Blade & Soul has a lot planned for the new year. A new class has been roughly introduced and players are supposed to collect name suggestions!
The Nameless Hero
The year has just begun, but NCsoft is far from taking it easy. Especially players of Blade & Soul can be excited, because – at least in Korea – the release of a new class is coming soon. This class does not have a name yet, but according to the description, it is more or less a true all-rounder.
It can switch between several stances and either be an effective melee fighter or harass enemies from a greater distance. As if that wasn’t enough, it is also supposed to be a useful supporter and bring fallen friends back on their feet.
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No name has been given to the new class yet. Players have been invited to come up with a designation for the new hero – perhaps one of the suggestions will be adopted.
The nameless class will first be available only in Korea; it will likely take several months after the release before it becomes playable for us.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The situation surrounding the MMORPG Pathfinder Online could ease, as an investor has been found who might take over the game.
Backers and fans of the MMORPG Pathfinder Online were shocked when it became clear last summer/autumn that the development studio ran out of money. The studio was closed and Pathfinder rights holder Paizo temporarily took over the further operation of the alpha version. The future of the MMO was uncertain, as it was said that they only had money left for a few months to keep the servers running. Many assumed that this meant the end of the online game.
New hope for Pathfinder Online
But now a silver lining appears on the horizon. According to Paizo’s CEO Lisa Stevens, they have found an investor interested in taking over the MMORPG. Should the deal go through, a Pathfinder fan with their company will take over the MMO. This would mean the game would be in good hands, as a fan could certainly steer the game in interesting directions – directions that would surely also please gamers.
This takeover could already take place in March. The sum should also ensure that the game can be developed faster than it has been in recent years.
The development continues
Even in the past months, at least a little further work has been done on Pathfinder Online, as a small team is taking care of bug fixing and polishing. How likely it is that the takeover deal will go through is unknown. However, Lisa Stevens seems very confident, as she probably wouldn’t be discussing it otherwise. By March 1 at the latest, we will likely know more. Fans of the MMORPG should best keep their fingers crossed until then!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The action MMO Neverwinter receives new content on Xbox One: The current module Underdark is released.
The Xbox One version is catching up: On February 9, you will receive Underdark, the module was first released in November 2015 for PC. It is the 8th expansion of Neverwinter and brings encounters with heroes like Drizzt Do’Urden or demons like Demogorgon, the two-headed demon prince. You will face him in an encounter for 10 players.
The special feature of “Underdark”: The story for the add-on was written by R.A. Salvatore, a celebrated bestselling author. He is well-versed in the Dungeons and Dragons universe. Drizzt Do’Urden is one of his creations. Over 25 years ago, he invented the dark elf and his story.
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The Korean version of TERA will soon welcome new content: Elin Ninjas called “Shinobi” are joining the fight.
The cutest ninjas in the world
The number of classes in TERA is set to grow once again, as Nexon has now revealed the latest addition: the Shinobi. According to the video (and previous information), this will be a class exclusively for the Elin, who have obviously dedicated themselves to the path of ninjas.
The Shinobi wields an oversized shuriken that can be thrown at enemies and can also deal devastating damage in close combat. Numerous effects indicate that explosions are also part of the Shinobi’s repertoire. This little trailer gives a first impression of the gameplay.
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The Shinobi will first appear in the Korean version of the game. It will likely take a while before the Ninja Elin make their way to us. We will keep you updated and inform you as soon as there is a release date for the European version of the game.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The new game mode “Arena” for Heroes of the Storm has been postponed. The feedback at BlizzCon is the reason for this.
A Winter Without Arena
It was proudly presented at BlizzCon, the new game mode “Arena”, which fans should be able to experience in the live version of the game in the “near future”. However, good things take time and Blizzard took the feedback from the event attendees to heart, leading to the postponement of the Arena mode.
The arena is still on the way – at least until spring.
Unlike the regular game mode, the Arena is about short, brutal battles. Especially newcomers should feel comfortable here, as it is not necessary to gather experience points or select talents – only the heroic ability can be determined.
In response to a fan’s question about whether the Arena mode would still be released in the first quarter of 2016, they apologized and confirmed that it would take “longer”. There was no exact date or even an estimate provided.
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The fantasy MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online has had a tumultuous year, and 2016 brings new opportunities and challenges. We take a closer look at TESO (PC, PS4, Xbox One) in a State-of-Play Special.
Where did TESO stand at the beginning of last year?
The one-year delay of the console port had no negative impact. Players on Xbox One and Playstation 4 were thrilled to “finally get a real MMORPG” and one that played great on consoles with a strong interface.
This paid off since TESO was developed with the console port in mind from the beginning. Most of the “rough” problems of the game with bugs and phasing that plagued TESO at its PC launch were fixed. The release phase on consoles was a great success. Most structural problems of the MMORPG were noted by players only after many hours of play.
Success came at a high price in 2015
However: Success came at a high price. For TESO, there was hardly any development in 2015. After the PC launch, the developers announced a transformation at Quakecon 2014 and later invited to a “Guild Summit”. Huge change plans were presented on how TESO should once be: a fantastic MMORPG in the world of Tamriel with new game systems and ideas.
In 2014, work began on implementing these ideas. Every 6 weeks, a new patch came out, the game noticeably grew, and progress was made. Of course, new problems constantly arose – after each update, which came with huge patch notes, hotfixes and changes were needed to extinguish the hotspots.
The goal: As long as we have a solid, functioning game when we come to consoles. Instead of fully developing systems, “small solutions”, stopgap measures, and interim ideas were favored. They worked “somehow”, but created massive long-term problems for developers and frustrated players.
The systems do not scale properly, twinking becomes a nightmare, or something is simply missing.
On the next page, we will take a closer look at the issues TESO currently has.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Guild Wars 2, a YouTuber was banned – he used a so-called map hack.
Evil people don’t know any songs …
The banning hammer has struck once again. This time, two YouTubers were caught in Guild Wars 2. The duo Suck at Love was known for its numerous music videos related to Guild Wars 2, but they violated the game’s terms of service.
They were accused of using a map hack to navigate through the world. Initially, they tried to assert their innocence in another video. They seemed to want to exert some pressure on ArenaNet with their popularity. But it backfired…
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Gaile Gray from ArenaNet commented on the ban because some fans wanted to know what exactly had happened. It says in the forum:
“Customer support carefully evaluated the available data that led to the account’s suspension. They confirmed that the account visited 29 different locations on the map in under 60 seconds. This is not possible without the use of third-party programs, which is explicitly prohibited in our terms of service. For these reasons, the account suspension will not be lifted.”
The YouTuber duo subsequently set their video to private, taking it offline, as the evidence was presumably overwhelming.
Suck at Love announced that they will not produce any further music videos for Guild Wars 2 – not surprisingly, as they would need to acquire new accounts first.
ArenaNet is known for dealing harshly with people who cheat in their game. When they publicly humiliated someone in May 2015 and made them “die a virtual death,” it sparked a media discussion:
The latest patch of ARK: Survival Evolved is taking a toll on tamed dinos – they are losing a significant amount of combat power!
A Second Ice Age
Players of ARK: Survival Evolved were quite surprised when they checked in on the game in recent days. Unfortunately, it was a negative surprise. Many dinosaurs that had been tamed by characters have lost a large portion of their strength. This is due to a new hotfix. It has revised the values of almost all creatures, and although there are some minor buffs in the stats, the fundamental change can be summed up in one sentence: Tamed creatures deal less than 50% of their original damage.
The outcry in the forums was relatively large, as many players suddenly felt cheated out of their power. This is particularly frustrating in cases where you send your built-up T-Rex, which you raised for days, against a herd of Stegosauruses, only to find that your dino is suddenly helplessly overmatched.
Farming is also now slower, making Ark significantly more grindy than before the nerf.
Tamed dinos are now significantly weaker than before.
The developers have provided a relatively extensive statement regarding this:
“Early in the development, we had a misunderstanding about how the values of players and creatures should scale, and over time we figured out what went wrong and how it went wrong – we had to come up with a solution. (…)
Our first step was to adjust the values of the dinosaurs in one go, retroactively. We wanted to weaken tamed creatures compared to wild creatures to avoid absurd situations where a raptor could single-handedly defeat 10 brontosauruses without any problem. At the same time, we wanted to ensure that tamed-versus-tamed battles approximately run the same as before.”
Mein-MMO says: Although the nerf is definitely harsh and it probably wasn’t the smartest decision by the developers to make such a change without prior notice, one must not forget that ARK is still in Early Access. Therefore, it is only understandable that the developers occasionally take drastic steps to adjust the balance as it was intended. A bit more openness in communication could have helped to keep complaints in check.
In the hack and slash Diablo 3 the new patch 2.4. is just around the corner. When will it be available for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One? And what’s in it?
The patch 2.4. for Diablo 3 doesn’t have an official date yet, but it’s generally assumed that patch 2.4. will go live on Wednesday, January 13th. The developers have said: It will definitely be live before Season 5. So you know: Wednesday is patch day for Blizzard games. Nothing has happened this week. And Season 5 starts on January 15th. So it must be around January 13th.
In the MMO shooter Destiny , the Christmas gifts should arrive today. Additionally, the chance to qualify for an emblem starts – and the exotic quest for the Sleeper Simulant is also available.
In Destiny, Christmas is celebrated with a 2-week delay. Throughout the day, Guardians should receive a package containing 15 Light particles and 15 Strange coins.
Update: Yes, around 19:20, the gifts should have started arriving for some people. They come via the Post-Master; it’s a whole bunch of packages – 10 pieces come as letters from an unknown benefactor. Each package contains 3 Light particles or 3 Strange coins. Bungie is spamming quite a bit.
You have until 17.2.2016 to collect your gifts. There is one set of rewards per account.
http://youtu.be/IqgxM_YeM8I
Bungie also sent a rather strange message via Twitter: A new year has begun – Come, celebrate with us over the weekend to earn rewards. This refers, as we now know, to the emblem. It is called “Rising Light.” in English. To obtain it, you need to complete an activity as described below.
Important: From today on, there is the opportunity to qualify for a “Surprise Emblem”. The chance only exists until January 10. This will be an exclusive emblem – it probably won’t be available afterward.
To get your hands on the emblem, you need to log in and play in Destiny between January 7 and January 10. You must complete an activity so Bungie can see that you’ve been active. What the emblem looks like or what it’s called is still unknown. The emblem itself is slated to be available on January 12.
Update:It is now known what the emblem looks like. It can be seen in this email.
In the fantasy MMORPG Bless , a new cinematic trailer was shown in Korea. On January 15, details about the Open Beta will be revealed.
Actually, a Bless hype should have emerged in 2015. The chess pieces were already in position, and Hans Zimmer was brought in for the soundtrack and promoted. However, the third Closed Beta, where a Korean MMORPG was supposed to shine, fell short of expectations.
Therefore, the Open Beta has been delayed again. In the coming weeks on January 15, details will be provided about when it will start and how the game has been changed.
In advance of the event, a new trailer for Bless has been released. You can watch it here.
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By the way, there is nothing to hear from English servers or a Western release. The Asia experts from mmoculture also doubt that anything is happening. Bless takes place, for Asians, in a fantasy version of medieval Europe. We Germans appear as an “exotic race” there.
At mmoculture, they believe in a summer release of Bless in South Korea, then it could move to China and Taiwan in winter.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The official price of the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset has been set and has caused quite a backlash among the gamer community.
The company Oculus VR is pricing the headset at 599 US dollars. Converted to euros and including shipping costs, customs duties, and taxes, the price is nearly 750 euros! That is a hefty sum that no one probably expected. Especially since it was stated by the manufacturers a few months ago that one should expect a price of more than 350 dollars.
While they were correct, there is a significant difference between 350 dollars and 599 dollars, or 741 euros! One might have thought that they should have stayed a bit closer to the actual price to mitigate the current criticism. Oculus Rift is expected to hit the market in early April.
This is what Rift looks like with the Oculus headset, of course in 3D…
An expensive hobby
It must be said that hobbies can be expensive. This applies to any hobby. If someone buys a new, current smartphone every two years, they probably spend around 700 euros each time. If someone enjoys cycling, they might also buy a bike that costs a few thousand euros. Hobbies are expensive, and everyone has to know for themselves what they are willing to spend on them. However, the high price of the Oculus Rift could lead to the success of VR gaming only gradually establishing itself. Because for many gamers, nearly 750 euros is certainly too much money.
The head of Oculus Rift, Palmer Luckey, once said the same. In an interview from 2013, he mentioned that gamers are not necessarily a wealthy group. If something costs $600, it can be as great as it wants. For many, it simply cannot exist.
Now it sounds quite different. $600 is absurdly cheap for what the hardware delivers.
To reiterate, we are not making money on Rift hardware. High end VR is expensive, but Rift is obscenely cheap for what it is.
Especially the fact that we in Europe are paying even more than Americans annoys many, like the YouTuber TotalBiscuit. Palmer’s defense: These are the taxes that apply in Europe; there’s nothing we can do about it.
@Totalbiscuit European cost is because we are required to include taxes. We are not unfairly inflating the price like many consoles.
Will HTC’s Vive be cheaper? Is Sony the big winner?
If you are now hoping that HTC and Valve will announce a significantly lower price for the Vive headset, you shouldn’t have too many hopes. Because HTC is certainly going to align itself with the price of the Oculus Rift. Moreover, the company has already stated beforehand that one should expect a “premium price.” VR gaming is – at least in its initial stages – still a rather expensive affair.
Some market observers believe that the big winner of the last hour could be Sony. They might target a mass market with their virtual reality solution and set the price lower.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A small hotfix ensures that players of Hearthstone can now draw cards from “The League of Explorers” more often in the Arena.
More of the New
With the release of new expansions, it is becoming increasingly difficult to hope for specific cards in the Arena mode of Hearthstone. It is particularly frustrating that Arena fans enjoy only a limited amount of the fresh expansions and therefore many cards from “The League of Explorers” may never be seen.
For this reason, Blizzard has now increased the chance by 50% with which fresh cards can be drawn in the Arena in a hotfix. Those who build a deck in the future should see the new cards much more often.
The Arena is still considered completely random by many players, but this is generally not true, as the current hotfix proves. Other cards are also not completely random; the “Discover” effect on many cards has a significantly higher chance of revealing class cards than neutral cards. It was recently disclosed that the distribution of legendary cards from packs also does not occur completely randomly, but grants players a pity card if they have been unsuccessful for a long time.
In Lol (League of Legends) the new champion is announced with a mysterious teaser – Spirit of the Virtuoso. Possible names circulating are Jhin and Deadeye.
In a new video, developer RiotGames shows what the new champion looks like, who has been hinted at in pieces for the past few weeks piece for piece a. Now we know what was hidden behind the mysterious images of champions: They were pictures of murder victims who died a beautiful death.
Due to the recent teasers, there has been increasing speculation that the champion is a sniper. In the video, among other things, you can see a weapon and champions of League of Legends dying from a headshot.
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“I will make you beautiful, I will make you perfect”, suggests that the killer is focused on perfecting his victims at the moment of death. Because you can see that these are not “normal” murders, but special/beautiful “acts” that the champion performs, who strongly resembles Handsome Jack from Borderlands.
Whether the fans’ speculations are correct and the new champ in LoL will really be called “Jhin” or “Deadeye” is still unknown at the moment. There are many indications.
In a few days, Blade & Soul will also launch in Europe, and we have all the information players need for a smooth release.
Prevention is better than cure
On January 19, it is finally time, and the long-awaited MMORPG Blade & Soul will be available for us players in the West. To ensure that players can smoothly transition from the beta phase to early access and then to launch, a dedicated website has now been launched to prepare for all eventualities. We have summarized the most important points for you so that nothing stands in the way of a gaming week.
The German Servers
In Europe, Blade & Soul will have a few more servers than in America, mainly due to the different languages, as the Germans and the French still want their “extra sausage”/”extra croissant.” The following German servers will be available, so coordinate well with your friends to avoid anyone ending up alone:
Frostgipfel
Bambusdorf
Windweide
New Client and Name Reservation
Especially for beta players, it is important that the previous client will not be compatible with the live version. It will be necessary to uninstall the old client and download a new version. Logically, it won’t be playable until the release or early access. However, those who purchased a student or master package can already use character creation to secure a (or two) names.
Name reservation in Europe begins on January 11 at 7:00 PM.
The Starting Signal
Early access for all purchasers of founder packs begins on January 15 at 7 PM. Regular players can enter the MMO for the first time starting on January 19 at 6:00 AM. Thus, head starters have more than 3 full days to gain a significant advantage.
New Customization Options
Finally, the developers have a special treat for fans, offering a range of new character customizations in the form of new hairstyles, hair colors, facial features, and skin tones.
How this will work with the merge, how conflicts will be resolved if, for example, characters from different factions are on the resulting new server, and so on, you can read in Gameforge’s explanation itself. There is a FAQ in German regarding the server merge and possible compensation if players face disadvantages.
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When will Aion Europe receive the patches 4.9 and 5.0?
The hopes of the fans that the Steam release of Aion will bring in so many new players to the free-to-play game that the merge is postponed, have been dismissed. Apparently, no massive influx of players has occurred.
The schedule for Europe is that 4.9 is to be released on February 24. 5.0 is still quite vague, it is supposed to come “in summer 2016”. This is the latest update from mid-December, the 5th Ask Aion video.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
This must be weighing heavily on the stomachs of the developers of the online shooter Firefall and the fans: The CEO of The9 awards packages worth over 1.5 million dollars to Chinese players.
It’s likely to meet with rather much incomprehension that the CEO of The9 distributed so-called “Red Envelope” packages to Chinese players at the launch of the open beta of the game. These had a total value of 1.53 million US dollars.
In China, “red envelopes” traditionally contain money gifts for the New Year.
The situation at Firefall has reportedly relaxed again
Now one might say that in-game items don’t cost a company much, but they aren’t free either. Moreover, the players who received these packages no longer need to purchase them in-game, which could lead to corresponding revenue losses for the company. Revenue that could have been used to adequately pay the employees.
Allegedly their salaries have now been paid, and according to a statement from Red 5, work continues diligently on content updates for Firefall. The US/EU version is also expected to be supplied with content.
The distribution of the gift packages serves, of course, promotional purposes, as The9 hopes to build a loyal fan base that is then also willing to spend money in the game. This action shouldn’t be seen entirely negatively. However, it does leave a bad taste, especially since it directly follows the announcement that the employees had not been paid for a period of time.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
This week, SMITE kicks off the finals of the World Championship. This will be celebrated with a hot, new cinematic.
When the Gods Have Fun
In the free MOBA SMITE, things have been a bit quieter over the holidays, but now the new year 2016 starts strong. Almost traditionally, the final round of the World Championship will take place from January 7 to January 10, where the best teams compete.
Another small tradition is the release of a new cinematic. This year’s version does not have to hide from its predecessor and especially gives Bellona and Loki significantly more character.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mVYnfJS73U
If you want to follow the World Championship, you can do so on the official Twitch stream of Smite, where all games are streamed live.
The finals are also the last opportunity to purchase the various items of the Odyssey. Especially the unique Thor skin will remain permanently unreachable afterwards.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Blizzard suffered a minor setback. A copyright lawsuit regarding the use of certain characters from World of Warcraft was dismissed by the court.
Not clearly formulated enough
In the legal dispute against the Chinese game developer Lillith Games, Blizzard faced a small defeat. The American court dismissed the lawsuit, which accused Lillith Games of using numerous characters in the game “DOTA Legends” that obviously belong to Blizzard’s intellectual property.
So, who do the ladies and gentlemen seem familiar to?
However, there are still concerns regarding Lillith. The dismissal of the lawsuit does not mean that Blizzard is factually in the wrong. Rather, the rejection is based on Blizzard’s insufficient specification of which characters were exactly copied.
A brief look at DOTA Legends suggests that in this case one could have simply written “all,” but that does not comply with current law. It is therefore to be expected that Blizzard will file another lawsuit and this time describe the relevant characters in much more detail so that the request can be addressed.
When Copiers Sue a Copier
What is particularly amusing (or somewhat bizarre) is the fact that the accused company Lillith is simultaneously involved in a legal dispute with uCool, who simply took the copy and copied it themselves. uCool released the game “Heroes Charge,” which is almost a 1:1 clone of “DOTA Legend” in terms of mechanics and characters.
It will likely take years to sort out this web of accusations and for everyone to get their due. What the verdict will be worth once the large portions of profit have already been distributed remains to be seen.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The new MMO shooter The Division has similarities in gameplay to Destiny . However, The Division takes a completely different approach that stems from Tom Clancy’s worldview.
Currently, an interview is circulating in the German gaming press, conducted by a British site with the developers of “The Division”. The reporter noticed during his gaming session how much “The Division” targets Destiny players: The loot system, the shared-world experience, the mix of player-versus-player and player-versus-AI, as well as the downfall of a civilization. All of this is shared by The Division and Destiny. But one thing distinctly sets The Division apart: everything is more serious, darker, and harsher than in Bungie’s successful shooter.
There are hardly any differences between a raid and a clearance sale
Even the IP developer from Massive, Martin Hultberg, supports this thesis: “Our scenario is based on reality. We don’t have aliens, no monsters, no zombies. The Division is rooted in a real threat scenario.” The developer uses the term “A clear and present danger,” the title of a Tom Clancy political thriller. The novel was adapted into a film called “The Cartel” starring Harrison Ford.
While Destiny’s nebulous backstory revolves around “hope and trust”, The Division takes a cynical view: our society is consuming itself. Capitalism and consumer addiction become the threat that leads to our downfall.
At Massive, they looked at images of actual shopping frenzies on Black Friday and compared them to looting during disasters. There seemed to be little difference. People fought to the blood over a console controller during a special promotion; it was totally insane, says Hultberg.
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That’s why The Division starts on a Black Friday …
Therefore, civilization in The Division also goes under on a Black Friday, the day when Western civilization has celebrated the shopping frenzy like no other day. And our own money becomes the medium of the plague.
For The Division, the aim is to give death significance and that in a medium where dying and starting anew is part of the players’ everyday life.
In Destiny, players fight over items, in The Division, survivors fight for resources
The difference that Massive hopes for: In Destiny, players scramble for loot. In The Division, survivors will fight for the last resources. For items they need to survive. That turns humans into beasts.
An example of this “trust no scenario” and “every man for himself” are the Dark Zones, where players can turn from friends to foes in seconds.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
![Destiny: Today there are gifts, chance for exclusive emblem [Update: Light particles, strange coins are here]](https://images.mein-mmo.de/medien/2015/12/Destiny-Bloody-e1526384701281.jpg)
