WildStar: The Future of PvP

Although February is already fading, the big plans and goals of the developers for the current year continue unabated. At Carbine, the developers behind WildStar, the goals for the adjustments of the sci-fi MMO in the area of PvP have now been addressed. What to expect in the short and long term, we have summarized for you.

In the next patch: PvP quests and bonuses

The next major content patch titled “The Protospiel Initiative” should not be long in coming and a few changes will happen by then. From that point on, you can accept both daily and weekly PvP quests. This is primarily intended to create new incentives to engage in lively enemy bashing, and also to motivate players who have previously stayed out of the PvP experience.

Furthermore, there will be a small extra reward every time you sign up for a “random” battleground and complete it. Especially the “Sabotage” map is played relatively infrequently, and these additional rewards are intended to change that a bit.

What the year brings further
WildStar PvP

Throughout the year, further significant changes are planned. After some of the PvP systems, such as the related equipment, have been adjusted, the second PvP season will begin. The current “blue” PvP equipment set will soon only be available for purchase with money – this aims to lower the entry barrier significantly, allowing PvE enthusiasts to also participate in battles equipped with the essentials. Rating requirements will become a thing of the past! The current 1800 sets can then be freely purchased with prestige.

Additionally, item levels in the battlegrounds will be “normalized,” meaning raised or lowered to a fixed value. Since PvP equipment inherently possesses PvP stats, they will be significantly stronger than the currently superior legendary PvE gear.

Lastly, they plan to work on a “PvP missions feature,” but no details are known yet.

WildStar Sabotage PvP

In the somewhat distant future

The PvP rating will only provide cosmetic advantages, such as cosmetic gear to demonstrate your superiority. New PvP armors will be implemented in the game, which will have the same number of rune slots as comparable PvE equipment. The item level will be above the current 1800 set, and the “normalization value” will be raised to this new set level upon release.

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

World of Warcraft: Gaming Accounts as a Monument of Immortality

No one is immortal, nobody can escape death. But what remains when we leave forever? A grieving family, people we have come to love, and last but not least our World of Warcraft account.

Unexpectedly often, death catches us faster than we would like. Unfortunately, we cannot just run from a spawn point 100 kilometers away to our corpse and get back up. No one can tell us what awaits us after death. The fact is, however, that we currently leave our game accounts behind on Earth.

At least, I have never come across a gaming dead person in a computer game. How could I? I doubt that the Wi-Fi signal from my FritzBox, despite the repeater in the hallway, reaches up to heaven. Even a 10-gigabit dedicated line would not stand up to the gigantic mass of people up there.

Problem after passing: We not only leave our identity on the internet, such as Facebook and Twitter profiles, but also our game accounts and active subscriptions. Of course, one could leave a will at a notary stating what happens to our user profiles. But who actually does that? In the end, the level 100 characters that we played for 5000 hours and are fully equipped will decay. Of course, only if the subscription expires.

Death itself cannot stop a subscription

World of Warcraft dead - tombstone

We will eventually die on our own, unless our beloved wife gets wind of the life insurance policy. However, a game account does not die that quickly, especially if it is free-to-play.

[pullquote]A game account does not die that quickly[/pullquote]

There are two ways for the remaining relatives to put an end to it: Either they ask the respective manufacturer support to delete the account or it expires at the latest when the game servers are shut down. However, the publisher would have to go bankrupt or the game – let’s say – doesn’t come across well, and that can take some time.

For an account that requires a subscription, such as in the case of World of Warcraft, the situation is a bit different. As long as the numbers in the account are positive and the subscription is not canceled, the monthly costs continue. Here, you also contact the game’s support again. However, if our partner or wife plunders the joint account after our death to run off with a 26-year-old Latino lover, the subscription will end sooner or later on its own.

However, sometimes a WoW subscription really brings unusual surprises. Just like with the WoW player Mortisana

The story of Mortisana

World of Warcraft Orc Statue

Blizzard started in January 2015 to gift all players who had an uninterrupted subscription for a full ten years to “World of Warcraft” with a very special Orc statue. The WoW player Mortisana told her personal story in the official US forum of World of Warcraft. Although he has already passed away, her father received such a statue.

Mortisana played WoW together with her husband and her father from day one. However, the couple often took breaks, for example during pregnancy. Her father, on the other hand, was persistently and enthusiastically exploring Azeroth. After a stroke, he was physically impaired: “He did not leave the house very often, he could hardly walk. WoW was his world, his refuge. The game was one of the few things that gave him happiness,” writes Mortisana.

When her father died in March 2014, Mortisana not only canceled his subscription but also her own: “I could not log in without thinking of him.” The memories of the hours spent together in WoW kept bringing back the painful loss of her father . However, when her now 8-year-old son wanted to play WoW in December, she reactivated her father’s account: “Now I play with my son on the account that my father played so much. He would love that his grandson enjoys the game so much.”

In January of this year, Mortisana’s mother called and said that a package from Blizzard had arrived. Now you can guess three times what was inside:

World of Warcraft Mortisana

Thank you Blizzard, I will always look at this statue and remember how much joy you brought my father and me.

We have earned a monument

Immortality is a goal that ancient kings and pharaohs aspired to – unfortunately, it didn’t work out, they now lie in a pyramid. Nevertheless, one remembers celebrities for decades because they have left music hits, mathematical equations, or big sculptures in the landscape – a monument indeed. If we do not achieve any super deeds, we only leave our user profile in computer games. And the 50,000 gold in small unnumbered coins in the bank in Orgrimmar.

But as we saw in the case of Mortisana, a remaining account is always good for a surprise. Now the only question remains whether I should mention my login details in my will? Especially since most of my created characters in all my MMOs are female, blonde, and busty. I don’t want to leave a bad impression of myself. Difficult…

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

Embergarde: New MMORPG in Diablo style announced by Runewaker

The Taiwanese game developer Runewaker has announced a new action MMORPG named Embergarde. First video footage shows that the game is heavily inspired by the Diablo series. However, the release date for the game is not yet known.

Hack & Slay MMO with Random Dungeons

Embergarde Skills

The creators of Runes of Magic and Dragon’s Prophet have revealed some interesting details about the upcoming Embergarde. The skill system is said to be inspired by Path of Exile, although it won’t reach its complexity. They are particularly proud of the random dungeons that are generated anew each time – both monsters and layout. This system is known from Diablo and other games in the action RPG genre.

Another highlight is the equipment system. Here there are no limitations on classes. If a wizard wants to fight with a sword, it should be possible. This will allow for a broad range of different play styles.

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Closed Beta Not Far Away

The official trailer, which was presented at the Taipei Game Show 2015, shows many similarities to the Blizzard classic. The developers say that the game is 80 percent finished and that 4 classes are already playable, but they will not announce a release date yet. At least, a demo version of Embergarde could be played at the Game Show. The first closed beta is also expected to be on the cusp of being released.

Surely, in the coming weeks, we will learn more about the new game from Runewaker; meanwhile, they are also looking for a publisher for the Western market. It will be particularly interesting to see why the developers call it an MMORPG and what features are associated with it.

Embergarde Screenshot
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Destiny: Fans are angry: Too much DLC stuff in rotation – especially with Xur

Destiny players who purchased the DLC “The Darkness Rises” are also unhappy with how often the DLC Strikes or story missions are in rotation. Many are also annoyed with Xur’s offerings.

When the first DLC “The Darkness Rises” for Destiny was released on December 9, there were already complaints from players who had not purchased the DLC: The new Strike “Will of Crota” was chosen (probably not by coincidence) for the weekly Nightfall Strike and the weekly heroic Strike. And access to “Will of Crota” was only available with the DLC.

Destiny Boss

Three times Omnigul so far

Without the DLC “The Darkness Rises”, players were unable to attempt a Nightfall Strike this week. This caused frustration: Players felt restricted. They were stripped of content that had been available to them just a week prior. Many gaming magazines also criticized this issue. It would be fair to offer “non-DLC” buyers alternative “classic” Strikes.

Bungie acknowledged the problem but did not address it significantly. They only stated that “non-DLC” Strikes would come around again.

Now, the DLC Strike is in the weekly rotation for the third time (three out of a possible eight times) and is frustrating players who purchased the DLC due to its “too frequent” occurrence. They can no longer see it. The same applies to the new story missions. Some complain that they also occur too often.

Destiny-Xur

The heart of the problem is Xur

The core of the problem is Xur, the Agent of the Nine. He appears every Friday in Destiny and sells exotic weapons and armor. Initially perceived as a “random merchant,” Xur strongly favors the “new” DLC items.

Since he only has 4 exotic items available each week, this favoritism towards DLC is quite pronounced.

Destiny-Kein-Land-Ausserhalb-231

Twice No Land Outside, twice Dragon’s Breath in six weeks

With the DLC, only 2 new exotic weapons were introduced that he can sell. In contrast, he has 12 “old” Exotics among the weapons.

These include highly sought-after pieces like the Gjallarhorn, Thunderlord, or Suros Regime. All weapons that rank highly in polls on quality.

The two new exotic weapons that he has for sale, the rocket launcher “Dragon’s Breath” and the sniper rifle “No Land Outside“, are rather positioned at the lower spectrum: Dragon’s Breath struggles to be in the middle, with “No Land Outside” even at the bottom of the scale.

However, these two weapons have appeared double in his offerings over the last six weeks. Of the 14 possible weapons, over 6 weeks the same 4 occurred. And both of these are DLC weapons.

Destiny-Sternenfeuerprotokoll231

12 out of 15 times DLC armor in the last 5 weeks

One might still speak of coincidence here, but it is similarly arranged with the armors. Here too, the DLC armors are much more strongly represented in his offerings compared to the “pre”-DLC armors, especially since the turn of the year.

In the last 5 weeks, he filled the slot with DLC armor pieces 12 times out of 15 opportunities. Here, the selection is also limited: In the last 5 weeks, Titans received DLC boots “Type 44 on the sidelines” three times, Warlocks received the DLC chest piece “Starfire Protocol” four times, and Hunters at least twice the gloves “Don’t Touch Me.” The other three he brought, so to speak, were “uniques”: Obsidian Mind, Glasshouse, and the Radiant Dance Boots.

Destiny-Xur_Sunbreakers

There were already “streaks of bad luck” for individual classes in Destiny at Xur. For Titans, the chest “Healer Armor” repeatedly appeared, while Warlocks faced bad luck with both the “Sunbreakers” and the “Empty Fang Tooth Armor”.

However, at that time it was thought that these were just streaks of bad luck generated randomly. Now, the situation looks different. When in 4 out of 5 cases a DLC item is offered, even though there are much fewer to choose from than the “old” Exotics, that stands out significantly.

And daily the Xurmeltier greets

This week it is particularly evident because Xur’s offer this weekend (on the 30th.) exactly matches what he had on January 2. Back then he also had “Dragon’s Breath”, “Type 44 on the sidelines”, “Starfire Protocol”, and “Don’t Touch Me”. And back then, as now, “Will of Crota” was the Nightfall.

Destiny-Eris-Morn

DLC policy annoys not only “non-buyers” but also buyers

As a result, there is currently resistance against this supposed policy by Bungie. Players see the statistical preference for “DLC content” as Bungie’s intention to sell the DLC. This is understandable in itself. However, Bungie has, many complain, gone overboard and now diminishes the enjoyment of buyers regarding this DLC.

There is no comment from Bungie regarding how the “rotation” in the game, whether with Xur or the various Strikes, is selected. But it seems obvious that parameters have been adjusted here.
In a few weeks, in March, the next DLC “House of Wolves” is expected, which could further exacerbate the problem.

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

Blade and Soul: The raid with the turtle is here; What’s new about the West release?

The new 24-player raid is now open in Blade and Soul, and a trailer showcases the battle against “Reiki Turtle”.

In a short trailer, NCSoft introduces the fight against the marvelous turtle and the other bosses and mobs in the new 24-player raid of Blade and Soul. We have reported several times about the 30-phase battle, in which the creature presents players with new challenges.

Many of you are surely curious about the status of the Blade and Soul release. In mid-January, someone from a fan site asked NCSoft about the West release and received the answer: Nothing concrete can be stated at the moment until the open positions are filled. They are working on it, and players should not lose hope.

As is common with Blade and Soul, this statement is doubted on relevant fan sites. And the questioner has been accused of making it up.

The disappointment of Blade and Soul fans runs deep, and the West release is a sensitive topic. Expectations have been disappointed too often here.

Regarding the open positions, it likely refers to these.

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

H1Z1 Tip: Map with all sorts of annotations – the map for everyone

For the survival MMO H1Z1, fans have created a map with all the details so that players don’t feel so lost.

It’s a bit of a cheat, but what can you do: In love and the zombie apocalypse, everything is allowed.

“Is there a map in H1Z1? Where is the map?” is often asked. The official answer is: “No, there is no such thing. That would be totally unrealistic. As a survivor in the zombie apocalypse, you must navigate the world based on notable landmarks.” However, there are also “maps” in the world, such as at bus stations, essentially “real maps.”

However, the unofficial answer is: “Here is the map.”

Another tip from reddit about the map: If you press “M” in H1Z1 and type /loc in the in-game chat, your coordinates will be displayed, which you can copy and enter into the maps app.

Or you can just sit in front of the map meditatively for 8 hours and memorize it in all its details. By the way, this map will not last in this form for eternity. SOE wants to expand the landmass, and soon it will be said: “We need a bigger map!”

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Source(s):
  1. reddit

Black Desert: This is how the new area Mediah should look – and how beautiful BDO is on Ultra

In February, the fourth of five regions is coming to the Korea MMO Black Desert with Mediah. We have some screens for you.

In a post on the official Korean page for Black Desert, publisher Daum introduces the new zone Mediah, which is set to open in February. The Samurai is also expected to arrive in the same month.

Alti Nova will be the capital of the zone. The region is likely rather barren, rocky, with some scaled creatures and a “fire and rock” theme. There is supposed to be an arena in the capital where wild animals fight against each other. In any case, very impressive screens.

Black-Desert-Armadillo
Black-Desert-Stein
Black-Desert-Krokonase
Black-Desert-Feuerwesen
Black-Desert-Menschen-genannt-Romanes-gehen-das-Haus
Black-Desert-Alle-unter-einem-Dach
Black-Desert-Tanzt-kleine-freunde-tanzt
Black-Desert-Wüsten-Landschaft
Black-Desert-Wolle

And for those who are left speechless by these images and thinking: “Does the game really look this good?”, we have a video from Asia specialist steparu. It shows how the game performs on ultra settings.

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  1. Daum

Evolve: Can it be played solo?

Evolve is on the starting line, but many potential players still do not know whether the game can be played solo or offline – and if so, whether there is a campaign. For this purpose, a video has been released showing nearly 20 minutes of gameplay. There is good news and bad news.

No classic single-player campaign

Let’s start with the bad news. Evolve will not have a campaign in the classical sense. So those looking forward to hours of story-driven action filled with exciting twists and character development will be disappointed. The story of Shear is told through the maps, the small dialogue snippets between characters, and of course the game modes. The essence of this realization is that Evolve was fundamentally designed as a multiplayer game.

“Singleplayer mode” available, with slight changes

But the good news is: Evolve can also be played alone. All game modes, for which you would otherwise need 4 other hunting enthusiasts, can be played “in peace” offline with bots. Here, of course, you have the freedom to choose whether you want to control the nasty monster or a hunter.

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If you choose the side of the hunters, you can even switch between the 4 teammates during the ongoing match. For example, you can first set up turrets as Support, then strategically place traps as Trapper, and finally switch to Assault to deal the most damage. If you do not want to do this, you simply stick to your role from the beginning and do not switch. However, this allows for a completely new game dynamic, as soon as the controlled character goes down, you simply switch to another living colleague and can continue to shoot gladly.

And one more good message to wrap up: All achievements, experience points, and character developments that you earn in the “single-player mode” will be credited to your online ranking. A few matches against and with the AI could thus be quite worthwhile for practice.

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

The rumors are true: US MMO site massively closes

As editor-in-chief Brianna Royce writes in an article, the MMO gaming site massively is closing its doors. The reason is budget cuts at AOL.

The rumors have been circulating online for a few days and it was clear from the beginning: There is unfortunately some truth to this. The corporation AOL decides to withdraw from the “blog” business and is closing the gaming site Joystiq. It is also certain that this will affect the MMO gaming site massively. What will happen to WoW Insider is still unclear at the moment.

Now the editor-in-chief of the site addresses the readers of massively, reflecting on the past years and finding no kind words for AOL and their situation. They should have seen this coming. This happens when a vice president, whose name they don’t even know and who has never read their site, decides to reward a forty percent growth in the year with a halving of the budget.

You can sense from the letter how disappointed the authors of massively are with their treatment by the gentlemen in suits.

Bill Murphy, the editor-in-chief of massively’s biggest competitor in the US market, mmorpg.com, also has harsh words. One could now say: Yes, that was inevitable; the MMO market is shrinking, after all. But that is nonsense. Massively has functioned well over the last years and has posted good numbers. It is about people at the top who cut others down so their numbers look better at a shareholder meeting.

The authors of massively have posted their Twitter accounts so that readers can follow them in their future jobs and adventures. The site will shut down on Tuesday, February 3rd.

AOL has probably also “officially” informed the team of Joystiq that it is over.

Mein MMO says: We also wish the authors of massively all the best. For us, many German MMO fans, and surely also for some other German MMO sites, with massively not only a valuable source of information is falling silent, but also one of the beloved voices in the MMO market.

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Source(s):
  1. massively
  2. mmorpg.com

Destiny: Crota is easier when the Swordbearer is the host of the game

In Destiny, the sword bearer should also be the host of the game, the fireteam leader, when facing Crota.

Weeks ago, there was the legendary “LAN cable” exploit against Crota, the final boss in the raid Crota’s End. The fireteam leader pulled his LAN cable when Crota was down on his knees, and he stayed down, making him easy to defeat. It was pretty much the strangest exploit in the history of exploits or at least in the top 5.

Back then, it became clear: apparently, the fireteam leader has an “important function” and his version determines what “really” happens. Because when anyone else pulled their LAN cable, nothing happened at all.

Determining the right fireteam leader can still be crucial now that the exploit no longer works. On Reddit, some guardians report that Crota is much easier for the sword bearer if that person is also the fireteam leader, the “host” of the game.

Destiny-Pantheon

Because then you can be sure that he is really “kneeling” in the actual current game and not just in his own version of it. According to people who have faced Crota as the sword bearer, there is a huge difference. Because here you only have a small window to land the crucial hits on Crota, and if you miss this window, the fight drags on and can go badly in the worst case.

Maybe it helps you if you’re currently struggling against him, or better said – carving, to simply let the designated sword bearer open the raid. The advice seems to have really helped many on Reddit, even if the advice might seem redundant or too obvious for experienced players.

And if you still need a little help, here is a hard mode video guide in German:

http://youtu.be/ikOVQJZ9KzQ
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Source(s):
  1. reddiit

SMITE Giveaway: New skins for Neith and Poseidon!

Currently, HiRez is working on the major changes coming with the launch of the second official SMITE season. Since this patch is significantly larger and requires a longer testing period, there are currently very few new releases. However, this does not prevent the creators of SMITE from throwing a few new premium skins onto the market!

New looks are provided for Neith and Poseidon, who will receive thematic costumes suitable for the carnival season. Neith can now shine with her “Carnaval Queen” skin, which even features a new, lively dance that is sure to distract the male player base from the battle. Poseidon, on the other hand, joins the pirate crew and will henceforth be known as “Dreadbeard,” sailing the seven seas and riding to doom on his new shark.

[intense_blockquote color=”#f2f2f2″]But now to the part that interests you: We are giving away a total of 6 codes for the premium skins, three for “Carnaval Queen” Neith and three for “Dreadbeard” Poseidon![/intense_blockquote]

Just write in the comments under this post which of the two skins you would like to have, and you will be in the draw! Comments without mentioning the desired skin or with duplicates will of course be ignored. Good luck!

Participation in the SMITE giveaway is free, starts on 01/30/2015 at 8:15 PM, and ends on 02/03/2015 at 8:00 PM. By participating in the giveaway, you accept the rules of this raffle. You must also be at least 16 years old.

[doptoggle title=”Terms and Conditions”]Mein MMO has the right to exclude participants who violate the rules of the game, manipulate the giveaway, or attempt to do so. One entry per person is allowed. We will contact the winners via email (therefore, the correct email addresses should be provided in the comments). The data will not be stored; only the transmission of the code will be used. If the winner does not respond within 3 working days, the SMITE skin code will be redrawn for another participant. Legal recourse is excluded.[/doptoggle]

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H1Z1: Soon players will be liable with their good name, only one character per server left

The survival zombie MMO H1Z1 is slowly taking shape. The loot problems seem to be resolved, and next, SOE will address the issues with names. Meanwhile, curious gameplay scenes are emerging.

This week, they seem to have resolved the loot problem in H1Z1 that caused so much trouble and led some to downgrade the game to a “blueberries, stick and boredom” simulator.

Next, they will tackle the naming issues, as “Twink” names block the names that players actually want. More importantly: In H1Z1, everyone should be held accountable for their “good or bad name.”

One character per server

Then it will also be about twinks, regarding multiple characters on one account. At the moment, players create a fully equipped character on a server and save them for “hard times” to log in and play a sort of “avenger of the recently killed” and similar things that should not happen in a zombie scenario as they prevent consequences. It’s bad enough that zombies get back up; players should not have that.

H1z1-Zombies-vor-dem-Haus

That’s why it should soon apply: Only one global name for all characters. And only one character per server. Additionally, they want to take care of base building.

A timeline for this is mentioned in tweets where the developers communicate, but not specified.

Let’s be Cops

When discussing H1Z1, it always sounds like the game is still in total ruins. However, that is not the case. Even in its current state, there are repeatedly strong gameplay sequences, like in this video where players act as “cops” on a Battle Royale server. As the bad cop and a really, really bad cop.

Here you can also admire the naming problems (some seem to just string together consonants), and you can see the voice chat in action (not exactly kid-friendly) and the battle royal mode shows its strengths.

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For more about H1Z1, check out our zombie theme page, which is considerably better maintained than the tone of communication in the game.

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Source(s):
  1. reddit

The Division should be fully available in German, Tom Clancy feels obliged

The upcoming MMO shooter The Division is set to receive a complete German localization.

In a small interview with a German fan site, the developers of The Division mentioned something about a German localization: It’s on track. They place a lot of value on details and are confident that the German localization will be fantastic.

However, a small disappointment for all zombie fans. The Division takes place in a post-apocalyptic world but feels connected to Tom Clancy and is therefore committed to authenticity. There will be no zombies or anything like that in this world.

Tom Clancy, for those who don’t know, was an American author closely associated with intelligence services and the military (and has a quite patriotic connection to the US). His novels often deal with power politics, crises, covert operations, the limits of diplomacy, World War scenarios, and threats, and certainly also with military solutions, but – it must be said – never about zombies.

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Source(s):
  1. Interview

A lot of commotion about alleged Blizzard leak: Hearthstone top, HotS flop, WoW expansion

A purported insider leak has now emerged at Blizzard, stating that Hearthstone is a huge success and that Activision Blizzard has low expectations for Heroes of the Storm.

A leak has now appeared, not in some small forum, but on the Yahoo Finance website. However, the text has since been deleted. Tae Kim, the author who wrote about it, claims he considers the source of the leak to be trustworthy, as they had known and mentioned details about Overwatch before the official announcement in November.

Nothing is confirmed here, and this should be taken with the utmost caution.

According to this leak, the following is true for Blizzard Games:

Hearthstone – super successful

Hearthstone continues to exceed Blizzard’s wildest expectations. The game has now surpassed the 75 million mark of players. This is almost 4 times higher than the last reported numbers.

The next expansion is supposed to come in April. Blizzard is working on a 2vs2 mode.

Overwatch Torbjorn Screenshot

Overwatch: Release 2016, still issues with the business model

For Overwatch, according to the leak, Blizzard has still not agreed on a business model. Players should definitely be able to play it for free, but it still needs to be clarified how exactly they pay for the heroes.

Some in the team had hoped for a release in 2015. However, even if there is a small chance for December 2015, it looks more like a release in early 2016, according to the anonymous source.

World of Warcraft – resolving bottleneck

For World of Warcraft, they have now quadrupled spending on “outsourced art” (i.e., graphics done outside of the studio). This area has hindered certain developments in the past and has been a bottleneck.

The next expansion is “feature-complete.”

WoW Artwork

Starcraft 2, Diablo 3, Heroes of the Storm

For Heroes of the Storm, they have relatively low expectations. The “higher-ups” at Activision Blizzard expect that they will have to let some of the developers go.

The next Starcraft 2 game is now finished. A release date fluctuates between April and June.

Work on Diablo 3 has largely been halted, and the team is now working on a Warframe-like game in the Starcraft universe with elements from Smite, DayZ, Left4Dead, and MOBAs.

This last statement even triggered one of the rare reactions from Blizzard. They usually don’t comment on rumors and speculation. But they made it clear that the Diablo 3 team continues to work on Diablo 3 and is not planning any “secret project” in the Starcraft universe.

To reiterate: The information in this article is by no means confirmed by Blizzard. The source is anonymous, known only to the author Tae Kim, who seems to trust it.

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

Guild Wars 2: The prices for Pre-Cursors are crashing

In Guild Wars 2, after the announcement of the expansion “Heart of Thorns”, the prices for pre-cursor weapons seem to have collapsed, which are expected to be earnable by players in a planned manner in the future.

Apparently, after the announcement of Heart of Thorns, the prices for the “pre-cursor” weapons collapsed. Through an elaborate collection, it will be possible with the expansion Heart of Thorns to earn the individual precursors. These special exotic weapons in the game are the precursor to “legendary weapons” and are needed to craft them.

When asked about the collapse of the pre-cursor market, Game Director Colin Johanson responded: “And I wasn’t home to buy one cheaply!”

Johanson believes that the prices for pre-cursors were already too high and hopes that they will continue to fall with the announcement. The new way to earn pre-cursors will surely be more fun than the current one.

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

Skyforge: Players start with 3 basic classes, advanced classes must be earned over weeks

The developers of the god MMO Skyforge have invited players to a Q&A session. There, they explained why there is no swimming in their world and how long it will take for players to unlock new classes.

Skyforge is designed for years, according to a Q&A session with the developers. And players earn the right to new classes over time.

Dad, why can’t I be the god I want to be? You have to earn that, my boy

Some might ask: Why do we only start with three classes to choose from in Skyforge?

The answer is: These are the three base classes for Tank, DPS, and Support. They are easy to play and serve as the basic version with which aspiring gods first learn the fundamentals.

Players are supposed to earn the right to “advanced” classes. If they were available from the start, motivation would quickly fade, say the developers. Players should expect to spend at least 3 weeks before they can access advanced classes. Unlocking all skills for a class in Skyforge will take even longer.

Interesting: Skyforge Guide: How to unlock classes for free?

Skyforge Adepts

More answers from the Q&A session:

  • Anyone wanting to play Skyforge on ultra will likely need a pretty powerful PC.
  • Initially, add-ons are not supported.
  • There will be no direct trading between players, only through the “Trade Hub”, a sort of auction house.
  • The followers and adepts cannot be used as combat companions.
  • Swimming is completely left out because it would fundamentally require designing a whole new underwater Skyforge if done well. They don’t want to do things half-heartedly, so it’s completely omitted.
  • Key bindings can be set freely in Skyforge.
  • Each class will be able to use one weapon type.
  • There should be enough customization options to avoid any war of the clan gods.

Mein MMO thinks: The class system is a new trend. Here, Skyforge is indeed not only inspired by League of Legends, which does not limit players to a role but allows them to play new archetypes, but Skyforge also resembles the system in Evolve. There, too, you initially only play with “base classes” of an archetype and unlock others with effort. A less pronounced version of such a class system also exists in Final Fantasy XIV.


You can find more about Skyforge and its interesting ideas on our Skyforge page.

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

WiLD.: New screens from the PS4 MMO with the unusual approach

New screenshots of WiLD have emerged, the PlayStation 4 MMO that caused a stir at Gamescom.

So far, only a trailer and some super interesting design approaches are known about WiLD. The game is said to take place 10,000 years before the birth of Christ in a Celtic-influenced Europe, where the world is still almost untouched by human hands. A scenario in which the world of gods and fantasy was not yet as closely separated from what we call reality as it was in later times.

Giants are said to wander the world, fantastic creatures roam it, and it should even be possible to slip into the skin (or scales) of individual living beings.

The quality is already ensured by the name of the man at the helm: that’s Michel Ancel, the brains behind Rayman and the Beyond Good & Evil titles. Sony also seems to be looking forward to the title and made sure to give it plenty of space at Gamescom.

Well, and the trailer just looked fantastic and seemed to make the PlayStation 4 shine.

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WiLD’s first appearance at Gamescom was now 5 months ago. Since then, not much has been heard, but at least there is a handful of new screenshots.

For us, WiLD is already one of the most aesthetically interesting MMOs of the coming years, and the ideas sound fresh and intriguing.

WilD-Wolf pack
WiLD-Shepherd
WiLD-Horse duet
WilD-Beard-Hard
WiLD-Hey-Fish

Here are the new screenshots:

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

Black Desert: The Samurai as a new class is coming in February

The Korea MMO Black Desert is set to receive its sixth class in February, the Samurai will be a classic lightweight melee fighter.

In January, we got a pet class with the Beast Master, the Beast Master, which is something for manga fans. Now Black Desert is targeting another audience, more fans of the ‘classics’, and introduces the Samurai, which until now has been referred to in the West as ‘Fencer’. Unlike the brutal Giant, another Melee DPS class, he will likely focus more on speed and finesse in close combat.

Where “Samurai” might also just be a provisional name here: “Blader” or “Swordsman” are also being heard. Those are also translation issues.

Black-Desert-Samurai

Not much is known about him yet, but he seems to be “Wind”-affine. In February, there should also be a new region, Mediah, alongside the Samurai.

Officially, Black Desert is still in Open Beta, though that probably makes little difference for a Free2Play game compared to the release.

For the West, we should soon expect the first tests, a release could then be scheduled for early 2016. Though “soon” is always a tricky subject.

For those who want to get involved with the game, we recommend our extensive preview .

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

Destiny: Xur, Agent of the Nine, Offer and Location on January 30th.

In the MMO shooter Destiny, the mysterious black market trader Xur, the Agent of the Nine, appears on January 30th. Where he is located, what he has to offer, and how he changes the lives of Guardians in Destiny this time, you can find out in our article with screenshots and video.

Two weeks ago, Xur was incredibly popular and in demand. He had the Icebreaker with him. Young Guardians held babies to him, asking him to bless them. The lame could walk again, the blind could see, everything was wonderful, and Xur left with huge profits.

In the last week, the other end of the scale was reached. Xur only had the No Land Beyond in his inventory. Quickly, the Tower was deserted, the confetti remained in people’s pockets, and everyone hung their heads, while some insults (“snake-faced bastard”, and that came from Bungie) flew in Xur’s direction.

Destiny Raids

Three things could make his arrival this time friendlier: Heavy ammo synths, the Heart of the Praxic Fire, and the weapon whose name is not to be mentioned, for fear that it might be scared away. Should he actually have those items, then the Icebreaker was just the beginning. Well, in any case, the Offering Quest will continue for 48 hours…

All about Xur, the Agent of the Nine, on January 30th, 31st, and February 1st in Destiny

When does Xur arrive in the Tower and how long does he stay?

Xur arrives on Friday, January 30th, at 10:00 AM German time and leaves on Sunday, February 1st, also at 10:00 AM.

Where is Xur? What is his location?

Xur is located in the North Tower, by the Speaker.

Our friends at ziro.tv are going through this for you.

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What do the numbers on the armor mean?

These are the values (Int, Dis, or Str) of the exotic armors. The first number is the “starting value” at light level 30, the second and higher number is the maximum value at light level 36. We have written an article about it.

What weapons and armor does Xur have for Titans, Warlocks, and Hunters?

This week, Xur has the exotic rocket launcher Dragon’s Breath for 17 strange coins. He offered it just once before, four weeks ago.

Destiny-Drachenatem-301

For Warlocks, he offers the Starfire Protocol (134/144), a DLC chest piece, which he has been selling constantly lately. In the last five weeks, four times. It seems to be the new Voidfang Vestment. As always: Xur hates Warlocks.

Destiny-Drachenatem-301

For Hunters, he has the gloves “Don’t Touch Me” (weak 76/82). He last offered those five weeks ago.

Destiny-Fass-mich-bloss-nicht-an-301

For Titans, the DLC boots Type 44 In the Offside (134/144). He just had these in Destiny last week, though with a weaker roll.

Destiny-Typ-44-im-Abseits-301

Xur has exotic glove engrams, but no synths for heavy ammo.

However, for those who need ammo for conspiracy theories: The 4 items Xur is offering today were already part of this exact configuration on January 2nd. (Even a glove engram was available back then).

What weapons and armor can Xur upgrade in Destiny this week?

Destiny-Ahamkaras-Rückgrat512

Xur can upgrade six armors and six or seven weapons each week. More details on this game mechanic are summarized in this article. Keep in mind that it only makes sense to upgrade “old” versions of the Exotics, meaning anything with a higher maximum damage than 300 or a higher light level than 30.

Xur can upgrade the following armors this week:

  • For Hunters, the Mask of the Third Man (104/112), a helmet
  • … and Ahamkara’s Spine (80/86), gloves
  • For Titans, he upgrades the Helm of Inmost Light (strong 118/127)
  • … and the Mark of Alpha-Lupi (124/134), a chest piece
  • For Warlocks, he upgrades the Skull of Dire Ahamkara (111/119), a helmet
  • … and the gloves Sunsinger (strong 103/110)
Destiny-Suros-Regime

Xur can upgrade the following six weapons this week:

  • The auto rifle SUROS Regime.
  • The hand cannon Dorn.
  • The shotgun The Universal Remote.
  • The fusion rifle Universal Remote.
  • The sniper rifle Icebreaker.
  • And the machine gun Extremely Good Advice.

Find plenty more about Destiny on our topic page.

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

Destiny: Bungie provides tips for Crota, addresses persistent bug with heavy ammo

In this week’s Weekly Update for Destiny, Bungie addresses heavy ammunition. There is a bug that is so deeply rooted in the system that it will take at least four more weeks to fix it. Additionally, innovative ways to defeat Crota in Hard Mode are introduced.

The “Heavy Ammunition” bug, which repeatedly strips Guardians of their heavy ammunition, is one of the major topics in social networks and forums surrounding Destiny. It makes raids more challenging, costs Glimmer, and is just incredibly annoying. What’s worse is that it has been mentioned so often, and yet, at least according to casual opinion, it shouldn’t be a big deal to fix.

Guardians are constantly reminding Bungie to fix the bug as quickly as possible. It occurs when Guardians in Destiny wear armor that is supposed to increase their capacity for heavy ammunition.

The “Heavy Ammunition” bug has plagued Destiny for months

On Reddit, there’s been a “fun” thread created daily for a while now: Bungie should finally take care of this.

Destiny Art

And when it was announced last week in the Weekly Update how many strange coins Xur has collected through the Icebreaker, a thread was quickly opened, wishing for exact figures on how much heavy ammunition had disappeared for this Weekly Update. As expected, Bungie has withheld this information.

The bug is deep in the heart of the system

Bungie is naturally aware of the problem and explains in the Weekly Update why it takes so long to address a fix. It is an error that lies hidden in the depths of the code.

When a Guardian respawns (after their death, after a cutscene, or when returning from orbit), the Guardian and their ammunition are recreated.

Destiny Purple Ammo

The system assigns them ammunition that is supposed to match the last ammunition they had. However, the weapons and thus the ammunition are created before the armor’s “capacity” is accounted for, and here there are modifiers that can increase the ammo reserve. This is quite a serious problem that is not easy to solve, at least not without introducing serious new issues. Simply removing the feature is also not an option.

The basic flaw here is an ordering problem. Our inventory system creates your weapons when your characters spawn. When that happens, it tries to restore the same fraction of ammo that you had when you died. The bug occurred because the weapon is created before capacity modifiers from armor perks are applied, so the persisted fraction yields fewer rounds.

At Bungie, they believe they are getting closer to a remedy, a targeted fix, and are promising a solution to the problem that hopefully will be deployed by the end of February.

The error seems to lie at a critical junction where various systems of Destiny come together. Thus, a solution that doesn’t create more problems than it solves is delicate.

Creative solutions for Crota

Otherwise, the Weekly Update for Destiny brought, as so often, relatively little new.

Praise was given to the strategy and skill of the Guardians in disposing of a certain “Crota” and highlighted two particularly effective strategies that Bungie likely hadn’t thought of themselves.

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And perhaps as a small ray of hope for the hoarders among you: In the comments, the community manager assured that Bungie is discussing expanding the vault, the storage space for Guardians. They know how much Guardians want this, and they want it too. Such new features take time to develop.


On Fridays, there’s always a double combo within 10 hours. First comes the Weekly Update at night, then Xur will be back in the Tower on Friday, January 30, at 10:00 AM. We will report whether he has brought us more. It would be appropriate if he brought heavy ammo syntheses with him. Some Guardians would be more pleased with that at the moment than with any Exotics.

If you are waiting for him and want to pass the time: Here is our well-organized Destiny themed page.

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