To prepare for the launch of Knights of the Frozen Throne in Hearthstone , we have created this overview for you.
The release of the next expansion of Hearthstone is just around the corner. We have summarized all the important information you need for the launch. What new card types are there? Are there free packs? How will the missions of “Knights of the Frozen Throne” be unlocked?
When is the launch of Knights of the Frozen Throne?
In America, the expansion launches today (08/10/2017) at 9:00 PM our time. In Europe, we still have to wait a bit. The release date is set for 08/11/2017. Based on the release dates of previous expansions, it is expected to be between 2:00 AM and 3:00 AM for us. However, there is no guarantee for that.
Are there free card packs of Knights of the Frozen Throne?
Data miners have already read from the game data that there will be 3 free card packs of Knights of the Frozen Throne at launch. Additionally, in the past weeks, players were able to complete quests and earn 3 more packs.
Even more “free” packs await at the completion of the story missions, which will be included this time without additional cost.
The Icecrown Citadel – Tough Missions with Great Rewards
For the first time, a pure “card expansion” will also include story missions, which were previously found in adventures. These missions will be available for all players at no cost, regardless of whether card packs were purchased.
The missions will be unlocked weekly so that not everything is “burned” on the first day.
Week 1 unlocks the prologue and the 1st wing
Week 2 unlocks the 2nd wing
Week 3 features the final bosses and the Lich King
Those who are just now returning to Hearthstone haven’t yet seen the changes to the card packs. Legendary cards can no longer be drawn twice from packs. Once you receive a legendary card, it will not appear in a pack again.
But something else is new: All players are guaranteed to receive at least one Legendary within their first 10 packs of a new expansion! This is meant to make new addons exciting and worthwhile for all players.
New Keyword, New Type of Cards
In summary, there are 2 major new features regarding card types:
Death Knight Cards – all heroes have a new hero card, the “Death Knight” variant. This grants the hero new abilities and has a powerful battle cry.
Lifesteal – this is a new keyword on the cards. Cards with this effect heal the hero of the owner for the damage dealt.
In Destiny 2, you can use the characters that accompanied you during your Destiny 1 career. But there are restrictions. Find out here what is transferred to Destiny 2 and which aspects you can no longer modify.
Bungie has released more information about character migration to Destiny 2. Extensive help articles explain the main points.
Your active characters at that time were already transferred to the Destiny 2 sphere on August 1st. All characters created after August 1st will therefore not be found in Destiny 2. To be transferred, a character must have reached Level 20.
Of course, you must log in to Destiny 2 with the same account details linked to your Destiny 1 Guardians. Players switching from consoles to PC will therefore not be able to bring their characters over.
If you do not want to play or cannot play directly at the launch of Destiny 2, that’s no problem. There is no deadline for character migration – your Guardians from the first part are available indefinitely.
What exactly is transferred to Destiny 2? – Character Transfer
The following data will be carried over to Destiny 2:
Can I customize my Guardian from Destiny 1 in Destiny 2?
Unfortunately not. Bungie currently excludes this. So anyone who thought on the first day “Oh, who knows how long I’ll play this, I’ll make my Guardians ugly as night,” will unfortunately have to continue to deal with these characters.
Ttimes Titan remains blond…
However, you are certainly free to create completely new Guardians without losing your achievements.
What do you think of the lack of customization options for your characters? Let us know in the comments!
Lúcioball in the Summer Games of Overwatch is full of bugs. A hotfix is supposed to fix it – but it will be later on PS4 and Xbox One.
Even on Day 2 of the Summer Games of Overwatch, many things went wrong. Lúcioball refuses to start for numerous players and the ranked mode “Copa Lúcioball” is affected by a completely different bug.
The first bug appeared yesterday and is due to server overload. Occasionally, players are kicked out of a Lúcioball match and end up in an eternal waiting loop. Even quitting the game or taking a multi-hour break didn’t help. Some players had to wait up to 12 hours just to be able to play Overwatch again. Allegedly, the bug has been fixed by now – but it was also claimed to be fixed the day before. No wonder the forum looks like this:
The buggy matchmaking of Copa Lúcioball
The second bug is a clear issue and not due to server load. Anyone who wants to play the ranked mode of Lúcioball and queues with friends might experience an unpleasant surprise. Because the game often states that the group “does not meet the requirements” – but what is the reason for that?
To be able to play with other players, the skill rating of all players must be within a certain range. This is either 500 or 1000 points, depending on the rating. But Copa Lúcioball takes the wrong values! It does not look at the skill rating of players in Copa Lúcioball, but rather at the “normal” ranked game mode of Overwatch. This prevents many players from playing the new mode together with their friends.
Jeff Kaplan, the Game Director of Overwatch, has already apologized for this in the official forum and explained that they are working on a patch. The hotfix should be live on PC by now, but on Xbox One and PlayStation 4, it will appear a bit later, as it first needs to be approved by Sony and Microsoft.
Have you also suffered from these bugs? Or is everything working perfectly for you?
The Paris Olympic Committee is considering including eSports in the Olympic Games for the year 2024. The interest of the youth and the sporting success of games like League of Legends should, according to the committee, no longer be ignored .
eSports may be able to win Olympic medals starting in the year 2024. The Paris Olympic Committee is currently considering making eSports an official discipline.
The co-president of the committee, Tony Estanguet, has already started initial discussions with the International Olympic Committee. Representatives of eSports will also participate in the discussions to provide a better understanding of the scene and the success behind it.
The Olympic Committee wants to find the bridge to eSports
Estanguet believes that eSports can no longer be ignored. One cannot simply say that eSports has nothing to do with the Olympics. The youth is interested in the market, which continues to grow.
The committee wants to take a closer look at eSports and try to find the bridge to it.
Competitive games have already been held as an Olympic discipline. During the 2016 games in Rio, there was a “eGames Showcase” – Here, 8 international teams competed in SMITE and Super Smash Brothers Wii U. However, this was more about testing the waters for eSports in the Olympics, as these competitions did not involve medals. It was more of an “exhibition” of eSports.
This approach will be followed again in 2018 at the Asian Games in Indonesia. Here, eSports athletes will also give a demonstration of their discipline. Also in the form of a “showcase” as it was in 2016 in Rio. In 2022, eSports will then officially be part of the Asian Games.
The program of the Paris Olympic Games 2024 will only be finalized when the Tokyo Games in 2020 are over. Until then, the Paris committee has enough time to make a decision. In the meantime, the committee can look at the various “showcase” competitions and talk to experts from the eSports scene.
The International Olympic Committee has the final say on whether eSports will be part of the official program.
In Asia, eSports will surely become an official discipline. In the West, it is still somewhat sluggish. One reason could be that the image of eSports is still associated with “embarrassing nerds”: LCS Europe – Who wants to see these nerds?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Farewell, sharding! On RP servers in WoW, the technology is almost entirely turned off.
Two days ago, we reported that one of the largest community events in World of Warcraft was canceled due to sharding technology. When too many players are in one zone, the server creates multiple “instances” (shards) of an area to distribute the load.
For the Tournament of the Ages, this meant that out of the hundreds of players, a maximum of forty could see each other at the same time – a big problem.
Now Blizzard has explained in a long post that sharding technology will be almost completely disabled on role-playing servers. The reason is that player-organized events occur much more frequently on RP realms.
It is acceptable here if the server’s performance dips a bit – also because a little lag in role-playing is usually not a problem.
However, there are still some places where sharding is still going strong:
Dalaran over the Broken Isles
All zones of the Broken Isles
The upcoming area Argus
Busy zones due to WoW events (micro-holidays, etc.)
The aim is to disable sharding in all areas that are not critically relevant to gameplay. This includes all “old” areas – from Classic to Warlords of Draenor. When Legion eventually becomes “outdated”, it will also be disabled there and will only be active in the new areas.
What do you think of this special treatment for RP realms regarding sharding? Should it be like this on all servers again? Or is it good that it only happens on the role-playing realms?
System Update 5.0 for PlayStation 4 (PS4) is coming. Some of the new features are now known.
In mid-July, Sony announced that they are looking for beta testers for the 5.0 update for PS4. However, Sony did not disclose what new features this system update will introduce.
There is still no official blog post from Sony, but Eurogamer has already had a look at the patch notes for update 5.0. We present the “leaked” new features.
Twitch Streaming in 1080p60 on PS4 Pro
With update 5.0, all users who own a PS4 Pro can stream their gameplay directly via Twitch at 1080p and 60 fps. According to Eurogamer, this feature is limited to the PS4 Pro, which is more powerful than the standard PS4.
Additionally, with 5.0, it will be possible to follow all PSN user accounts. Currently, this can only be done with some verified accounts, such as official game accounts or accounts from certain developers or YouTubers.
In the future, you can follow everyone – you won’t even need to send them a friend request. This will not fill up your friends list either. According to Sony, this is meant to enhance interaction and the willingness to share more content.
Of course, you can set whether you want to allow everyone to follow you – or just your friends. Users can also be blocked.
Furthermore, with update 5.0, you will receive new family accounts, where you can select multiple parent accounts and set individual restrictions for child accounts. These family accounts can then be managed through a new web app, and the options can be changed at any time.
There will also be some smaller adjustments. For example, notifications will be displayed directly in the quick menu, so you won’t need to switch to the home screen. The status of downloads can also be displayed in the quick menu.
There is currently no release date for the firmware update 5.0. It will be released alongside a revised PlayStation app.
Paladins gets a new patch OB56: Ranked 2.0 arrives and completely changes the system for ranked games. There are new epic skins that significantly increase the level of cosmetic items. Additionally, legendary cards have been adjusted, but so have the champions themselves
Paladins’ new patch OB56 could be one of the most important for the MOBA shooter so far. Today, on August 9th, the patch will be deployed on PC.
The ranked system is completely being adjusted and makes the professional scene of Paladins much more attractive.
Many of the legendary cards from the champion deck builds received a buff, making strategic decisions more exciting. In Paladins, champions can be individually customized with cards. The legendary cards are particularly strong, and each champion is allowed to take only one of these into the match.
Furthermore, the skin level has been further increased and the new cosmetic items are quite impressive. This is no longer comparable to the old “re-colors” that were previously advertised as complete skins.
Paladins Ranked 2.0 changes competitive play – A restart through hard reset
The biggest and most significant change in patch OB56 is the introduction of Ranked 2.0. Studio Hi-Rez has adjusted its entire system for ranked games.
A player’s ranked status now applies to the entire account. Previously, competitive ratings only applied to individual champions. This means players could achieve a particularly high rank with one champion while other heroes were in the lower ranges.
A hard reset will be done with Ranked 2.0. This means all players start from zero and will be re-ranked. The hard reset takes effect immediately with patch OB56.
There are 7 ranks players can be placed in. 5 of these ranks (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond) are each further divided into 5 divisions that one must climb. The two highest ranks (Master and Grandmaster) are only for the top players of Paladins. Slightly different rules apply here, and there are no divisions.
Everyone must play 15 qualification matches after the hard reset and will then be placed in one of the ranks. From here, one can either go up or down.
Up to 5 players can be added to a team for ranked up to the Platinum rank. One can thus play ranked with a full team.
In the bottom image are the new ranks, with their respective divisions:
Kunoichi Skye & Ronin Ash significantly raise the skin level in OB56
Paladins has long had the reputation of having simply poor skin designs. Many of the old skins were just re-colors of the original models.
This means the clothing or hair was just differently colored and did not differ significantly from the original champion. In the last updates, Hi-Rez has already delivered solid new skins that have their own animations or voice lines.
However, looking at the new epic skins Ronin Ash and Kunoichi Skye, they almost seem like a statement from the artist team.
At this point, a video of Ronin Ash is embedded, as you have to see the animations and especially the weapon in motion. The skin is meticulously designed down to the smallest detail, and the theme of the dragon runs through to the ammunition of the weapon. This has nothing to do with re-colors anymore.
From minute 1, the skin can be seen:
https://youtu.be/mcb5vBvZY1k?t=45
Ronin Ash can be unlocked in the shop, Kunoichi Skye is available through a quest
Ronin Ash can be unlocked in Paladins’ in-game shop with crystals.
Kunoichi Skye can only be obtained through a quest, and this is how you get her:
Ronin Ash must be unlocked
Whoever achieves 40 eliminations receives the Ronin spray (An elimination means being involved in a kill)
Whoever manages 20 kills afterwards will receive the Kunoichi spray (A kill means that you dealt the final blow)
Whoever can now deal a total of 300,000 damage will receive Kunoichi Skye
The quest points must be completed in the specified order. You can complete the quest with any champion.
Kunoichi Skye is already visible in the title image, but here she comes again.
Champion adjustments give many legendary cards a buff in OB56
In update OB56, studio Hi-Rez focused on balancing the legendary cards. Each champion has three legendary cards in their deck build set. These are particularly strong and define the player’s strategy.
So far, the legendary cards have generally had a selection that was particularly good. Players could not really make a strategic decision since often only one card made sense. The developers have worked hard to address exactly this issue.
For example, Barik has received a buff on the legendary card “Fortify”, which now reduces the cooldown of “Barricade” by 3 seconds. This buff makes the card a much more attractive option and makes it just as strong as Barik’s other two legendary cards. With these adjustments, one must really consider where they want to go with their build and how to best counter the opponents.
You can find all champion adjustments in the official patch notes in our source reference.
Leya says: This patch will bring a significant change in competitive play of Paladins. While the old ranked system stood out from others in the genre, it was also confusing. Because each individual champion was ranked, it was difficult to track overall progress.
A player could have an extremely high rank with one champion. However, if this champion was then chosen by another player, the player could have problems keeping up.
The ranking system for the entire account simply provides a clearer line.
I like that Hi-Rez has tightened the balance of the legendary cards. Because the entire strategy lies in the cards that distinguish Paladins from other hero shooters. The legendary cards are so powerful that it must be difficult to decide between one of the three.
I am very curious to see how the new ranked system will develop and how it will be received by the community.
In a trailer, Black Desert introduces its latest boss monster and it is huge. We have the trailer for the sea boss Bell.
“Bell” is a gigantic Leviathan-like boss that will terrorize the seas of Black Desert. When Pearl Abyss announced him for the first time in April, it was said that he is as big as the city of Heidel. So really big.
To defeat Bell, players will need ships and cannons. It looks like a monster battle.
In Korea, Pearl Abyss will soon unleash the Leviathan. Here in the West, we will have to wait a little longer for Bell and the monster fight.
Double machine guns at the front of a car? Why not! Huge discounts on command centers? Sure! For a few days, you can save big on GTA 5 Online!
The new car in GTA 5 Online is really impressive. This mainly refers to the weapons that are hidden in the front of the HVY Nightshark and can be fired while driving. Chases are likely to be easier for you if you are behind the target.
For a few days, there are also huge discounts in many areas of GTA 5 Online. Check here to see what is available for you.
HVY Nightshark available for purchase now
If you think that GTA 5 Online is only about fast cars, you’re mistaken. Much more important are fast cars with which battles can be won. Being a winner on the road is the goal of some players.
While someone with a pink Smart car adorned with floral-patterned spoilers might be driving on the road, they only rarely win battles. So why not buy a mobile fortress on four wheels that can even shoot?
The HVY Nightshark comes with an armored body and bulletproof windows. With the double machine guns under the hood, you bring the decisive arguments to the road. The MG-SUV costs $1,245,000 and is available for sale at Warstock Cache.
Overtime Shootout game mode
In the new game mode Overtime Shootout, you have to prove your accuracy and finesse. Here you don’t drive off a ramp with your opponents like in Overtime Rumble, but you can shine individually. Just like in penalty shootouts, it’s your turn alternately.
Double GTA$ and RP are available until August 14 in Overtime Shootout.
Discounts for MOCs and ammunition in GTA 5 Online until 14.08.
You can get the Mobile Command Center with a 25% discount in the game until August 14. There’s also a 25% discount on renovations (including vehicle workshop) of the Command Center and on modifications for weapon vehicles.
The first purchases of Mk-II ammunition types are also reduced by 25%. This includes incendiary and flare ammunition.
More cash is available for bodyguards and employees who receive a cash bonus for their work until 14.08. This could allow you to save for the Dewbauchee Vagner , which is currently available with a 25% discount at Legendary Motorsports.
In the battle royale shooter Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), update number 20 has been deployed, which, in addition to several bug fixes, is primarily expected to bring improvements to game performance.
The patch is currently on the test server, and if nothing unusual occurs, the changes will also be implemented on the live server on August 10. The performance improvements are particularly well-received by users in the Reddit forum of AMD who rely on Ryzen CPUs and thereby more on multi-core processors.
The patch notes for update 20 in detail
Client optimizations
Improved game performance for 6-core CPUs or higher
UI enhancement
Sound effects
Volume of motorcycles and squealing tires reduced
Bug fixes
Improved animation for throwing items while lying down
Fixed a bug that prevented the use of voice chat on the starting island
Fixed a bug that revived characters standing instead of crouching
Fixed a bug that prevented the remapping of the button for stowing weapons
Markers are now visible to spectators on the mini and world map
Fixed a bug that incorrectly displayed the target reticle for spectators
Fixed a bug that occurred when changing the “Effects” graphics option
A map of Heroes of the Storm has now been disabled. Hanamura just wasn’t entertaining for anyone.
In Heroes of the Storm, there is a variety of maps that is unique in MOBAs. The typical “3 Lane” map without additional objectives does not exist. This leads to every player having their absolute favorite, as well as hated map.
At least that was the case in the past. Since the update to Heroes of the Storm 2.0, all players have the same map that they despise: Hanamura.
After months of complaints on Reddit and the official forums, Blizzard has now decided to pull the emergency brake. The map Hanamura will be disabled with the next patch. They thank the community for all the feedback and want to completely revamp the map before bringing it back into the game.
Why is Hanamura so unpopular?
The reason why Hanamura is so unpopular among players has several reasons. On one hand, it is the only map with no “neutral” map objective. The choice between “Do I defend the enemy payload?” or “Do I push my own payload?” overwhelms many and leads to boring gameplay. Additionally, the mercenary camps give way too much experience, making all bribery talents overpowered.
Lastly – and this is probably the biggest point – the most effective strategy is simply to completely demolish both enemy lanes before dealing with the map mechanics.
Cortyn says: I’ve never really warmed up to Hanamura. But since I usually choose talents that are completed late in the game and have an effect late, I don’t like the particularly short matches on Hanamura anyway. Therefore, I am quite satisfied that Hanamura is disappearing for now. The developers can take their time to revise this map. Just like the mines back then. It can take a year or longer…
What did you think of Hanamura? Do you miss the map already?
The Korean MMO Elite Lord of Alliance is not making any headway in the West. Even a second attempt ended after just a few months. Curiously, this MMORPG is shut down twice in one year. That’s quite a record.
Not even a year lasted the first attempt by Webzen to bring the Korean MMORPG “Elite Lord of Alliance” to the West. It started in November 2015 – by September 2016 it was already over. ELOA was shut down due to a lack of players. It was simply unsuccessful.
The second attempt on Steam was supposed to turn things around
But a second publisher did not want to accept that and gave ELOA a second chance. The Free2Play MMORPG was revived in November 2016. It tried its luck on Steam.
This time it was still not enough for ELOA. On August 11, the lights will go out.
The ELOA team shares this in a surprisingly cold message, but says, “they are truly grateful for the interest up to this point.” In farewell, it is said: Thank you very much, and we are sorry if this caused any inconvenience.
This means the second death of Elite Lord of Alliance is still within the one-year period of the first. This could be a record.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVODDK1ZlIw
It simply does not seem to be meant for “Elite Lord of Alliance.” Those who are said to be dead may live longer, but that does not guarantee immortality. Cinderella stories happen less often than television wants us to believe.
Elite Lord of Alliance is considered an action MMORPG that represents a mix of hack ‘n’ slash like in Diablo and an MMORPG. The game emphasizes its social aspects and features Asian style in a dark atmosphere. The goal of the game is to become an “Elite Lord” who then fights against dark forces threatening the fantasy universe.
Somehow it seems that the game did not hit the taste here in the West:
You take off your pants and blend in with a group of opponents. The plan of these PUBG players was risky and worked well until the others became suspicious.
The battle royale shooter PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is currently celebrated in the gaming community and played by many players. This includes Reddit user skrollox and his friends. They were together as a team in PUBG and made a questionable discovery: a horde of opponents running along the streets in their underwear.
Instead of trying to kill them right away and probably getting killed by the group, the crew decided to take off their clothes and blend in with the underwear group. They planned to take out the opponents “from the inside”, but the distrust of the other players soon took over.
Heroes in Briefs – Funny Scenes in PUBG
In the team mode of PUBG, you can team up with a few allied players as a squad and fight as a group for the top spot. When the horde of brief bandits was running along the streets, it was technically a violation of the rules. Because opposing squads are usually not allowed to ally with each other.
The sight of the briefs heroes likely made skrollox and his friends overlook this rule violation. Quickly, they hatched a plan: “What if we try to blend in? There are so many… maybe they won’t even notice we are opponents. And then we’ll take them out from the group!”
After a brief reflection, the guys adopted a “Why not” attitude and took off their pants. Slowly skrollox and his friends approached the opponents, sneaking up to them among trees and rocks. Moments later, they found themselves in the middle of the group and remained unrecognized – the plan worked! “They think we belong to them!”
They walked around with the group for a while and waited at one spot to surprise unsuspecting opponents in the match. Then the group split and looked at skrollox and his friends more closely. “I think they are noticing something!”
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
Now quick reactions were required. The heroes in underwear noticed the plan of skrollox and his crew and opened fire. His squad managed to kill a few of the briefs shooters, but ultimately fell victim to the circle of death. Remarkably, skrollox’s team’s plan lasted so long.
A new update has been released for the MMORPG Revelation Online. This now introduces housing into the game.
The long-awaited housing feature of the MMO Revelation Online has been activated. Now you can acquire your own apartment in the game. However, the housing system of the online game works in a slightly different way than what is known from many other MMORPGs.
The Apartment on the Turtle
Because you do not build a house in a housing zone or in the wilderness, you acquire an apartment that is carried on the back of a giant turtle. You can buy a small, medium, or large apartment there and furnish it according to your ideas. At the start of the housing system, over 160 unique decorative items will be available to you.
In your apartment, you can store items you don’t need or invite friends to throw a party. The housing system is available to you as soon as you reach level 49 in the game.
Crafting, Archaeology, and More
The new update for Revelation Online also allows you to craft your own furniture, which you can then place in your apartment. Also new is archaeology, through which you can explore the hidden mysteries of the land. The update also starts some interesting events in the MMORPG. So fans of Revelation Online have plenty of new features to try out.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
However, there are not only curious numbers to marvel at in the trailer, but also a lot of new weapons and armor pieces. The guardians have now closely examined the gameplay material and made an interesting discovery: The Starfire Protocol is in the picture!
https://youtu.be/hMUJ61jT4eY?t=52s
At the marked spot in the trailer, the Stormcaller defeats three guardians. The last one is a Warlock who undoubtedly wears the Year 1 exotic chest piece. Here is a screenshot of it:
What does the Starfire Protocol have to do with Destiny 2?
Destiny 2 represents a fresh start: All weapons and armor pieces from Destiny 1 must be left behind. A hunt for completely new items begins.
Until now, it was assumed that nothing from Destiny 1 would be “recycled” in Destiny 2. However, there is no doubt that the Warlock chest piece in the trailer is the Starfire Protocol. The design is unmistakable:
Source: Unknown Player
Three explanations are mentioned in the Destiny forums:
This item is “accidentally” in the trailer. The Starfire Protocol will not be available at the launch of Destiny 2.
There are shaders or ornaments that transfer the design of the Starfire Protocol to a chest piece.
The Starfire Protocol actually returns. Possibly some exotic armor pieces from Destiny 1 will be carried over to Destiny 2. In the new PvP trailer, this Titan helmet resembling the Taikonaut was also discovered:
However, this seems to only be a helmet that resembles this Exotic. A few differences are noticeable.
On reddit, most users agree on what to make of the discovery of the Starfire Protocol: As long as there are enough new Exotics in Destiny 2, a few Exotics from Destiny 1 can gladly return. Some users also joke that Destiny is not Destiny without recycled content.
Which Exotic would you like to see again in Destiny 2? The Ace of Spades (Cayde-6), the No Land Beyond, or others have already been spotted in footage of Destiny 2, but these are likely tied to NPCs. You probably won’t be able to fight with them in Destiny 2.
Shiny variants of the popular Pokémon “Pikachu” are currently appearing at the Japan event. Trainers hope that the rare specimens will also be available worldwide. Even though the shiny forms hardly differ visually from the “normal” ones, they are a special entry in the PokéDex of Pokémon GO.
Today, a special Pokémon GO event titled “Pikachu Outbreak” started in Japan (Yokohama). From August 9th to August 15th, trainers can participate in the local celebrations and catch special Pokémon. In line with the name, players will find special Pikachu that appear in their shiny form at the event.
The community’s great hope is that the shiny Pikachu, Raichu, and Pichu will be released worldwide afterwards.
Shiny Pokémon in Japan
Trainers in Japan are likely to have a lot of fun in the coming days, as the Pikachu Outbreak event takes place there until August 15th. There are two special themed parks for the event: In the Red Brick Park, trainers will find Pokémon from the red or blue edition of the game more frequently, while in the Cup Noodle Museum Park, there are more Pokémon from the silver or gold edition to be found.
But it gets even better: In line with the event, trainers will now find various shiny forms of the Pikachu family. Not only Pikachu itself, but also Pichu and Raichu are available in altered color tones. There are also special variants with different hats, which are also available as shiny monsters. A summary of the monsters is provided by PokémonGOHub:
At least the shiny Pikachu has already been found by trainers in Japan. They could also confirm that it transforms into shiny Raichu after evolution.
Trainers Want Shiny Pikachu Worldwide
The cute shiny Pikachu, Pichu, and Raichu are well received by the Pokémon GO community. Trainers hope that these will also be released worldwide. However, Niantic has not yet commented in this direction.
A few weeks ago, the GO Fest took place in Chicago, where the legendary Pokémon Articuno and Lugia were released first. Shortly thereafter, trainers around the world were able to catch these rare monsters. Players now hope for a similar approach at the Japan event. There is hope that the rare Pokémon from the Pikachu family will soon be available everywhere in the world.
But as mentioned earlier: There is still no official statement from Niantic. Therefore, we must initially assume that these new shinies will only appear in Japan at the event.
On Reddit, trainers write:
“I can hardly wait for a worldwide release. Then I could combine my endless search for a [Shiny Pikachu] with my ongoing search for a shiny Magikarp.”
“I wish there were bigger color differences among the Pokémon. Like blue cheeks on the shiny. Some shiny Pokémon look too similar to their original forms to cause much excitement.”
“I’m waiting for someone outside Japan to catch one of the shiny Pichus. I hope so.”
“Hope they can be found everywhere. I would love to start a shiny hunt that I can actually participate in. I often find Pikachu compared to Magikarp.”
The South Korean development studio Netmarble (Marvel Future Fight, Lineage 2 Revolution) has come under scrutiny from authorities. Following the death of an employee due to overwork, irregularities have surfaced. Apparently, Netmarble has paid employees poorly and required excessive working hours.
The deceased was employed at Netmarble Neo. This is a subsidiary studio of the South Korean hit factory Netmarble. Netmarble has been considered one of the top gaming companies in Asia since the mobile hit “Marvel Future Fight” in 2015.
The death due to overwork is likely not an isolated case. Other fatalities have also come under suspicion of being related to overwork – this, however, has not yet been finally clarified.
Netmarble has reacted and abolished overtime and weekend work in February 2017. However, this does not keep the studio out of trouble.
Pushing employees below the minimum wage through tricks
As reported by MMOCulture, South Korean government authorities have dealt with Netmarble and the working conditions there. Former employees participated in the discussion about the “overtime culture” at Netmarble. Overtime has regularly been paid late.
It has been discovered that Netmarble tricked its employees with contract tricks. They increased working hours for employees but lowered overtime pay. This resulted in their salary remaining below the minimum wage, writes MMOCulture.
Netmarble should seek dialogue
Authorities have found that Netmarble violated occupational safety rights for years with tricks in the fine print. The competent ministry wants to initiate measures to solve these long-standing problems. It concerns hidden clauses in contracts and work-related deaths in the gaming industry. Additionally, they are urging Netmarble to seek dialogue with its employees.
Netmarble has announced it will address and resolve the cases immediately. Some of them date back years.
Netmarble is considered a rising star in Korean gaming and has dramatically increased its value following an IPO. The head of the company has the reputation of a Korean Steve Jobs. He recognized the signs of the times early and initiated a shift towards mobile gaming.
World of Warcraft is once again haunted by the Harbingers of Doom. The doomsayers are live!
Actually, when the Harbingers of Doom were discovered on the PTR patch 7.3, it was thought that they were a feature of the next update in World of Warcraft – but that was a misconception! The Harbingers of Doom have been around on the live servers in World of Warcraft since last night (08.08.2017).
You can find them in Dalaran, where they are again distributing their flyers and foretelling the end of the world.
Why are the Harbingers of Doom in WoW?
The reason for the appearance of the Harbingers of Doom is probably the opening of the last wing of the Tomb of Sargeras. This has been accessible in WoW since today (09.08.2017). This has resulted in all players seeing Argus in the sky now, regardless of whether they have already defeated Kil’Jaeden in the Tomb of Sargeras. Thus, all players are lore-wise on the same level and can marvel at the former world of the Eredar – or run around in a panic.
A tangible benefit does not seem to exist for the Harbingers of Doom and the inhabitants of the Exodar, who can also be found in Dalaran. They are supposed to symbolize the panic that spreads in Azeroth when suddenly a fel-corrupted world appears in the sky.
Furthermore, many NPCs in Dalaran now have new dialogues and some “Concerned Citizens” are walking through the streets, bothering the city guards to finally get answers to their panicked questions.
Some people speculate that the Harbingers of Doom are already heralding patch 7.3, which likely won’t take long to arrive, even if there is still no set release date.
Hello Games have announced a new update for the online space game No Man’s Sky with Atlas Rising. This will ease the journey across the galaxy.
There have already been some hints that update 1.3 for NMS has something to do with portals. Recently, a screenshot was released showing a stargate-like portal. Now the developers have spoken out and announced that “Atlas Rising”, the title of the upcoming update 1.3, will introduce fast travel. Exact explanations of how this works and which points in the galaxy the portals will connect are to follow.
Fast Travel through the Galaxy
The fact is that there will be fast travel via the portals. This likely means that you can quickly reach distant locations in the galaxy.
In addition, the developers plan to expand the story of the game with update 1.3. However, they will reveal what exactly that looks like later. However, the team is addressing two points criticized by players: first, the problem of reaching distant locations, and second, that the story has so far been rather poorly implemented.
Hello Games is Listening
Sean Murray from Hello Games explains that they have been quiet for a long time, but that did not mean they weren’t reading player feedback. Atlas Rising would now prove this. In the ARG campaign Waking Titan, which repeatedly dropped hints about the new update, more than 250,000 players participated.
Update 1.3 “Atlas Rising” will be released later this week for No Man’s Sky.
Ubisoft presents several blockbuster games at gamescom. However, fans will likely have to forgo The Division.
From August 22 to August 26, gamescom 2017 will take place in Cologne. The publisher Ubisoft will present its biggest game lineup in the history of the fair.
Upcoming AAA titles like Assassin’s Creed: Origins or Far Cry 5 can be played by fair visitors, as well as already released games like For Honor or Rainbow Six: Siege. Ubisoft even plans an eSports event: The “Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Pro League Season 2 Finals” will be held during gamescom.
It is noticeable: Ubisoft’s Shared-World-Shooter The Division is not listed.
The Division is not mentioned at all – what happens next?
Since early 2017, agents have been waiting for an announcement regarding the future of The Division.
Year 2, which will receive its first major update in mid-August, cannot meet the high expectations of fans. New content is scarce. In Year 2, only the existing content will be made more varied and a few new items will be introduced. New story missions or extensive activities are not to be expected.
So far, there is no official information on what the future of The Division will look like. Will there be a Year 3 with many new contents? Perhaps even a sequel “The Division 2”? Or will the shooter continue to stagnate?
Many players hoped for an announcement regarding The Division during E3 2017 – an impressive trailer or at least some information to generate hype. However, no word was mentioned about the game at this most significant gaming fair in the world.
In the official Ubisoft blog post for gamescom 2017, The Division is not mentioned again – nothing to make agent hearts beat faster. So we will likely have to wait longer to find out what the future holds for the agents.
So far, we only know that Ubisoft has conducted several surveys regarding the future of The Division online. The developers are working on something related to The Division. Community Developer Hamish Bode emphasized several times that The Division will continue, and Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot assured that they will take care of all “Tom Clancy” games.
The question is, when will the player base learn about it.
