We know this because for a brief moment the US site “IGN” apparently had a story live and tweeted about it. Everything has since been deleted. The information is likely still under an “embargo.” This means that selected journalists have information in advance and write their articles, but cannot publish them until a certain date has been reached.
But trying to capture this again is about as easy as putting toothpaste back in the tube.
The site “Gamezone” captured the tweet from IGN (above). They stated that players can play the base game Guild Wars 2 for free and that raids are coming. Currently, you need a full version to play Guild Wars 2; there are no monthly fees.
It has already been heavily discussed that the expansion “Heart of Thorns” is supposed to cost the same for subscribers as it does for newcomers, so the base game would also be “freely available.”
Instead of Free2Play, it Looks Like a Trial Mode
Data miners have already spoken out. They found data about a “trial mode” a while ago, where players can play up to level 15 without the base game and are subject to numerous restrictions. Whether this has anything to do with IGN’s “play the base game for free” is unknown.
What the deal is with the raids is also a mystery.
The information situation is unclear.
This video trailer, taken from the IGN article, is circulating on YouTube:
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
In Guild Wars 2, the next beta weekend is coming soon, where players can influence the development.
Round 2 of Player Feedback
ArenaNet has made it clear multiple times that the beta weekends of Guild Wars 2 are much more than just a pure PR stunt. Unlike many other game studios that use their beta tests only as advertising campaigns or stress tests, the developers behind Heart of Thorns want to listen to the feedback from the player community. Those who have secured access to the beta weekends can check out the content of the first expansion starting from September 4. Besides the first chapter of the story, friends of hearty PvP matches can once again throw themselves into the fortress mode and take castles from each other.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
While the beta weekends are limited in duration and scope, they do not want to take away the players’ anticipation or reveal all the secrets too early. Instead, the focus is on a “general understanding of how everything works and feels.”
For more on Guild Wars 2 and the upcoming addon Heart of Thorns, you can find it on our topic page.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The head of Trion Worlds, Scott Hartsman, spoke about the partnership with the developer of ArcheAge, XLGames, and the negotiations regarding the controversial payment model in ArcheAge.
Trion Worlds CEO Scott Hartsman
In an interview with mmorpg.com, Scott Hartsman, the head of Trion Worlds, discussed the negotiations with XLGames, the Korean developers behind ArcheAge. The focus was mainly on the payment model. Trion Worlds distributes ArcheAge in the West. In recent months, they have faced accusations from players and former players about it having an unfair payment model that strongly favors players willing to invest a lot of money: the so-called whales.
In the interview, Hartsman presents himself as an “advocate” of a particularly generous Free2Play payment model, naming their own games Rift, Defiance and especially the initially developed as Free2Play Trove as examples for a “Free, Fun, Fair” model.
When negotiating a payment model for ArcheAge with XLGames, they proposed a typical “Chinese model.” This caused a panic at Trion Worlds: “Holy crap, you need to change that. This will never work here,” was the reaction.
From this emerged a “give and take” partnership, where no one gets exactly what they want. At XLGames, they have to keep an eye on 6 regions and their own interests. At Trion Worlds, they are the advocate for the players, striving for generous solutions. Sometimes they achieve significant victories in this regard, and on other days the other side wins, then the economic reality catches up with you, the business of distributing games. Then no victories are achieved.
They are proud that XLGames has embraced the path of Trion Worlds and is now acting more generously and in line with Trion Worlds’ interests worldwide, Hartsman continues.
Our Perspective
Mein MMO believes: The partnership between Trion Worlds and XLGames has made it to our MMO Fail of the Year 2014. For some time now, there has been an impression that Trion Worlds wants to distance itself from the payment model and push the blame to Korea. But not “obviously”, rather they repeatedly emphasize how great the partnership is. However, unfortunately, it seems that this or that is not possible because … yes, Korea and so on, but they tried.
Of course, Hartsman is right: This is a partnership, and compromises must be made. However, the results were foreseeable when they entered into this deal with XLGames, which apparently did not align with their own beliefs and ideas.
Trion Worlds has learned from the crisis: In the next deal with a Korean developer, they negotiated significantly better conditions. The massive rush that ArcheAge experienced directly after its release in September to November seems to have put Trion Worlds in a much stronger and more stable financial position. Especially the costly founder packages were very popular.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
When players log in, they are sent on a quest. This leads to Act III, where in the top right of the Ruins of Sescheron, there is a new area at the end of which “Kanai’s Cube” awaits. Once you have it, 7 recipes become available. For each one, items must be placed in the cube, then you press the “Transmute” button and something happens.
The most important thing is: The “Ancient” property is NOT “protected.” If you put ancient items in, expect that “normal” items will come out on the other end. This is really important. Don’t put in “ancient items” and expect to get something better out.
Our friend IllaChilla shows you how to access the cube and how to use it.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
As you can see, it’s always about putting materials directly into the cube.
With the cube, you can reforge Legendaries, as if they were “dropped new.” Set pieces can be transformed into other pieces of the same set. You can remove the level restriction, convert rare items into legendary ones.
The most important function is “Tal Rasha’s Archive.” With this, players can destroy legendary items and extract a property, which then unlocks a slot in a “catalog” of properties. You access this catalog by clicking on one of the 3 symbols directly below the cube.
These properties from the catalog can then be activated, granting 3 bonuses, one for weapons, armor, and rings. Definitely the most interesting property of the cube.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In ARK, things are getting concrete: A release is aimed for next June, and in the meantime, they are introducing a chaotic dino.
Next Year on Consoles Too
Studio Wildcard has unveiled its future plans for ARK: Survival Evolved. Accordingly, the game is to be fully released in 10 months, in June 2016. From then on, not only players on Steam will be able to purchase the full version (currently, it is still in “Early Access”), but also owners of a PS4 or Xbox One will enjoy the complete dino survival experience. A preview version for Xbox One is set to launch this winter.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
Until it finally happens, time in ARK certainly does not stand still. In the latest update, a new dinosaur has been added, the Doedicurus. Visually, it strongly resembles a turtle and definitely benefits from its shell: When it takes damage, it can retreat into its natural protection and become virtually invulnerable. However, it gets particularly funny when players tame the Doedicurus: When used as a mount, it can activate a special spherical form and roll through friends and foes like a bowling ball. This is reminiscent of Sonic – and just as much fun. Please do not ask how the rider fares during this.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the MMO shooter Destiny , the raid designer and game director of “The Taken King”, Luke Smith, has now refuted a circulating list of features that were supposedly planned at one time but later cut.
Anyone who is involved with Destiny and keeps their eyes open will have seen “The List”. This is a collection of points about how Destiny was supposedly once planned, until the evil publisher “Activision” said: “No, no, get rid of it all. We’ll bring it later in DLCs or not at all! Get it done, we need to make money.”
This list, which contains more than 40 points, includes things like:
Another raid was planned, “Charlemagne’s Vault”, which would have had the Thorn as a reward, and it was supposedly going to be a Cabal raid on Mars.
There were AI companions that were supposed to assist the player in their battles.
Each Exo weapon had its own story and could only be obtained in a very specific way; Xur had nothing to do with Exotics.
“The Last Word” was to be received by players as a reward for an intense duel as part of the story.
In the raid “The Glass Vault”, players were to rescue Kabr and fight alongside him against Atheon, who then sacrificed himself in the final battle.
This list has been circulating for a long time. Usually, people read it and say: “This all sounds fantastic. I can’t understand why this didn’t happen. It would have been a much better game! Down with Activision!”
List is Fan Fiction
Now one of the key figures from Bungie has commented on this list: the lead designer of the raids and game director for “The Taken King”, Luke Smith. This happened in the NeoGaf forum. The “list” was circulating at the time and causing Oohs and Aahs.
Smith said: “I’m sorry to spoil your fun here. But this is almost all fan fiction or hopes that are purely based on early ViDocs from a time when Destiny was still in its infancy.”
The storyline with Kabr in “The Glass Vault” was never a plan, for example. He himself laid out the basic structure for the raid, and that version was never intended. Smith wrote the overarching story, came up with names for weapons, bosses, and items. Others then developed the “deeper story” for the Grimoire cards.
Even if the list springs from fan heads, it seems that the designers have now come up with similar ideas
However, even if some parts are definitely missing, it is quite utopian to imagine such a much more elaborate and larger game, with side quests and storylines waiting at every corner. It seems that the fans’ imagination has really gotten carried away.
Interestingly, some of the ideas from “The List” are now coming with The Taken King. Exotics are indeed expected to stem more frequently from a quest line. The Thorn serves as a model here. And there will really be more “side storylines”; the world will gain more character, side characters from the Tower will get text and more important roles. Earlier “dark spots” like the encounter with the Queen have been revisited and expanded with material from the latest DLCs to create a harmonious picture.
The list is therefore so interesting and has been circulating for so long because it is plausible in many respects. In each of the ideas, even if they are fictional, there lies a kernel of “This could really have happened.” That makes the best rumors.
Yesterday, Larian Studios launched the Kickstarter campaign for the RPG Divinity: Original Sin 2. Although it is a single-player RPG, this crowdfunding campaign could also say something about MMORPGs.
In less than 12 hours, the desired funding amount for Divinity: Original Sin 2 was exceeded. The team wanted to raise $500,000, and now over $600,000 has been raised. And the campaign runs until September 30! If you look at many of the recent projects that game studios wanted to fund through Kickstarter, the picture is rather sobering. Some games were not funded at all, while others were funded only very narrowly.
Experts believe that a kind of disillusionment phase has set in regarding Kickstarter. Some games have disappointed, others are still delayed despite successful funding, a small portion never appeared at all, and the “backers” received nothing for their money. People have become more cautious about whether and which games to support in a crowdfunding campaign.
Especially MMORPGs seem to have a hard time getting funded through Kickstarter or other crowdfunding platforms. While single-player RPGs like Pillars of Eternity or Torment: Tides of Numenera have been extremely successful in funding, MMOs like Camelot Unchained or The Repopulation have not managed to achieve such successes and exceed the original funding goal by a large margin.
Often, the goal was only “barely” reached. Smaller projects like Project Gorgon, which have a low budget, fare even better as they target a niche and do not require exorbitant amounts. However, it must be said that Kickstarter attracted significantly more gamers years ago than it does today. Today, it has become generally harder for games to be successfully funded or even significantly exceed the goal. Other examples like Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen, the first Kickstarter campaign of Shards Online, or Trials of Ascension show that – even if developers have truly good ideas for an MMO – it is not easy to get the game funded through crowdfunding.
The second Kickstarter attempt for Shards Online was successful.
On the other hand, single-player RPGs seem to be doing better. As seen in the case of Divinity: Original Sin 2, one can still be very successful with a single-player RPG on Kickstarter. On one hand, the genre still attracts players, and on the other hand, people tend to trust developers more to deliver good games for “lower” amounts. In the case of Divinity: Original Sin 2, it must fairly be said that the predecessor was very successful, and because of the high quality of the game, a large fan base was created, which is, of course, also very enthusiastic about the sequel and is eager to participate in the funding again.
Also suitable for multiplayer fans
Very successful on Kickstarter in a short time: Divinity: Original Sin 2.
Anyone who wants to participate in the funding of Divinity: Original Sin 2 can do so until September 30 through the Kickstarter page. Online RPG fans will also get their money’s worth with the game, as there will be a 4-player mode where players not only have to act cooperatively. Players can receive different quests that have conflicting goals compared to the missions of the other players. This leads to conflicts and a competitive gameplay experience. Additionally, the RPG again offers tactical turn-based battles and an isometric 3D view. However, the Larian Studios want to place much more emphasis on a deep story and complex NPC companions this time. Sounds good.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
Andreas says: Is it really true that MMORPGs have a harder time being funded through crowdfunding? If so, what could be the reason? On one hand, people seem to trust indie developer studios less to create a complex MMO for relatively “small” amounts that can also motivate players for years. On the other hand, it seems that there has been a kind of reevaluation in this genre over the years. At gaming fairs like Gamescom, MMORPGs have hardly been a topic at all.
There aren’t many developer studios that still dare to take on MMOs. The risks seem to be very high. A lot of money would need to be invested in development, and whether it will be possible to retain a large player community in the long term is uncertain. The market, especially in the free-to-play sector, is simply oversaturated, and gaming habits are also changing. The trend is increasingly moving towards games that offer shorter play sessions but faster rewards, like MOBAs. Establishing a new, complex MMORPG in the market has become difficult. And financing such a game through crowdfunding is even harder. It seems that single-player titles have it easier here. Is this just a subjective impression? Discuss with us!
Since yesterday, all players can experience the Hellfire Citadel from World of Warcraft – now also finally in LFR.
Give the Eredar a smack
Players had to wait nearly ten weeks to finally see the final boss of the Hellfire Citadel. As has become customary, Blizzard released the latest raid of World of Warcraft only in phases. While raiders in normal, heroic, and mythic modes have been able to go ahead for quite a while, now the LFR players follow suit. This staggering of content was introduced by the developers to give progress guilds enough time to experiment a bit in the instances before they simply defeat the bosses in “Easy Mode.” Since yesterday, the last wing “The Black Gate” is accessible, thereby completing the 13 bosses of the final WoD instance.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
In the SF MMO Star Trek Online, a strange bug has caused issues.
As reported by Massively-Overpowered, there was a quirky problem in Star Trek Online. The item “Party Amplifier” was supposed to provide just a little fun, bring some graphical effects for a short time, party fun in space, nothing wild. Even NPCs not typically known for this, like Tuvok here, are cutting a rug – or they dance on corpses (as in the title image).
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
But there was a bug: If you killed yourself while the effect was active, it would remain permanently. This quickly got out of hand. After a developer tweeted about it, more and more people found out.
Here’s a fun one: If you kill yourself while your Party Amplifier is active, it lives forever. You sacrifice yourself for its immortality.
Players are now using the effect, as Massively reports, to troll others, also causing massive performance problems. The same developer who set the party fun in motion asked players of Star Trek Online to stop three days later, stating that the bug would be fixed soon.
If it means anything to those of you doing so, please stop with the party balls. You’ve had your fun. It will be patched this week.
In response to a fan’s question about what it was since he started it, he replied sheepishly: My fault, shame on me, I thought players would have a little self-control.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the MMO shooter Destiny there is now a complete run of the first new mission from “The Taken King”, The Coming War.
Apparently, with the live stream yesterday some “embargos” have lifted. YouTubers had already prepared runs of strikes and missions and uploaded them last night. The largest US fan site “Planetdestiny” posted a complete run of “The Coming War”, the first new mission, online.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
That was the mission, which had already been seen in excerpts at Gamescom. The Guardians investigate a Cabal base on Phobos and witness firsthand what the return of Oryx is all about. The (or any power under his command) reaches for the Cabal and turns them into “Taken.” It clearly goes more in the direction of horror.
The Ghost is back and has a lot of text. Also, Eris Morn and other NPCs will increasingly engage in the dialogue, although this doesn’t come across strongly in this video.
In the game, there are still cutscenes; they left them out of this video so that players can experience them “live.” They are said to be very good, as it’s reported.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Skyforge the first invasion is coming: Phytonids, a species of man-eating killer plants, are on their way.
Anyone logging into Skyforge right now will see a big countdown on the global map. It is counting down mercilessly, and the invasion is set to start on Friday at 2:00 PM.
Do you remember what it was like when the flesh-eating giant plants attacked?
These are supposed to be multi-tiered events involving the entire server. The planet must defend itself against an alien race (in this case, the Phytonids) attacking and seeking to subjugate or digest it. If the event goes well, players can strike back in later event phases, take the battle to the Phytonids themselves, defeat the herald of the opposing god, essentially a mega final boss, and receive a bonus for the entire server upon successful completion.
If things go wrong, there will be a penalty – certain areas will be locked for a period of time.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
This is all theoretical. Experiencing it live and in action could make for an exciting time in the still young Skyforge. Perhaps some of these “Do you remember what it was like when the first invasion came?” stories will come out, which many players long for when starting a new MMO.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Korean MMORPG Bless Online has the German hit composer Hans Zimmer writing the soundtrack.
Bless is back in the media after a longer quiet phase. The Korean MMORPG is, according to its own statements, being developed with high effort. So far, it has primarily impressed in the beta phases with great graphics – the trailers for the game look fantastic. And they are continuing to do everything to strive for the top category aesthetically. For the soundtrack of the game, they have managed to get Hans Zimmer, who has composed the music for many Hollywood blockbusters for almost 30 years, such as The Lion King, The Rock, or the Dark Knight trilogy.
In a music video, they now present the main theme, the main melody, of Bless:
In Heroes of the Storm, the new map “Infernal Shrines” is now active and can be tried out – however, a few other maps have been locked.
The hell is loose in the shrines
The last major patch of Heroes of the Storm brought not only the new hero Kharazim, but also a completely new battlefield. From now on, the Infernal Shrines can be raided by all players. Like all maps in Hots, the new addition also has its own objectives: Both teams can capture up to three shrines. If successful, a mighty demon will be summoned, advancing on the nearest path. The special feature: This time, the creatures also attack heroes and have more complex attack patterns.
The large creatures bring many new, destructive effects with them.
To allow players to enjoy the new battlefield more often, the available map pool in the Nexus has been reduced from 9 to 6 for one week. The following three maps are currently not in the rotation:
Blackheart’s Bay
Ghost Mines
Garden of Terror
Of course, the maps are not removed from the game; they will just be unavailable until September 2. Anyone who wants can still select all maps in “Custom Games” mode.
If you want to learn more about the current patch, take a look at our overview.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the MMO shooter Destiny today, on August 26th at 8:00 PM, the new Strike “Shield Brothers” will be presented on Twitch in a stream. We will accompany this in German with a live ticker.
As before The Taken King, Bungie has decided to present details of the new expansion “The Taken King” on the streaming platform “Twitch”. Today’s stream will be the second, as they venture into a strike. Here is the recording of the stream:
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
We will accompany the stream on Mein MMO with a entertaining live ticker. You can either view it live by pressing F5 or read it later to recap what happened.
Our Live Ticker for the Destiny Stream
7:00 PM: I can already tell you how it will start later. At 8:00 PM, there will be a countdown that will take a few minutes, and you will first watch this.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
7:25 PM: Today’s stream features James Tsai, who is responsible for Strikes at Bungie, that’s his thing. And then “Mr. Fruit”, a YouTuber known for his humorous videos. No worries, nobody who screams loudly. With a bit of luck, we might see DeeJ playing Destiny PvE again. That was super last time.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
7:30 PM: Well, it’s just a strike. What could possibly go wrong? Oh right – Ninja Turtles!
7:45 PM: What will today’s topic be? Strike “Shield Brothers” – is supposed to be a Cabal strike on the Dreadnaught. The Cabal are somewhat the faction that gets hit on the turtle shells by the Taken. The most important question is certainly: How do strikes in Year 2 differ from those in Year 1?
Bungie has already said: We want to make everything a bit more variable. Encounters should alternate, and we want more exciting bosses – the whole room should be included. Let’s see!
7:50 PM: Journalists from Game Informer were really impressed by the Strikes, especially by the new PS4 Vex Strike. Well, we won’t see that today, but it still could be an interesting matter. We don’t know much about the current strike yet. At least I haven’t got anything on my radar. Another strike is already known with the “Dark Blade”, a rebel against Oryx. He has to be eliminated because it is believed that he could be the next big bad. The fight against him is supposed to take place “in the dark”.
7:55 PM: Mister Fruit has about 260,000 subscribers on YouTube. The Destiny videos get around 150,000 clicks. Destiny designer James Tsai’s Twitter account shows a preference for cats! So that’s what he’s like.
7:58 PM: I bet they will all play 3 different classes and then the new subclasses, so that we can see them. That means Fire Titan, Void Hunter, and Arc Warlock or better said: Sunbreaker, Nightstalker, Stormcaller.
8:00 PM: Yup, music is coming, countdown 4 minutes. Just like the last time.
From here on, the official part of the ticker begins – The stream is starting
8:04 PM: Slight difficulties. By the way, it is supposed to be a “Level 36” strike in the Saturn rings. There are tweets that the stream is somehow broken. Approximately 110k viewers on Twitch, by the way. That shouldn’t be the problem, as they have managed more before.
8:07 PM: Bungie is having difficulties – something with the power. The stream is not running right now. It’s not your fault or ours, but Bungie’s. This is a great start!
8:11 PM: In the Twitch chat, only people with privileges can speak right now. That means all the Destiny celebrities are speaking. But the guy impersonating Professor Broman is clearly a faker. Too few exclamation marks!!! – Bungie is working on getting the stream started. It seems they have power issues.
8:12 PM: It should continue soon. They say the power is coming back.
8:17 PM: Here’s a dirty truth – misfortune is good for our business. Every time something goes wrong at Bungie, our traffic skyrockets. Just now we had as many visits as we normally have on Friday mornings around 11:00 AM. But why there is always so much going on at that time… we haven’t figured that out yet.
8:19 PM: The trailer! Who would have thought?
8:20 PM: DeeJ says the Thunderlord had a short and overloaded the stream. Definitely fewer Vikings in the audience than last time.
The three new subclasses unleashed and in action for the first time
8:21 PM: Bad news: They are not letting DeeJ near a controller this time, neither is the designer playing, but Mr. Fruit with Cozmo, the community manager who came from Reddit, and Claude Jerome, a sandbox designer. He has mainly worked on the new subclasses.
8:22 PM: It will be the first time we see the new subclasses fully unbridled. Fruit plays the Sunbreaker Titan with a hand cannon – he will mainly focus on “Sunspots”, a debuff-and-kill mechanic.
8:25 PM: Artifacts will have a function, not just a cosmetic one.
Solar melee attacks have a chance to create an orb of light when they kill a servant of darkness.
8:26 PM: Claude Jerome will play the Hunter as a support class. More defensive, lots of fog, many grenades.
8:30 PM: And Cozmo as the aggressive Emperor Palpatine, Arc Warlock.
8:32 PM: The artifacts have chances to create orbs of light when defeating PvE enemies (i.e., servants of darkness) with a certain element in melee.
8:33 PM: The new strike goes directly into the Dreadnaught, but against the Cabal. The Cabal want to destroy everything in this strike, the Dreadnaught – the Guardians cannot allow this and want to explore the secrets first.
8:35 PM: Oh, Fruit is acting like DeeJ. Dies in a few seconds. The Bungie designer takes command. Level 40 Guardians against level 36 enemies. Destiny learned from the Prison of Elders stream.
8:37 PM: The idea in the new strikes is to make them more varied. Guardians should encounter different situations during various runs.
8:38 PM: There are traps – flames come from the ground. In the strike. Cabal are normal and “Taken” – and now a big tank: Goliath Tank.
Bosses in strikes have items that can only be obtained from them
8:41 PM: In Destiny, they want to give out more loot, to be less stingy. The bosses will have “unique gear”, things that only they can drop.
8:43 PM: Titan pulls out a hammer. Says “Hammer Time” – I estimate we’ll hear that about 8 million times from everyone in the next year.
8:45 PM: Bosses should not just be larger versions of already known mobs that suck up huge balls, but have their own strategy and follow specific patterns.
8:46 PM: Valus Mau’ual is a kind of dive wrestler who jumps in with his fist forward. Looks really cool. Adds come as well. He flees at 25% health.
8:47 PM: The second brother appears, Valus Tlu’urn (Oh man, these names!). He has a kind of mortar on his back, shooting randomly. Adds also appear. He too flees at 25% – Adds must then be defeated.
8:49 PM: In the third phase of the fight, both bosses appear simultaneously and have about 50% HP.
8:51 PM: The strike is done, it looked quite entertaining. Surely nobody’s brain is blown away, it’s just like a strike in a typical “MMORPG.” A few trash mobs, a “pre-boss” and then a boss fight, where a bit more happens.
8:53 PM: That’s it, very short and concise today. Without the technical issues, it would have taken about 40 minutes. Next Wednesday, there will be more in the new Dreadnought zone.
What have we learned new?
The strikes are supposed to be more varied
Bosses will have their “own” loot and unique game mechanics
Artifacts will be a full-fledged equipment slot, having values and properties, they looked more “gimmicky” so that they have a certain trick, the presented artifact revolved around: melee with certain elements generates spheres
And some details about the new subclasses, but it’s probably better to really try them out yourself
8:55 PM: Live ticker ends. Stay loyal to us and recommend us further.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Ubisoft is currently having fun with the fans, serving them this image on Twitter. And then letting them ponder a bit. It is designed after the “Found Footage” logic. It’s not that difficult if you read it closely.
If you insert every second letter of the words (excluding the title) into the website address, you will reach a second prepared page where this image could be seen:
And that gives the hint that there is more to come on August 27. Nice idea, right?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
As every Wednesday, the card chaos mode in Hearthstone has opened again – repeating a known chaos, but with new cards.
A deck full of cards – that you didn’t choose
Although just the day before yesterday the new expansion The Grand Tournament was released, there is another card chaos in Hearthstone today. Those who have been playing diligently in recent weeks will recognize the current mode: Encounter at the Crossroads. As a few weeks ago, you only have decision-making power over your class and then receive a pre-made deck. However, the mode has also developed further: It now includes cards from the new expansion to keep things fresh and exciting. This also gives players insight into the mechanics of the new addon, even if they haven’t opened any packs themselves yet.
Double Neptulon in your starting hand? Let’s go!
Even now there is still a classic card pack for the first victory of the week in card chaos – that’s why even arena junkies and ladder friends should take a short break and indulge in the entertaining experience.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
I wish you all another pleasant Wednesday. Actually, I wanted to write a column this week about how great role-playing in World of Warcraft is and delight you with some anecdotes from the RP daily life of my youngest character. As so often in role-playing, a common enemy effectively prevented that by getting hung up on minor details instead, for note: All role-players are divas. Without exception. So you have been warned: If you don’t want to read about RP disputes and lore discussions, it’s best to scroll straight down to the comments, type “Boring” and wait for your comment to be deleted!
On the Idea of a Conflict
Erelya and Darnya on a secret mission – with moderate success.
But let’s start at the beginning. When I created our Draenei Erelya and Darnya, together with a good friend, the basic idea was quite simple: Let’s play a loose concept that offers conflict potential and two antagonists for the role-players of Stormwind. In short, the two demons disguise themselves as Draenei and apparently worship the Light, wanting to spread this belief further in Stormwind.
In truth, they are only looking for weaknesses, especially magic-hungry mages, whom they help with demonic promises to slowly turn them into loyal servants of the Burning Legion. Sounds like a pretty simple idea with a lot of potential for exciting role-play, doesn’t it? It was for about 4 weeks while we built our disguise.
The Greatest Enemy of Role-Playing: The Role-Player
Role-players love one thing above all: long, sprawling discussions about who has the most lore knowledge.
Up to that point, everything was wonderful. I (and I believe everyone involved!) had wonderful role-play and it was a picture-perfect evening as one could wish for. The problem revealed itself only in the debriefing.
Because we had begun to corrupt the novices, this of course had to be discussed with the higher mages OOC (that is, player to player), so that they at least have an idea of what it’s about and how they can get involved in the RP. And that was the beginning of the end. After we revealed that our sisters were demons, more or less all hell broke loose.
In a very exhausting discussion lasting almost 24 hours, we debated back and forth. In retrospect, it was quite silly. “My mage can sense demons right away” and “No, my demon can hide that well” – those were basically the core statements around which we spun for hours.
I’m not trying to denounce my fellow players in any way – I behaved exactly the same and did not cover myself with glory either. The situation is only a blatant example of the greatest enemy of the role-player: The role-player themselves. How stuck one can view their own point of view and how we defended each respective aspect with mutual sourced evidence was simply not nice anymore. How much energy could have been spent on beautiful role-play in the same time?
What’s the Moral of the Story? There Isn’t One…
Sometimes you should hold back a bit. Unfortunately, this is not a core competency of role-players – not even of mine.
Many will now think again: “What is Cortyn actually writing about?” and I am wondering myself a bit right now as well. I was angry and furious – especially with myself. While role-players might be able to relate to the text and see themselves in it, to the rest, I can only say: Don’t tear each other apart over unimportant things. It’s not worth it. As banal as this realization may sound, it is not easy to always act accordingly.
At the struggling MMO studio Funcom, the new “Secret Project” is now being introduced, and it is not an MMO.
Anarchy Online 2? Some new, big MMO project? This is what fans were hoping for when it became clear that key staff from Funcom were leaving their positions, being pulled away to work on a “Secret Project”. Now it has been revealed what Joel Bylos and the others have been working on: It is “The Park”, a single-player horror adventure.
The short version: Amusement park turns into a nightmare. Here is the trailer. By the way, it comes with an epilepsy warning.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
The game The Park is set to be released in October 2015. In recent months, a financial crisis has been brewing around Funcom.
As Joel Bylos, the former lead designer of The Secret World, states, “The Park” definitely takes place in the world of The Secret World. And yes, this is the game that has been secretly worked on in recent months.
People keep asking, including @rockpapershot – The Park is absolutely set in the universe of The Secret World.
With the Free2Play patch, WildStar changes some things about the entry into the game world. This is meant to function in a clearer and smoother way.
Overhaul of the Entry Experience
Especially the entry into an MMORPG is crucial. If the game fails to excite players about the game world here, they will probably give up on the game within a few minutes. In particular, WildStar had many issues with character creation and tutorials: Too little information when creating an avatar, too much information in the first hour of gameplay. With the upcoming Free2Play patch, these problems – among many others – are finally being addressed.
All Info During Character Creation
At a glance, all important options are displayed and explained upon request.
Especially the character creation was a thorn in the side of many players and thus also the developers. Many decisions had to be made without having the corresponding information beforehand. What effects does it have if I take Scientist as a path? How exactly does an Esper play? What is the deal with the two factions?
Improvements have been made at all corners and ends. Both the various classes and paths are summarized in short, informative videos that provide a clear impression of what players can expect after character creation. This information is of course purely optional – those who already know exactly what they want to be can jump directly to the sliders for their avatar’s appearance.
Three Variants, Depending on Need
New characters can choose between three tutorials.
Those who have never touched a computer game in their life (it can happen!) are best advised with the beginner tutorial. This takes place before awakening on the Ark and teaches the player basic knowledge. How does movement work? What are quests? How do I adjust the camera settings?
MMO players from other genres can choose the normal entry. This explains the general effects of the active combat system with its telegraphs and thematically introduces players to the world of WildStar, so that they gain a little story as well as basic knowledge about the game world and combat.
However, for those who are experienced, perhaps because they are already playing their second or ninth character, they can also skip the whole thing and start on Nexus at level 3.
To make the entry smoother, path quests have been completely removed from the tutorial ship and only encounter players on Nexus. This was intended to combat overload and instead showcase the peculiarities of the game “piece by piece”.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
ArenaNet’s MMORPG Guild Wars 2 turns three years old – and with that, the first player characters also celebrate their three-year birthday. Those who have been there from the beginning can once again grab some gifts.
Ready for Kindergarten
With all the information that has come in the last few weeks about the upcoming expansion of Guild Wars 2 Heart of Thorns, one might easily forget how quickly time actually flies. Meanwhile, ArenaNet’s MMORPG is celebrating its third birthday.
Unlike many other games, GW2 does not celebrate the birthday of the game itself, but of your characters: Players who created their characters in time for the headstart can look forward to some special items that they will carry with them on their journeys. The following objects await all those who participate in the celebrations and now embark on the 4th year of their character:
An instant level 30 scroll
A color kit from a specific selection
Multiple teleports to friends
2 birthday boosters (with 100% more magic find, gold, and experience)
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
The highlight is probably the new finisher, with which you can stylishly send your opponents to the next graveyard in PvP. An ascending blade, around which a planet forms, which in turn creates the Guild Wars 2 logo.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
