Star Wars is on the rise and SWTOR is doing great. The developers are excited about the future.
In a few days, the next expansion of Star Wars: The Old Republic will launch. Starting December 2nd, fans can experience the 9 new story chapters of “Knights of the Eternal Throne” – or KotET, as the cool Sith say – and continue the epic story. The colleagues at Venturebeat had the opportunity to talk to SWTOR’s Creative Director, Charles Boyd. We have filtered out and translated the most exciting statements from the interview for you.
Meanwhile, SWTOR is almost 5 years old and has gone through some tough times. There were often rumors that SWTOR was on the verge of extinction – but the developers want nothing to do with that. When asked if there was ever a point where they didn’t know if it would continue, Boyd replied:
“I have been involved with the project for almost 10 years now. So: No, there was never a point where we thought it wouldn’t continue. We were always set on “full steam ahead” and wanted to create the next story, the next expansion for the players.
There was never any doubt, at least not for me, but I don’t think in the team either – we have always wanted to move forward, improve and try to respond to player feedback to give them what they want. We have always looked for ways to incorporate new and cool things into the gameplay that we had not yet implemented.”
Story prefer in one go like on Netflix
One of the biggest criticisms of Knights of the Fallen Empire was the episodic release of new chapters. Many fans did not like that they received almost an hour of story per month and then were left with a cliffhanger like in a TV series.
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“What we learned from the feedback of the fans is that players really loved the story. They enjoyed playing through the campaign, but they really loved being able to play all 9 chapters at once. They liked this “Netflix binge-watching” experience where they can choose their own pace – all at once or spread over several days.”
For exactly this reason, KotET will be released all at once. All 9 chapters will be playable from day 1, and the story can be completed immediately.
The gradually released chapters annoyed many fans. That will change.
Cortyn says: Especially with the transition to the Free2Play system, there were significant concerns in the community, as such a shift was typically seen as a death sentence for MMOs. However, SWTOR is one of the few positive examples that, despite (or perhaps because of) this change, has gained a lot in quality and content. Hopefully, this will continue for many more years, as the story of “Knights of the Fallen Empire” was exceptionally good – even if it was more RPG than MMO.
Hourly Pack Offers: At every full hour, a new set goes live. These usually have a “global limit”: This means that only a limited number of sets are available, which players can snag. Those who arrive too late will be out of luck for that hour. Sometimes there is also a pack limit that applies per user.
Flash SBC: From time to time, squad-building challenges take place, for which you only have a short time. On Black Friday, it was 1.5 hours. There were sets or jerseys to win. In SBCs, you create a team from your own cards based on certain requirements, which you can exchange for rewards.
From 3 PM, we will track the offers on Cyber Monday here in the “live ticker” for several hours.
Update 3 PM: There are Prime Player Sets available for one hour. Global limit – and sold out.
Update 3:30 PM: A “Cyber Sale” SBC is live. You can win a Mega Set. Time until 5:30 PM.
Update 4 PM: There are Mega Sets. Thirty mixed items, at least 26 Gold, 18 Rare. Cost: 35,000 coins or 700 FIFA Points. Limit: 5 per user.
Update 5 PM: Rare Player Set. 12 players, all Gold, all Rare. Cost: 50,000 coins or 1000 FIFA Points. Global limit.
Update 6 PM: Rare Mega Set. 30 mixed items, at least 26 Gold, all Rare. Cost: 55,000 coins or 1100 FIFA Points. Limit: 5 per character.
Update 7 PM: Jumbo Rare Player Set! 24 players, all Gold, all Rare. Global limit. 100,000 coins or 2,000 FIFA Points.
We wish you good luck with the pack-opening!
This is what is offered before 3 PM – Packs
Right now, there are special sets in the shop that you can use to warm up your pack luck – if you still have enough coins or FIFA Points.
Jumbo Premium Gold Set: 24 mixed items, at least 20 Gold, 7 Rare. Cost: 15,000 coins or 300 FIFA Points. Available for one more day.
Rare Gold Set: 12 mixed items, all Gold, all Rare. Cost: 25,000 coins or 500 FIFA Points. Available until 3 PM.
How does Cyber Monday affect the transfer market?
Today, the prices on the transfer market should be low since it is flooded with cards that fans pull from packs. However, the rush for Cyber Monday in previous years was not as great as for Black Friday. Many users had run out of coins by then.
After Cyber Monday, the prices on the transfer market should stabilize again. However, precise predictions cannot be made.
Once again, an Overwatch fan breaks the boundaries and plays Ana with a set of teacups – who needs a keyboard?
We’re gradually running out of ideas on how to properly introduce this kind of news. So let’s keep it short and painless: the streamer Rudeism has once again managed to play an Overwatch character with a rather unusual input device. After he previously controlled Winston with bananas and Symmetra with a microwave, now it was Ana’s turn. And what could be more fitting for the older lady than several teacups with saucers? After all, Ms. Amari has an emote where she enjoys sipping from a teacup (usually when an opponent is sleeping beside her).
The first 2 hours of the video are solely dedicated to successfully wiring the whole thing, as each sip or placing down of the teacup should be linked to a corresponding action in the game. The actual gameplay begins around 2:08:00 – so skip the rest if you’re only interested in the teacup action.
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While the control doesn’t work “really” successfully, it’s definitely entertaining.
Cortyn says: I couldn’t help but grin the whole time during the gameplay. If I were on the same team as Rudeism, I would probably have politely asked how much alcohol the player has consumed to come up with such a “creative” way of playing. Still: fun to watch, as long as you don’t experience it in your own game.
Worldquests in World of Warcraft are not always easy. The “Like the Wind” world quest is designed similarly to a jump and run. Here’s how to complete the quest.
In World of Warcraft there are various world quests that you can complete. Some of them are quite simple and explain themselves. For others, the quest explanations are not particularly helpful, and you might wonder after reading: “Yes, and now?” The quest type “Like the Wind” falls into this category. Unlike typical quests, your jump and run skills are required here. In the videos, we show you how to complete these quests.
WoW: Like the Wind Suramar – World Quest Guide
You can find these quests for the Kirin Tor in Suramar at the waterfall near the Moonwatch Fortress. In Azsuna, the quest is located east of Warden’s Isle. Generally, these quests are not particularly difficult once you understand the pattern.
After you accept the quest, your skills change. Instead of your normal skills, you only have a dash and a reset. The dash on key 1 allows you to sprint forward. If you want to restart the attempt, you have the reset on the other key.
For the quest, the rule is: blue and purple are good – red/orange is bad. The purple orbs charge your boost while the orange ones abort the attempt. Therefore, you should be careful not to touch the orange orbs while collecting. To give you a moment to breathe, there are blue checkpoint platforms.
As with Super Mario 64 on the Nintendo 64, camera control is particularly important in this quest. The various orbs are hard to judge when viewed from the wrong angle. So make sure to look around carefully.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6zTXC47Wr0
WoW: Like the Wind Azsuna – World Quest Guide
In Azsuna, the world quest functions similarly to Suramar. The course is designed a bit differently here. One of the most important questions is “How do I find the Like the Wind world quest in Azsuna?” In the following video, you can see how to complete the parkour and how to reach the quest giver.
For this, you need to select the flight point “Fessel’s Cabin” and run south from there to the elite area. Then you need to run over the rocks on the left side to avoid triggering the elementals. With a small jump, you will then be in front of the quest giver and can start the actual parkour. The video shows the way to the quest giver and how you can then complete the quest.
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PvP quests in World of Warcraft can be exhausting. But not on RP servers, as fluffy clouds are flying around.
With the multitude of world quests available in World of Warcraft: Legion, some are specifically designed for PvP players. On one hand, there are the various Guardian Towers, which lure with 300 honor and are rarely truly “contested”. On the other hand, there are the “big” PvP world quests that appear every 6 hours, promise 500 honor, and usually come with special rules, such as mounts, special buff effects, or even the transformation into a Murloc. The best part: within these quests, all players are hostile towards each other. Even Alliance members can beat each other up. In theory.
However, it works differently on role-play servers – at least on mine. Since all PvP quests have a mechanic that allows them to be completed without other players by, for example, killing Murlocs, Drogbars, or other wild animals, players take full advantage of this. Although all players are “hostile” to each other, they work together as a team to defeat the NPCs faster or avoid each other.
It gets particularly amusing when a player has the idea to actually complete the PvP quests through PvP – how absurd! In that case, all present players from both factions rush to the aggressor and beat them to a pulp. The result: everyone makes some progress on the quest, except for the one who started the fight.
WoW: Pacifists form a queue nicely in German
Also nice is the “queue” that forms at the Ravenholdt arena. When the PvP quest there is active, a “problem” arises. There are only hostile NPCs in the arena as long as at most 1 player is present. If 2 or more players are there, the NPCs disappear, forcing PvP to occur. This leads to everyone who doesn’t want to engage in PvP (which is really a lot) forming a nice German-style queue at the arena’s stands, waiting to take down 10 NPCs before the next one gets a turn. Those who do not adhere to this queue… well, then 9 other players will enjoy some progress.
To be honest, my server corresponds to the stereotype of an RP server: In PvP quests, fluffy clouds fly and when you finish killing mobs together, you blow each other a kiss. Or you take control of the opponent’s mind for 10 seconds only to… no, that wouldn’t be suitable for minors.
How do you perceive this on your server? Or do you avoid PvP quests because you find them unenjoyable anyway? Or is it the same on all servers?
In Survival mode, things get even more uncomfortable in post-apocalyptic New York: You are an agent who has crash-landed and now must fight your way through the Dark Zone to find a cure. You fight against the cold, hunger, thirst, an infection, and numerous enemies – including the Hunters.
You must survive all dangers to be picked up by a helicopter at the end and successfully complete the mode. It’s no easy task. In the following video, Arekkz shows you six tips that will make mastering this mode easier. We will present them in English afterwards:
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The Division Survival Guide: Don’t stay too long in the outer areas
Most tips work both solo and in a group, although you generally have a higher chance of survival in a squad.
The first tip is: Don’t linger too long in the outskirts of the map. Here you will mostly find green gear, which won’t help you progress. To enter the Dark Zone, you need blue crafting materials for a specific mask that you must first craft.
If you leave some items and enemies behind at the beginning, you take a higher risk, but you also save a lot of time. Loot the surroundings only thoroughly once you are near the DZ to prepare for it. This way, it’s quite possible to enter the DZ after about 15 minutes.
Remember important locations
Knowledge is power! Good map knowledge in Survival is paramount. If you know where to look for certain items, you can be more ambitious. Example:
In parking lots, you usually find tools.
In clothing stores, you usually find fabrics.
In the marked zones, there should be particularly many stores where you can find the needed items. The rule is: The closer to the Dark Zone, the higher the quality:
The Division Survival Guide: Use your consumables!
You fight against hunger, thirst, and an infection throughout the entire Survival session. You can influence these three factors with consumables. We have already presented these in our Survival Guide:
Water: Your agent is thirsty. When he drinks water, he can better recognize items and chests nearby. This allows you to farm the gear you need for survival more efficiently. The crates are often well hidden. Without water, you pass right by them without even noticing. Therefore, drink sufficiently so that the items are marked.
Food: Look for edible items, like energy bars, to regenerate your health. If you’re hungry, you won’t recover. Eat only when you have low health points; otherwise, you’ll waste the food.
Medicine: Your agent is infected and has only one hour to survive. Look for medicine and painkillers to keep him alive longer. However, you don’t have to worry too much about this. One hour is a lot of time, and you will encounter plenty of medicine along the way.
Craft an advanced virus filter
Craft an advanced virus filter to enter contaminated areas within the Dark Zone. And it’s worth it to enter them. Although nasty enemies like to hang out there, solo players among you should think twice before going in, you will also find crates with Division Tech.
Division Tech can be converted into any high-end crafting material, allowing you to create the items you currently need.
Additionally, the advanced filter is good for getting rid of enemy agents: Run into the contaminated areas, and if the pursuers don’t have an advanced filter, they cannot follow you.
Not every agent needs the cure
Now a quick tip: If you are playing in a squad, not all agents need to take the antivirals. It is sufficient for one of the group to do so. If the cures are heavily guarded, just leave them alone. Only one needs to have it so that you can craft the flare gun.
The Division Survival Guide: Tips for fighting the Hunters
Once you call the helicopter, you are still not safe. Because the Hunters will come. One of these enemies comes for each player, who hunts agents as a hobby.
The best pickup point to face the Hunters is in DZ02. You deploy the flare gun on the roof, then run down the ramp and barricade yourself in the stairwell. Especially if you’re on your own, this is a good spot. However, watch out for possible skills from the Hunter, like the seeker mine.
You can find general tips and information about Survival in our Survival Guide.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Smite Tactics shares its name and studio with the popular god MOBA Smite, but it is a completely different game. The spin-off is set to become a turn-based strategy and card game instead of wild real-time MOBA battles with skill shots and lanes.
Smite Tactics started as a fun experiment at the Smite developer HiRez Studios. Since everyone was having so much fun with it, it kept being developed and has now become its own game. Originally, it was meant to be a pure strategy game, but more and more aspects from card games like Magic and especially Blizzard’s Hearthstone have made their way into the game.
Hearthstone meets Turn-Based Strategy
In card games like Hearthstone, you simply play your cards and usually hit the targeted enemy unless a tank or shield prevents it. The exact position of the cards on the board doesn’t matter. Not so in Smite Tactics! Here, you start with a god, the lord of the chosen pantheon. So for example, Zeus for the ancient Greeks, Odin for the Scandinavian gods.
The high god can move freely on the field in rounds, which recalls strategy games like XCOM or Heroes of Might and Magic. In addition to moving, he can also use abilities like lightning (Zeus) or powerful melee attacks (Odin). The two godfathers do not fight alone. Instead, you can summon additional gods from the pantheon through the card deck. Popular figures like Thor or Athena come into play. The new gods have useful skills and can also move freely.
Minions for Everyone!
In addition to the big gods, which are uniquely represented for each pantheon, there are also a bunch of minions, both assigned and neutral variants. For example, a basilisk that does not petrify opponents – that would be the skill of the “goddess” Medusa – but at least roots them and temporarily hinders their movement. Since the gods and servant creatures must be within range for their skills and attacks, positioning in Smite Tactics is crucial.
Each pantheon – currently, in addition to the two already mentioned divine worlds, there are the Egyptians under sun god Ra – has its own theme. The sons and daughters of Odin rely on brute force, Zeus and his Olympic buddies have more nasty effects in store. The Egyptians, on the other hand, focus entirely on magic cards that can be cast directly. Additionally, you can fill your deck with more neutral creatures and effects to balance the weaknesses of the pantheon.
Jürgen says: I think the god concept of Smite is great and as a strategy and card game, I would enjoy it even more. Therefore, I am eagerly waiting for the first beta. A closed alpha is already running, so it can’t be too long until the beta! Are you also looking forward to the game, or do you prefer the wild action of the Smite MOBA? By the way, Smite has a lengthy Christmas event going on right now!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Our video format Mein-MMO-TV continues! This time, Dawid, Jürgen, and Gamestar guest star Clape discuss the most promising MMOs of 2017. These include titles like Destiny 2, Bless, and Lineage Eternal. Enjoy watching!
Are MMOs dead? This question is posed not only by our boss Dawid at the beginning of our second episode of Mein-MMO-TV. And spoiler alert: they are not! Because no less than seven promising titles are set to debut in 2017 or at least be playable in a fairly advanced version. These include the action MMO hope Lineage Eternal from Korea, the sandbox Crowfall, the sequel to Destiny and the now MMO-like Star Citizen. And for classic MMOs, the Asia imports Bless and Revelation Online are waiting for eager players.
Lineage Eternal is considered a major hope for the genre.
Mein MMO TV with guest star
Given this wealth of topics, we have brought in reinforcements: Gamestar veteran Clape. He enriches the discussion about the future MMOs with his experience and humor.
We have embedded the second video of Mein-MMO-TV here for you. Enjoy watching. Do you have wishes and suggestions? What should we report on next? And do you want to see more of Clape or other guest stars on camera? Let us know and write it in the comments! And if you are interested in the classes in Lineage Eternal mentioned in the video, we have an interesting article for you!
For me, the past Black Friday was truly a black day! – Guest author Chancellor reports on his experience with the “Black Friday” offer from Revelation Online.
While the beta of Revelation Online left me with the comforting feeling that this MMO could bring some movement back into my MMO landscape, a Black Friday offer from my.com made my dreams burst like a balloon.
45 euros for a flying mount in an MMORPG where everyone has wings…
With the announcement of the founder packages, a debate about the financing model and the expected shop contents had already begun. Even my.com felt compelled to adjust the contents of the packages afterwards. And now … the publisher shows Elven-like sensitivity with a mount for a meager 45 euros. Yes, not all elves are skinny. There are also grey elves with big ears and trunks.
You’ve read that right, it’s a single mount: There is no early access, no premium access, no knife block, and no, not even a lukewarm coffee with condensed milk. But hey, anyone who has already purchased one of the pre-order packages can look forward to a “great” discount action from the publisher. Because if you bought the most expensive of the three pre-order packages for just under 90 euros, you get a 55% discount on the balloon. What a bargain! Tossing confetti, I stumble over the confetti on my carpet.
Alright, let’s not overreact, we’re talking about a hot air balloon … not game-changing, not a so-called game breaker, not even a mount that could be considered extremely cool. So just don’t buy it.
Evil is cool
But it is already a strange decision on the part of my.com, as digital items are usually offered expensively, which can generally be summarized under the term “evil”: such as burning bone horses or martial armor. However, it can also be cute. Because even developers have learned that a red panda or a unicorn will find its buyers.
Even when a stone was introduced as a pet in Guild Wars 2, it rang in the publisher’s shop. Why do I have pictures of this? Purely out of journalistic duty to the reader.
But a hot air balloon? A rogue, who suspects a test balloon from the marketing team behind this offer. Thankfully, rogues tend to hang around in official forums. And angry reactions from the community regarding possibly overpriced shop items often don’t take long to come. At least, I thought so a bit naively. In joyful anticipation, popcorn cup in hand, I went to the official digital halls of the publisher. And behold…
The main accusation: You are not even in closed beta and you already want real money from us. Side accusation: If you start with 45€ now – what will you charge in the release version? We will be paying ourselves silly.
My.com says about FB: Only buy if you already have the Deluxe Pack
Because a publisher that demands a higher price for a virtual, useless item (let’s remember, in Revelation Online we get permanent wings at level 29) than other publishers for entire games must ask if the proportionality is still valid.
When asked, publisher my.com cheerfully told us that this was in no way concerning and did not reflect the later prices in the shop. It is only a way for us ambitious players to support the project. They briefly calculate how cheap it is with the discounts we would get from the pre-order packages and say: Without these discounts, the offer is nonsense and should not be purchased at all.
Even with the maximum discount, this offer remains a digital item for 19.99 €. Even the Chancellor is left speechless in front of the glowing monitor. A cold shiver runs down my spine as I realize that no one has mentioned lower prices in the later shop.
In the many years that I have been playing computer games, I have surely spent a euro or two on virtual goods. Not all were sensible, some were even just cute or nice to look at, and of course, I have also regretted purchases in hindsight. My personal pain threshold, however, is clearly below 45 euros for a cosmetic item or a mount.
Of course, my habits are not the standard. I also know other examples from my circle of acquaintances. In ArchAge, players sometimes spent 1,500 euros for a single weapon. With outfits in Black Desert Online, some players have strained their accounts, sometimes beyond healthy limits. And even mounts in World of Warcraft come with similar prices. Only, Blizzard and Co. have at least already released their games on the market.
The time when you got all game content for a base price or a subscription is over. The flood of “Free 2 Play” titles certainly also plays a non-negligible role in this. And publishers also want to earn on their product. Ultimately, it is up to us, the players, whether we allow a publisher to enforce such a price policy.
In the case of Revelation Online, I can only hope that this remains a trial hot air balloon. However, my personal hope regarding this offer is not particularly high for now. Even if I can do without this offer without batting an eyelid.
But how do you feel about such items? Are purely cosmetic items alright with you, no matter what price the publisher sets? Where is your pain threshold, and have you ever really regretted a purchase afterward?
It seems that MMO shooters like Destiny or The Division are partly responsible for the crisis with “normal” shooter titles like Call of Duty.
Conventional Shooter Franchises in Crisis
The industry is currently scratching its head. The autumn offensive among shooters before the Christmas season seems to have failed. Call of Duty – a safe bet in recent years – has not sold as well as expected. Titles like Titanfall 2, Dishonored 2, and Watch Dogs 2 have also not made the revenue that was hoped for.
The numbers are alarming. Titanfall 2 earned 75% less in the UK than its predecessor, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is down 48% compared to its predecessor, Dishonored 2 is down 38%, and Watch Dogs 2 made 80% less in its first week than the first Watch Dogs at the same time.
Although Division has taken some hits, it is doing well now: it stands on the right side of the models.
“Games as a Service” like Destiny or The Division could be to blame
Analysts have determined that one reason for this crisis is that other shooters are adopting the model “Games as a Service.” We at Mein-MMO.de call many of these titles “MMO Shooters.”
“Games as a Service” means that the game is updated and maintained repeatedly over a long period. Updates, patches, DLCs, and expansions are released for the title. They remain relevant long after release and keep players engaged. These titles encourage fans to regularly check back when a new update comes out.
Examples of such models include shooters like Destiny, The Division, Overwatch, or GTA Online.
So far, not a good year for Call of Duty.
Reasons for the Crisis Among Classic Shooters
The business site Gamesindustry has taken up the topic and spoken with some analysts. One from “IHS” believes it is a shift in the gaming landscape. There are now fewer releases of AAA games. The games industry is trying to keep players engaged with a game for longer and to obtain money from them away from the releases. This is a structural change towards digital distribution, which impacts “conventional games” and retail.
The data firm Kantar Worldpanel supports this and notes that players are buying fewer games than before, but playing them for longer.
The analysts consider “Games as a Service” at least partly responsible for the “Shooter Crisis 2016.” Other reasons are that the games have individual problems.
Good game, but somehow it doesn’t sell.
Problems are also self-made
Titanfall 2 was released in a “sandwich situation” between two other titles. Dishonored 2 has always been a niche title. Call of Duty has been on the decline for a long time. The first Watch Dogs was so overestimated beforehand and then disappointed so much that the successor is still paying the price.
Evidence that not only the “long-term” titles are responsible for the crisis of the shooter quartet is Battlefield 1 – it is doing excellently.
Is Blizzard behind this again?
Is the WoW phenomenon repeating itself here?
Mein-MMO says: It is a phenomenon that some have lamented since the WoW days. World of Warcraft, the MMORPG, was so enormous at one point that it engaged millions of players for years. They then became customers for other RPGs or also for computer game magazines since they were only interested in WoW.
The PC and classic RPGs have experienced such a phenomenon, so now consoles and shooter fans could be facing the same issue.
Last year at this time, the situation for shooters looked quite different:
3v3 is one of the most popular game modes in Overwatch, if you want to have fast and casual fun. Which heroes are particularly well suited here? Who works best in a team?
The 3v3 mode was already popular on the Overwatch test server and is now the most played among all arcade modes in Overwatch . Two teams, each consisting of three players, compete against each other in a best-of-five series. The special thing: everyone has only one life, and you must try to eliminate your opponents as quickly as possible. So far, 3v3 can only be played on the Antarctica map.
Overwatch: The strongest heroes in 3v3
The 3v3 mode differs significantly from the classic fast game 6v6. Therefore, different heroes will perform better or worse here than in the tier list for 6v6 games. These tier lists are created by fan sites and reflect how strong the individual Overwatch heroes are currently perceived.
Best Tank: ROADHOG
Roadhog is a true destroyer when it comes to facing a small number of opponents. His only strong counter is Reaper, whom you probably won’t encounter often in 3v3.
Most teams will choose a hero combination that consists of one tank and two offensive heroes. Roadhog is the best hero in the game to pick off opponents with low health bars and eliminate them quickly. He will also rarely lose a 1v1 fight, which often occurs in this mode. Especially because of the Antarctica map, which has many narrow corridors. This makes it much easier to use Roadhog’s hook. He can also heal himself, which is advantageous in this mode.
Ana may be vulnerable to Roadhog’s hooks and can be quickly taken out. However, it shouldn’t be too difficult to use her sleep ability to send Roadhog to sweet dreams before he can catch her.
She can fight at range with her sniper, but also up close. This can be useful for her team in any scenario. At this point, Widowmaker should also be mentioned, who can offer the same and is certainly not the worst choice. However, Ana is even more versatile and can help keep her team alive.
In a 6v6 scenario, Sombra has her weaknesses. If you dive into the opposing team invisibly without a good escape plan, you can be taken out very quickly.
In 3v3, however, the situation is quite different. If she sneaks behind the team to quickly take someone out, it will be difficult to defend against her. There are only two players who can help Sombra’s victims, and if they are uncoordinated, it’s a clear checkmate for Sombra. Her hack seems to last an eternity, which means she and her team can quickly isolate the most annoying opponents. Just think of a Roadhog who cannot throw his hook or heal. When used correctly, she will quickly become a thorn in the side of the opposing team.
The following heroes should be avoided in 3v3. Even if they can be real champs in the 6v6 mode, they tend to fall flat here.
REAPER
At first glance, one might think that Reaper is a good choice since he comes with a devastating ultimate and can escape well. But different rules apply in 3v3.
In this super short game mode, the likelihood of Reaper even getting a chance to charge his ultimate is low, making him much less useful in this scenario. His teleport ability will also not often be used here. A better choice would be McCree, who deals high damage, has escape options, and his ultimate is always good, no matter how many opponents are in front of him.
REINHARDT
Reinhardt himself is not really the problem; rather, it is the Antarctica map, which is currently the only one in 3v3 mode. Reinhardt is outstanding when escorting his team to an objective along narrow paths. However, there are no such objectives here.
Even if you try something like a Reinhardt-Bastion combo, there are too many ways for the enemy to come up behind you and destroy that strategy. With the introduction of new maps, Reinhardt’s usefulness could change.
MERCY
Again, we are not in a 6v6 scenario, and one needs to think a little differently. Healer, tank, offense will not work well here. Mercy has almost no way to defend herself and will not get to her ultimate very quickly, similar to Reaper.
She also has the same problem as Reinhardt. This map gives the opponents too many ways to quickly get to you and focus. If the person that Mercy is currently protecting gets taken out, she becomes completely useless. If you still choose Mercy, try to position yourself well and coordinate with your team.
Overwatch: Lastly, here’s a video of 3v3
YouTuber “BlameTheController” has tried all the heroes in 3v3. Here you can get an impression of how they perform.
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Currently, there are over 10,000 experience points available with just a single throw in Pokémon GO. We will explain how you can achieve this.
In the augmented reality game Pokémon GO, you earn experience points for various actions you perform in the game. Catching Pokémon and evolving them, for instance, repeatedly reward you with experience. This raises your trainer level, allowing you to find stronger Pokémon. During the current Thanksgiving event in Pokémon GO, you receive four times the normal amount of experience points. This means you can earn over 10,000 experience points as a reward for a catch.
The maximum experience points with a throw in Pokémon GO
The Thanksgiving event provides four times the experience points when combined with a lucky egg. This means you can earn experience rewards that have not been seen at this level before. If you have the right combination of curveball, new Pokémon, first catch of the day, and other bonuses at the same time, you’ll get an outrageous amount of experience points.
Reddit user 0relsewhat shows via screenshot the optimal combination. He received 12840 XP in one throw. Experience points were gained for:
In total, that’s 12840 experience points that he received for one throw. It requires some preparation to achieve such a large bonus in one go. Now, 0relsewhat can claim that he achieved the maximum experience points with a catch. As long as Niantic does not change the experience points or activate an event with more bonus experience, these are the maximum XP with a catch in Pokémon GO.
Are you taking advantage of the Thanksgiving event and leveling up your accounts diligently? What level are you at now?
Margoria is dedicated to the sailing aspect of Black Desert; there are sea monsters, a port city, everything nautical is further emphasized and highlighted.
Black Desert is likely a hit in Japan – Japanese are into the aesthetics
Although Black Desert is actually South Korean, it is reportedly very well received in Japan – the Japanese are fond of the game’s graphics. The local publisher “Pmang” has now announced Margoria with a series of TV commercials. We would like to show them to you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qff4qGCeaK0
The graphics in Black Desert could soon get even better:
In Destiny, a Guardian shows how to defeat Oryx solo as a Titan.
Crota was almost pitied in the past: He was defeated solo countless times, he was drummed to death and danced to death – the Guardians kept coming up with new, creative ways to defeat him.
Crota’s father Oryx withstood these attempts for much longer. It actually took months before the King of the Taken could be defeated solo for the first time in Hard mode. Now the YouTuber Esoterickk shows how to master him solo as a Titan. Solo runs against Oryx might even become mainstream. Check it out:
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By the way, the YouTuber is not the first Titan to solo Oryx; another Titan managed to do it the night before – he used practically the same strategy, but did not record a video.
Nothing works without the Touch of Malice
There are two important prerequisites:
With a high light level, you can take more damage. The YouTuber is at the maximum of 400 during this attempt.
The Touch of Malice: With “Touch of Malice”, you can keep Oryx’s chest open longer.
If you follow the procedure in the video, with the Touch of Malice and the sword strategy, this should be possible for many Guardians. Perfect timing and outstanding skills are said to no longer be necessary. In the comments, one user states that probably very few will be crazy enough to try this. The performance in the video is simply impressive. Another questions if the YouTuber is even human.
By the way: In addition to the Touch of Malice, Esoterickk also uses the raid sniper rifle EX MACHINA and the Grauensreißer.
It’s quite possible that Oryx will now be defeated solo more frequently – and that he will meet the same fate as his son. Unfortunately, the light level of the rewards is no longer relevant.
The new Vapid Bravado Youga Classic is an absolute eye-catcher in GTA 5 Online. Whether in A-Team style or as a surf bus – this van has many uses.
At regular intervals, developer RockstarGames releases new vehicles in GTA 5 Online. There are fast super sports cars, cool bikes in Tron style, beat-up hot rods or the latest release: a van. The various tuning options make this ride a very special vehicle. The good
thing is: The vehicle costs only about 200,000 GTA$. You can see how to transform this “normal” van into a cool vehicle with character in the video.
Grand Theft Auto Five Bravado Youga Classic
The newest vehicle in the Bikers DLC of GTA 5 Online is the Vapid Bravado Youga Classic. You can buy this van from the late sixties at Southern San Andres Super Autos for only 195,000 GTA$. If you are not satisfied with the basic structure, then the next trip with the Youga Classic should lead to Los Santos Customs.
There are extras like side steps, dual exhausts, cool paint jobs, and a spare tire on the back door. With the paint jobs, you can determine what lifestyle the car should embody. A dark paint job for illegal businesses and drive-bys or rather bright and friendly to take the car to the beach.
In the video, you will see a selection of the tuning options for the Vapid Bravado Youga Classic.
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After 12 years, not all founders of WoW are still with Blizzard. But who is still bravely holding the flag high?
With its 12 years, World of Warcraft is already a fossil among MMORPGs – although surprisingly lively. But in a dozen years, a lot changes. What has happened to all the well-known developers? We have compiled a list of the most famous developers who have worked for Blizzard since the beginning of the game – or very shortly after – and what has become of them over time.
Kaplan is now responsible for Overwatch. There is hardly any time left for other things.
Pardo, Kaplan, Metzen – What are the fathers of WoW doing today?
Jeffrey Kaplan, who may still be known to some veterans as Tigole, has not been involved in World of Warcraft since 2009. He is now the Game Director for Overwatch and is developing a completely new franchise, so there is little time left for further work on World of Warcraft. Together with Chris Metzen and Pat Nagle (Yes, he is named after the fisherman), he worked back then on world, quest, and raid design. A large part of the “original” game world was his responsibility.
Fun fact: Jeff Kaplan was hired by Blizzard because he was one of the most successful guild leaders in Everquest Online.
Rob Pardo has already not been at Blizzard since 2014 and has now founded his own development studio Bonfire. The expectations are high because when a former Blizzard employee leaves one of the most successful game studios to start anew, there must be some really good ideas behind it.
Chris Metzen – the storyteller behind Warcraft. (and for Cortyn something like a demigod)
Chris Metzen (actually Christopher Vincent Metzen) worked for a long time at Blizzard as a Game Designer and is generally considered the mind behind most of the stories we experience in World of Warcraft. A large part of the lore comes from his fingers and even outside the game world, he continued to weave the universe – for example, in the pen & paper rulebooks for Warcraft P&P or in the latest story compendium “Warcraft Chronicles”. Just recently, in the fall of 2016, he announced his retirement to spend more time with his family. Additionally, panic attacks and ongoing performance pressure made work unbearable for him.
Alex Afrasiabi – known from Stratholme.
Alex Afrasiabi, still known to some as Furor, comes from the era of Everquest Online just like Kaplan and has also loudly expressed his opinion in the forums like Kaplan. Blizzard was so impressed that they hired him to serve as a quest writer. Despite initial criticism, he is still the Creative Director of World of Warcraft and works diligently on every expansion.
Recently, Tom Chilton also “got caught” and left the WoW team to work on another project within Blizzard. What exactly it is remains unclear. Speculations vary widely: An Overwatch single-player? Diablo 4? Or something completely different? In a few years, BlizzCon will surely tell us more.
There he is chilling, Mr. Chilton.
Mark Kern, who was then the team leader of World of Warcraft, is now likely a bit of a thorn in Blizzard’s side. After leaving in 2006, he founded the (only moderately successful) “Red 5 Studio”, which was responsible for Firefall. In more recent history, he has primarily advocated for the fans of classic World of Warcraft who wish for a “Vanilla server” like Nostalrius to be able to play the game in its original form. He personally delivered a petition with thousands of signatures to Blizzard.
Of course, these are just a few of the minds behind World of Warcraft who are still involved today. All those people who you usually see on stage at BlizzCon. For such a game to really run smoothly, it naturally requires many more developers.
This was a look back at the beginnings of WoW. In this article, we deal with a “possible but unlikely future”:
Since update 1.5 of The Division, the named assault rifle Urban-MDR is in the game. What can this high-end weapon do?
The “Urban-MDR” assault rifle has gone through an interesting development in recent months. It first appeared at E3 2016, then still known as “B.L.I.N.D. System Battle Rifle”. Agents had high hopes that with update 1.3 weapons tailored to specific gear sets would be introduced. The more set pieces you wear, the stronger the weapon would be, they assumed. But that never happened.
Massive quickly confirmed that this weapon could not yet enter the game. Then there was a long silence around the B.L.I.N.D. weapon. With update 1.4, the B.L.I.N.D. set was completely removed and replaced by the Reaper set. The end of this weapon? No, with update 1.5 it finally arrived in the game – albeit with a different talent and a new name: Urban-MDR.
Locations of the Urban-MDR
The Urban-MDR is one of the 4 new named weapons introduced with patch 1.5. There are currently two confirmed sources to obtain this weapon:
Survival: Play the Survival mode. At the end, you will receive a certain number of sealed crates depending on your performance. The Urban-MDR may be contained in these.
Sealed containers through experience points: Once you reach the maximum level of 30, you will still continue to earn experience points. Once you have enough XP, there will be a loot container as a reward. So you can also get the weapon without owning the Survival DLC.
What Makes the Urban-MDR Special?
The Urban-MDR is classified as an assault rifle and is a semi-automatic weapon. You cannot hold the trigger down to fire multiple shots in succession. Therefore, the rate of fire of this weapon is also low, but the base damage is high. The standard magazine size is 20, which you should expand with a mod. Here are the stats:
The Urban-MDR comes with a unique talent:
Distracted: Damage is increased by 10% against enemies suffering from status effects.
You can identify enemies with a status effect by a small square with a symbol in it next to their health bar. For example, if an enemy has the “on fire” status, this is indicated by a flame in this square:
The Urban-MDR can be combined with talents, sets, or skills that focus on these status effects. If you have the Flame Turret active as a skill or you build on the FireCrest set, you can benefit from it.
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According to Arekkz Gaming, it is a lot of fun to play with this weapon. Since the Urban-MDR fires single shots, it can be controlled easily, and recoil is not a problem. As you can fire precise shots with it, talents like Brutal are useful, which increase headshot damage. Headshots can be easily achieved with it.
Have you already acquired the weapon? What do you think of it?
In Pokémon GO there are Pokémon with different move sets. Is it possible to influence which moves the evolved forms of Pokémon receive?
All Pokémon come with two moves, which are divided into standard and special moves. Standard moves are weaker than special moves and are used in gym battles to fill the blue charge bars in the upper left of the screen.
When the charge bar is full, you can use the special move. A weaker special move can be used faster, as it consists of 4-5 small charge bars. Stronger special moves have 2-3 bars or even just one. This makes them a bit slower, but they deal more damage.
Can you influence which moves Pokémon receive when they evolve?
Since the moves have different advantages and disadvantages as well as strengths and weaknesses, it would be practical to be able to influence which moves the Pokémon gets after evolution. When a Pokémon evolves, it receives a completely new move set. Rumors often arise here and there about how to influence the moves during the Pokémon’s evolution. In a study, the “Silph Research Group” conducted over 10,000 evolutions to see whether the move set can be determined during the evolution process.
The study found that NONE of the following factors influence the moves when evolving:
Standard move before evolution
Special move before evolution
Level of the Pokémon
Nickname of the Pokémon during evolution
Lucky Egg activated during evolution
Overall rating of the Pokémon
Highest IV categories – combined
Pokémon has perfect IV in Attack, Defense, and Stamina – separately
Pokémon has no perfect IV
Pokémon has only perfect IV
To ultimately clear away every rumor: You CANNOT influence the moves that Pokémon receive when evolving.
Those who want the strongest moves have no choice but to catch and evolve Pokémon repeatedly until they get the desired moves. Which moves are currently the strongest in Pokémon Go, you can read in this article.
Unfortunately, you cannot influence the move set. But perhaps it is a small consolation that you can at least choose what you evolve your Eevee into.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Moba Paragon is about to undergo the largest and most extensive changes to date.
Since June, developer Epic Games has been talking about minor and major issues that have clouded the gaming experience of Paragon. The excessively large battle arena has been the main problem.
Monolith brings multiple modifications
On December 6, it’s finally happening: The new map “Monolith” will be released to the players of the open beta Moba. However, many further changes will occur alongside this.
Not only will Monolith itself be significantly smaller and offer asymmetrical gameplay. With the upcoming update V.35, all heroes will also be updated and adjusted. The faster travel mode will be completely removed in favor of a significantly increased base speed.
According to Belica, Riktor is in her sights
Speaking of speeds – hero abilities can now be used much more frequently and faster, as all cooldowns have been significantly reduced. For this reason, the value “Cooldown Reduction” will completely disappear from your mods.
Because if, for example, as Gadget you can deploy a sticky mine every 8 seconds instead of 15 seconds, or Rampage’s ultimate is fully upgraded and available every 40 seconds – who needs less cooldown? Much more important will be effectively managing mana.
Paragon: More Action
Furthermore, the range of most abilities will be reduced while activation animations are accelerated. This is intended to make gameplay faster, riskier, and deadlier.
A “work-in-progress” excerpt from the new map Monolith
In addition, the shadow pads of the past will be eliminated. These will be completely removed and replaced at selected locations by a fog wall (see title image). Protective totems, like heroes, will also be unable to see through, making entering and leaving the jungle more exciting. Those who cannot properly ward here are almost marked for elimination.
But that’s still not all that Epic Games has in store for Paragon players. With the introduction of the new map, the distinction between physical and energy damage will be abandoned, which will also reflect in the mods.
Therefore, standard attacks will now deal base damage, while all abilities will now, who would have thought it, deal ability damage. The system for accumulating power will also change. Mods to strengthen abilities and standard attacks will no longer be separated but will form a unified value.
David against Goliath – Murdock aims at Crunch
This value will be distributed percentage-wise across all dealt damage. This means, for example, that Gideon’s basic attacks will only become slightly stronger, while his activatable powers will become much more powerful as he inherently deals more damage through his abilities. Conversely, power purchased as Murdock significantly strengthens his base damage.
Last but not least, there will be a departure from the traditional roles of shooters, mages, and fighters. Each hero will exhibit several “hero characteristics” that are intended to reflect the versatility of a character. This should help players find the right hero for their playstyle.
Paragon experiences a reboot
Pascal says:
“In a very real way, this is a completely new Paragon experience,” says lead hero designer Cameron Winston. And that’s exactly how it sounds. The changes presented represent a reset, a new beginning for Paragon. The goal was to create faster gameplay, more action-packed battles, and a high risk from the very beginning.
A final look at “Legacy” – the map will be shelved indefinitely
However, the oversized arena, which will be temporarily removed from the game with the release of Monolith, did not allow this to the extent that developer Epic Games had hoped. The extensive adjustment of the gameplay and systems will certainly not please some at first. However, a frequently voiced criticism has been the lengthy party duration, as well as movement that is too slow for some.
If you, therefore, took a look at Paragon during the open beta release in August for PC and PS4 and had your points of criticism, but generally find Mobas appealing and interesting, you might want to venture back into the realms of Agora on December 6. Because despite all the changes, Paragon does not want to be a shooter, but still “…to maintain the entire meta-game and the strategic aspects of a competitive Moba…”. Whether that works, everyone can decide for themselves in about 10 days.
The neutral Pandaren Doubleagent has completed his journey in WoW: Legion. He is now level 110.
It is a recurring phenomenon in our news when we talk about the Pandaren Doubleagent, who has reached a new milestone in his gaming career in World of Warcraft. But this time, the Pandaren Doubleagent has found his provisional end – he has ascended to the current max level 110.
The special thing about the whole action: Doubleagent refuses to accept that Pandaren must choose a faction and has instead decided to simply stay forever on the starting island. Instead of stopping after reaching level 12 due to a lack of quests, he has diligently continued to accumulate levels. Solely by gathering herbs and ores, which each time give only a fraction of a percentage point of experience.
After nearly 3 months of the new expansion, he has now managed to reach the max level 110 of Legion – significantly earlier than was actually calculated. To achieve this goal, he farmed herbs and ores for 6-8 hours a day.
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Interestingly, as soon as he reaches level 110, he receives the quest to visit Khadgar, who then unlocks the world quests for him. But can you lure Doubleagent away from his turtle island with something like world quests? That seems rather doubtful.
By the way, even Blizzard has taken a liking to Doubleagent. Those who pay close attention in the monk’s order hall can occasionally see a Pandaren darting from ore to ore across the island – a clear reference to the Pandaren, who is now retiring early … at least until the next expansion raises the level cap.
Cortyn says: If only I could muster even a fraction of the motivation as Doubleagent when I have to farm my weekly potions for the raid – fantastic. In any case, a great achievement. Some find it silly, others love it. I belong to the second group.
