Legendary spells, Magnetic and Omega cards – we reveal what is included in the new Hearthstone add-on!
Yesterday (July 10, 2018), Blizzard introduced the new expansion for Hearthstone. In “The Boomsday Project”, players will venture into the Netherstorm to face the notorious Dr. Boom, who aims to create explosive chaos and complete bizarre experiments. Three new concepts are central to this expansion, which we will present to you here.
Keyword “Magnetic”
With the new expansion, there is also a fresh keyword, which will appear on some Mech minions: the addition “Magnetic”. A magnetic minion will combine with another Mech when played (if possible) and will grant its attributes (attack and health) as well as its card effect, such as a Deathrattle.
As an example, Blizzard showcased the Spider Bomb, a Mech minion for 3 mana that has stats of 2/2, is also magnetic, and has Deathrattle: destroy a random enemy minion.
Players now have the choice to play the Spider Bomb as a standalone minion or to attach it to another Mech to enhance it. This allows for strong new combinations, much like Hunters could only create with their “Zombiest” effect!
Players have long been demanding this, and now it is finally happening. With The Boomsday Project, there will be legendary spells! These spells are likely to be particularly powerful but can also be extremely risky. An example introduced is Myra’s Unstable Element, a rogue spell for 5 mana. Upon use, the player draws their entire remaining deck!
As there can only be 10 cards in hand, it might happen that many cards are “burned”. Additionally, from this turn on, the “Fatigue” phase begins inevitably. A card with high risk, but likely the most powerful card draw in the game.
“Omega” Cards
Also new are Omega cards. These minions are mostly quite ordinary – like the Omega Defender, a minion for 4 mana with stats of 2/6 and Taunt. However, when played while 10 mana crystals are available, the Omega Defender will gain +10 attack through its battlecry and can thus stop even the most powerful cards.
More cards with the introduced effects will be revealed in a few weeks, as the “Reveal Streams” begin on July 23.
What do you think of these new effects and ideas? Cool variations for exciting new strategies? Or are there too few innovations for an expansion?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Our author Leya spoke with the Community Director and Live-OPS of Warframe during Tennocon 2018. Rebecca Ford discussed the impact of continuous growth on the community.
Warframe is an incredibly diverse game that offers a lot of content. Especially as a new player, one can easily feel overwhelmed by the flood of information, mechanics, and content. Warframe is still growing and changing. At Tennocon 2018, the developers presented their latest content update – and it’s massive:
Warframe builds on its community: One of the strongest pillars of Warframe has always been the community. Every player who joins quickly realizes that others are willing to help and enjoy doing so. They explain, guide you, and travel the path of the Space Ninjas together. A form of co-dependency has developed between the developers and the community.
I was curious how the Warframe community has evolved in Rebecca’s eyes with the constant growth.
Rebecca Ford is appreciated by the community and even plays an important role in Warframe itself. She is the Lotus, representing the mother and mentor figure. Rebecca voices the Lotus in the game.
We started with 1,000 players – Now we are 40 million
Mein-MMO: I have read some interviews of yours where you explain how you built the Warframe community in the beginning. However, I am curious if you have noticed changes in the community since Warframe has grown so much with Plains of Eidolon?
Rebecca: I would like to say the family has simply grown larger. We started with 1,000 testers in the closed alpha and now we have 40 million players. That’s quite a big difference. I believe the biggest change lies in the comfort level for players to help each other.
What we are trying to achieve, however, requires the community’s help. We work at a high pace and change things quickly. We simply do not always have the time to create the perfect marketing package. We try to communicate innovations to the community as quickly as possible. They listen and pass everything on to the rest of the community.
Our community has thus taken on the role of ambassadors. They also help new players start with Warframe and teach them the many aspects of the game. They assist each other, which also helps us.
Rebecca Ford, Live-Ops and Community Director.
We are players ourselves and show it
Mein-MMO: So you mean that it has become a bit more complicated in the community since the growth and that players are no longer as willing to help each other. How do you address this problem?
Rebecca: I would say another problem is that there are currently three platforms (PC, PS4, Xbox One). A common issue is that players ask for help but do not specify which platform they are playing on.
Additionally, there is a conflict of interest since Warframe has so much to offer. There are different worlds, mastery ranks, competitive vs. cooperative, and sometimes you have to meet in the middle. We have observed that some players are inclined to deny help to others if they are not on the same platform.
It is important for these players to realize that we are a large community playing Warframe together. As developers, we need to set the right tone that we help each other.
Rebecca: We have our Devstreams and our Prime-Time. When we find that something is frustrating for the community, we talk about it live. We also want to show that we are players ourselves and can empathize with the community when they are facing a problem. We farm our Prime items ourselves and do this live. If something isn’t working, you can see the frustration on us, and we yell things like “Damn RNG!”.
It’s a game, and when you are confronted with random rolls in a game, sometimes you get angry. But we go through the same frustration as you. Players who watch us in the streams understand that we go through the same things as they do and can empathize with their problems. We do not want an us-versus-them scenario.
Mein-MMO: How do you actually gather feedback and become aware of issues with so many players?
Rebecca: It is definitely true that we do not catch every piece of feedback. We actually miss a lot. However, there are often issues that we have already addressed, and it may have been a while ago. Then players often feel that we are ignoring the problem, and someone from the community jumps in and explains that we might have already talked about it a year ago. There are also always new ideas that we want to discuss, and then players think that we have forgotten the old ideas.
Here too, we rely on the community to sort through the mass of information and relay it back to other players. As long as that is given, the community will understand what we are about: growth, change, and sometimes saying no.
My biggest fear is that we forget who we are
Mein-MMO: As Warframe continues to grow and attract new players, now also with the new Fortuna update, do you ever fear that this sense of family may break apart?
Rebecca: Yes, it can. That is really my biggest fear. My biggest fear with Warframe is that one day we reach a point where we forget where we came from. I fear that we will forget why we do what we do.
As long as we sit on our couch and do our Devstreams and ensure that the heart is where we want it to be, everything is fine. Even though we are bigger now, we want to remain the people whose biggest interest is to do everything for the community. It would surely go wrong if one day we stopped doing that.
The scariest thing we could do would be to stop being ourselves. If we stopped doing our Devstreams. If we stopped writing our network shops. That is a lot of work for us, but I believe that it is also the most important work for us.
Traditionally, the developers hold a Devstream every two weeks where they discuss issues and news.
I must recognize when and how frustration arises in the community
Mein-MMO: By remaining grounded yourselves, do you aim to save the community before it breaks apart?
Rebecca: Yes! You know, with every online community… Ah, it’s such a cliché to say: “There are toxic people in every online community.” That’s actually a statement I don’t want to make.
I believe that in reality, every community consists of humanity. People have emotions, people are intelligent, people have fears, and they have frustrations. That is normal. When they have these feelings, you will feel them in the community too. Something like the perfect, always happy community does not exist.
For me, it’s important to recognize when these negative feelings arise due to our fault and when players need to identify the source of their problems themselves. I know exactly when we have frustrated our players. I know what is going wrong, and we are working to fix it. But when I see that we have done nothing wrong and everyone is toxic, then I must ask myself what the source is this time.
Then I need to search for the pain points. Perhaps I find out that players cannot trade but have not communicated the bug to us and are just in a bad mood.
We ensure that news is as visible as possible
Mein-MMO: You mentioned that you maintain this communication with players – about things like the Devstreams or your social media. But not everyone is part of that. It’s not that everyone watches these streams or is active on Discord, Twitter, etc. Do you have plans to integrate this kind of community building directly into the game?
Rebecca: We do not have concrete plans. But we ensure that news is presented as visibly as possible in the game. We also have hints in the game that these community channels exist outside.
We have ideas, but we do not have anything concrete that we could present on a silver platter to help see through the chaos of Warframe more easily. At least not yet. Maybe one day.
Mein-MMO: Thank you for the conversation and your openness, Rebecca.
If that’s the biggest concern of the developers, the signs are good
Rebecca appeared refreshingly open-minded and honest in our conversation. That is one of her greatest strengths in community building, which she also imparts to her team. She stands behind Warframe and its players with all her heart.
Recognizing danger, banishing danger: Who wants to grow must be able to identify its problems and also accept them. Not closing oneself off from them. Rebecca openly addressed the growing pains of the community. She knows that the co-dependency with the community is one of the strongest pillars of the game but also carries its dangers.
This interdependence helps to strengthen cohesion. It is based on a relationship of trust. However, the larger a community becomes, the stronger the likelihood of alienation. The coziness, the little cuddle factor eventually falls away.
It’s all the better for Warframe that the Community Director fears disintegration through alienation. Because if the community were to break apart, that could indeed mean the downfall of Warframe. There is no system in place to bring in new players. The community catches them.
This also means that this problem is addressed before it blossoms and can be extinguished before it even sprouts. This makes me optimistic about the future of Warframe.
In Destiny 2 today, on July 10th, the Weekly Reset is back. The July Iron Banner is live. With the weekly reset, you can also take on new activities like the Nightfall strike or the Flashpoint.
Iron Banner is live: It’s that time again, a new week begins in the Destiny universe. And it comes with the July Iron Banner. Lord Saladin is back in the Tower. Under his stern gaze, Guardians can compete against each other in the Crucible for a week. The Control mode is played in a 6v6 format.
Additionally, the hunt for new weapons and ornaments from Season 3 Iron Banner can continue – your progress will be maintained as part of Season 3. This applies to the ornaments and the Iron Banner ranks.
But let’s see what else the current week has to offer.
Nightfall starting July 10th on PS4, Xbox One, and PC
This week, the Nightfall is“Strange Terrain”. This week you have the chance to earn the following exclusive Nightfall strike reward: the legendary rocket launcher BrayTech Osprey.
No modifiers are active in the normal Nightfall!
In Prestige mode, you must activate the modifiers via the challenge cards. These cards drop for DLC owners in both the normal and Prestige modes of the Nightfall strike. Don’t forget that you can upgrade your challenge cards at Xur again starting Friday.
The following challenges need to be mastered:
Unbroken: Complete the Nightfall with less than 3 deaths.
5-Second Rule: Do not hold the relic for longer than 5 seconds after picking it up.
Heroic Strike Modifiers
The respective burning modifier remains active until the next reset. The other two modifiers rotate daily. Currently, the following modifiers are active in the heroic strike playlist:
Solar Burning: Solar damage from all sources is slightly increased
Glass: Health and shields are halved, but recovery is twice as fast
Crusher: Melee abilities deal more damage and recharge much faster
This week, the 6v6 Iron Banner is active in the weekly Crucible playlist.
Escalation Protocol
If the current rotation is maintained, you have another chance to earn the following three weapons from the end boss of the Escalation Protocol this week:
It has happened: Cristiano Ronaldo leaves Real Madrid and joins Juventus Turin. We explain what CR7’s transfer means for EA and FIFA 19.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been on the cover of EA Sports’ soccer simulation since FIFA 18. In the game, especially in Ultimate Team, much revolves around him. For FIFA 19, EA already advertised with the superstar in the Real Madrid kit.
After the transfer to Juventus Turin announced on Tuesday afternoon, there is certainly a need for action. EA might now face several problems.
Ronaldo graces the cover of FIFA 19
CR7 was also introduced as the official cover star for FIFA 19 – in the Real Madrid jersey. This cover cannot be sold with the game, of course.
Ronaldo in Juve colors? The most likely option is to promote CR7 in the Juventus kit. However, if they want to avoid Photoshop editing, photos for all covers and in-game images, such as in the game menu, would need to be reshot. Not to mention the negotiations that would likely have to be newly conducted with Juventus Turin and Ronaldo.
Neymar to take over? Another option would be to elevate the “secondary star” Neymar. Currently, he plays a behind-the-scenes role to CR7 and should gradually be built up as a FIFA star. With the transfer, it might be easiest for EA to make the Brazilian the cover star directly.
The disaster: The Journey 3
Ronaldo is one of the main characters. The worst situation for EA is certainly due to Ronaldo’s transfer because of “The Journey 3”, the final chapter in the story of Alex Hunter. Even in the first two, especially the second part, CR7 played a crucial role in the story. Although the story of the third part is not yet known – it is certain that the superstar has a decisive role.
The story must be rewritten. Of course, EA cannot simply pretend that the transfer never happened. Probably a small part of the story will need to be changed, and due to the chain reaction that Ronaldo triggers with his transfer, several roles will have to be filled with new players. Not exactly a pleasant situation for EA, just two months before the expected release of the demo.
FIFA 19 Ultimate Team: The year of Serie A
For FUT 19, Cristiano Ronaldo’s transfer also means changes. These could even be more positive than negative, especially for fans of the fully licensed Serie A in FIFA 19 .
Serie A becomes more popular. CR7 is likely still the strongest offensive card in the entire game due to his deal with EA in FIFA 19. With the transfer to Juve, players of the Italian upper class will become significantly more popular. You will see strong “Serie A” cards like Milinkovic-Savic, Mertens, Dybala or Nainggolan more frequently in the Weekend League.
More variety in teams. In FIFA 18, “High End” teams almost always consisted offensively of La Liga players, mostly Ronaldo, Suarez, Messi, and Bale. With CR7’s transfer, fewer La Liga attackers might be seen in online play, which would greatly improve the variety. Because if Neymar were to stay at PSG, the three best FIFA attackers would be distributed across three different leagues.
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“Cristiano Ronaldo”-OTW card? The “Player in Focus” or “Ones to Watch” cards are live items that increase their rating when the player receives a special card. Such an OTW card is usually reserved for young players who switched clubs before the season. However, in the case of CR7, EA will certainly make an exception.
Conclusion: Overall, it will be extremely exciting to see how EA handles the transfer of their shooting star – especially regarding marketing and promotion. Because CR7 in the Real Madrid kit was undoubtedly the core of their sales strategy. We are also very curious about the effects on the FUT transfer market and the teams!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Fortnite: Battle Royale (PC, PS4, iOS, Switch & Xbox One) will the gameplay soon disappear and be relaunched in Season 5. But actually, the Creative Practice Mode has the potential for its own game with a business model!
What is the Creative Mode? The Creative Mode lets you as a 4-player team play alone on the Fortnite Battle Royale map. There you can respawn as many times as you want and build massive structures. Your creativity knows no bounds.
More than just a mode? Actually, the Creative Mode is meant to practice the gameplay of shooting and building and to explore the map. However, the Creative Mode has the potential to become a whole game within the game!
Why not a new game variant? The website Engadget has long contemplated the Creative Mode. The result: Epic would be foolish not to take advantage of it. Ideally, it would perhaps be to create a sort of third Fortnite game version. So PvE, PvP, and a building game in Minecraft style.
Since players already love to play in the Creative Mode (and everything is gone at the end of the game), an endless building mode like Minecraft would be a good idea. One could even incorporate NPCs and monsters like in the PvE mode.
Players could trade their creations: Furthermore, Epic could allow players to trade their creations with each other for real money. This works similarly to the marketplace on Steam, where between 2011 and 2015, Valve raked in over 171 million US dollars.
The Creative Mode as a Development Platform
Create your own game: According to the website Engadget, one could go even further and make the Creative Mode a sort of mini-developer platform. Then one would no longer have to use the good old island PvP map, but could offer a complete blank map that players would then fill.
This is Roblox. Here you can play and also develop your own games.
Inspired by Roblox: Roblox is half game, half development program. There you can create your own games with cute Lego characters within the system’s guidelines and share them with other players. There are about 64 million active players. More than 1.7 million of them are developers who generated over 30 million US dollars in 2017.
New Game Modes – By Players for Players
Players could then also develop new game modes in the new mode. Already there are race tracks like in Mario Kart or a competition where the goal is to cleverly edit the floor tiles under the opponent’s feet in a tower, causing them to fall to their death.
Viral Marketing: The success of Roblox is also based on many streamers through whom it became popular. Fortnite also has plenty of streamers at work. New creations would spread quickly and generate a lot of revenue.
Only 60% of all buyers of Bless Online on Steam made it to one of the two main cities of the game. Do MMORPGs need to impress immediately within the first two hours on Steam, as players can easily return them?
Refunds impact Bless. According to leaked Steam data from the end of last week, 192,188 players purchased and downloaded Bless Online. However, only 60% of these players, according to global Steam achievements, reached one of the two main cities of the game. Players can access the main cities at around level 5.
What does this mean? It can be inferred that about 40% of the players who purchased Bless Online returned it or did not continue playing before the 2-hour mark.
We wonder: Why do so many people buy Bless, but then do not play it, instead returning it or quitting? We found 3 reasons.
1. Bless has problems, but no beta
Bless had no beta: Many players try upcoming titles in an open beta before release to see how much fun they will have with the game. Several online games, including Destiny 2 and Monster Hunter World, offered players this opportunity. However, Bless opted against an open beta. Players didn’t really know what they were getting into when they bought Bless. They couldn’t test the much-publicized revamped combat system or test the performance of the game.
Bumpy start: Bless Online launched on May 31, 2018, on Steam, and players downloaded it on the same day. Those who purchased a Founders Pack could start two days early. However, during those first 2 days, very few players actually got to play. They were stuck on the loading screen, the desired servers were full or inactive. They couldn’t select their favorite faction or play with their friends.
These circumstances caused a large wave of refunds. Many players requested a return, and Valve granted them, even though playtime often exceeded the 2-hour mark. Bless Online couldn’t keep many players interested. If there hadn’t been an option to return the game, more players would likely have accepted it.
Problems remain. Even players who joined after the official release were sometimes unwilling to stay. They attempted to get a refund many days after the release despite high playtime.
2. The refund revolution creates a refund culture on Steam
2 hours trial time. The ability for players to easily return purchased games was not always the case. It was not until 2015 that Steam introduced the option for players to return purchased games under certain conditions. The following criteria apply:
The return must occur within 14 days of purchase
The game must not have been played for more than two hours.
Steam allows players to test a game for less than two hours and then return it without giving reasons – regardless of whether they like it or not and how it runs on their system.
Refund culture. Some players buy a game on Steam, test it for two hours, and then contemplate whether they truly want to keep it and whether the game is really worth the amount they spent on it. They spend money to play a time-limited “demo” of the game.
3. MMOs often have a slow start
You want to keep me. Games on Steam must captivate players in the first hours and show them how much fun they will have with them.
Fast singleplayer. The beginning of single-player games is usually spectacular and engaging. The game wants to captivate the player and make them want to play it. Right from the start, the basic mechanics of the game are shown, and the player can get a good overview of what to expect in the game.
Slow MMOs. But with MMOs, everything is a bit slower. Before players enter the online world, they usually spend some time creating a character, which can take a varying amount of time depending on their preferences, and can be time-consuming in itself. Then they enter the online world and complete a few introductory quests.
Many game systems, such as crafting, endgame activities, and PvP, are only accessible to players at higher levels. These core systems simply cannot be tested by the player within the given 2 hours.
Steam – a hotbed for MMORPGs, but many factors came together for Bless
Specific problems with Bless: Certainly, the high numbers of dropouts in Bless are not only linked to the slow start of MMORPGs and the refund culture on Steam, but also specifically to the problems with Bless. Players especially cite the poor English translation and the poor performance as factors preventing them from enjoying Bless Online. Neowiz is working on improving performance, but player numbers are not looking good.
However, a shift in the environment of MMORPGs is also evident when they go on Steam.
It was different before: Before Steam, many MMORPG fans took a long time to consider whether to buy an MMORPG. Once they paid the money, they did everything they could to “recoup” their investment and actively tried to find joy in the game. Back then, it was harder to convince customers to buy – but those who did gave the game a vote of confidence.
Today: Particularly with Bless, many people bought it without consciously making a final purchasing decision. This decision only comes about 2 hours after purchase when players decide: Should I keep it or return it? This puts MMORPGs in a different, difficult situation. The customer buys easily but then needs to be convinced by the game.
Information about the features of the new World of Warcraft addon Battle for Azeroth, the Collector’s Edition, and where you can buy and preorder it, you will find here.
Preorder Battle for Azeroth: With Battle for Azeroth, the MMORPG giant World of Warcraft receives its seventh expansion. After the Legion is defeated, a war ignites between the Horde and the Alliance for dominance over Azeroth, sending players to new areas to make contact with the local races.
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If you preorder Battle for Azeroth, you will gain access to some bonuses that you can use before the game.
Access to Allied Races: Four of the allied races are already playable. If you preorder Battle for Azeroth and meet the requirements for the races, you can create Void Elves, Lightforged Draenei, Highmountain Tauren, and Nightborne immediately.
Level 110 Boost: After you have activated the key, you will immediately gain access to a boost for a character at level 110, which you can use at the selection screen.
Access to Digital Deluxe Content: If you preorder the Digital Deluxe Edition of Battle for Azeroth, you will immediately gain access to the digital contents of the edition.
This is included in the Standard Edition of WoW: Battle for Azeroth
Platform: PC
Release: August 14, 2018
Price: €44.99; if you have Amazon Prime, you get an additional €2 discount.
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More Content with the Digital Deluxe Edition of Battle for Azeroth
Platform: PC
Release: August 14, 2018
Price: €59.99
You can only purchase the Digital Deluxe Edition via the Blizzard Shop – either directly on the Battle.net website or through the Battle.net client. For the higher price, you will receive some content in WoW and other Blizzard games that you can redeem immediately:
A faction mount – a horse for the Alliance, a raptor for the Horde
A baby tortollan as a pet in WoW
A card back for Hearthstone
Horde and Alliance sprays for StarCraft II
The mount “primal flame saber” for Heroes of the Storm
In-game content for Overwatch
“For the Horde!” and “For the Alliance!” sayings for Torbjörn
Horde and Alliance flags as emotes for Tracer
Sprays of Anduin, Jaina, Sylvanas, and Saurfang for all characters
This is what you get in the Collector’s Edition of WoW: Battle for Azeroth
Platform: PC
Release: August 14, 2018
Price: €99.99; if you have Amazon Prime, you will receive an additional €2 discount.
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With the Collector’s Edition of Battle for Azeroth, you will receive all digital content that is also included in the Digital Deluxe Edition. Additionally, you will also receive physical and other digital items that you can only get in this version:
Battle for Azeroth in a Collector’s box
The soundtrack of Battle for Azeroth as a key for download
A double-sided faction emblem with the insignias of the Horde and the Alliance for hanging or as decoration.
More Offers and Information
You do not own Legion: If you want to buy Battle for Azeroth but do not own WoW: Legion yet, Blizzard is currently offering a bundle for the same price that includes Legion for free. You do not have to purchase both addons separately.
You do not own World of Warcraft: The same bundle is available again with the base version of World of Warcraft. If you are a completely new player, you can get the base game World of Warcraft including Legion and Battle for Azeroth in the Blizzard Shop for €49.99.
Upgrade to the Collector’s Edition: If you have already purchased a version of Battle for Azeroth through the Blizzard Shop, you can simply upgrade to the Collector’s Edition. You just need to enter the key for the Collector’s Edition before December 31, 2018, and you will receive the purchase price of the Digital Deluxe or Standard Edition credited to your Battle.net balance.
Attention: If you first upgrade from the Standard Edition to the Digital Deluxe and then to the Collector’s Edition, you will only receive the purchase price for the Standard Edition refunded!
Frequently Asked Questions about Preordering
Is access to the beta guaranteed with the preorder? No. Access to the beta is granted only through random unlocks by Blizzard or through contests.
Will I receive the key early? No. Both the Collector’s Edition and the Standard Edition of Battle for Azeroth will be provided to you in a box and only at release. According to current information, there will not be a digital key in advance.
If you therefore want to have all your content beforehand and still have the Collector’s Edition, we recommend purchasing the Digital Deluxe via the Blizzard Shop and then performing an upgrade. This way, you will receive the costs for the Digital Deluxe back.
Do I need Battle for Azeroth for the allied races? Yes. To play the allied races, you must own Battle for Azeroth. To be able to play the currently available races, you need to preorder the game and enter the key. If you meet all other requirements, you can get started with the new races.
Can I use the Level 110 Boost immediately? Yes. As soon as you activate the key, the boost will be credited to your account immediately. You can then boost a new or existing character to level 110 directly.
Is the game in German? Yes.
The Features of Battle for Azeroth
With Battle for Azeroth, many new features come to World of Warcraft. Instead of a specific enemy threatening Azeroth, the focus is on the conflict between Horde and Alliance. This is also reflected in the features:
New Regions: You will explore the unfamiliar areas of Azeroth, where you will encounter familiar but previously unplayable races like the humans from Kul Tiras and Zandalari trolls. In the new continents, you forge new alliances or battle new enemies.
Level 120: With Battle for Azeroth, you will become even stronger. 10 more levels increase the maximum level to 120.
Allied Races: One of the main features of Battle for Azeroth is gaining new races for your faction to support it in the war. You convince specific requirements races to join you – making them a playable race for yourself. The currently known allied races are:
Island Expeditions: On your journey through the new world, you can repeatedly participate in Island Expeditions. You will explore an unfamiliar, randomly generated island with a group of three players and must gather resources and existing Azerite faster than the three opponents from the other faction.
Azerite Armor: The blood of Azeroth itself becomes the new, powerful material with which you can upgrade Azerite armors. The Heart of Azeroth, a new artifact necklace, serves as the centerpiece and becomes stronger the more you upgrade it.
Warfronts: Throughout Azeroth, there are strategically important points that both Horde and Alliance are interested in. You can continually conquer and hold these points as “warfronts” in massive battles.
War Mode: PvP servers are being abolished. Instead, you can simply enter the “War Mode” at any time, where you are phased into a different phase with other players in War Mode. Here you can beat each other at will and even gain more experience and rewards.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
To Fortnite: Battle Royale (PC, PS4, iOS, Switch & Xbox One) there is a new teaser for Season 5 every day. This time, a kind of Viking axe has appeared.
Is Epic teasing Season 5? In Fortnite, the long-awaited Season 5 starts on July 12, 2018 the eagerly awaited Season 5. However, Epic has not released anything official on the subject yet. Only a first teaser image from July 9 has been released so far. It showed a kind of cat-fox mask, which hints at both Japanese mythical creatures and Egyptian cat deities.
Today, on July 10, 2018, another image has surfaced. But this time, no new mask is visible. Instead, there is an axe!
Historical setting becoming more likely!
More and more clues: The Season 5 themes of historical epochs and time travel are becoming more likely with each teaser. Additionally, there have already been numerous clues, including the mysterious objects that appeared in the game. A stagecoach hinted at the Wild West, leaked pyramids, desert maps, and sphinxes as well as the mask pointing to Egypt.
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But no pirates: The anchor that suddenly appeared at Greasy Grove was seen by some players as a sign of a pirate theme. However, this part was referred to in data leaks as a “Viking Anchor”. The axe in the new teaser image is clearly a “battle axe” decorated with many ornaments.
Wild West, Egypt, and Vikings? Such weapons were mainly used by raiding Scandinavians during the Viking Age. Thus, Vikings are likely to come alongside Wild West stuff and possibly Egypt as a theme in Season 5.
Is the axe a new harvesting tool?
Is the Viking axe a new item? Picks are used in Fortnite to gather resources and to smash enemies in desperate times. Is the axe a new prestige skin for your trusty pickaxe? Or is it part of a cool new Viking outfit that might be inspired by Norse folklore characters like Ragnar Lothbrok and others from the Vikings TV series?
Or is it a new weapon? Perhaps the axe is also a new type of weapon. Special melee weapons or throwing axes are conceivable. However, the axe could also be “just” a back piece for the optimal heist.
The next expansion for Hearthstone has been announced – by accident. We have all the currently known details about “The Boomsday Project”.
Things at Blizzard did not go as planned. For a few minutes, the reveal trailer for the upcoming Hearthstone expansion was visible on YouTube. We reveal all the details about “The Boomsday Project”!
What is the Boomsday Project? The next Hearthstone expansion takes place in the Netherstorm of Outland and is about the experiments of Dr. Boom. Players may already know him from World of Warcraft, as he had a nasty questline with numerous bombs that would instantly kill players.
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New keyword “Magnetic”. The new keyword in Hearthstone will be “Magnetic”. Minions with this keyword can either be played as usual or brought into play in combination with each other. They then connect, merging their card values and effects. This is similar to the Hunter mechanic from “Zombiest”.
First cards have been revealed. You can also get a first impression of the new cards.
More card reveals will take place starting from July 23. Fans will thus have to wait a little longer.
When will “The Boomsday Project” be released? The video indicates that “The Boomsday Project” will celebrate its release on August 7. So in just under four weeks.
New pre-order options with a new hero! Those who pre-order the new expansion will have even more options this time. As usual, you can buy a “Standard” pack containing 50 card packs. If you want a little more, you can purchase the “Mega Bundle,” which contains 80 packs and a new Warlock hero: Mecha-Jaraxxus.
What do you think of the new expansion? Do you like the theme and the new cards?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The producer of Monster Hunter: World, Ryozo Tsujimoto, spoke in an interview about mod support and the possibilities of a cross-platform feature between PC and consoles.
With the planned launch on August 9, 2018, MHW will be the first main game in the Monster Hunter series to get a PC release. The extra time was to be used by the development team to make the port as thorough and tidy as possible.
However, modding fans and players who expected cross-platform functionality for multiplayer will likely be disappointed.
No cross-play planned
According to producer Tsujimoto, the development team has no plans for a cross-play feature between the PC version and individual consoles. Console fans will have to purchase the game again for PC if they want to play with their friends on PC.
However, the development team will try to release both balance and content patches as synchronously as possible. In particular, the overarching bug fixes are intended to be released simultaneously across all platforms.
Mod enthusiasts will have to wait
Native support for modding in Monster Hunter: World will likely not be available either. Producer Tsujimoto stated that he has no information regarding the use of mods at this time.
On Reddit, there has been speculation since the announcement of a PC version in January about which mods could be interesting or useful for MHW. Keywords like DPS meter and texture mods were mentioned, but these will likely have to wait for now.
It is unknown whether mod support will be available at some point in the future.
The Division is experiencing a resurgence in popularity, and in recent months, the player count has been on the rise. However, new players may feel overwhelmed by the size of the game. We give you 5 tips for getting started.
With the release of Patch 1.8, the popularity of The Division has increased again since December 2017, and the player numbers have climbed. The next boost was provided by E3 2018 and recent store offers, such as the Steam Summer Sale.
Newcomers will encounter a vast game with some complex elements, which can quickly overwhelm new players. We have compiled five tips to help ease your entry.
1. Take your time leveling up
Many veterans consider the time up to level 30 one of the best parts of The Division. Enjoy the game! The atmosphere and setting are especially impressive at the beginning.
Play the story campaign at your own pace: The Division has a story that is quite good. The campaign may have narrative weaknesses but offers cool missions that you will play sooner or later anyway. You will definitely spend some exciting hours with it.
Explore Manhattan: Take your time, play the story extensively, explore Manhattan, collect audio logs and other collectibles. These tell additional tragic stories that occurred during and after the virus outbreak.
Learn the game and its mechanics properly. It will pay off towards the end.
2. After completing the campaign – Upgrade the Base of Operations
An important mechanic of The Division is upgrading the different wings of the Base of Operations. During the campaign, you will find that the missions are divided into three different types that correspond to the respective wings of the base:
The Medical Wing,
The Tech Wing, and
The Security Wing
These give you various skills, talents, and passive bonuses that can help you in the game.
This is how you upgrade the base to 100%: Play the individual story missions. Additionally, there are side missions corresponding to each wing. Tech missions are marked by a yellow color, medical by green, and security by blue. These missions are short and not particularly exciting. So it’s best to grab friends and farm the missions together.
Upon full upgrade, you will receive the Signature Skills: You unlock these skills when the respective wing is fully upgraded. The Signature Skills are particularly powerful abilities that can significantly influence the course of a battle and are therefore subject to a corresponding high cooldown. Depending on the wing, these skills have different effects.
Recovery Link – The most important Signature Skill: You receive the Recovery Link after upgrading the Medical Wing. The link can revive your entire team within a fairly generous radius and heals over time. It also rescues you if you are playing solo and should happen to die. This skill is crucial for newcomers.
Even in the endgame, the Recovery Link is indispensable. There is hardly anything more frustrating for experienced players than newcomers who want to start a legendary mission or raid without Signature Skills. In critical situations, this can mean certain failure.
3. Equipment from level 30 – Step by step upward
The Division offers a very large selection of weapons and equipment. For newcomers, it can be rather difficult to determine which gear is good and useful upon reaching level 30. High-End? Gear Sets? And why does everyone only talk about Classified Gear? And is a high Gear Score important?
The Gear Score has limited significance: Many players who start in the endgame mistakenly believe they need to have as high a Gear Score as possible. However, what’s more important are coordinated sets and weapons. What good is a high GS if you combine parts haphazardly without benefiting from any set bonuses or weapon talents?
Classified Gear is not essential! Another misconception that newcomers often fall for. While the secret gear sets (rightly or wrongly) are viewed as the cream of the crop in The Division, it doesn’t make sense to strive for this equipment immediately upon reaching level 30. There are several reasons for this:
Classified Gear is strong, but not necessary to master the endgame activities of The Division. Many agents who started after the introduction of these sets mistakenly believe so. However, legendary missions existed before the secret sets and were already mastered back then.
It is easier to farm secret sets when you already have solid equipment. Regular gear sets, high-end equipment, and if you’re lucky, certain exotic parts are absolutely sufficient.
You will find equipment everywhere and during every activity. So if you simply play, you will gradually accumulate some gear. Don’t waste Division Tech on optimizing non-Classified equipment. Save it until you have appropriate sets together.
Reactivation Containers until July 19!
As a starting aid for returning agents, these containers contain all sorts of useful items. The prerequisite is max level 30. These containers will be available at the rewards vendor for three weeks starting from the release of the update.
The contents of the Reactivation Container:
Three complete normal gear sets (four parts of the Striker, D3 FNC, and FireCrest sets)
Containers with high-end mods
A container with five weapon mods
Containers with random weapons (pistol, submachine gun, assault rifle, shotgun, and sniper rifle)
“Currency” containers with three Cipher keys, 2000 Phoenix Credits, and 500 Div-Tech.
The container is available to all players and can only be opened once per account.
4. Set the difficulty yourself – with World Ranks
The World Ranks serve to adjust the difficulty level of the game world, similar to the Qual Ranks of Diablo 3. They influence enemy levels and the gear score of the equipment you can obtain. In addition, vendor items are adjusted.
Automatic progression: The downgrade of the equipment you can receive is structured so that you gradually collect better equipment to eventually advance to the next rank. This generally happens very quickly as the loot system is very generous.
At the respective ranks, you will receive gear with the following Gear Scores:
Rank 1 = 0 – 181
Rank 2 = 182 – 203
Rank 3 = 204 – 228
Rank 4 = 229 – 255
Rank 5 = 256 – 286
So take your time getting used to the higher ranks – sooner or later you will be active in World Rank 5.
5. Experiment with weapons and equipment!
Every loot-heavy game invites players to hunt for the “ultimate” equipment. This is also true for The Division.
If you ask agents who have been around longer, the answer is clear. There is a top category for sets and weapons that is favored by a large part of the community. It’s not wrong to use these.
We recommend: Play what suits you best! You should try as many sets and different weapons as possible. It’s simply fun to play with a weapon that feels just right in your hands. Or with a set whose strengths and special features fit your play style perfectly. Why play a sniper set if you have no interest in sniper rifles and don’t use them?
In absolute numbers, for example, another assault rifle may be stronger, but that is effectively meaningless if you can’t handle it and use it effectively because it simply doesn’t feel right for you.
Combine and experiment: The wide variety of gear sets offers many possibilities to combine them and create interesting builds.
Related to the topic: Our endgame guide for The Division. In this article, we discuss the various endgame activities and show who they are suitable for.
Console and PC are on the same visual level: Monster Hunter World will likely not fully utilize the potential of PC hardware. Producer Ryozo Tsujimoto revealed to Pcgamer that Monster Hunter World on PC will be graphically comparable to the version on PS4 and Xbox One.
The PS4’s limit is around 60 FPS: The PS4 can achieve roughly 60 frames per second when players climb high terrain, and the game only needs to render a small amount of that terrain.
There may be an upgrade after the PC launch
It is still uncertain whether visual quality will be improved after release: According to Tsujimoto, Capcom is currently considering releasing a free update sometime after the launch. However, the producer did not elaborate on what impact this upgrade might have in detail. But for now, it can be assumed that it would be a minor improvement.
Nothing is known about the performance yet: The console version of Monster Hunter World already looks good. However, for many players, performance might be considered even more important than visuals. We do not yet know if everything will run smoothly and fluidly on PC at this point.
After the release for the PC version of Monster Hunter: World was announced for August 9, the first official PC trailer for the popular action game by Capcom follows immediately.
Fans only have to wait one month for the launch of the PC version of MHW. The announcement trailer showcases the many monsters that the freshly minted hunters will be battling starting in August.
After the launch, various event quests and collaborations will also become available on the PC version. It can also be expected that the crossover with Final Fantasy XIV will also fall within the period shortly after the PC release.
Pre-orders on Steam are already possible.
Do you want to play Monster Hunter: World on PC? Then check whether your gaming rig can handle the game!
The new survival MMO New Dawn is entering its early access phase. Then everyone can find out for themselves how Conan Exiles plays with pirates.
The Italian development team at e-visualsoft wants to create a vacation atmosphere with New Dawn: Caribbean flair, a beautiful tropical island, palm beaches, and turquoise blue sea. Oh, it could be such a nice life for the natives, if only dark pirates didn’t arrive on the island to cause trouble. So the vacation is already over and it’s all about survival. The game is reminiscent of Conan Exiles – just in a Caribbean pirate setting.
Pirates vs Natives
Survival in South America. In the game, you take on the role of a native of a South American island who has to defend against the pirates in the 18th century. You can expect typical survival gameplay:
Create a hero and decide whether they should be male or female
Explore an island measuring 49 km², where you will mine resources and craft items
Create buildings that serve as shelter and in which you will craft items
Raid the villages of pirates, steal resources, and enslave the intruders
Early access is just the beginning. With the early access version, you can now get a first small insight into the game. More features are already planned. These include:
An expansion of the island to 56 km²
Alliances between tribes
Dive to shipwrecks to recover treasures
Fish for food sources
Engage in agriculture
Build vehicles
Trade with each other
Play on Steam: The early access version of New Dawn will soon invite you to try out the survival game. The developers want to announce a specific date for the launch very soon. Once it goes live, you can download the client via Steam. The release of the “final” game is planned for 2020.
Your PC should be at least this strong:
Operating System: Windows 7/8.1/10 (64-bit versions) Processor: Intel Core i5-2400/AMD FX-8320 or better Memory: 8 GB RAM Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 670 2GB/AMD Radeon HD 7870 2GB or better DirectX: Version 10 Network: Broadband internet connection Disk Space: 20 GB available disk space
https://youtu.be/7-TrGd2Q6dU
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The charity campaign of Overwatch is over. Blizzard was able to donate more than 12 million dollars for breast cancer research – all thanks to “Mercy in Pink.”
Several weeks ago, we reported that there was a very special Mercy skin in Overwatch. This “Mercy in Pink” could only be purchased with real money – however, the amount did not remain with Blizzard. All proceeds were donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (“BCRF”). In total, over 12 million dollars were raised.
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How much money was raised? Just from the sale of skins in the game, 12.7 million US dollars were raised worldwide. This is approximately 10.8 million Euros. This is the largest donation ever made in a year by a corporate partner to the BCRF.
The check was personally handed over during a ceremonial event by Game Director Jeff Kaplan and Michael Morhaime. The funds should help advance important research in the field of breast cancer and its prevention.
Did you also buy the “Mercy in Pink” skin and support the campaign? Or was the skin alone reason enough for you to put down the money?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Escalation Protocol lures Guardians with some of the best legendary weapons from Destiny 2. However, the drop rate for the coveted IKELOS weapons is very low. Bungie aims to change that now.
Another change is coming in July: As Bungie has now announced, further changes to the Escalation Protocol will be made with the upcoming July Update 1.2.3 on July 17, 2018. But don’t worry – there will be a buff.
Weapon drop rate in the Escalation Protocol receives a buff
During the GuardianCon charity stream, a specific donation goal was reached, which allowed Community Manager dmg04 to reveal another detail from the patch notes of the upcoming July update.
This is how the drop rate changes: Patch 1.2.3 will change how Destiny 2 calculates the drop rate for IKELOS weapons from the Escalation Protocol.
If a player does not receive a weapon after defeating the final boss in the Escalation Protocol starting July 17, the chance for a drop will increase with the subsequent victory over the boss of the seventh wave.
This mechanic is intended to prevent Guardians from standing empty-handed after hours of grinding.
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So those who have had little or no luck grinding for the weapons from the Escalation Protocol should see better chances of obtaining one of the missing weapons over time starting July 17, 2018.
Germany is crazy about Pokémon GO since its release in 2016. With 1.8 billion US dollars in total revenue, the mobile game is a global hit. Every 20 cents comes from Germany.
Pokémon GO with massive revenues: As reported by Sensor Tower, Pokémon GO has generated 1.8 billion US dollars since its release two years ago. That is 1.53 billion Euros. Even now, trainers spend about 2 million dollars a day on Pokémon GO.
Germany in the Top 3: With 96 million US dollars, 5% of the global spending on Pokémon GO since 2016 comes from Germany. We are therefore still ahead of Great Britain and Taiwan.
Japan in the Pokémon GO fever
The USA and Japan in a different league: However, the enthusiasm for Pokémon GO is even greater in two countries: the USA and Japan. In the USA, one can still say: Well, there are 4 times more people living there than here, but Japan has only one and a half times as many inhabitants as Germany. In Japan, the per capita spending is therefore extremely high. No wonder, Japan is the birthplace of Pokémon.
Android is slightly ahead: Players slightly prefer Android devices. 58% of the revenue comes from Google Play – 42% of the turnover comes from the App Store. Trainers purchase on iOS devices from Apple.
Also 2 years after release a top app and it’s getting better
Pokémon GO still a top app: In 2016, Pokémon GO was the absolute top app on iPhone for about 74 days. Those days are gone, but even today, Pokémon GO can regularly be found in the top 10.
In recent weeks and months, a renaissance is taking place. With new features like “Trading” and the “Friends feature”, many players are returning to Pokémon GO. Additionally, since summer 2016, there have been many more Pokémon to catch – and the times of major technical problems are over. Unless there is a special event – like the recent Safari Zone in Dortmund.
In Fortnite: Battle Royale (PC, PS4, iOS, Switch & Xbox One), llamas are the ultimate loot dream and the mascots of the entire game. Now these creatures have also appeared in real life in various cities across Europe, including Cologne!
Llamas, the stars of Fortnite: There is hardly anything better in Fortnite than a llama. Because whether you are playing PvP or PvE, when you have a piñata in the shape of a llama in front of you, loot will soon be falling. This is especially cool in PvE, as the llamas comment on their imminent demise with witty phrases.
Hey, let’s rock!
In PvP mode, on the other hand, a loot llama is a super rare treasure that contains a ton of ammunition and building materials.
It’s clear that llamas immediately trigger feelings of happiness in every Fortnite fan, especially when the cloven-hoofed animals suddenly appear in real life at the bus stop!
Update: This article was updated on July 11, 2018, with information about the 7th llama in Paris.
The llama at the bus stop: The German metropolis of Cologne has gained a new attraction since July 9, 2018. After the cathedral and various breweries, you can now visit a new attraction in the city on the Rhine: The llama from Neumarkt!
Where is the “Kölsche Llama?”: According to reports from the internet, the llama is said to be located at a kiosk at the Neumarkt bus stop in downtown Cologne.
What’s the llama doing? Nothing! It just stands around and looks silly, just like its virtual counterparts in Fortnite! There are also no Epic employees found in the vicinity of the creature.
Here at the bus stop by the kiosk, the llama should be.
Can you do something with the llama? So far, nothing is known about that. At least no one seems to have tried to open it or even break it yet.
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Audio message leads to llama: Curiously, the last discovery of the messages led to an audio file. The spectrograph then provided the coordinates of the 7th llama in Paris.
Is the llama real? The llamas in European cities are just there. There are no agents or messages. At least none that have been found so far. Is it possibly just a giant troll prank? Or do the llamas really have a message? We should find out soon, as Season 5 is already starting on July 12!
Final Fantasy 14 is still popular with players. However, Square Enix is conducting a survey to find out if fans are interested in playing a new MMORPG in the Final Fantasy universe.
Will Final Fantasy 14 get a successor?
A small question with big implications. Through a survey, Square Enix wanted to learn more about the gaming habits of fans. What games do they play, how much money do they spend on games and in-game items, and how much time do they generally spend gaming? It’s actually a pretty normal survey, if one question didn’t stand out. In this, the company wants to know if fans would like to play a new Final Fantasy MMORPG that is not called Final Fantasy XIV.
Is Square Enix already working on a new MMORPG? The question about a new MMORPG certainly gets fans’ attention. Is such an online game already in the works? Actually, several reasons make this unlikely:
What could Square Enix achieve with this question? If Final Fantasy 14 is still enjoyed and continues to be successful, why is Square Enix asking if players are interested in a new MMORPG in the Final Fantasy universe?
The company simply wants to know how players would react if a new MMORPG were to come
Square Enix may also be planning further into the future. After all, Final Fantasy 11 was followed by the MMORPG Final Fantasy 14. Thus, it would only be logical if FF14 were eventually replaced
The MMO market is changing, and Square Enix must respond to changes. These may not always be implementable in an already running game, but require completely new technologies and thus a new game
The company wants to try out new ideas that may not have a place in FF14
Perhaps the “new” MMORPG should be different and strongly distinguish itself from FF14, which is why the games could run in parallel
Whether a new MMORPG is coming is uncertain. This initial question about a potential new Final Fantasy MMORPG should not cause panic among fans of Final Fantasy 14. If Square Enix is indeed planning another online role-playing game, it will certainly take a while before it appears. FFXIV will not be replaced that quickly.
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After Bungie had already given a brief insight into the Tangled Shore, the studio has now presented the new location of the Forsaken expansion for Destiny 2 in detail. A new public event was also shown.
When it comes to promoting the upcoming Forsaken add-on, Bungie has been very open so far. After presenting the new location “Tangled Shore” (Wirrbucht) briefly, the developers have now shown extensive footage of the upcoming setting for the fall expansion at Game Informer.
Destiny 2: Forsaken – The Tangled Shore in Detail
What can be seen in the new video?
The location: The Tangled Shore fits well visually into the dark space western setting that Bungie has created with the Forsaken expansion. Striking Fallen architecture dominates large stretches of the landscape. The new area seems to offer a balanced mix of vast open spaces and narrow, winding areas with a slight horror touch, fitting for the new Scorn enemies.
New activities: In addition to the Tangled Shore itself, Bungie also showed gameplay of some new activities that Guardians can look forward to in the new setting. Among other things, there was a new public event where players have to take down a fugitive who has escaped from a cryo-pod. A lost sector is also visible in the video – along with some new Scorn enemies.
Here’s the video: As the video is exclusive material from Game Informer, we unfortunately could not embed the video ourselves. However, you can watch it if you follow this link to the corresponding Game Informer page:
