In DC Universe Online, the next update, Amazon Fury II, once again focuses on Wonder Woman and the personnel of the Greek Pantheon.
The DC Universe has many facets. Batman often resembles a kind of crime novel or thriller, the stories around Green Lantern have a philosophical-spiritual side, Superman deals with the super big issues, and with Wonder Woman, the world of Greek myths unfolds.
The next update “Amazon Fury Part 2” places Wonder Woman in the spotlight, along with the whole naked, flickering grandeur of Greek myths.
In the second part, you will face Cerberus, the three-headed hellhound, the war god Mars (like a super villain in DC), and Hades, the lord of the underworld, is also involved.
From a gameplay perspective, Amazon Fury II brings the following new content:
Three Eight-Player Raids, the last of which is available in Elite mode after players have defeated it on normal: Labyrinth of Lost Souls, Halls of Hades & Throne of the Dead
Two Four-Player Missions: Return to the Nexus & Act of Defiance
One Single-Player Mission
Additionally, there will be new style gear in the Wonder Woman/Circe style.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny, the Guardians are on a record hunt. Two of them took on Crota and defeated him in 44 seconds.
The exact numbers in Destiny are always unclear. How much do raid mobs scale with the number of players? Do small raid groups have a significantly easier time than larger ones? Or is it the encounter design that allows a two-man team to do what 6 players fail at? Is the advantage that level 32 players have really that huge? Or what does it all look like?
The performance of these two Guardians once again brings the question of scaling to the forefront: they have defeated Crota, the final boss of the current content, together in the incredible record time of 44 seconds.
Timing is everything
With seemingly perfect gameplay, one of the two grabs his Gjallarhorn and forces Crota to his knees in seconds, his teammate is already ready and uses the sword to strike the kneeling Crota on the head. Timing is everything here. There is no margin for error. The sword bearer arrives precisely on time. Every rocket hits its target. There is no breathing space for Crota to regenerate health and jeopardize the tight schedule. Everything works together.
One sword phase is enough in this record attempt, Crota only needs to kneel three times, and then it’s over.
The two Guardians seem to be perfectly coordinated and possess enormous firepower:
Here is the video from the perspective of the sword bearer:
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You could view this kill either as another proof video of how incredibly strong the Gjallarhorn is (though such a video is probably hardly necessary) or as a sign that raids in Destiny do not conform to classic MMORPG rules. In that case, such a kill would be impossible, as mathematically different DPS values would be necessary to beat a boss within the enrage timer.
In any case, the video is proof that some players in Destiny have real skill and that it’s about time for the hard mode to come. Because from here, there’s no place left to go in normal mode. The raid has already been soloed with the weakest exotic in the game, the record times for full teams are already impressively low.
At Atheon, the record back then was 17 seconds and 6-fold Gjallarhorn massage, you probably won’t be able to push Crota down that low, the mechanics are in the way.
In World of Warcraft, Patch 6.1 has already been dissected by dataminers. Here are the highlights for pet hunters and AV hunters.
Dataminers have already taken a look at Patch 6.1 of World of Warcraft, which has been played on the test server, and it will bring a lot of content. This includes:
a new heirloom system
the Blackrock Foundry
the third world boss Rukhmar
new stuff for followers
relic missions
a jukebox for the garrison
garrison invasions can now be completed for platinum.
However, this is about the pet hunters among you in World of Warcraft. With 6.1, they will enjoy a dozen new pets from the old BC raid instances: Sunwell, Hyjal, and the Black Temple.
Will it soon be available in handbag format?
The thirteenth pet – a mini Naaru?
The third part of the raid pet AV is here. The pets return from the bosses in these raids. Among others, the offer includes: Abyssius, a shard of Supremus; a seduction sister, probably from the Felwood in the Black Temple; and a will-o’-the-wisp from Hyjal.
Whoever collects all 12 pets will receive a reward of a 13th. So to speak, “the thirteenth pet”, which is K’Tue. If you know how Blizzard thinks, you would probably guess it’s a mini Naaru.
Image source and backstory of this quirky creature (not the Orc): Venturebeat.
Pepe! You must have a bird?
AV hunters and birdwatching enthusiasts can look forward to even more time with “Pepe”. With the bird on their head (which can be found in the garrison), players should take on the various bosses of Warlords of Draenor. This includes the final bosses of the instances, then three world bosses (Rukhmar is new) and all the fel creatures in Highmaul and the Blackrock Foundry.
This will surely lead to players in World of Warcraft constantly wondering whether they really have this bird or not. What won’t you do for your 10 AV points!
Pepe was originally just a personal doodle by artist Jordan Powers, who drew the bird with googly eyes in his school notebook years ago (these artists always doodle). Later, it became a kind of trademark and Pepe repeatedly found his way into his drawings in remarkable ways.
When Powers was later hired by Blizzard, Pepe was smuggled into the garrison. Players discovered him, put him on their heads, and a flood of selfies (selfie with bird) hit social networks. Blizzard noticed this and decided to give this cult new life. Hence, the new success in World of Warcraft.
Long live Pepe, our beloved feathered new ruler!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The online studio Sony Online Entertainment sees great opportunities for Free2Play MMOs on consoles. With DC Universe Online already available on the PS4, Planetside 2 is set to follow soon, and a port of the zombie MMO H1Z1 is planned.
In a conversation with Gamasutra, the president of SOE, John Smedley, talks about the profits that the MMOs of his studio are making on the Playstation 4 and are expected to make in the future, the great potential of Free2Play on consoles, and the challenges associated with a port.
A DCUO player spends three times as much on the Playstation 3 as a PC player
DC Universe Online, a superhero/supervillain MMO, earns per player on the Playstation 4 three to three and a half times more than on the PC. On the Playstation 3, it’s still double.
With DCUO, being one of the first Free2Play games, they surely had advantages, so to speak, they were pioneers. However, Smedley believes that despite this, there is much potential on consoles and profit to be made.
Unlike “social games,” Free2Play MMOs have to offer real gameplay
Unlike so-called “social games” (such as on Facebook), studios need to provide real games to make money on consoles, not just “monetization machines.”
A port from PC to consoles comes with challenges. For instance, it’s essential to ensure that PC games work without a mouse. Planetside 2, the next project, which is on its way to the PS4, should be playable with a controller. A mouse/keyboard combo will not be supported.
SOE itself sees, even though Sony is closely connected to the Playstation, its own roots in the PC. Here, they established the identity of the current studio with Everquest.
I love reading the comments about the Gamasutra interview I did about F2P on consoles. People think we’re becoming a console first shop. NO!
Further challenges besides the port to consoles are seen by Smedley primarily in logistics. It is challenging to coordinate with Sony when the updates and patches for PS3 and PS4 might arrive. And this is said by SOE – the studio that is likely to be more closely connected with Sony than any other development studio in the world.
Smedley’s dream would be a kind of “Steam” for the Playstation 4. Smedley is a big fan of open development in constant contact with fans through a kind of “Early Access.” He would wish that something like this could also be possible on the Playstation 4.
The next SOE game after Planetside 2, which aims to make the jump to PS4, is H1Z1, which is about to launch on PC via Steam. And this is indeed as an Early Access game. A port to the Playstation 4 is also planned for H1Z1.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In ArcheAge , two-story houses are coming to Korea with patch 1.8. They can already be admired in a video.
A month ago, we took a look at 1.8 in Korea and showed you pictures of the two-story houses. Now a video has been released, and you can take a closer look at the houses.
This construction trend of using floors unusually can also be seen more frequently in densely populated cities: they grow upwards. There are roof terraces or roof garages and a pool in the basement. It works similarly in ArcheAge: The ground floor becomes the garden, and work is done under the open sky.
When patch 1.8 will come to Europe is still uncertain.
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The Dark Fantasy MMO The Secret World is set to become more accessible for newcomers in 2015. New content is planned for veterans.
A new letter from the producer of The Secret World has been released, looking ahead to the new year. One of the focuses for 2015 will be on the player experience for new players. They plan to overhaul the “tutorials” and also check whether the fresh conspirators are powerful enough to face the monstrosities that come swimming, crawling, and flapping into TSW. In addition, Funcom wants to see how they can improve the flow of information.
There will also be new content for players in the endgame. In the next update, they intend to conclude the story around Tokyo and also introduce a new instance or raid. The details are not yet entirely clear. Depending on what is agreed upon internally, they could also deliver this in two updates, the so-called releases.
Players who have not yet purchased access to Tokyo will at least be offered something with Venice and the subway, so they can see the AEGIS system in action.
The Skill System Needs to Be Explained Better
My MMO thinks: Yes, the issue with new players is really a key point that is being addressed a bit too late. The “main problem“, the hurdle for newcomers in The Secret World, is the quirky skill system. The “levels” do not increase directly, but relatively clearly: One invests in the ability to wear different tiers of equipment and gets bitten later when changing main weapons. But the skill wheel takes some getting used to.
Especially, players need to dive “deep into the system” early on to recognize which 7 active abilities and 7 passive abilities they want to play later, and how they want to move around. Then they have to figure out how to stay alive until they have these abilities together, and in what form they will provide synergy effects.
There are predefined “builds” that players can follow, but the feeling rarely emerges: Now I’ve played for an hour, and my character has really become stronger. And many MMOs live off exactly that feeling.
This is cold coffee for long-time TSW players. They understood this two years ago and may even be proud of the somewhat crude and quirky skill system that is so different from elsewhere.
Newcomers, who are confronted with the basics of the system after just 30 minutes, will probably see it differently. And to get into such a system, the love and enthusiasm must first be sparked. At that point, The Secret World will likely lose many newcomers. If they want to tackle this now in 2015 – one could have worse ideas. It’s somewhat puzzling why they took so much time with it.
On our The Secret World topic page, you can find more about the MMO. One of the few MMOs that takes place in “today’s” time, albeit in a pretty distorted version of it.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The fantasy MMO The Elder Scrolls Online has responded to criticism regarding the planned transition to the Champion System.
The old system: Communism! 30 points for everyone
30 Champion points – that’s how many accounts were supposed to receive if they had at least one veteran when Update 6 was set to arrive. These 30 Champion points were a sort of “welcome bonus,” each veteran received exactly these 30 points, regardless of whether they were a fresh veteran at VR 1 or a seasoned warrior at VR 14. It didn’t matter if they had one character or several.
The new system: Performance must be rewarding again!
In response to this criticism, Zenimax announced a new system. Veterans will receive 5 Champion points for each veteran rank after the first (which is automatically given), up to a maximum of 70 points. These points count account-wide like the old 30 and can be distributed per character.
This means: A player with a VR2 character receives 5 points. One with a VR 10 character gets 45 points. One with a VR 14 character receives 65 points. This applies not only in fixed values but also in “0.2” steps. A player with a VR2 character who has already earned 80% of the experience required to reach VR 3 will receive not 5, but 9 points.
The maximum of 70 points can only be earned until Update 6. After that, players will not be able to access this pool of 70 points anymore.
Fans are reacting very positively to this change and are happy that their ideas are being heard.
Psychologically valuable
Mein MMO states: This is, quite unironically, a wonderful example that it is not really about the “thing” itself, but about the psychological effect. With the new Champion System, 3600 new points are introduced into the game. Players are expected to take about 1 hour to earn one point.
Whether you start with 30 or 70 points does not really make much difference in the cold light of day. And a true hardcore player who has invested hundreds of hours into the game now gets “40 hours” more credited than in the old system. A complete newbie among veterans who only has a level 50 character has 30 hours less. For Zenimax, essentially nothing changes. Both the newbie and the veteran will still have a massive mountain in front of them to climb for a long time. One just saves the first 1.94% of the progression, while the other has to really start from zero.
However, it is important to players that they feel their “actions” count for something. And that they receive more than others who have invested less. This aspect is likely the key one: It is not the actual, objective advantage that counts, but the relative advantage over one’s neighbor and others. This is also the case in “real” life, as this article from Zeit mentions.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny, two major monthly events were planned. For PvE, the Queen’s Wrath, for PvP, the Iron Banner – a third, still secret event, the Trials of Osiris, has also already leaked. What’s the status of these events?
Queen’s Wrath
What is it?: A PvE event where players can earn reputation with the Queen by completing bounties.
How often has it occurred?: Only once, right at the end of September, early October. At that time, players primarily used it to buy legendary gear cheaply, which they then dismantled into Ascendant materials. When Bungie shut that down, enthusiasm for the queen with the bluish complexion noticeably cooled off.
How was it received?: Not very well. Players simply felt it was “just more bounties per day” without any real special feature.
What is the current status of the event?: Queen’s Wrath is currently undergoing a fundamental overhaul. It was said that it needed to “go back into the oven.” More has not been heard since. Perhaps as background: Bungie was unsure before the release if the Guardians would even take on the raids. They did, and massively. It could be that the PvE event suffers because of that. Perhaps it was planned as an “alternative” that has now become less important.
Iron Banner
What is it?: A PvP event where players complete bounties in the Crucible and can kill each other to earn reputation with the Iron Banner faction. As a reward, there are legendary armor and selected legendary weapons. The special part: Unlike the normal Crucible, player gear is weighted more heavily here.
How often has it occurred?: Three times – in October, November, and December. And a fourth time, the Iron Banner is coming to Destiny next week. On Tuesday, January 13.
How was it received?
The first event in October wasreceived relatively poorly because player gear didn’t count as strongly as expected. It didn’t feel “special” enough.
During the second time in November it went very well, as there was Light Level 30 armor right before the expansion, which many still needed. Also, player gear counted more strongly now, and a few design mistakes from October were fixed.
What is the current status of the event?: The Iron Banner in Destiny starts again on Tuesday, January 13. They are talking about “updated rewards”. We’ll see what that entails on Tuesday.
Trials of Osiris
What is it?: A PvP event on Mercury. A kind of tournament where players can buy in and get eliminated if they lose three times. The more they win in a row, the higher the reward is likely to be.
How often has it occurred?: Not at all yet. There has also been no comment from Bungie on the subject. The Trials of Osiris event is already in the database and looks quite finished, but Bungie hasn’t said a peep about whether and when they want to release it.
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What is the current status of the event? Bungie isn’t saying anything about it. It could be that it comes with “House of Wolves,” maybe in the summer, to bridge the summer drought. But it could also be that it comes earlier or not at all.
In World of Warcraft, starting with Patch 6.1, there will be an NPC who sells those followers that are available optionally through the outpost and that the player is still missing.
Those who are traveling in Draenor will repeatedly face the choice between two buildings that provide specific advantages: Prefer a mount that can be fought from its back or rather a war machine? Prefer a shredder or a formidable ogre that comes at the push of a button and beats up the enemies?
A side effect of the outposts is that players can recruit certain followers per zone while others cannot. Those who wanted to have all followers had to change the outposts – this has recently been made easier, but it is still quite a cumbersome and costly affair.
Therefore, Blizzard will introduce an NPC in 6.1 who will sell the missing garrison followers for gold. They are, regardless of what they say, indeed mercenaries. Also, the dear grandma of Thrall, Geyah.
Players can also hire other followers: If they had the choice between three in the introductory quest, the other two are now also available for purchase – or simply followers that one missed in a quest.
In The Lord of the Rings Online (LotRO), there is an addendum to the outlook for 2015. The European servers are set to move to Amsterdam, but will continue to be managed by Turbine. The new instances are not to be raids, but challenges for 3 or 6 players.
The Producer Letter of The Lord of the Rings Online raised some questions that have been answered in more detail. For European players, nothing will change with the server move, except hopefully the performance. It is expected to improve. The EU servers will still be handled by Turbine, and updates will be simultaneous with those in the USA.
There was also a discussion about the instances. The new instances in Osgiliath specifically refer to 3-man and 6-man instances, not a raid or an “epic battle.”
Regarding the server mergers, Turbine is aware of how important it will be for guild leaders to keep the group together. Turbine will strive to make that happen.
And it’s also important what is not said: No word has been given about a possible “big” expansion or that they would raise the level cap above 100. It seems Turbine is heading more in a horizontal direction, focusing on becoming stronger at level 100.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The SF MMO Star Trek Online looks optimistically towards 2015, in a letter to the fans Producer Stephan D’Angelo talks about growing numbers.
Growing player numbers in the fifth year: This is a rarity for MMOs, as STO’s Producer Stephan D’Angelo knows: Star Trek Online is not only healthy but is growing, he writes in an article on the homepage of the Star Trek franchise. Not many MMOs reach new highs repeatedly in their fifth year, so we are glad and thankful for such loyal fans and look forward to an eventful year in 2015.
What made us the most excited about 2014, however, is how STO is not only healthy, but is growing. Not many MMOs can set new highs repeatedly during their fifth year, and we’re very thankful for all the loyal fans who play and support the game. We look forward to another great year in 2015!
For this, we have set ourselves high goals. Last year was spent preparing the stage for the story; now we want to drive the story forward in 2015. A first major update is expected to come in 3 weeks. This will also revise the bridge officers.
My MMO thinks: It is indeed surprising. The sentiment around Star Trek Online was at least in the communities around the game rather negative. Delta Rising did not go over very well in gameplay details, especially the new tier ships and the “I have to upgrade everything to the new level” led to complaints.
But it is clear: A free-to-play MMO that has such a strong license as Star Trek Online can attract a steady stream of newcomers with some skill. In the lead-up to Delta Rising, we heard significantly more about STO than in the months before.
Newcomers must be consistently offered something as well. Graphically and in gameplay (for example, in ground missions), STO is in a race against time.
However, the game also has strong sides: The “Crew” missions, which for a long time were a kind of unique selling point, have now also been discovered by WoW as a garrison. STO is not a typical MMO, but also offers veterans something new and occupies a niche, probably appealing more to “older gamers” who grew up with the Star Trek series in the 90s. For true Star Trek fans, it is worth a visit regardless.
The Elder Scrolls Online never rests. Rumors are swirling. Is the console version being discontinued or will it be released in 6 weeks? Is TESO going Free2Play? What’s the buzz in the global Kinsterwald?
The Elder Scrolls Online is the target of several conflicting rumors. Let’s investigate them further.
The rumor mill for TESO is filled with bad rumors.
Rumor 1: The console version is being discontinued
It was specifically stated why this would be plausible: TESO does not meet Bethesda’s vision, they find the game somewhat uninteresting now and do not want to continue supporting it, but rather make room for The Elder Scrolls 6.
Supporting arguments: None.
Counterarguments: Unfortunately, Zenimax has been working intensively for 8 months to optimize The Elder Scrolls Online so that it can succeed on consoles again. They wouldn’t bother if they had already written off the game, would they?
Probability: 0%.
So … aha … yes … hm …
Rumor 2: The console version will come in 6 weeks
Now, the latest: The console version is expected to be released on February 24. The reason is: “It’s stated so in the Microsoft”-Store, where people can preorder the game.
Counterarguments: At the beginning of December, it was said that they still wanted to “complete the justice system and the champion system” before having a version that would be released on consoles. The first part of the justice system is now “maybe” coming to the test server soon. The idea of actually going to consoles in 6 weeks seems EXTREMELY unlikely.
Moreover, they recently tweeted that there should also be a beta phase with all the trimmings.
@3kWCircle8 Yes, we do still plan to conduct a beta for #ESO on Xbox One. As soon as we have more details, we’ll be sure to share them.
Rumor 3: They will switch Elder Scrolls Online to F2P or Buy2Play
This is a rumor that is currently getting the most traction. Two weeks ago there was the “revelation” (it was just noticed by someone) that TESO is no longer offering the 6-month subscription. Normal stuff, Zenimax stated. Not enough demand.
Supporting arguments: The implication of the rumor, switching to F2P or Buy2Play, would at least be strategically conceivable, as console players might struggle with a subscription model.
Counterarguments: But there is no signal from Zenimax in that direction, and hearing every little thing only makes sense to a limited extent. The fact is: There has been no word from the responsible parties. So it is not a “rumor” but rather a speculation that could make sense. However, some core fans on PC would likely not be very happy with a switch to Free2Play “without reason”. They consciously chose a Pay2Play model.
There is a saying: When you have a hammer, the whole world looks like a nail. If you are desperately looking for clues that your own assumptions are becoming reality, you will find evidence for it, even if you have to search in Australia.
Which gamer doesn’t painfully remember all the TV reports that completely vilified our beloved hobby? Nowadays, I look back with an amused smile at reports from “Frontal 21” or some theories from Professor Christian Pfeiffer.
For almost 10 years, video games were the scapegoat for tragic events, such as school shootings or increased violence among teenagers. Since in Germany there is a tendency to always find a single reason and to avoid thinking about multicausal connections, it was, of course, easy for the media to pounce on that.
However, it seems that this era is finally coming to an end, as more and more long-term studies on this topic are slowly coming to fruition. One of the most recent studies by Christopher Ferguson from the USA has again found no correlations between the consumption of (violent) video games and real violence propensity. Based solely on the numbers, in fact, the opposite has occurred: with the introduction of video games, the potential for violence among teenagers has even decreased somewhat – although Ferguson does not want to establish a direct connection there.
It is also interesting that he strongly criticizes the previous short-term studies. These were mostly conducted under laboratory conditions with short video clips and thus far removed from the reality of any gamer.
It will probably take a while for the prejudice of “killer games” and “danger of rampage” to dissolve from the minds of the older generation, but studies like these are important building blocks to bring our hobby back into the right light.
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Xur appears in Destiny on January 9th in the Tower and offers a selection of exotic weapons and armor. But which ones will it be this time? With video and current images, we present his selection to you.
Xur, the black market dealer and Agent of the Nine, has been noticeably featuring the new DLC items from Darkness Rising frequently in recent weeks. Currently, there is speculation in Destiny about whether this could just be a coincidence or if the algorithm has indeed been tweaked.
Some had hoped that Xur would somehow become a kind of Santa Claus, but that has not materialized after gifts were already given out during the week.
All about Xur, the black market dealer in Destiny on January 9th, 10th, and 11th.
When does Xur come in Destiny and when does he leave again?
Xur arrives at 10:00 AM German time on Friday, January 9th, and he leaves again on Sunday, January 11th, also at 10:00 AM.
Where is Xur located? What is his location?
Xur is located in the Hangar. Here is a video about it: http://youtu.be/XHrtXMGjobg
What do the numbers on the exotic armors mean?
Exotic armors of the same type have exactly the same properties and can also always reach a light level of 36, but: Each version of an exotic armor has a different value for strength, intellect, discipline. This value is said to be “rolled,” or randomized. The value can either be high (which is good) or low (not so good). We have already dealt with that here.
What does Xur have in store for Warlocks, Titans, Hunters this week?
This week, Xur is selling the exotic hand cannon “The Last Word.” He wants a hefty 23 Strange Coins for The Last Word. The western-style revolver shines primarily in PvP, while in PvE it ranks in the lower middle, as there are likely better alternatives.
For Warlocks, Xur has the exotic chest armor Starfire Protocol on offer. He wants 13 Strange Coins for it. It achieves 144/155 intellect (which is a pretty strong roll).
For Hunters, he has the chest armor Lucky Raspberry – 13 Strange Coins. With 149/160 intellect (which is an excellent roll).
For Titans, the exotic “Insurmountable Skullfort” is available. Many have certainly been waiting for it. It costs 13 Strange Coins and has 104/112 discipline.
This week there is no exotic engram, but heavy ammo as synthesis.
What upgrade options does Xur offer this week in Destiny?
At Xur, you can “upgrade” the “old” versions of the exotic weapons and armors to their new versions. This costs between 7000 and 8000 Glimmer, an exotic shard, and the old version of the item. Each week, he offers 6 armors and 6 weapons to choose from, sometimes he also offers to upgrade one of the two “old” PlayStation exclusive weapons. That happens then outside of the usual order, as the 7th weapon.
For upgrade options, he has the following for the armors:
For Hunters the chest armor Wings of Alpha Lupi with 126/135 strength
The Hunter gloves Ahamkara’s Spine with 93/100 discipline
For Warlocks the helmet Apotheosis Veil with 115/124 discipline (strong roll)
The chest armor Heart of Praxic Fire with 134/144 discipline
For Titans the Helm of Saint-14 with 118/127 intellect (very strong roll)
And an upgrade option for the “Insurmountable Skullfort” with 98/105 discipline.
The following 6 weapons can be upgraded from the old version to a new one this week:
The auto rifle Hard Light.
The auto rifle Suros Regime – highly demanded in PvP.
About our issues faced throughout the day: A year ago around this time we were still a small site, just starting out with a hundred visitors a day. In the last 12 months, especially since September, that has changed significantly.
December was by far our most successful month so far. After a relaunch on December 1st, we had over 1 million page views in those 31 days. Today was even a category above that, which the current server simply cannot handle. In order to better cope with extreme surges, like the one on Friday afternoon, we will conduct a major server upgrade in the next 24 hours.
That’s why there are currently some difficulties (or there were difficulties since 10:00 AM), but those are pleasant growing pains. Success brings those with it. We thank you for your interest. Stay loyal to us and recommend us further. Next Friday, the site should be able to withstand the insane surge of F5 requests.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The planning for the next week in Destiny is known. The hard mode of the raid Crota’s End is expected to open soon. However, no specific date has been set yet. Instead, on Tuesday, January 13, a patch will focus extensively on the raids.
The Weekly Update arrived in the night from Thursday to Friday. Here Bungie addresses the community and presents plans for the near future.
Hard mode of Crota’s End will bring some surprises, but is still pending
The hard mode of the raid Crota’s End is announced for January. It is progressing well, but no concrete date has been set yet. Currently, they are in the final steps of the “release.” The “old” Crota on normal mode has now been defeated more than a million times (*cough cough*).
There will probably be some surprises in hard mode, but they are not ready to reveal anything yet. Guardians should prepare to learn some new tricks.
Solo chest will be nerfed
On Tuesday, January 13, they will extensively tackle the current “normal mode” in Crota’s End. They will significantly weaken the “first chest,” the solo chest. It will only contain “Light Shards and Light Energy.”
The loot in the chest (along with the fairly high chance of exotic weapons) will be transferred to Ir-Yût. It had been, despite possibly being one of the hardest encounters in the raid, without reward, practically lootless.
This means: “Net” there will be MORE loot in Crota’s End. The raid yield goes from two chests and three encounters up to two chests and four encounters – with the chests containing only Light Shards and Light Energy.
The exploits in the current raid will be fixed on Tuesday
And then Bungie will tackle exploits and tricks: In the bridge encounter, players will have to cross the bridge to complete the encounter starting Tuesday. They must wait until the bridge is fully constructed.
Regarding Crota himself, they will fix the “LAN cable” cheat, preventing a second sword bearer from spawning if the first dies quickly enough, and will fix some more bugs.
And for all those who asked in recent days “Has anyone been banned for the Crota exploit?” – Bungie does not address that.
However, there is considerable frustration among many with the “legendary Christmas gift”: They know that some are happy about it and others have already “broken it down,” but they hope that players will simply see it as “a gesture of goodwill” and appreciate it. They say it is the thought that counts.
Exotic weapons level 32 drop in the Glass Chamber
Another change will affect the Glass Chamber. The “old” raid instance holds a strange special position in Destiny. It is the only place where there were still “old” versions of exotic weapons, which had to be upgraded by Xur. Starting Tuesday, the exotic weapons that drop here will also come in the new version: going up to 331.
What will happen with the Vex Mythoclast (after all, according to popular opinion the third strongest exotic in Destiny), however, is not mentioned. At the moment it only goes up to 323 in damage. Whether something will change there, will be revealed next Tuesday.
The fourth Iron Banner starts next Tuesday
And also: The Iron Banner is returning next week. It will kick off on Tuesday, January 13. Bungie hasn’t revealed how the loot will look yet. Last time in mid-December, there was little participation because the rewards were perceived as “too weak”: These were legendary armors that went up to Light Level 33 (gloves, boots), and two legendary weapons.
Bungie speaks of “updated rewards” – updated rewards. Whether they are really worthwhile remains to be seen. Not that someone gets disappointed again – like with the Christmas gifts. It could mean that instead of gloves and boots they offer chest and head this time or just simply two different legendary weapons.
Civilization Online, a Korea MMO by XL-Games, will feature elements of an MMO, but not the persistent, existing world that many associate with an MMO.
XLGames is working on a Civilization Online. Unlike the strategy series from Firaxis, the player will not control the fate of their people from a god-like position but will only be a part of the machine that lubricates the world axle.
In an interview with the US site mmorpg.com, the developers from XLGames explained that although Civilization Online is an MMO, it will not be a direct “successor” to ArcheAge, their first MMO. The special feature of Civ Online will be the so-called “Session Play”. Complete games will be played, which will either end in a defeat or a success experience for the players.
Sid Meyer is said to be very fond of the project, according to XLGames, and they are working together with 2k and T2 to advance the Civilization franchise.
The player can contribute to the success of their faction in Civ Online either as a “Fighter” or a “Non-Fighter”. They can easily switch between the individual classes. There is no housing in the sense, but it is a “large project” that belongs to everyone. While quests will be available in Civ Online, they will not have the same dimensions as in World of Warcraft. In PvE, resources such as wool or gold could be earned. However, it is not necessarily required to participate in that.
When asked about ArcheAge, the developers respond that they have learned a lot from the difficult launch of ArcheAge and have built a fan base with ArcheAge that loves the game and supports XLGames as a company.
After the great success of the first closed beta phase in Korea, other publishers have already inquired with XLGames about the possibility of a port to other countries. However, XLGames wants to focus on the domestic market first and will address a possible port (also to the West) later in the year.
Mein MMO says: It seems that XLGames, as can be inferred between the lines, does not necessarily have MMO or MMORPG players as its target audience, but rather wants to attract Civilization fans, turn-based strategy players and fans of such casual Facebook games as a new target audience that might feel put off by the core mechanics of an MMORPG.
This is a trend that some have anticipated. A kind of “MMOification” of the gaming market, as an MMO with ongoing monetization is a highly lucrative business model for many developers. We will see how the game develops. We in the West will probably only be confronted with it in a few years, if at all.
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In a few weeks, the first new class should already come to Black Desert. The Tamer, “the tamer woman”, is also the star in a new video.
Four classes are available in Black Desert. Everybody’s favorite, the tamer woman, is still under wraps. However, even without being playable, she has already thrilled many fans of the genre just by the concept art. She somehow just hits the right buttons for fans of the genre.
MMO-Culture calls her an “Orient Teen with quite a hyperactivity.” Her preferred weapon is a whip. And she enters an ominous symbiosis with a rather scruffy magical wolf.
In the video, the Tamer can be admired in action. Like the other “classes” in Black Desert, it is not just a class as we know it, but a whole package of race, gender, and class.
In the air combat MMO War Thunder, there is currently a series running where pilots can reenact decisive battles from World War II daily. Additionally, a fan has created an impressive short film using the game’s replay feature.
War Thunder is currently hosting a six-week event that offers scenarios each week where players can “reenact” the decisive battles of World War II.
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This week, we have arrived in 1942. Today, Thursday, January 8, the British Africa Offensive is up, tomorrow we’ll head to the Guadalcanal, and next Monday, to the Eastern Front in the Caucasus. A user has dedicated an impressive short film to the game. B-17 bombers are surprised on their way home by a squadron of German fighters: http://youtu.be/_k2rHf3V-FM
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The SF MMO Star Trek Online will focus on bridge officers, overhauling and modernizing the system.
Bridge officers are one of the unique features of Star Trek Online. They activate various skills in the ship combat aspect of the game: for example, an engineer (identified by a yellow shirt in the Federation) can take care of the ship’s repairs through skills (Self-Heal), while a tactical officer (red shirt) tends to have offensive abilities.
In “Away Missions,” they serve as a sort of party replacement, firing their phasers and also using their skills.
The entire system is set to undergo modernization by Cryptic. Essentially, it seems aimed at changing the currently rather cumbersome way in which bridge officers learn skills to a drop and purchase system through training books. Cryptic also wants to give them more abilities to choose from, which will become increasingly expensive as the officer learns more.
The developer diary with all the details can be found here. As for when this will go live, even Cryptic does not know at the moment. The system change is still in development.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the MMO shooter Destiny, the hunt for the exotic rocket launcher Gjallarhorn and the sniper rifle Icebreaker is slowly taking absurd turns. Now a “chest whisperer” has found success with an extremely unusual method.
With Gjallarhorn and Icebreaker, Guardians are at the top of the food chain. But the loot system in Destiny is brutal. Even after several hundred hours in pursuit of the holy grail of weaponry, it is not guaranteed to actually hold one of the two graces. The random factor is relentless and indifferent; it simply does not care how much you deserve the weapon.
The weapons are so great. Gjallarhorn deals as much damage with one shot as two rockets would normally do, and it is an absolute killer when it comes to dealing maximum destruction Y in minimal time X. Crota can sing a song about that.
The Icebreaker is perfectly suited for Guardians to deal out six devastating shots from a safe position and then stow the weapon to switch to another combat mode. When the Guardians need it again, the Icebreaker is ready to go. It has regenerated its ammunition.
How to get Gjallarhorn and Icebreaker in Destiny?
But how to get them? Xur can sell both, but recently he has only had DLC weapons. Otherwise, it’s said that the exotic weapons drop “randomly”, for example in the first chest in the Crota’s End raid or as a reward for a Nightfall strike. But no recipe has been found yet.
As it often is with things you can’t influence: Superstitions are slowly forming. Guardians believe their account is “cursed” and that their neighbor’s is favored by luck. The fate doesn’t just roll dice, does it?
Perhaps, as theories arise, you get Gjallarhorn when you are out with a rocket launcher. But Bungie reveals nothing about the loot algorithm. Everything is random, say people who have investigated it thoroughly.
But is that really the case? (Yes, it is!)
Maybe be nicer to the chests?
A Guardian has now found a “foolproof” method on reddit to make a chest spit out exactly the right item. It’s a pretty quirky ritual that takes place in Destiny, but … see for yourself.
So … maybe be nicer to the chests before you open them?
More foolproof tips on how to become a very strange bird in Destiny that your friends think “My God, what is he doing?” can be found on our well-organized topic page.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
