The online RPG The Exiled (formerly known as Das Tal) is still alive and is trying to make a comeback with some changes to attract players.
Only three simultaneous players according to Steamcharts is a disaster for any game – especially for an online game like The Exiled, where PvP is at the forefront. The Exiled is currently struggling to survive. Even if peak times sometimes show 33 players online at once, that is still far from enough to keep the title operational over a long period of time.
The developers are not giving up
The developers are aware that this cannot continue, and have now issued a statement on Steam. This acknowledges that even the most recent changes have not brought the desired success. The survival mode, on which so many hopes were pinned, failed to attract players. However, they do not want to give up. The team is making another attempt with the new Season 8.
The biggest measure to lead The Exiled to success is the introduction of a permanent Free2Play trial. As long as you can forgo the extras offered by the supporter packs (such as multiple character slots and additional skins), you can play The Exiled for free as long as you want. Additionally, the 3-hour time limit for the survival mode has been abolished. Previously, survival sessions could only be played for three hours.
Das Tal konnte bei Kickstarter nicht die gewünschten 50.000 Euro einnehmen.
Major changes are planned
Furthermore, the developers announced a reset of the game, for which the team now intends to return to the drawing board. Some significant changes are being planned. Therefore, only minor bug fixes are scheduled for the near future. The team states that they have worked hard for four years to make The Exiled a good game. Currently, the groundbreaking idea that is supposed to save everything is missing. But they hope that this will emerge through brainstorming.
WoW needs new faces. But what kind of playable race is still missing in the world of Azeroth?
Anyone who wants to create their own character in World of Warcraft has a pretty large selection of different species. In total, there are 13 playable races in Azeroth, of which 6 belong to the Horde and Alliance each, and both received Pandaren as an additional race. Many players feel that this is still not enough. They not only want additional customization options, such as new hairstyles, hair and skin colors, or size sliders, but also new species as playable races.
At least roughly estimated, two things alternate with the expansions of World of Warcraft. There is either a new class or a new race per expansion – we can exclude Warlords of Draenor here, as Pandaria had the Pandaren and the monk.
What new playable race does WoW need?
There are plenty of species that would be perfect in World of Warcraft. In the lore, the High Elves have long been anchored with the Alliance and stroll as NPCs through some Alliance cities. On the other hand, the Horde had allied early on with some Ogres to have at least one less enemy at their back. Both races have yet to make it into the game.
Perhaps the variants mentioned above are simply not attractive enough – but the game world is still significantly larger.
From cuddly Furbolgs to slippery Naga or the strange Astrals, there are plenty of species that theoretically offer a lot. Even if that would mean a lot of work for Blizzard.
That’s why we want to know from you: If you had to choose a race, which one should the next expansion of World of Warcraft bring?
Cortyn says: Ever since Classic, I have been wishing for Naga as a playable race, which is why my vote goes directly to the scaled representatives from the water. That would also add another “Elf race” with a pretty cool story. And who knows, with an upcoming “Void” expansion, where Queen Azshara will certainly be involved, that would be fitting. One is allowed to dream…
What is the Exotic Titan Helm An Unbreakable Skullfort in Destiny 2?
Those who have 23 Legendary Shards left these days can take them to the Exotic Trader Xur and exchange them for the Exotic “An Unbreakable Skullfort”. You have until October 10th at 11 AM to do this.
After that, you’ll have to hope for a random drop or wait until Xur brings this item again.
What is An Unbreakable Skullfort in Destiny 2?
Behind this cumbersome name hides an exotic helmet for the Titan. It is among the exotic items in the game that were already present in Destiny 1 and are making a return in Destiny 2.
This is the special perk of the Unbreakable Skullfort in Destiny 2:
Transfusion Matrix: Kills with Arc melee abilities trigger health regeneration and restore melee energy.
Additionally, you can either increase mobility or health regeneration.
Design-wise, the Skullfort also looks good: It features glowing points that flicker in wave patterns. With certain shaders, a beautiful helmet can be created.
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To benefit from the exotic perk, you need to select the Striker Titan. This is the Arc focus of this class, capable of unleashing Arc melee abilities.
Now, take the ability path “Code of the Earthshaker“. This provides two advantages that shine in combination with the helmet:
Seismic Strike: After a short sprint, you can unleash a shoulder charge that triggers an Arc explosion upon impact.
Aftershock: If you deal damage to enemies with the Seismic Strike, the grenade is charged. Additionally, you gain an extra grenade charge due to Concord, allowing you to charge two grenades with the shoulder charge.
With the Seismic Strike, you can defeat adds with just one hit. And the exotic helmet now causes the Seismic Strike to recharge immediately after a kill. Normally, this has a rather long cooldown.
This means you can now sprint across the battlefield and unleash one shoulder charge after another on the enemies. While this requires an offensive playstyle, you directly gain health regeneration after each kill thanks to the Unbreakable Skullfort, which keeps you on your feet.
Against many adds, you have a powerful combo here. And when big enemies come, you throw two pulse grenades (which are outstanding grenades, especially in PvE) at them, which you previously charged with the shoulder charge.
Conclusion: If you want to get up close and personal with the enemy, the Skullfort is a strong and fun Exotic. Perfect for the aggressive Striker in you!
Expect better results when hatching Pokémon GO eggs. This GPS chip is coming in 2018 and is supposed to be accurate up to 30 cm.
Many trainers are familiar with the problems of hatching eggs: You walk long distances with your eggs in incubators and receive only a fraction of the meters traveled after a long walk. The frustration after such “walks” is high.
A new GPS chip could relieve us of these problems. The new location detection works with accuracy of just a few centimeters and consumes less battery than the old chips.
Improved Distance Measurement in 2018
Soon, hatching eggs in Pokémon GO could significantly improve and work with more accurate GPS data. Broadcom Ltd. is one of the leading semiconductor companies and announced the new GPS chip “BCM47755” a few days ago. This chip is expected to greatly enhance the GPS experience on many devices such as smartphones, tablets, and fitness wearables.
The chip is expected to be released in 2018. It is not yet known in which smartphones and other devices it will be integrated.
Until now, mobile apps were fed with GPS data from single-frequency chips. The new chip uses L1/E1 and L5/E5 frequencies. By utilizing multiple frequencies, the current location should be recognized much more accurately. This is true in cities and in rural areas.
The official press release states that the BCM47755 saves more than half of the energy, even though location detection is much more accurate. As users, we have many advantages when we consume less battery during our Pokémon adventures while achieving more accurate data.
The GNSS chip (Global Navigation Satellite System) is compatible with the following signals:
GPS L1 C/A
GLONASS L1
BeiDou (BDS) B1
QZSS L1
Galileo (GAL) E1
GPS L5
Galileo E5a
QZSS L5
The advantages of the chip are clear: accuracy up to 30 centimeters, significantly less battery consumption, less susceptibility to GPS interferences (GPS drift). By comparison, current L1 chips are only accurate up to 5 meters and consume much more battery.
With the new chips, the gaming experience in Pokémon GO should significantly improve. It remains to be seen which devices will support the new technology and whether it will be worth buying a new phone for it.
The space game Elite: Dangerous will receive a lot of new content in 2018. According to the 2018 roadmap, there will be the possibility to form squadrons and jointly maintain a large carrier ship. Additionally, new ships, weapons, and a continuation of the story regarding the Thargoids will be introduced.
Last weekend, the first “Frontier Expo” took place in London. This is a proprietary convention of the Elite developer Frontier Development. Everything was focused on Elite: Dangerous and the upcoming innovations that will be available to you in 2018.
Get your own fleet carrier for your squadrons
The most significant new feature was the freshly announced squadrons. This refers to larger groups of players than the usual wings, who will work together to make the universe of Elite a more dangerous place. The squadrons are expected to have their own internal hierarchy and there will be special organization tools to manage the members.
However, the best thing about the squadrons are the carrier ships. With these, you can establish a mobile space base. The massive ship functions as a home, repair dock, and refueling station. Ideal for exploring the vastness of space or conducting operations in hostile territories. The squadrons and carrier ships are expected to arrive in late 2018.
Even more features in 2018 – Elite gets better policing
The roadmap at Frontier Expo 2017 also lists more features for Elite Dangerous:
There will be better law enforcement in the universe in the first quarter of 2018, as security forces will be better armed and equipped. This will make it significantly more difficult to forge a career as a criminal.
The trading system will provide you with more information and details that will enhance trading.
You will be able to mine asteroids and extract their resources.
New wing missions for co-op fun will be introduced.
Planetary surfaces will be made more attractive.
The Galnet news service will present news in full voice. Previously, the in-game news broadcaster was only available as text.
Two new ships, the Chieftain and the Krait, are coming. The Chieftain will be a powerful military vessel reminiscent of ships from Halo. The Krait, on the other hand, is an old classic from previous games in the series.
At the expo, there were also new weapon systems on display. However, these were only concept designs, and it was unclear what the weapons would do. However, it can be assumed that they will be particularly effective against the Thargoid aliens.
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Regarding the aliens that are currently causing trouble in Elite, there were also a few snippets of information. There will be more hidden clues in the game about the mystery behind the alien race. Additionally, the legacy of the even more mysterious Guardian race will be further explored. So, it remains exciting in the universe of Elite: Dangerous.
The Wootbox supplies subscribers monthly with merchandise from science fiction and fantasy series. One of the subscribers who is particularly lucky will also receive a Megawootbox as a bonus jackpot.
The November Megawootbox includes cool items from the universes of Attack on Titan, The Walking Dead, and Deadpool.
Set Nintendo Switch – Super Mario Odyssey: 380 €
The Nintendo Switch has been selling increasingly well since its release six months ago. Additionally, there is the new set with the eagerly awaited Super Mario Odyssey. Experience the famous plumber in new epic adventures on the hybrid console. Get ready to rescue Princess Peach, who has been kidnapped by Bowser, alongside your companion Cappy (a living hat). Want more? The Switch includes a pair of Joy-Con in red.
5 Games and a Pro Controller Splatoon: 320 €
To perfectly accompany the prize mentioned above, the Megawootbox contains the crazy multiplayer game for color battles Splatoon 2 with Pro Controller as well as 4 additional games: ARMS, Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers, Fire Emblem Warriors (Musou RPG) and Pokkén Tournament DX.
Figure Dragon Ball Z Piccolo HQS by Tsume: 349 €
This figure represents one of the iconic characters from Dragon Ball Z. It was produced in limited edition of 2,500 pieces. The figure showcases Piccolo, the former demon king who sacrifices himself for Son Gohan after a deadly attack launched by Nappa. The product includes the figure and the base (serial number and limited edition metal plate) and was created by the teams at Tsume at a scale of 1:6.
Figure Deadpool Breaking the 4th Wall: 400 €
This figure of the most shameless hero in history measures 24 cm and was created by Good Smile Company. Deadpool is here indulging in his usual escapades. Except this time, he straight-up dares to leave the comics he belongs to, making a ruckus in the outside world.
Complete Blu-ray Set The Walking Dead – Seasons 1 to 7: 100 €
In thisBlu-ray complete set are the 99 episodes of the mythical survival series. Relive the events of the seven seasons of The Walking Dead, about the story of a group of women and men trying to fend off the zombie invasion that threatens the entire world.
Figure The Beast Unleashed Evil Ryu KINETIQUETTES: 449 €
This figure represents the main character of the Street Fighter series, who is engulfed by the dark Hadou. It was produced by Kinetiquettes at a scale of 1:4 and is perfectly complemented by the figure representing the original Ryu (not included).
We present you Paladins (PC, PS4, Xbox One) best champions according to the tier list. These champions are currently rated the strongest.
We have taken a closer look at the Paladins tier list and selected the current best champions. Tier lists reflect how strong the performance of each champion is assessed in the game. The champions can shift on the list more frequently when new patches are released.
As always with tier lists: This is a general assessment by experts who have been involved with the game for a long time. Of course, individual players can also play well with “weak heroes”, while others can get easily beaten even with the “best heroes”.
Update: The article is up to date as of October 9, 2017
Paladins OB 60: The 6 strongest champions on the tier list
These champions are currently rated the strongest by the players; they are top-tier. The order of the champions is chosen arbitrarily and does not give a rating among them.
Barik (Frontline) – Barik’s turrets quickly draw the opponent’s focus onto themselves. With the appropriate deck build, the turrets can gain more health and also give Barik constant health. With the legendary card Craftsmanship, Barik can enhance his weapon Thunder Gun and push back opponents who can easily attack his turrets (like Strix, Kinessa, and Drogoz). Barik’s ultimate skill Shield Dome has a strong shield that protects Barik and his entire team. Barik can keep himself and his team alive for a long time through the turrets and the shield.
Cassie (Damage dealer) – The damage dealer with the crossbow has high mobility, which benefits the current meta. Cassie has skills that reduce healing and knock back opponents. Together with her ultimate ability that reveals enemies, she possesses significant crowd and map control.
Jenos (Support) – Jenos has high mobility, extremely high crowd control and deals a decent amount of damage for a support character. Jenos can remain in the backline and consistently heal his team from there. The healing also goes through walls.
Makoa (Frontline) – Makoa’s hook is his greatest strength. The tank deals fairly high damage, allowing him to be played as a flank-tank hybrid. With strong shields, Makoa can also be played aggressively. He is suitable for pulling out individual targets with his hook, eliminating them with his cannon, and can stay on an objective for a long time due to the shields.
Maeve (Flank) – Currently, Maeve is so strong that she often gets banned in ranked games. Maeve recently received a buff that allows her to throw her daggers faster. This has brought her back to the top of the tier list. Maeve can deal constant damage from long range. If there’s an opening in the enemy team, she whizzes through to the backline at lightning speed. Additionally, she has self-healing and a strong ultimate that blinds opponents.
Lian (Damage dealer) – The sexy lady packs a heck of a lot of damage with her rifle! Lian can execute a sprint in any direction every 5 seconds. She has an extremely high rate of fire. Moreover, her ultimate ability “Enlightenment” charges fastest compared to other ultimates in the game and penetrates shields – practical against the 2-tank meta.
These champions are rated as good according to the tier list
The following champions are currently also doing well and should be a pretty safe choice. Their performance is only slightly worse than that of the champions mentioned above. In the right hands, they are tricky opponents.
Paladins: The weakest champs according to the tier list
The following champions are currently rated as weak and easy to counter.
Skye – Although Skye is a super strong flanker among beginners, she is not frequently chosen by professionals. She is easily countered with items and can be quickly eliminated with a bit of coordination.
Buck – Buck deals too little damage for a flanker and struggles to really take down targets.
Tyra – Tyra can deal extremely high burst damage but has too low mobility in the eyes of many professionals.
The remaining heroes not listed in this list are in the middle tier. – They are neither particularly good nor particularly bad.
As much praise as the beta of Star Wars Battlefront 2 receives for its Star Wars feeling, players are heavily disappointed due to the loot box system that apparently promotes Pay2Win.
Currently, criticism is piling up for the online shooter Star Wars Battlefront 2. The reason for this is the loot box system, as players not only purchase cosmetic items through it, but even items that provide them with a advantage in matches. It gets even worse, as leveling up classes is tied to the Star Cards, which can be purchased with loot boxes.
Is it Pay2Win?
You can purchase loot crates for money, but also earn them. Of course, it is faster to get the items if you buy the crates. In the loot boxes, you will find cosmetic items that allow you to further customize your character, as well as Star Cards that grant you special abilities and crafting parts to improve, for example, the cards.
Star Cards are not only important for giving your hero new abilities, they are also tied to the progression system. The more cards you have, the more you can use in matches. Someone who buys many loot boxes and thus gets many Star Cards can use more special abilities per mission. This gives that player better chances against those who have fewer cards.
The Star Cards offer various advantages. Here are some examples:
The character Boba Fett can become invulnerable for a short time while firing rockets thanks to a rank 4 card boost.
An X-Wing gains 10 percent more firepower at rank four. This has a significant impact on the course of a match.
Higher chances for rare cards and boosts
Whoever buys loot boxes thereby increases the chances of finding important and rare Star Cards. Additionally, the crafting parts allow improving the cards to higher ranks. This means that someone who buys many crates quickly gets the most powerful cards.
In return, the DLC for Star Wars Battlefront 2 will be free – with the first part, EA offered a season pass. The role model for the microtransactions are EA’s sports games like FIFA. The microtransactions in the sports games generate huge sums of money every year.
Even though Star Wars Battlefront 2 is still in beta, this discussion about microtransactions and Pay2Win will likely accompany the game.
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Normally, such an announcement would make big waves, but this time hardly anyone is interested. The topic is nearly absent on reddit. Why is that?
Warning – Spoilers ahead!
Why did this “big announcement” go unnoticed?
In fact, there are several reasons why hardly anyone is talking about this announcement.
Bungie angered many players who are craving endgame content
DeeJ sparked a full-blown shitstorm in the community with a small anecdote in “This Week at Bungie”. He wrote that the ultimate loot in Destiny 2 is the friendship that develops through the game. The people you spend time with ensure ultimate replayability.
The frustration of many Guardians boiled over due to the lack of things to do in the endgame. This overshadowed the announcement.
The new location and the new story are probably already known
Additionally, we likely already know what DeeJ announced: He is likely referring to the first expansion “Curse of Osiris”.
Bungie has not talked about this DLC yet. It was only officially confirmed that it will be called “Curse of Osiris”. The confirmation came from Bungie’s Eric Osborne in response to several leaks regarding this expansion.
Some details about “Curse of Osiris” have already come to light via the Xbox Store and the US site Kotaku. The first expansion will bring:
Mercury as a new planet to explore,
new story missions and adventures revolving around Osiris and the Vex,
as well as new cooperative activities, items, and multiplayer arenas.
What Deej has revealed fits with the already known leak information:
The new story revolves around Osiris,
the new destination is Mercury
and all of this will be released before the end of 2017.
Thus, this actually big announcement is just a confirmation of existing information. Nevertheless, it should not be underestimated. Because it shows that the DLCs in Destiny 2 will likely be more extensive than those in Destiny 1. In Destiny 1, no new locations were added with the DLCs. Only “The Taken King”, the big Year 2 expansion, brought the Dreadnaught as a new play area. That the first DLC of Destiny 2 will bring a new planet should definitely be taken seriously.
By the way: Those who only read the German translation of “This Week at Bungie” might have missed this announcement altogether. Because this part was unfortunately translated awkwardly as: “Before the end of the year, a wealth of stories will be added.” There was no mention of the new planet here.
Frustration instead of thunderous cheers – Why is the hype train for Destiny 2 not running at full speed right now?
In Destiny 2, there is a “secret” weekly ritual that can be observed on social media on Fridays: On the night from Thursday to Friday, Bungie regularly publishes “This Week at Bungie” – a letter to the community in which the developers discuss the current state of Destiny 2 and provide a glimpse of what Guardians can expect in the future.
The curious Guardians then immediately get to work, scrutinizing every word in this letter, weighing it carefully to see if there might be a “secret announcement” hidden within. After all, Bungie’s community manager DeeJ is known for occasionally leaking hints about the future through his sentimental and ambiguous language.
In the last “This Week at Bungie”, DeeJ took a less cautious approach. Essentially, he proclaimed: Guys, this year we will get more story content and a new planet!
What has DeeJ announced?
DeeJ initially wrote that the Destiny universe is a turbulent place that is constantly changing. There is still so much to talk about. Destiny 2 will have many new challenges ahead.
Then he provided an outlook on the mid-term future:
A new wave of Guardians will join the community in the coming weeks (starting October 24) – the players on PC.
And: Before the year 2017 ends, there will be new stories to tell and new places to explore.
DeeJ uses the word “destinations”, which in Destiny always refers to planets/locations. In other words, Bungie announced a few days ago that a new planet will be playable before the end of 2017 and a new story line is coming!
Normally, such an announcement would make big waves, but this time hardly anyone is interested. The topic is nearly absent on reddit. Why is that?
Warning – Spoilers ahead!
Why did this “big announcement” go unnoticed?
In fact, there are several reasons why hardly anyone is talking about this announcement.
Bungie angered many players who are craving endgame content
DeeJ sparked a full-blown shitstorm in the community with a small anecdote in “This Week at Bungie”. He wrote that the ultimate loot in Destiny 2 is the friendship that develops through the game. The people you spend time with ensure ultimate replayability.
The frustration of many Guardians boiled over due to the lack of things to do in the endgame. This overshadowed the announcement.
The new location and the new story are probably already known
Additionally, we likely already know what DeeJ announced: He is likely referring to the first expansion “Curse of Osiris”.
Bungie has not talked about this DLC yet. It was only officially confirmed that it will be called “Curse of Osiris”. The confirmation came from Bungie’s Eric Osborne in response to several leaks regarding this expansion.
Some details about “Curse of Osiris” have already come to light via the Xbox Store and the US site Kotaku. The first expansion will bring:
Mercury as a new planet to explore,
new story missions and adventures revolving around Osiris and the Vex,
as well as new cooperative activities, items, and multiplayer arenas.
What Deej has revealed fits with the already known leak information:
The new story revolves around Osiris,
the new destination is Mercury
and all of this will be released before the end of 2017.
Thus, this actually big announcement is just a confirmation of existing information. Nevertheless, it should not be underestimated. Because it shows that the DLCs in Destiny 2 will likely be more extensive than those in Destiny 1. In Destiny 1, no new locations were added with the DLCs. Only “The Taken King”, the big Year 2 expansion, brought the Dreadnaught as a new play area. That the first DLC of Destiny 2 will bring a new planet should definitely be taken seriously.
By the way: Those who only read the German translation of “This Week at Bungie” might have missed this announcement altogether. Because this part was unfortunately translated awkwardly as: “Before the end of the year, a wealth of stories will be added.” There was no mention of the new planet here.
The MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV (PC, PS4) has more paying players than ever before. This is also due to the clever Free2Play trial, believes the director. But subscription MMORPGs are a rarity in 2017 and actually contradict the current zeitgeist. Will Final Fantasy XIV eventually go Free2Play?
The expansion Stormblood has led Final Fantasy XIV to a new milestone: 10 million people have played the MMORPG at least once. The 10 million includes those who played it before but no longer do – and it also includes Free2Play players who have never spent money on Final Fantasy XIV.
But the number is not just empty marketing: There have been more paying subscribers in Final Fantasy XIV than ever after the release of Stormblood. This is partly due to the free trial play. Because it takes a lot to convince players today to commit to a subscription for an MMORPG.
Clever Free2Play trial attracts many players – could rise to level 50
This free trial is cleverly constructed. The director Naoki Yoshida explains this in an interview with Gamesindustry.
While competitors like World of Warcraft only show a beginning with the trial play, Final Fantasy XIV continues on. In FF14, the free trial lasts up to level 35 and that is also the plan:
At Level 20, there is a major boss fight in Final Fantasy XIV and players become the “Warrior of Light” – NPCs recognize this and react accordingly to the hero.
From Level 30, the class structure of the MMORPG changes – now the jobs begin, a typical element of the “Final Fantasy XIV” franchise.
With Level 35, the free trial ends. At this point, the player is just discovering the vast world of Eorzea, with new progression and much more. Players want to see more now. And that’s how the trial is designed.
Yoshida hints that with the next expansion, the cap of the trial version might be raised to 50. That would put Final Fantasy XIV on the same level as Guild Wars 2 – the main game would be free, only for the expansions would there be a charge.
An astonishing turn. The trial has only been permanently free to play since March 2017. Square Enix seems to have embraced the Free2Play model.
Subscription costs present a major hurdle for an MMORPG in 2017
At Final Fantasy XIV, it is recognized that the monthly subscription costs are a significant hurdle for players. Everyone has so much to do today and no one knows how much time they will have next month. Asking people to pay 30 days in advance – this is a major hurdle, as Yoshida explains.
Players are convinced to pay the subscription with the high quality of the game and the reliability of the servers. Additionally, the story of Final Fantasy XIV is continuously told – like in a TV series. They use cliffhangers and connect elements of the story, so it continues on, and players want to follow it.
Yoshida would only consider a shift to a Free2Play model for Final Fantasy XIV if 80% or 90% of the player base really want it. But then Final Fantasy XIV would have to be changed greatly to fit the new model.
Valnir Rok is a survival MMO that has entered early access, aiming to surpass Conan Exiles.
Conan Exiles gained a lot of attention at the start of its early access phase. However, interest has significantly declined since then. According to Steamcharts, only about 2,500 of the once 20,000+ concurrent players remain. It’s no surprise, as competition is growing – for example, with the now also launched in early access Valnir Rok (link leads to Steam).
Strong similarities to Conan Exiles
Valnir Rok strikes the same chord as Conan Exiles. You may not be a barbarian from Robert E. Howard’s fantasy world, but you are a Viking. Instead of fleeing into a desolate valley like in Conan Exiles, you will wash ashore on the coast of Valnir Island. However, you can expect a gameplay experience that is heavily reminiscent of Funcom’s survival MMO. You have to try to survive by gathering resources, crafting tools, weapons, clothing, and armor, and it is necessary to obtain food.
Everywhere dangers lurk in the form of wild animals, monsters, and hostile players. To improve your survival chances in Valnir, you team up with like-minded players to form clans and build houses and villages together, which you defend against invasions from rival players.
The island also offers many secrets that you explore in dark caves and ancient ruins. Through your actions, you gain the favor of the gods, who bless you with special powers. However, if you anger a god, you will feel their wrath.
Quests by a Novel Author
In contrast to Conan Exiles, Valnir Rok offers many quests that are supposed to tell exciting stories. For this purpose, the author Giles Kristian has been hired, who has written a series of fictional, historically inspired novels. Among them is the “Rise of Sigurd” series.
The early access version of Valnir Rok is currently doing quite well with players on Steam. The rating is “Mostly Positive,” which is partly due to the relatively low price of around 20 euros and the already large scope of the title. However, it is criticized that there are currently too few players, which is not surprising, as presumably hardly anyone has heard of Valnir Rok yet.
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During the EVE Vegas event, the developers of the space MMORPG EVE Online announced that they want to expand the Free2Play mode.
The Free2Play option was introduced at the end of last year in EVE Online. This allows players to create what is called an Alpha clone. While this allows anyone to play EVE Online for free, it comes with significant restrictions. For example, Alpha clones cannot fly all ships and are limited in training.
Free2Play had too many restrictions
Although the Free2Play option was initially well-received, over time it became clear that the limitations were too severe. Hardly anyone wanted to play an Alpha clone and either stopped shortly after or upgraded their account to Omega clones. The latter are the regular accounts without restrictions.
Restrictions will be relaxed
To make the Free2Play mode of EVE Online more attractive, the developers announced they would soften the limitations for Alpha clones. Generally, Free2Play customers can look forward to these features:
Alpha clones can also fly battlecruisers and combat ships
It is possible to train skills of any faction
Alpha clones can mix skills from different races to also pilot hybrid ships
You may train up to 20 million skill points. However, only if you buy skill injectors or upgrade to Omega status
Alpha clones will have access to Tech-2 capabilities for small and medium weapons. However, it is not possible to fly special Tech-2 versions of some ships
Developers monitor the system
Although Alpha clones will still not be able to learn all skills for every ship, they will have considerably more options if they use their skill points strategically. CCP Games plans to keep a close eye on Free2Play players to see if this system is better received and if there are any weaknesses that could lead to abuse.
The revised Free2Play option is expected to be introduced in December this year, after the release of the next addon “Lifeblood”, which is planned for October.
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If you’re clever, you should hold off on collecting loot boxes in Overwatch for a while. We’ll tell you why.
In Overwatch, player rewards mainly occur through loot boxes. Whenever a player reaches a new account level, there is an additional box. However, this is not the only way to get new loot boxes.
Every week, players can earn three bonus loot boxes by participating and winning in the colorful “Arcade” game modes. A total of 9 victories are needed, 3 per game mode, to claim the loot boxes.
This is especially worthwhile during events, such as the upcoming Halloween event. During this time, regular loot boxes are replaced with event loot boxes that contain additional items from the respective event. For instance, Halloween skins, emotes, and voicelines.
Arcade loot boxes do not reset at the start of Halloween
The catch is: The arcade loot boxes reset from Monday night to Tuesday. However, the Halloween event doesn’t start until Tuesday evening! So, if you are already playing diligently in the arcade on Tuesday and grabbing the three regular loot boxes, you’ll be disappointed. When the event starts, your progress typically does not reset, meaning you essentially “missed out” on 3 Halloween loot boxes.
Our recommendation is: When the arcade loot boxes reset on the night of October 9th to 10th, don’t play any games in this mode. Wait until the Halloween event goes live in the evening to ensure you actually get Halloween loot boxes.
These Guardians conquered the entire Leviathan raid in Destiny 2 in an insane time. How fast are you?
The Prestige Raid is coming soon! Starting from October 10th, you can dive into the ultimate PvE challenge, as Bungie calls it. Calus will then invite you to play the raid on a higher difficulty, where the mechanics are also expected to change a bit.
Bungie is calling for another race for the Prestige Raid, where the “World First” run will be crowned. If you have title ambitions, you still have a little time to get your fireteam ready in the “normal” Leviathan raid.
However, it may be difficult to get past the clan around Guardian GShark. They showed the fastest speedrun in the raid so far over the weekend!
World Record! – The raid lasted less than 24 minutes
In fact, there have already been several fireteams that mastered the raid in under half an hour and even under 25 minutes. However, GShark’s team claims the world record for themselves: They completed the raid in 23:38 minutes.
You can watch the entire run here, or if you want to see it from multiple perspectives, you can find the links in the reddit forum:
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Against adds, weapons with explosive rounds should be used.
Speed is extremely important here, but during jumping sections, especially underground, you should leave a little space. Reviving takes longer.
MIDA Multi-Tool, Transversive Steps, and Dune Striders were used to run faster between phases.
Garden of Salvation: 24 stacks (two flowers) were activated. Then significant damage was dealt using “Bygones”, a rocket launcher with cluster bombs (also using grenades).
Baths: Bygones against the Telaks. Then they switched to the Wardcliff Coil, picked up the power ammo, and switched to Merciless (which gives you maximum ammo). The Shadowshot was used for add control.
Sanctum: Here it should be noted that the runners need to pick up the relic as quickly as possible.
Calus: They had four people in the dimensions and two people in the Throne Room so they could shoot as many skulls as possible.
Now we want to know from you: Can you keep up? Will you participate in the “race” to Prestige mode? And what time did you complete the normal raid?
Valeera makes an infamous vampire hunter in Heroes of the Storm. Her Halloween skin is sure to please many fans.
Halloween is always a special affair in Blizzard games. There are all sorts of events and plenty of cosmetic items in the form of skins and other goodies. 2017 is no exception, and especially for Heroes of the Storm, the developers seem to have prepared some special treats.
Valeera seems to have had enough of fighting for Silvermoon and has joined another faction – the vampire hunters. As “Vampire Slayer V”, Valeera comes in numerous different color variations.
A special highlight is likely the “Doctor Wolf & Stein” skin for Greymane. This combines Frankenstein and his monster into one character, as Greymane is a shapeshifter.
Gazlowe, on the other hand, doesn’t put in much effort and simply pulls a paper bag over his head. That should suffice as a Halloween costume!
Funkelchen tries her hand at being “Bewitching Brightwing” and at least gets a wizard hat and long hair. As if she wasn’t creepy enough before.
Cho’Gall presents himself as “Pump’kin Cho’Gall” not very creatively – the two brothers simply stick their heads in pumpkins.
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Even the yet unreleased hero Junkrat gets a spooky skin. As “Fallen Junkrat”, he always has a little fallen one from Diablo 3 with him and seems to be devoted to Diablo.
The cuteness awards probably go to Chromie and Murky, who dress up as Skeleton and Garden Ogre.
Additionally, there are the usual “trinkets,” like new mount pets, spray logos, profile pictures, and flags – all in Halloween style.
No concrete details on a Halloween event are available yet. However, it shouldn’t be long before Blizzard launches a corresponding event. Possibly already with the release of Junkrat in a week or two.
In Destiny 2 there is a secret room in the Tower. This is related to Daito and an Ana Bray.
In the new Tower of Destiny 2, there is a mysterious room hidden that raises many questions.
You enter this room by running to the hangar, passing Arach Jalaal from the Dead Orbit, then going up the stairs, marching across the scaffolding, and taking a leap onto the next scaffolding, under which the banners of the Future War Cult hang. Now you just have to slip through pipes and shafts, and you’ll be in the Daito Room.
The best way to see the exact route is in this video:
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Two special features are present in the hidden room:
On one wall hang large screens displaying the text “daito“. A flower symbol is also visible on it (see our title image)
Additionally: On the table in the room lies a diary that your ghost can scan. The ghost reveals that the diary belongs to Ana Bray. Apparently, it has been almost entirely redacted, with pages missing from the book. The ghost suspects that something is amiss.
That’s all the information the game gives. Most Guardians will hardly be able to make much of it. What is daito? Who is Ana Bray? Who edited her diary and why does such a room exist in the Tower?
Those who visit this room come away with more unanswered questions about the Destiny universe than before. Let’s take a closer look at the matter.
Here lies the diary of Ana Bray
Who is Ana Bray?
The name “Bray” is familiar to all Destiny 1 veterans: On Mars, there were several “Clovis Bray” facilities.
Clovis Bray was a company founded by the character Clovis Bray during the Golden Age. Bray built, among other things, the Dust Palace on Mars and was responsible for groundbreaking technologies, such as the Engram technology, for the Exos, for the War Ghosts, or for SIVA.
In short: Clovis Bray was a powerful and famous company during the Golden Age. The Golden Age, however, has long passed and information about the Bray family is scarce. There are scant details that family members still exist: For example, Ana Bray.
In the lore, it is mentioned that Ana Bray was involved in the Battle of the Twilight Gap. There is an important piece of information here: Ana Bray was – or is – a Guardian!
Twilight Gap
You must know: A Guardian does not remember their previous life – the life before they were first revived by their ghost. If Ana Bray is a Guardian, she shouldn’t actually know that she belonged to the Bray family before. Or?
In fact, there is a way to become a Guardian without dying and then being found by a ghost. According to the lore, Shin Malphur is the only known Guardian who received his ghost from another Guardian. However, this story will not be explored further here. It is only meant to show: It is possible to become a Guardian and still remember one’s previous name.
This is a possible scenario of how the Guardian Ana Bray could have retained her name. Another possibility is: Ana Bray has nothing to do with “Clovis Bray” – she simply adopted this name. But we do not know.
As for Ana Bray, the following is known:
She was or is a Gunslinger Hunter.
According to Lord Shaxx, she was one of the most powerful Guardians ever. She distinguished herself in the Battle of the Twilight Gap. Wherever she fired her Golden Gun, the earth burned like pure sunlight.
She wrote a diary, which apparently ended up in the hands of “daito”.
Who or what is Daito?
Daito is a weapon manufacturer in the Destiny universe, about which little is known. In Destiny 1, this is mentioned only once by the gunsmith Banshee-44. He says that Daito requires more Glimmer.
Very few weapons can be attributed to this manufacturer. The best-known representative is the Jade Rabbit from Destiny 1, on which the Daito logo can be found:
In Destiny 2, there is an exciting hint about Daito: The exotic ship “Takanome Wings”. The lore for this ship is a quote from Daito president Chiyoko Mey.
He tells that the first protectors of the Last City were Ayane Takanome and her Rangers. They protected the refugees seeking shelter in the growing city below the Traveler. Their rifles brought down many Fallen and killers, according to Mey.
The Rangers, however, were not Guardians. They had only one life, which they risked each day. Therefore, they planted blue flowers to show the way to the Traveler. So that those in need would find their way even if the ranger who planted the flower was already dead.
Now it gets interesting: The logo of Daito is a flower on a blue background: One may speculate that the Rangers eventually became “daito” over time. This could be the reason why the Daito president tells this story of the Rangers.
The Guardians became the new protectors of the Last City. The Rangers fell into oblivion and became a myth. Perhaps they now continue “secretly” within the Daito organization.
However, why there is a Daito room in the Tower and what the diary of Ana Bray has to do with it remains unknown. Perhaps the Daito people are looking for clues in the diary to also become powerful Guardians without having to die first. Our ghost, after all, is left with the feeling that something is amiss when scanning the diary.
The Daito room is like a puzzle, for which there are a few pieces of information for each puzzle piece. However, the puzzle cannot currently be put together. Perhaps we will learn more about Daito in the future.
What do you think – what is this all about? What do the lore experts among you have to say about it?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The mood is changing in Destiny 2 . Players would like to play more Destiny 2 – but there is nothing more to do. Bungie’s employees have to deal with this.
Feeling low among the Guardians – it all started so well. By mid-September, Destiny 2 fans were on cloud nine, but now they are utterly miserable.
On cloud nine and utterly miserable – Destiny 2
We conducted two surveys at Mein MMO to gauge how fans assess Destiny 2. In the first survey, shortly after the release, 1712 readers voted and gave a rating of 7.35 out of 10. Two weeks after the release, the ratings even climbed higher.
Meanwhile, this positive mood has changed: Players have nothing more to do in Destiny 2.
It turns out that Bungie meant the statements made beforehand seriously. Destiny 2 should no longer be a time sink. They want to respect players’ time. And they have implemented it.
there is no God Roll that would require farming the same bosses indefinitely
the loot selection is generally low, there is no bone to chase
even the events and ideas that Bungie has intended as content additions fizzle out without bringing anything new. The Iron Banner or the Prestige Raid in Destiny 2 – nothing serves as new material for Destiny 2 players on withdrawal
“I have 3 characters at 305 and played 160 hours – What a crappy game!”
This has led to a strangely charged atmosphere. Many players are complaining on social media about Destiny 2, starting their criticism with “I have 3 chars at 305 – I have nothing more to do.” After that, Destiny 2 is denounced as “the disappointment of the year” or “an absolute flop”.
The thrill players felt when they first played Destiny 2 has faded. And this thrill is followed by disappointment.
It seems as if some had intended to spend the rest of the year with Destiny 2 – that the title was only good for 60-160 hours is now not enough. Destiny 2 has left a void that hurts.
No one wants to hear grandiose words
This week, community manager DeeJ had to bear the consequences. He is known for his grandiloquent speech. That’s cool when things are going well. When things aren’t going well, it regularly ends in disaster.
Deej had not made an appearance for several weeks, his assistant had taken over the speaking duties – now on Thursday, DeeJ was back at the helm and apparently had something to say.
He ended the letter to the community with personal words, urging players to form friendships in Destiny 2. That would enhance the replay value in Destiny 2. That is the ultimate loot, the much more important reward.
DeeJ promises “new planet” in 2017 – No one cares, players are enraged
The Destiny 2 junkies who were looking for hints of new content in the letter to the community did not thank him for this, but instead unleashed a shitstorm. They felt mocked by his words. They want an endgame in Destiny 2 – not a friend game.
The subreddit for Destiny is full of toxic and angry comments this week, with balancing threads where people feel a bit ashamed of being so angry when they still liked the game just two weeks ago.
Fan ideas are basically: “Bring these things back from Destiny 1”
There are also numerous constructive ideas on how Bungie can give players “their fix,” on how to introduce an endgame into the game that maintains the thrill.
Usually, it’s about:
Smuggling item perks back into the game
Bringing back achievements in some form – like Grimoire points
or letting Guardians farm faction ranks or Crucible ranks again if necessary
Fans are struggling with the lack of long-term motivation in Destiny 2 and are looking for explanatory models. A popular idea is that Bungie did not carry over long-term content from Destiny in order to deliver it through DLCs later.
Destiny 2 is a significantly more commercial product than Destiny 1:
Destiny 1 alienated casual players with the lack of story and complicated mechanics, but offered more to those willing to engage with the game on their own.
Destiny 2, on the other hand, takes everyone along, allowing everyone to keep up. But it disappoints players who want to delve deeper and spend a lot of time in the game.
What can we hope for?
Currently, it is clear: Bungie is actually sticking to the course they have set for Destiny 2. The game is more accessible and not a time sink. Perhaps they will also adhere to the third central promise: to provide content replenishment.
In Destiny 1, they significantly changed the formula over the course of the first year – perhaps they can do the same with Destiny 2. The 2nd DLC seems to be in the works at an independent studio for years now. For Destiny 2 players who are currently missing the kick of the first 40, 50 hours, that will be no consolation.
Bungie needs to come up with something now – the negative mood comes at a bad time. In 2 weeks, on October 24, Destiny 2 will launch on PC – such a bad atmosphere could hurt sales.
FIFA 18 – We present the fastest players in the Bundesliga, Premier League, and La Liga (BBVA) sorted by position. We list the fastest forwards, midfielders, and defenders of the top leagues so that you have an overview of which players have the highest pace in Ultimate Team and in career mode.
Fast players can decide entire matches alone in FIFA 18: If a nimble forward or winger breaks through the defense, hardly anyone can keep up – and they are one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Special skills are not necessary. You just need to hold down the sprint button.
Therefore, a large part of the community sees it as a “noob tactic” if one focuses solely on pace when building the team.
However, every team needs a few fast players, especially in the wide positions. Because every fan gets annoyed with players who simply cannot get moving.
We will now show you which players in the Bundesliga, Premier League, and Spanish La Liga have the top values for pace. Create one of the fastest teams!
The fastest players in the Bundesliga in FIFA 18
The fastest forwards in the Bundesliga – ST, MS
Two forwards have a pace beyond 90, three others are over 85. We also indicate the overall rating of the player:
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 96 Pace – 88 Rating (A TOTW card has a pace of 97)
Timo Werner: 91 Pace – 82 Rating
Danny Blum: 87 Pace – 70 Rating
Fin Bartels: 86 Pace – 78 Rating
Yussuf Poulsen: 86 Pace – 76 Rating
The fastest midfielders in the Bundesliga – ZOM, ZM, ZDM
Four players in central midfield have a pace beyond 80:
Leon Goretzka: 84 Pace – 82 Rating
Marcel Sabitzer: 83 Pace – 78 Rating
Daichi Kamada: 81 Pace – 70 Rating
Kevin Kampl: 80 Pace – 81 Rating
There are still numerous players between 75 and 79 pace, such as James Rodriguez (76), Jonas Hector (77), or Zlatko Junuzovic (78).
In the official forum of the MMORPG Shroud of the Avatar, there is currently an interesting discussion taking place that raises the question of whether regular quests work in an MMORPG.
The mission is to defeat the evil undead king who terrorizes the village. In the dark dungeon, you face the creature and defeat it. The village is saved! Or is it? Because the undead king respawns and the village is still in danger.
Then one realizes that one can never truly save the village and that the undead king will rule forever – after all, all the other players also want to defeat him and claim the loot.
Consequences of Phasing
The feeling of being able to achieve something in the game world, to bring about a change and to receive visible consequences for one’s actions, is difficult to implement in MMORPGs. The Elder Scrolls Online attempts this with the phasing system, bringing players together in the instances of an area that show specific consequences of an action.
However, this leads to players only being able to play with certain other players in these instances and not with everyone.
In a single-player RPG, this is not an issue. The undead king is defeated and the village is indeed saved. One gets the feeling of having truly achieved something and having brought about a change.
In the upcoming MMORPG Shroud of the Avatar, there are also these “regular” quests like: save the child, kill the bandit leader or find the murderer. Quests that should actually have a consequence. The child should be reunited with its mother, the bandit king should remain defeated, and the murderer should go to prison – but that does not happen.
Do MMORPGs Need a Different Narrative Structure?
The conclusion of a quest remains unsatisfactory. The child never meets its mother, the bandit leader respawns, and the murderer remains at large. This has now led to an interesting discussion in the SotA forum.
Do such “regular” quests in an MMORPG even make sense if, due to the online nature of the game, no consequences can be portrayed, leaving every quest with an unsatisfactory feeling?
Solution: Unconditionally Centering the Player
One proposed solution in the discussion: The narrative in an MMORPG must unfold differently. The story must always center around the player. Everything revolves around them, and the NPCs are mere side notes.
So one saves the child, hears during the travels how it was reunited with its mother. An NPC congratulates the hero for having saved the child.
Many consequences of one’s actions would not even be seen, as they are uninteresting for the player. Only one’s own actions count, not what the NPCs experience as a consequence afterward.
The First-Person Perspective as a New Narrative Style in MMORPGs
This solution would mean: A narrative structure from the first-person perspective. Only what one truly does drives the story forward, not what would be attached to a story if told from a third-person perspective. Actions outside of what a player experiences are irrelevant.
You probably would also need to adjust the quests accordingly, designing missions in such a way that they do not require immediate and visible consequences. This raises the question of whether such an approach might work better in an MMORPG.
What do you think? Does it bother you that most MMORPGs lack real consequences for your actions? Would you prefer a different narrative structure? What do you think this might look like? Let us know in the comments.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
New forms for the Pokémon of Generation 3 are now available through the new update in Pokémon GO. The hype for new monsters continues to grow!
With the new Pokémon GO update 0.77.1, the developers aim to fix some annoying bugs. This includes the curveball bug, where not every curveball received the corresponding bonus. Behind the curtain of the update, more significant changes have now been found. And these belong to Generation 3.
Forms for two special Pokémon of Generation 3 are now supported by the game.
Forms for Deoxys and Formeo in the code!
Yesterday, on October 7, Niantic introduced the new Update 0.77.1 for Android and 1.47.1 for iOS. According to the developers, the main features of the update are some bug fixes. The community eagerly awaited what the APK miners would find in the update. And indeed, experts found new hints about Generation 3 in Pokémon GO.
There are some Pokémon in every generation that are a bit “different”. This includes, for example, Ditto and Unown, but also Shinies. Likewise, the visually altered monsters with hats are counted among these special Pokémon.
In Pokémon GO, these special variants of monsters are called “forms”. Before Unown could be implemented in the game, its many different forms were first added to the APK.
Source: PokeWiki
The experts from TheSilphRoad explain: In the APK of Update 0.77.1, forms of two new species are now supported. These are:
Deoxys with all four forms:
Normal Form
Attack Form
Defense Form
Speed Form
Deoxys is among the Transformations and can adapt its form to different situations. In the Attack Form, it can deal a lot of damage but is also more vulnerable. How these forms will be implemented in Pokémon GO is not yet known.
Formeo with all four forms:
Normal
Sun
Rain
Snow
Formeo adapts its form to different weather conditions. Whether the monster will also be weather-dependent in Pokémon GO is still unclear.
Source: PokéWiki
Don’t get too excited, sounds are still missing
The addition of these forms was important so that these Pokémon can be implemented “sometime” in the game. However, there are still no sounds for these monsters. Before the sounds are available, there will be no release. Whether that might be the case in the next update and the necessary files will be included is not yet known.
