Blizzard has once again taken steps against botters and cheaters in World of Warcraft – with even harsher sanctions than before.
If the hammer strikes multiple times
In every MMORPG, there are players who do not want to laboriously achieve successes. Instead of participating in the battles themselves, they use various programs to automate resource farming, earn honor, or amass a large amount of gold.
It is obvious that this behavior is not only an eyesore for other players but also for the developers. After all, they ruin the fun for honest gamers and can also cause long-term damage to the economy of a game.
No amount of shouting helps – those who cheat and use bots will be banned.
As Blizzard announced now in the official forum, they have punished numerous accounts for their sins again. While they have removed gold, PvP currencies, and equipment from a large part of the affected characters, numerous players in the botters’ forums are also reporting that they received account suspensions of up to 18 months.
Blizzard emphasizes that the penalties are higher with each offense than before – repeat offenders will likely soon lose their access completely.
Honorbuddy likely affected again – German bot provider in conflict with Blizzard
Many of the bans seem to be related to the bot Honorbuddy developed in Germany by the company Bossland. As stated in their forum: “Apparently Blizzard has imposed 6-month suspensions on significant portions of our users.” The last ban wave in May also hit this bot.
The last week before the Christmas holidays is finally behind us! We want to take advantage of the pre-holiday spirit to enrich ourselves a bit with your opinions. We want and will evolve as a site, especially in regard to the upcoming year 2016. In doing so, we want to align ourselves even more with what interests our readership. Your feedback is important to us.
Therefore, our question this Friday is simple: Which game would you like to read more about on our site in the future?
Cortyn says: I have thought for a while whether this “Mein-MMO asks” really merits a section to reflect the author’s opinion. Then I thought: Why not? I also have a few games that I would love to write more about (and consequently, also like to read more about). For example, I am itching to write some guides on individual heroes from Heroes of the Storm.
One of Cortyn’s favorites – Should SMITE get more attention?
In my opinion, SMITE deserves much more attention instead of just a news piece every two weeks about new gods, skins, and balancing changes. The same applies to Paladins, which is still in closed beta, but already promises to be a great free-to-play title because the developers are really making an effort to make it a hit.
But not all games garner the interest the way I envision. Evolve has fallen out of favor with most because they only superficially dealt with the DLC policies; although that was also poorly managed by 2k. But hey – you can’t always win, right?
Developing into a real fun bringer: Paladins from HiRez Studios.
Enough about my wishes, back to you, because that’s what it’s mainly about: What games would you like to read about on Mein-MMO.de in the coming weeks and months? If they are particularly exotic games, let us know why exactly this game is worth more than a fleeting glance!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
From 2016, the years of the Barbarian Conan could follow, as Arnold Schwarzenegger is filming a new movie and Funcom is working on at least one more computer game.
As Funcom announced, they were able to further expand the partnership with Conan Properties. The company that manages the brand of Robert E. Howard’s barbarian expressed excitement about the previous collaboration regarding the MMORPG Age of Conan and intends to maintain this partnership. Funcom took this opportunity to announce a new game about Conan. It is expected to be presented in more detail in January. It can be assumed that this will not be another MMORPG.
No Age of Conan 2
For Funcom also announced that they will continue to work on Age of Conan. 2016 should see the PvE and PvP Arena system make its way into the MMO and they have a very dedicated team working on the future of the online role-playing game. Thus, Age of Conan will apparently not be replaced by a new MMORPG. After all, the company does not want to create competition for itself or take away players from itself. What could the new Conan game then be about? The possibilities are actually endless.
From an online card game to a MOBA to a single-player RPG, anything is possible. However, Funcom is known for being able to tell exciting stories, as proven by the MMO The Secret World or the horror adventure The Park. A single-player RPG would certainly be a possibility. Especially considering that this genre is currently extremely popular.
A Young Conan
The new game is supposed to be based on “Conan the Barbarian” and not on the upcoming movie “The Legend of Conan”. It will take place at a time when Conan was still younger, while viewers will see him as an older warrior in “The Legend of Conan”. One can expect a somewhat more brutal and wilder scenario. In January, there should be further information about this new game and possibly also about other projects from Funcom, as the company announced that they are working on a total of three new games.
After afinancial crisis, Funcom has issued a new strategy. They now want to bring more games to market that also benefit from their own brands. After “The Park”, the Conan title is now the second announced title following this new strategy.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the MMO shooter Destiny on Friday, December 18th, Xur appears in the Tower. What goods does he have?
Xur is a mysterious alien, supposedly an “Agent of the Nine.” Although no one really knows who these Nine are, what they want, or why they provide such good items. Xur appears only a few hours a week in the Tower of Destiny and may carry exotic items with him.
What are exotic weapons and armor pieces in Destiny?
Players can only carry two of these exotic items, one weapon and one armor piece. The special thing about the items is that they break the “normal limits”; they have properties with special effects that normal weapons or armor pieces do not have. Therefore, exotic armor pieces form the “cornerstones” for the Guardian’s precise play style.
Experienced players build their entire character around the exotic armor pieces and weapons they use, adapting their play style accordingly or choosing exotic items that further support and enhance their preferred play style.
Everything about Xur in Destiny on December 18th, 19th, and 20th.
When does Xur come to Destiny and when does he leave again?
Xur arrives at the Tower in Destiny on December 18th at 10:00 AM. He leaves again on December 20th – also at 10:00 AM.
Where is Xur located?
Xur is located in the Tower, in the Hangar. Our friends from ProNDC will guide you to the loot.
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This week, Xur is also selling a Special Weapon Legacy Engram. Year 1 weapons with Year 1 stats can be obtained from it. So it’s something for collectors. The fun costs 31 strange coins.
In the online shooter Star Wars Battlefront , a bonus weekend was given at the launch of “Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens”.
It is the event right now, not only in the Star Wars universe but also in ours: The movie “The Force Awakens” continues the success story of Star Wars in theaters. In the online shooter Star Wars Battlefront it’s said: This is worth us double points and credits.
From Friday, December 18, at 10:00 AM our time until December 21 at 10:00 AM, there will be double points and credits in Battlefront.
EA states: “No matter how many times you watch the movie this weekend, you still have plenty of time to seize the chance for extra points.”
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the MMO shooter Destiny , the December Iron Banner has now been introduced – with all its loot, including exclusive PlayStation sets for the first time.
This week’s Weekly Update from Bungie was all about Lord Saladin. He returns to the Tower on December 29 and brings the December Iron Banner with him. It will start “sometime after 7:00 PM”, which will be set manually. The game mode is Control again.
This time, the loot directly from Lord Saladin includes: An auto rifle (Rank 4) and a shotgun (Rank 5). The armor includes boots (Rank 3) and helmets (Rank 4).
After the battle, helmets can be found starting at Rank 2, a class item at Rank 3, and the auto rifle and shotgun starting at Rank 4.
That’s still almost 2 weeks away. It won’t be long until Xur appears. He will make his appearance on Friday, December 18 at 10:00 AM in Destiny. We will welcome him.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The British bring variety to the game. For example, the “Archer” has its gun mounted at the back, can fire in reverse, and then escape forward. There are fast tanks, extremely slow ones, and also those with huge guns but not much armor.
All in all, a welcome addition to the tanks in War Thunder, which is actually known for its flight simulation. With Tunesein and El Alamein, two battlefields in North Africa have been added, inspired by their historical counterparts. Other nations will be strengthened with new planes.
For more about the patch and all the patch notes, visit this page of War Thunder.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
For The Division, the Silent Night trailer has now been released, which has been announced for some time. And it is spectacular.
Children’s singing somehow works well in trailers of action games. Even in Massive’s “Tom Clancy’s The Division”, this type is utilized. A boy sings “Silent Night, Holy Night” in wintery New York while the world around him burns.
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In the trailer, it all ends well, concluding with the strong image of the three agents surrounding the rather creepy boy, shielding him from all sides.
Today at 5:30 PM the Pre-Alpha-25 test of the selective multiplayer RPG Shroud of the Avatar will begin, introducing some new gameplay elements.
Originally, the new release was scheduled for next week, but due to Christmas, it has been moved up by a week. Nevertheless, the developers at Portalarium have worked hard to ensure that this new version is packed with new features again.
The major new features include guild wars and the agriculture system. In a guild war, a guild leader can declare war on another guild. This gives all members of these guilds the indication that they can participate in open PvP and fight each other for the duration of the guild war. The duration is set by the guild leader. The guild that has the better ratio of “kills vs. deaths” at the end of the war wins. This system will be expanded in the future, for example, to include a rewards system.
The game is taking shape
Agriculture is a system that many SotA fans have wished for. Players can plant seeds and nurture the seedlings to eventually harvest plants as resources. Currently, only about a handful of plants are available, but this will be expanded over time. There will also be public gardens soon.
Improvements to the combat and taming systems, as well as some new scenes relevant to the game’s story, are included among the new features along with many small adjustments. Those who want to join must purchase access to the game through the official website or through Steam.
With small but visible steps, Shroud of the Avatar is gradually approaching alpha status. However, the developers still have a massive task ahead of them. Namely, to develop a complete single-player (offline) mode that does not have to hide behind other single-player RPGs and plays like a single-player RPG.
A lucky player of Destiny has now won a massive, handcrafted Titan costume.
On the planet Earth of our era, the Titan population is now: 1.
One must be lucky, then it’s not much more needed. A lucky player had a photo taken with his Destiny Playstation and thus won a contest. He was then asked: What do you want? Hunter, Warlock, or Titan? The winner said: Titan, I love throwing the hammer.
A professional team led by Frank Ippolito spent 5 weeks equipped with super glue, a 3D printer, and a lot of skill to create a scale-model Titan costume.
The winner, when asked what he would do with the costume now: He sat down at home and played Destiny. In his new suit.
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From 3:00 PM our time until at least 6:00 PM, the alpha is set to go live on Friday, December 18th, for a final stress test. All alpha testers are invited to make use of these extra hours of gameplay. They should also inform other testers.
It will be the same version as last week and will still be under NDA just like last week. The background for these bonus hours is a stress test.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
On the Nexus of WildStar, the Christmas spirit has broken out – the Winterfest brings many innovations to the game.
Ho-ho-hopefully you like bargains!
Since yesterday, you can no longer escape the Christmas atmosphere in WildStar, as the Winterfest has begun. Celebrations will continue until January 2, during which Phineas T. Rotostar and his clones hold the planet Nexus firmly in the grip of capitalist consumerism. In addition to a new adventure, the mall-in-the-sky, there are numerous daily tasks and large snowball fights (as we have seen in Halloween events).
On top of that, the entire planet has naturally been adorned with bright fairy lights, colorful stars, and winter music – even the various villains show no mercy and join in the festivities. A short video prepares players for the celebration – although the lip-sync might need a bit of work…
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Lastly, there are numerous offers in the WildStar in-game shop during the event, which will only be available for a limited time. As usual, these items can be purchased with Ncoin as well as Omnibits, which is a currency you earn through simple gameplay.
However, what matters is not that these things exist now, but that you buy them. Or as Protostar summarizes: Without commerce, no heart!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
After the developers of Overwatch recently spread the not-so-good news that the beta will not be available over the holidays, another Blizzard title follows suit. Also, World of Warcraft: Legion, which is currently in closed alpha, will not be available for play during the holidays. The official statement says:
“We will pause the alpha test of World of Warcraft: Legion on Monday, December 21 and bring it back early in the new year. We want to thank everyone for the feedback and ongoing support and look forward to seeing you again after the holidays.”
Only two areas were available for testing.
So far, only two of the new zones have been accessible in the WoW: Legion alpha. Many specializations were not yet available or were incomplete. It is therefore to be expected that there will be an updated version in the new year, where players can test significantly more content.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
For the hack’n slash Diablo 3, Blizzard has now announced the start of Season 5 and the end of Season 4. Also in Germany.
Diablo 3 is currently quite dead, players are waiting for the start of Season 5. The new patch 2.4 is supposed to hit as well. Those who thought: This will definitely happen around Christmas, so I can really play – are mistaken. Here are the official dates:
Season 4 of Diablo 3 ends in Europe on December 30 at 5:00 PM.
Season 5 of Diablo starts in Europe on January 15 at 5:00 PM.
A few days before the start of Season 5, the new patch 2.4 should go live.
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The Korean version of Black Desert receives a new update. This turns the Giant into a metallic warrior with a heavy weapon as a substitute for a hand.
Creating Chaos with the Hand Cannon
While the closed beta of Black Desert is currently ongoing in our region, work on the original Korean version continues diligently. This week, another Awakening weapon will be implemented into the game, which will bring even more fun out of the Giant. He has commissioned something very special from the dwarves: a metal armor along with a hand cannon.
This not only makes the already large Giant look significantly more impressive, but he can also deal powerful blows. Unlike his usual armament, he is no longer completely limited to close combat; instead, he can unleash devastating explosions on his enemies from a slightly greater distance. This video shows how it looks in action.
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From level 56 onwards, all classes in Black Desert have the opportunity to improve further through an Awakening weapon. This sometimes drastically changes the playstyle of the respective class. Next on the list is the Ranger’s weapon – this one will no longer rely on ranged combat but will plunge directly into the fray with a dagger and rapier.
More about the game and the currently ongoing West Beta can be found on our Black Desert topic page.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Star Citizen is an extremely ambitious game. This is demonstrated repeatedly – also by a new trailer that is simply captivating.
The trailer starts with a close-up of a person. You can see how detailed the faces are as the camera zooms out further. The character becomes smaller and stands in a large hangar. The action continues to zoom out from there until you can see the building from outside, perched on the cliff of a rocky planet. But it goes even further. The camera keeps zooming out, showing the rugged planet, until you finally land in space and view the world as a whole. The planet shown has a diameter of 1,000 kilometers.
Seamless transition between space and planets
The video provides some explanations. The displayed graphics are said to be actual gameplay graphics and there will be seamless transitions from space to the planets. You will be able to penetrate the atmosphere of a planet with your spaceship and zoom over it until you find a landing platform where you can land, disembark, and explore the base on foot. The planets are supposed to be procedurally generated since such a world could never fit into the storage of a PC.
The developers even take care to ensure that the light is represented correctly and bends differently in the various layers of the atmosphere. This should make landings and take-offs also visually spectacular. Planets should look very detailed even from a great distance.
Star Citizen fascinates anew each time. Considering what is contained in this game, it is not surprising that there are delays with Star Citizen. The recently released Alpha 2.0 shows how extensive Star Citizen already is in this early version. Fans can look forward to what awaits them at release.
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In the MMO shooter Destiny , players have now built an exotic weapon themselves through voting. Bungie is looking at the result.
On Reddit, a group of players came together and collaboratively crafted an Exotic through voting. Community Manager Cozmo from Bungie checked it out and said: Great job, we can’t promise that this will make it into the game, but I’ve forwarded it to the weapons team.
Exotic Scout Rifle “Price of Exile” – the weapon of the people
The weapon is an exotic scout rifle called “Price of Exile.”
The special perk of the weapon is called “From the Void”: After precision kills, an Axion Bolt rises from the light of the slain enemy and seeks out the next opponent. For the additional perks, they chose – modest as they are – Fireball and Fully Automatic. The scout rifle is supposed to deal Void damage.
The values offer high stability, reload speed, and range – with 19 rounds, it provides a large magazine. Perhaps a bit overpowered, but my goodness – the fine-tuning can surely be handled by the technicians at Bungie.
As flavor text, a quote from Toland has been chosen, a side character in the Destiny universe that excites the fans: Break their will, Guardian, and you can control them beyond their death.
Legion will fundamentally change the PvP of World of Warcraft – but what exactly is happening here?
Old game in new guise?
With the upcoming expansion “Legion”, the PvP of World of Warcraft will be completely revamped. Not only will the old Honor and Valor system be retired, but a host of new PvP talents will also be introduced. We will explain how the new systems work and what Blizzard had in mind.
PvP Talents and Honor Levels
The biggest change is probably the introduction of Honor levels. Honor points will now be accumulated like experience and used to level up. Step by step, you will rise with every level gain up to 50, unlocking gold rewards and PvP talents along the way. These talents will only apply in PvP and will act in addition to a character’s normal talents!
For example, a druid could improve their Entangling Roots so that they are not removed upon taking damage. Monks can modify their “Tiger Palm” ability so that it becomes a charge that slows the affected enemy. Each class and specialization will have its own talents that will be particularly significant in PvP situations.
As Honor points disappear, the old PvP gear will no longer be purchasable with them. But don’t worry, Blizzard will make it accessible in other ways – probably just for a fixed amount of gold.
Is equipment irrelevant?
In the current PvP system, equipment still plays a significant role. A difference of 25 item levels can represent about a 25% difference in character strength in PvP. In Legion, the significance of equipment will be minimized. Thus, each item level will only provide a power increase of 0.1% in PvP. The remaining stats will come from a template that Blizzard creates separately for each class and specialization.
Essentially, all shadow priests will have the same stats. This allows Blizzard to quickly address imbalances between different classes and strengthen or weaken individual specializations as needed.
The Prestige system grants unique rewards.
Does that make equipment completely irrelevant in PvP? Not entirely. Equipment still makes you a few percentage points stronger. At the same time, PvP gear will also perform quite well in PvE. So for those who want to be raid-ready through PvP, there is nothing stopping them.
Prestige – For those who want the fun multiple times
For the Alliance! Be the standard bearer of your faction.
If you prefer to spend your time all day in the battlegrounds, enjoy titles, mounts, and companions, then you won’t be able to avoid the Prestige system. Once you reach Honor level 50, you can choose to reduce your level back to 1. In doing so, you will lose all unlocked talents, but in return, you’ll receive rewards in the form of certain titles and other cosmetic upgrades.
This can be repeated multiple times to unlock new and better things each time. Among other rewards, a faction banner awaits, which heroes can carry into battle, and your portrait will become increasingly imposing – friends and enemies will be able to recognize immediately who they are dealing with!
One of the new arenas added to the game with Legion.
Finally, a glance was cast at the upcoming new arenas – at least two will be included in World of Warcraft: Legion.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
After many months, the Korean MMORPG Black Desert is now in its first beta in the West. And the first thing many notice: The character creation.
In the popular reddit subforum /gaming, it’s at the top: Emma Watson in Black Desert. And players who haven’t followed Black Desert so far are perplexed by how incredibly good it looks.
Those who have been following the Korean version know for a long time how massive the possibilities are in character creation; through countless sliders and options, you can create “the hero or heroine of your dreams” … or of your wetter dreams. But for players who are encountering Black Desert for the first time now, it is indeed a culture shock.
As someone who sat in front of it yesterday: Yes, there are indeed as many ways to design a character in Black Desert as you thought. And a few more.
http://youtu.be/eIgWS2gO38k
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Chinese internet giant Tencent has officially acquired Riot Games, the developers of League of Legends. Competitors say the CEO is the “King of Copycats.”
In 2008, Tencent acquired the rights to LoL for China, and in 2011, it purchased a majority stake in Riot Games. Now the LoL creators have announced: Tencent has acquired the remaining shares.
This will also affect the compensation of “Rioters,” the employees at LoL. They are expected to benefit financially from the success: In addition, the company already offers employees “highly competitive pay,” social plans, medical care, a kitchen with snacks, and numerous other benefits. They reference the article from the job review portal Glassdoor, stating that Riot Games is a top workplace.
Tencent is a Chinese internet company. Competitors accuse the company’s CEO Huateng “Pony Ma” Ma of being the “notorious King of Copycats.” Most of his projects are not innovations but rather Chinese versions of successful Western services or companies. Tencent offers social networks, websites, eCommerce, chat programs, and much more in China. They became known as “China’s answer to AoL.”
In the MMO sector, they appear as a Chinese publisher frequently of Korean, but also Western online games. At their own expo, they showcased games like Lost Ark, Blade and Soul, Call of Duty Online, Monster Hunter Online, and War Thunder this year.
Furthermore, they also distribute Candy Crush Saga in China.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
