Today, the “Festival of FUTball” kicks off in the “Ultimate Team” mode of FIFA 16. What is it and what can you earn?
EA Sports is hosting a “Festival of FUTball” starting June 10, coinciding with the start of the EM in France. During this event, numerous exciting things are expected to happen in-game: Brand new special items, new tournaments with various rewards, new tournament reward sets, and “International Heroes”.
“International Man of The Match” items in FIFA 16
Currently, two major international tournaments are taking place in world football: For this, EA Sports is introducing “iMOTM” player cards, meaning “International Man of The Match” items. Outstanding players will gradually be rewarded with special cards during the tournaments, which will only be available in the sets for a limited time.
These are the upgraded iMOTM cards currently available:
The first “iMOTM” players are now available in packs. You can grab them until Monday at 1:00 a.m.
Classic International Heroes
During the festival, the best “modern classic players” will regularly be given unique hero cards, which will only be available for a limited time. These heroes will be upgraded cards of popular and still active players who performed strongly in past international tournaments.
Team of the Tournament
The “Team of the Tournament” is back. For this, EA Sports will create a TOTT for both tournaments, consisting of the top players from these summer tournaments.
Tournament Fiesta
During the Festival of FUTball, several single-player and multiplayer tournaments in FUT will take place. These will have different requirements and rewards. It starts with the “Les Blues” tournament, which requires 18 players from France and offers a Rare Gold Pack (online) and otherwise Coin Packs as rewards:
Mystery Sets
Additionally, there is a new type of sets: The Mystery Sets. You will receive these as a reward for certain tournament victories. Open them and receive “mysterious rewards”.
In Heroes of the Storm, a new game mode is coming soon. However, it is based on other Blizzard titles.
One new challenge every week?
Already last year at BlizzCon, Blizzard announced a new game mode for Heroes of the Storm, which could even be played at the developers’ own event. “Arena” was to be the name of this new form of the MOBA and would offer fast, fun matches with a simplified talent system and smaller objectives. Since then, fans have been wondering where this game mode is and why the release is taking so long.
Now Dustin Browder, the Game Director of Heroes of the Storm, has responded in a tweet to a fan’s question about whether a “Brawl” mode for HotS would be considered. In 2 other Blizzard games, Hearthstone and Overwatch, “Brawl” is a weekly changing mode that features new challenges regularly.
Browder’s surprising answer: The Arena mode has evolved “in the direction of Brawl.” While no details are provided yet, it is reasonable to assume that HotS will soon have a game mode that is subject to constant change as well.
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In the original version, the Arena was intended for heroes of level 10 and – aside from a heroic ability – there were to be no talents. The focus was clearly on fast battles and wacky team compositions. If one wanted, they could pit 10 Illidans against each other.
However, anyone who was at BlizzCon and is now worried that the Arena no longer resembles what was shown back then can be reassured by Browder. “Don’t worry, what you played back then hasn’t disappeared. There is just more to do.”
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In the MMO shooter Destiny, the Trials of Osiris will start on Friday, June 10th. On which map will they take place this time?
The Trials of Osiris is the weekly PvP event in Destiny. Currently, however, the Iron Banner, the monthly event, is the focus: because the Autumn expansion “The Rise of Iron” will revolve around Lord Saladin and the Iron Lords, in honor of whom the Iron Banner is held. In this, we will learn numerous details about the symbols and names that characterize this event.
This evening we can sweeten the eternally long wait for “Rise of Iron” with a few matches in the Trials of Osiris. These are currently very popular among streamers, as they can showcase all their skills.
This week, the map Pantheon is being played.
In the Trials, you compete against each other in 3-player teams. The goal is to fill a scorecard with victories in the “Elimination” mode. With 5 and 7 victories, random rewards from Osiris’ stash can be obtained. If you are doing well, you can travel to Mercury with a “Flawless” ticket and let the tasty loot flow from the chest.
Update:
Server Issues – Error Codes “STORK”, “NEWT” or “WEASEL” in Destiny
Currently, guardians are increasingly encountering error codes that prevent them from logging in. As Bungie communicates via Twitter, they are diligently working on it, so everything should be up and running again soon.
Update 9:00 PM: Destiny’s servers are currently down. The servers should be live again at 10 PM.
Update 10:00 PM: The servers are live again. All services seem to be available again.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
How exactly does the deserter penalty work in Overwatch? When are you not allowed to leave a game anymore?
In Overwatch, players are encouraged to complete their matches until the end. Even a match that seems lost can often be turned around thanks to the “Overtime” mechanic. Those who leave their team hanging will not go unpunished for long before being marked as a deserter and receiving significantly less XP and, therefore, hardly any loot boxes.
But when are you actually not allowed to leave a game anymore? When does the “deserter” penalty take effect and how can you get rid of it?
Due to uncertainties among the player base about when they can leave a match “without penalty,” Blizzard has now made this clearer in a forum post.
If you leave the game after WIN! or LOSE! has been displayed on the screen, this does not count as “leaving early.”
If you leave the game during the “Gather your team” phase, that is in the 40 seconds before you can demolish everything in the spawn room, this does not count as “leaving early.”
If you leave the game starting from the beginning of the preparation phase, that is the “waiting minute” in the spawn room/build minute for defenders and before the “WIN!/LOSE!” screen, this counts as “leaving early.”
Blizzard shakes their finger at rage quitters.
Also important: If you leave a game because you were invited to a group and therefore join another game, this also counts as “leaving early”! The same applies if you leave the game because you were kicked for inactivity or lose your internet connection. The only exception is if the server disconnects you – for example, because it is no longer available (like during maintenance).
Overwatch stores player behavior over the last 20 matches. If players leave too many matches (an exact number is not specified) early within those games, they are penalized with a 75% penalty on earned experience points. In order to get rid of this “debuff,” it is required to fully complete games again. And that means until the number of completed matches is back above the previously mentioned limit – here, too, Overwatch monitors the last 20 matches. By contrast, this means that the penalty lasts longer if players continue to leave games even after the penalty starts.
Do you want to avoid a reason to rage quit? Then check out our guides to Overwatch to improve yourself.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Former Sony Online developers Mat Broome and Kevin McPherson are currently developing a tactical multiplayer RPG called KINETIK with their new studio Hero Machine.
After working on well-known MMOs like Everquest, Planetside 2, and DC Universe Online, the two wanted to create a new game that does not cater to casual gamers but truly challenges players. The idea for KINETIK was born. The game puts you in a near future where you are a member of the Navy SEALs, British Special Forces, or Russian Spetsnaz and complete numerous missions with your team.
Team Shooter and RPG
KINETIK is intended to play like a mix of tactical team shooter and RPG, with a strong emphasis on tactical cooperation within the group during battles. You will join forces with other players and ensure that your squad is balanced. It should include players who have characters from the classes Assault, Recon, and Engineer. You can also create your hero from one of the three classes. You can develop your character through skill trees and various career paths. Additionally, it is possible to obtain blueprints during missions that you can use in crafting to improve your equipment.
Destroy Everything!
Tactics come into play in the levels as large parts of the environment can be destroyed. You will need to incorporate the changing circumstances into your strategies and possibly react quickly. The Unreal Engine 4 is expected to provide atmospheric graphics. You can play from either a first-person or third-person perspective. KINETIK is set to be released in December 2017 for PC and consoles – provided the currently ongoing Kickstarter campaign is successful, through which the developers aim to raise 150,000 dollars.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfTQeXYxapg
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
During the beta, the MMO shooter The Division struggled with cheaters. Now Ubisoft is taking tougher measures to tackle the problem.
Anyone caught cheating faced a 14-day suspension from the game. However, as the developers of The Division have now announced, this has not been as effective as hoped. Therefore, they are implementing permanent bans for the first offense of cheating. So anyone caught cheating can now lose their account completely. This is intended to make gamers think twice about whether they want to cheat in the MMO.
The Division and the Problem with Cheaters
Fair play is essential for an online game where you play with and against other players. Everyone should have the same chances and not be frustrated because others exploit glitches or cheat. Ubisoft has been working since the beta of The Division to curb cheating as much as possible, ideally to eliminate it entirely. However, the problem still persists in the game, despite new methods and systems being developed to detect cheaters more quickly and effectively.
From now on, there will be a strict crackdown!
These methods led to Ubisoft taking action against more than 30,000 players last month, resulting in 3,800 permanent bans. However, they monitored the behavior of those who were only temporarily banned and returned to the game. They also received a lot of feedback from players, which ultimately led to the decision to crack down harder.
Already at the first infraction, if players are caught using a cheat engine, there will be permanent bans. They plan to communicate ban waves openly. This is hoped to result in fewer cheaters in the game, allowing honest players to enjoy their experience.
The PlayStation 4K has now been officially confirmed! Curious fans will not get to see it at E3 yet.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Andrew House, CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, confirmed that an “upgraded version” of the PlayStation 4 is currently in development.
This “high-end PS4” will be more expensive than the current “Standard PS4” and will not replace it: Both versions are expected to be sold alongside each other throughout the entire PS4 generation.
The new console from Sony is intended as a complement to the existing one and will support UHD 4K resolutions. This aims to target “hardcore gamers” and owners of 4K TVs, according to House.
The CEO adds:
All games will support the Standard PS4, and we assume that all or a large majority of games will also support the high-end PS4.
With the PS4K, Sony wants to offer consumers and developers the opportunity for “some additional benefits.”
With the latest update “Guild Alliances” for the MMORPG Neverwinter, guilds can now unite.
By uniting multiple guilds, it will be easier to find players for particularly challenging content in Neverwinter. Guild leaders are able to invite other guilds to join your alliance. Additionally, leaders gain access to numerous features such as excluding members, leaving, various permissions, and more.
Guilds work together
An alliance chat enables communication within the alliance, and you can travel to the fortress maps of allied guilds, where you can join them to tackle heroic encounters or form a group to defeat dragons. It is also possible to shop in the stores of the allied guild and you can contribute to the treasure hoards of your allies, thereby continuing to receive guild marks. As an alliance, you receive bonuses, including bonus XP and a discount on the construction costs for buildings, which depend on your alliance level and your rank in the hierarchy.
Write your own chronicle
Additionally, with the update, the “Chronicle of the Sword Coast” has been introduced. This is a revamped campaign interface that presents your hero’s deeds in a new and better order. The difficulty level is displayed in ascending order. You can also see all the deeds that lie ahead in the chronicle. So if you ever get stuck in the MMO, just check your chronicle. For all questions regarding the chronicle, turn to the NPC Sybella, who also has a small quest line for you in which you need to search for the Staff of Savras.
The developers of the MMORPG Neverwinter are currently working on the PlayStation 4 version of the MMO planned for this summer, as well as the new expansion Storm King’s Thunder, where you’ll be dealing with giants.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The E3 is just around the corner. The first press conferences from major publishers begin on June 12. I’m really looking forward to many new announcements.
Of course, not too many games are known yet that will be showcased at the fair, after all, there should be one or two surprises. However, there are a few games that are already known to be presented. As in previous years, there seems to be a bit of a lack of great new announcements in the MMORPG area. What will be shown in this area is still not entirely clear at the moment. Therefore, I have to speculate a bit about what I would like to see and will divide the article into online and offline games.
New in Online and Offline
In the online games area, I would be very excited about the announcement of a new AAA MMORPG. Electronic Arts recently stated that they are considering returning to the Ultima and Wing Commander franchises. How about a new Ultima Online or a Wing Commander MMO that follows in the footsteps of Star Citizen? Speaking of Star Citizen, Chris Roberts’ space epic will not be shown at the fair, so I can’t look forward to that either.
ION
In 2015, DayZ creator Dean Hall announced the MMO ION. In the game, players are to experience the colonization of the universe by humanity and encounter a massive, simulated universe. So, a sort of No Man’s Sky with real MMORPG elements. After a year, I hope we will finally see something from the game.
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I have been following Lineage Eternal for years and thought when I saw the first trailer about how cool it looked and that I would really like this game concept – a mix of Diablo and MMO. Therefore, I am curious what NC Soft will show new about this game.
Bless
I have heard a lot about Bless – both good and less good, and yet I am just as excited about what it will ultimately be like. Perhaps a potential presentation at E3 will provide more insights into the MMORPG that at least looks fantastic.
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I mainly played the Battlefield series because I had to test many mods for it in the past. I’m not a big fan of shooters, but I have always liked Battlefield due to the epic battles, and I find the setting of World War I for Battlefield 1 very interesting.
Bethesda Softworks
Actually, I could list Bethesda among both online and offline games. On one hand, I hope for something big and cool for The Elder Scrolls Online and perhaps even the announcement of a Fallout; on the other hand, I would be thrilled if they showed The Elder Scrolls 6.
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There are many offline games that interest me, especially since more focus has been placed on this area in recent years.
Horizon – Zero Dawn
The post-apocalyptic action RPG looks outrageously good, and the scenario of a world populated by living robots, which hides a secret, already makes me eager to play it. Unfortunately, the release has only recently been postponed to February 2017.
Red Dead Redemption 2
It is still not confirmed that Rockstar Games will showcase the western game Red Dead Redemption 2, but I hope so. I had an incredible amount of fun with the predecessor, and just imagine a possible online mode like in GTA…
Watch Dogs 2
Many consider Watch Dogs to be significantly worse than GTA V. Ubisoft’s open-world action game may not measure up to Rockstar’s cult game, but I have spent a lot of time hacking and I am already looking forward to the sequel. Maybe this time also with a GTA-like online mode…
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I am very excited about the games that will be announced in the field of virtual reality for PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive. So far, I don’t see any reason to invest in new technology, but with the right game, that could change. How about a VR MMORPG? I also find augmented reality exciting, and Minecraft for AR has shown what can be done with the technology. Even here, interesting games could entice me to want to get a Hololens or another AR headset.
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The sexy sniper from Overwatch, Widowmaker, is a bit too dominant – the development team has changes planned.
Changes to Widowmaker currently only an experiment
The more time passes in Overwatch since its launch, the more inconsistencies players find in the balance. In recent days, the French sniper Widowmaker has secured a solid place in almost every team. Whether for defense or attack, Widowmaker has consistently proven to be a valuable addition. At the same time, the problem arises that this character causes a lot of frustration for opponents, as one often feels powerless against a skilled Widowmaker.
But where does this problem actually come from?
The main problem is the charged shot from Widowmaker’s sniper rifle. This deals 150 damage even with a body shot, which “one-shots” characters like Tracer and Zenyatta, even if you catch them in the little toe. However, she is anything but defenseless in close combat; with her thin body, she is a difficult target and can deal considerable damage with her weapon in assault rifle mode.
What does Blizzard say about Widowmaker?
In the official forum of the game, Jeff Kaplan, the Game Director of Overwatch, has now addressed this criticism.
“We are monitoring Widowmaker. We are discussing her. Internally, we have some experiments going on to see if we can keep her useful while slightly reducing the frustration she causes. But for now, these are just attempts. Once we have more concrete plans, we will let you know.”
So it may take some time before an actual nerf happens – in the meantime, you probably have to fight sniper with sniper.
You can find more news and articles about Blizzard’s hero shooter on our Overwatch game page – or check out these topics:
Today’s “Mein-MMO Asks” is all about the autumn expansion of the MMO shooter Destiny.
Yeah, folks. The cat is out of the bag. Bungie revealed yesterday in the livestream what has been speculated for days and weeks: “Rise of Iron” will be the next big adventure in Destiny.
Some intense information about the expansion has already been revealed. However, many details regarding the new features are still pending. We expect these to be served to us in small bites by the developers over the summer. The next curtain will likely fall in just a few days at E3.
As the Destiny fever rapidly spreads in the forums and comments on the Internet, we want to take a moment here and ask you directly: What do you expect from “Rise of Iron”? What wishes and hopes do you bring to the expansion? And what do you think of the information available so far?
The Contents of “Rise of Iron”
The autumn expansion is supposed to be “big”. Four aspects have been mentioned that will experience comprehensive new features: The campaign with new story missions and quest lines, New Locations (Plagued Lands, Felwinter Peak, Social Hub, The Wall), new cooperative experiences in the form of strikes, patrols, public events, and a “very exciting and cool” raid, and new content in the Crucible: New PvP maps, a new mode, and some features.
Overall, the expansion leaves a good impression so far: both PvE and PvP fans will be provided with fresh content. Generally, “Rise of Iron” seems to put a major focus on story and lore, which many guardians will likely appreciate. Storytelling has often been criticized in Destiny over the last few years.
Now we’re being presented with a wealth of background information about Lord Saladin, the Iron Lords, and the “plague”. What do you think about that?
What to make of the new enemies remains to be seen. They are “Splicers”, Fallen devils who misuse a forbidden technology called “SIVA” that allows them to fuse flesh and metal. This transforms them into “machine gods”. We will likely learn more about what they are capable of and how we can defeat them in the near future. What do you think of these enemies?
That was quite a bang: The Gjallarhorn is coming back with a new look in year 3 of Destiny. Every guardian can obtain it by mastering a specific quest. We are thus forging our own Gjallarhorn from the “armor of fallen heroes”.
If you preorder “The Rise of Iron”, you will receive an “Iron Gjallarhorn” in black and silver right away. Is this a reason for you to preorder the expansion?
“The Rise of Iron” is Only Coming for PS4 and Xbox One
Another topic currently occupying the community is: The guardian journey on PS3 and Xbox 360 will no longer continue. Players on last-gen will still be able to play the previously purchased content, but they will no longer receive new content.
Bungie justifies this step by stating that the overwhelming majority of guardians are already on PS4 and Xbox One. If they wanted to continue supplying last-gen with new content, compromises would have to be made. A lot would be lost for all guardians. We have already addressed the PS4 and Xbox One exclusivity of “Rise of Iron” here.
What do you think of the path Bungie is taking with “The Rise of Iron”?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In The Division, owners of the season pass can collect their monthly exclusive content.
If you want to be supplied with fresh content beyond June, you need to gradually acquire the season pass for The Division. The free updates 1.1 and 1.2 are already live – everything that is coming now requires additional investments.
The major expansions “Underground”, “Survival”, and “Last Stand” are all set to be released this year and can be purchased together with the pass.
For the early buyers of the season pass who understood right away that they wanted to continue their agent journey in New York for the coming months, Ubisoft provides exclusive monthly content. Starting today, the content for June is available.
This is the season pass exclusive content for June in The Division
The following graphic shows you what you will receive this month on PS4, Xbox One, and PC:
Weapon Skin: Safari Purple
Weapon Skin: Scale Water
Additionally, you will receive 5 of each high-end crafting material including Division Tech.
The public letter to the community was also fully focused on “Rise of Iron” this week. It explained, among other things, the reason why the “next big thing” will only be released for PS4 and Xbox One.
Furthermore – many Guardians can still hardly believe it – the Gjallarhorn is coming back with a new look in Year 3 of Destiny. Bungie has apparently heard the prayers of the many Gjallarhorn fans.
The flood of information about “The Rise of Iron” will not subside in the coming days. Activision and Bungie will present further information about Destiny at the upcoming E3.
Oh, and today is also Xur Day. Let’s take a look at the arrival of our shaggy friend.
Everything about Xur in Destiny on June 10th, 11th, and 12th on PS4, PS3, Xbox One, and Xbox 360
When does Xur come and when does he leave again?
Xur appears on Friday, June 10th, at 11:00 AM. He hangs out a bit in the Tower and brings his goods to the Guardian. On Sunday, June 12th, he will leave for home again at 11:00 AM – with a big bag full of Strange Coins.
Where is Xur? What is his location this weekend?
Xur is located in the Hangar this weekend. Our friends from ProNDC will lead you there:
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The team of the private server Nostalrius met the developers of World of Warcraft. Read here how the meeting with Blizzard went.
A long meeting with little progress
After significant media attention for the former private server Nostalrius, which was shut down by Blizzard, the server team has now met with the developers of World of Warcraft. The Nostalrius team saw this as an opportunity and prepared a two-hour presentation in which they showcased their project, the experiences gained, but also the problems to the developers. Blizzard showed so much interest and asked so many questions that the presentation was extended to 5 hours.
The fact that Blizzard took the meeting quite seriously is also evident from the developers present: Mike Morhaime, J. Allen Brack, Tom Chilton, Ion Hazzikostas, and Marco Koegler are among the top decision-makers of World of Warcraft.
Team Nostalrius and the employees of Blizzard.
However, those expecting a concrete commitment to “Classic” servers were once again disappointed. Blizzard still owns the source code of the original WoW, but the effort would still be high. In the Nostalrius forum it says:
“To create the server and the client, a complex system is used. It is more than just merging “WoW.exe” and “Server.exe”. This build process requires data, models, maps, and so on, created by Blizzard, as well as server-specific files. The client has only the data it needs, and the server has only the data it needs.”
The “assembling” of this data would be difficult, and even then, many things would have to be recreated. At the same time, it is added:
“In addition to the technical aspects related to launching a legacy server, Blizzard has to provide a polished version of the game to its millions of players – something that existing unofficial servers cannot offer.”
The author of the post, Viper (administrator and project manager of Nostalrius), also explained that he was previously afraid that Blizzard was holding this event just to manage damage control. Fortunately, that was not the case. He literally said:
“When Blizzard offered us this meeting a few weeks ago, we were concerned that it was just a PR stunt or damage control. Now we realize that this is not the case.”
Nostalrius, shortly before shutting down the server.
For the team of Nostalrius, this is not the end; they will continue to stay in contact with Blizzard. They view this conversation as a “milestone” and hope it ultimately leads to something that benefits all WoW players.
However, whether legacy servers will ever be released remains to be seen. Fans suspect that new information can be expected no earlier than BlizzCon 2016 in November.
We will keep you updated as soon as there is news.
For more news and articles about Blizzard’s MMORPG and the former server Nostalrius, you can find them on our World of Warcraft game page.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the future, the mechanics of the “Play of the Game” in Overwatch will be even more interesting. We will tell you what Blizzard has planned.
Play of the Game – Sometimes Good, Sometimes Bad
Overall, the launch of Overwatch was as successful and smooth as hardly any other Blizzard game. Within minutes, the servers were running smoothly and there have been no major issues since then. Nevertheless, the developers are not completely satisfied with all the mechanics and features of the game. In an interview with a colleague from Eurogamer, Jeff Kaplan, the Game Director, spoke about a change that will likely catch the attention of all players: the “Play of the Game” is going to be better showcased.
“We feel that the typical Play of the Game, when Reaper gets many kills with Death Blossom, looks great and is enjoyable for the viewer. However, some others, like a dead Torbjörn where the turret kills many opponents or a Widowmaker who lands a truly great shot across the whole map: those are not presented well. They are cool moments, but we feel we could showcase them better.”
The developers already have a few ideas on how to change that. One major issue with the presentation is that all “Play of the Game” is shown from the player’s first-person perspective. That works well for some characters, but less so for others.
There is no fixed date for the changes yet. While Kaplan hopes to address this “in this summer,” they do not make any concrete commitments – there are other issues to deal with first.
You can read about what other changes Blizzard is making to Overwatch in the following articles:
In Destiny the upcoming autumn expansion will only be released for PS4 and Xbox One. Additionally: An update is scheduled in a few weeks.
“This Week at Bungie,” the public letter to the community, focuses this time extensively on “Rise of Iron” – or in English: The Awakening of the Iron Lords! This next big adventure was announced yesterday in the livestream. We have summarized the info about “RoI” here.
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A big surprise: The Gjallarhorn is making a comeback! If you pre-order the game – which apparently some of you have already done yesterday, as we read in the comments – you will receive the piece of gear in the “Iron” version in black and silver.
One could assume Bungie expected that a Year 3 Gjallarhorn would cause a big stir. At least they made a special trailer for the return of this exotic rocket launcher:
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As already rumored after a leak two days ago, “The Awakening of the Iron Lords” will only be released on next-gen consoles (if we can still call them that) PS4 and Xbox One. This step by Bungie is now official. Last-gen is being phased out.
From now on, Bungie will refer to PS3 and Xbox 360 as “legacy consoles.” If you want to play all future expansions of Destiny, now is the time to upgrade your hardware.
However, guardians who do not wish to switch to the current console generation do not have to throw Destiny in the trash: even this coming autumn they will still be able to play the MMO shooter on old consoles. However, this journey will continue differently. Guardian progress will be split across each generation of console families (from Sony and Microsoft). Already in August, the experiences will diverge. A graphic was released regarding this:
Within a console family, guardians can also transfer their progress to the new console after August.
In the coming weeks, Bungie will provide more details on how the changes will look and how they will specifically unfold. They plan to release a handful of help articles regarding this.
Two reasons are given for this step by Bungie:
The overwhelming majority of all guardians are already using PS4 or Xbox One. Around 90%.
Furthermore, this approach is necessary to bring about major changes. Had they wanted to bring the ideas and concepts of “Rise of Iron” to last-gen, all guardians would have suffered. A lot would have been lost.
However, it is important to ensure that players on PS3 and Xbox 360 can continue to play the content they have paid for.
Update 2.3.0 of Destiny is on the way
The future of Destiny is not only about new stories around old heroes: To maintain the game’s stability and playability, Update 2.3.0 is coming in the next few weeks. The exact date and time of this update will be revealed soon.
In the MMO shooter Destiny, there is information about the upcoming autumn expansion “Rise of Iron”.
Recently, Bungie held a livestream for “Rise of Iron”. More than 220,000 fans watched this spectacle. While most of the information was already known in advance, numerous other innovations were also revealed. We summarize these compactly.
“Rise of Iron” will be a “big” expansion
According to the developers, the autumn expansion will be “big”. Rise of Iron represents the next major adventure for the Guardians. They mention four aspects that will receive extensive innovations:
New campaign: The new campaign will deliver new characters and cinematics along with some missions. Additionally, there will be many new quest lines. We will learn about the lore of the Iron Lords.
New locations: In the new expansion, we will explore the “Plaguelands”, “Felwinter Peak”, and “The Wall”. The Wall is the place where the journey of all our Guardians began. However, this place has changed significantly.
New cooperative experiences: There will be a “very exciting and cool” raid, about which no other information will be disclosed. Additionally, a new strike is coming, and some existing strikes will be revised. New patrols and public events will also be added to the game.
New content in the Crucible: New PvP maps, a new mode, and new features will be introduced, about which discussions will take place later in the summer.
Help Lord Saladin in “Rise of Iron”
In the expansion, you accompany Lord Saladin on his journey. An early concept art was one that captures the atmosphere of “Rise of Iron” and shows Lord Saladin and “The Wall”:
We will learn about the backstory of the Iron Lords and discover important places, symbols, and objects of their actions. Our journey in “Rise of Iron” begins as we set out for Felwinter Peak. This is the place from where the Iron Lords protected humanity:
At the top of Felwinter Peak, we find statues of the former heroes of the Iron Lords in a mausoleum. The Guardians will recognize many things that they have encountered before in the Iron Banner of Destiny, such as the tree, a symbol of this PvP event:
The developers mention that we will learn about Jolder, for example. This name already appears in the machine gun “Jolder’s Hammer”. In general, we will learn a lot about the Iron Lords and experience some “Aha effects”. However, they don’t want to reveal too much at this point.
In the trailer, we also see Lord Saladin for the first time without his helmet:
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The wolves remain exclusively reserved for him. We Guardians, therefore, have to forgo our own wolf pack.
Additional information from the stream:
New enemies: The new enemy faction (Splicers) consists of Fallen who use an old “forbidden” technology called “SIVA” to transform themselves more or less into machines. They want to take over the Earth. The Guardians must stop them.
The new social hub will be more rural and rustic compared to the Tower and the Vestian Outpost in the Reef.
The Plaguelands: This is a completely new area on Earth near the Cosmodrome. A harsh winter prevails, and the landscape is covered in snow. There should be much to discover. Besides some secrets, you will mainly encounter nasty enemies, such as this friendly character:
Additionally, we can look forward to new gear. We can create the “Iron Lords” look:
The light level will be “significantly” increased. The exact amount has not been disclosed.
The Flame Axe will be a special item, a relic. With it, you will be able to inflict devastating damage. More details on how the axe looks in practice will be revealed in the summer.
The Gjallarhorn is making a comeback: In “Rise of Iron”, there will be a quest through which all Guardians can obtain a Gjallarhorn. We will then forge it from the “armor of fallen heroes”. If you want the “Iron Gjallarhorn” in black and silver, you need to preorder the expansion.
“Rise of Iron” will be released on September 20th exclusively on PS4 and Xbox One. The price is expected to be 30 US dollars. Preorders are now possible.
Update: In English, the expansion is called “The Rise of Iron” and costs 29.99 euros.
PS4 users will again receive time-exclusive content. What this will be will be revealed in the upcoming weeks.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
CD Projekt Red, the developers of the successful RPG The Witcher 3, seem to be working on a standalone version of the in-game card game Gwent (in the English version Gwent).
A trademark entry has been discovered that originates from CD Projekt Red. Additionally, a logo for the game surfaced, and the company announced some time ago that they would introduce a new game at the E3 gaming fair, which is not the highly anticipated role-playing game Cyberpunk 2077.
Gwent as an Online Game
Many fans of The Witcher 3 have already asked whether CD Projekt Red would like to release Gwent as a standalone card game. After all, the genre is currently very popular, seeing Hearthstone – Heroes of Warcraft or HEX: Shards of Fate. Since The Witcher has a large fan base and the card game is already known from the current part of the RPG series, it would certainly not be difficult for the development studio to establish a new online card game on the market.
Is Hearthstone Getting Competition?
However, this should still be viewed with caution, as CD Projekt Red has not officially confirmed anything yet. But one can already speculate about how this game could unfold. Gwent works a bit differently than, for example, Hearthstone. It is very tactical and still fast. The card game even works well as a “real” game, as some versions of The Witcher 3 and the expansions included the physical cards. In the online game, you will very likely be able to challenge other players to duels. Perhaps you will rank up to meet equally matched opponents through a matchmaking system.
The developers could also regularly introduce new cards that can be earned or purchased. The game principle of Gwent – The Witcher Card Game could therefore actually work just as well as it does with Blizzard’s Hearthstone. Hopefully, we will learn more at E3.
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Warcraft: The Beginning has now also premiered in China – and is doing really well.
Warcraft attracts more people to theaters in China than Star Wars or Civil War
After the Warcraft movie has been running here for almost two weeks, it has recently premiered in China. Already on the first day, the film was able to gross 45.7 million dollars, putting it ahead of other blockbusters, such as Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Captain America: Civil War, which both earned about 30 million dollars. However, it still falls far short of first place in China – that spot is still held by Furious 7 with over 63 million $ on the first day.
The huge success in China may partly be attributed to the fact that many of the “old” Blizzard titles, such as Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos and Frozen Throne, still play a much larger role there than they do here. There are still many tournaments held for those games, which even juggernauts like “League of Legends” can’t compete with.
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So far, the Warcraft film is a massive hit in all regions. Only for its home country, the USA, the film is predicted to have a rather “low” turnout, with analysts expecting a box office of 25 million dollars on the first day. Whether this will hold true will be revealed this weekend, as the film also premieres in the United States then.
However, roughly estimating the previous earnings, one can be sure that Warcraft: The Beginning will comfortably recoup its investment of 160 million dollars.
You haven’t seen the movie yet? Then we have prepared two (relatively) spoiler-free reviews to help you make a decision:
Paragon releases the Essentials Edition and holds a “Double Reputation” weekend for all heroes on the battlefields of Agora.
Essential – but not for us
Step by step, the Early Access MOBA Paragon from former “Gears of War” developer Epic Games is moving towards completion. On Tuesday, another small milestone was reached with the release of the Essentials Edition for PS4.
This naturally includes direct access to the current Early Access phase, 5 Master Challenges, 5 Skins, 5 Reputation Boosters, and 6000 Paragon Coins, which can be spent on additional Boosters, Skins, Master Challenges, and things that have not yet been revealed.
The launch-exclusive Twinblast Wasteland Skin
However, if you are considering purchasing this PS4-exclusive edition, it should be noted that it is currently only available in the USA, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil for $60, and so far no version for the European market has been announced.
If you are still interested in Paragon, the three Early Access access options are still available, which vary between €20 and €100 depending on content. And one should always keep in mind that the finished MOBA will ultimately be a free-to-play title. Those who have found their inner balance and mastered the high art of waiting clearly have an advantage.
“Double Reputation” Weekend
So, to celebrate the release, from today until Sunday, all battle-hungry Paragon enthusiasts can earn double reputation, which should greatly assist you on your way to further Master Challenges and new card packs. And while we’re at it, we will also show you the current cards of the weekly changing card pack.
Current content of the weekly changing card pack
This time you will receive “Reverberate”, which allows you to deal additional damage to opponents with a shield, “Mind Flow”, which rewards players with a reduced cooldown who manage their mana reserve particularly well, and lastly “Hemorrhage”, which equips your hero with increased attack speed and damage when suffering a bleeding effect.
So take advantage of the double reputation weekend, acquire new cards or gather enough to unlock your favorite fighter’s Master Challenge.
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