In the multiplayer shooter Star Wars Battlefront, the developers have now confirmed another controllable spaceship and two vehicles. They are also discussing the difficulty level in aerial combat.
In Star Wars Battlefront, it is currently the player’s highest duty to extract any information from the developers, of any kind, while they want to reveal as little as possible and save material for E3 and other announcements.
There is now further information. Three new “vehicle types” have been confirmed:
As a “spaceship”, in addition to the two confirmed X-Wings and Tie Fighters, there will also be the opportunity to control the Millennium Falcon. That’s the thing from the movies with the hairy guy and the Wookiee at the controls. While it doesn’t go into space, there will be opportunities to hunt each other over the battlefields.
As for the “vehicles”, players will have the chance to control, in addition to the already confirmed AT-ST, also “Speeder Bikes”, “Snow Speeders”, and more. Those are the land vehicles that Stormtroopers fall off so nicely.
The spaceships are intended to be “padawan-friendly”, i.e., beginner-friendly, compared to the old Battlefront. But they are also supposed to be masterable, meaning they have a certain skill ceiling so that good pilots can gain more than weaker ones.
A statement was made regarding the “missing sights.” It was an aesthetic decision to equip some weapons without such iron sights. This has no impact on the gameplay.
Just to clarify, in #SWBattlefront, missing iron sights on certain weapons will have no effect on ADS gameplay. It’s just a visual thing.
In Blizzard’s online card game Hearthstone , almost all players are now being gifted two free card packs. Why is that?
If you’re like us and you quickly squeeze in a game of “Hearthstone” between brushing your teeth and breakfast in the morning, you’ve probably noticed: When logging in, you received two free card packs just like that. And they are of the “classic” variety.
This is no happy accident, and you don’t need to look around sheepishly to see if everything is above board or if someone caught you pulling 2.79€ out of your pocket for Blizzard like a goblin. Rather, this is a compensation from Blizzard for the connection issues European players experienced last week.
Everything is perfectly legitimate. You’ve rightfully earned the two Hearthstone packs because you had an account before May 3rd. Great job! Hopefully, there’s something better in your two packs than in ours …
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the MMO shooter Destiny , we now know what happened to the old raids “Crota’s End” and “The Vault of Glass”.
A few days ago, on the last Saturday, we captured an article about the old raids in Destiny and wondered what will happen to them when “House of Wolves” goes live on May 19.
what level the exotics will reach that drop there starting May 19?
whether the raids will receive a new difficulty level or remain at 30 and 33?
At that time, we only knew that the exotics dropping there would have the new “HoW” level, meaning they could reach 365 damage and 42 light level.
Now there are answers to the other two questions:
The raids will NOT receive a new difficulty level.
And the new exotics CANNOT drop in the old raids, there will be no change to the loot table.
Bungie shared these answers with the US site IGN. Whether story missions will take place in “The Vault of Glass” is still unknown.
What do the old exotic weapons look like with House of Wolves? The first Gjallarhorn has been rediscovered
One of the YouTubers who has already been able to play Destiny brought back images of a newly dropped Gjallarhorn. This way, we now know what it will look like with House of Wolves. The “old” exotics that are rediscovered start with 334 damage points. The old ones only reached 331 when fully upgraded. And the “old” exotics still have the three damage nodes on the right side, so they still need to be upgraded “like before”.
However, they won’t have an “Ascend” node: you can upgrade them without Etheric Light, as we already knew. You only need an “exotic shard” to unlock the last damage node on the right, assuming everything goes live as seen in the video.
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At Blizzard, there is a plan for a cross-promotion between the online card game Hearthstone and the MOBA Heroes of the Storm. Those who play one will receive some rewards in the other.
If you reach level 12 in Heroes of the Storm, you will soon be able to enjoy this card back in Hearthstone:
In Heroes of the Storm, players will also get to see something from Hearthstone. New mounts planned are “card backs.” You will probably receive this if you win 100 matches in Hearthstone. It’s not a Herculean task, but it does require some effort. These mounts, reminiscent of flying carpets, should be available starting June 2.
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In World of Warcraft (WoW) ten Death Knights have defeated the Blackrock Foundry on Heroic, and next they want to find ten others to tackle Mythic.
Previously, Druids performed such stunts; the versatile weapons of the Alliance and Horde could slip into any role: tanking, healing, dealing melee damage, and ranged attacks. As a gag, “All-Druid” teams used to ravage opponents (And heaven help if leather dropped!). Now, Death Knights who specialize in “Blood” are trying this. The basic tactic is relatively simple: One tanks; if he takes too much damage, the next one takes over; and the first tank heals himself through their own damage. Blood DKs have a kind of built-in “lifesteal.”
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Ten of them fought through the Blackrock Foundry, especially the fight against the final boss, Blackhand, was tough for them. Since they had no healers or DPS with them, anyone could get hit by the “Impale.” This created pure chaos, and like in jazz, everyone had to improvise. In the end, it was relatively easy, as the leader of the dark horde writes under the video. It was due to the quality of his teammates, the Deathnerds.
Next, they want to look for ten allies and then move up to the higher weight class “Mythic”.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A new DLC “House of Wolves” will be released for the MMO shooter Destiny in a good week. It will bring a fresh Strike for three players: Shadow Thief. We will take a look at it in the video.
In addition to the Crucible maps, Trials of Osiris, and Prison of Elders with “House of Wolves” comes a new Strike. It is called “Shadow Thief” and is expected to be relatively short. Experts estimate it should last about 10 minutes. We have a video from you, where YouTuber Datto tackled the Strike with 2 buddies during his visit to Bungie:
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The three players are playing the “normal variant”, so it is not extremely challenging. However, the Strike could become the new “Nightfall” as early as next week. That is at least the expectation. And then it will probably be tougher. Whether it is also the new “Heroic Weekly”, by the way, is still unknown. From next week on, they are supposed to be separate from each other. One Strike will be Nightfall, another “Heroic Weekly.”
It looks like Dinklebot also has no text for this expansion; the announcements are made by Variks, who also commented on the “Prison of Elders”, but Variks only has a few lines of text and then a pause, the communication is disrupted – typical Starship Enterprise problem.
In the Strike, you will encounter Taniks several times, the final boss, similar to Omnigul, who appears multiple times along the way to the end. He engages in shootouts with the Guardians and challenges them. The life energy you take from him during the first encounters is missing at the end.
In the first passage of “Shadow Thief”, there is a reunion with the Hive, the dominant enemies from the first Destiny DLC; the rest of the way, Fallen appear as opponents.
The first boss battle is against a blue Walker, the ones with the design flaw: The legs are Monday models. During the fight, exploding Shanks will also appear for the first time, a type of suicide drone.
The final boss is just as you would imagine: While you have to fend off waves of enemies, you also get the chance to chip away at the HP of Taniks, who is shooting rockets, after his demise, you will have a brief moment to play with his Scorch Cannon, the relic weapon.
Not long ago, we also expressed doubts about whether Blizzard would “take it seriously” and stick to the plans for more regular releases of new heroes in “Heroes of the Storm“. Blizzard usually works on the principle of “good things take time”, but now data miners have read the near future of HotS and found: A new hero every month could be possible!
Kael’thas Sunstrider – the Sun King
We already reported about Kael’thas in the last few days, and just before his release, his remaining abilities are now also known. As expected, it will be fiery. In addition to his already introduced heroic abilities, he has the well-known mage spell “Flamestrike”, the dreaded “living bomb”, and the “Gravitational Pull” known from his WoW encounters, which briefly stuns opponents. The infamous green spheres that float around Kael will also have a significance. He can activate them at will and significantly enhance his next spell with them.
His release date has been read as “12.05.2015” – whether that’s true, we will probably find out tomorrow!
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The next hero to join the Nexus will again be a woman, this time from the Diablo universe. “Johanna” represents the Crusader class from Diablo. Her appearance and abilities suggest that she is a steadfast warrior who clearly focuses on controlling enemies. Her abilities slow down, pull all nearby opponents closer, or cause them to miss their next basic attacks. Similar applies to her heroic abilities: She chooses between a leaping stun or an area attack that briefly launches hit opponents into the air.
A few days ago, Blizzard also released a video showcasing the new heroes and skins that will be released soon.
We are currently working on many colorful new skins and fearsome mounts, and today we let you take a look at Stormpunk Kael’thas, Crusader Johanna, Little in a bikini, Super Sonya, the Gazlowe and much more!
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In the upcoming MMO shooter Tom Clancy’s “The Division,” chaos in a collapsing situation will take center stage, including the music.
The developers at Massive give us another glimpse into their work. In the latest dev blog, a sound artist talks about his daily work on the sound and music of “The Division.” Six months before E3 2013, he started working on the soundtrack and is still at it. It’s not about overwhelming players with a full orchestra, but rather supporting what can be seen and experienced as effectively as possible through music and sounds. The soundtrack that accompanies the game is sometimes reduced to percussion only, as he says.
The focus of the video, however, revolves around the “sound sources” in the game itself, as survivors play on improvised instruments. This has particularly moved Ola Strandh: “What do we retreat to when civilization fails?” he asks at the end. How would we then make music?
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Apparently, these thought experiments dominate the team. The aesthetics are geared towards exactly this question. It’s no coincidence that they chose a high-tech, densely populated metropolis like New York and wonder: What if everything here were to collapse?
Many other games and works that tell their stories in a post-apocalyptic setting are located in the countryside. Players, as we know, are meant to act as a kind of “last bastion against chaos” and in this world try to protect the weak and prevent the worst. And what they hear in that process is up to Ola Strandh. You can find out more about his work in this article.
MMORPGs often utilize very similar combat systems – but are these still up to date?
A bar at the bottom of the screen shows the abilities that can be used in battles depending on time. Meanwhile, the character usually also attacks automatically with standard attacks, while only the learned special attacks and spells are in the so-called “hotbar”. The system works, no question about it. And yet many gamers turn up their noses these days when a new MMO is announced that relies on a traditional hotbar combat system.
The advantages are obvious: On the one hand, it is a proven system that MMO fans know from World of Warcraft or The Lord of the Rings Online . Therefore, it is easy to find your way in a fresh game that relies on the familiar. Additionally, these combat systems allow for many tactics and good teamwork within the group. Hence, it is quite feasible to play effectively. Moreover, it is particularly suitable for online games, as these demand a system that does not depend on reaction speeds due to latency and possible lags.
In Final Fantasy XIV, which employs the traditional combat system, there are frequent discussions about whether a more modern combat system would have been better.
Overused Combat Systems?
Nevertheless, there is a lingering feeling that the system is outdated. It seems old-fashioned, worn out, with nothing new left to discover. Many RPGs use different character systems to give players something to delve into. Something new that they need to learn and master. Many also wish for something similar from a combat system.
If you are always presented with the same thing, it will eventually get boring. Some developers are trying to add more spice to the system. For example, by integrating a random component into the gameplay, like in the upcoming (MMO)RPG Shroud of the Avatar. The game mixes the familiar hotbar combat system with a collectible card game. This has sparked heated discussions in the community. Some find the system acceptable because it at least brings some fresh air, while others long for a classic hotbar system.
The latest installment of the series, The Elder Scrolls Online, has chosen an active combat system.
Active combat systems, where there are dodge rolls and each click of the mouse represents an attack – much like in the RPGs of The Elder Scrolls series – are interesting. However, this could cause latency issues. If you click and the action is delayed, the entire strategy could fall apart. Especially in MMORPGs that place great importance on competitive elements, it is crucial to maintain fairness and a certain balance.
That it can work is shown by Age of Conan, Vindictus, DC Universe Online, or TERA. Tactics may take a back seat in these games, but the action remains in focus, and you feel like you are genuinely participating in a battle.
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With WildStar a MMO has recently been released that continues on this path and, similar to its predecessors, focuses more on dynamic combat sequences and targeting, although attacks are not executed with the mouse button.
In a passive system, as offered by most MMORPGs, there is a feeling that you do not really embody the character, but rather just give commands that will eventually be executed. This detaches the player from their character. You are not a hero but merely an observer; giving a character commands instead of embodying it. However, there is no simple solution, as player preferences are too varied.
TERA is perhaps the most well-known representative of active combat systems, with a comparatively larger tactical component.
Andreas says: Combat systems in MMORPGs are a controversial topic. On one hand, hardcore gamers want as few changes as possible to play effectively. On the other hand, there is often the feeling of seeing the same game over and over again in different clothes. New, exciting combat systems bring a fresh wind to the genre, which it desperately needs. Because nobody wants to ride on a dead horse, and that applies to game systems that have been used for so long that they have simply become boring.
https://youtu.be/cm8AM8GHgVg
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The MMO shooter Planetside 2 (PC, PS3, PS4) is expected to have a bright future. This is promised by studio president John Smedley in a letter to the players.
To counter this impression, Smedley states in a letter to fans on reddit: “The PC is our core business and will remain so.” And Planetside is one of the “core franchises” of the company. It will still be here in 10 years, and if the right decisions are made, Planetside will be 10 times bigger in 10 years than it is now.
We are ready to invest more. New or former employees for PS2 will be hired soon.
The roadmap for Planetside 2 until September
Additionally, we want to get to work, tackle the important issues, and bring new features. For this year, Smedley announces the following ideas and changes:
Already this week, a new mode will be introduced, a kind of “battlefield” with a win condition and thus a set end. The mode is designed so that players can spend about an hour here and then jump back into the main game. Initially, the mode will be released in a preliminary beta version.
By September, the players will get an answer to the question “Why are we fighting, anyway?” The inability to provide a satisfactory answer to this question until now, is seen as the main problem of Planetside 2 – and this has been the case from the very beginning.
Primarily, the developers at DGC want to thoroughly fix the “meta-game” in a Patch 2.0. This is expected to come in September. DGC aims to change Planetside 2 so that players can farm resources in a fun way. They also want to bring outfits bases to new continents and simplify and improve the capture system.
More details about all these things will be announced in due time.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Riot Games and League of Legends are now so big that the announcement of a new champion is staged and they come up with new things for it. This time, Riot reveals almost nothing about the “New” Ekko, in the most spectacular way possible: in a really impressive trailer that we can present to you in German.
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From what it looks like in the trailer, Ekko is a melee fighter who can rewind time. In other games, such a feature is used as HP and cooldown reset. A player goes “out of time” and can use all cooldowns in the “second time phase”, change position, and also take damage. When this short time span elapses, he is returned to the state before the time jump. This concept was recently introduced by ArenaNet for a new class in Guild Wars 2.
At the moment, it is unknown whether Ekko will have such abilities and to what extent they will affect allies and opponents. But the trailer is really impressive.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Blizzard’s online card game Hearthstone , a player bought card packs for $3200 in one go. This caused quite a stir.
For 3200 US dollars, you get 2700 card packs, each containing 5 cards, totaling 13,500 cards. The man who spent this record amount at Blizzard and bought himself 15 minutes of internet fame gave an interview to PC Gamer.
And the surprise is how normal it all sounds when he says it. The man is not a crazy fanatic who has lost all contact with reality, but a successful accountant who wants to craft as many “golden cards” as possible. Admittedly, the last half-sentence does sound a bit crazy.
But in relation to the little free time he has, he spends relatively much time in Hearthstone, as he explains. And one night, with a bit of alcohol in his system, he made the purchase he had been contemplating for some time.
In under 5 minutes, he ordered 60 packs 45 times and now opened the first ones. He was a bit surprised that the bank didn’t inquire, but after a previous purchase they probably had “the green light from Blizzard,” as he says. The player has already obtained every card in Hearthstone. His goal is to obtain at least all the “common” ones in gold.
When asked if he regrets the decision, he replied: “A large number in my account has become a little less large.” That sounds like a clear: No.
Whales: This is the type of player companies are after
The player is probably the classic example of a “whale,” which doesn’t mean he has weight issues, but refers to the “big fish” that every free-to-play game is after: players who have disposable income and no qualms about parting with it. Even though this example is rather positive and involves a player who can afford it, there are many reports of players who also spend a lot of money in games without being able to afford it.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the MMO shooter Destiny the new DLC “House of Wolves” is just around the corner. More and more of the new weapons are becoming known, including six legendary rewards from the DLC “House of Wolves.”
“Your Majesty recommends,” we wrote… “Pretty in pink” would also be appropriate: The Queen’s weapons are here, at least some of them, and they are dark pink or light purple or however you want to call it: that’s more a question for Guido Maria Kretschmer.
There were YouTubers and journalists invited to Bungie in Seattle, to playtest “House of Wolves” (or in the case of less skilled players, to lie down and play), and they brought a lot of images and data that are now gradually being released.
Our friends from PRO NDC have presented the legendary weapons of the Queen:
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These treasures can be found in the “Prison of Elders,” which are not purchasable weapons but drops associated with the activity. Currently, there are 6 known. However, if finished, there could also be a total of 10. These items were found during testing with 331, but they can be upgraded to 365 damage points. And if you don’t like the perks of the weapons: they can be re-rolled as well: the weapons have, besides their subtle dark pink color, also the logo for “re-rolling,” the crossed hammers.
This is not live yet, and some data may still shift, but it looks like these things will go live on May 19.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, as 30 new legendary weapons were found alone with merchants in the social space. 6 for each of the 3 factions, plus weapons from the Crucible and Vanguard vendors.
In Destiny, the live stream on Twitch shattered the record set by Destiny itself for a game reveal in 2015 just two weeks ago. However, it upset the fans.
Twitch is pleased about Destiny’s success and immediately turns it into a PR press release about how suitable Twitch is for showcasing such games and being close to the community. The three live streams of House of Wolves generated a total of 1.5 million views. The Forbes magazine takes these numbers from Twitch as a good “hype barometer” and sees Destiny’s popularity as extremely high.
Screaming and problem players
Fans did not respond well to the Wednesday stream. It lasted almost an hour and a half, which is twice as long as the previous two streams. The “community representative” Professor Broman faced a lot of criticism afterward for his overly enthusiastic and loud manner.
He, Community Manager DeeJ, and Senior Designer Matt Sammons also failed to achieve the self-imposed task of completing the 34-Level of “Prison of Elders.” The three were seen failing against the tough enemies multiple times. This led to some mockery and derision from Destiny fans. Community Manager DeeJ later stated that they received a “kick in the behind.”
The secret of Destiny’s stream
The extremely high viewer numbers also caught the attention of Destiny’s competitors. For example, H1Z1 designer Adam Clegg tweeted in surprise: “Did they somehow promote this? Or is it normal that 160,000 people are watching Destiny?”
Did destiny do any I’m game promoting of their streams or promoting in other places, or are they just naturally getting 160,000 viewers.
The Sandpark MMO ArcheAge explains its new PvP/PvE event “The Grave Sea and the Abyssal Attack” in a post to the fans.
Instead of slides and ladders, the new event of ArcheAge revolves around “Kraken and Islands.” The event came with the nautical Patch 1.7a and it is not that easy to understand what is happening.
A Kraken must be defeated. The 3 factions can work together or sink each other in the process. After that, it is important to take possession of the island “Whirlpool Island”. To do this, a spell must be channeled uninterrupted on a beacon for 5 minutes while simultaneously protecting 3 buffers from the enemies’ attack.
And then comes a third phase. Here all players can mine crystals worth 70 Gold when they sell the Trade-Pack to an Ocean Trader. 300 crystals can be mined. Each player can do this every 5 minutes. This is a potentially big payday. The “winning faction” from phase 2 has advantages through a special buff.
This is an event that relies on the coordination of the entire faction, or on the dominance of particularly strong guilds: a sort of “XXL battleground.” It’s all a bit complicated. We have not called ArcheAge the game with lots of tricks and tips for nothing.
The multiplayer shooter Star Wars Battlefront is set to be released in November, ahead of which there has already been a lot of criticism. One developer feels unfairly treated by the gaming press, claiming the game has been misrepresented.
The lead level designer Dennis Bränvall believes that Star Wars Battlefront is being treated unfairly by the gaming media. Although he loves the media, he says, “these rage-clicks hurt my soul.” This likely refers to coverage meant to make players angry about the game, encouraging them to read the articles and watch the videos.
I love you gaming media, but the rage-clicks. They hurt my soul! 🙁
In Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR), a developer has now been harassed, insulted, and even threatened by fans because they disagreed with his views on two classes.
As Bioware’s Community Manager, John Musco, mentions in a post to fans, one of the SWTOR developers apparently fell victim to a sort of cyber “witch hunt.” This even extended to his family members.
Some fans were apparently so upset after the developer’s post about changes to the abilities of the Sentinel and Marauder classes that they tracked down some of his personal channels on social networks just to insult, harass, and even threaten him. This also extended to the developer’s family members.
As Musco states, the developer shared his views and those of the “Combat” team regarding the classes, even though he did not have to and although it was suspected that fans would react negatively. In light of such totally exaggerated reactions, the alternative suggested itself to simply remain silent. How can a community team ask developers to explain their decisions and views to fans when the community reacts this way?
It is known that players are dissatisfied with some things. Bioware is willing to engage in an open dialogue with players about this. However, it requires a certain level of mutual respect.
You can find the developer’s post that caused so much trouble here. The reason was changes that affected certain rotations. It was found in the forum that these occurred without announcement and without considering the community’s feedback. And they would not bring the desired results, but were “the worst.”
Mein MMO says: “The worst” is probably something and someone entirely different in this case.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A fan has recreated the area “Old Russia” from the MMO shooter Destiny with Lego.
Since September, Destiny has been on the market. One of the major criticisms: It is always the same. For the umpteenth time, everyone has rushed through the Cosmodrome on Earth, preferably on their Sparrow, and taken out the same enemies again. The question is whether the highly anticipated expansion “House of Wolves” can change that.
Today we can at least show you Old Russia in a way you’ve never seen before: Because the Lego superfan Hunter Erickson has recreated “Old Russia” in Lego: Two Hunters, two Titans, and two Warlocks are engaged in a deadly battle in the ruins of what we still know as Kazakhstan.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The action game Marvel Heroes 2015 does everything to attract players who have been put in a superhero mood by the blockbuster “Age of Ultron”.
Marvel Heroes 2015 is looking promising. A lot of work has been done on the game to get it back on track after a mixed start. Now Hollywood sends an angel, and it is a chrome-glossy killer robot named Ultron.
Millions of people flock to the cinemas, watch the movie, and when they pour out of the theaters, the plan is for them to come to “Marvel Heroes 2015”. To make this work, the six Avengers from the movie are offered as a trial version. New players can level up with one of the heroes up to level 60. Up to level 10, anyone can try all six. These are Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye, and Black Widow.
Now, play as six Avengers characters for FREE! Choose from Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye. #PlayMarvelHeroes
For the long-standing MMORPG heavyweight World of Warcraft (WoW), there are timing issues. A long-known mount is making its way to the cash shop just when the impression arises: Blizzard needs money.
For months now, the “Mystic Runesaber” has been known, a new mount in World of Warcraft. Dataminers tracked the kitten down in February. The question was: How would it be introduced into the game? Perhaps as a new achievement reward, as a rare endboss drop, or how?
Now we know the answer. The US launcher states: It will be the new cash shop mount. For World of Warcraft has long had, in addition to its subscription model and the money paid for services, a third leg: It sells certain pets and mounts exclusively through the cash shop. These cannot be obtained in-game in any other way.
The “Mystic Runesaber” mount now has the problem that it will only be available for a few days after the heavily declining subscription numbers of WoW were made known. This fresh news has given critics of the game a boost: We were right. WoW is not working anymore. Blizzard should have listened to us. Now they feel the consequences, they’re earning less money.
Fans are complaining in the official forum that there seems to be an attempt to compensate for the lack of revenue and that it’s being done in a relatively “cheap way” through such a purchasable status symbol. Many would prefer that Blizzard improve the game and tackle the problems to attract more players again and generate “normal” revenue.
However, WoW employees stated that the move has been planned for a long time, and players had already been asking when the Runesaber would arrive. They didn’t want to introduce the mount at the same time as the WoW Coin . They have now been introduced worldwide. And now is the first suitable time for the Runesaber to come.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
