The fantasy MMO Guild Wars 2 has not revealed any plans for 2015 yet. We are looking at the perspectives for the MMO. What is the current situation, what happens in the best and worst case for GW2?
In short: Will there be more content finger food, more content morsels for few, or a juicy expansion for everyone?
The Situation
Guild Wars 2 is a Buy2Play MMO. Players who have purchased it once can play it repeatedly without having to pay for it again.
GW2 appeals to many different player groups who enjoy different aspects of the game. While initially “Explorers” were mainly interested in the game, wanting to explore every zone to the fullest and enjoy the world, there are still players in the game who enjoy large battles, smaller PvP skirmishes, endgame content, or roleplay.
All these mouths want to be fed. But ArenaNet manages to do that with GW2 more poorly than well. Although several big feature patches were released in 2014 and the Living World improved its entry, discontent among players is spreading: there is simply too little happening, not enough “new content” especially for PvE players. They wish for new zones, new dungeons, really anything, but more, more of everything.
Instead of bite-sized content morsels, players wish for tasty and filling chunks.
The Crucial Question
Guild Wars 2 is now two and a half years old. Players are crying out for an expansion, for content that lasts longer than two weeks, that stays in the game. Everything comes down to the question: Will there be a full-fledged expansion in 2015 or not? There are signs. No definitive assurances.
We present you with two scenarios. This is “NOT” the reality of what is currently happening or will happen. Rather, these are thought models of what could happen in the worst and best case.
The Worst Case
At the end of 2014, ArenaNet focused on the PvP aspect of Guild Wars 2 and continued to work on it, giving the game eSport-like structures. This has so far not been successful. This path will be consistently pursued in 2015, but it is struggling to gain traction.
Additionally, ArenaNet’s information policy has long been criticized, saying that announcements are only made when things are close to completion to avoid disappointing players. This policy will continue in 2015.
Instead of taking care of existing players and offering them something new, ArenaNet is trying to attract new player groups. However, they face strong competition, not just from other MMORPGs but also from MOBAs or single-player games.
In the worst case, ArenaNet tries to reshape Guild Wars 2 into an eSport game, using resources for that and ultimately failing. ArenaNet fails to break into the MOBA-dominated eSports market.
The Living World continues, but cannot permanently satisfy players’ hunger for content. They also feel ignored, as too little is happening and no one tells them what is being worked on.
The slight downward trend in finances continues subtly, ArenaNet fights back through the cash shop, once again succumbing to an adventurous gem venture, new MMOs are flooding the market (which, like Skyforge , take much from the once-innovative Guild Wars 2), the time window for GW2 is closing, and one hears less and less about the game.
The Best Case
In the best case, the second season of the Living World ends with an announcement that clearly states: an expansion is coming, and it will be in 2015.
The expansion is substantial, bringing a new continent, a new maximum level. There will be new zones to explore and new opponents to defeat.
Furthermore, they emphasize the “Guild” aspects of the game more strongly as promised, giving players the opportunity to conduct real Guild Wars, maintain guild houses, and weekly participate in kind of guild raids, defeating particularly strong opponents.
Also outside the game, people hear how splendidly GW2 is developing, looking forward to the expansion in the first half of 2015 and then sticking around. Particularly many returning players find their way back to Tyria.
Furthermore, ArenaNet decides to be a bit more open about its plans in the future and reveals some features they are planning, even at the risk of disappointing players.
But they show: We have plans, we are doing something.
Guild Wars 2 remains one of the most interesting and “somehow different” MMOs in 2015. It finds a clear identity as an alternative to World of Warcraft with a stronger emphasis on player skills and without the typical “grind” for the genre. In addition, it develops an identity as the MMO that focuses on communities, where the guild is at the forefront.
GW2 also sees several Quality-of-Life improvements in 2015 that other MMOs quickly adopt.
What is likely to happen
ArenaNet’s information policy is nebulous. The “big announcement” with the Living World, probably the biggest attraction in 2014, was kept under wraps for a long time. Players wondered: What are they actually doing all day? During the presentation of the Living World, the developers were visibly happy to finally tell players what they had been working on.
It is therefore not so unlikely that a long-awaited expansion is indeed coming but has simply not been mentioned. However, that is not certain either.
A GW2 expansion will likely not be as large and massive as players wish. Unlike a Pay2Play MMO, Buy2Play MMOs tend to release content expansions episodically, in smaller bites – like the Living World now.
What will likely continue in 2015 is the push towards an “eSport” MMO. This is a risky yet interesting plan, which, however, only really interests a relatively small portion of the existing player base. The focus seems more on attracting new player groups.
The danger with GW2 is clearly that it started as an “MMO for various player groups and interests” but now cannot cater to all. This is unfortunately a present problem in 2015. Especially for the core players who enjoy PvE, jumping puzzles, world exploration, background story, and aesthetics of Guild Wars 2, they will need to deliver in 2015.
They currently feel neglected.
This article is part of our series where we take a look at MMOs as we approach the turn of the year, playing through scenarios and speculating about the future.
In World of Warcraft, two problems plague the race for the “World First Kills”, the holy grail in PvE content. A race that has transformed over the years, now seeing one side, previously serving as a chronicler, stepping up as an arbiter.
But let’s first look at the history of the world-firsts: How has it evolved over the years?
Progress raiding has always been hardcore
The “race for the World First” in World of Warcraft refers to the competition between various top guilds to be the first to defeat the final boss of a raid instance on the highest difficulty level.
The race has changed dramatically over the years. In the beginning, it didn’t exist. No one really attempted a race on Ragnaros, the first raid end boss. He stood undefeated in Molten Core for 154 days. A little later, a raid scene did emerge, but Blizzard had yet to implement the complex framework of lockouts, loot, raid sizes, and difficulty levels we have today.
Back then, it was still “only one instance and one group size for all.” By the end of Vanilla WoW, a boss like Kel’Thuzad in Vanilla WoW lasted 90 days. Over time, various group sizes were introduced, hard modes, and the lifespan of bosses shrank. This was likely due to players becoming more professional and approaching the game more seriously.
On April 25, 2005, Ragnaros fell for the first time… and it was not at all a “race for the World First” http://youtu.be/Br1hXGXJ7Tg
The golden age in The Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King
The progress raiding for world-firsts has always been hardcore. 12, 14, 16 hours a day for weeks on end, it is said that raid guilds were engaged in, throwing themselves against the bosses until they finally surrendered.
They were observed by the rest of the players. Some looked on with a smile and a bit of concern, others with envy, and yet others with deep admiration.
Probably this race, like WoW itself, peaked during the late Vanilla-WoW, The Burning Crusade, and certain tiers of Wrath of the Lich King. At that time, guilds like Nihilum, SK Gaming, or Death and Taxes competed hard for first kills, fame, and sponsorships.
This looks more like a World First. Nihilium World First C’Thun: April 25, 2006.
The “drama” among the guilds gained attention. Which tank switched where? Which guild disbanded? Who ganked an advantage in Ahn’Qiraj? Which guilds were shooting poison arrows at each other?
But this era did not last forever. Blizzard changed the tuning of the raids, introduced different difficulty levels and group sizes, making raids more accessible. Not everyone liked it. Additionally, the first generation of raiders wasn’t getting any younger and began to change their priorities in life.
The first era of the race for the World Firsts in World of Warcraft was over.
Players longed for a return to those “glorious earlier days” of fame and recognition so much that this year, the SF-MMO WildStar launched with the barely concealed promise of bringing that time back.
And even though many players from back then have turned their backs on World of Warcraft, many still benefit from the battles and battle fame of that era. Kungen, the main tank of Nihilum, is now a successful streamer.
In Pandaria and Cataclysm, the raiding scene fell apart; now it is back
After the previous expansions Cataclysm and Mists of Pandaria led to a fragmentation of the raiding scene into 10-man and 25-man raids, Blizzard has now reintroduced a “unified raid size,” the 20-player “Mythic” mode.
The world-first raiding has changed significantly compared to earlier times.
Paragon defeats the Lich King World First on March 26, 2010 – perhaps the last great World First http://youtu.be/RSeVCw3hVgQ
10-man or 25-man the true World Firsts?
The main discussion in the community in recent years has been about whether kills in 10-man or 25-man were more difficult and therefore “counted more.” It was a “on the one hand, on the other hand” discussion.
On the one hand, it is easier to find and coordinate 10 top players and the encounters offer much more space.
On the other hand, 25 players have significantly more raid cooldowns and the bosses are tuned differently.
Now that this discussion has been settled once and for all with the 20-player raid, a new one arises: the Twink raids.
At its time, raiding was fragmented.
The two problems of progress raiding today
Twink raids increase item level and effort
Since the middle of the second expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, there has been a tendency among top guilds for players not only to raid with their main characters, referred to as Mains, but also to play raid-capable secondary classes at a high level.
Thus, guilds began in the middle of Lich King when Blizzard introduced Algalon: a “special” mob for which raids only had one attempt per week. It became a custom for top guilds to also go to Ulduar with their Twinks to squeeze out one more chance per week, to see Algalon, study him, and thus defeat him faster. Because these top guilds have always served as a model for others, the trend spread rapidly.
Ironically, Blizzard’s idea to move raiding away from “lazy work” and allow only one try per week has led to the “super-lazy work” we are currently seeing.
For from the “We do 2 Algalon tries a week” raids, the trend arose over the years that guilds not only have “one raid” but several to exploit the loot system.
With Algalon, it all began – Ensidia World First 3.6.2009.
Twink raids fully exploit the loot system
Raids are formed from Twinks and a few “main characters,” which are then given loot priority, while the other “unimportant” characters only get what the Mains don’t need. In a 20-man raid with 4 main characters enjoying loot priority, the top guild can gear up significantly faster (if all goes well, 5 times faster) than if all 20 main characters were in a single raid.
In the week when only the HC version of Highmaul was open, the top guilds had run the raid so many times with all possible carrying Twinks and raid Mains that their item level was significantly higher at the start of “Mythic” than it would have been if they had raided Highmaul HC only once with the Mains.
Item level today significantly higher compared to earlier times
This has been discussed in various places online and in the community: In the past, players stood before tough bosses totally undergeared and had to play perfectly to defeat them, as the bosses were designed for a significantly higher item level. After all, the bosses were tuned for groups that had already defeated the “previous difficulty level” multiple times.
Classic World First achieved these kills back then “practically naked” – without raid gear. Due to Twink raids and “Blizzard gating” (the mystical raid only opened a week after the heroic mode), the kills today are easier.
Others argue that while it is true that one starts a new instance stronger due to Twink raiding compared to earlier, the instances are tuned to become significantly tougher over time, as they require farming of the bosses previously defeated.
A big boss like Mar’Gok is still a real challenge and tuned exceptionally hard.
Stacking is also an issue
Due to Twink raids, some criticize that the effort to participate in the World First race has become even greater, not at the top, but over time.
While the “progress” time was exhausting before, the “farm” time has become more relaxed. But what used to be one raid night during farm time has turned into four or five.
Additionally, raiders have to maintain their Twinks. If necessary, they are needed for raids. If a specific class is too strong in a boss fight, members of that class are stacked, meaning they are preferred for inclusion.
Start of a new era? The Paragon kill, the most important World First in 2014.
WoW Progress excludes real money involvement
The race for the World First is documented on the website wowprogress. There, players check their progress after a kill. There are leaderboards that reach back far and document the race for the first kills.
But wowprogress no longer considers itself merely a “chronicler” of the race, but takes responsibility when “what is possible” comes at risk of becoming “what one must do to keep up.”
With the next raid tier, the blackrock foundry, they want to exclude guilds from the race that transfer characters for real money to another server to buy items from their black market AH.
Exploiting these transfers could massively affect the balance in the race for World Firsts: Because every server has its own BMAH, where best-in-slot items can appear, promising an advantage if a guild acquires a significantly high number of them.
What will it be like against him?
This became a topic when an Asian guild extensively made use of it. Allegedly, a guild collected 78 black market AH items for 20 raiders. In Asia, server transfer is significantly cheaper than in Europe.
WoW-Progress has not made new friends with this decision. They want to ensure that real money involvement does not influence the race. In this new role as “arbiter,” they must also listen to some complaints: “Who do you think you are? Maybe it’s time for another site!” a user bitterly posted.
Who are you? lol, everyone is able to use the BMAH. Maybe its time for another site.
One can only guess what would await WoW-Progress if they began to intervene even further in the race for World Firsts. No, these changes must come from Blizzard.
Ending Twink Raids would be just a mouse click away, but would affect everyone
Mein MMO states: Ultimately, Blizzard’s design with lockouts, complicated loot rules, and such has led to the current raiding scene. And in a highly professionalized environment, as we currently observe in WoW, everyone will do their utmost for success if they wish to. Whether they like it or not.
It would be simple to fix things if the well-being of raiders was really the priority: Twink raids could be a thing of the past if “Personal Loot” was mandatory. An end to twink raids would likely be welcomed by many top raiders, as the classic “We wipe 150 times and on the 151st time, he goes down” would be much more preferable to them than a lengthy grind in farm content.
However, Blizzard does not balance WoW for the “top 0.01%,” but for the majority of players in World of Warcraft. And among them, the idea of group loot is popular.
Read more about World of Warcraft on our WoW topic page.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny, the weekly Nightfall strike, during the week of 30.12., takes place in Old Russia in the Strike Will of Crota. It’s against Omnigul. The Nightfall strike is only open to players who have activated the “The Dark Below” DLC. This week, Solar damage is increased.
At the end of the year, Destiny finally has a Nightfall with activated Solar-Burn again. Guardians are especially looking forward to this every time. Popular weapons like the Icebreaker really bring some action here. The Solar-Burn is relatively rare.
However, this week, as in the week of 9.12., it’s back to the new DLC strike Will of Crota. Therefore, players without the expansion are excluded.
The Nightfall is also rewarding this time. Those who defeat it will not only receive a fun effect around their head but also a 24.5% bonus on reputation and experience.
The 5 Modifiers of the Nightfall in the week of 30.12. in Destiny
The five modifiers in Will of Crota this week are:
Nightfall – After a complete wipe, the Guardians are transported to orbit, the strike resets, and it starts over
Epic – ensures that the weekly Nightfall strike is significantly harder than the heroic weekly
Angry – enemies attack relentlessly and are not easy to knock off balance
Juggler – Guardians must juggle their weapons, as no ammunition drops for the weapon used to defeat an enemy
Solar-Burn – Solar damage is significantly increased, affecting both Guardians and enemies
What weapons are available this time? What sizzles nicely?
This week, Solar weapons are recommended, so everything that looks like a flamethrower, including:
Primary Weapon: The Vex Mythoclast deals Solar damage and deserves to shine again. However, the standard Solar primary weapon remains the “old” Vision of Confluence, which will surely change when the hard mode opens and the new primary weapons come.
Special Weapon: The Murmur, a quest fusion rifle for everyone, has a Solar mode. The Icebreaker is the natural friend of the Guardian during Solar-Burn. However, there are now some strong new legendary Solar snipers like the Black Hammer(Black Hammer), or depending on the roll, the LDR 5001 or the Efrideet’s Spear. These are surely the star weapons this week.
Heavy Weapon: Gjallarhorn or the mini-Gjallarhorn, “Crota’s Hunger” from the raid Crota’s End are a strong choice here.
Tips and Tricks?
Solar Will of Crota is probably a relatively easy Nightfall, as there are few mobs dealing Solar damage. Typical “Oh no” abilities like “Lightswitch” are not active, and Solar-Burn is actually always the factor where Guardians deal good damage, as there are many strong Solar weapons.
Nevertheless, one shouldn’t tackle it alone. Last time, a cheese spot for Omnigul was also discovered, which however requires two players. But it shouldn’t be as hard as early December (with Arc damage) this time.
Throughout the day, we will present some videos of particularly successful or entertaining Will of Crota runs. There will surely be much sniping and a lot of Gjallarhorns.
A two-man team takes on the Will of Crota in this video. The Titan recording the video uses a classic Solar combo from the scout Vision of Confluence and the Icebreaker. As heavy weapons, he has the Arc raid machine gun Ir Yût’s Song with him. To cut a long story short: Icebreaker handles it … and towards the end better cover your ears. Omnigul’s screams are a bit much to get used to. http://youtu.be/ErTZpUWCGCg Doing it solo takes much longer. In the solo run, this Guardian takes on Omnigul and her minions: He uses among other things the Fatebringer, the Solar Murmur, and Gjallarhorn. Especially the Murmur is rarely seen otherwise, here it impressively justifies the Guardian’s trust. He plays – like every successful solo player – extremely cautiously. Especially the “Captains” with their Solar damage are extremely dangerous. But Gjallarhorn – Omnigul … a good combination. http://youtu.be/qrw2Yi_bHMo In fast forward, this commented walkthrough runs through with some tips and tricks. Much can probably be summarized as “Always stay in the first room and retreat when problems arise.”
http://youtu.be/KNDASetblwM
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny, a player has soloed the raid Crota’s End while using the No Land Beyond, which is generally considered the weakest exotic weapon in Destiny. The wild challenge was intended as a slap in the face to all those snobs who believe that you need the Gjallarhorn or the Icebreaker to be “raid-ready”.
Have you ever heard someone say, “I can do it with my left hand and blindfolded?” A Guardian has now completed the raid “Crota’s End” in Destiny in a similar fashion. He accepted a challenge that imposed the toughest handicaps imaginable. Playing the 6-man raid solo wasn’t enough. He had to further handicap himself.
No Land Beyond is considered the weakest exotic weapon; this Guardian used it to solo Crota
This week, Xur had the exotic sniper rifle “No Land Beyond,” which we have also introduced. It is considered the weakest exotic weapon in Destiny at the moment.
On reddit, during the general discussion about how bad the weapon is and what a sadist Xur is, someone then issued the challenge of what it would be like if one could solo the raid with it.
He set exact rules. The NLB had to remain equipped as the primary weapon at all times (thereby no other exotic weapons were allowed) and the weapon had to be used for every kill shot on bosses. Additionally, “cheeses,” i.e. exploits that simplified the raid, were excluded and strictly prohibited.
The “bounty” giver wanted to make it clear that the elitist behavior of some players, who only raid with perfectly equipped people, is nonsense and that in Destiny skill is more important than equipment.
Challenge Accepted!
“Challenge accepted,” said XThreeDoG and set out to conquer the raid “Crota’s End” alone.
In the past week, other Guardians had already achieved this, mostly with extremely powerful weapons like Gjallarhorn or the Icebreaker.
The NLB Guardian summarized his adventures in Crota’s End in five videos, which you can watch here:
Oh yes: In the videos, you only see the successful attempts. The many, many hours of fails and frustration are not shown. It’s not as easy as “with your left hand and blindfolded.”
And while watching, you can see that the Guardian takes full advantage of his character’s abilities and works with skills and grenades wherever possible. He plays around the disadvantages and limitations of the No Land Beyond.
This challenge once again shows (as do the solo runs in the weekly nightfall strike) that group tasks in Destiny run quite differently than in MMOs. It is often possible to “avoid being hit” and thus fully regenerate health. This is not possible in other games.
By the way: Another challenge has also been issued. With the Husk of the Pit, the pea shooter that will become the Necrochasm, someone should try that. We can probably wait a little longer for someone to achieve that.
That must be the guy, by the way, if someone wants to check out the gear. He plays as a Warlock on Xbox – and yes… he doesn’t have the Gjallarhorn anyway.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Free2Play MMO shooter Planetside 2 launches in beta on the Playstation 4 either on January 13 or January 20. This is also good news for the zombie MMO H1Z1.
Free2Play shooter Planetside 2, which has been available on PC for some time, is finally coming to Playstation 4. A closed beta is set to start on January 13 or January 20. It was not possible to achieve this in 2014 as originally planned. The possible dates were tweeted by SOE’s president John Smedley on Saturday.
@lakemead20 we tried hard. As it happens only a few weeks to go. Either the week of the 13th or 20th.
How is the fantasy MMO The Elder Scrolls Online developing in 2015. What is the best case scenario, what is the worst case scenario, and what is the likely outcome? When will the port for the consoles Playstation 4 and Xbox One be released? Will TESO be a hit again or will it flop permanently?
The Situation
TESO launched relatively well in April 2014 with high marketing efforts. Then, the unconventional design and numerous bugs took their toll. A relatively large part of the player base disappeared. Consequently, the console release for Playstation 4 and Xbox One was delayed until the end of the year, Zenimax has since postponed it to 2015.
The list of changes and improvements is very extensive.
Furthermore, they initiated a massive overhaul of the game. The developers consistently provided new zones and game content. Major game-changing features and a revision of the core gameplay mechanics are expected to come in 2015. They require a longer development and maturation period.
Currently, they are preparing update 6 and introducing two new key features: The Champion System and the Justice System. If this succeeds, they want to tackle the consoles. This is the crucial step that will determine whether TESO will rise or fall.
The Crucial Question
Will they succeed in porting to the consoles? Will players find a polished game that meets the expectations of Elder Scrolls fans?
The Worst Case
“Leave me alone, I don’t want to wake up in Tamriel anymore!”
In the worst case, TESO appears on consoles and is not yet ready for it. The game is plagued by bugs and teething problems. The new systems, such as the Justice System, do not give fans the Skyrim feeling that many crave. They feel unfinished and unsatisfactory. The monthly fees also deter many console players.
Moreover, at the chosen release time, there is strong competition from games like Witcher 3, from which TESO cannot emerge.
A game where only a few enthusiasts remain.
No hype is generated. The game’s relaunch fails. The Elder Scrolls Online is overshadowed by the scent of failure. Negative word of mouth does the rest. The Elder Scrolls Online is dismissed as “an unworthy MMO offshoot of the name” by core fans.
TESO remains a niche occurrence, playing only the triangle in the concert of the big. Zenimax saves resources, and personnel are reduced. The current steady stream of content flows more slowly. The game will face the next few years as an somewhat underestimated “cult piece” focused on story and world. A fate it shares with The Secret World.
The Best Case
The rebirth of TESO?
TESO generates a huge hype with a model launch in a calm and favorable large-scale weather situation. Elaborate cinematics create the impression: A completely new game is approaching the players.
The game appears fresh, polished, and contemporary. The Imperial City revitalizes PvP, the Justice System evokes Skyrim feelings, and the Champion System makes endgame uniquely interesting, as the heroes differ from one another. The quests are bug-free and run smoothly. The loot system motivates, and players always have something to do. The world of Tamriel feels lively and fresh with all the new players and the new NPC AI.
Suddenly everyone is talking about TESO again. This time positively.
New guilds and communities are emerging. The gaming press takes notice of the game and reports as intensively as in March and April 2014 – this time however with a more positive tone. The symbiosis between a lively, rich world and motivating, almost addictive MMO mechanics succeeds. The evolution of the heroes feels organic and right. Especially the deep quests, the great atmosphere, and the exciting and balanced PvP in Cyrodiil are praised.
Streamers recognize the potential and thoroughly cover the “new” TESO. The PC version also benefits from the new attention and attracts fresh players with favorable conditions.
The Elder Scrolls Online experiences a second spring.
What is likely to happen?
Everything will take significantly longer than players currently think.
So far, TESO has always taken a relatively long time to return to normal after an update that brought fresh content. There have often been significant technical difficulties even after small updates over weeks and months. This is something that cannot be afforded in a port to Xbox One and Playstation 4.
“We are ready to launch!” – Yes, but you will have to wait a bit longer.
It will not be the case that you can immediately take off as soon as the last piece of content is laid.
Moreover, it is still unclear when the last stone, the last piece, will come. Update 6 is supposed to be played on the test server in January and will lay the first foundation of the Justice System. Perhaps the “final” piece of this system will not be ready until March or May. After all, the renovations are massive.
Probably later than some hope…
If you consider what else is planned before it can go to consoles, and that one certainly wants to wait for a good date, the release on consoles could happen much later than expected.
Perhaps only in the second half of 2015. And surely they do not want to get into the summer months, so perhaps only in September 2015.
The later the game comes, the higher the likelihood that it can become a success. Especially since players are increasingly forgetting the rough PC launch. However, Zenimax must ensure that it does not interfere with any potential The Elder Scrolls VI.
What they plan with TESO makes sense. Zenimax has invested a tremendous amount of work to develop The Elder Scrolls Online reasonably and let it mature in 2014. The plans they have for 2015 are surely the most profound and interesting of all MMOs. And all this has thus far been received by PC players without additional costs; no expansions have been sold.
Now it is extremely important that TESO comes to consoles polished and refined to keep players engaged longer. Console players will not forgive any teething problems. All this work must now bear fruit.
What is Zenimax’s strategy for the console port in 2015? When is the release?
If a date for the consoles is announced in the coming weeks, we will know more. The later the date, the higher the chances of success. However, a late date in 2015 will initially frustrate many.
The Elder Scrolls Online has a second chance for a major restart. But that will also be the last one.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Destiny has gained a whole new set of players over Christmas. They stand bewildered before some MMO concepts like reputation or farming materials. The veterans of the community take the newcomers under their wing and teach them the basics, eliminate them in the Crucible, or become nostalgic at their sight.
Bungie, the developers of Destiny, anticipated this: Christmas would bring newcomers! You don’t need to be a prophet for that: Video games or a new gaming console are popular Christmas gifts.
In the last Weekly Update, Bungie’s community manager, DeeJ, asked the veterans to “be nice to the Christmas noobs” and also takes care of them in-game, as he tweeted:
A holiday stampede of new players is arriving in the Tower, fresh from their first revive. Join me in welcoming them to our community.
Christmas itself went poorly due to problems with the console networks PSN and XBL. However, in recent days, newcomers have indeed come to Destiny. How does the community react?
Hey! Christmas noobs! Good for my kill rate!
In advance, some Guardians were already looking forward to the newcomers for selfish reasons. They speculated that they would end up as cannon fodder in the Crucible, Destiny’s player-versus-player mode.
And so, in the past few days, some Guardians have spent their time achieving impressive kill streaks and statistics in the Crucible.
Oooh, he doesn’t even know how to dance, cute!
However, most of the stories you read in forums like reddit tell a different tale.
“I saw one who could only teabag, so I first showed him how to dance! And afterwards, he walked around and danced all the time! I am a choreographer!”, one reports.
Another Guardian talks about an evening he spent as a sort of tour guide in conversation with a young player who wanted to know everything about Destiny, from the Hunter’s Golden Gun to Xur and these “yellow weapons you get there.” For the young Guardian, it was an enlightening evening and the veteran clearly enjoyed being able to pass on all of his acquired knowledge over months.
The forums and YouTube are full of guides for newcomers explaining the game’s more complex MMO concepts like reputation farming or collecting materials.
PRONDC covers materials in Destiny, the key to success, in this video: http://youtu.be/4uZBcXvXvbw
You can learn the basics of the reputation system in this video: http://youtu.be/9LSAu4LBGuo
Onset of nostalgia and … envy
Destiny has been out for three and a half months now, and the newcomers are bringing out some buried feelings in a few traumatized veterans, surfacing as flashbacks:
And we thought back then: Who needs an exotic rocket launcher? We’d rather wait until Xur offers the Suros Regime!
Often, the past expresses itself in bursts of nostalgia at the sight of the young, unblemished Guardians.
“They have no idea what the loot cave is. I went with one, and he asked me what those murmuring remnants even mean?”
“Will they ever go into the Glass Chamber? It’s not worth it for them anyway?”
But most Guardians in Destiny probably suffer from a completely different trauma:
“To all the newcomers out there who already have the Gjallarhorn … I … hate … you!”
We also have some Destiny articles that could help new players, such as:
A few weeks have passed since the first major expansion for Hearthstone “Goblins vs. Gnomes” was released. I had ample time to splurge my hard-earned gold in the Arena and to try out many new decks with the new cards in ranked mode.
Of course, Hearthstone hasn’t magically transformed into a completely new game, but the changes and possibilities should definitely be mentioned.
The new cards: Spare Parts, Mechs, and Ogres
Spare Parts – The little extra something
Almost 120 new cards have been added to the game, and as expected, each one is unique in its own way. There are a lot of value combinations that have existed before in the game, but now they are often combined with new keywords or old keywords with new value combinations.
Particularly noteworthy is the new mechanic of “Spare Parts”, mainly obtained through Mech cards, which all count as 1-mana spells. They have only a single, relatively weak effect like “Freezes a minion” or “Gives a minion +1 Health”, but these small differences can often tip the balance of victory, especially since they count as spells and thus work wonderfully with well-known cards like “Archmage Antonidas”, “Wild Pyromancer”, or “Goblin Auctioneer”.
Mechs – Synergies galore
The second major innovation is the introduction of the card type “Mech”. Logically, these are exclusively minions and mostly some crazy inventions from Goblins/Gnomes. Many of these small combat robots enhance each other, and the longer time goes on, the more threatening the metal army can become. Notably, the three “Shredders” that have made it into the game should be mentioned here. They come in three mana classes, either for 4, 6, or 8 mana, although their stats fall a bit short of expectations.
What makes them so special is their death rattle effect, where a random minion is summoned when you scrap them. The funniest rounds are definitely those in which a Mech summons the “Grim Patron”, which then wipes out the entire board in the next moment. While this is quite unlikely, when it happens, it is memorable.
Ogres – Of ninjas and two-headed giants
The last “larger group” is probably the Ogres, even though there are only a handful of cards of them. They almost always have quite high stats for their mana cost (like 4/4 for 3 mana) and a card text of “50% chance to attack another enemy”.
What initially looks like a disadvantage can ultimately turn into an advantage! Because this chance also means that enemy minions with “Taunt” are ignored in half of the cases, allowing you to hit a much more important target instead. But aside from that, it presents the player with the tricky question: “Should I attack the enemy directly? Or should I attack a minion and hope the Ogre changes targets?” Of course, this is a difficult-to-calculate random factor – but more on that later.
An adjustment in philosophy
The expansion also brought some changes to the gameplay. While a year ago it was still said that they wanted to pay close attention to certain things in Hearthstone to avoid frustrating players, they have now somewhat abandoned this. A core point was that both players should always have full visibility of the gameplay and that nothing should happen that couldn’t be immediately understood. A few cards now break this rule, such as the “Flame Leviathan” of the mage. When it is drawn, all characters on the board take 2 damage – and the mage’s opponent has no idea why this has happened if they do not know this card yet.
Another point was that players should never “interfere” with other players’ hands – they could add cards or copy them from hand, but never force something specific to be played. The card “Call of the Ancestors” now allows both players to discard a minion – this can certainly backfire, but it is still a new mechanic that was previously avoided.
Although they are loosening old promises and relaxing them (if only in limited cases), I find these steps interesting and immensely fun. A card game like Hearthstone can only remain engaging over many years by introducing new mechanics, and the developers have succeeded in doing this in a careful manner. Even if these effects turn out to be completely disadvantageous for me, the outcomes have always been funny and immensely entertaining. Fun remains paramount in Hearthstone, even above victory – and I can rarely laugh off defeats as well as in this game.
Chance against skill – A contradiction?
One of the biggest criticisms beforehand was the often occurring keyword “random” on many of the new cards.
– “Deals 1-4 damage to a random minion.” – “Summons a random minion for 2 mana.” – “Gives a random friendly minion Taunt and Divine Shield.”
Many random components = no skill? Far from it!
A large portion of the cards indeed feature some component that cannot be 100% predicted in many situations, and that is a thorn in the side of many players. Here I can only refer to a statement from this year’s BlizzCon: If everything depends so heavily on luck and chance, why do the same players always win? Why are Trump and other well-known streamers the ones who win every tournament and continue to win despite these “terrible” random components?
The answer is actually frighteningly simple: Part of the “skill” in Hearthstone involves calculating the random factor and planning for all possible scenarios – often involving a bit of mathematics, but this “control of randomness” often distinguishes an average player from a very good one.
Chance and skill do not stand in opposition in Hearthstone – at least not more than in most other collectible card games. Whoever manages to master randomness will continue to find success in Hearthstone – that hasn’t changed.
Moments you won’t forget
A brief example should illustrate how great the moments are that will stick with you in Hearthstone for a long time.
Lady of Pain – A very underrated card.
I already told you in my preview of favorite cards that the “Mistress of Pain” definitely belongs to the underrated cards in the game! She is particularly clever because in a very specific game situation, she still obeys the warlock even if an opposing priest has taken control of her via Mind Control.
But let me explain the card first: The “Mistress of Pain” only deals one damage, but has the card text “Restores that much Health to your hero whenever this minion deals damage.” If the enemy priest has taken over such a succubus and also has an “Auchenai Soulpriest” on the board with the text “Your healing cards and abilities deal damage instead”, you just have to let something run into the succubus – and watch the crazy result.
The succubus deals damage to the minion, so she heals the enemy priest for 1. Since the Auchenai Soulpriest is on the board, this healing is converted into damage. Since the Auchenai Soulpriest caused the succubus to deal damage again, she heals the priest again for 1, and that too is converted into damage… and so on, and so forth. This chain now repeats endlessly until the priest dies.
This is just one example of many that make “Goblins vs Gnomes” so memorable.
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While many new decks have emerged in recent weeks that can be played very effectively, such as Reynad’s Tempo Mage, it is slowly becoming clear that especially the tried-and-true decks benefit the most from the new cards. The Control Warrior, Handlock Warlock, and Face Hunter are particularly popular. At least at the mid-ranks, there are hardly any games where you actually see players’ own creations, and I find that a bit of a shame.
Even though the new cards offer countless new options, most players still rely only on what they have seen in a stream – which is unfortunate and somewhat boring. It is to be hoped that in the coming weeks a little more willingness to experiment spreads in the community – Blizzard has provided the tools, now it just needs to be used.
A little extra: The spectator mode
Especially tournament organizers are of course delighted with the new feature, as Hearthstone has finally received the long-awaited spectator mode. With just one click, it is possible to watch the games of friends in real-time and then throw them valuable tips or sarcastic comments through Skype or chat – in any case, it is tremendously amusing and adds a whole new social component to the game.
Experienced players can thus support newcomers more easily and help them in their first games, so they are not always overwhelmed by a Zoo Lock Warlock. I particularly like the fact that you can see both players’ cards as long as you have both players on your friends list – the annoying editing of images for tournaments is now a thing of the past.
You can, of course, kick all spectators out of your own game if you don’t feel like curious eyes.
Conclusion – More of the good
Goblins vs Gnomes: Fair pricing model and a good addition to the existing cards.
In summary, the expansion should completely satisfy all fans of the card game. The new cards complement the existing ones excellently and there is definitely potential for many, many creative deck creations.
The “GvG” card packs also cost the same as the old ones and can be earned through the Arena mode – there is hardly a fairer pricing model. Hearthstone remains one of the very few games where “Free2Play” is not a negative aspect, and those who have yet to check out Blizzard’s card game should do so as soon as possible – because three free card packs and, of course, an incredibly motivating, entertaining, and fast-paced game await.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In January, the Hard Mode in the raid Crota’s End will go live in Destiny. We present the four new primary weapons: The hand cannon Word of Crota, the scout rifle Fang of Ir Yût, the pulse rifle Oversoul Edict, and the auto rifle Abyss Defiant.
In addition to the four primary weapons that we want to introduce to you, it is assumed that a new ship will drop in Hard Mode of Crota’s End (this was also the case in the Glassed Chamber).
There are rumors that there will be a “new, slightly better” raid set, but that seems quite unlikely.
Actually, the raid helmet was also supposed to drop exclusively in Hard Mode, going up to light level 36. It has now already been added to the normal raid loot table of Crota. So maybe Bungie will come up with additional rewards besides the four primary weapons, but that is uncertain. The main attraction is the new primary weapons.
The four new raid primaries with elemental damage in overview
Let’s take a look at the four new weapons. They are all legendary weapons, two of which deal additional damage to “majors” of the Hive, meaning the mobs with yellow shields. The other two are useful against specific mobs in Crota’s retinue. The auto rifle against the dreaded witches, the pulse rifle against the knights.
Thus, the four primary weapons are predestined to help guardians move through Crota’s End more easily.
All the weapons start with 272 damage, can be upgraded to a value of 331 and deal elemental damage, making them desirable for the weekly strike.
Word of Crota – Hand cannon with Void effect
The Word of Crota deals Void damage and could serve as a kind of new Atheon’s Epilogue, the new essential gear for Nightfalls with Void Burn.
The two unique effects of the weapons ensure that after three successful precision hits, one additional bullet appears in the chamber. Additionally, hits increase the stability of the gun. With, if everything goes perfectly, 18 bullets in a row, that would be ideal for a hand cannon.
Hand cannons are generally favorites. Many guardians swear by their last word, Hawkmoon, or Fatebringer. The Word of Crota is already considered extremely desirable loot from the raid.
Abyss Defiant – Auto rifle with Solar damage
The Abyss Defiant is designed to take on the annoying Wizards. They are especially vulnerable to Solar damage. The Abyss Defiant has a special perk that works only against these Wizards and is meant to “confuse” them.
Otherwise, the Abyss Defiant looks like a “typical auto rifle” with a high rate of fire and low impact. There is another feature: When aiming with scope, the weapon decreases its rate of fire, but increases its damage. This is the same characteristic that the Suros Regime also has. It will be interesting to see how the weapon performs in practice.
Auto rifles were dominant in the Crucible for a while until Bungie nerfed them. However, they remain popular as they offer a strong compromise between range and power.
A primary weapon with Solar damage could, for example, provide an alternative to “Vision of Confluence” in strikes.
Oversoul Edict – Pulse rifle with Arc damage
The Oversoul Edict has a natural nemesis in Crota’s End: The Knights. The Oversoul has a characteristic specially tailored for fighting them, allowing it to penetrate the “dark shields of the knights.” However, it was reportedly buggy previously, and other pulse rifles also had this feature.
Pulse rifles can be tricky in Destiny. Many outright reject them, as there are few truly dominant weapons of this category. It is difficult to assess how the Oversoul Edict will perform.
Fang of Ir Yût – Scout rifle with Arc damage
The Fang of Ir Yût is a highly interesting scout rifle that some are already looking forward to.
It has the coveted “Third Eye” perk, which keeps the radar active while aiming with the weapon. This weapon also has, like the Word of Crota, increased damage against Hive Majors.
Scout rifles are relatively popular in Destiny. Many guardians are currently looking for a replacement for the “Vision of Confluence.” This gap could be filled by the Fang of Ir Yût. As the “new standard Arc weapon in Arc Burn,” it could replace the hand cannon Fatebringer.
How will it turn out?
It’s hard to give a dry and theoretical assessment of the weapons. On paper, some weapons look fantastic, but in the game, they can be disappointing. Whereas there are also underrated weapons like the Black Hammer, which prove to be “the hammer” in practice.
What is already available in Crota’s End in terms of weapons and armor can be read here in our article about the loot table.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny, the stay of the black market vendor Xur has now been extended by 45 hours. The reason is the ongoing difficulties with the networks of Sony and Microsoft.
Many had hoped for this. Now it is official. Xur will exceptionally stay longer in the Tower. Until Tuesday morning at 7:00 AM German time, Guardians will have the opportunity to shop with him. You can read his offer here.
Xur’s stay exceptionally extended
The issues with PSN and Xbox Live continue even on the second day of Christmas. Normally, Xur would have vacated his spot in the Tower of Destiny by Sunday morning at 10 AM. But Bungie didn’t want to do that to the players of Destiny. In the end, many might not have even seen Xur because there were issues logging into Destiny via PSN and XBL over Christmas. If these problems persist, they even intend to further extend Xur’s stay.
The situation with the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live is unclear, but tense. Further DDoS attacks are likely ongoing. It cannot be said who is responsible for this.
Some “claim” these attacks for themselves, many apparently want to increase the popularity of their Twitter account with such announcements and extortion-like demands. Whether they are truly responsible for what they promise to do or not do, if users do this or that, is highly questionable. It runs under the motto “Favorite this tweet if you want the sun to rise again tomorrow!”
Sony speaks officially for the first time of a targeted attack
In a post on the PlayStation Blog, Sony has now confirmed for the first time that the cause of the problems with the PSN is DDoS attacks. The technicians are working hard to resolve them.
The video game industry has been experiencing high levels of traffic designed to disrupt connectivity and online gameplay.
They apologize at Sony for the difficulties and explain to new owners of a console that their problems have nothing to do with the acquisition but lie elsewhere.
If you received a PlayStation console over the holidays and have been unable to log onto the network, know that this problem is temporary and is not caused by your game console.
The Xbox Live network has also been struggling with some issues today, according to reports from users on social networks.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
With the European free-to-play version of AION, Gameforge aims to address the most relevant questions from the community with the new video series “Ask AION” in the future. A step to finally show more transparency?
Nic, the Product Director of AION Europe, kicked things off and answered the most common questions that were tagged on Twitter with the hashtag #askaion in the first video.
That Gameforge has a questionable reputation among some players has not gone unnoticed by those responsible. Many a tweet was met with criticism that the Product Director handled very humorously.
#askAION Why does GF appear so damn greedy, incompetent and unsupportive in anything regarding Aion EU? Does none of you realize this?
He emphasized that this is a company that relies on revenues. How else could they pay the employees and cover all the other costs? However, Gameforge is important that players do not lose the fun of the game. With more players, there would also be more possibilities, and currently, Nic assures, AION is doing very well and NCSoft, the Korean developer, is very satisfied with the work in Europe.
[intense_blockquote color=”#f2f2f2″ author=”Nic, Product Director Aion Europe”]I can assure you that Aion is not dying (…). There are no intentions to discontinue the game.[/intense_blockquote]
Patch 4.7 will come in March 2013
A very sensitive topic that is currently causing a lot of conflict within the community is of course the release of the major content patch 4.7, which brings new zones, large-scale siege battles, instances, and much more.
Especially in comparison to the other versions, they lag several months behind, which increasingly worries European players. The explanation lies in the translation. Unlike all other publishers, Gameforge has to translate the game into 7 different languages. The effort required to accomplish this is enormous, they say. “We are not just sitting here on our lazy behinds and hoping that the update will be released (…), but we are working very hard to get it done as early as possible.”
Anyone who wants to watch the video again and also learn something about events, server merges, and a hack shield client can watch the video here:
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Mein MMO states: First of all, it is positive that Gameforge is rethinking its communication model and wants to focus more on the community in the future. Especially in the past, transparency has always been a bit of a problem, and players often wished for more openness – whether in TERA, Runes of Magic, or Aion. And when looking at SOE, particularly with H1Z1, Everquest, Landmark, and co, it becomes clear that intensive communication with the community can be invaluable. The video definitely makes a good impression, even if not all players may be satisfied with the answers.
In the official forum and in the YouTube comments, players are upset that Patch 4.7 is not set to release until March. Most do not simply accept the explanation that it is due to translations. For there is a contradiction: If it is so important to Gameforge that the fun of the game remains, why do they allow it to take nearly half a year longer than, for example, in America – have they perhaps bitten off more than they can chew with the languages? Why did Gameforge recently manage to publish the big update “Fate of Arun” for TERA, which certainly required the translation of many text passages, faster than the American publisher EnMasse? This is actually a subsidiary of the developer. Admittedly, the range of languages for TERA is a bit smaller, but one still wonders where the catch is.
At NCSoft in America, the update was released in early November. Below is the invasion trailer 4.7, so players can see what at least 3 more months they have to do without and get a sense of why they are not entirely happy with the delay:
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This week, Xur offers the exotic sniper rifle No Land Beyond in Destiny . Is the retro sniper worth it?
This week, Xur has the No Land Beyond on sale until tomorrow morning, a sniper rifle designed in the style of World War II. The quote and the weapon’s design are based on the Russian sniper Vassili Saizew , who is memorialized in the movie “Enemy at the Gates.” But what can this new weapon, which just came to Destiny with the “Darkness Rising” DLC, do? Is it worth buying?
Named after a Russian war hero from World War II
The weapon is presumably modeled after the anti-tank rifle PTRD-451, known in Germany as the Panzerbüchse Degtjarjow, which was used to “crack” tanks, as one can imagine.
It bears the name due to a quote from Saitsev, “There is no land for us behind the Volga.” A quote that is meant to illustrate his unconditional love for Mother Russia – for him, there was only this one land.
One of the alternatives to No Land Beyond …
Regarded as the weakest exotic weapon in Destiny
The “No Land Beyond” is currently regarded as the weakest exotic weapon in Destiny. Some Guardians even see it as a challenge to play with it in PvP. The humiliation for the enemy is even greater when they realize with what junk they were taken down, they joke.
The fire rate is far too slow to be effective, it’s hard to hit with it, the sights cause frustration for many, and the damage is nothing special either. Some regenerate the damage from the first shot while the shooter is preparing for the second.
However, some argue that precisely because the weapon is currently so extremely weak, it might be worth getting it from Xur now. Because it is so weak that it is guaranteed to be buffed by Bungie. Perhaps something useful could still come from it. This was also the case in the past with Bad Karma and Thorn.
Our friends from ziro.tv take a closer look at the No Land Beyond here, even with a fully upgraded version. http://youtu.be/ZdGLEJBzPEY
Currently not a worthwhile investment, but more of a risky speculation
Conclusion: It is definitely not worth it at the moment. It is not worth the 17 strange coins. No other weapon is currently mocked as much as the NLB (“The NLB is not as weak as everyone says … It is much weaker!”)
There is also no indication that Bungie really wants to buff the weapon. That could be good, but even if there were a buff, one wouldn’t know how strong it would be afterward. You’re buying a pig in a poke.
Moreover, there are strong alternatives among the exotic sniper rifles with patience and time, like the Icebreaker – and also the legendary snipers like LDR 5001, which Black Hammer or the Efrideet’s Spear are quite useful.
Therefore: At the moment, better to keep your distance unless you are swimming in coins and really want the weapon. Don’t be fooled by the “special weapon in the primary slot” thing. Bungie has heavily countered the balance of No Land Beyond to prevent a God Mode like at the beginning with the Vex.
But: If you need a reason to convince yourself to get the No Land Beyond … of course it can shine in the hands of an excellent player:
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A new rare mob has established itself as a worthy successor to the ultra-rare time-lost proto-drake in World of Warcraft.
The time-lost proto-drake was an extremely rare mob during the Lich King era that could drop a mount, namely that very time-lost proto-drake. With Warlords of Draenor, seven new mounts came into the game that can drop from rare mobs – but with a 100% chance for anyone who participates in the fight against them and lands a hit.
That was much harder in the past. But the community doesn’t really take advantage of this opportunity of “One finds it, everyone gets it.”
As the rarest of the seven new mobs, Poundfist emerges. The Gronnling drops a Gronnling as a mount, probably one of the strangest ways to move around in World of Warcraft at all, and is highly coveted.
He spawns in Gorgond, and his spawn points are presented by Cortyn here.
The tricky part: After he has been killed, he does not return for at least 48 hours. And when he comes back, it is between 48 and 128 hours after his last kill, making him difficult to farm due to this long time window. Add-ons like NPCScan help in the hunt for him.
The greed for Poundfist contributes to its rarity, hardly anyone wants to wait
It would be helpful if players who find him made this public through the general channel to involve everyone in the zone in the drop. One might also post it on Twitter, as mmo-site suggests, and then involve all interested parties with the raid finder.
However, such a practice has not really taken hold thus far. Most who find him try to take him down as quickly as possible alone. Some even do so without knowing who they are actually taking down.
It therefore seems that Poundfist and the other rare mount drops will remain rare, even though many could actually benefit from each kill…
Here you can see a kill in a raid group, where everyone waits a bit and where everyone gets the mount: http://youtu.be/VzQ_beZtwT0 Uh … no comment http://youtu.be/TkTUCq4LmbI And here the Poundfist kill becomes quite an event, you can also see well how the kill is prolonged by various CCs http://youtu.be/_K9MSJtX-yo
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Final Fantasy XIV is celebrating the arrival of a new year, the “Year of the Ram,” the year of the goat, sheep, and ram, with various in-game events.
From December 31st to January 14th, preparations are underway in Eorzea for the Year of the Sheep, one of the 12 Chinese zodiac signs. Perhaps not as well-known as the Rat and Dragon, the two Chinese poser zodiac signs, but still an important one. The year 2015 is marked by the Sheep, which tends toward romance, creativity, nostalgia, and pessimism.
The event starts in Limsa Lominsa, the questline then unlocks various rewards (especially headgear and a pet). Additionally, there are some decorative items available for purchase. From Wednesday, December 31st, to the Wednesday two weeks later, it’s going to be fluffy. The event in FF XIV is titled “Heavensturn – Rise of the Fleece of the East.” Here is more about it.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The sandbox MMO Black Desert has entered open beta in Korea and apparently is not being received as well as hoped.
A few days ago, the sandbox MMO Black Desert started its open beta in Korea. Various US online media have now reported on the sentiment they believe is prevailing in the open beta. It could probably be summarized as “not quite as hot as hoped”.
Although Black Desert started with relatively high interest, this seems to be cooling off during the open beta instead of continuing to rise, as manufacturers would prefer, to reach a peak at release.
Interest in the Open Beta is waning
So mmoculture reports that the player count has already dropped by 8% since the start of the open beta within a week. Publisher Daum attributes this to problems with the user interface, which is presumably quite difficult to get used to. Publisher Daum has already signaled a desire to improve this.
However, Black Desert is the most played MMORPG in internet cafes in the country and the fourth most played game overall (though it only reaches about one-seventh of the player count that League of Legends attracts).
Too weak in terms of content?
More concerning is a report from mmo-site. It also mentions a dwindling enthusiasm for the closed beta. Back then, Blade & Soul and Tera attracted significantly more attention during their first weekend in open beta. However, this waning enthusiasm is not attributed to UI problems, but rather to a lack of content. The content in the open beta hardly differs from that of the closed beta.
Players could reach the maximum level of 50 in a single day and then have little to do.
Here too, Daum has promised to deliver additional content with new areas, crafting content, and a guild system.
Mein MMO believes:UI problems could be resolved relatively easily. However, a lack of content is something that fans – especially here in the West – do not forgive. Asian MMOs tend to launch with relatively little content, and the publisher aims to expand further over the years.
How things can go wrong was seen in Europe with Tera , where a legal dispute prevented the game from being developed further for years. This hindered the game’s potential success and threatens to end up as a footnote in MMO history.
On the other hand, ArcheAge, the latest Asian import, could not be accused of lacking content. However, the game had already been on the market in Korea for a considerable time before it came to Europe, allowing it to be further developed. Since Black Desert is aiming for a quick launch in the West, this could become tighter.
One can only hope for the MMO genre that this does not lead to another MMO stumbling at the start of its chance to become something bigger. Many (including us) wish for more “patience” from players, for them to give an MMO time to mature. However, reality is different. The past has shown that MMOs need to offer something from the start. Otherwise, a large part of the player base will disappear without a trace after six weeks.
Therefore, it seems wiser to hold back an MMO for longer to truly ensure that the first impression does not disappoint. On the other hand, publishers want and need to release their MMOs as quickly as possible, as they incur costs every month of development time without knowing if it will ever make a profit.
We are curious where the journey for Black Desert will lead. It is certainly one of the two or three most interesting MMORPGs in the next two years.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny, the announced Christmas gift for players will only be available in 2015.
In the last few days, many Guardians checked their inbox in Destiny, waited in the Tower for snow, or eyed Xur’s offerings with suspicion to see if a Christmas gift was hidden somewhere. No one wants to miss out.
A gift was announced. As Community Manager DeeJ made clear in a tweet, however, it is planned for the new year.
Holiday gifts are scheduled for delivery in January. No one is missing out the Cryptarch’s good cheer.
What exactly will be given is also not revealed by DeeJ. He even said about Xur’s rather poor offerings for Christmas that one probably needs to talk to Xur’s boss. It is obvious that they do not know Christmas there, where the “snake-faced bastard” comes from. Furthermore, DeeJ wished for a specific Warlock helm and Thunderlord for Christmas, which weren’t available either.
For the record, Xur doesn’t listen to me either. I wanted Obsidian Mind and a Thunderlord. I don’t think he celebrates Christmas. #messenger
Destiny employees also have to deal with this, who were looking forward to spending a few hours in Destiny over the holidays. Bungie’s lead raid designer Luke Smith actually just wanted to quietly level up in the “angry woman’s” rank and kill mass amounts of Hive for her, but that didn’t happen over the holidays – just like for so many others.
5 Eris Bounties, 4 Strange Coins, 3 girls to gear, 2 drinks to go and a network that won’t get online.
Whether it’s a change of scenery or a fresh start – we are constantly faced with the question: Which class should I play?
After what feels like 100 hours in the character editor, modifying our desired hero to ensure beard, hairstyle, and wrinkles are perfectly aligned, we struggle with the question – tanking, healing, or dealing DMG?
If the question hasn’t already caused us sleepless nights beforehand, now is the time to visit the next forum to gather opinions from the player community. However, good advice and qualified contributions are costly – aside from “just play what you enjoy” or “everyone has pros and cons,” fortune tellers in the forums are few and far between, and thus the answer to the question of the “right” class is elusive.
If we have at least decided whether we want to take damage, heal, or deal damage, we just need to find the right class for the job. Whether it’s World of Warcraft, WildStar, or SWTOR – all these MMOs offer a variety of more or less predefined classes. Each has its place in the hierarchy.
The all-purpose class
In World of Warcraft, classes like Paladin, Druid, or Monk can serve as DMG dealers, healers, and tanks, for example. Many other classes also take on hybrid functions, covering at least two of the three roles in the game. It should be noted that classes can do one or the other. But what if we want to both tank and heal or play something completely crazy?
At least in World of Warcraft or Star Wars: The Old Republic, skill trees have been significantly trimmed and afford little freedom. The reasons are clear: Developers struggle greatly to maintain a satisfactory balance between classes and skills. And of course, too many options can overwhelm especially new players.
Where’s the individuality?
Rift and ArcheAge rather follow the motto “Flexibility and Individuality.” If one were to ask players what makes Rift special, the class and skills system would likely come to mind first and foremost. Four classes and a total of 36 souls, each with their own skill trees that can be combined with one another, offer players numerous possibilities to give their alter ego a unique playstyle. Each class is able to take on all roles available in the game and can comfortably switch back and forth.
Currently, Rift also offers an alternative for players who prefer predefined paths, trying to cater to all types of players.
Then there’s ArcheAge, another good example – instead of choosing a predefined class, players first choose from ten paths. By selecting three freely combinable paths, 120 different classes and nearly limitless possibilities for individual character development arise.
Theoretically, one could cover all 120 different classes with a single created character – provided that one levels the individual paths to the max level, which proves difficult in practice. This system is particularly attractive for those who struggle to make decisions, as well as hardcore individualists who want to define their role in the game entirely on their own. The problem with Rift or ArcheAge is that some skills are redundant and, in the end, not as many combinations seem sensible as originally thought.
An interesting approach can also be found in Guild Wars 2, which entirely does without the classic Holy Trinity consisting of tank, healer, and DD. However, there are restrictions here as well, which sometimes leave much to be desired in terms of individuality: The main abilities are tied to the respective weapon, and you don’t find too many combination opportunities here.
But what is the better class system now? A class pre-defined by the developers, where skills and roles are clearly distributed? Or a mishmash of paths, where we can define our role in the game ourselves?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny Xur, the Agent of the Nine, black market dealer and self-proclaimed Warlock fan, also visits the Tower over Christmas. We present his offers and positions in this article along with screenshots and videos.
There are no “rumors” about a Christmas bonus; those were player wishes
In advance, there were already articles from other sites mentioning: “There are rumors that he might have the exotic rocket launcher Gjallarhorn this week.” We don’t want to disappoint you, but: There are no such rumors. The players are just wishing for that.
Just like Schalke fans wish their club would become champions again. Or like some people wish for a night with Jennifer Lawrence. Those are wishes, not rumors, dear colleagues.
Xur, the Agent of the Nine, will most likely make his selection randomly again on 26.12. He has a huge arsenal of weapons and armor, from which he only selects a few. There will be one armor piece for each class, he will have one single exotic weapon from his collection, and perhaps an engram, perhaps not.
He offers to upgrade “old” versions of exotic weapons to their new version; here 6 weapons and 6 armors are selected randomly. If he has a PS-exclusive weapon available for upgrading, then it’s “extra.”
It is highly unlikely that Xur will deviate from this pattern at Christmas. Well, it is not entirely ruled out.
All About Xur, the Agent of the Nine, on 26.12., 27.12., 28.12. in Destiny
Xur is located among the Vanguard traders. In this video, you can see his exact location. http://youtu.be/fuVDmP4_kvI?t=29s
What’s Up with the Numbers on the Armors?
The armors in Destiny have values for Strength, Discipline, and Intellect. These values are not the same for every exotic armor of the same type. The higher they are, the better. The first value is the “base value” of the item at light level 30, the second value is the maximum reachable value when the armor piece is fully upgraded. In this article, we have more about it. However, the limits have since been increased.
What Does Xur Have This Week for Hunters, Titans, and Warlocks?
The new exotic sniper rifle No Land Beyond. This counts as a primary weapon, but is not very popular among Guardians. Generally, No Land Beyond is considered one of the weakest exotic weapons. The name actually refers to a quote from the Russian sniper in World War II, Vasily Zaitsev. It costs 17 strange coins. The chest armor Immortal Armor for Titans costs 13 strange coins. Has 138/149 Discipline. The helmet Achlyophagen Symbiont for Hunters costs 13 strange coins. Has 87/93 Discipline in this version. The DLC gloves The Claws of Ahamkara for Warlocks. Xur wants 13 strange coins for them, this time they have 49/52 Discipline and Strength. He does not have an engram this week.
What Upgrade Options Are Available This Week?
Upgrading exotic weapons from 300 to 331 (maximum damage) and exotic armors (light value 30 to light value 36) requires in Destiny an exotic shard, between 7000 and 8000 Glimmer, and the “old” version of the item. For these items, Xur offers the opportunity this week:
For weapon upgrades, Xur offers:
The auto rifle Suros Regime
The Red Death, a pulse rifle
The hand cannon The Last Word (The Last Word)
The exotic machine gun Thunderlord
The solar machine gun Super Good Advice
And … the Gjallarhorn
For PlayStation owners, also the Hawkmoon
For armor upgrades, he has:
The Mark of Alpha Lupi for Hunters with 136/146 Strength
The gloves Ahamkara’s Spine , also for Hunters, with 81/87 Discipline
For Titans, the Helm of Saint-14, this time with 108/116 Intellect
The Helm of Inmost Light, for Titans with 100/107 Strength
For Warlocks the Heart of Praxic Fire, a chest piece, this time with 127/137 Discipline.
and the gloves Sunbreakers, they have 84/90 Intellect
Update 28.12. 0:30: Xur has exceptionally extended his stay. He will remain until Tuesday, 30.12., at 7:00 AM.
Anyone who wants to play console games in offline mode during the holidays, like Destiny, faces serious limitations. The blame likely lies with a self-proclaimed hacker group.
On Christmas Eve, December 24th, during US evening hours, and also for the first and second nights of celebrations, a group of well… individuals, seeking to gain fame through their Twitter account, announced that they would take down the PlayStation Network (PSN) and the Xbox Live (XBL) network. They have at least partially succeeded in doing so.
Without these networks, players cannot log into online console games like Destiny. Once logged in, players should be unaware of the attacks.
We’re aware that some users are having issues logging into PSN – engineers are investigating
A second group has then confronted the first group, aiming to make their Twitter account popular by taking down the first group (and possibly has intentions for donations or a job offer).
The first group has been doing this for almost half a year now, while the second group has been at it for a month. There is back and forth. No one can really verify if those claiming to have any real impact actually do and if the self-proclaimed “Whitehats” are really hindering the others…
There are extremely strange videos, interviews, and accusations, alleged arrests, threats, and so forth. Actually, it was said months ago that they would stop, but it seems they have developed a taste for “E-Fame” and can’t get away from it.
The fact is: The networks of the consoles from both Sony and Microsoft are currently facing difficulties.
We have also decided not to mention any of the involved groups or even post their Twitter handles.
On the IP map of the company Norse, you can admire the global DDOS ship-sinking live in all sorts of colorful hues.
Update 9:00:In a similarly surprising as well as kitschy turn of events, the “eccentric” internet personality Kim Dotcom offered the so-called hackers lifelong privileges at his internet download service if they stop the attacks against Xbox and PlayStation.
Kim Dotcom is indeed an enthusiastic Destiny player, active on the Xbox One (2 level 31 Warlocks, 1 level 30 Hunter) and apparently wanted to enjoy a round of Destiny over Christmas (well, he will enjoy the PR boost as well). The privileges only apply as long as the “hackers” keep their feet still and no longer attack the networks.
Xbox Live and PSN services coming back. Many regions fully restored. Full recovery imminent. Enjoy your gaming holidays. You’re welcome 🙂
The hacking attacks have stopped a few hours ago, say the “hackers”. Allegedly, there are still clean-up operations underway at the networks. That should be resolved soon.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Zenimax, the developers of the fantasy MMO The Elder Scrolls Online, wish all players of TESO a Merry Christmas, reflect on an eventful year, and look forward to 2015, which should see the release on the Playstation 4 and Xbox One consoles.
At Zenimax, they can now take a breather. Until January 5th, as with other software houses, the CPU will stay cool, people will spread in all directions, and spend the holidays with loved ones at home.
At Zenimax, they might take a deeper breath than elsewhere. The year has truly been busy. After a stressful launch, the team around Matt Firor could not find rest. Since summer, major renovations on TESO are ongoing. So far, there have been five updates.
The next, sixth update will bring the Justice System, a revamped Supplier System, and the Champion System. It will be so big that some are already talking about not just an update, but rather an expansion. Even some developers are now referring to it as TESO 2.0.
At Zenimax, they look forward to 2015, especially to the console release of TESO on Xbox One and Playstation 4, and are curious how players will accept all the new adventures that they have planned for them.
We all here wish you happy holidays and a good start into the new year. We hope that the holidays bring you great adventures, festive meals, and of course the best loot: spending time with your favorite group members. We will also take a short break over the holidays, so give us a piece of your roasted Guar and don’t forget the mead!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
