With the March update, the exclusive Nightfall rewards have also entered Destiny 2. The first available Nightfall reward is the sniper rifle Silikonneurom. What can this new sniper do?
With the release of the Update 1.1.4 for Destiny 2, guardians can embark on the hunt for Nightfall-exclusive rewards that can only be obtained after successfully completing the Nightfall strike.
Each boss of a Nightfall strike now has a rare item in its loot pool that is visually tied to it and can drop for the guardians on any difficulty level of the Nightfall with a bit of luck.
The first available exclusive reward is the sniper rifle Silikonneurom. How does this new sniper perform in practice?
The Silikonneurom
The Silikonneurom is a legendary sniper rifle from the loot pool of the special Nightfall rewards and can be obtained in the Nightfall version of the Pyramidion strike. As your strike high score increases, so does your chance to acquire this unique sniper.
What makes the Silikonneurom special?
The Silikonneurom is an excellent sniper rifle with high impact. Although this sniper can only be obtained through a PvE activity, its perks are perfectly suited for the Crucible.
With a setup featuring the perks Arrowhead Brake, Extended Mag, and Snapshot Sights, you essentially have the current best sniper for PvP, which even competes with the previous Crucible king Maxime XI from the New Monarchy.
With this perk combination, you can already see through your sights in mere moments – an invaluable advantage in guardian duels. The sway of the scope view is minimal, and the zoom strength is ideally suited for Crucible battles. The aim assist of the weapon is also noticeably impactful (on consoles) and simplifies some of the kills.
Who is this sniper for?
This weapon is currently a must-have for all snipers in the PvP of Destiny 2. It performs excellently in the Crucible, and anyone with a weakness for sniping should definitely try this rifle if they have it in their possession.
In PvE, the Silikonneurom is just one of many solid sniper rifles and is not among the absolute top favorites.
What do you think of this sniper? Is the grind for this weapon worth it?
One of the coolest features of Far Cry 5 are NPC companions that assist you in the fight against the cultists of Eden’s Gate – including explosive experts, snipers, and pilots. But you can also rely on animal help in times of need. We present your best friends on four paws. This is how you find Boomer, Cheeseburger, and Peaches and use them correctly.
In Far Cry 5, you have nine companions available for your campaign against the cult, which you can unlock gradually. With the perk “Leadership” you can even take two helpers on your adventures at the same time. Some of the best companions are animals. Each of them has unique abilities and can be of great help to you in a variety of situations or even save your own skin.
We show which animal companion is right for you and how to unlock it.
Your most loyal companions on four paws
Your first step on the way to furry companions is the prologue. Once you have liberated the island and thus mastered it, the game unfolds and you gain free access to all three regions on the map. Each of the three areas houses its own animal, which you can unlock by completing a corresponding quest. After that, the animals are available in the menu under the helper selection, and you can take them on your adventures.
Boomer – The Dog
What can Boomer?
Boomer can automatically tag enemies in the vicinity. Additionally, he can disarm opponents and even occasionally brings you the money, weapons, or ammunition of your adversaries. He can also knock down your foes and silently take them out.
Furthermore, Boomer scares off bears and forms an unbeatable duo with Peaches when it comes to quietly eliminating entire camps.
How and where to get the dog?
Unlocking Boomer is not rocket science. You need to head to Rae-Rae’s Pumpkin Farm, which we have marked on the map for you. The only thing you need to do then is to clear the farm of the cultists residing there. Once the farm is liberated, you can pet Boomer. After that, he will already be your loyal companion.
For whom is Boomer a suitable companion?
Boomer is particularly suitable for stealthy resistance fighters. As long as you don’t explicitly command him to attack an enemy, he will not be noticed by foes and won’t trigger an alarm. With his enemy tagging, he makes sneaking easier for his new owner and can even quietly eliminate individual enemies. The perfect friend for all stealth players.
Peaches – The Big Cat
What can Peaches?
This big cat can silently take out enemies and remains undetected in tall grass. Even in an open confrontation, the mountain lion fulfills its role as a powerful predator. She takes care of most cultists with ease.
In addition, she keeps wolves away from you! Together with Boomer, she can wipe out entire areas before anyone can even suspect. Together, the two are a real dream team.
How and where to get the mountain lion?
To unlock Peaches, you need to head to the Peaches Animal Preparation, which we have marked for you on the map. Once you are there, you must talk to her owner. This triggers the corresponding quest “Come here, kitty, kitty.”.
This quest is quite simple. However, it is advisable to complete it during daylight. All you need to do is lure Peaches back to the animal preparation using an endless supply of bait. Just throw a bait item on the ground every few meters and the big cat will follow you.
On your way back, the cult will appear several times and try to make your life difficult. However, it shouldn’t be a big problem to fend off the cultists. Once you finally make it back, the cult will launch one last major attack. Once you defeat the attackers, this companion will also belong to your loyal helpers from then on.
For whom is Peaches a suitable companion?
The mountain lion is excellent for an experienced playstyle. Both fans of stealth and players who don’t shy away from direct confrontation will be happy with this companion over long stretches. Because this big cat can be used for both approaches depending on the situation. While she is not as powerful as the bear or operates as stealthily as the dog – she embodies a healthy mix of Boomer and Cheeseburger and is quite a successful all-rounder.
Cheeseburger – The Bear
What can Cheeseburger?
This bear is the perfect tank. With its powerful melee attacks, it practically tears apart anything that gets in its way, while simultaneously drawing enemy fire and withstanding immense damage. It can take out most regular enemies with just one paw swipe and is perfect for eliminating heavy foes or razing entire camps.
How and where to get the grizzly?
To unlock Cheeseburger as a companion, you first need to go to the F.A.N.G. Center, which we have marked for you on the map. Once there, you need to liberate the center from the cult’s followers. Once that is done, talk to one of the staff there. They will then give you the corresponding quest “The Right to Bear Arms.”.
As part of this quest, you need to catch a salmon and feed it to the bear. Once you put the fish in front of Cheeseburger, he will eagerly devour it and see you as a friend from then on. But the cult will want to try again and launch an assault. If you manage to fend this off, you will have found a new loyal companion in Cheeseburger.
For whom is Cheeseburger a suitable companion?
The bear is perfect for those who prefer an aggressive playstyle and don’t place much value on stealthy approaches. It is an absolute killing machine, but also fulfills the role of a tank perfectly, allowing its owner to calmly take out the panicking enemies.
Which of the three is your favorite? Or do you prefer to rely on the help of human companions?
More cards from the Witchwood of Hearthstone have been released. Especially priests can rejoice – their cards allow for dark, new possibilities.
This month, the new Hearthstone expansion “The Witchwood” is set to be released. As usual, Blizzard is releasing more new information and cards for the expansion. Recently, there were a few new cards that priests will surely appreciate. We will show you the new legendary priest minions – but also a few cards for the warrior.
For Priest, they have the eerie legendary The Lady in White. For 6 mana, she has only a value of 5/5, but comes with a powerful battlecry: Cast Inner Fire on every minion in your deck. In plain terms, this means that the attack power of each minion in the deck becomes equal to its health points. Especially large taunt minions, which usually have high health and low attack, will be a powerful threat.
Also for Priest is the new legendary Chameleos. This beast minion for 1 mana has stats of 1/1, but you will likely never play it like that. Because its card text ensures that Chameleos transforms into a random card from the opponent’s hand at the beginning of each turn! This allows you to counter particularly nasty cards. If you don’t play Chameleos, you gain a bit of insight into the opponent’s hand each turn and can adjust your strategy accordingly.
Warriors receive a new weapon, the Woodcutter’s Axe. 2 mana for 2 attack and 2 durability is solid, and the deathrattle effect provides an additional boost, as a random friendly minion with charge receives +2/+1.
The epic spell Deadly Arsenal can make use of the weapons. For 6 mana, a weapon is revealed from the deck and then deals damage to all minions (including your own). Those who know exactly which weapon remains in the deck have one of the most powerful board clears in the game.
As a new legendary minion, Warriors get the Dark Cannon Tower. For 7 mana, it has stats of 3/8 but cannot attack. However, it deals 3 damage to a random enemy every time the cannon tower takes damage. So, if you cleverly distribute the damage – or give the tower taunt – you can gain powerful bonuses from it.
What do you think of the new cards? Which class do you think has performed the best so far?
The story in Star Wars: The Old Republic returns to its roots with the next expansion 6.0. The focus will be on a war between the Republic and the Empire.
In a Twitch livestream, it was confirmed by Bioware, Eric Musco, and Charles Boyd, what many fans have been longing for. Calls for a traditional expansion have grown and these have now been heard. SWTOR 6.0 will not be a content morsel, but the next big addon for the Star Wars MMORPG. It is meant to rejuvenate the core conflict between the two factions, Empire and Republic.
Before the release of 6.0, at least 5.9 and 5.10 are still to come
After Patch 5.8, which brought a challenging raid in March, the next one is 5.9, the Nathema Conspiracy. This patch will conclude the story of the same name. The update will be released in early May and is expected to enrich the MMO with new upgrades, a flashpoint, and the old companions Felix Iresso, Mako, and Akaav.
According to Bioware, 5.9 will not be the last major update before the expansion arrives. Players can expect the content expansion 5.10 before that.
And PvP will also be addressed. A new warzone, PvP events, new PvP gear, and improvements in the ranked mode are being discussed. Scholars and Sorcerers can also expect a buff soon.
No release date for SWTOR 6.0 has been mentioned. Only a note that it has already been set.
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One of the most popular sets in the endgame of The Division is the classified Striker set. This is a significant upgrade to the regular Striker and is considered one of the best sets in The Division 1.8.
With the second Global Event, Assault, the Classified Striker made its way into the game and has since become one of the strongest and most popular sets. The bonuses are suitable for both PvP and PvE and make it a good DPS set that can also keep the player alive.
However, effective utilization requires good aim from the players.
This is the Classified Striker
You need all 6 pieces of the Classified set. Regular Striker pieces are not enough. If you have not played the Global Event yet and do not want to wait until the next one, we have a few tips on how to best farm Classified gear.
The Striker has the following bonuses:
2-set bonus: 20% Stability
3-set bonus: 10% Armor Damage
4-set bonus: Each consecutive hit deals 1% more damage. The bonus can reach up to 100%. Missed shots reduce it by 2%. The bonus can be interrupted by EMP and is lost when leaving combat.
5-set bonus: 10% Stability, 5% Armor Damage
6-set bonus: Every hit grants a self-healing bonus of 0.02% of maximum health per second. This bonus increases by 0.05% for every 3000 Stamina. The effect can stack up to 100 hits. Missed shots reduce the bonus by 1 stack, and the bonus decreases by 2 stacks every second.
These bonuses make the set so strong
The stability bonus helps you noticeably in landing your hits better. This can make weapons controllable that would otherwise be considered difficult to play.
Additional armor damage may not bring great advantages in PvP, but in PvE, the bonus is useful and allows you to destroy your enemies’ armor faster.
Bonuses 4 and 6 are the critical point of this set. You are building both an additional damage buff and a constant healing. The strength of this healing depends on your stamina value and, of course, how well you hit.
We present you with 2 variants of the Classified Striker.
The PvE Striker – How to breeze through missions
Our build has 6652 firepower, 6102 stamina, and 2948 electronics.
While you do not have the maximum healing boost, this is sufficient for most activities.
The firepower value, combined with the Striker bonus, generates an extremely high damage output that makes you feel almost overpowered.
You need these stats on the armor pieces:
Chest armor: Enemy armor damage, hit points, and ammunition
Mask: Enemy armor damage and damage against elite
Kneepads: Hit points, damage against elite, burn resistance, and extra kill XP
Backpack: Hit points and ammunition
Gloves: Assault rifle damage, enemy armor damage, and crit chance
Holster: Hit points/reload speed
With the gear mods, you should aim to achieve the targeted values. We prefer purple mods with damage against elite to deal as much damage as possible in incursions and missions. For all performance mods, we choose first aid self-healing.
For legendary missions, you should use other gear mods, as there are not only elite enemies waiting for you. We recommend mods with hit points to increase your toughness.
The weapons of the build
Our set is played with 2 variants of M4.
The M4 is considered one of the best weapons in the game. Thanks to its high fire rate and controllable handling, the Striker bonus can be quickly built up.
M4 variant with Destructive (armor penetration +15%), Responsive (damage is increased by +10% when within 10 meters of the target), and Vicious (damage against elite enemies and bosses is increased by +10%)
M4 variant with Responsive, Predatory (killing enemies regenerates 35% of your health for 20 seconds), and Determined (killing enemies reduces the cooldown of all skills by 7.5%).
For the weapon mods, we enhance the headshot damage with scopes and suppressors, otherwise you have free choice. More stability? More reload speed, or even more crit damage? Your decision.
If you have trouble hitting the head, you can also go completely for crit damage.
Our primary weapon is purely for dealing damage, while the second serves as “support”. Predatory enhances your Striker’s healing effect and thus helps you survive. With Determined, you have nearly no cooldown times anymore. Your links can be triggered more often, so you can additionally support your team with them.
With our PvP build, we reach 7026 firepower, 6060 stamina, and 2961 electronics.
Note: For the PvP modes Last Stand and Skirmish, you need 6300 stamina due to the normalization of values so as not to fall below the targeted 6000.
You need these stats on the armor pieces:
Chest armor: Exotic damage resilience, hit points, and ammunition
Mask: Exotic damage resilience and burn resistance
Kneepads: Hit points, burn resistance, shock resistance, and disorient resistance
Backpack: Hit points and ammunition
Gloves: SMG damage, crit damage, and crit chance
Your Gear Mods should have exotic damage resilience. This value reduces any damage not caused by weapons. You will surely encounter Predator players who can give you trouble. For the performance mods, we also take first aid self-healing here.
The weapons of the set
In PvP, we opted for the House, as the fights often take place at short distances. The House has its strengths here, with additional bonuses on crit chance and high crit damage.
The House with Responsive (damage is increased by +10% when within 10 meters of the target) and Deadly (crit damage +15%)
The House with Predatory (killing enemies regenerates 35% of your health for 20 seconds) and Deadly
For the weapon mods, make sure to take as much crit damage as possible.
The principle is the same: the first House serves to deal damage, while the second should enhance your healing with Predatory. Simply kill an enemy with this and then switch to your primary weapon, as Predatory heals you additionally for 20 seconds.
The skills
The skills:
Healing Station with Immunizer
First Aid with Stim Shot
Recovery Link
The character talents:
Medical Rescue
Counter
Precision
On the Move
This PvP build is suitable for both the Dark Zone and the PvP modes Last Stand and Skirmish. The build is inspired by MarcoStyle, who goes into detail about the Striker set in his video.
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If you are dying too easily, try the set with 9000 stamina. Your healing buff will be stronger and you will generally endure more. Unfortunately, you will then have to forgo weapon talents like Responsive and deal less damage.
Shotguns as a secondary weapon: If you want to practice first, we recommend the Showstopper and the SASG-12 K Tactic. This way, you can quickly build up the damage buff.
Canned food: These enhance the Striker’s healing buff by 40%. If you’re in a pinch, just eat “spinach” and your healing will be significantly enhanced.
What do you think of the Classified Striker? Do you have other variants? Write them in the comments.
The Kraken is one of the special foes in Sea of Thieves. In this overview, we show you the most important things you need to know about the creature.
The Kraken was announced in Sea of Thieves as an unpredictable terror from the depths, which is hard to find and even harder to fight. However, just a few hours after the release of Sea of Thieves, the first Kraken was successfully defeated.
For the battle, it is best to get a lot of cannonballs, bananas, and for safety, a few planks to patch any holes in the ship. There is a chance that your ship will be destroyed and sink during this fight.
Is it possible to actively search for and find the Kraken?
So far, no method is known in the Sea of Thieves community to trigger an encounter with the Kraken deliberately. However, there are a few assumptions regarding the Kraken encounter.
Players believe that the creature is more likely to be triggered when sailing with a 4-man galleon. The chances of encountering a Kraken are said to be lower with a 1-man sloop.
Moreover, gatherings of multiple ships are said to make the Kraken event more likely to trigger.
You can tell that the Kraken is approaching when the water suddenly turns dark. So dark that you can’t see anything underwater when you look from the ship into the water. If you don’t escape quickly, you will have to face the underwater creature in battle.
The battle against the Kraken
When the Kraken throws its tentacles in the air, you are already in the middle of the fight. Now, together with your crew, choose one tentacle at a time to focus your attacks on. To deal damage, cannon shots (with balls, not with crew members), rifles, and other weapons from your selection are effective.
This way, you take down one tentacle after another until none remain visible above the water. Now the sea should regain its natural color and say goodbye to the blackness.
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Some of the tentacles are equipped with mouths that can suck in and hold players. You should quickly make it clear to your crew if you are trapped in one. Because if you are caught in the mouth, you will take constant damage.
If your crew attacks the corresponding tentacle, you will be spit out and fall into the sea.
Focus on tentacles that attack the ship
If no player is currently trapped, you should attack the Kraken’s arms that are damaging your ship. Sometimes the Kraken uses one of its arms to wrap around your ship and inflict damage. Here, you should act quickly and defeat these tentacles to avoid sinking.
Repair your ship!
During the battle, your ship will be damaged repeatedly. It is helpful to assign a crew member to repair so that you do not fall victim to the Kraken.
Battles apparently become more difficult
Players report that the first encounters with the Kraken should go rather calmly. This can be seen in the embedded video above. If you fight the Kraken more often, its abilities are said to improve. This is reported by players who have had multiple encounters with this monster.
Loot for defeating the Kraken?
As a reward for winning the fight against the Kraken, there is currently only an achievement for Sea of Thieves. It is possible that the developers will improve this.
As rumors circulate already about quest-givers who specialize in Kraken fights and distribute related quests.
The Kraken is therefore still surrounded by some secrets and mysteries in Sea of Thieves!
The update 2.01 of Monster Hunter: World will fix the stubborn Dragon Slayer bug and other minor bugs. Capcom has now announced this.
The patch waves for Monster Hunter: World continue to roll out. A smaller update is expected next week that will particularly please fans of the bow.
After the major balance patch 2.0 (PS4) and 2.0.0.0 (XB One), where almost all weapons underwent various changes, a smaller patch is now coming. This will not only fix minor issues but fully resolve the long-known Dragon Slayer bug.
Shooting backward? No problem!
Normally, the targeting range in which one can fire the strong bow ability Dragon Slayer is restricted to a certain angle.
This is meant to prevent players from shooting their arrows backward.
However, a bug allowed players to shoot the Dragon Slayer in any possible direction, as can be seen in this demonstration video:
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This bug was fixed in the last major update, but it led to another specific issue.
If the crosshair was aimed at a target and the Dragon Slayer attack was then executed quickly, it could happen that the character could no longer look in the direction of the crosshair.
This will be fixed with the next patch, and starting with 2.01 / 2.0.0.1, players will be able to shoot the Dragon Slayer in the direction of the crosshair, even if the character is not currently looking in that direction.
However, if the crosshair is moved outside the allowed attack angle, then the Dragon Slayer will be fired in the direction the character is facing.
“It’s not a bug, it’s a feature”
In the case of an inventory bug, Capcom decided to take the path of reverse implementation of the content and simply redesigned the bug as a feature.
When selecting armor during arena quests, the order of the object windows would sometimes change.
From the standard cursor position, objects are listed from left to right when checking the object information.
Then, the standard objects will appear in the following order: whetstone, trap tool, fishing rod, and barbecue stick.
Lastly, special tools are listed from left to right.
Other minor bugs that are being fixed with the update have not been listed by Capcom in the patch notes.
When the new patch for Monster Hunter World will arrive is still not entirely clear. Capcom is talking about the first week of April.
For an overview of all changes that came with the March update for Monster Hunter: World, take a look at our article about it:
Every year, developers, publishers, and fans try to outdo each other in coming up with the most absurd, funniest, and craziest ideas for April Fools’ Day. Here we present to you the most comical ideas from 2018 in the online gaming sector.
Gaijin Entertainment – finally riding submarines!
What has always been missing for you in War Thunder when you’re not making ground troops uneasy with tanks or flying through the air with planes?
Right! Making the colorful underwater world uneasy. The first open test of this fun wet amusement called Silent Thunder takes place today. Put on your captain’s hat and dive into endless deep gameplay fun: Silent Thunder is like War Thunder, but with submarines.
Cuisine Royale – the better cook wins!
PUBG and Fortnite are both representatives of the popular Battle Royale genre. Only one can survive and triumph over the other players. Developer Darkflow Software wants to give the Battle Royale genre a new spin with its shooter Cuisine Royale.
The game aims, according to the press release, to focus on “the saturation of tastes in the player community.” You arm yourself in Cuisine Royale with a wide arsenal of kitchen utensils, which have been painfully ignored for too long in Battle Royale games.
Frying pans, kitchen sieves, and soup spoons are turned into deadly weapons. Thus, players compete against each other with their combined kitchen skills. The best dish skill wins.
In Path of Exile, you roam through a hostile world full of monsters to be taken down. The Hack and Slash MMO inspired by Diablo 2 also tries its hand at an interpretation of the Battle Royale genre: on an island, 100 players fight for survival.
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According to developer Grinding Gear Games, there is exactly one winner, and the game mode was developed in one day. So check out Path of Exile: Royale if you’ve always wanted to play an isometric Battle Royale.
Final Fantasy XIV Online GO – the “collecting app” for on-the-go
“Final Fantasy XIV has always aimed to offer players the most immersive experience,” starts publisher Square Enix its video.
With the implementation of a smartphone app, players are no longer bound to their computers at home to do what they love most: gathering resources.
Players receive notifications on their phones about resources that can be found nearby and then head there with their smartphones. Once arrived, players can gather ores or similar items by simply tapping the screen through the app.
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Players can enhance their experience with Final Fantasy XIV Online GO by purchasing the “Harvest Staff.” According to Square Enix, this is “not just a simple plastic stick,” but a “very special plastic stick.”
Being able to sit on a chair in Guild Wars 2. That would be something. Players have been waiting eagerly for this feature since the release in 2012. With the new update, players can now sit on over 1400 chairs throughout Tyria.
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To achieve this ambitious goal, ArenaNet collaborated with professional actors in a motion capture process to create perfect and fluid sitting animations.
League of Legends – funny chickens
League of Legends has come up with something delicious just in time for April Fools’ Day. Riot serves you new skins, special event missions, new emotes, and much more.
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In Pokémon GO, you can transport yourself back to your childhood. Back to when 8-bit graphics looked great on the Game Boy Color and you spent nights hunting for that one specific Pokémon.
A fun action from Niantic just in time for April Fools’ Day. But it doesn’t stop there. In Pokémon GO, a Shiny Kramurx was discovered!
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links – glitches in the system
An old acquaintance has appeared in Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links due to a glitch. Tristan Taylor is causing havoc in the dueling world and is waiting for a worthy challenger. If you win against him, you can expect special rewards.
Conan Exiles – the “Sword Ruler”
In Conan Exiles, you can create a woman or man at the start. If you choose a male avatar, you even have the option to adjust the length of his member with a special slider.
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Funcom is now releasing a ruler just in time for April Fools’ that allows you to finally measure how long your sword really is.
To do this, simply place the ruler at the base of your sword and measure its length in cm. Discussions about who has the longest sword at the table can then be easily settled by stating your sword length in cm. This is what the world has been waiting for!
Black Desert – we are opening an amusement park!
Pearl Abyss and Realplay Parks are building a theme park themed around Black Desert!
Black Desert is a very successful MMO, so the step to an amusement park is not particularly large.
According to the announcement, fans can look forward to park openings by the end of 2021 in California and South Korea. More parks in Europe, Russia, and Japan could follow. Construction on the two parks is expected to begin this summer.
Highlights of the park will include bars, themed hotels, merchandise shops, and a permanent LAN party where fans can participate in Black Desert tournaments and meet developers and community managers.
Especially nice: Well-known world bosses from the game will be represented in the park by their own attraction.
The attraction Vell allows players to meet the Leviathan Vell and in the ride Karanda, players can soar through the air as harpies and explore the park from above.
But there’s more!
Not only in the realm of online games have developers and publishers pulled out all the stops to surprise you with something funny.
Vive China announced the Vive Pro Pet Edition. This is supposed to make it easier for buyers to walk their dogs.
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By the way, some of the April Fools’ jokes here are not pure gags. While they are meant to be funny, they really can be found in the respective online game, and you can try them out!
What exciting April Fools’ pranks have you discovered today?
The biggest surprise effect this year could be lurking for players on April 1st in Fortnite:
The US state of Kansas has introduced a new law against swatting. This is in the name of Andrew T. Finch, who was the victim of a swatting call last December, related to the online shooter Call of Duty.
The Kansas Senate has approved the “Andrew T. Finch” Anti-Swatting Law, which now goes to the governor of Kansas for final approval.
New Anti-Swatting Law Toughens Penalties
The new law stipulates that anyone who makes a swatting call that results in a death or serious injury will be charged with a felony, with prison sentences ranging from 10 to 41 years. This depends on the defendant’s criminal history.
The law was initiated after 28-year-old Andrew T. Finch was shot by a police officer at the door of his apartment in December 2017, as the officer believed he was a dangerous killer and hostage-taker.
The police had followed a call from a 25-year-old. This suspect, Tyler Barriss, was known in the Call of Duty scene as someone who makes such swatting calls. Two players who had a dispute over a bet dragged Barriss into their argument, leading to the fateful call that ultimately resulted in Andrew T. Finch’s death.
Barriss pretended to the police that he had shot his father, was holding his mother and sister hostage, and was contemplating setting everything on fire. He provided an address he received from one of the Call of Duty players, which led the police to Andrew T. Finch.
The caller at that time could only be prosecuted for manslaughter, leading to 2 to 11 years in prison. Under the new law, the penalties for further swatting callers would be significantly harsher.
Mother of the Deceased Hopes New Law Prevents Further Tragedies
The mother of the deceased, Lisa Finch, says: She is happy that the new law is named after her son. If it can prevent even one more tragedy like the one that happened to her family, that would be great.
Between September 2017 and March 2018, search queries for Fortnite on Pornhub increased more than eightfold. An increase of 834% is remarkable.
Time and again, the site “Pornhub” reveals, presumably for PR reasons rather than scientific ones, how the search behavior of its users has changed. It is interesting to note that pop culture and gaming have a direct impact on the preferences of users there.
Fortnite has now also had an impact on search behavior.
With success came the friends of fine crafting
As Pornhub announces, search queries for Fortnite exploded from September 2017 to March 2018.
In July 2017, only a handful of people had searched for Fortnite on the site. When the game gained popularity in September with the battle royale mode, the search queries increased continuously.
Most of the time, Fortnite is searched in connection with terms like “hentai”, “sex” or “butt”.
It is also interesting in what context “Fortnite” appears, as users on Pornhub often search for “Overwatch”, “Team Fortress 2” or “Minecraft” before or after typing in “Fortnite”. Apparently, there are fans of video game sex.
The site Venturebeat warmly congratulates Epic on the success. Apparently, they have created a game that people want to have sex with. We from Mein MMO gladly join these congratulations.
In a video, Square Enix presents a new concept for their successful MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV. It is a smartphone app that allows players to gather various materials and resources on the go: FFXIV Online GO
The announcement of a companion app for FFXIV was made over a year ago, as the highly anticipated features requested by players have been postponed multiple times due to various circumstances.
However, in his latest producer letter, Naoki Yoshida confirmed that the app will be released between patches 4.2 and 4.3.
And now it seems the wait is coming to an end.
Play on the go with FFXIV GO
In version 1.0 of the game, gathering materials and resources was an important part of the gameplay of Final Fantasy XIV, but it is a time-consuming task that requires players to be at home on their PC or PS4.
And so the gentlemen and ladies at Square Enix took a cue from Niantic and their game Pokémon GO: they decided to develop a FFXIV GO app for their community.
This app shows players whether and where there are gathering spots in their area where they can mine specific materials.
This also has the advantage that you can meet up with your friends on the go, which according to Square Enix should strengthen the community feeling.
Together with the specially designed “gathering stick,” which can turn the phone into an axe, a pickaxe, or a fishing rod, players can boost the gathering rate of each harvesting spot to 100%.
And there is even gameplay footage of it:
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Wild slopes with Mario and Peach, horror hospitals, and close-quarters shootouts up close. In the last part of our Japan trip, we head into virtual reality, specifically: the VR Zone Shinjuku. The highlight there is “Ghost in the Shell: Arise Stealth Hounds.” Our author Benedict would have given his last yen to keep diving into virtual reality there.
In a country where franchises of mangas and video games are on every corner, the future is just a step away. Between traditional arcades and contemporary nerd shops, VR centers are often found.
The largest of these virtual reality centers is the “VR Zone Shinjuku” in the same-named district of Tokyo. Located right on the edge of the entertainment district Kabukicho, it houses the largest VR facility in Japan.
Our author Benedict visited the VR temple on his journey and got a firsthand look at the technological achievements of our time. They bring the future a little closer.
https://youtu.be/vUzSYzg8llY
VR? What is it?
VR, or virtual reality, is a fictional reality designed specifically for the respective program, a universe in which the user can immerse themselves. The special thing about it and the difference from video games is that the corresponding world is simulated directly around us.
To enable this, VR glasses are worn, which project the image of the surroundings directly onto our eyes through special lenses and rotate with our heads. The movements adapt to the body, and with very advanced programs, even the user’s body and thereby the spatial movement are simulated. Controllers are then no longer needed.
The technology is relatively new and is used for many things, most commonly for games in the broad masses. It differs from Augmented Reality (AR), where the existing world is used and extended through digitization.
The VR Zone: A real virtual playground
While VR technology is also available for home use (for PS4, PC, and even for smartphones), it is very expensive. Therefore, not every gamer can afford their own virtual reality at home. In Japan, VR centers are available where you can experience VR like in an arcade.
For a fee, you can dive into all sorts of virtual worlds where you can choose to control a giant mech, race, or simply climb. The limit is the developers’ imagination.
Some of these machines are also found in regular arcades. The VR Zones, however, offer exclusively such experiences, some even feature VR movies. Anyone wanting to experience something they wouldn’t dare otherwise or what would otherwise be impossible can visit a VR center.
On my journey through Japan, I couldn’t miss visiting such a center. And of course, nothing else would do but the largest in Japan. Here are some facts in advance:
The games are divided into colors that group them
Tickets can be obtained for the respective colors or the games directly and can then be redeemed at the corresponding games
Entry is paid separately
The special attraction, the “Ghost in the Shell: Arise Stealth Hounds” shooter must be paid extra and requires registration
With 4,400 yen (about 33 euros) for the entry including a ticket for each color, you’re in. An additional 3,600 yen (about 27 euros) is charged for access to the VR Field Shooter “Ghost in the Shell.” In my opinion, a good price for what is offered.
From fishing to shooting in VR Zone Shinjuku
The games offered in the VR Zone Shinjuku should cover every taste. For me, it was too much to play them all in one day, and some required a group of people to sign up together.
From a fishing simulation to a test of courage, a climbing wall (with a real climbing wall) to the pilot seat of a huge robot, there was a wide range of virtual realities to discover. Some stood out particularly:
Mario Kart Arcade GP VR: Anyone who wants to play Mario Kart on colorful tracks in a real kart must bring friends. The game simulates the popular console version but can only be played by groups.
Dragon Ball VR Master the Kamehameha: A treat for all nerds and Dragon Ball fans. In the simulation, Son Goku explains how the famous Kamehameha technique works – and we get to learn it!
Immersive Horror Room Hospital Escape Terror: A special mention goes to the horror game of the VR Zone – simply because you can hear the screams of the players at the entrance. The goal is to escape from a grotesque hospital. The fact that you sit is cleverly solved: players sit in a virtual wheelchair, which only heightens the helplessness…
Games are always played for one round – which usually takes between 5 and 10 minutes. The waiting time, on the other hand, is often at least 30 minutes.
Ghost in the Shell: VR against other players!
A game well worth the wait is “Ghost in the Shell: Arise Stealth Hounds,” which is played in the “Futuristic Warfare Arena.” To play, I had to sign up – and wait four hours, as there was no slot available beforehand.
Arise Stealth Hounds is played in a VR Field – meaning in an entire room dedicated solely for the game. The area is about half the size of a soccer field, and you can move freely there – in a fully simulated environment!
Teams are formed: the terrorists against the agents. You are always an agent, while the opponents are always terrorists. The teams are (if possible) of equal size, and real players compete against each other – only in VR!
When I saw how it all worked, I was already incredibly excited before playing. Ghost in the Shell is already a cool setting in itself, but as a VR shooter? Top-notch!
When I finally got my turn, I met my teammates: a family (parents with son and daughter) and a friend of theirs. In broken English, we agreed: women against men.
A short explanation followed on how the game generally works. A white fabric mask is placed over the face to protect the glasses from sweat. Then we all get sensors on our waist, arms, and legs that simulate our bodies in VR. Finally, a computer is placed on our back, which runs the game – and we receive a gun in our hand.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t take any more photos once I entered the game room – as all electronic devices, including phones, were required to be placed in a locker.
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Right afterward, a proper briefing – in Japanese, for me with an English manual. We are told that we are in a facility that has been attacked by terrorists. Our task is now to drive them out while simultaneously retrieving important data.
We listen to the mission briefing and then head into battle. On the VR field, we face off against each other, two teams of three. The glasses are put on us, and we only see a huge white room and two wire figures of the other players in the team – as well as our own wireframe and the weapons.
Hacking, shooting, sneaking
After we were initialized and introduced to the controls by our team captain (aiming, shooting, reloading), it finally began. The white room turns into a burning laboratory with steel walls and debris everywhere.
If we try to run through the (virtual) walls, there are penalties. We must be careful – moving too quickly will expose us to the opponents. Suitcases appear repeatedly that contain data, which I can hack for points – as long as I don’t get shot in the process.
For the next minutes, which felt way too short to me, I thus sneak through the facility, shoot at the terrorists, and gather data from the enemies. After the victory, it was enough for 2nd place in the round and 263rd place on the leaderboard.
My conclusion: I would have loved to spend all my money on Ghost in the Shell!
The game runs smoothly; I didn’t experience any motion sickness, even though I am very susceptible to it. You don’t forget that you’re competing against other people, but the world also constantly reminds you that it’s a game.
Although a round only lasts a few minutes and a decent price is charged for it, I would do it again anytime. If I had had the opportunity (and if I could sign up for several sessions), I would have spent my travel budget solely on Ghost in the Shell.
For me, VR brings a piece of the future into the present. Especially games in the style of Ghost in the Shell should claim a larger part of the market; I have never had such a good gaming experience. I can only recommend everyone to try something like this when they have the chance.
This was the last article of our special series on the history of gaming in Japan. I hope I was able to convey my enthusiasm for engaging with geek culture well and let you share in the experiences. Japan may not be paradise – but it is damn cool to be a nerd there!
With the release of the March update, several changes have been made in Destiny 2. The Companion App will also receive some new features at the same time. This will change on April 4 in the app.
With the game changing, the app is also evolving. After the Update 1.1.4 made extensive changes to Destiny 2, the Companion App available for iOS and Android will soon also be equipped with some new features. These changes will go live on April 4, 2018.
How the Companion App for Destiny 2 is Changing
Bungie has worked on bringing back one of the most requested features from the original Destiny Companion App – The full view of your Guardian in 3D, which you can then share with your friends. Similar to the game itself, Bungie seems to be aligning the Companion App more closely with its predecessor.
You can expect the following upon the release of this feature:
You can view the individual models of all your weapons, ships, Sparrows, and Ghosts on both Android and iOS.
Create your Guardian and your gear with all shader and ornament combinations of your choice.
It is also possible to deactivate this preview if the device becomes overloaded.
Furthermore, Bungie’s team is currently working on the enhancement of the existing recruitment function and will soon release a beta of the revised function on iOS and the web. This version is expected to replace the existing “Find Fireteam” feature in the near future. Here’s a little preview of what you can expect in the upcoming update:
Form fireteams in your clans and decide whether they should remain private for your clan or be public for all.
As a fireteam founder, you can send invitations directly from the app to Sony and Xbox platforms.
You can either set a reminder for your fireteam using the calendar within the app or start immediately.
Bungie will also make some improvements to the usability of the website and the Companion App:
The layout and navigation of the homepage will be adjusted to present the most relevant articles and information more effectively.
The merchant details on iOS and Android will display all available destination and tower merchants with their respective inventories in addition to their possible rewards.
The navigation of the iOS app will be updated and will include your account information, where you can find your profile, communication, and app settings.
In Fortnite (PC, PS4, iOS & Xbox One) celebrates every holiday with skins. After Saint Patrick’s Day, now it’s Easter’s turn. There are bunnies, eggs, and creepy figures.
The developers of Fortnite probably love new skins just as much as you do, because for Easter, you can expect a whole flood of additional outfits, costumes, gliders, pickaxes, and back bling.
After the Highland Warrior and the Punk Rocker enriched the game, patch v3.4.0 will probably bring even more cool skins to the game.
Bunnies, Eggs, and Creepy Figures
The information about the new skins is not official, as it comes from a dataminer’s exploration. However, it is still quite likely that the skins will come in the form shown here. Among other things, the dataminer found images of the following skins
Rabbit Raider (Epic): A pink bunny costume with a nasty hockey bunny mask.
Bunny Brawler (Epic): A female bunny costume with rabbit makeup
Dark Vanguard (Legendary): A female version of the dark astronaut from the Battle Pass
Whiplash (Epic): A cool racing driver skin for women
On top of that, there will be wacky Easter egg backpacks, gliders in the shape of space shuttles, emotes, and a pickaxe made of carrots and chocolate bunnies! However, it is unclear whether the skins will come only for the PvE mode “Save the World”, for the Battle Royale mode, or even both, and whether they will appear as specified here.
We have put the individual skins here in a gallery. Enjoy watching!
Easter Skins Now Available in the Shop
Update 1.4. 10 AM: The 2 new Easter skins are here. Each outfit costs 1500 V-Bucks. The carrot stick is available for 800.
In the Bundesliga match between Stuttgart and HSV, a player celebrated like in the game Fortnite and promptly got into trouble for it. An opponent found this way of celebrating to be grossly unsportsmanlike.
Fortnite is currently incredibly popular – even among professional athletes. But apparently, not everyone has noticed.
Ginczek scores the 1:1, celebrates like in Fortnite, gets in trouble
When Stuttgart player Daniel Ginczek scored the equalizer at 1:1 against HSV shortly before halftime, he celebrated his goal in Fortnite style: He stretched out his arms, bent slightly at the knees, and spun around his own axis while flapping his arms. After the celebration, Ginczek hit the corner flag.
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Then, opponent Gideon Jung stormed towards him and confronted him angrily. It was obvious to everyone that Jung had a problem with how Ginczek celebrated his goal.
Why? As Gideon Jung explained to Sky after the match, Ginczek’s way of celebrating mocked HSV and player Nicolai Müller. Jung couldn’t accept that.
On the first matchday, Nicolai Müller had torn his cruciate ligament while celebrating by the corner flag and had not played since. Jung thought Ginczek’s Fortnite celebration was intended to mock this incident and was unsportsmanlike towards HSV.
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However, Ginczek wanted nothing to do with it. He said: “I am shocked that he accuses me of that. It had nothing to do with Nicolai Müller.” If the celebration had come across that way, he would be sorry.
According to Ginczek, the celebration was inspired by Fortnite. He had promised the guys in his WhatsApp group: When he scores, he will celebrate like this.
HSV player celebrates at 1:0 too – no one notices
Ginczek’s celebration was not even the only Fortnite celebration in this match. The scorer for HSV’s 1:0, Lewis Holtby, also celebrated in Fortnite style. However, Holtby apparently did not get in trouble for it. He celebrated with the protection of his teammates.
In Pokémon GO unusual things are happening right now, which are causing dissatisfaction among parts of the community. What is behind Niantic’s plan to switch to pixel graphics in Pokémon GO?
Surprisingly, the developers of Pokémon GO launched a special event in the game on the evening of March 31. Brand new graphics! But instead of making everything smoother and clearer, there are now rough pixels. Many players are unhappy with this change. Why is Niantic coming up with such ideas now, when everything is going so well?
8-bit instead of 4K – Is retro back in style?
In an official announcement, Niantic stated that they want to provide players with the best possible graphical experience. Starting today, you can test the new graphic engine. The Pokémon GO team proudly emphasizes that they are using 8-bit instead of 4K – which would be about twice the resolution.
Source: Reddit user Nesk_online
With the new graphics, your PokéDex and the “Nearby” list feel like they did in the days of the Gameboy Pokémon games.
Additionally, the developers are asking for player feedback. After all, the feature is new and should provide you with a great experience.
Shiny Kramurx in Pokémon GO
Along with these extraordinary news comes a new shiny discovery. The less popular Kramurx now appears in its shimmering form in Pokémon GO.
The little monster has received little positive attention in the community so far because its stats for raid battles or other important in-game actions are virtually irrelevant. In the following screenshot, you can see the new shiny from Pokémon GO:
Source: Reddit user EdgeOfOblivion48
Just an April Fools’ Joke
If we look at the date, it should become clear that Niantic has played an April Fools’ joke on the trainers with the graphics. In the community, we already see many comments expressing discontent with the graphics – take it all with a pinch of humor.
After the great new quest feature in Pokémon GO, the developers should also be allowed to express their sense of humor. We assume that the “normal” graphics will soon return to the game. In the meantime, you should quickly catch some shiny Kramurx. Who knows how long they will be in the game.
The long-awaited March update 1.1.4 for Destiny 2 is finally here. The penultimate update milestone from Bungie’s emergency plan brought numerous changes to PvP, the sandbox, and strikes. But what have the changes brought? How does Destiny 2 play after the update?
Since Tuesday, March 27, the March update for Destiny 2 has been live. Reason enough for many guardians to catch up on Destiny and see how the game has changed. For this occasion, our author Sven immediately made his way to the Tower after powering up the Destiny servers to retrieve his dusty Hunter gear from the vault and dive back into battle with his fellow weapons brothers. Read here his impressions from update 1.1.4.
How Destiny 2 plays after the March update
Like many of you, I have eagerly anticipated update 1.1.4 despite a hefty dose of skepticism. Destiny is a matter of the heart for me – and even though my head tells me that I will probably be disappointed, my heart forces me again and again to give Bungie another chance to bring back the gaming experience that remains unique and unparalleled to this day.
When the servers came back online on March 27 at around 8:00 PM, I immediately made my way to the beloved Destiny universe to see the numerous changes of the March update for myself. The heart had won again…
My impressions of the sandbox changes
After retrieving all the relevant weapons and armor pieces from my vault, I first ventured to Mercury. Since it was still difficult to find willing allies despite the brand new update, I decided to thoroughly test the sandbox changes solo while the rest of my team gradually arrived.
Subsequently, the tests were expanded to a team consisting of all 3 guardian classes across all relevant areas of PvE. Over the course of the week, I was able to form a good picture of the current state of the game. These are my personal impressions:
Movement speed – Go Fast?!
After just a few steps with my Hunter, I was admittedly a bit puzzled. I didn’t notice any real difference in running or sprinting compared to before the update. Even when jumping, my Hunter didn’t behave significantly differently. Is this what the Go Fast update is supposed to look like?
On the verge of a stroke, I desperately cranked up my character’s agility, and lo and behold – my fully agility-tuned Hunter moved noticeably faster, seemed more agile and lighter on his feet – even in the air. However, the difference only became truly noticeable at a mobility stat of 8. While sprinting, the mobility stat still has the same influence as before the update. With a mobility of 2, you will sprint just as fast after the update as before.
Even in the air, the Hunter felt better now – albeit only slightly. The movements while looking through the sights of a weapon seemed more agile as well.
Where a definite speed increase can be noted is with the revamped super of the Hunter. It now feels significantly quicker. The times when opponents could just run away from an Arcstrider in the Crucible are finally over, as I found out while playing later on.
However, the two other classes benefited from the adjustments much more noticeably than the Hunter. The Titan and especially the previously sluggish Warlock saw a lot of improvements. The jumps of both classes now feel significantly more agile and light-footed.
Since jumps contribute just as much to the movement of the guardian in Destiny 2 as running itself, the Titan and the Warlock are significantly faster overall after the March update.
The Sentinel and the Striker turn into true sprinting wonders during their super. The Dawnblade now resembles a Duracell bunny on LSD in its revamped form.
The overall improved movement of the guardians after the March update comes very close to the level of the popular predecessor title and does Destiny 2 noticeable good in pretty much all areas. Here, the agility value of the character plays a crucial role. As agility increases, movement speed also noticeably increases overall. If someone cannot perceive significant changes, they should increase this value.
Abilities and super
The cooldown of the abilities and the super has also been noticeably reduced. Especially when combined with appropriate mods, the abilities now recharge significantly faster than before the update.
The super is now significantly more frequently used thanks to the shorter cooldown and not least due to the masterwork weapons. The revamped supers of the Dawnblade and the Arcstrider finally feel like proper supers and no longer lag behind the other ultimate attacks of the guardians. Especially the Dawnblade feels extremely agile, fast, and powerful due to the adjustments. For the first time ever, I feel like a powerful guardian from the predecessor in Destiny 2.
The weapon performance
Not much needs to be said about the weapons. The balance changes introduced in the March update are noticeable after just a few hits and are largely successful across the board. The pulse rifles are now really fun to use, the linear fusion rifles are true killers – generally speaking, every weapon class feels significantly more powerful in PvE, even sniper rifles. Only grenade launchers still seem to desperately seek their justification for existence in the game.
The number of possible alternatives for effective weapon choices has definitely increased. All enemies – from the smallest Vex to the largest strike boss – can be defeated noticeably faster with virtually any weapon. Even in fights between guardians, one can now confidently reach for some new alternatives without immediately becoming uncompetitive.
However, the top favorites largely remain the same. There was only a slight increase among their ranks. Weapons like Better Devils are still hard to pass up. While the range of useful and solid weapons has certainly increased, once you have assembled the “new” top-tier guns, there’s hardly any reason to reach for other firearms even after the March update.
Furthermore, there are still some inconsistencies with weapon performance. For example, in the Nightfall strike, with an active elemental burn, some weapons from the kinetic slot deal more damage than their counterparts from the energy slot – despite having the corresponding elemental damage and although both belong to the same archetype. Bungie should either clarify this or make adjustments.
Other innovations
The update 1.1.4 also introduced some new mechanics and systems that should improve various small aspects of the game.
A mechanic was introduced to prevent strikes and Crucible maps from immediately repeating in their respective playlists. However, just a few hours after the update was released, this mechanism was deactivated again, as it was obviously responsible for players being randomly sent back to orbit with the error code BAT. When the mechanic will be reactivated is currently unknown.
Also, the system for avoiding duplicates from exotic engrams doesn’t seem to be functioning as Bungie intended. Exotic duplicates remain a common occurrence.
The newly introduced Nightfall-specific rewards have also received little favor from players. Considering how intensively Bungie promoted the exclusive Nightfall loot and in light of the time required for it, the result is at best disappointing. The rewards are currently limited to seven items such as sparrows, ghosts, and weapons.
As many have feared, these are mostly reskins of familiar models. In my opinion, these special rewards will not really contribute to long-term motivation. Most people expected much more.
My impressions of PvE
The PvE in Destiny 2 has definitely been enhanced by the changes, that is for sure. Whether it’s the stronger weapons, the more frequent use of abilities and the super or the improved movement of the guardians – all of this undoubtedly contributes to a better overall experience. You finally feel more powerful, and for a time, it is really fun to blast your way through enemy ranks and test your new limits as a stronger hero.
But is this enough to bring back wayward players and to keep guardians engaged with the game in the long run? I can say a clear NO to that question. For this fun does not last long.
After extensive tests of the sandbox changes, my team and I dove into the Nightfall strike. In our third Nightfall run, even the last team member received the exclusive sniper, and so we flew into orbit, where a period of silence prevailed.
Then came: “And now? I need nothing more. How about you? The changes feel okay. But what does it matter? There’s nothing I haven’t seen. Nothing worth playing for again. I’d say we’ll see each other for the DLC, guys…”
With these words, our PvE evening came to an end, which can be considered representative of a large part of the guardians according to our own discussions and the comments of many players. And that reveals the true problems of Destiny 2. But more on that in the conclusion.
My impressions of PvP
I look at PvP after the March update with mixed feelings. Many of the changes introduced turn out to be sensible and good in guardian duels, but some also bring new problems or exacerbate existing ones.
The changes to guardian classes, the new weapon balance, and most of the PvP-specific changes visibly benefit the Crucible. The pace is faster, abilities are more frequently used, and there’s a wider variety of weapons to choose from. This is exactly what many guardians wanted.
However, due to some changes, the fun in PvP depends more than ever on the playlist you are in. The player experience between Quickplay and Competitive now differs, in my opinion, like night and day.
Quickplay
Quickplay has lost a lot of its appeal for me. Due to the changes in power ammunition allocation, this mode has become almost unbearable – especially for the people for whom it was originally designed. If someone wants a few quick guardian duels in the Crucible, they will likely be disappointed.
This mode is now highly dominated by power weapons. Bungie’s current solution for power ammunition allocation makes that possible.
Most matches have since been very one-sided and follow the same pattern. The team shooting factor that Bungie wanted to address has instead been reinforced. Teams now almost exclusively camp at their power ammo source or try to occupy both spots if they are well coordinated. Once the ammo appears, you mostly have to deal with the Colony spiders.
Defeated opponents now also drop their power ammo, enabling a good team to play almost constantly with heavy ammunition and to send their spider mines back immediately even with slight radar spikes.
A randomly thrown together team tends to lose such duels by as much as 70 points. Because even the buffed kinetic and energy weapons cannot compete against such a dominance of power weapons. Quickplay is currently not recommended for solo players. Too often, random teams are pitted against fixed teams – with the corresponding outcome. The heroic moments promised by Bungie barely if at all shine through.
Rumble
As much as I was looking forward to the return of Rumble, I was just as disappointed. The everyone-against-everyone mode is almost unplayable in its current state.
The maps quickly proved to be too small for 8 guardians competing against each other. For 2 teams of 4, the map size may suffice, but when fighting against 7 other opponents, it gets very cramped quickly. If you perish, the likelihood is high that you will respawn right in front of the barrel of one, if not several opponents. The respawn mechanic is really suboptimal.
Thanks to the unfortunate respawns, it’s sometimes possible to take out 5-6 opponents at once with a super – some even multiple times in a row as they immediately pop back up right in front of you due to the shortened respawn times. The opposite also holds true. After just a few matches, the fun factor drops almost to zero. Bungie definitely needs to address this.
Competitive
In the competitive playlist, the situation is somewhat different. Although you will still come up short against established teams when in a random team, the lack of radar allows for some maneuvers where you can shine individually or in pairs against multiple opponents.
Also, more weapons are being used here than just the Colony and maybe the Legend of Acrius. Shotguns and scattered fusion rifles are also becoming more prevalent.
While teams still camp heavily at the power ammunition, the lack of radar and the ensuing tactical possibilities to flank or ambush the opponent allow for more situations where you can effectively counter this style of play – even without your own power ammo. I now perceive the absence of radar as a boon for the Crucible.
Trials of Osiris
After my team and I completed the first match in the Trials, I was once again very positively surprised. While the competitive playlist represents an upgrade to Quickplay, the Trials of Osiris embody the complete opposite of the now problem-ridden mode. The last time I had so much fun in PvP was in Destiny 1.
Since only fixed and usually well-coordinated teams compete in the Trials, much of the criticism of the other PvP modes is undermined. The matches are now much more tactical and much more exciting and close due to the absence of radar, even when facing overwhelmingly powerful teams.
Camping was almost nonexistent. Almost all rounds were pursued offensively by both teams. Flanking from the side, cornering the opponent, or pushing aggressively head-on without warning – all of this works much better now than before.
Communication now plays an even more significant role. While you could previously see your backline on the radar, you now need to communicate constantly. You also run the risk of falling victim to the enemy’s tactical ambush if you do not communicate properly.
Even more different weapons are now being utilized than in the competitive playlist. Aside from grenade launchers and linear fusion rifles, almost all weapon classes are now facing off against each other evenly due to the weapon changes. We have not encountered a 4-man Colony team in a single match as has become almost standard in Quickplay.
With the Trials of Osiris, Bungie has once again achieved a paradox in my opinion. The mode, which is actually only intended for a small elite circle among PvP players, is simultaneously the only one in its current state that is truly accessible to the masses. In this exclusive PvP club, even casual Crucible tourists are currently having much more fun than in the other modes – provided they find a fixed team.
My conclusion on the March update
What have the changes achieved? Does Destiny 2 now offer a better gaming experience? Has Bungie finally managed to stop the free fall of the game?
In my opinion, the March update is both a curse and a blessing. On one hand, most changes have definitely benefited the game. It plays significantly better in many areas now and comes much closer to the players’ expectations and the original Destiny feeling. The update is undoubtedly a step in the right direction. And yet, this update milestone could only slow down, not stop, the free fall of the game.
On the other hand, the update simultaneously reveals the real problems of the game. A large part of these reasonable changes should have been integral to the release version of Destiny 2 at the latest, based on the experiences from the beta. Furthermore, Bungie simply takes too long to implement such adjustments. If Destiny 2 had come to market in its current state, things would have certainly taken a very different course.
Guardians do not turn their backs on Destiny 2 due to an unfortunate weapon meta, a too high time to kill, slow guardians, or ammo problems in the Crucible.
Even the reasonable and urgently needed changes from update 1.1.4 cannot overshadow the fact that Destiny 2 suffers from much more fundamental and urgent problems.
As long as Bungie does not consistently tackle issues such as trivial loot, the boring exotics, the current weapon system, or the lack of long-term motivation in general, Destiny 2 will remain far behind its potential in the future. All those who had nothing to do in Destiny 2 prior to the update will find little new to occupy themselves with even after the update.
I cannot really recommend a return at this time.
What do you think of the March update for Destiny 2? What have your experiences been so far?
The alliance Goonswarm, known for its notorious trolling in EVE Online, performed a good deed last Saturday. Streamer mozg888vadim wanted to raise money for a birthday gift for his sister on Twitch. Goonswarm raided the stream and showered the young accordion player with donations.
Streamer mozg888vadim has been streaming on Twitch since 2016. In his videos, he plays his accordion and delights his viewers with various pieces. The viewer count was rather limited.
The accordion player’s goal was to raise some money through donations to buy a gift for his sister.
The accordion-playing streamer. Image source: Kotaku.
Last Saturday, 10 people watched his stream until a member of Goonswarm discovered the stream and made the viewer count explode with his alliance members.
Goonswarm – an alliance full of villains
The alliance Goonswarm has a rather mixed reputation in the EVE Online community. They are considered rogues with whom it is difficult to get along and who will stop at nothing. Goonswarm is more known for negative news than positive ones.
One should not joke with the combined power of an EVE Online alliance.
A member of Goonswarm, Klavas, found the Twitch stream of mozg888vadim and alerted his friends. Together, they brought other alliance members and even players from other alliances to watch the accordion player on Twitch.
As the viewer count skyrocketed, Vadim also accepted viewer requests and played, for example, the song “Little Bees”, which is a parody of the song “Let it Be” by The Beatles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXmf0nvx500
The birthday gift is saved
During the evening, Vadim received donations totaling almost $750. A significant amount with which he will surely buy something very special for his sister.
However, the high viewer count was not limited to just one day. Members of the Goonswarm alliance have regularly visited his channel over the past week. The motto of Vadim’s channel “Be Happy” has evidently inspired the viewers.
During Easter, you can hop around in Warframe with long rabbit ears and dive into new content. In an endless survival mode, there is now the rare resource Kuva to farm. Additionally, the Warframe Inaros receives the skin collection “Ramses.”
In the market, you can now grab the Lepus headgear for 5,000 Credits and the Easter color palette for 1 Credit for a limited time. The headgear gives your Warframes two giant rabbit ears that flap around with every movement.
However, don’t get too used to this look, as the ears will disappear from your inventory once the holidays are over. The Easter color palette, which predominantly features soft pink and green tones, will remain forever.
Easter Event Duration:
PS4, Xbox until April 3
PC until April 6
Royal Fashion for Inaros
In addition to the Easter fun, Inaros is also getting a new skin-themed trip to ancient Egypt. For the Warframe Inaros, you can now find the Ramses collection in the market, which you can unlock for 225 Platinum. The collection includes a skin that bends long swords curvily like a snake. For Inaros himself, there is the Ramses skin along with a matching Syandana cape.
Nezha has also received a new Jinza helm, and new decorations can also be found for the spaceship or clan dojo.
New Game Mode on the Kuva Fortress: Endless Survive for Kuva
You can now find a new survival mode on the Kuva Fortress (Taveuni) that rewards you with the rare resource “Kuva”. To access this mode, you must have completed the story quest “The War Within“. Kuva is quite coveted, as you can use it to transform the attributes of special Riven mods.
The mission is of the excavation/defense type.
This is how the new Kuva survival mode works:
As usual in the “Survive” mode, players must fight an endless stream of enemies while life support systems fail around them. For each life support system, a red-marked enemy appears carrying a special Kuva catalyst
If players carry this catalyst to the life support system, it transforms into a Kuva harvesting device. This means in the process, players give up the life support to get the coveted Kuva.
Meanwhile, the enemies want to destroy the Kuva harvesting device and must be held off for one minute. If the enemies destroy the Kuva harvesting device, players lose both the life support systems and the Kuva.
Once the Kuva harvesting device has run its course, players receive 200 Kuva and a little life support to survive.
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Developers Playing Around with Ideas for a New User Interface
Meanwhile, on Twitter, lead developer Steve Sinclair is experimenting with ideas for a new user interface. This year, the Warframe interface is set to receive a major update. Sinclair speaks of “big ideas, risks, and ambitions” for the new user interface. Part of it will also include allowing players to customize colors.
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It might be that none of the ideas currently being presented on Twitter make it to Warframe. Nevertheless, Digital Extremes aims to raise the UI standard and you can clearly see the direction this is meant to take.
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In Far Cry 5 (Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC) there are a lot of weapons, most of which can also be customized. Some players call it all nonsense and take on the fight against the Eden’s Gate sect armed only with shovels.
In Far Cry, players have always been able to engage in all sorts of nonsense outside of the main story. In the latest game in the series, Far Cry 5, which revolves around the fight against a mad cult, players take it to the extreme and form their own “cult”.
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Players discovered that melee weapons, such as shovels, pipes, or baseball bats, can be thrown in Far Cry 5 and used as projectiles in critical situations. They are particularly fond of the shovel, which not only has a long range but can also impale targets.
Up to nine shovels can be carried at once, and they can always be picked up again. The projectile is controlled like any other weapon: Aim with LT/L2 on the controller, while the melee weapon is fired with RT/R2.
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Within a few days, a true shovel fan club has formed, where players share their experiences with the melee weapon and compare their STPM, shovels thrown per minute.
Countless videos, gifs, and memes testify to the love that players have for their shovels. The shovel enthusiasts not only take on the cult members but also use their projectiles to destroy buildings or go hunting.
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Players have already created their own meta-game around shovels in Far Cry 5, including their own shovel challenges. For example, outposts are taken with shovels only, convoys are hunted, or birds and helicopters are taken down from the air with the thrown projectiles.
