The head of Final Fantasy XIV talks about how difficult it is to keep an MMORPG fresh over the years and about the expansion Stormblood.
Naoki Yoshida gave an interview to the US site MMORPG and talked about how difficult it is to keep an MMORPG exciting over many years.
Yoshida said the hardest part is the “ongoing battle” against oversaturation. Players get tired of an MMORPG if they play it for too long. The challenge for a long-standing MMORPG is to dispel this fatigue and to provide players with a sense of excitement and enthusiasm. That is why they try to develop regular new content, release expansions, and host fan festivals.
Stormblood offers as much story as a new role-playing game
With the expansion Stormblood, Square Enix aims to bring further variety. The raid “Return to Ivalice” is to be designed by special guest developers. Additionally, the world will continue to grow. It will go underwater and extensive raid content will also be introduced. Yoshida promises a new, more exciting gaming experience.
The story of Stormblood can be compared in size to a new role-playing game. Although Final Fantasy XIV is an MMORPG, players meet interesting NPCs, travel together for part of the journey and then leave them – just like in a classic Final Fantasy. Players can look forward to the latest title in the Final Fantasy series with Stormblood.
Further announcements for Stormblood are promised by Yoshida for the fan festival in Frankfurt on February 18. There, most of the information about Stormblood will be revealed.
More information about Stormblood can be found in this article:
We have played the latest heroine from Heroes of the Storm (HotS). For whom Valeera is suitable and whether she is fun, you’ll find out in this post.
Last week, Heroes of the Storm introduced a new heroine from the Warcraft universe. Valeera Sanguinar was mostly absent in World of Warcraft, but she is indeed a historically significant character. Cortyn has taken on the new assassin and played some rounds of the nasty killer.
New HotS heroine Valeera is a lot of fun
Fundamentally, I have quite a hard time with melee assassins in Heroes of the Storm. I can manage Kerrigan, but as soon as it comes to more complex positioning, like with Illidan or Samuro, I prefer to stay away.
And what can I say? Wow, Valeera is fun!
If you’ve already played a rogue in World of Warcraft, then getting started with her is very easy. The abilities correspond quite exactly to their counterparts in the MMO. Okay, Shadow Strike has a movement component, and instead of 5 combo points, she has a maximum of 3 in HotS.
All abilities are intuitive, and even with the talents, one can already guess what they do by their names.
Autoattack and Waving
Valeera is a lot of fun – just like rogues in World of Warcraft – against “squishies” – meaning vulnerable assassins. Especially extremely soft targets without large escape mechanics – like Kael’thas or Chromie – will find themselves on the ground faster than they can type “WTF” in the chat. Choke, Shadow Strike, Shadow Strike, Gut, Autoattack, and wave.
It becomes significantly harder when the opponents have more health points and can withstand Valeera’s attacks longer. Especially “damage warriors” like Varian or Sonya can give us a harder time than we would like. It’s often better to use Vanish not before the fight, but during the battle as an escape mechanism.
Particularly noteworthy is her Ultimate “Cloak of Shadows”. It is basically a “Get Out of Jail Free” card, which also has a cooldown of just 18 seconds. Being unstoppable for one second and removing all DoTs is so powerful that many assassins run back to the Nexus crying when they hear Valeera’s Stealth sound. Starting from level 20, it gets even crazier – then she can use the cloak every 8 seconds, as it activates automatically with every “Vanish”.
Valeera: The balancing is completely fine!
With hardly any character was it so easy to transition from “I cautiously venture close” to “I fully dive into battle” like with Valeera. After a few rounds, you quite confidently figure out what you can dare and where you quickly meet your end.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
Sure, in the end, one could also say that Blizzard made it particularly easy for themselves by simply copying existing abilities from another game almost “1:1” and only slightly adapting them to MOBA needs. But even so: It worked. As Valeera eloquently puts it: “This is not a “Dirty Trick”! The balancing is completely fine! Maybe the problem lies between your ears?”
Actually, I wanted to leave HotS for a while until Blizzard brings a few new specialists – but it has once again filled several evenings. Well done.
In the fantasy MMORPG Black Desert, a Gamemaster invited players to a dangerous event: He sent players to Margoria.
It has become a rarity in MMORPGs; it used to happen more often: Employees of the development studio use their skills as Gamemasters to organize planned or spontaneous events and little special features. This brings variety and magic to the gaming world, away from the beaten paths of grinding and quests.
Last week, it happened in Black Desert: With “Margoria,” the ocean update went live, which players had been waiting for since Gamescom. As adventurers report, a Gamemaster put players on a boat. Then they set out on a ship voyage.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
The atmosphere during the crossing was, as can be gathered from videos and accounts, joyful. No one knew exactly what was happening. Most found it exciting and cool. The Gamemaster unleashed ghost ships, sea monsters, and pirates on the adventurers. It is known: Not everyone survives their journey.
This screen is likely to go down in history as a particularly beautiful moment, which we found in the comments of a US site:
“Player: Captain, I’ve been sunk by the boat!”
“Gamemaster: We will never forget you!”
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
The next SWTOR update promises group content and a reunion with old acquaintances.
In Star Wars: The Old Republic, players have just received the latest patch 5.1, which includes 5 new uprisings that suggest a new enemy. The developers have already provided a glimpse into the future of the game during the last livestream, revealing what they are currently working on.
Patch 5.2 is titled “The War for Iokath” and leads to the planet of the same name. There will be a new quest line where players can choose between one of two factions to support in battle. Additionally, there will be a fresh area for daily missions that are sure to fit into the “Galactic Command” system.
However, the highlight for many players will likely be the new operation where players will face a “super weapon.”
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
Additionally, there will be a reunion on Iokath with “two long-lost companions.” At this time, however, the developers have not yet specified who exactly the players will meet there. It could be companions from the “original” story who have vanished in the last two expansions in the depths of the galaxy. Whether the two lost companions are still friendly with the new leader remains to be seen.
Apart from the new content, there are also plans for some fine-tuning. Newcomers will be able to equip their characters more quickly, and the uprisings will receive a new “Master” difficulty level.
Patch 5.2 is expected to be released in the spring, ideally between March and April.
In The Division, the ISAC missions could return with Update 1.6 and “Last Stand”. However, in a different form.
Many of you may remember the “Operation ISAC”. We reported weekly every Thursday since April about these weekly missions: You had seven days to complete a mission to earn an exclusive cosmetic item. The tasks were always rather unspectacular: Defeat a certain number of enemies or collect a specific amount of crafting material.
Suddenly, in September, it was over. Ubisoft previously released a short video about the ISAC mission every week, which should give your task significance and meaning. These videos also came to an unexpected end – after 22 episodes.
Will the ISAC missions return?
Although the missions did not provide the desired variety and the acting in the videos did not impress anyone, some agents repeatedly asked during developer live streams when ISAC would return. Hamish Bode responded months ago, that a return was planned after the Survival DLC – so far, there has been no trace of that.
Now a user found hints in the PTS game data for 1.6 and “Last Stand” that explicitly indicate ISAC. However, not missions, but missions!
What are the ISAC missions about?
The Redditor seb851s discovered among other things these lines:
He emphasizes that these are a new type of side missions and not the weekly missions that one knows from “Operation ISAC Episode 1-22”. “EP23” suggests that the previous story will be continued.
Now the question arises as to how to interpret these missions. It is unlikely that a new mission will be added to the game every week – if ISAC even returns weekly. Perhaps these “missions” will be similar to the high-profile targets, where a certain elite boss must be eliminated within a certain time frame. Or Massive is working on an entirely new system to create weekly incentives for agents to log in.
However, speculation can only take place at the moment. We currently have no official information about the ISAC missions.
In Destiny, a Guardian with his Titan shows how to deal with trolls.
Titans, Hunters, Warlocks – which is the best Guardian class in Destiny? Players have been passionately discussing this question since the release. So far, no answer has been found that all Guardians would agree on.
Now the Redditor BlackWolves-nl shows that the Titan excels – at least when it comes to dealing with trolls. Initially, BlackWolves aimed to complete a few strikes quickly when this troll crossed his path. However, he had neither the time nor the patience for this kind of player:
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
This is how Titans solve problems in the Grotty Chalice
In the video, you can see the beginning phase of the Malok strike from “Grotty Chalice”. To get through the door, relics known as “grave shells” need to be activated. The troll grabbed the relic and refused to activate it. Instead, he was just goofing around and unnecessarily delaying the game time.
The Redditor writes that at that moment he was not in the mood for such antics. Therefore, he quickly took out his Titan’s hammer and smashed the troll. The hammer itself does not inflict damage on teammates, but it hurled the troll against the wall with such force that he died. Blackwolves grabbed the relic and activated it himself.
After his resurrection, even the troll respected him for this action by clapping his hands. This act is also celebrated on Reddit. This is said to be the only right way to deal with trolls. Lord Shaxx is also quoted: “This is amazing!” and some suggest submitting this clip as “Video of the Week”.
What do you think of this video? Have you also dealt with such trolls in Destiny?
Some Guardians point out that these trolls are an argument for why there is no matchmaking for raids. But who knows what the future holds. Maybe soon recycled raids with player search?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Our favorite Korean from Overwatch is getting improved. We will show you how the Defense Matrix is being buffed.
The latest patch of Overwatch has hit D.Va particularly hard. Instead of managing with 400 armor and 200 health points as before, she now has to cope with reverse values, meaning 200 armor and 400 health points. This made her particularly vulnerable against “tank destroyers” like Reaper. Many players now feel D.Va is too weak and don’t know how to handle her.
Many players especially criticize that the Defense Matrix is too inflexible to frequently save people from death.
Geoff Goodman reacted to the community feedback and even talked about a buff for the Defense Matrix that is supposed to come in the next patch:
“In the next patch, there will be a change to the Defense Matrix that might interest you. Currently, in the live version, the Defense Matrix blocks shots only when they are at a close distance to the barrel of the firing weapon. In most cases, players will not notice this effect, but it is crucial in many specific situations. Especially when trying to save a teammate from a Roadhog hook combo.
The plan is to remove the minimum distance for projectiles in the next patch, so bullets can be absorbed right after leaving the barrel. This should make it possible to save teammates from a Roadhog when enveloped by the Defense Matrix.”
Further suggestions from the thread include a specific marking for “protected” players who are currently in the Defense Matrix, so they do not bounce around wildly and make it easier for D.Va to do her job. There is also consideration for an improvement to her “human mode”, as D.Va is mainly a bad damage dealer there and no longer a tank. Geoff Goodman appreciates all of this as “excellent feedback”, so Blizzard will likely continue to consider the suggestions.
The new Pokémon GO update 0.55.0 is supposed to shorten the app’s loading time.
For Pokémon GO, update 0.55.0 for Android and 1.25.0 for iOS has been announced. This patch aims to resolve the issue that emerged in one of the last updates and significantly increased the loading times on many devices. The update is currently in roll-out and will be gradually released for various countries and regions.
It is possible that we in Germany may have to wait a bit longer until the update appears in the different app stores. A specific release date is not known.
Patchnotes 0.55.0 Android / 1.25.0 iOS
The following changes are brought by the new Pokémon GO update:
The loading time at app start on Android devices has been shortened
Connection issues on Android devices and Pokémon GO Plus have been fixed
iOS wheelchair support for using the Apple Watch has been integrated
Minor text corrections
With a recently released update, the loading time of the app on Android devices has been significantly increased. This patch aims to fix the problem that led to the long wait time. Furthermore, developers have also addressed the connection issues with the Pokémon GO Plus devices, which could only be resolved by restarting the app in the past few days. Whether the connection between the GO Plus and the smartphone works better now will be revealed in the coming days.
There may also be undocumented changes to the game hidden in this update. The data miners from TheSilphRoad will closely monitor the latest Pokémon GO version 0.55.0 for changes. As soon as there are news on this, you will find out from us.
The survival MMO Conan Exiles is about to launch into Early Access, as Funcom takes us into the world of barbarians.
The Early Access of Conan Exiles is on Tuesday already. On January 31, it should be possible to walk in Conan’s footsteps. Funcom presents the world where slavery, cruel gods, and warlords reign in a series of streams. This Friday, the fifth of these streams was released, focusing on “World and Lore” of Conan Exiles.
In the stream, viewers can see the relics of an earlier, distinctly “non-human” civilization. Creative Director Joel Bylos and Community Manager Jens Erik Vaaler provide commentary on the video, which we have embedded here for you.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
While it starts on PC on Tuesday, players on Xbox One will have to wait a bit longer. In spring, Conan Exiles is expected to appear in a preview program there. PS4 players will even have to wait longer, as Sony does not offer such an “Early Access” program.
If you are not in the mood for videos, we have more information on the world and background of Conan Exiles in this article for you:
There is much discussion about payment models for online games. Free2Play, Pay2Play, or subscription… But what if you were paid for playing an MMO? This is the approach taken by the developers of Ashes of Creation.
Ashes of Creation will be released with a subscription. Those who want to play will have to pay a monthly fee, similar to how one does in World of Warcraft. This way, the developers aim to finance the operating costs of the servers and the continued development of the game. However, there will also be an in-game shop in the MMO. This shop is intended to offer only items that serve convenience. No one should be able to buy any unfair advantages.
Earn money while playing
However, you might not have to pay anything at all to play Ashes of Creation. There is supposed to be a system through which you can recruit new players. If a player registers via your link, you will receive 15 percent of what they invest in the game.
If you have, for example, three friends who each invest 100 dollars monthly, you will earn 45 dollars. This way, it is possible to cover your subscription costs with enough recruited players and even earn some extra on the side.
A system with responsibility
Alternatively, you can also use the money to spend it in the in-game shop or have it paid out. The developers do not want this to be exploited. Those who use the system would also have a certain responsibility to bear.
Nevertheless, they are already looking forward to shaking up the payment models in the MMORPG market with this program. Ashes of Creation is expected to enter its alpha phase later this year.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
Does the Necromancer in Diablo 3 have Golems? What weapons can the Necromancer wield? We have the answers to these and other questions.
In November, Blizzard confirmed to its fans during BlizzCon that there will be a new class for Diablo III. The long-awaited Necromancer was announced with a video, which also showcased some of his skills. In a Q&A session, the Blizzard team revealed new information about the Necromancer. For example, there will be a specific weapon type for this class.
Necromancer DLC: Release, Gameplay, Skills?
Participating in the Q&A session were Brandy Camel (Community Manager), Julian Love (Lead VFX Artist), and Travis Day (Senior Game Designer). Together, they answered questions from the community about the Necromancer. The session lasted about 47 minutes and brought new information to light regarding the Necromancer. We summarize the key information for you here:
Necromancer in Diablo 3 – What do we know?
Template from Diablo 2? Many of the Necromancer’s skills from Diablo II serve as templates for the new Necromancer in D3.
Popular skills? Revival will return!
Difference from Witch Doctor: The Necro will differ from the Witch Doctor with a distinctly darker theme. Additionally, his pets will be more directly controllable than those of the Witch Doctor. This allows you to assign them a focus or send them in specific directions. Blizzard is also testing various resources like corpses. There are abilities that require corpses to function. Other abilities even have blood costs.
Corpses will be destroyed on crits: Unlike in Diablo II, corpses will rarely be left in Diablo III. For the Necro, a new mechanic had to be developed that now leaves corpses or similar resources when monsters die.
Lore: The Necromancer in Diablo 3 is not the same character known from Diablo 2.
Diablo 3: Necromancer on PS4, Xbox One simultaneously with PC
Necromancer PS4, Xbox One, PC release simultaneously? The DLC is planned to be released for all platforms at the same time.
Poison skills? The most “good” poison abilities are already present in the Witch Doctor. To better differentiate the two classes, currently no poison skills are planned.
Close combat Necromancer? There are already some skills that have short range and are designed for a close combat style.
Iron Maiden? There are currently no plans to bring Iron Maiden back into the game. The playstyle was not very fun.
How many summons simultaneously? There is no exact number of summoned creatures yet. There are concerns about server load. Example: If 4 Necromancers are in a party and each of them can summon 50 creatures, it would create problems.
The Grim Reaper is coming!
What weapons does the Necromancer wield? All non-class-specific weapons. They will also have their own class weapon: Scythe! There will also be 2-handed scythes.
Golems: There will be Golems again. Additionally, the developers are working on new types of Golems.
How many types of Golems can be used? Currently, there are 3 types – it is expected to ultimately be 4 or 5.
Damage without pets? The Necromancer can deal damage both himself and through his pets. It depends on the player’s playstyle.
The pets of the Necromancer are partly permanent, others only temporary. There will be Skeleton Archers and Mages.
Cadaver Explosion
How many sets? The Necromancer will receive four class sets. There will also be unique set dungeons for each of the sets.
Self-harm to deal damage? There will be abilities that take away your health points to deal damage.
Burst or DoT? So far, there are no abilities that deal damage over time. Everything consists of nukes, pets, and other cool abilities. This further differentiates the Necro from the Witch Doctor.
Decrepify / Aging: This was already shown during the BlizzCon presentation and will be part of the Necromancer. It is a massive snare that also weakens the enemies.
Dammit Yes! Curses are coming
Is there a special form like Archon for the Necromancer? Currently, no special form for this class is planned. They do not want to base the Necromancer on other classes, but instead build cool skills that fit the theme of the class.
Curse? There will be many curses for the Necromancer in Diablo 3!
Skeleton Pets
Pet interface? There will be no command interface for the pets. Some attacks must be actively used to control pets passively. Example: If you select a specific ability for your build, this ability grants you passive pets. Activating this ability then directs the pets in a certain way.
The Necromancer DLC is a standalone pack (not an expansion) that uses Reaper of Souls as a basis. You will need to own Reaper of Souls to use the Necromancer pack.
Will the Necromancer be meta for Greater Nephalem Rifts? Curses should help the Necro adapt to many groups. The curses are strong and a great help for other characters.
There will be life-steal abilities to offset the health loss from other abilities. Some abilities even benefit your group.
Blood Sucking
Revival – One of the biggest challenges in developing the Necromancer
Julian Love explains that the revival ability of the Necromancer was a significant challenge. In Diablo III, there are over 1000 individual monsters. Revival will, like the other skills, have five runes. With the base skill, there are thus six variations of this skill that had to be designed for the over 1000 monsters. Therefore, this skill is one of the most complex in Diablo 3. Why did the developers choose this? “Because it’s awesome!”
Unfortunately, there was no information about the release or price of the Necromancer DLC. You can also watch the entire Q&A on Youtube:
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
A gigantic patch is coming next week for the survival MMO ARK: Survival Evolved . Here’s what’s in the Tek Tier update.
On Monday, January 30, the “Tek Tier” patch for ARK: Survival Evolved will be released. The patch will initially be available on PC. Two weeks later, on February 14, it is expected to be available for PS4 and Xbox One, if everything goes smoothly. On PS4, the Tek Tier patch could become Update 1.09 or 1.10, depending on whether a bug fix update is released beforehand.
At the US site Gamespot, the Creative Director of ARK, Jesse Rapczak, introduced the update – “the largest ever.” There is a lot of information, a trailer, and a longer video.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
The abilities of the individual items can be combined.
In ARK: Survival Evolved, it is believed that players will use the items to go against boss enemies and generally act like superheroes. The armor set is intended for the end-game.
Hairstyles, beards, and dino-jousting are also on the way
The Tek Tier patch will also bring additional weapons, four dinosaurs, and the sheep that caused some trouble in the past. Additionally, players will have the opportunity to joust against each other. This is the classic medieval lance tournament on horseback, only with dinosaurs.
For the aesthetics lovers: hairstyles and beards are also coming to the survival MMO. Hair will grow over time and can be cut and dyed.
Studio Wildcard believes that the patch will signal the final phase of the game before it officially launches. That is supposed to happen in 2017. A specific date for the full release is not being disclosed. In the medium term, underwater elements are also planned to be introduced.
In the upcoming updates for Titanfall 2, there will be the new Live Fire game mode, Prime Titans, and the return of a classic Titanfall map.
A few days ago, the developers of Titanfall 2 introduced a new game mode to players. The fast-paced Live Fire mode is exclusively for pilots and provides quick gameplay with tight pathways on small maps. As Respawn Entertainment now reveals in a blog post on the Titanfall site , this mode will be available for free soon. Additionally, there are other intriguing changes, such as the comeback of a classic Titanfall map.
Live Fire in the next February update!
In February, the next content update will be released, which will be available for all Titanfall 2 players for free. It brings the new Live Fire game mode with two associated maps. In this mode, you play in two teams of 6 against 6 with a maximum round duration of 60 seconds. Within this time, the opposing team must be eliminated or the neutral flag must be taken. The team holding the flag when time runs out wins the round. A crucial point in this mode is the timing of when to grab the flag.
Live Fire was inspired by speedball matches in paintball. It’s all about constantly attacking and being aggressive, without overthinking each decision. The maps were designed with this idea in mind. “The maps of Live Fire are based on controlled sightlines, chokepoints, and bypass routes. They force confrontation and are combat-oriented.“
More content updates for Titanfall 2 planned
The update with the Live Fire mode marks the beginning of further content updates this year. Work is actively being done to create new content that will be released in the coming months. While no details are revealed yet, a taste is already being offered to the community.
The update that follows Live Fire will be a “highlight,” according to the blog. In the store, you will be able to purchase cosmetic items and Prime Titans. A major patch with bug fixes, balancing fine-tuning, and new online features awaits you. Additionally, there will be a new weapon, pilot execution, and a classic Titanfall map:
Colony will make its comeback in Titanfall 2, and the designers are already pleased with the current state: “… its new color scheme looks pretty good already. I can’t say more at the moment, but all this and more is coming your way. It’s just a little taste of what we’re preparing.”
Revelation Online – the Asia MMORPG from My.com – offers a wide variety of mounts. In addition to horses, mechs, and rhinos, there are also wing sets and even mass transportation methods like flying whales.
“Why do I need a mount in Revelation Online? I can fly!” This question is posed by some players of My.com’s colorful Asia MMO. After all, there is no flight restriction like in WoW in the world of Nuanor and we can fly anywhere with our wings. Are traditional mounts just useless ballast?
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
By no means! For one, you only get your wings starting at level 29 and it takes some time to learn all the skills and talents for flying and aerial combat. However, you get your first horse early in the game for free. Perfect for quickly traveling from A to B. Later, you will receive awesome mounts that can even fly! For example, a cool mech with a jet engine.
Even more majestic is the big flying whale that can accommodate your entire guild. Especially in open PvP, airdropping into enemy territory via whale should be an impressive way to initiate a PvP battle. By the way, anyone who buys a Deluxe Founder Pack receives a flying cat mount that has room for four more passengers.
Since 27.1, the “Last Stand” mode has been active on the PTS. This is the first standalone PvP mode, where you compete against each other in 8v8 battles.
The Division 1.6 – What’s behind “Normalization”?
According to Massive, normalization occurs in this mode – and only in this mode. The “normal” Dark Zone is not affected. The idea behind normalization is to reduce the importance of character builds in PvP and to highlight the players’ skills. It should not be the best builds, but the best players who win in “Last Stand.”
Massive is trying to find a balance so that agents with optimized gear still have slight advantages, but agents with average gear also have a chance for victory. How is this supposed to work?
This is how normalization works on the PTS – Phase 2
Currently, the first version of normalization can be tested on the PTS. The developers expect that there will be several changes before the optimal solution for the live game is found. It works like this:
When you enter a “Last Stand” session, your characters will be modified and adjusted to each other.
Armor pieces:
All armor pieces will have a gear score of 256.
The main attributes (firearms, stamina, and electronics) of all your armor pieces will receive the maximum possible roll.
These bonuses will be uniformly scaled: weapon type damage, skill power, and health (hit points).
All other bonuses will remain unaffected by normalization.
Weapons:
All weapons will have a gear score of 256.
The base damage of each weapon will be at the possible maximum.
The unlocked talents depend on the normalized main attributes.
The weapon mods will behave as before. These will not be normalized.
All other values such as fire rate or reload speed will also remain unaffected.
The armor reduction for all players is identical. In addition, the character talents, gear set bonuses, and weapon set bonuses will work as usual.
Have you already tested “Last Stand” on the PTS? What are your experiences?
In Riders of Icarus makes the new desert region unsafe since the latest update due to a new world boss named “Sandstorm”. You can only defeat the beast with at least 39 teammates. If you prefer to go alone, you can try your hand at the also new tower challenge instead.
The current update for the online role-playing game Riders of Icarus brings a special new challenge: The world boss “Sandstorm”. This is a truly gigantic stone creature that, unlike previous world bosses, wanders freely in the desert and does not have its own instance. Therefore, any number of players can face Sandstorm.
Sandstorm takes you all down!
With less than 40 level 50 players, you shouldn’t even bother showing up at Sandstorm! The colossus has extremely strong AoE effects that can wipe out your raid team if everyone in the raid doesn’t pay attention and plays their role optimally. In thanks for all the effort, there’s epic loot to be found: Sandstorm can drop up to five raid boss chests for you.
If such a giant spectacle is too much for you, you can try your hand at the new solo dungeon “Ellora’s Spire”. This is a tall tower that presents new challenges for you on each level. Those who fight through quickly will receive particularly useful rewards and will also be immortalized in a leaderboard with their performance. If you prefer to enter regular dungeons, you’ll be pleased with the new cross-server dungeon lobby.
There you can clear dungeons with players from other realms, which should lead to shorter wait times and more fun. Also fun: Until February 8th, you can celebrate the Chinese New Year in Riders of Icarus.
Leveling up Legendaries in WoW has caused long faces among some players. We will tell you what you need to pay attention to.
With the introduction of Patch 7.1.5 in World of Warcraft, it was possible to upgrade existing legendary items with an item level of 910 to 940. A short quest from Dalaran asks the corresponding players to collect a total of 50 Essences of Aman’thul. These essences can be obtained from the new raid instance “The Nighthold”, but also from the crates of the emissary quest or the weekly reward crate for completing mythic dungeons.
The quest is repeatable. So if you want to upgrade several “old” legendary items to item level 940, you have to complete the quest multiple times and gather 50 essences each time.
If you want to upgrade old Legendaries, you need to accumulate a lot of essences.
However, there have been cases where players collected 70 or even 80 essences and then turned in the quest. The result: The excess essences also disappear from the inventory! So, if you do not turn in your quest in time – as soon as you have collected 50 essences – you waste valuable materials and thus also time.
Blizzard has commented on this and explained that it is not a bug. In the official forum, Community Manager Ornyx stated, after asking the developers:
“The quest works as intended and all essences above the limit are reset upon completion, as is common for quests.
It is important to mention that the quest was designed so that you do not need too much time to complete it. Therefore, we do not see a need to adjust the quest.’
If you already head into a fresh Nighthold ID with 48 out of 50 essences, you should ask your raid leader in between if he can quickly turn in the quest in Dalaran to accept it again.
The MOBA Paragon is coming with an icy new heroine, Aurora.
On January 31, a frosty breeze will sweep through the action MOBA Paragon (PC, PS4). With Aurora, another melee fighter enters the game. Like many ice-themed heroes in games before her, Aurora will focus on crowd control, meaning she will slow down players, freeze them, and incapacitate them.
Aurora’s abilities are showcased in this trailer, which is available in German – yes, Paragon is from Epic Games, a major studio. They can afford such things. They are also behind Gears of War.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
With Overwatch , update 2.04 has been released for PS4. What is behind the patch?
Update 2.04 for Overwatch has been live since last night. Many are asking now: What has happened again? They are looking for patch notes. But there are none, even though for some it was quite a significant update. On Twitter, some complain, they had to download over 14GB. For others, it was no problem with 69 MB. That for some it was a “mammoth update” of 14 GB seems to be a Sony issue that has occurred more frequently with patches.
But many Overwatch players would like to know what they downloaded with 2.04.
No patch notes for Overwatch PS4 2.04
Through the official Twitter account of Overwatch, there is only the information, that minor bug fixes are included in the update. For such minor updates, Blizzard does not always release patch notes.
@Dosiair Minor bug fixes. We don’t always release patch notes for our smaller updates like these.
Overwatch players in the US forum say: Mei’s waist is still as slim as before. They would have recognized it with expert eyes immediately. The problem thus was not solved. However, the D.Va glitch has been eliminated, which turned her into an astronaut on a specific map:
In the MMO shooter Destiny, the Astrocyte Verse is one of the most sought-after helmets at the moment. Why is that?
For weeks, one of the most important questions Guardians ask upon Xur’s arrival is: Does the noodle face finally have the Astrocyte Verse? Our reader Yondu Udonta has been diligently using the hashtag #prayforastrozyt under the Xur articles – but so far, Xur has not answered. Many Guardians are waiting in vain for this helmet.
But why? What makes the Astrocyte Verse special?
How to get the Astrocyte Verse in Destiny
There is no guaranteed source for the Astrocyte Verse. You have to hope that you randomly obtain it from one of these sources:
Wrath of the Machine
Kingsfall Raid
Nightfall Strike
Trials of Osiris
Xur
If you decrypt exotic helmet engrams, the Warlock helmet may be included:
What makes the Astrocyte Verse special in Destiny?
This Warlock helmet stands out not only because of its difficult name but also because of its interesting design. Originally, it was planned that your Warlock wearing the Astrocyte Verse would have a shorter cooldown on the blink ability and could cover longer distances with it.
When it came into the game with “Rise of Iron”, however, the unique perk had a different bonus:
Survival Assistance: Temporary increase in recovery during the blink.
Additionally, it can come with these perks:
Innervation: Bonus grenade energy when picking up orbs.
Strengthening: When you pick up orbs, you gain bonus melee energy.
Improved: Shields immediately recover after picking up an orb.
Infusion: Health is restored when you pick up a Light orb.
In another perk column, these extras can come:
Reversal: Increased Super energy when defeating minions of the darkness.
From the Ashes: You receive bonus Super energy from grenade hits.
Practical: If you defeat minions of the darkness with melee, you gain bonus Super energy.
and Mental Shift: You gain bonus Super energy when defeating minions of the darkness with special weapon kills.
or Heavy Lifting: Bonus Super energy when you defeat minions of the darkness with heavy weapons.
Furthermore, Strength and either Intellect or Discipline will always be increased.
The idea behind the unique perk Survival Assistance is that you regenerate faster after executing a blink. PlanetDestiny took a closer look at this perk and tested its usefulness with the Voidwalker focus with maximum recovery.
The result: The Warlock charges with the helmet just slightly faster. The best effect is achieved when the blink is only used after the recovery process has begun.
Only a benefit arises when you need to “teleport” out of danger and recover quickly. However, the advantage is so marginal that the Exotic slot is hardly worth it. Many Guardians who own the helmet come to the conclusion that the helmet looks incredibly cool, but is not worth the Exotic slot.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
But why is the Astrocyte Verse so coveted? Some of our readers write that the helmet is the last exotic item they are missing. poschey reports that this Warlock helmet somehow seems to be missing for everyone he knows. Because for many Guardians, it just won’t drop. Luck is lacking, and Xur is also stingy with this item. Guardians have been waiting in vain for weeks and months for the Agent of the Nine to finally bring it.
