Last week, numerous data from Steam users were exposed. Now there is an explanation of what happened.
A major DDoS attack
For a moment, it looked like a huge disaster. Last week, many Steam users were surprised when they suddenly had different language settings on the platform. But that was just the harmless part.Many of you were logged in with strangers’ profiles from other players, had access to their purchase lists and even some data, such as the last digits of their credit card. Really sensitive data, such as passwords or addresses, were never publicly available, it has been emphasized repeatedly.
The reason for this problem was a DDoS attack, which is an artificially generated overload of the servers, where it was flooded with numerous requests until the system came to a halt. The corresponding error then occurred due to a countermeasure to contain the attack – user requests that were in the cache were made accessible to other users.
It is also interesting to know that during the Steam Sale, access to the shop increases by nearly 2000% compared to normal usage. Although this is of course not reliable data on sales, it seems that the Steam Sale is profitable for Valve again this year.
Valve wants to find out exactly whose data was accessible and will contact the respective users to advise them on what steps to take next.
Mein-MMO states: All in all, the problem seems to have had no major consequences, aside from a significant loss of reputation for Valve. Whether the company will succeed in regaining the trust of the users – or whether the entire matter will simply fade away (due to a lack of alternatives) – remains to be seen.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
After months or even years, are you in the mood for an MMORPG from the past? We do a self-test. How is the re-entry into Guild Wars 2, Final Fantasy XIV, and The Secret World?
The year is coming to an end, and my guilty conscience plagued me last night. 2015 was the era of MMORPG expansions, and I really didn’t participate and see enough of it.
So let’s not waste another gaming evening with Armored Warfare, Heroes of the Storm, or Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, but rather return to my old love. Back to MMORPGs.
My re-entry into TESO went wrong. Will it work this time?
I had a rude awakening this year. I wanted to log in with my VR1 Khajit after the Buy2Play transition at The Elder Scrolls Online. TESO greeted me warmly and said: Here, re-skill your character. Here are about 80 skill points… Have fun!
Not a nice way to greet a returning player. Back then, I cautiously tiptoed back to the login screen and created a Twink. How would it be with other games?
I hadn’t touched the Buy2Play game Guild Wars 2 since the Heart of Thorns expansion because I much preferred Twinking over playing at max level.
I logged out of the Buy2Play horror MMORPG The Secret World in front of an ancient mummy in an Amani suit.
And in the Pay2Play MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, I finally arrived in Ishgard, but then collapsed exhausted.
Read about my adventures on the next pages!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The creators of TERA want to develop VR games in the near future – will the sexy Castanic soon be touchable?
Hot ladies in the whole room?
Slowly but surely, virtual reality is developing into more than just a figment of the imagination. 3D glasses are on the rise and more and more game developers are getting interested in implementing their games in a semi-virtual space. It seems that Bluehole is now also the case! The Korean developer has announced that it is currently working to form a team that focuses on the implementation of VR games.
In “real” even one level hotter – the Castanics from TERA.
For this reason, Bluehole is currently hiring numerous developers, but no word has been said yet about what type of game they actually want to develop. However, TERA is Bluehole’s most successful game, so it seems relatively likely that there will be at least a demonstration in this area. Because who wouldn’t want to surround themselves with some Castanics in their room?
The geekier the apartment, the more suitable the corresponding decoration has to be. What could be better than a dark portal from World of Warcraft as a picture frame?
Directly from Draenor
Medivh and Gul’dan probably had different ideas. Originally, the dark portal was meant to serve as an interface between Draenor and Azeroth to incite the Orc legions against the humans and thus pave the way for the Burning Legion. Who would have thought that this very portal would end years later as a picture frame for photos?
Just like that, it has now happened in China, where NetEase, the local publisher of World of Warcraft, offers a suitable frame for sale. For $74 (about €68), you can secure one of the strictly limited frames – at the time of writing, there may already be none available.
What do you think? Useless trinket or detail-loving collector’s item?
Steam just wants your best: your money. With these offers, the gaming platform is tempting you for Christmas.
The highlights from Day 9:
If you are a fan of story and decisions in the style of Telltale games and want to kick it up a notch, you should secure Life is Strange. For only €13.39, you can enjoy the thrilling story of Max Claufield, who can rewind time and uncover some mysterious events.
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All fans of JRPGs should consider buying Tales of Zestiria. The game shines in a new outfit on PC. As it is still relatively new, the discount is “only” 33%, resulting in a price of €33.49.
The highlights from Day 8:
If you’re into hardcore shooter action with a touch of absurd humor, you should consider getting Payday 2. For only €4.99, the game can join your collection.
If you’re more interested in platformers with an outstanding soundtrack and truly artistic atmosphere, then you should grab Ori and the Blind Forest. For €11.99, you can secure this title, which has received particularly good ratings from players.
The highlights from Day 7:
Today is all about RPGs, as the entire Final Fantasy franchise is 50% off. Especially Final Fantasy XIII should not be missed by fans of the series. For only €6.49, you can roam with Lightning and her companions and solve the puzzles of a god-fearing society.
If you love Borderlands and adore Telltale games, then Tales from the Borderlands will be a true revelation for you. Eccentric humor, interesting decision-making options, and an engaging story make this game an absolute must-have. Don’t miss out, as for €7.81, you get the adventure in 5 episodes.
The highlights from Day 6:
If you’re into survival and dinosaurs, today is your big day, as ARK: Survival Evolved is currently 40% off and costs only €16.49. Grab a few friends and explore the vast island, tame dinosaurs, and build your own tribe!
The second recommendation is a shooter with a large storytelling component. If you enjoy books like “The Dark Tower” or simply have fun shooting, then Bioshock: Infinite is a great choice! For €7.49, it’s a game you shouldn’t miss.
The highlights from Day 5:
I strongly recommend Evolve. Although the game has faced (in my opinion, unjustified) criticism regarding its DLC policy, I consider it one of the best titles of 2015. The standard version is available for €10.19, while the Monster Race Edition with almost all character DLCs is priced at €20.39. If you’re still unsure, you should take a look at our review.
If you prefer an exciting story and quick reactions, then you should add Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered for €4.49 to your cart. The game is the spiritual predecessor of Beyond: Two Souls and Heavy Rain, providing thrilling entertainment and numerous decision-making opportunities. The special feature: You play both a murderer and the investigating police officers – who will you guide to victory?
The highlights from Day 4:
Today, things will get a little classic, as the HD version of Age of Empires 2 is on sale and reduced by 80%. This classic RTS game can now be yours for only €3.99 – who doesn’t feel nostalgic about that?
The second title today is Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5). While it is “only” 40% off and still costs €36, it is definitely worth a look for anyone who enjoys quirky stories and a lot of nonsense. However, you will still need a certain level of eccentric humor to enjoy the game.
The highlights from Day 3:
Today’s recommendation is the bundle of “XCOM: Enemy Unknown” and “The Bureau: XCOM Declassified”, which is available at the package price of €6.79. If you enjoy tactical, turn-based action and a bit of conspiracy theory, then you should seize the opportunity.
The second “must-have” title for today is the JRPG tactical shooter Valkyria Chronicles, which is 66% off and costs only €6.79. If you’re still not sure about the game, you should check out the “Why I play: Valkyria Chronicles” article.
The highlights from Day 2:
The definitive highlight of the titles promoted today is Pillars of Eternity, which is discounted by a whopping 60%. For only €17, the single-player title belongs to anyone looking to dip back into an action-packed RPG (after having already experienced Witcher 3).
If you enjoy horror and have a high tolerance for bloody effects, you should add Outlast to your cart. The single-player horror survival game is currently 75% off, costing only €5.
The highlights from Day 1:
Game of Thrones – A Telltale Games Series – Telltale has become a true guarantee for good stories in games over the last few years. If you haven’t got the title yet and enjoy the immersive atmosphere in the Game of Thrones universe, you should seize the opportunity. Currently reduced by 66%, it’s available for just €9.51.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – One of the biggest RPG hits of the year, should be on every hard drive. Currently discounted by a whopping 50%, it costs only approximately €30. If you’re still unsure, you might want to take another look at our review.
Spend the Christmas money before someone else does
Close your wallets, change your PayPal account password or better yet, cut off the internet connection altogether. The annual Steam Christmas sale has begun and brings numerous offers that allow players to stock up on their game collections at relatively low prices. From December 22, 2015 to January 5, 2016, the Christmas sale will take place again, offering plenty of bargains.
However, be warned that not everything that glitters is gold. Although the Steam sale advertises discounts of 80% or even 90% every year, this often relates only to the original price of the title at release. Occasionally, any DLCs are also not included in the price, which you would then have to buy separately to enjoy the full fun of a game. However, if you are a bit shrewd and pay attention to what you are actually buying, you can save a considerable amount of euros in this year’s Christmas sale.
With the offers, it’s no wonder that Gabe Newell, the owner of Steam, is somewhat glorified …
https://youtu.be/LCVIbjmMOOI?t=6s
Unlike previous years, there will now only be one type of price reduction for each title. In past sales, a game could first be in the “daily deal” and then later appear significantly more reduced as part of a flash sale – this is not supposed to happen anymore. Each game has one price, regardless of which category it appears in. So you can purchase confidently without much concern.
We will update this post for you every day and briefly present the most exciting offers as soon as they are known!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the upcoming shooter MMORPG Escape from Tarkov, players will have to tactically consider whether to take the time to search corpses for loot.
If you defeat an opponent in an MMORPG, you can quickly pick up the items they carry. However, this is not particularly realistic. What if the defeated opponent had stored items in a backpack or pockets? In principle, you would need to search these first before knowing what is inside and whether it is worth taking the loot at all.
Searching for Loot
Such a system is used in Escape from Tarkov. If you search the body of a killed enemy, you must first search their pockets and backpack. This takes a while, and gradually items they carry appear, which you can then pull into your own inventory. This introduces a tactical component to the game. Because under certain circumstances, you may not have the time to search for loot extensively, as you might be in an unsafe area. Therefore, you must make the decision of whether and how long to rummage through the pockets of the defeated.
Interactive like Fallout 4
Escape from Tarkov will also impress with a highly interactive game environment. Car trunks can be opened to check what is inside, players must search for keys to open certain doors, cabinets can be rummaged through, and light switches can be turned on and off. Overall, the interaction with the world and objects feels reminiscent of Fallout 4. There seems to be a lot that you can use, making the game world feel alive.
The hero shooter Battleborn will feature two additional characters that will be available at the launch of the game.
Two story-relevant heroes
The hero shooter from the creators of Borderlands, Battleborn, is slowly approaching the hot testing phase. The game’s release is scheduled for May 3, 2016, and information about the actual scope of the title is gradually consolidating. Two characters have been revealed along with their abilities. Both characters can be unlocked throughout the campaign story, so we will reveal relatively little about their lore. There will hardly be any spoilers.
Ghalt, the Peacekeeper
Ghalt was the first of the 25 Battleborn. He is popular among everyone because he is a veteran for whom honor and respect hold a high value – two values he has earned over the years. He is the embodiment of a good guy and a damn suitable leader.
Let’s take a quick look at his equipment:
The UPR M8-R Revolver Shotgun deals high damage at close range, but it drastically decreases with increasing distance to the target.
The passive ability Tactical Shells ensures that the last 4 rounds in the chamber deal 25% extra damage. So it’s worth emptying the weapons completely with Ghalt.
The Hook sends an energy hook towards the targeted enemy. If it hits, the victim lands right in front of Ghalt – perfectly in range for his shotgun.
With Scraptrap, up to two traps can be set, which explode when an enemy steps into them. The explosion deals medium damage and briefly stuns targets in the vicinity. This can be perfectly combined with the energy hook. A maximum of 2 traps can be active at the same time.
The ultimate Dual Wield allows Ghalt to wield another shotgun for 10 seconds. This doubles his damage for the duration.
Deande, the Spy Master of the Jennerit
Deande belongs to the 20,000-year-old empire of the Jennerit and served there as a spy master for over 1,000 years. The Jennerit have uncovered the secret of immortality. However, this process is very costly, which means that only important government members (and those with enough money) can take advantage of it. These “immortals” can still die by conventional means – only age can no longer harm them.
Deande’s abilities are also impressive:
The Tessurim War Fans are fans equipped with blades. These can be used either for quick, powerful melee attacks or thrown at enemies over medium distances.
The passive ability The Element of Surprise ensures that Deande deals 25% extra damage with all abilities and attacks in the first 3 seconds after being revealed.
The Holotwin creates a clone of Deande that has 20% of her health and deals 25% of her damage. The clone lasts for 8 seconds, and Deande becomes cloaked when used. If the clone dies (or survives the 8 seconds), it explodes and deals 20% damage to enemies in the area.
The second ability is Burst Dash. Deande charges forward and deals medium damage. Hit enemies are knocked back and weakened, reducing their dealt damage by 30% for a short time.
The ultimate Blink Storm allows Deande to attack all enemies in a cone-shaped area. Each attack deals low damage. A total of 10 attacks are performed, split among all hit targets. If only one target is affected, it suffers the full 10 attacks (leading to high burst damage).
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At launch, players will only unlock 7 of the 25 different characters, but the collection can be expanded through progress in the campaign and multiplayer soon after. Unlike other hero shooters, such as Overwatch or Paladins, Battleborn will come with an exciting co-op campaign that describes the dramatic story of the final battle for the last star in the galaxy.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the MMO shooter Destiny the Iron Banner is active in December. We present the weapons and armor that are available as rewards.
Since last night, Lord Saladin is back in the Tower. We briefly introduce the Iron Banner and then go into more detail about the individual rewards.
What is the Iron Banner in Destiny? What do I need to know?
The Iron Banner is a one-week PvP event that players can join without a group or anything. Level advantages are active, which means the light on your armor counts, but not by much.
After a loss in the Iron Banner, you receive a “Token of Comfort,” of which you can collect up to 5. After a win in the Iron Banner, you gain reputation and can also exchange all your “Tokens of Comfort” for reputation. This means: Whether you win or not does not matter. You progress.
It is also important to always complete your bounties.
If you have reached a reputation rank with one of your Guardians, your other Guardians receive “Bonus Reputation” until they have also climbed to that higher rank.
There is an additional reputation bonus if you are using Iron Banner shaders, emblem, and class items. You should wear them at least when turning in bounties.
At the end of the Destiny week (which runs from Tuesday morning to Tuesday morning), the automatically active buff “Hardened” gets stronger, and you gain reputation more easily and in greater amounts. This allows you to hold back the weekly bounties (indicated by a brown icon) until Monday and then receive more reputation for their completion.
The Iron Banner in December ends in Destiny on Tuesday morning, January 5, 2016, at 10:00 AM.
What are the rewards?
There are two ways to get rewards: One is as random rewards at the end of a match. And then you can also buy from Lord Saladin.
These are the random rewards in the Iron Banner of Destiny
As “drops” there are:
At Rank 2: Helmets
At Rank 3: Class items and the automatic rifle (+previous)
At Rank 4: The shotgun (+previous)
Helmets and class items can drop in both the “normal version” and in a special version only for PlayStation players.
The loot table is based on your highest Guardian. So if you have a Titan at Rank 4, your Rank 2 Guardian can still get the shotgun, if you are lucky.
These are the items available for purchase at the Iron Banner in Destiny
The rewards that you can buy from Lord Saladin include the following (these come with fixed perks):
The weapons in the Iron Banner of Destiny
Hakkon’s Cleaver, automatic rifle. The automatic rifle is available for 90 legendary marks at Rank 4. It comes with the traits:
Mass Control
Balance Compensation
Enhanced Barrel/Hand Loader/Fed Magazine
In terms of stats, Hakkon’s Cleaver is a weapon with a high rate of fire, low impact, a so-called pea shooter. The predefined perks are pretty good. With Enhanced Barrel, you increase range and decrease stability. However, you can balance it out again thanks to Balance Compensation.
So this is a very rewarding weapon. The second weapon is Deidris’ Retort, a solar shotgun for 90 legendary marks. It comes with the traits:
Fully Automatic
Reload
Fixed Pull/Adjusted Stock/Flared Magazine Well
In terms of stats, it is a typical shotgun with high impact and low range. Stability is rather below average. Due to the combination of Fully Automatic and Reload (super reloads the magazine), many Guardians are currently praising the Retort. However, “dropped” weapons could be stronger with other traits like a Tracker.
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As an additional reward there is a faction package from Lord Saladin at Rank 3 and Rank 5 each. If it is like in November, at Rank 3 there are 4 Light Particles and 4 Strange Coins, as well as a rare artifact at 310. The Rank 5 package can contain weapons and armor pieces that you cannot obtain otherwise this week. And that can also have quite high stats.
You can see an analysis of the inventory in German in this video:
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The seasons in Diablo 3 regularly provide new excitement on the PC. Will they also come to Playstation 4 and Xbox One?
Wyatt Cheng, a game designer for Diablo 3, recently made a statement regarding the console seasons. Cheng raised the topic in August when he said, “Perhaps the decision not to bring seasons to consoles is something that should be reconsidered.”
According to Cheng, they have done that and re-examined the decision: What would it technically mean? What would it cost us? And they decided against it. Seasons on consoles are not a goal that will be pursued for Diablo 3. Cheng cited primarily a “lack of a secure online environment” as the reason.
Cheng emphasizes: Diablo 3 on consoles is of utmost importance to Blizzard. Therefore, they also release patches simultaneously with the PC and try to bring every feature to all platforms. And while this usually works out, there are exceptions with features that are only available for one platform: Seasons for PC – the Nemesis system for consoles.
An anonymous person, who allegedly is an employee at Red 5, the developer studio of the online shooter Firefall, claims that the employees were not paid in December and that the company’s downfall might be imminent.
Such rumors should always be taken with caution, but there seems to be some truth to this one, as other sources have also confirmed that the employees at Red 5 did not receive their December salary. The developer studio itself did not want to comment on the allegations, but allegedly today, December 30, is finally payday.
Mismanagement at Red 5 Studios?
The employee further explains that the morale within the company is at an all-time low. After Red 5 was acquired by the Chinese company The9 Limited, it initially seemed like they were on a good path to making the online game Firefall a very good game. They should focus more on content rather than adding more features that they had neither the time nor the manpower for. But then everything changed. The then-CEO Chris Whiteside was fired, and The9 Limited began to demand more and more features for the game. These were considered so “important” that they even had to remove the PvP system from the game. In addition, there was a series of layoffs.
The employees are demotivated
According to the anonymous source, mismanagement is to blame for the state that the game and the studio find themselves in. The employees are demotivated enough; a missing paycheck would just be another drop in the bucket. The situation could soon reach a boiling point, and everything looks far from rosy for the future of the online shooter Firefall. The employee explains that everything could still be saved if they could achieve a successful relaunch of the game in the USA and Europe. But he no longer believes that will happen.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The further plans are to allow closed beta tests for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC, which pre-order customers will have access to, before The Division launches on all platforms on March 8th. We do not currently know the schedule for when all this will take place.
The community was recently stirred up by a fake news that was quickly debunked. However, there is also unofficial information.
A Dutch retailer was asked in early December if they could provide keys for the ongoing alpha. They responded on Twitter: No, we only have keys for the beta in February.
This news (The Division Beta in February) is currently viewed with skepticism, it should all be taken with caution, say fans. In 2014, an “industry insider” predicted the beta for March – but back then it was for March 2015.
However, February does not seem like an unlikely date at the moment. With a release on March 8, there might only be short “preview betas” to hype up the game and give pre-order customers a brief taste.
Such betas are often conducted just before a release. A proper “test beta” over several weeks, after which major changes are still expected, is probably hardly to be expected so close to the release.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The action MMORPG Marvel Heroes 2015 will support controller input in January and will be released as Marvel Heroes 2016.
In this case, a picture says more than an article. As Gazillion announces via Twitter, the relaunch as “Marvel Heroes 2016” will start in January, introducing the long-awaited controller support.
Marvel Heroes 2015 is similar to a hack and slash like Diablo 3, but it offers not just a handful of classes to choose from, but a huge roster of heroes from the Marvel universe – and soon you can control them with a controller.
One more time you must endure my column, and then you will have successfully brought the year 2015 to a close! As in the past year, I will again crown my 3 gaming flops that have piled up over the year. It is not necessarily about a game “as a whole”, but also individual decisions by the developers can tip the scales here. Basically, the candidates from last year have stealthily crept back to the top spots. But read for yourself…
WildStar – 2 chances, 2 times failed
Beautiful trailer, little impact. The second hype lasted barely two weeks.
It actually pains me to write these lines because WildStar was for me one of the most dedicated and best games of recent years. I spent hundreds of hours on Nexus, even during the beta, and was truly glad to have found a game that brought fresh air into the dusty genre. Last year, WildStar was a flop because many promises were broken and numerous bugs were either not addressed or dealt with far too late. This year, the reason is different: even Free2Play could not save the game.
You really need a strong drink to cope with the WildStar disaster.
Despite many sensible changes, the game now feels exactly like what nobody wanted: even more blandness. The high feeling lasted just under 2 weeks when the “2nd release” was due before the game disappeared again into oblivion. I loved the game, had a lot of fun in role-playing, and could lose myself in housing forever. But if a game fails to captivate the masses twice in a row, maybe it’s just not meant to be. Rest in peace, WildStar. I fear you won’t survive the next year. But perhaps a miracle will still happen.
World of Warcraft: The sudden end
Heroes and villains look towards an uncertain future – one that lies far, far away. Long hunger for content is ahead.
Speaking of miracles. In second place for me is the unexpected end of World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor. After it was stated in the spring that the final boss of the addon would be “Gromm Hellscream”, it seemed clear that it would continue after patch 6.2. But surprise. The “Hellfire Citadel” was the only new raid that the game received after release and it ended the story of the expansion in many aspects completely nonsensically.
Severe logical gaps and character distortions led to villains suddenly cooperating with heroes, regardless of what previous events dictated. Especially the character Yrel, who was developed through many quests, was coldly brought to ridicule with this.
Does not understand her own actions: Yrel behaves extremely strangely.
Even the area “Tanaan Jungle” could not convince, as it was an endless daily quest area that hardly offered any story-relevant tasks.
But the disappointment still lingers: Fans will have to wait for fresh content for almost a year now, as Legion is still far away and will probably be released no earlier than summer 2016 – this is almost reminiscent of the drought period from “Mist of Pandaria”, which was to be avoided.
Evolve – Failed due to terrible PR
Even the last flop pains my heart. For me, Evolve is still the game of the year 2015, it is a shooter that does a lot right. No other game has made the adrenaline rush through my body like when I slipped into the skin of the monster and ambushed the hunters. But I cannot blame the developers from Turtle Rock Studios. They made the game as well as they could, and for me, it is closer to perfection than any other game has ever achieved. The blame lies (in my opinion) entirely with the publisher 2K, who is responsible for the DLC policy and the information around it.
The big DLC madness of Evolve – simply communicated poorly.
Although Evolve already offered a lot of variety and content at launch, they failed to convey clearly enough what they were selling in the form of DLCs. Even today, I still hear people saying, who think “With Evolve you have to spend several hundred euros to own all characters and maps” and that couldn’t be more wrong. Although there are many DLCs, most of them are just skins without gameplay relevance. Maps are generally free, and only the characters contained in the season passes are really an extension – and relatively inexpensive, I think.
Meanwhile, there have been 4 completely free characters – does that still help?
Nevertheless, 2K has managed, through poor planning and misleading statements, to make many regard Evolve as “DLC – The Game”. This has caused anger and frustration. Even for me. Low player numbers are the result, and this despite Evolve landing in 21st place on Steam’s best-selling games of 2015. I hope that time will do the game good.
So, those were my three harsh disappointments of 2015! What has upset you so much this year? What game made you angry or even sad and why? Let me know in the comments! In 2016, the complaining will continue – I am sure we will find many topics.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Is Star Wars Battlefront going to be a Star Wars again? Will there be space battles in the announced DLCs?
As it became clearer what Star Wars Battlefront is and what it is not, fans were especially annoyed that there wouldn’t be any space battles: A Star Wars without a war in the stars.
Until the release of “WoW: Legion“, at least half a year will pass. But what do we do in the meantime in World of Warcraft?
The Long Wait
The last patch of World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor has been a while ago, and it will probably take at least 6 months before new content in the form of the “Legion” expansion will be available. The complaints and whining among some players are quite large, as there is “absolutely nothing to do” in World of Warcraft. But is that really true? From my perspective, that’s nonsense; the game has grown so large over the years that there is always something to do – you just have to embrace all the content, which can require some effort.
Boredom in WoW? Let’s see about that!
The Last Chance: What Falls Away with Legion!
If you’re already bored, you should ask yourself if you have really done everything that is on the agenda before “Legion”. Some things will no longer be possible afterward! As we saw with Mists of Pandaria with the cloak, the questline for the legendary ring will most likely disappear. So if you want to add the ring to your collection or want the achievement, you should do this with at least one character. The time commitment is 4-5 weeks, so there is still enough time. However, a bit of endurance is required, as the last step requires going into Hellfire Citadel several times.
The Grove Warden is only available until the Prepatch of Legion!
If you’re already there, you can take care of another matter: The mount “Grove Warden” is available for a heroic or mythic Archimonde kill, but only until the Prepatch of Legion goes live!
Lastly, friends of titles should consider whether they want to engage in a bit of PvP. Because currently, there are the “Nemesis” quest lines if you’ve built a Gladiator’s Sanctum in your garrison. For these quests, it is necessary to kill 500 players of a specific race to receive titles like “Doom of the Sin’dorei” or “Orc Slayer”. Since the 500 kills must be done on Draenor, Ashran is suitable for this – though whether anyone will still be playing there with the next expansion is more than questionable.
Winter Sale: Turn What Still Has Value into Gold
Every player is familiar with the problem: No sooner is a new expansion for World of Warcraft released than the bags burst at the seams because an incredible amount of stuff has accumulated over the years. Especially numerous resources that you think you’ll “definitely need again someday” clutter the new reagent bank. Wouldn’t it have been smart to sell all these items at the auction house when they still had some value?
Quickly turn everything into cash – it’s worth it.
This moment is now! Log into your characters, process excess cloth into bags, and sell the ores and herbs. Depending on the number of twinks you actively play, you could easily amass several hundred thousand gold. Say goodbye to many things because – let’s be honest – you’ll never need them again anyway. Gold, on the other hand, will still be useful in the next expansion, whether to buy various mounts or to acquire some armor pieces from the auction house.
Opening Up to New Things
The great art of self-occupation lies in the ability to continuously set new goals for oneself. Especially in World of Warcraft, this works excellently if you are just willing to explore different types of content. For instance, you could kickstart your pet battle career (which can be quite addictive). It is particularly motivating when you compare your own collection with those of other players, for example on warcraftpets.com, where you can slowly see your rank rise on the server leaderboard.
Pet battles can be addictive – once you’ve made the leap.
But there is still more to do: How about finally working on completing the 250-mount collection? Many of the over 2500 achievements are waiting to be completed by players. Maybe you also want to work on the 100,000 honorable kills to finally earn the title “of the Alliance” or “of the Horde”? Or perhaps create a twink with every profession at max level so that you can be fully self-sufficient in Legion? There is much to do – you just have to commit to it!
Al’ar’s Ashes are available from Kael’thas – so, who has it already?
The Everlasting Content: Roleplay
Some will roll their eyes again in frustration, but I cannot stress this enough: If you feel bored by everything in World of Warcraft, you should give it a try and simply try roleplay. Here, players dictate the content, and every day brings new experiences. If you find that challenging, just muster your courage and ask for help in the general channel on an RP realm (like in Stormwind). Alternatively, taking a look at our beginner’s guides on roleplay in MMORPGs won’t hurt either!
Roleplay is always worth a look.
These are just a few examples. A game as extensive as World of Warcraft has a lot to offer if you are willing to embrace everything. What do you do to fill the days until Legion?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the MMO shooter Destiny, the gunsmith Banshee-44 has plenty of rocket launchers on Weapon Day, December 30th. Additionally, there is a scout rifle that some have been eagerly awaiting.
These are the field test weapons on December 30th.
With the auto rifle from Häkke, you go against Cabal – it’s Turtle-Time.
With a fusion rifle from Omolon, you should combat Vex Minotaurs.
With a hand cannon from Omolon, the goal is to achieve precision hits.
The cool folks at Suros want you to use a pulse rifle against Vex.
And Omolon asks you to aim their sniper rifle at the Fallen Captains.
These weapons can be ordered from Banshee-44
First up is the scout rifle Cocytus SR4 from Omolon. This is a highly interesting weapon with high range and impact. However, it has a small magazine. As an Omolon weapon, the scout can come with really good perks like Triple Tap and Firefly. Definitely worth taking. Some have been waiting for these weapons – let’s see if they live up to the hype.
The hand cannon Gaheris-D from Häkke, on the other hand, is a completely different play style, small magazine, small range, big boom – currently not a very popular play style.
From Omolon, there is the sniper rifle Uzume RR4 – relatively low impact, but interesting perks. If you neither have an Eirene nor a Empty Vision, or simply prefer a fast-firing sniper rifle, you should consider this one.
On New Year’s Eve, Banshee-44 is all about rockets. There are the two Suros rocket launchers JLB-42 and JLB-47. If you want to take only one of the two, choose the 47 and hope for perks like Tripod, Tracking, or Cluster Bombs. As the “God Roll”, it is considered: Heavy Load; Grenades and Horseshoes; Spear.
These weapon releases can be picked up this week from Banshee-44
There is a very interesting roll for the pulse rifle Suros PDX-45 – It comes with Hammer-Forged, Outlaw, and Smallbore.
A Suros Ari-41 comes with Perfect Balance, Smallbore, and Balance Adjustment. Sounds very interesting.
The surprise hit ARK: Survival Evolved is performing its trick once again: Over 1 million buyers on Xbox One.
The double wonder
When ARK: Survival Evolved launched almost half a year ago with Early Access as a PC version on the gaming platform Steam, hardly anyone believed in its great success. But it only took a few weeks for the game to sell a whopping 1,000,000 copies and captivate players around the world. The dino survival game on the mysterious island was so much of a bestseller that the developer Studio Wildcard was asked by Microsoft to bring Ark into the Game Preview Program on Xbox One.
For almost two weeks, ARK has now also been part of this Game Preview Program on that very console and has already sold over 1,000,000 copies there as well!
There are still about 7 months until the release in summer 2016, but players on both platforms can expect numerous updates, as the game is supposed to be error-free and, above all, complete at launch. Considering that since the start on PC the content has nearly tripled, the developers still have plenty of time to develop numerous additional content.
At the official launch in June 2016, a version of Ark for the Playstation 4 is also expected to be released.
In Blade & Soul, items can be upgraded in several ways. Today we explain how gems and transformations work.
A Reason to Farm
As part of the item spiral that keeps almost every MMORPG alive, there are also ways to further enhance equipment in Blade & Soul or to convert unwanted items into useful materials. Unlike many other games, a large part of the clothing serves only aesthetic purposes – actual stats come from weapons, accessories, and the Bagua (a type of magical medallion) of the characters.
Gems – A Weapon Upgrade with Many Facets
Gems enhance the weapon – the better the gem, the stronger the bonus.
Particularly high-quality weapons feature several gem slots that correspond to the sockets found in many other MMORPGs. Gems come in various colors and rarity levels, with the rarer ones logically having better stats. However, to ensure that all players do not only use gems of the same type and for example increase a stat to infinity, only one gem of the same color can be used per weapon. This ensures that players must strive for gems of all colors to get the best possible performance from their weapon.
Transformations – Creating New Stuff from Junk
Regardless of the gems, there is the transformation system, which allows unwanted loot to be broken down into its components. These materials can then be used to create new rewards. So, if you diligently break down gems, you will receive gem fragments, which can then be converted into reward boxes that contain entirely new gems.
This works with weapons, Bagua, gems, accessories, and costumes alike, though additional materials may occasionally be required. Moreover, not all items can be guaranteed to be created through transformation – there is a certain failure rate with some recipes that causes the materials to simply disappear.
In Final Fantasy XIV, the next patch will strive for a better tutorial while also giving experienced players plenty to do.
Shortly before Christmas, Naoki Yoshida addressed the players via live video and outlined Patch 3.2, which is set to come in the new year.
There is again the “usual” package that players expect from a major patch.
A new Main Quest and side quests are coming.
With the Gnath tribe, another beast tribe is joining, offering new daily quests.
A new season begins with the Warring Triads, which are Trials.
Two dungeons will be newly available: The Anti-Tower and “The Lost City of Amdapor” (Hard).
A new tier will be added to the Alexander raid. Alexander: Midas and Alexander: Midas (Extreme).
For homebuilders, a new piece of furniture called Orchestrion will allow players to play music. The individual songs can be acquired from a vendor or other means. 45 songs will be available at the launch of 3.2.
As a focus of the patch, aside from the usual, “Tutorials” have been identified. With the Hall of Novices, a new area will be added. It will be accessible from level 15 and offer “deeper tutorials”. A mentor system will also be introduced to Final Fantasy XIV.
4k Resolution, Dummy Mode, more love for PvP in Final Fantasy XIV
Additionally, with 3.2, support for 4k resolution will come to the game, a new Dummy Mode will be introduced where players can destroy dummies within a time limit (also a type of tutorial), and for PvP players, a new mode called The Feast will be introduced, leaning more towards competitive play with PvP seasons.
Players who have been loyal to Final Fantasy XIV for 3 years can look forward to this outfit.
At the beginning of such a patch cycle, there are a lot of facts and new terms. In the upcoming weeks, they will likely be outlined individually and further explained.
However, they also discussed current problem areas of Final Fantasy XIV: The controversial Anima Weapons will be continued between Patch 3.2 and 3.3, specifically in 3.25. At the moment, they are dividing the community, much like the frustration around the Diadem. They also promise changes for that, intending to introduce new content there with stricter regulations, so that it focuses more on exploration and less on “pulling Jurassic Park dinosaurs.”
The raid Alexander: Gordias (Savage) is considered overtuned, too difficult – with too weak rewards. The Midas (Savage) raid is to be made easier and offer better rewards. The team is currently looking at the possibility of implementing a party finder for raids that works cross-realm. By the way, more land for homebuilders is set to be included in Patch 3.3, and later building plots in Ishgard will be opened up.
For the title image, we have used the Fenrir (motorcycle). It originally comes from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. Square Enix is also reportedly working on an FF XIV version, but there are still issues getting the speed right.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
2015 was a very successful year for our MMO magazine. Now we are slowly but surely approaching (hopefully also a good) 2016. All in all, the perfect time to reflect on the past year, reminisce, and respond to a frequently mentioned reader request. We are finally introducing you to the 15 best-performing online games on Mein-MMO.de. In 2015, mind you.
One of our principles is the lively exchange with the community. We try to be as transparent as possible, considering your wishes – as far as possible – in our reporting strategies. This also includes statements about how well certain games or articles perform. Please keep in mind that it also depended on how closely we followed certain games or when they gained momentum. Below are the Top 15-11 of the year:
Rank 15: WildStar
WildStar just barely makes it onto the list of the most popular games of 2015; H1Z1 and Black Desert were hot on the heels of the sci-fi MMORPG.
Many players have checked out the free-to-play version, which is why there is at least sporadic interest in the title. However, the circle of these people is getting increasingly smaller. There were also only a few good news over the course of the year. WildStar not only lost some well-known faces like Stephan Frost and Tony Rey but also had to admit that the subscription model was doomed.
Although WildStar is doing fairly well at rank 15, the future looks bleak. In the first half of the year, there were brief spikes upward, but the game rarely seemed genuinely interesting. The MMORPG experienced a high point when the switch to free-to-play was imminent – the review of the latest version was the most popular article of the year for the game. Since then, WildStar has been in free fall.
