Final Fantasy XIV will soon get a feature that allows you to complete the main story instantly for real money and level up your character to maximum level. This controversial feature has been long in discussion, and with the launch of Stormblood, it is now finalized.
This is actually a good thing if you have a lot of time and are willing to engage with everything. However, if you only want to play occasionally or are looking to restart with the upcoming addon Stormblood, you might turn away in horror.
Those who want to dive directly into the new addon on June 20 must first complete the entire main story of the base game AND the story of the first major expansion, Heavensward. Because Final Fantasy XIV is “story-capped.”
Until now, there has been no way to skip all of that.
Final Fantasy XIV – Endgame will be expensive
This situation is set to change soon. Ahead of a major Stormblood reveal event in Hamburg, the developers shared various helpful details about Stormblood. Among them is that shortly before the launch of Stormblood, there will be a possibility to access the endgame directly for money. For this, Final Fantasy XIV presents two basic methods:
Job Level Boost: This boosts one(!) job directly to level 60. You will receive the “Tales of Adventure,” a set of level 60 equipment, and have learned all actions and completed job quests. You also gain access to the Hall of Novices. A “Tales of Adventure” can only be purchased once per account until Patch 4.1. You must choose your favorite. Job boosters are NOT available for the new classes Samurai and Red Mage. A job boost costs 21.75 Euros.
Scenario Shortcut: This booster completes the main scenario and finishes all dungeons of the scenario. However, side dungeons remain untouched. You will receive a randomly named Chocobo, be automatically registered with the Grand Company of your homeland, and have already completed some selected side quests. You can also view all cutscenes from the main story as “Unending Story.” The story shortcut costs 15.75 Euros for the base game’s story and 21.75 Euros for Heavensward. Of course, Heavensward also includes the quests from the base game.
The job boost and the story shortcut will be available at the Mog Station from June 16. This way, you can boost yourself in time for the Stormblood launch on June 20. All information about the boosters is also summarized by YouTuber and FF14 expert Charles in a video. We have embedded it here for you.
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How do you feel about the option to purchase game progress for real money? Is this already pay-to-win or a necessary measure since Final Fantasy XIV costs subscription fees every month anyway, and no one should be forced to play the old stuff when there is something new? And what do you think about those quite steep prices? Let us know in the comments!
Destiny 2 is coming – the sequel to the MMO shooter Destiny 1. What new features can the Guardians look forward to? What is changing? All information in the overview. Note: This article will be continuously updated.
Destiny is getting a sequel called Destiny 2 in 2017. Since the gameplay premiere on May 18, a lot has been revealed about the successor to the award-winning MMO shooter. However, many questions remain unanswered. The most important question is: Can Destiny 2 meet the high expectations of the Guardians?
In 2014, Destiny made a big splash on the gaming scene. Bungie’s and Activision’s combination of shooter and MMO captivated countless players and still has loyal and passionate fans. However, it has been and continues to be far from “perfection” and a completely happy community.
Exploits, glitches, balance issues, and content droughts characterized the history of Destiny as much as the ongoing lively discussion between those who play the game and those who develop it. Balance in PvP is a topic for which developers have never found an optimal solution.
Destiny 2 is supposed to improve everything. At least that’s what the Guardians hope and the developers strive for. But – what’s actually new in Destiny 2?
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One of the biggest criticisms of Destiny 1 was the campaign. The story missions were lackluster: there was no coherence, there were no strong characters, no one really understood what it was all about.
Destiny and Destiny 2 are set in a science fiction setting in a time after the “Collapse”. The Collapse marks the end of the Golden Age – an era considered the peak of humanity. New planets were colonized, and technological progress was unstoppable. This age began with the arrival of the Traveler (a mysterious, giant sphere). The Light of the Traveler is the source of the Guardians’ power. However, the Traveler has many enemies that the Guardians dealt with in Destiny 1.
Destiny 2 continues from the events of “The Taken King”.After the arrival of Oryx, the Cabal sent a distress signal – and now the Cabal Empire is responding.The Red Legion, an elite unit of the Cabal led by Ghaul, invades Earth, the Last City, and the Tower.
Ghaul traps the Traveler in a sort of cage, causing the Guardians to lose their power. Additionally, during the invasion, all the Guardians’ items are destroyed. This is the story-related explanation for why you have to start from scratch in Destiny 2 and learn new powers. Only the appearance from Destiny 1 can be carried over.
In addition to the campaign, the story of Destiny 2 will be told through side quests, characters you encounter, and scannable objects. Grimoire cards are no longer available.
New Worlds / Locations in Destiny 2
After the attack of the Red Legion, the Vanguard leaders are scattered throughout the solar system. Before you search for them, you will enter the European Dead Zone in Destiny 2, where many Guardians found refuge and formed a new community. Here is a new social space – a farm.
Other new worlds include:
Titan: A moon of Saturn, where Zavala is located. This moon is made up of a methane sea, with no landmass.
Nessus: A planetoid where Cayde-6 is located. This small planet has been reshaped by the Vex.
Io: A sulfur planet of Jupiter. Ikora Ray has retreated here. There are said to be heaps of mythology and secrets on Io.
Destiny 2 still feels very much like Destiny, as confirmed by early testers. And that is not a disadvantage – because the gunplay of Destiny has always been praised highly. There are no groundbreaking innovations in gameplay. Destiny 2 will not offer a completely new gaming experience in this aspect. But there are still many innovations that aim to make Destiny 2 better than its predecessor:
New weapon system: There is no longer a division into primary, secondary, and heavy weapons, but: Kinetic, Energy, and Power. The kinetic slot includes the previous primary weapons as well as pistols and the new SMGs, in the energy slot are the same types of weapons as in the kinetic slot but with elemental damage, and in the third power slot are all powerful weapons that can kill you with one hit – such as shotguns, snipers, fusion rifles, rocket launchers, or the new grenade launchers.
A new navigator: You no longer have to fly to orbit to start a new activity. The map can be opened anywhere.
For clans, you can create emblems and descriptions.
Guided Games: A new type of matchmaking that allows solo players to participate in raids and other activities. They are matched with other clans that need one or two players for an activity.
Strikes: A new strike called Inverted Spire is known. Strikes remain three-player activities.
Raids: There will be a raid.
In addition to story missions, strikes, and more, there are new activities: Adventures (side missions), Lost Sectors (dangerous dungeons with unique bosses guarding treasures), and Public Events (dynamic combat activities).
PvP: All modes in the Crucible will be played 4v4. A new PvP mode is called Countdown. There are no private matches at launch. All previous information about PvP can be found here.
The enemy races seem to remain the same. However, there are new enemy units of various races (new fighters of the Cabal, the Hive, etc.)
Destiny 2 – Classes and Subclasses
In Destiny 2, there are the three known classes from Destiny 1: Titan, Hunter, and Warlock.
The complete list of all subclasses in Destiny 2 is still unknown, but the three new focuses are supposed to replace the Sunsinger, Defender, and Blade Dancer. Additionally, existing focuses will be revised, such as the Striker Titan and the Gunslinger.
You can find more PC features here – There are design adjustments such as a reticle that is positioned directly in the center of the screen. On consoles, it is slightly lower.
Revelation Online, the colorful Asia MMORPG from My.com, is currently not available in German. However, the developers at My.com want to fix this soon. A localized version of the game in German is set to come out this autumn.
Until now, anyone wanting to play the online role-playing game Revelation Online from My.com had to have good English or Russian skills. Because the game was only fully available in these languages. A localized version for Germany or other EU countries was missing.
This, however, is set to change soon, as the German and French clients are coming this autumn.
Revelation Online – MMO coming in German and French
According to My.com, the clients for the German and French versions are already on the internal test servers. There they are thoroughly checked by the dev team and scanned for errors. Because in addition to the plain text, artworks and UI elements still need to be adjusted, which have a whole lot of room for errors.
If everything goes well, the localized versions for Germany and France should be released in Q3 2017. Then players who are not so proficient in foreign languages can finally enjoy the game without a translator and dictionary.
With the “Overwatch Contenders” event, all players have a chance to secure a spot in the league of Overwatch – offering plenty of fame (and a lot of money).
Blizzard still aims to make the Overwatch League a major player in the eSports scene and also spark the interest of non-gamers in this type of sport. And it’s slowly entering the “hot phase”, as the first “Overwatch Contenders” event has now been announced. In the “Season Zero” of this league, there is an open registration for all players and teams interested.
Overwatch Contenders: Entry for Undiscovered Talents
The Contenders tournament takes place in both America and Europe, each in their own rounds. In both cases, there is a prize pool of $50,000! All players can register for the open qualification tournament. The top 16 teams from each region will then participate in the group stage, with the remaining 8 best teams advancing to the playoffs. There, it will be decided who takes home the lion’s share of the prize money.
Pro teams will likely keep an eye on this tournament and look for new players to recruit.
If you and your team want to register, you should check out the official website of “Overwatch Contenders” (link to the page) . However, you should also pay attention to the extensive tournament rules.
Is there anyone among you or even an entire team that actually considers Overwatch as a career option? Or does it all seem so unattainable to you that you’d rather just watch the professionals play?
Not enough PokéStops in your area? In the future, Pokémon GO players will have the opportunity to submit new PokéStop suggestions.
These are good news announced by Niantic’s support account. On Twitter, Niantic states that they are working on a feature that allows PokéStop suggestions. For trainers with particularly few stops in the area, this is a positive outlook for the future. In rural areas, there is often a lack of stops and gyms needed to fully enjoy the game.
PokéStop Suggestions – Niantic is working on it
Trainers have been waiting a long time for a feature that allows them to submit suggestions for PokéStops to the Pokémon GO team. Because although there are often several stops within 100 meters in cities, there is, for example, only one stop within a radius of one kilometer in some rural areas.
In the future, there will be a way for trainers to suggest new PokéStops to the Pokémon GO team. This has now been confirmed by Niantic’s Twitter support account. “Currently, we are not accepting suggestions for PokéStops. A solution is being worked on that will allow suggestions to be submitted in the future.”
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PokéStops are an important feature in Pokémon GO, as trainers receive items like Poké Balls, potions, eggs, or evolution items. To get the items, trainers simply need to visit a PokéStop and spin the stop’s emblem on their smartphone.
Stops are often found at important landmarks or historical buildings in the area. Churches, statues, or other special places are suitable for this.
Because there are very few of these special places in many rural areas, players also find fewer PokéStops there. Affected players feel disadvantaged and criticize the distribution of stops between rural and urban areas.
With the new suggestion feature, players could propose other locations that might be suitable as PokéStops.
New PokéStops Already Added Through Ingress Players
Recently, new gyms and stops have been added in Pokémon GO. This was related to an initiative from Niantic’s app “Ingress,” where high-ranking players could review and approve suggestions for portals. These portals were then partially implemented directly in Pokémon GO as stops and gyms.
If this suggestion feature is also integrated into Pokémon GO, the team will likely be overwhelmed with many requests. Whether Niantic will also allow high-ranking Pokémon trainers to approve the new stops remains unclear.
In ARK: Survival Evolved, dung is a particularly valuable resource. Whether produced by dinosaurs or survivors, you will learn here why feces are so precious.
Dung – the stinking, brown mass around which flies happily circle. For most, it will likely be flushed down the toilet as quickly as possible – never to return.
In Ark Survival Evolved, however, feces are precious, collected and stored in boxes.
From a dino, one can get quite a chunk. Luckily, magically, 45 of these giants can be stored in a box. Image source: Kotaku
Dung has revolutionized taming – hours are saved
In Ark, it is not just about wandering among wild beasts and facing naked survival. Survival wants to be cultivated and, above all, made efficient.
Just like in real life, feces can be used as valuable fertilizer. From small seeds, with the help of dung, a magnificent garden full of nutritious vegetables can grow.
Those who want to cultivate survival should establish a garden. Vegetables grow particularly well with manure. Image source: Kotaku
To keep such a dino as a pet in Ark, one must first tame the creature. The dino is then knocked out and fed its favorite food. In Ark, it is known that dinos are crazy about Kibbles. These are meals that survivors cook from various ingredients like dino eggs. One ingredient always consists of a piece of vegetable, such as carrots.
And where does the carrot ideally come from? Exactly, from one’s own garden, which is tended with dung.
Taming a dino can take several hours in Ark Survival Evolved. Taming a T-Rex at maximum level takes nearly 9 hours when using regular meat. With its favorite kibble, the entire taming process is shortened to just 2 hours.
The dung beetle: A true champ in processing dung
The process becomes particularly efficient when survivors produce high-quality fertilizer. But for that, they also need dung. One option is to mix the feces with straw – a tedious process. The experienced survivor simply acquires a “Dung Beetle.” That’s the colorful bug shown in the title image. Here, you simply push the dung inside, and it comes out as high-quality fertilizer.
Dung is everywhere in Ark and comes in different sizes
Fortunately, in Ark, it is not difficult to come by dung. Survivors can even poop themselves and do not even need a dino. However, human feces are rather puny on the dung chart. Dung is categorized into 5 sizes:
Human
Small
Medium
Large
Massive
Here are the sizes in comparison. The massive chunk on the right comes from the Titanosaurus. Image source: Kotaku
Toilets with flushing are soon coming to Ark – using them gives a bonus
In an interview with Kotaku, lead designer Jeremy Stieglitz revealed that toilets will receive a working flush in patch v258. The reason for the upgrade is quite simple for Stieglitz: “How can you consider your tribe ‘civilized’ at all before there is an indoor toilet?!”
In addition to the toilets, there is a new measurement unit. The “Poop-o-Meter,” it works just like a fever thermometer. But instead of rising temperature, it measures rising bowel fullness. When the poop-o-meter goes off, survivors know it is time for a toilet visit.
Now the survivor can, like a civilized being, do his business in the bowl and flush. Now the dung is even transformed into compost, and the survivor receives a “Refreshed” status XP boost. A brave new world.
A glorious future awaits the survivors. Now with toilets and dung XP boost. Image source: Kotaku
A hotfix is causing a stir in World of Warcraft – the maximum artifact knowledge was coldly reduced.
A small hotfix for World of Warcraft is being hotly discussed since today (23.05.2017) in the official Blizzard forums and on Reddit. In addition to some minor, rather insignificant changes and bug fixes, there was also a message that is really exciting the players.
The cap of artifact knowledge has been retroactively reduced from 50 to 40!
Artifact knowledge is a multiplier that regulates how much artifact power a corresponding item grants. The higher the upgrade level of the artifact knowledge research, the more artifact power players receive for their artifact weapons.
Although no player has yet reached an artifact knowledge level of 40, most pioneers are currently at level 37. However, this means that the research will be completed in just under 2 weeks.
Cap now at artifact knowledge level 40
Blizzard also has a justification for this step: They raised the cap for artifact knowledge very late on the PTR of Patch 7.2 to 50. The developers wanted to ensure that players would quickly be within reach of the last trait of the artifact weapon “Unity of the Legion Judges”. Due to various hotfixes that have already increased the collection of artifact power in the past, players are now much further ahead than originally planned by Blizzard.
Furthermore, the prospect of being able to “research artifact knowledge for more than a month” gives many players the feeling that current content hardly brings any progress. It would only be worth it to “play properly” when artifact knowledge has reached the maximum level.
If you can’t picture artifact knowledge level 40 in numbers yet, here are a few small examples:
Ancient Bindings of the Wardens: 14,000,350 artifact power
“Revised” Chronicles of Argus: 24,000,060 artifact power
If it were to go up to artifact knowledge level 50, the values would look like this:
Ancient Bindings of the Wardens: 193,200,350 artifact power
“Revised” Chronicles of Argus: 331,200,600 artifact power
The difference is therefore quite noticeable.
What do you think of the reduction of the maximum value? A good step, because players are progressing too quickly anyway? Or “just another way to stretch content”?
The MMO shooter Destiny 2 (PS4, PC, Xbox One) is taking unusual steps to save the balance that has been so difficult in Destiny. A new weapon system is supposed to achieve what Bungie has struggled with for three years: saving the balance in the Crucible.
On the Kotaku page, a theory has been put forward: Bungie solves the community’s problems, but not the way they would like.
A long-running issue in Destiny 1 was the balance of weapons in the Crucible. For months and years, Bungie has been trying to bring primary weapons more into focus, especially keeping special weapons “down”. Bungie wants slower gameplay. Guardians should land 3, 4, or 5 hits to take down an opponent. However, with special weapons, only one or two hits are needed.
Guardians should not be running around with shotguns or lying in wait with snipers all the time. Bungie wants “primary weapon duels,” but they just can’t seem to make it work. Because Guardians want to play with their sniper rifles and shotguns at all costs.
Not without my Matador!
Cat and Mouse – Developers against the Community
A game of cat and mouse is happening in Bungie’s Crucible. Bungie changes something, the Guardians find ways to work around that change and still shoot with their favorite weapons.
When Bungie reduced special ammo, Guardians resorted to pistols that don’t need ammo or even to the Icebreaker, which generates its own ammo.
Bungie is constantly tweaking percentage values in balance patches:
“Weapon X has become 0.3% stronger”
“Shotgun Y lost advantage Z, as it is no longer necessary”
“Rocket launcher Z now has only 1 shot instead of 3.”
This is how the balancing reports in Destiny have read over the past years. An endless amount of small changes that no one was really satisfied with. The major issues could not be solved this way. They only shifted marginally.
Bungie pulls out the big red pen, changes the rules
The community continued to demand such “mini-adjustments,” but Bungie is thinking bigger this time: If you can’t win the game, then change the rules.
With Destiny 2 comes a new weapon system. According to initial information, there are in principle now two primary weapons and a combined slot for “special weapons” and “heavy weapons,” which rely on specific ammo.
This means: Bungie solves the problem with special weapons by basically eliminating them and merging them with heavy weapons.
Destiny 2: What are kinetic weapons, energy weapons, power weapons?
In the “kinetic slot”, normal primary weapons will continue to appear. Weapons that do not cause elemental damage, such as auto rifles, hand cannons, pulse rifles, scout rifles, also pistols and the new “SMGs”.
In the “energy” slot, the same weapons are found, but with elemental damage. These are “hybrid weapons”: pistols, hand cannons, auto rifles with solar, void, and arc damage. These weapons then have a bonus effect, which causes them to deal increased damage in certain situations. This should add a tactical component.
In the “power” slot, there are then heavy weapons such as shotguns, sniper rifles, swords, the new grenade launchers, and the like. Here, the “one-shot-one-kill” weapons should come together. The ammo for these weapons drops relatively frequently in PvP, but only the one who opens the box gets it – as it currently seems. In Destiny 1, the box opener supplied all nearby players with ammo.
This way, Bungie quite brutally solves the problem with the dominance of special weapons, sniper rifles, and shotguns. If someone wants to use them, they must forgo their “heavy arsenal”.
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Two Phases in the Crucible – Primary Weapon Fights and “One-Hit-Wonder” Phases
Bungie forces the players into a “slower match” and to play with primary weapons. If the ammo for the power slot is available and someone runs around with their killer weapons, then Destiny 2 gets faster. This is how a “two-phase fight” is supposed to emerge in the Crucible.
Additionally, the diversity of weaponry in the Crucible is now greater. If someone wants to play with scout rifles and elemental hand cannons, they can do that.
Note: So far, it is not yet clear how this all works and whether the system goes live exactly as is and what effects it has. This aspect was only touched upon in the official part of the gameplay reveal.
For testing, players only had a cut-down build. So many key pieces of information are still missing to assess how the new system actually plays out. It is interesting in any case.
The balance is not an isolated system – there will be many other changes to Destiny. Such as with the classes:
Final Fantasy XIV will become more accessible with the upcoming expansion Stormblood. In a detailed video, lead developer Naoki Yoshida showcased the upcoming changes, especially in the area of skills and job actions.
Some of the complex gameplay mechanics have now also become too complicated for lead developer Naoki Yoshida, and as a result, the upcoming expansion Stormblood will clean up and streamline the gameplay significantly.
Final Fantasy XIV – Job Actions and Skills – Less is More
To make the game more accessible, some aspects of FF14 have been streamlined. So, some actions will disappear from the completely overloaded action bars.
These are the “Character Actions,” which will be replaced by a set of up to five “Role Actions.”
These are actions specifically tailored to the role of the hero – tank, healer, or damage dealer. With the change, you no longer need to level up jobs to receive actions for a different job.
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Another reason for the completely overloaded skill bars were the job actions. These have also been significantly streamlined:
Many actions that were rarely or never used are now gone or have been combined with other skills into something more useful
Improved versions automatically replace the old version
Only job actions that function differently than the predecessor (Thunder I and III are single-target, Thunder II and IV are AoE) will get their own slot.
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This measure is supposed to make Final Fantasy XIV more accessible for gamepad players. We have embedded the videos of the new job actions and action bars here for you. Additionally, there’s a video from the YouTuber and FF14 expert Charles, who summarizes the new features again. Enjoy!
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In Destiny, a new week begins today, on May 23. It’s Weekly Reset. New activities await the Guardians, such as the Nightfall strike and the Featured Raid.
Last week was all about Destiny 2. Finally, Bungie lifted the curtain and gave the Guardians a first look at the upcoming sequel during the gameplay premiere. We at Mein-MMO followed the reveal and flooded you with numerous articles, which you can find on our overview page for Destiny 2.
In the heroic SIVA Crisis Strike playlist, the modifiers are Heroic, Void Burn, Brawler, and Heavyweight.
Challenge of Elders and Story Playlist
In the weekly story playlist, the missions are from the Taken War. The modifiers are Heroic, Switchlight, and Aerial.
For the Challenge of Elders, there are bonus points for super kills. The modifiers are Specialist and Chieftain. You fight against the Insurgent Spirit, Noru’usk, and Sylok.
The Raid Challenges starting May 23
This week, it’s Crota’s raid. This has received two challenges since the Age of Triumph: One with the Witch and one with Crota himself.
Tyra Karn has the artifacts Skorris’ Remembrance (59 Strength), Radegast’s Remembrance (35 Intellect, 36 Strength), and Gheleon’s Remembrance (31 Discipline, 38 Strength).
Eris Morn wants a Wormspore donation.
The Future War Cult and the New Monarchy want Helium Filaments.
The Dead Orbit demands Relic Iron.
Lord Shaxx has bounties for Supremacy and Control. The Crucible quartermaster offers bounties for pulse rifles, scout rifles, sidearms, snipers, and heavy weapons. The weekly PvP playlist is Doubles.
Commander Zavala has Strike Elite, Dawn and Relentless (9 quick kills for Fury medals).
Albion Online is starting soon, but before the release, the big Hector update is coming. It targets the Outland cities and also includes a redistribution of resources from the Outland.
Albion Online, the sandbox MMO from Berlin, begins on July 17. But before that, the grim Hector update is set to shake things up in the Albion world.
Fans of the ports and Outland cities will have to be very brave now.
Albion Online – Outland Cities Be Gone!
The developers at Sandbox Interactive are not satisfied with the ports and Outland cities. These settlements have been nests full of guilds without territory and players who have been banished from the royal lands. The developers do not like it. Therefore, they are taking the radical step and tearing down all cities of this kind!
Instead of Outland cities, the Hector update introduces a portal in the central city of Caerleon, which leads to all Outland zones. This makes Caerleon the sole access point to the Outland.
Attention: If you have stored items or gold in the cities doomed to destruction, you should secure your valuables as soon as possible, as the Hector update will be released on June 7.
Albion Online – More Resources in the Outland with Hector Upgrade
Hector doesn’t just destroy cities; he also ensures that new things are created. With the update, two new methods of resource distribution in the Outland will be introduced:
All Outland zones will contain the same amount of resources. However, difficult black zones will have more enchanted materials, making these areas more attractive for collectors.
Spying tower areas within the Outlands will be upgraded. With the update, they will be the only areas containing tier 8 resources. The resources will spawn here at the respective primetime of the area, making it more attractive for guild vs. guild battles. Additionally, players can start gathering right away without having to wait unnecessarily.
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Today, on May 23rd, the servers of Destiny are down. All consoles are affected by the maintenance – PS4, Xbox One.
As Bungie announced a few hours ago, they are conducting maintenance today. The last scheduled maintenance was announced weeks in advance, allowing guardians to look for other activities. This time, you will have to spontaneously reorganize your evening plans.
Here are the important times for the maintenance on May 23rd on all consoles:
At 6:30 PM, preparations for the maintenance will begin. You should make sure to finish your activity.
At 7 PM, all players will be removed from their activities. The servers will go offline.
At 9 PM, the maintenance work is expected to be completed. The servers will come back online.
Keep in mind that Bungie often provides inaccurate time estimates. The servers might be brought back online significantly earlier.
What’s changing today?
Nothing. This maintenance will not bring any changes to gameplay or new game content. The developers are likely working on some issues in the background.
A few hours before the maintenance announcement, Bungie tweeted that they are still investigating issues with some activity statistics on Bungie.net.
What can I do during maintenance?
So you don’t have to stare at the white wall with vacant eyes, you can read our overview article on Destiny 2. There you will find all the previous updates. Last week, the gameplay premiere took place, revealing a ton of new information about the sequel.
Until the servers are back up, here is a selection of exciting articles about Destiny 2:
Some heroes from Overwatch have gone through some pretty strange development phases. Jeff Kaplan reveals various secrets of the defensive heroes.
Jeff Kaplan, the Game Director of Overwatch, has recorded several videos with IGN in recent days. In doing so, he unveils numerous secrets about the development of the hero shooter. He has now also published 6 secrets about the various defensive characters in the game.
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No character in the game had as many different ultimates as Bastion. Before he got his tank mode, there were various things he could do:
Bouncing grenades
Shooting through walls
Firing a mine that dealt area damage (and was indestructible)
All these ultimates felt “terrible,” which is why they were quickly removed.
Hanzo’s ultimate is known within the Overwatch team as “The Caterpillar.” This is because Hanzo did not have an animation for the dragons during his development phase. The developers simply took 4 large balls that pressed together and made their way through the level – and it looked like a giant caterpillar.
Junkrat’s character design initially envisioned him wearing a large protective suit – one like bomb disposal experts wear to increase their chances of survival in emergencies. So he would have become a rather “chubby” character model. Ultimately, however, Junkrat became the crazy pyromaniac who is also affected by his own explosions – the whole team just liked that better.
Mei was originally supposed to be a character named “Frostbyte” and was then conceived as a bounty hunter. Only in a later revision did she become “cuter” and receive all these “cool” ice abilities.
The name of Torbjörn is the name of an actual employee at Blizzard from the Overwatch team. When he joined Blizzard and they learned his name, Chris Metzen and Jeff Kaplan looked at each other and said, “Wow, that’s the coolest name I’ve ever heard” – and just like that, our Swede had a name. By the way, Torbjörn’s name translates to “Thor’s Bear.”
Widowmaker is part of a concept from another game. There, there would have been a “Ranger” class with many different variations (presumably “Titan”). One of those variations would have been a sniper with a grappling hook. The developers liked the concept so much that they simply adopted it into Overwatch.
Today, May 23rd, the servers of The Division are down. Update 1.6.1 with version number 1.13 is being deployed. Information about the launch on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
Today is the day when a long-awaited feature is being introduced in The Division: The Loadouts. For over a year, agents have been asking for the ability to save their builds and switch between them quickly. Starting today, this will be possible. Because today the update 1.6.1 is coming.
In order for the update to go live, several hours of maintenance work will first take place:
At 9:30 AM our time, the servers will be shut down. They are expected to be down for three hours, so you can return to the post-apocalypse at 12:30 PM. During this maintenance, update 1.6.1 will be deployed.
The download size is around 4 GB.
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Update 1.6.1 is a quality update. This means it primarily brings bug fixes and balance adjustments. New gameplay content is scarce. The most important new features are:
the Loadouts (with this, you can save your builds and switch between them quickly),
the new rewards for Landmarks in the Dark Zone (there is a non-contaminated item that does not have to be extracted, DZ-XP, and DZW)
as well as the Performance Badges in the “Last Stand” mode (if you perform strongly, you receive more points and rewards).
Also numerous balance adjustments and bug fixes. Here is a selection:
Aim Assist is no longer active when shooting from the hip with a controller
Several issues with Revival have been fixed
High-Value Targets (HVTs) no longer get stuck in their spawn areas
Extended Magazines at Level 34 now roll between 109% and 121% extra mag size (instead of between 109 and 111). This change is not retroactive
Already existing Extended Magazines at Level 33 that had over 108% will be reduced to 108%.
The Hasty Talent now grants healing over time – in 4 seconds and 4 pulses. Additionally, it can no longer revive you if you die during “Cover to Cover” movement.
NinjaBack Backpack will be removed from the loot pools.
A bug has been fixed where the Pakhan Talent only worked on NPCs.
Weapons with Burst Fire now have a maximum fire rate
The Base Flinch has been significantly reduced for all weapons – in PvE and PvP. NPC weapons cause less flinch.
The Seeker Mine with Air Detonation Mod now inflicts real fire status effect that can be removed using First Aid Kits. Stagger has been completely removed.
The release of Red Dead Redemption 2 has been postponed to next year. These screenshots show that something great awaits us!
Originally, Red Dead Redemption 2 was supposed to be released in the fall of 2017. However, these plans have changed, as RockstarGames has now explained. Because the developers want to release a “finished” game, fans unfortunately have to wait a little longer.
Rockstar apologizes for the delay and provides seven screenshots that give hope for beautiful, detailed graphics.
Red Dead Redemption 2 release for PS4 and Xbox One in 2018
On the official website of RockstarGames, the team explains that the planned launch for RDR2 on PS4 and Xbox One is now in spring 2018. Fans of the Western adventure have already discussed a possible delay of the release in advance. After all, there has been little marketing for the game, which was originally supposed to be released in the fall of 2017.
The team apologizes for the disappointment but justifies the delay by stating they want to present fans with a finished game. New information about the Western game from RockstarGames is expected to be revealed this summer.
To make the delay a bit more bearable, the team has released seven screenshots that increase the anticipation for the game even more. The portrayed world of RDR2 is detailed and lovingly designed, indicating that the extended wait time will likely be worth it.
How do you like the visual preview of the Western adventure from RockstarGames? Do you accept the screenshots as a consolation?
In World of Tanks, selected YouTubers act as “Community Contributors” who receive early access to new content and special tanks from the developer Wargaming. They then showcase these in their videos to their fans, which should please both WG and the YouTubers. However, in the case of one YouTuber, there was an unpleasant incident along with accusations of censorship.
For the upcoming Grand Finals 2017, Wargaming has released a special premium tank. The Chrysler K is a heavy tank available as a premium version for 80 USD. To present the new vehicle, numerous Community Contributors were given access to it.
World of Tanks – Angry YouTube Video Leads to Controversy
One of these selected YouTubers is SirFoch. SirFoch is known for being quite harsh and not holding back.
True to his reputation, SirFoch expressed his outrage in a video about the Chrysler K in a particularly unrefined manner regarding the alleged Pay2Win qualities of the tank.
https://youtu.be/Z9juoiLgzFU
The tank is simply too strong, the front armor is nearly impenetrable without expensive premium ammunition, and the tank has no frontal weak points. Not even at the MG ports (which are major weak points for most tanks) that can be seen on the model. These would be just graphics and have no impact on the armor.
This makes the Chrysler K a massive Pay2Win monster, and Wargaming a greedy scumbag company only after the money of poor players. However, SirFoch did not express all this coolly, factually, and politely. Instead, he garnished his 1:46 minute long video with various swear words and insulting comments towards Wargaming. The video contains the word “Fuck” 14 times and ends with a hearty “Fuck You, Wargaming!”
World of Tanks – “Delete the Video, or Else…”
This form of publicity was certainly not well received by Wargaming, and soon Community Manager Ph3lan addressed SirFoch. Ph3lan informed SirFoch that his days as a Community Contributor were numbered due to this action. Wargaming does not tolerate such insults.
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Furthermore, he should take down the relevant video. SirFoch initially refused to do so, which is why Ph3lan became a bit clearer. If SirFoch did not remove the video, they would contact YouTube and issue a Copyright Strike. This would mean Sir Foch could never report on World of Tanks content on YouTube again and his channel with 57 thousand subscribers would be in serious danger.
Wargaming – Criticism is Allowed, But No Defamation
SirFoch then removed the video, but took screenshots of the conversation with Ph3lan and uploaded them as proof that Wargaming censors his opinion. Wargaming did not want this to go unchallenged and therefore, Ph3lan published a long Q&A statement in the World of Tanks forum regarding the whole matter:
They have always appreciated SirFoch as a Contributor, even if he occasionally was a bit harsh
They tolerate criticism of Wargaming and its products, but no insults to the company or its employees
Community Contributors are not Wargaming employees, but still represent the company. Therefore, such behavior as exhibited by SirFoch is damaging to the business and insulting.
The threat of a Copyright Strike indeed occurred, but only after SirFoch had refused to remove the video despite sufficient justification. Since the video was deemed defamatory by Wargaming, this was the only way to get rid of it.
SirFoch is welcome to continue making videos about Wargaming games, but please without being insulting.
Meanwhile, SirFoch has released another video explaining the fate of the first video (which has since appeared on other channels) and criticizes Wargaming in a somewhat more moderated tone. At the same time, he also announces that he might not cover Wargaming anymore in the future, and he is not pleased with the alleged censorship of his content by Wargaming.
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What do you think about the matter? Do you understand Wargaming’s behavior, who are reluctant to be insulted and abused? Or do you think SirFoch is right that Wargaming is censoring him, and they should not have threatened him with Copyright Strikes? Let us know in the comments.
The first trailers of Far Cry 5 show a corpse in the river and a person being shot while fleeing. Welcome to Hope County!
For the new installment of the Far Cry series, Ubisoft today released four trailer videos. These only give a rough impression of what to expect in the game. A corpse in the water, a shot at a fleeing person, an unusual treatment of the dead, and a scream in the mountains.
We will get more details during the worldwide announcement that will take place later this week.
Far Cry 5 2017 – Announcement on Friday
Fans have already speculated about the locations where the new Far Cry 5 will take place. A Western setting was among the topics of discussion. These speculations are likely to come to an end soon, as the worldwide announcement of the new Ubisoft title will take place on Friday, May 26. There we will probably get more information about the game. For now, we can get a rough idea of the setting with the new video clips.
The first teasers now show that we are embarking on an adventure in Montana, in the northwest of America. With “Welcome to Hope County,” Ubisoft presents us the trailers. However, in the scenes shown in the trailers, there is no “hope” left for some individuals.
Far Cry 5 – Trailer 1 – Corpse in the Water
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In Destiny 2, the Titan Striker class is being reworked. He can now pummel enemies with Fists of Havoc.
Arcstrider, Sentinel, and Dawnblade – These are the three new subclasses introduced during the gameplay premiere. In addition to these new focuses, existing ones for Destiny 2 are also being revamped, such as Gunslinger and Striker.
What can the Striker Titan do now?
From Fist of Havoc to Fists of Havoc – Titan Striker Class
The first noticeable change to the Striker focus is the new design of the focus overview. On the right side, you see the Striker in its Super, while the abilities are listed on the left.
At the center is the symbol for the Super: It is no longer called Fist of Havoc but Fists of Havoc. You activate the Super with the same buttons as in Destiny 1. On PS4, that’s L1+R1. However, the Titan now doesn’t just slam to the ground and that’s it (Panic Fist); instead, he can move while the Super is active. With R1, you perform attacks similar to the shoulder charge, and with R2, you slam to the ground (similar to the previous Fist of Havoc). You can unleash Fists of Havoc (R2) about four times per Super.
Above the Super in the focus overview, there are three grenades listed, which are identical to the previous grenades of the Striker Titan: Flashbang, Pulse Grenade, and Arcbolt Grenade.
To the left of the Super symbol, there are two focus nodes for the class-specific abilities. These are new to Destiny 2 and should not depend on the subclass, but on the class. The Titan can create a large shield barricade here by holding down the Circle button. You can take cover behind the shield. The second class-specific focus node generates a smaller shield that you can aim over with your weapon. Additionally, the equipped weapon is immediately equipped when you take cover.
In the top right of the focus overview, these abilities are listed:
Shoulder Charge: After a short sprint, you can press R1 to execute a shoulder charge
Aerial Strike: A Fist of Havoc does more damage the longer it is in the air
Magnitude: Extends the duration of Pulse Grenades, Arcbolt Grenades, and Aftermath
Aftermath: A Fist of Havoc confuses enemies and leaves a field that deals damage
Interesting: These four abilities require exotic shards to unlock.
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At the bottom of the focus overview, there are the three familiar jump abilities: Increased Height, Enhanced Control, and Catapult. And next to them are these four abilities:
Frontal Assault: A powerful melee strike that grants you increased weapon stability.
Reversal: Melee kills trigger immediate health regeneration.
Knockout: Breaking through enemy shields increases your melee range.
Trample: The Super stays active longer when you sprint. Taking out an enemy with the Fists of Havoc extends its duration.
Nexxoss Gaming shows you the focus in the video:
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The Striker Titan is significantly more mobile in Destiny 2 than in Destiny 1. While some abilities are identical to the D1 focus, there are also interesting innovations. All focus nodes that directly affect armor, recovery, and agility are no longer present.
In Final Fantasy XIV, a major event will be held in Hamburg on May 24. In anticipation of the event, the developers led by Naoki Yoshida have prepared a new “Letter from the Producer” that has already been teased. In it, you can see the magnificent city of Kugane, the new UI, and the Monk.
Final Fantasy XIV will receive its second major expansion, Stormblood, on June 20. It will introduce new classes such as the Red Mage and the Samurai. Additionally, the story will take players to the East in Asia-inspired areas. One of these is the city of Kugane, which looks particularly magnificent.
Final Fantasy XIV – Kugane and New UI
If you want to see the city before the release of Stormblood, you shouldn’t miss the embedded video here. It is a test run for the upcoming “Letter from the Producer, Part XXXVI”. In it, you will see Final Fantasy XIV director Naoki Yoshida and Community Manager Toshio Murouchi. They will show you the new Stormblood UI and the magnificent city of Kugane.
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The Letter from the Producer is scheduled to be sent in full today, May 22. The Final Fantasy XIV Stormblood event will take place on May 24 in Hamburg, and our author Leya will be there live. So expect a lot of new information and content about Stormblood in the coming days.
In Patch 7.2.5 of World of Warcraft, old legendaries must be upgraded again. This works through a new quest.
The legendary items are an integral part of World of Warcraft. While they have long lost their rarity shine like “Thunderfury” or “Atiesh”, they have now become a fixed part of all characters. However, to ensure that the legendary items remain the top choice in every equipment slot in Patch 7.2.5, they must be upgraded periodically. With each new raid, the maximum item level of equipment increases, and a legendary of item level 910 will no longer impress anyone.
With Patch 7.2.5, a new quest is coming into the game that allows this upgrading.
Vridiel is – once again – the quest giver for the upgrade.
Blizzard is strongly orienting itself to the already existing quest that allows upgrading from level 910 to 940.
The quest “Unsettled Power” is triggered by an item that can be found, for example, in the weekly reward chest in the Class Hall – but only if you have at least one upgradable legendary. Presumably, the quest starter will also be available from other sources.
Upgrade legendaries to level 970 – whether from 910 or 940
The quest works similarly to “Touched by Titans” – it is a long collection quest. A total of 50 “Writhing Essence” must be collected, so that you subsequently receive a Distilled Titan Essence that catapults any legendary from Legion to item level 970. A previous upgrade to 940 is not necessary. So, if you have taken a break from the game, you can directly upgrade even “old” legendaries from level 910 to 970.
On the PTR, the essences can still be found primarily in the Night Fortress.
On the PTR, the Writhing Essence is mainly available from the Night Fortress, but in the live version, they will probably drop from various bosses in the Tomb of Sargeras – at all difficulty levels.
Additional sources for the Writhing Essence are expected to include:
The reward chests from the daily Emissary missions
The weekly reward chest in the Class Hall for completing “Mythic+” dungeons
The completion of weekly PvP quests
Quest “Unsettled Power” is repeatable
With 50 Writhing Essences in your inventory, you then return to Arcanist Vridiel. The quest is, by the way, repeatable – this is also bitterly necessary, as many players now have legendaries in the double digits. Completing the full upgrade of all items can take several weeks and months. Choose wisely which items you want to upgrade first.
There is no fixed release date for Patch 7.2.5 yet.
The images used are from blizzplanet (see sources).
