It’s Wednesday again and… oh, you know the introduction sentence by now, so I’ll skip it halfway. Today, I want to address a problem that affects me much more this time and call on you to be a little active.
I am hereby addressing all roleplayers and those who might at least want to take a small look into the world of emotes and character stories. Everyone else is welcome (read: must) to continue reading and may happily join one of the two mentioned groups afterwards.
The friends list after 7 years: “What? Who are you?”
A situation that probably happens hundreds of thousands of times every day. You are running around with your character in the worlds of a game you haven’t touched for a while, and then the strange message appears in the chat: “[Serathion] is now online.”
And then the brain starts to rattle. Who the Nether was Serathion? Was he called that back then? Did I have anything to do with him?
A further click on the name reveals the associated guild “Sin Tor”. Even there, my mind seems to scream from distant memories: You know him! You somehow know him! – Sure, he’s on my friends list after all.
So I was facing two options, either I remove the good man (calling “men” for blood elves might be a bit presumptuous) from my list or I engage in the embarrassing conversation where I confess to having no idea who he actually is. Luckily, I made the right choice, otherwise I would have to come up with something again today.
Unknown yet always close…
After some conversations with the previously so “ominous unknown”, we found out that we had crossed paths as roleplayers in a whole bunch of MMORPGs.
We frequented the same cantinas in SWTOR, participated together in some RP events in WildStar, and in TERA our Castanics shared time at the beach… well, that’s not so important, you know what I’m getting at!
There is only a relatively manageable number of online roleplayers in the German-speaking area, and they are spreading across more and more games that have come into the market over the years. This makes coordination among each other more challenging, for some games it’s just not enough to gather enough people to create truly exciting, varied RP. And if you ultimately meet the same people in every new game anyway, why should you have to rediscover each other every time? And this is where a good acquaintance comes into play…
A small but ambitious project
To provide roleplayers (and all those who want to become one) with a cross-game forum and to maintain friendships among players across games, “Rabe” has created the following forum: www.rp-foren.de
I take the liberty to blatantly promote this, as this is something I care about – bringing together the German roleplaying community. Even if the forum is still empty at the moment, please sign up if interested, introduce yourselves and your ideas, or simply ask for mentors if you’re still uncertain. And above all: If you know roleplayers, please tell them about it!
I notice that this time I was way too friendly and complained way too little – let’s see what the coming week with its Evolve beta test has to offer… until Wednesday and dare to take the plunge! We do not bite. Only in RP.
In case you have never dealt with roleplaying or have only seen it as part of the written designation “MMORPG”, I would like to recommend some of our older posts to you. First, we offer you a good overview, what roleplaying actually is and empower you to create your first, RP-compatible character. If you are not asleep by then, feel free to take a closer look at our behavior tips for RP so that your first gaming evening does not end in a major disaster. To round out the overall package, we finally point you to the dangers and temptations that every player can encounter when engaging in lively conversations or bloody battles with other characters. Take a look, it might be worth it!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny, this week’s event Iron Banner is active, and this month, in January, it is really worth participating in the Iron Banner again. The reason is three items that we will present in this article.
This is now the fourth active Iron Banner – Iron Banner 4.0, or probably more accurately: Iron Banner 2.3.
We present it in our guide. We tell you why it is particularly worthwhile this month and how you can get the items.
Why this month’s Iron Banner is worth it
There are three items to earn that are particularly worth highlighting.
Light Value 36 Gloves
On top of that, if you reach rank 4 in this Iron Banner, you will receive a pair of legendary gloves. They have a light value of 36. You can reach the maximum light level with them.
The particularly great thing about them: They can be upgraded with Ascendant Shards. Not with Radiant Shards. With these legendary gloves and an exotic armor piece, you only need “only” two raid armor pieces and 42 Radiant Shards to reach level 32.
Sniper Rifle Efrideet’s Spear
The sniper rifle Efrideet’s Spear can be obtained as random rewards from Iron Banner matches. The sniper rifle has the same base stats as Black Spindle and this thing is considered an absolute killer: very slow, incredibly powerful, a real punch.
The special thing about Efrideet’s Spear is: you can get all “random” sniper abilities with it. This also means: Arc damage or Solar damage or certain killer perks on the sniper rifle like Field Scout (increases magazine size), Spray and Play (faster reload when the magazine is empty), or Firefly (Solar explosion after precision kills).
And for a reroll, you don’t have to find Efrideet’s Spear every time, but you can always take the same weapon. Because through a special offer, you can reshuffle “Iron Banner” weapons. It costs 2 Light Shards.
With enough Light Shards, you can keep reshuffling until you have the sniper rifle of your dreams. Especially for the weekly Nightfall strike, a sniper rifle that can deal Void damage would be an excellent choice. Then the old Praedyth’s Revenge can finally retire.
The Hand Cannon Timur’s Lash
The hand cannon Timur’s Lash is basically great for the same reasons as Efrideet’s Spear. It is a hand cannon with fantastic base stats, extremely high impact (hit power). The problem with the weapon is usually the small magazine.
But with the perk “Field Scout,” you can eliminate this disadvantage. If it is on the weapon, that is. So you should reshuffle with Light Shards until you have an “ideal” roll.
You can acquire Timur’s Lash in this Iron Banner when you reach the highest rank, rank 5. Then it is available for a considerable sum.
The best method is probably to get two rolls of the weapons and always reroll the weaker one until it is better than the other. Then continue with that one.
Besides these items, there are also: The rocket launcher Radegast’s Wrath (at rank 4), a legendary chest with light value 33 (at rank 3), and the legendary auto rifle Silimar’s Wrath (as a random reward).
The entire offer from Lord Saladin is presented to you by the guys from Ziro.TV in this video:
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Rank 5 in the Iron Banner is not as far away as it seems at first glance.
The following tips are important:
Buy the emblem, class item, or shader at the respective reputation levels. They provide a 10% bonus, stack together, and increase the reputation by 30%.
Accept as many Iron Banner bounties as possible and work on completing them simultaneously.
If you win, everything is great; you get 50 reputation.
If you lose, don’t despair; you get a coin that you can convert into 40 reputation if you win next time. It’s only important not to lose 5 times in a row. Because you can only collect 5 coins. If you are really losing constantly, play more defensively, stay in groups, guard your control points, don’t run around recklessly, and blame others even more intensely for your failure.
The bonus “Hardened” lasts 12 hours and grants a reputation bonus. You can request it multiple times as often as you want.The reputation bonus gets stronger each day, a day in Destiny starts at 10 a.m. German time and ends at 9:59 a.m. the next day:
On the first day, Tuesday, January 13, the reputation bonus is 10%.
On the second day, Wednesday, January 14, 15%
On the third day, Thursday, January 15, 25%
On the fourth day, Friday, January 16, (blessed be Xur) 40%
On the fifth day, Saturday, January 17, 60%
On the sixth day, Sunday, January 18, 100%
On the seventh day, Monday, January 19, 150%
This means: If you only have time for the Iron Banner late in the week, you need significantly fewer wins or losses than if you are out and about now.
For rank 1, you need 100 reputation, for rank 2 an additional 1200 reputation, and for each subsequent rank an additional 2400 reputation.
You need around 140 rounds without bonuses to reach reputation level 5 and to acquire Timur’s Lash. However, with all bonus items, buffs, and everything else, it is significantly less.
In Tom Clancy’s “The Division“, an alleged alpha tester spilled the beans.
The MMO shooter “The Division” could be one of the next big games on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Especially now, as “Destiny” has paved the way for such a shooter with MMO elements, it seems like the timing is right. However, Ubisoft has been surrounded by controversies and a bad vibe for some time, which also threatened to spill over to “The Division”.
There are constantly rumors of another delay, and the rumor that “The game is being downgraded for PC because of consoles” is hard to shake off, no matter how often it has been denied. Watchdogs is still too fresh in memory.
A video gives cause for better spirits. A YouTuber reports on the statements of an alleged alpha tester, which he supposedly made a few weeks ago in the podcast of the large US site GiantBomb.
The good news is:
The alpha is currently running and stable.
The shooter mechanics are fundamentally solid and strong.
The Division features an open world that is fully explorable; unlike the Tower in Destiny.
The game has surprisingly developed RPG loot elements.
There are negative points as well:
The game is currently still full of glitches and bugs. Like “falling through the world” stuff.
Sounds promising, although all of this involves unconfirmed statements.
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In response to the “leak” showing Destiny’s plans for the next 2 years, Bungie has unofficially acknowledged it, with a big grin and a nod to the cult film Memento.
Shortly after New Year, a photo from an alleged Bungie presentation made the rounds. The pixelated image was actually from October, but only then became known to a wider audience. It showed all the nice secret plans for what Destiny has in store for 2015 and the first months of 2016.
From a marketing perspective, a nightmare: Once everything is known, how can you keep fans engaged with little info bites over months? And the photo seemed to reveal everything already: In March, the next bite of content with the ‘House of Wolves’, about the size of the DLC ‘The Darkness Awaits.’
In September, a big expansion “Comet: Plague of Darkness,” which would turn Destiny into sort of Destiny 1.5. With a new base level, new box, and plenty of new gameplay content.
After that, two smaller DLC bites again. This all came just over the holidays, when Bungie employees were with their families and relaxing. Now it’s back to “business as usual” and they are acknowledging the alleged leak and commenting on it. And this is being done by the employee responsible for keeping fans entertained with the aforementioned little info bites for months.
The comment is therefore not official (in the Weekly Update there was not a peep), but unofficial. The community and marketing strategist at Bungie, Eric Osborne, who was also the source of the last Weekly Update, posted the following on Twitter:
Seen in a Polaroid is the leak photo in connection with the film “Memento” (2000). On the back of the photo, it says “Don’t trust this image.” In Memento, a man without memory tries to remember using Polaroid photos and deceives himself with these images.
The message from Osborne is clear: What is seen in the image should not be taken at face value. Whether the photo was ever accurate, whether plans have changed since then, what is happening, Osborne does not reveal.
Bungie confirms planned expansion of the size of Comet
A specific response in the discussion about the Twitter pic came after all. “Can we expect an expansion about the size of Comet?” a fan wanted to know.
Osborne’s answer this time did not need a pop culture reference; it was quite clear: Yup.
The 4-versus-1 MOBA Evolve fully relies on microtransactions. 15 euros for the fourth new monster, one of the new hunters costs 7.49 euros.
The good news is: Evolve is continuously planning to deliver new content. Today, they introduced a fourth monster, the Behemoth. 4 more hunters and a fifth monster will arrive in “spring” and the PC special edition mentions two “additional” hunters. However, it is not quite clear whether these are new; if they are, we would have 6 confirmed new hunters.
The rather bad news: Those who thought Evolve would be a thing like “League of Legends” are mistaken. Before the start of the next beta phase on January 15, the DLC plans and prices are now being announced, and these can be quite substantial. A new monster costs 14.99 euros if purchased alone. For 7.49 euros, the planned new hunters can be bought individually.
Players who do not wish to spend any more after purchasing the game are limited to 12 hunters and 3 monsters that they can unlock over time. Players, who play on an Xbox will enjoy advantages.
There is a discount offer for everything, a “pass”, a “package”, and a “if you pre-order, you get this” deal. The variety of offers can be found here:
Exclusive Pre-Sale and Pre-Download for Xbox One
Players who pre-purchase Evolve digitally on Xbox One can download the game now before the launch on February 10, 2015.
From today, players can pre-download the Xbox One Open Beta, which starts on January 15, 2015.
Players who pre-purchase Evolve or the Evolve Digital Deluxe Edition for Xbox One will receive an instant unlock of the third monster (Wraith) and the third tier of hunters (Parnell, Abe, Caira, Cabot) at launch, both of which will also be available during the Open Beta.
Players who pre-purchase Evolve or the Digital Deluxe Edition for Xbox One will also receive the “Monster Expansion Pack” for free, which will include the fourth playable monster character Behemoth in spring and the Wilder Goliath skin at launch.
Evolve Hunting Season Pass (24.99€)
Includes four playable hunters that will be available this spring. One character for each class: Assault, Trapper, Medic, Support.
Includes three monster skins at launch, exclusive to the Hunting Season Pass: Magma Goliath, Magma Kraken, and Magma Wraith.
The four playable hunter characters are available separately from the Evolve Hunting Season Pass for a price of 7.49 euros each.
Evolve Digital Deluxe Edition (64.99€)
The Digital Deluxe Edition is now available as a digital download for Xbox One and Windows PC for immediate purchase and will soon be available for PlayStation 4.
Includes the main Evolve game as well as the Hunting Season Pass.
Players who pre-purchase Evolve or the Digital Deluxe Edition will receive the Monster Expansion Pack for free, which will include the fourth playable monster character Behemoth in spring and the Wilder Goliath skin at launch.
Evolve PC Monster Race Edition (79.99€)
The PC Monster Race Edition is now available for pre-sale as a digital download for Windows PC at participating retailers.
Includes the main game, the Hunting Season Pass, as well as additional content after the game’s release: a fifth playable monster character, two additional playable hunters, and four monster skins, which will be exclusive to the buyers of the Evolve PC Monster Race Edition for 30 days.
Players who pre-purchase the PC Monster Race Edition will also receive the Monster Expansion Pack for free, which will include the fourth playable monster character Behemoth in spring and the Wilder Goliath skin at launch.
And here is the trailer for the new monster Behemoth:
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On January 20, the finale of Final Fantasy XIV will kick off with Before the Fall. This includes a lot of new content. With “Guardian of the Lake”, “Palace of the Wanderer” and “Ruins of Amdapor”, among others, three new dungeons will be introduced in the game. Additionally, the Crystal Tower raid will conclude with “The World of Darkness”.
Due to the extensive scope, “Before the Fall” represents a split update. Part 2, featuring the “Battle of Ishgard”, is scheduled for release at the end of March. Moreover, the current trailer offers glimpses of the content for Patch 2.51, which is set to come to the servers in February: With the mini-game paradise “Gold Saucer” and the popular Chocobo races, players can soon look forward to true cult adventures from the Final Fantasy series.
Have fun with the extensive trailer for the update. Fans of the MMO are calling it an “epic video” that gives them goosebumps. Before the Fall lays the groundwork for the first major expansion Heavensward in spring.
Anyone who wants to try FFXIV for free on PC, PS3 or PS4 can sign up here with the Trial Version to convince themselves of the game. Final Fantasy XIV has also been available for some time as a “Game of the Year” Edition for PC, which includes several bonus content, collectibles, and a total of 90 days of gameplay.
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This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Even after nearly two months, the balancing carousel continues to spin cheerfully in World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor. In the latest hotfix, there are significant adjustments to the passive bonuses of many specializations, and we have summarized the most important changes for you at a glance.
More Speed for Everyone!
Speed was a rather unpopular stat for many classes at level 100, which is why it is now significantly strengthened through this hotfix. To gain 1% speed, you now need only 90 speed rating instead of 100, making the value 11% stronger.
It will probably take a few days for the theorycrafters in World of Warcraft to adjust their “Best-in-Slot” tables accordingly.
The Sad Losers…
Death Knights are hit hardest, as their “Blood Boil” now deals 33% less damage, a significant nerf. However, frost specialization dark riders can rejoice, as they now receive 20% more speed rating from all sources, instead of the previous 5%.
Druids must accept a 5% weakening of the healing spell “Rejuvenation” and be very brave, as the initial damage of “Swipe” in bear form is decreased by a ruthless 50% (the DoT remains unaffected).
Finally, all specializations of Priests are affected, especially adherents of Discipline. “Power Word: Shield” absorbs 15% less damage than before (thus reflecting less damage with the corresponding glyph).
…the Radiant Winners…
Balance Druids, Beast Mastery Hunters, and Arms Warriors can look forward to increased effectiveness of their mastery – so this stat should rise in priority for all mentioned specs, and the corresponding classes will experience noticeable damage boosts.
Another increase is experienced by Destruction Warlocks and Fire Mages, as they now receive 15% more critical strike rating from all sources (previously 5%) due to a change in their passive abilities.
… and a Special Case
Some Gladiator Warriors may frown a bit, as their namesake stance now increases damage dealt by only 5%, down from 20%. However, it was emphasized on Twitter that this is not a weakening, as many abilities of the Protection Warrior (Deep Wounds, Devastate, Revenge, Shield Slam, and Thunder Clap) now deal significantly more damage, which should offset the weakening of the stance.
You can view the complete list of changes on battle.net.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny, a video montage makes it clear that weapons alone don’t matter. A Guardian takes one of the weakest exotic weapons in the game, the “No Land Beyond”, and cleans up in the Crucible.
A few weeks ago, the news came that a player soloed the Crota’s End raid with the DLC sniper rifle “No Land Beyond” alone. The “No Land Beyond” is considered generally weak as the weakest exotic weapon in Destiny and desperately needs a buff.
The same player, The Legend Himself (sc Slayer Age), has now picked up the “No Land Beyond” and made a cleanup in the Crucible. Just like the motto: “It’s not rifles that kill people, but this guy does.”
It’s already depressing to watch as a mortal. Have fun.
Today, the last episode of the Living World in Guild Wars 2 has gone online. Many have been waiting for its outcome, hoping for clues about a possible expansion.
Spoiler: Warning, major spoiler alert. Don’t read any further if you still intend to play the current episode of the Living World. Really don’t.
Alright, the episode of the Living World is out, and the first have already played through it. We don’t want to go too much into the details. On reddit, some players are incredibly excited about the pivotal twist. Exactly what some had anticipated has occurred – keyword: Sylvari, Pale Tree, Mordremoth.
Many expected that a hint would come at the end of the episode about what will happen next in Guild Wars 2, and that is exactly what happened. However, it is not so clear.
Here is the final cutscene:
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There are now two likely scenarios. The first is: This is actually the title of an expansion. And the second scenario: It is the title of the next season of the Living World.
One thing is clear: The die is cast, the antagonist for the next major chapter in the history of Tyria is determined. Now it remains to be seen in what form it will come.
Before Early Access for H1Z1, popular streamers were invited to give fans a taste of what to expect starting January 15th.
SOE relies on streamers to reach their target audience. The studio’s president, John Smedley, has said this multiple times. Smedley is a big fan of Twitch and believes that the streaming service is the “television of today.” Even during SOE Live, a selection of streamers was invited to showcase H1Z1. The game is well-suited for this type of presentation with its often improvised gameplay and highlights at brief intervals, and when things might get quiet, a streamer can liven it up with some quips.
In the past, SOE has also worked with “Youtube” personalities; for instance, they collaborated closely with TotalBiscuit for Planetside 2.
It seems to be a classic win-win situation. The streamers get exclusive content for their channels and can promote it. SOE gets PR. And fans enjoy watching a familiar face craft their arrows and bows, probably more than just seeing the same developers all the time. Well, the topic has a few other sides, but let’s pretend this is where it ends.
Now before the start of Early Access SOE has uploaded five hours of gameplay with streamers. Some familiar faces from SOE Live are there, as well as some H1Z1 team members who have been seen in the streams by now.
This is the intro to warm up.
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Adrianne Curry (wow, a woman, reality TV star, actress, and according to her own statements, a geek, won the first season of a show called America’s Next Top Model in 2003)
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On December 20, 2011, Star Wars: The Old Republic was released. The game by Bioware launched with huge expectations but failed to fully convince many players. Nevertheless, the game managed to secure a place in the market.
When people are caught up in Star Wars fever, they might check back into SWTOR and see the many improvements the game has received since its release and play it again. That is at least the hope of the developers. Whether it will be fulfilled remains to be seen. Darion gives you his assessment of the past, the current situation, and the future of the online role-playing game in the video.
Haven’t seen the current trailer for “Star Wars 7: The Force Awakens”? You can catch up here:
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In the weeks prior, there had been numerous speculations that an expansion for Guild Wars 2 is on the horizon. And on January 24 a panel is scheduled, where many assume that Guild Wars 2 will announce an expansion.
Now it is read in a post on the English-speaking forum reddit that NCSoft wants to trademark a GW2 related name “Heart of Thorns” (Das Herz der Dornen), along with a logo.
Today also marks the start of the next episode of the Living World. It might be possible that at its end an “announcement” comes that puts an end to all this guessing and speculating. These speculations actually began with statements from GW2 employees hinting at an “incredible” ending of the Living World and that afterwards nothing would be the same as before. A point of no return will then be reached.
Caution: All of this is just evidence for an expansion so far. It could also be that Heart of Thorns is the name of the next season of the Living World – or something similar. But it already looks very much like something is happening that starts with “Ex” and ends with “pansion”.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
World of Warcraft is unlikely to be a purely Free2Play experience in the long run. But one should never say never. Data miners have found interesting hints regarding a possible Veteran Edition in the patch notes for version 6.1.
Veterans and Trials
The resourceful data miners found restrictions in the patch notes related to various game editions. However, one should not misunderstand the Veteran Edition. Unlike, for example, in Aion, one can compare the veteran access with the already existing starter access. For instance, veterans can only send limited whisper messages, reach a certain maximum level, or have a defined maximum amount of gold. A complete list of the restrictions can be found here on MMO-Champion.
What is behind this?
Why these new restrictions? A conceivable scenario could trace back to the introduction of tradable game time. This way, one can temporarily put their account into veteran mode to then purchase game time in-game. A similar feature exists in EVE Online, where players can also buy additional game time using in-game currency. With the Veteran Edition, the barrier for a possible fresh start in Azeroth would become more permeable. Real money would no longer have to be necessarily spent.
Is WoW then Free2Play?
With the game time that can be purchased for gold, World of Warcraft would be a step closer to the Free2Play status. Although real money would still have to be spent for the game, it would no longer be necessary for playing itself. To what extent the “gold for game time” system works remains to be seen. Many Blizzard fans may still remember the Diablo 3 real money auction house – and not positively.
Whether and how this feature will actually come with patch 6.1 remains to be seen. Would you start playing World of Warcraft again if you only needed enough gold in the bank to rejoin?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The zombie MMO H1Z1 is set to launch with 150 to 200 servers. The size of the servers is still unknown.
The early access of H1Z1, on Thursday, January 15, is only about 20 Bond movies away, as SOE President John Smedley posts the first server numbers. He tweeted that they want to start with around 150 to 200 servers.
looking like we’ll have 150-200 H1Z1 servers on 1/15.
And Smedley added in his typical fashion, with a certain degree of self-irony: 2Even the disgusting carebear-PvE servers will be ready for early access. I don’t agree with that, but people tell me I need to live with it.2
even the disgusting PVE carebear servers will be ready day 1. I’m not happy about that but people tell me I need to get over it.
Smedley plays, as known from streams, in H1Z1 like a real “psycho.” The studio head enjoys shooting at his employees in the streams and particularly likes to set things on fire. He is not particularly competent, but he’s extremely engaged.
On a PvE server, the “carebear” servers, which Smedley refers to, will not allow players to harm each other, but will only be busy with zombie hunting and crafting.
The exact distribution of servers by various server types is not yet known at the moment. This is expected to be provided in the next 40 hours.
The servers will start relatively “small,” with an area of 8×8 “kilometers.” This is already known. Later, the play area will grow significantly and become more geographically diverse.
A maximum number of players per server is not yet known. The servers are supposed to seem “relatively” deserted, typical for a post-apocalypse. They explicitly do not want the hustle and bustle of a starting area in a typical MMO. Players are expected to spawn at different points in the world so that there is no crowding. Friends who want to start together will have to agree on geographical features and find each other first.
We have closely followed H1Z1 over the last few months. Everything we have about it can be found on our thematic page.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the Asia MMO Blade & Soul, a new class called the Warlock has been introduced, and a 24-man raid is being built for it to really shine.
This is also a new idea to promote a class: As reported by MMOCulture, the new 24-man raid in Blade&Soul is specifically designed to give the new Warlock class a chance to shine.
The Warlock itself is designed to appeal to “younger players,” as explained by Blade and Soul developers in an interview.
With the new Warlock class, we are targeting the younger users as well as trying out new things which will break the mould in Blade & Soul, hence there is a new look compared to the other classes.
The Warlock is a magic-based class that can summon dark powers and provide support to the group. The Warlock is also likely designed for the “Chinese” market, where it is expected to appear one month after it was first seen in the Korean version. This is scheduled for January 22.
The new 24-man raid was advertised with a teaser image of a powerful monster and the headline “1 against 24” – the image shows dead players and a giant creature with red piercing eyes.
The raid is supposed to significantly differ and stand out from the previous raids in Blade and Soul. Further details are not yet known.
We have compiled a few trailers and videos for you to get a glimpse of the new favorite at NCSoft, the Warlock.
The weekly Nightfall strike in Destiny begins this week on January 13 against Sepiks Prime. The popular damage modifier Arc Burn is active.
This week, which brought a lot of new content, features a popular and well-known Nightfall. It’s against Sepiks Prime in the Devil’s Lair on Earth.
There are now clear signs that the Nightfall strike is not as random as initially thought. The selection likely follows a pattern that cyclically connects specific strikes with certain modifiers (Sepiks Prime appears either as Void or Arc Burn, but not as Solar Burn, Triple Burn, or No Burn).
However, how the new strike “Crota’s Will” fits in is unknown, so surprises may occur. Additionally, this week should have featured something else based on experience – it’s all a bit strange. It seems that the “strikes” available are limited. The order in which they appear is not entirely clear.
The Nightfall is worthwhile for every Guardian, as it grants a bonus of 24.5% on all reputation and experience earned. In yesterday’s hotfix, they also adjusted the rewards. We will see how this affects things.
The modifiers for the weekly Nightfall strike starting January 13.
The five modifiers this week are:
Nightfall – if the entire fireteam is wiped out, it’s back to orbit
Epic – significantly increased difficulty compared to Heroic
Angry – Enemies are hard to stop even with heavy damage
Arc Burn – Arc damage is significantly increased for both enemies and Guardians
In the heroic Weekly this week, “Lightswitch” is active.
Weapon tips
For Arc Burn, weapons that deal Arc damage are favored. Classic options include:
Primary Weapon: The Fatebringer is still favored and will remain so until the new raid primary weapons with Arc damage come, the scout rifle Fang of Ir Yût and the pulse rifle Abyss Defiant.
Special Weapon. A sniper rifle with Arc damage. There’s a wealth of choices. The exotic sniper Patience and Time is popular. Arc variants of the LDR5001 or Efrideet’s spear are inside tips. The Murmur also works (the Whisper). The sniper Black Hammer is also suitable for certain parts of the Nightfall.
Heavy Weapons:Thunderlord, the exotic machine gun, is particularly powerful in combination with Ruin Wings among Titans. Other Arc machine guns, like Swarm or the raid machine gun Ir Yût’s Song, are also a good idea.
Tips and Tricks?
In general, during the Nightfall: Try to get hit only once, then retreat and regenerate health. Play it safe, especially if you’re solo.
We will post videos throughout the day with Nightfall runs; typically, there will be some tricks involved, like a cheese spot or similar.
A step-by-step guide in fast motion with the best spots (including a cheese spot for Sepiks Prime) can be found in this solo run.
http://youtu.be/ti9sEhsIjjQ A two-part run by a German YouTuber who dares to go solo into the “den of devils”. The loadout is quite consistent with our ideas. Fatebringer, LDR 5001, Thunderlord. And yes, he uses Black Hammer for the tank – and there’s a reason this video is in two parts: Caution is the mother of the solo run.
http://youtu.be/BioTQXdnuq4 http://youtu.be/ok_zpQfKvqw Here, a trio takes on Sepiks Prime, which probably comes closest to the experience of a “normal Guardian”. With three players, you don’t have to play perfectly, as heavy weapons help. http://youtu.be/V8tUD39max0 Finally, a solid run by a trio of players in German with a Swiss accent. http://youtu.be/WfwYSuaSHVE
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny , the exotic fusion rifle Vex Mythoclast holds a special position. Bungie’s Community Manager DeeJ recently commented on this.
All exotic weapons reach 331 damage … all? No … a small fusion rifle …
You can upgrade all the old versions of the exotic weapons in Destiny that only go up to a damage value of 300, through Xur to their new edition , which then goes up to 331. And thus deals 14.5% more damage. All weapons? No, the Vex Mythoclast is an exception.
The old version …
The exotic fusion rifle Vex Mythoclast, which is still carried as a primary weapon, already reaches a damage value of 323 in the “old” version. It remains so. Xur cannot upgrade the weapon.
Yesterday, in the context of the hotfix , the raid “Vault of Glass” was once again touched with Bungie’s love. So far, only “old versions” of the exotic weapons had dropped there. This was changed by the hotfix. The “Vault of Glass” exotics now also reach 331 damage, even without Xur needing to upgrade them.
But excluded from this update in Destiny is the Vex Mythoclast.
In the English-speaking forum Reddit, Community Manager DeeJ, so to speak, the spokesperson for the Destiny developers Bungie, commented on the case. DeeJ stated that there are currently no plans to ever upgrade the Vex Mythoclast. In that sense, it is not an “Exotic,” even though it is named as such; rather, the Mythoclast is tied to the raid “Vault of Glass” and thus exists “outside of time.”
The Vex Mythoclast (while branded as an Exotic) is bound as a reward to the Vault of Glass. Thus, it shall be frozen in time.
However, the Community Manager clarified that he cannot see into the future and rule out an upgrade for all time. At the moment, the Vex Mythoclast remains what it is: The most feared PvP weapon in Destiny.
In his role as Community Manager, DeeJ will continue to convey the wishes of some players to the developers, asking them to find an upgrade method.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The ambitious multiplayer shooter Overwatch from Activision Blizzard is at risk of a name change due to trademark issues. As it turns out, the name is already taken.
In April 2014, Blizzard filed a trademark application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to secure the name “Overwatch.” Unfortunately, Innovis Labs Inc. had already registered a smartphone app under the same name. This is evident from two documents published on uspto.com – a Suspension Letter and an Examiners Amendment – which indicate that a change in the content of the patent application is necessary and that the application has initially been suspended, i.e., rejected.
The smartphone app Overwatch has been available on iTunes for some time and can be used to enhance paintball, laser tag, and airsoft matches. However, it is unclear which of the two companies will be awarded the trademark – both applications are currently on hold until a decision is made. There has not yet been an official objection from Blizzard. In the worst case, the developer would have to rename the game, which is supposedly set to start its beta in 2015.
Conclusion: Twice Overwatch seems to be once too many – a tough break for Blizzard. Those who research carelessly end up with the short end of the stick (although further details about this patent issue are likely to follow). I can practically feel the tense atmosphere in Blizzard’s marketing department. It seems that we might get to know the title under a different name in the future – in case no agreement can be reached between the court, Blizzard, and Innovis Labs Inc.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The MMO shooter Destiny is rolling out a hotfix today, Monday, January 12th, that prepares the Iron Banner for tomorrow and fixes some exploits in the raid Crota’s End.
Right now, a hotfix is being rolled out for Destiny, which serves as an update for the Iron Banner tomorrow, fixes some exploits in the raid Crota’s End, and makes a few other minor changes. We have summarized the patch notes from January 12th in German for you.
What’s available at the Iron Banner – Light level 36 gloves
The interesting part, which had not been announced before, is the loot at the Iron Banner. There are supposed to be the following items to earn starting tomorrow morning:
A legendary auto rifle at level 32 (probably Silimar’s Wrath), randomly drops from the playlist
A legendary sniper rifle at level 32 (probably Efrideet’s Spear), randomly drops from the playlist
A legendary hand cannon (should be Timur’s Lash) at level 32
A legendary rocket launcher (likely to be Radagast’s Fury ) at level 32
Legendary gloves at level 32
A legendary chest armor at level 31
For the last four rewards, players will likely need to earn reputation at the Iron Banner again. It’s important to note that players can reroll the perks of the Iron Banner weapons. This can yield extremely good items, especially if players want weapons with specific elemental damage, for example for the weekly Nightfall strike.
The path to level 32 will be shorter with the Iron Banner
The level 32 weapons are of the same quality as the ones you can buy from vendors. Legendary gloves at level 32 go up to the maximum light level of 36, while the legendary chest armor at level 31 goes up to a light level of 33.
Important: The Iron Banner gloves require ONLY Ascendant Shards to be upgraded. This means: The path to level 32 requires 21 less Lumens with them. The community manager posted this on reddit.
In the old raid “The Glass Chamber”, exotic weapons will now drop that correspond to the current maximum level of 32.
In the raid Crota’s End, some exploiting methods will be closed (for example at Crota and the bridge encounter).
Additionally, the first chest, known as the Solo Chest, now contains only Lumens and luminous energy. The previous loot from the chest has been moved to Ir Yût.
Important: Apparently, this change results in the first chest in Crota’s End also giving loot again in the current ID (i.e. luminous materials), even if it has already been opened by the character. However, killing Ir Yût at the moment brings nothing, according to reports from Guardians.
More maps for the Iron Banner, chance for more coins for the Nightfall
Additionally, with the patch in Destiny, three Crucible maps will be added to the playlist for Control, Clash, and the Iron Banner. These are:
The Anomaly
Asylum
The Burning Shrine
Furthermore, the legendary raid sniper “Black Hammer” has the perk “Hive Disruptor” disabled. This ensures that the Black Hammer deals increased damage to stronger Hive creatures. This will remain disabled until it harmonizes with the perk “White Nail”. The latter ensures that the weapon regains a full magazine with three precision hits in a row. This was previously a glitch. Therefore, players have recommended each other to skip the “Hive Disruptor” and not unlock it.
Moreover, the weekly Nightfall strike can now additionally provide 9 or more strange coins alongside everything else.
The system requirements for the asymmetric MOBA Evolve are here. They are not exactly monstrous.
Now for the weekend, there’s a PC technical beta. In time, Turtle Rock have published the system requirements for PC on their blog. The only outlier is the required free disk space of 50 GB.
The minimum system requirements for Evolve:
OS: Windows 7 64-bit
INTEL CPU: Core 2 Duo E6600
AMD CPU: Athlon 64 X2 6400
SYSTEM RAM: 4GB
NVIDIA VIDEO CARD:GeForce GTX 560
ATI VIDEO CARD: Radeon HD 5770
VIDEO MEMORY: 1GB
HARD DRIVE: 50GB
OS: Windows 7 64-bit
Recommended system requirements for Evolve:
INTEL CPU: Core i7-920
AMD CPU: A8-3870K
SYSTEM RAM: 6GB
NVIDIA VIDEO CARD: GeForce GTX 670 or GTX 760
ATI VIDEO CARD: Radeon R9 280
VIDEO MEMORY: 2GB
HARD DRIVE: 50GB
An image of the PC user settings for Evolve has also been added.
With this tool you can check if your system can still handle the game. Or you have a monster PC that shouldn’t break a sweat here.
