HiRez Studios sends its 4th game into beta: the team shooter Paladins can be tested now!
Somehow this seems familiar…
For those who enjoy team shooters, a good time has truly begun. Along with Overwatch and Battleborn, Paladins now joins the ranks of these games. The closed beta started yesterday and the first keys have been sent out. However, testing is only done 12 hours a day, from our time 5:00 PM to 5:00 AM – perfect for a few rounds after work. HiRez (the creators of SMITE) wants to transition to a permanent test as soon as possible, but this still needs a bit of fine-tuning.
Paladins launches with 9 characters, some of which are suspiciously similar to those from Overwatch. But see for yourself and watch the reveal trailer of some characters:
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Those who weren’t lucky can also buy into the beta through the purchase of a founder’s pack (link to the official Paladins homepage). For €20 you get immediate access, an exclusive mount, and 20 chests containing 5 different cards each (bonuses that characters can use in-game and are part of the skill system).
In the near future, you will read more about the game here after I have plunged into the beta myself – so keep your eyes peeled!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The trailer from early October, when the Eiffel Tower was blown up, has also been taken off the internet. However, since gaming magazines and YouTubers like to upload such trailers to their own channels to benefit from the clicks, the trailer can be found multiple times on the internet.
http://youtu.be/A44AwchyRYE
One already feels uneasy …
This is in Patch 9.12 of World of Tanks – T-22 Medium Tank as one of the main prizes
The patch 9.12 brings the Devastation game mode today, the British tank Centurion Action X, an overhaul of the tutorial and instead of two, only one new map: Berlin.
In the Devastation mode, players can earn rewards such as the T-22 Medium Tank through personal missions:
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Once again, a heartfelt welcome to my wonderful self-therapy! BlizzCon was a while ago, and I had enough time to let everything sink in. More and more information about Legion, the upcoming World of Warcraft addon, has been revealed. While much of it sounds good and interesting, other things are so far-fetched and illogical that my roleplayer heart starts to bleed.
Attention, it’s going to get a bit lore-nerdy; you have been warned.
Small Errors Are Nothing New
Some things should perhaps be reviewed by the team…
I fully understand that one can lose track of every single storyline or some historical events in a work as large as Warcraft. This is also nothing really new for Blizzard; in the past, they have altered or denied existing lore.
Just remember the original version where the dark titan Sargeras was corrupted by the Eredar. That was, after the doubtful questions from the lore freaks, quickly reversed so that the Eredar were corrupted by Sargeras instead.
At another point, the community had to help out, such as during Cataclysm, when the “Red Shirt Guy” corrected Chris Metzen, who assumed that Falstad Wildhammer had died in a book – which was not the case.
Falstad with the “fact-checker” – an honor for the Red Shirt Guy.
Legion Continues the Series
With World of Warcraft: Legion, the series of these lore mistakes seems to continue. A small example of this is the artifact weapon forged from Frostmourne. Its shards had been lying around – at least that’s the current version – for years after the death of the Lich King in Icecrown. Not only is it rather stupid to leave one of the most powerful weapons unattended, but it also contradicts the developer statement that the shards “were well kept and locked away where no one could find them.”I’m curious to see how they solve this puzzle.
They totally “forgot” Arthas’ blade. It happens.
However, the story surrounding the artifact weapon of the demonology warlock is even more amusing. I quote it here so that everyone knows what I’m talking about:
The Skull of the Man’ari – not very well thought out.
“Before the Eredar served the titan Sargeras, one of their greatest leaders, Thal’kiel, possessed unprecedented skill with summoning and binding magics. Driven by his ambition, he reached into the Void and acquired knowledge of dark creatures unlike anything the Eredar had seen before. His reckless pursuit of power enraged the Demon Lord Archimonde, who killed him and had his skull gilded and displayed as a warning.”
Thal’kiel reached into the Void before the Eredar served the dark titan Sargeras. This means that the Eredar were not demons at that time. However, this made the “Demon Lord” Archimonde angry – who, by the way, is also an Eredar and therefore could not have been a demon at that time.
Even if one assumes – which is not mentioned in the text – that many years passed between the “reaching into the Void” and “Archimonde’s wrath” and the demonization of the Eredar occurred in the meantime, the story still makes even less sense. Because then, Archimonde would have been angry at another demon striving for power – just as all Eredar did with their demonization.
Archimonde – the only demon lord who didn’t even need to be a demon for that.
To conclude the column, I will finish with the sarcastic remark of a good friend who drew my attention to the last story: “Five lore points for Gryffindor! Blizzard wins the nonsense trophy!”
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
For Ubisoft’s racing MMO The Crew, the first expansion “Wild Run” has been released.
The focus of Wild Run is “more beautiful and broader.” They have upgraded the graphics engine and significantly expanded the vehicle fleet. There are now all sorts of “non-classic sports cars”: dragsters, drift cars, monster trucks, and motorcycles. The way a monster truck handles differently than a sports car… should be clear even to passionate pedestrians.
Additionally, the weather is now supposed to have a mind of its own; wet roads will affect driving behavior.
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In the MMO shooter Destiny Banshee-44 is here with new weapons on November 18th. Which weapons can be tested, which can be ordered, and which can be picked up right away with good rolls?
Actually, robots have no feelings, but Banshee-44 must have a soft spot for a Guardian and respects them until he goes about his job of handing out weapons from the manufacturers Suros, Häkke, and Omolon.
A rarity is the Kumakatok HC4, a hand cannon from Omolon. It has relatively high stability and reload speed, but the range is pretty poor. Perks like Fireball are included, which could make the weapon quite interesting.
However, it is unfortunate that its bigger brother, the SUROS JLB-47, is also being sold and has better stats; the rockets fly faster, but it has less stability, though that’s not so important. Recommended perks include Cluster Rockets, Tripod, or Tracking.
The last weapon is the shotgun Strongbow-D with low range and problematic reload speed. However, the stability is quite high. Interesting perks include Spray and Play, Scavenger, or Full Auto.
If you can only choose a few weapons, SUROS JLB-47 and Kumakatok are probably the best options.
These weapons with great perks can be picked up from Banshee-44 this week
Banshee-44 has several versions of each of his weapons available. However, you don’t need to exchange your order but can also wait for better weather next week.
The SUROS PDX-45 from last week doesn’t have very strong perks. The best is probably Roll-2, which has Balance Adjustment, Custom Stock, and Injection Molding. The reaction is: Yes, it’s okay, but could be better, especially lacking in range.
However, there’s the Lyudmila-D with Half Full Glass, Hand-Laid Stock, and Balance Adjustment. This means the thing has extremely high stability and a chance for bonus damage. Many people are excited about this. This is a true killer lady, especially since pulse rifles and the Lyudmila are already considered very strong – at least until the next balance patch.
The pulse rifle Herja-D is available with Full Auto and Head Seeker. Where it becomes apparent that most people simply want “really high stability and then something else” in pulse rifles, especially among Häkke pulse rifles and the Herja-D cannot offer that with these perks.
The Executive Producer of World of Warcraft, J. Allen Brack, comments on the concerns about player decline and content drought.
The state of the game has little to do with player numbers
In an interview with Polygon, the Executive Producer of World of Warcraft addressed various points. J. Allen Brack discusses the player count reports, the content drought, and design philosophies.
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First, he addresses the reaction of many people that WoW (once again) is supposedly dying, with its lowest player count in 10 years. “Only” 5.5 million players have an active subscription.
“One of the problems we face as a team, but also in the community, is the perception that there is a direct connection between player numbers and the state of the community or the business. (…) That is really not true. I wouldn’t say that World of Warcraft is only half as successful as it used to be.”
New content only delays Legion
One of the core problems that many critics and fans see is the content drought, which will open up once again. The last major patch was in June. Therefore, a minimum of 12 months will pass until the release of Legion in the summer, during which there have been no new raids or game zones. A small consolation is, however, Patch 6.2.3, which has now been deployed to the live servers. It brings new “old” dungeons into the Timewalking, some new mounts, and the possibility to upgrade equipment.
Every day spent working on other patches would push Legion further back.
“We believe that this will help. They are not exactly new raids, but we face a difficult challenge. If we were to do another Patch 6.2.5 or 6.3 right now, it would delay Legion for exactly that amount of development time.”
Fans often believe they know what WoW is currently missing and how to attract more players.
Even the “wise advice” from the community on how to attract more players to the game is taken to heart, but the developers do not calculate in terms of “Content X brings Y players”.
“The team cannot focus on things like, a quest that brings in 100,000 subscribers. How can this raid keep people engaged for 5 months longer? If you approach it that way, you will drive yourself crazy. All we can do is focus on creating great player experiences, learning as much as possible, and making World of Warcraft the best it can be.”
Only a small part of the team is already working on the next expansion
One criticism is that Blizzard has been trying for years to shorten the release time between expansions. They have failed every time so far. With Legion, they would be a little faster, but “we want to continue to work on shortening the time.” At the moment, the majority, yes almost the entire team is working on Legion. A few others, mainly heads of art and design, are preparing the content patches for Legion and the upcoming seventh expansion.
Will Blizzard ever give up on this point? After all, they are still trying even after the 5th failure.
Next weekend, Overwatch will be played! Blizzard wants to bring in many new players.
Three days of searching
For many players, it is a true pain. The Overwatch beta has been live for 3 weeks, and Blizzard has been very reserved with granting game accesses; there have been only a few waves of invitations. However, this will change this weekend!
From Friday to Monday, that is from November 20th to November 23rd, Blizzard will host the first big weekend test. For this purpose, numerous new players will be invited to the beta, who can let loose over the three days. The goal of this test is to explore the limits of server capacity and find out how the entire system works with a large number of players.
If you are selected, you will find the “Play” button (or “Install”) in your Battle.net launcher under the Overwatch category. Additionally, you will be informed in an email, but these may arrive delayed. Keep in mind that these invitations are only temporary and access for the selected players will expire on Monday evening. So those who are lucky and selected should take the time to get a comprehensive impression of the game.
It seems that the accesses have not yet been sent out – so keep your fingers crossed and wait!
Today is the day: The open beta of the action MMORPG ELOA – Elite Lords of Alliance starts today.
ELOA places you on the continent of Epheia, where you take on the role of warriors caught in the midst of a war with Titans. These giants seek to conquer the land and have thus launched an invasion. You choose which alliance of Kartu, Liru, Sapiens, or Naru you want to join and fight for them in the war.
Over time, you will become very powerful and can be reborn as one of the legendary “Elite Lords.” Once you have become such a hero, you must confront new monsters and lead the land of Epheia from war to a peaceful future.
In the open beta starting today, you can see for yourself what the MMO is like. It differs from other genre representatives, as you play from an isometric perspective. Therefore, the gameplay is more reminiscent of Diablo 3.
You fight with your hero and friends against hordes of monsters while exploring the various regions of the land and completing numerous quests for the population.
Your hero can switch between three weapons and thus adapt the playstyle to the current situation at any time. Essentially, one could say that in the game, you can switch between three different classes at any time, represented by weapons. The gameplay is supposed to be very fast-paced.
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In the MMO shooter Destiny a new patch was released on the evening of November 17th. It adjusts some features, fixes problems and bugs.
The patch notes for Destiny Update 2.0.2, roughly translated into English:
First the good news: Banshee-44 sells weapon parts for Glimmer. However, this also means that weapon parts can no longer be casually exchanged for reputation. For 25 parts, you now only get 50 reputation instead of 75. The exchange rate for weapon parts at Banshee-44 is 250 Glimmer for 5 weapon parts.
Lord Shaxx sells all three legendary swords to players, who have completed the quest, but they have a level requirement of 40.
The Judgment Rune can no longer be traded between characters or stored in the vault. The “charged” Judgment Rune can still be traded.
The exploit in the SABER strike has been fixed, which allowed players to glitch under the map and simply wait out the difficult starting point.
http://youtu.be/Vg3_7_V8l94
The Warlock Sunsinger Super now also earns points in the Crucible when killing players during it; that is, after being revived. This aims to put the super on the same level as the others.
The Bounty quests in the Crucible are now significantly easier: The steps that previously required “victories” now only need match participations. Especially the major Crucible quest that unlocks Shaxx’s weekly bounties has been thoroughly revamped. Even with other PvP bounties, the requirements have been relaxed.
Overall, numerous small changes are being made to searches and bounties, fixing problems here, changing quests there, rearranging strategically important items on a PvP map.
The Iron Banner brings the more lucrative rewards, which have already been announced, with additional rewards at reputation ranks 3 and 5, as well as 20% more reputation for victories. Ghost shells are also supposed to drop there now.
In the normal Crucible, the drop rate of legendary items has been increased.
Black Desert has revealed the prices for pre-orders in Europe, along with new videos showcasing the various classes.
Something for Every Budget
In Europe, Black Desert will be released as a Buy-to-Play title. Until now, there was no mention of the prices (only a slightly embarrassing leak made it to the public), but now the cats are out of the bag. There are a total of three different offers, which remind a bit of founder packs from other games, but are priced significantly lower – at least in direct comparison.
Buy2Play for €30? Sounds fair at first. Let’s wait and see what comes of it.
For €30, there is the Traveler’s Pack, which includes a digital version of the game, a 7-day guest pass, 24-hour early access (Headstart), and a token for later character customization and more.
For €50, there’s the Explorer’s Pack, which not only includes the game but also access to the second closed beta test, 2 guest passes, 48 hours of early access before release, a token for character customization, a level 3 horse, the choice of a specific companion, a unique weapon skin, and more.
The Conqueror’s Pack costs a proud €100, which additionally grants access to both beta events (CBT1 and CBT2), expands the headstart to 96 hours, includes a level 5 horse, and brings not only the weapon skin but also a costume. On top of that, there are 2500 pearls, the currency for the in-game shop, which is worth about €25. Oh, and more.
At the same time, videos for the various classes have been released to better showcase them. We have updated our preview page for the different characters with the new videos.
As reported by Gamespot, Star Wars Battlefront will likely not have to wait long for a sequel. A few years ago, EA signed a licensing agreement with Disney that spans over 10 years. They plan “more Battlefront games,” as well as Star Wars games in other genres, announced Electronic Arts CFO Blake Jorgensen at a conference in San Francisco.
While they also hold rights for previous and upcoming films, they do not intend to directly tie-in with the new films but want to set their games in that universe. They do not plan any “tie-ins.”
From Disney comes the clear statement that the story of the universe must be upheld. For EA, this is not a problem, as that is precisely why people loved Star Wars.
The goal is to develop more Battlefront games as well as other games, for PC and consoles, as well as for mobile. This is a significant opportunity for Electronic Arts.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Black Desert continues to patch diligently, introducing the Sorceress’s Awakening weapon – a scythe with devastating area damage.
Please exchange weapon easily and facelift.
During the week, there will be a new update for Black Desert, which among other things brings the Sorceress’s Awakening weapon into the game. Starting from level 56, she abandons her old equipment and wields a scythe, allowing her to perform devastating area attacks to damage and disable large groups of enemies simultaneously. A short video showcases the scythe along with its wielder in action.
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Who doesn’t think of the witch Bayonetta with this fighting style? Upon closer inspection, some abilities seem to be clearly inspired by her …
The scythe is not the only change. At least in the EU version of the game, the Sorceress gets a new template for her face to appeal more to Western players. We already get a first work-in-progress look with this image.
For the Free2Play MMO Neverwinter (PC) the next big expansion Underdark is released today.
Today, on November 17th, it is time: Underdark is released. This is the new module with quests written by a bestselling author, which will lead players into the Underdark, where they will meet iconic heroes of the D&D universe.
In the MOBA League of Legends (LoL), the minion blocking has increased. What does Riot say about it.
Many players have noticed since the last patch that blocking by minions and champions has increased significantly.
Not only on Reddit but also in many games on SummonersRift, the complaints have become more frequent. Most of the time, it is about being surrounded by small minions/creeps and thus unable to move. These block the movement path of the champion.
Here you can see an example of this minion blocking
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However, RiotPhreak and RiotReinboom have spoken out on Reddit and stated their position:
RiotPhreak: “The increased blocking by minions is NOT a bug. It is related to the changes made to the movements of the minions…”
RiotReinboom: “To go into a bit more detail: Units that are near other units “connect” (causing their size to increase by 15%). This rule existed before patch 5.22, but this rule was notparticularlywellprogrammed, leading to an entirely inappropriate minion block at times, and in other cases simply not functioning. In the old system, this rule was based on 4 points:
FrameTime
Speed
Direction you were moving
“Argh”
Due to the unpredictable factor “Argh”, this system has now been revised.
Pathing, that is, running paths, is now intended to be more predictable and easier to understand. This rule has now been simplified for the system.
With the next patch, something changes again: More gaps
With the next patch (5.23), this rule will be “adjusted“. Non-champions against non-champions will see themselves +20% larger. This means that minions will more often “get out of the way” of the champions.
Champions, however, do not consider this rule. They see other units as if this rule does not exist at all. This will create natural gaps that melee champions can exploit to their advantage.”
In a closing remark, RiotReinboom said that he believes the fine-tuning in this patch simply lacks and he looks forward positively to the next patch. In any case, they will keep a close eye on the whole situation.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Blade & Soul, there is now detailed discussion about the Force Master, a deadly combination of Frost and Fire Mage.
Fiery Temper or Icy Glares?
Blade & Soul currently presents each class in detail every week, and now it’s the turn of the Force Master. As the name suggests, these mages primarily cast Frost and Fire spells from a distance, which they can perform in the appropriate stance.
Fire spells cause high single-target or area damage and inflict the enemies with Glut. Once 5 stacks of Glut are on the enemy, it can be ignited to make the victims burn for high fire damage for a while (and make them even more vulnerable to additional fire damage).
In Frost stance, the Force Master does not deal as much damage, but has numerous control effects that can slow down or even freeze opponents completely. In the style of World of Warcraft , the Force Master can also encase themselves in a block of ice to become temporarily immune to all attacks.
Aside from the two stances, there are also a handful of neutral spells that can be used in both stances. For instance, enemies can be lifted into the air (Machtgriff from Star Wars says hello) and then pushed away – for example, off a cliff.
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Concentration is used as a resource, which depletes quickly especially in Fire stance. Frost stance slowly generates concentration. A constant switch is necessary so that after a few seconds there is only smoke and water rising from the character’s hands.
In PvP, the weaknesses of the Force Master become more apparent. Unlike many other classes, the Force Master has only a few dodging and movement skills, and these also have a long cooldown.
While in PvE area, it’s still pretty easy to just “burst down” enemies, in PvP that becomes nearly impossible. Here, more tactical skill is required, as well as the player’s ability to break through the enemy’s defense.
A new game called War Rage has been introduced in Asia, placing the player directly into a raging battle.
At the G-Star fair in South Korea, MMO specialist NetEase has now presented the PC game “War Rage”. It is similar in many ways to the so far unsuccessful “Kingdom under Fire 2.”
The player not only directly controls his own avatar but also indirectly thousands of soldiers. It takes place in a classic Chinese setting that values realism and is likely to please fans of the “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” era.
The objective in the game is to conquer or defend a castle against another player in battle. The game has reportedly been in development for 5 years, but is currently still in a pre-alpha version.
Whether it will ever come to the West seems doubtful, even though parts are translated into English. The market is clearly pushing towards mobile.
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A new spotlight video shows the two-headed ogre from Heroes of the Storm, played by two players, in action.
Coordination is key
We have already reported extensively on Cho’Gall, the new character for Heroes of the Storm. This month, he will increase the number of available heroes by two, as he is controlled by two players simultaneously. While one player manages the movement and light melee attacks with Cho, the second player controls the wizard Gall, who pummels enemies with devastating shadow spells. To detonate the rune bomb, players even have to cooperate.
In line with this, Blizzard has now released a spotlight video that shows the leader of the Shadowhammer clan, reveals a bit of his backstory, and of course details the various abilities.
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Cho’Gall is exclusively available to players who attended BlizzCon or watched via a virtual ticket. But all other players can obtain the ogre if they play with a friend who already has him. Thus, the ogre is slowly but surely spreading until everyone owns this battle machine.
No official release date for Cho’Gall has been announced yet; he may appear tonight or only next week – from then on, the virus will spread, and everyone will probably wish for a friend who already has the ogre in their hero selection.
For the action MMORPG Devilian this week marks the final closed beta phase.
It’s happening very quickly: The last beta event has barely finished, and already on November 19th, the final closed beta weekend before the launch of Devilian begins.
On Thursday, the 19th, at 7:00 PM our time, it begins. On November 22nd, also at 7:00 PM, it ends.
http://youtu.be/PoxB7dwNgjw
What could happen for Devilian after the end of the Closed Beta?
The plans for Devilian, if they continue to follow ArcheAge, probably foresee a brief transition to an Open Beta, then the Headstart begins, until finally everyone can really start playing at the release of the free-to-play title. We will keep you updated on what Trion Worlds actually plans.
The upcoming WoW addon Legion might not have received a level increase! What were the developers thinking?
For some, leveling is significant
Even now, news from BlizzCon is still trickling in. In an interview with pcgamesn, the lead designer of World of Warcraft, Luis Garraga, spoke about the possibility that there might not be a level increase in Legion. “We have been discussing for a while whether we should try it without a level increase. If there was a time to do it, it would be this expansion.” This is understandable, as hardly any number is more suitable than 100 to reach a peak of power. It is therefore possible that the artifact system was intended only as an alternative to leveling, to balance out the power gain one would otherwise have felt.
Quests without level? That would have certainly caused an outcry …
The reasoning for why the level cap is being raised nonetheless is understandable. “Some players simply want to see the level content. For them, it is not an obstacle that keeps them from raiding, but their main motivation for playing. If that is your main reason, it wouldn’t be wise to remove it. A nice, round number isn’t enough reasoning for that.”
In any case, they haven’t completely abandoned the idea of keeping the old level. With Legion, all (except the last) zones scale and adjust to the respective level of the character. This way, players can freely choose where they want to quest at which level – just as if there was no level increase at all.
In the fantasy MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online, maintenance work is scheduled for November 17 and 18 on Playstation 4 and Xbox One. The next DLC, Orsinium, is coming.
The expected download size is around 4 GB. How long maintenance will take and how long the servers of The Elder Scrolls Online will be down is not known.
A patch was already released for PC on Monday to fix some issues with Orsinium.
More about Orsinium, the last DLC in 2015 for The Elder Scrolls Online, can be found in these articles for you:
