Diablo 3: Clear greater rifts over 100 in seconds – This exploit almost ruined Season 4

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

In Diablo 3, an exploit was found on the test server that nearly ruined the next season.

Exploits on test servers are a sensitive matter, and it hasn’t always turned out well for Diablo 3. As YouTuber Rhykker recounts, in earlier seasons, small groups of players discovered an exploit on the test server, kept it secret, and then used it at the start of the new season in Diablo 3 to gain a huge advantage in the rankings.

Just such an exploit was found this time again, but it was reported and then neutralized by Blizzard.

http://youtu.be/F6XvbnqgS2U

With the exploit, it was possible to complete a level 1 rift, but it was counted as if one had defeated the boss of a “Greater Rift” at the highest possible level. This worked by clicking the portals at the right time, tricking the game into thinking one was completing a high Greater Rift, while in reality, one was only in a smaller, normal rift. One beat on a weakling but was rewarded with a position on the leaderboard as if one had slain a titan.

Diablo 3 Reaper of Souls

On the test server, a guild of players exploited this bug extensively to draw Blizzard’s attention. This allowed the players of the guild to complete rifts that were well above level 100. However, it always only displayed “99”; apparently, the Diablo 3 system cannot represent three-digit rifts.

The bug underlying the exploit has been known as the “Double Rift Exploit” for some time. However, with the elimination of the Realm of Trials, the bug only gained this significance with Season 4 on the test server.

The YouTuber strongly advises against going exploit hunting on the live server, as that could lead to trouble and bans; however, the test server is made exactly for such purposes – if one reports it.

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

Neverwinter: Developers can’t stop raving about new strongholds

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

In the free-to-play action MMORPG Neverwinter , there is extreme pride in the new expansion and they are raving about it.

The advertising machinery of Neverwinter has been running for weeks, constantly revealing new details about the “Strongholds,” the guild fortresses. They will find their way into the PC version of Neverwinter on August 11, and the developers just can’t stop talking about how great it will be.

There will be a kind of housing in Neverwinter – just with guilds and dragons

It is said to be three times larger than the largest zone so far, as they revealed to US sites on a press tour – and further expansion is planned.

In fact, this “expansion” seems to be the keyword. Numerous buildings exist, which can be upgraded to up to 20 rank levels, and then buffs can be selected. Players can gather resources, clear enemy camps around the fortress in Neverwinter and thus create living space, everything contributes to the fortress growing and thriving.

Neverwinter-Blessing

Everything is grounded in the Dungeons&Dragons lore, as Neverwinter ensures to pay attention to it; early rulebooks already contain hints about land ownership in the pen&paper world.

Dragons’ Greed – new PvE event

As an example of the new type of gameplay, they mention the 40-player PvE event “Dragons’ Greed.” Here, several dragons have settled in the area and must be defeated. However, it does not go as simply as the guild moving from dragon to dragon and happily slaughtering them, because as soon as the dragon brood gets wind that one of their comrades has been killed in unfair combat, the rest will quickly disappear.

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The guild must therefore split up and attack several dragons simultaneously if they want to secure some of the best rewards in the game.

Guild Wars must take place amicably – the PvP

Many players associate fortress battles between guilds with surprise night attacks. The opponent attacks when no one is there to defend. Such a thing will not happen in Neverwinter: Here, guilds must agree to fight each other.

When two guilds have found each other as opponents in Neverwinter, their fortresses will be glued together like a new map: Here, a MOBA-like mode with three lanes starts. Resources can be gathered, war machines built, and dragons convinced to help the respective guild.

Neverwinter-Dragons

In order to increase the excitement for the Strongholds among fans, Neverwinter is granting double experience points until August 11.

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Source(s):
  1. MO

The Lord of the Rings Online: The 10 surviving servers have been confirmed, the rest will be closed

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

In the fantasy MMORPG Lord of the Rings Online, the list of servers that will continue to operate has been announced today. The remaining servers will be closed as part of a server consolidation. No new characters can be created on these servers.

We have already reported about the server consolidation in Lord of the Rings Online, today, on August 3rd, as announced, the “list of survivors” has been revealed.

In Europe, these are:

  • Belegaer
  • Gwaihir
  • Sirannon
  • Laurelin
  • and Evernight

Germany retains 2 servers in Lord of the Rings Online

This is probably quite good news for German players: Gwaihir was marked as a DE server. Belegar as a DE-RP server, Sirannon is a French server, Laurelin is intended for English-speaking roleplayers, and Evernight is a standard EN server. So, it affects the French roleplayers, not the German speakers. The other Europeans are a bit surprised that only one single English-speaking “normal” server remains. However, whether the two RP-marked servers in Europe will keep their designation is still uncertain.

The five “surviving” US servers will be Arkenstone, Crikkenhollow, Landroval, Gladden, and Brandywine.

Lord of the Rings Online: Helm's Deep

German HdRO servers Maiar, Morthind, Vanyar, and Anduin close their doors in 2016

No new characters can be created on the remaining servers immediately. These include the 4 German servers: Maiar, Morthond, Vanyar, and Anduin. They will be closed.

If you are playing on one of the 4 servers: No reason to panic, the entire process will take several months. A server transfer will only be necessary starting in 2016, then the old worlds will no longer be accessible.

The reactions to the server consolidation are mostly positive: There is a general consensus that such a step was necessary, especially since it is associated with the move to a new data center for Lord of the Rings Online. Of course, some had hoped it would affect another world, not their own.

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

Heroes of the Storm: Pro gamer explains game moves and tactical subtleties

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

Being a good player in Heroes of the Storm is not so easy. It is helpful when a professional explains the crucial gameplay scenes and points out mistakes.

Easy to learn, hard to master

Heroes-of-The-Storm-Big-Head
Recognizing mistakes is often not so easy – learning from them is even harder.

As with almost all games from Blizzard, the beginner-friendly principle also applies to Heroes of the Storm: Easy to learn, hard to master. However, making the transition from an “acceptable” to a “good” player is not so easy without external help. It is very useful that some top players take the time to analyze professional games and show us mere mortals what the crucial plays, positioning, and decision-making errors of a match were. One of these players runs the Youtube account Fan Heroes of the Storm and analyzes a final match between the teams Cloud9 and TempoStorm, where he himself participates as Abathur.

He goes very detailed into the decisive 4 minutes of gameplay in his 20-minute analysis and shows even for newcomers how important the right positioning and the lightning-fast reaction to team commands are. At a high level, it can be recognized that not only kills count, but also the usage of ultimates. And how important it is to create minion waves to split the opponents’ attention.

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Anyone who has previously denied the tactical depth of Heroes of the Storm may have been enlightened by this video or at least received some suggestions for their own maneuvers to perform better in the Nexus.

If you have no idea about Blizzard’s MOBA yet, you should also take a look at our beginner’s guide.

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

ArcheAge: In China they are into panda bears

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

In the Chinese version of ArcheAge there are the strangest gliders: fluttering, but very happy panda bears.

Anyone who thought that the Pegasus mount is already the peak of happiness should take a look at this:

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This gliding panda is an example of the Chinese version of ArcheAge; it is slowly moving into a phase without wipes and is supposed to be “faster” than the original Korean version of the game.

As Chinese players are even hungrier content locusts than elsewhere, XLGames wants to ensure that new content is provided quickly as well. On August 6, the phase without wipes begins. Here is a trailer that kicks off the pre-open beta phase.

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Source(s):
  1. MMO Culture

Has World of Warcraft shaped and destroyed the term MMO?

Andreas Bertits Andreas Bertits Reading time 3 minutes

Has World of Warcraft not only shaped the MMO genre but also destroyed it? Is the MMO market essentially not an MMO market at all, but just a market for World of Warcraft, just as the MOBA market essentially belongs only to League of Legends?

Rob Pardo, former Chief Creative Officer at Blizzard, stated during the Games-First event in Helsinki, Finland, that more and more developers were avoiding the term “MMO” and there is a specific reason for that: they shun the comparison with WoW.

Rob Pardo Blizzard
Rob Pardo worked at Blizzard until 2014, leading the “Game Design” department.

When World of Warcraft was released in 2004 and its immense success was evident, many other studios wanted to ride that wave. However, no other MMORPG could truly match the success of WoW. While some were successful in their own right, most were not.

Over time, developers realized that it was not such a good idea to design a game that is very similar to WoW. Therefore, this type of game is currently evolving. However, the term “MMO” has become associated with World of Warcraft and has been shaped by the game, so they are distancing themselves more and more from it.

Publishers shunned the comparison with WoW and the expectations that come with it when announcing they were developing an MMO. Even the WoW of 10 years ago would be outmatched by today’s WoW, because it has so much more content. Today, anyone claiming to be an MMO is not only competing with the WoW of 2005 and 5 years of development time, but they are competing with the WoW of 2015 and 15 years of development time.

MMOs that no longer want to be called that

According to Pardo, many studios are developing online games where players interact in a persistent game world, but they shun the term MMO. Pardo cites Destiny as an example. It is obviously an MMO, although with gameplay that is quite different from WoW. However, the developers avoided the MMO term. This can serve as a good example of how today, while creating online games with persistent worlds, they are slowly working to eliminate the term “MMO” to distance themselves from it.

Destiny MMO
Destiny is packed with MMO elements. Nevertheless, the developers call it a “Shared-World Shooter.”

This is the only way to avoid comparisons with World of Warcraft, and publishers have recognized this as well. Examples of games that had trouble attracting enough players due to the term “MMO” include Star Wars: The Old Republic and WildStar.

Blizzard’s hard but necessary decisions

League of Legends
Experts say: The MOBA pie is distributed, League of Legends has eaten it.

It has simply become extremely difficult to establish oneself in a genre when a single game defines the genre. This is the case in the MOBA genre, for example. Even software giant Valve finds it challenging to compete with League of Legends. A new, attractive genre is often seen as a “new market.” However, the game that establishes and legitimizes this genre makes it difficult for newcomers to compete.

At Blizzard, however, they still believe in the MMO market. They did not cancel the mammoth project Titan because they lost faith in the genre, but because they were surprised at how long-term the success of WoW would be. No one had anticipated that even 10 years after release, WoW would still have so many subscribers.

They thought they could slowly pull developers away from WoW to work on Titan. But that was not the case.

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

HearthStone: 4 new class cards provide fresh deck ideas

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

In the today’s reveal of new Hearthstone content, there are 4 fresh class cards to check out that are coming with “The Grand Tournament“.

The Big Class Reunion

Hearthstone Flame Lance

Mages receive a new spell called Flame Lance. For 5 Mana, it deals 8 damage to a minion. At first glance, this card seems significantly worse than a Fireball, but it could prove useful as a counter for certain decks, such as Handlock decks.

Druids get a new minion, the Darnassus Aspirant. For 2 Mana, the night elf lady has solid stats of 2/3, but her card text is especially important. The Battlecry states: “Gain a vacant Mana Crystal.” Her Deathrattle negates this effect: “Destroy one of your Mana Crystals”. This card becomes really strong when you manage to apply Silence to it in time – something that can be done in the next turn with a Druid of the Claw.

For Warlocks, the demon selection expands with the new Wrathguard. It costs only 2 Mana and has massive stats of 4/3, but the card text reads: “Whenever this minion takes damage, your hero also takes that much damage.” In rush decks, this card could pay off, otherwise, it presents a considerable risk – especially strong spells against minions could take effect here.

Hearthstone Shado-Pan Cavalry

The Shado-Pan Cavalry is a new rogue minion, with acceptable stats of 3/7 for 5 Mana, but it becomes really strong when its “Combo” text comes into play, then it gains +3 Attack and turns into a true 6/7 monster.

What do you think of the new cards? Are they just niche fillers or must-have cards in every deck?

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

Destiny: Are we seeing a new exotic weapon here?

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

In the MMO shooter Destiny , clever fans have discovered hints of a new exotic weapon, the Sleeper Simulant.

Destiny is accompanied by so many YouTubers and fans that someone always finds even the smallest hidden message. During the presentation of the Collector’s Edition for “The Taken King” the blueprint of a weapon could be seen in the background for eagle-eyed viewers: The weapon is disassembled into its many individual parts. There, one can also see the name “Sleeper Simulant” and a symbol associated with the Warminds.

Destiny-Collector's-Edition
Would you have recognized that an exotic weapon could be hidden here?

YouTubers like “My name is byf” have analyzed this in detail and are convinced that an exotic weapon from “The Taken King” can be seen here. The weapon has, as can be seen from the blueprint, a very unique look (typical for exotic weapons) and it is also likely that such an exposed spot would have an exotic weapon placed there and not just an ordinary one.

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Sleeper Simulant could perhaps become a sniper rifle or a scout rifle, at least the appearance of the weapon suggests so. The Warminds’ symbol invites ideas; the weapon resembles the “Infinity”, powered by Vex energy. Some speculate that it would not be a “sniper rifle” in that sense, but rather a heavy weapon, perhaps a kind of rail gun. The name could suggest a paralysis effect, believes the YouTuber, slowing enemies down or taking them out of action for a few moments.

But all of this is currently pure speculation. Just like the idea that the weapon could fit into the existing Exotic cosmos of Destiny as a “rapid-firing Void sniper rifle”. We know no more than the image, the name, and that both are visible in an exposed location.

An exotic weapon that is definitely coming with “The Taken King” is already known: The scout rifle Jade Rabbit. It will only be available to PlayStation players, at least until autumn 2016.

Artist-Jadehase

Maybe we’ll learn more this week at Gamescom. The Bungie delegation left for Cologne last night.

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Star Wars Battlefront: Prepare for Takeoff

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

In the multiplayer shooter Star Wars Battlefront, the developers at DICE hinted at another mode: this time it seems to be going into the skies.

“Star Wars without Star Wars,” many complained when it became clear that while spaceships would be in the game, there would be no battles taking place in space. Instead, the iconic starships from the Star Wars universe will fly over the battlefields and fight each other with their color-coded lasers.

Currently, DICE and Electronic Arts are actively announcing new game modes, just last week they revealed the 10-on-10 mode “Blast”, and now there seems to be another mode coming soon. A new mode is coming, they posted on Facebook, along with this image “Prepare for takeoff:

star_wars_battlefront_take-off
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Source(s):
  1. vg247

Devilian: Summoner – Ice Lady with Control Compulsion

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

In the action MMORPG Devilian , the Summoner has now been introduced in a class spotlight.

Devilian will launch here in the West with four classes, while the developers are currently working on a fifth class in Korea. Here, Trion Worlds has introduced the Summoner.

The Summoner is a classic mage. She not only deals damage but also shifts and manipulates enemies so that they are in exactly the right spot, right where area spells with impact land. These will be her three skill lines:

  • Control: Disable your enemies. Push them in the path of an oncoming storm. With coordination and the right sense of timing, this skill tree allows you to restructure entire battlefields.
  • Storm Attack: Inflict elemental damage on your enemies with powerful attacks. This tree offers a wide range of instant-cast spells, where you must keep an eye on your mana and react quickly.
  • Salvo: Abilities in this tree trigger chain reactions that deal damage to multiple enemies simultaneously. Entire armies fall to the power of these spells.

In the Devil Form , she can teleport short distances, relying on ice spells and explosions. Overall, her “crowd control abilities” are well-developed, with numerous snare effects ensuring that she can keep enemies at bay.

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Source(s):
  1. Devilian

Black Desert: Valencia – during the day heat stroke, at night frostbite

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

In the Korean MMORPG Black Desert, a new desert zone called Valencia has gone live, which also presents players with climatic challenges.

Asia-MMO specialist Steparus’s love for Black Desert has noticeably cooled, but he has taken on the new region of Valencia in some videos. There is an interesting weather phenomenon here: In the heat of the scorching sun, players must consume filtered water to avoid heatstroke. At night, they need a special tea to prevent frostbite. Both liquids can be crafted if players have gathered resources.

While Steparu praises the beautiful landscape in the new zone, the patch has offered little to keep him entertained. Steparu, the main source of information in the West for what is happening in distant South Korea, has been complaining for months about a lack of group content in Black Desert.

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League of Legends: Gangplank is alive

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

In the MOBA League of Legends, the champ Gangplank is indeed alive, albeit not entirely whole.

That was at least a mild shock last week when a short story was published by Riot, in which Gangplank kissed the planks of eternity, so to speak, lowering his sails. Miss Fortune had taken care of him.

To ensure that the fans understood this was serious, Riot quickly banned Gangplank from all game modes and stated: “Gangplank is dead. He is banned. Finitio.” The developers reinforced this with some comments, creating the impression: Perhaps he is really gone for good. Fans were already demanding that Riot refund the points spent on the skins.

Gankplank-Rework-LoL

Now an epilogue to the story has been released on the Riot homepage and it turns out [Spoiler]: Gangplank barely survived, but only with one arm. This means: He is coming back, but with a new standard look.
Those who complete a matchmaking game with Gangplank by August 10 at 11:00 AM German time will also receive a free skin Captain Gangplank. This is meant to be remembered in League of Legends as a reminder of simpler, carefree times in Gangplank’s life.

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Source(s):
  1. Riot
  2. Kotaku

SMITE: New patch brings the scarab god Khepri and many hot skins

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 4 minutes

On Wednesday, a new SMITE patch will be released. There will be a crawling god and plenty of new skins, as well as some balancing changes.

Khepri the Dawnbringer

Smite Khepri

The Battleground of the Gods is expanding: Khepri the Dawnbringer will make his gaming debut starting August 5 with the patch “Rising Dawn”. In Egyptian mythology, he is an important part of daily life, as he is the one who guides the sun god Ra across the sky. Just as scarabs shape perfect balls from dung and earth to cradle their young, Khepri is also a god of rebirth: With the dawn of morning, he rolls Ra across the sky and through the underworld at night – until the sun rises again the next day.

In SMITE, Khepri is a guardian, but he differs greatly from his colleagues. Instead of fighting on the front lines, he maintains some distance with these abilities:

  • Through Fortitude (Passive), Khepri grants all allies around him a shield equal to 3% of their maximum health. The shield regenerates every 5 seconds (every 10 seconds in combat) and stacks up to a maximum of 15%.
  • With Abduct, the beetle god charges forward – if he touches an enemy god during this time, he slowly drags them back to his starting position, while the target is considered crippled for the duration of the pull.
  • Rising Dawn allows him to hurl a projectile in a straight line forward. Hit enemies take low damage for 3 seconds and lose a portion of their physical protection for the duration. Hit allies take 30-50% less damage for 3 seconds, depending on the skill level.
  • Solar Flare is a circular area spell that can be cast at long range. Hit enemies take damage and are briefly rooted.
  • His ultimate ability Scarab’s Blessing blesses an allied god. It removes all control effects, makes him immune to slow effects for a short time, increases his movement speed, and grants him additional power. If the allied god dies during the blessing period, he will instead be reborn at Khepri’s position with a portion of his health points.

The mechanic of rebirth definitely sounds exciting and offers new possibilities for how to play a guardian. Whether the concept works, everyone should try for themselves.

New Premium Skins: Cyber-Awilix and Musketeer-Freya

The Mayan goddess Awilix is receiving her first premium skin. Fans of the lively (and somewhat naive) goddess will soon be able to hop around the arena on a cyber panther. The look of Renegade Awilix seems to be inspired by worlds like Shadowrun.

With All For One!-Freya, the Nordic melee mage gets a somewhat medieval look in the style of the Three Musketeers. The crown of the Valkyries’ queen is replaced with a stylish feather hat and the icy blade is swapped for a rapier.

Cabrakan has probably stayed too close to a nuclear reactor, as his Gamma Slam skin makes him look more like Hulk rather than a mighty mountain. At most, a mountain of flesh.

All three of the above-mentioned skins come with their own voice pack, which will likely raise their price a bit.

Anubis will soon shine in the grandeur of his first Tier 2 skin, especially his headpiece has been upgraded with Afterlife Anubis. Khepri will receive his first recolor Imperator at launch and Medusa finally has the Gold/Legend/Diamond Skins completed.

Buffs and Nerfs: Ravana is happy; Bellona, Ratatoskr, and Ah Puch are not

This time, the balance screws are being adjusted again to achieve a more balanced gameplay experience.

The big winner of these adjustments is Ravana: His Overhead Kick has a 2-second shorter cooldown at all ranks and deals 15 base damage more than before. The 10-Hand-Shadow-Fist now grants 5 more healing at each rank and has increased base damage by nearly 10%.

  • Ah Puch will once again feel the nerf hammer: His Ultimate Empty the Crypts will be further weakened. Hit enemies will no longer be slowed.
  • The Roman war goddess Bellona also has to swallow hard: The cooldown of Eagle’s Rally will be raised to 75 seconds at all ranks and the slow from Shield Bash will be significantly reduced at the lower ranks.
  • The squirrel of discord Ratatoskr has lost some of his mobility: Dart can now only be triggered a maximum of 3 times in a row and Through the Cosmos has a delay of 1.5 seconds (instead of the previous 1.0).

In addition to the discussed changes to the gods, there are also some item adjustments and minor bug fixes scattered throughout the game.

Anyone who wants to learn more about Smite should check out our well-organized topic page on the game. We also regularly hold giveaways!

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

Destiny: This will be one of the new strike bosses in Kings of the Forsaken

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

In the MMO shooter Destiny , new enemies will await the Guardians with the expansion. One of them has now been introduced by Bungie: the Strike boss Dark Blade.

There isn’t much yet known about the new expansion for the MMO shooter Destiny “Taken King“, but a new Strike boss was revealed a few days ago: Dark Blade, known as Dunkelblade.

In a previous life, the Dark Blade was once a creature of the Hive, now he belongs to the Taken, those who were captured by Oryx and endowed with new powers. Dark Blade will be a boss in a Strike, which will be set in the new zone “Dreadnought”. The Dreadnought, Oryx’s fortress among the rings of Saturn, will be the primary setting for the new expansion.

Bungie promises new gameplay mechanics, plenty to explore, and puzzles.

  • Darkblade-Destiny-Vorstufe
  • Darkblade-Axt-Vorstufe
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

H1Z1: Guilds, Fortresses, and a Hospital – this is what the future brings

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

The survival MMO H1Z1 has big plans for the future, while currently still busy with the house cleaning.

Just two days ago we reported: H1Z1 is hitting the brakes, intending to slow down the release of new game content to ensure that everything works properly. However, this doesn’t mean that nothing is happening; they are still pursuing their plans. After all, the game is expected to eventually grow out of Early Access.

In a conversation with a US MMO site, they outlined their next plans. Here’s what’s coming next in the zombie MMO H1Z1:

  • The next major feature will be guilds introduced into the game
  • and once they have that, they will again focus on base building, both are closely related: Through the guild system, guild members will be able to build here even when others are not online
  • Approximately in August, a large new multi-story building called the “hospital” will be added as a prominent location in the game, where players can also find aids such as advanced Medi-packs
H1Z1-Labor-Raum
  • Female zombies are expected to arrive around the same time as the hospital
  • The zombie ladies will also enable other types of zombies such as screamers, crawlers, or exploding zombies
  • Additionally, they plan to bring other skin colors to H1Z1, allowing both zombies and survivors to showcase different ethnicities
  • And the “professions” have been postponed, but not forgotten

Professions and the screamer zombie were actually planned for July 21, but the developers opted out in favor of the extended house cleaning.

Read more about the survival-MMO H1Z1, which is still in Early Access, on our topic page.

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

Heroes of the Storm: Mecha-Tassadar saves the world from Kaiju Diablo

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time < 1 minutes

To showcase the legendary skin of Tassadar from Heroes of the Storm a little better, Blizzard has now provided him with a small trailer.

Apocalypse: Canceled

Currently, the Mecha-Tassadar skin is available at a reduced price in Blizzard’s Heroes of the Storm. To promote the rather unusual appearance of the Starcraft hero a bit, they have quickly put together a small introduction trailer. The video showcases not only the basic appearance of the alternative skin but also parts of his voice and, of course, the abilities in action, most of which have also been massively reworked. Additionally, there is even a unique mount, as Tassadar suddenly transforms into a fighter jet form. By the way, Mecha-Tassadar saves the world from the threat posed by Kaiju-Diablo – bringing back some childhood memories of the Power Rangers or cheesy mecha anime. You should definitely take a look at the metallic Protoss yourself:

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The skin is on sale for 25% off until Tuesday, so anyone looking to stomp across the battlefields of the Nexus as a mech should act soon.

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

Sea of Thieves is supposed to be the best game that the cult studio Rare has ever made

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

The pirate multiplayer game shown at E3 “Sea of Thieves” is said to be the best thing the cult studio Rare has ever made, at least if Microsoft is to be believed.

The development studio Rare had a partnership with Nintendo in the 90s. This period is where the studio gained its excellent reputation. Especially 007 Golden Eye on the Nintendo64 is considered a true masterpiece of the era. The first-person shooter has shaped the genre until today.

But those times are long gone, in 2002 Microsoft bought the Brits from Rare and has since then let them develop mainly for the Xbox and its successors. There have not been any real hits since then. That is supposed to change with the pirate multiplayer adventure “Sea of Thieves”.

Sea-of-Thieves-Crew

A representative from Microsoft, Kuno Tsunoada, the mind behind Kinect, has expressed confidence that Sea of Thieves will be the best game Rare has ever made. The game should thrive on the emotions players develop during the story. That is precisely the strength of the development studio. In this direction, they want to continue to apply their efforts. And Sea of Thieves will be the best game Rare has ever developed.

There is still very little known about “Sea of Thieves” at this point, this trailer was shown at E3:

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Source(s):
  1. Gamespresso

War Thunder: Churchill, Centurion, Comet – the British are coming

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By the end of the year, the military MMO War Thunder will also receive British tanks.

German, Russian, and American ground forces are already in War Thunder, which is mainly praised for its realistic aerial combat simulation, but they have also engaged in the ground offensive. British tanks are expected to follow by the end of the year.

War-Thunder-Churchill

Three tanks in different variations are set to find their way into the game. The heavy infantry support tank named after Winston Churchill, Churchill Mk. III, is supposed to excel particularly due to its superior armor.

The medium cruiser tank A34 “Comet” will have to make compromises in terms of armor, but in return, it is more maneuverable and has excellent firepower with a 17-pounder anti-tank gun for its weight of only 33 tons.

War-Thunder-Comet

The medium tank Centurion was only completed at the end of World War II and could no longer intervene in the events, but proved itself in later conflicts. The extremely powerful QF-20-pounder main gun of the Centurions fires projectile shells. We have used the image of the Centurion as the title image.

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Source(s):
  1. War Thunder

Marvel Heroes was Marvel Heroes 2015 because the gaming press is outdated

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The superhero MMO Marvel Heroes 2015 will probably rename itself every year to attract new tests and attention from gaming magazines.

When Marvel Heroes was released, it received a thrashing. The game just wasn’t very good. Reviewers took a look at it, found a lot to criticize, wrote their reviews: 58 points on the review aggregator Meta-Critic as a result. This is roughly equivalent to a 4 or 5+.

At Gazillion, they rolled up their sleeves, worked hard for success, and released new patches week after week. A fan base formed around the superhero brawler with Diablo in its DNA and a Marvel license in its back. The game improved significantly, but hardly anyone outside the fan base noticed. The 58 on Meta-Critic remained an indelible mark.

Marvel-Heroes2015

Gaming press has not yet adapted to new models

The problem behind this, explained David Brevik in an interview with gamesauce, is the gaming press. They looked at a game upon release and then not again, no matter how much the developers worked on it.

Normally, gaming magazines would come back for a new expansion to test, but since Marvel Heroes received weekly patches and everything was offered for free in the game, there was no thought of such a thing. They simply had no expansion to promote.

The gaming magazines had not yet adjusted to the new model of a “live service,” according to Brevik.

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With the new name, the testers returned to Marvel Heroes

Marvel-Heroes-Ding
Now even more lovable!

Therefore, they opted for a “rebranding”, transforming Marvel Heroes into Marvel Heroes 2015 last year; the gaming magazines came back, conducted a test – and the Meta-Critic rating shot up from 58 to 81.

This “rebranding” is now planned annually, similar to how sports games also release with a new number every year. But whether it will be called “Marvel Heroes 2016” is still uncertain. They are likely to rename the game again at the end of the year, again to “rebrand”, and it will coincide with a major patch.

Brevik now knows what they did wrong back then: They absolutely should have launched it as “beta”, then players and press would have tolerated much more.

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Source(s):
  1. Gamesauce

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

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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.

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Source(s):
  1. Planet Destiny Exo-Gegenüberstellung