Blizzard shows customer friendliness. Those who purchased a digital version of WoW: Battle for Azeroth and now want the Collector’s Edition will receive a credit.
The purchase of a Collector’s Edition of World of Warcraft has always been associated with some issues with various expansions: There are often pre-order bonuses that entice players to buy a digital copy of the next addon right after the announcement.
It was the same with Battle for Azeroth. Those who pre-ordered the new addon months ago were able to access some Allied Races and thus already play some content of the new expansion.
Collectors of the physical Collector’s Edition were frustrated. Because who would want to buy the digital version when they plan to purchase the big box with the actual goodies later?
This time Blizzard has thought of exactly these players!
Upgrade to Physical Collector’s Edition Grants Blizzard Credit
Those who redeem the code for the physical Collector’s Edition and have already purchased a digital version will receive the purchase price of the digital version as Blizzard credit!
However: Those who also performed the “Deluxe Upgrade” directly with the purchase of the digital version will also only receive the purchase price of the standard version of Battle for Azeroth as credit.
Blizzard credit can be used for all kinds of purchases in Battle.net – such as character services, purchasing mounts in the shop, or even content for other games, such as loot boxes in Overwatch or Heroes of the Storm.
This offer is only valid until December 31, 2018. Those who redeem a code for the Collector’s Edition after that will not receive a refund for the purchase price of a digital copy. But most WoW fans probably won’t hesitate to redeem in time.
Are you buying the physical version of the Collector’s Edition? Will you make use of this “refund service”?
After the release date for Patch 1.8.1 for The Division was announced, Massive announces new encrypted Mark III containers. These are supposed to contain new cosmetic clothes and a special outfit.
The State of the Game just aired on April 5th, but Massive does not have much to announce. It is already known that Patch 1.8.1 will go live next week on April 12th.
Shortly after the patch release, the new global event Blackout will also start.
Additionally, Xbox One X owners can look forward to 4k rendering and other improvements.
New cosmetic items are coming
Furthermore, Massive confirms: There will be new Mark III containers for cosmetic items. These will contain new clothes and a special outfit, about which there is no information. It is supposed to be a surprise, but it surely won’t be the bunny outfit.
Here are the (preliminary) patch notes for 1.8.1
So far, the final patch notes have not been announced. However, it is likely that they will be identical to the PTS version.
Revised chances for classified gear
Open world bosses: 6% drop chance (doubled)
Legendary missions: 20% chance upon completion
Special classified containers during upcoming global events: Each available secret set will get a special container that guarantees a piece from this set
Special container for classified gear: This costs 2500 Phoenix Credits and contains a secret set piece. You can buy these from the special equipment vendor.
Supply drops for season pass owners: They now have a 10% chance for classified gear.
Exotic weapons: The exotics sold by vendors will be removed from the normal loot pool. They will only be available from the vendors.
Further updates
The missions “Amherst’s Apartment” and “Grand Central Station” will receive the legendary difficulty
Supply drops for season pass owners provide 100 Div Tech
In the future, daily tasks will drop 25 Division Tech and weekly tasks will drop 100 Division Tech.
Open world bosses can drop all exotics
Resistance bosses will soon grant 100 GE Credits during global events.
Xbox One X update with 4k rendering and other improvements
Players of the secret FireCrest set gain immunity to their own fire damage.
More bug fixes
New containers with cosmetic outfits
New global event: Blackout
Blackout will be the first of two new global events and is set to go live shortly after the release of Patch 1.8.1.
The modifiers for Blackout:
Blackout (always active): Players receive shock ammo, which can stun opponents. By running or shooting, a charge gauge fills up. You deal more damage the higher the charge is.
Extreme Blackout (in addition to Blackout): Enemies can be killed with overload in close combat. If you miss the opponent or exceed your charge of 100%, players and allies will be stunned.
Total Blackout (in addition to Blackout and extreme Blackout): Your charge gauge empties faster when near group members.
A total of 40 new achievements will be introduced with Blackout and Onslaught.
Note: Rewards and gear sets for both events are still not known.
For some time now, players have been increasingly complaining about the seemingly inflationary use of the unfair Cronus Max. This is a device that gives one a range of unfair advantages.
We are aware of the problem, but it goes beyond Massive, as multiple parties are involved. Therefore, there is currently no solution. Massive asks players for patience. The developers want to emphasize that the problem is not being ignored.
Have you noticed this problem as well? How are you preparing for Patch 1.8.1? Let us know in the comments.
The Far Cry series has always been famous for its quirky humor and all the crazy things you could do in the game. After the first week of Far Cry 5 , Ubisoft released some remarkable statistics showing what kind of wild things players have been doing with their time.
Also, beyond the already crazy main questline around the liberation of Hope County from the disturbing cult Eden’s Gate, Far Cry 5 offers several opportunities to write your own crazy stories and do all sorts of bizarre things in the open interactive world. And you should wonder what players have already managed in the first week.
These wild facts emerged in the first week of Far Cry 5
In the first 7 days alone, 8,651 players were attacked by angry skunks. By now, even the last amateur resistance fighters should have noticed that these nasty beasts are not to be trifled with.
One of the most popular and devastating killing instruments in Far Cry 5 –the shovel – was thrown a total of more than 38.8 million meters.
Apparently, many players pass their in-game time with relaxing hobbies instead of cleaning Hope County from the cultists. More than 5.1 million fish were caught by virtual hobby anglers.
The urge to blow things up was also clearly felt among players. Over 35.1 million sticks of dynamite were thrown.
The fact that players have a heart for animals and their fellow humans was also very evident in the first week. More than 177 million civilians were rescued by resistance fighters. With the cuddly bear Cheeseburger, players have spent over 1.1 million wonderful hours together.
Some interesting statistics on the development of Far Cry 5
For Far Cry 5 98 fictional brands were developed, shaping the face of the game world.
And it’s worth noting – the shovel, which is so popular among players, was already the most popular weapon during playtests among amateur resistance fighters.
The world of Far Cry 5 is beautiful and characterized by partly picturesque nature. Therefore, corresponding wildlife must not be missing. A total of 52 animal species call Hope County home.
For those who enjoy voiced dialogues and talking NPCs, Far Cry 5 will be more than satisfying. It would take 74 hours and 44 minutes to listen to all dialogues and conversations in the game. In this context, 96 voice actors lent their voices to the game in the English original.
That fishing is a great passion for many players, not only in real life, was clearly evident during the first week of Far Cry 5. So it is not surprising that the fishing mode of the game was tested and approved by real anglers.
What do you think of these wild statistics? Did you also contribute actively or did you dedicate yourself to other things in Far Cry 5?
Capcom releases the complete list of event quests for the Spring Festival a day before the event. The festival will be available in Monster Hunter: World from April 6 to April 19.
The Spring Festival is practically around the corner, offering new rewards, outfits, and especially the Great Sword Wyvern Ignition in Monster Hunter World.
Players will also have the opportunity to catch up on special quests for Aloy and Ryu outfits if they were missed in the past.
Event Quests Galore
All event quests have a minimum hunter rank requirement as usual.
Blizzard has released a new Overwatch comic. In “Retribution”, we experience the dark side of Overwatch, which does not play by the rules.
The story of Overwatch is told only in very small parts in the game itself. More than a few voice lines or spray logos with allusions are virtually nonexistent. Instead, the developers try to spread the game’s plot through other media. Short films, small animations, or comics are used for this.
Just before the start of the “Overwatch: Archives” event, Blizzard has now released a new 10-page comic that shows the backstory of the upcoming “Retribution” mission.
The story takes place at a time when Overwatch had to face serious problems with Talon. Antonio, a high-ranking Talon leader involved in all kinds of illegal activities, cannot be easily arrested. Thanks to his contacts, he would be released directly from prison. Therefore, Gerard (Widowmaker’s husband), McCree, and Gabriel Reyes plan to proceed differently – in true Blackwatch style.
However, this does not come to pass. Talon has infiltrated a spy in Blackwatch and blows up the entire facility. Gerard is severely injured and hundreds of Overwatch members die.
Reaper and McCree have a new goal. They seek no justice; they seek revenge. If Talon does not want to play by “the rules,” then Overwatch will no longer do so either. So Reaper, McCree, Genji, and Moira go out without Commander Morrison’s (Soldier: 76) approval and embark on a retribution mission.
The MMORPG TERA has been officially available on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 since April 3rd. The PS4 EU servers seem to be offline as of April 5th – and no one knows why.
The TERA EU servers on the PlayStation 4 appear to be currently offline. The players are currently puzzled about why this is the case.
The maintenance for the EU servers scheduled for today has already been completed, and TERA was playable again on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. However, around 11:00 AM our time, the European PlayStation 4 servers apparently were shut down again.
On Reddit and in the official TERA forum, players are reporting that they were kicked from the game without warning. Some of them are now stuck on the PlayStation 4 in the server selection.
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An additional maintenance is scheduled for this afternoon, but it is only supposed to affect the American servers.
The operator of the console version, En Masse, is actually the US publisher of TERA on PC and has had little to do with Europe so far. Perhaps this could contribute to the problems: In the USA, it was still the middle of the night at the time of the server outage.
We will continue to monitor the issue and report as soon as we know more about the server outage.
Update 4:20 PM: It seems that all EU servers of the PlayStation 4 are back online, except for Saravash and Zyrnaxis. There is still no official information regarding the server outage.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Trion Worlds returns to its roots. The free-to-play MMORPG Rift is getting Prime servers, which are only accessible via a subscription model. Is it worth diving back into the Pay2Play version of Rift in 2018?
With the Prime servers, Trion wants to cater to players who are unhappy with the item shop and prefer a subscription model over purchasable items. Therefore, only cosmetic items and some services, like name changes, can be purchased.
Is this the opportunity to return to Rift or experience it for the first time? What are the reasons for it and what are the arguments against it?
Reasons to Play Rift Prime
Rift Prime is more than just vanilla. The server starts with an older state and will be sustained with new content over the months. Certain quality-of-life features, like group search, are already in place.
However, we experience the old content. In a state where it is still relevant. Veterans feel the nostalgia, similar to the level-stop guilds of World of Warcraft. New players benefit from a regular influx of content.
Diverse Skill System
A unique feature of Rift is the high flexibility of characters. We choose from one of 4 classes, each with numerous skill trees. Up to three of them can be active simultaneously. It is up to us whether we want to skill all three or focus on just one.
The playstyle changes fundamentally depending on the spec. The cleric can access several different healing specs. While one tree focuses on cost-effective heal-over-time spells, another uses shields or group heals.
In raids, this benefits the tactical challenge, as one can experiment a lot. When playing alone or doing instances through group search, the skill system offers variety. If we tire of one playstyle, we can simply change it.
If there are purchasable equipment or other important items in the free-to-play variant, the Prime servers mainly offer cosmetic content. There are no items for sale that provide an advantage in the game.
WoW Players Adapt Quickly
Rift shares many parallels with World of Warcraft. The combat system is identical, and the gameplay itself shows numerous similarities.
At its release in 2011, it also introduced some innovations, such as the namesake rifts. These appeared spontaneously in the open world and resembled the events in Guild Wars 2 and the invasions of the Legion in World of Warcraft.
Rift survived for about 2 years in the subscription model and even released its first expansion during that time. It has achieved more than comparable WoW clones of its time. Anyone looking for a distraction until World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth arrives will find it in Rift.
Reasons Against Rift Prime
The MMORPG also has its downsides. Among them, the publisher itself, as Trion Worlds no longer enjoys a good reputation among many players. This is partly due to the MMORPG ArcheAge, which was released in cooperation with a Korean developer that led to serious issues.
In the eyes of many, ArcheAge turned increasingly towards the pay-to-win model after its release, souring the mood.
This also affected Rift..
No Pay to Win – But Limited Lifespan
The death date of the Rift Prime server is already set. Not to the exact day, but the shutdown could occur within a year. The official FAQ from Trion Worlds states:
Will the RIFT Prime server remain online when the end of game progression is reached? No. The server will go offline shortly thereafter.
What happens to the characters then? The achievements will be transferred to the regular servers. Economically speaking, this is certainly a good idea. The player has paid for their subscription and would probably leave anyway, having seen everything. If there is new content and you return to Rift, you will suddenly be playing on the free-to-play servers, with their item shop.
Poorly Aged Graphics
At release, Rift emphasized a graphically appealing and realistic appearance. The problem with such representations is, however, that they tend to age poorly. The animations are clunky and the environment lacks many details.
Of course, graphics aren’t everything, especially since you have to make some sacrifices with a 7-year-old game. And Rift isn’t ugly. However, for those who value a fantastically looking game, it’s better to steer clear of Rift.
Alternatives to Rift?
If you want to try another game and don’t want to jump straight into the genre leader WoW: Guild Wars 2 offers an excellent leveling phase, The Elder Scrolls Online brings back the feeling of the Elder Scrolls series, and Final Fantasy XIV focuses entirely on the story.
There is a multitude of high-quality MMORPGs available.
Is Rift Worth It?
It all depends on personal preferences as to when something is worth it. Rift Prime is worth its money. For the subscription, one gets a solid game that, thanks to the skill system and regular content updates, provides a lot of variety.
But one thing is clear: the fun is temporally limited. The server will not exist forever, and then you will be dealing with free-to-play and the controversial cash shop. Anyone looking for an alternative to World of Warcraft until its expansions are released is well advised with Rift. However, those who want to experience something new and lasting should look for another game.
Blizzard has finally announced the release date for the next expansion of World of Warcraft. We tell you when Battle for Azeroth starts.
Fans are eagerly waiting for the next expansion of World of Warcraft. Legion is in its final breaths, and slowly but surely, all players have achieved what they wanted to reach on the Broken Isles – the content hunger begins.
Battle for Azeroth will be released in August 2018
Now Blizzard has revealed when the drought period will end:
Battle for Azeroth will be released worldwide on August 14, 2018!
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As usual, there is also a thick Collector’s Edition for Battle for Azeroth. The physical version contains some additional goodies that collectors should not miss:
Flipbook: Lament & A Good War – The story of the assault on Teldrassil described once from the Horde’s perspective and once from the Alliance’s perspective.
Double-sided faction emblem Horde & Alliance
Download key for the soundtrack of Battle for Azeroth
However, it lies ahead a rocky road for Blizzard. So far, Battle for Azeroth is only in a closed alpha phase and many features and areas are not yet accessible. It remains to be seen whether the remaining 5 months will be enough to actually complete Battle for Azeroth.
Can you hold out until August 14? Or is the waiting time too long? Are you getting the Collector’s Edition?
A new update for the battle royale shooter PUBG has been deployed to the PC servers. Part of the update is an observation feature that focuses on your killer. An interesting alternative to the option of simply leaving the match.
Kill-Cam watches the remaining match of your killer – Update #9
Did your killer have luck or actual skill? In the future, you can find out for yourself. With the new Spectate your Killer feature, it is possible to observe your killer after death by clicking on “Watch”.
This way you can see how they perform throughout the match. If you notice something strange, you can report the player with the hotkey “R”.
It’s a pity if you are killed by the blue or red zone – watching those would be boring. If someone is killed by one of the zones, they can observe a player who was near your last location.
If the player you are watching dies, you can continue to follow the match from the perspectives of other players. In duo and squad teams, the opposing team can only be followed live once all your allies have died. This is intended to prevent peeking, so you don’t give your allies tips on what the killers are doing.
Bug fixes in Update 9
You can already play the new update and also benefit from some bug fixes. This should prevent cars from suddenly flying into the air or flipping over when there is no reason for it.
Additionally, a bug was fixed where the in-game name of the killer was not displayed correctly in the death cam. Lastly, adjustments were made to the rotation axis used in the preview options.
The MMORPG Shroud of the Avatar has launched and wants to offer players, just like Ultima Online, many freedoms to express themselves in player cities.
It is even possible to buy entire cities (which cost between 900 and 6,000 dollars depending on size), where fellow players can settle. Ultima creator Richard Garriott is proud of what some players have created in these cities.
Players establish their own cities
For example, Pax Lair, one of the first player cities and one of the most active. Currently, there are over 300 such cities in the MMO, although most are deserted due to the low player count. But not Pax Lair.
Here, fans have built a vibrant community. Pax Lair was one of the most popular cities in Ultima Online, and the players there have now settled in Shroud of the Avatar.
Players unleash their creativity in their cities
In Pax Lair, parties take place, players host events, and with one of the upcoming updates, fans will have the opportunity to develop their own quests. The player cities will benefit from this, as real adventures can then take place here.
The opportunity to write and publish their own books in the game world is actively used. You often find a book with an interesting story and don’t know if it was written by players or the developers of the MMO.
Player cities offer fans of SotA many opportunities to express themselves:
The city can be freely decorated
Players get their own house that they can furnish according to their ideas
Cities can serve as guild bases
There are regularly player-hosted events, including concerts and theater performances
The “Teletype” as decoration allows playing a pen & paper role-playing game on a machine
There is a player-operated radio station that plays music (the GEMA will surely be pleased)
Regular sieges occur that players can break together
Shroud of the Avatar may not be perfect in many ways, as the many negative reviews on Steam show. Nevertheless, sandbox fans are offered plenty of freedom and interaction opportunities with other players.
If you are interested in the MMORPG Ashes of Creation and want to try out the early test versions, you should hurry up – as the corresponding pre-order packages are only available for a limited time.
But even before launch, it is possible to join in. By purchasing one of the new pre-order packages, which grant you access to early testing phases – however, it should be noted: these pre-order packages are only available for a limited time and will be replaced by new packages every month!
Get a Pre-Order Package
You will have the opportunity every month to purchase other packages that not only grant you access to the testing phases but also always offer other cosmetic items. This month you can expect:
Wayfarer Package for $75: Access to Beta 2, two months of gameplay, in-game currency Embers worth $25, Shield of Reverence
Expeditionary Package for $150: Access to Beta 1 and 2, 4 months of gameplay, Embers worth $50, Shield of Reverence, Protector’s Pride Pet
Voyager Package for $250: Access to Alpha 2, Beta 1 and 2, 6 months of gameplay, Embers worth $100, Shield of Reverence, Protector’s Pride Pet, Sky’s Vengeance Mount
Intrepid Package for $500: Access to Alpha 1, 2, Beta 1 and 2, 12 months of gameplay, Embers worth $150, Shield of Reverence, Protector’s Pride Pet, Sky’s Vengeance Mount, Wings of Reverence, Protector’s Sanctuary, Protector’s Armor, Name Reservation
In the coming month, you will be able to purchase different packages containing other items. These are always supposed to be special items reserved for those who accessed them at the respective time.
One of the predefined characters from PUBG (PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds) looks like actor Idris Elba. Fans say so. The actor himself also seems to see a resemblance.
Video game designers are often inspired by things, places, or people from the real world. It appears that PUBG is no exception. One of the predefined characters resembles the well-known British actor, producer, and musician Idris Elba.
PUBG character looks like actor from The Wire
Since the release of PUBG, fans have compared the game’s predefined characters to famous faces. To understand some of the comparisons, it takes a lot of imagination and goodwill. The comparison to Idris Elba is obvious to most. On Reddit, user Edface compares the two characters:
Alongside the PUBG players, it seems that the actor himself believes there is a resemblance. This recently became a topic on Twitter when Justice Hayes compared the actor to the PUBG character. Elba agreed with this comparison and apparently sees the resemblance himself.
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After that, he apparently had fun with it and shared a tweet from the official PUBG Twitter account. It shows a photo of the PUBG artist team, which recently traveled to Southeast Asia for inspiration for the new map. In the tweet, he wrote, “It was one of those guys!”
But I think we need to emphasize again: We understand that you want more exciting loot in Destiny 2. We know that you want to feel that thrill with the cryptarch again because anything can happen.
All these are things we are working on. Not necessarily and specifically on random rolls. But on the evolution of Destiny 2, so it can become the game and hobby that it deserves to be.
Plans for Cooperation with the Community
Question: Do you as developers have any plans on how to address community feedback more directly? Whether through responses to feedback or through developer posts that explain your decisions and reasoning in detail? It would certainly be exciting for the community to gain a deeper insight.
Answer: That is definitely something we want to do more – whether we are giving statements from people like Josh or Kevin more attention in the blog or putting them directly in front of the audience. Developers will now appear more often in This Week at Bungie, they will be invited to things like this (stream), they are present on Twitter.
We have heard the feedback that the community wants to be more involved – or at least have a dialogue. Currently, we are looking for further opportunities here – with streams and even in-game. We know that there is a strong desire to test our builds in advance, and that is actually something we are increasingly considering.
New Elements, Classes, Sub-classes and Weapon Types
Question: Are there any plans to introduce new elements, classes, sub-classes, or weapon types in Destiny 2 in the near future?
Answer: That is a long list. For some of it, yes, for others, no. We are continuously striving to develop the game further. But we cannot talk about that – not at the moment. Because Josh’s team is currently working very hard on things the community has never experienced before.
And the most important question at the end. DeeJ asked Josh Hamrick: “Are you stupid?” – He replied: “No, not stupid. Just misunderstood.”
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Recently, Bungie announced a bounty in Destiny 2 again. Players had the chance to face off against some Bungie employees in the Crucible. This mini-event was accompanied by a live stream, where some developers answered questions from the community. There were some tough questions, and the hardest was directed at Josh Hamrick: “Are you stupid?”
On the evening of April 4th, it was time again – the Bungie Bounty, a mini PvP event, returned. A team of employees from Bungie once again entered the Crucible to compete against players. Those who could win against the studio’s in-house team had the chance to earn a special emblem as a reward.
But the real highlight of the evening was a little Q&A session that took place during the accompanying live stream for the Bungie Bounty. Community Manager DeeJ, Sandbox Design Lead Josh Hamrick, and Kevin Yanes from the Crucible developer team answered several questions about the current state and future of Destiny 2.
We summarize the key questions and answers for you.
Time to Kill
Question: There is a pretty widespread opinion that the time to kill should be lowered. Do you have any plans regarding this for the future? The current sandbox update is called Go-Fast Update. Will the next one be named Kill-Fast Update?
Answer: We understand that you want the TTK to be shorter. What I can definitely tell you is that we will significantly strengthen all Exotics for Season 3. They are supposed to be exotic again. A lot is coming together. We are constantly discussing and trying to find ways to make this happen. I think you will be satisfied with the direction we are heading.
Question: The update 1.1.4 was mainly about the speed of Guardians and the power of weapons. Hero moments were also supposed to return. In Season 3, exotic weapons will be strengthened in their lethality. That should…
Answer: Exactly, you will see that the average time to kill will be significantly faster. I don’t want to spoil anything, as our guys will talk about it in the coming weeks. But many incredible things are coming your way, just like in last week’s Storm and Stress video. There will be many more of such things – pretty cool, pretty fast.
DeeJ: And we will be showing some more Exotics. Cozmo will take care of them to showcase. The TTK is definitely something we are working on at Bungie.
Wings of Vigilance
Question: Will the Wings of Vigilance continue to dominate the Crucible, or will we see some fine-tuning in the near future? Will you nerf the weapon?
Answer: No, not at the moment. That is not the plan. Our plan is to bring all other Exotics in Season 3 to roughly the level of the Wings. After that, we will go into fine-tuning and arrange things so that all weapons play well. I don’t think a nerf of the Wings’ TTK would be a right step if we are generally aiming for a shorter time to kill.
Stream for Season 3 and DLC II
Question: When will there be a stream for Season 3 and DLC II?
Answer: The Go-Fast Update was not a cure-all for Destiny 2, and we want to continue developing and changing the game. Later this month, there will be a stream where we will address some things that are coming your way in Season 3. There will be new developer comments in the blog every week about what new features the game will receive.
Weapon System and Weapon Slots
Question: I really wish that the weapon system of Destiny 2 would return to the good old model of primary weapon, special weapon, and heavy weapon. It was so much better. Is my wish not justified?
Answer: Yes, I think that is a justified wish. However, I also think that we ultimately want to create something much better. But, no matter how you look at it – we are actively working on weapon slot changes at the moment.
I can’t say more about it right now, as it relates to many other things. But I would be happy to talk about it in the summer. We will definitely have a detailed discussion about what we have planned for that.
DeeJ: We owe the community an update on the roadmap, we need to mark some more points on the horizon. I will do that next week. We will talk about when the changes to the weapon slots are planned. But it sounds like you would give players more control over their builds.
Answer: Yes, 100 percent.
DeeJ: This is a conversation we will have this summer. The weapon slots in Destiny 2 are definitely something we are working on right now.
Random Rolls, Perks, Mods, Weapons and Armors with More Depth
Josh: I am not an investment designer, but I can assure you – the entire studio is focused on finding answers to these questions. We know that people want to dive deep again, they want to kill a boss and get something spectacular for it.
They want something worth playing for, something that can keep them up all night. That is something Destiny is known for, and we definitely know that it is currently lacking. So we are looking for ways to bring that feeling back.
DeeJ: When you talk about wanting to excite people again, it’s about…. When you play Destiny for a long time, when it becomes a hobby, when you play week after week, day after day, you get the coveted loot drops. And then you don’t want it to be the same thing you have seen x times before.
People want variety. People want the feeling back that anything can happen when a shiny engram jumps out from the defeated boss or any other conquered enemy.
And while you (Josh) are not in a position to say “Random Rolls are coming back” and attach a release date to all of it, these are all things that everyone in the studio knows about. We are aware of the feedback regarding this, we’ve heard it and we apologize for not being able to share more details today.
But I think we need to emphasize again: We understand that you want more exciting loot in Destiny 2. We know that you want to feel that thrill with the cryptarch again because anything can happen.
All these are things we are working on. Not necessarily and specifically on random rolls. But on the evolution of Destiny 2, so it can become the game and hobby that it deserves to be.
Plans for Cooperation with the Community
Question: Do you as developers have any plans on how to address community feedback more directly? Whether through responses to feedback or through developer posts that explain your decisions and reasoning in detail? It would certainly be exciting for the community to gain a deeper insight.
Answer: That is definitely something we want to do more – whether we are giving statements from people like Josh or Kevin more attention in the blog or putting them directly in front of the audience. Developers will now appear more often in This Week at Bungie, they will be invited to things like this (stream), they are present on Twitter.
We have heard the feedback that the community wants to be more involved – or at least have a dialogue. Currently, we are looking for further opportunities here – with streams and even in-game. We know that there is a strong desire to test our builds in advance, and that is actually something we are increasingly considering.
New Elements, Classes, Sub-classes and Weapon Types
Question: Are there any plans to introduce new elements, classes, sub-classes, or weapon types in Destiny 2 in the near future?
Answer: That is a long list. For some of it, yes, for others, no. We are continuously striving to develop the game further. But we cannot talk about that – not at the moment. Because Josh’s team is currently working very hard on things the community has never experienced before.
And the most important question at the end. DeeJ asked Josh Hamrick: “Are you stupid?” – He replied: “No, not stupid. Just misunderstood.”
Did this Q&A session answer some burning questions? Or was there nothing revealing for you?
Apparently true to the motto “Who needs the copy when they can play the original for free?” Electronic Arts announced that the MMORPG classic Ultima Online will receive a Free2Play version today, April 5th.
Now, just a few days after the launch of Shroud of the Avatar, the company suddenly declares that it will be ready on April 5th. Is this just a coincidence?
After all, Shroud of the Avatar was developed as the unofficial successor to Ultima, and the producers, including Ultima creator Richard Garriott, promoted their new game within the UO community.
Free but with limitations
Therefore, the timing that EA has chosen for the launch of the Free2Play version of Ultima Online seems to be well thought out. Many were hoping for a kind of “reimagining” of UO from Shroud of the Avatar, but ultimately, they did not receive exactly what they wanted.
If UO becomes Free2Play now, these players have a reason to return. However, the free version of the MMO does not offer the complete game but has some limitations:
You cannot purchase and furnish a house, which is one of the biggest features of UO
You cannot create NPC merchants to sell your items
You cannot participate in events held by Game Masters
You only have a small bank inventory that exists separately from the “real” bank
The booster packs High Seas and Time Legends are not included
No more multiboxing
Despite these limitations, the Free2Play version of UO, with the addition of “Endless Journey,” represents a good opportunity to get into or return to the classic. Those who enjoy it and want to “properly” dive in can still subscribe.
With the launch of the Free2Play version, EA is also banning multiboxing in the game. It is no longer allowed to play multiple characters simultaneously. This is even harshly punished with bans!
Meanwhile, week 7 has begun in Season 3 of Fortnite: Battle Royale. Again, there are seven new challenges to tackle in order to earn stars for the Battle Pass, bringing you closer to the John Wick skin. We have the information on the challenges for you!
There’s a lot happening this week in Fortnite: Epic has released a new patch that adds vending machines and has also adjusted weapon balance. Additionally, the comet continues to approach, which no one quite knows what to make of. With the weekly reset, there are now at least seven fresh challenges for you to complete to level up in the Battle Pass.
New challenge in Fortnite this time locked for some
Players are currently reporting that the challenges remain locked and they only have to wait “0 seconds” until they are unlocked. However, we already have the challenges.
Causing discussions – a spot in the sky
By completing four of the seven challenges, you will receive a “secret” reward, which has consistently included 4,000 experience points in recent weeks. The following challenges need to be mastered in the seventh week:
Search chests in Lonely Lodge (7)
Deal damage to opponents with shotguns (1,000)
Search a treasure chest, an ammo box, and a supply drop in one match (3)
Eliminate opponents with suppressed weapons (3)
Defeat opponents in Shift Shafts (3)
In addition to these standard tasks, there are as every week two nuts that are harder to crack:
Find the hidden gnomes at different locations (7)
Follow the treasure map from Retail Row (1)
Find the hidden gnomes at different locations of Fortnite: Battle Royale
The garden gnomes are already known from the PvE part of the game. Among other things, you will receive an achievement once you destroy a hundred of these gnomes, which is the dream of every German gardener.
Now you need to find seven of these gnomes in different locations, such as the following. You can find the other spots on the map above, where they are marked with an orange diamond.
Tomato Town: In the back office of the main Tomato restaurant
Retail Row: In the hut under the water tower on the eastern side
Salty Springs: Under the stairs in the basement of the middle broken building
Flush Factory: In the restroom located inside the main building
Lucky Landing: Around the bathroom of the northeastern building
Greasy Grove: In the left bathroom of the Durrr Burger restaurant
Snobby Shores: In the bathroom of the bunker located below the southern house. Destroy the wardrobe to enter.
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Follow the treasure map from Retail Row in Fortnite: Battle Royale
The treasure map for the seventh week can be found in Retail Row. However, you do not have to visit Retail Row to get the treasure. You can also go directly to the target location. This is what the treasure map looks like this week:
Most of you will now know where to look. The maze can clearly be attributed to the small, enclosed area of the Wailing Woods. So head to Wailing Woods and grab the star!
How someone gets the Battle Star in Fortnite and finds the treasure in Retail Row, you can see here on YouTube:
Resourceful sleuths have discovered a way to unlock the SMG Vector.45 ACP in Far Cry 5. However, on PS4 and Xbox One, this trick is unfortunately available only to disc owners.
After the Vector.45 ACP was seen in videos before the launch of Far Cry 5, players were quite surprised when every trace of the SMG was missing from the game. However, as clever players demonstrated on Reddit, the Vector.45 is indeed already in the game, but has been made inaccessible by a patch.
It is assumed that the Vector may appear as a reward in one of the upcoming weekly live events. The first live event of Far Cry 5 started on April 3.
How to unlock the Vector.45 ACP “Classic”
With this trick, you can get the Vector.45 ACP “Classic” even before its possible official release. There are methods for both the PC version and Xbox One and PlayStation 4. However, for the consoles, this only applies to the disc version, digital game owners are unfortunately left out this time.
Both methods require Far Cry 5 to be downgraded to version 1.0 for the weapon to become available.
PC Method
On PC, you need to tinker with the installation files, so do yourself a favor and create a backup. Then follow these steps:
Store the files patch.dat and patch.fat found in the installation folder in a different location. These will be needed later.
Copy the files common.dat and common.fat and also store the copies in a different location. However, keep the original files intact!
Rename the copied common.dat and common.fat to patch.dat and patch.fat. Place the files back in the installation folder. This will revert the game to version 1.0.
Now enter the game and create a save file either automatically or manually. Exit Far Cry 5.
Copy the original files patch.dat and patch.fat that you removed in the first step back into the installation folder. These should overwrite the renamed files and bring the game back to the current state.
Enter the game and find a weapon dealer. The Vector.45 ACP “Classic” should now be available for 7,200 dollars.
Console Method
For the consoles Xbox One and PlayStation 4, reverting the game to version 1.0 is somewhat easier than on PC. This method is also only available to those who own a physical copy.
Remove Far Cry 5 from your console, but keep your save file.
Disconnect the console from the internet. You can either go to the device’s network settings or simply unplug the cable from the router.
Now install the game from the disc. Make sure your console is offline, otherwise the latest patch will be installed automatically.
After installation, enter the game and create a save file either automatically or manually. Exit Far Cry 5 again.
Update the game to the latest version.
Enter the game and find a weapon dealer. The Vector.45 ACP “Classic” should now be available for 7,200 dollars.
New highlights of the upcoming Hearthstone expansion “The Witchwood” have been revealed. We show you legendary cards for Mages and Druids!
The next expansion of Hearthstone will be released in just a few weeks. The Witchwood comes with 135 new cards that will shake up the meta significantly. Fans already believe that deck-building will be more fun than ever before. The new cards continue this trend – fun and quirky combinations are clearly in focus.
Druids can look forward to a new version of Aviana. The Duskbringer Aviana is a legendary minion for 5 mana with stats of 3/7. As an effect, it reduces the cost of the first minion played each turn to 0. This effect applies to both players.
Also for Druids is the legendary minion Splitterbark. For 8 mana, it has decent stats of 8/8 and an interesting Battlecry. The player chooses a friendly minion and gets a copy of it added to their hand, which however has the stats of 10/10 and costs 10 mana. The perfect opportunity to finally create a truly monstrous Wisp!
Hunters are gifted a powerful spell. Dark Frenzy costs 4 mana and grants a chosen beast stats of +3/+3. Additionally, 3 copies of this minion are shuffled into the deck, which also receive +3/+3.
Combo Cards for Warlocks
Three new cards of the Warlock have also been revealed.
The first is the minion Blood Witch. For 4 mana, she has solid stats of 3/6 and, in addition, the effect that she deals 1 point of damage to her own hero at the start of the turn. This initially sounds like a clear disadvantage, but can be well combined with the other new cards.
The Nightsucker is a beast with stats of 2/4. As a Battlecry, it also summons two bats with stats of 1/1, if the hero has taken damage this turn.
Similarly, the Deathweb Tarantula works. It is a beast with stats of 4/6 for 5 mana and gains Lifesteal as a Battlecry if its hero has taken damage this turn.
A neutral legendary minion is Puppet Master Dorian with an unprecedented effect. For 5 mana, he has stats of 2/6, which at least promises him some sturdiness. His effect ensures that he summons a 1/1 copy of a minion every time you draw a minion – the drawn minion does not need to be played itself.
In line with the Puppet Master, the neutral minion Voodoo Doll awaits. For 3 mana, this epic minion has only stats of 1/1, but possesses an interesting effect. As a Battlecry, you choose a minion. The Deathrattle of the Voodoo Doll then causes the chosen minion to be destroyed. Especially as a Mage, it is easy to eliminate a large foe cost-effectively.
Speaking of Mages: They will receive Time Weaver Toki. For 6 mana, she has a body of 5/5 and grants the player, through Battlecry, a random legendary minion “from the past.” Past, in this case, means a minion from former card sets that are only allowed in Wild mode. So Mages have a lot of (quirky) RNG again – if they want that in their deck.
What do you think of the new Hearthstone cards? Do you like the fresh Legendaries? Or do they not meet your taste?
The development studio Massive in Malmö, Sweden, is currently not only working on the expansion of the online game The Division and its successor but also a new battle royale shooter similar to Fortnite or PUBG. That’s what an insider says.
Massive is currently quite busy. Fans of The Division want updates and improvements and the sequel The Division 2 has also been announced. In addition, the team is working on a game related to the Avatar film series.
One would think that Massive is well occupied with this. However, according to new rumors, another game is in development.
Battle Royale from the Division creators?
According to an insider, Massive is currently working on a battle royale game. This is said to be inspired by the popular online shooters Fortnite and PUBG (Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds).
According to the insider, Ubisoft was eager to have such a game – of course, considering the immense success of the two mentioned titles.
In January 2018, the publisher reportedly tasked Massive to explore whether and how such a game could be implemented. Subsequently, Massive stated that they could already make something in that direction – and do it in a short time without neglecting the fun factor.
The Division as the basis of the new game
Apparently, The Division will serve as the foundation, as the online game already contains many elements needed for a battle royale shooter. However, these are still unconfirmed rumors that are certainly not far-fetched.
Perhaps we will see something about this game at E3 in June.
The question is: Does the world need another battle royale shooter when players are already voicing a desire to see something new? However, a The Division: Battle Royale would definitely have its appeal…
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The news spread like wildfire on Reddit: Bungie is reportedly sending out invites for a playtest summit for upcoming content in Destiny 2. Many Destiny celebrities have already confirmed their attendance.
During the night of April 4th to 5th, there were increasing reports on Reddit and Twitter that well-known YouTubers and streamers have received official emails from Bungie inviting them to a two-day summit. At this meeting, they are supposed to play and test upcoming content from Destiny 2 and provide their feedback directly to the developers of the studio.
Destiny celebrities are to test upcoming content and provide feedback
Meanwhile, many famous names have confirmed their presence. Datto, Slayerage, King Gothalion, Gigz, TrueVanguard, MTashed, and DrLupo – they are all definitely attending.
The invitations apparently are not limited to content creators with a massive reach. People from the Reddit community surrounding the Destiny series, who have already made a name for themselves with their work or expertise, have also seemingly received invitations. For instance, Reddit user Mercules904, known for his famous weapon spreadsheet for Destiny, has also been summoned to the summit.
According to some participants, the upcoming playtest summit is not the usual and expected promo event ahead of an upcoming expansion. According to DrLupo, this event embodies exactly what many people have been asking for a long time – namely, the targeted collection and sharing of feedback.
The guests are supposed to clearly communicate to Bungie what they like about the future content and what they absolutely do not like. Possible solutions and improvements are to be discussed. It is not supposed to be a show.
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What do you think about this summit? Just a show for the upcoming expansion? Or does Bungie really want to – as announced – finally work more closely with the community?
On April 5, there will be maintenance with server downtime at Fortnite. The game will be offline for a while on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and iOS. The huge player influx makes the maintenance necessary. A patch or an update is not planned. They were already released on Wednesday.
As Epic announced last night on Twitter, today, Thursday, the servers at Fortnite will indeed be going offline for maintenance.
Surprising maintenance at Fortnite on PC, PS4, Xbox One, iOS
The reason is not a new patch – that was released just yesterday. While players are used to little happening at Fortnite on Thursday mornings, due to the servers being down for maintenance, it was actually only supposed to happen every other week.
It was originally planned for players to be able to play normally today.
However, the servers at Fortnite will still go down today, as Epic wants to work on the system on their side to handle the growing player numbers.
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When will the servers go down and when will Fortnite be back?
The update is expected from our perspective to take place at 10:00 AM. In the USA, it is currently 4:00 AM ET on the East Coast, which is late at night; on the West Coast, it is around 1:00 AM.
How long the Fortnite servers will be offline and when Fortnite will be back is not yet known. There is definitely no “extended downtime” announced – the servers could be back online around 12:00 PM.
Update: Indeed. The Fortnite servers were back online around 11:10 AM!
Player influx makes maintenance necessary
The update is necessary because more and more players are discovering Fortnite and this is causing issues. Over the Easter weekend, the influx was so great that Fortnite even had to disable features to reduce the load on the servers. For several days, players could not check their stats.
Now they want to bring an update that improves the “scaling”, so that Fortnite becomes more stable in the future.
Once the servers are back up, there will surely be new challenges for the Battle Pass. You can find information about the new challenges of week 7 in Fortnite here again at Mein MMO.
