On August 6, it will be the time. This is not a rumor, no fake or anything. This came through the official Twitter channel of World of Warcraft. On August 6, at 6:00 PM German time, the new WoW expansion will be presented at Gamescom in Cologne. A live stream will accompany it. The day before, a press conference is planned. We were still guessing what would be announced there, perhaps journalists will already be briefed with embargoed pre-info, but the actual reveal will probably take place in a different setting.
Surely it will take a few more months after the live stream until a new chapter of World of Warcraft is written. But in broad strokes, we will learn next week how World of Warcraft wants to strike back.
In recent weeks, there were some “leaks” that quickly turned out to be false: The usual suspects like a South Sea expansion around Azshara and the trolls circulated. However, our WoW expert Cortyn thinks that the new Blizzard expansion will revolve around demons.
Blizzard has announced that it will hold a press conference at this year’s GamesCom. But what could they announce? A new WoW expansion? The Overwatch beta?
At least one announcement
Blizzard will be represented with all titles at GamesCom.
Traditionally, Blizzard always reserves the biggest revelations for its own event, BlizzCon, but they must also show presence at GamesCom in Cologne. At numerous stations, Diablo 3, Heroes of the Storm, World of Warcraft, HearthStone and Overwatch can be tested.
But even more awaits fans: Blizzard has announced that it will hold a press conference on August 5 – and why would they do that if they have nothing to announce? And that is exactly the question: What kind of announcement can we expect?
The summer of fakes
“Eye of Azshara” has been secured as a name by Blizzard – allegedly.
As always, when a WoW expansion comes to an end, the “alleged leaks” pop up all over the internet. The idea of “Eye of Azshara”had a brief revival, and a mysterious 4chan user named “Secret” mentioned something about “The Dark Prophet”. Another rumor claimed that Blizzard secured the name “Council of Glades”, but that also turned out to be a fake by a user. In any case, such ideas can generate high attention for a brief moment. But upon closer inspection, they turn out to be fakes: The popular image “Blizzard secured the name!” has already seen several photo-shopped “proofs” of the authenticity of leaks.
So now we know: There is nothing to Eye of Azshara, nor The Dark Prophet, nor other things. Those are at best plausibly sounding fan ideas.
What can we really expect?
The Overwatch beta could be an option.
If we go through the possibilities, there are only relatively few options left. For World of Warcraft, they could announce the next expansion. This would especially calm those who are now afraid of playing the current WoD patch for over a year – which many have already completely played through. For Overwatch, they could announce the closed beta. This would also work together with the competition that was held in the weeks leading up to GamesCom – as you could win access to the upcoming beta there.
A Diablo 3 expansion would also be conceivable, because Reaper of Souls has been on the market for a while, and the last major updates are also somewhat stale. A few desperate fans are still hoping for the announcement of Warcraft 4, as a continuation of the RTS series has been demanded for a long time.
What do you suspect? What big revelation awaits at GamesCom?
In the card chaos of HearthStone, there is a familiar match this time: Ragnaros and Nefarian step into the ring once again!
Replay of the first chaos
This week’s card chaos features some familiar faces: Ragnaros and Nefarian grace us once more and showcase on the card table who is the stronger and thus the ruler of Blackrock. Players are randomly assigned one of the two decks and assume the role of the two bosses. Nefarian is a rush deck, with quite strong minions (and 5 Mana from the start), while Ragnaros is more control-oriented and must work through his hammer to access a better hero power.
Ragnaros and Nefarian want to know once again who the winner is.
Although it is a replay, this time too a classic card pack is at stake for the first win of the week. Since it is very easy to earn, one should not miss out on it!
Update: Blizzard has launched the wrong card chaos live. It was supposed to be “Too many portals”. It will probably go that you can choose a class and then receive a bunch of “unstable portals”. Blizzard will soon replace the card chaos.
We are aware that the #Hearthstone Tavern Brawl for this week is incorrect, we are working to bring Too Many Portals to you ASAP #BlizzCS
In Diablo 3 the Kanai Cube will be reintroduced in the next patch and offer numerous features. It is dedicated to a deceased employee.
The new cube, which will find its way to Diablo 3 in the next patch 2.3.0. is already raising expectations among fans, as it is heavily inspired by the iconic Horadric Cube from Diablo 2 (Wirt’s Leg + Tomes of Town Portal = Cow Level Portal).
In the lore of Diablo, the current Kanai Cube is the predecessor of the Horadric Cube and even more powerful than it.
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With it, you will be able to completely reforge legendary items as if they were new. There is even a chance to get them ancient, but be careful: Ancient items that you reforge can also come out “normal”.
Moreover, you can extract properties from items that you can supposedly collect and then use three of them even if there are no slots available.
The cube will thoroughly shake up the way items are viewed in Diablo 3, that much is already clear.
Dedicated to a deceased employee
Will appear in the game as an orange glowing barbarian.
The cube is accompanied by a tragic story; it has long been known that it would be brought to the game, but that it would be called the “Kanai Cube” is due to recent circumstances.
The longtime Blizzard employee Kevin “Kanai” Griffith, a major part of the Diablo family, succumbed to a long, rare cancer in October 2014.
The Kanai Cube is dedicated to him.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In line with the launch of Windows 10 today, we would like to introduce you to the new MOBA shooter GIGANTIC. At release, Gigantic will be exclusively playable on Windows 10 and Xbox One.
GIGANTIC from Motiga is currently still in Alpha. With its stylish toon look, the MOBA shooter aims to shake up the genre on console and PC with new gameplay mechanics. Instead of towers and inhibitors that need to be destroyed, everything revolves around the so-called “Guards”. At the start of each match, teams composed of 5 players each choose a Guardian. Currently, the Griffin and the Naga are available for selection. You can think of them as a mobile inhibitor. The goal of each match is to protect your Guard and defeat the opponent’s.
No jungle, instead there is “Clash” in Gigantic
Instead of Tarzan action in the jungle, there is a marathon run around the so-called summoning circles. These are magical places that provide your Guardian with power and grant your team a buff. At these points, you also summon creatures that fight alongside you.
The final phase of each game is called “Clash” by the developers. This is the moment when the team’s Guardians are supplied with enough energy from the summoning circles and kills of opponents, and rise for the final blow. The Guardians make their way to the center of the battlefield, where they are supported by their team and the creatures from the summoning circles. Targeted attacks on the Guardian’s heart lead to a quick end and a well-deserved victory.
Toon-World Graphics and Third-Person
Gigantic comes with flashy toon graphics. This special look is also known as cel shading. It is a technique for “non-photorealistic rendering of 3D computer graphics“. The game is played from a third-person perspective, similar to the MOBA Smite. Also, the number of abilities for the heroes is typically limited for the genre. Nevertheless, additional abilities are unlocked over the course of a match as your team levels up.
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Gigantic is developed by the independent studio Motiga. This development studio was founded in 2010 in Bellevue by Chris Chung, former CEO of NCsoft West and Chief Strategy Officer at Trion Worlds. Further prominent members at Motiga include Creative Director James Phinney, Lead Designer for Starcraft, Guild Wars, and State of Decay. The 46-member team around Chris Chung also consists of capable individuals who have worked on games like StarCraft II, Guild Wars 2, Wildstar, Borderlands, and Mass Effect. Despite the star-studded lineup, the American studio Microsoft has come on board as publisher. Motiga comments on the decision as follows:
… als we developed the game, it quickly became clear to us that it would be great to have Gigantic playable on both PC and console. If you want to develop a great game for PC and console, a partnership with Microsoft is simply the logical consequence …
Taste Gigantic! Taste it for free
So first of all, Gigantic is set to be released as a free-to-play title. Information regarding microtransactions has so far been withheld. Whether the business model will follow titles like League of Legends and Dota 2, offering skins and various cosmetics for sale, remains unclear. Content updates at regular intervals are also planned. However, whether these will be chargeable and how much they would cost in that case is still unknown. In any case, it should be possible to enjoy Gigantic without having to pay anything.
Marcel says: GIGANTIC leaves me with a really solid first impression. A colorful mix of shooter and MOBA elements makes Gigantic a notable title that could bring fresh wind to the MOBA genre this year. The altered winning conditions with the Guards give the game a far more dynamic character than static Nexus brawling. Moreover, I’m really into this comic graphics style, which is not like WoW. But speaking of Blizzard: When I first saw Gigantic, I immediately thought of Overwatch. Not Smite. Of Overwatch!
While your Windows 10 is downloading (I know, for some it takes a little longer until the download starts), feel free to share your impressions of the game with me.
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This Wednesday, I dedicate again to a Blizzard title. Today, I express some concerns about the upcoming HearthStone addon, following the motto: “Only a Sith knows nothing but extremes!”
Goblins vs. Gnomes – A Lot of Junk, Some Gems
Often referred to as “Dr. Balanced”.
With “Goblins vs. Gnomes“, a card expansion for HearthStone was already developed and released to the public. Although the expansion was generally well received, the cards fell short of expectations – only a few of them truly impacted the meta. The strongest representative is probably “Dr. Boom“, who is played in almost every deck. Other cards, like the “Unstable Portal” or the “Tinker’s Sharpening Stone” are also popular. New deck variations like the “Mech Mage” briefly flared up but quickly disappeared from the meta and are probably already on the red list. Overall, out of nearly 100 cards, only about 10 have had a significant impact – many others were never played again and only appear in strange fun decks.
The Grand Tournament – Only Strong Cards?
The Justicar seems to be one of the most important cards overall – and almost essential for every class.
Blizzard clearly doesn’t want to make this “mistake” a second time. After “Some cards are usable”, now comes “Every card is absolutely insane!” Although not all cards have been revealed yet, every single one of them has made us stare in awe at the values and texts. On one hand, it is absolutely understandable that they want to design exciting cards – after all, they must give players incentives to buy the new packs and make money. This time, however, it seems they are not just shooting the bird, but the whole flock. I suspect that with the next 10-15 reveals of new cards, it will be possible to build strong decks based solely on “The Grand Tournament” and the basic cards.
A Thin Line Between “Good” and “Overwhelming”
The dream of every mage. – These two cards in combination.
Of course, it would be possible that Blizzard draws a bit from the MOBA-release mentality and designs cards to be strong at the start, only to nerf them later. However, that would not fit with the design concept they have repeatedly emphasized: Cards are only changed when it is absolutely necessary. It seems clear already that without many of the new cards, players will soon have absolutely no chance in ranked mode – and that is extremely unfortunate. I am sure that each of us loves powerful cards with cool effects, but if absolutely every card is overwhelming, one quickly falls behind.
HearthStone is successful precisely because even free-to-play players can stay engaged without spending €50 on packs. Whether this will still be possible with “The Grand Tournament” is something I strongly doubt. In any case, one should start saving gold now – or set aside one euro every day. Otherwise, the fun could quickly turn into frustration, and HearthStone could follow the dreadful path of many free-to-play games: No money, no fun.
And no one wants that, right?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Recently, new cards for HearthStone have been revealed, which will be released with the upcoming expansion “The Grand Tournament”.
Manager, Flame Juggler, and a Tournament Medic
The three new cards all look very promising and will likely secure their place in the meta after release. But let’s first take a look at the three newcomers.
The Coliseum Manager has strong stats of 2/5 for 3 Mana and “Inspiration: Return this minion to your hand“. Whether the inspiration is an advantage or disadvantage is probably up to the discretion of the respective player and deck, because if you want to keep the manager on the field, the hero ability is initially taboo.
The Tournament Medic costs 4 Mana and has stats of 1/8 with “Inspiration: Restore 2 health to your hero“. This way, warlocks could draw cards without losing any health, priests could heal themselves for double, and so on. Especially as a counter against rush decks, this card could establish itself as it can take out several small minions.
Lastly, we have the Flame Juggler, basically a more controlled and sturdier variant of the crazy Bomber. 2 Mana for 2/3 is already above average, his battle cry also deals 1 damage to a random enemy. This still makes him quite unpredictable, but provides strong counter power at the start of a game.
What do you think of the three newcomers?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the dark MMORPG Revival, religion will play a very important role. The developers have now talked about this system.
Each city in the fantasy world of the MMORPG Revival has one or more temples depending on the population and social differences. These are determined by the developers at the beginning. However, in Revival, everything is in flux and everything can change. This applies both to cities that can be destroyed in wars and to religion.
Religion and its Effects
If you belong to a religion that is not represented by temples in the city, you might want to change this. Because the god you pray to grants you certain benefits. These are especially important if you own a house in the city.
To bring about a change in religion, one must first gather enough karma from one’s own god, which can happen, for example, by setting up altars or idols in one’s home. Once you have gathered enough karma through praying to the god, you will have the opportunity to bring about a revolution. This occurs through an adventure. However, you must be careful, as everyone – players and even NPCs – also have the opportunity to change the religion of a city. Therefore, one should always pay attention to politics and team up with as many players as possible and also convince the NPCs of the plan.
The gods will reward you differently or punish you, as all actions have consequences in Revival. Furthermore, different temples offer nearby individuals various bonuses for different skills, so one should always ensure that there is a certain variety of temples in the world. It is also advisable to always keep an eye on the political stability of the region. Changing religion can have far-reaching consequences and may even trigger a war. Revival aims to become a very complex MMORPG and wants to represent a medieval fantasy world with a certain realism, which is why this world appears very dirty, brutal, and dark. The MMORPG is expected to be released next year.
In Destiny, the new Iron Banner has started on July 28, it is the July/August edition. In a somewhat tumultuous monthly rhythm, Lord Saladin invites the Guardians to battle.
For this edition, we are using the popular format of the fake interview: We pretend that someone is asking us questions and we answer them!
Update August 25: A second Iron Banner has started in August. This began on Tuesday, August 25, at 7:00 PM. The rewards this time include boots, helmets, the shotgun Felwinter’s Lie, and the auto rifle Silimar’s Wrath. We will report on this in a separate article.
The most important questions and answers about the August Iron Banner in Destiny
Why is it called the August Iron Banner? It’s still July
Okay, caught. It’s not really called that; we named it this way for better identification. The whole time it was cool with the month name; it was always in the middle of the month – now they have slowly tricked us. But July Iron Banner Part 2 “The Return of the Iron Banner” would be even sillier, right?
How long does the Iron Banner last in “August”?
It lasts until Tuesday, August 4 (Ha!, August), – at 11:00 AM, when it is over. By the way, I saw the mean jab with the quotation marks exactly!
What is special about the Iron Banner?
Yeah, not as much as before.
Previously, it was the only PvP event where the power level of the gear mattered. It does in the Trials of Osiris as well – and those happen weekly. So it’s become much more normal than it was in the spring.
Previously, it was the only way to obtain weapons that you could reforge – today you can do that with practically every weapon.
Currently, it’s the only way for players who are solo to obtain “Etheric Light”, the item that allows you to upgrade weapons and armor parts to maximum level. This can only be found in activities that require a pre-made group.
What’s available in the Iron Banner this month?
If you, anonymous, fictional questioner, want to take a look:
At Rank 1: The emblem Seal of the Iron Lord
At Rank 2: The shader Millions Millions
At Rank 3: The emblem Scar of Radagast and Chest Armor with Light-36 for the three classes. There are two versions to choose from for Titans, Hunters, and Warlocks. The first version has 82 Int and 81 Dis, it increases ammo for auto rifles and fusion rifles. The second version has 75 Int and 81 Dis and increases ammo for shotguns and scout rifles. Additionally, an Etheric Light can be purchased.
At Rank 4: The class item and then there’s Light-36 helmet armor, 2 each for the individual classes. The first version has 62 Int and 60 Str. The second has 56 Int and 60 Dis. Both helmet versions have various perks. Moreover, at Rank 4, you receive the first weapon. This is the sniper rifle Efrideet’s Spear in solar form with Clown Cartridge. You can read how to forge it here.
At Rank 5: The hand cannon Timur’s Lash, the shader Gold Spiral, and a second Etheric Light.
Guardians can acquire one “Etheric Light” for 5000 Glimmer at Rank 3 and 5 respectively. Nothing more. Players can use “Etheric Light” to upgrade legendary items. If you have Glimmer problems, you can farm here.
Is there anything else?
At the end of a match, three Iron Banner weapons can drop, as it looks now. Previously, there were only two.
Currently, the following Iron Banner drops are confirmed:
Is the Iron Banner in “August” worth it in Destiny?
Yeah, moderately. It has shifted a bit. Previously, players played it mainly for the weapons – Efrideet’s Spear, Radagast’s Fury, and Felwinter’s Lie are still quite usable, but not as sought after as before House of Wolves. Back then, you could really forge “monsters” from these weapons – today, there is a much wider selection for forging. Bungie is already addressing the problems that arise from the combination “great base stat weapon optimally forged”.
The same applies to the armors – you collect them more for “aesthetic reasons”, not because you need them desperately, although the helmets are indeed good.
But players now do the Iron Banner in Destiny more for the etheric light and because it provides a change of pace.
The Iron Banner is a way for players to earn strong items through effort, even if they’re not in fixed groups. This is because defeats indirectly grant reputation, unless you accumulate too many in a row.
How do I easily get the items?
We have also prepared something for this
The most important thing is, that you buy the bonus “Hardening” for a light particle. It lasts 12 hours and can then be “renewed”. There is really no reason to participate in an Iron Banner match without this bonus. If you need light particles, they are currently as plentiful as sand.
Then definitely wear the emblems, shaders, class items that you can purchase at Iron Banner. Each piece increases reputation gain by 10%, and these bonuses also count when they are active together. They significantly increase the reputation gain.
Moreover, complete bounties, play a lot of Iron Banner, and do not lose too often in a row – and everything should be fine.
If you have more than one character, you can bring the others up with bonuses, meaning bring one character to rank 3, then the others get double reputation until they reach reputation rank 3 as well. This way, you can “relatively” easily get 3 Etheric Light.
The closer it gets to Tuesday, the stronger the buff will be.
This graphic is from ProNDC:
In the video, you can see the bounties, the exact inventory, and more, so to speak, everything that didn’t make it into the article:
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Wargaming’s Military-MMO World of Tanks is now available for Xbox One.
When reading interviews about World of Tanks, it becomes clear that Wargaming takes it seriously and has big plans. It is always about appearing on even more platforms and expanding into more markets. After already conquering the important PC market in Eastern Europe – where they almost dominate the military niche, competitors struggle – they launched “Blitz” on mobile devices and a special “Action” version on Xbox 360.
The console version is considered more arcade-oriented than the sister version for PC. And it is precisely this console version that has now been brought to Xbox One, promising especially a graphical update: Wargaming promises an 8 times higher texture resolution than on Xbox 360, up to 50,000 polygons per tank.
Since yesterday, World of Tanks is playable on Xbox One, requiring only an Xbox Live Gold membership.
The special thing: The Xbox One version is compatible with the Xbox 360 version: This is called cross-platform. Players from both consoles will be able to play together and against each other. Gamers only need one account for both versions, what they earn on one platform belongs to them on the other as well.
Wargaming assures that the challenging port they have been working on for the last few months will also benefit Xbox 360, as they have reworked many maps during the Xbox One port and will also bring them in the improved version to Xbox 360.
http://youtu.be/JYGALWGKttQ
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The mammoth project Star Citizen invites you for a 3-day trial flight.
The Kickstarter sensation Star Citizen uses Quakecon as an opportunity to open the doors until July 31st. Just like in March at PAX East, conference attendees were given a code that serves as a universal key and can be used by anyone.
This is not full access, but it gives curious players the chance to check out the Arena Commander module with a Hornet FC7. To take advantage of the offer, they need this code: QCFREEFLIGHT2K15.
They enter it on the official site during registration, can download the game, and take a look for a few days at what has been causing all the commotion in recent years.
This is how Star Citizen is supposed to look when all parts come together:
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The MMO studio Funcom is facing financial difficulties and could be on the brink of bankruptcy. The studio operates the MMOs Anarchy Online, Age of Conan, The Secret World, and LEGO Minifigures Online.
As reported by the Norwegian site Hegnar, the struggling Norwegian MMO studio Funcom has slipped further into crisis. The weakness of LEGO Minifigures Online, the latest game, is to blame. It simply isn’t bringing in as much money as was expected, even with the relaunch to a Buy2Play model. Sales on PC are below target, while it’s doing somewhat better on iOS, but still not good enough. LEGO Minifigures Online has received little press attention and mixed reviews.
Due to the weak sales of the LEGO MMO, it will not be possible for Funcom to cover its ongoing costs and liabilities due in June 2016.
As CEO Ole Schreiner of Funcom states, bankruptcy is a possible outcome of the situation. But they have been in the game development business for 20 years and plan to stay through hard work for many more years. They have taken steps to avoid insolvency and will leave no stone unturned to avert the bankruptcy scenario.
In recent years, they have pursued a strict austerity course and have shrunk. After The Secret World, they did not want to rely on individual large projects anymore, but on smaller ones like LEGO Minifigures Online, into which they had high hopes.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Currently, almost everything in World of Warcraft takes place in the jungle of Tanaan. However, there are a few secrets that not all players are aware of – we reveal three of them.
In the Tunnel Vision through the Dailys
Almost every player nowadays uses some addon that informs them about the rare spawns in the area or otherwise optimizes the farming route. Due to this tunnel vision, it can quickly happen that some secrets of the game world are overlooked – even though they are obviously on the way.
A Lady Just for Hunters – and a New Pet
Far to the south of Tanaan, on the coast with the many crabs, there is an opponent that only a few players know. Demon Ranger Anaara sits relatively peacefully on a plant, contemplating the meaning of life as an Eredar lady. With just under 5 million HP, one could basically kill the lady alone – or so one would think. Aside from the lore questions this character raises, it’s also strange from another perspective: Only hunters are able to defeat Anaara; all other players are quickly killed, and healing the damage she inflicts is nearly impossible.
Peacefully enjoying the sea, the Eredar lady waits for non-hunters to recklessly attack her.
The fight is relatively difficult, as Anaara can not only put the hunter’s companion to sleep for a minute but also vanish into stealth (counter with flare!) and beat the attacking player to death within seconds. As if that weren’t bad enough, you also have to interrupt her spell “Soiled Light” which fully heals her after a casting time of 3 seconds.
Who wouldn’t want to own a fashionable green wolf?
However, those who endure the hardships of this battle will receive a Vial of Demon Purification, with which you can cleanse the demon-enslaved wolves in the jungle – they will then transform into a tamable animal for a short time!
Even back in Classic times, there were enemies throughout Azeroth that could only be fought by hunters. They were part of the epic hunter quest line at that time, rewarded with a special bow and a combat staff.
A Toy for Squirrel Lovers
The tribute to a deceased Blizzard employee comes with a toy.
Another thing that many players overlook is the NPC “Skoller“. He can be found in the small quest camp in Fang’rila, sitting on a cart, wearing druidic clothing, and constantly feeding squirrels – something unusual for a human. Skoller is a tribute to the Blizzard employee Scott Koller, who died of cancer. When you talk to him, there are some dialogue options, and in the end, you receive the toy “Skoller’s Bag of Squirrel Treats“, with which you can summon and feed a whole bunch of squirrels.
The Pocket Imp with Many Possibilities
A third secret is not quite as well hidden, and can be found with an ordinary rare mob of the jungle. Imp Master Valessa appears regularly at the Temple of Sha’naar and wanders around the well there – accompanied by her small private army of imps. In the fight against her, the imps should be ignored, as they deal very little damage and are almost immediately summoned again. The good lady is not only a rare mob but also has a rare drop in her pocket: The Imp of Impudence.
A plague or a help?
This can only be used once per hour but has a variety of effects that can occur. First of all, it will – after all, it’s an imp – say something nasty, and then one of many things will happen: It either serves as a bank, void storage, attacks you, serves as a hearthstone, teleports you to a random location, and so on…
Do you know of any other secrets from Tanaan that are worth mentioning?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
This week’s video in Destiny is all about feelings.
Bungie selects the video of the week every week, and we then add our own favorites.
Bungie has chosen a Crucible video: it’s not particularly special gameplay. It’s beautiful because a friend of the YouTuber is completely immersed in the background, cheering on the player enthusiastically at every moment. The typical comment when watching the video is: I want a friend like that, and I want them to accompany and cheer for me everywhere!
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Our video of the week is a montage from the TV series “Mad Men” and Destiny. In Mad Men, adman Don Draper gives a nostalgic presentation via a slide projector about how we travel into the past. By turning typical family photos into Destiny scenes, the clip becomes a tribute to all Year-One players and a journey into the past for them.
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A highlight of the week, a PvP montage from arguably the best player tripleWRECK, unfortunately we cannot show you, as the video is blocked in Germany. Otherwise, it would have had a good chance. Accept this impressive Crucible montage from another player as a substitute.
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The latest champ from League of Legends, Tahm Kench, can not only drive opponents to frustration but also ruin the fun for his own team. What defines a troll or a troll pick in League of Legends?
In a MOBA like League of Legends, “troll pick” or troll behavior refers to the act of annoying opponents with particularly “strange tactics.” The goal is to drive them crazy, and if the term is allowed, to simply “mess with them.” This is intentional, okay, and falls under the surprise effect, camouflage and deception, as exemplified by the “troll pick” Urgot being the perfect choice in a professional match.
Even certain seemingly useless builds that, upon closer inspection, prove effective, are referred to as “troll builds” (just like actual completely nonsensical item combinations).
What does trolling actually mean?
Trolling has, as one can already see, various meanings in a MOBA, some of which also contradict each other:
Trolling can mean, that one plays intentionally poorly
It can mean, that one deliberately imposes “handicaps” (like totally strange item combinations), believing that they can still overcome them
It can mean, doing one’s own thing, not paying attention to efficiency, but only going for one’s own fun, without regard for one’s teammates or the victory, which teammates again perceive as “playing intentionally poorly”
Or trolling means to annoy the opposing team as much as possible
and that’s not all…, because it can also mean to directly and massively harm one’s own team – but one cannot do this with every champion, only with troll specialists
Good Trolls
A champion like Teemo has massive troll potential attributed to him, of the “good kind”, the “drives opponents to frustration” kind.
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A troll is also someone who does not want to annoy the opponents (which is good and desired), but also robs their own teammates of every nerve. Now this can normally be done with any champion, simply by playing intentionally poorly, feeding the opponent, meaning dying to them, making them stronger. Such behavior occurs with some players when they are so frustrated with their own team that they want to “get back at them”.
Even though some believe that in a community like League of Legends, such champion concepts as Tahm Kench also favor “trolls”, others say that Tahm Kench is just a champ that works best in a fixed team. They appreciate the possibilities he offers.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The dance and social MMO Music Man Online has launched an open beta in Southeast Asia. Players from Germany can also participate. The game is in English.
Within the niche of “MMOs”, social MMOs are a separate group of exotics. Here in Europe, many believe that “MMO” is just an abbreviation for “MMORPG” and thus for World of Warcraft, but the term certainly extends further. Southeast Asia (SEA) is the harbor for some rather obscure and exotic Asian games that are available in English there, but do not have a Western release. There, you can also find Phantasy Star Online 2 or Kingdom under Fire 2 (if you get past the IP blocks, Music Man Online does not have one.) This is therefore more for hardcore fans.
Music Man Online is a dance MMO, where the focus is primarily on socializing, bright colors, and dance moves. This is reported by MMO Culture. The game also offers some features such as housing, a job system, and pets. There are 5 game modes – and the spectacle takes place, as they say, in a world where music, technology, and magic collide.
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In the Free2Play MMORPG Skyforge , the Open Beta is currently available. A major patch is expected to fix bugs and introduce the endgame into the game.
Through the weekly caps, Skyforge can effectively control how far players have progressed. And in a few weeks, the most diligent players might find themselves running out of content: Because the endgame is not yet in the game. This is set to change with patch 0.65 (yes, another “0” in front, as Skyforge is in an Open Beta.)
With this patch, they also aim to fix a number of bugs that are lingering in the game and to incorporate initial feedback from the community.
But primarily, they want to introduce the endgame aspects that have already been introduced: distortions, anomalies, raids and the Divine Form. The God Form is said to be part of its own quest line, which players can start at 30,500 Prestige.
For most, this may still seem far off. The patch does not have a date yet, but they promise that players won’t have to wait much longer.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The game world of Blade & Soul is populated by numerous creatures, and the developers are now giving us a small glimpse into the various species we will soon be able to fight against.
The Chi flows through everything
In the world of Blade & Soul, all living (and undead) creatures are filled with Chi, a powerful source of energy that essentially constitutes the essence of life. This does not always create friendly beings, as the “dark Chi” can also lead to transformations into undead. Let’s take a look at two examples of what enemies await us in Blade & Soul.
The Automatons – Living Machines
The Iron Teeth are damn large – and mostly surrounded by clay soldiers.
For many, Automatons are just devices – machines created to fulfill a specific purpose, but that’s not true. Although they are not made of flesh, they are alive and often have independent personalities. There are lesser Automatons, like training dummies created by humans for practice, but also stronger variations, such as the Iron Lions.
The Spiders – Never Alone and Never Peaceful
A significantly greater evil is the Spider Queen Dokumo. She lurks deep in the earth, laying her countless eggs from which the dreaded Giant Hunt Spiders hatch – terrible monsters that can devour a person single-handedly. However, even if one of these creatures can be killed, another dozen are already lurking nearby.
If you want to learn more about the creatures of Blade & Soul, you should risk a glance at the official website. A look at our class overview could also be worthwhile.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the MMO shooter Destiny from today, July 28th, there is a series of new bounties from Petra Venj. We will introduce them to you with videos and show you how they work.
The bounties from Petra Venj can sometimes be a bit tricky, leading to areas where you may not have been often. To save you time searching, we summarize the 6 bounties, showing you in video guides where to go and how it works. You can start all bounties with Petra Venj, the friendly one-eyed character in the Reef of Destiny.
2 Bounties from the Queen based on the Public Event Principle
Two bounties from the Queen operate in a way that you must travel to a Public Event and wait there until the event begins. At the end, you will receive an Ether Key, which you use to open an Ether Chest.
The two bounties this week are:
Grayor, Wolf Assassin
The first mission in the service of Her Majesty takes you to the Butterfield in the Cosmodrome.
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The Japanese closed beta of the online role-playing game Dragon’s Dogma Online has ended, and the first reactions are coming in about the game. This is a reason for us to introduce the MMO in more detail.
Dragon’s Dogma Online is a quasi-sequel to the RPG Dragon’s Dogma for Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. While it was a single-player RPG back then, publisher Capcom now wants to appeal to multiplayer fans. However, one should not expect a classic MMORPG, as Dragon’s Dogma Online is more comparable to action online RPGs like Vindictus. This means that while there are hubs where you meet other players, form groups, engage in crafting, trade, and switch jobs, in the adventure areas themselves, you only roam in small groups. A party consists of up to four players. If you can’t find enough teammates or prefer to go alone, you can hire NPC mercenaries.
Exciting Boss Fights
You explore the large areas together from a third-person perspective. There, you encounter many monsters that you defeat in active, action-packed real-time battles. You will frequently encounter enormous boss monsters. You can only defeat these as a group by climbing on the bosses and attacking their weak points. Teamwork and strategy are essential in these battles. If you are on a boss enemy, you must maintain your balance and prove your endurance. A symbol indicates whether you are being thrown off. You should avoid this at all costs, as being thrown off causes severe damage.
By defeating special monsters, you earn Blood-Oath points. These can be used in the Blood-Oath skill trees to unlock new abilities. These skills are always somewhat special, which is why you should think carefully about how you spend the points. Four skills can always be used simultaneously.
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One unique feature is the job system, as long as you carry a weapon from another job, you can switch to that other job and even take your passive skills with you – but not the active ones. Those must be learned anew for the new job.
It is thus possible to level up in multiple jobs. However, equipping passive skills always costs points. The more powerful the skill, the more points it costs. But a maximum of only 15 points may be used. Therefore, one should consider carefully which skills to equip. Only by leveling up can you increase the cap of 15 points.
Quests but no PvP
Of course, you also pursue quests that belong to a storyline. However, testers were not allowed to reveal anything about these. Instead, they discussed the Free2Play payment system, which many may find off-putting in its current form. Because you can purchase very powerful weapons with real money in the item shop, which renders the Dungeons-and-Dragons-Online-like crafting system absurd.
However, it should be said that there is no PvP in the game at all, making it less dramatic if you do not own the strongest weapon in the game. An optional premium membership brings various advantages, such as more gold and more experience points. Additionally, you can “die” more often in the areas, which is only allowed three times for free-to-play players before they must return to the city.
Particularly interesting is the possibility for players of different platforms to embark on adventures together. Genre veterans will already know this from Final Fantasy XIV Online. If a friend uses a Playstation 4, you use a PC, and another plays on the PS3, they can still all play together. Also, the “Pawn” system, where you create your own NPC mercenary to take on adventures, is said to be motivating, according to testers.
Good for a quick break
Testers are enthusiastic about the fast-paced battles. Especially the boss fights, in which you must climb on the massive creatures, were received very well. Teamplay is said to function very well, and the hunt for monsters is motivating. However, testers also express skepticism, especially due to the Free2Play system, which resembles pay-to-win, and considering that the game currently feels more like an MMO that you play casually, rather than one that you sink into for weeks.
Asia expert Steparu also criticizes that the graphics do not look nearly as good as portrayed in some videos and screenshots by Funcom. These assessments should be taken with caution: Because not all content was available in the closed beta, and it remains open whether powerful shop items can also be purchased in the endgame.
The official launch of Dragon’s Dogma Online is scheduled for August 31 in Japan. When the game will also be released in our country remains uncertain.
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