In Destiny 2, the 4th group fight is coming up. Three factions are fighting for victory. And we predict: The winner along with the winning weapon is already determined.
The Crimson Week is coming to an end. Tomorrow, on 20.2., the rose petals will be swept from the tower and the Crucible will be switched back to pure 4v4 PvP.
Right at the end of the Crimson Week, however, the next event is already approaching: The fourth faction rally in Destiny 2.
What makes this event special: The Guardians join at the start of a faction (Dead Orbit, Future War Cult, New Monarchy) and then fight for its cause for a week. They dive into various activities, collect faction tokens, and exchange them for engrams. The faction that produces the most engrams at the end wins the group fight and rewards a winning weapon. The winning weapons of the other factions remain under wraps.
Which faction is likely to win the 4th group fight?
While Dead Orbit was able to win the first group fight, the other two group fights went to New Monarchy.
Future War Cult has yet to win a faction rally. This was also pointed out recently by community manager Cozmo, who wrote that he would support the Future War Cult in the 4th rally. And we also predict: In the 4th faction rally, the Future War Cult will emerge as the winner!
Why is that? Last week, we started a survey on Mein-MMO.de, asking which faction you want to lead to victory. Nearly 1500 readers have voted so far:
The Future War Cult received far the most votes. 27% of all votes went to them.
Dead Orbit is in 2nd place with 17%.
The New Monarchy is in 3rd place with 16%.
Noteworthy: 21% of the votes went to “I don’t know yet / I don’t care”. In the last rallies, this response option was always below 10%.
How meaningful is the Mein-MMO survey? For the first two faction rallies, our readers predicted the outcome of the upcoming rally correctly. For the third rally, the voting outcome was quite close, with our readers seeing Future War Cult slightly ahead by just a few percentage points. However, New Monarchy won.
When it comes to how meaningful a survey is, the number of votes also plays an important role. And the number of voters has significantly decreased in recent months:
Rally 1: About 8000 voters
Rally 2: Nearly 5000 voters
Rally 3: Nearly 2500 voters
Rally 4: Nearly 1500 voters
In summary: This time, the voting result is clearer than last time. The Future War Cult will be the next winning faction. We trust our readers!
What are we fighting for? What are the winning weapons?
These are the winning weapons in the 4th group fight:
Dead Orbit – Pulse Rifle “Eternal Slumber”
The weapon has a fire rate of 360 and these perks:
Adaptive Frame
Under Pressure:Increased stability and precision as the magazine empties.
Choice between:
Alloy Magazine:Increased reload speed when the magazine is empty.
Stability Rounds:Increases stability significantly, slightly reduces range
New Monarchy – Pulse Rifle “Right Action II”
The weapon has a fire rate of 320 and these perks:
High-Caliber Round:Slow rate of fire and high damage. The weapon is more accurate while stationary and using the scope.
Rampage:Kills cause temporarily increased damage. Stacks 3 times.
Choice between:
Improved Rounds:Increases range
Large-Caliber Rounds:Shots from this weapon push targets back further. Slightly increases range
Future War Cult – Scout Rifle “The Dream”
The weapon has a fire rate of 150 and these perks:
High-Caliber Round:Slow rate of fire and high damage. The weapon is more accurate while stationary and using the scope.
Snapshot Sights:It’s faster to use the scope.
Choice between:
Armor-Piercing Rounds: Rounds deal extra damage to enemy shields and penetrate targets above average. Slightly increases range
If you are a member of the winning faction, you will receive the winning weapon the following week for 1000 Glimmer. But all other Guardians can also purchase this weapon – however, for 50,000 Glimmer.
The latest patch of Dead by Daylight has ruined the game. Survivors and killers are wondering by the thousands: What were the developers thinking?
Actually, the developers of Dead by Daylight had a nice event in mind to celebrate the Year of the Dog. Through special offerings, there are specific goals to achieve, which are then rewarded with nice cosmetic items for killers and survivors. A few additional blood points provided the special incentive to keep playing even after obtaining the items.
At least that was the plan of patch 1.9.2 of Dead by Daylight in theory.
Dead by Buglight – the worst patch ever?
However, the number of bugs that have crept into this patch is phenomenal and leaves many players doubting whether the internal quality assurance staff were all on vacation. A few particular examples:
The chase music or the terror radius of the killer activates for survivors even though the killer is on the other side of the map. This causes panic and confusion and even causes some perks to malfunction.
If a survivor loots a chest and is already carrying an item, they often cannot swap it for the item in the chest.
The placement of the Trapper’s bear traps is faulty. The trap is placed at a different location and with a different orientation than displayed in the preview.
Planned changes – Almost as bad as bugs
These bugs are not the only annoyance. In addition, there were a number of planned changes that made both killers and survivors throw their hands up in despair.
Flashlights can now be used to blind a killer while picking up a survivor. This was possible before, but now this change causes the killer to drop the survivor.
An example: The pickup animation takes about 4 seconds. If the killer is blinded within the first second, they finish the pickup (+3 seconds). Afterwards, they suddenly get stunned and drop the survivor.
The same applies to pallets. If the killer is hit by a pallet while picking up a survivor, they drop the survivor after the pickup animation ends.
At least the developers quickly listened to the community and announced the reversal of the pallet and flashlight changes. However, the fact that this adjustment was ever considered a good idea supported by the development team raises concerns for players. The implications were clearly foreseeable and have now resulted in killers losing interest in the game once again.
The patch 1.9.2 may well be the worst update Dead by Daylight has ever released – full of bugs and misjudgments.
Cortyn says: At least the change to pallets makes sense and is reasonable to me. A pallet should pose a danger to the killer, and it has always been silly when you threw the pallet just a fraction of a second too early, resulting in no one getting rescued. However, I see it differently with the flashlights. There are hardly any games (at lower ranks) where not all 3 of 4 survivors carry a flashlight. There is no fun for the killer in that. Instead, you have to “slug” once again – that is, put all survivors on the ground.
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With the patch to game version 3.0.0, it will finally happen – the dominance of the Double Pumpguns in Fortnite: Battle Royale will be broken. Why not much will change nonetheless, our author Robert knows!
They represent the meanest combination in Fortnite: Battle Royale – double Pumpguns. By quickly switching weapons, a fire rate is achieved that is not possible with Pumpguns in a conventional way.
This way, entire teams can be eliminated solo in a short time. This is way too strong, the community has been complaining for a long time. After Epic at least announced that they would look into the issue, more detailed information has emerged on how the Double Pumpguns will be handled.
Epic’s Senior Systems Designer Eric Williamson has now described the specific measures in a Reddit post. Every time a player switches to the Pumpgun in the inventory, they must wait for the pump animation before they can shoot.
This way, it should be prevented that the original fire rate of the Pumpguns is overridden by simple weapon switching. For the double use of Pumpguns this may be true – however, the Pumpgun combined with a tactical shotgun or submachine gun will likely become the new way to play.
Robert thinks: Since only Pumpguns are affected by the planned change, players will simply switch to a tactical shotgun or submachine gun after the initial Pumpgun shot to quickly resolve the fight.
So instead of two Pumpguns, players will now carry a tactical shotgun or submachine gun. It feels like this will change little. At least, Epic has emphasized that they will closely examine the weapon combinations that will prevail.
Further changes are therefore not excluded. The patch 3.0.0 will be released this week – the Double Pumpguns will thus be a thing of the past this week.
What do you think of this change? What weapons will you alternatively choose?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
With Battle for Azeroth, many abilities return that were removed from World of Warcraft. We will tell you which skills these are.
Over the years and many expansions, classes in World of Warcraft have fundamentally changed several times. There have been new talents and fresh abilities, while old talents and skills disappeared. Especially with Cataclysm, Warlords of Draenor, and Legion, Blizzard removed some abilities from the game.
The reasons were varied. Some abilities had too little utility or were only supposed to be available to certain specializations. Other abilities were too powerful and made all classes feel “the same” because they could all stun.
With Battle for Azeroth, the next WoW expansion, Blizzard is reversing course and bringing back some of the previously removed abilities. We will tell you which abilities will soon be available again:
Mage
Arcane Intellect: The popular group buff from Classic returns. The intelligence value of all affected targets (group or raid) is increased by 10% for 60 minutes.
Warlock
Shadow Fury: The area stun is no longer a talent and is now available to all Warlocks.
Shadow Bolt: Affliction Warlocks get Shadow Bolt back. This gives them “one more button” to press – they especially suffered from having too few useful abilities.
Priest
Power Word: Fortitude: All Priests regain the buff that increases the stamina of the group or raid by 10% for 60 minutes.
Leap of Faith: Shadow Priests will once again be able to protect (or troll) their teammates – because Leap of Faith returns. This allows the Shadow Priest to pull a friendly player to their own position.
Warrior
Battle Cry: All Warriors receive Battle Cry as a “new” buff. Battle Cry increases the strength and agility of all group and raid members by 10% for 60 minutes.
Overpower: Arms Warriors get Overpower back after it was previously a talent. The attack cannot be blocked, dodged, or parried and increases the damage of the next Execute or Mortal Strike by 30%.
Shaman
Totem of Tidal Waves: This mass stun is available to every Shaman. A totem that activates after two seconds and stuns all enemies in the vicinity. Currently, this is still a talent.
Tremor Totem: This totem is also returning. For 10 seconds, the totem persists and removes fear, charm, and sleep from all group or raid members.
Druid
Hibernate: Druids will soon be able to put dragons and wild animals to sleep for 40 seconds. This also works with Druids in shapeshift form, leading to funny situations in PvP.
Soothing: All Druids will be able to remove rage effects from enemies. This affects abilities from NPC opponents, but also Warriors in PvP who are much tamer without rage.
Monk
Sweeping Strikes: Windwalker Monks get Sweeping Strikes for free – it no longer requires a talent. Enemies within 5 meters are knocked back and stunned for a few seconds.
Ring of Peace: Also free for Windwalkers is the Ring of Peace, which was previously a talent as well. The Monk creates a large ring for 8 seconds. When enemies enter it, they are knocked back out of it.
Please note that this is still information from the Alpha version of Battle for Azeroth. Therefore, things may change until release.
What do you think about these abilities returning? Are you looking forward to it? Or was it good that things like the Tremor Totem disappeared from the game because they were too powerful?
Star Wars: The Old Republic is combating rumors of an impending demise and shows presence. In the current roadmap, you can see what is planned. Fans are still waiting for the announcement of the next major expansion.
In a forum post, Lead Game Producer Keith Kanneg expresses remorse about past communication. They have reacted too late to players’ concerns, criticism, and comments, giving the impression of having “vanished into thin air.” They intend to change this and lead by example.
The roadmap will now be presented as a forum post to ensure better communication. This roadmap includes plans for the upcoming months. In the forum, they want to engage more in dialogue to show that they are still working on SWTOR and that there has been no standstill.
These are the planned changes for SWTOR in March with Update 5.8
In March, we can expect new romances, events, and changes to the Operation bosses. In detail:
Izax the Destroyer: There will be a Story Mode and a Master Mode for him. However, the Master Mode will only be available for a few bosses in the future, as the focus is on group content. Additionally, there will be an exclusive event for those who defeat him, along with an achievement, a unique title, and a legacy-based reward.
Conquests: They are set to become an activity for guilds and individual participants. A new conquest vendor will appear for those who complete their conquests each week. He will have not only decorations but also a new companion boost called “Commander’s Guide.” Furthermore, the conquest system has been revamped:
New interface.
New daily objectives.
New missions.
Additionally, the backend system has been rewritten.
Companions: Romances with an old enemy or returning companions? Absolutely!
Arcann can now be involved in a romance.
Ashara Zavros and Vector are returning.
Commander’s Guide: It instantly raises the companion’s influence level to 50. However, it is expensive, labor-intensive, and requires completion of personal conquest objectives. Then it can be purchased from the conquest vendor.
The changes being worked on for the future are already known. The roadmap extends through April and even beyond.
The planned updates for April in Patch 5.9
The Nathema Conspiracy is expected to come to a worthy conclusion. There will also be strong new upgrades and rewards. Companions will not be neglected, as they will welcome Felix Iresso, Mako, and Akaavi as returnees.
Outlook 2018 – Fans await a “big expansion” with 6.0
Throughout 2018, more story content is to be added. Kanneg makes it clear that he knows many players prefer to have all changes at once in a “more traditional expansion” rather than divided into several smaller updates. However, he finds it more enjoyable if regular updates occur, rather than waiting endlessly for the big chunk, which is why this approach will mostly continue.
But what exactly will come in the game update 6.0 and in the upcoming seasons will be announced over time. They are definitely looking forward to more fruitful discussions with the community and will frequent the forums more often.
What do you think of the planned changes? Does anything attract you, or are you indifferent?
The MMORPG Black Desert has big plans for 2018: A port to Xbox One is planned, along with a graphics update. But currently, there are other concerns: Parts of the community are annoyed about new items in the cash shop and ongoing issues with lags and bugs. They want to unleash a shitstorm.
Black Desert: Good Times …
If we believe the statements from Pearl Abyss, the developers of Black Desert, then their MMORPG is doing splendidly:
In North America and Europe, Black Desert is received better than in South Korea. There, weak PCs in internet cafes are hindering success.
Furthermore, Pearl Abyss has big plans for the future, wants to support Black Desert with content and enhance its graphics – even more games are in planning.
Currently, the developer admits that revenues in North America and Europe aren’t as robust anymore, but Pearl Abyss thinks: This will stabilize again with the new class Rahn and a series of events.
… Bad Times
So everything is great? No. In the western community of Black Desert, tensions are rising. There are several fundamental issues:
The game is laggy and does not perform well – disconnect problems have plagued North America for a while.
There are annoying bugs, and there is a feeling that the western version is being treated unfairly.
And the credibility of the developers is repeatedly criticized and questioned.
Boon of Kamasilve Tips the Scale
Currently, the frustration is centered around the item “Boon of Kamasilve.” This item boosts loot, thus impacting progress in the game.
Frustration is fueled by statements from a community manager from February 2016. It was said that the item would not come to the cash shop but would land in the loyalty store. This rewards “loyal players” for their playtime. Items in there can be obtained for free.
However, the item appeared in the Black Desert cash shop on February 14 and is tradable in the auction house. This and the contradiction to earlier statements has led some to lose their temper.
Black Desert Fan Wants to Unleash a Shitstorm, but it’s Only Moderately Successful
This post has been sent, according to their own statements, to gaming sites in the hope of unleashing a massive shitstorm and putting pressure on Pearl Abyss. However: The discussion doesn’t really stir up much trouble. Black Desert is probably just too niche for the frustration to reach Star Wars proportions.
Only a few MMO-specialized sites in the USA report on the issues.
Even on reddit, this form of protest only creates moderate waves. More attention is garnered by this poem:
In the comments, many are indeed disappointed about the cash shop and RNG elements that Black Desert has. However, some also see the problems more differentiated and say: Well, the statements are 2 years old – they change eventually.
We have also dealt with the RNG elements in Black Desert:
In Fortnite: Battle Royale (PC, PS4 & Xbox One) you can not only stand out grandiosly with the new Valentine’s skins. You can also disguise yourself as a harmless statue if your opponent isn’t paying attention.
Fortnite: Battle Royale regularly gets new skins added. Especially for holidays like Christmas, Halloween, or Valentine’s Day, there are special outfits and skins that make your battle royale heroes even more impressive in battle.
Normally, the special skins are particularly striking and outlandish, but in one case, exactly the opposite was true!
Brightly Colored Skins for Valentine’s Day
In the current Valentine’s offer, there are two outrageously expensive legendary skins. The “Chief Cuddle Officer” is a scruffy pink teddy bear and the “Love Ranger” is a kind of living statue of a martial god of love.
With his pink pants, a toga, and wings(!), this skin should also be quite visible. But apparently, some players expect exactly such “decorations” in cemeteries in the colorful Fortnite world. Otherwise, the following situation cannot be explained.
“Oops, the statue just headshot me!”
On Reddit, there is a video showing a player with the Love Ranger skin climbing onto a pillar in a cemetery in Fortnite. He sits there like a statue and does nothing. Suddenly, another player comes running towards the pillar.
However, the player with the skin remains calm and does nothing. And indeed, his sneaky plan works. The other player actually sees him as a soulless and lifeless piece of decoration and takes cover right in front of the pillar to enjoy a potion.
The “statue player” does not miss the opportunity, aims with the gun, and spectacularly takes out the opponent with a precise double headshot. The video is titled on Reddit “The Proof of Why Fortnite Is Pay2Win”, but that’s probably not meant seriously.
Outside of this bizarre situation, with the 20 euro skin, one should be rather better recognized than worse.
What do you think about the way Pokémon GO handles shiny monsters?
Shinies. These are special types of Pokémon that stand out due to color differences and are extremely rare. In some monsters, these differences are especially pronounced. Trainers can immediately recognize a shiny creature. For example, you encounter a shiny Magikarp in yellow/golden color instead of its natural red. Instead of “shiny,” one could also say “iridescent.”
In many Pokémon games on devices like the Nintendo 3DS, almost every monster in the game can be caught in its shiny variant. In Pokémon GO, however, the developers follow a different plan.
Careful, one at a time
Instead of releasing shiny variants in Pokémon GO from the start, there were none at all. Niantic’s shiny plan for Pokémon GO requires trainers to be very patient. Instead of releasing all shinies at the beginning, they are slowly making their way into the game.
A big step for Pokémon GO, the community was excited. Finally, trainers could at least expand their PokéDex with one type of these especially rare creatures.
Then, with little delay, the next shiny monsters followed: In October 2017, for the Halloween event, shiny ghosts from the 3rd generation entered the game.
Many trainers wonder where the shiny monsters of the second generation remain. So far, only Pichu is known as a shiny from the second generation.
In the meantime, a few more shiny Pokémon from the 3rd generation followed. Just last week, five new shinies followed (Luvdisc, Swablu+Altaria, Poochyena+Mightyena) We show you an overview of all shiny Pokémon here.
In a few days, the second Community Day will follow with Dratini as the special Pokémon. Here we suspect that the shiny variant of this dragon and its evolutions will also be unlocked.
Would you rather release them all at once?
In the community, there has long been discussion about Niantic’s approach regarding shiny monsters. Is it all right like this? Why do they only let selected monsters “piece by piece” into the game instead of releasing them all at once?
Here, the trainers are divided:
One side is pleased with Niantic’s tactic
Through the slow, individual releases, there are always new reasons to go hunting. This way, the game remains interesting for these trainers.
Others want Niantic to simply flip the switch and release all monsters
That every monster should ideally have the same chance to appear as shiny. That would mean more variety and eliminate artificial delays.
We ask you: What do you prefer?
Our Pokémon GO community is very passionate about it. We always notice this in the comments under our articles, but also in our Pokémon GO group on Facebook. The comments on our Facebook page for Pokémon GO are also always full of great ideas and wishes.
For this reason, we would like to know your opinion on the current shiny “release system.”
Do you think it’s good the way Niantic releases shinies piece by piece?
Or should the shiny variants of all monsters in Pokémon GO be fully available right away?
Here should now be a survey. Those who cannot see this should turn off their ad blocker or other plugins or click here.
South Park introduced the idea in 2007, which he implemented in 2018. This World of Warcraft player reaches level 60 by killing boars and celebrates it in a livestream.
About a month ago, we reported here on Mein-MMO.de about a frustrated WoW player who set a big goal: In a bet, the player IanXplosion declared that he would do a “speedrun” from level 1 to level 60 in WoW by only killing boars.
Fans recognized the reference to the legendary WoW episode in South Park and celebrated it. In the South Park episode “Make Love, not Warcraft”, the friends have to level up to level 60 in the starting area by killing boars because a nasty griefer would mercilessly slaughter them everywhere else.
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IanXplosion really pulled it off: He shared the grand finale with many viewers in the livestream.
Level 60 with “almost” only boar kills
Since the announcement of his speedrun, many viewers have gathered who were excited about IanXplosion’s idea. Many viewers regularly tuned into his livestreams on Twitch, showing their support. Players subscribed to his channel and sent donations.
On February 17, it finally happened. About a month after starting his challenge, he was close to the magical “level 60”. That was the big goal he set out to achieve when he started his bet.
When the last boar necessary for this fell to the ground and the golden 60 popped up on the screen, the relief was clearly visible on the streamer.
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With a loud “Get FUCKED” he bids farewell to the infested boar, throws his arms in the air, and can barely contain his joy on the chair afterwards.
He has managed to level up from level 1 to level 60 in World of Warcraft, while forgoing quests and focusing mostly on killing boars. In between, some enemies that can’t be called “boar” fell due to carelessness. But that only happened in exceptional cases and does not diminish IanXplosion’s great achievement at all.
In the following clip, for example, a Scourge Soldier dies while IanXplosion is not looking at the screen.
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The British company Bidvine hires FIFA-18 players to train less skilled gamers. Coaches can expect a salary of around 17 euros per hour.
The competitive aspect of FIFA 18 is booming and growing year by year, whether through FUT or eSport tournaments. This is also noticeable in the FIFA community. Some players are no longer satisfied with YouTube tutorials; they want to learn from the best. The British company Bidvine is now taking advantage of this.
FIFA teachers must play at least League 1
The company offers strong FIFA players the opportunity to earn a small pocket money. Of course, everyone must prove their skills when applying – below League 1 in online or FUT seasons, nothing works.
The price can be determined by the coaches themselves; for example, if a player competes at Top 100 level, they can certainly demand more. According to the English news site Mirror, coaches earn about 15 pounds per hour, which is approximately 17 euros.
The training takes place online. The teacher either plays against their client or watches their livestream, analyzes the game of their pupil, and gives tips. This can include offensive or defensive tactics, as well as appropriate behavior in the Ultimate Team transfer market.
Bidvine brings together ambitious players seeking help and experts who want to teach others something. Bidvine also offers this mediation outside of gaming topics. The platform can best be described as a tutoring portal. In November 2017, Bidvine started looking for trainers for Call of Duty, and recently they have also begun offering FIFA 18 coaching.
For Bidvine co-founder Russ Morgan, it is especially important that “FIFA seems to be one of those games where skill matters – you can’t just be good at it automatically.” Therefore, he is not surprised that there is high demand for FIFA teachers. According to his statements, several thousand potential trainers and players who want to use the service have already registered.
How clients and experts find each other
To find a coach as a player, you simply need to fill out a form on Bidvine. There you indicate the areas in which you need help, on which platform you play, as well as your preferred training time and duration.
After filling out, a FIFA pro is assigned to the client whose details match those of the coach seeker. On the same page, there is also the option to register as a pro.
FIFA coaching in Germany
Here in Germany, there is already the possibility to be coached by professionals, but with a different concept. So far, it has only been fixed teams that usually consist of a small group of professional players and offer coaching.
Bpartgaming, for example, offers individual/group or offline coaching, and you are supervised by the founders, all of whom are Top 100 players.
At esports-highschool, you can even arrange hours with real e-sports athletes like Kai “deto” Wollin or Cihan Yasalar. The prices, however, are quite high: For an hour with deto, you pay 60 euros, while Cihan demands even 70 euros.
Destiny 2 is giving our author Schuhmann a headache. The game is now experiencing the crisis that it should have had in February 2015. Maybe that’s a good thing.
We at Mein MMO and I as editor-in-chief have been covering MMOs and MMORPGs since 2014. Over the past four years, we have witnessed some high-profile launches:
The Elder Scrolls Online (April 2014)
WildStar (June 2014)
Destiny (September 2014)
or The Division (March 2016).
In three of the four cases, the launches were difficult, and the mood shifted from “excited anticipation” to “blank horror” in the first six months.
Six months after the release, hardly anyone would have given a nickel for WildStar, The Elder Scrolls Online, or The Division. The games were in crisis mode.
If you look at the reader comments from back then: It sounds as if the games were total flops and the developers were severely scolded. Or worse: Fans were already apathetic and had disappointedly given up on the game.
Destiny 1 is the exception to this rule. Bungie’s shooter was spared such a crisis in February 2015, six months after its release. But now, Destiny 2 is experiencing precisely this crisis in 2018.
Is that a reason for concern or hope?
Crisis in New MMOs and MMORPGs is Actually Inevitable
Practically every MMO or MMORPG from a studio that is new to the online business goes through a crisis.
The problem is: The studios behind these games do not know what to expect at launch. They can be as well-prepared as they want: They simply do not know.
Their game, which they developed years ago, simply does not work as players now want it to, how it should work.
This type of “live game” has a much higher load and pace than a conventional game.
With a “normal game,” the tension in the development team goes down at launch. You take a breather and catch up on your vacation. In online games, the work escalates to the next level with the release. Right from the launch, fans are crying out for “more content” and the teams have to get back to work. Now, every day matters.
Under this pressure and new conditions, “fresh” online studios have crumbled more than once.
WildStar, The Elder Scrolls Online, The Division – Dead Six Months After Launch
Every game suffers from individual problems at launch that must be addressed immediately because the fans are already brandishing torches and pitchforks. Something definitely is not going as expected:
WildStar suffered from bugs and design weaknesses
The Elder Scrolls Online’s endgame was a disaster. ESO was plagued by phasing problems and suffered from severe issues with bots, balance, and gameplay
And The Division was so plagued by glitches, bugs, and exploits that hardly anyone cared about the game anymore
After a Few Months, the Pressure Increases
Normally, these problems appear at launch, but they intensify after a few weeks.
The reason is: New MMOs or MMORPGs usually provide a polished leveling experience up to the maximum level, which entertains for a few weeks
However, this experience lasts only a short time. The fresh content eventually runs out. Once this honeymoon phase is over, the endgame of a game must impress. However, all MMOs exhibit weaknesses in the first months after release: The crisis intensifies because new content is lacking or cannot meet expectations.
Usually, a new online game reaches a low point after half a year.
In fact, WildStar, The Division, and The Elder Scrolls Online were nearly done six months after their release. Nobody would have given much thought to the three games. There was a destructively negative mood in the community of all these games.
The Allure of the New Enables Destiny to Escape Unscathed
Strangely enough, it was different with Destiny.
Destiny went through a strange curve at release. There was criticism of the story and the loot system, and many left quickly. But those who stayed began to succumb to the strange allure of Destiny. Players were eager to reach the maximum level and had to grind and farm the raid.
For many shooter fans, Destiny was the first encounter with “MMO mechanics”: Everything was new and exciting. In retrospect, the first months of Destiny 1 were golden times for many, even though there were many weaknesses – just like with other games.
While players were furious about the first item reset in the DLC “Darkness Rises” and considered the DLCs a cheek, they fell in love with the obscure narration through Grimoire cards or engaged with the intricacies of the design of their characters.
Moreover, what was special about Destiny was: Nobody quite knew what kind of game it was. There was nothing comparable. The mere combination of shooter and raid kept players engaged until February. Also, the world of Destiny seemed to offer so many possibilities.
Some of the first wishes included things like:
Let’s live on that ship!
Or battles could break out in space.
Or we travel to new, yet undiscovered worlds, meet new aliens, and shoot them in the face.
In February, it was unclear how Destiny would develop. But everyone had an idea, a vision about it. There was consensus that it was already good and could only get better. Destiny has enormous potential.
The result: While Destiny 1 had difficulties, it did not experience the same crisis that other games did. Everything continued somehow.
The Division and The Elder Scrolls Online Emerged Stronger from the Crisis
The other games were not so fortunate. In WildStar, The Division, and The Elder Scrolls Online, players had clear expectations of how the games should be:
WildStar should be like WoW, but like before and better
The Elder Scrolls Online should function like Skyrim
and The Division should basically be like Destiny, just better and with Tom Clancy and so on
And the games failed because of that. Six months after the release, WildStar, The Division, and The Elder Scrolls Online were all in a crisis.
In The Division and The Elder Scrolls Online, crisis meetings were called, and plans were made with players to ultimately pull through about a year later.
ESO and The Division made a solemn promise at that time, laid their cards on the table, and were willing to turn over every stone to save the game.
In The Division, about six months after release, the legendary phrase was uttered: “Our game is not fun.”
In The Elder Scrolls Online, developers and the most loyal fans were gathered in one room and asked: “If you think the endgame is good, please raise your hand.” When no hands went up – not even from the developers – that was the turning point in the history of The Elder Scrolls Online.
The team at WildStar, however, ultimately failed to achieve such a moment. A Free2Play attempt was unsuccessful. WildStar still exists, it still has its fans, and we think, WildStar should be played a lot more as a free MMORPG: but WildStar has long since fallen out of the league of successful online games.
In contrast, everything functioned without a crisis mood and chaos in Destiny. The expansion The Taken King was released, and the hopes of many players were fulfilled. Afterward, there was relatively little for two years in Destiny, but a crisis did not break out. Players waited for Destiny 2, still driven by the hope: Now it’s already good, and it will surely only get better.
Somehow, Destiny avoided the crisis back in 2014 and 2015 – today, it seems: that time was bought at a high price. The crisis was only prolonged like a flu.
Crisis Can Also Be an Opportunity
It is interesting to see where the three games stand after their respective crises.
WildStar has essentially sunk into insignificance and broken upon the crisis: A turnaround never really occurred. Even if the game improved, success did not return.
Destiny did not have a crisis but crept from content gap to content gap after the strong expansion in autumn 2015 with the promise that Destiny 2 would be much better. However, Bungie seems to have postponed structural weaknesses that keep showing up and likely resulted in a catastrophic reboot in Destiny 2.
This reboot, some strange design decisions, and a series of misfortunes have now plunged Destiny 2 into a crisis similar to those that other games experienced six months after release.
Perhaps This is the Crisis Destiny 2 Simply Needs
The depressing yet reassuring thing is that Destiny 2 is also in a crisis like The Elder Scrolls Online, WildStar, and The Division six months after their release. So, this is actually normal.
Only: Now players know how Destiny 2 should be (namely like Destiny 1, just better and more innovative). Destiny 2 no longer has the “bonus of the new.” Worse yet: For Destiny veterans, it doesn’t feel like Destiny 2 was just released half a year ago, but rather that three and a half years have passed since the release.
This is also aided by Bungie’s repair plans, which essentially aim for “Let’s do it again like in Destiny 1.”
But: The crisis can also be reassuring. Just as The Division and The Elder Scrolls Online managed to resolve their challenges within a year, Destiny 2 can also succeed.
The first signs that Bungie is now thinking differently and making changes are clearly visible.
Destiny 2 can emerge strengthened from the crisis – just as the other games have managed to do. However, players will not be very understanding of this.
By the way: A year ago, we wanted to give players of The Division hope with a reference to The Elder Scrolls Online. Back then, no one believed it:
Warframe received the “Shrines of Eidolon” update, which introduced two new bosses for its open-world map – the Gantulyst and Hydrolyst. These two giants are challenging, dangerous, and colorful! Our author Leya teamed up with two experts for the hunt and finds: This is not for noobs.
In October 2017, the “Plains of Eidolon” arrived in Warframe and for the first time introduced an open-world map. This opened up the corridors of the lobby shooter and Warframe has looked more like an MMO since then. That was the time when I, Leya, dove into the online shooter and became a Space Ninja myself.
In the Plains, a terrible beast has always appeared at night that belongs to the Eidolon: the Teralyst. He is a gigantic Eidolon Sentient that roams aimlessly through the plains. He is the first Eidolon to find his way into Warframe and can be seen as a raid boss. The Teralyst has various phases and many attacks such as ground stompers, projectiles, or deafening screams.
The Teralyst offered a new challenge to all advanced players. However, they have now learned to deal with the beast and can slaughter the Teralyst at will.
Warning: The following text contains slight spoilers for the late-game content of Warframe.
He was the first Eidolon in the Plains: The Teralyst
Gantulyst and Hydrolyst are the new bosses and they pack a punch!
The Gantulyst and Hydrolyst are “the new ones” in the Plains of Eidolon. These Eidolons have been part of the open-world map since the “Shrine of Eidolon” update and are even more powerful and stronger than the Teralyst.
The Gantulyst has a huge rock as an arm. He possesses powerful energy beams with which he shoots around. Despite all his might, the Gantulyst is venerated cultishly. The Ostron have erected a shrine to earn his favor.
The Hydrolyst is feared by the Ostron, glows green, and is said to stink revolting of rot and decay. The Hydrolyst relies on poison and acid and is considered a harbinger of natural disasters. He unleashes dangerous attacks all around.
If you haven’t mastered the Teralyst yet, don’t even think about tackling the new Eidolons. They are a significant step up from the first boss and unleash a tremendous barrage of attacks – quite literally!
Curiosity drove me into battle – But I was not alone
I was curious about how the battle against these new bosses would unfold and sought help. I asked two experienced players to take me to the plains so I could witness the spectacle. Tenno Vanthenos – official “Guide of the Lotus” – and Tenno Mentorevil agreed to take me on the wild journey.
They held Mastery Rank (MR) 25, the currently highest rank in Warframe, had been playing the free-to-play shooter for years, and had already taken down countless Teralysts. I am currently MR 9 and had yet to confront any Teralysts until now.
The poisonous Hydrolyst.
New Eidolons are like a laser light show that shoots dangerous attacks!
If you thought the Teralyst had a wide arsenal of effective attacks, you haven’t seen the two new beasts yet. They unleash a massive and colorful fireworks display of lasers, shots, stomps, shockwaves, shields, and screams – it is impressive and frightening at the same time.
The course of the battles against the new Eidolons proceeds similarly to that against the Teralyst:
The Eidolons only appear at night in the plains
Players can choose whether to face only the Teralyst or all three bosses
Eidolon bait is needed to capture and weaken the beasts
Eidolons are immune to any damage as long as their shield has not been destroyed
With Void beams, the shields must be weakened and removed
Now the weak points, like on arms and knees, are exposed and can be attacked with conventional weapons
After being defeated, the Eidolon drops special shards. These must be taken to Gara Toht Lake and sacrificed. This will summon a new Eidolon.
“The Gantulyst is for veterans, the Hydrolyst for newcomers”
The Gantulyst is significantly faster and stronger than the Teralyst. The Hydrolyst offers an insane increase in effects, lightning, and attacks that require full concentration and skill!
My companion Tenno Mentorevil summarized the battles with the new Eidolon like this: “The Gantulyst is definitely for veterans. The Hydrolyst is for newcomers!”
Not for the faint-hearted: Constantly pushed, blinded, and knocked down
One thing is certain: The new Eidolon in Warframe give you nothing!
Their attack patterns leave you hardly any breathing room. Both the Gantulyst and the Hydrolyst have heavy AoE attacks that constantly take the ground from under your feet. There are huge shockwaves that fling you across the entire map. Just when you manage to get back up, a lightning strike is hurled at you.
Just when the weak points of the monsters are revealed and you think you have free rein to start shooting, another lightning strike, a shockwave, a flash comes, and you are down – multiple times. Amid the constant shoving, time must also be found to attack.
Anyone who has completed the quest “The War Within” knows that Warframes are actually combat suits controlled by children with Void powers. From this point onward, the children, also called Operators, can be controlled and used in battle as well. The Void powers are needed to take down the Eidolon.
Anyone who enters a fight against an Eidolon now must constantly switch between Warframe and Operator to destroy them with the combination of Void powers and firearms.
This switching and the constant attacks with nearly psychedelic special effects can drive you to your last nerve and are epic at the same time!
Gantulyst and Hydrolyst bring challenging and cool content to Warframe
Fortunately, I had two veterans by my side, Vanthenos and Mentorevil, who knew what they were doing. I absolutely did not, and I was unable to help my companions.
In the past few months, I had been even more focused on playing the content that existed before the Plains of Eidolon. I mostly avoided the plains and only knew broadly how to fight against the Teralyst or Eidolons in general.
The fights with the Eidolons confused me, as they simply seemed like gigantic, glowing disco balls of death. At times, it was impossible for me to see what was happening due to all the special effects.
The new Eidolons are definitely not for noobs and offer quite challenging battles. Anyone who has fought the three bosses a few times will eventually be able to memorize the attack patterns of the Eidolon, despite the laser light show.
After the three battles, the two veterans and I agreed that the new Eidolons can be classified as end-game content. The Eidolons in a trio feel like epic raid bosses that need to be mastered and require good teamwork.
They will initially replace the old raids (Trials) that were removed from Warframe. Because now the Eidolons drop the “Arcanes” as rewards, which were only available in the old raids. These are special upgrade components for the equipment.
The mobile MOBA Vainglory (iOS and Android) now allows larger groups of players to compete against each other. The new update introduces 5-versus-5 battles – just like the big MOBAs on PC, such as LoL or Dota 2.
Previously, you always fought in MOBA matches in Vainglory in teams of three players. This mode still exists, but it is now complemented with another option thanks to the new update. If you want to experience larger battles, you can now join together in groups of five and compete against five other players.
New Game Mode
With the update, you can look forward to new tactical possibilities in the MOBA:
5-vs-5 battles
Still three lanes
No performance loss despite more players
New music track for the 5-vs-5 mode
Adaptive music that responds to the events in the game
Lunar New Year Event and eSport Adjustments
Furthermore, the Lunar New Year event has also been announced, which will take place from February 15 to 22. As part of the event, you can obtain special skins with the New Year’s theme.
The pre-season of the Premier League of the online game starting in April will already utilize the 5-vs-5 mode. Games will be played on a special version of the Sovereign’s Rise Map, which has been adapted for the new mode.
The 1000-player “Project X” has now been introduced with its name and teaser. Are you excited about Mavericks: Proving Grounds with its 400-player Battle Royale mode like PUBG?
Under the name “Project X”, the 1000-player game from Automaton has been presented so far. Now the game, which also offers a 400-player Battle Royale mode, has revealed its official name: Mavericks: Proving Grounds.
Mavericks: Proving Grounds Teaser
In a teaser video, the developers want to convey the first impressions of the atmosphere of Mavericks: Proving Grounds. Driven by MMO wonder technology SpatialOS, a unique gaming experience is expected to unfold.
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The teaser was presented at the PC Gamer Weekender. Unfortunately, we still have to wait for images of weapon gameplay. At least the video shows how beautiful the environment and the weather look.
Release of Mavericks Proving Grounds as Battle Royale XXL still in 2018
As the developers of Mavericks revealed, the Last Person Standing mode is expected to be released in 2018.
Up to 400 players will then fight each other in a match on a large map. There, as seen in the trailer, you will encounter a vibrant environment. This includes an active wildlife, dynamic water, and other realistic features. In 2019, the open MMO world is expected to follow.
Also planned is a social hub called The Capital. In this city, players can trade, register clans, and track ranks and achievements.
Nightblades are one of the most powerful DD classes in The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO). Find out in our guide for Nightblade damage dealers how to get a max DPS build for PvE in 2018.
The Nightblade is the “rogue class” in The Elder Scrolls Online. While it can also act as a healer or tank, it unleashes its potential when it comes to slaughtering. We present here a fun Nightblade build that focuses on stamina and deals massive damage!
The Elder Scrolls Online – The Nightblade as a Stamina Damage Dealer in PvE
This version of the Nightblade does what Nightblades love to do: unleash immense amounts of burst damage in a short time. They are slaughter machines. This makes them excellent DPS heroes in endgame instances like raids, the Maelstrom Arena, or hardcore dungeons.
Race: Ideally, you are a Nord or a Khajiit. Nord gets stamina back particularly well, while the Khajiit can deal even more DPS!
Armor: You use 6 medium armor pieces for the stamina bonus, along with one heavy armor piece.
Weapons: You use either an axe and a dagger or two daggers, depending on which sets you already own. In the second slot, you have a bow.
Mundus Stone: “The Warrior” is ideal here, as it increases weapon damage.
Attributes: You allocate all your points to stamina.
The equipment bonuses you should focus on with the Nightblade
You use the “Divine” trait on your armor. This maximizes your Mundus Stone. Your axe, or the first dagger, has the trait “Nirn-honed”, while the second weapon is “Infused”.
Your bow is also “Nirn-honed”. For glyphs, you use stamina glyphs on the armor and a weapon damage enchantment on your jewelry. Weapon number 1 gets a suitable poison glyph, and the second weapon gets a weapon glyph. The bow gets a decay glyph.
Recommended sets for the Nightblade in The Elder Scrolls Online
The sets “War Machine” (dropped from the Halls of Fabrication) as well as the craftable set “Mechanic’s Eye” and the monster helm set “Velidreth” (dropped in the Cradle of Shadows on Veteran, the shoulders can be found in the Undaunted Chest from Ulgarlag) are particularly suitable here.
Your axe and dagger also come from the War Machine set. The bow is from the Maelstrom Arena. Alternatively, you can use the craftable sets “Hunding’s Rage” for your armor and “Mother’s Sorrow” for helm, shoulders, and weapons.
Make sure to get the War Machine set as soon as possible, as it greatly improves DPS.
There is constant chatter about the absurd armors of female characters, but the male side has plenty of ominous designs to offer as well! Using World of Warcraft as an example, our author Guddy demonstrates that male characters also wear impractical armor. Guddy is fascinated by warrior armors in WoW.
When it comes to “completely outrageous and impractical armors in video games”, one instantly thinks of the metal bikinis worn by women that only cover nipples and pubic areas. Yes, yes, “sexualization and sexism yay!”, is often waved off with an eye roll, and in a half-asleep state, one might murmur something like “But it’s just fantasy” or “Women should wear the same armors as men, anything else is just complete nonsense!”
However, Red Sonja should be left out of this article because when I think of crazy armors, I think of the plates worn by the men in World of Warcraft.
Heroic Plate? Not a chance!
Once, my warrior took his first steps on Azeroth’s soil and enjoyed his ordinary leather outfit. It could only get better! Just a few more levels and he would trade leather for shiny plate and finally look heroic!
However, he had no idea that in Azeroth, it’s not classic warrior chic that’s in fashion, but rather silly designs!
This is how the armor designers of WoW think
The basics of armor design in WoW look like this:
Weapon x headgear = awesome helmet!
Shoulder protection x oversized = great idea!
Plate + spikes = totally badass!
Armor – functionality = the ultimate trend!
Fighter in ice + plate = not cold at all!
Armor + bright colors = awesome!
But: If every piece of armor were authentic, the visuals of WoW would quickly become boring. I can tolerate bright colors, absurd designs, and naked skin, especially since certain armor pieces like helmets and shoulder armor can be hidden. That helps. A lot.
Disabling factor: infinite
The level of a character was already recognizable by their shoulder armor even before the transmogrification and was measured by its dimensionality. The first shoulder armor clung tenderly to the beleaguered shoulders. Later ones become significantly larger (which often take on ominous features). But how one does not collapse under the end shoulders is beyond me.
These gigantic shoulder armors severely limit the fighter’s field of view, by the way, just like many of the helmets.
Especially with sets like the Tier 1 of the warrior, it surprises me that they don’t get their teeth knocked out while fighting. The “Battlegear of Might” can be seen on the left in the image, with its helmet-like structure making it perfect for excellent nose-picking. Unfortunately only in one’s own, not in the opponent’s, otherwise one might at least sneak in a few extra damage points.
The more absurd, the worse? Not at all!
The armors in World of Warcraft can be quite absurd. And that’s a good thing! The world of Warcraft is not a medieval, serious world, but thrives on the comedic and playful. Fantasy > realism. I like that. In this case.
Transmogrification allows us to create especially outlandish combinations! Colorful parrots, half-naked people, or warriors in the most vibrant pink, nothing is impossible. Everything helps to make the character unique and simply have fun with their appearance.
For these reasons, I still fondly remember the time as a WoW warrior and would find it a shame if suddenly every warrior from level 1 to 1 million wore the same boring, silver 08/15 plate.
Have you ever put together absurd armor sets? What is your favorite combination?
A round in Fortnite: Battle Royale often gets decided right at the start. Choosing the loot route is crucial. Those who traverse the map with the best loot have an advantage. Even though luck plays a role – with this guide, you will significantly increase your chances of facing the endgame with the best loot – and without having to tussle with dozens of other players. Use the loot map to your advantage.
The right choice of the best landing spot in Fortnite: Battle Royale is always a balance between potentially good loot and the number of opponents you have to face. If you have been landing in Tilted Towers in recent days, you will know exactly what I mean.
Although Tilted Towers is undoubtedly the best place to loot right now – the sheer number of opponents can be intimidating. In fact, there are spots on the map that mark the beginning of exciting routes and promise plenty of loot.
The big advantage: You don’t have to compete with 20 other players for the loot – the places and routes presented here are sparsely populated, and confrontations are rare.
Loot Route 1: Building Complex Northeast of Flush Factory
This landing spot offers six houses and more than a dozen treasure chests. It’s hard to believe, but this building complex is mostly completely deserted. Use that to your advantage. It is one of the best landing spots in Fortnite: Battle Royale and an ideal start for a loot route.
Besides the excellent loot you can find here, there are several route options depending on the zone flow.
If you are on your own, you need to hurry. If the building complex is not in the safe zone, it will be tight. However, in most cases, you will have enough time to loot all the buildings.
Watch out for players who have landed in Flush Factory – they might take you out from the mountain. Therefore, always keep an eye on the large mountain next to you.
After claiming the loot, you have several options:
Northwest is another building complex you can visit. Then head over the bridge towards Shifty Shafts, Greasy Grove, or Tilted Towers (1).
North is a large mountain that offers a good view and up to three treasure chests. Then you can continue towards Salty Springs and the houses and ruins in the vicinity (2).
Loot Route 2: The House by the Lake in the Northeast
The spot is the starting point of one of the best loot routes in Fortnite: Battle Royale, to kick off your loot journey through the map. However, this location has the disadvantage that you may have to walk long distances to reach the safe zone.
However, you can loot various houses and treasure chests to gather great loot. You start at the house at the northeastern point of the map. The house is easily recognizable due to its wooden structure. Then move west past houses, ice cream trucks, and fields.
Eventually, you will reach the river that splits the map of Fortnite: Battle Royale in two. From here, you can follow the storm’s flow south towards Tomato Town (1) or continue west towards Anarchy Acres (2).
The route is a real winner – and unfortunately, no longer a secret. The likelihood is high that you will encounter other players along the way. However, the area is by no means overcrowded and offers great opportunities to get plenty of gear early in the game.
Loot Route 3: With the Caravan over the MotoCross Track
East of Retail Row lies a park with dozens of caravans, which almost always appears deserted. Other players hardly ever wander here. In addition to three treasure chests, the equipment is lying on the ground just waiting to be picked up by you. You will also find plenty of metal.
After a brief visit to the transformer (a car construction southeast of the trailer park), you can pay a visit to the MotoCross track, which also often gets overlooked. Here, too, up to three chests await your plundering.
Then head inland towards the safe zone. Between Retail Row and the prison there’s also a gas station along with a house that most players leave behind.
Directly to the west, you can loot two more ruins before you head toward the safe zone. Possible targets are Salty Springs (1), the prison (2), or Retail Row – where you might be able to eliminate the odd careless opponent who thinks they have control of the area (3).
Loot Route 4: The Hotel West of Anarchy Acres
A rather inconspicuous landing spot that offers a lot of loot. Located west of Anarchy Acres, the abandoned motel has not only up to five treasure chests – you can also take various routes after looting that may provide you with further treasures.
Depending on the storm’s path and the first safe zone, you can head towards Pleasant Park to the west (1) or set off to Anarchy Acres to the east (2). It’s often possible to surprise enemies there who feel safe and carelessly sort their loot.
From Anarchy Acres, you can then continue towards Dusty Depot or Tomato Town, depending on the safe zone’s flow.
Which Loot Route Should You Sneak Through the Map of Fortnite: Battle Royale?
Which route is the best depends on various factors and your willingness to take risks.
Route 1 generally offers the best loot – however, you are most likely to have to compete with other players for the loot.
Route 2 is great – but there is a risk that other players have already looted houses on your way.
The safest option is Route 3, but it has the disadvantage that you may not have time to complete the entire route depending on the storm’s path.
You see, there is no patent solution. The presented routes, however, offer you the greatest return with minimal effort. This does not guarantee a victory – better loot and full shields due to fewer or no confrontations will help you tremendously in the endgame!
What are your favorite routes? Let us know in the comments!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
As part of the work around the update 1.1.4, scheduled for March, Bungie is currently focusing on the Exotics in Destiny 2. We will introduce you to 3 exotic weapons that are in urgent need of a redesign. They are probably already on Bungie’s workbench.
In the current “This Week at Bungie,” the creators of Destiny 2 provided a first glimpse into the planned sandbox adjustments. Through this change, exotic weapons and armor will be partially revised. Some will be finely adjusted, while others will require more significant interventions, to finally live up to their name as Exotics.
Bungie specifically addressed upcoming changes to the Graviton Lance – a pulse rifle that is currently hardly used. But other exotic weapons also urgently need a comprehensive redesign.
The 3 biggest disappointments with exotic weapons
In the form of a tweet, Bungie gave a hint about which Exotics urgently need to be redesigned:
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These three weapons are likely not shown by coincidence. All three Exotics are weapons that no Guardian seriously uses. At best, they are used for infusing or as dust magnets in the vault. In short, they are a disappointment – even considering the mostly weak exotic competition. Only a few Exotics in Destiny 2 truly live up to their designation at the moment.
But what is the problem with these 3 weapons? What makes them so unpopular? How can they be improved?
The “D.A.R.C.I.”
The exotic sniper rifle D.A.R.C.I. with ornament
What is the D.A.R.C.I.? This is an exotic sniper rifle with an extravagant look and name. Thanks to its perk“personal assistant,” an enemy targeted through the scope will be outlined in red after about half a second. Additionally, the following information will be displayed:
the level of the opponent
the distance to the enemy in meters
health bar and shield bar of the opponent in %
The other perk “Target Acquired” means you deal about 6% more damage when shooting at red outlined enemies. The aim assist will also be improved.
What is problematic about the D.A.R.C.I.? The information received from the perk “Personal Assistant” is of no significant use in combat. The damage buff from “Target Acquired” is also quite low at 6%. Since the weapon’s impact is already low, this “advantage” is hardly noticeable – just like the improved aim assist.
The D.A.R.C.I. has interesting sounding perks, but their practical utility for players is almost non-existent. Damage buffs for specific weapon types or archetypes alone will not help this Exotic stand out. Without a fundamental redesign of the intrinsic perk, this weapon will continue to be not worth an exotic slot.
D.A.R.C.I. scope
How can Bungie improve the exotic sniper rifle? Well-thought-out improvement suggestions from the community exist for the D.A.R.C.I. More than enough are available. One could design the intrinsic perk so that it outlines the critical hit zone of an enemy in red after a small delay, with critical hits dealing a certain percentage more damage, and the damage buff can be generous.
Another suggestion is to have an enemy previously marked by the rifle remain marked for a certain distance and defined period, even when it disappears behind cover or into a building. Both suggestions represent a meaningful reorientation of the Exotic and would be useful in both PvP and PvE.
The “Fighting Lion”
Considered the worst Exotic in the game – Fighting Lion
Whatis the Fighting Lion? It is an exotic grenade launcher that resembles the Gjallarhorn from Destiny 1. Before the release of Destiny 2, Fighting Lion was even partly celebrated as a secret successor to the Gjallarhorn.
The Fighting Lion is equipped in the energy slot. All other grenade launchers are equipped in the power slot. This is actually a major advantage, as ammunition for energy weapons drops much more frequently than power ammo.
The intrinsic perk “Delayed Gratification” means that grenade projectiles bounce off surfaces and do not explode immediately. You can determine the timing of the explosion yourself. The perk “Herden-Ausdünnung” deals more damage with direct hits to enemy fighters with shields. Quick kills of enemies who have been damaged by a grenade refill the magazine.
What makes the Fighting Lion so bad? The idea behind this weapon actually sounds interesting: Since Fighting Lion is an energy weapon, it is often available to Guardians. You then shoot out the shields of enemies, switch to the kinetic weapon, finish off the enemy, causing the Fighting Lion to automatically reload, switch back to the Fighting Lion, and take another shot.
But it quickly becomes clear with this Exotic that the intrinsic perk disappoints across the board and is essentially unnecessary.
A complete overhaul of the intrinsic perk mechanics is inevitable for Bungie here as well. A simple buff, which would suffice for some Exotics, will not contribute to making Fighting Lion feel truly exotic and engaging.
Instead of exploding on impact, the grenade bounces around a bit. Although you can trigger the explosion yourself, the correct timing is difficult in heated battles, such as in PvP. Because when you fire a grenade from a distance, you don’t have time to wait for the explosion. Instead, you should already be aiming at the next enemy or taking cover behind a wall.
The Fighting Lion
Additionally, the weapon generally deals far too little damage. In PvE, it sometimes does not even completely destroy the shield. This means either you reload and shoot again with the Fighting Lion (which makes the special perk unnecessary), or you switch to the kinetic weapon and hope to quickly bring down the enemy shield along with their health to benefit from the perk.
In PvP, the weapon only deals just over 100 damage even at very close range. It is not capable of getting a kill outright. In the time it takes to reload or switch weapons, you become an easy target.
How can this grenade launcher be improved? There are also many exciting improvement suggestions for Fighting Lion from the community. Since the weapon has some similarities with the Gjallarhorn, you often hear the idea that the grenade launcher should move to the power slot and, in exchange, fire sticky grenades with Wolfpack rounds – that is, with homing projectiles.
The idea that the Fighting Lion should fire bundled Arc, Void, or Solar grenades that, in their type and function, resemble the grenades of the individual Guardian classes, but have more range when fired from the Fighting Lion, is also frequently mentioned in forums and on Reddit.
The “Sturm”
The exotic hand cannon Sturm
Whatis the Sturm? Sturm is an exotic hand cannon for the kinetic slot. Its intrinsic perk “Assistant” ensures that kills with this weapon recharge the magazine of the equipped energy weapon. Additionally, the perk “Storm and Stress” grants increased precision damage after energy weapon kills.
However, the Sturm truly unfolds its full potential in conjunction with its smaller brother Drang. When you use Sturm in the kinetic slot and Drang in the energy slot, exciting synergies arise. Because Drang has the perk that kills with this weapon refill the magazine of Sturm. So when you get kills and continually switch between the two weapons, you can keep enemies under fire without reloading. Kills with one weapon reload the magazine (from the ammunition reserves) of the other weapon.
What is problematic about this hand cannon? A common criticism of the Sturm is that it can only reach its full potential in combination with Drang. This alone makes the weapon unattractive to many Guardians, as it prescribes a certain weapon combination and playstyle for it to be used to its full extent.
There are far stronger alternatives and more effective combinations than these two weapons. Another problem is that the weapon’s intrinsic perk feels just not exotic enough. It could well belong to a better legendary weapon. Under the term “exotic,” most Guardians envision something different.
Sturm and Drang
How can the weapon be improved? Those looking for ideas and concepts for improving the Sturm will also find plenty of input from the community. The idea often presented is that using the “Sturm and Drang” duo would provide a significantly noticeable agility boost – similar to the MIDA combo. Additionally, the Sturm could have a bleeding or damage-over-time effect added to its high impact – just like the Thorn from Destiny 1.
To further promote the “Sturm and Drang” combination, damage dealt with Drang beyond a certain value could then remove the status effects that you might be suffering from yourself. This way, both weapons could be improved without losing their identity.
How will these Exotics change in Destiny 2?
This question is difficult to answer.
If you’re looking for well-thought-out concepts for new or existing exotic weapons, you will quickly find plenty in the community, fan forums, and on Reddit. The quality and attention to detail of some proposals can be truly astonishing. There are indeed enough ideas – that much is clear.
Whether and to what extent Bungie will take advantage of these ideas remains difficult to gauge. It would certainly be desirable, as many exotic items in Bungie’s latest title do not even deserve the designation “exotic” in the slightest. Many intrinsic perks are at best suboptimally implemented – if not outright obsolete.
Graviton Lance with ornament
However, considering how Exotics like the Jade Rabbit or the Graviton Lance currently play and what planned changes Bungie recently announced for the latter, one can look forward to the upcoming sandbox update with a bit more confidence.
If such profound changes also apply to other Exotics like the D.A.R.C.I., the Fighting Lion, and the Sturm, it could bring Bungie a significant step closer to finally delivering exciting Exotics and a satisfying gameplay experience to the Guardian community.
What do you think about these 3 Exotics? Do they deserve an exotic slot with some minor optimizations, or do they need a comprehensive redesign to finally live up to their status as Exotics? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments.
On February 22, 2018, Metal Gear Survive will be released for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. But who exactly should keep an eye on this game? Die-hard Metal Gear fans or even newcomers to Metal Gear?
I’m no hero. Never was. Never will be. I’m just an old killer … hired to do some wet work.
Who doesn’t remember that statement, which comes from the most famous soldier in video game history? We’re talking about Solid Snake from the successful series Metal Gear Solid, which has thrilled fans since 1987.
Now Metal Gear Survive is hitting the market, but who is this actually suitable for? Our reader DevilRon1989 shows in this article what lies behind Metal Gear Survive.
“The Quentin Tarantino of the Video Game Industry”
Game designer Hideo Kojima created with Metal Gear Solid, or MGS, a story revolving around soldiering, militarism, honor, wars, brotherhood, patriotism, and various nuclear dangers. This was combined with science fiction, fantasy, and all sorts of manga elements like cyborg ninjas and massive robots, the mechas.
Like no other, Hideo Kojima managed to tell a cinematic story full of twists and cliffhangers. Often, players had to put down the controller and take in breathtaking cutscenes filled with action or exciting dialogues. These often lasted half an hour or longer.
No wonder that Kojima is referred to by some fans as the “Quentin Tarantino” of the video game industry. But even gameplay-wise, MGS has always convinced, as the games were full of innovative ideas and implementations. No matter if graphics or gameplay, MGS has always been at the forefront!
The End of Metal Gear Solid
In 2015, “Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain” did not only conclude the story of Solid Snake, but also an important chapter in Hideo Kojima’s career: He parted ways with Konami after alleged disputes and founded his own studio Kojima Productions.
The MGS license remained with Konami, and just a year after MGS 5, the company showcased a trailer for Metal Gear Survive at Gamescom 2016.
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This is where it gets a bit complicated. For one thing, Metal Gear Survive does not bear the designation “Solid” in its name. This means it won’t focus on Solid Snake. Whether he somehow makes it into the game is unknown. It wouldn’t be entirely impossible, as Metal Gear Survive takes place after the events of Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes.
Ground Zeroes is considered to be the prologue of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.
In short: In the prologue, Snake was supposed to start a rescue mission. Initially, it went quite well, but he and his team were ambushed and had to flee. Some managed to escape, others died, and some, where Metal Gear Survive picks up, were thrown into another dimension through some sort of wormhole.
In this dimension, you find yourself as a soldier and are attacked by zombie-like troops with red crystal skulls. Metal Gear Survive can, therefore, be classified as non-canonical – just like Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, the own game of cyborg ninja Raiden.
Although Metal Gear Survive connects somewhat to the main storylines of the Solid series and also plays in the same universe, it probably will have little to do with Solid Snake, instead telling an independent story.
What’s new in Metal Gear Survive?
Gameplay-wise, Metal Gear Survive is heavily oriented towards MGS 5. This means that the player enters an open world and does not have to traverse linear levels like in earlier MGS titles.
Furthermore, the game was created using Konami’s in-house Fox Engine, which was also used for MGS 5 and Pro Evolution Soccer 2018, for example. So those who have played MGS 5 will recognize a large part of the controls in Metal Gear Survive.
At this point, the similarities stop, and Metal Gear Survive goes new ways:
Metal Gear Survive features a campaign that can only be played in single-player mode.
Outside of these missions, there is also a multiplayer mode for up to four players. This is a co-op mode. The game does not have PVP functions like in MGS 5.
As it stands, the story of the game revolves around a zombie infestation and no longer about military or political power intrigues.
Whether the latter will still make it into the game is currently unknown, as only a few details about the campaign have been revealed by Konami. Metal Gear Solid fans should, therefore, not expect too many intelligent enemies like elite soldiers, tanks, or helicopters.
As the name suggests, numerous aspects from the survival genre have been adopted.
At times, the game is more reminiscent of genre representatives like DayZ. Characters get hungry, need to acquire food, cook meat to protect themselves from diseases. Similar approaches were also present in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, but these served more as collection tasks, while the sustenance of the character is now expected to be among the core elements of the game.
Typical for survival games, a comprehensive crafting system is a must!
In Metal Gear Survive, players can collect various ores, plants, and items. They can build a base, expand and improve it, and craft a variety of melee and ranged weapons. Here, too, the success formula applies: The more resources you have, the better items you can craft.
Metal Gear Survive has also borrowed elements from the role-playing genre, namely skill trees.
The zombies leave behind “Kuban Energy,” with which you can unlock new attributes or abilities for your character as you like. Such a system has never existed in the Metal Gear universe before.
You can also find elements of tower-defense shooters in Metal Gear Survive.
The zombies in Metal Gear Survive move relatively clumsily and usually try to find the direct way to you. With the help of your resources, you can build entire mazes of fences and then deal with the pests from a safe distance.
Conclusion: Successful Survival Game with Little Metal Gear
One thing is clear: This game was not developed for hardcore fans of the Metal Gear Solid series and all adventures surrounding Snake! If you expect a profound military plot full of twists, then you are probably in the wrong place.
Although the game bears the title “Metal Gear,” MGS fans agree. They can find no good aspect in all information regarding Metal Gear Survive and believe that this game does not deserve its name. The differences to the main series are simply too significant.
However, if you enjoyed exploring the world in MGS 5, liked researching and collecting animals, missed a deeper use of flora and fauna, and always wanted to build a camp with friends, you can catch up with Metal Gear Survive.
When you set aside the name of the game, Metal Gear Survive turns out to be quite an attractive representative of the survival genre for survival fans. Especially since there aren’t too many survival games on the market for PS4 and Xbox One. Metal Gear Survive can certainly fill this gap.
It is the quest where players don the armor of Ryu from Street Fighter V. This is a one-piece armor that makes characters look like Ryu regardless of gender.
But not only opponents can be annoyed by Hadoukens. Even team members are not safe from this.
Because both Hadouken and Shoryuken follow the usual “Friendly Fire” rules of Monster Hunter: World.
While they can’t injure teammates, they can still knock them over, which leads to unintentional comedy due to missed hits and slight delays between players.
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