Complaining Wednesday: Power Creep in Hearthstone – Bad Game Design?

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 3 minutes

I wish you a pleasant Wednesday! It won’t be long until the new expansion “The Grand Tournament” for Hearthstone awaits us. What do I have to say about it? A lot. Because Blizzard decides to break one of the sacred laws of card games with some cards – or to use the English technical term: The Grand Tournament is a strong manifestation of power creep.

Same Costs, Better Stats

Exciting cards with unique effects are what makes Hearthstone great.
Exciting cards with unique effects are what makes Hearthstone great.

While it is quite commonplace in MMOs to trivialize existing content, make new content more exciting, and provide better rewards – after all, character levels often increase – this is a golden rule in card games that should not be broken. And that’s exactly what the art of creating good collectible card games is all about! If a minion in Hearthstone costs 4 mana and has stats of 4/5, then 2 things must be ensured:

  1. There are no other creatures with the exact same combination (other than with additional effects).
  2. No other creature may be stronger without disadvantage (higher costs, negative effect, random factors).

The reason for this is obvious: The weaker card would lose its right to exist. Exactly this mistake is being made by Blizzard now.

The Two Worst Cards in the Game

Specifically, power creep applies to 2 cards. The newcomer with The Grand Tournament is the Evil Heckler. It offers 5/4 stats for 4 mana and simultaneously taunt. Veterans will be amazed. These are the same stats as those of the Goblin Bodyguard – but 1 mana cheaper.

The same applies to the Ice Rager: For 3 mana it is quite strong with 5/2, but significantly better than the old Magma Rager – which has exactly one less health point for the same cost.

“But they were hardly played…”

It is true that Magma Rager and the Goblin Bodyguard were rather rare occurrences in ranked games, many would even consider them “unplayable”. But can it then be the right step to leave these cards weak and simply introduce new, stronger ones? Why not just balance the game instead of bringing in new cards that completely make the old ones obsolete?

I repeat myself once more: The art in such a card game is to create exciting innovations with limited resources such as mana cost, attack power, health points, and card texts, without completely devaluing the old cards. This is exactly what Blizzard has failed to do this time, and to put it bluntly, it is a sign of lack of ideas. I find it incredibly difficult to understand what they were thinking by introducing these two cards.

What is your opinion on the topic? Do you agree with me or is it not that bad because you hardly ever see the two old cards anyway?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Blade & Soul: Founder’s Packs now available – includes beta access!

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

Since yesterday the various Founder’s Packs of Blade & Soul can be purchased. What they bring aside from beta access, we will tell you here.

Three Packs, Three Price Ranges

The so-called Founder’s Packs are not really a novelty in Free2Play titles. As with countless games before, you can also choose from several at Blade & Soul. But what exactly do the founder packs contain, and are they worth the money?

The Candidate Pack grants access to all beta events for €22.50, three days of early access to the game, two special character titles, and 20,800 premium points. The points are useless on their own, but if you decide to later purchase a premium membership (similar to a subscription system), the value of this membership increases.

BnS Shop
Anything but cheap – but perhaps worth a purchase for fans.

The Student Pack already costs a hefty €70, but also includes some additional items, such as 30 days of premium membership, the early reservation of a character name, two additional character slots, and 2400 NCoin, which can also be redeemed in other NCSoft games (such as WildStar).

Finally, there is the Master Pack for a powerful €115, which brings with it 60 additional days of premium membership, another name reservation, 5 extra character slots, 7200 NCoin, and a number of exclusive skins and costumes.

You can find a complete overview of the founder packs on the official website of Blade & Soul.

A Small Trailer for PvP

Additionally, a small trailer has been released, showing some character classes in heated combat and also drawing attention to the new packs.

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.
Link to the YouTube content

The beta for the European Blade & Soul starts this fall, and the game is set to celebrate its release in the first quarter of 2016. It was explicitly mentioned that beta keys will also be distributed to players who do not purchase a founder pack – a little patience can therefore still lead to the beta.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Hellgate: A New Hope for the Unlucky Franchise thanks to Virtual Reality?

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

The somewhat unfortunate franchise Hellgate may experience a revival in 2016. The Korean rights holders are betting on virtual reality.

Hellgate has a long decline behind it. A year ago, they essentially announced the end of the ailing IP: Hanbitsoftware ceased development on Hellgate 2. The Koreans had acquired the rights to the “Hellgate” brand from Flagship Studios.

Apparently, they’ve now found something new in Korea to do with the license. For 2016, Hanbitsoftware announces “Hellgate VR.” It is set to be a “horror shooter” that they want to develop together with a virtual reality company. Hellgate is supposed to deliver the dark and unique setting for Hellgate VR.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. 2p

Destiny: New information about exotic blueprints, the level boost, and much more

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

In Destiny a teaser for tomorrow’s stream has now been released. It already reveals many secrets.

Bungie has a stream scheduled for tomorrow. It is supposed to cover “Year 2 in Destiny”, game systems, and the daily life, so to speak. The stream has now been announced with a teaser trailer.

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.
Link to the YouTube content

Most of what was in the trailer has already been known if you followed Destiny in the last months. Cayde-6 with Nathan Fillion and casual jokes. He will ensure that the story progresses and becomes more relaxed. The new quest system – the contents of Destiny will be “questified.” We saw the new light level, the bounties, the new way to join factions. That has gradually come out in the last weeks. With almost every one of these buzzwords, you can already begin to understand something.

Destiny-Alles-Teaer

But Bungie has still withheld information and there are now the first hints:

These four pieces of information have caught our attention

  • The “Level boost probably goes up to level 25″, that was not known before. With TTK, it will be possible to bring a Guardian directly to a new level. This will probably be 25.
  • “Exotic Blueprints” – curious to see what that will be. It already looks like one of the most exciting things that will appear in tomorrow’s stream. Is it a new way to obtain exotic weapons? Or is it really a “Collection”, a kind of storage box, where you can place the weapons you have already obtained and craft them anew? It indicates that the “Year 1” weapons will also appear here. Such a thing had already been confirmed for shaders and emblems. There are also surprisingly many “Year 2 weapons” to see, many more than the 12 that were announced. Strange.
    Blueprints-Exo-Destiny
  • “Infusion” is supposed to be what you do with weapons you would have previously dismantled. It was already mentioned that you will be able to upgrade other weapons with them. Details about this are still unknown to us.
  • The new artifact slot, there is still very little known about it, except that it is supposed to come.

The real information will be available tomorrow in a live stream. It starts at 8:00 PM. We will embed it here on mein MMO and accompany it with a live ticker (of course in German), either so you can read along directly or to digest what you have seen later.

But even the teaser can be analyzed for hours and dissected into details.

Crucible-Handler
FutureWarCult
Destiny-Quest
Light-Level-Destiny
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

What happens to Age of Conan, Anarchy Online and The Secret World if Funcom really goes bankrupt?

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

The Norwegian software developer Funcom is in crisis. However, they believe that the games will continue to be operated one way or another.

In an interview, Funcom’s CEO Rui Casais talks about the studio’s crisis. With 14 million US dollars plus interest, they are in the red, after LEGO Minifigures Online remained below expectations even after a relaunch. 10 million US dollars are due after a deadline extension in December 2016.

A statement that they are ready for anything: buyers, investors, mergers, recently attracted attention and created a crisis atmosphere.

But even if the call for investors or buyers sounds critical, Funcom is confident that they will come out of the crisis. This impression is conveyed by the CEO in the interview.

Funcom-LEGO

They have been in business for 20 years, have developed valuable tools over the years, and built their own platform. With this, potential buyers can develop any kind of MMO across various platforms. Everything is running smoothly, and they have capable developers. Games like Age of Conan, Anarchy Online, or The Secret World continue to function, and with The Longest Journey, they have an attractive brand. Funcom is structured in a way that they have “attractive parts” that can be separated from the overall complex and sold individually.

The ongoing MMORPGs continue to generate profit and “are doing well for Funcom.” Therefore, they are confident that the games will continue to run at a minimum, whether operated by Funcom itself or someone else. The games have high quality with an engaged community. They are confident that the games still have a long life ahead.

It is not necessarily required to have the help of an investor or buyer; they are looking for internal solutions. At Funcom, they are aware that mistakes were made in the past and that they must start anew and change some things. They are also willing to do so.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Gamesindustry

Heroes of the Storm: Thematic expansions should be the exception

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

In Heroes of the Storm, the Eternal Conflict is slowly but surely coming to an end. What follows afterwards and what does the distant future look like?

Diablo overshadows everything

The new map comes with the next patch - albeit with a slight delay.
The new map comes with the next patch – albeit with a slight delay.

The last two months of Heroes of the Storm have been all about the Eternal Conflict and brought a lot of new features. There were not only Johanna, the Butcher and Leoric, but also a new battlefield. The treasure goblin provided additional incentives to check out Blizzard’s MOBA every single day, and it’s not over yet: With the next patch, not only the monk Kharazim will be released, but also another battlefield from the Diablo universe, which will evoke many memories for fans of the hack-and-slash game.

The Future: More Variety

Artanis is ready to go - he's just waiting for the Starcraft expansion.
Artanis is ready to go – he’s just waiting for the Starcraft expansion.

In the near future, there is a desire to return to a colorful mix. Sometimes a hero from Warcraft (Rexxar), then one from Starcraft (Artanis) and if it fits, even a Diablo character. They consider the Eternal Conflict a success, but have slight concerns that perhaps there was a bit too much focus on the love for Diablo. After all, the Nexus should be a place where the different universes collide and not one world dominating the entire gameplay. Moreover, the possibilities for surprising players are greater when characters can be drawn from all franchises and not just from one, simply because it is part of the expansion.

Nevertheless, theme-based expansions are not cursed forever – they should just not be so regular as to harm the diversity of Heroes of the Storm. So if you’re hoping for a Warcraft or Starcraft expansion of the MOBA, you don’t have to completely bury that wish.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. pcgamesn.com

Hearthstone: The Secrets of the New Board Great Tournament

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time < 1 minutes

With the expansion The Great Tournament, a new game board appears in Hearthstone. A video now shows the gameplay and secrets of the location.

Wurst Stand and Training Dummies

With every new expansion of Hearthstone, there is, apart from the numerous cards, always a new playfield where players can engage in their duels. Some players consider this unnecessary, while others (like me) enjoy the many little details that the developers continually incorporate into the framework of the game.

A video from hearthpwn.com shows the new board in action:

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.
Link to the YouTube content

Some fans lament that this time nothing can be permanently destroyed, like the rocket on the GvG game board. However, you can wonderfully vent your frustration over the random factor on the defenseless training dummy – it also serves as an occupation when the Face Hunter is once again almost running out of time because he is cooking in the kitchen.

What do you think of the new game board? Nice little features or just silly additions that no one needs?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. hearthpwn.com

Project Dogmat – MMORPG inspired by World of Darkness

Andreas Bertits Andreas Bertits Reading time 2 minutes

Unfortunately, there will be no official MMORPG based on the horror role-playing game World of Darkness, as EVE Online developers CCP Games have halted work on it. However, another team is now working on a similar game called Project Dogmat.

World of Darkness has a large fanbase, and the concept has proven to work as a video game, as shown by the RPG Vampire – The Masquerade: Bloodlines released in 2004. Fans have long desired an MMORPG set in this dark scenario. Without an official license but with a lot of passion, a development team is working on Project Dogmat. The MMO takes place in a gloomy world where vampires and other creatures of the night exist and engage in an everlasting battle. You belong to those beings. Horror elements and a dark atmosphere are prioritized in the MMO.

A huge “World of Darkness”

Project Dogmat Concept City

Project Dogmat aims to offer a classless system where you can shape your hero according to your ideas. This also applies to the appearance, which can be detailed and customized during character creation. The combat system is said to be a mix of the well-known hotbar system of other genre representatives and a target-based system similar to that found in third-person shooters. With your hero, you will explore large cities that all have a life of their own and react to your actions and those of other players. In many adventures, you will fight your enemies.

https://youtu.be/kaThM4tLaWs
Project Dogmat Concept

However, aside from these challenges, you will also dedicate yourselves to nightlife and visit clubs to meet other players. Together with them, you can set off to complete more difficult tasks. It should even be possible to infiltrate a hostile organization and then destroy it from within. The developers want to provide a massive game world for thousands of players through a server cluster system. There will be no different worlds; everyone plays in the same one.

Project Dogmat is being developed using the Unity Engine 5, and a Kickstarter campaign is expected to begin soon, through which the team hopes to fund the development of the MMORPG. This crowdfunding is apparently very important to the developers, as it seems that the game will not exist without successful funding.

What do you think of Project Dogmat? Do you believe the developers can realize the MMO, and do you think it can become a worthy, albeit unofficial “World of Darkness” game?

https://youtu.be/-yT4eyzNLmQ
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. projectdogmat.com

Overwatch: Our Earth will be the fourth major franchise of Blizzard

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 3 minutes

Overwatch is more or less in the starting preparations for the closed beta version. At Gamescom, Jeff Kaplan talked about the plans for the universe in the future …

More work than actually necessary

At Gamescom, Pcgamesn had the opportunity to talk to Jeff Kaplan, the Game Director of Overwatch and former World Designer of World of Warcraft. Here, they mainly discussed the long-term plans that Blizzard has for the new shooter – and what the future might hold for other games.

Overwatch Screenshot
Many details of the maps might later be important to let fans establish a connection.

“At first glance, it seems we are doing more than necessary,” he revealed in the interview, referring to the many details that can be discovered in the maps of Overwatch. Even though most players will never see these details – because they panic and shoot at enemies or jump into cover – they are very important: Overwatch is to become a complex universe that can stand up in terms of story density and complexity with Warcraft, Diablo, and Starcraft.

A Blizzard version of our world

Overwatch Pharah
Overwatch brings together characters from various cultures and celebrates this diversity.

“At Blizzard, we love to create worlds,” Kaplan says in the interview. “Working based on planet Earth was fantastic. It may sound strange, but we had to ask ourselves: What could we do with our planet that would be really cool?” The developers posed questions like: What is Blizzard’s version of Africa? Or of Egypt? And although not everything in the world of Overwatch is peaceful, the vision of our Earth reflects quite central problems of our time and turns them into the positive opposite.

Thus, the organization “Overwatch” is nothing but a symbol for internationalism, bringing together the greatest heroes from all around the world. The Numbani map also shows a refreshing vision of the future of Africa, which has technologically caught up with the rest of the world and even surpasses a large part of the rest of the world with this utopian city, because Ominics (robots) and humans live here in perfect symbiosis.

The future of Overwatch

Overwatch Symmetra Screenshot
It will still take a lot of time before we see the Overwatch heroes in Heroes of the Storm.

While it is certainly a bit premature to already want to talk about the future of Overwatch when the game hasn’t even reached beta yet, Jeff Kaplan and his team have ambitious goals. Finding the balance between “little things that lore fans can enjoy” and “enough freedom for other games to expand the universe” is challenging. Nevertheless, they aim to achieve just that: If it were up to Kaplan, Overwatch should eventually be able to support its own MMO in the style of World of Warcraft – this is by no means an announcement nor a statement like “Blizzard is giving up on WoW,” but merely a wish for the complexity that they want to achieve with the new franchise, supported by novels, videos, and other games from possibly completely different genres.

Eventually, the Overwatch characters should also be playable in Heroes of the Storm, but “Overwatch first has to earn that.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. pcgamesn.com

Destiny: Tonight, on August 18th, maintenance will take place

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes
Destiny-Nepal-Hilfe

In the MMO shooter Destiny the servers will be offline this evening. Maintenance work is taking place, an update is likely to be deployed.

Regular readers know, when the robot appears as the title image, then maintenance work for Destiny is imminent.

Today, on August 18th, around 7:00 PM our time, the servers will be taken down, and “final preparations will be made” for the distribution of the Nepal Shader.

Furthermore, they want to accomplish “other things” as well. What exactly that means and how long this maintenance will take, Bungie does not specify. It could take a few hours again. That’s usually how long it takes. We will keep you updated if there are any news.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

League of Legends: Something, something, robot skins!

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

In League of Legends , a cryptic promo page has now been launched. Apparently, it’s about new skins.

Riot is getting weirder and weirder. Now a promo page has appeared that seems to be intended to announce “Project” skins. This will turn the champions into some kind of cyborg. There is already one, belonging to Yasuo.

Yasuo-LoL

The promo page is a kind of matrix: From an info node, branches extend to others, where mysterious messages like “The cow has calved” appear, such as “Storm, a flower drifting in the wind, …”

People who deal with such things believe: Riot wants to announce more “Project” skins for existing champions. Candidates include Leona, Fiora, Zed, and Lucian. And one of the nodes leads to nothing, behind which a new champion could be hiding, they think.

Here is the promo page directly from Riot, maybe you’ll find something out.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. surrender at 20

Destiny: Weekly Nightfall Strike, Prison of Elders and Variks on 18.8.

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 4 minutes

In the MMO shooter Destiny, the week begins on Tuesday, 18th August. A new weekly Nightfall strike is determined, and the occupation of the Prison of Elders changes. Variks receives new inventory. What will come out this time?

The challenge in Destiny at the moment is not to deal with the Servants of Darkness, but rather to follow the news. There is really a lot going on. Tomorrow evening at 8:00 PM, a first live stream will take place. We will embed it here in an article and comment on it in German.

But now let’s get to the weekly reset.

Destiny-Shadow-Thief

Weekly Nightfall Strike on 18th August features Taniks

The DLC-2 strike Shadow Thief is back. The modifiers are Voidburn, Solarburn and Grounded.

Destiny-Phogoth

This week’s heroic weekly is Phogoth

Everyone’s favorite ogre Phogoth is featured in the Heroic Weekly. The modifier here is: Small Weapons.

Everything about the Prison of Elders in Destiny in the week of 18th August

Kaliks-Reborn-Destiny

Kaliks Reborn is in the 32 Prison

Those who fight through four waves in the Prison of Elders will face Kaliks Reborn at the end. We have revealed how to deal with Kaliks in this guide.

Gulrot-Destiny

1. Cabal/Specialist – Special weapon damage is doubled
2. Fallen/Solar Switch – Enemies deal increased melee damage
3. Fallen/Airborne – Players deal more damage while in the air
4. Fallen/Exposure – Guardian shields are increased, but do not regenerate
5. Fallen/Grounded – Players take increased damage while in the air

Ogre with digestive problems: Gulrot

In the 34 Prison of Elders, Gulrot awaits the Guardians. We have described how to deal with Gulrot and his stomach acids in this article.

  1. Vex/Airborne – Guardians deal increased damage while in the air
  2. Hive/Grounded – Guardians take increased damage while in the air
  3. Vex – Voidburn
  4. Hive/Angry – The enemies cannot be stopped even by effect hits
  5. Hive/Exposure- Guardian shields are reinforced, but do not regenerate
Destiny-Skolas

Skolas, Kell of Kells, also awaits on 18th August in the 35 Prison of Elders

In the 35 Prison, Skolas, the Kell of Kells, sits. This week he has these two modifiers: Small Weapons and Solar Switch.

  1. Hive – Exposure/Brute – Guardian shields are stronger, do not regenerate/Melee damage of Guardians is increased
  2. Vex – Grounded/Airborne – Guardians deal more damage in the air, but also take more damage there
  3. Cabal – Catapult/Arc Burn – the cooldown of grenades is reduced, Arc damage significantly increased, also for the enemies
  4. Fallen – Specialist/Juggler- Special weapons deal increased damage, enemies leave no ammo for the weapon with which they were defeated
  5. Fallen – Stream/Small Weapons – Skills have a longer cooldown, damage dealt with primary weapons is increased
Destiny-Variks-Haendler

What does Variks sell?

Variks is selling the hand cannon Pride of the Six Exiles this week with One-Man Army and increased damage on Shank (Shank Burn)

In addition, Chest Armors, which have the same properties for all three classes: They increase armor and melee damage when fighting Fallen in the Prison. Moreover, Variks’ Chest Armors this week increase the Guardians’ capacity to carry ammo for pulse rifles and special weapons.

The stats are:

  • For Titans 90 INT, 86 STR
  • For Warlocks 82 DIS, 79 STR
  • For Hunters 83 INT, 80 STR

Guides? Tips? Tricks?

We will present one or the other video throughout the day, in which a group of Guardians manages to overcome one of the challenges this week.

Our friend Nexxos is taking on Taniks. It’s the international “I’m blowing everything away with Gjallarhorn” days, and then also “Solar Burn” – the result of this combination should be clear, although more of Crota’s word and Black Spindle can be seen in this video. However, be careful: With all the modifiers Taniks and his crew hit like horses on this killer stuff … oats!

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.
Link to the YouTube content

The challenges here do not support matchmaking (except for the heroic strike), but you need two mates for them. You have to find them yourself. We discussed how you can find German-speaking players for Destiny in this article.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Rift: With these 3 quirky commercials, the Free2Play MMORPG makes its comeback

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

The Free2Play MMORPG Rift wants to awaken players with a series of quirky commercials, giving it a new chance.

The theme of the three new commercials from Rift is: “You think Free2Play MMORPGs are like this. We are here to wake you up and show you that we can be fun too.”

The commercials feature some of the patented Rift tentacle creatures playing rustic pranks on sleeping and slumbering potential customers.

Just recently, Rift clearly stated that they consider themselves the best alternative among Free2Play MMORPGs, with the Primalist class now being added for the first time since release, offering a new base class.

What do you think of the commercials? Innovative? Do they make you want to play the game? Or are they counterproductive?

http://youtu.be/5sOm9FqXoj4
http://youtu.be/S82oW5az4Vg
http://youtu.be/Bb6IMVcRrnI
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. MO

Destiny hires the chief author of another sci-fi MMO

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

In the MMO shooter Destiny, a deal has been made again with an author who was previously responsible for another MMO.

On July 24, Christine “Kestrel” Thompson left after 7 years as the lead writer of Star Trek Online, the somewhat aging Free2Play MMO set in the Star Trek franchise. She did not mention a reason, only that it was time for new adventures, new worlds.

It is now clear where Thompson has ended up: She will be a Senior Writer at Bungie. With this, Destiny has secured another employee with years of MMO experience. Last year, they also recruited from Guild Wars 2. This should help maintain the new direction for the “questification” of the game content in the long term.

Even though Star Trek Online has some technical difficulties, it is considered an MMO that does many things right in terms of story and lore fidelity. This is exactly where fans have identified major weaknesses in the mammoth project Destiny since its release.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. reddit
  2. Abschied STO

Hearthstone – Card Chaos: Use first cards from The Grand Tournament!

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time < 1 minutes

On Wednesday, a card chaos will again take place in Hearthstone – presenting the first cards from the new expansion The Grand Tournament!

Medivh vs. Alleria – Inspiration vs. Joust

Hearthstone Tournament Rivals

This week there will again be a new card chaos in Hearthstone, and this time we won’t see a repeat! As already announced on the official Hearthstone Battle.net page, this week everything revolves around the battle between Alleria and Medivh. The special thing about tournament rivals and the two opponents: They bring the first cards from the upcoming expansion The Grand Tournament!

The Nexus-Champion would fit Medivh's deck.
The Nexus-Champion would fit Medivh’s deck.

Medivh will mainly have cards in the deck that make use of the new inspiration mechanic, while Valeera is more specialized in cards that benefit from jousting.

The new card chaos is available from Wednesday at 5 PM, whether there will be a classic card pack as a reward for the first victory is still uncertain, but seems very likely.

Anyone who wants to prepare for the new addon should also take a look at our article with all 132 new cards.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. eu.battle.net

Destiny: This week’s videos are quite unusual

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

In the MMO shooter Destiny , the developers highlight fan submissions for the video. This week’s selection is quite quirky.

This week’s Bungie video selection is really quirky. The winner is this “Break-Dance” montage:

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.
Link to the YouTube content

An “honorable mention” was grabbed by one of the community favorites – the “Meh” days, a Crucible montage with scenes, that you usually prefer to keep quiet.

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.
Link to the YouTube content

In third place, one throws grenades over bubble bands …

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.
Link to the YouTube content

And in fourth place, there’s also a noteworthy video. Nova Bombs in all variations.

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.
Link to the YouTube content

We have little to add. With Bungie’s selection, we are quite satisfied this time. Well, perhaps one thing. One of our readers sent us this rare occurrence. A seventh column.

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.
Link to the YouTube content

If you discovered a great video last week, please post it in the comments. And if you have something you think: The guys at Mein MMO should take a look at this, send it to us via the Mein MMO contact form.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

WildStar: Discoveries Are Becoming More Exciting!

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

In WildStar , the discovery feature has been part of the repertoire since beta – now the attractiveness is being increased again to score in the Free2Play model!

New Pets and Costumes for Diligent Explorers

No matter where you are in WildStar, discoveries are a fixed part of the game world. A shimmering mound of earth appears at random locations in the environment, granting a special gift to the first player who clicks on it. Currently, these range from small things like 15-minute buffs and green gear pieces to a mini-event where waves of aliens must be defeated. Nevertheless, the incentives were not big enough to really search for these discovery points – while players were happy to find them, they did not actively seek them out.

WildStar Discovery Pets
Those who go on an exploration tour can soon get new pets.

This will change with the Free2Play patch in the fall! Then, the discoveries will receive some upgrades: On the one hand, they will appear more frequently, may contain longer buffs, and furthermore have a chance to drop unique pets (one per zone) and armor pieces from 9 different costumes. In this way, Carbine hopes to ignite some competition among the players.

What do you think, a clever timesink or a useful addition to the mechanic?

WIldStar Discovery Costumes

Of course, the F2P transition brings many other changes, such as the revision of character stats.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. massivelyop.com

ArcheAge: You get a Griffin, you get a Griffin, everyone gets a Griffin

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

In the sandpark MMORPG ArcheAge, it has been decided to distribute Griffins.

This year in ArcheAge, there is still the 2.0 patch and the server merging Evolution. The server merging will also be accompanied by some gifts and events to ease the pain a bit.

After the merge in mid-September, every player will receive a Griffin for 30 days, regardless of whether they are affected by the server merging or not. Those who participate in the accompanying event for 7 days will be able to keep the Griffin permanently.

This is the “Royal Griffin”; it looks like this:

ArcheAge-Greif

There are supposed to be other special items besides the Griffin, including three more mounts. Among them, some that have not been seen before.

In addition to these events and gifts, there will be “Compensation-Packages” for players directly affected by the Evolution. They will be sent in four different variations, categorized by whether players are losing a house or were in a guild that had a stronghold on the “old” server.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Livestream ArcheAge

Black Desert probably gets one of these “difficult” races and … Ninjas!

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

The Korean fantasy MMORPG Black Desert seems to be getting a new playable race and also ninjas.

In Black Desert, new game content has been teased. Recently, the Kunoichi, a type of female ninja, was introduced. Next, fans of Black Desert can probably expect the male counterpart, the Ninja or Shinobi. A characteristic of this class is likely to be the distinctive mask.

Black-Desert-Ninja

Additionally, a new class that wields the “great sword” has been hinted at.

A “female” race that is already present as an NPC race in the game will likely be promoted to playable races. It seems to be one of those “childlike, girlish” classes. Not everyone is a fan of those in Europe – just look at the reaction to the Elin in Tera.

Black Desert Loli race

Although there could be a debate about whether the race fits the well-known “loli” scheme or looks too much like a hobbit.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. MMO Culture

The Elder Scrolls Online: New information about housing, Orsinium, Champion Points

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

The fantasy MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online will one day receive housing, but we are only in the initial design phase. Closer is the autumn DLC Orsinium. And there is new information about Champion Points.

During ESO Live last Friday, the Zenimax community team had Rich Lambert, the new Creative Director as a guest. And the first question was right away: What does he work on all day? What does he do?

Currently, the focus is mainly on putting the finishing touches on the Imperial City, testing it on the PTS, reviewing bug reports and player feedback, and realizing the final details. After that, there is a lot planned like the Thieves Guild or the Dark Brotherhood.

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.
Link to the YouTube content

“Oh no! Don’t say that! Why did you say that?”

Lambert also mentioned “housing.” After all, Matt Firor introduced it into the game. In the background of ESO Live there was a slight dismay: “Why did you say that now?” Lambert replied: “Firor said that first!” A date cannot be given. We are only in the initial design phase.

So yes, it sounds like “housing” is somewhere on the feature list for The Elder Scrolls Online. But it also seems like it will take a while until we hear more about it.

Lambert explained that they have so many plans, so many ideas. He alone has a long list of things they want to bring to The Elder Scrolls Online. It stretches approximately to 2018.

The Elder Scrolls Online justice system

What’s new about Orsinium?

ESO Live also revealed details about the next DLC after the Imperial City, Orsinium: One of the main attractions will be a large PvE arena.

The new game content will work in such a way that players are scaled up to the “appropriate” level. Something similar has been happening since the release for players who step foot in Cyrodiil. They receive experience points in the DLC zone that correspond to their actual level. The basic idea behind the change : When players buy a new DLC, they should be able to play it immediately without having to reach the maximum level.

There are no plans to increase the “raid size,” 12 is the “trial size” for ESO. And they are already working on a new trial.

The Elder Scrolls Online

Champion Points: Seasonal Cap and Catch-up Mechanism Coming

With all the future plans, they also have to address game systems they have just introduced. This includes the relatively complex Champion System. There is a risk that hardcore players will eventually get ahead of newcomers and casual players, creating an insurmountable lead and thus also causing an imbalance.

The top player on PC currently has 1,650 Champion Points. In total, about 35 people have more than 600 Champion Points.

To ensure that the lead of hardcore players doesn’t become too large, they will introduce a “seasonal cap” in the future and implement catch-up mechanisms for players who have fewer Champion Points. However, this is still a work in progress and will not come in Update 7 with the Imperial City.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.