In ranked game mode of Overwatch harder penalties will apply. Those who leave games early will face more severe sanctions.
Overwatch is fun. At least when all players are actually present during the round and do not leave the game prematurely. Fortunately, in Blizzard’s hero shooter, there are already some penalties to sanction such behavior. Those who regularly leave their teammates hanging in “Quick Play” will first receive a warning and then must endure a penalty of 75% on the experience points earned, which consequently means fewer loot boxes.
With an iron fist against “rage quitters”.
You will be excluded faster from the Ranked System
For the ranked game mode, which is expected to be released next Wednesday with the Ranked System, these penalties are still too lenient. Since it is about “more” than in Quick Play, Blizzard will impose harsher penalties here. The limit of how many games you can leave without being punished is significantly lower. In addition to the reduction of XP, repeat offenders will also face additional penalties. This ranges from a temporary exclusion from the ranked game mode and gradually takes on longer periods, up to a complete ban for the whole season.
Mein-MMO says: The penalties sound quite good so far. The 75% less experience is not a massive deterrent for many players, so it’s only good if the penalties are a bit harsher in ranked game mode.
All the better if repeat offenders are then punished with timeouts or even banned from the Ranked System for the rest of the season – this should at least temporarily reduce the pool of players and ensure that only those remain who compete in a match until the bitter (or sweet) end.
However, the best insurance against such behavior is still playing with friends. They rarely let each other down.
In Battleborn there is an event happening this weekend. However, you can secure two skins with this SHIFT code without participating.
In the hero shooter Battleborn, an event has been ongoing since Friday evening. Players can earn double credits in co-op and PvP until Monday evening. They can use these to grab loot packs. Gearbox recommends saving them for the 27th hero Pendles . This is that snake creature.
You can also currently secure two skins for “Oscar Mike” and “Rath” if you enter this Shift code under Extras:
S5CBJ-KKCXK-SWCR3-XKX3J-5R3RW
This offer is valid for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. These gifted codes are valid until Tuesday morning, June 28th (this has been extended by a day compared to what you read in our title image).
Yesterday, Saturday, there was also the opportunity to play against individual developers on the North American servers.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Before the big reveal, the central promo image has already been leaked for Destiny .
On the sidelines of E3, Chris Barrett, the head of “Rise of Iron”, made a statement about how he feels when important information gets leaked.
Barrett has mixed feelings: “It’s always a bit of a shock when things get leaked, but on the other hand, it’s really great to see how excited the fans are when they see the leak. It would be worse if no one cared.”
Other developers have a similar view on leaks. The narrative lead of CoD: Infinite Warfare sees it more critically, believing leaks are a “disservice to the fans.” They place great importance on what they show to the fans and when. Because hyping people up until the moment they can actually play it is part of the whole phenomenon, part of the experience.
Harvey Smith, the man behind Dishonored 2, takes it with a shrug. Leaks are okay; ultimately, they are insider things. How many people really see the leak compared to the millions who see a gameplay trailer?
What do you think about leaks? Do they ruin the “right” moment? Or are they themselves part of the “hype” culture?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In ELOA (Elite Lord of Alliance) there was a major expansion that brought more levels, areas, and dungeons. Additionally, VIP status can be obtained as an event reward.
3 Dungeons, 2 Areas, 5 New Levels
As Webzen announced, a new update has been released for Elite Lord of Alliance (ELOA). The patch is called: “Epic 2: Outlaw’s Emperor” and raises the level cap for all players to level 50.
To ensure that players can make use of the additional experience levels, there are two new areas to explore: “Lost Plain” and “Black Curtain Plateau”. Dungeon fans can enjoy a total of 3 new instances, which are designed for level 50 – consequently, the experience bar needs to be filled several times first.
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Until July 12, players can also participate in a special event where they can collect “Commemorative Coins”. These coins can, as is usual with such events, be exchanged later for special rewards. Among them are also some special items, such as 7 days of VIP status.
For more news and articles about the MMO, you can find them on our ELOA news page.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Many fans of the MMORPG Black Desert were looking forward to finally being able to play the highly anticipated siege battles.
But that won’t happen for now. The developers have discovered some serious problems as the first testers were allowed to try the sieges. There are two severe bugs that need to be fixed before the update can officially be deployed. Additionally, they want to review and implement player feedback.
Two severe bugs in the siege system
One of the two bugs prevents towers from taking damage during battles. The other bug prevents guilds from building their own towers quickly enough. Both are essential for the fights. Especially the timing issue with building could make the confrontations unfair. Therefore, the release of the update had to be postponed.
The team is well aware that this is not an ideal solution. However, the two mentioned issues urgently need to be resolved. For this reason, the testing phase of the siege system will even be interrupted.
No date for the update yet
The developers hope to have the test system back online by Saturday so that further tests can be conducted. Afterwards, a decision will be made on when the update for the MMORPG Black Desert Online will be deployed.
Currently, no estimates are being provided. Once it is known when that will be, the community will be informed. Until then, players of Black Desert Online will have to remain patient.
Strong discounts are waiting for you on Day 3 of the Steam Summer Sale 2016!
Today, Steam offers us more great deals in the highlight overview of this year’s Summer Sale. As on Day 1 and Day 2, we will also show you our 5 favorites from the highlight rotation today. You will find not only survival and tactical games among the highlights today, but also action games that require teamwork. So, there is something for (almost) every taste.
Our 5 Highlights from 25.06
The Walking Dead Franchise – Price base game 22,99€ 5,74€ – 75% off (Also, other parts are greatly reduced!)
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Price 49,99€ 24,99€ – 50% off (Also, expansions are greatly reduced here!)
Patrick’s personal recommendation from 25.06: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
In a huge, open game world, you roam as a kind of monster slayer and fight exotic creatures using various fighting techniques. The combat mode requires, depending on the difficulty, good reflexes and a bit of skill. After you complete a job, you can invest your rewards in stronger weapons or armor to make the next battle with monsters less difficult. The game visually impresses and is probably a “must” for RPG genre fans. If you want to really dive in, you should check out the bundle with the expansions, because then you have everything complete. Cortyn took a detailed look at Witcher 3 in a comprehensive review.
Star Wars: The Old Republic is hosting a “Light vs Dark” event, focusing on the future of the game and many rewards.
Light vs Dark – The Future of the Galaxy
In Star Wars: The Old Republic, a very special event is being held. The developers are calling on players to create new characters and reach various milestones in the game to enjoy numerous rewards. These include cartel packs, mounts, titles, and most importantly, a significant decision. Depending on whether players have made more “light” or more “dark” choices, the course of the game will change in the fall – although there are no details on that yet.
How does the “Light vs Dark” event work? What do you need to do?
The “Light vs Dark” event starts on June 28, 2016. For a character to participate, it must be created after the event starts! Only fresh level-1 characters created after June 28 are eligible to participate.
There are a total of 6 different “reward tiers” that you can earn in the game. The first tier is relatively easy to achieve, as it only requires reaching level 25 with the new character – this can be achieved easily in a few evenings. Just for that, you will already receive 5 “light vs dark tied packs” and the title “The Heroic Victor”.
From then on, the requirements will increase significantly: For the second tier, the character must have reached level 50 and completed 3 story flashpoints. This continues to ramp up, until the final tier, where you must have reached level 50 with all classes in the game and completed all flashpoints on hard mode. Additionally, both “Light 5” and “Dark 5” must also have been reached.
You can view the complete list of all requirements and rewards for the various tiers in our sources. On the official game site, you will also find guides on how to achieve the different tiers.
Mein-MMO states: While the core idea of this event is indeed exciting, the implementation does not seem very well thought out. It does not really seem to be about the players’ choices and whether they prefer “dark” or “light” – because to obtain all rewards, you must necessarily make both dark and light choices. Thus, it is not “the players’ choice” that is in the foreground, but the collection of rewards, where I must give “my vote” to both sides if I want to have it all.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In our guide, we reveal how you can protect your own team with D.Va from Overwatch while also instilling fear in your enemies.
Hana Song “D.Va” – Pro Gamer and Mech Pilot
In our series of Overwatch guides, we now turn to the next candidate. Up next is “D.Va”, whose real name is Hana Song and who is a Korean Pro Gamer. In Overwatch, she operates a battle mech, which allows her to protect her allies while also dealing significant damage. However, some mechanics of D.Va are not immediately clear to newcomers. We provide useful tips and tricks.
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D.Va has 500 hit points (400 armor, 100 HP) in her mech. In her human form, she only has 150 HP.
The fusion cannons have infinite ammo. They fire 7 times per second with 7 bullets each, dealing 3 damage. Damage decreases to 0.5 at longer ranges, and weapon spread significantly increases.
Ram enemy players with “Boosters” causes 25 damage.
The light gun (human form) has 20 shots, each dealing 14 damage. It fires 6.66 bullets per second.
Requesting a new mech causes 50 damage to all enemies in the immediate vicinity.
Tank or Damage Dealer?
Although D.Va is classified as a “Tank” in the character breakdown, she plays quite differently than Reinhardt. She is not effective at holding a point head-on for extended periods. Instead, D.Va enjoys jumping across the battlefield with her boosters, attacking from the flanks, repositioning with the booster, and causing chaos among the enemy team.
Fusion Cannons – Blessing and Curse at the Same Time
Don’t hesitate to use the fusion cannons at long range. Overwatch communicates poorly how much damage you are taking. D.Va’s heavy fire, even at long distances, appears threatening to many players – even if you often only deal 1 or 2 damage points.
Even if the fusion cannons deal little damage at long range, their use prevents enemy shields from automatically regenerating. In certain situations, this can be the difference between victory and defeat.
In close combat, the fusion cannons are quite powerful. It’s best to sneak up on the enemy support from behind or the flank, get in close with the booster, and attack them. Even if you happen to die, taking out the enemy healer is usually worth your own death.
Boosters – Full Speed Ahead
While using boosters, each enemy can only be rammed once. Even if you hit them multiple times in the 2 seconds, they will only be pushed back once.
Use boosters as often as possible. D.Va is large and mobile, enabling her to create confusion and panic among her enemies. If a skill has only a 6-second cooldown, you should definitely use it!
Defense Matrix – The Best Shield for the Team
D.Va’s only real protection mechanism is one of the most powerful in the game.
For many heroes using an ultimate, their ultimate percentage does not drop suddenly but gradually over the course of a few moments. Therefore, it’s often better to stop an ultimate with Defense Matrix than to interrupt it with another character using stun. This results in the ultimate being truly used up.
Defense Matrix can be used simultaneously with the boosters! Use this to engage close to Widowmaker, Hanzo, or Bastion.
Self-Destruct – Rarely a Multi-Kill
Self-destruct is best paired with other ultimates – like Zarya’s.
In terms of pure damage potential, self-destruct is one of the most powerful abilities in the game, but due to its long preparation time, it’s rarely effective for securing kills.
You can combine boosters and self-destruct! If you use the ultimate while boosting, you eject, but the mech continues in the selected direction before it explodes.
A mech fired straight up can be enough to confuse the enemy team.
The explosion kills D.Va if she is too close, but not her own team! When your D.Va sends her mech ahead, it’s time to advance, not to hide with her.
D.Va Without Mech – Vulnerable? Not at All!
Many players tend to play very recklessly once they lose their mech. However, they shouldn’t, as D.Va’s human form comes with some advantages.
Dva also looks good without her mech.
Without a mech, D.Va has one of the smallest hitboxes in the game and is hard to hit (unless you are Reinhardt).
D.Va has a precise, solid weapon in her human form! The light gun does not weaken at range and has 100% accuracy. You can frequently secure some kills this way.
Headshots recharge D.Va’s ultimate “Request Mech” very quickly. If you’re good, you should barely need to spend more than 10 seconds in human form.
Call for a new mech only when you need to be at the forefront again! Depending on the situation, a “small” D.Va can be more useful.
When is D.Va Useful?
D.Va gains special advantages on all maps where you can throw players off edges near control points. This especially includes Ilios, Nepal, Lijiang Tower, and to some extent Watchpoint: Gibraltar and King’s Row. The psychological effect is significant. When enemies know that a D.Va is playing, they tend to avoid edges – if they don’t, you can directly punish them with a friendly shove into the abyss.
Otherwise, D.Va is always a valuable addition when enemies try to force you into choke points. Don’t let that happen. Charge through the threatening areas with boosters + Defense Matrix and give your team the chance to move forward. Whenever the enemy forces you to fight at a specific location, D.Va excels at changing that.
In general, D.Va should be seen as a more “offensive” tank. Those who want to protect the team in the long run might be better off with Reinhardt. However, both heroes together create a relatively solid combination in any team.
You can find even more guides and tips in our overview article on Overwatch guides. Do you have any additional tips for D.Va? Then share your tips with us in the comments!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In FIFA 17, we take a look at how the story mode “The Journey” aims to depict football authentically.
The Journey will be the first narrative mode in the FIFA series, which is why it has generated a lot of buzz among fans. You step into the shoes of football talent Alex Hunter and experience his professional career, where all your decisions and performances on the pitch influence the story’s progression.
The Creative Director Matt Prior discusses the background of the development of The Journey and explains how they crafted this mode to be as realistic and authentic as possible.
The Journey – Frostbite makes it possible
According to Prior, such a mode had been planned for a long time. Players should experience the life of a professional footballer up close, on and off the pitch. For the first time, it will now be possible in FIFA 17 to “look behind the scenes” and discover entirely new football worlds.
In the age of social networks, fans get to see a lot of the lives of real football professionals – they are also interested in the private lives of their heroes. Therefore, FIFA 17 takes this innovative step and allows a glimpse into the life of a professional outside of the pitch through the story mode.
Without the Frostbite engine, The Journey wouldn’t have been possible with such an intense story. Only with it did EA Sports have the chance and tools to create scenes and game environments that are necessary for such a mode. To tell a story in FIFA, Frostbite was “simply perfect”.
Concrete ideas for the story mode have apparently been around for over two years. Overall, The Journey has had a long production time, but EA is confident that it was an extremely rewarding process.
Alex Hunter and the Authenticity of a Football Career
In The Journey, you play as Alex Hunter, a 17-year-old youth player who grew up in humble circumstances in the London suburb of Clapham. He is the grandson of English football legend Jim Hunter. His father also aspired to a football career, which unfortunately ended early due to injury. Football is thus in young Alex’s blood.
The following image shows the actor of Alex Hunter during the recordings:
To make the career of the youth talent appear authentic, EA Sports spared no expense and effort and conducted extensive research. They looked at real player stories and backgrounds of former and active professionals as well as fresh talents to create The Journey.
Reece Oxford and Marcus Rashford were involved, who, according to Prior, stated that the gameplay feels authentic and corresponds to their own experiences in many cases. As an example, he mentions the importance of family support in the ups and downs of professional sports. They are happy to have “created something authentic”.EA Sports expects a lot from The Journey:
The characters should resonate with the players and provide intensive experiences.
Fans can discover new football worlds that are rarely seen and learn more about this sport at the professional level.
They want to excite newcomers and casual fans with the mode, both for the FIFA series and for the sport as a whole.
The Journey should not only provide an exciting gameplay experience but also improve “playing skills”. Your abilities on the virtual pitch should enhance as a result.
In The Division, we present the gear set “Final Measure”. It has good qualities in both PvE and PvP.
The “Final Measure” set is one of the four sets from the latest update called “Conflict”. It has quickly earned a reputation as an important component for any tank build. We briefly outline the advantages and disadvantages of this set.
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This gear set consists of a total of six individual parts. You can obtain the parts through several means: In the Dark Zone, through named NPCs, and sealed containers, the set parts can be efficiently looted. The Dark Zone specialty vendor also has some items and blueprints of the Final Measure available.
Once you have collected and equipped multiple parts, bonuses are activated. With four armor pieces, the unique talent activates. Here are the benefits of the Final Measure:
2 pieces: +50% resistance against Exotic Damage. This bonus is particularly impressive for tanks. Therefore, many agents decide to wear two “Final Measure” pieces in the Dark Zone. With resistance to Exotic Damage, for example, you can withstand sticky grenades and the insidious flamethrowers better. The Cleaners in the north of the Dark Zone cause a lot of trouble for many players.
3 pieces: +15% protection against Elite. This helps you make a better impression against elite enemies.
4 pieces: Talent “Final Measure”: If you damage an enemy with a grenade, you gain a “Disarm Buff”. If an enemy throws a grenade at you, you can run into the red circle of that grenade. This activates the buff. It will be consumed, disarms that grenade, and gives you a grenade in your inventory that you can use immediately.
When you enter the red circle of a grenade with an active buff, the circle turns green and “absorbs”:
How does “Final Measure” perform in PvE and PvP
This set provides interesting and unique benefits. Especially the bonus for two set pieces is often and gladly used, as it drastically increases your survival chances in PvE and especially in the Dark Zone. A must-have for PvP builds!
The talent, however, can be useful in PvE, especially in raids. However, it offers no advantage that would be considered extraordinarily valuable. In raids, the buff can also disarm mortar fire, which makes the whole situation more relaxed.
https://youtu.be/mvdy1lj3XC8
Although the “Final Measure” talent is unique, it is not outstanding. In that case, one prefers to use only two set pieces and look for another stylish set from which to use four pieces.
What do you think of this set?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Every combination in Overwatch has a counter. Sometimes it can be just as easy against Torbjörns and Bastions…
With Music and Russian Tenacity to Victory
Anyone who has played a lot of Overwatch in recent weeks will have particularly encountered a certain opposing team on the map Hanamura that relies heavily on Bastions, Torbjörns, and Symmetras in defense – often even multiple times. Many players struggle to break through such a wall of turrets, while the solution is often simpler than one might think.
A particularly successful strategy is based on 4 Zaryas and 2 Lúcios. The 4 Russian ladies receive a healing and a speed aura from the two Lúcios and charge with activated barriers toward the point to capture. Due to the damage that the barriers suffer, the weapons of the Zaryas become much more powerful, and opposing players literally melt away. This is particularly useful since the enemy turrets don’t care whether Zarya has activated her barrier – they continue firing relentlessly and amplify the performance of their weapon.
As soon as the first barriers expire, the Zaryas keep each other alive with the second barrier (which is used on allies) while Lucio heals the damage incurred without any fuss. Typically, such a charge is over so quickly that the opposing team has no chance to react quickly enough. This video shows how a particularly successful rush on the control points can turn out:
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If this tactic still doesn’t succeed, it can also be worthwhile to swap one Lúcio for a Mercy who acts as “insurance” and can bring all Zaryas back from death. However, the Zaryas will then often have to use their barriers on the healer instead of protecting each other.
What strategies do you use to best deal with Torbjörns and Bastions? Or are you (like me) also fond of the “6 Torbjörns team” and play your own version of “Dwarf Fortress”?
For more articles about the game, you can find them on our Overwatch game page. Tips and tricks, however, can be found collected in our guide section.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny, extensive changes will come for PS3 and “Xbox 360” guardians starting August 2016. An account import will be necessary. We summarize what last-gen players can still do – and what they cannot.
The upcoming Autumn expansion “The Rise of Iron” will only be available on PS4 and Xbox One. In early August 2016, Bungie will make a significant cut: from then on, PS3 and Xbox 360 will be considered “old consoles,” which will no longer receive major updates or content releases. Guardians will need to perform an account import.
Last-gen users can still play Destiny. “The Taken King” will remain available for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 even after August.
Destiny Events and Content Still Playable on Last-Gen
The following activities will remain unchanged:
Heroic Missions and Strikes: Daily missions, weekly heroic strikes, and the Nightfall strike will still be playable and award rewards.
Daily and Weekly Crucible Challenges: These will still be available. Bounty quests and rewards will also remain intact.
Raid and Boss Challenges: You will still earn rewards from “The Vault of Glass,” “Crota’s End,” and “King’s Fall.” Additionally, there’s still the Challenge mode in the Oryx raid.
The Prison of Elders and the Challenge of Elders: Everything will remain the same.
Weapon Day and Xur on PS3 and Xbox 360 from August
With Banshee-44 and Weapon Day, there will be no changes. Everything will proceed as usual.
Xur, the Agent of the Nine, will see the following changes on last-gen:
Xur will no longer sell weapons and armor pieces as you know him.
Instead, he now has only Exotic Engrams available, which contain year-2 exotics.
Additionally, he continues to sell Legacy Engrams with year-1 items.
He still carries Heavy Ammo Synths, Three of Coins, Vehicle Upgrades, Shards of Light, and Glass Needle in his inventory.
Destiny Events That Last-Gen Guardians Will Have to Miss
Players on PS3 and Xbox 360 will have to forgo three things that guardians are used to starting August 2016:
Trials of Osiris: This weekly PvP event will no longer be available. You will need to upgrade your hardware to the current console generation if you want to prove yourself in the Trials again.
Iron Banner: Like the weekly PvP event, Iron Banner will also be discontinued on last-gen starting August.
Live Events: No live events can be played on the old consoles from August. This includes events like the Festival of the Lost, the Crimson Days, or the Sparrow Racing League.
Silver Purchases from August 2016
From early August, most functionality for silver purchases will be disabled on PS3 and Xbox 360. You will not be able to select the “Buy Silver” option in the game in the Eververse, nor will you be able to buy silver add-ons in the stores.
The silver currency acquired before August will still be usable on the old consoles. For more information on the changes to silver, you can read on the official Bungie website.
For more information on the changes in Destiny starting August:
Daily and weekly activities, such as daily missions or the Nightfall strike, will no longer align with those on PS4 and Xbox One. Last-gen users will have their own activities.
Some character data will be available on Bungie.net or the Companion app. However, some data may not display correctly for last-gen guardians. More information regarding the Companion app will follow throughout the summer.
If there are problems in the Destiny universe on last-gen, they can still be reported to the help forum. Bungie will continue to review these even after August, even if no game updates will be coming.
The Destiny Account Import in August
You will need to perform a one-time account import when you log into PS4 or Xbox One for the first time in August. The account import transfers all data, including character data, progress, gear and inventory, bought silver, and Eververse licenses.
If you continue to play on last-gen after this import, this progress will no longer be transferred. It will remain on the old console. Even if you play on current-gen, the progress will no longer appear on last-gen.
This account import will take place sometime in early August 2016. At game start, all players will see an “Account Import Dialog.” You must accept the dialog to continue playing Destiny on PS4 and Xbox One. This process is one-time only and cannot be repeated. If you are not ready for the import, you can close the dialog window and return to the title screen.
Note: Even guardians who have only played on PS4 or Xbox One so far must accept this import dialog. After doing so, you can play on your account as usual.
Caution: The import can only be done within the same console family. Therefore, it can only happen from PS3 to PS4 or from Xbox 360 to Xbox One. You must log into Destiny with the same PSN ID or the same Gamertag.
For the account import, you don’t need to own either “The Taken King” or “The Rise of Iron.” Therefore, it may be necessary to purchase some Destiny content again for the new console.
You can also read the information about the account import on Bungie.net .
In the latest livestream of the developers of World of Warcraft, the topic was the professions in Legion. What goals does Blizzard pursue?
Until the next expansion “Legion” for World of Warcraft is released, the game’s developers want to hold a livestream every week to educate the community on various topics. Last week, the focus was on general questions about the addon. This time, the professions were on the agenda. Community Manager Josh Allen and Senior Game Designer Paul Kubit provided players with many details. We have summarized the key points for you.
Blood of Sargeras – the new precious resource
For most professions, the precious resource “Blood of Sargeras” is needed, which can be obtained from many different sources. It serves a similar function as Felblight or Raw Beast Hide, but this time it is also required by Alchemists. Some players have complained that they could gather less blood with two crafting professions, and since the blood is soulbound, it takes longer for them to craft equipment. However, Blizzard does not see this as a problem, but rather states:
“If someone chooses a gathering profession, they should also be able to gather resources faster than someone without a gathering profession. This is not a disadvantage for the crafters, but merely an advantage for the gatherers. For this, they can craft fewer items with it.”
Reviving fantasy in professions
In general, the developers have made an effort to bring more “fantasy” back to the professions of World of Warcraft. Therefore, each profession has several quests that actually require living out the profession.
A blacksmith, for example, must actually stoke a forge, melt the ore, and cast it into shape in their quests. Tailors must deal with the arrogant Nightborne and fulfill some tasks for them. Overall, crafting should again be more than “I press a button”, at least at the beginning of the expansion.
No “reroll” for attributes on crafted armor, but “Obliterum” instead
A new mechanic in Legion is “Obliterum”. Those who craft many items will also craft a lot of things that have a poor combination of stats. Instead of disenchanting the stuff, there is a new mechanic: Almost every piece of equipment from crafting professions can be converted into “Obliterum”. Players can then use this to significantly increase the item level of the crafted items they actually want to keep.
Weapon enchantments, archaeology, and transmog sets
Enchanters cannot create weapon enchantments this time. The reason is that the artifact weapons are already very powerful in the story and do not need further enchantments. Those who are very picky could also see each artifact property of the weapon as a separate enchantment.
Archaeologists will receive a new quest every 2 weeks (after reaching level 110), upon completion of which they can dig up a rare artifact. Each item has its own little story. This includes the usual “fluff” items, such as toys, mounts, and battle pets.
In the future, it will be possible for crafting professions to create different “transmog” sets, such as the clothing of the guardians. However, this will not be the case at launch; players should first get used to the feature of the wardrobe, after all, you can collect all clothing from all past expansions.
In Tom Clancy’s The Division the vendors have new items in stock starting today. Let’s see what the specialty equipment vendor and the Dark Zone weapons vendor have to offer today on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
On Saturday night, the weekly vendor reset takes place in Ubisoft’s Massive MMO shooter. Agents flock to the operations base and the safe houses in the Dark Zone to spend their hard-earned currency.
For PC and Xbox agents, this will be the last vendor offer before update 1.3. After that, it can be expected that the vendors’ inventories will be shuffled again. PS4 agents will have to wait longer for the patch for 1.3, which will follow at a later time.
The offer of the specialty equipment vendor starting from June 25.
You can find the vendor in the tech wing of the operations base. You need Phoenix Credits to access his items. Here you still have the chance to snag a Vector with a bonus to critical hit chance. After update 1.3, the bonus for submachine guns will change.
These are the weapons on offer:
Historian (Sniper Rifle): 872 PCs – Value 204 (Talents: Prepared, Intense, Painful). In this article, we dealt with the Historian in The Division.
Additionally, you can purchase a high-end body armor (204), a backpack (182), knee pads (182), and gloves (204). The vendor also has the “Hunter’s Fidelity” knee pads and the “Predator’s Mark” holster, both with a value of 191.
Offer of the Dark Zone Weapons Vendor after the reset on June 18.
If you want to take advantage of the DZ weapons vendor’s offer, you must march into the safe room in DZ03 with bags full of Dark Zone currency. Furthermore, you need certain DZ ranks; otherwise, you are not worthy of his weapons. This week, there is the (still) best sniper rifle available for purchase.
The high-end weapons this week:
L86 LSW – Military Version (LMG): 18230 DZW – Value 163 (Rank 25) (Talents: Bitter, Competent, Careful)
Jeff Kaplan explained in the Overwatch forum how exactly matchmaking works – and which problems simply cannot be solved.
Matchmaking is more complex than players think
For many players, matchmaking in Overwatch is a mystery because it is quite complex. Other players believe that there is basically no “matchmaking” and all players are just randomly thrown into a game together. In the official Overwatch forum, user ExcaliburZ wrote a very long post summarizing what is known about Overwatch’s matchmaking. Jeff Kaplan, the game director of the game, found this post so good that he himself contributed his own opinion, experience, and insider knowledge. We have translated and compiled the most important points for you.
What exactly does the matchmaker do?
According to Kaplan, the matchmaker’s core task is simple: Find 11 other players so that this one player does not have to find 11 people themselves. But the matchmaker does not just look for 11 random people; it takes several factors into account.
Time: The matchmaker tries to find a game as quickly as possible. Although many players say they would prefer to wait longer to have “a good match,” the reality almost always shows the opposite: If the waiting time is longer, players complain in the forums. Moreover, Kaplan says that players have unrealistically high expectations that longer wait times would mean a “better” game. “Better” is anyway a difficult word in the context of matchmaking.
Latency: Latency, or “ping,” is crucial. The game always tries to match people from the same region. This has been learned from the beta, where all players were allowed to play together for a short time.
Groups: A large portion of all matches consists of teams with solo players or duo groups. The system always tries to pit groups of players of the same size against each other. Those who register as a complete 6-player group will very likely play against a 6-player group as well. While there are rare exceptions where smaller groups compete against larger groups, these are so rare that they are not seen as a problem.
Matchmaking Rating (MMR): The MMR is a direct assessment of how “good” the player is. If you win, the rating increases; if you lose, it decreases. However, several factors determine how strongly the rating is influenced by wins and losses. If you win against players who are rated as “better,” your rating will rise more strongly than if you defeat a skill-wise inferior team.
Level doesn’t matter – MMR taken from the beta
What many players do not know: At no point does the matchmaker consider a player’s level. The level only represents the time that someone has spent in Overwatch and in no way reflects their skill. Added to this is the fact that Blizzard already assigned you an MMR during the closed and open beta if you played during that time. Because even if someone just starts with Overwatch and has a low level: maybe they are an experienced player who played many hours in the beta.
What the matchmaker does not know
However, the matchmaker does not know many things, as it cannot see into the future, nor does it have other prophetic qualities. Is a player playing a hero they are good at? Does the player have a good or bad day? Is the player playing drunk, overtired, or both? Is a cat currently walking across the keyboard? The list of factors that cannot be taken into account is long. Therefore, there will never be “perfect” games.
Unrealistic expectations of what a good match is
Finally, Kaplan says that for many players, a good match is only given if they win. But that is simply not the case, because on the other side, there are also humans. In a game like Overwatch, it is just part of it to lose nearly half of all games. The task of the matchmaker is to make these games as exciting as possible. Even if the opposing team is simply “overwhelming,” that does not necessarily indicate a massive difference in skill between the two teams. Even in real life, there are often “devastating” victories in sports tournaments (just look at the last soccer World Cup), even though both teams are considered equal beforehand.
The matchmaker is constantly changing, and Blizzard is working hard to improve it further. Weekly server-side updates are made to the matchmaker – the system can never be perfect, but at least they are working towards it.
For more articles about Blizzard’s hero shooter, check out our Overwatch game page. Also, take a look at our extensive guide section.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Many highlights are waiting for you in today’s highlight rotation of the Steam Summer Sale!
The second day of the Steam Summer Sale 2016 features a nice mix of old and new games that you should take a closer look at. From zombie apocalypses to space exploration to classic strategy games that were first released in 1999, today’s highlight rotation on Steam has it all.
Patrick’s personal recommendation from 24.06: Left 4 Dead 2
Do you enjoy shooting with shotguns and dislike “people” who have resurrected after death and have extremely bad breath? Then Left 4 Dead 2 is the right game for you. Since its release in 2009, it has continuously provided fun – especially in co-op mode. So what could be better than killing zombies? Right: Killing zombies with your friends! In 5 deep campaigns, there’s plenty of action in co-op, versus, or survival mode.
Grab an axe and a few friends today and fight against the hordes of zombies!
In Destiny, the Trials of Osiris start on Fridays. Which map is being played?
Last week, the weekly PvP event surrounding Osiris had to be unexpectedly interrupted and canceled due to a sneaky bug that affected the player experience and created unfair conditions. A hotfix for Destiny was released last night, which addressed this issue.
Now nothing should stand in the way of the Trials starting today and the Iron Banner next week. If any issues arise, Bungie will promptly announce any changes to the plans.
In the meantime, Bungie has confirmed that the Trials will take place today and the Iron Banner will start next Tuesday. However, the fate of the Iron Banner depends on how smoothly the Trials run now.
In the Trials of Osiris this week, starting June 24th, the map Black Shield will be played. They will conclude with the Weekly Reset on Tuesday.
These are the Trials of Osiris
In the Trials, you compete in teams of three. The mode played is Elimination. You want to fill the scorecard with victories to reach Mercury, where you can loot the chest with fine loot. Even if you don’t achieve the flawless ticket and have to forgo the big pot of honey, you can still earn random Osiris items with 5 and 7 wins.
The majority of rewards can be earned through the bounties from Brother Vance.
Players of the selective multiplayer RPG Shroud of the Avatar are looking forward to July 28. Because on that day, world persistence will be introduced.
This means there will be no more wipes. The status of the world and the characters will be preserved. From that day on, the developers expect a rush for the limited building plots in the world, as the housing system particularly excites many gamers. Those who build a house in one of the NPC or player cities from July 28 will not have to worry about it being removed due to a wipe. However, maintenance costs for the structures will apply, which must be paid with in-game money starting from that date. Those who cannot raise the money will lose their house.
Final Wipe of Shroud of the Avatar is still not launch
The developer studio Portalarium states that even after the final wipe, there may still be smaller rollbacks. If unforeseen problems arise, they want to keep the option open to return to an earlier status – this is not supposed to affect characters and ownership.
Furthermore, the developers point out that the final wipe will not be the official start of the game. They are still in Early Access. Only when the content for Episode 1 of the game is finalized will they exit the Early Access phase, and then Shroud of the Avatar will be considered officially launched. This is expected to happen no earlier than the end of the year.
They are aware that this approach confuses many players. Because a persistent world is regarded by many as the beginning of an online game. Moreover, many fans will start the game without the story being fully integrated. Not all quests are yet included, which may result in players not being able to experience the complete story with the character created immediately after the final wipe. However, they believe this is the best approach.
SotA will continuously be developed
In general, the game is not supposed to be “finished” even at launch. They plan to release new episodes annually, which will bring new continents, new quests, and a lot of other features. Furthermore, they plan to release significant updates monthly even after the launch of Episode 1, which will bring new content or changes.
If you have your eye on the selective multiplayer RPG Shroud of the Avatar and plan to spend some kind of second life in the game’s fantasy world, then you should keep an eye on July 28 if you want to acquire a house.
Despite the space setting, the new “Call of Duty” installment should still feel familiar.
When developing a new game, one must pay attention to presenting new content while still adhering to the principles of the actual game, which is often not an easy task. This is also the case in the new “Call of Duty” installment, which has already received a lot of negative feedback due to the trailer.
Fight as accurately as possible
In the PlayStation Blog, Call of Duty Senior Art Director Brian Horton explains how the development team worked to make combat in space as accurate as possible without neglecting the core principles of Call of Duty.
“We imagined a combination of NASA and the Navy, where you connect elements of the Navy with aspects of the military (warships). Then you propel the whole thing into space with a NASA aesthetic – we see this fusion as a plausible future,” says Horton.
“If you get too accurate regarding the scientific aspects, you would dilute some of the core elements that define Call of Duty.” You want to stick to the space theme in Infinite Warfare – but aliens and laser beams would have been a step too far, which is why the focus remains on what is essential.
One point that developers adjusted for the game was mobility in space. In zero gravity, movement typically is a bit slower. To move from point A to point B more quickly, developers incorporated a grappling hook that allows players to pull themselves to objects or close the distance between themselves and enemies.
“This grappling mechanic is, for us, on the edge of science fiction, but you can still imagine that someone would develop something like this,” explained Horton.
Grenades are also an important aspect of Call of Duty – here, too, they have developed a space solution. There are homing grenades as well as spider robots that seek out an enemy and explode after attaching themselves to them.
What about sounds in space in Infinite Warfare?
In space, there is actually no sound that a player could perceive, which means explosions or sounds from military objects would not be audible. As a solution to this problem, the space suit simulates sounds and impacts through photons. This creates the necessary attention on the map and in various situations.
“We have slightly muted the sound and noises, but they are still “there” so that the player can enjoy the game. This system is also not science fiction but actually credible.
Now the company has launched an app on their website, allowing you to create your own “Mega Bloks” Guardians.
This is how you create a “Mega Bloks” Guardian
The website resembles the in-game character screen and is therefore easy to use. First, you select your Guardian’s class – Warlock, Titan, or Hunter: Afterwards, you can equip the Guardian with various armor parts, ghosts, and weapons. The selection here is not particularly extensive, but it allows for some decision-making freedom. And yes, the Gjallarhorn is available.
Additionally, you can adjust the background color and choose between three Guardian poses. Once you have let your creativity run wild and crafted the Guardian of your dreams, that’s it. Unfortunately, you cannot purchase this figure and place it on your mantelpiece. Mega Bloks may offer this service one day.
