Even though players may not want to hear it, the developers agree: Loot boxes are important if games are to have a future.
Loot boxes were likely the controversial gaming topic of 2017, although the discussion has carried into the new year. While players primarily split into the camps of “I don’t care as long as they aren’t Pay2Win” and “Loot boxes are the death of all video games”, developers also have their opinions on the additional loot crates that can be purchased for real money.
In a few months, the Game Developers Conference will take place, where over 4,500 developers will exchange ideas and discuss developments in the gaming market. There was already a survey beforehand where developers were asked to express their opinions on various topics.
One of these topics was loot boxes. The result may be sobering for many. According to the developers, loot boxes will accompany us for a long time and will not disappear anytime soon. A total of 11% of developers reported that they are currently working on games that will contain “paid loot crates” in some form.
“As long as everything is earnable, no one can complain”
One of the developers stated that “time is money”. He further elaborated: “As long as the content is obtainable by playing the game and the balance of the game content first considers gameplay and only then monetization, I see no basis for justified complaints.”
However, the developers are currently also concerned, as the uproar triggered by Star Wars: Battlefront 2 could negatively impact games that offer “fair” loot boxes and do not hide a Pay2Win system behind them.
Microtransactions are now part of the strategy for all major AAA titles, and everyone has to figure out how that can work for them, another developer stated.
What do you think about loot boxes? Are they a necessary evil? Or should developers find other methods – if so, which ones?
In FIFA 18 Ultimate Team, changes are coming to the FUT Champions Weekend League. EA Sports explains how the qualification will work in the future.
In the Weekend League of FUT Champions, you can grab the best rewards in FUT 18. The more games you win, the better prizes you receive, with weekly and monthly rewards available.
The first challenge is to qualify for the Weekend League. You have three options:
Win one of the “Daily Knockout” tournaments during the week.
Get promoted in the “Online Seasons in Division 1”.
Or achieve a high rank in the previous Weekend League to participate directly in the next Weekend League.
So far, you had to achieve at least one Gold rank to participate in the next Weekend League. This will change in February.
From February, Silver 2 will be sufficient to qualify for the Weekend League
Tyler Blair is the Senior Game Designer for FUT and has been working on the successful mode since 2008. In a detailed statement, he explains why the qualification conditions are changing.
To reach Gold 3, which is just enough for qualification, one must achieve 18 wins in the Weekend League. The data shows that most players need about 31 games to reach this goal. Many players only aim to participate in the next Weekend League, which is why they play until they get to 18 wins and then stop. And that is an extreme amount of effort for someone who just wants to qualify again.
Therefore, from February, the Silver 2 rank will be the new threshold for qualification. To reach this rank, you need to achieve at least 11 wins. According to the data, most players need around 20-23 games for this, which is significantly more convenient than over 30.
This change is intended to ensure that
the Weekend League will have a bit more participants in the future
and players who just want to qualify again will have to put in less effort.
In the pre-match screen, you will no longer see which team is the home team and which is the away team. Instead, players will always see their team on the left side and the opponent’s team on the right side:
All matches will now take place in the FeWC stadium. The time of day is always set to evening and the weather to clear. This is to ensure fair and equal conditions for everyone.
You will neither see the opponent’s jersey in the game nor in the pre-match screen. Instead, you will see your second active jersey, which you did not select for the match, on the opponents. Therefore, it is recommended: Select two active jerseys that contrast well with each other.
From a Star Wars fan’s perspective, the cinema release and Star Wars Battlefront 2 (PS4, Xbox One, PC) have brought some exciting weeks, and EA has no intention of hibernating. Instead, actions and good changes are promised. Above all, the progression system of Star Wars Battlefront is expected to improve.
Recently, update 1.1 went live, and we are already being provided with news about future changes. In the official news, Luke Skywalker is aptly quoted: “The war has just begun.”
Future Changes in Star Wars Battlefront 2
A new mode will be implemented in February: “Jetpack Cargo”. Two teams of eight players will be able to compete against each other. The kicker is that everyone will be equipped with jetpacks. However, this game mode will only be temporarily available, so keep your eyes peeled!
The progression system is expected to undergo significant changes. They have listened to player feedback and are actively working to improve it. Details are expected in March.
The second season will be coming soon! They have also taken the feedback to heart and learned from the first season.
Unfortunately, details are not mentioned here. Instead, the first season is reflected upon and some nice statistics are shown.
The Spirit of the Past Season
Thus, there were 156 million battles fought over Crait, over 10 million faction quests completed, with 58% fighting on the side of Phasma or the First Order and 42% on the side of Finn and the Resistance. The winner of the first season was the First Order.
The complete graphic also shows numbers regarding vehicle spawns, as well as the takedowns of Phasma and Finn.
Only a few days remain until the Content Patch 4.2 of Final Fantasy XIV, which goes live on January 30, bringing with it not only the continuation of the story but also new dungeons, raids, and primal battles.
Today, Square Enix released several screenshots of the three additional new armor sets, hairstyles, and companions from the patch on the official promo page.
This is what the new armors look like
The armor sets are divided into three different categories:
Armor obtained through the new Allagan stones of deceit that can be upgraded
Craftable armor that can hold more than 2 materia
While the designs of the Omega and stone armors are new, the craftable armor looks like the gear that could be looted in the 24-player raid “The Creator”.
At the players’ request, these can now be dyed.
Fashion is the true endgame
But what would a Final Fantasy XIV patch be without cosmetics? For fashion lovers, there will be two new hairstyles available from stylist Jandelaine starting January 30, which will also be worn by the NPCs from the story missions.
Additionally, there is a new emote that will likely be obtained at the end of the main story missions.
The cute little bonus on top are the two new companions: ferret and white tiger. How to obtain them is not yet known.
You can watch the German trailer for Patch 4.2 and its contents here:
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These 5 things Bungie should implement soon for the benefit of Destiny 2 and the community.
Destiny 2 has recently received significant media attention again. The reason: A Wall Street analyst predicted a grim future, stating that in-game earnings from Destiny 2 would disappoint in 2018, and together with all the criticism of the past months, this would harm the publisher Activision.
And indeed: The social media is still full of salt, Twitch viewer numbers for Destiny 2 streams are plummeting, and YouTube channels are looking for other games to report on.
The prominent Destiny YouTuber Datto has now released a video in which he wants to do something against this downward spiral. He names 5 things that Bungie should do for Destiny 2 to get the MMO shooter back on track. We present them in German.
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So far, Bungie has always been very secretive about specific mechanics in Destiny. “How do the Three of Coins actually work?” was a question that Guardians were occupied with for months in Destiny 1, and that Bungie never answered concretely. Little is officially known about all the secret mechanics in Destiny 2 as well. Only when the Guardians uncover questionable mechanics like in the XP disaster, must Bungie take a stand.
Nevertheless, the developers remain vague in their statements. It is rare for them to even mention numbers or statistics. Bungie once justified this by saying that Destiny should not be a complicated number game. Guardians should play with a weapon because it feels good, and not because it is a few percentage points stronger than another weapon after elaborate comparisons.
But that needs to change! Guardians want to know what is going on in their game – and why. Bungie does not meet this requirement at all. An example:
In early December, with the Curse of Osiris, some adjustments were made to the sandbox. Bungie wrote in the patch notes: “The damage of pulse grenades has been slightly reduced.” But by how much? Or: “The damage dealt by super abilities to bosses has been increased.” Nice, but by how much exactly?
The patch notes for other online games like Overwatch or The Division are much more detailed. Here, all changes are stated with percentages, and often there are comments from developers explaining why they made this adjustment.
This transparent communication is something Bungie must also get used to. They have promised for months that they want to communicate more with the player base. It is about time this is implemented.
Bungie should make more of the existing content
Many Guardians complain that they have nothing to do in Destiny 2 anymore. It simply is not worth playing anything. They find no arguments to convince friends to start Destiny 2.
However, Destiny 2 actually does not lack content. There are two raid activities, there are well-designed strikes, and even a few heroic adventures are in the game. Why doesn’t Bungie make “more content” out of this content?
The replayability must increase; there must be goals in these activities. A triumph book that has cool items as rewards would be a start. A strike scoring system is planned, but this feature must be linked to worthwhile rewards.
Bungie must give Guardians more reasons to want to log back in. And that only works through exciting loot and sufficient goals.
Destiny needs long-term experiences
Currently, the content plan for Destiny 2 looks like this: In the launch version, we fight against Ghaul. This threat is now averted. In the first DLC “Curse of Osiris,” we play a few story missions around Osiris and a Vex threat. This threat is also now averted. And in the second DLC, it will be similar: A new threat comes that we will stop within a few missions – and that’s it.
With this concept, Bungie succeeds in telling and concluding short stories quickly, but many Guardians would like to learn more about the characters, locations, or even the enemies that are only touched upon in the brief DLC storylines.
This is a wish that developers certainly cannot fulfill anytime soon, but: A story does not have to be restarted and concluded with every DLC. Instead, the developers could tell “deeper experiences” and more complex stories. How disappointing would it be if we face a new threat in a future expansion and eliminate it within 5 missions?
Long-term story developments, in which we pursue a big mystery across multiple DLCs, would do Destiny good and provide a contrast to the currently short DLC stories that feel insignificant and empty. Then the Guardians who would like to spend a lot of time in Destiny might feel more immersed in the Destiny universe again.
The short and self-contained DLC stories certainly have an advantage: Casuals can be attracted anew each time and charged for it – because they do not need much prior knowledge for it.
Easy content should not give the best loot
Datto sees another problem in the current loot distribution. You can play prestige activities that grant loot up to the highest power level. Or three heroic strikes or a few public events – with the same result.
Therefore, the demand: Easy activities should not be as rewarding as hard activities. Currently, it is far too easy to reach the highest level. That is not a good concept.
However, it will be difficult to find the right balance. Because in Destiny 1, there was, for example, the “Forever Level 29” problem, as players too rarely had the chance to earn the best loot.
In the toughest content, however, there should definitely be better items available that stand out from items gained from easier activities like public events. Now one might say: Then it hardly seems worth playing public events! However, many Guardians are currently asking: Why should I even play the World Eater raid track?
It is a necessary evil that there are hard activities that have desirable loot. Otherwise, all loot would be a boring uniform mass.
Bungie needs to decide what Destiny 2 is supposed to be
Should Destiny 2 be a game for casual players? Should it be a story game? Should it be a game that requires significant time investment?
Currently, it seems that Bungie itself does not even know. The base game was designed in a casual-friendly way with a clear focus on the story revolving around Ghaul and the Red Legion.
Only now, weeks and months after the launch, is Bungie working on ways to improve Destiny 2’s endgame to give Guardians who want to invest more time in a game something to do. In other words, Destiny 2 is currently trying to be a questionable mix of both, trying to satisfy both casual and hardcore players. And that is not working.
It seems as if there was never a clear line in the development of Destiny 2 regarding who the game is actually for. For future expansions, Bungie should make a clear decision and communicate this to players in advance.
Monster Hunter World (PS4 and Xbox One, later: PC) has already been extensively tested by the gaming press. The results of the tests and reviews could hardly be better. The game consistently receives top reviews and an excellent rating on Metacritic.
Officially, Capcom’s cheerful monster hunt Monster Hunter World is set to release on January 26, 2018. However, there are already plenty of reviews and ratings of the game in the gaming press.
The first Monster Hunter, which is tailored for both PS4 and Xbox One as well as the western market, is performing remarkably well.
Top Reviews for the Monster Hunt
The Monster Hunter series has so far been heavily tailored towards the Japanese market and handheld consoles. Therefore, the release of Monster Hunter World, with its focus on home consoles and a western player base, is a risk for Capcom.
However, the efforts and the risk seem to be paying off. Monster Hunter World consistently receives top ratings with a Meta Score of 91 on the Playstation 4.
The previous reviews of Monster Hunter World are a reason for joy for Capcom. Of over 20 ratings, none are below 80 percent. Here are some of the key scores:
GamePro: 89/100
The Sixth Axis – 10/10
The Telegraph – 5/5
US Gamer – 5/5
Famitsu – 39/40
IGN – 9.5
GameInformer – 9.5
Hardcore Gamer – 4.5/5
Hobby Consolas – 95/100
Eurogamer – Essential
Destructoid – 9/10
Gaming Bolt – 9/10
Gaming Nexus – 9.5
PlayStation Lifestyle – 9.5
PlayStation Universe – 9/10
Mein-MMO 9/10
Metro – 9/10
RPG Site – 9/10
God is a Geek – 8.5/10
Spaziogames – 8.5/10
Xbox Achievements – 8/10
Push Square – 8/10
GameSpot – 8
Highlights of Monster Hunter World
So what do reviewers like so much about Monster Hunter World? Here are a few of the more prominent opinions about the game.
Mein-MMO “a true monster masterpiece”
For Leya Jankowski, Monster Hunter World is the game that Monster Hunter always should have been. She praises the impressive ecosystem on the maps and is thrilled by the adrenaline rush during monster battles. You can read the Mein-MMO review of Monster Hunter World here.
GamePro – “Magnificent Monster Grind!”
GamePro is excited about Monster Hunter World and gave the game 89 points! The reviewer particularly praises the intuitive operability and the accessibility of the game. Thanks to good tutorials and tool tips, players can quickly get into the game, but the challenge is still present.
IGN – “Not the best, but the boldest Monster Hunter!”
On the website IGN, a rating of 9.5 was awarded. Monster Hunter World may not be the best, but it is certainly the “boldest” game in the series. It takes a different path with the large new world while remaining true to the ideals of the series.
Eurogamer – “The most accessible, detailed and greatest installment so far!”
At Eurogamer, they are also raving. Although some time and effort must be invested in the gameplay, one gets an enormous return for it. Whether a beginner or a veteran, players will constantly find new ways to enjoy the game. Monster Hunter World is further proof of the greatness of the series!
GameSpot – “The largest and best game of the franchise”
At GameSpot, Monster Hunter World received 8 out of 10 points. They particularly praise the beautiful storytelling of the campaign as well as the high accessibility. The combat mechanics had been difficult to master for beginners in previous installments of the series. This is different here.
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Fortnite: Battle Royale (PC, PS4 & Xbox One) is currently being actively updated by the developer Epic. This time there are adjustments to the quality of life and weapon behavior. The update is numbered 1.38 on PS4.
Fortnite: Battle Royale is the new star in the game repertoire of developer Epic Games. After all, developers are being taken away from all other projects to develop content and updates for Fortnite faster . Therefore, just a week after the big update V.2.2.0. there is already another patch.
This time, however, there are fewer world-changing innovations, but adjustments and improvements to the “quality of life,” meaning accessibility.
Voice Chat, Grenade Trajectories, and No More Rewards for Quitters!
Update V.2.3.0 mainly brings smaller adjustments, a new item, and a few useful features into the game. These include:
The trajectory of grenades is now more accurate
The wait time between throwing a grenade and switching to another weapon has been reduced
There are more loot locations in the “Haunted Hills” area
You can mute players already in the lobby screen
Player knockdowns are now also recorded by Nvidia Shadowplay
Voice chat is now available even before the game starts
You can set an auto-run option
Auto-assist can be turned off on consoles
You can drink a new energy drink called “Chug Jug.” If you manage to drink it for 15 seconds, you will get full health and shields
Those who leave the game early will receive no rewards. Only if you die or win will there be loot!
PvE Mode Also Gets an Update
The lion’s share of the updates concerns the PvP mode of Fortnite. But there are also a few changes to the PvE co-op mode. The winter event is ending, and you will again get the “Mutant Storm Event.”
In the Stonewood region, there are 5 such storms, while Plankerton, Canny Valley, and Twine Peaks can boast up to 25 storms. Additionally, there are hydraulic weapons and the legendary Hydra Transform Key.
Almost a year after the release of Ghost Recon Wildlands, the game is getting loot boxes. Additionally, the team is unlocking a new PvP mode.
The new, free Extended Ops update for Ghost Recon Wildlands unlocks the game mode “Extraction”, in which you need to find and evacuate an important target. The opposing team tries to interrupt the evacuation.
Loot boxes are also coming into play, but they do not have a P2W characteristic. With a huge selection of items, you can customize your character and its weapons uniquely.
14GB Update for Ghost Recon Wildlands – Extended Ops
Today, on January 25th, the Extended Ops update for Ghost Recon Wildlands is released, activating the Extraction mode. On Steam, the update is about 8GB in size, and on Uplay and consoles, it’s about 14GB.
The maintenance work is expected to take place from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM German time.
The developers have made some improvements for colorblind players and are now also unlocking the weapons of the “Fallen Ghosts” DLC for the campaign mode (if you own “Fallen Ghosts”).
Game Mode “Extraction”
On new, exclusive maps, two teams compete for victory. One team defends while the other team tries to attack in order to rescue a hostage.
On the maps, you will find two hostages, of which only one needs to be rescued to win. This prevents the developers from making defenders simply camp at one spot to gain an advantage.
The attacking team must search for the hostage, grab it, and then bring it to their safe area. The opposing team tries to prevent this rescue.
You decide how to approach the missions.
Defenders can either wait close to the hostages or intercept the attackers beforehand.
Attackers can split up to confuse the defenders with a distraction maneuver.
In the trailer, you can get a first impression:
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About ten months ago, Ghost Recon Wildlands was released, and now it is time to introduce the loot boxes. The developers state that they want to provide a lot of free content for you over the next six months as well. New game modes, new maps, classes, and leaderboard modes are mentioned.
In the new battle crates, you will find items with well-known rarity levels such as “Rare”, “Epic”, and “Legendary”.
What is in the Battle Crates?
In the battle crates, you will find cosmetic items that you can equip in the campaign or in the Ghost War mode.
The crates have no impact on gameplay or player progress.
How do I get Battle Crates?
Every player receives one battle crate for Spec Ops and one for Ghost War as a gift. These can be redeemed via the Ubisoft Club.
Additionally, you can buy battle crates for 400 Store Credits in the shop.
Contents of the Battle Crates
In each loot box, you will find three items, that you do not already own! There will be no duplicates.
The developers refer to battle crates as a collection of crates specifically designed for the campaign, the co-op mode (Spec Ops crate), and the Ghost War mode (Ghost War crate).
Spec Ops crates contain:
Epic and exotic weapons, vehicles, and a ton of cosmetic items for the campaign mode
Ghost War crates contain:
Exotic weapons (skins for weapons that already exist in the game – weapon stats remain the same)
Customization items
A new, exclusive line of character skins called “Cult”
All cosmetic items can be used in the campaign and in Ghost War mode. More than 200 items are available in the crates. All items, except for the Cult skins, can also be purchased in the shop through bundle offers.
When opponents become arrogant in Overwatch, only Lúcio can save the day – as a true stealth character!
Overwatch doesn’t operate like many other team shooters in several aspects. While team play is crucial in Overwatch and coordinated teams usually prevail against a bunch of lone wolves, there are still amusing situations where individual players can turn the tide.
This was the case for the player Moosion. After his team barely managed to capture the first control point on the map “Temple of Anubis”, things took a dark turn. Really dark. The opposing team was so strong that they were simply mowing down their enemies right at their spawn area.
With 20 seconds left before a looming defeat, Moosion decided it was time to act. He switched to Lúcio and waited until his teammates once again rushed into the enemies. He took advantage of the chaos, quickly zipping across the map thanks to speed boost and wall ride. He hopped from wall to wall, covering distance in no time.
At the opponent’s control point, there was a surprise – no enemies. Not even the opposing Torbjörn had placed his turret there. The capture bar filled up little by little before the enemy team even realized what was happening.
Only the enemy Torbjörn tried to return to the control point with his molten core activated. However, he arrived exactly too late, and a well-placed push from Lúcio ensured that victory was secured. For the side that was actually at a disadvantage.
The moral of the story? Spawn camping is not acceptable!
Have you ever had a match where the arrogance of the opponents ultimately led to victory?
A major insider report on Anthem highlights the situation of BioWare and its most important remaining project, Anthem. A lot is at stake for the team, and they have some concerns. A release is likely not planned until 2019.
The author Jason Schreier from Kotaku is known for tapping sources in the gaming industry. He speaks to studio employees in confidence and then whispers and murmurs about the status of a current project. The employees want to remain anonymous because they are not authorized to share information.
Development with Difficulties
He has done this with BioWare and their game Anthem. Fans actually expect it in the fall of 2018. Anthem is a sci-fi third-person shooter with MMO elements, leaning towards a loot shooter. Some compare it to Destiny, The Division, or Warframe.
In Schreier’s report we learn that Anthem has been in development since 2012 and that the team is struggling with the Frostbite engine. It was originally designed for the Battlefield games and traditionally poses problems for BioWare’s projects, which tend more towards RPGs.
In 2014 and 2015, Schreier heard: The development of Anthem is not going well – recently the project has gained momentum and the mood has become more positive as more and more BioWare employees join the project and work on its completion.
Release Date of Anthem: Fall 2018 was never realistic – Must be finished by March 2019
The surprising thing: There is almost no information about Anthem itself. In comparable “insider articles”, there were always some nuggets of info about gameplay and direction. This is completely missing in the Anthem report.
However, there is one important piece of information: The official release date of Anthem in fall 2018 was, according to Schreier’s sources, never realistic. The release date is still unclear.
But EA will push for the game to be released by March 2019 at the latest. Then EA’s fiscal year ends, and money must flow to keep investors happy.
Fear of nasty YouTubers, content-hungry fans, and pressure from EA
Otherwise, the article mainly discusses the mood at BioWare.
It lies somewhere between “optimism” and “fear.”
They fear three things in the team:
BioWare knows how important Anthem is for the company after Mass Effect: Andromeda flopped. If Anthem goes wrong, they fear consequences for the studio from EA
They are also aware of EA’s reputation after the Battlefront 2 fiasco and believe that well-known YouTubers are sharpening their knives to go after BioWare and Anthem. EA will be especially targeted. BioWare believes they will also take the heat and be portrayed as cold-hearted villains
BioWare knows how massive the project is and that comparable games like The Division, Diablo, and Destiny initially faced communication and content shortages. They anticipate similar startup difficulties for Anthem. Especially the problems with Destiny 2 and how the community reacted put pressure on the mood at Anthem.
However, Schreier concludes his article on a positive note. BioWare is striving for transparency with fans, answers questions on reddit and what has been seen so far is fantastic. In any case, BioWare is under pressure.
In The Division 1.8 runs the 4th Global Event. We show you how to quickly earn Global Event Credits (GE-Credits) during this event. This way, you can farm the currency quickly.
Since January 23rd, the fourth Global Event is live in The Division. It is called “Ambush” and allows you to quickly obtain the secret set pieces of AlphaBridge, Firecrest, Hunter’s Faith, and Tactician’s Authority.
To obtain this “Classified Gear”, you need to purchase “Superior Ambush Caches” at the Terminal. These have a fairly high chance of dropping the new secret set pieces. However, they cost a hefty 1500 Global Event Credits (GE-Credits).
We now present three ways to efficiently farm GE-Credits.
Important Note: It is possible to buy “Ambush Caches” for 900 GE-Credits. Do not buy these! They cannot contain any secret set pieces. Recently, Massive admitted that there are actually no reasons to purchase the regular Ambush Caches.
How to efficiently earn GE-Credits in 1.8 Ambush
You only receive GE-Credits during a Global Event week. Almost all activities and bosses grant GE-Credits as rewards.
During the Ambush event, you can activate additional modifiers in the missions Times Square Power Relay, Broadway Emporium, Police Academy, and Queens Tunnel Supply, as well as in the Dragon’s Nest Incursion to receive more GE-Credits. One might think these missions are the best to farm GE-Credits, but they actually take quite a long time, making them not recommended.
How many GE-Credits do you earn in these missions?
Missions on Challenging grant 750 GE-Credits upon completion. If you activate an optional modifier in the above missions, you only receive around 125 additional GE-Credits (varies depending on the mission and difficulty). However, the specified missions take too long.
Times Square Power Relay can be completed on Legendary, granting over 1500 GE-Credits. However, this mission takes too much time and is too difficult for some agents, making it unsuitable for farming.
The Dragon’s Nest Incursion on Heroic rewards 900 GE-Credits plus 175 from optional modifiers. However, the Dragon’s Nest is also not efficient, as the fight against the final boss drags on.
Therefore – consider the following three farming methods:
Weekly HVTs: The weekly “High-Value Targets” can be quickly defeated solo or in a group. Each mission only takes a few minutes and rewards between 400 and 750 GE-Credits. Each boss also drops additional GE-Credits, so you can gather many GE-Credits in just a few minutes. You can find the officers for HVTs at the terminal, and you will need target data for them.
Clear Sky: After the HVTs, you should ideally farm the “Clear Sky” Incursion in a well-coordinated team of four. On Heroic, you receive 900 GE-Credits per run. You get around 50 extra GE-Credits for the boss. With a strong team, Clear Sky can be completed in under 7 minutes.
Lexington: If you do not have a top team available, the “Lexington Event Center” mission is the best farming method. Set it to Challenging, find random teammates, and receive 750 GE-Credits for every completion. The mission lasts about 10 minutes if you are quick, making it significantly shorter than other missions. You also get around 30-50 extra GE-Credits for the boss.
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Keep in mind that you can also play all other missions or incursions to earn GE-Credits. This is undoubtedly more fun than repeating the same mission over and over, but not nearly as efficient.
Important: All information applies to World Tier 5.
A secret quest in World of Warcraft is quite tricky. We will tell you how to become the Postmaster!
With patch 7.3.5, Blizzard has hidden some small content pieces in World of Warcraft that many players might overlook at first glance. There is a new questline revolving around the legendary Postmaster. Yes, that’s right. The guy who sends you every little pebble you missed looting in a dungeon and fills up your mailbox.
The quest starts with the item “Lost Mail.” You can find this item in Dalaran, near a random mailbox. But be careful: only one player can loot the letter at a time, and it has a respawn time of about 2 hours. If you don’t want to wait, you can also buy the letter directly from the auction house, but be prepared for high prices. Depending on the server, the letter goes for 10,000 to 200,000 gold pieces.
Before the hotfix, the letter that starts the quest could only be found at the mailbox right in front of the Violet Citadel, causing many players to get stuck there.
The questline requires you to visit the Postmaster in Dalaran, whom you can find behind the first aid shop in Dalaran. Just click the large tube and you’ll be at the Postmaster.
From there, it’s a simple questline where you just need to follow the steps. However, reading the quest texts is worthwhile because you’ll encounter cool characters like Johnny Imba and get to bring him “Invincible” from the Lich King.
Tricky Minigame for Azeroth Experts
The conclusion of the questline is a minigame that is not very easy, as you have to sort mail. You will receive an envelope with an address, such as “Lake Shire, Redridge Mountains.” Now you have to quickly assign the letter to the corresponding tube that matches the continent – in this case, “Eastern Kingdoms.” Repeat this 15 times within 60 seconds, and you have completed the quest!
As a reward, you will receive (later in a letter) a toy that allows you to access a mailbox anywhere in the world temporarily. Additionally, you will receive another letter as a quest starter that you can gift to players or sell at the auction house.
Once you have completed the quest, you can test your true talent and continue to assist the Postmaster. After completing the quest, there are two more achievements that reward you with a cool pet “Eilementar” (Mail Elemental) or the title Postmaster.
Achievements and Titles Only for Professionals
For the Mail Elemental, you need to correctly assign a total of 30 letters within one minute – you only have 2 seconds per letter, so it will take several attempts and some practice.
Anyone who also wants the title Postmaster has to complete an even tougher challenge. Again, you need to correctly assign 30 letters within 60 seconds. However, these letters only partially have their addresses. Instead of a zone name like “Val’Sharah” or “Westfall,” you will only see the name of the place – such as “Graywatch” or “Tarren Mill” or “Lor’lathil.” Here, you need to quickly recognize which place is in which zone and then assign them to the corresponding continent. With 2 seconds per letter, that’s quite a piece of work!
Have you found the letter yet and completed the achievements? Or are they too difficult and should be simplified?
With Star Wars: The Old Republic, it might soon be over. At least, some sources say that BioWare is debating the end of development.
As part of a longer report about Anthem, the upcoming MMO shooter from BioWare, Kotaku spoke with some insider sources from BioWare. According to them, a lot of pressure lies on the studio, and the success of Anthem will likely decisively determine the future of BioWare.
In fact, Anthem is said to be so important that BioWare is pulling employees from other projects to accelerate Anthem’s development in its last year. This would be standard practice and had already happened with Mass Effect: Andromeda.
SWTOR is supposed to die so that Anthem can be completed
In this context, it was discussed: According to Kotaku’s sources, there are plans to discontinue the development of SWTOR, thereby likely officially “killing” the game. Another source stated that these plans are still being “discussed” – they certainly exist.
This concern at least fits the perception of many fans of Star Wars: The Old Republic. In recent months, players have increasingly complained that the servers feel empty and the content of the patches is becoming less frequent.
SWTOR has focused heavily on improving existing systems in recent months, which actually lays a good foundation for the future. In light of the new revelations, it could also mean that they are now phasing the game out and simply do not plan to release any new content, aside from what is currently in production, for the MMORPG.
Are you still regularly playing SWTOR? Would you miss the game on the market? Or have you long left it behind?
In February, Metal Gear Survive (PC, PS4, Xbox One) is set to release and may provide a new home for survival enthusiasts. We will show you what to expect from the game, its connection to the Metal Gear series, and what trend features the game does without.
Metal Gear Survive is an action-packed zombie survival game that features some differences from the Metal Gear series. However, this does not mean that the game is bad; it ignites heated discussions in the gaming community.
You can play the game solo or in co-op mode, although the single-player mode is probably not the flagship mode.
What is Metal Gear Survive about?
In MGS (Metal Gear Survive), the main goal is to survive against hordes of zombies.
The story of the game begins where Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes left off: Skull Face and the XOF destroyed the “Mother Base,” which Big Boss and Kazuhira Miller somehow managed to leave alive. Shortly thereafter, a wormhole opens in the sky and sucks in the remaining base and the soldiers.
The wormhole leads to an alternate reality where the remnants of the Mother Base and the soldiers are now situated. Additionally, there you will encounter zombies, many zombies! While they may not look like the usual zombies we know, they are zombie-like.
The goal is to find enough materials and plans to rebuild the base. You will face action-packed battles against the zombies, fueled by Molotov cocktails.
Gameplay – How does it play?
The basics:
You play Metal Gear Survive in a open world.
You control from a third-person perspective, giving you a good overview of the enemy masses.
The good thing about the zombies is that they are not smart. They usually follow you in a straight line, without taking small detours. If you place a fence between you and the enemies, they will run in front of it, and you can comfortably take them out.
Aside from the zombies, there are other typical survival features like hunger and thirst that need to be satisfied. The weapons you use to fight the enemies depend on your character creation. There, you choose weapons and items that suit your playstyle.
Solo and Multiplayer Coop Possible
Whether you play MGS in single-player mode or invite friends to the coop mode is up to you. As a single player, you are given three AI companions who will follow your commands. This can work and bring joy to many players, but the focus of the game is on multiplayer functions.
In your coop group, which consists of up to four people, you explore the world together or complete missions in the game. Additionally, the known stealth mode from the Metal Gear series is said to be utilized in coop.
An important part of MGS is building and defending your own base. You can upgrade this with resources or equip it with powerful weapons. While you are outside the base searching for important items or fighting enemies, you will encounter toxic clouds. For this situation, there is a mask with a limited oxygen tank. If you run out of air, you must return to the base.
Release on PC, PS4, and Xbox One
There is not much time until the release. On February 22, 2018, Metal Gear Survive is set to release on PC, PS4, and Xbox One at a price of €39.99.
Pre-orders also grant access to a Day 1 DLC that brings special weapon skins, scarves, emotes, and more.
Criticism – Hideo Kojima Issue
Even before the release, there is a lot of criticism directed at Metal Gear Survive. This primarily comes from fans who are upset about the title of the game. If the game had been given a different name instead of “Metal Gear Survive” that did not include “Metal Gear,” the criticism may not have been so harsh.
But fans say: The Metal Gear series was created by Hideo Kojima. Now, with Kojima no longer at Konami, the publisher wants to use the name for monetary gain. Without Kojima, the game is not worthy of carrying the name Metal Gear.
Kojima explains that the game would have gone differently under his guidance: “In Metal Gear games, it’s about political fiction and espionage. How do zombies fit into that?”
This discussion is already dividing the community before the game’s release. But one positive aspect is the latest statement from the MGS producers. They have now declared that the game will not include microtransactions, loot boxes, or P2W features.
Previously, there were some rumors about microtransactions, which have now been clarified.
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The sales figures for the crucial month of December 2017 are here. While the star of Destiny 2 slowly fades, the stars of Fortnite and PUBG continue to rise. But another game dominates the Christmas business: Call of Duty WW2.
Every month, the analysis firm SuperData releases its market research figures. These are top 10 lists of the games that generated the most revenue digitally in a month. The numbers apply worldwide.
Digital gaming market grows by one-sixth
Overall, the digital video game market grew by 17% in December 2017 compared to 2016. The industry is booming.
There are hardly any surprises. Trends that could be observed throughout the year continue.
The premium AAA games on PC and consoles have turned up. Mobile is also gaining momentum. Social games and subscription games are declining.
The big winners of December 2017
One of the big winners in December is Call of Duty: WW2. It secured 1st place among console titles. And that’s not all. In terms of digital sales, CoD: WW2 had the best quarter for consoles of all time. No console game has generated more revenue in a quarter than the latest title from CoD. This fits the spirit of the times: More and more games are being purchased digitally for consoles.
A surprise is Grand Theft Auto V. The oldie has achieved the best revenue quarter years after its release. GTA V Online breaks its record from June 2017 and now has earned more in one month than ever before.
Throughout the year, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds has been winning – and this trend continues in December. Players on Xbox One eagerly awaited the release and purchased 2 million digital units of PUBG. The “clones” of PUBG also count among the winners. Mobile games like Knives Out and Rules of Survival have launched successfully.
Fortnite: Battle Royale and PUBG successful on PC and consoles
Fortnite Battle Royale generated 89 million US dollars digitally in December 2017 and keeps pace with PUBG in growth. This is a tremendous success on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. According to Superdata, the player base is evenly distributed here.
PUBG and Fortnite are also the only games from the top 10 on consoles that are also found among the PC games. The usual suspects from Asia, such as LoL, WoW, World of Tanks, and other familiar faces still dominate there.
Critical voices for Destiny 2 – Black eye for Battlefront
In contrast, Superdata has critical voices for Destiny 2. They say that the DLC “Curse of Osiris” had no significant impact on the game.
Both the digital revenue figures and the monthly active users remained the same in December 2017 compared to November. This may be because many purchased Curse of Osiris not in December, but months ago as part of a special edition.
This is disappointing for Destiny 2: Normally, one expects an increase in the number of monthly active users with a DLC release and not a flat line. At least, SuperData did not see a decline here.
Interestingly, the title “Star Wars Battlefront 2” is impressively holding 4th place among consoles. This is achieved by Star Wars without any additional revenue source. The planned microtransactions had to be removed from the game by Electronic Arts after fan protests.
That was the last month of 2017 – we forecast these trends for 2018:
In Destiny 2: Curse of Osiris features Osiris as Dawnblade. However, he was actually supposed to be a Sunsinger, right?
In the Destiny lore, it is often mentioned that Osiris was a powerful Warlock – a Sunsinger Warlock.
As Sunsingers, Warlocks who used the Solar focus were referred to in Destiny 1. They had the ability to resurrect themselves, among other things. In Destiny 2, this Solar focus was replaced by the Dawnblade, which can no longer resurrect itself but hurls flaming blades at enemies with a sword. Since then, if you play as a Solar Warlock, you are Dawnblades.
In a cutscene from Curse of Osiris, we first saw Osiris, who was known as a Sunsinger. But in the cutscene, he suddenly uses the Super of the Dawnblade and attacks enemies with the flaming sword. How can that be?
Osiris as Dawnblade
Three “explanations” can be quickly found in the forums:
Destiny 2 is a video game, not everything has to make sense.
He is now a Dawnblade, “because marketing”. In trailers, he cannot use a Super that no longer exists in Destiny 2.
Or Ghaul is to blame: He first took the Light from the Guardians, and since the cage surrounding the Traveler was destroyed, all Sunsingers somehow became Dawnblades. It just is what it is.
However, these explanations are not particularly satisfactory. The lore expert My name is Byf also thought so, who presents a theory in the video that can be linked to the Destiny backstory. We will present it afterwards.
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In fact, there are no direct hints in the lore about how the Light or how the Guardian focuses work. It is only known that Guardians are able to use the Light as a weapon, while also distinguishing between Arc, Solar, and Void energy.
The fan theory now assumes that a Warlock using Solar Light should not be categorized strictly as either a Sunsinger or Dawnblade. Instead, Sunsingers and Dawnblades are Warlocks who both use Solar Light but apply different techniques. These techniques can be learned – and theoretically could be used at will by the same Solar Warlock.
Thus, Osiris could be a Solar Warlock who masters both techniques and can therefore use either the resurrection or the flaming sword at will.
Hints for this theory are provided by the Arcstrider, the Arc Hunter in Destiny 2. It is known that this Hunter subclass did not suddenly appear and replace the Blade Dancer from Destiny 1 out of nowhere. On the contrary: According to the lore, an Arcstrider is a very ancient Guardian focus that has almost completely been forgotten. Arcstriders once “learned” to shape the Traveler’s Light into a staff to defeat enemies.
Early in the story of Destiny 2, Guardians (that is us) learn this “technique” using the piece of the Traveler. The Arcstrider does not “replace” the Blade Dancer, it merely represents another ancient technique of using Light. Here, specifically, the Arc Light.
In Destiny 2, therefore – according to the theory – the Arc Hunter is not a completely new Hunter subclass, but remains the previous Arc Hunter, who has learned a different technique for a different Super.
Ultimately, the new focuses differ little from the “old focuses” from Destiny 1. Grenades and melee attacks have largely remained identical. This is also an indication that an Arcstrider does not represent a completely new subclass, but actually only differs from the Super – from another technique of shaping Arc Light – from the Blade Dancer.
A Solar Warlock can theoretically switch between the Sunsinger and Dawnblade Super at will
What does this mean now? According to the theory, one should not strictly separate the Guardian subclasses of the same element (Solar, Void, Arc). A Dawnblade is not something completely different from a Sunsinger; instead, a Solar Warlock can switch at will between the Sunsinger Super (Resurrection) and the Dawnblade Super (Flaming Sword), provided he masters both techniques.
Osiris is known as a powerful and intelligent Warlock. He may have known the technique of the Dawnblade long before we did. And just as we can switch between grenades at will, Osiris can switch between Solar Super attacks. He decided in the cutscene to use the Dawnblade technique instead of the Sunsinger technique.
This theory would mean that we Guardians could also be Sunsingers, Blade Dancers, or Defenders again now that we have the Light back. Theoretically, we still master these techniques. We haven’t forgotten them just because we can now use the new techniques.
But here comes a design decision from Bungie into play: Bungie does not give us the option to switch between the Super of a Sunsinger and a Dawnblade, even though, according to the theory, it would be possible without issues.
Osiris sets an example for us, if the theory holds true…
What do you think of this theory? Does it sound plausible or is it just an interesting attempt to make sense of the developers’ decisions?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Monster Hunter World (PS4, PC and Xbox One) comes to PC much later than on consoles. According to analysts, this could negatively impact the game’s success and revenue. Generally, Monster Hunter World is seen quite positively.
It’s almost time! On January 26, 2018, Monster Hunter World will finally be released for the PS4 and Xbox One consoles. The latest installment in the Monster Hunter series aims to establish the immensely popular franchise in Japan in the West on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Until now, the series has primarily been found on handheld devices, such as the Nintendo DS, and outside Japan, it has been more of a niche title.
Monster Hunter World is expected to succeed here, but the delayed PC version could jeopardize the game’s overall revenue.
Monster Hunter World is likely to be a success here …
According to analysts from SuperDataResearch, Monster Hunter World could be well received in the West. Developer Capcom has made a significant effort to make the game appealing to Western players:
Monster Hunter World has more open-world gameplay
There are more tutorials, as Western players are often unfamiliar with the game mechanics
The learning curve is not as steep as in typical previous installments of the series
These changes are expected to be well received in the West and contribute to the game’s commercial success.
They expect between 300,000 to 600,000 digital sales in the first month. While that wouldn’t be a AAA-level success, it would be a solid result for a series that has so far only been successful in Japan.
… but the PC release in autumn poses a threat to revenue
However, analysts see the modest success of Monster Hunter World at risk, mainly due to the late release of the PC version, which is expected to arrive only in autumn 2018.
Until then, analysts fear that PC players may have already turned to other titles, and interest in Monster Hunter may have waned.
Long gap between console and PC releases has never been good
Similar cases are cited as evidence, where console and PC releases were far apart. For the action RPG “Nioh,” the console release was in February 2017, while the PC version did not appear until November.
At that time, the player base on PC was only 28 percent of the player count that had initially engaged in the console’s first month.
As a counterexample, SuperDataResearch mentions Dark Souls III. It was released on PC just a few weeks after the console release and had a solid 40 percent of the console player base on PC.
Therefore, analysts fear revenue losses due to the delayed release of Monster Hunter World on PC.
During the “Start was Weeks” at Saturn, you can get the SNES Classic Mini for 99.99 euros. Additionally, you receive a 10 euro voucher from Saturn.
At the launch last year, the Nintendo SNES Classic Mini sold out very quickly. After that, there were always smaller quantities available, which also didn’t last long in stock. Meanwhile, the availability has somewhat improved. However, many retailers still charge more than the suggested retail price of 99.99 euros.
If you’re interested in the retro console, you now have a special offer at Saturn. Here, the SNES Classic Mini is available for 99.99 euros and you will receive a 10 euro voucher from Saturn. This will be sent to you via email starting February 21 and can be redeemed once for a minimum purchase value equivalent to the coupon value + 0.01 euro.
The SNES Mini includes 21 pre-installed games, featuring classics like Super Mario World, Star Fox, F-Zero, or Super Mario Kart. Additionally, Star Fox 2, an unreleased title, is included. Furthermore, two controllers are provided and the cables are significantly longer compared to the NES Mini.
The offers presented here are equipped with so-called affiliate links. By purchasing through one of these links, we receive a small commission from the respective provider. This does not affect the price.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
At the start of the Sea of Thieves beta, there are issues. Players are receiving an error message that they are too early.
Today, on January 24th, the closed beta phase of the pirate adventure Sea of Thieves started. Players on PC and Xbox One should now ideally set sail in their ships and navigate the seas, but some are experiencing problems.
“You are too early!” – Players cannot access the beta
On Reddit and Twitter, many players have been complaining for several hours about not being able to access the Sea of Thieves test phase. Players who signed up for the Insider Program early or pre-ordered Sea of Thieves should actually have access to the beta. However, the launch is bumpy.
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On PC, many players are receiving the error that they are too early to start the Sea of Thieves beta, even though the official launch has already happened. On Twitter, the development team announced that they are working on a solution to the error.
Update January 25 – A solution has been found. Those who pre-order Sea of Thieves in the next 24 hours should enable it on PC and Xbox One in the Insider HUB to avoid issues.
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While some are standing in front of closed doors, others have already donned their eye patches and plunged into the open sea.
Why the “too early” error does not occur for all players is unclear. It is currently suspected that beta participants from the Insider Program do not have problems. Those who pre-ordered Sea of Thieves currently cannot get in. However, this is being investigated.
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The TOTW releases continue to take place regularly. This week, it is the TOTW 19 edition.
The TDW 19 is really strong: With Neymar (95), Hazard (93), and Aguero (92), there are three players over 90. Interesting from a German perspective: With Müller, Ginter, and Horn, three German players made it into the TDW. Here is the entire team:
TOTW 19 – Ratings of the player cards in Ultimate Team
Starting XI:
Substitutes:
These were the predictions for Team of the Week 19 in FUT 18
TOTW predictions are forecasts of which players deserve a spot in the upcoming Team of the Week. While these predictions never align 100% with the official TOTW, and it is therefore risky to act on the transfer market based on them, they still give a good overview of which players might receive the coveted special cards.
We provide an overview of predictions from various FIFA sites.
Billy Kee [ST] 64 > 73 – Northern Ireland – Accrington Stanley
Sergio Aguero [ST] 91 > 92 – Argentina – Manchester City
Eden Hazard [LW] 92 > 93 – Belgium – Chelsea
Neymar [LW] 94 > 95 – Brazil – PSG
What is the Team of the Week (TOTW) in FIFA 18 Ultimate Team?
Every Wednesday, EA Sports reveals the Team of the Week in the “Ultimate Team” mode of their annual football simulation. This also applies to FIFA 18. Here, players who showed outstanding performances in real football over the past week are rewarded with special cards that have improved attributes.
You can pull the TOTW cards within a week from the sets that may contain Rare (Gold) players. However, the chances of doing so are considered low. Additionally, it is possible for you to buy these on the transfer market if they are offered by other players. However, the prices for them are usually extremely high.
The Team of the Week 19 is available in packs from January 24 at 7 PM to January 31 at 7 PM.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
