Soon the year 2017 will be over, but a few MMOs are going out with a bang at the end of the year. Find out here what you should definitely play for Christmas.
December lures with Christmas markets, mulled wine, roasted almonds, and of course cool online games! This time, there are again a whole bunch of cool titles that will show a few new, cool features toward the end of the year.
This time we have a colorful mix of online shooters, classic MMORPGs, and a successful mobile title for you. Let’s get started with WoW!
World of Warcraft – Antorus, the Burning Throne – The last raid in Legion
In World of Warcraft, the current addon Legion is really heating up again! In the last raid before the next addon “Battle for Azeroth”, we’ll face the Burning Legion again in their massive fortress.
“Antorus, the Burning Throne” is not an uncomfortable piece of furniture. Rather, it is the central stronghold of the Burning Legion on the world of Argus. The last Legion raid will go live on November 29 and will already receive the mythic difficulty on December 6.
11 bosses for the grand finale!
Antorus requires level 110 and features 11 big bosses. These include the Hellhounds of Sargeras, a reunion with the Dreadlord Varimathras, and in the end, you will even face the Titan Argus himself! Additionally, an appearance by the demon lord Sargeras is expected!
All the end bosses drop a lot of loot upon their demise. For example, you can obtain Argus’s sword as transmog or even earn the title “Titan Slayer”. There are also a bunch of mounts, one uglier than the other! Especially hideous is the “Bound Ur`zul”, which is supposed to drop in mythic difficulty.
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Some MMOs require players to abstain for a while – and then you see a picture, a video, or someone tells you about it again. Suddenly, you’re itching to play! But what does the game need to offer for you to really reinstall it and dive back into the world?
Especially when there are costs involved again, such a step is not easy. Is it worth investing money and time back into a game that you had set aside, returned to the shelf? And mostly for some good reasons!
Maybe it has become boring, the old companions are no longer online, or you’ve simply discovered better, more exciting games? A game has to offer quite a bit to make you dare to try again.
Sometimes it takes a special incentive to return to the old worlds! After all, there are many options:
An interesting expansion that offers a lot of new things?
Maybe the graphics have been polished up?
Gifts! New pets, epic items, card packs…?
Maybe the game you choose will also become free to play?
… ?
Some MMOs make it easier for players to return than others. Some are so complicated that after a long absence it’s hard to find your way around or you simply lag behind everyone else. For others, you might receive instant level progress or server transfer and other benefits.
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At Blizzard, it’s usually the captivating and, in my opinion, fantastically made trailers that pique my curiosity and draw me back into adventure.
WoW makes it easy for you. The changes are easy to understand and almost intuitively usable. The graphics are enhanced but not unrecognizable. And you can level up faster if you want.
Other games like Battlefield 1 only draw me back with the power of friendship. There, I don’t care what new features await me or how great the graphics are. All that matters is that someone taps me on the shoulder and says: “Hey. Let’s play Battlefield again.”
Now it’s your turn!
What does an MMO need to offer for you to return? Are there factors that can positively influence your view of the game again, even if you threw it in the corner filled with hatred months ago and swore by your great-grandfather’s beard to never touch it again?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Especially in an online game, you have to be careful not to fall for players who want to pull a prank. This was also experienced by an “Elite Dangerous” player.
The promise of receiving a cool new ship called Anaconda for free prompted the Elite Dangerous commander SpeedyBebop to embark on the long journey to the Hutton Space Station. This journey took him six hours!
Free Spaceship? Just a Joke
The flight lasted six hours because SpeedyBebop struggled with internet issues. The flight was interrupted repeatedly.
Finally, he arrived at the station. But there wasn’t even a dock, let alone an Anaconda. He had fallen for a prank – and he’s not even the first. Many players of Elite Dangerous are currently pulling such pranks.
It has developed into a running gag in the game to lure others with promises of free ships to places where there is nothing to be had.
Player Believed in Free Ship – Running Gag in the Community
The joke was convincing enough. Other players responded to the supposed offer, saying that the ship wasn’t free at all, but that one would have to pay 1,000 credits at Hutton – which is still a bargain for an Anaconda, as it is one of the best ships in the game. Therefore, this offer gave a rather genuine impression.
Apparently, half of the Elite community is in on this insider joke about the “free ship” and has been playing along for over a year whenever someone pulls the prank. The victims are gullible pilots who set off.
SpeedyBebop fell for it because Frontier Developments had previously given away skins for the ships, and he believed that now there would be a free spaceship.
SpeedyBebop is taking this somewhat embarrassing situation in stride now. After all, it brought him some fame within the Elite Dangerous community. Additionally, he received a lot of positive feedback for the story, which is why he doesn’t feel like an “idiot”.
The new figures from SuperData are here and show which games generated the most revenue digitally last month. An interesting peculiarity stands out: And this concerns Fortnite.
Isn’t it strange that Epic Games’ online game Fortnite (PC, PS4, Xbox One) is so successful, yet does not appear in the SuperData charts at all? Competitor PUBG, on the other hand, is always at the top.
Battle Royale in Fortnite generates too little revenue
Fortnite has a large user base, as confirmed by SuperData. However, the analytics company notes that despite its success, Fortnite will struggle to compete against competitor PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG). The long-term success of Fortnite is questioned. This is also shown in the new charts.
In PUBG (PC only), players spend significantly more money than in Fortnite. Epic Games needs to ensure that the larger player base of Fortnite compared to PUBG spends money in the in-game store. Something seems to be wrong with Fortnite’s monetization – perhaps because the Battle Royale mode was added late and lacks a cohesive concept.
In the “PvE mode,” players accused Fortnite of being too greedy with monetization through the Llamas.
Destiny 2 debuts high on PC
What the current charts from SuperData show is a slight shift in rankings for PC.
League of Legends remains in 1st place, and now PUBG has moved up to 2nd place.
Fantasy Westward Journey Online 2 is in 3rd position, while Destiny 2 is now represented in the charts – specifically in 4th place.
5th position is held by Dungeon Fighter Online, 6th by Crossfire, and in 7th place we find World of Warcraft, which has dropped one position compared to the previous month.
World of Tanks is in 8th position, Middle-earth: Shadow of War debuts at 9 and 10th place is taken by the currently popular on YouTube ROBLOX.
Many Deluxe Editions sold for Destiny 2 PC
The high debut of Destiny 2 is attributed to the high selling price, according to SuperData. Many buyers likely purchased the Deluxe Edition, raising the average purchase price.
Additionally, the launch on Blizzard’s Battle.net seems to have suited Destiny 2 well. Overall, SuperData describes it as a “solid PC launch.”
Many new entrants on PS4 and Xbox One
On the console, there is a range of new entrants.
1st place is taken by the already charted FIFA 18 from last month.
Newly added at 2nd position is Middle-earth: Shadow of War. 3rd place is held by Destiny 2 and in 4th place we find Grand Theft Auto 5.
Assassin’s Creed Origins debuted at 5th place, while NBA 2K18 drops to 6th place.
Forza Motorsport 7 is new at 7th place, and the dark-humored RPG South Park: The Fractured But Whole is found in 8th position.
Madden NFL 18 and Gran Turismo Sport round off the charts in 9th and 10th place.
Most Mobile Games remain in the charts
When it comes to mobile games, all but one candidate are again represented in the charts that we saw last month.
Dice has released a new update for your online shooter Star Wars Battlefront 2 that mainly concerns the award screen at the end of a match. After the patch, there is now more recognition.
At the end of a battle in the online shooter Star Wars Battlefront 2, you will see a summary that shows who the most valuable player in the match was (MVP), who eliminated the most enemies in a row, and much more. However, until now, usually only one player was mentioned, as they managed to achieve the most awards. The individual awards overlapped: Whoever had the most kills also usually had the highest score, the highest kill streak, and was crowned the MVP.
This often resulted in 5 times Yoda or 5 times Boba Fett smiling from the MVP screen.
This is now changing with the current update 1.03.
More players get recognition for their actions
It was a bit demotivating for teammates to often not be mentioned at all, as if they had hardly contributed to the outcome of a battle.
Therefore, the award screen at the end of a match now also considers the score achieved by individual players, allowing more of them to be mentioned.
Further adjustments and improvements
Additionally, there are the following changes:
Spawn points for starfighters and AT-ATs on Tatooine and Kashyyyk have been adjusted
Adjustments to the combat arenas of the maps Kamino, Tatooine, Endor, Naboo, and Hoth
Changes to some mission objectives that you need to achieve. For example, the hero Boba Fett can no longer float high in the air, which makes him a difficult target, but he still contributes to capturing an important point.
Improvements to collision systems. As a result, it is now easier to navigate through the maps Jakku, Endor, and Kashyyyk.
Additionally, the update included bug fixes and the number of reinforcements after each match in Galactic Assault mode has been increased. Update 1.03 is now available for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
With one of the upcoming updates for your online shooter Star Wars Battlefront 2, it could also become possible to customize your character visually.
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The backpack in World of Warcraft is finally getting bigger. Goodbye, 16-slot mini-container!
At BlizzCon 2017, the developers of World of Warcraft finally fulfilled a long-awaited dream for players. They promised that the standard backpack would receive additional inventory slots.
The standard backpack has long been a problem in World of Warcraft. While the 16 inventory slots are spacious at the start of the game, the backpack gets surpassed by other bags later in the game that offer up to 32 inventory slots. Since characters cannot replace the backpack, many players are frustrated and would rather trade it for another bag.
The backpack in WoW expands by 4 inventory slots
With Patch 7.3.5, there is finally the option to expand the backpack. Those who additionally protect their account with a Blizzard Authenticator, whether digital on their smartphone or as a physical keychain, will receive 4 additional inventory slots in the backpack on all their characters.
Unlocking the inventory slots and activating the authenticator can be done in-game, although you will be redirected to the website and thus the account management.
Thus, the backpack grows to a total of 20 inventory slots.
The backpack is still smaller than other bags – but after 13 years of waiting, maybe we should all be content with the 4 slots we get.
The feature is expected to be activated with Patch 7.3.5. There is currently no release date for this patch.
What do you think of the backpack expansion as an additional incentive for the authenticator? A good idea or too meager? Are you already using the authenticator?
Today Xur is coming to Destiny 2.Where is Xur and what items does he have available? What are the location and inventory on December 1st?
In one and a half weeks, Xur will change: On December 12th, the Agent of the Nine will receive a new, more extensive inventory, so you will be able to leave significantly more Legendary Shards with him.
He continues to bring an exotic weapon and three exotic armor pieces each week – and additionally:
Fate Engrams: Once a week, you can purchase a Fate Engram from Xur. This will guarantee an Exotic that you do not yet own (if you do not already have all the Exotics that Xur can bring). It is supposed to cost 97 Legendary Shards.
Three of Coins: A simpler form of “Three of Coins” is returning. These increase the drop rates for Exotics from all sources in Destiny 2 for 4 hours. They cost Legendary Shards and you can buy as many as you want.
In other words: From mid-December, it will be even easier to get Exotics quickly. You only need enough Legendary Shards.
All info on Xur in Destiny 2 on December 1st on PS4, Xbox One and PC
When is Xur coming? – Time
Now let’s see what Xur brings this week. He arrives on Fridays at 10 am, shows you his inventory and hopes you give him Legendary Shards for it. He disappears on Tuesday, December 5th. We do not know the exact time yet, because from December 5th, the weekly reset no longer happens at 10 am, but at 6 pm. So maybe Xur will leave at 10 am or only at 6 pm.
Where is Xur? You can find Xur at this location today
Xur has his specific positions where he likes to hang out over the weekend. This time he is located in the European Dead Zone in the Winding Cove.
Offer and inventory of Xur – list of items with prices
Weapon: Workhorse – Auto Rifle for 29 Legendary Shards
Hunter: Lucky Raspberry – Chest Piece for 23 Legendary Shards
Titan: Synthoceps – Gauntlets for 23 Legendary Shards
A new patch is being tested on the PTR of World of Warcraft. We will tell you what will happen to the wound in Silithus!
Apparently, the developers of World of Warcraft have just been waiting for the first players to finally clear the Antorus, the Burning Throne raid. Because just one day after the opening of the last raid of Legion, the test realm was reactivated. Currently, an early version of Patch 7.3.5 can be tried on the PTR.
The main focus is currently on scaling the old world. With Patch 7.3.5, all old areas will scale with the player’s level – similar to how the zones on the Broken Isles do.
Besides that, there are also some changes to the game world. Silithus is undergoing another change in Patch 7.3.5. After the area was destroyed by the end of Antorus and polluted with a reddish hue, the healing of this wound begins in the upcoming patch. The red is slowly giving way to a yellow, and the first clumps of Azerite are beginning to crystallize.
Image source: wowhead
It seems there are also some quests where both factions (each with the help of Khadgar) have to collect resources to advance the healing of the world. It is possible that this will ultimately result in the questline where we will retire our artifact weapon.
Also new is the establishment of the embassies in Stormwind and Orgrimmar. In both buildings are the leaders of the Horde and Alliance. This will be the starting point for recruiting the Allied races once they become available in Battle for Azeroth.
Blizzard also warns that starting now, early game data for Battle for Azeroth may appear in the files, and these will not be a feature of 7.3.5. So, one should not rely too much on the data miners.
A release date for Patch 7.3.5 has not yet been announced.
The most feared boss in WoW learns new tricks. The elevator has a new method to kill players in Antorus!
The World of Warcraft is filled with plenty of adversaries. This ranges from the notorious gnoll Hogger to Argus, a corporeal, titanic world soul that likes to snuff out players’ life lights.
However, hardly any boss in Azeroth is as feared as the legendary elevator boss. He usually possesses just one single mechanic, which is the mental confusion of the players.
Whether in the supposedly safe Shattrath, the heights of Thunder Bluff, or in raids like Serpent Shrine or Blackwing Descent: If the player becomes inattentive, he takes a step too far and falls into the void. Unless one belongs to a class that can cushion the fall, it usually ends with death.
Even in Shattrath, there was the feared elevator boss from the factions “Seer” and “Aldor”.
The elevator boss is now a well-known adversary among most WoW players, who appears from time to time.
Antorus revives the elevator boss
Also in Antorus, the Burning Throne, he returns – and this time he has learned a new trick!
Instead of merely letting players fall to their deaths when they take a step at the wrong moment (or are “accidentally” pulled by a priest with Leap of Faith), the elevator has one more trick right before the Antoran High Command: It simply crushes the players.
Those waiting on the platform for the elevator to go down will be swiftly crushed by it and die. Particularly funny (or macabre): Some player characters will even be transformed into red meat chunks. Even the spirit healer will likely break a sweat.
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Normally, elevators in World of Warcraft do not do this. In fact, elevator platforms “pass through characters,” so players ultimately stand with their feet on them. After a jump, one stands on the platform and is lifted up.
But evidently, Blizzard did not want this illogic to remain in the game any longer. This will surely lead to some funny laughs in Teamspeak – and especially in LFR, every time players are crushed by the elevator in dozens.
Let someone say that WoW is not coming up with new boss mechanics!
Are you interested in experiencing what the daily life of a young professional gamer in eSports looks like? Or would you like to find out how your life might have looked if you had played more games earlier? With “eSports Life,” you get a step closer to that experience!
Note: We discuss the new single-player game “eSports Life” for PC as it touches on the relevant topic of eSports for us and our readers.
The Dream of Becoming an eSports Star
Professionals in eSports earn their money by playing video games professionally. Like “real” athletes, just with a mouse and keyboard. They live the dream: they have made gaming their profession. However, it is not that simple.
In “eSports Life,” you build a life like that. Most of the time, it’s not just about gaming but everything surrounding it. The life of a professional gamer is not just about playing and collecting money. Our author Benedict has put the game to the test!
What is eSports Life?
The goal of “eSports Life” is to become a notable figure in virtual sports. This means: a professional gamer. In the game itself, it’s less about gaming. It’s much more about establishing an existence as a pro and managing your life along the way. This includes:
A good relationship with parents.
Good grades in school.
Relationships with friends and true love.
Leisure and stress management.
Becoming known by streaming on “Mirch” and posting photos on “Photogram.”
Training through playing and watching streams to improve.
Competing in tournaments and climbing the rankings.
Here everything starts: The basics in the eSports café.
“eSports Life” is being developed by U-Play, the creators of Youtuber’s Life.
The Spark Ignites
First things first: Character creation is remarkably diverse for a relatively small-looking game. I can choose my gender, body shape, and even my personality. The personality determines which position I can play best.
The ticket to the event.
After starting the game and creating a character, of course named after my gamer tag, I realized that he had no idea about gaming. The first event in the whole game invites me to an eSports event nearby by my childhood friend Mike.
At the event, I quickly realize that the game is bigger than I thought. A huge Diablo stands in the middle of the event hall. The first people Mike and I talk to are the famous cosplayer Julia Nigri and the eSports veteran John Malatute.
Sogar die Halle des Events besticht mit Nerd-Kultur.
John Malatute, eine eSports-Veteran, gibt mir einige Tipps auf dem Event.
Julia Nigri ist eine Ikone in der Szene – und so berühmt, dass Mike die Stimme versagt.
Der erste Blick meines Charakters auf ein eSports-Event.
After the event, which leaves my character in a waking dream, reality hits again: Mom wakes me up and reminds me that I have to take out the trash and go to school.
The Cornerstones of Virtual Life Are Built on Real Life
From here on, the exhausting and somewhat chaotic management of a professional gamer’s life in its early stages begins. Step by step, I learn that it’s not enough to just “sit down and game.”
More important than dropping everything to become a pro gamer overnight is the life around it. To ensure this, my mother reminds me that pro gaming is just a dream. A dream that I want to make come true.
To avoid getting stuck in a cul-de-sac, should I stray from my path, I have to keep endless things in balance. I find new friends, study for tests in school, go out with friends, and look for a girlfriend (or boyfriend).
Learning requires clicking a button at the right time in the game, like almost all mini-games in eSports Life, quite easy.
The Ground of Reality: Family
Furthermore, I must also make sure that I do not neglect my family. If I help too little around the house or sleep too much, there are complaints. Even if I play late into the night, watch “Mirch” (a kind of Twitch), or stream myself, there are issues.
Only with enough good reputation with my parents do I receive pocket money. I can exchange this again for “reputation,” which is a nice idea to ensure a small income permanently.
The Beginnings of eSports Life
All of this shows that: Without a functioning social life, the gamer life doesn’t work either. Even my best friend Mike makes it clear to me. He advises me to talk to people when I’m too stressed.
But Mike is also the one who teaches me everything I need to know as a gamer. He treats me to my first gaming session at the eSports café and shows me what I can learn from streams. The mini-games for both are very simple: Click on the right spot on the screen.
Zocken im eSports-Café.
Streams gucken im eSports-Café – auf Mikes Kosten!
An diesen Tischreihen werden Turniere bestritten. Sie sind aber auch zum trainieren da,
I should focus on one of the two currently most popular games: The MOBA “Masters of Champions” or the shooter “ShooterStrike,” which is mostly referred to as “Overshoot” later on.
I chose “ShooterStrike.” However, there aren’t major differences. Both games play out identically in eSports Life. Only their popularity differs, as well as the reach one can achieve as a professional player and the prize money awarded.
The Rising Star
With that, I have almost the entire foundation for everything I need to build my career. So I just have to juggle school, friends, gaming, parents, romance, and earning money – all in 24 hours a day…
A love life is important – it keeps the mind healthy!
Especially at the beginning, all of this is hard because I am constantly being invited to new things that interrupt my activities. Additionally, I am frequently offered new opportunities to handle stress, exhaustion, or training.
The introduction culminates in the fact that the school bully Russel steals my friend Mike’s laptop. I challenge him to a match at the eSports café, needing to gather my team – which I don’t have yet.
My First Team and the Start of My Career
Throughout the game, I meet new members of my team, who become more and more like friends. Once Russel is defeated, they even gift me my first own PC with gaming and streaming accessories.
The humble beginnings.
Moreover, Malatute has taken notice of us. He offers to coach us once we become good enough. His manager shortly thereafter explains to me how important reach is as an eSports player and streamer, and refers me to Photogram, which I should maintain with as many photos of myself as possible.
Because of this, I rarely get to actually game. More important is passing the tests, satisfying my mother, and improving my equipment. There is also training, which I complete by playing myself and watching streams to get better.
My expertise is reflected in skills I can train in three trees: Coordination, Intelligence, and Communication.
With enough practice, I can eventually integrate tournaments with my team into my everyday life – yet another thing to juggle. Because if I play too many tournaments back to back, my team becomes exhausted and non-productive.
Sooner or later, I manage to have Malatute take me under his wing and guide me on the way to the top. Or I get lost in the chaos of real life and remain the eternal casual. I am curious how far I can go!
My goal: to walk into that hall and be the star of the evening!
Benedict’s Conclusion
I didn’t expect it to be this hard to manage a life as an aspiring pro player. Balancing the life of a teenager with a career in eSports is exhausting – as “eSports Life” impressively demonstrates.
That, however, has driven me to keep playing. The simple gameplay keeps leading me to finish just one more task, just one more day.
Gaming in front of a large audience – the dream of many, and still far away for my character.
Because in “eSports Life,” my character doesn’t just sit in front of the PC to game online and occasionally grunt into the webcam when he needs more money. It’s much more about getting life in order while becoming famous.
“eSports Life” is available today on Steam as Early Access.
World of Warcraft: Legion has now received its final raid: Antorus, the Burning Throne. With Antorus finally comes new content for WoW: 11 new bosses, new loot, and new numbers! At the top of the calculated damage list of the DPS ranking: Fury Warriors! But is that really true?
One of the most important questions with every new raid is: Which class actually deals the most damage? The site simulationcraft.org offers a tool that simulates the damage of all classes.
The numbers are calculated ideal values that often do not occur in reality. However, they can be used as rough guidelines and targets to improve. Simulationcraft calculates the damage that each class can theoretically achieve with the best available gear.
Simulationcraft calculates the gear in the so-called “Patchwerk” style with Legendaries for item level 960. This means that the T21 set is not necessarily worn, but rather the mathematically best gear and the best Legendaries with an average item level of 960.
At the top of this calculated list are Fury Warriors. They already shone in Tomb of Sargeras with high numbers in the simulation, and later also in the logs towards the end of the raid. Closely following them are Enhancement Shamans, Shadow Priests, and Frost Mages.
The theoretical damage numbers from Antorus, the Burning Throne. Image source: Simulationcraft.
The single-target focus is dead – long live the single-target focus!
If you take a closer look at the breakdown of damage, you see that most of the damage comes from Bloodbath, Execute, and Bloodthirst. The first place of the Fury Warrior does not result from the strong AoE damage of the class, which certainly has its advantages in some boss fights, but from single-target damage.
Even the other classes at the top are actually more known for their single-target damage. What is surprising is that the true masters of single-target damage, Assassination and Subtlety Rogues, linger in the last places.
Instead, it can most easily be explained by the fact that the sets and legendaries of the upper classes are significantly stronger. New trinkets also contribute to this. For Rogues, Convergence of Fate may still be the strongest trinket – but that comes from the penultimate raid, The Nighthold.
Theory meets practice
The first numbers from Antorus according to logs contradict this mathematics. However, the runs are still not sufficient to draw a solid conclusion. Furthermore, the calculated numbers are designed for a higher item level and tier sets. No one has achieved this yet, so the numbers below are just a temporary trend.
The logs for all item levels for Antorus, the Burning Throne on heroic difficulty. Image source: warcraftlogs.
So far, the Fury Warrior seems to be not as strong in reality as in theory. It remains to be seen what the sets can change about this.
In The Division, the official release date is known, although Massive is not allowed to announce it yet.
Recently, the State of the Game aired on November 30. This contained the information that agents have been waiting for weeks and months: Update 1.8 finally has a release date – at least almost.
Community developer Yannick Banchereau confirms that Update 1.8 will be released next week.
The curious thing is: He cannot specify the exact release date yet. Officially, it is supposed to be announced next Monday. Apparently, there are instructions “from above” that one can only announce the release date shortly before the release.
When will Update 1.8 be released?
Although the developers are being vague with their statements, there is no doubt: Update 1.8 will be released on December 5, 2017. That’s a Tuesday.
The reason is: All major updates are released for The Division on a Tuesday, always around noon. Banchereau “spoiled” in the stream that you should simply look at the days when Division updates have been released so far. This way, you can calculate the release date yourself. Afterwards, he joked that he probably just lost his job with that statement.
At the end of the stream, he revealed that the update will arrive early in the week. He then said: “So, now I need a lawyer!”
In short: Update 1.8 will definitely be released on December 5.
What can agents expect in Update 1.8?
Update 1.8 will be the largest update ever for The Division. It expands the PvE map, introduces two new modes, brings the next two global events, adds new exotics and new secret gear sets, increases the gear score, overhauls a few systems, renews the underground, and turns the rogue system upside down with “Rogue 2.0”.
On Monday, the complete patch notes will be released.
During the livestream, the developers talked a bit about “Rogue 2.0”. This new rogue mechanic has been controversially discussed during the PTS. Today, they emphasized that The Division is a live game. And a live game without changes is not a live game, which is why the Dark Zone will be changed with Update 1.8.
They also released this graphic: Here you can see the deaths in the Dark Zone over the past months and how the percentages changed with the updates:
The red area indicates how many players have died by rogues,
the green area indicates how many rogues have died by non-rogues
and the orange area indicates how many agents died by NPCs.
The graphic illustrates two things:
Significantly more players die through PvP than through PvE
And significantly more players die by rogues than rogues by non-rogues.
The latter is supposed to be balanced out with Rogue 2.0. From now on, you must first show your intention to become rogue before you can attack. This gives the other agents a moment to prepare. Previously, peaceful agents could only react once fire had already been opened on them. Hence, they usually ended up on the losing side.
More information from the State of the Game:
The Global Event 3 will start a week after the release of 1.8, probably on December 12.
The exotics will be enhanced, so you will be able to play more with exotic weapons again.
An “Xbox One X” support is still planned, but it will not come with 1.8. Instead, it will come later.
Revelation Online has received the major ShadowBlade update, bringing assassins to the free-to-play MMORPG. Jürgen and Leya will take a close look at the new class together live today. During the stream, you can win premium packs for Revelation Online.
In Revelation Online, you can now play the new class of assassins! These ruthless characters sneak unnoticed through enemy lines and eliminate their opponents with lightning speed. Thus, the assassins are the first class in Revelation Online that can disguise and perform stealth kills.
I, Leya, will test the role of the assassins in today’s live stream – and I’m not alone! Our Jürgen will be joining for the first time on camera and play together with me.
Date and time of the stream:
When? The stream is live today, on November 30
What time? The stream lasts 2 hours from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM in the evening.
Raffle: We are giving away high-quality premium packs
We are organizing in cooperation with My.Com araffle in which youcan win premium packs. The packages include costumes, skins, and boosts for Revelation Online.
Colleague Jürgen is joining (with cat Cleo) as an expert for Revelation Online!
For the first time, my colleague Jürgen will accompany me in the live stream. He has already written some texts for the MMORPG and played Revelation Online in the beta.
Together, we will roam the world of Revelation Online as ninja assassins and see what the ninjas have to offer! By the way, Jürgen warns that his dear Cleo might sneak through the image from time to time – cat alert!
Jürgen says: “I’m excited to see and test the assassins! They will be a DPS class with dynamic action gameplay and a lot of carnage: because ninja! I’m also curious if there will be the cool Warframe look for the girls too.”
Our Jürgen with his Cleo
What ShadowBlade brings: Mutated motorcycles & new class abilities
In the stream, Jürgen and I will take a close look at the assassins. ShadowBlade also brings more new content to Revelation Online. Thus, there are:
The mutated motorcycle Venom ZX500
The new mount in Revelation Online is a mutated motorcycle on which you can zip around all of Nuanor. This chassis can only be tamed by a skilled driver and must be unlocked in a quest line.
Class and equipment switching
Anyone who wants to start a new class can now transform their current class into another. This way, you don’t have to level your character from level one again.
New class abilities
From now on, there are new quest lines for all classes, where newskills can be bought from vendors. The quests are scattered all over Nuanor. So, you need to take the new assassins into the foggy scorpion plains, where the deadliest mercenaries gather. The blade mages, on the other hand, have opted for the snow-covered starwatch meridian, as it offers an unrestricted view of the cosmos.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
With Legendary Shards, you will soon be able to buy more in Destiny 2.
As the endgame currency in Destiny 2, there are “Legendary Shards“. You obtain them from various sources such as vendor engrams or by dismantling legendary and exotic items.
The current problem with Legendary Shards: There is too little you can do with them. You can exchange them with Xur for Exotics or use them as infusion materials. However, once you have all the Exotics and your characters are at the maximum level of 305, the “Legendary Shards” become worthless.
Given that there is so little one can do with this currency, you receive it way too quickly. Many Guardians could easily buy out Xur’s entire inventory from week to week.
What else would you want to do with Legendary Shards? In the future, there should be several answers to this question.
These items will be available from December for Legendary Shards
In December 2017, two updates for Destiny 2 will be released, with Bungie stating that one of the top priorities of these patches is: To make Legendary Shards useful again by adding things you can buy with them.
Buy vendor items directly
Starting December 12, you will be able to buy weapons and armor directly from vendors in Destiny 2. You will need Legendary Shards and tokens for this. This is what the new inventory of Lord Shaxx looks like: Vendors will always have five armor pieces available – one for each slot. However, the weapon offers will rotate weekly. In the top image, you can see that one of the armor pieces costs 15 Legendary Shards and 10 Crucible Tokens. This “price” will likely vary from item to item.
Starting December 12, you will be able to spend significantly more Legendary Shards with Xur. As you can see, the offerings of this tentacle-faced merchant will be expanded: He will continue to bring one exotic weapon and three exotic armor pieces each week – and also:
Fate Engrams: Once a week, you can purchase a Fate Engram from Xur. This will guarantee an Exotic that you do not yet own (if you don’t already have all the Exotics that Xur can bring). According to the top image, it costs 97 Legendary Shards, which is quite expensive compared to his other offerings.
Three of Coins: A simplified version of “Three of Coins” is returning. These increase the drop rates for Exotics from all sources in Destiny 2 for 4 hours. There are no special mechanics behind this. You do not have to activate them again before every boss. Each coin lasts 4 hours. They cost Legendary Shards, and you can buy as many as you want.
In other words: In December, it will be even easier to quickly get Exotics. You only need enough Legendary Shards.
Buy mods from the gunsmith
Starting December 5, Banshee-44, the gunsmith, will offer you a selection of legendary mods that you can get directly in exchange for Legendary Shards and mod components.
The selection rotates daily and may include even legendary kinetic mods.
Legendary Engrams from the Cryptarch
If you want, you can bring your Legendary Shards to Master Rahool, the Cryptarch, starting December 5. He will sell you Legendary Engrams.
Mythic raiders always find a group in WoW? Not at all! Even professionals sometimes get left out…
If you want to experience the tough “Mythic+” dungeons of World of Warcraft not only with friends, but also want to find a group in the group tool, it’s not that easy – especially since the visits to the high “M+” instances are particularly rewarding.
Especially in the coming days, coinciding with the raid launch of Antorus, the Burning Throne on mythic, many players are seizing the opportunity to farm a few more “Mythic+” dungeons. After all, there’s relatively good loot there and this coming Wednesday even a particularly strong item from the weekly reward chest.
Despite mythic raider success, no spot in a dungeon group
On Reddit, the player TheOMB reported that he desperately searched for a “Mythic+15” group to obtain the corresponding reward. But he found no teammates and was repeatedly rejected. The reason for this is that he has no “Mythic+” score that meets the requirements of current groups.
Various tracking websites, such as wowprogress, read a character’s armory profile and derive a value from it. Those who complete many and high “Mythic+” instances are ranked better.
The absurd thing about it: TheOMB is otherwise a raider at the mythic level who has already defeated Kil’Jaeden at the highest difficulty.
The requirements for teammates increase significantly over the course of an expansion. This is another example of how the demands occasionally miss their target.
However, it must be said that ultimately it is solely the responsibility of the group leader whom they want to take along. Those who have had too many bad experiences and just want to be effective have to set some standards – no matter how absurd they may be.
Cortyn says: Honestly, I find the whole topic relatively difficult. Even if many “WoW is so easy” shouters deny this, there is – in most cases – indeed a correlation between a player’s item level and their skill. Because anyone who is a gameplay fluke will not succeed in mythic raids and therefore will not have the best equipment. Only a few players have that much luck with the “Titanforged” system.
Excluding a mythic raider for having too few points in a “Mythic+” score, however, is absurd. However, the number of players who raid mythically but rarely hang out in “Mythic+” dungeons is likely to be low.
The wait for the PvP features in MU Legend is over. Next week there will be a big update!
For a few weeks now, you can play MU Legend in open beta testing. At the beginning of December, the developers are planning a major patch that will unlock the long-awaited PvP features in the ARPG.
3v3 in MU Legend – Release in December
On December 5, MU Legend players can expect an update that finally activates player-versus-player content. Fans have been waiting a long time for the 3v3 battles, which will finally be brought to life through this update.
The special thing about it is that these fast fights also work cross-server. With the “multiserver function,” players from the same regions can play together, regardless of which server in the same region they created their character on.
The team at Webzen is curious to see how you will use your skills to dominate in the fights. Webzen’s COO Dennis Czybulka says: “We are also passionate players of MU Legend and therefore can hardly wait for the arrival of the first PvP features, just like our fans. We are very excited to finally offer these features to our players and are looking forward to seeing how they will use their skills and equipment in PvP battles.”
But these shouldn’t be all the PvP features. The team confirms that more player-versus-player functions will be added to MU Legend in the future. MU Legend does not want to limit itself to typical PvE content but aims to provide players with opportunities to experience a good PvP experience in the game.
Also, PvE players will continue to find their enjoyment, as work is also being done on these contents.
How does the 3v3 mode work in MU Legend?
First, open the quest atlas with the B key or by clicking on the quest atlas icon. Here you can see individual and group requests as well as your stats like wins, records, and the league you are playing in. Initially, there are only individual requests for the PvP mode. Group requests will be added later.
Based on your victory points, you will be placed in one of the following six leagues:
When you join a 3v3 match, you can first see information about your group and the opposing team. Once all players have joined, you fight for victory. Points are only awarded to winners. In the case of a draw, both teams are treated as losers.
The remaining time and the current team points of a match can be seen in a window on the right side of the screen.
As rewards for your battles, you will receive battle badges that you can exchange at the PvP vendor in Ohrdor.
MU Legend – Auction House Partially Reopened
Gold sellers and other fraudsters made it difficult for players and the MU Legend team in recent weeks. Due to the actions of these players, the team decided to temporarily disable the auction house.
After today’s maintenance (on November 30), the Zen auction house is reopened. Unfortunately, you will have to wait further for the Redzen part of the auction house. Additionally, player-to-player trading remains disabled for now. However, there is a strong effort to activate these functions again soon.
During the period when the auction house was disabled, the developers improved tools against cheaters. The MU Legend team continues to work to eliminate fraudsters from the game. So far, thousands of accounts have been banned that were connected to “forbidden practices” in MU Legend.
In Lineage 2 Revolution (iOS and Android) you can currently earn great rewards every day. A Christmas calendar in the game rewards you for daily logins with amazing gifts! And the fortress sieges are coming soon!
In Lineage 2, it’s all about a good combat value. This refers to the general indicator that indicates your overall strength. The combat value can be increased significantly through upgrades to your equipment, but especially higher levels like S or R are hard to level if you don’t have high-quality items or upgrade materials that you can “sacrifice” for the upgrade.
But thanks to a cool Christmas calendar in the game, there are high-quality items available for free every day!
You just need to log in to L2R and you’ll receive top items for free!
If you log into Lineage 2 Revolution right now, you will be handsomely rewarded. The game gives you some of the best items for free. Just go into the game and check your inbox.
Click on “Account” there and claim your daily goodies. Until December 12, you can grab the following items if you log in after midnight on the respective day:
29.11: 1 x S-level weapon box
30.11: 2 x R-level weapon skins; 50,000 Adena
01.12: 20 x C – SR-level soul crystal boxes; 5 x S-level scroll boxes
02.12: 2 x summoning stone boxes for rare monsters; 2 x Einhasad’s Blessings
03.12: 1 x selection box for boss summoning stones; 2 x Einhasad’s Blessings
04.12: 1 x S-level accessory box; R-level accessory skin
05.12: 10 x enhancement stone boxes
06.12: 5 x upgrade scroll boxes; 50,000 Adena
07.12: 1 x S-level armor box; 3 x R-level armor skins
08.12: 5 x upgrade scroll boxes
09.12: 2 x summoning stone boxes for rare monsters; 2 x Einhasad’s Blessings
10.12: 1 x selection box for boss summoning stones; 2 x Einhasad’s Blessings
11.12: 1 x Blessed Scrolls box; 100,000 Adena
12.12: 1 x Maphr’s Blessing
We asked the publisher if there will be more rewards after this date. If we find out more, we will update this here.
Fortress Sieges are coming in December
The announcement email in the game about the rewards also mentions the long-awaited fortress sieges. These are expected to be unlocked in December and will offer you wild 50vs50 battles.
According to the email, the cool rewards are intended to prepare you for these battles. However, no exact date was given. The sieges may come as early as December 13, because the last Christmas calendar reward is on December 12.
We also asked the publisher about this topic. If we find out more, you’ll know it here!
Star Wars Battlefront 2 has had a tough time. As a small consolation, there might soon be the possibility for character customization – at least that is suggested by a leak that has surfaced via Reddit.
In the PC version of Battlefront 2 he found a menu that is supposed to allow changes to the Assault classes of both sides, but it has not yet been implemented into the finished game.
In the latest conference call, EA CFO Blake Jorgensen commented on loot boxes with purely cosmetic content – and made it clear that EA is very critical of this measure.
“We are very keen not to violate the Star Wars canon. This is a great brand that has been built over many, many years. Cosmetic aspects could violate this canon. A white Darth Vader probably doesn’t make sense compared to a black one. Not to mention a pink Vader. Nothing against pink, but I don’t think that would fit into the canon,” Blake Jorgensen
But character customization is not about creating ludicrous cosmetic content, but about individual adjustments. These wouldn’t have to violate the canon – at least not more than a fight between Boba Fett and Kylo Ren would.
EA’s Nightmare – Pink Darth Vader, here he is
By the way, you can see EA’s nightmare; a pink Darth Vader, in action from the predecessor:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMbxVTxkUvM
Either way: The end of Battlefront 2 has not yet come, despite all the doomsayers, and EA surely has some surprises and changes in store.
Bungie needs to work on overcoming this distance. In recent days, steps have been taken in this direction. Nevertheless, many questions remain unanswered, which the captain probably cannot talk about yet because there are larger, economic interests involved.
Apparently, Destiny 2 was meant to be a game for casual players to appeal to the broadest base possible and deliver 80 hours of good gameplay. They have achieved this. Now Bungie must address the needs of those who expected more from Destiny 2.
After more than 3 years, this is an uncomfortable place for the Destiny franchise to be in. After the podcast, one gets the impression that the developers are all too aware of this.
For more on the specific changes coming to Destiny 2 in the next week and the week after, read here:
In a podcast, the leading developers of Destiny 2 address the issues of their game and the bad mood prevailing in the community.
In a Bungie podcast yesterday, the two “fathers of Destiny 2,” Luke Smith and Mark Noseworthy, along with PR chief Eris Osborne, took a look at Destiny 2.
The reasons for the bad mood in the community have been identified as two major areas:
Problems in communication with players
and the fact that there are too few reasons for core gamers to play Destiny 2.
According to Bungie, they have tailored Destiny 2 more for casual players based on the feedback from Destiny 1 and have likely swayed too far in that direction. Players who regularly enjoy playing Destiny 2 have too few reasons to log in. There is less gear to find, fewer bars to fill.
Maybe casual players shouldn’t be as powerful as hardcore players
Game Director Luke Smith is one of those hardcore players of Destiny 2. He is probably one of the 100 people on the planet who have played the most Destiny.
Smith says he had all 3 classes on console at 305 and then wanted to play only one character on PC to experience the “casual experience.” After a month “with relatively little playtime” on PC, he now has all 3 classes and they are powering up towards level 300.
Maybe, Luke Smith says, that is good, but maybe it is also a problem. He speaks of a “democratization of power.” Maybe casual players shouldn’t have access to the same power level as hardcore players. Maybe power is too democratically distributed, too equal for everyone.
These are discussions that are held internally at Bungie: In which direction should the game move?
Hardcore players are upset because their friends are no longer playing
The fact that hardcore players have too few reasons or excuses to log into Destiny 2 weighs heavily on the mood in the community.
The frustration in the community arises from the fact that hardcore players lose motivation to continue playing after about 80 hours. Their friends also log in less often. This causes them to lose their social contacts made in the game. That hurts, and their feedback is then passionate – thus negative.
The discontent with Destiny 2 comes from a human place; it has social reasons, according to Bungie’s leadership team. Bungie is aware of these issues, and several strike teams are working to resolve them.
Overall, this is a significant topic in the podcast: How many people and teams are working on the individual aspects of Destiny 2 and how many systems make up the game and interconnect. However, it is often difficult to communicate this externally because Bungie does not know when any particular solution will be ready.
During Stream 2 of “Curse of Osiris,” the mood shifted
Communication from developers to fans is, according to Bungie, extremely difficult. They would like to talk more with the fans, but do not want to make nebulous promises, and concrete commitments are often only possible late.
So, they did not know before the first stream of “Curse of Osiris” whether the masterwork weapons would actually be ready by the December update. Otherwise, it would have started the first stream with these system changes.
By postponing the topic of “system changes” to later, it seems as if Bungie is “deaf” to the players’ problems, while in reality they are already working on them.
A shift in mood occurred during the second stream of “Curse of Osiris.” Here, it was already anticipated that it would not be well received. But even there, the concrete system changes had not yet been finalized. Therefore, they remained silent about them to avoid raising false hopes.
Bungie wants to avoid making promises that they cannot keep. Maybe they are too conservative in this regard.
Communication problems – Bungie doesn’t want to promise anything that isn’t 100% certain
The communication problem stems from a large discrepancy between what players see from the outside and how things are conducted within the team.
Destiny 2 is a massive, complicated undertaking. All parts interconnect. What appears from the outside to be a minor change is a complicated process internally because one thing depends on the other.
Making a game like Destiny 2 is incredibly hard
Essentially, the developers describe in the podcast how difficult their job is in all aspects:
They were unable to quickly fix the bug with the bureaucratic hallway because it coincided with the time window of the PC release and they wanted to keep the code as clean as possible at that time. There was a time window of 7-10 days in which they only wanted to patch in emergencies.
Communication externally is difficult because they don’t want to raise false hopes – they themselves do not know when certain ideas will come into the game because they need to wait for further developments at each point.
How quickly they address a problem depends on the severity of the issue, the ease of a solution, urgency, and many other factors.
Christopher Barrett
Who is actually the Game Director of Destiny 2?
Two mixed things from the discussion:
Apparently, the hierarchies at Bungie are very unique. Luke Smith is a “Game Director” and works on Destiny 2, but that does not necessarily make him the Game Director of Destiny 2.
An important figure is Chris Barrett, who is also a Game Director on Destiny 2 and takes care of the day-to-day operations. He probably oversees the development. Luke Smith has probably communicated constantly with “Barry” over the last 6 months.
Destiny 2 as a steamer in the fog
My MMO thinks: The analysis is correct, but it does not change the problems. One can hear a certain frustration in the podcast that they receive so much flak because they appear “deaf” from the outside, even though they have long recognized the problems and are working on them.
Eric Osborne says at one point: Making such a game is difficult, but no one wants to hear complaints about it. People pay 60 dollars and expect a great game.
The podcast leaves the impression that Destiny 2 is a cumbersome steamer, whose captain does not want to talk about a change in direction because he does not know when it will happen. Therefore, he prefers to say nothing at all and keeps the passengers in suspense.
The passengers then see the mysterious activities on the bridge from the outside, cannot make sense of them, and have the feeling that the captain has no idea what he is doing at all. However, he knows well but cannot convey his perspective because the passengers are too far away.
Bungie needs to work on overcoming this distance. In recent days, steps have been taken in this direction. Nevertheless, many questions remain unanswered, which the captain probably cannot talk about yet because there are larger, economic interests involved.
Apparently, Destiny 2 was meant to be a game for casual players to appeal to the broadest base possible and deliver 80 hours of good gameplay. They have achieved this. Now Bungie must address the needs of those who expected more from Destiny 2.
After more than 3 years, this is an uncomfortable place for the Destiny franchise to be in. After the podcast, one gets the impression that the developers are all too aware of this.
For more on the specific changes coming to Destiny 2 in the next week and the week after, read here:
The Elder Scrolls Online is free for a week on PC and PlayStation 4! Additionally, as a newcomer, you will receive a bundle of real currency to buy goodies in the game such as loot boxes and mounts.
Update: The free version of ESO is now available on PC and PlayStation 4. However, it will take a bit longer on Steam and is expected to be available at 7:00 PM or later, according to Zenimax.
Therefore, The Elder Scrolls Online will be playable for free for one week as part of the “10 Million Storys” event!
Download and play The Elder Scrolls Online for free
From November 30th at 4:00 PM until St. Nicholas Day on December 6th Tamriel is open for all. Anyone who wants to explore the world of The Elder Scrolls Online can download the client and start on PC or PlayStation 4. However, please note that the game client is approximately 80 gigabytes in size. So start downloading as soon as possible.
If you create a new ESO account, you will receive 500 crowns as a starting aid for the event. Crowns are the real currency in ESO, allowing you to purchase loot boxes, buff food, mounts, pets, or costumes.
Your hero waits where you parked him
If you have previously created an account with ESO for another free game event in the past, you will retain your progress from that time and can start right where you left off. The same applies if you want to buy ESO after December 6th. You will keep your hero.
Clear out dungeons and snag houses!
In addition to the free-to-play week, you can snag special loot in dungeons in ESO until December 6th. Just do a random dungeon through the dungeon finder and you will receive a chest with extra loot.
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