Every player in Fortnite: Battle Royale must know them – opponents with two pump shotguns, happily switching between both shotguns in a firefight, achieving a fire rate that is actually reserved for tactical shotguns. How overpowering the combination really is, is shown in a video that is currently making the rounds on Reddit.
No weapon combination is currently being discussed more animatedly than the pump shotgun – an absolutely lethal weapon that can take out opponents even at greater distances if critical hits are landed. Up close, a pump shotgun kills any opponent with a critical hit – regardless of how many hit points they have. Shields are also destroyed with one shot.
Sounds pretty strong, right? It is. Unfortunately, the pump shotgun comes with a poor fire rate, where tactical shotguns have a big advantage (and fire automatically). Players compensate for the worse fire rate by equipping a second pump shotgun and switching after each shot.
The video that is currently making the rounds on Reddit shows how overpowering the combination of two pump shotguns actually is.
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Currently, players have no choice but to jump on the bandwagon and also be equipped with two pump shotguns. Tactical shotguns fall behind the combination of two pump shotguns – while they offer a significantly better fire rate than a single pump shotgun, they deal significantly less damage, even critically.
Except for the epic shotgun (purple), currently no shotgun can compete with the pump shotgun, which is only represented in the two most common rarity levels (gray and green) and can therefore be found quite frequently.
But don’t despair – Fortnite developers Epic are closely monitoring the situation and have already made a statement.
Epic responds to player feedback – working on a solution
Epic has made multiple statements on Reddit under relevant posts. They are aware that the combination of two pump shotguns circumvents game mechanics and are currently working on a solution. However, when to expect the solution is currently unknown.
But how could Epic break the dominance of the double pump shotguns? We have a few theories:
The weapon swap speed is adjusted to match the fire rate of the pump shotguns, eliminating the incentive to equip more than one pump shotgun,
it may no longer be possible to equip two weapons at the same time. This would also make any future “double variants” impossible,
Pump shotguns will be nerfed.
Epic has already adjusted the critical hit damage of shotguns in its current shooting test 1 – from 250% to 150% with a subsequent increase to 200%. Which multiplier will actually make it into the productive game is currently still unknown.
One thing is for sure – a reduction in critical hit damage alone will not break the dominance of pump shotguns, quite the opposite.
What do you think of the double pump shotgun tactic? Do you play with it? Is it too strong?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Valentine’s Day in Pokémon GO is celebrated with special Pokémon. As an additional bonus, there is more Stardust.
For a long time, the trainers of Pokémon GO waited for a sign from the developers. They remained silent until shortly before the start of the event about whether Valentine’s Day 2018 would even be celebrated in Pokémon GO. Now, on the evening of February 13, they announced that the event is now active.
Valentines Event 2018
For the Valentine’s Day event 2018, it will be pink again in Pokémon GO. As the developers from Niantic explain, you will encounter special Pokémon gatherings during the event. You will also be well rewarded for catching these monsters.
Until February 15, you will find Luvdisc swarms in the game. You will receive triple Stardust for catching a Luvdisc or Chansey.
According to initial trainer reports, the update is already active and provides you with many of the pink Pokémon. What is particularly special about this is that through this event, the shiny variant of the small Luvdisc can now also be caught in the game. Trainer _Hybridz posted his shiny Luvdisc catch on Reddit:
Summary of the event news:
More Chansey and Luvdisc spawns – Update: Chansey spawns are not as frequent as Luvdisc
3x Stardust for every catch of a Chansey or Luvdisc
The Pokémon GO update 0.91.2 for Android and 1.61.2 for iOS is on its way to you. However, the developers did not want to disclose what problems the update resolves.
On social media, the Pokémon GO developers announced that a new update is on its way to you. The patch has the version number 0.91.2 for Android devices and 1.61.2 for iOS devices. The focus appears to be on bug fixes.
0.91.2 / 1.61.2 Update – Patchnotes
The new update for Pokémon GO is currently rolling out. Without major announcements, such as a blog post, the developers shared the news on Twitter and other platforms. According to the description, bugs are to be fixed.
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If the developers intend to make further changes with this update, data miners will likely uncover them soon. Then you will hear about it here on Mein-MMO.de.
In Destiny 2 today, on February 13th, is the Weekly Reset, the weekly reset. The Crimson Week – a one-week Valentine’s Day event – begins! More new activities, such as the Nightfall or the Flashpoint, are now also live.
The maintenance work on this Tuesday is over – the Crimson Week begins! With a slight maintenance-related delay, the festivities in honor of Valentine’s Day now start. After successfully downloading and installing hotfix 1.1.2.1 the Guardians can finally dive into battle.
Let’s see what else this week has in store.
Nightfall starting on February 13th on PS4, Xbox One, and PC
This week isthe Nightfall “The Pyramidion“.
The modifiers:
Churn: Abilities charge faster.
Time Loop: Zero Hour: The mission timer cannot be extended.
The challenges:
Complete the Nightfall with at least 5 minutes remaining.
Complete the Nightfall with fewer than 3 deaths.
Do not allow Brakion to be shielded for more than 40 seconds before defeating him.
Tess Everis is currently selling the Omega Mechanos Chest Armor for 1200 Glimmer – for the first time ever! If you are missing this in your collection, you can now grab it.
Crimson Week Glimmer Purchases:
Exotic Sparrow “Unyielding” – 2500 Glimmer
“Mind Your Business” ornament for the workhorse – 800 Glimmer
Glimmer Purchases:
“Death’s Shard” ornament for Wings of Vigilance – 800 Glimmer
“The Future is Chrome” ornament for Hard Light – 800 Glimmer
The Nergigante is a brutal Elder Dragon in Monster Hunter World. A Japanese player managed to slay the Nergigante in just 57 seconds. Here you will find a weapon ranking indicating how long it takes with each weapon to kill the Nergigante.
A Japanese player managed on February 11 to slay the Nergigante at an incredible speed. With the bow, the hunter needed less than a minute to kill the Elder Dragon.
It took 9 shots with the bow to kill the Nergigante
Particularly noteworthy is that the hunter fires only 9 shots at the Nergigante to kill it in 57 seconds.
This equipment and boosts were used by the hunter:
The ranking below was created on February 11 and reflects which weapon was fastest for killing the Nergigante. This ranking emerged after the Patch 1.05, which nerfed the slicing ammo. As a result, the light bowgun fell far down the list – it now takes 45 seconds longer to slay the Nergigante with it.
In Pokémon GO, players can skip the catch animation of monsters using this bug, allowing them to catch Pokémon faster.
On your adventures in Pokémon GO, you will frequently encounter wild Pokémon that you can catch. To do this, you throw Poké Balls at the monster, wait for the ball to shake, and then see whether the monster was successfully caught or escaped.
A current bug allows you to skip parts of the Pokémon encounter and catch a monster faster.
In the latest update of Pokémon GO, it is possible to skip the shaking animation of the Poké Ball when catching Pokémon due to a bug. After throwing, you are directly back in the map view. This way, you bypass the catch screen, meaning you do not see the display with the caught Pokémon’s values.
Unlike other bugs, this error might be helpful for some trainers as it shortens the catching mechanism. In the video, you can see how the bug works:
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First, you start an encounter with a wild monster as usual.
Using one finger, preferably not your “throwing finger”, swipe from the position of the Poké Ball selection (Poké Ball icon in the lower right corner) from right to left. Keep the finger you are swiping with on the display at all times. The Poké Ball icon will only slightly shift and will not open the selection. This is important.
Now use your “throwing finger” and throw a Poké Ball at the wild monster as you normally would. The other finger stays on the display and is not lifted until the Pokémon is hit by the ball.
Now you can take the swiping finger, with which you swiped from right to left in the first step, off the display.
The Poké Ball selection will open.
Tap an area outside the selection to close it.
Now tap the flee button.
Now you are back in the map view.
Click again on the Pokémon you wanted to catch.
If you caught it, an error message will appear.
Otherwise, the encounter will reopen because the monster escaped from the Poké Ball.
Quick Catch Trick for Left-Handed Players
If you are left-handed and have difficulties with the quick catch trick, you can breathe a sigh of relief. You do not have to perform complicated finger gymnastics to use the trick. There is also a solution for left-handed players. Proceed as follows:
Start the encounter with the monster as usual.
Then swipe the berry menu (berry icon in the lower left corner) to the right and hold it there. The icon might look slightly off, but it does not open the menu.
Now you can throw as usual while holding the icon.
If you hit the monster, you can lift your finger.
Now the berry selection will open.
Close the menu by tapping an area outside.
Now tap directly on the “Flee” icon in the upper left corner.
Just like with the catching trick for right-handed players, you’ll then land in the map view and have the chance to try again if the catch fails the first time.
In the instructions, it sounds much harder than it actually is to implement. If you want, you can try this process in the game as long as Niantic has not fixed it yet. For some trainers, this method can be worthwhile if they want to play particularly time-efficiently. After implementing this guide a few times, the catching attempt will become significantly faster.
However, if Pokémon have a high level and are therefore harder to catch, this “trick” will likely lead to a longer catching time. If a Poké Ball does not catch the monster, you will have to restart the encounter and the trick. This will be faster with the actual catching method without the bug.
The popular battle royale streamer Dr Disrespect, hardened by H1Z1 and PUBG, shows slight weaknesses when it comes to building in Fortnite. This is precisely the aspect that sets Fortnite apart from PUBG. But building in Fortnite needs to be learned.
Currently, the hot battle royale game is Fortnite, with its comic look. Many players familiar with battle royales are checking it out now.
Fortnite has a special twist that other games lack: a building mode. Actually, Fortnite is a coop shooter where players can build bases to protect themselves from zombies. When Epic designed the PvP mode, they kept the building.
In Fortnite, experienced players can quickly build stairs, erect fortresses, or safely descend steep mountains with the right technique. This is precisely what Dr Disrespect attempts here in a clip.
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The problem is: You can only place these floor tiles in Fortnite if they are in contact with a solid object. The first tiles still had contact with the mountain, then the builder oriented himself to the center, lost contact with the mountain, and the fall into the depths was the logical consequence.
Stairs often lead to death as well
Another mistake that builders in Fortnite often make is forgetting their self-safety when building “high stairs.” Because all built objects in Fortnite collapse when they eventually lose ground contact. This means: You can literally shoot someone’s air castle from under their butt.
London Spitfire claimed victory in the first phase of the Overwatch League. A particular hero had a significant impact on the victory: Widowmaker.
In the finals of the first phase of the Overwatch League, the two currently best teams faced each other: New York Excelsior and London Spitfire. Although Spitfire lost in the previous encounter with New York, they managed to win here.
One of the reasons was the ability of two players with the sniper Widowmaker. New York’s Pine and London’s Birdring extracted everything they could from the Frenchwoman. And this, despite the fact that she is not very favored in ranked matches. However, the two Koreans know exactly what they are doing.
Pine impressively demonstrated why he is one of the best hitscan players in the world (Note: Hitscan means projectiles have no flight time. The bullet hits on click). As such, he is of course also exceptionally skilled with Widowmaker.
Although snipers are generally used to cover and protect large areas, Pine used his abilities aggressively. During London’s attack on the second point, he stealthily maneuvered behind the opposing team.
Here, he first dealt with Genji to eliminate any danger to himself. Subsequently, he single-handedly took out three more players – including Bdosin and Nus, the two supports of London Spitfire.
Pine was probably the reason why London Spitfire struggled on this map. His almost superhuman reactions and precise shots kept the opponents in check throughout the game – until they eventually lost.
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After a 2:0, things did not look good for London – although Pine had already been substituted for Saebyeolbe. However, on the Moon Colony Horizon, they managed to turn things around and begin their own winning streak.
London’s DPS player Birdring showcased his craftsmanship as a sniper in a nearly lost situation. After both teams had captured both points, the players of London Spitfire had to defend well once again to secure the victory.
However, New York quickly took out both of London’s supports. A scenario in which hope was almost lost. At the same time, Birdring himself managed to secure two targeted kills. Libero’s Genji and JjoNaK’s Zenyatta fell to his bullets – thus halting New York’s advance. Time that London needed to regroup.
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Pine and Birdring are undoubtedly exceptional players. In the entire Overwatch League, the currently best players in the world play, and the two Koreans rank among the best of the best. However, their skills do not come from nowhere.
Besides a lot of training, the settings of the computers and the game also make a big difference. In general, the rule is: the slower you move your mouse, the more precisely you can aim. Accordingly, professionals also rarely play with high DPI settings.
Additionally, experience plays a role. Professionals play several hours daily and frequently engage in custom games against the same teams to simulate various scenarios. This allows them, especially with Widowmaker, to find positions where her grappling hook can catapult them into the air or lead them to otherwise hard-to-reach places.
Regular players have a great advantage over the pros. They can simply watch the videos of the professionals and pick up tricks. We can benefit from their experience and catch up – until we eventually become a source of inspiration ourselves.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
There is news from Pearl Abyss, the developers behind the MMORPG Black Desert. They are reportedly working on new games: one of them sounds like a first-person shooter. Additionally, they plan to bring Black Desert to the Xbox One soon, and the mobile version of Black Desert is on the verge of launching.
Also, Pearl Abyss has presented a financial report today, revealing some new information:
Black Desert for more platforms and countries
For their flagship MMORPG Black Desert, Pearl Abyss has quite a bit planned:
The mobile game Black Desert Mobile is set to launch in Korea in February and will then be released in other regions where Black Desert operates within a year.
Furthermore, Black Desert is expected to be released in China soon, which Pearl Abyss is very optimistic about.
Black Desert has recently faced a slight revenue crisis
Black Desert has apparently lost some ground recently, and revenues in Europe, North America, and Asia have dropped. However, Pearl Abyss sees no problem in this: they believe it is currently a quiet period in the “off-season” and players are waiting for discount promotions.
They believe revenues will rise again in Europe and North America when the new class Lahn is released. There will also be a series of events again.
By the way: Regarding Black Desert on PlayStation 4, they are quite reserved. In interviews, it sounds as if they plan to do that but want to discuss it only after the Xbox One version has been released. A similar situation to PUBG. Black Desert is also a console launch exclusive title for Xbox One. Microsoft is assisting with development.
Two new games planned
Additionally, Pearl Abyss plans to unveil two new games in the second half of 2018.
One is a PC MMO that will feature elements of a first-person shooter along with AOS elements. AOS likely refers to something in Asia that we would call MOBA in the West.
They also plan to develop a mobile MMORPG that is suitable for all age groups.
Currently, they are looking for new employees for these games.
Half a year ago, we thoroughly explored Pearl Abyss’s future plans:
Black Desert Mobile is an offshoot of the MMORPG Black Desert, which will be released on smartphones. But how difficult should the game be here? A boss fight in the closed beta raises this question.
More and more MMORPGs are making their way from PC to smartphone. It seems to be becoming a new trend in Asia. MMORPGs like Lineage, Blade and Soul, Tera, or Aion are on their way to smartphones. Black Desert is also daring the port.
But can you play an MMORPG on mobile just like on PC? An initial test of the upcoming mobile game Black Desert Mobile shows that players are divided on this.
Raid too easy or too hard?
The test focused on the Kzarka raid, where a boss had to be defeated in a special room. This fight lasted 10 minutes for groups of 25 to 30 players, all of whom were at level 43.
https://youtu.be/DsVMF0HChJI
Now the question arises: Is 10 minutes too short for a boss fight? The testers did not reach a clear conclusion:
One group felt that it was clearly too short and therefore not a real challenge
The other group thought it was just right, as mobile players are used to achieving success more quickly
Interestingly, the players who thought the raid was too easy were the ones who usually play Black Desert on PC. In contrast, mobile players found the difficulty level to be good.
Now, of course, the question arises: Who is Black Desert Mobile aimed at?
Do the developers want to reach the players who usually play Black Desert on PC?
Or do they want to appeal to the casual mobile player audience?
As the mobile game is generally somewhat easier to play than the MMORPG on PC, it seems that the developers are aiming more at casual gamers. However, this could upset core gamers.
Who are mobile MMORPGs actually aimed at?
Is there a general problem here? Anyone releasing a mobile game based on a well-known MMO like Lineage or Black Desert is essentially hoping to reach the regular fans. But then they might scare them away with gameplay that is way too easy, aimed at casual players? On the other hand, they might lose casual players if the game is too hard and aimed at veterans, fans of the brand. Finding the right balance will not be easy for developers.
Black Desert Mobile: When is the release in Europe?
The launch of Black Desert Mobile is planned for February in Korea. It is expected to be released in other regions, including Europe, within a year after the launch: In Europe, the launch would therefore be at the latest in February 2019.
If you want to stand out as a hunter in Monster Hunter: World, you need not only to be well-equipped but also well-fed.
That’s why a whole pack of cooking Palicos offers the player the opportunity in-game to fill their belly before the hunt and thus receive various status bonuses:
A player has now decided to recreate the food from MHW at home.
Daughter-in-law cooks for the family
On his Twitter page, the user Ki-ki published a photo of what the food from Monster Hunter World looks like in real life.
The lavish menu for real Monster hunters was prepared by Ki-ki’s daughter-in-law. It was not mentioned whether she works as a professional cook.
The cooking process took about 3 hours, and the total cost for the menu was approximately 4000 yen, or about 30€.
For us, the fun would probably become a lot more expensive due to the seafood like clams and lobster.
Food just like at the Capcom Café in Japan
The green liquid in the glass container at the top right is melon liqueur. This was inspired by a drink served with the Monster Hunter menu at the Capcom Café in Koshigaya (Saitama):
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Ball game? Not at all! This CoD WW2 player fought his way up without any firearms.
The YouTuber TheseKnifesOnly stands out from typical “Call of Duty WW2” players. To reach the highest rank in the game, he refrained from using firearms and fought instead with shovels and knives in close combat.
Over 32,000 kills in close combat – Who needs weapons?
As Gamespot reports, TheseKnifesOnly is probably the first player in Call of Duty: WW2 to reach a Master Prestige level without firing a single bullet.
Reaching the Master Prestige rank is no easy task. First, 55 levels in multiplayer must be completed before the prestige mode can be started. Then you begin leveling from scratch to reach prestige a second time. This is done over and over until the eleventh and final rank “Master Prestige” is achieved.
Apparently, playing games in this series in close combat suits TheseKnifesOnly. Since Call of Duty Black Ops, he has focused on close combat.
The idea for this play style originated when he saw another player make a special kill. During a “Search and Destroy” match, TheseKnifesOnly observed someone making an epic kill with a tomahawk to defend the bomb site.
“I thought this is the coolest thing ever, and it sparked my interest in knife kills,” explains the YouTuber to Kotaku.
For his kills in CoD WW2, he used the bayonet charge, shovel, ice pick, throwing knives, and combat knives. Upon reaching the Prestige Master status, he had over 32,000 kills to his name. He only used air support for or against reconnaissance. Deadly scorestreaks were avoided.
In the following video, you can see some of his most epic kills:
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Attention from the developers and plans for the future
On February 2, TheseKnifesOnly reached his Prestige Master rank with his set handicap. He proudly posted the result on Twitter and even received a response from the developers at Sledgehammer Games.
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And what’s next for TheseKnifesOnly? He now wants to reach level 1000 of the Master Prestige rank. He is also looking forward to the 2018 title from COD because he is a “fanboy” of the developer studio Treyarch.
The Xorothian Cultists in World of Warcraft are casting spells again. What will happen this time when the spell is completed?
In World of Warcraft, there are always hidden clues about upcoming events or special Easter eggs. Since patch 7.2, Blizzard has implemented a very special type of enemy on the Broken Shore. The Xorothian Cultists are basically not a threat, but they have an interesting secret.
They are casting the spell “Demonic Channeling,” which has an extremely long casting time. This time they are casting the spell for just under 520 hours, which is a little more than 21 days.
In the past, this casting time was a countdown that announced various things in the game, such as the release of patch 7.3.5, which brought changes to Silithus.
The new countdown suggests that something will change in WoW with the maintenance on March 7th – as the spell will then be completed.
Image source: wowhead
Cultist Spell – Does it Announce the Beta Start?
Fans are eagerly speculating about what it could be this time. There are several possibilities:
The story of Silithus continues with a new set of quests
The battlefield “Seething Shore” will be made accessible
Another part of the community hopes that the countdown has nothing to do with the current version of World of Warcraft, but rather indicates other announcements, such as:
A release date or a trailer for “World of Warcraft: Classic”
The official start of the beta of Battle for Azeroth with a new invite wave (currently, the alpha is still ongoing)
Until then, we probably have no choice but to watch the diligent Xorothian Cultists channeling.
What do you think will happen on March 7th in World of Warcraft?
If you enjoy Asian martial arts and battle royale, you should be looking forward to Swordsman X. This game from China combines wild close combat and survival aspects with battle royale.
The battle royale genre has already seen heavyweights like H1Z1, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, and the crazy Fortnite: Battle Royale. Soon, more titles in the genre will be released, such as the survival battle royale Darwin Project or the colorful Paladins: Battlegrounds featuring its heroes.
However, what does not exist yet: A Kung Fu survival battle royale game!
Black Desert meets PUBG
Swordsman X looks at first glance like the beautiful Korean sandbox MMO Black Desert Online thanks to the fancy Unreal Engine 4. But instead of grinding, trading with donkeys, or growing vegetables, Swordsman X is about slaughter and the fight for survival.
As a Wuxia fighter, you roam the open world and kill other Wuxia fighters with your Kung Fu. Or with sharp blades, bows, and spears. There seems to be plenty of weapons in the game.
By the way, if you’re wondering what Wuxia is: It generally refers to stories about Asian martial arts.
Also exciting: Swordsman X wants you to communicate verbally and offers only limited text chat functions.
A China game without microtransactions?
Swordsman X comes from China but is NOT a Free2Play game. Instead, Swordsman X is supposed to be a Buy2Play title. And the infamous microtransactions are also not supposed to be there. However, Swordsman X is intended to be just the first part of a trilogy of similar games.
Here you can get a first impression of the game:
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CCP Games, the developers of the space MMO EVE Online, are working on measures to tackle the bot problem. They have now discussed what these “cheaters” can expect in terms of penalties.
The bot problem in EVE Online is getting out of hand. Now, the team has revealed how botters will be punished in the future – and why this problem is currently spiraling out of control.
Botters will face harsher penalties
Those who knowingly exploit and operate bots can expect harsher penalties in the future:
1. Strike:
Initially, there is a three-day ban (previously the 1st strike was a 30-day ban)
Players are encouraged to reflect on what they did wrong during this time
They want to give everyone a chance to improve
2. Strike:
Upon the second offense, if caught botting, the account will be permanently banned
Everything that belongs to the botter will be removed from the game
Players should report botters immediately
At first glance, one might think that the penalty has been softened – the first strike now only bans players for 3 days instead of 30. However, it is already game over after the second strike. In the past, players received more than two chances.
For particularly serious offenses, players can also be permanently banned on the first strike. The new penalties take effect from March 1.
In addition, players have inquired about a live hunt for botters. Players and developers chase the cheaters while it is being live streamed. CCP Games explained that this has already been done during the fan fest. It is an interesting opportunity because you can see live who is botting. In this live hunt, ships and space stations of botters are to be destroyed. Anyone defending these possessions will expose themselves live as a botter.
Free2Play led to the problems
Furthermore, the developers explained that the bot problem got out of hand with the launch of the Ascension update and the introduction of the Free2Play model. Now, it is such that it is more “profitable” for cheaters to steal accounts that are no longer being played. Because these can now continue to be played. This makes it possible to extract skill points from the players of the stolen account and sell these skill points. All items can also be sold – even for real money. Previously, an abandoned account had little value, as it could no longer be played.
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An open beta is incredibly important for Sea of Thieves. Our author Patrick believes: Players are reluctant to jump into cold water and pay a lot of money for it.
In a few weeks, on March 20th, it will be time for the release of Sea of Thieves. An adventure on the high seas where you can take on the roles of pirates alone or with friends, decipher treasure maps, sail the seas, and dig up valuable chests.
Players who were able to try the game in one of the past test phases generally had a lot of fun. However, new players might be discouraged by the high price and unfamiliar gameplay mechanics. An open beta would be a clever move.
Gameplay is new – The fun is there, but hard to explain
Sea of Thieves brings a lot of fun, especially for group players. During the last closed beta in January, many gamers entered the game for the first time. Together with friends on two- or four-person ships, players searched for treasures or engaged in explosive naval battles with other pirates. Solo players could also set sail.
Teamwork brings the fun. Among your crew members, you assign roles for steering, sails, or navigation. Others look out for enemies with binoculars while the group searches an island for the treasure chest, the location of which is only described by mysterious sentences.
With these different tasks and a voice chat, my pirate crew and I had a lot of fun on our adventures. But try explaining that to an outsider!
In the beta, players often explained that they had no idea what to expect from the game before testing it. And here lies the problem. The gameplay of Sea of Thieves is hard to compare with other games. It’s not like League of Legends, just as a shooter. It’s also not like World of Warcraft, only with ships.
Sea of Thieves is an adventure where you take control of the story (together with your opponents).
The high purchase price deters potential customers
Apart from the hard-to-explain gameplay, potential pirates have to overcome another hurdle: The purchase price of €70. Due to this high price, fewer players think, “Okay, I can’t really imagine much under the gameplay, but I’ll just give it a try.”
If the game were offered at a lower price, it could probably entice more players to try it out.
Under our articles on Sea of Thieves, we often read statements like “Looks really good, but €70 is just too much.”
On the other hand, other players say that this amount is well invested in Sea of Thieves. But these statements usually come from testers. New users remain discouraged.
An open beta for Sea of Thieves would eliminate concerns
If the developers decide on an open beta, there would be much more transparency associated with Sea of Thieves. This would eliminate concerns, which can be expressed positively and negatively.
On one hand, players are convinced by the gameplay, experiencing funny stories that ultimately persuade them to make a purchase.
Other players realize before buying that they do not like Sea of Thieves. They do not have to pay €70 and jump into cold water.
This kind of transparency before a launch is helpful for the community. We believe it could benefit the sales of Sea of Thieves if they open the gates before the launch and let every player into a test phase for an extended weekend.
The free-to-play tactical MMO Total War: Arena (PC) by Wargaming and Creative Assembly starts its open beta on February 22, 2018. But what kind of game is it, what type of player does it appeal to, and why should you even play it?
When I told my friends that I was invited by Wargaming to Paris, they immediately said, “Cool, World of Tanks 1.0! Tell me if it really looks that great!” But it wasn’t about World of Tanks! Wargaming had invited me and other journalists for Total War: Arena.
There was initially great confusion among my friends, “Total War: Arena? What is that supposed to be? Is it a MOBA with historical troops?”
A Real-Time Strategy MMO?
Total War: Arena is definitely not a MOBA. But what is it then? I had three developers in Paris as interview partners. Their answer: “It’s a real-time strategy MMO.” And as a further explanation followed: “Total War: Arena – These are the real-time battles from a Total War game with the gameplay and progression of World of Tanks.“
The Basics
You participate as part of a large army of around 3,000 fighters against an equally large enemy force. The visuals and interface are strongly reminiscent of well-known Total War games, such as Rome II or Shogun II. The following guidelines apply:
Your force is divided into 30 individual units of 100 men each.
You are not the supreme commander. Rather, you command only 3 units of 100 men each as a sort of “division commander.”.
The other 9 divisions of three units each are commanded by other players.
There is actually no supreme commander. All players can act freely.
Before the battle, you can occupy one of 10 deployment “slots” on a strategic map. Your 3 units will then appear there at the start of the game. You can also draw on the map to communicate your march direction to your teammates.
The goal is to completely annihilate the opponent or capture their base.
The battles take place in real-time. All players act simultaneously.
Hoplites, War Dogs, and Catapults Instead of Tanks, Artillery, and Tank Hunters
Your troops are not modern soldiers or tanks. The technological era of Total War: Arena corresponds to classical antiquity. So you have Roman legionnaires, Greek spearmen, and wild barbarians with war paint.
You choose your troops from the factions of the versatile Romans, defensively strong Greeks, and offensively aggressive barbarians. The Carthaginians with their war elephants and strong cavalry will join at the start of the open beta on February 22 and were presented for the first time in Paris.
Each faction has unique troops that are optimal against some other unit types but are ruthlessly disadvantaged against others. A classic “rock-paper-scissors principle”:
Spearmen Hoplites slaughter cavalry by the dozen if they attack from the front.
Archers take down infantry from a distance but quickly find themselves on the way to Hades against swift cavalry attacks!
Roman Legionnaires can ideally protect against arrows and are versatile but can be easily outmaneuvered.
Catapults hurl rocks far across the battlefield but are quickly reduced to kindling in close combat.
Barbarian melee fighters hit hard but usually lack armor and quickly perish in prolonged positional battles. Quick hit-and-run maneuvers are their strength.
The mighty elephants of Carthage trample normal infantry in no time but can be taken down swiftly with long spears and heavy fire from javelin throwers and archers.
Rabid war dogs tear apart unprotected infantry, but they won’t withstand the hail of arrows from archers or a phalanx for long.
Like in World of Tanks, your units start at the first of 10 levels, called “tiers.” There, you will find naked savages and simple militias. The more you play, the better units and equipment you can unlock. At the end on Tier 10, elite units such as the Spartan royal guard, praetorians, or legendary berserkers await. But you will have to invest a significant amount of time in the game to reach that point.
Heroes and Skills
You choose your three units before each battle from your faction’s pool. Just as important as the selection of troops is that of the leader. You have several historical figures to choose from, unique to each faction.
Each leader has unique abilities. The Spartan Leonidas can defend particularly well against ranged attacks with the skill “Then we fight in the shadows.” The wild Celtic rebel Boudica, on the other hand, boosts her troops to special aggression in combat.
Depending on which leader you select, your playstyle changes. Moreover, your units also have their own skills. Legionnaires can throw javelins, Greek hoplites are hard to beat in phalanx formation, and war elephants can shake the ground with their stomps and knock down enemies.
More Battle Feel than in Rome!
Unlike in the “regular” Total War games, Arena has no pause function. This was essential for many hobby warlords in strategy games to implement their own strategies calmly. They could leisurely survey the battlefield and execute optimal maneuvers such as flanking attacks, retreat movements, and defensive positioning.
In Total War: Arena, you do not have the luxury of pausing. And with your 3 units, you are just a fraction of the total force and must coordinate with your comrades.
From Individual Victory to Total Domination
Let’s take the following scenario: You command a cavalry division. Your riders are fast and maneuverable. You can deal significant damage with a bold charge, but you won’t survive long melee battles. In antiquity, cavalry was usually lightly armored.
You need a way to hit the opponent’s unprotected flanks. Frontal attacks lead to high losses on your side. Therefore, you initially ride along the edge of the battlefield and wait for an opportunity.
The Center Must Hold!
Meanwhile, the heavy troops of both armies march toward each other and soon engage in hard melee combat. Now it depends on how well your team-mates hold the enemy troops with their legionnaires and hoplites and bind them firmly to one spot.
And lo and behold, one of your colleagues succeeds and the flank of an enemy unit is uncovered for a moment! This is your chance! You rush in with the cavalry into the gap and activate the skill “charge” for extra impact!
The opponent is hit hard by the unexpected attack and loses not only irreplaceable soldiers but also morale. This value indicates how well a unit holds up in battle. If a troop is flanked or shot at with fire arrows or similar, morale decreases. If it is depleted, the unit flees and can be quickly wiped out by a bold pursuit maneuver.
Recognizing and Seizing Opportunities!
Such a panic reaction occurs in the enemy cohort that you just attacked. The opposing soldiers flee in fear and break their formation. Many meet their death in the process. The loss of a unit is already bad for the enemy, but the loss of that troop creates a gap in the enemy’s battle line.
Your comrades react quickly, sensing their chance and taking advantage of the moment. They stream through the breach and flank further enemy units. Gradually, the enemy line dissolves like a knitted sweater from which the threads are pulled.
If one of the enemy players had reacted immediately and closed the gap, nothing would have happened, but as it stands, it soon costs the enemy team the victory. Your bold charge was just as crucial as the quick action of your comrades and the tactical mistake of the unfortunately flanked enemy cohort.
More Battle Feel than in Rome and Co.!
Like in an actual battle, many factors contribute to whether it becomes a shining victory or a crushing defeat. The non-pausable real-time fights create a much denser battle atmosphere in Total War: Arena than in the regular Total War games.
Like a real commander, you must keep an overview in the chaos of battle, always looking for promising opportunities and being wary of traps and feints. Additionally, classic military maneuvers and tactics, such as flanking attacks, feigned attacks, ambushes, and encirclements, work remarkably well and often lead to success. It really makes you feel like a Caesar, Alexander, or Hannibal!
If the team is reasonably sharp, there is no need for extensive coordination. Often, the teammates already know what you want to achieve with your troops at the respective location, and they build their strategies around that. However, Total War: Arena really shines when played in a solid team with other players and voice chat.
With the battles limited to 15 minutes and good balancing, Total War: Arena could also be quite suitable for tournaments and eSports.
What’s Next?
At the event in Paris, it was evident how enthusiastic the developers at Creative Assembly are about their project. The attending devs were fired up for the game and the historical backgrounds. Nevertheless, one must balance realism and playability.
Currently, there are also no mounted archers in the game. They were simply too powerful in previous tests. The heavy war elephants have finally been well balanced after many attempts. They can deal immense damage in certain situations.
But those who think they can just charge wildly with the elephants will soon see the poor trunked creatures tragically trumpeting to their deaths. In our test games in Paris, I could at least observe several players confidently sending their elephants to a safe death.
For the future of the game, the developers want to actively integrate more factions, heroes, and units: among others, the Persians or Egyptians are likely. But more exotic factions, such as Japanese samurai or the troops of ancient China, are also seen as conceivable by the developers for Total War: Arena.
Who Should Play This?
Total War: Arena occupies a special niche. It is not necessarily aimed at fans of the classic Total War games. At least not those who prefer to build their empires, let most battles be decided by dice rolls, and load the last savegame when necessary.
Rather, Total War: Arena is aimed at players who:
Love exciting and well-balanced real-time battles
Want to try out various military maneuvers of antiquity themselves
Are fans of (largely) historically accurate units of antiquity
Enjoy achieving great things as a team
Are cunning foxes who like to use tricks and traps
Love it when a plan works
If you identify with this list, then get the open beta of Total War: Arena on February 22, 2018, and play a few rounds. It doesn’t cost anything.
In Monster Hunter: World, you can catch dozens of small creatures that you can then release in your room and observe while playing and frolicking. A few of these little creatures are extremely rare. Find out in our guide how to catch the rare bird, the Feathery Bird, and even snag the trophy “Bristles for Everyone” in Monster Hunter World!
In addition to the hundreds of quests, investigations, and loot hunts, a variety of creatures can be caught and used as decoration for your dwelling. The small geckos, birds, etc., are decorative and yield a considerable amount of research points per captured specimen, depending on their rarity.
The Feathery Bird is tied to the trophy “Bristles for Everyone”
Catching the bristly bird is associated with a trophy / achievement:
Bristles for Everyone (30GS / Silver Trophy) – Catch a stiff, bristly creature
In our guide, you will learn where to find the rare bird and snag the trophies!
In the Valley of Decay, the Feathery Bird is easiest to catch.
How to catch the Feathery Bird in Monster Hunter: World
The rare bird gives you a whopping 800 research points per captured specimen and is easiest to find in the Valley of Decay (if you can call it easy here). It also appears in the Ancient Forest, but is found high up among the branches, making it difficult to catch. Therefore, the Valley of Decay is the much better spot.
The bristly creature will immediately run away as soon as you approach it.To prevent this, you should equip a Ghillie Mantle. You can find this relatively early in the game – and it has the great ability to make you temporarily invisible. An essential gadget for catching skittish creatures.
This is the route to the Feathery Bird
Follow this guide step by step to reach the Feathery Bird in the Valley of Decay:
Start an expedition in the Valley of Decay and head to the central camp
Enter the underground area numbered 15
At the bottom of the cave, there is blue shimmering water, behind which a part of the cave can only be accessed by crawling
At the back on the left side is a small cave. This cave is a dead end, and a Mosswine spawns here.
Very rarely, the Mosswine has the bristly creature on its back. This is your moment to strike. Activate the Ghillie Mantle and catch the bristly bird with your net!
If the Mosswine does not have a Feathery Bird on its back, return to the central camp and try again. You can also follow the exact path to the bird in the following video by Charles:
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The financial report from Ubisoft is a love letter to the games-as-a-service model behind the games The Division and Rainbow Six Siege.
It is that time of year when the financial reports from gaming companies pour in. And all financial reports read this year like a love letter to the beautiful new world of multiplayer online games. At Ubisoft, it almost takes on sexual connotations.
It’s a world where the big ones keep getting bigger. A world where successful online games rake in a fortune for publishers year after year, even long after their release.
Ubisoft has created a presentation about the 3rd quarter of the fiscal year 2018, and it looks a bit like a “games-as-a-service” porn. This is the model behind games like The Division and Rainbow Six Siege – and Ubisoft loves it.
Publishers earn money from games much longer than before
One of the key figures is how much money a game earns in the second year after its release. While it used to be only 13% of the launch year, today with “games-as-a-service” it’s 52%.
This means that the “back catalog” of publishers, meaning the already released games, is becoming increasingly important. One no longer needs a hit every year; one can live well off the hits of previous years.
When it comes to these “live games,” Ubisoft counts games like Rainbow Six Siege or The Division – the money is made here through microtransactions – and the PC is more important in this new model than ever before.
Ubisoft as a role model
Ubisoft believes it can play an outstanding role in this new world.
Ubisoft sees itself as a kind of “pioneer” in this trend. The individual pages of the presentation seem to shout: “Look, we have understood the new world. We are doing everything right.” In 2017, there is now a much greater focus on multiplayer and open world than in 2011.
In terms of crucial digital revenue, Ubisoft wants to catch up with competitors Electronic Arts (FIFA) and Activision Blizzard (Overwatch, Call of Duty, Hearthstone).
Looking to the future, Ubisoft has three major goals:
Conquer China – aiming for a partnership with Tencent
Enter eSports with Rainbow Six Siege
Increase focus on PC and mobile
More about the new world of games-as-a-service and how successful it is can be found here:
Sea of Thieves activates microtransactions after launch. However, you should always know what you are buying.
Next month, on March 20, the pirate adventure Sea of Thieves will be released for PC and Xbox One. Initially, the developers want to ensure a smooth launch, address feedback and issues. A few weeks later, microtransactions are expected to be activated. However, the game will not feature loot boxes with a randomness principle.
Microtransactions only after launch
At the launch of Sea of Thieves, the focus is on providing a good gaming experience. The premium shop will not be available at the start of the game.
“The only conversations we want to hear about Sea of Thieves are about the adventures people have, the stories that unfolded, and why that is cool. At launch, it’s about providing the best gaming experience. Being there, reacting, listening, accepting feedback, and everything else,” explains Executive Producer Joe Neate to Eurogamer.
As Sea of Thieves heads towards “service” and grows with further updates, players will have the opportunity to support the game further. The developers particularly emphasize that in-game purchases will not affect gameplay progression or player strength. You will also always know what you are buying.
“No loot boxes, no loot crates,” confirms Neate. “There will be things that contribute to the fun, social nature of Sea of Thieves.”
Virtual pets – Throw monkeys off the ship
The first purchasing options in the premium shop will be virtual pets that you can select and buy directly in the shop. They function like other objects in Sea of Thieves. This means they can be picked up not only by the owner but also by other players.
“It is really optional. But if you own a monkey, you can keep it like other items in the game. But other players can also take the monkey and throw it overboard because that’s funny,” explains Neate. “The monkey then comes back and is fine. I also really want us to be able to shoot things out of cannons, including monkeys and other animals. It’s just funny, isn’t it?”
Can every crew member play with purchased pets?
If you are the only person who bought a pet and brought it on board, your crew can benefit from the pet. The team aims to add more fun. Because that’s what Sea of Thieves is about. “Again: It’s completely optional. You will always know what you [get when you buy].”
Are there pets available without payment?
According to PCGamesN, there is a chance to earn some premium content in-game, such as through rewards. However, those who want a guarantee on a specific pet will have to purchase it.
