For a long time, fans of the MMORPG Star Trek Online hoped that the Cardassian species would soon be playable – now with the upcoming expansion “Victory is Life” this is finally happening, but the joy is muted.
STO fans might point out that there have been Cardassians since the beginning – and this is not only true, but also the core of the problem. It has always been possible to have a Cardassian officer on board the ship – however, this officer did not have any special features. They just looked like a Cardassian.
The Cardassians are coming
Star Trek fans have wished to have an interesting species with unique features that also plays differently than the regular species. With the official introduction of the Cardassians as a playable species, the developers are also trying to make strides in this direction. Cardassians receive two so-called Traits:
Learned Tactics: Cardassians have a photographic memory and high mental strength. In the game, you gain a stack of Learned Tactics for every five seconds you are in combat. This grants you a temporary bonus to damage, accuracy, and defense.
Superior Mental Strength: You improve your resistance to attacks that control consciousness. Additionally, you have an inherent resistance to confusion, stunning, and pacifying. This makes you immune to the Vulcan neck pinch.
Fans are dissatisfied
As Cardassians, you can serve either in the Federation fleet or the Klingon Empire. However, even though the fans of STO now get their wish for the official introduction of Cardassians, not everyone is pleased about it. As seen in opinions from players on Steam, Reddit or on other magazine sites like MMORPG.com, there were simply higher hopes. More interesting traits, a species that clearly differs from the other races, and even its own faction. Therefore, the introduction of the new species is, for many, associated with a somewhat bland aftertaste.
The last raid in World of Warcraft: Legion, Antorus, the Burning Throne, has been active for some time now. Most players have completed their Tier-21 sets in Patch 7.3.5. This also affects the DPS. Read here the latest damage ranking with a brief analysis!
WoW DPS Ranking T21: A good mix
Since our last report on raid DPS in World of Warcraft, a lot has happened. Many players have already collected their complete Tier-21 set and important trinkets. For some, this means a greater increase than for others.
Nevertheless, the distribution of damage across classes is very balanced. Among pure damage classes, only Hunters and Mages have no specialization at the top. Paladins as a hybrid class still manage to stay in the middle.
Rogues are unpopular, Mages more popular – but weaker
Compared to our last report, there have been hardly any changes. The damage of all classes has generally increased by about 2-3%, and the distribution remains the same. Only Balance Druids have gained two places since March.
For Antorus, it still holds true: In every fight, one class or category is particularly strong, while others struggle. This keeps Blizzard ensuring every specialization remains relevant without making one class too strong or significantly weak for the entire raid.
Some specializations, such as Assassination Rogues and Windwalker Monks, have, however, shown above-average numbers throughout the raid. They are found at the top in most boss fights and impress in the overall ranking with very good numbers. A notable improvement for Rogues.
However, it should be noted that the values of some specializations are less meaningful. Survival Hunters have recorded just 8,533 parses, the far lowest measured runs.
Arcane Mages, despite their last place, are currently enjoying significantly higher popularity than before – whereas Subtlety Rogues are being played less than their outlaw counterparts for the first time!
The numbers presented here refer to the heroic mode of Antorus, the Burning Throne with a percentile value of 75 and across all item levels. Checked on 18.04.2018 at 18:30.
The current DPS ranking – Which class does the most damage?
Oops, unfortunately this table is no longer available.
Each specialization has gained between 200,000 and 300,000 DPS since the beginning of Antorus. In the following sections, we will provide a more detailed analysis of all boss encounters from Antorus, the Burning Throne.
Which classes do the most damage? Apart from the middle area, there have been hardly any changes – even in the middle, the differences among the classes are barely noticeable. Overall, it still holds true: Almost all melee fighters are ahead of any ranged fighters. The frontrunners and bottom dwellers are identical to the old data.
Assassination Rogue (2,051,520 DPS)
Enhancement Shaman (2,048,065 DPS)
Windwalker Monk (2,006,930 DPS)
Frost Death Knight (1,909,125 DPS)
Outlaw Rogue (1,899,897 DPS)
What are the advantages of these classes? Melee fighters can continuously stay at the boss during the Worldbreaker fight. As he is stationary, the required movement is minimal, allowing the melee classes to spend very high time in melee range. Additionally, due to superior gear and certain abilities, melee fighters can ignore some effects to maximize their time at the boss.
What are the characteristics of the boss? While ranged fighters cannot fully unleash, they are responsible for the survival of the raid. If they do not handle the mechanics of the encounter cleanly, the raid wipes. A teamwork of a different kind.
Boss Duo Shatug and F’harg – Double bosses, double damage?
Which classes do the most damage? Priests and Warlocks continue to lead the field, but their lead over other classes is steadily decreasing. Enhancement Shamans have been pushed out of the Top 5 by Windwalker Monks. In the middle, it is balanced, in terms of the distribution of melee and ranged fighters. Compared to the last weeks, the mix is more balanced.
Affliction Warlock (2,316,977 DPS)
Shadow Priest (2,241,530 DPS)
Destruction Warlock (2,148,605 DPS)
Balance Druid (2,077,972 DPS)
Windwalker Monk (2,039,450 DPS)
What are the advantages of these classes? The reason for the dominance of the classes lies in their mechanics. Affliction Warlocks and Shadow Priests derive most of their damage from DoTs, which they can maintain here on two targets with shared health. For Shadow Priests, this means they can generate almost twice as much insanity. With the generated insanity, they can stay in Shadowform much longer, greatly increasing their damage.
What are the characteristics of the boss? By positioning centrally between the bosses, spell classes can reach both bosses at any time. For some specializations, such as Destruction Warlocks and DoT classes, this is a huge advantage. For the other classes, only single-target damage counts.
The Antoran High Command – The battle of the elements
Which classes do the most damage? While spell classes initially led, it now appears more mixed. Nevertheless, the top 5, with one exception, are filled with ranged fighters – and even the usually weaker Arcane Mages are rising up the ranks.
Balance Druid (2,662,340 DPS)
Elemental Shaman (2,541,910 DPS)
Windwalker Monk (2,540,107 DPS)
Arcane Mage (2,474,587 DPS)
Marksmanship Hunter (2,469,190 DPS)
What are the advantages of these classes? High damage on multiple targets is the decisive factor for the high numbers. Particularly, Owls can shine by distributing area damage while focusing a boss. Windwalker Monks have a similar advantage, combining high area damage with relatively good mobility.
What are the characteristics of the boss? Nearly continuously, adds are present, on which damage is vital. Classes that can reliably and quickly deal damage to multiple targets are particularly favored.
Which classes do the most damage? In principle, any class that can quickly deal area damage or damage to multiple targets is well-suited here. Since most of the enemies have low health points, DoT classes do not profit here. Specializations that take some time to build their damage (“Ramp-Up Time”) fall far behind.
Elemental Shaman (1,558,902 DPS)
Marksmanship Hunter (1,529,907 DPS)
Windwalker Monk (1,478,237 DPS)
Frost Death Knight (1,413,555 DPS)
Arcane Mage (1,404,110 DPS)
What are the advantages of these classes? Due to the general increase in damage, classes that can quickly deal their full damage shine. They often defeat enemies before other classes even have a chance to attack. Particularly, Elemental Shamans with their accumulated Maelstrom have an easy time here.
What are the characteristics of the boss? In the encounter with Eonar, the Lifebinder, it is not about defeating a boss. Instead, you need to ensure that the Titan remains alive by annihilating waves of enemies until Eonar herself destroys the Legion’s warship above the area.
Basically, there is no boss fight, but many individual fights against larger groups of enemies. These “trash” fights also reflect in the DPS ranking. Classes that can quickly deal damage to many targets lead the list, while slow and single-target specializations lag behind. The many runs also result in a general drop in DPS for all classes.
Portal Keeper Hasabel – Portal jumping for advanced users
Which classes do the most damage? The encounter with Portal Keeper Hasabel is difficult to classify. Roughly speaking, it can be said that classes that can reliably deal damage to multiple targets achieve higher values. However, these should be treated with utmost caution. There has not been a significant change compared to the beginning of the raid.
Affliction Warlock (1,954,155 DPS)
Elemental Shaman (1,890,407 DPS)
Arcane Mage (1,836,547 DPS)
Feral Druid (1,825,240 DPS)
Windwalker Monk (1,794,382 DPS)
What are the advantages of these classes? Hasabel summons little minions and other demons throughout the fight, which are usually tanked directly by her. This, of course, pleases classes like Shamans or Affliction Warlocks. However, this does not mean that these classes are particularly powerful. They are merely assigned to deal with the nuisances.
What are the characteristics of the boss? With Hasabel, additional bosses on other platforms must be defeated at certain intervals, causing the group to split several times. For all assigned players, this results in a few seconds of damage loss and varying mechanics depending on the boss. For Hasabel, it is generally true: everyone finds a place where they can be useful!
Imonar the Soulhunter – Rogues sneak their way forward!
Which classes do the most damage? Assassination Rogues and Windwalker Monks were able to enhance their position even further with Imonar. In comparison to the numbers from March, they are now nearly twice as high as the third place.
Assassination Rogue (1,633,552 DPS)
Windwalker Monk (1,622,890 DPS)
Enhancement Shaman (1,585,190 DPS)
Unholy Death Knight (1,548,230 DPS)
Fury Warrior (1,533,930 DPS)
What are the advantages of these classes? Imonar flees after a certain time, becoming untouchable. Classes that deal a lot of damage at the beginning of a fight lose this advantage less.
What are the characteristics of the boss? The actual challenge in this encounter is not the fight against the boss, but crossing the bridge filled with traps. Good coordination is important so that the entire raid can attack again together. The high mobility required reduces the opportunities for spell classes to deal significant damage.
Which classes do the most damage? The favorite Windwalker Monk has been working further ahead. With nearly 150,000 DPS (compared to about 130,000 in March) ahead of second place, he is the uncontested leader. Behind him, all others share the field.
Windwalker Monk (2,076,042 DPS)
Assassination Rogue (1,929,310 DPS)
Enhancement Shaman (1,911,320 DPS)
Fury Warrior (1,877,930 DPS)
Arms Warrior (1,855,175 DPS)
What are the advantages of these classes? Kin’garoth is bound to his position and has a large hitbox. Since his mechanics require a lot of movement, melee fighters have the advantage of always being in range, even when dodging. A significant advantage over spell classes.
What are the characteristics of the boss? Kin’garoth presents a fairly linear fight: he is stationary and calls forth Felhunters at specific times while disappearing. Two phases that repeat over and over. Accordingly, the DPS ranking is also balanced.
Varimathras’ Torture Chamber
Which classes do the most damage? In Varimathras, for the first time, pure single-target specializations are at the top. Demonology Warlocks have shot themselves to the top as the only ranged class and have even pushed Arms Warriors out of the Top 5.
Enhancement Shaman (2,072,827 DPS)
Windwalker Monk (2,059,715 DPS)
Assassination Rogue (2,028,560 DPS)
Unholy Death Knight (1,978,010 DPS)
Demonology Warlock (1,972,455 DPS)
What are the advantages of these classes? In Varimathras, full concentration can be placed on damage. Only a few mechanics disrupt the damage dealers in this encounter.
What are the characteristics of the boss? In the encounter with the Dreadlord, there is not much to consider as long as the group stays together. Everyone can unleash their full damage as long as a few mechanics are observed. A patchwork fight.
Council of Shivarra – The top 3 and the others
Which classes do the most damage? The gap between the strongest and weakest specialization has become even more pronounced. The third place leads with 180,000 DPS over fourth place. The top positions have increased by nearly 100,000 DPS each – the highest increase in Antorus so far. Behind, it gradually worsens with a midfield that shares almost identical damage.
Affliction Warlock (2,388,027 DPS)
Shadow Priest (2,229,347 DPS)
Balance Druid (2,118,230 DPS)
What are the advantages of these classes? The reason for the dominance of the classes is the same as in the fight against the Fel Hounds: Since there are always at least two opponents present in this council fight, classes with DoTs on multiple targets can deal significantly more damage.
What are the characteristics of the boss? Of the three Shivarra, two are constantly present in the fight, while the third summons adds from outside. There are continuously many single targets available on which, due to mechanics, damage must be consistently dealt.
Which classes do the most damage? In Aggramar, melee fighters lead again. However, the mix of single-target and group damage is interesting.
Assassination Rogue (1,763,345 DPS)
Enhancement Shaman (1,721,580 DPS)
Windwalker Monk (1,705,490 DPS)
Arms Warrior(1,665,697 DPS)
Fury Warrior (1,661,380 DPS)
What are the advantages of these classes? Since the group is at the boss for most of the fight, this is, of course, good for melee fighters. The correspondingly large hitbox serves its purpose.
What are the characteristics of the boss? Aggramar’s mechanics require a lot of movement, especially for spell classes. A major disadvantage for spellcasters that cannot be offset even by the presence of many adds.
Final boss of Antorus: Argus, the Unmaker
Which classes do the most damage? The damage in Argus is largely balanced and shows no wild jumps. However, Havoc Demon Hunters stand out compared to their average performance. Shadow Priests have again overtaken Assassination Rogues after being left behind last time.
Havoc Demon Hunter (1,922,570 DPS)
Assassination Rogue (1,892,235 DPS)
Shadow Priest (1,877,482 DPS)
Windwalker Monk (1,866,570 DPS)
Destruction Warlock (1,825,150 DPS)
What are the advantages of these classes? A precise explanation is difficult. Argus has so many different phases that there is hardly a point where reasons can be established. Only dying in the last phase opens up some possibilities, particularly for Shadow Priests.
What are the characteristics of the boss? The fight against Argus, the Unmaker is by far the longest and probably the most strenuous fight in Antorus, the Burning Throne. Unlike at the beginning of the raid, the numbers and positions of the classes no longer align as well with the overall DPS across all bosses.
Mechanically, Argus introduces death as a resource, resetting cooldowns on potions and can be one reason for some classes’ damage.
Generally, however, all classes are also closely grouped in Argus, meaning that there are hardly clear favorites.
How do your experiences line up with the lists? Does the analysis of the individual fights help to understand why which class stands where? Write in the comments!
Monster Hunter World receives a new type of siege quest where you can hunt the Elder Dragon Kulve Taroth with 16 players. As a reward, you will receive new relic weapons, with the outcome determined randomly. Learn here how to tackle the quest with the 16 players and how the relic weapons work.
Update 19.04.2018: The quest is now in the game, and the text below has been slightly adjusted.
“Kulve Taroth” quest runs from April 19 to May 3
The new siege quest is called “Banquet in the Earthen Hall” and will be time-limited. The update will be released on the night from Wednesday to Thursday, April 19, at 2:00 AM. You will have a total of two weeks to defeat Kulve Taroth. The quest will disappear from the game on May 3.
The investigation to hunt Kulve Taroth will return at an unknown time.
16 hunters can participate in the quest, but you can see only up to 4 players in your own group
It was previously unclear how you would be playing together with the 16 hunters. At this point, it should be made clear: It will NOT be possible for you to see 16 players at the same time.
You will only encounter Kulve Taroth physically in a group of up to 4 players. However, when multiple groups are fighting, you will see the collective progress on the monster during the battle. This means you can go into battle with 4 x 4 groups, but you will only see your own group.
Assuming you are a member of group A and fight Kulve Taroth with another group B. You will then be shown during the battle how much health group B is currently draining from the Elder Dragon.
The siege quest “Banquet in the Earthen Hall” summarized:
You must accept the quest “Banquet in the Earthen Hall” in the Gathering Hub
Up to 16 hunters (4 x 4 groups) can participate in the quest
You can tackle the quest alone or in a squad of up to 16 players
You will collectively need to search for golden tracks and will receive a research level for it. The higher the level, the longer Kulve Taroth will ultimately stay in the quest. This allows you to break more parts and receive better rewards.
There will be a type of “Achievement Level”. The level increases with certain achievements you achieve in the quest, as well as obtaining a high research level. This level will also determine how good the reward from the quest will be.
When you ultimately fight Kulve Taroth, you will see the collective progress displayed on your screen. If another group breaks part of the creature, you will see that as well and receive part points.
The quest is completed once you have broke Kulve Taroth’s horns. It does not matter which group delivers the final blow. All participants in the quest receive the reward.
Emergency signals will not function during the quest.
The image below shows the special golden tracks that you need to find.
The fight with Kulve Taroth: The Elder Dragon changes its appearance and patterns in each phase
This Elder Dragon is a new monster that has not been seen in any part of the franchise before. In the stream, it was mentioned that Kulve Taroth is a female. While this has no effect on the battle, perhaps we will eventually see a male variant. Just like with Diablos and Monoblos.
The fight with Kulve Taroth takes place in multiple phases where you aim to break as many parts as possible from her.
Right at the start of the fight, this dragon lady is huge. She is said to be smaller than Zorah Magdaros but slightly larger than Xeno’jiiva. Particularly striking is her enormous tail that she drags behind her.
Once you manage to break a certain number of body parts, the Elder Dragon will signal a new phase and slightly change her appearance. At a certain point, she loses her massive tail and her golden armor. When her horns are broken, the fight ends.
The attack patterns of the dragon lady somewhat resemble those of the Great Jagras, which is the first large monster you encounter in the game. She also has a roll attack but can also breathe fire.
Generally, a fire protection mantle is quite appropriate in this quest, as there is lava everywhere.
New map “Eldorado Caves” sparkles and offers many environmental traps
The new map is called “Eldorado Caves” and here you will encounter Kulve Taroth. The map offers a lot of environmental traps and you can bring down the vault with huge cannons or traverse along the rocks with grappling hooks.
This area is completely filled with gold that Kulve Taroth stores there with her special energy. Even the animals in this cave are covered with a layer of gold. You will also encounter golden Gajalaka which will disturb you during the quest.
Rewards: Relic weapons are determined randomly, but have the same stats
As a reward, you will receive the special relic weapons from this quest.
In the Gathering Hub, you can evaluate the weapons and find out exactly which weapon you drew.
The relic weapons are golden, and the different weapons will always have the same stats.
If you received the “Rage Gold Cannon” and another hunter also did, both weapons will have the same stats.
There are a few better and worse relic weapons. For example, there are some of rarity 6 and also 8.
The relic weapons often have hidden elements.
Currently, the Monster Hunter World community is working together on a relic weapon spreadsheet. It collects all the weapons (in English) that hunters worldwide find from the quest. The list may be temporarily closed from time to time. If that should be the case, just try to get back in later.
Below are two examples of the relic weapons:
Relic Weapon: Rage Gold Cannon
Relic Weapon: Gold Water Fellsword
You will also be able to receive “Dawn Warrior Tickets for your Palico” from the quest, which unlock a Samurai Armor. It is an Alpha high-rank armor.
The update was released on April 19 and will remain for 2 weeks until May 3.
A new “OTK combo” is causing a stir in Hearthstone. With it, an impressive 512 damage can be dealt – all in one turn.
Time and again, in Blizzard’s card game Hearthstone, players come up with particularly inventive, genius combinations that leave the opponent dumbfounded. Whether it’s particularly funny or particularly devastating – in this example, it is clearly the latter.
The streamer GetMeowth dared to enter the “wild” game mode of Hearthstone. Here, all cards from all expansions are allowed, which can lead to particularly absurd combos.
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To execute the devastating combo, one must play a Druid and have a considerable number of legendary cards. Additionally, the hand must be nearly full and have the exact right cards to perform the combo.
First, you play Aviana. She reduces the mana cost of all minions to 1.
Then comes Kun the Forgotten King and replenishes the mana to 10.
Majordomo Executus follows. Upon his death, he replaces the player hero with Ragnaros and grants him a new hero power (“DIE, INSECT!”).
The Gadgetzan Auctioneer comes next. He doubles the damage and healing of the hero power.
With the Meat-Cleaver, the Druid devours the Gadgetzan Auctioneer.
The Faceless Manipulator copies the Meat-Cleaver (2 times).
Deathwing is played. He destroys all minions and triggers their death rattles.
What is now set in motion is a crazy process that greatly enhances the Druid’s hero power:
Thanks to the death of Majordomo Executus, the hero power becomes “Deals 8 damage to a random opponent.”
The death of the three Meat-Cleavers creates 6 Gadgetzan Auctioneers.
The damage of the hero power increases dramatically, as the damage gets doubled 6 times! So 8x2x2x2x2x2x2 = 512 damage!
All that remains now is a click on the hero power. Thanks to Deathwing, there are no enemy minions left on the board, so the hero power goes “face” directly – and boosts the health points into the triple-digit negative.
Executing the combo is correspondingly difficult, as all necessary cards must be in hand – but if it succeeds, opponents will surely be astonished. Just like the streamer Get Meowth in the clip above.
The upcoming second expansion “Warmind” for Destiny 2 will likely take place on Mars. While there are still some skeptical Guardians considering other possibilities, community members and an image from NASA now provide additional hints that may convince even the last doubters that it will soon be back to the red planet for the Guardians.
The Mars location in Destiny with Phobos in the background
Currently, there are still players who doubt this theory, but an official NASA image could convince even the last skeptics that the location of DLC II will indeed be Mars.
However, some community members have apparently discovered crucial details that unmistakably point to the red planet.
The Mars is beautiful in the early morning light
Initially, on April 14, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield tweeted a NASA photo of Mars with the words “Mars is beautiful in the early morning light. Snow on the dunes.”
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Recently, Osborne has not commented on planet images of any kind on social media. He has also not historically communicated with Chris Hadfield, other astronauts, or the U.S. space agency NASA publicly.
His reaction to the Mars image now embodies the ultimate hint for many fans that Mars will be the upcoming location of the Warmind expansion.
At the same time, this real image of snow on the sand dunes of Mars refutes the objections of some Guardians who have previously held the opinion that “snow, ice, and Mars – that doesn’t fit together.”
Official 4K-DLC image gives clues about the location
Other hints about the highly likely location of the upcoming expansion were provided by the recently released 4K image of the DLC by Bungie.
This image reveals more details than the original HD image and shows Reddit users that the two Mars moons Deimos and Phobos are now visible, with Phobos only becoming truly recognizable upon closer inspection.
This topic is currently being discussed in numerous threads on Reddit. Some Destiny hobby astronomers believe that Phobos is generally too close to Mars on this graphic and also in a wrong orbit.
However, entries in the Grimoire cards state that Cabal Psions have pulled this moon from its original orbit closer to Mars to use it as a weapon if necessary. Also, footage from the first Destiny title supports this statement. There, Phobos sometimes appears almost within reach of the Guardians – depending on location and its position in orbit.
Many Guardians see this constellation of the moons, combined with additional indicators like the background image of the DLC graphic or the footage from Destiny 1, as proof that the story of DLC II will take place on Mars.
What do you think? Do you believe that the story could take place somewhere else than on the red planet?
On March 27, the MMORPG Shroud of the Avatar (SotA), which is considered an unofficial successor to the Ultima series, was launched. But how did the launch go?
Three weeks have passed since then. While most MMORPGs gain most of their players in exactly that time because MMO fans often want to be there from the beginning to build something in the game world right away, the situation is different for Shroud of the Avatar.
The number of players has increased according to Steamcharts but by no means as much as one would expect from the launch of a new MMO (it should be noted that according to the developers, Steam players make up only about 35 percent of all players)
The player count could not even surpass the number reached by the MMO in the summer of 2016, when the game world became persistent – according to Steamcharts, there were 603 players online at the same time back then – this number has not been reached again so far
There is basically no marketing campaign – Aside from a few Facebook ads, it is deathly silent about the game
The developers are proud that the launch of the game simply felt like another monthly update, whereas the release of a game should be a big and great event
The existing reviews paint a bad picture of the MMO – the ratings from magazines are rather below average
The reviews on Steam remain very mixed. On average, only 53 percent of players have rated the MMO positively
Even longtime fans feel that SotA was released too early
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Allegedly, a marketing campaign is supposed to start in the second quarter – which is now – to attract more players to the MMORPG. After the launch, mind you, which is often so important for MMO players to get started. So far, there is no sign of it. And even if a marketing campaign should start now, is there really still interest? In an MMO that received below-average ratings? That has already launched? Whose game world has been persistent for almost two years?
What will happen to Episode 2?
The launch of Shroud of the Avatar was anything but good. And whether the developers can turn things around now remains doubtful. That said, we would also love to be surprised by the opposite. How Episode 2 will proceed is still unclear. A Kickstarter campaign was actually supposed to start for this, but we haven’t heard anything about Episode 2 for a long time. Can a Kickstarter campaign still be successful after these ratings of the game and such a launch? Here, too, one can harbor quiet doubts.
Have you perhaps already played Shroud of the Avatar? What is your opinion on the title and the launch? Let us know in the comments.
In FIFA 18 the TOTW 31 (Team of the Week 31) is known. These players will receive Inform cards in Ultimate Team.
While the focus in Ultimate Team is rapidly shifting towards the “Team of the Season”, a new “Team of the Week” will come to FUT on Wednesday, April 18th,. The release of the cards is at 7 PM – they will remain in packs for one week.
This week there is no major highlight, the best Informs are Philippe Coutinho (88), Naldo (88), Isco (88) and Vincent Kompany (87).
TOTW 31 – Ratings of player cards in Ultimate Team
Starting XI:
GK – Ruffier – AS Saint-Étienne – 85>88 CB – Kompany – Manchester City – 85>87 CB – Naldo – FC Schalke 04 – 84>88 RB – Ricardo Pereira – FC Porto – 80>85 RM – Coutinho – FC Barcelona – 87>88 CAM – Isco – Real Madrid – 86>88 LM – Douglas Costa – Juventus – 83>85 LM – Babel – Beşiktaş – 78>84 ST – Zaha – Crystal Palace – 82>86 ST – Giroud – Chelsea – 82>87 ST – Wagner – Bayern München – 79>84
Substitutes:
GK – Donnarumma – Milan – 82>86 RB – Svensson – AZ – 75>81 LM – Grosicki – Hull City – 76>81 CM – Lo Celso – Paris Saint-Germain – 75>81 ST – Volland – Bayer 04 Leverkusen – 80>83 ST – Kharbin – Al Hilal – 77>81 ST – Castillo – Pumas U.N.A.M. – 76>84
Reserves:
GK – Alomerović – Korona Kielce – 64>74 CM – McGree – Newcastle Jets – 62>72 ST – Pedersen – Strømsgodset Toppfotball – 68>76 ST – Grimaldi – Preußen Münster – 68>76 LW – Åsen – Tromsø IL – 67>76
These were the predictions for Team of the Week 31 in FUT 18
TOTW predictions are forecasts on which players deserve a spot in the upcoming Team of the Week. While these predictions never align 100% with the official TOTW, making moves on the transfer market based on them can be risky, they still provide a good overview of which players could receive the coveted special cards.
We provide an overview of predictions from various FIFA sites.
Philippe Coutinho [LF] 87 > 88 – Brazil – Barcelona
Angel Di Maria [RF] 87 > 88 – Argentina – PSG
What is the Team of the Week (TOTW) in FIFA 18 Ultimate Team?
Every Wednesday, EA Sports reveals the Team of the Week in the “Ultimate Team” mode of their annual football simulation. This also applies to FIFA 18. Players who displayed outstanding performances in real football the previous week are rewarded with special cards that have improved attributes.
You can draw the TOTW cards within one week from packs that may contain rare (Gold) players. However, the chance of doing so is considered low.
Additionally, you can buy them on the transfer market if they are offered by other players. However, prices are usually extremely high. If you want to buy one of the new Informs for your team, it is advisable to acquire them at the beginning of the next week, as they will be cheaper then.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
EnMasse has released a new update for TERA on the consoles Xbox One and PlayStation 4. The Lachelitas Ruins is available to players at the current maximum level and promises new loot. Additionally, there are some bug fixes.
On the consoles Xbox One and PlayStation 4, players of TERA can now jump into a new dungeon designed for the current maximum level. However, the last update not only brought the new dungeon, intended for level 65 and item level 417, but also some bug fixes.
These are the Lachelitas Ruins
Location—Cliffs of Madness in Poporia. The dungeon can also be accessed through the instance group search or the teleport scroll.
Loot—Lilitas’ armor chests, deadly and powerful Lachelitas earrings of the nightmare, purity brooches, magnificent Niveot structures, Lachelitas’ treasure chest
The earrings obtainable in the Lachelitas Ruins complement the powerful rings already available in the Lilitas Fortress dungeon. With the special ability of the purity brooches, any debuffs can be removed.
The magnificent Niveot structures allow you to merge noble crystals with potentially stronger Niveots, which cannot be destroyed upon death. Additionally, Lachelitas’ treasure chest may contain materials needed to craft gear for raids.
Are the bosses too easy?
Shortly after the update, some players have already reported that they successfully managed the new dungeon.
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A problem has been fixed where several achievements and trophies were not unlocked.
The freezing and crashing in the instance Silenced Light has been fixed.
Work has been done on several issues that contributed to server-wide crashes.
Nevertheless, TERA is still far from being free of problems that some players are struggling with.
In the official TERA forum, players are now urging patience with EnMasse. After all, the developers are working to improve the game continuously.
Others counter that betas are generally meant to address the current prevailing issues, such as lag in cities, disappearance of map markers, or delayed loading of textures.
While some players are happy that they can play TERA at all, there are users who can’t even start the MMORPG.
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The developers of the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online discussed the future plans for the online game at the PAX East gaming convention – including the next major foe.
As the developers explain, you will have to face the giant spider Kankra. But wait, wasn’t Kankra defeated by Sam Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings? Correct, defeated but not killed. Apparently, the spider has retreated to the Misty Mountains, which lie north of Mirkwood. This will lead you to the next adventure. Mysterious things are happening here, and it seems the giant spider Kankra is behind it.
The developers have big plans for the spider:
Kankra represents the next major foe
Before you can defeat the spider, you must go through several adventures
Kankra will be slowly introduced into the story
Whether Mount Gundabad, where many Orcs reside, will also play a role is something the developers have yet to reveal
After Kankra, the journey may lead to the Shire, where you must free the land of the Hobbits from the dark minions of the wizard Saruman. The developers want to implement this correctly, which is why this content will take a bit longer to come.
The first orc buddy that you gain in Shadow of War: Bruz.
The first appearance of Kankra would then be a little nod to the action-adventure Mordor: Shadow of War. A woman will emerge from Kankra’s cave and everyone should think that this woman is the spider in human form, just as it was in Shadow of War. But then the spider appears, grabs the woman, and wraps her up.
But how Kankra really comes to The Lord of the Rings Online remains to be seen.
Mordor Must Be Hard!
Another topic in the interview: Mordor and why it is so hard.
The introduction of the land of Mordor has thrown many players of The Lord of the Rings Online off guard, as the content is very difficult. The development team explains that Mordor has to be hard, after all, it is Mordor. No one just strolls into Mordor. However, there will be some adjustments, mainly related to class balancing. Mordor is not to become easy.
So there is much for the fans of The Lord of the Rings Online to look forward to in the future.
The field research in Pokémon GO rewards you with Pokémon encounters and items. This is available at the 3rd breakthrough.
In Pokémon GO, a few quick trainers have already reached their third research breakthrough. A breakthrough is achieved when you unlock 7 stamps from field research. The rewards for the first and second research breakthroughs were Zapdos and some items.
Now it is known what the third research breakthrough brings.
Zapdos also comes with the 3rd research breakthrough
Through a few tricks, like changing the time, some trainers were able to unlock their third research breakthrough today, on April 18th. We advise against using such tricks and not changing the time for such purposes.
As in the last two weeks, trainers were once again rewarded with a Zapdos encounter today. The legendary firebird is the first confirmed encounter that is unlocked for trainers at a breakthrough. When this Pokémon will change is unknown. Therefore, the community is always eagerly awaiting when trainers reach another milestone.
Trainer mybham shared on Reddit his rewards for the 3rd breakthrough:
The trainer received, besides the encounter with the legendary firebird, 2000 stardust, 2000 experience points, and 5 berries. It is assumed that the item rewards have not changed.
The rewards are randomly assigned to a player from a selection pool:
2000 stardust
2000 experience points
Additionally one of the following options
3 special candies
20 Poké Balls
5 Ultra Balls
5 berries
When do the breakthrough monsters change?
After some trainers were able to catch Zapdos for the third time now, the community is wondering when this monster will change.
Players assume that Niantic has implemented a rotation that will unlock new monsters as rewards for the breakthrough monthly. But these are just speculations, and there is currently no further information from the developers.
It remains exciting which monster encounters will unlock these research milestones.
Patch 1.8.1 introduced the legendary difficulty for 2 missions in The Division: Amherst’s Apartment and Grand Central Station are now part of the 5 challenges available to choose from. These come with a surprise: Exotics!
Since April 12th, agents in The Division can finally play 2 new legendary missions and at least have a bit of the needed variety compared to the previous ones.
Amherst’s Apartment and Grand Central Station now join the previous legendary missions: the Napalm Production Site, the WarrenGate Power Plant, and the Times Square Power Relay.
What are legendary missions?
Or more specifically: What is the legendary difficulty?
The difficulty is meant to challenge more experienced agents. Your enemies are more aggressive, faster, can take more hits, and deal more damage. Additionally, the usual enemy factions are replaced by the more dangerous Last Man Battalion, by elite mercenaries, inspired by the private security company “Blackwater”.
In the legendary missions, you can expect: enemies with ballistic shields, rushers with shotguns, and medics. They can make your agent life very difficult.
By completing these missions, you can earn an exotic container each week, which contains Div-Tech, target data, and an exotic item. The reset for these happens every Friday night to Saturday.
New with patch 1.8.1: Players have a 20% chance in the completion reward to receive Classified parts. However, another new feature was overlooked in the patch notes: At the end of the new missions, you may encounter a Hunter.
The Hunters, first introduced with the Survival mode, are perhaps the most devious enemies in The Division. They behave similarly to players, have the same abilities as sticky grenades, and heal quickly.
In the new missions, you can expect a particularly tough Hunter
Besides the regular mission bosses, you can encounter a Hunter at the end of the mission. But only under one condition:
Once you reach the checkpoint, your team must not die. Otherwise, you will only face the regular named bosses.
If you manage to kill the Hunter, you have a very high chance of getting an exotic item. Currently, it is not exactly known what the precise probability of an Exotic drop is, but it seems to be very high.
Players report getting an item every 10-15 runs. However, a few mentioned that they sometimes came up empty.
A good mission for farming?
Amherst’s Apartment seems to be one of the missions that players can finish very quickly. It can be completed in less than 15 minutes.
Considering the 20% chance for Classified parts, it seems worthwhile to play this mission more often. Especially players who are desperately hoping for the submachine gun The House might get lucky here.
It is certain that the mission Amherst’s Apartment is the shortest among all legendary missions and thus will probably also be the most favored in the future. Whether it will surpass the Lexington Event Center’s rank as a farming mission during Global Events is yet to be determined.
What are your experiences with the new missions? Are you satisfied?
The server downtime of Sea of Thieves prepares the game for the new update, which brings legendary sails and figureheads.
For the pirate adventure Sea of Thieves, the new update with version number 1.0.4 is available starting today, Wednesday, April 18. The update targets the customization for pirate legends, which is expanded with legendary sails or figureheads.
In addition, the team fixed many issues that plagued players in recent weeks. We show you what is changing.
Sea of Thieves Patch Notes from April 18
The new update comes for PC and Xbox One and is expected to be about 1.3GB in size on both platforms. The servers are still offline due to maintenance until about 3:00 PM German time.
Patch Notes
Pirate Legend: The first legendary ship customizations can now be found in the legendary hideout shop. There you can purchase Pirate Legend sails, hulls, and figureheads.
Sound Effects: You now hear a sound when you open a “Lore” book and when a limited-time quest from the trading post expires.
Spring Cleaning: It is now easier to store chests or skulls on the shelves in the captain’s quarters. You should also be able to throw cargo overboard more easily.
Controller Mapping: The Push-To-Talk option can now also be assigned to controller buttons.
The developer team of Sea of Thieves has fixed several bugs in the game:
Trading factions now inform you when you have purchased the maximum amount of voyages per day. (The timer resets at 6:00 AM in-game time)
Players’ weapon selection no longer resets to default after death.
A message should now appear when a crew member finds a clue for a map from a message in a bottle.
Ships should no longer spawn damaged.
Players now correctly take damage when hit by explosions from gunpowder barrels while underwater.
There were also performance improvements that address rubberbanding issues and enhance the quality of Sea of Thieves. You can read the full patch notes, including all bug fixes and known issues, on the official Sea of Thieves website.
Four FIFA-18 YouTubers comment on the cup semi-final between Schalke 04 and Eintracht Frankfurt – live on the YouTube channel of Sportschau. Just yesterday, YouTube stars analyzed the match between Bayern and Leverkusen.
It is not the first time that YouTubers comment on a football match. During the cup clash Bayern against Dortmund, ARD hired FIFA YouTubers. Back then, it was “Gamerbrother”, “Tisi Schubech”, “NoHandGaming” and “Der Keller”.
Now this idea goes into the second round: Yesterday, the first DFB-Pokal semi-final was already commented on by YouTubers – Bayern Munich won 6:2 against Bayer Leverkusen.
Today, the match Schalke 04 against Eintracht Frankfurt is on. Whether the rookie commentators will experience such a spectacle again can be followed from 20:30 in the live stream of Sportschau.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWCwSoNJAU4
Four FIFA YouTubers comment on Schalke against Frankfurt
For the second semi-final of the DFB-Pokal on April 18, “BadeschlappenLP”, “FIFAGoalsUnited” and “DerHansus” were invited. The match starts at 20:45, the live stream on the YouTube channel of Sportschau at 20:30.
All three channels mainly produce FIFA videos or streams.
“DerHansus” is known for his videos on the FIFA career mode
Julian and Julius from “FIFAGoalsUnited” bring various formats to the FUT mode
“BadeschlappenLP” has content on both FIFA modes on YouTube and Twitch
Of course, not all four FIFA experts will be in the live stream at the same time. Presumably, the guys from “FIFAGoalsUnited” will take one half and “BadeschlappenLP” with “DerHansus” will take the other half.
YouTubers experienced a spectacle during the match Bayern against Leverkusen
For “MontanaBlack”, “Achi” and “DerÖmsen”, it was a successful evening. They were able to comment on the first cup semi-final between FC Bayern and Bayer 04.
“MontanaBlack” and his buddy witnessed three goals live in the first half, while “Achi” and “DerÖmsen” were the commentators in the second half. They even saw 5 goals and an outstanding FC Bayern.
On the YouTube channels of the three guys, you won’t find any FIFA videos, but various formats. It will be interesting to see if the FIFA experts perform better on Wednesday evening than the “normal” YouTubers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mQH6cs42us
ARD offers young football fans a new attraction
Offering YouTube stars as professional commentators is a smart move by Sportschau. Although the YouTubers will never have the expertise of Béla Réthy or Steffen Simon – young FIFA players are not bothered by that. They want to be entertained while watching good football.
The main attraction is suddenly no longer the football stars like Arjen Robben or Thomas Müller, but “MontanaBlack” or “BadeschlappenLP”. The additional interaction with their idols via YouTube chat is an extra highlight for the youth.
Television football fans and the YouTube community in the online live stream: Sportschau can now serve two target groups in parallel – with a football match and without alienating anyone.
“MontanaBlack” sees himself qualified for the job after “feeling like watching football together for 20 years”. Whether that is enough to replace Steffen Simon is something every viewer has to decide for themselves.
What do you choose: DFB-Pokal semi-final with the FIFA YouTubers or Steffen Simon as ARD commentator?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
AMD officially opposes the Nvidia Geforce Partner Program. The GPP is criticized for requiring partners to offer certain brands exclusively with Geforce graphics cards.
In doing so, they highlight their own virtues: For AMD, transparency, innovation, and especially the freedom of choice for the PC gamer are of utmost importance. This freedom is what defines the PC market. According to AMD, it is not a privilege, but rather a right. It becomes clear that the competitor lacks these virtues.
What is the Geforce Partner Program?
What do partners officially gain from the program? With the Geforce Partner Program, partners receive support in marketing, sales, and technology. They receive hardware and exclusive information about bundles and discounts.
What does Nvidia officially gain from the partnership? In return, partners must commit to using the Geforce logo, selling exclusively through authorized distributors, and subscribing to the newsletter.
And what is it really about behind the scenes? Tech journalist Kyle Bennet accused HardOCP of wanting to push AMD out of the market. In order for the GPP partner to gain access to exclusive information, they must commit to not selling AMD hardware under the same label. If they refuse, they are at a disadvantage compared to that competition with all the advantages. And since Nvidia’s market power is significantly greater than AMD’s, companies prefer to choose Geforce over AMD. This negatively impacts the consumer’s choice. Nvidia publicly denied all accusations regarding the GPP.
No more AUROS branding for the AMD Radeon
Arez – New Radeon Brand from Asus
The pressure from the Geforce Partner Program even forces Asus to change its name. Instead of just removing Radeon from the branding while still marketing it under “Asus,” a completely new name is being created: Arez.
Future Radeon graphics cards will then be sold exclusively under the largely unknown name Arez, which will significantly harm AMD’s sales. It is expected that more partners will follow with new brands.
What dangers exist due to the Geforce Partner Program?
Nvidia already has market power in the graphics card segment. What exactly is the consequence if this power is further expanded? User status_two writes about this on Reddit:
Some people may think that Nvidia already has the better graphics cards. The problem is evident in the future GPUs. If Nvidia has the distributors and OEMs as exclusive partners, it leads to a monopoly in the pricing and development of gaming PCs. Competition is always better.
What has happened so far
Between the release of the GPP and AMD’s statement, several other incidents occurred:
• Gigabyte no longer released the AMD Radeon RX 580 under the AORUS branding, but under a generic one. • MSI followed Gigabyte and removed Radeon cards from their ARMOR series, stating that they had no real choice. • Reddit calls for a boycott against GPP. • HP and Dell refuse to participate in the GPP. • Intel remains silent; Kyle Bennet suspects that Intel is considering legal action. • The European Commission and Federal Trade Commission begin reviewing the allegations.
Intel also wanted to push AMD out of the market
Similar to Nvidia, Intel also tried to use its market power to push AMD out of the market. The company granted significant discounts to OEMs if they primarily used Intel CPUs. It even paid them to hold off or not release AMD processors at all. In the server sector, Intel sold its products to strategically important customers below cost.
This led to a fine of 1.06 billion euros confirmed by the European Union Court. However, the next higher instance, the CJEU overturned this ruling. In its view, Intel’s arguments were not carefully examined, which is why the case must be reopened.
What do you think about the Geforce Partner Program? Are you not interested or do you plan to boycott it?
Will multiplayer fans also get their money’s worth in the new God of War 4? The answer was provided by Game Director Cory Barlog in an interview with a Spanish site: No. We explain why the current God of War title will not have a multiplayer mode.
Currently, we are receiving an increasing number of inquiries from interested fans asking whether multiplayer enthusiasts will have something to do in God of War 4 and whether we will cover the game in our reporting on MeinMMO.
A year ago, a job posting from Sony Entertainment Santa Monica had rekindled the hopes of many fans that after God of War Ascension, the upcoming God of War would also feature a multiplayer mode.
However, these hopes were dashed by Game Director Cory Barlog in an interview with the Spanish site Level Up back in summer 2016.
That is why the next God of War installment is not for multiplayer fans.
The story of the new God of War is clearly in focus
The emphasis of the game has clearly been placed by the developers on the single-player campaign and the related story. The relationship between Kratos – the old God of War – and his new son is central to this.
This is also the reason why, according to Cory Barlog, there will be no multiplayer mode in the new God of War title.
Furthermore, the pure single-player focus of the game may have been influenced by experiences from the multiplayer of God of War Ascension. Although the multiplayer mode turned out to be a nice addition to the main game in retrospect, it was too immature and confusing.
Most critics agreed at the time that the developers should have invested their creativity in the solo part and the story of the game rather than putting energy and resources into a multiplayer attachment that was at best average.
What does this mean for God of War fans at MeinMMO?
Although we have many PS4 readers and even if the new God of War could be one of the best exclusive PlayStation titles of all time, we unfortunately will not cover this game.
The focus of MeinMMO is clearly on multiplayer games, MMOs, and games-as-a-service. However, the upcoming God of War unfortunately does not fall into any of these categories, making meaningful inclusion in our coverage impossible.
There is also little hope for a multiplayer expansion in the future. There is no season pass and no indication from the developers that they plan to expand this game with content in the long term. Therefore, only a story DLC can be expected at most.
Many players are currently spending their leisure time in Far Cry 5 and causing havoc in the fictional Hope County. However, some of them are not engaged with the campaign, side missions, or the arcade, but rather with the search for Bigfoot. Why are players so fascinated by this mythical creature?
Some players are currently dissecting every inch of the game world of Far Cry 5. They hope to stumble upon new clues regarding the legendary Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch. They are not only searching for new tracks but also trying to connect every new mystery with the mythical creature.
But why have players committed themselves to this seemingly futile search?
Why are they specifically looking for Bigfoot?
We have taken a closer look at this unusual fascination and found 5 reasons why players are searching for Bigfoot in Far Cry 5.
1. Digital Montana as the ideal Bigfoot hideout
The legend of Bigfoot, known as Sasquatch in Canada, is repeatedly associated with the Pacific Northwest of North America. Especially in Washington State and Canadian British Columbia, the mythical creature is said to appear.
Montana, which is also located at the Canadian border, is no less interesting than the other states and has many residents engaged in the search for Bigfoot. There is even an annual Bigfoot conference and several private research groups looking for the legend.
So what could be more natural than to pay respect to the Bigfoot-obsessed people of Montana in Ubisoft’s fictional version?
2. Players want to spend more time in the game world
Players often highlight the immersive game world of Far Cry 5, where they not only want to complete missions but also wander, hunt, or fish for hours.
Although there are some activities that can still be completed after the campaign at the end of Far Cry 5, some players wish to explore every little corner of the fictional Hope County without following any guidelines and leave no stone unturned.
This way, players are continuously discovering places and regions where the story of Far Cry 5 does not lead them. Occasionally, further clues about Bigfoot also come to light.
3. Far Cry 5 offers a new way to discover missions
Unlike previous Far Cry installments, the game world in Far Cry 5 is explored gradually. Side missions are unlocked organically this way. Instead of climbing towers to reveal the surroundings, players uncover the map piece by piece, depending on which direction they head.
While interesting places on the map are marked by cards found in the game world, it is designed for players to actively engage with and in Hope County.
Some missions may only become available after players have been alerted by an NPC. Perhaps there is also a quest that involves the sought-after Bigfoot?
4. Far Cry 5 is full of Easter eggs
The search for Easter eggs, the little hidden references, is incredibly popular among gamers. Not only do sleuths rejoice when they find one of these secrets themselves, but they also enjoy sharing them with the community.
In Far Cry 5, there are plenty of secrets and references to be found again. For example, an alleged pee tape of the US president or the short film about Far Cry 5 are featured.
However, the Far Cry series itself also gets its share of criticism. For example, an NPC at the beginning of the game mentions that we don’t have to worry about climbing any towers all the time. A little self-ironic wink from Ubisoft.
A further reference to Ubisoft titles wouldn’t be out of place, as mythical creatures have always been somewhat of a staple in the developer and publisher’s titles…
5. Mythical creatures have a tradition in Ubisoft titles
In other Ubisoft games, the icy relative of the Sasquatch, the Yeti, has always taken center stage. For Far Cry 4, the DLC Valley of the Yetis was released, while dedicated Steep players were inducted into the “Yeti Society”.
The first real Yeti hunt was in Ghost Recon: Wildlands, when players searched frantically for the mythical creature. And this was even before Ubisoft officially commissioned the search for the furry creature.
Clearly, the search for Bigfoot has now broken out in Far Cry. Looking for the cold-loving Yeti in the forests of digital Montana would simply be too silly.
Are you also caught up in the search for Sasquatch or could you care less about such digital scavenger hunts?
Fortnite (PC, PS4 & Xbox One) still only has one map, while PUBG already has its third map available. Are the developers planning to add more soon? Find out here the answer from Epic.
Fortnite: Battle Royale started out as a playful experiment with Battle Royale elements like PUBG and quickly became a huge success. However, you still fight on the same map, even though it has changed significantly over time.
But isn’t it about time to create a new map for Fortnite?Rumors about a new map are already circulating on the internet. In PUBG, there are already 2 big maps, and a third, smaller map is currently in development. Even in the official FAQ of “Fortnite,” it states:
So when will Fortnite: Battle Royale get a new map?
Developers Focus on a Lively Map
In an interview with IGN, Lead Designer Eric Williamson was also asked about new maps in Fortnite: Battle Royale. The developer had a pretty simple answer.
The team at Epic Games indeed discussed bringing new maps into the game. However, “there’s no urgency to create a new map right now”. That is currently not a priority. Instead, it is much more important to continue developing and keeping the existing map fresh.
Players Should Keep an Eye Out for Changes to the Map
During the interview, Williamson advised that players should keep an eye out for “changes” to the map soon. This seems to announce new features in the upcoming weeks.
He is possibly referring to the impending impact of the comet that has ominously hovered over the map for months and is getting closer.
Hearthstone has a problem again. A few decks dominate the game – and they are boring, no matter how you look at it.
After a long break, it is finally time for a proper rant Wednesday. The latest expansion of Hearthstone, “The Witchwood”, has been available to all players for a few days now. But the initial joy over new, cool deck ideas was, as is often the case, quickly overshadowed by some particularly effective decks. The new strategy seems to be: I play my game, no matter what you do.
In the “past”, the deck was successful in Hearthstone that had a suitable answer to every turn of the opponent. Those who could counter particularly well were also able to rack up many victories.
This approach to countering has completely disappeared from the current meta. It is no longer the deck that responds intelligently to the opponent that wins, but rather the deck that doesn’t care at all about what the opponent is doing.
Shudderwock – the 3-Hour Games
A particularly prominent example right now is the Shudderwock Shaman with its “Endless” combo. The deck itself doesn’t have a particularly high win rate, but it is still despised for many reasons.
The Endless combo cannot be stopped. No matter how smart and intelligent you play – the Shaman just has to play four cards before laying down the Shudderwock on the board.
On Reddit, some people report on matches that lasted nearly three hours – and that’s only because all the animations of the Shudderwock were played out. Interaction looks different. But at least you can finally watch all the anime series that have been piling up for weeks in peace. That has its merits too.
That Hunters are predestined to always go “face” is really nothing new. Thanks to new cards like “Baku the Moonslicer”, which upgrades the Hunter’s hero power right from the start (now deals 3 damage), the fun of dying begins already in turn two.
As if that wasn’t silly enough, there are cards like the Mechano-Egg, which doubles the damage of the hero power (6 damage to the face – yay!). With the Duskwood Spirit, the fun reaches its peak and the Hunter probably does too. Because then two shots (12 damage to the face – fantastic!) come in.
I can hardly express my fun in words.
Paladin Deck with Recruit Flood
Similarly “cancerous”, to stay in the tone of Reddit, is the “new” buff Paladin. He swears to flood the board quickly with Silver Hand recruits. Also here a heartfelt “Thank you!” to Baku the Moonslicer.
Afterwards, the recruits are buffed, and an army of 3/3 minions overwhelms the opponent. Anyone who intends to simply destroy all Silver Hand recruits immediately faces an impossible task. Because with the Sword of the Wilds, the Green Hell, and the hero power, the board is filled again after each turn.
The aforementioned decks are just examples. There are many more decks that basically don’t care what the opponent is doing – the Cube Warlock is also high up there, but to deal with that will kill my nerves for the month of April.
I have absolutely no idea what Blizzard was thinking here. The only option seems to be to resort to one of these decks myself and join the madness.
I can only hope that the Hearthstone community comes up with more creative ideas in the next weeks and months, enabling more fun decks and a more active “back and forth”. Until then, I will probably stay in the Arena.
This “I play my cards down and don’t care what the opponent does” meta is definitely devoid of fun.
Square Enix and Marvel are teaming up for a mammoth project that will span years and include multiple games. The first of these is code-named “Avengers Project“. This sounds to many like a similar concept to Destiny or The Division. Here’s what we know so far about “Avengers Project”.
This is not the first time the two giants Square Enix and Disney have collaborated on a project together.
Through the Kingdom Hearts series, they have been in a successful partnership for over 15 years, which is now being further expanded with the Avengers project. The cooperation between Square Enix and Marvel was first announced in January 2017. Apart from a short teaser trailer and some press statements, there has been little information about the project.
What we know about Avengers Project
If there is one thing known about the deal between SE and Marvel, it’s that: The deal is huge.
Avengers Project is supposed to be the first game from a deal that will span years and encompass multiple games.
According to the co-head of Crystal Dynamics, Ron Ronsenberg, the development progress of Avengers is currently “moving extremely quickly” and he hopes it will be a project “that Marvel fans will be proud of”.
The game will be a “3rd Person Cover-Based Action Adventure”, which doesn’t say much on its own. It sounds like a “cover shooter”, similar to The Division.
However, the job postings from Crystal Dynamics and Eidos bring a bit more detail to the matter.
They are looking for, among other things:
Lead Level Designer for development
External Lead Designer
Senior Producer (Single Player Campaign)
Game Writer / Narrative Designer (writing focused)
Associated Cinematic Animator
Strong Multiplayer Elements
What exactly does this mean for the game?
Regarding Multiplayer: As the description of the first two positions emphasizes, the game will feature strong multiplayer elements, as both designers will be responsible for developing innovative and extraordinary online experiences. Additionally, a high value will be placed on social features and a “Shared Game World”.
This suggests that the gameplay from the Avengers Project will offer players the opportunity to team up in groups to master the content. Similar to what has already been done in Destiny or The Division.
This assumption is reinforced by further job descriptions that include “working on exciting new game modes and campaigns.” It also means that the game could feature both PvP and PvE elements.
Moreover, the PvE aspect is further emphasized by another job description that talks about designing boss fights and combat mechanics.
Single Player Campaign and Story
Regarding Singleplayer: The job posting for the Senior Producer leaves no doubt that there will also be a single player campaign.
In MMO games, single player campaigns often serve to introduce the player to the game universe before they can tackle further challenges in multiplayer.
It is therefore not unusual for a multiplayer-focused game to be accompanied by a campaign. However, as both Marvel and Square Enix have emphasized, the game will also have a strong story focus, which only confirms Crystal Dynamics’ search for narrative designers and cinematic animators.
Regarding the story: The narrator’s monologue from the teaser trailer sets the game in a timeframe where superheroes are hunted and seemingly have to go underground, which is a rather popular motif among comic scenarios.
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According to Marvel’s official statement, the Avengers project will feature a completely new and standalone story. However, Marvel also stated that the story of the game will include many characters, locations, and moments that fans will recognize.
Together with the fact that it is not known whether it will tie into one of the many continuities of Marvel, this statement leaves an extremely wide scope for speculation.
Who is developing Avengers Project?
These are the developers: The project is being developed by the studios Eidos Montreal (Deus Ex) and Crystal Dynamics (Tomb Raider), who have been part of the gaming powerhouse Square Enix for several years now.
As with all other details, Square is very tight-lipped about who exactly is working on their project, but Scott Amos from Crystal Dynamics shared that many from the team previously worked on titles like Star Wars: Battlefront and Batman: Arkham Origins.
Furthermore, it is believed that the former creative director and writer of “Uncharted: The Lost Legacy,” Shaun Escayg, is also involved in the project. So far, only Stephen Barry, who will hold the position of director of production, has been confirmed. Barry has worked for EA and Visceral Games, among others, on the Dead Space games.
“The most ambitious project from Crystal Dynamics”
Connecting all the points, the Avengers Project sounds like a mix of Destiny and Warframe, all wrapped in a sleek Avengers superhero cloak.
Especially, this line in the press release strongly suggests that it is a “Games as Service” game, if not even a real MMORPG: “It will introduce a universe in which fans can play for years.”
And after Square Enix emphasized multiple times in their annual report to investors that the company will expand its game offerings towards “Games as Service,” this conclusion isn’t that far-fetched.
It is not known whether the multi-game deal between Square and Marvel will only involve Avengers games, as the Marvel Universe also encompasses the X-Men, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Fantastic Four.
However, it is certain that Square and Disney are bringing out the big guns with this project.
On April 17, 2018, the April Iron Banner in the 6v6 format started with a week’s delay. We tried out the new old Control mode in Destiny 2 and report to you how it plays.
Numerous fans have been looking forward to the 6v6 since the announcement. Many hoped that this return to the roots of Destiny PvP could breathe new life into the unpopular Crucible of Destiny 2.
Our Destiny author Sven fought for glory and honor in the Iron Banner yesterday and reports on his experiences with the new old 6v6 format.
6v6 Iron Banner – old love, new luck
This is undoubtedly what most remaining Guardians have been waiting for – the 6v6 format from the Crucible of the popular predecessor has finally entered Destiny 2 – albeit only for the Iron Banner event.
Already during planning and preparation, a remarkable difference was noticeable. Within just a few minutes, my clan had three full 6-man teams ready for the PvP event – spontaneously and without major announcements.
What had previously been extremely laborious and lengthy, often even completely unsuccessful, was now once again a self-runner – just like in the days of the predecessor. This had not even been achieved by one of the major update milestones, the new raid, or the double event during the Crimson Week.
The anticipation and excitement were correspondingly high.
Does the 6v6 bring back the old Crucible feeling?
And after just a few minutes in the first match, we all realized – the 6v6 indeed makes a difference! The PvP feels invigorated because of this.
While the Crucible in Quickplay had primarily been characterized by team-shooting tactics and heavy weapons, this is now only rarely the case in 6v6. Although team-shooting is still possible, the smaller map sizes and spawn mechanics now provide the other team with many more tactical options to effectively counter this playstyle.
The games now all play out offensively and dynamically – camping is no longer possible with just two more opponents on the current map size. Accordingly, smaller squads and individual players are also more daring. Last night, I felt like I experienced more heroic moments than in my entire time with Destiny 2 before.
The 6-man team is now more often broken down into smaller elements, allowing for a completely different tactical approach – especially for fixed and well-rehearsed teams.
Fights are taking place almost everywhere. Since the opposing team rarely stands completely together, it is now easier to take out one or multiple opponents without automatically meeting one’s demise.
If the other team is moving in a pack, it can be much easier to stop that with a super, a grenade, or heavy weapons – the new ammo distribution and opponents who drop their heavy ammo upon death make this now easily possible.
Rarely can a well-rehearsed team control the action across the entire map. In most cases, one can manage to break through the defense from some side and disrupt the opponent’s formation.
The spawn system here usually helps significantly. This mechanic works against all expectations in most cases really well. I have rarely respawned right in front of an opponent’s gun.
I have also rarely encountered situations where an opponent spawns right at my feet – and that despite the relatively small maps. I had feared worse after the Rumble debacle.
But there were also negative aspects
Even though the positive experiences have so far outweighed for me personally, there were also some negative aspects that caught my eye during the first Iron Banner night.
Some Crucible maps actually turned out to be a bit too small for twelve Guardians. It would be desirable for Bungie to either provide well-known maps from Destiny 1 or to consider the 6v6 format when designing new maps.
Fixed teams still have advantages over randomly assembled groups. This was also the case in the predecessor, but this group dynamic can now be better countered.
But for the future, it would be desirable for Bungie to consider both the team size and the team structure during matchmaking. Fixed teams should face fixed teams, and individual Guardians should face groups of randomly assembled players.
6v6 must return – not just in the Iron Banner
After last night in the Iron Banner, one thing became clear to me: the 6v6 must return – and permanently and across game modes. This is finally fun for me in the Crucible of Destiny 2, and I will certainly throw myself into Guardian duels again and again until the Weekly Reset to enjoy the experience I so painfully missed.
Because the 6v6 creates an unprecedented dynamic that, in my view, does great good for the Crucible. The last time I had this much fun in PvP was back during the times of Destiny 1. Although the feeling still doesn’t completely match that of the predecessor, it brings the Crucible experience in Destiny 2 a whole lot closer.
In my opinion, the 6v6 remains an immense enrichment for the current PvP of Destiny 2. A buddy from my 6-man team stated at the end of the night the fitting closing words:
“With 6v6, you finally feel at home again. Just like back in Destiny 1. Old love, new luck.”
This new format may not save the game, but it certainly contributes immensely to making the Crucible fun for Guardians, at least for the first time. This creates, in my view, a solid basis that Bungie can further develop and expand in combination with other changes, such as lowering the Time to Kill.
In the end, this could lead to the PvP once again becoming a cornerstone of the overall game – just as it was in Destiny 1.
What experiences have you had in 6v6 so far? Do you see this format as an enrichment for the Crucible in Destiny 2?
And the Crucible isn’t the only thing that’s fun again:
