alliance rogue and checked out the area of Drustvar. In just under 8 hours, I completed the entire area and reached approximately level 115 – at a normal pace.
Due to the short time, which certainly does not do justice to the addon, we want to emphasize again that this is just a first impression! More extensive tests are not yet possible at this time, and most of the content is set to level 120.
[toc]
The Good Sides: Amazing Story with Great Potential
The story of Battle for Azeroth is one of the main reasons for me to celebrate this addon at the moment. The conflict between Horde and Alliance is brought to the forefront of an entire expansion for the first time since WoW – something that was overshadowed by the Sha in MoP.
Blizzard’s preparation has polarized many players and has clearly separated the Horde and Alliance factions again. Both factions have their heroes that fans can and want to support – and even within the factions, there are distinct camps (Jaina vs. Anduin, Sylvanas vs. Saurfang).
Voiced Cutscenes That Give You Goosebumps: The quest line for BfA begins by helping Magni heal Azeroth. As a reward, I get the “Heart of Azeroth,” the new artifact and centerpiece of the armor. Afterwards, it’s off to Stormwind to plan the journey to Kul Tiras.
The subsequent journey to Kul Tiras featured some cutscenes that gave me goosebumps:
Jaina’s flashback: On the way to Kul Tiras, Jaina reflects on her childhood and father, haunted by the spirits of her past.
Family feud in Kul Tiras: Upon arrival in Kul Tiras, Jaina speaks with her mother, Katherine Proudmoore. However, the conversation does not end well for her.
The entire setup around Jaina and her return to Kul Tiras promises an exciting story. The tensions between her, the Kul Tirans, and her mother form the basis for top-notch drama.
Exciting Story of the World: Upon arriving in Kul Tiras, I am faced with the first difficulties – I won’t spoil what exactly happens here. However, I am not greeted very kindly. The story narrated to me about the capital Boralus makes the city feel alive.
The story of Drustvar, my first area, is so exciting that I wanted to complete it immediately. Drustvar tells a unique tale of wendigo and witches. Villages are cursed, people enchanted and sacrificed, the entire area is bewitched.
If the other areas turn out the same way, BfA might have the best-told zones so far.
Droods are also part of the story of Drustvar.
Interesting Level Phase: Although leveling in every addon tends to be a tedious task, I am genuinely enjoying it again in Battle for Azeroth. This is mainly due to the War Mode.
With War Mode activated, there is access to more talents that also work in open PvE – and on war loot, which is dropped by airships. The roar of the engines makes me excitedly look around every time to see if I can snatch a crate.
A crate of war loot.
The Bad Sides: The Grind Begins Early
The omission of some features, which I will discuss later, has cost me some adjustments. However, the worst impression has been left by the feeling that I am supposed to start the “endgame grind” already at level 110.
The Heavy Heart of Azeroth: I already have to pump the new artifact necklace with artifact power starting from level 110. This was also the case with the artifact weapons in Legion, but it stands out more now due to the bland aftertaste of the grind at the end of Legion.
Even on my way through Drustvar, I collect every crate to level up the Heart as quickly as possible. I don’t find this particularly enjoyable – it always reminds me that I will probably spend a lot of time at level 120. This isn’t important to all players, but it sits uncomfortably in my mind.
Looting is Exhausting: Another point concerns the loot. There are quite a few green and blue items that clog up my inventory. Not a problem in other addons, just sell it or send it to the enchanter – you usually don’t need it otherwise.
However, in BfA, the junk-o-matic ensures that I collect everything and frequently fly back to the capital to scrap everything. This isn’t strictly necessary, but the chance of the rare expulsum makes me do it repeatedly. Annoying.
First Impression: Good with Room for Improvement
Overall, I am already enjoying Battle for Azeroth more than Legion at release. While being confronted with the endgame grind early on is unpleasant – but grinding is part of MMORPGs. However, being reminded of it so early is not pleasant.
The story makes up for this again. I am really hoping that the narrative will develop even better on both the Alliance and Horde sides. There is a lot of potential for really good twists and tension!
NCSoft’s business figures for Q2 2018 are here. They show that the three MMORPGs Aion, Blade & Soul, and Guild Wars 2 are all declining. While the hype around mobile in South Korea is somewhat fading, NCSoft plans to release three more games in 2019.
What are the figures? NCSoft, as a publicly traded company, releases its business figures every quarter. You can see the revenues generated by the games.
Here in the West, in the USA and Europe, NCSoft earns only a fraction of its income. Here, the PC MMORPGs Guild Wars 2, Blade & Soul, and Aion play a role.
The majority of revenue is generated by NCSoft in Korea with the “Lineage” franchise and its spin-offs.
PC MMORPGs are losing almost all:
Aion: After a recent upward trend in AION following its switch to free-to-play in Korea, there was a significant decline in Q2, but it is still higher than in the quarters of 2017. Here in Europe, something is also expected soon with Patch 6.2 coming in autumn. It is interesting to note that Aion 2 is likely in the works.
Blade & Soul: For Blade & Soul, things do not look so good, as it has clearly been in a downward trend over the last year. Not much has happened in recent months. Although they plan to switch to Unreal Engine 4, that will likely take some time.
Guild Wars 2: Similarly bleak is the situation for Guild Wars 2. The boost from the “Path of Fire” expansion is slowly wearing off. Guild Wars 2 is still above the level from 2017, but it is declining. The only significant news from Guild Wars 2 recently was the layoff of 2 employees following an incident on Twitter.
Mobile MMORPGs are struggling
The Lineage boom is over: The most interesting thing that has happened at NCSoft in recent years was the mega-success of “Lineage M”, the mobile version of the classic “Lineage” in Q3 2017.
That has now “stabilized”, the shine seems to have worn off a bit and some players are returning to the traditional PC version of Lineage. However, mobile revenues are still huge. This is a loss at a high level – and the supply seems to already be on the way.
Of particular interest to PC fans is likely “Project TL”:
NCSoft has the luxury problem of bringing three games in the first half of 2019. Titles that are seen as weaker internally are to be delayed somewhat. This is to ensure that the three games do not interfere with each other.
For spin-offs of Aion and Blade & Soul, they are also planning worldwide releases. Here, NCSoft believes it has brands that can also work overseas, meaning here with us.
Of particular interest to PC fans is likely “Project TL”:
The Free2Play shooter Warface is entering the early access phase on PS4, but it is still paid for now. An official release date has been set. The console version will launch later in September – then it will be free. Here you will learn what you need to know about the release of Warface.
What is Warface? Warface is a free-to-play online shooter released in 2013. You play as an elite soldier from one of four classes. This leads you into various multiplayer PvP or PvE modes. The game has a solid fanbase and recently received a battle royale mode.
What is special about the console version? The console versions of Warface will feature a controller-adapted interface and include an aim assist. This is intended to make aiming with the gamepad easier.
These are the classes of Warface: There are four different classes for you to choose from, each promoting different play styles.
the sniper,
engineer,
medic
and the gunner
When is Warface being released? Starting today, August 14, Warface is entering the early access phase and is playable on PS4. The release of the full version on Xbox One and PS4 is scheduled for September 18.
This is what comes with the early access version of Warface
What is early access? This is a kind of testing phase in which a game is tested under “live conditions” and gradually led to the official release.
Starter packs for the early access version: Currently, there are apparently five different packs. Four of them are tailored to the classes, while the fifth is a complete package that consists of all other packs and belongs to the collector’s edition.
This also includes weapons and other bonuses.
With the release in September, Warface will then become a free-to-play game.
These are the PvE modes of Warface: In addition to various PvE missions, Warface also features a raid. This is referred to as a special operation with different difficulty levels.
The missions are set to span around the world and cover various geographical areas. You will fight through snowy mountains and deep jungles in Africa.
Various PvP modes: You can choose from several PvP variants. In addition to
classics like team deathmatch
and free-for-all
there is also “plant the bomb”
and the battle royale mode.
Originally, 16 players faced off in this mode, but now the capacity is set to increase to 32 players per server.
This mode runs classically; at the beginning, players only have a melee weapon and can arm themselves from a pool of over 70 weapons. Whoever remains wins.
Watch the PvP trailer for Warface 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.
While still in early access, Warface is expected to receive new content. Over the course of the coming year, additional raids, new modes, and maps are set to be released.
This is the roadmap through 2019:
Already included in early access: Anubis includes 4 PvP modes, 8 different maps
Blackout: Releases on September 4, a PvP mode, 5 maps
Earth Shaker: Releases on September 18 with the full version, a PvP mode, 6 maps
Is there crossplay? Unfortunately no, the developers will offer each version separately. Since PC players have an unfair advantage with mouse and keyboard, there is also no crossplay with PC. Sony also remains true to its policy and does not allow crossplay between Xbox One and PS4.
Will you take a look at shooters?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Fortnite: Battle Royale, the first official tournament season is currently underway. However, it is primarily largely unknown amateurs who shine there, making a big splash and pulling in a lot of money. Epic’s plan for “esports for everyone” seems to be working.
The first big Fortnite tournament: Behind the name Summer Skirmish lies Fortnite’s first big esports tournament.
There, not only invited professionals like Ninja compete, but also regular amateur gamers. They qualified only through good performance in the previous showdown rounds. These are special in-game events that anyone who plays Fortnite normally during that time can participate in.
Amateurs are the big stars of the tournament
Ninja is not the big hero: Among the top players in the tournament are famous streaming professionals like Ninja or DrLupo, with millions of followers. Well-known esports teams like Faze, TSM, or Liquid also send their players to the Summer Skirmish to grab fame and prize money.
But they are not the stars of the past weeks.
Rather, the true success stories are about largely unknown newcomers who only made it into the tournament through their good performances.
Amateur NotVivid wins 3 out of 4 tournaments he was in
NotVivid storms the tournament: One of these successful amateurs is player NotVivid. The 20-year-old was previously a small fry among the Fortnite streamers. In the first week of the tournament, he won first place.
One half of the 1st participant field for week 1 of the Summer Skirmish. The marker next to “NotVivid” indicates: He qualified through the showdown.
From zero to 100 in a few weeks: But then NotVivid suddenly achieved first place in the solo event in week 4, and in week 5 he was able to secure first place again with the professional player “TeamLiquid Poach”.
As NotVivid was only invited to 4 of the previous 5 tournament weeks, this means he has won 3 out of his 4 tournament games. An unparalleled achievement!
Father apologizes for not taking his son’s hobby seriously
Tournament victories in the Summer Skirmish yield a lot of money: Therefore, NotVivid has not only gained fame and honor but also made a tidy sum of money. He has received prize money totaling now 150,000 dollars for his successes!
This has also not gone unnoticed by the gamer’s family.
Dad, I think I’m rich: Initially, however, NotVivid’s father was still skeptical. When his son presented him with his first winnings of 25,000 dollars, he said, “I believe it when I see it.”
But then NotVivid kept racking up one victory after another, and the prize sum kept increasing.
https://youtu.be/xdeT9hUUY0w
Eventually, the father also took the subject seriously and wanted to see for himself what was going on. NotVivid sent him links, and his father was later completely transformed. He immediately apologized for never taking his son’s gaming seriously and is now incredibly excited about his son’s performance!
Fun Fact: Another amateur, the mini-streamer Reverse2k, also raked in big bucks in the second tournament won by NotVivid (week 4) and earned even more money due to a special feature of week 4! Here, too, the father of the streamer was thrilled!
No matter how you look at it: the launch of the latest expansion of World of Warcraft was remarkably flawless. Especially in comparison to previous disastrous launches like “The Burning Crusade” or “Warlords of Draenor”, believes Cortyn.
Since midnight on August 14, 2018, World of Warcraft has launched its seventh expansion Battle for Azeroth. The launch was simultaneous worldwide, with us conveniently right at midnight.
And where other MMORPGs struggle with server crashes, mass disconnects, or major glitches, World of Warcraft has excelled. There likely hasn’t been a better launch in the history of “big” MMORPGs.
Six expansions of practice time. Of course, Blizzard did not gain this knowledge overnight, but had already six expansions prior to adequately practice the launch of an addon.
A disaster like the merciless overload during “The Burning Crusade” or the huge phasing issues that Warlords of Draenor brought with the Garrison was something one could not allow anymore. After the already successful launch of Legion, the launch of Battle for Azeroth must have even further improved upon that.
There are always minor hiccups. Completely problem-free it did not go, though. Due to the player masses, there were minor latency issues and at least in war mode on RP servers, strong delays with a latency of 500 or more were normal. However, this settled quickly after the players ventured off in different directions.
Some realms also had to restart – but the downtime here only lasted a few minutes.
Quick hotfixes for problems. There were sporadic issues with quests. Particularly annoying: Some players could not interact with the “War Map” that unlocks the main missions for new areas. Blizzard only needed a few hours for a fix, and in the meantime, players engaged with the numerous side quests that were not dependent on that.
In summary, the launch of Battle for Azeroth may even surpass the start of Legion, where some players did not receive their access quest directly. No matter from which perspective you look at it: Hosting a smooth launch is something the developers of World of Warcraft can now do
. And that is rare in the MMO realm, because planning with hundreds of thousands of players simultaneously, no beta test helps either.
Not to mention, this has also led to the first players reaching the maximum level in less than 5 hours:
Your grandson is an international hero in the video game League of Legends (LoL). But even Faker’s grandma knows when to use Orianna’s ultimate ability.
Who is Faker? Lee Sang-hyeok aka Faker is one of the best players in the MOBA League of Legends. Together with his team SKT, he won world championships. Fans have viewed him as a LoL god for many years.
Family is involved: When someone becomes an eSports professional at a young age, it certainly affects the family. Most parents have some connection to gaming, are interested in what their children are doing online, and sometimes ask questions.
Some travel to events to cheer for their offspring live. But when grandma can show off her expertise, that’s a new level.
Faker’s grandma follows his matches so closely
In a documentary about Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, the grandma of the LoL pro showed how close she is to him.
Watches everything: About Faker’s eSports successes, she says: “I have seen them all. Everything he has done overseas.”
“I am so proud of him,” she explains. “Even if we can’t celebrate his birthday together. My grandson is doing something that not everyone can do.”
They sit together in front of the computer until late at night
“When he sits in front of the computer, it goes until 4:00 AM before he goes to sleep,” explains Faker’s grandma. She sits next to him and stays awake with her grandson until 4:00 AM. Apparently, she learns a lot about LoL in the process.
Then she remembers a match where she showcased her expertise: “The friend he played with – I think it was Bengi. They played 1v1 against each other.” Faker played Orianna, and she said, “As soon as you reach level 6, you should use Shockwave.” That’s Orianna’s ultimate ability.
Faker then told her that he needed to learn more from her.
It’s nice to see how close Faker’s grandma is to him.
Rogue: Cards like Knowledge Theft, Cybernetic Elk, and Druid of the Fang fill your deck with many opponent’s cards. With Sprint, Elven Minstrel, and Nymph of the Witchwood, you draw numerous cards. And hopefully, you can beat the opponent with that.
Mage: With this Mage deck, you only have one difficult decision to make. Which of these countless options you want to use to defeat your opponent this time. Luna’s Pocket Galaxy sets the mana costs of your minions to 1. With that, you can either win with Archmage Antonidas’ Fireballs, Malygos’ Spell Damage, or Frostlich Jaina’s Elementals.
Warlock: This deck is a classic control deck. It has many board clears and powerful minions. The latter are summoned a second time by Bloodrusher Gul’dan. But this Warlock has a special feature: It is good against combo decks. Gnomeferatu and Demonic Project can both easily destroy the opponent’s combo.
Warrior: The early game of this deck is quite weak, but it more than compensates as the game progresses. The Warrior uses the Recruit effect to summon powerful minions from the deck. And since the deck mostly consists of high-level minions, recruiting is extraordinarily powerful. Crazy Genius Dr. Boom and The Boomship further strengthen the deck.
Hunter: The Hunter relies entirely on Deathrattle. Spider Bombs provide good removal, and cards like Deathrattle and Terrorscale Stalker trigger deathrattle effects from friendly minions. Thus, twins can hatch from a Devilsaurn Egg. Thanks to Deathstalker Rexxar, the Hunter can also last longer in the endgame.
Paladin: This Paladin loves mechs. Numerous mechanical minions and a lot of magnetism enable a solid Paladin deck. And since all mana costs are odd, Baku the Moonslinger reinforces the hero power.
Shaman: The Token Shaman wants to have many minions on the field. Therefore, many minions have the Battlecry effect to summon more minions. With Rampage, he can massively increase their damage and destroy the opponent. Alternatively, Deathseer Thrall and The Stormbringer can make many weak minions very strong.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBWl-Lq6EvM Priest: The Priest deck is built entirely around Mecha’thun. Hakkar the Soulflayer has the Deathrattle effect to summon a minion from hand with Deathrattle. And the Ticking Abomination deals 5 damage to all your minions upon its death. With two of these Abominations, you can easily kill Mecha’thun. And to ensure you draw the combo, you use Hemet, Jungle Hunter, who destroys almost your entire deck.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgbb9PDBGH4 Druid: The Druid relies entirely on Malygos. This dragon increases spell damage by 5, making even the weak spell Moonfire extremely powerful. The true power of the deck unfolds when you get Malygos onto the field multiple times, for example, through Flubbidinus Flurp. Because Moonfire can also be played on the opposing hero.
A player of the space online game No Man’s Sky has come a long way and now wants to share his success with others: He generously gifts his fellow players.
An NMS player is feeling generous
Wealth is shared. Long_Nose_Jim has crafted 215 Stasis Devices during his playtime. These are the most expensive items in the game. Each has a value of 18 million credits.
The total value of all devices in the cargo hold of his ship is around 3.8 billion credits. And Long_Nose_Jim wants to share this wealth with his fellow players.
Santa Claus is coming! Long_Nose_Jim wants to randomly distribute his cargo among other players. If a player encounters him, he might just gift them one of the Stasis Devices. This is a fantastic opportunity for newcomers to progress faster in the game. If one sells the item and receives the 18 million credits for it, the entry into the game becomes significantly easier.
Because to reach the more distant planets where the rarest resources are found, you also need good engines for the spaceships. These are expensive.
However, if you receive a windfall at the beginning of the game in the form of one of the Stasis Devices, you can simply buy one of the drives and immediately start harvesting the rare resources to craft valuable items that can then be resold. This way, you can quickly build up something in No Man’s Sky.
Keep your eyes open! If you are wandering around in No Man’s Sky, you should check if Long_Nose_Jim crosses your path in the near future.
Perhaps he is in a generous mood and you might receive one of the Stasis Devices from him. Since the NEXT update, there have been such interesting multiplayer events taking place in the game.
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.
Fortnite: Battle Royale (PC, PS4, iOS, Android, Switch & Xbox One) had its first major eSports tournament Summer Skirmish with little success at first. But now it is getting better week by week!
The bumpy road of the Summer Skirmish: Beneath the title Summer Skirmish lies the first major official eSports tournament organized by Epic. For eight weeks, 50 duo teams are supposed to battle for victory each week. Epic has put up 8 million USD in prize money. A team can grab 75,000 dollars for a stage victory.
Catastrophic start: Since everyone wanted money, the first weeks of the tournament were a catastrophe. There was camping and fortifying. No one wanted to play offensively, and then there were lag issues. It wasn’t until week 4 that the developers managed to turn the tournament around with the “Hold the Throne” and demand a more dynamic game.
This success could now be continued with week 5.
The interim status after 5 weeks of the Summer Skirmish tournament
The tournament highlights so far: To show the ongoing progress of the tournament, the developers have published some statistics on the tournament’s progress so far:
The longest elimination (267 m) was achieved by HighDistortion, who took out MoNsTcR with a sniper rifle
The longest sniper elimination (247 m) was achieved by InTheLittleWood with a hunting rifle
In week 3, three duos dominated the competition with 24 kills
Week 4 saw the largest discrepancy between kills so far. In the end, VP Jamside secured victory with a total of 26 kills.
So there is something happening in the game pace and dynamics. Instead of camping, players are really going for it and racking up kills.
Amateurs as secret stars
Amateurs on the rise: In addition to invited top players like Ninja or DrLupo, there are also tons of amateurs who qualified via showdown game modes. Anyone who expected these players to be easily taken out by the pros has been surprised.
Because the amateurs have achieved extremely good performances. Notably, the player Domentos shone particularly in week 4. He has so far scored three epic victories as the only player in his team and had 19 kills, placing third behind the two professionals BlaxTV and Teekzy.
Tournament set to improve further
The developers are constantly learning: The Summer Skirmish tournament is a valuable experience for Epic. Because with each week, the team learns more and can continually improve the overall experience. The following aspects are to be adjusted:
There should be live statistics to better enable casters to comment on the gameplay
A live observation feature like in the Pro-AM tournament should come
Server performance has already improved significantly, but should continue to increase
Work is ongoing to come up with good ideas to make matches more exciting and provide new challenges each week
That Epic implements all this seems quite likely now. After all, the Summer Skirmish has turned from a complete embarrassment into a fun eSports event that is finding more and more fans. It is quite possible that Epic will pull even more out of the tournament in the remaining weeks and turn it into a full success.
In Warframe, you might soon meet your own pets in the game. Participate in the contest “Tenno’s Best Friend” and if you win, your cat or dog will be added to the game as a pet.
You could then customize the creatures as you liked with fur colors and outfits, and even breed them to create new breeds. However, the selection of skins and variants is set to increase soon. And that means space animals inspired by your dogs and cats!
Bring your own pets into the game
New contest “Tenno’s Best Friend”: Despite the wide selection of animal skins and variants in the game, some players just have no luck when trying to recreate their own animal in the game. That’s a shame, but there might soon be a solution. The developers at Digital Extremes have started a competition in which you will receive your own pet as a Kubrow or Kavat in the game as the grand prize.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from Twitter 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.
How to get your cat into the game: To win, you just need to take a photo of your dog or cat and share it either via the thread @PlayWarframe with the hashtag #TennosBestFriend on Twitter or upload it in a specific forum thread on the official Warframe site.
The rules of the “Tenno’s Best Friend” competition
However, to win, it is not enough to simply upload a random cat picture or a photo of your dog. The picture must have a Warframe reference. What that looks like is up to you.
For example, you can tailor an Ember costume for your dog or photoshop a picture of your cat into the Kavat breeding station on the ship. Even pictures of your pet with a Warframe plushie are okay. Or you can take inspiration from the title image of this article.
The most creative and beautiful submissions will be awarded prizes:
1st place (cat): 1,000 Platinum and a Kavat skin inspired by your cat
1st place (dog): 1,000 Platinum and a Kubrow skin inspired by your dog
2nd place: 1,000 Platinum
3rd place: 750 Platinum
4th place: 500 Platinum
5th place: 250 Platinum
Only dogs or cats are allowed as pets in the photos. You may submit only one entry, so choose one animal if you have multiple. Additionally, you can only upload the picture in one of the two channels, either Twitter or the forum, not both.
Will there be high-value targets in The Division 2 again? The E3 trailer provides at least one hint that many may have missed. What can we expect?
A detail from the E3 trailer of The Division 2 strongly suggests that the high-value targets, also known as HVTs, will be back. The hint was shared by fans via reddit.
High-Value Targets in The Division 2?
This suggests: A player examined the footage shown for The Division 2 and found a clip that shows the game world map and some symbols.
Are these the high-value targets? The meanings of most of them remain unknown, but one of these signs should be very familiar to Division players.
The symbol is identical to the logo for the high-value targets and the “Search and Destroy” missions known from The Division 1.
Are high-value targets returning? There is still no confirmation for this, but this hint is relatively clear. There’s still a possibility that Massive simply recycled the symbol for a new type of mission.
However, we find it likely that high-value targets will return in The Division 2. But in what form?
High-Value Targets – How it was in The Division 1
What are high-value targets? The HVTs are special missions, of which there are several levels. Before you unlock them, you must reach level 30 and complete all side missions in the respective districts.
Search and Destroy: Once you have accomplished that, you can start “Search and Destroy” missions at the respective safe house. These are smaller tasks where you have to defeat a few weaker enemies to gather target data.
The target data serves as a kind of currency, which you can use to unlock the actual missions – the high-value targets.
How to activate high-value target missions: Once you have collected enough target data, you must go to either the terminal, the main entrance of the operations base, or Camp Clinton.
There, the officers for daily and weekly high-value targets are waiting for you. You can now activate the missions.
The weekly HVTs offer better rewards, but they cost you more target data accordingly.
What do the rewards look like? All high-value targets give you gear and Phoenix credits. During global events, you can also earn decent GE credits.
What was wrong with high-value targets in The Division 1
While the missions were nice for a break in The Division 1, they quickly became boring. Things like
Bosses that were hardly challenging
Rewards that were rather lacking outside of global events
And locations, of which there were only about 5 total, resulting in frequent repetition.
led to it becoming quite repetitive. Overall, high-value targets simply lacked variety, challenge, and the feeling that it would be worth it.
What we would like to see from high-value targets in The Division 2
High-value targets in The Division 2: We have a few ideas and suggestions for changes that we would like to see. The missions have potential and could motivate with the right fine-tuning. Here are our ideas.
The missions need to be more dynamic
No more the same locations: The high-value targets must urgently be designed more varied. The choice of locations used for missions needs to be significantly increased.
Even in Part 1, there were many interesting places that would have been very suitable for these missions, unfortunately, this was never improved. Now that the game world is getting significantly larger, it would be the perfect opportunity.
How about dynamic events? How about also having a selection of different, dynamic events that could add some spice to the HVTs? For example, another faction could suddenly appear, disrupting the mission flow and attacking both the players and the target’s faction.
If the Hunters are in The Division 2, they would also be a good opportunity. They could suddenly appear and thus further increase the challenge. However, the reward should also be significantly higher.
JTF and other civilians as support? Conversely, there is a possibility that friendly factions could spontaneously join the players. The JTF was already active in New York in The Division 1 and could occasionally intervene in battles.
While they were only limitedly helpful, they created epic street battles and contributed to the atmosphere. Nevertheless, the JTF should have a bit more to offer in The Division 2.
Not only hostile factions in The Division 2: Settlers will also have their outposts. This would be a good opportunity to give the game world more depth.
It would also be nice if several high-value targets could be initiated simultaneously, making it feel like a kind of hunt through the city.
High-value targets should reward the player better
So far, the rewards for HVTs have been a double-edged sword. If you have just reached the endgame and reached level 30, they are a good way to collect a good amount of gear.
However, once you are more advanced and only collecting secret gear sets, the effort simply isn’t worth it anymore. Therefore, changes should be made.
Higher level for HVTs: A good way to enhance the high-value targets would be a higher difficulty level with better rewards. So far, the highest weekly missions correspond to the challenging difficulty of story missions and incursions.
Why not introduce a legendary difficulty? This way, more experienced players would have something to engage in while simultaneously reaping better rewards.
The symbol could also stand for a new feature
While high-value targets seem more likely, there is still a possibility that the symbol stands for something new.
We are curious about what it will be.
Would you be happy about the HVTs? Do you have any further ideas on how to improve them?
Housing is a hot topic among WoW fans. Blizzard has commented on it and explains why it does not exist yet.
It is a feature that players of World of Warcraft have wanted for well over a decade: Housing. The ability to have your own property and design it according to your wishes is deeply rooted in MMO fans. Time and again, fans have demanded this feature, and time and again, Blizzard has declined.
In an interview with Game Director Ion Hazzikostas, the Russian magazine Game World Navigator also discussed Housing.
Massive project Housing. According to Hazzikostas, Housing is a recurring topic among the developers. “Housing is something we might tackle in the future. It is something we talk about. But doing it or doing it right are two very different things. If we ever decide to do it, we wouldn’t take that decision lightly. Because we know that the expectations and quality demands are very high.”
WoW is social, Housing is not. For Hazzikostas, World of Warcraft is a multiplayer game, and players are therefore “out in the world and interacting with each other.” That would be hard to reconcile with Housing if players were just in their own houses and not in capitals or other shared locations.
Blizzard never says never. However, Housing is still not completely ruled out. They understand the players’ desire to own a piece of land and design the house. For example, you could hang the heads of defeated raid bosses as trophies. “We are simply not there yet,” Hazzikostas concluded.
Whether the right time for World of Warcraft will ever come is questionable. But who knows: After a major war expansion, perhaps an expansion focused on relaxation is on the agenda… and Housing would fit perfectly.
Cortyn thinks: Personally, I consider the lack of Housing to be one of the biggest downsides of World of Warcraft. In my fairy tale world, Blizzard would simply need to copy the brilliant Housing from WildStar. Instanced properties with multiple buildings, furniture from crafters, or as special drops from enemies and achievements. Plus, the free design options from WildStar – it would be perfect. I don’t need a “gameplay reason” for Housing. Role-playing and the joy of a “digital home for the character” are completely sufficient.
In the database of Destiny 2, fans find entries about a new secret quest revolving around Cayde-6 and his favorite noodles. What is behind it?
It seems that Bungie has come up with something very special for the departing Cayde-6. Clever fans have discovered entries in the game data of Destiny 2 pointing to a new quest. The task will probably start during the Solstice of Heroes and apparently revolves around Cayde-6 and his Spicy Ramen. We summarize all known details for you.
Secret Quest in Honor of Cayde-6
That Cayde-6 will die with the start of the fall expansion is probably no longer a secret. However, apparently there is one last secret surrounding the leader of the Hunter Vanguard that wants to be uncovered before Forsaken.
What is known so far? Recently, new entries have been found in the Destiny 2 database that suggest a secret quest. It seems to be the first quest step, asking the Guardians to head to the noodle shop in the Tower and redeem a coupon there.
Additionally, a corresponding consumable item has surfaced, which seems to be linked to this quest – an expired noodle coupon. This is said to later be upgradeable to a legendary version according to the data. Therefore, it seems to be a multi-part quest.
No Cayde-7: In the lore text of the expired noodle coupon, Bungie once again unmistakably hints that Cayde-6 will likely not return, despite the Guardians’ hopes – not even as Cayde-7.
How and when does the Cayde quest start? Besides the question of how Exos can eat noodles at all, this is probably the currently most exciting puzzle: How or when does this quest start? So far, nothing is known about that. However, fans assume that it should start during the Solstice of Heroes, as the corresponding quest icon in the database is overlaid with the Solstice logo.
Moreover, some players report that after the release of the Hotfix 1.2.3.2, the quest was briefly displayed as a milestone for them, but they could not do anything. After that, the display disappeared completely. This was probably more of a bug. Because even regularly, nothing has been seen from the quest so far.
Some players expressed the suspicion that the quest might run in the last week of the Solstice event or in the week between the Solstice and the Forsaken expansion to fill the one-week gap to Forsaken and allow for a smooth transition.
We will keep you updated: We will keep an eye on the matter for you and report any news as soon as possible. Maybe even today’s Weekly Reset will bring new details about this secret task. Many fans see this as a possibility.
As it turns out, Riot is having trouble with Tencent developing a mobile clone of “League of Legends”. This is revealed in a statement. The statement also addresses the declining player numbers of LoL.
What happened? A well-known tech site “The Information” published an article about the tensions between Riot Games and their Chinese bosses at Tencent. They spoke with 40 people at Riot and Tencent. There are tensions between the two companies.
Allegedly, Tencent is now focusing more on Fortnite and PUBG. The weaker player numbers of LoL have led to layoffs.
As a result of this story, there was an official statement from Riot Games.
What is the relationship between Tencent and Riot Games? Tencent has fully acquired Riot Games. However, they give Riot Games, the developers of LoL, a lot of freedom. But apparently, there has been trouble behind the scenes.
Because Tencent developed an “unofficial” mobile version of League of Legends. In China, it is called “Honor of Kings,” in Europe and North America it is “Arena of Valor.”
LoL was supposed to go mobile – Riot declined
What is the history of the tech site?
As it became clear that “mobile gaming” would become stronger than “hardcore gaming,” Tencent allegedly approached Riot and asked if they could make a mobile title out of LoL.
However, Riot declined, saying, “the experience of League of Legends cannot be transferred to mobile devices.”
After that, Tencent is said to have developed its own MOBA for mobile: “Honor of Kings.”
LoL mobile clone “Honor of Kings” becomes a huge hit
Riot was reportedly shocked when they first saw screenshots of Honor of Kings. An employee said: “We were shocked. They shamelessly copied our brand.”
Riot then complained to Tencent, and they modified Honor of Kings enough to work as an “independent product.”
Arena of Valor/Honor of Kings
Tencent is now focusing more on Fortnite – Is LoL in crisis?
Honor of Kings then became a massive hit in China.
Meanwhile, Tencent is said to view Riot critically and focus more on “Fortnite” and “PUBG,” while League of Legends is allegedly losing players and profit. This also led to layoffs.
This is what LoL says about declining player numbers
What does Riot Games say? Riot reached out to the site Dot Esports and issued an official statement:
“The numbers for League of Legends are lower than at their peak, but it is still one of the most played games on the planet and we are very happy with the numbers. We think some of the content we will bring soon will help us with player numbers. Basically: League of Legends is doing incredibly well by any measure, except in comparison to our own benchmarks.
Riot Games is currently developing several new games
The relationship with Tencent is better than ever. We spoke with Riot employees about this in February. Although the situation with “Arena of Valor” was not good, we have processed it. From a leadership perspective, the partnership is better than ever. We are working with Tencent on an exciting future for League of Legends and our other games (yes, multiple games).”
Sounds like a lot of grumbling behind the scenes
What is behind this? For outsiders, it was clear that “Honor of Kings” was the unofficial mobile version of League of Legends. The parallels were obvious.
However, it was thought that the LoL copy was made with Riot Games’ explicit “okay.” The fact that it apparently happened against Riot’s will and that there was a lot of grumbling about it is interesting and new.
Riot will surely be regretting today that they thought “LoL couldn’t go mobile.” Honor of Kings proves that it can.
It is also interesting that Riot Games is developing “several new games.” There could be a lot in planning.
We may soon get deeper lore for Overwatch. After a discussion in the official forums, the lead writer of Overwatch is intrigued by the idea of incorporating gameplay changes into the story. He has done this before.
Story includes gameplay: The lead writer of Overwatch, Michael Chu, writes in the official Overwatch forums that he would like to hide allusions to patches in the lore. Something like that has even happened before.
The Overwatch story is being “patched”
The discussion in the forum was initiated by the user OhEmGee (via Blizzard Forums), who is looking for a reason in the lore as to why Hanzo no longer uses his scatter arrows.
Other users quickly agreed that gameplay changes would fit well into the lore, until the lead writer Michael Chu even responded.
Torbjörn upgrades Bastion: When Bastion was revamped, he received a passive ability called “Ironclad”. Through Ironclad, Bastion takes 20% less damage in the tank and sentry configurations.
This ability is thanks to Torbjörn – as explained by Chu in the shortly after released comic “Binary World”. Torbjörn first recognizes Bastion here as more than just a killing machine – and upgrades him.
“Ironclad” is the name of the group that Torbjörn was part of during the Omnic Crisis. Torbjörn himself also has an “Ironclad” skin. So there is even a connection between them in the game.
Hanzo as a negative example: Chu also addresses the issue with Hanzo’s rework. However, this is an example of a gameplay change that would not appear in the lore, as it does not fit.
Hanzo lost his scatter arrow with his rework, replacing it with storm arrows. However, Chu thinks that Hanzo still carries the arrows in his quiver and just does not use them anymore.
Hope for more: Chu says he is open to the idea of incorporating gameplay changes into the official lore. However, he states that it has to fit.
It really depends on the specific example whether a patch can be integrated into the lore or not. However, it has already happened with Torbjörn and Bastion.
Alongside numerous Eververse changes aimed at making the cash shop of Destiny 2 more player-friendly, Guardians will soon also see the chances for Bright Engram rewards displayed after the launch of Forsaken.
In the current “This Week at Bungie” blog, Bungie provided extensive information regarding upcoming changes to the Eververse – the cash shop of Destiny 2. With Forsaken, Tess Everis’ store will be revamped once again and aims to provide Guardians with more opportunities to acquire their desired items without having to spend real money.
The Prismatic Matrix also returns in Season 4 after its overhaul. This feature is intended to provide more transparency and a clear path to Eververse rewards. An additional function is also expected to further promote this transparency.
Bungie Aims to Reveal Chances for Eververse Rewards
What is planned? After the launch of the Forsaken expansion for Destiny 2, players will be provided with more data regarding the in-game shop.
Among other things, the probabilities for Bright Engram rewards will be disclosed on Bungie.net. Furthermore, Guardians will be able to review their previous private purchase history on Bungie.net.
What are Bright Engrams? Bright Engrams are essentially loot boxes that can be earned in-game, but are also available for real money in the Eververse. They contain cosmetic items such as shaders, ghost shells, sparrows, ships, weapon and armor ornaments, or emotes.
Moving Away from a Gambling Image: With this step, Bungie ensures more transparency regarding the Eververse offerings. Additionally, the studio joins other developers and publishers like EA, who already employ a similar strategy with FIFA 19 to distance themselves further from gambling accusations and other controversial elements of loot boxes.
Can such a step only benefit the players? Or do you see this as just another tactic to justify loot boxes in the game?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Legendary bosses in Pokémon GO are supposed to be special. But when Registeel leaves, players are happy.
Only a few days left: Registeel is only available this week as a boss in Pokémon GO. After that, it will disappear for an indefinite period. So if you haven’t caught one yet but want to complete your collection, you should hurry: Registeel Counter Guide: How to Defeat the Steel Raid Boss
Little use, little desire: Registeel belongs to the T5 bosses and is legendary. Usually, these monsters are strong and useful as attackers in raids. However, Registeel is less useful for many trainers as it does not perform particularly well as an attacker. Consequently, the motivation to defeat this raid boss with a group of players is low. One is not sad when a new boss is introduced soon.
When does Registeel leave?
Timeframe: Until August 16, the Steel opponent will remain – after that, the monster will disappear. Registeel has been a legendary raid boss in Pokémon GO since mid-July. It should stay for about a month.
Replacement: Registeel replaced the raid boss Regice in July. Together with Regirock, the three form the Regi Trio. It is expected that after Registeel, the last part of the trio, Regirock, will be released in Pokémon GO.
Community was unhappy with the raid boss
Unhappy players: Many players felt that Registeel was not well received in the community as a raid boss. They have been waiting for days for the boss to finally be replaced by a new one.
Survey was clear: On this topic, PokémonGOHub conducted a survey on Twitter. 12,407 people participated and voted on the question “What do you think of the Registeel raids? Are you tired of them?” as follows:
6% say they like the raids
41% rated the raids as “meh”
53% voted that the Registeel raids are bad
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from Twitter 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.
94% of the votes were negative towards the Registeel raids. Players will certainly be glad when the monster packs its bags and leaves the arenas on August 16.
Are you happy that Registeel is leaving, or did you like the boss?
