Blue Isle, the creators of the viral horror hit Slender, are working on a new game called Citadel: Forged with Fire. This sandbox MMO lets you play as an apprentice wizard and mixes elements of Harry Potter with Skyrim and Ark. It is set to launch for PC in July, with a PS4 and Xbox version to follow later.
Have you always wanted to venture out as an apprentice wizard into a fantasy world and experience many adventures? Do you want to tame dragons, subjugate orcs, and build a small kingdom as the leader of an army? And do you also want to build powerful castles and towers and fly around on a broom?
Then Citadel: Forged with Fire is a game you should look forward to. This sandbox MMO is from Blue Isle, the creators of Slender, and could possibly become a similarly viral hit.
Citadel: Forged with Fire – Explore like in Skyrim, tame creatures like in Ark
In Citadel you play a young apprentice wizard venturing out into the vast world. This world bears some resemblance to Skyrim, is 36 square kilometers large and is depicted with the sleek Unreal 4 engine. In this world, you will master spells, explore ancient ruins, and clash with other players.
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.
Additionally, like in Ark, you can tame animals on the go and ride them. These include not only the mundane horses but also cool mounts like “shadow wolves” or even dragons!
Furthermore, you can build cool houses, castles, and wizard towers, but other players can destroy them with magic if you don’t defend them. For this purpose, you can band together in so-called “houses” and pool your resources and efforts.
Citadel: Forged with Fire – Magic like in Harry Potter
Your wizard in Citadel bears some resemblance to the Harry Potter series. Because if you don’t have a flying mount, you can hop on a broom and soar through the air in true Harry Potter fashion. However, if you don’t want an uncomfortable broomstick between your legs, you can also elevate yourself using magic. You leave a trail of black smoke behind you.
Citadel: Forged with Fire – Beta and Early Access coming in July
The development of Citadel is already quite advanced. On July 26, the game is set to enter Early Access via Steam. A beta phase is now available for registered and selected players.
Citadel: Forged with Fire will initially launch for PC. Versions for the Playstation 4 and Xbox One are planned. However, a release date for these versions is still pending.
In a Russian church, this trainer played Pokémon GO and broke the law. For this, he received a suspended sentence and is on a list of terrorists.
Ruslan Sokolovsky is a Russian blogger and has now been severely punished for his hobby. In August 2016, he uploaded a video on his YouTube channel showing him playing Pokémon GO in a church. He was arrested on charges of inciting religious hatred.
Initially, he was sentenced to a suspended sentence of 3.5 years, which he managed to reduce to 2 years and 3 months. This week, he received an additional entry on a list of terrorists and extremists.
Pokémon Blogger now counted as a terrorist
It is hard to believe, but Ruslan Sokolovsky is now on a list of terrorists and extremists. The website Tass.com reports. One of Sokolovsky’s lawyers confirmed on Facebook that Ruslan is listed as number 5847 on such a list, which has a total of 7524 entries. Additionally, all his bank accounts have been closed.
With the extent of his “deed,” the Russian blogger hardly anticipated when he filmed one of his Pokémon GO adventures in a Russian church and later presented it on YouTube. The church in question is the “Cathedral on the Blood” in Yekaterinburg, which apparently holds significant importance in Russia.
That filming and playing Pokémon GO at this location would provoke might have been clear to him. At the beginning of his video, he showed a clip, explaining the penalties.
Source Tass.com
When Sokolovsky filmed there and even mentioned the “rare Pokémon ‘Jesus’,” he probably went a step too far. Therefore, he was found “guilty” on many counts. These included inciting religious hatred and blasphemy.
The original verdict was a 3.5-year suspended sentence, which was later reduced to 2 years and 3 months. Additionally, the blogger had to remove all videos from his YouTube channel that violated religious beliefs.
That he is now also regarded as a “terrorist” and is specifically named on a list of extremists and terrorists is hardly imaginable here in Germany. However, it shows the cultural differences that exist all over the world.
The closed alpha of Star Wars: Battlefront 2 is under embargo, but there are already some opinions about the game. These are mainly based on the version that could be played during E3.
We have looked at the previous impressions and present you a brief summary of what both the press and the community think of the new installment in the Battlefront series.
Selected Press Reactions to Star Wars: Battlefront 2
Polygon states that the single-player campaign is very exciting and interestingly told and makes you crave for more, but it gives the impression that it is built upon the foundation of a multiplayer game. The played mission feels like a multiplayer mission that is embedded in a single-player narrative structure with cutscenes.
The Verge shares a similar viewpoint: The mission of the single-player campaign plays out like a match from Battlefront 1. However, it has great staging, which unfortunately lacks a bit of emotion. At no point does the player care about what happens to the heroine Iden Versio. On the other hand, the multiplayer mode feels like an optimized and improved version of the first installment.
IGN praises that team play is more in the foreground and that flying with ships is more emphasized. However, flights and ground battles should be more interconnected. Overall, Battlefront 2 seems to be developing into the game that the first installment should have been.
At GameStar, they are excited about the single-player campaign, which is surprisingly well staged and enjoyable. In multiplayer, however, the feel for the weapons is still lacking because players never know exactly how much damage each weapon does.
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.
According to Gameinformer, Dice has turned the right screws and has responded to fan feedback, leading to a fun and very engaging multiplayer experience on the playable map “Assault on Theed.”
MassivelyOP had much more fun with the game than with its predecessor. Even those who are not very good at shooter games can feel useful in battles as the game is more accessible and allows for different play styles.
The YouTube channel Battlebros by Battlefield expert Fabian Siegismund mentions the multiplayer of Star Wars: Battlefront 2 regarding old strengths and weaknesses. The game looks great, but feels flat. There is too little teamwork. Additionally, Siegismund sees the balance at significant risk due to individual super weapons.
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.
PC Games is impressed by the single-player campaign, whose staging recalls the movies and offers a bombastic experience. However, so far not much has been playable to make a definitive judgment.
The editors of Gameswelt claim that Star Wars: Battlefront 2 plays significantly more tactically than the first installment and is therefore less suitable for casual players. A negative point raised was that there is too little destruction possible in the city of Theed.
Golem believes that Battlefront 2 can surpass its predecessor in every way, as the matches in multiplayer were simply a lot of fun and the handling of the weapons is more meaningful.
This is what the community thinks about the online shooter
Some fans from the community had the chance to try out Star Wars: Battlefront 2, for example at the EA Play event. Overall, the mood is positive, as the game simply feels like an evolution. There is more of everything – more weapons, more abilities – which leads to more action during battles. Many are especially looking forward to the Galactic Assault mode, which is distributed over three phases across different locations. However, balancing is still a concern for many who could try out the multiplayer.
Many are still somewhat skeptical about the single-player mode. While most are glad there will be one, the length of the gameplay is still a big question mark. Since the first playable mission lasted only about 15 minutes, fans fear that the entire campaign will turn out to be quite short. Additionally, disappointment over the first installment still runs deep, especially within the Reddit community. Overall, however, the community appears optimistic and looks forward to the new game.
Star Wars: Battlefront 2 will be released on November 17 for PC, Xbox One, and PS4.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The glossy MOBA Paragon is bringing the latest hero Zinx this week. She is a massively damage-dealing cat girl with a gun.
Paragon already has a bunch of unusual heroes. For example, the Korea-pop singer Shinbi dancing with pink holo-wolves or the undead gunslinger Revenant. With the new hero Zinx, another unusual character is added to Epic Games’ glossy MOBA – a deadly cat girl! You can find a cool trailer for Zinx here:
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.
The new hero Zinx is coming on July 18 as a new hero in Paragon and she is the 348th experiment by Dr. Maximov to breed the ultimate cat-killing machine. Therefore, Zinx is particularly deadly in the game.
She uses a gun and can hit many opponents at once, dealing damage over time. Additionally, she can heal and protect herself. This makes Zinx an ideal offlane hero, who can really clean up there.
Zinx’s abilities are as follows:
Dangerous Medicine: Zinx charges her weapon and creates an energy field in front of her. The longer the charging time, the stronger the field.
Cat Claws: Toggle: Zinx inflicts a damage-over-time effect that can stack.
Ricochet: Zinx fires a projectile with medium range that bounces between nearby opponents and stuns them. Each subsequent hit extends the stun duration further.
Unclean Healing: Passive: Zinx gains additional mana regeneration. The amount is based on her missing percentage of mana. The less she has, the more she regenerates. Toggle: When “Unclean Healing” is activated, Zinx instantly heals 50% of the damage taken, which is instead deducted from her mana.
We present to you the Tier 21 sets from the next raid of World of Warcraft – Antorus, the Burning Throne.
Patch 7.3 of World of Warcraft not only marks the end of the expansion “Legion,” but also brings a completely new zone with it – strictly speaking, even a planet. On Argus, players can expect plenty of new quests, hidden mounts, rifts, a dungeon, and the new raid: Antorus, the Burning Throne.
And what is the best thing about a new raid? Right, the loot! And the most impressive are the class-specific armor sets, the so-called tier sets. In Antorus, the Burning Throne, Tier 21 awaits all players who are up for the challenge.
The colleagues from wowhead have already read many data from the PTR and early versions of the Tier 21 sets. Please keep in mind that not all sets are complete yet and many details may change before the release of Patch 7.3.
It is also important that the sets differ in various difficulty levels (LFR, normal, heroic, mythic). We have selected the most impressive or complete set for each.
Keep in mind with the set bonuses that these are in most cases not yet fleshed out. Most values here are “0,” which means they are still being worked out.
Death Knight
Blood
2: Enemies in your death and decay deal 0% less damage to you.
4: As long as Vampiric Blood is active, your runes regenerate 0% faster.
Frost
2: Obliterate and Howling Blast deal 0% additional damage.
4: When you deal Frost damage, there is a 0% chance to unleash a volley of Ice Spikes at your target.
Unholy
2: Death and Decay causes the target to suffer an additional 0% of the direct damage over 0 seconds.
4: Death and Decay has a chance of 0% to deal its damage a second time.
Demon Hunter
Havoc
2: The damage of Eye Beam is increased by 30%.
4: When Eye Beam is fully channeled, your Haste is increased by 15% for 8 seconds.
Vengeance
2: When Demon Spikes are active, your Parry chance is increased by an additional 5%.
4: When you parry an attack, the cooldown of Metamorphosis is reduced by 5 seconds. This effect can occur only once every 1.0 seconds.
Druid
Balance
2: Increases the damage of Solar Wrath and Lunar Strike by 0%.
4: When you cast Star Surge, the damage of your Moonfire and Sunfire spells is increased by 0% for 0 seconds.
Feral
2: Shred has a 0% chance to extend the duration of Rips on the target by 0 seconds.
4: When Rips deals damage, there is a 0% chance that your next use of Savage Roar is free and used as if you had spent the maximum amount of energy.
Guardian
2: When Vortex is activated, the cooldown of Ironbark is reduced by 0 seconds.
4: Mangle has a 0% chance that your next use of Tramples costs 0 Rage and heals you for 0% of the damage dealt.
Restoration
2: Still unknown.
4: Still unknown.
Hunter
Beast Mastery
2: The damage of Kill Command is increased by 10%.
4: When Bestial Wrath resets the cooldown of Alpha Predator, the cooldown of Kill Command is reduced by 1 second.
Marksmanship
2: Aimed Shot has a 15% chance to fire again at the target.
4: When Aimed Shot deals damage, the damage of your next Arcane Shot is increased by 20% or your Multi-Shot by 20% and your next Arcane Shot will generate an additional 5 Focus or your next Multi-Shot will generate an additional 1 Focus.
Survival
2: Flanking Strike has a 10% chance to increase the critical strike chance of your next Raptor Strike within 0 seconds by 0%.
4: Each casting of Mongo Bite increases the damage of your next Raptor Strike by 0%. Stacking up to 6 times.
In The Division, this Classified set allows you to deal massive damage in PvE. It is said to be the best PvE DPS set.
Currently, you can test some of the classified armor pieces that will be introduced with update 1.7 on the PTS. The test servers have been available on PS4 and Xbox One since last week and on PC for over two weeks.
If you are looking for a Classified set that allows you to deal massive damage in PvE, according to Division expert Skill Up, there is no way around the new “Watch’s Call”. He has thoroughly tested the set and concluded: “It will undoubtedly be the best DPS gear set in 1.7.”
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.
This is what Watch’s Call can do in The Division 1.7
In the first months of The Division, “Watch’s Call” was the best gear set in the game. The damage output was immense, which is why many agents relied on it. Over time, it was revised several times, losing much of its power. With 1.7, it will be exciting again.
The 2-set bonus, the 3-set bonus, and the talent of “Watch’s Call” remain unchanged with update 1.7. However, if you now have six pieces from the new Classified “Watch’s Call” set equipped, two additional bonuses will be unlocked.
These are the bonuses in overview:
2-set bonus: +30% Precision
3-set bonus: +10% Headshot damage
4-set bonus: Talent – Headshots with semi-automatic weapons (for example, sniper rifles) mark the target and increase the dealt damage by 5% for 30 seconds. A target can receive up to three marks. This bonus damage (up to 15%) applies to the entire squad.
5-set bonus: +15% Precision and +15% Headshot damage
6-set bonus: NPC enemies can now receive up to 6 marks. After three marks, there is a 25% chance that each further headshot on the target will also mark enemies within a radius of 10 meters. With 6 marks, you deal +100% headshot damage.
Important: The 6-set bonus applies only in battles against NPCs. It won’t be useful in PvP. Furthermore, it only makes sense against powerful named enemies, as many other foes would already be dead after six headshots. In short: Use the classified “Watch’s Call” set mainly in heroic incursions or legendary story missions.
The 6-set bonus deals more damage than you think
From minute 7:30, you can see how the damage increases due to the marks. We have marked the spot:
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.
The special thing about the 6-set bonus: It does not deal 100% of the base damage, but doubles the damage output including the previous 6 marks. In the video, you can see the damage of an SVD:
The first headshot deals just under 200,000 damage
With the 5th mark, a headshot deals 255,000 damage.
The 6th shot deals 535,000 damage.
Due to a somewhat complicated calculation, the damage is even slightly higher than +130% headshot damage (30% from the 6 marks and 100% from the 6-set bonus). According to Skill Up, the actual bonus is around 160% headshot damage.
How to best use the set?
You should use this Classified set in a group and in PvE. After all, all team members benefit from the damage bonus from the marks. While you can also benefit as a solo player, there are better sets for lone wolves among you, such as the Assault gear of the Striker, which will enhance your survivability in 1.7.
With “Watch’s Call,” your task in the group is to deal as much damage as possible and provide your teammates with damage buffs. Therefore, focus especially on firearms and act from the background.
If you also use an SVD, which is quite stable and has a high rate of fire, you can deliver massive damage in PvE in a short time. But even with shotguns, you can deal incredible damage at close range when shooting enemies in the face. However, you should definitely increase your toughness, otherwise, you will go down quickly.
Whether the Classified “Watch’s Call” set will appear in this form in the live game remains to be seen. Probably yes, as Massive has repeatedly emphasized that Classified gear is supposed to be really powerful.
An expert in video game monetization explains the problem behind real money trading and Pay2Win. He blames poor monetization models for the failure of numerous MMOs and draws a connection between gold sellers and Pay2Win.
The site Gamasutra primarily targets the developers and decision-makers behind video games. An article by Ramin Shokrizade was published there. He is a monetization expert. In 1999, he was a successful “real money trader” in Everquest himself. For almost 20 years, he has been dealing with this topic.
His resume on Linkedin reads more exciting than many a novel. For 10 years, he was a “Cyberathlete,” which means “power gamer” in games like EVE Online, WoW, or Diablo 2. He has also repeatedly worked in the gaming industry.
Source: Linkedin
From these experiences, he has built a career. Shokrizade scientifically examines how games make money and advises game companies. He was with Wargaming for over a year and worked on monetization models for World of Warships there. Other stops, according to his resume, include Microsoft, Firaxis, or 2k Games.
Frankenstein Payment Models
Shokrizade says: Players still want MMOs; the demand is high, but developers fail at monetization models. They cobbled together something, some Frankenstein model, without really understanding it and wondered why their games failed. The decision-makers lack understanding.
In a longer article, he looks back at the problem of real money trading in MMOs. He seems to have identified it as the root of the problem.
The article is an excerpt from an already older scientific paper on monetization that Shokrizade keeps under wraps because he believes that this work could harm customers if the insights from the study are implemented.
The Problem with Monetization Comes from Real Money Trading
In countries like China, an industry has emerged that effectively farms virtual currency and then sells it for real money. By now, this has become automated. One individual oversees countless computers on which bots farm gold and thus make money.
The system is professionalized and efficient: Players can buy the equivalent of a hundred hours of “virtual work” for one hour of work in the right world, which is why the model is so successful.
This model leads to numerous problems because “virtual achievement” is worth nothing when the reward can also be achieved through monetary investment. This results in hyper-deflation. What gold farmers earn devalues the work of “real players”: A prestige item is worth nothing when you can buy it for a few bucks yourself and when everyone has it.
Developers have capitulated to these gold sellers over the years and have applied the model themselves with the motto “If you can’t beat them, join them.”
Expert Bridges the Gap Between Real Money Trading and Poor F2P Models
Developers did not want to wait for others to kill the economy of their players; therefore, they took it into their own hands with microtransactions. This monetization with “free to play models” and their “pay-to-win” has come at the expense of players. The product quality has decreased. Shokrizade calls these models “First Gen F2P.”
In contrast, he refers to the models of later successful free-to-play games like LoL and World of Tanks as “Second Gen F2P,” even though they are not entirely “clean,” as in the case of the premium ammunition from World of Tanks.
Golden Future for World of Warships – Mobile Version Will Prove Expert Right
He himself has worked on “2nd Gen F2P” in recent years, which probably no longer have Pay2Win elements.
When he worked on the monetization of the WoT mobile offshoot “World of Tanks Blitz”, he was not allowed to remove the premium ammunition from the game. Therefore, the model here is also not “100% 2nd Generation F2P.”
With World of Warships, he implemented his business model. As numbers prove, it is now the most successful game regarding the money players spend per capita in the game.
He believes that when World of Warships comes to mobile devices, it will continue to be successful and will prove the correctness of his theories. Shokrizade believes that a “clean” free-to-play model will ultimately generate more revenue as well. The mobile version of World of Warships will then surpass the current market leader World of Tanks: Blitz and thereby prove that he is right.
Mein MMO says: Shokrizade provides the foundation for what most MMO players believe: “Free-to-play and especially pay-to-win have destroyed the MMO genre or at least severely harmed it.”
From Shokrizade’s perspective, the models are not only bad for the players but also for the developers. He seems to have made it his life’s mission to steer monetization in better directions. One can only wish him luck.
We have dealt with cash shops, pay-to-win, and their difficulties in this article:
The hardest cases of exploit users have now been excluded from Diablo 3. However, the ban only lasts a few days and is not enough for many players in the community.
The Necromancer exploit has been a hot topic in the Diablo 3 community in recent days. The interaction of certain skills from Necromancers and Demon Hunters resulted in a glitch that caused excessively high damage. Exploiting this glitch gave players several advantages.
Initially, Blizzard did not want to ban players to avoid catching “innocent” players who were unaware of the exploit. However, players who used the exploit particularly conspicuously have now been excluded from the game – but only for a short time.
Diablo 3 Ban – Exploiters excluded from the XP Weekend
Some Diablo players used the Necromancer exploit in recent days to level their legendary gems and improve their characters. The community demanded bans for those who exploited this glitch. However, this is not so easy from Blizzard’s perspective, as they do not want to exclude players from Diablo 3 who used the exploit only accidentally.
In the Battle.net forums, the Blizzard team explained that some players may have been in four-player groups and accidentally became part of the exploit. They do not want to punish legitimate players.
The developers decided to punish only the players who exploited the bug the most severely. This group of players is therefore not allowed to participate in the bonus XP weekend, which will end tonight. The focus is on players who continued to use the bug after Blizzard’s warning.
Blizzard announces better communication
The Blizzard team is dissatisfied with how they handled the last exploit. The implementation of the hotfix took too long and there were communication issues with the fans. In the future, they want to act much faster and communicate with the community about problems.
Many fans are still unhappy with Blizzard’s decisions. The legendary gems should have been completely reset and players should have been banned for longer – this is what sincere players wished for. Because those who avoided the exploit and did not take advantage of it are ultimately “the losers.” So explains Youtube Rhykker, for whom the penalties do not feel like punishments at all.
Nonetheless, the message from Blizzard’s forum post sounds promising, and he hopes that actions will be taken more swiftly by Blizzard in the future.
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, the previous videos were not entirely spot on.
That’s why a user on Reddit, BrySighz, (almost) only took the cartoon/anime templates that tell the “origin” stories of the heroes. Since only Doomfist’s and Sombra’s stories have been told so far, the chosen images are already familiar to most. Nevertheless, some of the transitions are really well done and perfectly capture the flair of a typical anime combat series.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from Streamable 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 Blizzard only has to condescend to actually implement it and get an Overwatch anime off the ground. Fans agree with this sentiment. More than 3,600 upvotes on Reddit can’t be wrong.
Cortyn says: I’m still holding on to the statement made by some Blizzard employees nearly a year ago, where it was said that “series” in the Blizzard universes could indeed be a possibility. If this whole thing doesn’t end up as a live-action or CGI animation, but as an anime – I would search for a stream today and pre-order the DVD. However, I painfully think back to the Warcraft film and especially its production time. Therefore, I do not expect an anime adaptation before the release of “Overwatch 3”.
Can you imagine Overwatch as an anime series? Or do you hope that Blizzard produces a “live series” or even a complete CGI series like in the cinematics? Or should games just remain games?
Two Ubisoft titles reach milestones on the PS4. For Honor receives an award for 100,000 copies sold on the PS4. Ghost Recon Wildlands sold even 200,000 times over the virtual counter.
For Honor – Gold Award in June – Ghost Recon Wildlands wins Platinum
For Honor was awarded according to the German Entertainment Software Association (BUI): 100,000 copies of For Honor have been sold digitally for the Playstation 4 in Germany since release. Thus, the game earns a Gold Award.
But For Honor is not the only Ubisoft game deserving of an award. The coop shooter Ghost Recon Wildlands has been sold digitally in Germany more than 200,000 times on the PS4 since release, thus earning the Platinum Award from the BUI.
The BUI’s information on sales comes from a market research institute called GfK Entertainment. This company collects the sales figures of the best-selling digital games in Germany every month and provides them for extrapolation to the German Entertainment Software Association. The numbers presented here and the resulting awards are derived from this.
In PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds you currently have very few options to customize your character. But that will change soon, as a coming update will allow you to freely place and even design tattoos and logos on your clothes. Additionally, there will be more faces and hairstyles available.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds does not offer many options for character creation. You can choose from a few pre-made hairstyles and clothes, and that’s it. You will have to earn more clothing, and there isn’t much else to change about your character. However, the developers have big plans.
In an interview on the site PvPLive, Executive Producer Chang Han Kim explained that new character customization options will soon be added to PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds – Tattoos wherever you want them
The plan from developer Bluehole is to give players more freedom in character customization soon. This will involve software called “Mutable” from Anticto. With it, there will be a feature that allows you to freely place tattoos on your body and logos on your clothes. So if you’ve always wanted to walk around with a tattooed face, you’ll likely be able to do that in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds soon.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content 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.
Additionally, you will be able to create your own logos, like in Battlefield 1 or For Honor. Ideal for clans or fixed teams that want to establish their own identity. There will also be various ways to wear your clothing. For example, whether you want your shirt tucked into your pants or let it hang loose. And a slew of new hairstyles, faces, and skin colors is also set to come in one of the next major updates.
In Destiny 2, it may be difficult to hide while using an active super. Mobile supers leave glowing footprints.
Throughout July, IGN will release exclusive information and fresh gameplay for Destiny 2. In the past few days, we have seen plenty of footage from the Crucible:
In this flood of information, most of you have probably overlooked an interesting detail: The Guardians leave glowing footprints when using their mobile super!
Neon-blue and -purple footprints in Destiny 2
In gameplay scenes, footprints from the Sentinel, Arcstrider, and Dawnblade were already visible. You can see them especially well in this GIF:
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from Imgur 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.
The Guardians only leave neon-colored footprints on the ground when they activate a mobile super. These are the super attacks that you activate and can then take a few steps “in active super.” A Nova Bomb, for example, is not a mobile super, whereas the super from the Arcstrider is.
What do the footprints bring?
On Reddit, this discovery is definitely considered “cool,” but there is uncertainty about what advantages or disadvantages may arise from it.
In some PvP scenarios, they might help you to avoid death. Or they help you if you decide to pursue the Guardian.
But if a Sentinel Titan charges at you with his shield in PvP, you probably won’t be looking at the footprints first.
What do you think? How useful or meaningful are the super footprints in Destiny 2?
Tomorrow, on July 18, the beta phase of Destiny 2 begins. You can leave your footprints even in this. All the dates you need to know are here:
Who still remembers Auberdine from WoW before the Cataclysm? Or the old Sylvanas model? Screenshots from the past evoke nostalgic feelings.
Since its release, World of Warcraft has undergone many changes. This applies not only to the overall graphics of the game but also to the environments, which were significantly revised with “Cataclysm”. However, one other thing has also changed repeatedly: the official WoW site from Blizzard. In the past, there was a section that published a new screenshot or a new wallpaper every week.
On Reddit, the user tto55 collected 114 of these images years ago, saved them, and has now re-uploaded them! A glance at the gallery is likely to tug at the heartstrings of many long-time WoW fans. We have selected some of the most beautiful images for you.
Auberdine, Stormwind, and Sylvanas – just much older
We begin with this image of a Night Elf fishing for Auberdine Darkshore-Flatfish. Veterans will remember the quest well, as it was the first fishing quest encountered as a Night Elf. Today, Auberdine is destroyed – and has left many players with a hole in their hearts.
Does anyone still remember Desolace when the area was truly desolate? Only one NPC wandered endlessly – Rexxar, still with a very old model.
Unforgettable is also Stormwind. The old map of the city was much tidier and a lot “blockier” than today’s version …
… there was also the park with the Moonwell (which, however, did not count as a Moonwell for tailors – for some reason).
Many players also no longer know the old model of Sylvanas. Back then, she was simply a Night Elf in a plate-cloth-leather armor with an undead touch. No comparison to the current appearance of the Banshee Queen.
To conclude, an old image of the dark portal. This was the template for the login screen of classic World of Warcraft. Who can forget the war drums that calmed one down when there were “only” 500 players ahead in the queue?
The complete list of all 114 screenshots and wallpapers can be found in our sources.
Do you still remember these images? Or is it all too long ago and before your time?
“Casual players”, who are not very interested in optimized gear and boss mechanics, clash with hardcore players who have completely different demands and skills.
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.
This is not a new problem in Final Fantasy XIV, even the quest “Steps of Faith” from the main game a few years ago posed the same issue: The trial was quite hard, was often attempted, often abandoned. Ultimately, Square Enix nerfed it.
“Git gud” or “pls nerf?”
As always, there are different attitudes towards this topic.
Some say: “The instance is perfectly fine. The Royal Menagerie will automatically get easier when players get better gear. It’s also part of the process to struggle through such an instance. Not everything needs to be nerfed. Players need to get used to improving and enduring losses, that’s part of MMORPGs.”
Others say: “It’s not fun to wipe because people don’t understand the boss mechanics. It’s frustrating to wipe with randoms, then one is gone and we start over again. If I wanted to do that, I would raid. Placing such a hard instance before the end of the story will cost Square Enix subscribers and it’s bad for business.”
Square Enix currently says: “As with all our game content, we pay close attention to feedback. There are mixed reactions to the instance. We have not yet made a decision on whether we will nerf it or not. We are monitoring the situation.”
Two-class society in instances, two-class society in housing:
In Final Fantasy XIV , all players must get past the final boss Shinryu from the Stormblood expansion. But that’s not so easy. “Nerf or not to nerf?” that is the question in the Royal Menagerie.
The approach of Final Fantasy XIV, also relying on tricky instances in the main quest, leads to difficulties again. Should Square Enix nerf the Royal Menagerie or should players just get better?
Main quests are usually easy single-player content – Mostly so in Final Fantasy XIV, but not always
In most MMORPGs like WoW, the main quest is accessible and manageable for all players. It is only “relatively easy” single-player quest content. Things that one can comfortably accomplish alone without facing significant gameplay challenges.
It is mostly about experiencing a story, not about achieving peak gameplay performance. These achievements are reserved for raids and hard instances. They run parallel to the main quest and are not part of it.
In Final Fantasy XIV, it is largely the same, but there are some hurdles. Those wanting to experience the Stormblood main quest must repeatedly enter instances or even participate in boss fights. Normally, the players of Final Fantasy XIV are used to this and easily handle the normal 4-player instances – wipes are rare.
However, the 8-player end fight of the current Stormblood expansion is likely quite tough: In “The Royal Menagerie”, it is against the gigantic dragon god Shinryu. This leads to wipes and instance dropouts.
The problem is: Since everyone must do this quest and all 8 players need to play somewhat decently to master the instance, groups often require multiple tries. However, the groups are randomly assembled. Many do not have the tolerance for frustration and then leave the group or vote to abandon.
“Casual players”, who are not very interested in optimized gear and boss mechanics, clash with hardcore players who have completely different demands and skills.
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.
This is not a new problem in Final Fantasy XIV, even the quest “Steps of Faith” from the main game a few years ago posed the same issue: The trial was quite hard, was often attempted, often abandoned. Ultimately, Square Enix nerfed it.
“Git gud” or “pls nerf?”
As always, there are different attitudes towards this topic.
Some say: “The instance is perfectly fine. The Royal Menagerie will automatically get easier when players get better gear. It’s also part of the process to struggle through such an instance. Not everything needs to be nerfed. Players need to get used to improving and enduring losses, that’s part of MMORPGs.”
Others say: “It’s not fun to wipe because people don’t understand the boss mechanics. It’s frustrating to wipe with randoms, then one is gone and we start over again. If I wanted to do that, I would raid. Placing such a hard instance before the end of the story will cost Square Enix subscribers and it’s bad for business.”
Square Enix currently says: “As with all our game content, we pay close attention to feedback. There are mixed reactions to the instance. We have not yet made a decision on whether we will nerf it or not. We are monitoring the situation.”
Two-class society in instances, two-class society in housing:
The beta launch of Destiny 2 is approaching on PS4 and Xbox One. What date does the beta start, when does the open beta begin? And when does the beta end? All information about the dates and times.
Finally, the time has come: This week, the beta phase of Destiny 2 begins. Enough foreign gameplay material watched – now you can dive into the “Destiny 2” world yourself.
To ensure you don’t miss the start of the beta, we have compiled all the important dates for you in an overview.
Release date of the open beta of Destiny 2 – When does the beta start? When does it end?
In the meantime, the start times and the end of the beta are known. We always provide the German time:
PS4 with early access: July 18, 2017, at 7 PM (Tuesday)
Xbox One with early access: July 19, 2017, at 7 PM (Wednesday)
Open beta for all players on PS4 and Xbox One: July 21, 2017, at 7 PM (Friday)
The beta gives you only a small glimpse into the “Destiny 2” universe. These contents are playable:
Homecoming: The first story mission of the Destiny 2 campaign.
The Inverted Spire: A strike where you fight against the Vex on the planetoid Nessus.
Countdown: A new objective-based PvP mode. The goal is to plant bombs in the enemy’s base. In each round, the attacker and defender roles switch. You play on a map tailored to this mode (expected “Midtown”, a map in the Last City)
Control: The control mode returns in an updated form! You play on the map “Endless Vale“.
The Farm: The new social space, the Farm, will go online during the beta for one hour. The date is July 23 at 7 PM our time. Read more info about the Farm here. During the beta, many vendors and services will still be offline.
All achievements you earn in the beta will not transfer to the main game. Thus, a reset will occur at the launch of Destiny 2 on September 6.
If you participate in the beta, you will receive a reward that you can use in the main game: An exclusive emblem.
When will the “Destiny 2” beta come to PC?
A specific date for the PC beta has not yet been announced. The time frame is indicated as “late August”.
In Destiny 2 there are new subclasses for Titans, Hunters, and Warlocks: Sentinel, Dawnblade, and Arcstrider. What do these focuses bring with the new super attacks?
Each Guardian class receives a new focus with a new super in Destiny 2. These are said to greatly change “the way it feels to play the game”. It is also known that old subclasses will be reworked. Here is an overview of the information.
Dawnblade – Solar Focus of the Warlock
The Warlock receives the Dawnblade as a focus. When you activate the super, the Warlock holds a solar sword in their hands, can hover over opponents and attack them with ranged attacks, the “Fire Phoenix projectiles”. This super is called Daybreak.
With this super, the Titan creates a Void shield. It somewhat resembles Captain America. The shield can be used for cover, can knock down opponents in close combat, or he can throw the shield, leaving a path of destruction. You can find more information about the Sentinel in the link.
Gameplay for the Sentinel:
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.
The Hunters receive a “mythical” Arc staff. They can twirl it around acrobatically and slice through opponents. Therefore, this subclass is called “Arcstrider” in German. You can read more about the Arcstrider here.
Gameplay material for the Arcstrider:
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.
The design of the focus overview with the focus nodes has changed significantly. Whether this will change before the launch is unknown. This is what the focus overview of the Dawnblade currently looks like:
In the center is the symbol of the super, around it grenades and other abilities can be selected. All subclasses feature “class-specific abilities” in Destiny 2 for the first time. These are displayed on the left in the focus overview.
The Chaos Punch is no longer a “panic punch” where you just slam the ground and that’s it. Instead, you can move in this super and execute attacks using the super buttons. It is now significantly more “mobile”.
Here there is an interesting change: There is the focus perk that you can fire up to 6 shots with the Golden Gun in quick succession. However, the duration of the super is then shorter.
Blizzard’s Art Director is stirring up fan theories about World of Warcraft. He is drawing the old god N’Zoth – or something entirely different?
Although Patch 7.3 is not even active on the official servers of World of Warcraft yet, the community is already buzzing around the addon that will follow Legion. So far, fans are mainly considering two possibilities:
a second “Lichking” addon, which is about the new Lich King and Northrend
or an “Old Gods” scenario, which primarily involves the seas, Kul Tiras, and thus the Old God N’Zoth.
The Art Director of Blizzard, Samwise Didier, who is responsible for a lot of artwork around Warcraft, has once again caused astonished faces among fans on his official Twitter channel, as he drew the sea, a ship, and a rather gruesome tentacle creature.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from Twitter 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.
Especially the comment “Not an iceberg…” is suspicious. Is Didier merely alluding to the “Titanic,” which in his picture was not destroyed by an iceberg but by a Great Old One from Lovecraft’s C’thulhu mythos? Or is this a hint that the next addon is not about an “iceberg” (Ice Crown?) but rather about the Old Gods and showcases N’Zoth? After all, it is no secret that the Old Gods of World of Warcraft are inspired by Lovecraft’s “Great Old Ones”.
The speculations are definitely heating up.
Sure, it could also be possible that Samwise Didier simply wanted to paint a Great Old One from the C’thulhu mythos that prevents the Titanic (or any other ship) from proceeding.
Cortyn says: Blizzard is known for often misleading players. Especially after the “Kul Tiras” leaks through the armor sets found during datamining, no further confirmation is really needed for the “Old Gods” theme of the next expansion. So it could actually just be a pure coincidence and a work by Didier. But we will probably be wiser in a few months.
The first three years Destiny presented the Guardians with numerous puzzles, secrets, and mysteries. We look back.
“What makes a Guardian?” asks Commander Zavala in a cinematic for Destiny 2.
Looking back at the last three years of Destiny, there is no simple answer to this question. For many things make a Guardian:
he is a superhero in the Destiny universe: Through the Light of the Traveler, he receives “Space Magic,” as Bungie often calls it.
he shoots aliens in the face, protects the Last City, and even takes down gods,
he gives humanity hope,
he trains in the Crucible in the “Guardian vs. Guardian” combat
and: the Guardian is an explorer and adventurer.
In the style of Indiana Jones, Guardians have hunted many mysterious treasures over the years, solved tricky puzzles, and uncovered all sorts of secrets. This spirit of discovery and adventure is what made Destiny appealing to many. Because what could be more exciting than the unknown?
We look back at the 5 biggest puzzles.
The mysterious 6th chest
The Glass Chamber. The first raid in the history of Destiny. It has been live since September 2014, yet it continues to captivate Guardians. Because it is full of mysteries and a backstory that still raises numerous questions.
In the initial weeks and months after the release, players spent countless hours in the chamber, uncovering many secrets. But they kept searching. Surely they had overlooked something, they thought.
Soon a myth developed around a mysterious 6th chest. Bungie never said that this chest exists – but also not that it does not exist.
With “The Taken King”, a mission called Paradox was introduced in the Glass Chamber. There was a new chest to find. Some Guardians were satisfied with this, others continued to search. The thought that the Glass Chamber held no more secrets was unacceptable to some hardcore Guardians.
This relentless hunt for a mysterious chest in the “Vault of Glass” symbolizes the curiosity and adventurous spirit of the Guardians. Bungie recognized this and gave players even more secrets to solve starting from year 2. The Guardians were on a gold rush.
and the new weapon class “Grenade Launchers” form the “Power Weapons.”
The weapons of this class will be used rarely by Guardians, as the ammunition is scarce, as scarce as the “heavy ammunition” in Destiny 1.
Machine guns have no place in the new Destiny system
But one weapon class that has been present from the start is missing among the Power Weapons: the machine guns.
The “Thunderlord” was one of the iconic Destiny weapons and even appeared explicitly as a “super weapon” in the first gameplay demos. In June 2013, it was the exotic weapon Thunderlord that was presented to the global audience.
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.
So far, Guardians in Destiny 1 mostly had the choice between machine guns for sustained high damage, rocket launchers for “short bursts of damage,” and swords for close combat action in the “heavy weapons” slot.
But machine guns seem to have no place in the new Destiny 2 system. There is no direct statement from Bungie as to why this weapon class had to be cut. Therefore, there is theoretically hope that it might still appear..
The current “Power Weapons,” the heavy weapons, are actually meant to kill with “one shot” – an important feature for PvP.
It is noticeable that machine guns are the weapons among the heavy weapons that do not fit this definition. Machine guns do not kill with one shot, but with multiple shots.
The advantage of machine guns is that they are responsible for “sustained damage”: Guardians deal the most damage per second over time with machine guns – the weapons have the highest DPS value and are therefore hard to balance.
Bungie might have perceived this as a balance problem in Destiny 2, especially in PvE. Therefore, they may have decided to part ways with the weapon. In Destiny 2, it seems that Bungie prioritizes balance over everything else.
Submachine guns as a kind of replacement?
As a “compensation,” there will be a new weapon class with the submachine gun (SMG).
It could be that this submachine gun will take on the characteristics of machine guns, but will deal significantly less damage per shot from the outset, making it a cross between hand cannons and automatic rifles.
Grenade launchers as a new weapon class could also serve as a replacement and fill the gap left by the absence of MGs in Destiny 2.
More about the new weapon system in Destiny 2 can be found here:
Riot Games, the makers behind LoL, reflect on one of the hardest night shifts between the seasons.
An extreme recall bug forced Riot to disable ranked games in 2015. The LoL team worked night shifts to solve the issue.
That was today, two years ago, and the community is once again occupied with this on the second anniversary. How was it back then when the ranked mode was disabled due to this severe bug? Riot looks back on those intense 28 hours.
The Morning of July 15, 2015: “Oh my God, have you seen the video on Reddit?”
On July 15, 2015, a video from a user pointing out a serious bug reached Reddit. If you pressed keys in the “correct” order, Riven could instantly teleport back to base and skipped the actual cooldown (about 8 seconds) of the spell.
Those who exploited this could move across the map particularly fast and avoid any unwanted fights. A significant and unfair advantage over other participants in a match.
As the Riot team began working that day, more and more reports of this bug flooded into LoL headquarters. The message spread quickly within the team:
Donna Mason, Release Manager “We are hearing in emails, pings, and from people on the team ‘Oh my God, did you see that thing on Reddit?’
Tim Isenman, Live Producer “The first thing we saw was this Reddit post. Following that, we immediately started looking into it. There were also a few people from the champion team who were already looking for bugs.”
In the video, you see the Riven recall bug that was posted on Reddit:
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.
When such a bug appears in League of Legends, the main goal is to reproduce it. When the developers themselves know how to trigger the bug, working on a solution is significantly easier. They also distinguish between “Is there a bug in the game? That’s not good” and “There is a bug in the game that gives an unfair advantage. That’s particularly bad!” Then they test whether they can exploit the bug themselves.
Matthew Wittrock, Release QA “So I fiddled around and finally I could reliably reproduce the bug. ‘That’s really easy – that’s not good!’
As the video spread quickly and generated more clicks, the team decided to disable the champion Riven. There was too much danger for the community that games would be ruined by imitators. Riven was disabled worldwide, and the team began working on a hotfix.
Afternoon of July 15, 2015: Disappointment – Not only Riven is affected
It is now 14:50 and the team has disabled Riven worldwide. Work on the hotfix is already in high gear as more reports reach the team. Apparently, more than just one champion is affected by this bug.
Tim Isenman “After we disabled Riven, we received more pings from Riot employees pointing to new videos. It became clear there that other champions in League of Legends were also affected by this bug. First Yasuo, then Graves, and soon many others …”
Mark Sassenrath “More and more people wrote to us that they could reproduce the bug on Shen and champion X, Y, and Z. The list kept getting longer”
Tim Isenman “When we then found out that the bug was applicable to about a quarter of all champions in LoL, our hearts sank“
But even here, the extent of the problem was not entirely clear. The team would soon discover that the bug was huge!
Matthew Wittrock “At that point, we still underestimated the problem. We assumed that there were certain abilities triggering this bug. We did not know it affected every champion.
Tim Isenmann “And then we found out that every champion using the item Tiamat or Hydra can trigger the same effect. Now any champion could exploit the bug.
Even without the mentioned items, there were 40 champions that could trigger this bug. When it became clear that any champion could exploit the bug and thus only advantages and no disadvantages for the players existed, a quick solution was necessary.
“We can’t disable all champions, what do we do instead?” It was considered to disable ranked games. However, most players at this point only knew that Riven could cause the bug. That it could also happen with other champions had not yet reached many players.
The developers decided to keep ranked games activated until the bug became a “real problem.” For now, only Riven was disabled.
The Riot team decided to contact the moderators of Reddit. They wanted to draw as little attention to this issue as possible but still wanted new information about the bug. Therefore, they suggested importing new videos into the already existing thread to collect the results. However, this led to the creation of a “mega thread” that listed all videos prominently and led to even greater attention than initially feared.
Now the Riot team was clear: We need to disable ranked games. All champions that could produce the bug were listed on Reddit. Additionally, there was also an instruction on how to execute the bug. The danger for ranked games had thus become too great, and the bug had become the mentioned “real problem.”
Evening of July 15, 2015 – The solution plan is implemented
Riot is now deploying multiple teams to work on a solution to this severe bug.
Matthew Wittrock “I remember that we sat down with different teams. Then it was ‘We know this’, ‘What do we do about it?’ and then ‘Cool! Go, everyone starts on their work!’ – That was exciting. The bug is really bad, but we have a plan and are quickly working on a solution.”
Riot then had to explain to the staff how the bug works so that they could test together in custom games whether the bug still exists.
After four failed attempts at a solution, the team finally had a solution that satisfied everyone. This was then sent for testing to the quality assurance team. The bug was tested with all possible champions and item combinations.
Source: Pinterest
The quality assurance team would require approximately 12 hours for this. It was now between 10:00 PM and 11:00 PM. Riot decided to send some employees to bed. The quality assurance team was told to wake everyone up if the hotfix does not work and the bug continues to occur.
02:00 AM, July 16, 2015 – Disappointment again – There are problems again
Around 2:00 AM on July 16, the team was informed that the hotfix was not working as desired. Everyone was awakened, the engineering team, the designers: all had to get up.
Mark Sassenrath “You know something is wrong when your phone goes off at 2:00 AM. Either you forgot something, or you’ve made it worse.”
Two new hotfixes were developed in the next two hours. By around 4:00 AM, the mood was correspondingly tense. But now testing had to be done again.
By the afternoon of July 16, the ranked games had been disabled for already 19 hours. Players were promised that they would report back in a few hours and update them on the status of the bug. This gave the team more time to work on a solution.
Source LoL Boards
Tim Isenman “Around 4:00 PM, we were informed that the latest bug fix showed positive results for 80%-90% of the champions. That was good news. However, we had difficulty communicating it to our players because there remained the chance that the solution might not work for all champions and that the team would have to start from scratch again.” Therefore, they decided to remain calm and say nothing.
5:00 PM on July 16, 2015 – Ranked games down for a day
It has now been about 24 hours since the ranked games were disabled. The final bug fix has now been positively tested on all champions, and the Riot teams are beginning to deploy the fix worldwide and reactivate ranked games.
Tim Isenman “I believe it was around 5:00 PM when we were told that the fix was 100% successful. One region after another began receiving the bug fix.
Donna Mason “Since we have so many game servers, deploying the bug fix took a lot of time. But we hurried”
Tim Isenman “In the end, our team in Vietnam took a long time to respond. All of us were gathered around the monitor, waiting for feedback from Vietnam. Then someone from there writes back, “I still have the problem” and we almost went crazy.
Matthew Wittrock “That’s the biggest fear. No matter how much we’ve tested. We always wait for this one post saying, “Hey, I still have the bug.”
Tim Isenman “We told him, ‘Restart the game and test it again.’ He did, and we waited and waited … . Finally, he said ‘I cannot reproduce it. I think it’s fixed!’ Before, we were really in a panic because if it still existed in one region, it would be present in all regions.
8:00 PM on July 16, 2015 – The ranked servers are operating again
After now 28 hours of downtime, the ranked servers are reactivated. The bug has finally been fixed.
Tim Isenman “We kept the servers offline for five more minutes to test internally. Then we activated the ranked servers and were finally able to inform the players that everything was back up and running. The demon was defeated!
Matthew Wittrock “Now was not the time to worry. If something didn’t work, we would find out in the next few hours. We have to take care of other things and move on.
And thus the work at Riot Games continued, addressing the next issues. Dozens of employees worked many hours on this “Great Recall Bug of 2015” to quickly reactivate the ranked servers and return players to ranked games. It is considered one of the most severe bugs in the history of League of Legends.
