Destiny: Warlock Helm “The Ram” – the strongest armor piece in House of Wolves?

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

In the MMO shooter Destiny , the Warlock helmet “The Ram” is considered one of the strongest new armor pieces. What can this thing do in PvE and PvP?

The Warlock in Destiny received three new exotic items with the “House of Wolves” expansion:

Destiny-Goat Helmet

The helmet has already caused a stir in advance because it is a real eye-catcher, with the horns drawing players’ attention as Concept Art.

What can the helmet “The Ram” do

The Ram has stats of intellect and strength – it is a “Split Helmet.” It can reach a maximum of 77 points in each stat.

The perks are:

  • Infusion: Restores health each time you pick up a Light Sphere
  • Scholar’s Touch: Restores Super Energy when an opponent is defeated with melee
  • Strength of the Ram: Enhanced armor. Each melee hit with the Voidwalker triggers “Lifesteal.”

Here, especially “Strength of the Ram” is decisive.

This is what the Ram does in Destiny’s PvE

In PvE, the “Lifesteal” effect allows Voidwalker Warlocks to significantly regenerate their health with a melee attack every 3 seconds. To trigger the Lifesteal effect, you do not have to kill enemies.

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In May, when many obtained the helmet for the first time, this aspect was considered the helmet’s decisive perk, making it a “Melee” PvE helmet for the Warlock.

However, these early discussions have become outdated, as the crucial trait becomes significant, especially in PvP.

This is what the Ram does in Destiny’s Crucible

The Ram’s helmet actually makes the Warlock not only a lifeforce-vampire but especially a cockroach: It survives many known “kill combinations” that it wouldn’t survive without the helmet, such as two body shots from sniper rifles with moderate firepower, some typical grenades, and two headshots with the Thorn. Although it survives these by a narrow margin, it does survive.

As a Sunsinger with the helmet, it even survives more classic kill conditions, such as the wave of the Blade Dancer or two body shots from a sniper rifle like Praedyth’s Revenge. This is thanks to the increased armor value – otherwise a relatively useless stat, because it is so difficult to raise to relevant heights, “The Ram” ensures that it has noticeable effects.

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Huh, isn’t he dead?

Conclusion: The helmet is currently probably one of the strongest items in the game and gives Warlocks a significant tactical advantage in PvP due to the “Wasn’t he supposed to be dead?” surprise effect. In PvE, it is a strong item when playing solo, but in crucial moments during important PvE encounters, you would probably prefer another item, unless it is Brawler mode. With most enemies that matter, you do not want to engage up close.

Destiny-Handcuffs of Nothing-295
Also considered strong: Handcuffs of Nothing.

In a comparison of all new exotics in “House of Wolves,” “The Ram” along with “Handcuffs of Nothing,” also a Warlock item, ranked at the top. Only “Heavenly Night Falcon” could reach similar heights. The Hunter helmet is strictly suitable for PvE. Apparently, the Warlock is the big “Exotic” winner of this DLC – also thanks to the Ram.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Planet Destiny Exo-Gegenüberstellung

Evolve: Hunting Mode 2.0 – this is how Evolve will address the matchmaking issues

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

At Evolve, the new Hunt Mode 2.0 is coming soon. The developers have addressed the community and provided answers to the most important questions.

Free for All Players

The first and most important question about the upcoming Hunt 2.0 update from Evolve should put many players at ease, who were already suspecting a cost trap: Like all game modes, Hunt 2.0 will be free.

Abe-Caira-Evolve
In team play, an average is calculated to find a suitable monster.

Many players were worried about how their performance would be evaluated. Here, they have answered extensively and were mostly able to provide reassurance: Your rating as a Hunter is independent of your rating as a Monster. So if you are a very good Hunter but have never played Monster before, now is the perfect time to try the other side of Evolve – the opponents will be just as inexperienced as you are. The same applies, of course, if you have only played Monster so far and now want to try out the Hunter roles.

Furthermore, the current level you have achieved (between 1 and 40) will no longer be an indicator of what kind of opponents you will encounter. For the new opponent assignment, only your previous performance and league placement will be used.

Playing Together with Friends

Evolve Wildlife Guide
The buffs of wildlife are still being revised.

Groups can still register together – with a maximum of 4 Hunters. With 5 players, no ranked game can be started, as the risk of cheating would be too high. But what happens if one player is in a higher league and another is in a lower one? In such a case, the system calculates the average value of the team and searches for a skilled Monster that approximately matches that average. Particularly pleasing (and long demanded) is the fact that a player who leaves the game shortly before a loss will now also be assigned a loss. This makes manipulation of the leaderboard more difficult.

The new Hunt 2.0 mode will completely replace the old one. However, the general game principle will not change. There will still be a revision of the wildlife buffs (some are too strong and others too weak), but otherwise, nothing will change in the general game mechanics.

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

Star Wars Battlefront: Strong pre-sales numbers leave publisher EA exultant

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

In the multiplayer shooter Star Wars Battlefront, the developers at DICE feel the pressure that comes with the name “Star Wars”. The publishers at Electronic Arts are excited about extremely strong pre-orders.

At Electronic Arts, there is a good mood: Star Wars Battlefront is being well received, it was said during the announcement of the quarterly figures. After the presentation of Star Wars Battlefront at E3, pre-orders exploded. The numbers are “extremely strong.” Electronic Arts seems to have already planned Battlefront as a hit.

Now similar results are expected from Gamescom. They look forward to Gamescom, consider the public fair an important moment, and anticipate overwhelming reactions.

Star-Wars-Battlefront-Koop

Meanwhile, the developers at DICE remain humble in every interview: It is not about making a DICE game with Star Wars Battlefront, but rather it has to be a Star Wars game with the qualities of a DICE game, said General Manager Patrick Bach to GameIndustry.

A lot is at stake for the Swedish developer studio, it is clear. With success, they could soar, no longer regarded as just a Battlefield studio, but as a Star Wars studio. However, Bach dismisses this notion, stating that at DICE they do not try to plan too far ahead, as that could lead to a loss of passion. When you plan big and then have to change those plans, it can cost creativity.

It is probably better to be prepared for everything and then to respond spontaneously to events.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Gamespot EA-Reaktion
  2. Games Industry DICE Druck

World of Warcraft: Beware of biting role players! – Why RP players can be mean sometimes

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 3 minutes

Anyone who has ever been on an RP server in World of Warcraft knows that these people often do not understand fun. But why is that?

Atmosphere leeches harm roleplaying

World of Warcraft - Blood Elves
If you start on the wrong server, you not only diminish your own enjoyment but also that of all others, even if unintentionally.

For most players of World of Warcraft, roleplaying is a book with seven seals. RPers are a strange fringe phenomenon that simply behaves oddly and sometimes surprisingly hostile. 

But why are roleplayers on their own servers often so terribly dismissive towards those who do not share their passion and love for embodying their avatars? This can basically be explained quite easily: It is a simple protective mechanism.

Roleplaying thrives on a vibrant world where as many other RPers as possible wander about. This “beautiful, perfect world” is gradually destroyed when more and more players join a roleplaying server who have nothing to do with roleplaying, but are only “here because of the nice atmosphere”. On the one hand, that is of course understandable: RP realms usually have a somewhat elevated linguistic style because roleplayers generally place a high value on spelling and are somewhat allergic to abbreviations. A “Let’s take off to deal with the witch” sounds much better than “lfm pvp-m8s, warlocks ganken“.

When all else fails, we become mean…

SWTOR Ziost 3.2
Quick action against non-roleplayers: All purely self-defense.

Most of the time, attempts are made to convert lost souls: Because anyone who is not a roleplayer can still become one. Some “Xhúntêrkìllôr” turned out to be a perfectly acceptable teammate weeks later.

The problem is those who come to an RP server and have nothing to do with RP. Over the years, it has unfortunately been shown that politely pointing out the wrong server choice does not lead to success. Only one thing has worked relatively long: Ruthless rejection, at least towards the worst troublemakers. Even today, the forum of the realm “Die Aldor” is regarded as a den of nastiness. Only a few still know the origins of this. Anyone who finds this harsh and unjustified I always like to give the following comparison:

Imagine a tennis team wanting to play on the tennis court. However, the court can only be used to a limited extent because unfortunately, a boxing club has decided to train on the tennis court today.

WoW Aldor RP 2
Roleplayers meeting in Stormwind – luckily without troublemakers.

Exactly like this, RPers feel when everyone else comes with the argument “But I also pay my 13 euros a month!” – Hey, why don’t you play on a server that does not explicitly say “roleplaying”?

… and yet are actually quite nice.

Basically, RPers are also just normal players who prefer a different way of playing. Just like raiders would likely freak out if PvPers could suddenly attack an instance, it bothers us when someone in sparkling armor spams spells and hops through the RP tavern while spamming “olololol”.

Nevertheless, RPers are not so far from the others as one might think. While in PvE people complain about hunters, bad tanks, and AFK healers, roleplayers also suffer from their little problems. The video “Aldor-RP – Chapter 1” from the German Youtuber M.N. Machinimas parodies exactly such issues. From strange character concepts to the eternal “I do better RP than you!” discussion to the creepy figures from Goldshire, the video amusingly shows what roleplayers have to deal with.

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I hope this post could help you empathize a little with the “elite, unfriendly, and aggressive” RPers – because behind them are almost always just ordinary, nice people who want to protect what makes them happy. And unlike other groups, they can only do this themselves, as game developers rarely care.

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

Skyforge Guide: How to unlock classes for free?

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

In the Free2Play MMO Skyforge , additional classes must be unlocked. How does that work?

Normally, MMORPGs start with character creation. Here, one of many classes can be chosen, and that is what you stick with for your hero’s journey. In the new Free2Play MMO Skyforge, it’s different. The hero can switch between the available classes at any time. It works similarly to a MOBA. However, not every hero is immediately selectable in Skyforge.

But how can you unlock additional classes in Skyforge?

First, you must choose one of the three base classes. Everyone starts with these: the Tank Paladin, the Support Lichthüter , and the Range-DPS Cryomancer.

Players who have purchased a founder’s package or a Collector’s Edition have access to a larger selection. They can use this to acquire up to four classes in Skyforge. However, fundamentally, the following remains unchanged. Even players who purchase packages and thus gain access to classes must unlock the following.

Cryomancer - Legendary
The Cryomancer – one of the three base classes in Skyforge.

As one of these three classes in Skyforge, you will initially collect the “colored” sparks in green, red, or yellow. This can be done both in the “open quest areas” when completing quests there for the first time and through adventures. You receive the development sparks after completing the instance.

By choosing exactly the adventure that promises the right sparks, you can somewhat control your progress.

First unlock the basic function of the base class in Skyforge

Pressing “K” takes you to the skill tree of the respective class. Here, you must first unlock the basic abilities of Cryomancer, Lichthüter, or Paladin with “colored sparks”. These are essentially the base functions. Progress is relatively quick until you reach a junction that unlocks “the second level of the Atlas and class sparks”.

This point needs to be reached.
This point needs to be reached.

Now, you will regularly receive sparks for exactly the class you are playing during normal adventures. These are not colored but presented in white. You loot these class sparks from regular enemies, mid-bosses, or instance bosses.

Then search for the way in the second level of the Atlas of Progress

Important for “unlocking” new classes is the second level of the Atlas of Progress, which you also reach by pressing the “K” key; you can switch tabs at the top left. Here, you need the colored sparks to unlock additional junctions.

Now, you must choose the class you want to unlock. To decide which class is right for you, players can run a trial for all in the research center or check this article.

Skyforge Training

Once you have decided on a class, you now need to locate the junction where the “new class” you want to play is connected. Then you mark this junction with a right-click and select “Find Path,” and Skyforge’s interface will then continuously inform you which sparks you need to collect to ultimately step into the role of your desired class.

… and finally become the class you want

As you collect these colored sparks, you also receive class sparks, allowing you to chase your desired class in the second level while improving your current class in the first level.

Skyforge Archer

Be careful: While medium classes like the Kinetiker, archer, shadow master, or necromancer are relatively quick to achieve, advanced classes like the monk, knight, warlock, gunner, berserker, or alchemist require significantly more effort.

It is important to note that not every junction in Skyforge costs the same; points far from the base classes can cost up to 600 sparks.

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

From the life of an after-work gamer: There it is

Gastbeitrag Gastbeitrag Reading time 2 minutes

The MMO shooter Destiny takes a lot of time that not everyone has. But even after-work Guardians love the game – some days much more than others.

Life is beautiful. No, not with Jade. Although as an after-work Guardian, in the morning after a Destiny session and a maximum of three hours of sleep, the cosmetics would really come in handy to at least somewhat cover the dark rings under my eyes.

Exceptionally, I am currently in a good mood about our beloved game. Because it has actually happened: After the second Nightfall of the week (Taniks), I only hear in the party “Tschallahorn. There is the Tschallahorn!” and I am already close to my next outburst of anger because of this damn game and that again everyone else is getting the good loot, until I eventually realize that the thing has actually dropped for me.

Destiny-Gjallarhorn


My voice gets so squeaky with joy that my clan mate mistakenly confuses me with the ten-year-old son of our fellow Guardian. But I don’t care. Today I forgive him everything.

“There it is!” Just like Oliver Kahn (@Junghüter: that is basically the dad of Manuel Neuer), I would love to grab the trophy now and hold it up to all the cameras in the world. It fits somehow, he’s also a “Titan” – better said: “THE Titan!”

Destiny-Titan


Actually, I thought I would either never get the thing or very precisely one day before the G-Horn nerf. But now it has happened much earlier, and I can finally call the Chuck Norris among rocket launchers (with “Wolfpack Roundhouse Kick”) my own. Now I just have to level it up. And I started that yesterday as well. Well, I tried. But apparently I was just too tired around three in the morning. Quickly before going to bed, go to the moon, complete two loot missions, and turn them in.

Of course, it’s very important before turning in to switch the weapons and armor. But you can quickly lose track of that and forget the ONE weapon that you actually wanted to level. But even that doesn’t drive me up the wall this evening. Life is beautiful. I am tired.

This guest post comes from after-work Guardian Bernd Mutschler. To his first column, where he describes life between wife, child, full-time job, and Destiny, click here:

From the life of an after-work Guardian

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

RIFT: Part 2 of the Nightmare Saga is live!

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time < 1 minutes

Since yesterday, players can experience the second part of the nightmare saga from the current RIFT patch Wandering Nightmares and face the new story missions.

The Origin of Lord Arak

The story quests of the current Rift patch 3.3 “Wandering Nightmares” were not all available at launch. Since yesterday, players can play the second of a total of three acts. In this part of the story, you travel back in time and experience crucial moments that shaped Telara into the world it is today. Alongside the events of the Mathosian Civil War and the fall of Sprosshafen, players seek to uncover the origin of Lord Arak.

Lord Arak
Who is Lord Arak really? Where does he come from?

Those who face time travel can expect some rewards, such as a personal NPC that opens portals to all sorts of (random) places. Since some of these rewards are tradable, they also make great additional income or gifts for fellow players.

The third act is expected to follow in August and conclude the nightmare saga – a big final battle is likely ahead.

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

Random encounters in MMORPGs – senseless or exciting?

Andreas Bertits Andreas Bertits Reading time 2 minutes

The community of the MMORPG Shroud of the Avatar has been discussing random encounters in the game for some time. Do they make sense in an MMORPG?

Random encounters are perhaps known from Japanese role-playing games like the Final Fantasy series. The hero wanders through the landscape, and suddenly a battle occurs out of the blue. This should have provided excitement in the past, but it also always brought frustration. Especially when trying to quickly reach the next town with only a few hit points left, enemies would suddenly appear out of nowhere and finish you off. These random battles were already present in The Bard’s Tale games from the 1980s – so they have a tradition in the RPG genre.

Random battles in MMORPGs?

In the upcoming online game Shroud of the Avatar, which is already being tested in Pre-Alpha, such random encounters also play a role. You wander alone or in a group across the world map, and suddenly you are pulled into a scene where you have to face some bandits or skeletons. This leads to ongoing discussions in the community, as it raises the question of whether random battles can even work in an MMORPG.

FF8 Boss
Everyone is prepared…and then random opponents appear just before the fight and throw all planning out the window. How would that be? (Image from Final Fantasy)

A nice surprise!

Random encounters always bring an element of surprise and a certain tension. You can never be sure if you are being lured into an ambush. However, it also throws all planning out the window. You are well-equipped in the group, have prepared everything for the next boss fight, and suddenly you are confronted by some skeletons. All that planning is then in vain. Generally, a well-thought-out tactic is important for many MMORPG fans.

You want to be well-prepared, as many are not satisfied with just defeating the boss. They want to do it as effectively and quickly as possible. The strategy must succeed.

WoW Selfie 3
You get into the perfect position for a selfie and suddenly opponents ambush you… Annoying or exciting?

If you are then distracted by random encounters, it is annoying – in addition, you cannot prepare for them and must act spontaneously. Quickly coordinate the group and ensure that you are effective despite all the surprises. This can lead to frustration on one hand, but on the other, it can also offer a new challenge.

Random encounters in an MMORPG can thus work and bring tension to the game. However, not all gamers will like this feature, especially those who prefer to plan every battle well.

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

Warframe: Echoes of the Sentients introduces parkour system, unlocks new dimension

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

For the free-to-play MMO shooter Warframe , a new update titled “Echoes of the Sentients” is released. This brings the new Warframe Equinox and introduces a kind of parkour system.

Warframe is growing and thriving, with fresh gameplay content coming with the new update. The three main changes are:

  • Players can embark on a quest to unlock the new versatile Warframe Equinox.
  • A movement system brings real momentum to the game, similar to a parkour system with climbing, jumping, grappling, and gliding.
  • With Archwing, players can now also explore underwater; a dive mode allows the waters beneath Uranus to be explored.

Additionally, there is a new boss, new weapons, and plenty to discover.

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Echoes of the Sentient has been live on PC since yesterday, July 31st. A list of all the changes can be found on the German homepage of Warframe.

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

Hearthstone: 4 new cards – and this card back will be available in August!

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

Every day, new information about the upcoming Hearthstone expansion “The Grand Tournament” is being published. In addition to 4 new cards, there is also a new card back that you can earn in August.

Class Cards for Mages and Warlocks

HearthStone Spellslinger

A new class card for the Mage has been revealed, the Spellslinger. For 3 mana, its stats of 3/4 are relatively solid. However, as is common with Mages, the card also has a high element of randomness: Both players receive a random spell card. The usefulness of the Spellslinger can range from “Saved my game” to “Led to my downfall.”

HearthStone Demonfuse

Demon Fuse is the new card of the Warlock. For 2 mana, a demon on the board is buffed by +3/+3, but the opponent gains a mana crystal in return. Warlock rush decks could become even stronger, especially demons with additional effects, like The Mistress of Pain, should benefit greatly from this.

Two Neutral Minions from the Crusade

The Argent Horserider is a neutral minion with terrible stats of 2/1 for 3 mana. However, it has charge and divine shield and can deal the finishing blow to many stronger minions without leaving the board itself.

The last new card for today is the neutral Argent Watchman. For only 2 mana, it has impressive stats of 2/4. Its major drawback: It normally cannot attack and has “Inspiration: Can attack normally this turn.” In order to participate in the battle with this minion, 2 additional mana must be invested each round. Deck builders will surely find a use for it, but so far it seems to be the weakest card of the new expansion.

New Card Back in the Name of the Tournament

HearthStone Card Back August

Regardless of the new expansion, you can also earn a new card back in August. As usual, you just need to reach rank 20 in ranked play to receive the new card back at the end of the month. Since you cannot lose rating until that rank, it’s relatively easy to earn the card back.

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

Destiny: The white PlayStation bundle in Destiny style can be ordered

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

In Germany, the sale of a white limited edition Playstation for the Destiny expansion “The Taken King” has begun.

The white beauty, the Playstation bundle with the special look, that we introduced to you a month ago, is now available for pre-order. While it can be ordered through retailers like Amazon in other countries, according to the Playstation blog, it is only available at Media Markt in Germany.

There, the exclusive bundle costs 429 euros. It consists of a white 500 GB Playstation in the Destiny design and the legendary edition of “The Taken King.” The version includes the expansion “The Taken King,” the base game, and the first two DLCs “The Dark Below” and “House of Wolves.” In addition, the version includes an upgrade to the digital collector’s edition which comes with three exotic class items with EXP bonus, three emotes, three shaders, and an early access weapon pack.

PS4 bundle Destiny

The bundle is now available for pre-order, it can only be picked up with the release of “The Taken King” on September 15. It can also be shipped, with shipping costs of 4.99€ applied.

Disclaimer: We do not receive anything from Media Markt for this article. This is purely informational, as some readers have inquired about the edition.

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

Nexon is working on a Free2Play Titanfall Online for the Asian market

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

The Korean MMORPG expert Nexon will bring Titanfall to PC in Asia – and it will be a Free2Play version.

Titanfall-Online-Auge-in-Auge

“It’s different elsewhere”, this is as simple as it is true. The gaming market in Asia operates entirely differently than here in the West. Players do not have powerful PCs at home, consoles are rarely found. The blockbuster franchises here, mostly hardware-demanding shooters for consoles or PCs, can hardly be played in Asia.

Online games are strong there, especially in the Free2Play sector: People meet in internet cafes and play Free2Play, paying a small fee for usage. The clique there often replaces the extended family, the club or the circle of friends.

Therefore, some of the best-known “Western franchises” in Asia are available in versions that we don’t even know here. Call of Duty Online exists, for example, Borderlands Online or Halo Online. All these games are only available in the Russian or Asian markets.

And soon “Titanfall Online” will join them. Nexon promises an intense gaming experience from the license, which they want to shape into a new and exciting online experience with their own Free2Play expertise.

This is the launch trailer for the Western Titanfall from 2014:

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Source(s):
  1. MMO Bomb
  2. 2p

Guild Wars 2: Fractals are getting easier and harder at the same time

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

With the upcoming expansion “Heart of Thorns”, some things are changing in Guild Wars 2. Especially the fractals are being adjusted to attract more players.

Double difficulty yet beginner-friendly

As soon as the first expansion of Guild Wars 2, Heart of Thorns, goes live, there will be some changes to the fractals of the mist. The small group instances, which usually consist of 3 random islands and a boss encounter, will be significantly shortened. In the future, the fractals will only consist of a single island, so players can enjoy them even during a short gaming session. Additionally, there is a desire to make the content more beginner-friendly, to appeal to newcomers and players who have previously hesitated.

If you are thinking of a general simplification of the content, you are mistaken. At the same time, ArenaNet is increasing the maximum difficulty level from 50 to 100 and is revising the mist lock instabilities. At the highest levels, multiple hurdles will be placed in your way. Nevertheless, the difficulties of the fractals should be communicated much better by the game: Clear chat messages will indicate what the difficulty of each fractal is.

More rewards, clearer announcements

New weapon skins await all who face the fractals.
New weapon skins await all who face the fractals.

Of course, the revision also brings some new rewards for players. There will be daily achievements that demand a different difficulty level from you each day – this should make it easier to find like-minded players (who have to complete the same task). Those who face the fractals will be rewarded with fractal weapon skins, ascended gear, and many other rewards.

Anyone who wants to see all the changes should take a look at the official developer blog.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. guildwars2.com

Business figures: How it goes at Aion, Guild Wars 2, Blade and Soul and WildStar

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

The Korean MMO company NCSoft has presented its figures for the second quarter of 2015: The struggling MMO WildStar has lost even more. Guild Wars 2, Aion, and Blade and Soul are doing well.

Blade.and-Soul-Fliegen

The Korean MMO publisher NCSoft is publicly traded and therefore regularly reveals its figures, unlike many other MMO companies. The business figures for the 2nd quarter of 2015 paint the picture we have known from Korea for quite some time. Especially the “oldie” in the stable is doing well: Lineage I has made significant gains compared to the last quarter. The Korean evergreen, significantly older than WoW, plays almost no role in the West.

Otherwise, almost all games have seen a slight increase: Aion (distributed in Europe by Gameforge), Blade and Soul, and also Guild Wars 2 reported an increase in revenue from April to June compared to the quarter between January and March. Only the struggling SF-MMO WildStar is once again looking at the TV screen. The numbers were already extremely weak, and the game has lost another 20%.

Most of these games have prospects. An expansion for Guild Wars 2 is expected to come out soon, which is highly anticipated. Blade and Soul is expected to finally come to the West by the end of the year. For WildStar, a transition to a Free2Play system and a port to China are on the horizon. There are also rumors of a partnership with Steam, but at the moment, it is still completely unconfirmed.

QuartalsZahlen-NCSoft
The figures are in millions of Korean Won. 1 million Won is approximately 780 Euros. WildStar made 1.6 million Euros in the 2nd quarter, GW2 17.5 million; Lineage 66.7 million.
WildStar Free to Playjpg

Compared to the 2nd quarter of last year, in 2014, almost all games have remained relatively stable, only Blade and Soul and Lineage I have made a significant jump upwards.

For WildStar, the 2nd quarter of 2014 was the release quarter, and revenues have decreased tenfold compared to then. This also means that NCSoft earned significantly less in the West in the 2nd quarter of 2015 than in the 2nd quarter of 2014.

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

Armored Warfare: There is round the clock and in German for the next Early Access

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

In the military MMO Armored Warfare, the next Early Access phase will run all day and will also be available in German.

Obsidian Entertainment, the minds behind Fallout: New Vegas, are developing a version of World of Tanks for the Russian company mail.ru with a focus on modern warfare and RPG elements. Armored Warfare is what it’s called. They have already held three Early Access events since May, each time giving players a little more to see.

The next event will take place from August 13 to August 30. This time it will be available 24 hours a day.

In addition to upgrades and updates, they are also offering a German version of the client for the first time.

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Source(s):
  1. Armored Warfare

Black Desert: New class is a female ninja, intended for experts

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

In the Korean MMORPG Black Desert, the eleventh class has been introduced: a Kunoichi, a female ninja.

At the end of the presentation of Valencia, the desert zone, one could already catch a glimpse of her, and indeed: The eleventh class of Black Desert will be the Kunoichi, a type of female ninja.

Black-Desert-Kunoichi-schleichen

Kunoichi can do everything, just must not get caught

The class will likely play as a typical “Glass-Cannon”: Hits hard like a horse, takes as much as a mosquito, so must absolutely not get caught. To avoid the part about “getting caught,” she will have some stealth mechanisms and tricks at her disposal. It will be about distracting enemies and appearing behind them. Once they are lying dead on the ground, defense no longer matters.

Black-Desert-Kunoichi

Publisher Daum and the developers of Pearly Abyss warn: The class is more suitable for veterans who would be able to pay attention to many things at once. With the Kunoichi, there is again a clear commitment to gender lock, recently Daum surprised with both a male and a female variant for the wizard.

And for those wondering: All good and well, but when can we play Black Desert here in the West? The release is planned for early 2016, recently there was also a positive sign of life.

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

Destiny: Banned players due to lag switch declare their innocence

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

In the MMO shooter Destiny, hundreds of cheaters have now been lightly dealt with by the banhammer. Many banned players are reporting that they swear they never did anything wrong.

The 7 Phases of the Cheater Cycle

It is a typical phenomenon in MMOs of all types: A phenomenon that appears in several phases:

  1. Everyone complains about cheaters and that there are far too many of them. The developers must do something right away.
  2. There are guides circulating on how to cheat, some people openly admit to using such tactics. Some other players mock them, with the motto “The honest one is the fool.”
  3. The developer announces bans.
  4. Cheaters get nervous. It was all just for fun, they never meant it that way.
  5. The developer really bans people.
  6. In the forums, numerous players complain that they were banned completely unjustly, claiming they never did anything wrong, that there must be a misunderstanding, a glaring injustice, and they demand immediate satisfaction.
  7. The “wrongfully banned” encounter something for which only we Germans have a word, it is called “Schadenfreude.”

This phenomenon is currently taking place in Destiny – and we are in the delightful phase between 6 and 7.

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Currently in Destiny, one is in phase 6.5

Since Bungie banned players accused of manipulating the network connection, reports from horrified innocents are increasing, who claim they never did anything wrong and are now desperate that Bungie’s arbitrariness has caught them. They mainly populate the official Destiny forum, but they have also discovered the subreddit DestinyTheGame for their concerns: They want to be unbanned, thinking that public pressure will help.

A Crucible ban in Destiny means that certain weapons can no longer be used and also – at least for a time – one is excluded from the modes in which they did something wrong. In this case, it should mainly be the Trials of Osiris.

Destiny-Trials-of-Osiris

Whom can you trust? Who should you trust?

This is a tricky situation. As an outsider, you have no way to verify who is right, but must rely on the developers’ results or not. The player reports can, even if passionately expressed, ultimately be complete nonsense.

For other games, even form letters for “caught cheaters” are circulating, which they can post to appear particularly innocent. Some even charge money for the service of unlocking the accounts of banned players with tall tales.

Bungie has already commented on the accusations, stating they only act on reports where losing players accuse better players out of frustration. It is said: If we only acted on reports, we would have banned thousands and thousands, including some of our employees. That is not the case. They have other ways to verify this accurately.

Destiny-TrialsofOsiris

Experience shows: Developers are usually, but not always right

Experience shows that it is a well-known phenomenon that also guilty players passionately proclaim their innocence, as in the end they can only gain something, but lose nothing. In the past, software companies sometimes presented the exact logs or evidence of what the “cheater” did, who so passionately washes their hands of guilt. But there have also been cases where the companies’ “detection tools” were indeed too sensitive and innocents were banned.

What do you think? Do you trust Bungie to catch the right ones and enjoy the spectacle? Or do you think that this ban wave has caught innocents? Perhaps we can only reliably say that starting tonight, when the next Trials of Osiris begins. Then we will see if the cheater situation has eased a bit.

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

Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns is entering the hot phase – Beta weekend and Gamescom stream

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

Next week marks the start of the first public beta weekend of the Guild Wars 2 expansion Heart of Thorns. At the same time, there will be a major PvP tournament at Gamescom!

Only a small part of the world

Guild-Wars-2--Wiedergänger-Stab
This weekend, the Revenants can be re-unleashed.

In the first beta weekend, starting on August 7 at 9 PM, Guild Wars 2 players will be mainly surveyed about their gameplay experience of Heart of Thorns. Thus, not all areas of the upcoming expansion will be available, but only a small part of the world. In a section of the “green threshold,” players can defeat initial enemies, discover secrets, and uncover the strengths and weaknesses of the new addon.

Those who have purchased the expansion in advance can directly create a level 80 character with strong equipment or even create a Revenant and explore the new and old content with it. All previously announced features of the class (the trait lines and legends) are available for testing.

GW2 Fortress HoT
Also the Fortress mode is available for testing again.

Characters from the first beta event can be carried over to later weekends, allowing players to feel improvements and changes directly and provide feedback again.

Tournament at GamesCom

At the same time, a tournament will be held at GamesCom in Cologne. The four best teams in the world will compete against each other for a total prize pool of $50,000. But even those who are not interested in PvP should tune in to the livestream of the tournament, as additional details about Heart of Thorns will be revealed there.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. guildwars2.com

MMO Trends June: Ark Survival Evolved major winner of the summer; MMORPGs continue to lose

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

In the MMO trends for June, there is an offensive from casual games and dinosaurs.

To start with, the note that you will probably ignore to complain in the comments: These 20 games in the list are not the real “Top 20” PC games, but rather reflect the hours that users of the program Raptr have spent on each game on PC. Raptr is linked to the graphics card manufacturer AMD. So, only “trends” can be observed if one assumes that the user group of the Raptr program remains relatively constant over the months.

Real numbers could only be provided by the game developers and they simply do not do that, those rascals.

WoW Archimonde

Blizzard is doing it again – WoW and Heroes of the Storm are improving

WoW is back in the top 3, after it significantly lost in May. This is not due to more hours being played overall. Despite the Hellfire patch at the end of June, playing time has decreased further (which is quite normal in summer), but it has lost less than Dota 2 or GTA.

Heroes of the Storm was officially out for a full month in June and now finds itself in a strong eighth place. Diablo 3 is struggling quite a bit under the summer heat and the lack of new game content. A major patch has already been announced, but it will take time before it shows up again in the MMO trends. Hearthstone remains consistent.

Ark-Survival-Reit-Dino

Dinos win in June

The big winner in June is clearly the dinosaur MMO “Ark Survival Evolved”, which is still in Early Access, but has already achieved some sales success on Steam and is the “good mood” story of the summer, even though the game does not run on every PC and still has a long way to go.

Apart from Ark, especially casual games are on the rise. The dreaded Clicker Heroes is a time sink that many have running in the background. It launched on Steam in June. This is noticeable in the playtime. Raptr’s hour counting furthermore ensures that such games are strongly favored. This peculiarity of Raptr had long benefited the sandbox MMORPG ArcheAge with good rankings – you also received advantages if you let it run, even if you were not actually at your computer.

Hildibrand Final Fantasy XIV

Disillusionment for classic MMORPGs waiting for their expansion

June was rather disillusioning for classic MMORPGs. For Final Fantasy XIV, the expansion came, but only late in June, and there was no observable trend shift yet.

Also, Star Wars: The Old Republic and Guild Wars 2 are losing rankings while they wait for the next big expansion. Guild Wars 2 even disappears entirely from the top 20, along with War Thunder. It appears to be the case: The better World of Tanks does, the less there is left of the pie for War Thunder, which was also shaken by a severe crisis last week.

Raptr-Juni
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Source(s):
  1. Raptr

Overwatch: “Lucio” brings great vibes to Gamescom

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time < 1 minutes

Blizzard teased in a news announcement that a new character for Overwatch will be revealed at GamesCom – the musical artist Lúcio.

Synaesthesia Auditiva

In a typical message from the world of “Overwatch,” Blizzard has now announced that the next character Lúcio will have his “debut appearance” on Wednesday in Germany, which can only refer to GamesCom!

So far, only a few details are known about the Brazilian, who according to the “message” is currently promoting his first album “Synaesthesia Auditiva.” Blizzard has even gone so far as to actually create two of his tracks, in “We move together as One” you can listen here:

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The message continues that Lúcio’s performance is more than just musical. You can “not only hear the music, but also feel and see it.” In summary, this sounds like a character who may work with sound waves to strengthen his teammates and boost morale. We will know more at GamesCom – by the way, there is also supposed to be a stream.

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