Destiny: This is how the user interface could have looked like

Tom Rothstein Tom Rothstein Reading time 4 minutes

In Destiny, the lead UI designer David Candland spoke about the development of the menu of Bungie’s MMO shooter.

At the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Bungie’s lead UI designer David Candland gave a lecture on design and the interface of Destiny.

The menu cursor of Destiny was worked on for a long time

user-interface-destiny-ttk

While in many console games, you switch from one selected item to another with a button press or a stick movement, in Destiny you have a freely movable cursor available ‒ similar to a mouse on a PC.

According to Candland, it took a lot of time to achieve the cursor’s movement behavior as we know it today. When you hover over the icon of an item, the cursor slows down a bit and the graphic stands out slightly. This slowing down was carefully worked on until the cursor behavior felt right.

These are early models of the user interface of Destiny

Candland also showed early models of the UI during his presentation, which illustrate how the layout evolved over time. While Candland presented these images, he emphasized that many items and also the text in these models originated from the art team and had no relation to the content that actually made it into the game. Therefore, it is advisable not to read too much into what you will see next.

The order of these images shows (presumably) the evolution of the user interface of Destiny, which ended in the final version, as we know it today:

destiny-ui1
“Gus, the filthy” has not made it into the Destiny universe so far. This design of a Cabal trader gives us an image of how the Cabal would look without a helmet.
destiny-ui2
In the upper right corner, you can see “Grimo…”. Was it originally planned to display the Grimoire cards in-game?
destiny-ui3
“Evil Otto”. Aha!
destiny-ui4
This interface looks interesting!
destiny-ui5
Osiris as an in-game trader? It turned out differently in the end.
destiny-ui6
Except for “relic iron”, the resources apparently had different names initially.
destiny-ui7
This interface is already much closer to the final version.
destiny-ui8
This is not the final version yet, but it is not far off.
destiny-ui9-symbole

Candland mentioned that a lot of time was also invested in designing the symbols for all equipment pieces. During the presentation, he showed some of these weapon and armor symbols from the final game and bet that many people in the audience would recognize the items just by the symbols. According to Kotaku, he won that bet.

Ttime says: From this talk by Candland, one can take home that it takes a lot of work and time to develop and design a unique user interface for video games that satisfies the customer.

Even though there are currently some complaints about Destiny, I must admit that the developers have succeeded with the interface. I find it not only clear and nicely designed but also easy to use. This menu joins the list of many things that just feel good when you use them in Destiny. Especially the gunplay, that is, handling the weapons, provides an excellent gaming experience in Bungie’s MMO shooter.

What do you think of the development of the UI of Destiny? Are you satisfied with the menu?

The interface models were captured by the US site Kotaku during the lecture with a camera.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Kotaku

The Division: Alle Talente für Eure Highend-Ausrüstung in der Übersicht

Tom Rothstein Tom Rothstein Reading time 3 minutes

In The Division, there are numerous talents for your high-end gear that improve the equipment. We list all of them.

division-rikers

In The Division, you can craft gear pieces in addition to weapons and mods. The high-end items are assigned “talents” that grant bonuses to your equipment. You can refer to the following list to see what possible talents exist for the high-end gear, so you can decide if you have already crafted a ‘top’ item or if you want to visit the workbench again.

Talents for Masks in The Division

  • Enduring: When you are in the last segment of your health, health regenerates continuously to fill this segment.
  • Refreshed: When your health is in the last segment, healing increases by 30%.
  • Rejuvenated: When you use a medkit, all negative status effects are removed.
  • Tenacious: When you use a medkit, your damage increases by 9.5% for x seconds.
  • Rehabilitated: When you are affected by a status effect, you heal 2% every second.

Talents for Vests in The Division

  • Reckless: You deal 12.5% more damage but also take 10% more damage. According to reports on reddit, this roll can also be 13/10 or 13/11.
  • Robust: While you are in cover, you have 45% more armor.
  • Rapid: The cooldown of your healing skills is reduced by 13%.
  • Vigorous: All your healing skills allow for an “overheal”.
  • Forceful: While an active individual skill is active, armor value is increased by x%.

Talents for Backpacks in The Division

  • Technical: While an active individual skill is active, your skill power is increased by 13%.
  • Inventive: With full health, your skill power is increased by 13%.
  • Relentless: 3% of the damage you deal with your skills is returned to you as healing.
  • Resourceful: All healing you experience is also experienced by your skill object.
  • Specialized: 13% of your firearms and stamina are added to the skill power.

Talents for Gloves in The Division

  • Savage: Your chance of critical hits is increased by 13% when enemies are out of cover.
  • Reckless: You deal x% more damage but also take y% more damage.
  • Cunning: After reloading, your next shot has a 9.5% higher chance of being a critical hit.
  • Decisive: Headshots with your sidearm deal x% more damage.
  • Astute: The first three bullets in your magazine have a 9.5% higher chance to land critical hits.

Talents for Holsters in The Division

  • Recovered: The damage you take during a cover-to-cover move is regenerated in the next five seconds when you reach your target.
  • Nimble: During a cover-to-cover move in combat, you heal 2% for every x meters.
  • Steadfast: While you are in cover, the speed of health regeneration is doubled.
  • Sturdy: Your armor increases by 12.5% if you remain in the same cover for longer than x seconds.
    division-in-game2

Talents for Kneepads in The Division

  • Accomplished: The rewards for accolades are tripled.
  • Prosperous: Critical headshots grant you credits (reports on reddit mention 120 credits).
  • Perceptive: Your “item find” and “gold find” bonuses are increased by 25%.

For more info and guides, you can find them in our The Division guide collection.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. reddit.com

ARK: Survival Evolved – So kam der Kot ins Dino-Spiel

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

In ARK: Survival Evolved, all creatures eventually need to relieve themselves. However, it offers more than just oil and fertilizer …

A truly disgusting death

It’s no secret that some games take their realism a bit too far at times. But alongside hunger, thirst, and other parameters, ARK: Survival Evolved features another “feature”. As nature dictates, every creature that has ever consumed food must also eliminate it in some way.

Ark dung beetles

In Ark, the unpleasant resource “feces” is integrated into the gameplay. For instance, the oversized dung beetles can extract oil from the dung, and it can also be used as fertilizer for fields.

But the excrement serves another purpose. It provides a last resort for players who have locked themselves (or others) in a room or are stuck somewhere. Those who are unarmed and lack equipment have no opportunity to escape in such cases. Well, except for one. An effective way to poison one’s character and thus to achieve a quick demise. Bon appétit, or something.

But how does one come up with the idea of integrating digestive excretions into the game?

The mechanic was conceived as an alternative to not introducing a “suicide key,” as studio co-founder Susan Strieglitz explained at GDC. That would have felt “cheap.” Once dung was included in the game, it was also utilized in the production cycle of the game.

For more news and articles about the dino game, check out our ARK: Survival Evolved topic page.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. steamed.kotaku.com
  2. massivelyop.com

Spellweaver: Turnier mit 5000$ Preisgeld

MeinMMO MeinMMO Reading time < 1 minutes

The online card game Spellweaver has been continuously worked on since its release. Now the first tournament is taking place, where it is not just about mere in-game items, but about real money. $5000 will be distributed as prize money, divided according to the number of wins.

The participants are already determined. They are players from Hearthstone and Magic: The Gathering. Among them are: Ek0p, DTwo, PVDDR, Dart, Hotform, P4wnyhof, MrScottyMac, StanCifka, and Vlps. The moderator for this event is Noxious, who is also known from Blizzard’s spinoff.

The tournament will be broadcasted today at 7 PM on Twitch. Perfect for those who want not only our already published test but also moving pictures. The games can be followed both on Noxious‘ channel and the official Spellweaver channel.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

ArcheAge belohnt alle “Nicht-Cheater”

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

In ArcheAge , not only are cheaters banned, but honest players are now rewarded. We have the details.

Fair play in ArcheAge brings rewards

Typically, one hears in MMORPGs at most that another wave of cheaters and gold sellers have been banned, or users of various bots have received a temporary ban. In ArcheAge, they are trying a different approach now and are giving a reward to all players who have never committed any wrongdoing. In the official message from community manager Celestrata, it says:

“Today we just want to give a small sign of our appreciation in thanks to everyone who contributes positively to our community. We are glad to have you with us!”

ArcheAge Arena combat
Players who play fair will now be rewarded.

What kind of reward is there? What conditions exist?

If you want to secure 3 reward coins that can be exchanged for various lock boxes (which can contain rare mounts), you must have a flawless account. In detail, this means:

  • No disciplinary action may have ever been taken against the account. This also includes inappropriate behavior in chat.
  • Within the last 30 days, you must have logged into the account at least once.
  • The account must already have existed since January 15, 2016 (or longer).

The rewards can be claimed on the official ArcheAge website.

If the account has ever been “wrongfully” sanctioned and subsequently freed, it is possible to contact support to still receive the coins.

For more news and articles about the game, you can find them on our ArcheAge topic page.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. massivelyop.com
  2. forums.archagegame.com

SWTOR: Is the game worth it in 2016? Pros and cons of Knights of the Fallen Empire

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 4 minutes

Star Wars The Old Republic (SWTOR) – how does the Free2Play MMORPG play in 2016? Is it still worth it? Our author Cortyn takes another look into the galaxy far, far away.

Star Wars: The Old Republic has received new content with “Knights of the Fallen Empire” aimed primarily at solo players. The story is clearly the focus here, everything else fades into the background. I’ve already vented about decisions without tangible consequences in a Mecker Wednesday, but this time I want to provide some concrete examples and also mention what works wonderfully.

SWTOR Jedi knight

For this purpose, I need to discuss the story of KotFE – so those who do not want to be spoiled should scroll to the headline “It falters a bit” (and miss half the article, but I’ve already got your click, ha!).

Wonderful Freedom …

It quickly becomes clear in the plot of KotFE that the thought-to-be-dead Emperor Valkorion has simply nested himself in our character’s body. He repeatedly whispers to us that we need to cooperate with him and surrender to his power. In particularly dramatic sequences, the “good man” simply stops time. There is a scene where Lana Beniko is overwhelmed by an attack and the fatal blow rushes towards her. We can only watch, or… or can we? The Emperor freezes time and promises: “Accept my power and we can save her. Let it be and she dies.”

SWTOR Knights of the fallen Empire Zakuul Knights

These scenes occur frequently and are incredibly cool. Because it is more than a blunt “Good/Evil” decision. There are shades of gray that one usually misses. Every time you give in to the power, the message “This action will have consequences” appears on the screen, indicating that you made some kind of mistake. Since I stayed true to my line and only used Valkorion’s power when I saw my character’s love in danger (Yes, Lana Beniko. Such a great character). In other cases, I declined… and that had consequences.

… and yet no decisions

I played alongside a friend, and we would always tell each other about our decisions and how things turned out after a chapter (and during combat phases). One moment from Chapter 8 especially stuck with me. Our hero stands opposite the villain Arcann, and we are hopelessly outmatched… once again time freezes and we get the choice: Do we accept Valkorion’s power and beat up Arcann? Or do we try it alone?

And that’s where it got really interesting: Because we both chose the same answer, but different things happened. I confronted the enemy alone and was promptly skewered by Arcann’s lightsaber and severely wounded. Lana Beniko came to my aid (along with a dramatically romantic farewell kiss) and helped me, with my last strength, to escape to the ship. Again and again, my Cortyn breaks down, groaning in pain, and – if it weren’t an MMO – one could really think she was dying. That was awesome. It felt great. It was unique. I thought.

Swtor Kotfe Valkorion Outlander
Valkorion’s spirit offers us his power… those who give in too often slowly lose control.

My colleague also refused Valkorion’s power, but something different happened. He received the message “Valkorion doesn’t care what you want. You’ve given him too much power”. The spirit took over his body, and with a lot of power lightning everything was turned to rubble. The sobering truth afterward: His character also “limps” toward the ship, close to death. The power storm consumed so much energy that he also nearly died.

This is just one example where it seems you have a choice, events change, and the end result remains the same. The character is severely wounded and the evil adversary has disappeared.

But I can bear it. Because I had a kiss with Lana. Ha!

swtor_kotfe_screenshot 2
The cutie with the tender lightning.

It falters a bit

But unfortunately, one must also say that “Knights of the Fallen Empire” has been faltering since its release. Especially the two latest story chapters are – although of high quality like the rest – so incredibly short that one begins to wonder whether BioWare is simply not up to the time pressure of monthly updates. While some chapters provided an hour or more of playtime, the new ones often conclude after only 20 minutes.

Moreover, there are hardly any contents for groups that are engaging for long periods. SWTOR currently honors the RPG more than the MMO in its genre designation, and that doesn’t seem to change anytime soon.

Rakghoul-outbreak SWTOR
Group players currently only come together during specific in-game events.

Although we made SWTOR our Free2Play MMO number 1, the term “Free2Play” only applies limitedly to KotFE, as to experience the content one must have an active subscription – that is unfortunately no longer really the definition of “Free2Play”. Savvy shoppers will best just wait a few months until the number of chapters has increased or is completed, to then absorb the story of the expansion for 13 euros (so one month of gameplay).

Because – hand on the pure Sith heart – SWTOR is currently an experience for solo players and that takes no more than three or four evenings.

For more articles and news about “Knights of the Fallen Empire”, you can find it on our Star Wars: The Old Republic theme page.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

The Division: First agent reaches maximum Dark Zone rank 99!

Tom Rothstein Tom Rothstein Reading time 2 minutes

In Tom Clancy’s The Division, the first agent has reached Dark Zone rank 99. Ubisoft praises him as a “Legendary Agent”.

division-chaossk

The Division player Chaos 3SK has reached rank 99 in the Dark Zone. As Ubisoft now announces, this player is the first agent to have achieved the maximum DZ rank. He is now praised as a “Legendary Agent” on the official website of the game. Ubisoft has published some statistics from Chaos 3SK that you can find in the following graphic:

He started playing just 41 seconds after the official server launch. After now over 130 hours in post-apocalyptic New York, the agent can now rightfully boast that he is the first player in the world to have reached the maximum level and maximum Dark Zone rank – and that just one week after the launch of the game, according to Ubisoft.

The Division has, like any other elite unit in the world, its legends.

division-hängen

Chaos 3SK has commented on reddit and thanked Massive for this “awesome grind.” He had a lot of fun during it, and he still is. He reports that the last time he died, he was rank 93. He lost 85,000 DZ experience in the process.

Ubisoft Massive concludes the official announcement with the following words:

PS: Don’t worry, Chaos 3SK, we have much more content coming your way throughout the year.

Reactions in the community regarding this achievement are mixed: while some users pay their respects, others express how one could invest so many hours in a game in such a short time. The agent definitely did not have much time for other activities.

In the following video that Chaos 3SK shared on reddit, you can see how he rose from DZ rank 98 to 99:

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What do you think of this achievement? What DZ rank are you currently at?

Need help on your way to the maximum rank? In this guide collection for The Division, both beginners and max-level agents will find answers to their questions.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. ubi.com
  2. GameSpot
  3. reddit.com

Guild Wars 2: Diese 5 Dinge sollen am WvW geändert werden

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

Changes to WvW in Guild Wars 2 have a special priority for fans. They have now been heard in the forum.

The Myth of the Great WvW Update

Guild Wars 2 PvP Screenshot

In the meantime, many fans can only smile wearily in the comments on Reddit and various news sites when they hear about the planned changes to the WvW battles of Guild Wars 2 “once again”. They have already had to wait too long for something to finally change “properly” and the major overhaul of server battles is still pending. In a post on the official forum, players discussed their wishes and the “Top 5 things that need to be changed in WvW” reasonably.

This discussion also involved Mike O’Brien, the current president of ArenaNet, who praised the players for the thread, as it would contain valuable feedback. They have now taken 5 points particularly to heart from the numerous suggestions made.

  • The battles should run more stably and the abilities should be balanced.
  • The Desert Borderlands (“Desert Borderlands”, DBL) will either be “fixed” as they are too complicated or completely replaced with the old map.
  • The rewards will be revised; currently, they feel unsatisfactory for the players.
  • There are often massive differences in the population of the three factions, and they want to improve this.
  • The way victory points are calculated will be revised (no concrete details yet).
Guild Wars 2 Desert Borderlands

Whether these points can really be changed or resolved to the extent that the community desires remains to be seen; at least they want to “take these 5 points from the feedback and make them top priorities.”

You can find more news and articles about ArenaNet’s MMORPG on our Guild Wars 2 theme page.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. massivelyop.com

Black Desert: Crafting, Posten und Handeln – eine Liebesgeschichte

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 4 minutes

The new Korea MMORPG Black Desert excites our author Schuhmann because it is so different. Especially the crafting and trading have caught his attention.

Last year, there wasn’t much going on in MMORPGs. Now in 2016, two have come out in the first months. While I quickly felt at home in Blade and Soul, Black Desert remained oddly foreign to me during the beta dates.

Now I have spent some hours in the game like many of you, I’ve slowly gotten used to the unfamiliar mechanics, and I must say: It’s wonderful to discover something new. And I’ve realized how tired I have become of the same old ritual of “accepting quests, killing mobs, turning in quests”.

The economy and crafting system in Black Desert

In Black Desert, I am primarily fascinated by the economy and crafting system. Because there are various ways to play the game.

Black-Desert-Stuhl

If you only aim to reach level 50 as quickly as possible, you can basically ignore everything, just kill mobs, move on to the next spot, and you will reach level 50 after about 15 hours and can continue from there, engaging in PvP and similar activities.

That’s not really what interests me, even though the combat system flows so well that I have no issues slaughtering the same mobs for 30 minutes.

Black-Desert-Arbeiter

But I am fascinated by the alternative. It is possible to build your own trade empire in Black Desert – with employees, outposts, production cycles, the full program. And that’s my passion, I always enjoyed playing simulation games alongside MMOs. My attempt to play WoW as an economic simulation, didn’t go super well and ended with a ban by Blizzard (those party poopers!), but in Black Desert my trading empire should finally become virtual reality!

Contribution points drive me at the moment

For this, “contribution points” are important. You earn them by completing various types of quests, often involving crafting quests. With these contribution points, you can unlock “nodes” or buy a building to set up a warehouse, a residence for workers, or numerous production facilities.

The contribution points essentially determine the “size” of your network.

Handels-Netz-BD

The idea is to connect the individual farms, quarries, and other points to build a “trade network”. In the city itself, which is the center of the network, you can then set up your warehouse. Arrange houses for your workers and even do a bit of crafting in your own “house”. Because your character can refine raw materials or naturally harvest some resources.

The workers you have in your possession can be sent to work at the farms or in the quarries or forests that you have in your network. They then pack the raw materials into the warehouse. From there, you can either sell them directly or process them into certain items (like weapons) or into trade goods that you can then sell to merchants, provided they are connected to the network.

The first production cycle

Workers need regular food to stay strong. A typical “first” production cycle is to have a worker grow “potatoes”. And then brew beer in your own house with these potatoes and three items that you can buy from the innkeeper (water, sugar, and fermenting agent). You can then give the beer to the employee to keep him working.

Black-Desert-Seehandel

It all sounds not so exciting, but somehow I really enjoy it. The workers can level up, have small bonuses with level ups that predispose them for a certain job. Driving around with a donkey to sell trade goods on the other side of the continent, thinking about how to get a cart to transport even more items and further refine the production cycles, really excites me.

Of course, I could acquire knowledge from clever guides about which items bring the most money, how to craft the super weapons for which grinders will pay a lot. Normally, I would do this without a second thought, but somehow the allure of the new in Black Desert is so strong that I prefer to discover it myself.

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Finally having fun before reaching level 50

In the game, I feel pretty slow, it’s necessary to do new quests and inevitably level up to access other resources or to unlock further production sites.
My actual “level” doesn’t matter to me at all. I rather focus on the different “skill levels” in crafting skills since they unlock new recipes.

While playing, I have noticed how relaxing it is to finally do something different than “the same old” in MMORPGs. And being able to do something even before reaching the maximum level is truly a nice thing for me.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Destiny: Bungie fuels speculation about the return of the Prison of Elders

Tom Rothstein Tom Rothstein Reading time 2 minutes

In the last “This Week at Bungie,” the April update for Destiny was announced. There are hints that this update revitalizes the Prison of Elders.

Since the major expansion “The Taken King,” there has been nothing happening in the Prison of Elders. The loot simply isn’t worth it. However, since the announcement of the April update, there is hope that this “House of Wolves” content will be filled with life again.

Destiny-Chalice

In the last “This Week at Bungie,” the following image was shown:

destiny-wölfe-gear

Many Guardians instantly recognize that this is a “Taken version” of the “Prison of Elders” gear. For comparison, here is an image of the original equipment:

What is the significance of the image of the “taken Guardians”?

Upon seeing the recently released graphic, several questions arise: Are these new shaders or completely new high-level armor? Are we being drawn into the Prison of Elders? Will Variks have something to do again? The background in the image at least suggests a location in the Reef.

And overall: Are these supposed to be our Guardians in the image, just in stylish outfits ‒ or are they evil, taken beings that must be dealt with?

Destiny-Variks

The Prison of Elders could serve as a PvE arena with wave structure, at least as fun endgame content, if designed variably and filled with new enemies and different mechanics. If this is just a copy of the “House of Wolves” prison with only a few Taken lingering around, it could quickly become disappointing.

The image showing Guardians with a Taken look makes the community hopeful for this update. What will Bungie surprise us with?

At least the signs seem to be strengthening that the Prison of Elders will be revitalized. Besides this image, which opens up much room for speculation, it was recently announced that Clan leaderboards will be introduced, which will also track statistics for this PvE arena. Why would one track this currently uninteresting prison as a relevant statistic if it wasn’t going to regain significance soon?

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We will receive more information about the content of the April update in the upcoming Wednesdays. Bungie wants to present the content of the update through live streams. If there’s talk of a renewal of the Prison of Elders, this news wouldn’t catch us too off guard.

The expectations for the April update are high, after all, Guardians have waited months for new PvE content. We will receive the first concrete details on March 23 at 7 PM. Mein-MMO will accompany these streams with a live ticker in English.

Here are the details on the April update of Destiny.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Kotaku
  2. vg247

Marvel Heroes 2016: Diablo-Alternative verschenkt Daredevil zum Start der 2. TV-Staffel

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

The action MMO Marvel Heroes 2016 is giving away the superhero Daredevil and declares the Devil’s Week.

The diablo-like action MMO is closely linked to Marvel and its universe. Things are looking great for them right now. Not only are the big blockbusters breaking records in theaters, they have also discovered television or at least streaming television for themselves: It tends to be pretty intense – without big special effects, Netflix focuses on action and realistic stories.

http://youtu.be/m5_A0Wx0jU4

Now the second season of “Daredevil” is starting, and on this occasion, there is a chance for everyone logging in on Saturday or Sunday to receive the martial arts expert in the red costume.

Until Thursday, there is also a bonus EXP event running, with a 200% increase until Monday, 100% more until Thursday, and 50% more EXP for the “new TV heroes” Daredevil, Punisher, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Forum Marvel

The Division: Bullet King – so farmt Ihr Euch die ersten lila 30er-Items und Phoenix Credits

Tom Rothstein Tom Rothstein Reading time 2 minutes

In The Division, a “Loot Cave” has been discovered, a place where you can quickly obtain good items.

Update: Bullet King is back with 1.5!

A method has emerged in The Division that allows agents to quickly get high-level items. With this Loot Cave, numerous purple drops, i.e., Superior items, can be farmed in a short time – Phoenix Credits are also available. A great thing for beginners, and a fantastic farming spot for “experienced” players for Phoenix Credits and resources.

division-dinner

But be careful: The enemy fights back. And you need to be cautious not to ruin the trick.

How to Find the Farming Spot in The Division

If you want to benefit from this Loot Cave, you need to travel to the Safehouse “Autumn’s Hope”. Exit this Safehouse to the right, turn left into the street, and pass by a yellow garbage truck. There, you will encounter a few enemies, including “Bullet King”, a named elite enemy (see title image).

division-garbage-truck

You must eliminate the enemy with the fancy name, then return to the Safehouse just a few meters away, and start the fun again. You will find “Bullet King” there again, dropping tasty items.

Attention: You may only kill the named enemy. If you take out the entire group, Bullet King will not reappear. If you can’t find this group of enemies, it’s likely that you’ve already defeated them. You might try joining a friend’s game and hope that Bullet King is still alive.

This way you can generate a pile of purple items in no time. Whether and when Massive will react is currently unknown.

The method seems ideal for a “fresh level 30” to equip themselves with a solid starting base. And with the first “better” items, the enemy should also become easier to take down.

You can watch the farming spot in The Division in the following video:

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Since today, the Dark Zone specialty vendor has new items available.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. reddit

Black Desert: Monatliche Updates geplant – Viele Infos zum Stand des Spiels

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 3 minutes

For Black Desert, monthly updates are planned and the issue with the Ghillie Suit will also be addressed.

Fresh content and improvements every month

In the West, Black Desert has only been released for a few weeks, but the developers’ plans already foresee the delivery of small to medium-sized patches almost monthly, implementing new content and gameplay systems. After all, the Korean version has a lead with additional classes and exciting new PvP systems, which now only have to be localized and adapted for the Western market. More information about these monthly updates is expected soon.

Black Desert PvP
Almost a new patch every month? That’s at least the current plan.

At the same time, many questions from the community have been collected and posed in a comprehensive, one-hour Q&A to Community Manager CM_Jouska and “Head of Marketing” Rick Van Beem. We have summarized the most interesting statements for you.

Problems at launch and satisfaction with the cash shop

The interest in Black Desert, especially before the launch, was much greater than anyone could have expected.

Then they shared how the staff at Daum Games felt about the launch, and the response corresponds to what has likely been the case with all MMORPGs in recent years. The servers could not withstand the massive influx, and there were even some DDoS attacks that temporarily brought the shop offline. To account for the great success and to be better prepared against such attacks, the team will be expanded starting next Monday.

Overall, the cash shop is viewed quite positively in its current form. It is an important guarantee that additional content could be provided for a long time, which will then be available for free to all players.

The Awakening weapons

Black Desert Awakening Tamer
The Awakening weapons will shake up the balance – they are aware of this issue.

A potential problem is seen in the introduction of the Awakening weapons, which can give characters just before reaching the maximum level a noticeable power boost and drastically change their play style. In Korea, the Awakening weapons are released at intervals, which means that some classes already have access to this content, while others are still left waiting. There is no fixed plan for the Western market yet, but they are aware that this could heavily damage the balance and will think of something appropriate.

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Changes to the camouflage clothing

Black Desert Ghillie Suit

Especially regarding the camouflage clothing, the so-called “Ghillie Suit” has caused problems in recent days, as some players feel disadvantaged and believe it gives a significant advantage in PvP when they can hide their nameplate. In the Korean version, there is already a “countermeasure”, a flare, because what could be better against camouflage?

They are working to bring this feature to the West as soon as possible. However, the “auto-looping” feature will probably not make it into our version. It is considered a “catch-up mechanism” that is not needed. Perhaps it will come later.

We dealt with “auto-looping”, where you can hunt while AFK, in the AFK-at-Black-Desert article .

When will new classes and GvG PvP come? What’s next?

However, there were also no concrete answers to many questions. They did not want to announce any dates for the pending classes yet, but hinted that they would not necessarily be released in the same order as in Korea. There are also no binding details for popular systems like bounty hunting or GvG battles. Fans will probably have to wait a few more months, as it did not sound like these would be addressed in the immediate future.

One can somewhat infer that the “Mediah” update is already relatively close. It is noted as “very soon”. Mediah (or Media) would be the fourth region after Balenos (the beginner zone), Serendia (the zone with Heidel), and Calpheon. In Korea, Media was released in early 2015. The Koreans also have “Valencia,” which is an additional zone. It was launched in Korea in late summer, about six months ago.

For more news and articles about the game, check out our Black Desert topic page.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. massivelyop.com
  2. reddit
  3. 2p.com

Hearthstone: 3 “forbidden spells” – New heroes Maiev and Tyrande?

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 3 minutes

The new “forbidden spells” from Hearthstone seem to be a must. Check out the new cards here.

Forbidden spells bring the most fun

Hearthstone Wotog Troll corrupted Header

With the upcoming expansion “Whispers of the Old Gods,” Hearthstone will be expanded with numerous cards that will be released gradually. Now, a new “category” of spells has been addressed, which also brings an indirect, new game mechanic. The “Forbidden” spells each consume your entire mana – their power increases the more mana is consumed. Let’s take a look at the three new cards.

Mages can unleash their limitless power when they include the card “Forbidden Flame” in their deck. The spell consumes all remaining mana crystals and deals damage equal to the consumed mana to an enemy minion.

Priests succumb a bit more to their madness and can dump all their mana into “Forbidden Shaping”. Subsequently, a random minion will be summoned that corresponds to the mana cost of the consumed mana. At the start of a game, this can be a “Zombie Chow,” but later it could easily be a large dragon or legendary cards from other classes.

Paladins gain a little more healing power, as they can heal any character with “Forbidden Healing” for double the amount of mana spent. This means that if 10 mana crystals are available, a casual healing of 20 points can be done. Or – if one somehow gets to an Auchenai Soulpriest – even 20 damage points.

  • Hearthstone Wotog Forbidden Flame
  • Hearthstone Wotog Forbidden Healing

Generally, all “Forbidden” spells are very versatile, as they can be played almost anytime and already seem to be establishing themselves as a “must” in upcoming decks. More versatility is hardly possible.

More women needed on the battlefield – Tyrande and Maiev as hero skins?

After last week “Lady Liadrin” was released as the new Paladin hero, which can be unlocked through a cross-promotion with World of Warcraft, rumors have now surfaced regarding other possible hero skins. Since the game already includes voices for “Tyrande Whisperwind” and “Maiev Shadowsong,” it is likely that these two heroes will also become hero skins. Tyrande would likely be the new priestess, while Maiev could be an alternative for rogues.

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Another question is how these new heroes will be released. Since there has been no announcement of a cross-promotion between the upcoming WoW expansion “Legion” and Hearthstone, the two ladies, who already have a lot of history with Illidan, would fit perfectly into this system.

For more news and articles about the game and the latest expansion, visit our Hearthstone topic page.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. hearthpwn.com
  2. 2p.com

The Division: “Dark Xur” on March 19 – Here is what the specialist dealer has on offer this week

Tom Rothstein Tom Rothstein Reading time 2 minutes

In The Division, the Dark Zone specialty vendor has new items this week on March 19th. What is he selling this week?

division-darkxur-ort
In the north of the Dark Zone, “Dark Xur” is waiting for you.

In the far north of the Dark Zone, in DZ06, the Dark Zone specialty vendor is waiting for you in the safe room. Every Saturday at 1 AM, he has new items available for purchase with Phoenix Credits. To buy his high-end items, you must be level 30 and DZ rank 50. In addition to high-end and superior items, he also has cosmetic items in stock.

You can find more information about “Dark Xur” in this article.

This week, the Dark Zone specialty vendor has the following items available

From March 19th at 1 AM to March 26th at 1 AM, you can purchase the following items from “Dark Xur”:

Weapons

  • Px4 Storm Type T (High-end pistol) 165 PC
  • Modified SMG-9 60 PC

Masks

  • Hybrid mask 36 PC
division-specials

Body Armor

  • Assault vest 40 PC

Backpacks

  • Tactical backpack (High-end) 139 PC
  • Quick Assault Pack 40 PC

Kneepads

  • Operator kneepads (High-end) 110 PC
  • Responder kneepads 32 PC

Holsters

  • Marksman holster 28 PC

Gloves

  • Marksman gloves 32 PC

Dark Zone Keys 40 PC

Jackets

  • Jacket – Sand color 321 PC
  • Ranger jacket 321 PC
    division-dark-zone

Blueprints (all high-end):

  • Px4 Storm Type T 125 PC
  • Sawed-off double-barrel shotgun 168 PC
  • Stamina holster 68 PC
  • Small laser sight 97 PC
  • M44 custom 166 PC
  • Quick-release magazine 83 PC
  • Stamina vest 111 PC
  • Firearms gloves 83 PC
  • Firearms vest 111 PC
  • Osprey 45 silencer 97 PC
  • Electronics holster 68 PC
  • Firearms holster 69 PC
  • RPK-74-M – Military version 153 PC
  • SA-58 – Military version 180 PC
  • Tenebrae 180 PC
  • Stamina gloves 84 PC
  • Navy MP-5 N 153 PC
  • Electronics gloves 83 PC
  • Vertical grip – Wolf Gray 96 PC
  • Performance gear mod 139 PC
  • Electronics vest 111 PC

A blueprint for the precision rifle Tenebrae was already available from the Dark Zone specialty vendor last week. Here is what Tenebrae can do in The Division.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

The Division: “Initial and Horizontal Stability” – How do your weapons shoot more accurately?

Tom Rothstein Tom Rothstein Reading time 4 minutes

In The Division, there are various factors that influence the stability and precision of your weapon. We want to explain these.

division-ttime

What do precision, stability, initial stability or horizontal stability mean? In Tom Clancy’s The Division, it is not explained what these individual values mean and how they affect your weapon. The YouTuber Chippydip has extensively dealt with this and presents his results.

This is the influence of stability in The Division

The level of stability of your weapon is indicated in the inventory as a bar directly next to the weapon. Low stability causes the weapon to pull strongly upwards during sustained fire. So if you just hold down the fire button and make no adjustments, the sight of your weapon will point strongly upwards.

With high stability, the crosshair remains quite constant in the center, it only pulls up a little. With decent stability values, it will therefore be easier for you to hit your enemies with sustained fire.

This is the influence of precision in The Division

division-hund

The value of precision of your weapon is also displayed as a bar directly next to the weapon. Precision influences how much the bullets you fire are dispersed. You can recognize this at your crosshair: Depending on the weapon, the size of the crosshair changes during sustained fire, meaning: The longer you shoot with it, the less precise the gun becomes.

Note: Light machine guns gain precision under sustained fire.

High precision allows the bullets to actually reach the point you are aiming at. The crosshair does not open as much as with low precision.

This is what “initial stability” does in The Division

division-time-square

The value of initial stability is not shown to you directly. You encounter it when you want to equip your weapon with mods that increase this value. You can recognize the impact of initial stability in the game by the behavior of your crosshair: The higher the value, the faster the crosshair re-converges. This means you are subsequently faster able to make accurate shots.

Initial stability is especially significant for precision rifles, as you can only make a precise shot again once the crosshair has re-converged.

This is what “horizontal stability” does in The Division

Horizontal stability is also not shown to you directly. Only when you come across mods that influence this value do you even notice it. The influence of this value is explained as follows: While “normal” stability indicates how much the weapon rises with shots, horizontal stability affects how much your gun is pushed left or right when shooting.

How you can change these values

division-stabilität

You can influence these values yourself, by providing your weapons with appropriate modifications. Of particular interest are the underbarrel mods, which can change all four presented values. These come in various ranks and influence the values differently. We would like to look at which improvements are recommended for which weapon types.

Which values are important for the respective weapon types?

Toward the end of his video, Chippydip gives some advice on how you should modify the different weapon types:

  • Assault Rifle: For assault rifles, stability is highly recommended, as these tend to pull upwards. Additionally, you should improve precision. Some assault rifles also pull strongly to the left or right, then you should focus on horizontal stability.
  • Submachine Gun: Here he recommends precision and initial stability. The “normal” stability does not necessarily need to be improved for submachine guns.
    Division-Munition
  • Sniper Rifle: To land quick, precise shots with sniper rifles, you need a crosshair that converges quickly. So increase the initial stability. High precision is also advantageous, after all, these are sniper rifles.
  • Light Machine Gun: For this weapon type, the YouTuber strongly recommends stability. This is the most important aspect that needs to be increased. Starting at 9:25, you can see for yourself how necessary stability is for light machine guns.

Below is the video in which you can see the whole thing in action:

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Do you have any more questions about The Division? In our The Division guide collection, you will surely find answers.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

War Thunder: Wettrüsten – Battlemarch bringt Chieftain Mk.3, zwei neue Karten, vieles mehr

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

The military MMO War Thunder has received reinforcements in the last weeks.

The military MMOs are growing and growing: features, tanks, airplanes, warships, maps, modes – reinforcements are constantly coming in, constant improvements are being made – none of the competitors want to be left behind. It’s an arms race.

For War Thunder, the time had come this week. 1.57 “Battle March” was released. With the two new winter maps “Wolokolamak” and “Frozen Pass”, there are new battlefields in the Alps and Central Russia.

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The user interface has been updated, gameplay improved, damage calculation revised and numerous new vehicles introduced. Among them the Chieftain Mk. 3 for the Brits. The developers consider this monster to be the most sought-after tank in 1.57.

What else is in the patch is revealed by War Thunder here in German – or in the trailer above.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Destiny: Osiris Trials on 18.3. are a sniper’s paradise

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

In the MMO shooter Destiny , the Trials of Osiris will take place on a familiar map on March 18.

The Trials of Osiris start today at 6 PM, next week as well, then not again until 7 PM – due to the change in time.

Bungie has selected the map “Widow’s Court” for this weekend until Tuesday at 10:00 AM. It is generally considered a paradise for snipers. Here, Past-Nexxos explains the map, which, thanks to the power of the internet, dates back to the summer of 2015 – some information will need to be adjusted, but the map remains the same.

Tips for the map Widow’s Court in the Trials of Osiris in Destiny

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The main source of rewards will be through the loot, tough guys will head to Mercury and grab the box with the adept primary weapons.

As special rewards, boots will be awarded for 5 wins and the pulse rifle Summoner will be rewarded for 7 wins.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Landmark: Players will soon be able to place mobs and NPCs to tell their own stories

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

The sandbox game Landmark will soon give players expanded options for storytelling.

Landmark settings

With the next beta update, Landmark aims to advance the long-awaited “storytelling” feature. Currently, while players can build many things, it is challenging to tell a story using just blocks; one cannot create a dungeon or an adventure. For this, other characters or monsters are needed. Therefore, the next tool players will practically be given is the ability to place characters, both friends and foes.

They will then receive specific instructions on how to behave. The long-term goal would probably be to tell “stories” in the world of Landmark: creating a narrative through which other players can fight their way through.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg2pSd8Y9hA

The news is overshadowed in some places by the mourning for Everquest Next. The “mother project” of Landmark was recently canceled.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Forum Daybreak
  2. MO

Allods Online: Magier als Supporter im 7.0-Patch “New Order”

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time < 1 minutes

The largest update of Allods Online is coming soon. The developers are talking about magical classes and how to get new weapons.

In the near future, the major update 7.0 with the promising name “New Order” is coming to Allods Online. The patch will significantly change some game systems. We have already described some of these changes in this post.

But that is by no means all. In the third developer blog, which solely focuses on the adjustments of “New Order”, the topics are support, weapons, and especially the magical classes.

Allods-Online
Slowing fireballs or strengthening songs?

With New Order, all classes can rely on different aspects. They work similarly to “combat stances” in other MMORPGs. In addition to a passive bonus to certain stats, aspects also provide other advantages. A mage specializing in “support”, for instance, deals slightly less damage but can additionally slow down enemies with fireballs. The same applies to bards and engineers, who can strengthen their allies in various ways with the support aspect – but deal less damage in return.

Weapons – rarer, but more options for all

There are some changes to the weapons. Each class is now supposed to have a greater selection than before, but the new deadly tools will only be available as rewards from bosses. This means that getting weapons is a bit more difficult, but there are more options for what you want to equip your hero with.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. allods.my.com/en/
  2. massivelyop.com