Blizzard has announced a new expansion for Hearthstone. The first new cards and the general setting reveal: the Witchwood will be spooky!
A few days ago, the developers of Hearthstone ventured into the woods to “discover something new” – now they have returned! In a parody of the film “Blair Witch Project,” we see the developers navigating through a spooky forest while bringing all sorts of new information about the upcoming Hearthstone expansion: The Witchwood.
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The Witchwood is actually a region in World of Warcraft on the Highmountain where Harpies abound. However, in Hearthstone, it seems to draw more inspiration from Gilneas and enchanted forests from that area. There are all sorts of ghosts, creepy creatures lurking in the shadows, and of course, plenty of Worgen. The setting is eerie, and that is reflected in the design of the cards.
Announcement Trailer for “The Witchwood”
If you are only interested in the cinematic for the addon, you can watch it separately here.
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The crazy mounts in World of Warcraft never cease. Soon, players will be able to fly on bees through Azeroth!
More and more information about the upcoming expansion of World of Warcraft is coming to light. We owe this mainly to the dataminers who scour every new patch of the Alpha version of Battle for Azeroth for every last detail.
Fans are particularly eager for new models, preferably of fresh mounts. After all, you spend a lot of time on mounts to get from A to B, so you naturally want to have the most beautiful ride possible.
Battle for Azeroth seems to put great value on the variety of mounts now, as a bee mount has even been extracted from the game data in various colors. Complete with saddle and even its own honey pot as provisions for the rider.
On icy-veins, an animation has already been released showing the bee mount in motion:
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How to obtain this mount is still uncertain. It is quite possible that the bees will end up as a reputation reward for one of the more “rural” factions of Battle for Azeroth. As soon as there are concrete hints about the origin of the various mounts, you will of course find out from us.
The Premium version of GTA 5 comes with DLC, explosive weapons, and fast vehicles.
In recent weeks, there has been a lot of speculation about the new Premium version of GTA 5. According to Amazon, it was supposed to be released on March 23 for PS4 and Xbox One. However, the listing was removed again. After that, an advertisement appeared on a South Korean rating board. But neither of the two leaks explained what is in the version.
Criminal Enterprise DLC, weapons, vehicles – Contents of the Premium Edition
The website Kotaku UK spoke with several sources who probably know more about the Premium Edition. Kotaku now confirms the release period and contents of the GTA 5 Premium Edition.
Source: Rockstarintel.com
According to sources, the Premium Edition was indeed supposed to be released initially on March 23 but was then postponed by Rockstar to April 2018. The new version is the same as the base game but offers strong content. Of course, the base game is included. Weapons and vehicles from the last years of free GTA updates are included in this new edition. Additionally, the Criminal Enterprise DLC is available.
What’s in the GTA 5 Premium Edition?
The Criminal Enterprise Starter Pack is a DLC that is currently also available separately for €45. It includes not only one million GTA dollars in cash but also the following contents worth over ten million GTA dollars:
Real Estate:
Executive Office in Maze Bank West
Gunrunning Bunker in Paleto Forest
Counterfeit Cash Factory in Senora Desert
Biker Clubhouse in Great Chaparral
Apartment at San Vitas Street 1561
Garage for 10 vehicles at Exceptionalists Way 1337
Vehicles:
Dune FAV
Maibatsu Frogger
Enus Windsor
Obey Omnis
Coquette Classic
Turismo R
Pegassi Vortex
Huntley S
Western Zombie Chopper
Banshee
Weapons, clothing & tattoos:
Compact Grenade Launcher
Precision Rifle
Compact Rifle
Stuntman & Import/Export Outfits, Biker Tattoos
But why the Premium version if nothing new is included?
The mentioned contents are probably disappointing for many fans who were looking forward to new content with the Premium Edition. According to Kotaku, the new Premium version is meant to replace the “Standard Version” and will be sold for the same price.
Therefore, retailers are likely to try to get rid of their remaining stocks of the old GTA 5 versions in the coming weeks. Perhaps a chance to snag a bargain.
One reason for this Premium Edition is the easier start in GTA 5 Online. While there are many ways to earn money quickly, some require capital. With this Premium version, you get a CEO office, a large apartment, a garage, and other “money investments”.
This week at Notebooksbilliger.de, you can get the MSI GL72MVR 2018 gaming laptop with Core i7, GTX 1060, and more at a particularly low price.
With the MSI GL72MVR 2018, you get a very powerful gaming laptop for this price. It features a 17.3-inch display and is powered by the Intel Core i7-7700HQ with 4x 2.80 GHz. Thanks to TurboBoost, you can boost the clock speed to 3.8 GHz.
Additionally, you can expect 6 GB of DDR4 RAM at 2133 MHz, which you can expand up to 32 GB. The hard drive offers one terabyte of storage space, and you can even add an SSD if you want. The graphics performance is delivered by an Nvidia GTX 1060 with 6GB of GDDR5. This laptop comes with only FreeDOS, so you will need your own Windows license if you want to use that operating system.
The MSI GL72MVR 2018 costs you only 989 Euros on sale. Thus, you receive very good performance for a low price. Anyone purchasing the laptop with the 0% financing from Notebooksbilliger.de can save another 50 Euros with the coupon MSIGAME50.
The offers presented here are provided with so-called affiliate links. With a purchase through one of these links, we receive a small commission from the respective provider. This does not affect the price.
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Fortnite(PC, PS4 & Xbox One, iOS) will soon be available for Apple mobile devices. Therefore, if you want to engage in battle royale fights on the iPhone or iPad, you can now register for the Fortnite iOS invitation event.
Epic’s colorful shooter Fortnite is already available on PC, Xbox One, Mac, and PlayStation 4. However, this is not enough for the developers at Epic. Rumor has it that there will be a Switch version in 2018. Just recently, a mobile version of Fortnite was announced.
You can register for the smartphone and tablet version of Fortnite on Apple’s iOS today, March 12, However, it is still unknown when Fortnite will actually launch on iOS.
Invitation Event for iOS Test – Sign Up Today!
Throughout the day on March 12, 2018, the invitation event for the iOS version of Fortnite is supposed to start.
Register on the official Fortnite site from Epic Games with your email address, and with a bit of luck, you will soon receive an email with an invitation code. You can then download and play Fortnite once it goes live.
The Fortnite site is currently overloaded and responding with “504 Gateway Errors.” The site is back online, but the registration option for the iOS test has not yet been implemented. We will keep you updated here if something changes.
In the meantime, the registration page is finally online. The above link is valid. Good luck with the selection! Android users can also sign up. You will be notified when Fortnite is available on Android.
Update: Fortnite.com has been down for maintenance since around 4:15 PM. It should be back online around 6:15 PM.
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Meanwhile, there are also reports (via Forbes) about when the first invitations for Fortnite: Battle Royale iOS are supposed to be sent out. The invitations will NOT be sent out today, but rather “later in the week.” So it will take some time before players can download and play Fortnite on iOS.
However, there is good news: It is said that those who are invited will receive bonus invitations to share with their friends using codes.
The offer is apparently quite popular. Epic’s registration page crashed because too many people tried to sign up.
The mobile version of Fortnite is currently limited to Apple iOS devices. An Android version is expected to follow in a few months. Currently, Fortnite supports the following devices:
iPhone 6S/SE
iPad Mini 4
iPad Pro
iPad Air 2
iPad 2017
If you haven’t received a key yet, don’t lose hope. The developers regularly send out new codes.
Crossplay with PC and PS4 or Xbox
According to Epic, the mobile version of Fortnite is not a separate, scaled-down game for phones. Rather, you should have the same gaming experience as on PC or console. Therefore, crossplay will be available.
It is already confirmed that you can play with PC, Mac, and PlayStation 4. However, initially without gamepad support.
Recently, Epic also announced that the mobile version will soon be compatible with Xbox One as well. However, it will be in a separate crossplay matchmaking list from PS4. PlayStation and Xbox are still not allowed to play together.
Here are the first images from Fortnite Mobile:
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According to community reports, the rollout of update 0.93.4 for Pokémon GO has been stopped. Trainers remain on version 0.91.2.
In recent days, Niantic attempted new updates that apparently still have issues. Version 0.93.3 was released for a few trainers and then stopped. Shortly after, the revised version 0.93.4 followed, but this rollout has now also reportedly come to a halt.
Pokémon GO Update – Issues
The distribution of update 0.93.4 actually started on March 9. However, trainers waited unusually long for the new update. The team from Pokémon GO Hub used Twitter and initiated a survey for the community on March 11. Trainers from all over the world responded that their PlayStore still shows the old Pokémon GO version 0.91.2. This confirmed the community’s suspicion: The distribution of the new update has apparently been halted.
For your overview, we summarize the results of the last few days:
March 6
The Update 0.93.3 is released for the first trainers. There are many changes in the code of Pokémon GO
It turns out that some issues have arisen due to the update, including a timezone error.
March 9
The new Update 0.93.4 is now being distributed. A few changes in the code have been reverted.
Issues like the incorrect timezone have been fixed.
Other errors still persist in the game.
March 11
It seems that Niantic has stopped the rollout of the update.
Now the team will likely continue to work on removing the issues caused in the code for a future update for Pokémon GO. We are therefore expecting either an improved version numbered 0.93.x or a completely new update that separates from the 93 in the version number.
Since March 13, there have been reports from trainers who can now find the update in the App Store and Play Store. It seems that Niantic has resumed the rollout and is now distributing the patch in additional regions.
Players who downloaded new versions early via APK downloads must either deal with the bugs or download version 0.91.2. Which Pokémon GO version are you using?
The second phase of the Overwatch League is in full swing. In this eSports event, a lot of money and prestige are at stake. A good reason for the teams to specifically prepare for their next opponent. They are analyzing and stalking each other, exploiting every weakness.
The Overwatch League is the eSports event for Blizzard’s hero shooter Overwatch. Due to its huge success on Twitch and the growing appeal for sponsors, the league is continuously expanding.
The teams also seem to be slowly realizing the situation they are in. They no longer play in tournaments that are viewed by a small audience. In the league, it’s about the future, about money, and glory.
For over 20 weeks, the 12 teams are fighting for a spot in the finals, where there is a prize pool of one million dollars for the first place alone. This sum and the opportunities that the first place offers seem to be finally sinking in for all the players: The top teams of the Overwatch League mean business
The live audience is just one part of the viewers.
The second phase reveals the true strengths of the teams
The teams have been playing together for a long time in some cases, while others have only recently come together for the Overwatch League. It took a while for the true strength of each team to become apparent.
Strengths and weaknesses must be explored, especially among the teams that still need to coordinate with each other. Some teams are unpredictable: for themselves and for others.
In the first phase of the league, many teams were still in the “self-discovery phase”. In the second phase, however, the rankings change dramatically. Teams that appeared weak are catching up. Favorites are steadily declining.
Opponents are countered strategically, the meta becomes irrelevant
In almost all teams, it shows: they are learning. More and more frequently, the often-known meta is being disregarded, more or less fixed compositions are being broken to make room for specific advantages.
The teams are not merely experimenting with this; they are specifically adjusting to their opponents.
They research their opponents, study them, and train not only for themselves but also to precisely defeat the next enemy. They exploit their opponents’ weaknesses or explore the strongest link of the opposing team to eliminate that one.
For example, it often happens with Seoul Dynasty that their opponents focus only on their star player Fleta. He is then relentlessly pursued, knowing that the team is in trouble without him.
It was particularly noticeable with New York Excelsior, who played Ana against Houston Outlaws – just to counter Muma and his strong Winston.
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The teams can prepare so intensely against each other because games take place over many weeks on four days of the week. Based on the replays, teams can be analyzed precisely, and their opponents can train specifically against their specialties.
In other previous tournaments, this did not work. There, opponents usually had only one opportunity to meet and only a few videos for preparation. Since the league takes place over such a long time, the development is significantly more intense.
The current rankings. The teams face each other multiple times in the league.
Does this also work in the rankings?
However, for improving one’s standing in the rankings, this is unsuitable. The time and opportunity to observe one’s opponents are lacking. However, it can be applied on a smaller scale.
If you notice a player in the opposing team who plays particularly well or poorly, use this information. By targeting these players, the opposing structure can be disrupted.
This buys you valuable time until the opponent adjusts again. Although this requires a good eye and understanding of the game, it can lead you to victory.
The State Minister for Digital Affairs, Dorothee Bär, presents herself controversially and exaggerates some statements. In just a few days, she has survived several shitstorms – were they justified? We take a closer look.
Dorothee Bär from the CSU is Germany’s new State Minister for Digital Affairs and thus has a significant relevance for us gamers. At least when it comes to attention from the internet, Ms. Bär has done everything right – because in recent days, she has been the topic of discussion repeatedly.
Bär had to endure a lot of mockery and scorn last week after she deviated in a television interview on the topic of digitalization and broadband expansion. In her opinion, digitalization is more than just comprehensive access to fast internet. For Bär, digitalization also includes clear application possibilities, such as autonomous driving or the use of flying taxis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcNYXOsDP1Q
Especially the last point made the internet boil over and caused loud laughter. Many comments poured in like “Ms. Bär must have seen too much Star Wars” or titles like “Minister of Daydreams”.
What most of the mockers probably didn’t know: Flying taxis are not a “crazy sci-fi idea,” but are currently being tested in Dubai. The ideas for this largely come from Germany. Ms. Bär was referring to a specific application area that is anything but a figment of the imagination.
There are crazies on Twitter, only old people on Facebook
In an interview with Welt, she made further statements that many people did not like. She referred to the critics and mockers, explaining that “Twitter is not the cradle of innovation in Germany [either].” For her, the reactions in social media are clear evidence that there is still much work ahead of her.
Dorothee Bär also has a strong opinion about social media like Twitter and Facebook. Both platforms are probably not particularly promising for the future, as younger generations are withdrawing more and more from them. She says:
“Younger people [don’t want] to be on a forum that their parents and grandparents find cool. Facebook is becoming a network for seniors. Only politicians, journalists, and psychopaths are on Twitter anyway. I should actually delete my Twitter account. That would make my life easier.”
At least the statements about Facebook can be substantiated, and for months now, it has been complained about a slow “aging” process there. The younger generations are leaving.
The statements about Twitter, however – who would have thought it – caused another shitstorm. That her statements about Twitter should probably be viewed with a pinch of humor is proven by the fact that she regularly posts – and that quite humorously.
Cortyn says: I would really appreciate it if “the internet” would stop constantly taking individual terms and statements out of context and twisting them in the most extreme way possible. Because in my opinion, Ms. Bär said nothing in the overall context that justifies such reactions.
Sure, one can view the statement about Twitter critically and speak of a large generalization – but ultimately she only reflected what had been thrown at her in recent days. Therefore, I think: Let the woman do her thing first; you can always criticize her later if necessary.
What is your opinion on Dorothee Bär and her statements about Twitter, flying taxis, and more?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Fortnite is not only a hit for players, but also for viewers. Large YouTubers are currently gaining 1 million new subscribers per month.
The Fortnite boom is reflected not only in the player numbers of the battle royale from developer Epic Games. On YouTube, videos and streams of the game are popular and are pushing the subscriber numbers of major content creators to new records.
1,700 Videos per Week, 226 Million Views
Some YouTubers must be rubbing their eyes at the end of the month when they see the inflated subscriber numbers. Fortnite is currently the HIT and extremely popular on the video platform. So popular that about 1,700 videos are uploaded per week, which are then viewed 226,376,777 times – insane.
As a comparison, Polygon reports on Minecraft, the second most popular game on YouTube. About 1,050 videos are uploaded per week, which are then “only” clicked 74,398,127 times. The information comes from Letsplayindex.com
The dominance of Fortnite is slowly but surely pushing out videos of other games. YouTuber Keemstar summarizes the events as follows: “Everyone is playing Fortnite; everyone. All other games are dead.” and posts the following image on Twitter:
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With the Fortnite hype, many YouTubers are trying to break through by switching to this game right now and producing videos of it. As the major YouTubers show, this can work.
Video Views Skyrocket
YouTuber Ali-A now has nearly 12 million subscribers. He used to stream other games like Call of Duty, but now focuses on Fortnite. In the last 30 days, his videos were viewed 180,811,360 times, and he gained nearly one million new subscribers. The statistics from SocialBlade clearly show how positively the game has impacted his channel.
Subscribers
Total Video Views, Average Views per Day, Total Views per Month
A large part of his success he attributes to Fortnite. In February, he tweeted that he will continue to enjoy producing Fortnite content for his viewers.
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Besides Ali-A, Ninjais also making great strides on YouTube. We have already reported on the Fortnite pro with great skill, who sets new subscriber records on the livestreaming platform Twitch.TV. On YouTube, his videos were viewed about 99,982,500 times in the last 30 days. Additionally, 2.3 million new subscribers joined him.
Total Video Views, Average Views per Day, Total Views per Month
How Much Money Do YouTubers Make with Fortnite?
Due to this high number of video views, the number of viewers who can potentially watch ads is also increasing. By watching ads, channel operators earn money. Besides sponsors, donations, and paid subscriptions, advertising revenue is an important source of income for YouTubers.
The SocialBlade website states that YouTuber Ninja earns about $300,000 to $4,700,000 per year with his videos. Ali-A is reported to earn between $500,000 and $8,100,000 per year. These large discrepancies arise from various factors such as ad blockers, which are difficult to calculate “exactly.”
You won’t find cheaper credit for the PlayStation Store or Steam. At Alternate, you save 25 euros thanks to paydirekt.
The next releases can come, and you save quite a bit because today it’s worth reloading your credit. For both the PlayStation Store and Steam, you get 80 euros credit for only 61 euros.
You can get this offer at Alternate by selecting the payment method paydirekt and redeeming the voucher code PAYDIREKT_25 at checkout. To get the 80 euros credit, you need to buy four times 20 euros credit each. Please note that the 25 euros discount from paydirekt is deducted from the entire shopping cart for a minimum order value of 75 euros. If you want to buy both credits at a low price, you need to split them into two orders.
In addition to the two credits, you also get the SNES Classic Mini at the best price. This costs only 65.89 euros thanks to the offer and includes 21 pre-installed games.
All prices include shipping costs. All offers are valid while supplies last.
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With regular updates, the developers at Bluehole aim to improve their battle royale hit “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds”. This not only refers to performance improvements but also to combating cheaters.
Targeting cheaters, the team recently released an update focused on anti-cheat measures. However, this seemingly did not go smoothly.
PUBG Rollback – Update withdrawn
On Sunday, March 11, Bluehole rolled back the latest update for PC players. Previously, the PUBG support Twitter account noted that they were aware of crashes related to the anti-cheat update.
The compatibility issues are the reason why the update is being withdrawn now. So if you noticed a small patch on Sunday, you now know the reason for it.
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The problems included lags, stutters, and even crashes. The downside: these issues occurred not only for cheaters but also for “legitimate players”.
Now, thorough work on a solution has to be done to hopefully avoid these issues. In the meantime, PUBG must also do without the new anti-cheat features, which, according to developers, were supposed to be effective.
Additionally, they are investigating another bug that prevents PUBG from starting. Here, they are looking for insights from affected players in the forums of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.
Players who are finally looking for improved performance can look forward to this year. In the roadmap for 2018, the team explains that they want to improve performance. You can see what changes are coming in 2018 on the roadmaps
Sea of Thieves gives away golden bananas for you and your crew. Be quick and grab about €90,000.
To celebrate the release of the pirate adventure Sea of Thieves, Microsoft is launching a treasure hunt in the real and digital world. As a reward, four golden bananas (18 carat) will be up for grabs, each worth around €22,000 (£20,000). Grab three friends and join the treasure hunt to be in with a chance to win the four bananas.
Sea of Thieves – Golden Banana Contest
On Monday, March 19th at 9 AM German time, the “quest” starts. At this time, a riddle will be published that needs to be solved. The quest lasts for three days and requires solutions to 15 riddles to be completed.
On Wednesday, March 21st at 10 PM German time, players from participating countries (USA, Canada, England, France, Germany, and Australia) can submit the answers to the 15 riddles in a form on the Xbox website.
Speed is Key
The first crew from each participating country that has submitted all answers correctly will take part in the semifinals. This will take place on March 22nd and will present the participants with a final riddle.
During the “quest”, participants will also have many opportunities to win instant prizes. After all, the golden bananas are reserved for the winners.
You Can Find Riddles Everywhere
The riddles for the quest can be found online and at locations in the “real world” in Key West, Florida; London, England; Berlin, Germany; Sydney, Australia; Paris, France; and Victoria, Canada. If you can’t be there, you can also find the clues digitally.
On the website xbox.com/thebananaquest, you will find more clues and rules for this competition. The riddles will also be available there once they are published. Nevertheless, you should also keep an eye on the social channels of Xbox and Rare.
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On the Japanese Twitter page, Capcom published a teaser regarding the weapons in Monster Hunter World. It showcased a series of keychains that represent all 14 weapon classes. One spot features a large question mark, which likely holds a secret.
Monster Hunter World features a total of 14 weapon classes, ranging from swift dual blades to heavy hammers and bowguns. These are referred to as classes, as each of these types can be further developed and customized through a weapon tree.
Recently, on Capcom’s Japanese Twitter, a hint suggested that there may soon be more than these 14 weapon classes. In the tweet, Capcom displayed a series of keychains representing each weapon in the game. The shapes of the keychains mirror the icons used in Monster Hunter World for the respective class.
However, in the bottom right of the image, there is a large question mark that Capcom labeled as a mystery.
The keychains show the 14 weapons, plus one secret
The tweet’s caption roughly translates via Google Translate to indicate that there are 15 metallic collectibles. These would showcase the 14 weapon classes and a secret.
Thanks to the tweet, fans began to speculate intensely about what this secret might entail. Speculations lean towards the possibility of a weapon class from older entries in the Monster Hunter franchise being added to Monster Hunter World. The franchise currently boasts a total of 16 weapon classes. In Monster Hunter World, the “Medium Bowgun” and “Tonfa” are not included.
A tease for a new weapon is rather unlikely
However, since this is “just” an image of keychains, it is quite unlikely that Capcom hinted at a new weapon class. A tease in that direction would likely be more substantial.
It is more likely that Capcom wants to surprise fans with which item is still part of the revealed accessories line.
Update: 2:00 PM – After the article was created, I received a message from a hunter residing in Japan. He confirmed that this is not a hint of a new weapon.
The “secret” means that buyers will receive a random charm when they purchase one of these accessories. Additionally, the hunter provided me with a photo showing the charm collection in a merchandise store in Japan.
My source also revealed to me what the 15th weapon in this context means. The 15 on the collector’s box indicates that one of the charms has a special color, which represents a “rare item.”
Thus, this riddle is solved: Case closed.
If Capcom should decide to introduce a new weapon, which one would you wish for?
According to the latest rumors, more than 1,000 people are currently working on The Division 2. This would make it a mega project and the biggest game of all time for Ubisoft. These figures are not officially confirmed, but alongside Massive, five other studios are working on the game.
Somewhat surprisingly, the MMO shooter The Division 2 was announced last Thursday. The game has reportedly been in development since March 2016. Back then, a small team already began conceptualizing The Division 2.
Massive in the lead, 5 Ubisoft studios for support
On Thursday, it was officially stated in a press release from Ubisoft that Massive Entertainment in Malmö is leading the development of The Division 2. In addition, Massive is supported by five other Ubisoft studios:
Ubisoft Annecy
Redstorm
Reflection
Ubisoft Bucharest
and Ubisoft Shanghai.
Allegedly over 1,000 people involved in development
What dimensions The Division 2 has, the website Gamereactor wants to find out now. It quotes a source close to the project, stating: “Currently, over 1,000 people are working on The Division 2. This makes it the largest Ubisoft game of all time.”
However, Ubisoft did not want to officially confirm this.
By comparison: It is known that Bungie currently has over 700 people working on the Destiny franchise titles. Here, Activision has also provided additional studios to support Bungie in the development of Destiny.
The Division 2 is set to be showcased at E3 2018 in June. Until then, no further official information on The Division 2 is expected.
Recently, Bungie released a lot of information about the sandbox adjustments as part of the upcoming update 1.1.4 for Destiny 2. On Twitter, the developers additionally addressed questions from the community.
With the next big update 1.1.4 coming on March 27, many changes are on the way in Destiny 2. The PvP is being fundamentally revised. The sandbox is also being extensively adjusted – that is, the balance of classes and weapons. Recently, Bungie detailed these changes.
Additionally, Josh Hamrick, the sandbox design lead of Destiny 2, answered more questions from the community on Twitter regarding the upcoming sandbox adjustments.
We summarize the most interesting questions and answers for you.
These details about sandbox tuning should not be missed
The community raised some interesting questions, covering many areas of the upcoming sandbox update. And the developers responded surprisingly openly. The first questions focused on upcoming changes to weapons:
Question: I noticed the damage increase for pulse rifles, scouts, etc. in PvE – but not in PvP. Is the reduction of the time to kill intended to be achieved through the buff of our abilities and the more frequent spawning of power ammunition?
Answer: The base damage and precision damage will be raised for both PvE and PvP. In PvE, you will also receive additional bonus damage.
Question: It looks like a lot of weapons are getting a damage boost in PvE. Is this generally 10 percent across the board, or will each weapon type be adjusted individually? Can you provide a rough guideline?
Answer: Each weapon will be adjusted individually. The average buff is currently about 15 percent.
Question: This looks like fun, but I think we need 4 weapon slots. There are just too many weapons in the power slot, don’t you think?
Answer: Try it out when it’s live. As I said, we are far from done. We will continue to work on it.
Question: Sniper rifles and shotguns will always lose out to a one-hit-kill rocket launcher. Always. That’s a very simple decision. What do you think?
Answer: I don’t want to claim I can see into the future, but I can tell you that, in combination with the changes to power ammunition, many fewer rockets have been fired during tests.
Question: Why were there no changes to fusion rifles? Do you think they are good as they are? In PvP, they feel good, but in PvE they seem too weak compared to other weapons.
Answer: We buffed linear fusion rifles and made them a lot better. The regular fusion rifles remain unchanged for now.
Question: The Mida will still be good in the Trials of the Nine. A very good weapon – but without an exotic perk. Doesn’t that make it a normal – albeit solid – weapon?
Answer: In Quickplay, the Mida will still be the old one.
Question: As seen in the video, do you need to briefly stop to pick up power ammunition from defeated enemies?
Answer: Yup. If you want the ammunition, you now need to actively collect it.
Fans were also very interested in the nerf of the Nightstalker and some Hunter exotics. Here’s what they wanted to know from the developers:
Question: Since the Hunter’s invisibility has now been extended by one second, it will certainly be used more regularly and not just as a means of escape. Will the Hunter helm Graviton Forfeit further increase the duration?
Answer: Yes, the Graviton Forfeit remains unchanged.
Question: It looks like the changes are going to hit the Nightstalker focus of the Hunter hard. The Weakness Radar and the Twin Narren no longer matter in competitive modes and in the Trials of the Nine. Aim assist during invisibility is a thing of the past, and smoke grenades are going to be less effective in competitive modes and in the Trials of the Nine as they no longer disrupt the radar. Will the Nightstalker be buffed in any way to compensate for these nerfs?
Answer: No, not at the moment. I must say, though, that I played the Nightstalker in 90% of the tests – even in competitive modes – and I must say, it still plays very effectively. But you should try other exotics in competitive games. For example, I had a lot of fun with the Enemy Finder.
The exotic helm “Enemy Finder”
Question: Is the Weakness Radar now useless in competitive modes since there is no radar?
Answer: Yup, I recommend switching to the Enemy Seeker. However, the Weakness Radar will still be good in Quickplay.
Question: The nerf on aim assist when dodging is really harsh. Especially considering the strong class abilities of the Titan and Warlock. What do you think about that?
Answer: To clarify again – dodging remains unchanged. Only the invisibility was nerfed.
Various questions about general gameplay mechanics, such as cooldowns or time to kill, were also on the agenda:
Question: Will the call-outs in PvP still be displayed? Now that there is no radar, it would be helpful to know where on the map the enemy is located.
Answer: Yup.
Question: Why did you just shorten the super recharge time instead of granting more super energy per kill? That would encourage skill. That’s why I preferred the super system from the predecessor.
Answer: It was an overarching change for PvE and PvP. For us, it felt too long overall. And now that you mention it – we did both. So we shortened the recharge time and now grant a bit more super energy on kills. Good thing you mentioned it, I still need to add it to the patch notes.
Question: The cooldowns for abilities are now up to 2x faster and can stack up to 3x? Did I get that right?
Answer: A three-stack gives you double charge speed. 1 stack 1.33x, 2 stacks 1.67x, and 3 stacks 2x.
Question: Will there be a passive cooldown buff in the background? Or is this completely tied to the mods?
Answer: Maybe. However, nothing is currently planned.
Question: To clarify: Is the time to kill remaining the same while the movement speed increases? That wasn’t entirely clear from the update.
Answer: Some weapons will be buffed to make them more competitive and more prominent. We are working on an ideal time to kill that is roughly equivalent to the TTK of precision auto rifles. Currently, the time to kill and game speed is largely defined by weapons, as the gameplay lacks variety. This leads to a more or less static time to kill that is relatively high. We now want to actively counteract this. Ammunition, ability mods, and perks that increase movement speed and weapons will be adjusted to ensure that the gameplay flow becomes fast and snappy – as we believe players expect from Destiny.
Question: But if you don’t align the time to kill with the adjusted movement speed, it will lead to people simply fleeing from combat, as it still takes too long to take them out, even though they will be much faster. What do you think about that?
Answer: The tests went really well – something definitely happened. There are many gears that come into play here. And as I already said – we are not claiming that we are done. As it is now, it felt right to us and gives you the opportunity to evaluate it together with us.
Question: If the time to kill doesn’t get lowered, many people, including myself, will not return – you know that, right?
Answer: I think you should play the new update 1.1.4 a bit and then talk to us again about how the changes feel. I don’t necessarily want to say that you will change your mind – just that you will have a better picture in mind then.
Did this Q&A round answer some burning questions? Or was there nothing enlightening for you?
Fortnite(PC, PS4 & Xbox One) is expected to run not only on all major consoles and PC, but also to be playable simultaneously on all these platforms. The developers at Epic have long advocated for this crossplay, even between PS4 and Xbox One. Microsoft seems to want it now as well.
According to the developers at Epic Games, their mega hit Fortnite should be playable on all major platforms. This has largely been achieved, the colorful shooting fun runs on PC, Xbox One, Playstation 4, and soon also on smartphones. Only the Nintendo Switch is missing.
Crossplay refers to a feature that allows players on different platforms to play together. So Xbox with PC or smartphone with the computer. So far, Microsoft has mainly stood out in this regard. Games that run on Xbox One and through the Windows 10 Store can usually be played together. A recent example is Sea of Thieves.
Curiously, there has been no crossplay between PC and Xbox for Fortnite so far. Instead, it worked with Sony’s PlayStation 4. However, it was not compatible with crossplay with Xbox One. Yet both the developers at Epic Games and Microsoft would like to change that.
Epic has announced that crossplay between Xbox One, PC, and smartphones will be happening soon.
But apparently, Microsoft and the Fortnite developers want even more.
Crossplay between Xbox One and PS4 highly desired
On Twitter, Phil Spencer, the Xbox boss at Microsoft, was asked by a fan how things looked with crossplay. He really wants crossplay between PS4 and Xbox One. Spencer responded briefly with “Me 2” – “Me too.”
Shortly thereafter, Epic Games chimed in and said, “We 3!”
@XboxP3 hi. I wanted to ask that can XB1 and PS4 players play together in Fortnite? We really want cross-play system between XB1 and PS4 :/
This means that both Epic and Microsoft would like crossplay with PS4. Technically, there is nothing preventing such collaboration. In the past, it worked for a while because Epic accidentally activated crossplay between the two consoles Xbox One and PS4.
Only Sony has been resisting crossplay with the competing console so far. However, it is good to know that otherwise, everyone would likely want crossplay.
The battle royale online game Darwin Project was released as an early access title on PC and Xbox One and seems to be providing a lot of fun for players.
Darwin Project does not want to be just another one of the many battle royale shooters standing in the shadows of Fortnite and PUBG. The game aims to offer something special due to its “show nature” – and players have shown that this can work well during the early access phase.
Battle Royale with viewers
In Darwin Project, you are a participant in a macabre game show. You are dropped into a freezing area and fight against other players until only one person remains. Sounds like a typical battle royale. However, there is both a host and spectators, which is why the matches are also live streamed via Mixer or Twitch.
The spectators can influence the host, as they have many ways to intervene in the game. For example, by detonating a nuclear bomb or making players visible to others on the map and placing a bounty on them.
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This show character leads players to stage themselves as much as possible and entertain the spectators. How this happens is shown in a video from the open beta. The compilation presents you with funny scenes.
Players have fun during a round of Duck-Duck-Goose or try to escape from a nuclear explosion. A host changes the gravity in the game, causing a player to launch themselves directly into a volcano. Another player manages to defeat an enemy using only snowballs, while yet another takes out an opponent with a single precise bow shot. And in the end, there’s a funny serenade for the host.
The funny situations that can arise in Darwin Project from the interaction between players, spectators, and the host definitely have a lot of entertainment value. And you can now join in after the launch in early access .
The Dallas Fuel team in the Overwatch League has released player xQc. He was recently punished by the league for allegedly using an emote in a racist manner. Previously, he had made homophobic remarks. However, some viewers consider this part of internet culture and say xQc has simply been misunderstood.
Félix “xQc” Lengyel is no longer part of the Dallas Fuel roster. The Winston specialist was the main tank for the team but has already been banned by the league twice:
Once for encountering an openly gay player in a way that was deemed homophobic by the league
And another time for his behavior towards a black caster, which was viewed as racist by the league
In both cases, xQc was defended by fans. The “homophobic” remark was considered trash talk among colleagues, and the spamming of a specific emote was not intended to be racist but was part of Twitch culture.
Nevertheless, xQc was punished with game suspensions for both incidents. Now his team is parting ways with the troublemaker.
In a statement from the Dallas Fuel, it says: “Few players have had so much success in such a short time as Félix in competitive Overwatch. But ultimately, it was in the best interest of the Dallas Fuel and Félix to end the collaboration. No one wants Félix to succeed more than we do, and we believe he has a bright future ahead of him. We thank him for his time with us and the passion he brought to Dallas Fuel.”
xQc can now look for another team, and the Dallas Fuel will likely also be active in filling the gap.
As PcGamer notes, xQc only participated in 6 of the Dallas Fuel’s 16 matches. After the first ban, he missed numerous games of his team.
Those who speculated about playing Fortnite: Battle Royale with a Bluetooth-connected controller on mobile or smartphone will now be disappointed. As Epic announced, there will be no controller support for the time being.
But players are also skeptical: What will a touchscreen control look like for such a complex game? Item management, the quite complicated building mode, and resource management – all of this Epic will have to manage with the touchscreen.
As Epic recently announced, there will (for now) be no controller support on mobile devices.
No Controller Support on Smartphones and Tablets
As Eric Williamson, Senior Designer at Epic, stated on Reddit, controller support will be disabled at the launch of Fortnite: Battle Royale on mobile devices. Thus, you will be limited to your touchscreen in the beginning.
This decision carries a certain tension, after all, crossplay is supported optionally. But how can one compete with controller players on consoles using a touchscreen, not to mention PC players with mouse and keyboard?
As Williamson further elaborates, if controller support is activated later, matchmaking with other controller players (on consoles) could also be considered. Since there is no cross-play between Xbox One and Playstation 4, this matchmaking would have to be separated.
Robert thinks: How the control on mobile devices will look is still unclear. However, it is clear that Epic must deliver something truly convincing here for players to use touchscreen controls.
Because up until the announcement that controllers would not be supported on smartphones, I was sure that of course I would use a controller.
The touchscreen controls must be convincing, otherwise, the venture into the mobile world could turn out to be a big mistake.
What do you think about the decision to not allow controllers on smartphones and tablets for the time being?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Summoners in World of Warcraft will soon have more fun again. With Battle for Azeroth, the demon warlocks are getting a makeover!
Demonology warlocks have been in a bad position in World of Warcraft since Legion. They lost their Metamorphosis – a powerful, temporary transformation into a demon with cool extra abilities. The reason was the introduction of demon hunters, who also mastered Metamorphosis. To give demon hunters another unique feature, it had to be taken away from warlocks.
This led to Blizzard giving the demonology warlock a rework with Legion. Instead of becoming a demon themselves, the number of summoned demons was increased. These had to be empowered every few seconds, and it took a long time for the warlock to ramp up and deal damage. Or, in short: Demonology has not been fun for many players anymore.
Now that the Burning Legion is more or less shut down, new leaders are needed for the demons – and evidently, the warlock is taking care of that! With Battle for Azeroth, they will be able to summon more demons than ever before. This refers not only to the number of different creatures but also to the amount of simultaneously active demons. It will often happen that 8, 9, or even 10 demons beat down on the opponent at the same time.
The best news first: Demonic Empowerment is completely gone. This spell was used to grant all active demons 50% speed and additional health for 12 seconds. Since demons were summoned constantly and had a short lifespan, it almost took mathematical precision to cast the spell at the optimal moment. Often, warlocks spammed it “by feel” and it never really felt meaningful.
Also completely gone is Demonic Wrath. This spell was channeled and caused all summoned demons to deal damage around them. This was of little help when a significant portion of the demons consisted of ranged attackers who weren’t even close to the enemy masses.
The missing spells have been replaced by cooler mechanics or special DPS cooldowns with noticeable effects.
Imp Explosion is now available for every demon warlock – Those who want to throw their imps at the enemy and make them explode will surely have a lot of fun.
The Demon Commander summons a strong demon that enhances the duration and damage of all other demons.
Imps have gained more significance, as with Imp Swarm it is possible to summon up to 5 at once. Whenever the imps attack, there is a chance to gain a stack of Molten Core, which in turn reduces the cast time of Soul Fire – a particularly powerful fireball with high burst damage.
These changes are intended to make the demon warlock feel much more active and exciting to play. Whether that really works in reality will be seen in the coming weeks and months as more players enter the alpha and beta of Battle for Azeroth.
