LoL: League of Legends’ professional eSports scene (LCS) is losing more and more viewers in Europe. Why is that, and what do “nerds” have to do with it?
Young men shyly smiling at the camera and mumbling a few sentences. This image is often presented when the top players of the LCS step in front of the camera. LCS stands for “League of Legends Championship Series” and consists of the European and North American eSports leagues in LoL.
These shy “nerds” could spell doom for the European LCS. Viewer numbers are continuing to decline in Europe. Fewer viewers mean less money and decreased support for the scene.
There are several reasons why viewer interest is decreasing. In this article, we focus on the personal aspect of the players.
Top players of the LCS are not media personalities
With YouTubers and streamers, the competition is growing. YouTubers and streamers often bring what professional LoL players lack: charisma and a casual approach to their medium. They market themselves to get their channel up and running. This is referred to as “personal branding.” Viewers come back to see the person and follow their story.
Professional players come from a different background. They are just damn good players. They have spent hours grinding to climb to the top of the leaderboard. They played until their fingers bled to perfect their techniques. And at some point, they were possibly picked up by a professional team.
During this time, they became top players, but not media personalities.
Sports thrive on their fans and stars
Now one might say: In eSports, it’s not about being a media personality, but about winning matches. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.
Let’s compare it to football. What makes football great? Its fans and the love for their club, their players, and their coaches. Almost everyone will know who a Thomas Müller or a Bastian Schweinsteiger is. Players often stay with their club and in the public eye for years. They are present and make it possible to be a fan.
However, top football players receive intensive media and speech training before they step in front of a camera.
For LCS players, it’s different. They don’t receive training on how to present themselves in front of a camera and in interviews. This often leads to awkward moments that get shared on the internet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0nIJyNLqgU
While LoL players are thrown in front of the camera and the audience, the LCS is now getting more professional around them. The analysts and casters have a professional appearance and know how to articulate themselves. Every minute is filled with music that creates hype. Fan chants echo. Players wear jerseys with logos and sponsors. Still, the players struggle in front of the camera.
Why is “personal branding” important for the LCS?
The lack of personality hits us Europeans particularly hard.
In the West, the individual counts, and the single person is in the foreground. In Korea, for example, it’s the collective and the performance that matters. That’s why the Korean eSports scene gets along well without
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
With Age of Triumph come 16 new exotics in the MMO shooter Destiny. These are Adept versions of the raid primary weapons.
On 28.3., the Age of Triumph will be ushered in with the update 2.6.0. This brings not only the old raids up to endgame level with a 390 light level version but also initiates the return of numerous raid weapons.
In the first year of Destiny, the legendary raid primary weapons with elemental damage dominated the primary slots of the guardians. They are making a comeback – albeit in significantly altered form.
What you need to know about raid primary weapons in Age of Triumph:
All raid primary weapons have a standard version and an Adept version.
The standard versions are legendary and have no elemental damage. They can be obtained through the raids. In other words, Fatebringer and others can be reclaimed as legendary weapons, but they deal only kinetic damage.
The Adept versions are exotic, deal elemental damage, and have a new look. You will have to sacrifice the Exotic slot if you want to carry a solar, arc, or void primary weapon.
You can obtain the exotic raid adept weapons by mastering the challenges in the weekly featured raids. With AoT, the two old raids “The Vault of Glass” and “Crota’s End” now also have raid challenges available. This is also how you can get the ornament tokens, with which you can enhance your raid armor.
The primary weapons from the King’s Fall raid and from Wrath of the Machine also receive Adept versions that deal elemental damage – although the legendary standard versions never had elemental damage.
Overall, Age of Triumph introduces 16 new exotic raid adept weapons into the game, four for each of the four raids. What do they look like and what should one expect from them?
Fatebringer – Hand Cannon from the Vault of Glass
Fatebringer was the most talked-about weapon before AoT: A trailer showed that it no longer deals arc damage. The community was up in arms: Are the raid weapons being stripped of their elemental damage?
In a later teaser trailer, the Adept version was then seen and the guardians calmed down again – for they thought: “All is well, Fatebringer still has arc damage – and a new ornament?” It was only revealed in the last livestream for AoT that this was the Adept version.
Fatebringer was regarded as the best legendary hand cannon in Year 1 and a monster in PvE, as the perk combination of Outlaw, Firefly, and Explosive Rounds paired with arc damage was outstanding. Consequently, it was also popular among the guardians. Even in Year 3, players were looking for a “Fakebringer” – after an Imago loop that brings the Fatebringer perks.
Statistically, Fatebringer can impress. It is still unknown whether AoT will adjust the “Year 1” stats, but we expect that the raid weapons will retain their character. Fatebringer belongs to the popular Hawkmoon archetype and has an extremely high base range (even higher than Eyasluna or Palindrome!):
By the way: Update 2.6.0 will slightly reduce the base range of hand cannons. A nerf is coming for this strong weapon type.
The Super Adventure Box in Guild Wars 2 is back and takes your heroes into a bizarre Jump&Run world in pixel look. In it, you’ll face tough jumping puzzles and other challenges.
The Super Adventure Box in Guild Wars 2 is an elaborate “April Fool’s joke” that first came into the game in 2013. Back then as now, it is about entering a crazy world simulation using the namesake machine (which resembles a Game Cube), devised by the Asura tinkerer Moto (a nod to Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto).
. In the box, you will then find a wacky world in pixel style with an 8-bit soundtrack and plenty of Jump’n Run.
Guild Wars 2 – Super Adventure Festival – Not for movement rejecters!
In 2016, the Super Adventure Box returns. The event is called “Super Adventure Festival”, but it is basically the same event as last year. Once again, you must rescue Princess Miya.
To that end, you will hop and fight your way through six levels in two worlds. The jumping segments are anything but easy, but at least in the “child’s play” mode, it’s still manageable. However, if you enjoy a full dose of frustration, choose the “Tough” mode for even more loot.
As every year, there will be various item skins in pixel energy field look to win. Additionally, you will receive decorations for your guild hall, which you can also transform into a kind of Super Adventure Box – provided your guild mates like pixel stuff.
The Super Adventure Festival 2017 begins on March 30 and ends on April 20. So you have plenty of time to master the difficult jumps and reap your rewards. Have fun in the Super Adventure Box!
The items from the Tomb of Sargeras in WoW are far too weak. Blizzard will be making significant adjustments to the item level.
The next update for World of Warcraft is already on the way. Patch 7.2 “The Tomb of Sargeras” will not only bring the new zone “Broken Shore” but also demon invasions and an increase in the difficulty of dungeons. Also included in the patch is the long-awaited raid “Tomb of Sargeras,” where some high-ranking demon lords will be confronted – at the very end stands Kil’jaeden, the right hand of Sargeras, the leader of the Burning Legion.
However, it will likely take several weeks before the raid is actually released, as the shore must first be conquered.
The community already has concerns about whether the raid will even be worth it. The item levels of the items there are relatively low. Many players would be better off using crafted gear or keeping the gear from the Nighthold (the “old” raid) for a long time.
The Community Manager Lore has responded to the players’ concerns and has already announced in the official forum that the tuning of the gear is not yet complete, even if the patch is already released. He stated:
“The item level of the gear is not yet final and it probably won’t be until shortly before the raid is released. To avoid confusion, I can already reveal that we will implement a small hotfix that will increase the item level of the loot from the Tomb of Sargeras by 15 points.”
After this change, the minimum item level of the new raid instance will look as follows:
LFR: 885
Normal: 900
Heroic: 915
Mythic: 930
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Are you looking forward to the new raid? Or are you not done with the Nighthold yet? And what do you think about releasing patches even if parts of them are not final?
Right away, Amazon lists 3 books related to Bungie’s MMO shooter Destiny. However, these are not Destiny novels; rather, they target a different audience.
Numerous novels have been published for Blizzard’s MMORPG World of Warcraft. They delve into the world of Azeroth, narrating the backstory, recounting past events, or spotlighting side characters. The novels give shape and depth to the fantasy world. Players become readers, perceiving the world they have spent so much time in from a different perspective, immersing themselves even deeper.
In Destiny, there is also much to experience. The game is notorious for explaining very little as there is simply no time for that. Destiny just doesn’t have time for explanations. A novel would be the perfect medium to expand on this, right?
The Books on Destiny
And indeed: There are three official books from Bungie about Destiny, which can be purchased, for example, on Amazon, but two of them are not what one might expect. We present here the three books on Destiny.
The Art of Destiny
The first is a relatively classic book about games, an art book. In “The Art of Destiny”, Art of the Game, concept art and images can be found.
Images that the Destiny developers used as a guide while creating the world of Destiny. Some concepts made it into the final game, others did not.
So far, so normal. But the second book is a bit strange.
The book “D is for Destiny” is aimed at English-speaking “young readers” and aims to teach them the alphabet. From “Four-Armed-Fallen” to the “Mysteries of Mercury” – D is for Destiny is probably ideal for Guardians to ensure that their own “little lights” will one day follow in their footsteps.
The two books have already been released, and Bungie has now announced another one. However, it is also not a novel but a coloring book. “Destiny: The Official Coloring Book” is set to be released on July 11, 2017.
Valus Ta’aurc will surely be pleased. His library, as is well known, contains two books, and both are already colored in. There is more to come.
The offers presented here contain so-called affiliate links. With a purchase through one of these links, we receive a small commission from the respective provider.
More about Destiny, true art, is presented in this article:
On April 1st, there will be interesting skins for Alistar, Kennen, Renekton, and Kog’Maw in League of Legends that should not be missing from any quirky skin collection.
Every year, the developers of League of Legends design cool new skins that present the champions in a different look. During special holidays, there are champion skins that fit the occasion. This was evident at Christmas 2016 with the appearance of Snow Day Graves, Christmas Braum, and Winter Wonder Karma.
For the URF Day 2017 on April 1st, four new skins will be released for the LoL community, that will make you want to break out into a loud “Awww“. Super Kennen, Renactionfigur, Muhkuh Alistar, and Mops’Maw will conquer your hearts.
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Super Kennen is here to save you! He rushes to the aid of his friends Muhkuh Alistar and Renactionfigur, who are fleeing from the nasty claws (and drool) of Mops’Maw. This skin for the popular mini-ninja makes him appear in a suit reminiscent of the superhero The Flash.
The skin currently costs 750 RP on the PBE servers and offers:
New model and textures
New appearance for auto-attacks and Q
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The special thing about Renactionfigur is that he is always grumpy. The reason for his bad mood is that he spends all his free time fleeing from the drooling Mops’Maw. Who wouldn’t be in a bad mood?
The skin currently costs 750 RP on the PBE servers and offers:
New model and textures
Ultimate ability visually revamped
New death sound
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Many of the new skins flee from this drooling creature. But actually, he is so sweet! How can anyone say “no” to the cute Mops’Maw when he runs into the jungle and retrieves an Ivern?
The skin currently costs 975 RP on the PBE servers and offers:
New model and textures
Visual revamp of all abilities
New recall sounds
New recall animation
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No exact release date for these skins has been announced yet. It is expected that they will be available in the League of Legends shop on URF Day, April 1st.
Which Cryo Pods in Mass Effect: Andromeda are the most beneficial? We give you some tips to get started on which Cryo Pod you should open first.
The progress and curiosity in Mass Effect: Andromeda are rewarded in various ways. There are plenty of quests, loot crates, or rare enemies that can be found on different planets in the Andromeda galaxy. However, those who regularly do good deeds and continue to explore the planets will also accumulate Nexus levels.
With the right Cryo Pod perks, you will see additional treasures on the map.
Once a new level has been reached, Ryder is able to open a series of new Cryo Pods and thereby bring new inhabitants to the Nexus.
However, the inhabitants are not just wandering NPCs, as Ryder gains valuable bonuses. But which perks are really useful and which are less important? We have compiled a list of our top 3 perks that will help Ryder the most.
1. Reconnaissance
This Cryo Pod belongs to the military capsules, but the effect is more relevant for researchers. After the inmates of the Reconnaissance are released, Ryder can discover additional loot crates on each planet, which are even roughly marked on the map.
These crates are particularly valuable, as they contain between 3 and 7 items, which can sometimes be very rare. In addition to useful weapons, there are crafting materials and sellable “junk” of great value – occasionally even keys to solve Remnant encryptions!
2. Trade Capacity
The Trade Capacity belongs to the commercial capsules and expands Ryder’s inventory to a total of 65 slots – an increase of 15 slots. Those who are hesitant to part with weapons, augmentations, and weapon attachments will appreciate the expanded inventory space. But even extended adventures can now last a bit longer, as you can carry more loot before needing to visit the next vendor.
3. Lab Technicians
As a third option, we recommend the Lab Technicians, which can be found in the science capsules. They ensure that Ryder receives research points for the Milky Way at regular intervals. The condition for this is that Ryder regularly checks in on the Tempest and “collects” the points. This is done directly through the unlocked perk in the menu (on PC by pressing the “X” key). The perk produces 100 research points every 45 minutes at level 1 but is still upgradeable.
Which Cryo Pods did you open first and which will you ignore until the end?
Who is a hero and who is a troll in Overwatch is often decided in a split second. “Our Play of the Game” moments 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 out three special highlights for you. Have fun with our 3 “Play of the Game” moments of the week.
“No Junkrat needed in attack!” is what many players of the explosive friend have probably heard time and again. It is commonly rumored that Junkrat is only really useful defensively when he can secure corridors from elevated positions. A player on the map Volskaya Industries shows that this is quite nonsense when he moves directly behind the enemy lines right after the start. What happens next is best seen by you:
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When Reinhardt hits 4 enemies at once with his Earthshatter, the first reflex is usually clear: quickly throw a fireball and charge to squash someone against the nearest wall. But a really good Reinhardt stays calm and analyzes the situation in a flash. What is the biggest threat that remains? It is up to Danswell to make the right decision. A Reinhardt must set priorities!
https://gfycat.com/BaggyPertinentIberiannase
Sometimes even in a seemingly pointless trolling, there can be a heroic action. Deltamarine11 wanted to annoy his own Symmetra a bit as Genji by teabagging wildly on the shield generator. But then the enemy Tracer comes around the corner and places her ultimate on the generator – but Genji reacts instantly.
https://gfycat.com/WelltodoOffbeatGoitered
Our last contribution this week comes from our reader Wunsch Athur, who grabbed Orisa and immediately confirmed the prejudices about her power. With a precise mouse click, 3 enemies fall into the abyss at the same moment. Well played, Sir!
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Did you also experience a particularly cool gameplay scene that you recorded on video? Then just send us a link to the video and maybe you’ll find your clip in this post next week!
The fantasy MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV reaches deep into its pockets and wants to build a new server center. This is intended to eliminate some of the most annoying weaknesses of Final Fantasy XIV: the too small zones and the too small inventory.
Naoki Yoshida is both the producer and director of Final Fantasy XIV. Yoshida is a kind of pop star and mastermind: What Yoshida says counts. And Yoshida likes to speak to his people.
Yoshida (left) is the head of FF14. Here he poses with our boss Dawid Hallmann at a press event.
On Friday, he announced that Square Enix will invest in a new North American data center for Final Fantasy XIV. This is a big deal and involves huge financial expenditure, as he said. It is rare for an ongoing MMORPG to relocate.
Final Fantasy XIV is bursting at the seams
Yoshida says that when the data center was set up, it was the first time that Square Enix had done something like this outside of Japan. Since the data center has been up for four years, there have been some issues: the data center is too small, there is no space for new servers, and the internet infrastructure is also not optimal.
Therefore, Square Enix has decided to move to a new center soon with more space, better network, so that many things will be possible that have not been possible before. This can be afforded because Final Fantasy XIV is said to be a constant success.
Yoshida talks about addressing three problems that have long annoyed players of Final Fantasy XIV with the Stormblood expansion and the move to the new data center:
they want to increase the limited inventory
FF14 wants to introduce “Cross-World” matchmaking for parties and also make friend management independent of the world
and they want to create additional game content and an expanded area for the zones
Three of the most annoying problems will be solved
This addresses issues that are frequently criticized in Final Fantasy XIV: Too little inventory space when playing many jobs; too small zones with frequent loading screens.
One can assume that the entire game will benefit from these new features, not just the US servers.
The move is planned for “mid-May 2017”, during which North America will be down for 48 hours. Japan and Europe will take 24 hours off. The new features will then come in June with Stormblood or possibly later.
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With such a server relocation, the ping for Europeans playing on North American servers is likely to get worse – so the data center is probably moving westward.
By the way, Yoshida does not reveal where the servers are currently located and where they will be moving to. This is for security reasons.
The “Ultimate Team” mode in the FIFA series has been around for 8 years. For its 8th birthday, we look back at the history of FUT.
On March 19, 2009, EA Sports ushered in a new era in the FIFA franchise. On that day, the “FIFA Ultimate Team” mode, commonly referred to as FUT, launched in FIFA 09. This marked the beginning of the most successful, popular, and profitable mode in FIFA’s history.
In 2016, EA’s Ultimate Teams (FIFA, Madden, and NHL) generated a staggering $800 million in revenue. The previous year it was $650 million. This approach is becoming increasingly lucrative for EA, which is why they are even considering possibilities to transfer the FUT system to Battlefield or Battlefront.
An end to the success of Ultimate Team is not in sight. On March 19, 2017, it celebrates its eighth birthday in FUT 17 – which will be celebrated in-game starting March 31.But how has FUT changed over the last eight years? What did the beginnings look like? We take a look at the history of FUT.
FUT 09
FUT was first introduced as a paid DLC in FIFA 09. Those who wanted to try this new mode back then and become a “FUT Founder” had to pay for it.
The mode cost around 10 dollars and convinced about a million players to download it. Considering that FIFA 09 was slowly coming to an end, the number of registrations was remarkable. This led to the servers being overwhelmed and crashing. Some things in FIFA simply never change.
Even in FUT 09, the framework that defines the mode was in place: There was chemistry, player, fitness, training, and contract cards, you could choose a stadium and earn coins. It was also possible to create your Ultimate Team through clever trades on the transfer market or by opening packs. Quality levels like Gold, Silver, and Bronze were already there. Though you couldn’t find tournaments or seasons, you could play offline and online. The basics of FUT that we still know today were already found in FUT 09.
Here is the trailer for FUT 09:
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FIFA 10 was released like FIFA 09 without the “Ultimate Team” mode. It wasn’t until December 2009 that the return of FUT was announced, and two months later it was available via DLC. However, it was exclusive to PS3 and Xbox 360. “FUT Founders” from FIFA 09 received two free Gold Packs – a tradition that would continue in subsequent years.
FUT 10 brought several innovations that made the mode more attractive. The price was halved, premium packs with triple the amount of rare cards were introduced, and tournaments were planned to add variety to the mode. You could accumulate an unlimited number of players and other items, and the transfer market received the “watch list” feature.
The biggest innovation in FUT 10 was the “in-form” cards, the IFs. For the first time, TOTWs were released, the Teams of the Week. This made the game more dynamic – FUT brought real football closer to virtual football. This made the mode tremendously more interesting.
An important feature that came with FUT 10 was and still is the FUT Web App. With it, you could manage transfers and your team on the PC, even when you weren’t at the console. The number of transactions increased dramatically due to the Web App.
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With FIFA 11 came the breakthrough of FUT, as EA Sports made the smartest decision in the history of FUT – at least for their own wallets: FUT 11 was offered for free as DLC, which allowed many more FIFA fans to engage with this mode. Consequently, there were many more potential buyers for the packs.
Now everyone could chase the unstoppable Messi for their team without a paid DLC. The number of players and revenues from microtransactions increased enormously.
There were innovations such that the TOTW cards turned black and that transfers in real football also reflected in FUT with updated player cards. EA Sports increasingly responded to developments in real football within this mode.
Additionally, you could now play against your friends, and leaderboards showed you who the best FUT players were.
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With FIFA 12, the era of “Ultimate Team” DLCs ended. From then on, the mode was integrated directly into the main game, making it even more accessible to players. Additionally, FUT came to the PC.
EA Sports realized that the concept of connecting real football with virtual football resonated well and appealed to players’ passion. Consequently, many new special cards related to real football were introduced in FUT 12. The TOTY cards – blue cards with strong player ratings that highlighted the best players of the year – were introduced, followed by the TOTS, the Teams of the Season, sorted by leagues. Then came the orange MOTM cards – for the Men of the Match.
FUT 12 was the time when Ultimate Team became colorful. Before FIFA 13, the Euro 2012 also took place, bringing iMOTM cards. Ultimate Team became increasingly complex, allowing major FUT sites like FIFAUTeam or FUThead to establish themselves in 2012.
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FUT 13 had a catastrophic start. The FUT season began a few days before the release of FIFA 13 with the launch of the Web App, which exhibited a fatal security flaw. Players could collect unlimited coins. Cheaters alerted EA Sports that they needed to improve their security measures.
Nonetheless, FUT 13 became a success. FUT Seasons were introduced, highlighting the competitive aspect of the game. By now, over 11 million fans were playing FUT. There was increasing publicity with professional players holding FUT cards in front of cameras. FUT kept growing – even in public perception.
One of EA Sports’ goals was to make microtransactions simpler and more convenient, which is why they replaced the old payment model with FIFA Points. Furthermore, the Companion App launched on smartphones, allowing you to take FUT anywhere.
Innovations in FUT 13 included TOTW challenges, EAS FC items for FUT, and a modern menu.
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In 2013, FIFA 14 was released with a new generation of consoles. At the same time, there was a marketing deal between EA Sports and Microsoft, which allowed Xbox players exclusive access to Legend cards – and they still do today.
Other innovations included chemistry style items, customization options such as jersey numbers or free kick takers, and seasons now had 10 leagues. There were no major innovations, as EA Sports was only working on smaller adjustments, removing player morale and making the mode “clearer.” By then, there were more than 20 million players.
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In FUT 15, EA Sports had to fight a war against coin sellers and “autobuyers.” The transfer market was dominated by unscrupulous methods, and throughout the season, the Web App and Companion App were disabled. As a result, EA Sports decided to implement price ranges. However, a new security issue arose. Many players proclaimed the death of FUT. However, FUT was not broken.
In FUT 15, loan players were introduced as a new feature. There were also additional cards: the FUTTIES and hero cards.
From then on, you could play friendly seasons and view the results in a match history system. Furthermore, there were “Dream Teams”, where you could create concept teams with players from the entire catalog. You could then copy, share, and like those teams.
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FUT 16 brought more cosmetic changes than new features: card layouts were altered, pack opening animations adjusted, and a few new legends added. New cards in the form of international heroes and a “Champions League Team of the Group Stage” were introduced.
The biggest innovation was FUT Draft, which is also present in FUT 17. In it, you build a team, receiving a selection of 5 players for each position. You must make the right decisions – and have luck – to create a good combination of strong players and high chemistry.
A major topic in FUT 16 was chemistry: A long-standing glitch was discovered, revealing that chemistry styles were no longer just placebos and in many cases the standard cards were better than the IFs. With the biggest glitch in FUT’s history, EA Sports handled the situation “interestingly”: they rolled out a fix, otherwise remained silent about the problem, released FIFA 17, and that was that.
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The biggest novelty in FIFA 17 was the story mode “The Journey,” but there were also some innovations in FUT 17. FUT Champions and Squad Building Challenges were introduced. FUT Champions replaced the former tournaments with “knockout tournaments” for the Weekend League, and the SBCs provided new opportunities to profit from player cards.
The SBCs also made it difficult to predict developments in the transfer market, as new challenges can significantly disrupt it.
Additionally, a variety of new cards were introduced into the game: Halloween cards, Movember, Group Stage, POTM, POTY, three variants of MOTM, FUT Champions, and special SBC cards. There is also an “Alex Hunter” card and “Ones to Watch.” Furthermore, winter upgrades were replaced by ratings refresh. You can find all the information about FUT 17 here.
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The action MMORPG Kritika Online is set to arrive in Europe in a few months. It originates from Korea and has been around for several years. Kritika Online features cel-shaded graphics and instant action. The sign-up for the closed beta has already started.
En Masse is the US publisher of Tera. They plan to bring Kritika Online to PC in Europe and North America. This is scheduled between April and June 2017, which is quite soon. It is set to be a free-to-play action MMORPG with cel-shaded graphics.
The announcement is: “We are cutting out all the unnecessary elements. The goal is to get you into action as quickly as possible.”
Players will battle through instanced quest areas to defeat a boss at the end of the zone in an epic fight. Players can take on these bosses solo or team up in a group to defeat them. Alongside PvE combat, Kritika Online also promises PvP.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P78DW8yNVUs
How to sign up for the closed beta of Kritika Online in Europe
Kritika Online is not an in-house development, but an Asian port – and a rather late one.
Kritika Online was announced for South Korea in 2011. It entered an open beta there in February 2013. An English version was playable in Southeast Asia in June 2016. And now in spring 2017, the title is finally coming to Europe.
It is one of those typical games that anime fans and Asian enthusiasts have had on their radar for a while – similar to “Soulworker Online.” Whether such a late release will still attract and delight fans remains to be seen.
Gameplay video for Kritika Online
Typically, such Asian MMORPGs run outside of the mainstream and only attract a specific target group, which can be quite strong and passionate about new releases.
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The MMORPG Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO) has one of the most interesting Free2Play concepts. A player has presented a method to earn 570 points in less than 3 hours.
Lord of the Rings Online has a pretty clever, but grindy Free2Play system: How free is it really?
The MMORPG HdRO was originally a subscription MMO. So it needed the base game and a recurring subscription to be played. But like many other paid MMORPGs of the “post WoW” generation, Lord of the Rings Online has been free since November 2010.
We are looking at the Free2Play system today for current reasons and showing you a method of efficiently farming Lord of the Rings Online points. The question is: Should one do this?
Lord of the Rings Online has one of the most exciting Free2Play systems
The payment model of Lord of the Rings Online is relatively complicated, as there is little content accessible for free. If you want to unlock quests in advanced zones or entire expansions like Mines of Moria, you need Lord of the Rings Online points or Turbine Points. You can either buy them in the shop or earn them through deeds.
Deeds are what achievements or trophies are in other games. In most games, you do them for their own sake, perhaps to earn a trophy like Platinum. Maybe there’s a mount or a title at stake.
In Lord of the Rings Online, however, players can, if they wish, really “unlock content without paying for it” – except with their time.
This is a pretty time-consuming matter. I did it myself once and managed to unlock enough to get to and complete the first expansion Moria.
The trick is to collect the same kill and discovery achievements with as many characters as possible, to unlock points that you can then invest in the shop. This is best done when a bonus event is running so you can acquire areas at a reduced rate. They then offer new quests where you can again collect deeds with your army of twinks. You can also access the areas beforehand – but you get nothing out of it because there are no quests and deeds.
If you have many twinks, farming deeds is a way to play Lord of the Rings Online for free.
On the page HdRO the Resistance, in the “Book of Deeds” all achievements in the individual areas are listed along with how many points you receive for them. Even if the page may be somewhat outdated here and there, HdRO the Resistance is still the best German-speaking address for fans – as far as we know.
Typical explorer quest: worth 10 points.
I farmed HdRO points pretty clumsily 4 or 5 years ago. How to go about it professionally is shown in this French video.
In 2 hours and 43 minutes to 570 points
A veteran of Lord of the Rings Online, Edward Gibion, earns 570 Lord of the Rings points in 2 hours and 43 minutes with a fresh character, however, he uses several boost items to shorten the process.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpWcMIfhIb4
The catch in the Free2Play system of Lord of the Rings Online: Better not calculate the hourly wage
Mein-MMO says: The system of Lord of the Rings Online is really interesting and sparks the ambition to unlock and earn the content against all odds.
However, one should not make the mistake of calculating the hourly wage. The 3 hours of “playing” with a fresh character result in, if everything goes optimally, 570 points, as we have seen.
Regarding the question of how free is Lord of the Rings Online: It is really free, but only for those who are willing to earn this “free” with their time.
Lord of the Rings Online is currently experiencing a kind of third or fourth spring; an expansion is set to be released in summer:
Collecting hidden templates (Hidden Skins) for artifact weapons in WoW will become more convenient. Clear progress helps keep the goal in sight.
Patch 7.2 “The Tomb of Sargeras” is just around the corner and brings numerous changes to World of Warcraft. And although Blizzard has not yet released any official patch notes, it is quite possible that these may not contain all changes. Many details will be discovered by players gradually. This also includes some convenience features that should make life easier for the heroes of Azeroth.
Especially collectors of artifact weapon skins, the so-called templates, are likely to be pleased, as they can finally track progress more accurately. Many templates have specific collection requirements, such as completing 100 different dungeons or killing 1,000 enemy players with a hidden artifact weapon template. But if you haven’t kept a tally – which might be somewhat exhausting when killing players in the Alterac Valley – then you have no idea how far along the progress of the respective skins already is.
With Patch 7.2, every artifact template with a “Collect X” or “Complete Y” requirement will have an exact display, allowing players to work towards it more specifically or reassure themselves at any time how far the goal still is.
Patch 7.2 will be released next week on March 29, 2017.
How many templates of artifact weapons have you already collected? Or have you given up the search and are just taking whatever comes to you “naturally”?
A trailer about the Pokémon GO Plus shows that the starter Pokémon Chikorita, Totodile, and Cyndaquil hatch from 2KM eggs. Leak or mistake?
In Pokémon GO, you can catch monsters not only in the wild but also receive them as rewards from eggs. These eggs are available at PokéStops and are divided into three categories: 2 kilometers, 5 kilometers, and 10 kilometers. To hatch the eggs, they must be placed in an incubator and the corresponding distance needs to be covered with you.
So far, the starter Pokémon of the 1st Gen (Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur) were hatching from 2KM eggs. The starter Pokémon of the 2nd Gen have not been available as rewards from eggs so far.
A new trailer for the Pokémon GO Plus gadget now shows that the 2nd Gen starter Pokémon hatch from these 2KM eggs. Are we expecting changes soon?
Cyndaquil, Chikorita, and Totodile from 2KM eggs
The new trailer for the Pokémon GO Plus accessory was uploaded on March 23 on the official Pokémon YouTube channel. These videos undergo an intense quality check before being shown to the channel’s over 2 million subscribers.
It is all the more surprising that the 2nd generation starters hatch from the eggs in the video. This is not possible in the current Pokémon GO version. So, this may either be false information or an unintended leak showing future changes. In the following video, you can see the mentioned Pokémon hatch from the eggs.
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At minute 1:04, you can see the different egg types. Pay attention to the 2KM eggs (green). A few seconds later, it shows which Pokémon come from the different eggs. On the far right, you can see Chikorita (only briefly in the picture) and from the other 2KM eggs hatch Cyndaquil and Totodile. The following information is given in the trailer:
Lapras 10 KM egg (already known)
Larvitar 10 KM egg (already known)
Aerodactyl 10 KM egg (already known)
Eevee 5 KM egg (already known)
Chikorita 2KM egg (New information)
Cyndaquil 2KM egg (New information)
Totodile 2KM egg (New information)
Welcome Change
If the video is indeed an accidental leak, many trainers would be pleased. It is currently not easy to collect the 2nd generation starter Pokémon without having a nest nearby. The 2nd Gen starters may replace the 1st Gen starters that have already been in eggs since the game’s release in July.
There is currently no official statement from Niantic on this matter. Trainers have also not noticed any changes to the 2KM eggs yet. So, we may expect this change in the future.
For some top players of H1Z1: King of the Kill, it is currently a tough test of patience. Because they have to be quiet.
H1Z1: King of the Kill is a battle royale game that is appealing to Twitch users. Now a huge tournament has been organized, where the crème de la crème of esports has competed against each other. 15 teams with 5 players each fought it out in a huge battle.
The catch: They cannot say a word about it. Because the event will not be broadcast in American television until April 20. And it would be quite a flop for everyone involved if it were known weeks in advance who won the tournament.
As reported by WWG, a strict confidentiality obligation applies to all parties involved in the tournament that was held last weekend. $100,000 in penalties have been announced. And everyone had to sign the NDA, the confidentiality agreement, if they wanted to participate in the tournament.
Anyone who did not want to sign was immediately sent home.
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The 15 teams that participated in the H1Z1 tournament were:
Echo Fox
Rogue
Panda Global
Denial Esports
Cloud 9
Team Gates
SoaR Gaming
Counter Logic Gaming
Obey Alliance
Set to Destroy X
Strictly Business Gaming
Ohio Rebels
Engimga 6 Group
Luminosity
World Best Gaming
The winner of the $300,000 tournament took home $180,000, the second-place winner earned $60,000, there was $30,000 for third place, fourth place received $18,000, and the fifth place still got $12,000.
H1Z1: Someone is bursting with happiness but cannot talk about it
It is clear: Somewhere in the world, 5 people are running around with a pretty big grin and an even bigger wallet, but they cannot share their happiness with anyone, otherwise things look much worse financially.
On April 20, 2017, the tournament will be broadcast on the US channel “The CW Network”, the channel that also airs the TV series Supernatural.
Then we will find out who won the tournament. If we find out beforehand, it will be quite expensive for someone.
Bad luck for the artists: When the tournament was planned, H1Z1 was still the number one battle royale game on Twitch. Meanwhile, another game has taken that spot:
In The Division, the exotic SMGs Hildr and Eir form a weapon set. Together with the Striker set, high damage values are possible.
With update 1.6, the exotic submachine guns Hildr and Eir replaced the named weapon Valkyria. Together, they now form a weapon set. This means that when you equip both, a unique talent is unlocked.
On the PTS (Public Test Servers) for 1.6, Hildr and Eir caused a stir because their talent was overly strong and also bugged. These exotics dealt over 14 million DPS to enemies. Massive nerfs followed before Hildr and Eir arrived in the game with 1.6.
What can the exotic weapon set Hildr and Eir do?
In terms of stats, Hildr and Eir are identical. They have a base magazine size of 32 and a fire rate of 825. The named weapon Valkyria also had these stats. Here are the stats:
Hildr and Eir differ primarily visually: Hildr is entirely covered in gold colors, while Eir is silver. Additionally, both have different roles in the unique talent called “Valkyria”:
Every hit with Hildr increases critical hit damage by 1% up to a maximum of 30%. Each second, the bonus decreases by 1%. This bonus only applies to Eir.
In other words: You must first build the bonus with Hildr and then switch to Eir to unleash the increased damage.
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The YouTuber rxlyaT presents the combination of “Hildr and Eir” with the Striker set. This video was also shared and recommended by the official Twitter account of The Division.
Both unique talents rely on building a bonus with hits to deal increased damage. Here are the bonuses of the Striker gear:
2-set bonus: +20% stability
3-set bonus: +10% enemy armor damage
4-set bonus: Talent – Every consecutive hit deals 1% more damage. The bonus can reach up to 100%. Missed shots reduce it by 2%. The bonus decreases by 1% per second.
This image shows the bonuses: The green-highlighted number represents the Striker bonus (maximum 100), the number next to it represents the Valkyria talent (maximum 30).
If you crank both values up, you will deal devastating damage. However, rxlyaT noticed a difference in performance when playing in “Last Stand” or in the open world. In “Last Stand” mode, you cannot build both bonuses with Hildr and benefit from them. You must first build the Valkyria bonus with Hildr and then increase the Striker bonus with Eir. Outside of “Last Stand,” however, you can build both with Hildr.
Even though you have to keep this disadvantage in mind during Last Stand, a combination of Striker and “Hildr and Eir” is very recommended, according to rxlyaT. It is a lot of fun to play with it in PvE and PvP. However, you must constantly switch weapons to benefit from the Valkyria bonus. Whether you enjoy this playstyle is something you need to find out for yourself.
Do you play with Hildr and Eir? Which gear set do you combine with it?
In the MMO shooter Destiny, the update 2.6.0 is approaching. Here are 5 things you need to know to ensure a smooth start to the Age of Triumph.
Next Tuesday, March 28, the Age of Triumph begins. This will enhance the old raids and introduce new and revamped items, allowing you to celebrate the end of “Destiny 1” in style.
The Age of Triumph will be ushered in with the update 2.6.0. Bungie has revealed some information about this update in the past few days that you should know in advance.
When will update 2.6.0 be released?
The update 2.6.0 will not go live during the weekly reset at 11 AM but will instead be available later in the evening. This will be around 7 PM, with Destiny updates usually becoming available just a few minutes later.
PS4 and “Xbox One” guardians will be brought back to the login screen and prompted to download the update. By 11 PM at the latest, all players will be removed from their activities to obtain the update. There is no server downtime indicated.
Information about weekly activities
On March 28 at 11 AM, the weekly reset will occur, resetting the activities. However, you will not be able to play the Nightfall strike and the heroic strike playlist yet. If you try, you will see the error code “Honeydew.”
These will only be unlocked with the update 2.6.0. Once you have downloaded and installed the patch, you can play the Nightfall and weekly strikes.
The Age of Triumph introduces new rewards (Treasures of the Ages) for these activities, which you would not be able to receive this week if you completed the strikes before 2.6.0. Therefore, Bungie has implemented this restriction.
Important note: Bungie cannot implement a restriction for the weekly Crucible playlist. If you play a match between 11 AM and the release of 2.6.0, you will not be able to earn a Treasure of the Ages through this activity until the next reset.
In short: Wait until you have 2.6.0 installed before engaging in weekly activities on Tuesday.
The end of The Summit is near
If you have been putting off the Crucible quest line “Forged in the Crucible,” which culminates in “The Summit,” for months, you only have until 2.6.0 to complete it. After that, this quest will be discontinued. If you are currently in the middle of a quest step, you can still complete it after March 28, but no further steps will follow.
Please note:
To receive weekly Crucible bounties, completing The Summit is no longer necessary with the Age of Triumph.
Once this quest line is discontinued, the legendary “The Hightail” rocket launcher will no longer be available.
What fixes does 2.6.0 bring?
The full patch notes for update 2.6.0 will only be released on Tuesday around 7 PM. However, Bungie has given a preview of some of the fixes:
The software giant Blizzard has announced Starcraft Remastered for the summer. The game is set to be remade, supporting 4k. Blizzard intends to keep the gameplay of StarCraft and Brood War.
There has been buzz in the rumor mill for a while, and now it is ready, and Blizzard is putting it on the menu: Starcraft: Remastered is set to be released in the summer – this is a “graphical overhaul” of the original Starcraft and the Brood War expansion.
StarCraft and Brood War will be revamped
The game will then offer 4k graphics and 1080p cinematics. Audio will also be enhanced. There will be new cutscenes and an introduction in comic book style. However, Blizzard will change nothing about the gameplay and balance.
StarCraft was released in March 1998 and is considered one of the best real-time strategy games of all time.
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As Blizzard states: StarCraft is still incredibly popular, especially in South Korea. Despite the outdated graphics, the game remains as popular as ever. That’s why they decided to make a love letter to hardcore StarCraft fans: with StarCraft Remastered.
In addition to graphical improvements, StarCraft: Remastered will also be connected to the Blizzard app, what was recently still known as Battle.net. There will be matchmaking that pits players of similar skill levels against each other in battles.
PCGamer has published a “Before/After” pic here.
The old StarCraft and Brood War will be free
There’s an additional bonus. At the end of March, a new patch for the “old” StarCraft: Brood War will come, bringing the game to 1.18. Once that happens, StarCraft and the expansion Brood War will be free. Not free-to-play, but simply free, given away.
StarCraft: Remastered, on the other hand, will not be free, but it is set to be multiplayer compatible with the original game.
This is not the first time Blizzard has been so generous:
In Mass Effect: Andromeda the radiation on Eos (Eos Radiation) causes problems. Progress is impossible.
Many players of Mass Effect: Andromeda face a problem fairly early in the game. As soon as they reach the first planet Eos, they want to take advantage of the highly praised freedom and explore the planet at will. But soon a barrier presents itself – outside the base, the planet is irradiated. While Ryder can stay in areas with level 1 radiation for a while, level 3 radiation almost instantly causes death.
The radiation on Eos causes problems
Many players are frustrated by this situation because, for now, little of the promised exploration is visible. The solution is relatively simple: continue playing the main quest. You need to help Peebee reactivate the monoliths and then complete the quest related to the grand chamber. This will set the healing process of the planet in motion.
This is hard to accept, especially for perfectionists, but the simple truth is: the planet Eos cannot be fully completed in the first attempt. You must accept that maximum viability can only be achieved later in the game. This also applies, even though you already received quests that send you into the completely irradiated zones.
Just continue with the main and side missions in other locations. In due time, you will be informed that the base on Eos is flourishing and needs your help. From then on, the radiation on the planet has decreased enough that you can freely explore the remaining areas – the deadly radiation has disappeared.
It takes some time to reach 100% on Eos.
How many times have you tried to cross the irradiated wasteland of Eos with the Nomad only to fail? And did you find it hard to backtrack with unfinished business?
