The Necromancer exploit has caused discontent within the community in Diablo 3. Blizzard is now responding with a double XP weekend. Will this be enough to calm the tempers?
The first days after the release of the Necromancer in Diablo 3 were not smooth. The reason for this is an exploit that many players exploited to reach high levels of Greater Nephalem Rifts and upgrade their legendary gems as a result.
As an apology for the long implementation of a hotfix, a weekend with double experience points is now waiting for you.
Double Experience – Gems will be reset
The hotfix for this Necromancer exploit took its time: The problem was not finally resolved until Monday. The calls from those demanding a ban on the players who massively exploited the exploit are getting louder. However, Blizzard is undeterred by this and is solving the problem in its own way.
The exploit allowed players to quickly reach high levels in Greater Nephalem Rifts with the new class of the Necromancer. In addition to the loot gained from this, the legendary gems could also be leveled up quickly. Due to this permanent advantage, the community believes that the players should be punished accordingly.
Blizzard responds to this issue as follows:
As with previous exploits, we will not impose penalties based on opinions outside the Diablo team.
A very vague statement that leaves open whether cheaters will actually be punished or not. Blizzard remains silent on this. At least the legendary gems will be downgraded to the maximum level achievable before the patch.
The double XP weekend starts on Saturday, July 15 at 2:00 AM CEST and ends on Monday, July 17 at 7:00 PM.
Mein MMO says:
Whether this measure and the double XP weekend will calm the tempers remains questionable. The legendary gems are only lowered to a certain level. Blizzard will also not fiddle with the Paragon level.
What do you think about this? Let us know in the comments.
Update 5.3 for SWTOR brought two sisters who are out for war. In addition to the fresh raid boss, there are also other innovations.
Star Wars: The Old Republic received a new update yesterday (07/11/2017). Patch 5.3 is named “Sisters of Carnage” and these two ladies form the core of the new update.
The fight against the two ladies Esne and Aivela, who are actually superweapons, is likely to demand quite a bit from the players. This fight against the “Sisters of Carnage” is available either for groups of 8 or 16 players, depending on guild size or circle of friends.
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But it is not only about blood and murder in Patch 5.3, but also about relaxation and escaping the great war that is raging in the galaxy. A galactic stronghold has been newly added on the beautiful water planet Manaan!
Those who wish can now buy their own home there and decorate it attractively. In addition to long, impressive corridors, there are also some underwater exhibitions and of course plenty of beautiful observation decks to relax in pleasant sea air.
Moreover, the patch also comes with the “usual suspects”. This means a new package in the cartel shop named “‘Deep Sea’ Cartel Market Foundation Package”, which mainly contains a lot of decorations and furniture related to water. So aquariums, fountains, or even Selkath guards. Also included are new customizations for Lana Beniko and Koth Vortena.
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Finally, a wide range of balance changes is also awaiting, mainly impacting PvP. Area effects with a “damage over time” effect have now been uniformly designed. Damage from these abilities no longer interrupts capturing of control points and other PvP objectives.
A complete list of the full patch notes from Patch 5.3 can be found in our sources.
In Destiny 2, the Sentinel has been presented in detail. Here you can see the Titan with its “Captain America” super.
IGN has released more exclusive information about Destiny 2 today, on July 12th. This time it’s about something many Guardians have been eagerly anticipating: the Sentinel.
The Sentinel is the new Void subclass for Titans. In Destiny 2, with the Dawnblade, the Arcstrider, and the Sentinel, there are a total of three new focuses, although the Warlock and Hunter focuses have already been thoroughly introduced during play events. Detailed information about the Sentinel has so far been hard to come by.
In the IGN video, you can now see the Sentinel extensively in action:
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The Sentinel enables many playstyles, featuring a revised Bubble
Those hoping for a complete focus presentation with all focus nodes will be disappointed by this video. The developers only provide a general introduction to the Titan subclass. Here are the most exciting details:
The super of the Void Titan is a shield. Similarities to Captain America are immediately evident. The shield can be used in various ways.
The Titan can use this Void shield as protection to approach enemies safely.
He can use the shield as a melee weapon. This attack is said to be similar to the shoulder charge of the Striker.
Additionally, you can throw the shield at enemies and eliminate them from a distance. The shield can bounce off multiple surfaces and take down multiple enemies.
You can see what all this looks like in the video. There hasn’t been much gameplay footage of the Sentinel so far.
The Sentinel is the first Void subclass to have a mobile super. However, the Void Titan can still activate a stationary super:
By holding down the buttons for activating the super, a Bubble will be erected – a “Dusk’s Barrier”, as the Bubble is actually called.
Here is a novelty. The Bubble has “hit points” and you can see when the Bubble is about to be destroyed. It starts to develop holes and becomes diffuse.
The whole story of the Warcraft universe listed clearly? A user took on the project – and receives a lot of positive feedback.
For those who have not been following the universe of World of Warcraft for nearly 20 years, some details of the story may be missed. However, it is not only the sheer size of the universe that poses a problem, but also the necessary revisions of existing lore over the years, known as “Retcons,” which make life difficult for newcomers.
Was Sargeras corrupted by the Eredar?
Or did Sargeras himself corrupt the Eredar?
How exactly does Fel magic work again?
Which timeline have the bronze dragons preserved and which one is lost?
There are seemingly endless questions on many topics, and much of it is irrelevant to the “main story.” Wouldn’t it be perfect if there were a single reference work that shows the complete Warcraft storyline from beginning to end?
By the way, we have prepared a somewhat more extensive version for you here:
That’s exactly what the Reddit user SinanDira thought, and he has been working for a while on a website that aims to remedy this. The complete “main story” of Warcraft reduced to as few sentences as possible, without omitting important details. If you want to find out more, you can click on an individual point and get a more detailed explanation with more details.
The only downside: The website is only available in English. However, anyone who is proficient in this language and tries to understand the story of Warcraft should definitely take a look at WoWLoreTLDR (link to the website).
Furthermore, the entire site is still under construction. Only “4 out of 5” chapters have been completed so far, so the story currently covers only all books and plots up to the launch of World of Warcraft. The last chapter, which will cover up to and including WoW: Legion, will follow in the coming weeks.
Does this overview help you? Or are you lore experts who don’t need this?
Regional Pokémon such as Scyther, Tauros, or Mr. Mime will soon be available to catch at the “Pokémon GO Safari Zone” events in Europe.
In the coming weeks and months, Niantic is planning events in Europe where you can catch the sought-after regional Pokémon. These are usually only available in specific regions of the world, but they will be visiting Germany, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, or France.
We will show you when and where the Safari Zone events take place.
Safari Zone Events – Date
The Safari Zones in the Pokémon games were a popular place. There, players could catch cool Pokémon within a time limit. Now, the Safari Zone returns as a special event in the mobile hit “Pokémon GO”.
The special thing about the “new” Safari Zone is that Pokémon will appear that typically cannot spawn in these locations. Regional Pokémon such as Kangaskhan or Tauros are tied to regions like Australia or North America. In Germany, Mr. Mime was previously the exclusive Pokémon that could not be caught in the USA, for example. You can find an overview of all regional Pokémon here.
To celebrate the first anniversary of Pokémon GO, the developers are organizing special Safari Events. Among other things, you can find special regional Pokémon in Germany. These events will take place in selected shopping centers of Unibail-Rodamco between August and September.
The Safari Zone events will take place on the following days:
August 5, 2017
Fisketorvet – Copenhagen, Denmark
Centrum Cerny Most – Prague, Czech Republic
August 12, 2017 Rescheduled
Mall of Scandinavia – Stockholm, Sweden
Stadshart Amstelveen – Amsterdam, Netherlands
September 16, 2017
Centro – Oberhausen, Germany – All info here
Les Quatre Temps – Paris, France
La Maquinista – Barcelona, Spain
In the official announcement from Niantic, it says: All seven Safari Zones offer a wide variety of Pokémon, which were first discovered in the Kanto and Johto regions. This includes some Pokémon that have never been seen in Europe before!
Special Raids at the Events
During these events, there will be even more cool content for you. Trainers participating in the events will join forces to defeat unique and especially strong raid bosses together.
Unfortunately, Niantic has not yet revealed which bosses will be waiting for you there.
Are you looking forward to the Safari events and are you perhaps willing to take a trip to catch the regional Pokémon?
Soon, Bungie will deactivate the companion services for Destiny. What will happen to Ishtar Commander or DIM?
The preparations for Destiny 2 are in full swing. Bungie has now announced what will happen to the official companion services for Destiny 1: They will be shut down.
Currently, on Bungie.net or through the official companion app, you can view statistics for your Guardian and manage your gear.
Starting August 2017, this will no longer be possible. You will also no longer be able to create a Refer-A-Friend link.
A specific end date is still missing. However, since you need to be active on Bungie.net starting July 25 to transfer your clan to Destiny 2, the services on the site will likely be deactivated around mid to late August. You should have about a month to transfer your clan.
What will happen to alternative companion apps? – The future of Ishtar Commander
For many Guardians, the deactivation of the official companion app is not a great loss. They already use third-party apps to quickly move their items from one character to another. The Destiny Item Manager (DIM) and the particularly popular Ishtar Commander have been thoroughly introduced in the provided links.
Bungie states: Third-party apps will continue to have access to the Destiny API and can thus be used for gear management in the future. This means that even after the launch of Destiny 2, you can still use these apps to manage your items in Destiny 1.
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But: What will happen to these third-party apps in the future?
There has already been a statement regarding Ishtar Commander. It is planned that there will also be an “Ishtar Commander” app for Destiny 2. However, this will probably only be available a few weeks after the launch of Destiny 2. There are two reasons for this: The developer needs time to adapt the app to the sequel. Additionally, he will be playing a lot of Destiny 2 himself, leaving little time for development.
The Ishtar Commander will continue to work with Destiny 1 as long as Bungie provides the API. You can select whether you want the data for Destiny 1 or Destiny 2 upon login.
So far, there is no information on when the official companion app for Destiny 2 will launch.
Are you ready for increased stardust, experience points, and more candies? The Pokémon GO Fest rewards trainers around the world!
On July 22, the Pokémon GO Fest will take place in Grant Park, Chicago. However, not only trainers present will receive rewards and bonuses. Rewards are planned for trainers around the world, which could greatly enhance your accounts. Possible rewards include increased stardust and more experience points as well as reduced egg distances.
What to expect on July 22 and how the bonuses will be unlocked will be shown here.
Pokémon GO July 22 – Rewards Await
The “Pokémon GO Fest Chicago” takes place on July 22 in Grant Park, Chicago. On this day, there will be a global challenge in Pokémon GO where trainers on-site can collaborate with trainers around the world. Special rewards are waiting for you!
During the day, there are three time slots in which you can unlock rewards together with trainers at the Chicago event. The trainers in the park will try to catch Pokémon of a specific type to unlock benefits for players around the world.
Every Pokémon type is associated with a different advantage.
Electric Pokémon affect egg distance
Fire Pokémon affect candy bonuses
Water Pokémon affect XP rewards
Grass Pokémon affect stardust bonuses
Additional bonuses are available for buddy distance bonuses and increased spawn rates of various Pokémon.
In the meantime, trainers outside Grant Park worldwide will try to catch as many Pokémon as possible. This will extend the duration of these bonuses for the event participants in Grant Park.
Special Challenge on July 22
If trainers around the world manage to catch enough Pokémon, a special challenge task will be unlocked in Grant Park. Once this is solved, there will be another special global bonus for all Pokémon trainers.
“Trainers everywhere will want to bring their friends and family to help make this celebration the biggest in the history of Pokémon GO!”
Mein-MMO says: This event sounds like an excellent challenge that strengthens the bond between trainers around the world. The strong rewards that can be unlocked make the event a global fun. Presumably, many Grass-type Pokémon will initially be caught in Grant Park so that all trainers can enjoy lots of stardust.
We like this global event! What do you think of Niantic’s idea to involve all trainers?
Hell Let Loose is a realistic MMO shooter for PC that throws you into massive battles as a soldier in World War II. You are just a small part of the whole, and you must achieve victory through teamwork and persistence.
Behind the somewhat strange name “Hell Let Loose” lies an upcoming MMO shooter set during World War II.
Unlike in Call of Duty: WW2 , it is not about short-lived multiplayer action. Rather, Hell Let Loose tries to realistically simulate a large battle and its associated campaign, orienting itself more towards games like Planetside or Heroes and Generals.
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In Hell Let Loose, you as a player are just a small part of a large force. Up to 50 players per side compete against each other to capture sectors. You can not only play as soldiers but also as commanders to set the strategy and distribute war resources like ammunition or tank fuel. These are limited, and you might miss them later when it comes to the final offensive.
In combat, you can also be an officer and specifically coordinate the troops on site and implement the commander’s strategy. Without teamwork and good communication, not much will work in Hell Let Loose. In the actual combat, the developers from Black Matter focus on realistic weapons and vehicles from the WW2 era. For example, the feared MG42, the legendary Tiger tank, or the American Sherman tanks and Tommy guns.
Hell Let Loose – Initially only US Army and Wehrmacht
Hell Let Loose is expected to launch in early 2018 on Steam as a PC exclusive. The game uses the Unreal Engine 4. At release, it will focus on the invasion of the Western Front in 1944 by the Allies. Therefore, only the Wehrmacht will initially fight against the US Army. Later, other theaters of war, as well as the Red Army and the Imperial Japanese Army, are expected to be included.
What do you think of the idea behind Hell Let Loose? Would you want to play such a complex game, or do you prefer the short-lived shootouts in Call of Duty or Battlefield? And do you think this ambitious project will work out and many players will coordinate effectively? Let us know in the comments!
The developers of Digital Extremes are entering paths with the innovations presented at TennoCon that many players have hoped for from the big competitors. Now, the game, which is officially still in beta, is getting enormous attention.
Jürgen is to blame! Should my cat starve, my social life crumble, my professional performance no longer suffice, and I be ultimately forced to log into my Warframe account on an old laptop under a bridge via LTE to collect the daily reward, then please point the finger at Jürgen.
Cute and deadly at the same time: Smeeta Kavat
But let’s start in the not-too-distant past. Jürgen wrote an article about the upcoming graphic update for Warframe. Usually, this is no reason for me to be excited; I briefly played Warframe four years ago. It couldn’t captivate me back then. This was mainly due to the design of the Warframes, the avatars.
The Warframes do not correspond to what I personally find aesthetically pleasing. And yes, as an old RPG player, that can certainly spoil my mood quite a bit.
As the saying goes, the devil eats flies in times of need. Since I’m currently a bit dry on the MMO front, Arenanet seems to be paralyzed by the shock of the Guild Wars 2 leaks, rendering any visible development impossible, I was ready for experiments. So why not just throw myself into Warframe and shoulder the crossbow to bring peace to the universe? To waste a Friday night, Warframe should suffice.
Warframe, more than just a short pastime.
Fortunately, there were still some dusty Warframes in the wardrobe of my spaceship, and, lo and behold, even a quite decent crossbow. Upon arriving on Earth, I was met, aside from moderately agile Grineers, with a disappointment at first. Graphically, Warframe was not state-of-the-art. However, it should be noted in its defense: the promised graphic update for this area had not yet been released at that point.
A few days later, Earth shone in a new light. You can tell, someone is working hard to bring the game up to date. Respect, even the heavyweights of the industry often do this rather hesitantly and cautiously – if at all.
To claim that the graphic upgrade has sent me into unforeseen ecstasy would, however, be an exaggeration. But Warframe can still hold its own in daylight with a bit of makeup on its slowly wrinkling face.
Once in the game, it quickly becomes clear: I am good. Such statements unfortunately always have multiple sides from which to consider them. One could also say that the enemies are not as tactically trained as would usually be necessary for combat operations. Even the notoriously incompetent stormtroopers in Star Wars are elite soldiers with sniper training compared to these initial enemies in Warframe!
To further emphasize this imbalance, I have a parkour movement system available to me as a player that would make Titanfall pilots pale in comparison. Double jumps, wall runs, exorbitant speeds, and panther-like agility are part of the standard program of every Warframe. My enemies usually just stand around cluelessly and quickly become victims.
In Warframe, easy to learn but hard to master.
I quickly find pleasure in this feeling of omnipotence. However, this is less due to the clear superiority than to the successful implementation of the combat and movement system. I quickly find myself in the “flow,” jumping through the landscape, shooting and slaughtering, skillfully avoiding the bloody remains of my victims.
A few moments later, I find myself back in my spaceship admiring my loot from the heist. Because aside from the truly successful gaming experience, Warframe motivates with a complex, albeit not entirely self-explanatory, upgrade system for weapons and armors.
Inevitably, I develop a Diablo-like addiction. I want more, I want loot! So I throw myself into the next battle. Initially still naive and aimless, but increasingly more deliberate, tactical, and prepared as time goes on. Because Warframe becomes more challenging, not necessarily due to smarter enemies, but – just like in Diablo – due to resistances and higher shield and health values.
My little experiment, which started on a sunny Friday evening, has taken on a life of its own. Now, almost a month later, I have logged in almost every evening to play Warframe. Especially as a newcomer, this game offers an enormous amount of content through its four years on the market, and all of it completely free.
The TennoCon throws coal into the furnace of the hype train.
And then, yes, then came the TennoCon. The marketing event of the developers of Warframe, similar to Blizzard’s Blizzcon. And what the developers of Digital Extremes announced there was quite something. You may have read it, Warframe will get “semi” open-world areas, and that makes me cautiously happy and significantly curious. And yes, even though I usually no longer jump on the hype train after so many years, this time I’m on board!
Not only because I have already been warned by Warframe veterans about the lack of endgame content, but also because I have long wished for an open-world shooter MMO. Whether it’s Borderlands, Hellgate London, Defiance, or the rightly unknown Hazard Ops: All of these games have awakened in me the desire for an open-world shooter MMO.
With The Division and also Destiny, there are already comparable games, but Warframe has the chance and the ambition to be more than just on par with this tough competition.
The truly impressive trailer impressed me both graphically and in content. Digital Extremes showed us a vibrant world in which you don’t rush through interchangeable texture collections chased by mission objectives. They showed a world you want to explore, with all its beauty and dangers. The community is already raving about world bosses, the Sentients, who briefly appear at the end of the trailer. They are also excited about new, combinable weapons.
Warframe as a pioneer for future projects?
For me, the announcement of the open world is essential. It is the logical step to further develop Warframe, the next evolutionary stage, and exactly what is currently missing in the genre. A playground, a shooter sandbox where I can choose what I want to do. The opportunity to challenge myself, develop my character or simply explore the world at my leisure.
If Warframe really reaches this evolutionary stage, and the trailer suggests that the developers have largely succeeded, then the game should not shy away from Destiny 2 or other major brands. No, it could even pioneer a development that I have long missed: a well-implemented shooter MMO far removed from instanced coop in tight linear levels.
For now, all I can do is hope that Warframe doesn’t trip over its ambitions.
Anyone who wants can now join the faith community of Hanzo. This means the first Overwatch character has his own religion.
The love of players and fans for Overwatch and its colorful characters goes quite far. But is that enough to truly idolize a character from the game and found a religion for him? Apparently so!
As reported by vg247, Brazilian Overwatch fan Mateus Mognon has managed to register a new faith community.
What is just a funny joke for all Overwatch players actually has a serious background. The founder of the Church of Hanzo wanted to show how easy it is to establish a religion in Brazil. All it takes is an address, five people, a constitution, the signature of a lawyer, and some fees.
With a religion of one’s own, it is very easy to circumvent tax laws in Brazil, as faith communities are exempt from taxes. This also makes them a perfect place for money laundering. Although the free interpretation of faith and the protection of small religions is important, Mognon wanted to demonstrate how easy it is to exploit the system and contribute to crime.
Significantly more entertaining are the rules of this religion. For example, one should take Tuesday off for “religious studies” and is not allowed to use the term “Hanzo Main” anymore. By the way, one gets baptized when one plays a match of Overwatch. If one cannot afford that, one may also play a round of Paladins to achieve the same effect.
Would you want to join the Church of Hanzo? Or are you already with the Jedi or the Flying Spaghetti Monster and do not want to dissociate?
A player of League of Legends (LoL) found 180 bugs with the champion Mordekaiser and meticulously listed them.
It is often said that when someone writes a long text in a forum, “they have written a novel.” Most of the time, that’s terribly exaggerated – in this case, it fits.
A LoL player wrote a post in the League of Legends forum consisting of 25,671 words and about 142,000 characters. That’s about 75 news articles on our site.
Nightwind usually does not post in the LoL forum, but on reddit. However, this post didn’t fit there because reddit limits post length to 40,000 characters.
LoL: Bugs from Mordekaiser fill over 40 pages
The unusual thing is: The post revolves around a single, very specific topic. It deals with the bugs of the champion Mordekaiser in LoL. According to the author NightWind42, there are over 180 bugs of Mordekaiser.
These 180 bugs are categorized into 17 different categories: 14 tiers and 3 special tiers as a bonus.
Links and videos also lighten the text desert a bit. For example, this video shows a bug with the champion’s W ability, which is a Tier 1 bug:
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The Tier 1 is “These bugs occur in every game and will cost you at best only 5 minions, but at worst some kills.”
Unimportant bugs are listed under the heading “These bugs do not affect gameplay or readability. They are simply the result of inconsistency.”
One of the most severe bugs is that the spirit of the dragon behaves like a teenager playing Vayne. He is uncontrollable and does what he wants.
Fix this finally
The long list of errors concludes with an appeal from the author to Riot Games, the developers. He says: I’ve been doing this for a long time. But this will probably be my last bug list. I have invested hundreds of hours, now I am at the end. If no fixes come here, I will no longer make lists.
He reminds Riot of statements made six and fifteen months ago when they announced they would fix bugs with Mordekaiser. Nothing has happened since then.
About himself, he says it is his hobby to list the bugs of Mordekaiser.
The post generates some reactions. LoL players are not only calling for fixes for the clearly bugged champion but also a rework. But the diligence of the author is also appreciated. One commenter remarked, “Man, my fingers already hurt just from scrolling.”
So, what hobbies do you have?
Clone or not clone? Sue or counter-sue – these are the questions in this article:
A trading feature and PvP are still goals for Pokémon GO. Niantic CEO John Hanke in an interview.
Many trainers in the Pokémon GO community are waiting for the announced PvP and trading features of the augmented reality game. Niantic mentioned these features several months ago but has not been able to complete them so far.
In an interview, Niantic’s CEO John Hanke explained that these features have not been forgotten. However, Pokémon GO is currently about 6 months behind the original schedule.
John Hanke on the first year of Pokémon GO
In an interview with TheVerge, Hanke talks about the first year of the popular mobile game, where you can catch little monsters in your surroundings. As has been frequently mentioned in other interviews, the hype at the launch of the game was a shock for the developers. They expected many players but not so many.
This surprising success forced the team to restructure the development plan and rebuild the infrastructure. These measures were important but cost a lot of time. Therefore, Pokémon GO is currently approximately six months behind the original schedule.
PvP and trading feature are still on the agenda!
Because the work on the new infrastructure suddenly became so important, other features were pushed further into the future. Niantic already spoke about player versus player battles, where trainers can compete against each other, in the first months of Pokémon GO. A trading feature allowing you to trade your caught monsters with other players is supposed to be included as well. But when? In the community, trainers regularly point out that they are still waiting for the promised features.
Hanke stated that PvP battles and a trading feature have been postponed but are still on the agenda. The player versus player battles were supposed to be already implemented in the game.
If Niantic had a significantly larger team at the launch of the game, these features would likely have been active in the game by now. However, no one expected such a hype that attracted millions of players, so they had to invest a lot of time into the infrastructure of Pokémon GO.
Cheats – Active work is being done on this
Experiences with cheaters were already made by the Niantic team with their Ingress app. It was clear that some players would “spoofer” and try to circumvent the actual rules of the game. That some companies are now making money leveling other accounts and that cheating is becoming “so” rampant was not expected.
It is difficult to make Pokémon GO “fair” for all players, says Hanke. Developers who could have been working on designing new features are now battling the cheaters in Pokémon GO.
Our thoughts on the interview, trading, and PvP
The interview with TheVerge provides details on why the current situation of Pokémon GO is what it is. Just recently, we received the arena overhaul (which according to Hanke is the best update for Pokémon GO). This and other features were supposed to be active in the game much earlier, but were delayed due to problems.
It is nice to hear that PvP battles and the trading feature are still on the developers’ radar and are not being ignored. This raises hope that we might see these features soon.
We look forward to the announced features and are excited to see how Niantic will implement them.
In World of Warcraft, the best players are sought for Mythic dungeons. It’s about recognition – and a whole lot of cash!
In the past, there have been repeated complaints from players that in World of Warcraft, you can only achieve fame, honor, and prize money as a PvP player. However, preparation for PvE content requires a similar amount of time, and the best of the best often invest all their time in the game to maintain a top position.
Blizzard is now trying to revive eSports around PvE and is hosting the “Mythic Dungeon Invitational” event.
The top eight teams from all regions (Europe, China, America, Asia-Pacific) will be sought after. They will initially compete in inter-group matches until the best two teams from each region move on to the finals. There, the dungeons to be played and the affixes will also be determined by Blizzard.
Anyone interested in participating in the tournament should complete the hardest and various Mythic dungeons with their friends during the period from July 26 to August 9. After this period (not during it!), you can submit your best results via a form on the WoW website. Blizzard will then select the most promising submissions from all entries.
In total, a prize pool of $100,000 is at stake – so if you are looking for a “little pocket money” for the summer and happen to be one of the best players in the world, you should put your luck to the test.
Will you try to qualify with your friends? Or do you think you don’t have what it takes? Should Blizzard also hold tournaments for the “big” PvE events, such as Mythic raids? Let us know in the comments.
Today, July 12th, the Weapon Day is celebrated in Destiny. Additionally, the vendors have fresh inventories.
You have just under two months left in Destiny before the next adventure “Destiny 2” begins. That’s plenty of time to try out some things you’ve missed so far. For example, you can play with new weapons that you’ve always avoided.
The vendors have exciting weapon offers this week. If you have enough legendary shards, you can now take advantage.
Recommended Weapons This Week
The Crucible Quartermaster has some strong weapons available:
B-29 Gift from the Guest (Pulse Rifle): Surprise Round / Life Support, Stiff Frame / Spring-Loaded Mag, Snapshot
The Hero’s Formula (Scout Rifle): Outlaw / Kneeling, Perfect Balance / Explosive Rounds, Fireball
Something Evil (Rocket Launcher): Spray and Play / Last Resort, Snapshot / Field Scout, Grenades and Horseshoes
Vanguard Quartermaster
How Dare You (Hand Cannon): Hot-Swap / Icarus, Barrelled Action / Box Magazine, Hidden Hand
Dead Orbit
Core Piece 01 (Scout Rifle): High-Caliber Rounds / Snapshot, Hammer-Forged / Triple, Mass Control
Dust to Dust (Rocket Launcher): Field Scout / Fixer Pull, Spear / Spray and Play, Grenades and Horseshoes
The Warmind Path (Rocket Launcher): Field Scout / Lightweight, Perfect Balance / Tripod, Grenades and Horseshoes
Weapon Day on July 12th
If you want to get new vendor weapons without legendary shards, you only need Weapon Master Rank 1 and 2500 Glimmer. Then you can order forging bounties from Weapon Master Banshee-44.
In Final Fantasy XIV, worldviews collide. It’s about houses and ownership. A values debate in an MMORPG, far from the “ideal world” that publishers like to portray.
These are amazing themes for an MMORPG:
Should every player have a house?
Or are houses only for the super-rich?
Whom do I want in my neighborhood: other super-rich or normal folks?
Final Fantasy XIV: Status Symbol House
Houses in Final Fantasy XIV are not necessary, but nice. They are status symbols. One can decorate them, invite people over, and show off what one has, playing a bit of “The Sims in Eorzea“. Especially for role players, houses are important and for those who value that their characters are doing well in an MMORPG.
But these houses don’t come for free; they’re relatively expensive. One has to work hard to afford one.
Additionally: The housing situation in Final Fantasy XIV is as complicated as in Munich or Cologne. The demand for housing is higher than the supply – especially on popular servers.
With Stormblood, the housing crisis intensifies
This has been the case for a long time; due to a series of coincidences, the conflict has now escalated. Because of the Stormblood expansion, the popular servers became so overcrowded that Square Enix offered free transfers to smaller servers.
Some took that up – also with the idea, “Hey, there are still houses available on these unpopular servers!” But even there, the houses were quickly gone, and newcomers found themselves homeless. Then they noticed two players who together own 28 houses.
They had previously bought their own district, their neighborhood, on the Mateus server to pursue their hobby: owning and decorating houses. They enjoy doing that.
A conflict has erupted over this situation, which clearly has a political aspect.
Snobs vs. Slackers?
Some say: That’s totally selfish of you; you’re taking away the opportunity for others to have a house. They pay the same €12 a month as you. You don’t need 28; give houses to those who don’t have one.
They, however, say: We worked for the 28 houses. They belong to us. You must accept that you can’t have everything you want. We came to this server specifically because it was empty and we wouldn’t disturb anyone. You must accept that others wanted it more than you and therefore worked harder for it and deserve it more.
Opponents consider this a very elitist and snobbish attitude: “So you don’t want any poor people in your neighborhood!”
The homeowners say: We haven’t taken anything away from anyone; these plots were empty for years. Plus: Not everyone can have everything. If I don’t raid, I don’t get raid mounts either. The homeowner couple is not willing to part with their houses. They hold memories of the valuable time they spent together there.
Interests collide in MMORPGs too
A political debate like from a textbook. Different interests collide.
The US site Kotaku reports on the conflict and also asked Square Enix about it. They have retreated to a rather comfortable position: “Actually, it’s only possible to own one house per character” – but this limitation seems to be easily circumvented.
In the long term, Square Enix wants to add more housing space to the game, but currently, the situation is critical.
It’s interesting what effects such design decisions have in the long term. They shape the interactions within a community.
The people who play MMOs bring the same conflicts and problems with them that they would have in the “real world”. If there were still doubts about that, they should be settled after this housing debate. Bitter realization: The social gap between those who have and those who do not continues to widen.
Why should it be different in MMORPGs than in the real world? After all, they are the same people.
Doomfist is expected by everyone. The frustrating experiences that the new Overwatch villain brings are shown in our PotGs of the week.
Every week, absurd, exciting, or simply funny moments happen in Overwatch that are often captured in a “Play of the Game”. We searched social media and picked three special highlights for you. Enjoy our 3 “Play of the Game” moments of the week in Overwatch!
Many players are already testing Doomfist on the PTR, but there are also many who want to catapult him back to oblivion. As Widowmaker, the player Funslayer takes his namesake task very seriously and tries to make life as difficult as possible for the Doomfists of the world. And what is more frustrating than getting a headshot right before the strike arrives? Funslayer perfects exactly that in his clip. You better check it out!
https://gfycat.com/AdmirableThoroughJunco
There are always those “Once in a Lifetime” moments when an Ultimate fits perfectly and everything comes together. SputnikGT had such a moment on the map Eichenwalde. Although he comes too late to prevent the payload from reaching the checkpoint, his Ultimate fits perfectly and the rush is impressive as well. An almost perfect group kill with free flight for all involved.
https://gfycat.com/AthleticLawfulCrab
The greatest form of recognition in Overwatch or other shooters is when you are insulted by the opposing team. Few forms of validation are stronger than the wrath of the enemy – as long as you haven’t actively provoked him. That is why our last clip isn’t really a “Play of the Game”, but rather a nice moment. The player Bobbeh shows with Sombra how to not only ruin the Reaper’s Ultimate but also drive Mercy insane afterwards.
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Have you also experienced a particularly cool gameplay moment that you captured on video? Then just send us a link to the video (best on Youtube) and maybe you will find your clip in this post next week!
A player in World of Warcraft discovered the Old God N’Zoth almost by chance. After all, all the clues were already on the table!
The Old Gods are among the most powerful beings on Azeroth and have their tentacles in almost every major event. Whether it was the War of the Ancients, the Northrend campaign, or the Cataclysm, they have almost always played a significant role.
That’s why players have long speculated that the Old Gods will soon play a larger role in World of Warcraft again.
At the latest, these ideas were reignited by the boss Il’gynoth in the Emerald Nightmare. The boss has repeatedly released mysterious whispers that hint at a future event – but one of these sentences has remained unresolved.
Il’gynoth occasionally whispers “To find him, drown yourself in the circle of stars.” – Translated freely, “To find him, drown yourself in the circle of stars.”
Il’gynoth references Cataclysm area
Fans have long speculated and wondered what this could mean. Do you have to drown in a specific spot in the ocean? After all, the stars might then be reflections on the sea.
And that is indeed the case!
If you “drown” in the Maelstrom, you are taken to the area of Deepholm – a zone from Cataclysm. However, if you tilt the camera up and look at the sky here, you see a very strange structure in the sky.
A circle of stars surrounded by strange energies that strongly resemble tentacles. Furthermore, particularly bright stars resemble eyes – too many similarities to the old gods. Especially since this “skybox” exists only in Deepholm. This was discovered by the Reddit user Inxpryationz.
On Reddit and the “Secret Finding” Discord of WoW, this is the solution to the riddle. This would also fit well historically, as Deathwing was in Deepholm for a long time and was likely further corrupted by the old gods there – especially by N’Zoth.
What do you think about this matter? Is it just a fitting coincidence that people are twisting into shape now? Or has Blizzard really planned for N’Zoth to “emerge” since Cataclysm?
Dauntless lets you engage in exciting battles against giant monsters on PC. So like in Monster Hunter, but fully geared towards coop gameplay. But does the “Western Monster Hunter” live up to the hype? We have played Dauntless and will tell you if it is worth waiting for the game.
One of the highlights of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was the great fight against the griffin at the end of the first area. The flying beast landed heavily on the clearing, swiped with its claws, and repeatedly launched deadly aerial attacks. The unequal battle demanded full concentration.
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When the beast finally lay in its blood and made its last gasp, the feeling of victory was indescribable! The adrenaline was still pumping, the fingers were cramped, but you had defeated the beast and were the hero!
Dauntless – The Witcher meets Warframe
In Dauntless, you can experience such epic moments of victory more often, as the coop action game from Phoenix Labs revolves solely around fighting giant monsters. But unlike Witcher or the great template Monster Hunter from Asia, Dauntless is a coop multiplayer game. You play it like Warframe with up to three friends together.
I was in Munich last week for a preview play session of Dauntless and, together with developers Nick and Ian, set out to hunt three particularly terrible beasts. What we experienced will be revealed in the following paragraphs.
Dauntless – The first monster “Shrike” – “Isn’t that a small bird?”
As soon as we introduced ourselves, the developers threw us into our first mission. We were supposed to hunt down a beast called “Shrike” on a floating island. I still casually said, “That doesn’t sound too dangerous!” after all, the term “Shrike” refers to a small bird that impales worms and insects on thorns. So what could await us? The developer Ian next to me grinned broadly. I sensed trouble.
My suspicion was soon confirmed, as “it” awaited us on a clearing! The Shrike was a bear over three meters tall with an owl beak and gigantic wings! So a bear-like version of the griffin from The Witcher 3. And we were supposed to slay it? “Yes,” Ian said, as the creatures consume a magical substance called ether, and when they have eaten all of it, the floating islands collapse.
And since our heroes live on such islands, that would be really bad. Therefore, the owl bear must go, and as freshly minted “Slayers”, that is our job.
Dauntless – The fight against the dreadful owl bear
We charged at the owl flutter beast, armed with oversized swords, and immediately a wild battle erupted. The beast flapped around, slashed with its claws, and bit with its beak. We constantly had to dodge and seize every opportunity for a counterattack. Fortunately, the controls were easy to master. Whether with gamepad or mouse-keyboard combo, after a short time we deftly dodged and dealt the beast some serious damage.
Just as I was thinking, “Heh, the beast is so stupid, letting itself be beaten by us. A real animal would have run away long ago”, the owl bear suddenly soared into the sky and flew away! It did not leave the island, but the longer it took us to find it, the more health the beast regenerated, and our efforts were in vain.
Dauntless – No fear of death?
After a short search, we found the battered beast again, but the monster is now agitated and stronger. Its blows are more powerful, and I went down more often. Luckily, a loyal teammate quickly came to my aid and revived me.
Every time a teammate is revived, the steadily ticking “Danger Meter” increases. When this reaches 100, the next character death triggers a retreat, and the round is lost.
Such a shameful defeat should not befall us. We bravely hacked away at the Shrike, and eventually, it reared up for the last time, let out a nearly pitiful last cry, and then collapsed. Victory!
Later and more powerful specimens require mightier resources, which you only get by taking down a monster in a particularly spectacular manner. For example, when you don’t just bludgeon a Shrike to death but specifically break its back with a hammer.
Dauntless – The fight with Quillshot – Primary target: Tail!
In Dauntless, you can’t just randomly beat on a monster; you can deliberately mutilate and injure it. How this works, the developers showed us in the next battle. This time it was against a kind of giant porcupine called “Quillshot”. The beast was full of thorns that it shot out, and it had a long, spiked tail.
“The tail is the primary target,” one of the developers told us, and we all started pounding on the tail like crazy. I had meanwhile acquired a giant axe, which was decidedly slower than the sword from the previous battle. But I was swinging away like a berserker! One of the developers, on the other hand, had a hammer with a handy crossbow mechanism in the handle. That allowed him to shoot at close range; however, there were still no actual ranged weapons available.
The immense striking power of our arsenal couldn’t hold back even the thickest tail, and it soon separated from the rest of the porcupine. Amusingly, the severed piece rolled down the hill in a physically correct manner. Nice! Quillshot, of course, did not like that very much, but without a tail, it couldn’t hit as hard and soon lay defeated. Another victory for the Slayers!
Dauntless – Can we defeat Pangar, the “Beltasaurus Rex”?
After we spectacularly slaughtered Quillshot, we moved on to a special challenge. “Pangar, the next monster, has never been defeated in a presentation before”. Of course, we accepted the challenge. But I hesitantly asked developer Ian, what exactly a “Pangar” is. He showed me a picture of a cute little armadillo on his phone; just “much bigger and more dangerous!”
I was confused and curious about what was coming our way. To make it short, Pangar was a gigantic monster that looked like a armored Tyrannosaurus Rex!
We bravely faced the monster, but shortly thereafter we had been defeated so many times, rammed into the ground, and shredded that the danger timer ran out, and we had to admit defeat. Yes, big creatures in Dauntless require excellent teamwork and a lot of skill.
According to the developers, it doesn’t always have to be the giant creatures that pose a special challenge. Rather, there are each of the initially 20 monsters at different difficulty levels, from juvenile to alpha. The more experienced the beast, the stronger and larger it is.
Dauntless – Story campaign planned as well
At the end of our session with the developers, we learned that Dauntless will eventually have a story as well. However, the developers did not reveal what the story would be about. There will be recurring characters and quests, though. Moreover, the author of WildStar is behind the work, so I hope for the best!
Jürgen’s conclusion: I admit it, when I heard that I had to travel to Munich specifically for the Dauntless session, I was not too excited. The game didn’t say much to me, and I had also pretty much ignored Monster Hunter until now. But just a few minutes into the game, I was completely captivated. Dauntless plays like the cool monster boss fights from The Witcher 3 (which, according to the developers, were one of the main inspirations) and even has a more refined gameplay mechanic.
Especially the hit zones and severable body parts allow for intricate tactics, and you really can’t do without teamwork. And when the monster is finally slain and the adrenaline slowly fades, the feeling of victory is indescribable. Thus, I am already looking forward to the alpha in August.
Dauntless will be released in Winter 2017 for the PC as a free-to-play game. On August 8, 2017, a founder alpha will start, which you can access with founder packs. After that, there will also be a beta.
The latest patch for Heroes of the Storm is live. Alexei Stukov enters the Nexus to try everything for the Zerg (and healing).
Since last night (07/11/2017), patch 26.3 for Heroes of the Storm is online. The most important feature is the implementation of the infected Terran Alexei Stukov. After being infected by the Zerg swarm, he now serves the Queen of Blades. In the Nexus, he is a supporter who brings not only healing but also plenty of restrictions for enemies.
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Healing Pathogen is cast on an ally and provides healing over time. Healing Pathogen bounces to nearby allies every second who are not yet affected.
Viral Cyst is the counterpart. Stukov fires a projectile that pierces enemies and infects them with a virus. The virus deals damage over time and slows opponents with increasing effect.
The trait Immune Reaction can be activated at will and causes all active viruses and pathogens to explode, immediately ending their effect. Exploded healing heals a large amount, exploded viruses deal damage and massively slow the victims.
With Deep Arm, Stukov plunges his hand into the ground, which reappears elsewhere and creates an area effect. Enemies in the area effect take damage over time and are silenced. The spell can be channeled indefinitely.
The first heroic ability of Stukov is Massive Blow. Upon activation, Stukov gains a large amount of armor and thrusts his arm in the targeted direction. The first enemy hero hit is pushed back in a straight line until they hit a wall or other impassable terrain, taking damage.
Arm Sweep is the second heroic ability. Stukov strikes three times, with each attack’s cone growing larger. Hit enemies are knocked back and take minor damage.
Stukov can now be purchased in the shop for real money or gold. Additionally, he is now also available in loot boxes.
Balance Changes for Tyrande and Xul
There are also some changes to the balance of the heroes. The necromancer Xul is getting new quest talents and will generally be slightly strengthened. Especially players focusing on his skeletons will benefit, as they can be further enhanced.
For Tyrande, the healing of some talents is reduced, while her usefulness is increased. She can now reveal enemies for a longer time and give allies a greater speed boost.
Some map changes are coming to Hanamura. The hit points of both citadels have been increased from 7 to 8, making matches last slightly longer. The payloads that need to be escorted also now spawn later, allowing more time for skirmishing on the map.
The complete patch notes can be found as usual in our sources.
For Destiny 2, Bungie wishes for reddit posts where players complain about “too much damn story.”
In the latest “IGN First” video on Destiny 2, Senior Narrative Lead Jason Harris and Cinematic Lead Matthew Ward discuss the story of Destiny 2 and the significance of Destiny 2 becoming a world without light.
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The story of Destiny 2 is not only about Ghaul, who represents the new, great danger, but also about questions of existence. What makes a Guardian? What does it mean to be chosen by the Traveler? What is a Guardian who has been stripped of light?
Much revolves around “loss”. You lose your home, you lose the light, you lose the Traveler, you even lose the Vanguard leaders who always stood reliably in the Tower. Zavala, Ikora, and Cayde-6 are scattered across different worlds in Destiny 2, dealing with their losses in various ways. They also struggle with the questions: What does it mean to be a Guardian? What is a Guardian who has had all their power taken away?
The gameplay premiere of Destiny 2 in May didn’t start without reason with an “epic trailer” focusing on Zavala, who grapples with the question of what makes a Guardian.
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Matthew Ward explains that since day one of Destiny, it was no longer about the Traveler. All the DLCs had nothing to do with the Traveler. In Destiny 2, however, it is again about this huge sphere floating above the Last City. Ultimately, the Traveler plays an extremely important role in the Destiny universe. Now they want to refocus on it.
Destiny Has a Lot of Story
Jason Harris emphasizes that the developers have invested a lot of time in creating worlds for Destiny 2. He cannot emphasize enough that they are now ready to tell stories in these worlds. “Big, sprawling, cinematic stories.”
They have learned a lot from the community in Destiny. They have listened to the people and played with them. This has helped them determine which stories they want to tell and which characters are especially liked. With Destiny 2, they are implementing much of that feedback.
In Destiny 1, the confusing and disjointed story was one of the biggest criticisms. Those who wanted to learn more about the world had to struggle through vast amounts of text on an external website.
In Destiny 2, however, players will experience story elements in many ways directly in the game. “The story is everywhere,” Harris says. The stories are told not only with the main story surrounding the war against Ghaul. Everywhere in the world, you will find side missions that reveal more about the worlds and the characters living in them.
At the end of the video, Ward jokes: “I hope people complain about how much story we have. I would love to read that reddit thread ‘Too much damn story’.”
