Blizzard has finally announced the release date for the next expansion of World of Warcraft. We tell you when Battle for Azeroth starts.
Fans are eagerly waiting for the next expansion of World of Warcraft. Legion is in its final breaths, and slowly but surely, all players have achieved what they wanted to reach on the Broken Isles – the content hunger begins.
Battle for Azeroth will be released in August 2018
Now Blizzard has revealed when the drought period will end:
Battle for Azeroth will be released worldwide on August 14, 2018!
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As usual, there is also a thick Collector’s Edition for Battle for Azeroth. The physical version contains some additional goodies that collectors should not miss:
Flipbook: Lament & A Good War – The story of the assault on Teldrassil described once from the Horde’s perspective and once from the Alliance’s perspective.
Double-sided faction emblem Horde & Alliance
Download key for the soundtrack of Battle for Azeroth
However, it lies ahead a rocky road for Blizzard. So far, Battle for Azeroth is only in a closed alpha phase and many features and areas are not yet accessible. It remains to be seen whether the remaining 5 months will be enough to actually complete Battle for Azeroth.
Can you hold out until August 14? Or is the waiting time too long? Are you getting the Collector’s Edition?
A new update for the battle royale shooter PUBG has been deployed to the PC servers. Part of the update is an observation feature that focuses on your killer. An interesting alternative to the option of simply leaving the match.
Kill-Cam watches the remaining match of your killer – Update #9
Did your killer have luck or actual skill? In the future, you can find out for yourself. With the new Spectate your Killer feature, it is possible to observe your killer after death by clicking on “Watch”.
This way you can see how they perform throughout the match. If you notice something strange, you can report the player with the hotkey “R”.
It’s a pity if you are killed by the blue or red zone – watching those would be boring. If someone is killed by one of the zones, they can observe a player who was near your last location.
If the player you are watching dies, you can continue to follow the match from the perspectives of other players. In duo and squad teams, the opposing team can only be followed live once all your allies have died. This is intended to prevent peeking, so you don’t give your allies tips on what the killers are doing.
Bug fixes in Update 9
You can already play the new update and also benefit from some bug fixes. This should prevent cars from suddenly flying into the air or flipping over when there is no reason for it.
Additionally, a bug was fixed where the in-game name of the killer was not displayed correctly in the death cam. Lastly, adjustments were made to the rotation axis used in the preview options.
The MMORPG Shroud of the Avatar has launched and wants to offer players, just like Ultima Online, many freedoms to express themselves in player cities.
It is even possible to buy entire cities (which cost between 900 and 6,000 dollars depending on size), where fellow players can settle. Ultima creator Richard Garriott is proud of what some players have created in these cities.
Players establish their own cities
For example, Pax Lair, one of the first player cities and one of the most active. Currently, there are over 300 such cities in the MMO, although most are deserted due to the low player count. But not Pax Lair.
Here, fans have built a vibrant community. Pax Lair was one of the most popular cities in Ultima Online, and the players there have now settled in Shroud of the Avatar.
Players unleash their creativity in their cities
In Pax Lair, parties take place, players host events, and with one of the upcoming updates, fans will have the opportunity to develop their own quests. The player cities will benefit from this, as real adventures can then take place here.
The opportunity to write and publish their own books in the game world is actively used. You often find a book with an interesting story and don’t know if it was written by players or the developers of the MMO.
Player cities offer fans of SotA many opportunities to express themselves:
The city can be freely decorated
Players get their own house that they can furnish according to their ideas
Cities can serve as guild bases
There are regularly player-hosted events, including concerts and theater performances
The “Teletype” as decoration allows playing a pen & paper role-playing game on a machine
There is a player-operated radio station that plays music (the GEMA will surely be pleased)
Regular sieges occur that players can break together
Shroud of the Avatar may not be perfect in many ways, as the many negative reviews on Steam show. Nevertheless, sandbox fans are offered plenty of freedom and interaction opportunities with other players.
If you are interested in the MMORPG Ashes of Creation and want to try out the early test versions, you should hurry up – as the corresponding pre-order packages are only available for a limited time.
But even before launch, it is possible to join in. By purchasing one of the new pre-order packages, which grant you access to early testing phases – however, it should be noted: these pre-order packages are only available for a limited time and will be replaced by new packages every month!
Get a Pre-Order Package
You will have the opportunity every month to purchase other packages that not only grant you access to the testing phases but also always offer other cosmetic items. This month you can expect:
Wayfarer Package for $75: Access to Beta 2, two months of gameplay, in-game currency Embers worth $25, Shield of Reverence
Expeditionary Package for $150: Access to Beta 1 and 2, 4 months of gameplay, Embers worth $50, Shield of Reverence, Protector’s Pride Pet
Voyager Package for $250: Access to Alpha 2, Beta 1 and 2, 6 months of gameplay, Embers worth $100, Shield of Reverence, Protector’s Pride Pet, Sky’s Vengeance Mount
Intrepid Package for $500: Access to Alpha 1, 2, Beta 1 and 2, 12 months of gameplay, Embers worth $150, Shield of Reverence, Protector’s Pride Pet, Sky’s Vengeance Mount, Wings of Reverence, Protector’s Sanctuary, Protector’s Armor, Name Reservation
In the coming month, you will be able to purchase different packages containing other items. These are always supposed to be special items reserved for those who accessed them at the respective time.
One of the predefined characters from PUBG (PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds) looks like actor Idris Elba. Fans say so. The actor himself also seems to see a resemblance.
Video game designers are often inspired by things, places, or people from the real world. It appears that PUBG is no exception. One of the predefined characters resembles the well-known British actor, producer, and musician Idris Elba.
PUBG character looks like actor from The Wire
Since the release of PUBG, fans have compared the game’s predefined characters to famous faces. To understand some of the comparisons, it takes a lot of imagination and goodwill. The comparison to Idris Elba is obvious to most. On Reddit, user Edface compares the two characters:
Alongside the PUBG players, it seems that the actor himself believes there is a resemblance. This recently became a topic on Twitter when Justice Hayes compared the actor to the PUBG character. Elba agreed with this comparison and apparently sees the resemblance himself.
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After that, he apparently had fun with it and shared a tweet from the official PUBG Twitter account. It shows a photo of the PUBG artist team, which recently traveled to Southeast Asia for inspiration for the new map. In the tweet, he wrote, “It was one of those guys!”
But I think we need to emphasize again: We understand that you want more exciting loot in Destiny 2. We know that you want to feel that thrill with the cryptarch again because anything can happen.
All these are things we are working on. Not necessarily and specifically on random rolls. But on the evolution of Destiny 2, so it can become the game and hobby that it deserves to be.
Plans for Cooperation with the Community
Question: Do you as developers have any plans on how to address community feedback more directly? Whether through responses to feedback or through developer posts that explain your decisions and reasoning in detail? It would certainly be exciting for the community to gain a deeper insight.
Answer: That is definitely something we want to do more – whether we are giving statements from people like Josh or Kevin more attention in the blog or putting them directly in front of the audience. Developers will now appear more often in This Week at Bungie, they will be invited to things like this (stream), they are present on Twitter.
We have heard the feedback that the community wants to be more involved – or at least have a dialogue. Currently, we are looking for further opportunities here – with streams and even in-game. We know that there is a strong desire to test our builds in advance, and that is actually something we are increasingly considering.
New Elements, Classes, Sub-classes and Weapon Types
Question: Are there any plans to introduce new elements, classes, sub-classes, or weapon types in Destiny 2 in the near future?
Answer: That is a long list. For some of it, yes, for others, no. We are continuously striving to develop the game further. But we cannot talk about that – not at the moment. Because Josh’s team is currently working very hard on things the community has never experienced before.
And the most important question at the end. DeeJ asked Josh Hamrick: “Are you stupid?” – He replied: “No, not stupid. Just misunderstood.”
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Recently, Bungie announced a bounty in Destiny 2 again. Players had the chance to face off against some Bungie employees in the Crucible. This mini-event was accompanied by a live stream, where some developers answered questions from the community. There were some tough questions, and the hardest was directed at Josh Hamrick: “Are you stupid?”
On the evening of April 4th, it was time again – the Bungie Bounty, a mini PvP event, returned. A team of employees from Bungie once again entered the Crucible to compete against players. Those who could win against the studio’s in-house team had the chance to earn a special emblem as a reward.
But the real highlight of the evening was a little Q&A session that took place during the accompanying live stream for the Bungie Bounty. Community Manager DeeJ, Sandbox Design Lead Josh Hamrick, and Kevin Yanes from the Crucible developer team answered several questions about the current state and future of Destiny 2.
We summarize the key questions and answers for you.
Time to Kill
Question: There is a pretty widespread opinion that the time to kill should be lowered. Do you have any plans regarding this for the future? The current sandbox update is called Go-Fast Update. Will the next one be named Kill-Fast Update?
Answer: We understand that you want the TTK to be shorter. What I can definitely tell you is that we will significantly strengthen all Exotics for Season 3. They are supposed to be exotic again. A lot is coming together. We are constantly discussing and trying to find ways to make this happen. I think you will be satisfied with the direction we are heading.
Question: The update 1.1.4 was mainly about the speed of Guardians and the power of weapons. Hero moments were also supposed to return. In Season 3, exotic weapons will be strengthened in their lethality. That should…
Answer: Exactly, you will see that the average time to kill will be significantly faster. I don’t want to spoil anything, as our guys will talk about it in the coming weeks. But many incredible things are coming your way, just like in last week’s Storm and Stress video. There will be many more of such things – pretty cool, pretty fast.
DeeJ: And we will be showing some more Exotics. Cozmo will take care of them to showcase. The TTK is definitely something we are working on at Bungie.
Wings of Vigilance
Question: Will the Wings of Vigilance continue to dominate the Crucible, or will we see some fine-tuning in the near future? Will you nerf the weapon?
Answer: No, not at the moment. That is not the plan. Our plan is to bring all other Exotics in Season 3 to roughly the level of the Wings. After that, we will go into fine-tuning and arrange things so that all weapons play well. I don’t think a nerf of the Wings’ TTK would be a right step if we are generally aiming for a shorter time to kill.
Stream for Season 3 and DLC II
Question: When will there be a stream for Season 3 and DLC II?
Answer: The Go-Fast Update was not a cure-all for Destiny 2, and we want to continue developing and changing the game. Later this month, there will be a stream where we will address some things that are coming your way in Season 3. There will be new developer comments in the blog every week about what new features the game will receive.
Weapon System and Weapon Slots
Question: I really wish that the weapon system of Destiny 2 would return to the good old model of primary weapon, special weapon, and heavy weapon. It was so much better. Is my wish not justified?
Answer: Yes, I think that is a justified wish. However, I also think that we ultimately want to create something much better. But, no matter how you look at it – we are actively working on weapon slot changes at the moment.
I can’t say more about it right now, as it relates to many other things. But I would be happy to talk about it in the summer. We will definitely have a detailed discussion about what we have planned for that.
DeeJ: We owe the community an update on the roadmap, we need to mark some more points on the horizon. I will do that next week. We will talk about when the changes to the weapon slots are planned. But it sounds like you would give players more control over their builds.
Answer: Yes, 100 percent.
DeeJ: This is a conversation we will have this summer. The weapon slots in Destiny 2 are definitely something we are working on right now.
Random Rolls, Perks, Mods, Weapons and Armors with More Depth
Josh: I am not an investment designer, but I can assure you – the entire studio is focused on finding answers to these questions. We know that people want to dive deep again, they want to kill a boss and get something spectacular for it.
They want something worth playing for, something that can keep them up all night. That is something Destiny is known for, and we definitely know that it is currently lacking. So we are looking for ways to bring that feeling back.
DeeJ: When you talk about wanting to excite people again, it’s about…. When you play Destiny for a long time, when it becomes a hobby, when you play week after week, day after day, you get the coveted loot drops. And then you don’t want it to be the same thing you have seen x times before.
People want variety. People want the feeling back that anything can happen when a shiny engram jumps out from the defeated boss or any other conquered enemy.
And while you (Josh) are not in a position to say “Random Rolls are coming back” and attach a release date to all of it, these are all things that everyone in the studio knows about. We are aware of the feedback regarding this, we’ve heard it and we apologize for not being able to share more details today.
But I think we need to emphasize again: We understand that you want more exciting loot in Destiny 2. We know that you want to feel that thrill with the cryptarch again because anything can happen.
All these are things we are working on. Not necessarily and specifically on random rolls. But on the evolution of Destiny 2, so it can become the game and hobby that it deserves to be.
Plans for Cooperation with the Community
Question: Do you as developers have any plans on how to address community feedback more directly? Whether through responses to feedback or through developer posts that explain your decisions and reasoning in detail? It would certainly be exciting for the community to gain a deeper insight.
Answer: That is definitely something we want to do more – whether we are giving statements from people like Josh or Kevin more attention in the blog or putting them directly in front of the audience. Developers will now appear more often in This Week at Bungie, they will be invited to things like this (stream), they are present on Twitter.
We have heard the feedback that the community wants to be more involved – or at least have a dialogue. Currently, we are looking for further opportunities here – with streams and even in-game. We know that there is a strong desire to test our builds in advance, and that is actually something we are increasingly considering.
New Elements, Classes, Sub-classes and Weapon Types
Question: Are there any plans to introduce new elements, classes, sub-classes, or weapon types in Destiny 2 in the near future?
Answer: That is a long list. For some of it, yes, for others, no. We are continuously striving to develop the game further. But we cannot talk about that – not at the moment. Because Josh’s team is currently working very hard on things the community has never experienced before.
And the most important question at the end. DeeJ asked Josh Hamrick: “Are you stupid?” – He replied: “No, not stupid. Just misunderstood.”
Did this Q&A session answer some burning questions? Or was there nothing revealing for you?
Apparently true to the motto “Who needs the copy when they can play the original for free?” Electronic Arts announced that the MMORPG classic Ultima Online will receive a Free2Play version today, April 5th.
Now, just a few days after the launch of Shroud of the Avatar, the company suddenly declares that it will be ready on April 5th. Is this just a coincidence?
After all, Shroud of the Avatar was developed as the unofficial successor to Ultima, and the producers, including Ultima creator Richard Garriott, promoted their new game within the UO community.
Free but with limitations
Therefore, the timing that EA has chosen for the launch of the Free2Play version of Ultima Online seems to be well thought out. Many were hoping for a kind of “reimagining” of UO from Shroud of the Avatar, but ultimately, they did not receive exactly what they wanted.
If UO becomes Free2Play now, these players have a reason to return. However, the free version of the MMO does not offer the complete game but has some limitations:
You cannot purchase and furnish a house, which is one of the biggest features of UO
You cannot create NPC merchants to sell your items
You cannot participate in events held by Game Masters
You only have a small bank inventory that exists separately from the “real” bank
The booster packs High Seas and Time Legends are not included
No more multiboxing
Despite these limitations, the Free2Play version of UO, with the addition of “Endless Journey,” represents a good opportunity to get into or return to the classic. Those who enjoy it and want to “properly” dive in can still subscribe.
With the launch of the Free2Play version, EA is also banning multiboxing in the game. It is no longer allowed to play multiple characters simultaneously. This is even harshly punished with bans!
Meanwhile, week 7 has begun in Season 3 of Fortnite: Battle Royale. Again, there are seven new challenges to tackle in order to earn stars for the Battle Pass, bringing you closer to the John Wick skin. We have the information on the challenges for you!
There’s a lot happening this week in Fortnite: Epic has released a new patch that adds vending machines and has also adjusted weapon balance. Additionally, the comet continues to approach, which no one quite knows what to make of. With the weekly reset, there are now at least seven fresh challenges for you to complete to level up in the Battle Pass.
New challenge in Fortnite this time locked for some
Players are currently reporting that the challenges remain locked and they only have to wait “0 seconds” until they are unlocked. However, we already have the challenges.
Causing discussions – a spot in the sky
By completing four of the seven challenges, you will receive a “secret” reward, which has consistently included 4,000 experience points in recent weeks. The following challenges need to be mastered in the seventh week:
Search chests in Lonely Lodge (7)
Deal damage to opponents with shotguns (1,000)
Search a treasure chest, an ammo box, and a supply drop in one match (3)
Eliminate opponents with suppressed weapons (3)
Defeat opponents in Shift Shafts (3)
In addition to these standard tasks, there are as every week two nuts that are harder to crack:
Find the hidden gnomes at different locations (7)
Follow the treasure map from Retail Row (1)
Find the hidden gnomes at different locations of Fortnite: Battle Royale
The garden gnomes are already known from the PvE part of the game. Among other things, you will receive an achievement once you destroy a hundred of these gnomes, which is the dream of every German gardener.
Now you need to find seven of these gnomes in different locations, such as the following. You can find the other spots on the map above, where they are marked with an orange diamond.
Tomato Town: In the back office of the main Tomato restaurant
Retail Row: In the hut under the water tower on the eastern side
Salty Springs: Under the stairs in the basement of the middle broken building
Flush Factory: In the restroom located inside the main building
Lucky Landing: Around the bathroom of the northeastern building
Greasy Grove: In the left bathroom of the Durrr Burger restaurant
Snobby Shores: In the bathroom of the bunker located below the southern house. Destroy the wardrobe to enter.
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Follow the treasure map from Retail Row in Fortnite: Battle Royale
The treasure map for the seventh week can be found in Retail Row. However, you do not have to visit Retail Row to get the treasure. You can also go directly to the target location. This is what the treasure map looks like this week:
Most of you will now know where to look. The maze can clearly be attributed to the small, enclosed area of the Wailing Woods. So head to Wailing Woods and grab the star!
How someone gets the Battle Star in Fortnite and finds the treasure in Retail Row, you can see here on YouTube:
Resourceful sleuths have discovered a way to unlock the SMG Vector.45 ACP in Far Cry 5. However, on PS4 and Xbox One, this trick is unfortunately available only to disc owners.
After the Vector.45 ACP was seen in videos before the launch of Far Cry 5, players were quite surprised when every trace of the SMG was missing from the game. However, as clever players demonstrated on Reddit, the Vector.45 is indeed already in the game, but has been made inaccessible by a patch.
It is assumed that the Vector may appear as a reward in one of the upcoming weekly live events. The first live event of Far Cry 5 started on April 3.
How to unlock the Vector.45 ACP “Classic”
With this trick, you can get the Vector.45 ACP “Classic” even before its possible official release. There are methods for both the PC version and Xbox One and PlayStation 4. However, for the consoles, this only applies to the disc version, digital game owners are unfortunately left out this time.
Both methods require Far Cry 5 to be downgraded to version 1.0 for the weapon to become available.
PC Method
On PC, you need to tinker with the installation files, so do yourself a favor and create a backup. Then follow these steps:
Store the files patch.dat and patch.fat found in the installation folder in a different location. These will be needed later.
Copy the files common.dat and common.fat and also store the copies in a different location. However, keep the original files intact!
Rename the copied common.dat and common.fat to patch.dat and patch.fat. Place the files back in the installation folder. This will revert the game to version 1.0.
Now enter the game and create a save file either automatically or manually. Exit Far Cry 5.
Copy the original files patch.dat and patch.fat that you removed in the first step back into the installation folder. These should overwrite the renamed files and bring the game back to the current state.
Enter the game and find a weapon dealer. The Vector.45 ACP “Classic” should now be available for 7,200 dollars.
Console Method
For the consoles Xbox One and PlayStation 4, reverting the game to version 1.0 is somewhat easier than on PC. This method is also only available to those who own a physical copy.
Remove Far Cry 5 from your console, but keep your save file.
Disconnect the console from the internet. You can either go to the device’s network settings or simply unplug the cable from the router.
Now install the game from the disc. Make sure your console is offline, otherwise the latest patch will be installed automatically.
After installation, enter the game and create a save file either automatically or manually. Exit Far Cry 5 again.
Update the game to the latest version.
Enter the game and find a weapon dealer. The Vector.45 ACP “Classic” should now be available for 7,200 dollars.
New highlights of the upcoming Hearthstone expansion “The Witchwood” have been revealed. We show you legendary cards for Mages and Druids!
The next expansion of Hearthstone will be released in just a few weeks. The Witchwood comes with 135 new cards that will shake up the meta significantly. Fans already believe that deck-building will be more fun than ever before. The new cards continue this trend – fun and quirky combinations are clearly in focus.
Druids can look forward to a new version of Aviana. The Duskbringer Aviana is a legendary minion for 5 mana with stats of 3/7. As an effect, it reduces the cost of the first minion played each turn to 0. This effect applies to both players.
Also for Druids is the legendary minion Splitterbark. For 8 mana, it has decent stats of 8/8 and an interesting Battlecry. The player chooses a friendly minion and gets a copy of it added to their hand, which however has the stats of 10/10 and costs 10 mana. The perfect opportunity to finally create a truly monstrous Wisp!
Hunters are gifted a powerful spell. Dark Frenzy costs 4 mana and grants a chosen beast stats of +3/+3. Additionally, 3 copies of this minion are shuffled into the deck, which also receive +3/+3.
Combo Cards for Warlocks
Three new cards of the Warlock have also been revealed.
The first is the minion Blood Witch. For 4 mana, she has solid stats of 3/6 and, in addition, the effect that she deals 1 point of damage to her own hero at the start of the turn. This initially sounds like a clear disadvantage, but can be well combined with the other new cards.
The Nightsucker is a beast with stats of 2/4. As a Battlecry, it also summons two bats with stats of 1/1, if the hero has taken damage this turn.
Similarly, the Deathweb Tarantula works. It is a beast with stats of 4/6 for 5 mana and gains Lifesteal as a Battlecry if its hero has taken damage this turn.
A neutral legendary minion is Puppet Master Dorian with an unprecedented effect. For 5 mana, he has stats of 2/6, which at least promises him some sturdiness. His effect ensures that he summons a 1/1 copy of a minion every time you draw a minion – the drawn minion does not need to be played itself.
In line with the Puppet Master, the neutral minion Voodoo Doll awaits. For 3 mana, this epic minion has only stats of 1/1, but possesses an interesting effect. As a Battlecry, you choose a minion. The Deathrattle of the Voodoo Doll then causes the chosen minion to be destroyed. Especially as a Mage, it is easy to eliminate a large foe cost-effectively.
Speaking of Mages: They will receive Time Weaver Toki. For 6 mana, she has a body of 5/5 and grants the player, through Battlecry, a random legendary minion “from the past.” Past, in this case, means a minion from former card sets that are only allowed in Wild mode. So Mages have a lot of (quirky) RNG again – if they want that in their deck.
What do you think of the new Hearthstone cards? Do you like the fresh Legendaries? Or do they not meet your taste?
The development studio Massive in Malmö, Sweden, is currently not only working on the expansion of the online game The Division and its successor but also a new battle royale shooter similar to Fortnite or PUBG. That’s what an insider says.
Massive is currently quite busy. Fans of The Division want updates and improvements and the sequel The Division 2 has also been announced. In addition, the team is working on a game related to the Avatar film series.
One would think that Massive is well occupied with this. However, according to new rumors, another game is in development.
Battle Royale from the Division creators?
According to an insider, Massive is currently working on a battle royale game. This is said to be inspired by the popular online shooters Fortnite and PUBG (Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds).
According to the insider, Ubisoft was eager to have such a game – of course, considering the immense success of the two mentioned titles.
In January 2018, the publisher reportedly tasked Massive to explore whether and how such a game could be implemented. Subsequently, Massive stated that they could already make something in that direction – and do it in a short time without neglecting the fun factor.
The Division as the basis of the new game
Apparently, The Division will serve as the foundation, as the online game already contains many elements needed for a battle royale shooter. However, these are still unconfirmed rumors that are certainly not far-fetched.
Perhaps we will see something about this game at E3 in June.
The question is: Does the world need another battle royale shooter when players are already voicing a desire to see something new? However, a The Division: Battle Royale would definitely have its appeal…
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The news spread like wildfire on Reddit: Bungie is reportedly sending out invites for a playtest summit for upcoming content in Destiny 2. Many Destiny celebrities have already confirmed their attendance.
During the night of April 4th to 5th, there were increasing reports on Reddit and Twitter that well-known YouTubers and streamers have received official emails from Bungie inviting them to a two-day summit. At this meeting, they are supposed to play and test upcoming content from Destiny 2 and provide their feedback directly to the developers of the studio.
Destiny celebrities are to test upcoming content and provide feedback
Meanwhile, many famous names have confirmed their presence. Datto, Slayerage, King Gothalion, Gigz, TrueVanguard, MTashed, and DrLupo – they are all definitely attending.
The invitations apparently are not limited to content creators with a massive reach. People from the Reddit community surrounding the Destiny series, who have already made a name for themselves with their work or expertise, have also seemingly received invitations. For instance, Reddit user Mercules904, known for his famous weapon spreadsheet for Destiny, has also been summoned to the summit.
According to some participants, the upcoming playtest summit is not the usual and expected promo event ahead of an upcoming expansion. According to DrLupo, this event embodies exactly what many people have been asking for a long time – namely, the targeted collection and sharing of feedback.
The guests are supposed to clearly communicate to Bungie what they like about the future content and what they absolutely do not like. Possible solutions and improvements are to be discussed. It is not supposed to be a show.
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What do you think about this summit? Just a show for the upcoming expansion? Or does Bungie really want to – as announced – finally work more closely with the community?
On April 5, there will be maintenance with server downtime at Fortnite. The game will be offline for a while on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and iOS. The huge player influx makes the maintenance necessary. A patch or an update is not planned. They were already released on Wednesday.
As Epic announced last night on Twitter, today, Thursday, the servers at Fortnite will indeed be going offline for maintenance.
Surprising maintenance at Fortnite on PC, PS4, Xbox One, iOS
The reason is not a new patch – that was released just yesterday. While players are used to little happening at Fortnite on Thursday mornings, due to the servers being down for maintenance, it was actually only supposed to happen every other week.
It was originally planned for players to be able to play normally today.
However, the servers at Fortnite will still go down today, as Epic wants to work on the system on their side to handle the growing player numbers.
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When will the servers go down and when will Fortnite be back?
The update is expected from our perspective to take place at 10:00 AM. In the USA, it is currently 4:00 AM ET on the East Coast, which is late at night; on the West Coast, it is around 1:00 AM.
How long the Fortnite servers will be offline and when Fortnite will be back is not yet known. There is definitely no “extended downtime” announced – the servers could be back online around 12:00 PM.
Update: Indeed. The Fortnite servers were back online around 11:10 AM!
Player influx makes maintenance necessary
The update is necessary because more and more players are discovering Fortnite and this is causing issues. Over the Easter weekend, the influx was so great that Fortnite even had to disable features to reduce the load on the servers. For several days, players could not check their stats.
Now they want to bring an update that improves the “scaling”, so that Fortnite becomes more stable in the future.
Once the servers are back up, there will surely be new challenges for the Battle Pass. You can find information about the new challenges of week 7 in Fortnite here again at Mein MMO.
A long-standing feature of World of Warcraft will be retired. The Mobile Auction House will stop its service in a few days.
Blizzard announced rather unremarkably in a news post that a popular feature of the Arsenal App is being discontinued. The Mobile Auction House will not be functional starting April 18. This means that players will no longer be able to view auctions or make transactions.
However, it must be mentioned that the Mobile Auction House has caused problems over the years. At least since the major overhaul of the WoW website just before the launch of Legion, the Mobile Auction House has been more trouble than it was worth. With Patch 7.3.5, some features stopped working altogether, and Blizzard had to deliver a fix afterwards.
Addons continue to work
There is good news for community sites and users of database addons (such as TradeSkillMaster) who used information from the auction house to create databases. These functions will remain available and can be utilized thanks to the API interface. Only manual access to the Mobile Auction House will no longer be possible.
Some fans hope that this is only a temporary deactivation and that Blizzard is secretly working on a “relaunch” of the feature – perhaps with additional functions.
The reason might also be that Blizzard wants to adjust the auction house in the game and make it more user-friendly with Battle for Azeroth. The interface is over a decade old and serves its purpose rather unsatisfactorily. Many players list items in the auction house in the smallest possible stacks, meaning you have to click through several pages to find another seller.
Have you ever used the Mobile Auction House from World of Warcraft? Do you think it’s a shame that it is disappearing? Or are you hearing about it for the first time? Or do you see it like this user:
With Summerset, The Elder Scrolls Online not only makes significant changes to class balance but also modifies how two-handed weapons are valued in set bonuses. Magicka users receive a significant buff!
Last week, 12 players made a pilgrimage to the Zenimax studios in America to take a closer look at the new ESO chapter “Summerset”.
The developers aimed to gather feedback from fans on various aspects of the expansion to refine it before release. One particularly important change stood out to the playtesters: two-handed weapons are no longer considered a single item, but as two items.
Note that the following information is not final and may change significantly before the final release.
Significant Changes Ahead
Currently, equipping two one-handed weapons provides a set advantage over two-handed weapons. When a player equips two one-handed weapons, they count as two items in an item set.
This leads to set bonuses being easier to achieve with a combination of armor pieces and two one-handed weapons than with a combination of armor pieces and a two-handed weapon.
This may sound confusing, but in the end, the adjustment frees up another item slot that was previously dedicated to the two-handed weapon set.
New Opportunities
The adjustment allows for 5/5/2 combinations, but what exactly does that mean?
In ESO, there are what’s called monster sets. These sets consist of a headpiece and a shoulder piece and provide a set bonus when both are equipped.
If you want to equip this set bonus, you still have 5 body slots, 3 jewelry slots, and the weapon slots available (a total of 10).
To enjoy a complete set, you usually need 5 items of the same set.
This means you can maintain an additional complete set via body armor and use the 3 jewelry slots plus the weapons to access a second complete set at the same time.
This 5/5/2 combination has previously been unavailable to two-handed weapon users, as they could only reach a maximum of a 5/4/2 combination due to their limitation.
More Sets are Nice and All, But What Does It Mean for ESO?
The “set locking” will lead to other weapon and armor combinations having the potential to enter the meta than before.
Previously “weak” set combinations can thus become a valid option in endgame PVE or PVP activities.
Magicka users receive a massive buff from this adjustment and can look forward to “Summerset” being released on June 5.
Of all the changes that have been discussed regarding Summerset, this seemingly small change sparks the most joy among fans. It seems to be something that many players have been longing for.
Numerous Talon enemies await in the Overwatch: Archives. In “Retribution”, players find themselves in a moral gray zone!
During the Overwatch League games last night (from April 4 to April 5), Jeff Kaplan from the development team took to the stage and announced the next Overwatch event in full length.
The 2018 mission is “Retribution” and showcases a darker side of Overwatch. As in the previous year, there is a PvE mission where players replay a significant moment in Overwatch’s history. As Reaper, McCree, Moira, and Genji, you infiltrate a Talon base in Venice and face endless Talon soldiers.
Overwatch: Retribution brings Talon as enemy faction
The Talon enemies have been specifically designed for this event. There are even completely new “units”, such as a heavy soldier armed with a shotgun or an assassin with blades on his arms, who will likely make quick work of the heroes.
The Talon assassin looks like she will be delivering one-hits (and resembles the Nemesis from Mass Effect).
The “Blackwatch” is a secret organization of Overwatch that is deployed whenever “official” action cannot be taken because Overwatch would violate existing laws. Assassinations and other covert operations have all been carried out by Blackwatch.
New map Rialto also in the game after “Retribution”
What is particularly interesting is that the new map “Rialto” will not only be used for the Archives event, but will subsequently also be available as a regular payload map – though in the “Day” version. However, the map must first be tested on the PTR for its PvP suitability, so it may take a few weeks before Rialto appears in the map rotation.
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New skins: Blackwatch Moira and Reaper as Soldier: 24
With an event, of course, new loot boxes come with fresh rewards. Some of these have already been teased.
Since Moira is a playable character during the Blackwatch operation, she has also received a dark Blackwatch skin to partake in the rather sinister machinations.
Reaper will also receive a new skin. As his “Blackwatch” skin already existed last year, the developers have come up with something new. We get a glimpse into Reaper’s past, specifically the time when he was part of the “Super Soldier” program alongside Jack Morrison (Soldier: 76). Reaper will receive a skin named “Soldier: 24” – as that was his codename back then.
There will definitely be more skins, but they have not been revealed yet.
The “Overwatch: Archives” event with the “Retribution” mission starts on April 10 and will be active until April 30.
By the way: The old content, namely the “Uprising” map with both game modes, is also returning and will be accessible to all who missed it last year.
Are you looking forward to the Blackwatch event of the Archives?
Those who achieve their research breakthrough in Pokémon GO encounter powerful legendary monsters and receive useful items. Now the community has compiled their results and shares what rewards come from it.
There is news about the rewards for research breakthroughs. Community trainers reset their times on their smartphones and were able to earn the seventh stamp of field research as early as Wednesday evening. This means: research breakthrough! We will show you what this entails.
Pokémon GO Rewards for Research Breakthrough
Before the quests in Pokémon GO were unlocked last week, the developers revealed one of the special rewards for your research. Trainers were told they would encounter legendary monsters. One of them would be the legendary fire bird Moltres, part of the trio with Zapdos and Articuno. However, it is still uncertain whether the other two birds of the trio can also appear as a research breakthrough.
On Reddit, Pokémon GO trainers are eagerly sharing the results of their first research breakthrough. It shows that Moltres is among the first rewards and is one of the legendary encounters. Items are also available for you.
Moltres as a Reward
During the encounter with Moltres, you can use any combination of balls and berries to make the catch easier for you. Unlike raids, where you could only catch Moltres with Premier Balls and berries, this principle is therefore much easier.
Unfortunately, Moltres is only level 15. This may be bad news for trainers with few resources to power up. However, if you just want to complete your collection, it is still the legendary bird Moltres.
A level 15 Moltres has CP values of at least 1222 CP to a maximum of 1402 CP. According to initial reports, none of the Moltres obtained through research breakthroughs has been below 1341 CP. This corresponds to an IV value of 10/10/10.
So far, it seems that the legendary Pokémon in this encounter cannot flee!
Item Rewards for the Research Breakthrough
In addition to the encounter with Moltres, you will also receive the following items. Stardust and experience points are guaranteed. Additionally, there is another loot option:
2000 Stardust
3000 experience points
Additionally, one of the following options
3 Rare Candies
20 Poké Balls
5 Ultra Balls
5 Nanab Berries
Through the research breakthrough, you therefore have a good chance to finally upgrade your Pokédex, gain experience points, and receive some useful items. It remains to be seen what other monster encounters await trainers after further research breakthroughs.
Players have already cracked the next research breakthrough – Here are the rewards
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
For Earth Day, the Pokémon GO team at Niantic has come up with a special event that is intended to benefit our environment.
In collaboration with Mission Blue, Niantic is organizing a global “Cleanup Event” happening on April 22. If enough trainers participate, there will be rewards for the community.
Niantic in the Fight Against Pollution
An important issue for Niantic is the environment. Pokémon GO trainers are often outdoors and hence come into contact with nature. Now, the Pokémon GO developers are calling for everyone to come together to make the world a little cleaner.
The Cleanup Events are about picking up litter and keeping natural areas clean together with other trainers. If enough trainers join in this action, the following rewards will be available for 48 hours:
1,500 players picking up litter
Double Stardust rewards for catching Ground, Water, and Grass Pokémon
3,000 players picking up litter
Triple Stardust rewards for catching Ground, Water, and Grass Pokémon
The events will be hosted by local nonprofit organizations. Are you interested in participating in these events (or one of them)? Here you can find an overview of the events on the Pokémon GO website. As of the evening of April 4, there unfortunately isn’t an event found in Germany yet, but you can change that.
If you know an NGO (non-governmental organization) that might qualify to participate in this event, you can suggest it with a Google Form. Non-governmental organizations can be local groups and initiatives or global organizations like Doctors Without Borders or Greenpeace. It’s best to check if there are already events planned for Earth Day 2018 in your area.
Earth Day takes place annually on April 22 – over 175 countries participate. In this context, the appreciation for the natural environment is intended to be strengthened.
For some time now, there has been a debate over whether we will still play on consoles with classic hardware in the future or if the gaming future is already leaning towards a cloud-based solution with the PlayStation 5 and the next Xbox. A supposed leak might provide concrete information regarding the next generation of consoles from Sony. However, many readers are skeptical.
What business analysts, hardware experts, and passionate fans have been arguing about for a while could soon take concrete shape – at least according to the tech site SemiAccurate.
While SemiAccurate’s information has generally proven to be accurate in the past regarding PlayStation and Xbox hardware, the hardware specs of the PS5 should naturally be approached with caution, as these are currently unconfirmed rumors.
In their latest article, for which they demand $1000 to access, they reveal supposed details about the technical specifications and release of the PS5. Users on the community platform Resetera have accessed the article and published excerpts.
Alleged technical details of the PS5
According to SemiAccurate, Sony will rely on AMD hardware once again for the next PlayStation generation. Similar to the current generation, custom chips designed specifically for Sony will be used, which are optimally tailored to the needs of the console. The technical basis for the GPU will be the upcoming Navi graphics card architecture.
AMD has revealed very few details about the new Navi-based GPU chips so far. It is only known that they are likely to hit the market by the end of 2018 or 2019 with a “NextGen Memory” and will already be manufactured in 7 nm.
AMD’s roadmap: Navi is expected in Q4 2018 or 2019. Source: Videocardz.com
The CPU is expected to be an 8-core processor with Zen architecture. Since SemiAccurate expects a market launch as early as 2018, the Zen-2 architecture which is reportedly fully developed may also be used.
Furthermore, special VR functions are mentioned, which are to become an integral part of the console. This could mean that they are now implemented directly in the system-on-a-chip. More specific details about the VR functions have not been disclosed.
According to SemiAccurate, it is also said that the first dev kits have already been shipped to developers. This suggests a possible next-gen launch in 2018.
Readers are skeptical
Many readers are rather skeptical about the leaked information – especially on ResetEra, where the discussion originated. However, screenshots of the article have since been deleted.
The information turns out to be not particularly profound and can essentially be summarized to custom chips from AMD with Zen and Navi architecture and a VR focus. And hardly anyone believes in a market launch in 2018. There are many reasons against it. To give an example: AMD announced in its last quarterly report that while the design of the Zen-2 architecture has been finalized, the first samplings are not expected until the end of 2018.
Is SemiAccurate in a dream world?
While SemiAccurate has been correct in some of their predictions regarding console hardware, these were usually more logical conclusions than actual leaks. And they have also made mistakes: For example, the chip of the Xbox had a different name than they originally announced.
The mere fact that the article is hidden behind a paywall of $1,000, which is required for a professional-level annual membership before the article can even be read, raises smirks and shoulder shrugs from many people.
This makes the site seem untrustworthy to many readers, and it creates the impression that they only want to make as much money as possible with such a headline. Instead of discussing the leaked information, many people would rather make fun of the excessive pricing policy and the name of SemiAccurate.
Analyst Pachter speaks out, deems release in 2018 unrealistic
Analyst Michael Pachter, who regularly makes headlines in the gaming sector and has questioned the sales success of Destiny 2, does not think much of this rumor. In response to inquiries from Wccftech, he stated that the release of a PS5 in 2018 is extremely unlikely. In his assessment, it is 75% likely for 2020 and only 25% for 2019.
What do you think of this leak? Are these appropriate specs for the next generation of consoles?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
You have until April 5th to vote for the German Computer Game Award 2018 in the Audience Award category. Prizes include graphics cards, consoles, laptops, and more.
The gaming community from Germany currently has time to vote for the German Computer Game Award 2018. There are a total of 14 categories in which prizes will be awarded. In 13 of them, a jury decides. You decide the winner of the Audience Award with your vote.
Participants have the chance to win prizes worth a total of €10,000. The prizes include a gaming laptop, monitors, graphics cards, a PS4, and more.
Decide from over 330 titles who deserves the award
On the official website of the German Computer Game Award, you can vote for a game that, in your opinion, deserves the Audience Award. From A Way Out to Monster Hunter World to Zero Escape, you have over 330 titles to choose from.
To participate, you only need to enter your name and email address.
On April 10th, the German Computer Game Award will be presented during a gala in Munich, hosted by Barbara Schöneberger.
By voting, you not only support your favorite game but also have the chance to win the following prizes:
1x OMEN by HP X 15” Gaming Laptop
2x 1 27” OMEN by HP Monitors
2x 1 NVIDIA GeForce 1080TI
1x SONY PlayStation 4 + PSVR luxury package
1x SONOS Play 5, provided by Trusted Events
1x Concept E 450 Digital
3x 1 Teufel CAGE Gaming Headset
1x Destiny 2 Collector’s Edition (PS4), provided by Activision
2x 1 Dragonball Collector’s Edition (PS4), provided by Bandai Namco
1x Forza Motorsport racing suit, provided by Microsoft
5x 1 Forza Motorsport 7 (Xbox One), provided by Microsoft
5x 1 Age Of Empires Definitive Edition (PC), provided by Microsoft
10x 1 gamescom wildcard ticket for the trade visitor day 21.8.2018
10x 2 gamescom tickets for the audience days 22./23./24./25.8.2018
Webedia Gaming GmbH is the official media partner of the German Computer Game Award. Part of the expert jury for the best international multiplayer game is Petra Schmitz from GameStar. Mein MMO also belongs to Webedia Gaming.
