In Destiny 2 the Iron Banner returns! This will be the first Iron Banner in Season 2, where there will be a few changes and new loot.
Lord Saladin, the leader of the Iron Banner, has not been in the Tower of Destiny 2 for months. The reason: At the beginning of December, Season 2 started, which changed some accessibility requirements for activities like the Iron Banner. To ensure that all Guardians – including those without the “Curse of Osiris” DLC – can participate in the Iron Banner again and earn its loot, Bungie had to deploy several updates first.
Now, at the end of January 2018, nothing stands in the way of Lord Saladin’s return. Here are all the details about the upcoming Iron Banner.
The first Iron Banner in 2018 – Game mode, start, end, loot
Start of the Iron Banner: January 30 (Tuesday), expected around 9 PM (after maintenance)
End of the Iron Banner: February 6 (Tuesday) at 6 PM
Game mode: Control
In Season 2 you can earn the old weapons from Season 1 as well as additional new weapons, ornaments, and cosmetics.
Lord Saladin still has Iron Banner Engrams for you. In the first Iron Banner of Season 2, these three new weapons are available through the engrams:
Hand Cannon:
Scout Rifle:
Shotgun:
Additionally, these new items are available – a Sparrow, a Ghost Shell, and a badge: Furthermore, there will be an Iron Banner ship. Bungie has not revealed this yet; you will have to discover it in the game itself.
The Iron Banner items from Season 1 are also earned as random loot by opening the engrams at Lord Saladin.
By mastering the Iron Banner milestone, you will receive a badge that counts all your rank-ups in the Iron Banner.
If you are looking for a specific item from the Iron Banner, you can browse Lord Saladin’s inventory. In Season 2, he offers the 5 armor pieces as well as three weapons for direct purchase:
You can see in the picture that Lord Saladin also has armor ornaments available. You unlock these by completing specific challenges. Each Iron Banner armor piece has an ornament. Here they are: There is no limit to how many engrams you can open or how many tokens you can earn.
Things are moving forward in World of Warcraft! The alpha test of the new expansion Battle for Azeroth has begun.
Blizzard has fulfilled its promise from BlizzCon 2017 and has already launched the alpha of Battle for Azeroth early in 2018. Since last night (26.01.2018), the beta servers of World of Warcraft are live with version 8.0.1.
Currently, the alpha already includes many of the major contents of Battle for Azeroth, such as the new continents Zandalar and Kul Tiras, as well as plenty of new mounts, achievements, and new models for creatures, along with some updates to older models.
Anduin has quickly become a man.
Currently, dataminers are still sifting through the massive data piles of Battle for Azeroth. We have included some excerpts of the results from wowhead in this post. As soon as there are exciting discoveries, we will of course report on them.
Who can play Battle for Azeroth?
Logging into the beta servers is currently likely only possible for a few people. Normally, Blizzard holds a “Family&Friends Alpha,” where only developers and their closest relatives or friends have access to the game. In this state, the playable content is usually very limited and only one or two zones are already available.
Queen Azshara has not much in common with an elf anymore.
It will likely be some time before other chosen individuals, such as journalists, are allowed onto the servers. Also, registered players for the beta will, judging by previous expansions, have to wait several weeks for Blizzard to send out the first waves of invitations.
How to register for the Beta of Battle for Azeroth
The action RPG Monster Hunter World (PS4, Xbox One, PC) had its worldwide release on January 26, 2018, on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. This review report delves into the pillars and gameplay experience of Monster Hunter World.
Monster Hunter is one of the most successful game series of all time in Japan. A total of 40 million copies have been sold worldwide, with nearly 80% of sales occurring in Japan.
At its core, it’s a loot grinder – you hunt monsters and loot their corpses.
It has a deep crafting system – from the corpses of the monsters, you create equipment to take down the next, more dangerous monster.
Strategic battles against these monsters – the monsters do not go down without a fight; they present challenging battles that always require new strategies.
A dynamic ecosystem – the fights do not take place in a vacuum; the environment and other monsters need to be taken into account during battles.
You’ll often strive to achieve something better. Whether it’s improving your skills, such as weapon handling, or simply acquiring new gear.
In Monster Hunter World, it’s all about reaching the next objective and the next big milestone. You’ve mastered the first tough opponent and can now craft great armor from it? Great! Just wait until you encounter the next Elder Dragon and get knocked down again. A new challenge, a new goal, a new hunting frenzy!
In Monster Hunter World, it’s all about the hunt. The hunt for monsters, the hunt for loot, and the hunt for better gear. That is simply the core of the game.
You take one quest after another, where you must hunt or capture monsters. If you want to get better gear, you often have to farm the same monster repeatedly. The creatures contain valuable loot derived from their body parts. Claws, teeth, or fur are transformed into weapons and gear.
Monster Hunter World excels at making this grind pure ecstasy. The quests come with a time limit of 50 minutes, and within this limit, the monsters must be located and defeated.
Similar games: You might also enjoy Monster Hunter World if …
– You enjoyed the adrenaline-pumping boss fights in hard mode in TERA and the crafting involved in weapons. – You liked the mysterious atmosphere of Horizon Zero Dawn, with its interactive ecosystem and the hunt for colossal foes. – You appreciated the mercilessness and combat system of Dark Souls.
The Nergigante is a highly dangerous dragon!
The monsters in Monster Hunter World are powerful and can knock hunters unconscious with a single attack. How robust your character is depends on the equipment you wear. Dodging the fierce monster attacks is paramount for every hunter. However, to evade skillfully, you must first learn the movement and attack patterns of the monsters. Each monster behaves differently and has its own strengths and weaknesses. This can also be compared to boss fights in MMORPGs.
It’s a dance of life and death that ends in a loot frenzy
It’s like a dangerous dance with colossal beasts: dodging repeatedly, waiting for the right moment, and striking mercilessly!
The adrenaline rush triggered by this dance of life and death is indescribable. The frustration when the creature still gets you, and the quest is considered failed can make you slam the controller with force against the wall. When the monster finally lies down, there’s often a feeling of pure euphoria, especially when you’ve failed against that monster multiple times already.
This makes grind and farming never feel monotonous or tedious. It’s this euphoria that leads you to seek out stronger monsters and new loot.
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In this gameplay video, hunter versus Anjanath: Quite epic.
The intelligent nature gives Monster Hunter World this “sense of authenticity”
In Monster Hunter World, there’s also an intelligent ecosystem into which the monsters are perfectly integrated. This ecosystem makes the hunts dynamic.
When monsters start fighting one another, it never feels out of place. It can even occur that nature lends you a hand in your hunt. Cave systems sometimes collapse and rain down a massive load of stones on the monsters. This causes tremendous damage and can be a relief for you.
However, the ecosystem can also get in your way. If you step on a debilitating Frogsquawker, you may find yourself unable to move for a while and quickly become a snack for monsters.
The environment in Monster Hunter World is breathtaking. The graphics may not look as good as those in a Horizon: Zero Dawn, but there’s so much love for detail in nature and ecological interaction that it feels real and coherent, even though Monster Hunter World takes place in a fantasy universe.
The Paolumu lives in the Coral Highlands. This monster glides on the warm winds of its surroundings and feeds on the floating eggs.
The dreamy Coral Highlands is an absolute highlight
A special highlight is the Coral Highlands, which looks like a dreamy underwater world. The coral reef is located outdoors and offers some curiosities. Warm winds ascend from below and carry the eggs of coral plants away, facilitating the plant’s reproduction.
The new maps in Monster Hunter World are much more open than those in its predecessor.
The Coral Highlands draw their vital essence from the Ancient Forest, the first map of Monster Hunter World. Several monsters have adapted to the winds and many verticalities, so you will encounter many flying foes here.
In each individual map, the monsters are adapted to their surroundings. In the “Valley of Decay,” bones lie everywhere, carcasses, and toxic gas flows throughout. The monsters have long since adapted to the toxins, while you will slowly be poisoned and die just from inhaling the haze.
The nature and monsters have such a harmonious and logical interplay that it’s entirely conceivable that the world of Monster Hunter World could exist somewhere. These nuances contribute to the certain “sense of authenticity” and help you immerse yourself in the game.
In the Valley of Decay, a toxic mist swirls around. The creatures have adapted to it. Hunters who inhale the haze slowly die from suffocation.
The learning curve is steep, but mastering it feels great
The deep crafting system, the complex monster battles, and the dynamic environment create a steep learning curve.
To be able to take down certain monsters, you must consider what equipment is best suited for the task. For you only have your armor, your weapon, and your own skill to face the creatures:
For this, you need to understand what your equipment is capable of and how to handle it properly.
The weaknesses and strengths of the monsters are NOT presented to you on a silver platter. You actually need to study the creatures to learn how they attack and defend. Studying works through the use of scout flies and observing the monsters.
The 14 weapon classes each have different properties with an upgrade tree to improve them. The combinations and handling of the cumbersome weapons must also be mastered. Monster Hunter World offers a training room where you can practice with the weapons.
Items can be crafted by yourself. The intelligent use of items and the crafting of these is also an important component of success.
The character does not collect XP or unlock skills. You need to adapt and improve your gameplay to be successful.
It’s a wonderful feeling when you’ve finally understood a certain monster mechanic and know exactly when to dodge and strike. You will notice over the course of the game that you become more skilled with your weapons as well. The learning curve may be steep, but the reward is all the greater when you get that “I did it because I persevered!” feeling.
In Monster Hunter World, it’s part of the game to fall often. The art lies in getting back up and taking up the fight with renewed courage.
The story cleverly wraps around the gameplay
In Monster Hunter World, for the first time in the series, there is a clear line in the story campaign. However, as in previous installments, the story takes a backseat.
Without giving too much away: At the core of the story is the migration of the Elder Dragons to the New World. This disrupts the balance of nature, and nobody knows what this phenomenon is all about. As hunters, you help to explore the event and mitigate the dangers that arise.
Here, the Anjanath shows its truly furious side! Its nostrils are flared and fins are raised.
Capcom has managed to tell a story in Monster Hunter World that arouses curiosity and elicits some “wow!” effects through its presentation. However, the story should be understood more as a clever wrapping.
The story guides you through the core portion of the game and gradually familiarizes you with the mechanics. With each new chapter of the story, a new major monster is introduced. New gameplay mechanics are also usually associated with a new chapter of the story.
The intelligently integrated story makes you hardly realize that you are engaged with a tutorial for quite a while. Once you’ve completed the story, you should have understood most of the mechanics and gameplay.
Even though Monster Hunter World tells a nice story, it is relatively thin compared to other RPGs. In Monster Hunter World, action and gameplay are clearly in the foreground.
Film scenes are often used to introduce the new monsters and environments.
Monster Hunter World unfolds its full potential as a group
Monster Hunter World can be played in singleplayer or multiplayer. All quests can be completed alone or in a group of up to 4 players. Hunting in a group is especially fun and opens up new strategic opportunities:
One player can distract the monster while another sets up a trap.
The group can split into close and ranged combat or have someone who provides healing for the team.
In Monster Hunter World, you can jump on the monsters. This distracts them and makes them vulnerable! While one player rides the beast, the others have a clear shot to shoot and slice.
The dynamics that develop in a group in Monster Hunter World are indescribable. Everyone tries to warn each other. The internal shame can be huge when you deplete the group’s last life due to a silly mistake.
That makes the collective celebration even sweeter when the beast finally goes down, and everyone joyfully loots.
Monster Hunter World is at its best in a group, and the MMO feeling really comes alive in the tough boss fights.
Long-term motivation: How long does Monster Hunter World captivate?
The playing time in Monster Hunter World heavily depends on each player’s motivation.
How many hours of fun are offered?
Monster Hunter World is the first game in the franchise to provide a clear and straightforward story quest line. The main story can be completed in under 100 hours, if you strictly follow it. However, there’s also the opportunity to complete side quests in between. These are usually practical for farming a few more materials and expanding your equipment. Side quests typically involve slaying or capturing monsters or gathering resources.
How long the main story takes ultimately depends on how quickly you manage to take down the individual boss monsters. Each main quest has a timer of 50 minutes. So if you repeatedly fail against a monster, it can take several hours as you have to restart the quest from the beginning each time.
It may also happen that you have to return to a smaller boss monster to loot and forge a stronger armor from it.
What is there to do after the story?
After the main story, it may and will likely continue for many players. Long-term motivations in Monster Hunter World may include:
Collecting all armor sets and weapons and upgrading them accordingly.
Ranking up as a hunter to unlock new challenges.
Seeking new challenges for yourself.
Completing all side quests.
There are players who have spent more than 1000 hours on these mentioned activities in the earlier “Monster Hunter” titles. Others are satisfied after completing the main quests.
Capcom will also release free expansions that will include new monsters. These could be moments when the group comes together again and says, “Hey, there’s a new monster coming this weekend. Shall we go hunting again?”
However, Monster Hunter World will only deliver new content for a limited time! This action RPG is not a service game like The Elder Scrolls Online. Eventually, Capcom will stop providing Monster Hunter World with new content and will work on a new main installment instead.
The Anjanath always lurks for the next prey. It wants to be the ruler of the Ancient Forest.
How much variety does Monster Hunter World offer?
In Monster Hunter World, you will take on one quest after another and hunt monsters – that’s the fundamental principle of the game.
The variety lies in the dynamic ecosystem. The monsters are intelligently designed and will behave a little differently in each fight. Sometimes, other monsters unexpectedly come into play that also want a piece of your loot. In such cases, you often need to actively and cleverly seek out a new strategy.
Palicos are the unsung stars of Monster Hunter: World. They are adorable companions and capable of much!
The various monster species differ significantly from one another. No fight is the same when you have a new species in front of you.
Just like with long-term motivation, the variety lies within the player themselves. Because you always have the opportunity to try new things and approach the fights differently.
Monster Hunter World can offer a lot of variety. Trying out new weapons to slay monsters can be an incentive here.
Is Monster Hunter World a game for me?
Monster Hunter World is suitable for players seeking challenges and willing to delve into cumbersome systems.
These advantages of Monster Hunter World:
Epic and action-packed fights with intelligent monsters
The special effects and animations of the monsters are impressive
A realistic ecosystem that helps immerse you in the game
Diverse fights with over 20 large boss monsters
The maps are picturesque, well-composed musically, and designed with great attention to detail
You can interact with the entire environment
A deep and extensive crafting system
A strong variety in equipment and weapons, with ranged and melee combat
A well-executed story with many beautiful cutscenes
The Palico is an optional companion that can be left at the base
An integrated and well-crafted tutorial within the story
Free expansions with new monsters after release
Co-op with up to 4 players on quests
Guilds with up to 50 members to form squads
These disadvantages of Monster Hunter World:
Despite “Quality of Life” improvements compared to previous titles, the menu and item management is still cumbersome and not immediately intuitive
The small text of the tutorials is sometimes difficult to read on the TV
For an RPG, the story is relatively thin
Forming a group is cumbersome and not very intuitive
The feedback from hits could be better: The impact of your attacks is mostly felt only through damage numbers. Severed limbs and visible injuries on monsters make up for it somewhat.
The mysterious Coral Highlands is a real highlight.
Monster Hunter World is worth it for you if …
you enjoy looting and grinding
have no problem getting used to a cumbersome menu navigation and controls
find joy in an extensive crafting system
enjoy challenging and action-packed fights that can be lengthy
After testing Monster Hunter World, I, Leya Jankowski, have drawn a conclusion. Robert Albrecht also played the action RPG as a newcomer to the series. He was also asked to provide a conclusion from the perspective of a beginner.
“Monster Hunter World is not a quick brawl for between”
Robert has never played a Monster Hunter title before World. He has also written a conclusion as a newcomer.
Robert Albrecht says: If someone is looking for a quick brawl for between, they won’t find happiness with Monster Hunter World. The attacks of the monsters are unique and must be observed again and again. The right choice of tactics and equipment requires perseverance and creativity. Those who like to plan their fights and want to experiment with the many tools that the game provides will spend many enjoyable hours.
Just the weapon system offers dozens of different playstyles. Each weapon has its own advantages and disadvantages, combos, and moves. Mastering these grants the battles an aesthetic that I have seen in few other games. The game world looks fantastic as well, being colorful and versatile. I was negatively surprised by the item management, which is complicated and assigned to various button commands. The loading times were sometimes too lengthy for my liking.
If this doesn’t deter you, especially if you want to hunt with friends, you can look forward to dozens of hours of fun. Because let’s be honest, monster slaying in a group is the most fun!
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This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Fortnite: Battle Royale (PC, PS4 & Xbox One) should have received an update long ago today. However, maintenance is still ongoing. The Fortnite servers are offline.
Patch V.2.3.0 for Fortnite: Battle Royale was scheduled for today, January 25, 2018. The update was supposed to mainly improve gameplay comfort. Therefore, the servers went offline this morning to conduct maintenance. Hours later at 4:00 PM, the servers are still not back online.
Developers apologize on Twitter for downtime
Apparently, the developers at Epic Games underestimated the duration of some update procedures. Earlier today, the devs warned on Twitter that it might take a bit longer. Later, they explained that they would be making changes to the backend system and this would take longer.
Hi all, it is looking like we are going to be down for at least a few more hours as we scale our backend systems. We’re very sorry and we’re working on it. pic.twitter.com/7TqXzTnGje
Meanwhile, around 3 and 4 PM, the latest reports came via Twitter. It seems it will take even longer to scale the backend. The talk is of “several hours.” The developers sincerely apologize for this.
Update: Around 6:00 PM, it was announced by Epic that it would still take them a few more hours. No exact time frame was given.
It seems that even tonight, there will be no Battle Royale fun in Fortnite.
I don’t, it could be a few more hours. We’re sorry.
Statement from Fortnite regarding the long server maintenance on January 25: Compensation is likely
Update 8:30 PM: There is a statement from Fortnite. They wanted to solve problems in the database while rolling out 2.3. This caused the database to go into a bad state.
Then they wanted to load the backup, but that did not work. They are currently attempting a second try.
Still no known time for when Fortnite will be back online
While they still cannot provide a time for when the servers will be back online, they promise to make it up to the players for the time they have lost. This sounds like players can look forward to compensation.
The battle royale shooter PUBG (PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds) breaks the next player barrier on Xbox One. The player count reaches 4 million. To celebrate this, PUBG is throwing around many thousands of BattlePoints.
Now the PUBG servers on Xbox are slowly filling up. As the Xbox team announced, the popular shooter has surpassed the 4 million player mark on the console. And the developers want to celebrate this milestone with you properly by generously distributing in-game currency.
30,000 BattlePoints for every PUBG player on Xbox
As a token of gratitude for the player masses who regularly play PUBG, the officials are distributing 30,000 BattlePoints to you. You can use these to buy crates with cosmetic items like shirts or pants in the game.
Every player who created a character in the Xbox version of PUBG before January 31, 2018, qualifies for the BattlePoints gift. This means you can still get PUBG for Xbox One in the next few days and receive the 30,000 BP as a gift.
Starting February 1, 2018, the in-game gifts will be distributed and should appear in your account.
Just about two weeks ago, PUBG proudly announced that it has now reached 3 million players on Xbox. The shooter is performing very well on the console as well.
The Games with Gold for February 2018 include crazy taxi rides and side-scrolling adventures. These free games are available for Xbox One and Xbox 360.
In February, users of the “Games with Gold” service have four free games to choose from. This time, the collection ranges from side-scrollers to wild racing games to hack and slash. As usual, two of the four games are available for Xbox One and two for Xbox 360. Thanks to backward compatibility, the 360 games can also be played on the Xbox One console.
Games with Gold February 2018 – Free Games for Xbox One and Xbox 360
The following two games are available for you in February 2018 on Xbox One:
Shadow Warrior – From February 1 to February 28: With weapons or katana swords, you fight ancient gods in Shadow Warrior. Your weapons have upgrade options to build things like guided missile launchers. If you don’t like ordinary weapons, you use mystical powers to clear your path.
Assassin’s Creed Chronicles India – From February 16 to March 15: In this installment of the “Assassin’s Creed Chronicles” series, you are fighting in the year 1841. The tensions between the Sikh Empire and the private armies of the British East India Company are palpable. Be invisible and cunning to solve the tricky tasks of this adventure. The goal is to bring back a mysterious artifact stolen by a master templar.
On Xbox 360 (and Xbox One), the following two games are available in February 2018:
Split/Second – From February 1 to February 15: This action racing game takes place in the setting of a reality TV show – The streets are prepared to make races even more exciting. It’s not just about racing from A to B and seeing who is faster. Bumping opponents is part of the experience, as well as triggering devastating events that explosively change the dynamic of the game.
Crazy Taxi – From February 16 to February 28: The crazy “racing game” Crazy Taxi demands your driving skills and flexibility with traffic rules. To quickly bring passengers to their destinations, it’s sometimes necessary to run over the occasional pedestrian or bump other road users out of the way since time is, as we know, money. The crazier you drive as a taxi driver, the better the overall result.
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Today, on January 25th, two issues in The Division have been fixed. Additionally, Massive spoke about the secret Gear-Sets.
The State of the Game just aired on January 25. This is the weekly livestream where the developers discuss the current state of The Division and sometimes make announcements.
This week, the new information is quite limited.
Massive fixes two issues
During the maintenance work this morning, two issues were fixed:
The commendation that counts your Manhunt progress has been causing issues since Rogue 2.0 and was not counting properly.
Additionally, there was a glitch where enemies could respawn infinitely in the Resistance mode. This glitch has now been fixed.
After that, the developers talked about the secret Gear-Sets. Since the Ambush Global Event, which started this week, all secret Gear-Sets are now in the game. Massive announced in the last few weeks that they would only make balance adjustments once all “Classified Gear” is available – which is now the case.
Currently, however, the developers have no plans to deploy buffs or nerfs. An emergency patch is also not necessary. They will observe the situation for a while, watch which meta develops, analyze the data, and then respond if necessary.
Additionally, there is internal discussion about whether the drop rates of the secret Gear-Sets should be adjusted in the future. However, there are no concrete plans for this yet.
In other words: The Division is currently quite stable. Massive does not need to make emergency changes to the balance.
More info from the State of the Game:
They are still working on the Xbox One X patch. However, there is still no specific release date.
They have heard the community’s desire for more loadout slots now that there are so many secret Gear-Sets. There are also no plans for this yet.
“Stats with Yannick”
During the rest of the stream, the developers showcased works from the community. Community developer Yannick Banchereau also shared some stats:
The military MMO Armored Warfare is coming soon to PlayStation 4. Starting in early February, you can jump into the game via Founder Packs in Early Access before the release date and have fun with modern tanks.
In Armored Warfare, you drive around in tanks like in the competing game World of Tanks, shooting together with your teammates to take out an enemy team. However, the tanks here range from the Cold War era to the present day. You will fire tanks like the Leopard 2 or the Abrams using smoothbore guns and guided missiles.
Additionally, Armored Warfare offers a fun coop PvE mode where you can take out enemy mercenaries as a small team.
Those who want to play all of this on PlayStation 4 won’t have to wait much longer.
PlayStation 4 version available in early February as part of the Founder Pack
The official release of Armored Warfare on PlayStation 4 is on February 20, 2018.
But those who buy a Founder Pack can start on February 6. The contents and prices of the packs will also be revealed on February 6.
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Monster Hunter World (PS4 and Xbox One, later: PC) was already shipped by some retailers days before release. Therefore, you might be able to play it today. And the Day-One-Patch 1.02 for the multiplayer mode is already online!
The release of Monster Hunter World was originally scheduled for January 26, 2018. However, some retailers seem to have ignored that and sold the physical version of the game already yesterday and today, on January 24 and 25.
This leads to confusion:
The lucky ones who already have Monster Hunter World in their drive can play it now.
However, pre-order customers of the digital version have to wait until the official release.
Now the confusion is complete and the Day-One-Patch is already live. This makes players with the physical version happy while digital pre-order customers are left out in the cold.
Day-One-Patches 1.01 and 1.02 are already online
According to the developers at Capcom, you need the Day-One-Patch 1.01 for multiplayer features in Monster Hunter World. It was originally supposed to be released on Friday. But it seems that it is already online now.
Screenshots from the update history show the version number of the currently active Monster Hunter players, which is 1.02. So there has already been a second release patch. Therefore, among other things, the following features are now included in the game:
Multiplayer mode
Event quests
Online systems like the chat function
Lucky pig Poogie
Gallery for cutscenes
Additional languages (Brazilian, Portuguese, Russian, Polish, and Arabic)
The PS4 Pro 1 TB is available at Saturn in a bundle with Monster Hunter World and a €10 voucher. Offers from “Start was Wochen” by Saturn.
Saturn’s “Start was Wochen” offers you some interesting deals until January 29. Among them are gaming laptops, televisions, and consoles. Each offer comes with a voucher from Saturn. You will receive it via email starting February 21. Also, please note that you can redeem the voucher only once for a minimum purchase amount of the coupon value + €0.01.
Yesterday, we already presented you the offer for the SNES Classic Mini. Currently, you can get the retro console for €99.99 and receive a €10 voucher for Saturn.
For fans of Monster Hunter, there is now the PS4 Pro with Monster Hunter World for €399 and a €10 voucher for Saturn included. With the most powerful PlayStation, you can enjoy Monster Hunter World in all its glory.
For all collectors among you, there is currently also a special edition of the PS4 Pro. Here you can get a PS4 Pro in the Monster Hunter World Limited Edition. The console features a special “Monster Hunter World” design. The controller is also styled with a unique look. The bundle also includes codes for the Origin Set Armor and the Fifth Talisman.
The offers presented here are equipped with so-called affiliate links. With a purchase via 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.
Funcom announced some time ago new servers for the MMORPG Age of Conan, where you will be able to play temporarily. With “Saga of Zarth”, the first of these servers starts now.
In an MMORPG, you usually want to spend a lot of time, maybe even make it a kind of second home, where you lead your cherished hero through many adventures and continuously improve them.
Since January 24, Funcom offers a somewhat different approach with “Saga of Zarth”: A time-limited server, where you have to hurry before it closes its gates again.
Fulfill your destiny – but quickly!
Saga of Zarth is a kind of speed server, where you don’t have much time to complete the Saga Quest. The server offers the following:
You will wash ashore on the coast of the island of Tortage as usual.
You will receive a “Saga Quest” immediately, through which you need to achieve various milestones.
As quickly as possible, you should aim to reach level 20, then level 50, and finally level 80.
It is your task to fulfill your destiny.
Complete a raid through the “Raid Finder”.
There is a classic raid progression.
Defeat the boss Ethram-Fal in the Palace of Cetriss.
Each section rewards you with cosmetic items and exclusive titles, as well as special loot. This includes a Tier 4 cloak and a Tier 6 weapon with necklace for your class.
Whoever manages to complete the Saga Quest will have their name “immortalized” on the game’s website.
You can keep your heroes
If you are interested in playing the time-limited “Saga of Zarth” server of the MMORPG Age of Conan, you can now dive into the adventure. The server will close its gates on May 15. Afterwards, your character with its belongings will be transferred to the Crom server.
Capcom, the developers of Monster Hunter World (PS4, PC, and Xbox One), have made a deal with Sony. Therefore, you can obtain the armor and weapons of hunter Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn for your monster hunters.
The games Monster Hunter World and Horizon: Zero Dawn have one thing in common: In both games, you fight against giant monsters. In Horizon, these are robotic dinosaurs, while in Monster Hunter you face big creatures like Nergigante or the Kirin.
Due to a partnership, the equipment of Horizon’s main character Aloy is also available in Monster Hunter World on PS4.
Aloy’s weapon and armor from Horizon Zero Dawn and a Palico robot skin
With the Aloy equipment set, you can turn your hunter in Monster Hunter into a likeness of the red-haired heroine from Horizon Zero Dawn. This even works with male characters!
Additionally, there’s a special skin for your Palico companion. The cute cat will then become a robotic version with a Horizon Watcher appearance.
Skin and armor at the same time
The Aloy skin is also an armor with its own skills and stats. You cannot combine it with other armors. It is still unknown how the stats compare to the existing armors in the game.
But how do you get these skins and items?
Complete special cooperation event quests and unlock Aloy skins
In order for Aloy’s armor set to be available, you must complete a special “Horizon Collaboration Quest Series”. The first of these quests has been available since the release of Monster Hunter World and rewards you with a Palico skin from Horizon.
Once you are done, you will gain access to “special materials” from which you can forge items at the smithy. Currently, only the Palico skin quest is available. The items for Aloy’s equipment will come at a later date.
How to get the Watcher Palico skin
Capcom has now released more information about the robot skin for your Palico companion. You will receive the skin when you complete an event quest at level 5 called “Lessons of the Wilderness.” However, you must have at least Hunter Rank 6. During the quest, you will have to deal with 8 Barnos in the arena.
As a reward, you will receive special materials for the “Watcher” skin of the Palico and a “F Watcher Shaver” as a weapon. The quest for the skin will only be available from January 26 to February 8 at 11:59 PM!
Aloy skin will be available at the end of February
It is still unknown how you will obtain the skin for Aloy. However, the date has now been announced. Between February 28 and March 16, 2018, you can accept the quest where you can earn Aloy’s clothes and bow.
Guilds are an essential part of an MMORPG – and therefore crucial for Albion Online.
Even though the developers recently laid off almost half of the staff, work on the MMORPG continues. The next major update is currently in planning, which is set to be released soon. A specific date will be announced later. The update aims to address guilds, which is why the UI will be revamped.
Better UI Makes Life Easier for Guilds
UI designer Lino Claudius discusses in a new developer video the optimizations and improvements being made. These mainly aim to enhance the interface, making it more logical and intuitive. Players should spend less time managing guild resources through the user interface and instead focus more on the actual game.
Improvements to the guild UI include among other things:
Individual rights allocation
Better tracking
More efficient resource distribution
Easier resource allocation
Freely configurable guild roles
Container protocol for the guild chests
The introduction of shared guild vaults
Guilds Should Focus on the Game
In general, the developers aim to create an intuitive, customizable system for guilds that makes meaningful distribution and usage of resources more feasible. The guild members should focus less on organization and have more fun in the actual game.
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.
