The Free2Play variant of Evolve has received a launch trailer, but when will PS4 and Xbox One owners join the 4vs1 carnage?
All new, all better? The trailer promises a lot
For almost 2 days, Evolve has been available in the Free2Play variant on Steam. To celebrate the start of the beta, Turtle Rock released a new trailer that we obviously want to share with you.
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What were once paid DLCs can now be earned by any player with in-game currency, allowing them to enjoy more than 20 hunters and 5 different monsters (plus variations). However, players who have paid for the game in the past lose nothing and still have access to all purchased hunters and skins. We have summarized what additional bonuses there are for buyers and how the various new mechanics work in our “Evolve: What changes with Free2Play?” article.
When will Evolve Stage 2 come to PS4 and Xbox One?
Unlike PC players, PS4 and Xbox One owners are currently still waiting. The “old” version of Evolve is still running there and will probably do so for a while, as it has now been revealed on Twitter that the game will only launch on consoles once the PC beta is completed.
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It can be assumed that the console launch will still have some delays, as there will certainly be some adjustments to the balance for this version of the game to compensate for the different precision of controls with the gamepad.
Epic Games third-person MOBA Paragon is now available for free for PS Plus members as part of the monthly game collection. Therefore, you can expect events throughout July where you can earn free skins and also a new hero next week.
For Honor
Greystone, Paragon’s next melee fighter and knight for justice, will enter the battlefield of Agora starting July 12th and take down his dishonorable foes. He can quickly close the distance to his enemies, then carve out space again with a sword whirl.
The glorious knight can also take hits, as he gains a passive bonus resistance from his ability “Stoic.” However, if he finds himself outnumbered in a dishonorable fight and goes down, his opponents would do well to flee. Because with his ultimate, Greystone can rise again at the same spot with part of his HP and full mana like a phoenix from the ashes. True knights must be killed twice.
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Like all previous and upcoming heroes, Greystone will also be available to play for free.
Events & Rewards in July
Paragon is only a few weeks away from the official free-to-play launch. New heroes, features, and changes are being added at a rapid pace, such as a completely revamped menu and weekly challenges.
Since the MOBA is already available to PS Plus members as part of the monthly game selection in July, there are several events throughout the month. Until July 11th, the community must collectively destroy 2.5 million cores. If this goal is reached, everyone will receive the Midnight Muriel skin.
The Midnight Muriel skin – elegant black and gold adorns the support character
And if you like the game and want to hoard even more free skins, you can link your PSN ID with your Epic ID as a PlayStation 4 player to claim the stylish Blood Red skin for Sevarog.
Want more? Then feel free to like Paragon on Facebook to also add the Carbon Steel skin for Steel to your collection.
Sevarog and Steel in new outfits
But even if you are not a fan of such promotions, starting July 19th, there will be another chance for everyone to earn a previously unannounced free hero skin as a community.
And to wrap up the event month, there will be double reputation and experience for everyone in the last week of July. And even then, a new skin could emerge.
The perfect time for all interested console players to check the game out before the official free-to-play launch on August 16th and gain an advantage over others. And of course, to look better.
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Leavers ruin the fun of ranked mode in Overwatch. A patch was supposed to fix this, but it somehow didn’t work.
A patch that doesn’t patch the right thing
One of the most annoying moments in Overwatch is when, after a hard-earned victory in ranked mode, you are awarded few or even no ranking points because at the last moment a player from the opposing team leaves the match. Blizzard has been trying to address this issue for weeks and yesterday deployed a new patch to fix it.
In the official forum, Jeff Kaplan (Game Director of Overwatch) explained why this problem occurred in the first place. A system determines the win chances of both teams based on the ranks and MMR of the players and tries to create a fair match. When a player leaves the match afterwards, the win chance of that team logically drops drastically, which results in a lesser change in ranking points. However, this system encourages many to leave the games prematurely in true troll fashion to “get back at” the winning team. To discourage this behavior further, the reduction of ranking point gain should now be removed.
The embarrassing part: The patch didn’t fix the issue!
Apparently, Blizzard assumed that the patch would eliminate this annoyance, but that didn’t work. The developers are now feverishly working to fix the bug in the bug fix. So, a patch that patches the patch is to be expected soon.
For more news and articles about Blizzard’s hero shooter, you can find them on our Overwatch game page. Extensive tips and tricks for individual heroes can be found in our Overwatch guide section.
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In The Division, the vendors’ offerings will be exchanged on July 9. Let’s see what they have in their inventory for PS4, PC, and Xbox One.
Every night from Friday to Saturday, the vendors receive new goods. The agents are curious if there is anything nice among them that they can level up and improve.
Currently, we are asking ourselves: Which vendors are actually still worth reporting about? Many agents are already running around with a gear score above 250. A weapon with 182 is not very exciting. Of course, the gear score is not very significant – a low-value weapon with excellent attributes and talents is always desirable.
Since the update 1.3 has allowed players to reroll weapon talents, one does not have to rely solely on luck and a good roll anymore. Weapons with low values seem less lucrative now. Thus, we want to primarily focus on items with a value over 200.
This is the offering of the special equipment vendor on July 9.
You can find this vendor in the tech wing of the base of operations. His inventory has significantly shrunk since the update. He has also lost importance as the values of his items have not increased. You can purchase the following goods for Phoenix Credits:
Additionally, there are two high-end masks (each 182), a bulletproof vest (204), and a holster (204). With 191, you can get the “Predator’s Mark” mask and the “Hunter’s Faith” backpack. The cosmetic items Ranger Jacket and Jacket – Sand color also cannot be missed.
This is what the special equipment vendor has in the terminal
SOCOM Mk20 SR (Sniper Rifle): 670 PCs – Value 204 (Demanding, Restored, Wicked)
You can also buy two knee pads and holsters each, with values of 182 and 204. With values of 191, the “Predator’s Mark” gloves and the “Hunter’s Faith” mask are available. Again, the cosmetic items are also present.
This is the offering of the dark zone weapon vendor
You can find this vendor in the safe room in DZ03. You need sufficient dark zone currency and certain DZ ranks for him to offer you his goods. These are the exciting weapons of the week:
M44 – Hunting Version (Sniper Rifle): 103291 DZC – Value 204 (Rank 80) (Connoisseur, Gifted, Destructive)
M870 – Military Version (Shotgun): 103644 DZC – Value 204 (Rank 80) (Capable, Brutal, Wicked)
Mk17 – Police Version (Sniper Rifle): 259839 DZC – Value 229 (Rank 90) (Dominant, Competent, Resentful)
The mods of the dark zone weapon mod vendor this week
This vendor also only provides goods for DZ currency and at certain ranks. You can find him in DZ05 in the safe room. These are the mod blueprints with energy level 32:
Vertical Grip – Wolf Grey with Initial Stability and any bonus: 142003 DZC (Rank 50)
Extended Magazine with Magazine Size and any bonus: 141574 DZC (Rank 50)
This is the offering of the underground vendor on July 9.
The vendor craves Phoenix Credits. He is not yet available to you on PS4. You need certain underground ranks. These are the items:
Evolve was released yesterday as Evolve: Stage 2 free to play and the audience has welcomed this very positively. Therefore, the player numbers exploded virtually overnight by over 9,000 percent!
Evolve, the monster hunting MMO, was actually as good as dead and according to Steam statistics, on average barely 200 hardcore monster fans played the game with hunters and hunted. But then yesterday the free2play version of Evolve – Evolve: Stage 2 – came and suddenly thousands of curious players flooded the servers and took on the roles of hunters and monsters.
Therefore, there were only a few hundred players present yesterday at 7:00 PM, but already by 10:00 PM – that’s how long the download took for most players – there were over 10,000. Today, on Friday, July 8th, this number has doubled again and at the time of this news, already 23,000 players were simultaneously in the jungles of Evolve to hunt monsters or become the beast themselves. From about 200 players to 23,000 – that corresponds to an epic increase of over 9,000 percent!
This drastic number means that Evolve has indeed interested many players, but many simply did not want to buy it. However, it may also involve numerous returnees who were not interested before and want to take a look again now. By the way, we have also dedicated today’s section “Mein-MMO fragt” to the topic of Evolve. Do you give Evolve a second chance as a F2P title?
Are you surprised by the sudden success of Evolve? Or do you think it’s all just a flash in the pan that is quickly flaring up, but will soon extinguish? Let us know your opinion and write it in the comments! For my part, I will definitely check out Evolve now and choose a big, nasty monster, maybe we will meet in the jungle!
In The Division, the raid “Dragon’s Lair” has been live since update 1.3. We compare the locations before and after the patch.
In the south of Hell’s Kitchen in post-apocalyptic New York, the new raid “Dragon’s Lair” has been established since update 1.3. Cleaners are causing havoc there, which we must put a stop to. But be careful: they have brought toys with them – and not only the electric cars are meant, but also a flame-throwing fire truck! How you can master the raid Dragon’s Lair in The Division, we will show you here.
Before the Cleaners faction spread there, the area around Dragon’s Lair looked a bit different than it does now. Massive has spruced up the scenery a bit, probably to visually enhance the raid.
Huh? That wasn’t there before!
The Reddit user “finnegar” has created some “before and after” pictures of Dragon’s Lair. He now shows the community how the developers have changed the area.
He says he watched the special report on the Underground expansion and update 1.3 and that he was interested in the then still future location of the new raid. So he went there at night, even before update 1.3 had to be downloaded, and took diligent screenshots.
However, the user didn’t get very far – only to the first roof. But already on the way there, you can now see several significant changes. Take a look for yourself:
Before the update: The entrance to Dragon’s Lair. The fence doesn’t look very inviting:
After the update: The fence is gone. Now the entrance looks like this:
Before the update: The access to the roof. A rather bulky scaffold:
After the update: The scaffold is gone. But where does the striking graffiti come from?
Before the update: The first roof – just a few boards lying around carelessly.
After the update: First roof – What happened here? Where did all this come from?
Before the update: First roof:
After the update: First roof:
The roof has been designed with significantly more detail. Massive has certainly tinkered a bit more with it.
Even though Dragon’s Lair is not yet unlocked on the PS4, these areas already look like this on the PS4 version. Update 1.3 brought the changes.
Today, on July 8th, Destiny launches the Trials of Osiris. Which map will be played this week?
In recent weeks, the Trials of Osiris have rarely been spared from issues. One really doesn’t feel like making firm plans with friends for this PvP event. Especially since currently, there are matchmaking tests in the Crucible – albeit only in Control mode.
Spontaneous server issues appeared on PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PS3 last week. There is currently no indication of any threat to the Trials of Osiris. No bugs, exploits, or connection problems in sight.
The Trials start today at 7 PM and last until Tuesday, July 12th, at 11 AM. The map Witwenhof will be played.
These are the Trials of Osiris
In the Trials, you compete in teams of three in Elimination mode. With victories, you fill your scorecard. If you have a “flawless” ticket, you may fly to Mercury and fish for some really good loot from the chest.
After 5 and 7 wins, you will receive Osiris items as a reward. Don’t forget to complete the bounties from Brother Vance to gain additional rewards.
Red Dead Redemption for Xbox 360 is now also compatible with Xbox One as of today. Therefore, you can play the game on the current Microsoft console and even receive three multiplayer DLC packs for free.
You want to play Red Dead Redemption again, but your old Xbox 360 is gathering dust somewhere in the basement and you’re too lazy to dust it off? But there’s a current Xbox One in the living room waiting to be used? No problem, because as of today, July 8, 2016, we can play the Xbox 360 version of Red Dead Redemption on the Xbox One.
That’s already pretty cool, but it gets even better: The multiplayer DLCs “Myths and Mavericks”, “Liars and Cheats”, and “Killers” are all included for free. So just install the game from the disc or download it from the Xbox Store for around 7 gigabytes. According to a report from GameStar, the announcement regarding the backward compatibility of Red Dead Redemption has led to a 6,000 percent increase in sales of this game in recent days. Unfortunately, publisher Rockstar has not said anything about a possible sequel to Red Dead Redemption or even a PC version.
What do you think about the new backward compatibility of Xbox One with Red Dead Redemption? Do you wish for more old games from Xbox 360 on the new console, and if so, which games would that be? Or are you not interested in such an old game anymore and developer studio Rockstar should rather work on a sequel or even a PC port of Red Dead Redemption? Write it in the comments and let us know!
In the latest livestream, the developers discussed in detail the class halls and the artifact weapons of World of Warcraft: Legion. We have summarized the most important information for you.
Every weapon a new experience
Every week, Blizzard hosts a livestream with various developers from World of Warcraft who address the burning questions of the community regarding the upcoming expansion “Legion”. This time, Community Manager Josh Allen was joined by Lead Quest Designer Craig Amai to discuss in detail the class order halls and the artifact weapons of Legion. We have highlighted the key points for you.
Hidden variants of the artifact weapons
Amai was quite amused by the criticism that some alternative appearances of certain artifact weapons are easier to obtain than others. This was indeed intentional, as the classes should feel different and other variations of the weapon should be tied to different conditions. Moreover, the acquisition method for some variations has not yet been discovered by players – especially for Arcane Mages, he is looking forward to seeing how fans will react.
Not all variations are easy to obtain – some are even hidden.
New players have it easier
Those who do not start playing Legion right at the beginning or who later enjoy playing a few alts need not worry too much. A mechanic called “artifact knowledge” ensures that players can accumulate artifact power faster over time. The more time that has passed since the release of the addon, the faster artifact knowledge (and thus artifact power) can be accumulated. However, those who want to be “ahead” with multiple characters will need to invest a lot of time at the beginning of the expansion. The mechanic is meant to allow players to catch up quickly but not overtake others.
It will take several months before a weapon is fully “skilled”.
The resetting of an artifact weapon
If you are not satisfied with the development of the artifact weapon, you can “redistribute” the properties, essentially performing a “respec” of the weapon. However, this is tied to high costs in the form of artifact power. They do not see this as a problem, as sooner or later, you will have unlocked all properties anyway. Respeccing should therefore only be done in absolute emergencies. It will likely take several months to gain all properties, even for frequent players.
You can find the link to the complete stream in our sources.
For more news and articles about the upcoming expansion of World of Warcraft, check out our Legion overview page.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Riders of Icarus offers a huge selection of Mounts, but if you don’t know where the creatures roam, it doesn’t help much. Therefore, we have discovered the locations of Giant Spider Taslan and four other top mounts for you.
Riders of Icarus is a feast for animal lovers and right in the first large area, the Brakarr Forest, it is crawling with exotic creatures that we can tame. For most animals, it is enough to sneak up, jump on them, and then ride them in a mini-game. However, some elite mounts – like the Spider Taslan or the Giant Wild Boar Cold Tusk – require a special approach. Therefore, we have selected some of the coolest mounts in the starting area for you and will explain how to tame them.
Taslan the Devourer
Location: Northern Ruins
The disgusting jewel of tameable creatures in the Brakarr Forest is this giant spider. It also serves as the boss of the solo instance of the “Northern Ruins”. However, when you face the spider for the first time, you won’t have much luck, as the creature cannot really be tamed. You need a special spellbook, which you can acquire as rare loot from the Braghin Shamans in the Braghin War Camp. Activate the book, and you have exactly one attempt to tame the spider. If you mess it up, you will need to get a new book.
Cold Tusk
Location: Braghin War Camp
This creature is a particularly large and nasty wild boar that serves as a mount for the chief of the Braghin Bears. So first you need to knock the chief off the back of the wild boar and slay him without accidentally slaughtering the boar. After that, you just need to activate the taming mode and try to get on the creature. This is a bit tricky but doable. But be careful, many players want the boar and are farming the boss routinely. The risk of another player snatching the mount or simply taking it down is very high here! Moreover, this mount is quite buggy, and in some attempts, it just doesn’t seem to work. In this case, just keep trying and, if necessary, switch instances.
Pritsha the Cannibal
Location: Wolves’ Den Cave
This wolf is one of the bosses in the forest, but quite easy to tame. Just go into the “Wolves’ Den Cave” and jump onto the wolf. Complete the taming rodeo and you will have a very cool wolf mount.
Woodland Joey
Location: Southern Ruins
This cute creature is a mix of a squirrel and a kangaroo. It prefers to hang around the Southern Ruins and is quite easy to tame. During a quest, you will have to catch one of these beasts and turn it into a pet anyway, but there’s nothing wrong with getting another Joey as a mount.
Shimmerwood Turtle
Location: Shimmerwood
My absolute favorite animal in the Brakarr Forest is this … turtle! The armored turtle is actually faster than it looks, and it looks really cool to ride through the forest on a turtle. So definitely get this creature, but watch out for the nasty pixies in the Shimmerwood that can make taming difficult.
In FIFA 16 “Ultimate Team”, the “European Team of the Tournament” goes live today. Outstanding European players, the best players of Euro 2016 in France, will be available in the packs for one week.
Yesterday, Germany’s Euro dream ended. Portugal and France are in the final and will contest the title between them. During this European Championship, some players stood out with exceptional performances, for which EA Sports now rewards with special cards for FUT.
The Best Players of the Euro in FIFA 16
In the “European Team of the Tournament”, three players stand out: Cristiano Ronaldo with an overall rating of 97, Gareth Bale with 94, and our goalkeeper Manuel Neuer with 94.
In addition to Neuer, Boateng (90) and Kroos (89) from the German national team are represented in this team.
Starting Eleven
GK: Manuel Neuer – Germany
CB: Jérôme Boateng – Germany
CB: Pepe – Portugal
CB: Giorgio Chiellini – Italy
LM: Eden Hazard – Belgium
CM: Toni Kroos – Germany
CM: Paul Pogba – France
CAM: Gareth Bale – Wales
LF: Dimitri Payet – France
RF: Antoine Griezmann – France
ST: Cristiano Ronaldo – Portugal
Substitutes
GK: Gianluigi Buffon – Italy
CB: Leonardo Bonucci – Italy
CB: Ragnar Sigurðsson – Iceland
CAM: Kevin De Bruyne – Belgium
CAM: Aaron Ramsey – Wales
CM: Aron Gunnarsson – Iceland
LM: Ivan Perišić – Croatia
Reserves
GK: Yann Sommer – Switzerland
CB: James Chester – Wales
CDM: Grzegorz Krychowiak – Poland
RM: Jakub Błaszczykowski – Poland
LM: Balázs Dzsudzsák – Hungary
This team is available in packs from today at 7 PM until next Friday, July 15th, also at 7 PM.
This team will be released as part of the “Festival of FUTball”. EA Sports itself does not mention the term “European Championship” – as Konami’s PES 2016 has secured the UEFA EURO 2016. However, there is no doubt that EA honors the best players of the Euro with these cards.
Last weekend, selected players were able to take a detailed look at the Alpha version of Master X Master. We were also there and we think: Master X Master is much more than just another MOBA!
As soon as we logged into Master X Master, the action began. But instead of a classic MOBA like LoL or Heroes of the Storm, we are first met with a game that reminds more of a top-down shooter à la Hotline Miami. We control our hero with the WASD keys and aim and shoot with the mouse. Additionally, we initially fight against AI opponents on a spaceship.
Master X Master has an extensive PvE mode in which we can complete numerous missions with our heroes. Alone or in a team with other players, we shoot our way through various scenarios. After the tutorial on the spaceship, we continue on to the surface of various planets, where we fight through overgrown jungle ruins and take down bosses.
Heroes in Pairs
Depending on which hero we’ve chosen, we can approach our opponents differently. The average soldier Taejin, for example, shoots with an assault rifle and throws grenades. The sharpshooter Innowin, on the other hand, has to aim precisely, as her sniper rifle shoots slowly but hits hard. However, unlike most games, we don’t have to stick to a single hero. Instead, we choose two from a pool of currently 30 heroes.
If a character runs out of health in battle or we can’t make progress with their skills, we can switch to the second hero at any time with a key press and react differently to the situation. This cool system makes Master X Master very strategic, and especially on higher difficulty levels, we have to carefully consider which alternate hero we bring and how we can harmonize with the options of other team members.
Especially cool: In addition to various quirky heroes with an anime look, there are also familiar faces from earlier NCSoft games in the selection, such as the two bosses Jinsoyun and Poharan from Blade and Soul, the crazy hamster Mondo Zax from WildStar or Rytlock Brimstone from Guild Wars 2.
Where is the MOBA?
The PvE missions, which we can also play with other players, are already a lot of fun, but at its core Master X Master is a PvP game. Those who want to measure themselves against other players have two options. The 3vs3 arena or the 5vs5 MOBA. The former is quickly explained, with two teams of three players each competing against each other in a small arena; whoever has the most kills at the end of time wins. It’s a classic team deathmatch, but due to the action controls and hero tag team, it’s a lot of fun.
The 5vs5 mode, on the other hand, is more challenging, and here Master X Master becomes a true MOBA, albeit with some interesting deviations. However, initially, we are not introduced to anything new – a mirrored map with each team’s base at the end and between them three main lanes and numerous cross-connections. The goal is to destroy the enemy base and, in the process, use minions to eliminate the enemy’s defensive towers.
Battle of the Titans
But in addition to the usual minions, which appear wave after wave at the base and bravely run into doom, there are also particularly large servants that we can only unlock by defeating a shrine guardian. Once achieved, the big guy fights for us. Additionally, there are neutral opponents scattered around that we can farm. This increases our heroes’ levels and makes them stronger, but the kills also fill our victory bar.
Whenever we score 100 points, a giant Titan appears in our base, which is particularly strong and can single-handedly destroy the opponent’s defense. The clever use of Titans is crucial here and very reminiscent of the gameplay of the map “Garden of Terror” from Heroes of the Storm. There, we can create a so-called “Garden Terror” if we collect enough seeds.
Character Creator
Master X Master is already an entertaining top-down coop shooter, a deathmatch game, and a MOBA. However, thanks to the detailed character system, it also becomes a kind of role-playing game. We can customize and develop our heroes between missions and PvP rounds.
For example, by optimizing their attack power with special upgrade items or improving the heroes’ weapons with more range or firepower. We can also equip the characters with titles and give them new outfits. And although the initial selection of heroes is initially manageable, we can quickly unlock additional characters with in-game currency, some only after we meet certain requirements – such as 10 arena wins or a particularly effective mission completion. This way, there is always something new added, and the game doesn’t get boring.
The test weekend for Master X Master offered quite a bit. Were you also there? And what did you think of the game? Share your thoughts in the comments. My own views on Master X Master will follow soon on Mein-MMO.de.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
We will soon learn something new about the next Overwatch hero. We have the details and the date for Comic-Con 2016.
Will Sombra be confirmed at Comic-Con?
The last thing heard from Blizzard regarding new heroes for Overwatch was a statement from Jeff Kaplan that one can expect it “this year”. Just a few days ago, the game studio posted a picture on their Twitter account showing a new weapon attributed to the mysterious hero “Sombra.” Now we know that there will be fresh information about the next hero in just two weeks! This year’s Comic-Con in San Diego will hold a one-hour event on July 21 that focuses on the next hero from Overwatch.
According to the description on the Comic-Con 2016 website:
“Behind the scenes of the latest Overwatch hero
The Blizzard developer James Waugh (Director of Story & Creative Development), Michael Chu (Senior Designer), and Arnold Tsang (Assistant Art Director) present a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process, showcasing the art, design, and story of the latest Overwatch hero.”
After the official presentation, there will also be a Q&A session where attendees can ask their questions about the development of the new character.
Whether the recordings from Comic-Con will be made available to the public or if there will be a live broadcast is still unknown. With a little luck, many details from the event should be leaked. Blizzard might also reveal more about the upcoming hero – after all, the player community would be quite disappointed if they weren’t “informed immediately.”
For more news, articles, and guides related to Blizzard’s hero shooter, you can find them on our Overwatch game page.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Blade & Soul continues, as the update “Shadows of the Innocents” once again advances the epic anime story of the Kung-Fu MMO. Additionally, there are new dungeons.
In Blade and Soul, we have temporarily concluded the story surrounding our arch-nemesis Jinsoyun, but evil never sleeps, and new villains are already rising who are eager to feel our fists! In Acts 5 and 6 of the epic anime Kung-Fu story, all the martial arts fun begins again, and this time the danger comes from the mysterious “Cult of the Dark Dragons”. The villains see their chance in light of the events surrounding Jinsoyun and cause trouble.
In addition to the story missions, there are also plenty of challenges in the new dungeon instances. The beginning once again features an instance about the pirates of the black ram. But this time we will fight alongside the eccentric Vice Admiral Poharan against dark forces, as they want to corrupt Admiral Hae Mujin with dark Chi. The instance comes in a version for 4 or 6 players.
The adventure continues in the “Siege of Darksludge”, where we will face summoned demons with up to 5 companions. Those who want the full raid experience can join a 24-man squad and stir things up in the “Twisted Grimhorn Wilderness”. As always, the update “Shadows of the Innocents” is free. By the way, it all kicks off on July 20!
Are you looking forward to the new story in Blade & Soul and the joint dungeon with the cool Vice Admiral Poharan, or has the air been out of NCSoft’s Kung-Fu adventure for you for a long time? Let us know and write it in the comments!
At Destiny, the developers are currently celebrating their birthday, Bungie Day, and you. You are invited to join the celebration.
Yesterday, there was no “This Week at Bungie” letter to the community. Instead, a detailed article about Bungie Day was released, which has been celebrated for 10 years. On the seventh day of the seventh month, Bungie takes the opportunity to honor the community and its actions.
This year it’s all about your triumphs in Year 2 of Destiny. This is the event that was announced a week ago – and many anticipated it. To participate, you must go to the post office, pick up a record book, and then redeem the triumphs. You can read all the information about the Triumphs of Year Two in Destiny here. With these Triumphs, your actions and your legends shall become immortal.
25th Birthday and an Extremely Expensive T-Shirt
This year’s Bungie Day also marks the 25th anniversary of the company. On this occasion, they present a short video about the history of Bungie, culminating in Destiny’s autumn expansion “The Rise of Iron”:
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Every Guardian who can successfully complete all Triumphs deserves a piece of clothing named after them. Therefore, Bungie has come up with the following:
Once you have completed all moments, you will receive a time-limited code that you can find on the official “Year Two Moments of Triumph” page. This will give you a considerable discount on the “Moments of Triumph T-Shirt” in the Bungie Store – which is desperately needed. Because without a discount code, the shirt costs a whopping $777,772.77! The code is redeemable until early October.
This special T-shirt is said to be customizable. Additionally, the purchase benefits the Bungie Foundation, which helps needy children. So you not only get a nice piece of clothing but also accompany Bungie “on a mission of charity and goodwill”.
When you play Destiny, your identity is defined by your gear: It shows whether you are Crucible champions, expert raiders, or rookie guardians who desperately need teammates. In the “real” world, Bungie writes, the Bungie Store is your quartermaster, where you can stock up on detailed Destiny action figures, more T-shirts, and all kinds of cool stuff. With each purchase of any item, you support the Bungie Foundation.
Additionally: If you purchase something in the store by July 13, Bungie will thank you with a unique “7-7 Ad Infinitum” emblem:
For this, you will also receive a code that will be sent to you via email.
According to Bungie, it is an honor for them that you are members of this community. So celebrate yourselves vigorously.
Note: Yesterday, after the triumphs appeared, there were issues with the Bungie.net site. These have now been resolved.
More than 228 million US dollars in revenue were generated during the Steam Summer Sale 2016.
After this year’s Steam Summer Sale ended 3 days ago, some Steam users are still trying to patch up their wallets that were hit during the sale days. Did you also take advantage this year and buy games on sale? Don’t worry, you’re not alone – According to a statistic from Steam Spy, the revenue figures have clearly increased compared to last year.
Indie game “Limbo” sold over 1 million copies
Sergey Galyonkin from Steam Spy hopes to be able to create a more accurate list of the Steam Sale changes over the past years in the coming days. Current research shows the games that were sold the most. The big winner on this list is the dark indie game “Limbo”, which, however, was not discounted during the Steam Summer Sale 2016 but was available for free shortly before the sale.
Limbo is the only game that sold over 1 million copies during the sale – If you haven’t seen or tried the game yet, be sure to check out gameplay material or download the free Limbo demo on Steam. The game definitely provides a change of pace if you’re usually playing current games like Overwatch or The Division.
Update: In the meantime, Sergey Galyonkin has revised his data and suspects that the high “sales” of the game were boosted by the free offer just before the sale. Of course, the game was also purchased during the sale – However, it is difficult to differentiate here.
The Top 10 Games of This Year’s Summer Sale
Overall, the Steam Sale this year made 228 million US dollars in revenue – Last summer it was 160 million US dollars. A total of about 4 million more games were sold. In the top 10 list of the best-selling games during the Steam Summer Sale 2016 are, for example, GTA 5 or Dead By Daylight. In the following list, you can see not only how many players the respective games had before and after the sale, but also how much the games were discounted and what their meta score is on Steam. Did you buy games that are on this list?
This information comes from the Steam Spy website and is not official information from Steam.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The YouTuber WOBO has made a name for himself in the Division community with his detailed weapon reviews. He employs the numbers, conducts in-depth analyses, and presents them in a clear manner. We have already showcased his results on the assault rifle analyses and the shotgun analyses in The Division.
Now he has taken a closer look at all weapon categories after Update 1.3. According to his numbers, there are currently some interesting and surprising weapons that stand out.
The best weapons after 1.3 in The Division
In the following video, WOBO presents his findings. He first discusses the best assault rifles, then LMGs, sniper rifles, shotguns, sidearms, and SMGs. In the end, he presents the overall result:
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For each weapon category, he creates a graphical representation. On the y-axis, you can see the damage (in millions) that the weapon inflicts, and on the x-axis the time (in seconds). For the damage calculation, he used several fixed parameters, such as a firearm value of 3000, a critical hit chance of 20%, and even certain mods. You can view all the values he used in this public spreadsheet on the weapons in The Division.
To explain: The brightly highlighted line represents the weapon’s cycle: The rising line shows the time while the weapon is firing, the straight line indicates the reload time. These two phases repeat:
The best assault rifle
The assault rifles in The Division can be divided into seven types: ACRs, AKs, FALs, G36s, M4s, P416s, and SCAR-Ls. They perform as follows:
It is evident: The G36 assault rifles clearly outperform the others. This makes it easier for some agents to understand why the G36s have to be nerfed in the near future. Depending on how strong this nerf occurs, the SCAR-Ls are the best alternative.
The best light machine gun
The LMGs consist of the L86s, M249s, M60s, and RPKs. Here’s how they perform:
These lines run quite similarly, but WOBO considers the L86s to be the kings of light machine guns. While they often require reloading, they inflict good damage – they are the best LMGs in both PvE and PvP.
The best sniper rifle
Among the snipers, the distinctions are made between M1A, M44, SCAR-H, SRS, and SVD. Here the numbers vary widely:
The M1A sniper rifles continue to be the strongest snipers in the game. The fast-firing snipers have significant advantages. If you don’t currently have an M1A on hand and are wavering between SCAR-H and SVD, you should opt for the SVD in The Division. This one has the best precision among all sniper rifles, which makes the gunplay with them very pleasant.
The best shotgun
The shotguns consist of the AA-12 (The Showstopper), the double-barreled shotguns, M870s, SASG-12s, and Super 90s. They are distributed as follows in the graph:
This weapon class allows you several variations, depending on how you prefer to play with shotguns. However, if you choose the SASG-12s in The Division, you can’t go wrong.
The best sidearms
For sidearms, you have the choice between 586 Magnum’s, M1911s, M9 A1, PF45, P4x Sturm, and the First Wave X-45:
The First Wave X-45 plays in a league of its own here. It can even keep up with the SASG-12 shotguns. As a sidearm, WOBO considers it completely OP.
The best submachine gun
Among the submachine guns, there are the AUG, the fully automatic MP5, MP7, PP-19, T821, SMG-9, and the Vector:
As you can see, the Vector and the AUG have lost their dominant position. Both experienced a base damage reduction of 10% with the update 1.3. In PvE, the PP-19 is now recommended, while in PvP, the MP7s remain top tier.
Riders of Icarus launched into Open Beta yesterday and we were there! In the starting area, we battled some mangy Ewoks, revealed the pitfalls of the action controls, and mounted all sorts of wild animals.
Riders of Icarus doesn’t mess around, it goes big! And it hits us with a cinematic scene right from the start, where we escape from a dark dungeon guarded by gigantic rhino soldiers like “Kung-Fu Panda.” Our heroine belongs to the princess’s bodyguard, who was kidnapped by a genuine anime villain named Rondo and his “Frostguard.” The game tells us the whole story through beautifully staged in-game scenes that certainly get you excited for more.
Hardly have we processed all the action from the intro, and we are already battling our “Berserker” through the rhino hordes, smashing the brutish horn carriers left and right through the dungeon. Even the hefty rhino boss has nothing to say, and after we smashed his healing energy stone, the big guy quickly falls to the dust before us.
Right from the start of the game, we already get to fly with the Pegasus.
Next, whole armies of enemies rush into our place, and we have to flee. But instead of any horses or even donkeys (Black Desert Online says hello), we quickly grab a real Pegasus as a mount from the stable. With this flying beast, we take off on a gigantic runway and escape under heavy fire to a flying stingray with deck structures.
Crash Landing with the Ewoks
But we don’t get very far on the flying flatfish, as a stray ballista bolt brings a sudden end to the creature and we crash down. Unfortunately, in the dark Braghin Forest, a place where the knights of the Dragon Order are currently fighting against the titular Braghin. By the way, these are stout little bears that look like a particularly scruffy and wild variant of the cute Ewoks from Star Wars. Even the background music reminds a bit of the Ewok village on Endor!
Rugged Braghin bears are initially our archenemies.
So for anyone who has always wanted to take revenge on the furry creatures for the infamous defeat of the Empire from Episode VI, you can unleash your anger on the Icarus Ewoks, as many quests revolve solely around farming various types of these fur carriers. Besides the Ewoks Braghin, we also beat up various forest creatures, such as the obligatory wolves and foxes. Why are there always foxes? They are really not dangerous at all and totally cute!
No News While Questing
At this point, Riders of Icarus unfortunately slows down the pace of play, which started so spectacularly. The quests in Braghin Forest consist almost solely of the usual standard MMO stuff like “Kill X and bring me Y.” But okay, such quests aren’t necessarily bad when the gameplay works. Unfortunately, this only partially fits, as although we can now also play Riders of Icarus with an action control, the game is still fundamentally a classic online role-playing game with a control system that requires targeting. Even in action mode, which at first glance seems like Blade and Soul or WildStar, our heroine keeps running away while using skills – away from the currently attacked enemy to a foe further away that is just marked as a target.
So without periodically pressing the Tab key, we can’t get out, but at least we can dodge attacks better with the action controls and execute our combos more effectively. Although we have only a handful of skills at the beginning of the game, once we had the hang of things, we could pull off some cool moves and take down a whole pack of furry bears through the forest.
All the Luck of the Earth…
… lies on the back of the horses wild boars. That seems to be a saying from the Icarus world, as the game is mainly known for its immense selection of mounts. And while in a conventional MMORPG we only get our first mount around level 20, here we get our first mount right at the start of the game. The forest is full of creatures, and anything that can carry a human can usually be mounted, and we can tame them via a cool rodeo minigame.
We tame the mounts through a minigame.
So it doesn’t take long before we have tamed our first mount – a unicorn. But that’s not all; next, we grab a slightly dim-witted kangaroo and later the crown jewel of our collection, a hefty wild boar with powerful tusks! These creatures allow for much faster travel through the underbrush, and the longer we ride them, the tougher and better they become. With special weapons like a giant crossbow, we can even fight mounted.
Especially cool: Early on, we experience flying mounts in special quests; besides the pegasi from the intro mission (now that I think about it, where did the winged horse actually go??), there is also a particularly impressive quest where we have to rescue a phoenix chick in a trap and make our way there on the back of Mama Phoenix. Flying is a lot of fun and controls very smoothly.
Hero Standard and Sexy Armors
Finally, I want to say a few words about the character editor and hero selection. In the latter, Riders of Icarus truly offers no sensations. The game only features a mere five heroes from the five most clichéd classes that every MMO veteran has seen countless times. There are:
The tanky guardian
The healing priest
The damage dealer classes warlock, berserker, and assassin
The three DPS classes differ in range (assassins and berserkers are melee fighters) and difficulty (berserker is the easiest, warlock the hardest to master). With this standard selection, Riders of Icarus certainly won’t win any originality awards. On the other hand, MMORPG players will feel right at home and won’t have to deal with any bizarre hybrid classes.
The editor offers a decent selection of design options.
The character editor is also above average and is roughly the extent we’ve come to expect from Blade & Soul. We shouldn’t expect a second Black Desert Online, but we can still customize and alter a lot. Also positive: the gender separation of classes (gender lock) often found in Asian games is completely absent here. Every hero can have any gender, and female berserkers are as conceivable as male priests. Only the outfits of female characters are always much skimpier than those of the men, which looks quite silly, especially for heavily armored guardians and berserkers. By the way, there are (still) no races in Riders of Icarus; all heroes are human.
Female berserkers don’t think much of armors.
So much for my first hours in the Icarus world. Overall, I quite like the game, especially I’m looking forward to the many creatures. Unfortunately, the game plays a bit stiff and dated, like a souped-up version of World of Warcraft and definitely not as fluid as real action MMORPGs like Blade & Soul or WildStar. And the quest design was certainly not the pinnacle of originality, at least in Braghin Forest. But enough complaining; overall, Riders of Icarus is a solid online RPG with quite complex gameplay mechanics, and since the beta is currently free to play, anyone who loves MMORPGs and mounts should download the client and check it out.
Black Desert Online allows for the most beautiful (or ugliest) heroes in MMO history thanks to an extremely detailed character editor. Now, with a new feature called “Beauty Album,” you can share and exchange your designs with other players.
Imagine being beautiful and no one notices. A terrible thought that many heroes in Black Desert Online have had to live with until now. But now there is a new feature called “Beauty Album” that offers essentially a database where you can save your character creations. Once you release them, all other players can see and even acquire the character.
This way, especially players who are in a hurry and lack skill with the complex character editor can play a proper hero and do not have to rely on the generic templates. The Beauty Album feature is firmly integrated into the game, and unlike externally available character templates, you don’t have to navigate other sites and install the templates manually. A clear plus in comfort.
What do you think of the new Beauty Album feature for Black Desert Online? Useful and just right for you, or just a silly gimmick for vain players? Or are you afraid of an invasion of clone warriors, uniform sorceresses, and copy-cat valkyries when soon everyone is running around with the same face? Let us know in the comments!
The monster hunt Evolve is now Free2Play – but does the game deserve a second chance? Will you check it out?
Evolve – The development or the downfall?
It happened quickly. A countdown appeared on the Evolve page unexpectedly, lasting only a few hours, and during this time, the developers revealed the news: Evolve will be Free2Play and the beta starts immediately – at least on PC, console players have to wait a little longer.
For those who have always wanted to dive into the game but were deterred by the high price or the (mostly negatively portrayed) DLC policy, now is the chance to dive into the shooter completely for free, where 4 hunters must face a monster. All 5 characters are controlled by players. At the beginning, the monster may still be weak, but if the hunters do not quickly track it down, it will all too quickly end in a bloodbath.
So we come to the question of the week: Will you give Evolve a second chance and check out the title as a Free2Play version?
Cortyn says: If you have been following the site a bit, you will know me and know that I didn’t hesitate for 0.2 seconds before I opted for the Evolve update. And what should I say? The game still delivers. I have now played through the whole night, so my colleagues surely had to fix some typos in this text.
The hunting season is back. At least for Cortyn.
I do have a small criticism, though: The “announcement voice” is incredibly useful but takes away a bit of the game’s atmosphere. Nevertheless, I believe that Free2Play will do good for the game. It is definitely a small thrill to see on Steam that there are nearly 12,000 players online at the same time. That’s 12,000 newcomers I can devour. I feel a bit ashamed about it. Just a bit.
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But enough about me, let’s talk about you! Will you give the 4vs1 shooter a second chance? Do you like the Free2Play model of the game? Or are you upset that you ever paid money for the game? Please discuss actively and let’s talk about it in the comments!
