In the MMO shooter Destiny , players are expecting the arrival of Xur on December 26th, the second day of Christmas. Will he have a special Christmas gift this time, or is there something special for the holidays?
The Guardians want gifts, but do they even celebrate Christmas in Destiny?
There was something for Halloween, but not for Black Friday
No one really expected Destiny to engage in seasonal events – like other games that clearly have events for Easter, Halloween, and Christmas. Seasonal events were never mentioned for Destiny.
When Black Friday came, a big discount day in the USA, there had already been two weeks of chatter among the Guardians: Xur has something special for Black Friday. After all, Xur is a special merchant who only comes on Fridays, so it would make sense, right? Somehow the Guardians convinced themselves of this until it sounded like a completely logical and established development.
So what about Christmas now? It’s clear: there will be “some little special something.” This was announced in the last Weekly Update. Players should keep an eye out for a small present after the holidays, as a small token of gratitude that Bungie extends to the players.
Before we kick off, we should note that you should be on the lookout for some small stocking stuffers sometime after the Holidays have come and gone – a small token of our gratitude.
Now, players have read a lot into this sentence. The post was adorned with a picture of the Cryptarch drawn by a fan, showing Rahool handing over a legendary engram – which is actually green under the wrapping.
So the Guardians thought: There must be a legendary engram.
Others insist that Xur absolutely has a “pre-arranged” offer this Friday, December 26th. Perhaps the Gjallarhorn or something else special. That would certainly be something that could bring the greatest joy to many, b…
So what will it be?
No one knows exactly what it will be. Nothing happened on Christmas Eve, and the hint suggests that “when the holidays are over,” something will happen. Perhaps there will unexpectedly be a small event gift with the next weekly reset on December 30th or the one after that on January 6th, just like it was for Halloween.
A cosmetic item, maybe a little snowfall or something similar.
Of course, many hope for Xur. However, one should not raise expectations unnecessarily high. It would be quite unusual for Bungie to directly interfere with the randomly selected offer. On the other hand… Destiny surely knows the wish lists of the Guardians…
We will definitely be here tomorrow morning to take a look at Xur’s offer, the Agent of the Nine, on December 26th at 10:00 AM. But please do not be too disappointed if the exotic special merchant has nothing particularly special with him.
Update December 26th, 10 AM: It seems the gift will only be available in 2015. At least that’s what Community Manager DeeJ tweeted. Looks like it’ll be after January 6th.
Holiday gifts are scheduled for delivery in January. No one is missing out the Cryptarch’s good cheer.
Hohoho and Merry Christmas everyone! As fate would have it, the most festive day this year falls on a Wednesday, and that is of course absolutely no reason to spare you from my weekly complaints. So what Christmas topic has drawn my displeasure this time? Steam! Déjà-vu? A little, but let’s get to the point…
The Steam “Winter Sale”
As every year, our beloved game platform is holding a special event this Christmas (though I slowly start to wonder when there will be a year without a promotion…) and is reducing the prices of many games. Among them, you can find some real gems, such as the relatively new “Saints Row 4” for just €5. If only there were such offers all the time, then I would absolutely have nothing to complain about!
Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines
However, in recent years the ratio between the costs and the value of the respective games on Steam has completely gone out of whack. How can it be that the now 11 (!) years old “Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines” still has a “normal price” of €20 today? The answer is relatively easy to find: It just looks a lot better when you can “generously” reduce the game by 75%, even though it only costs €5 in the rest of the world.
Many percentages that could all be bigger
What particularly annoys me is the whole “Community Vote” nonsense that happens every few hours. There, all Steam users can vote on which of three games will subsequently be particularly cheap to acquire.
But if you are bitterly angry (and I am, I know no mercy even at Christmas), you could also argue that the users decide which games are NOT being reduced. No one would deny that the manufacturers of all three games have already agreed to offer a game at a low price. But from Steam’s perspective, this decision is simply reversed and gives users a sense of choice, in which Steam is both the greatest benefactor, the Christkind, and Santa Claus at the same time.
Transparency? Honesty? Not in business!
I know, I know. Of course, such an approach is common practice in an area where any product is to be sold, whether in the real or virtual environment. When you present a customer with a choice or some form of participation, they immediately feel included and may want to learn more about a product or service (for precisely this reason, you can also submit a rating for games on our site *cough*).
Merry Christmas to all readers!
Just don’t let yourselves be too much deceived and compare prices a bit, even if Steam entices you with gigantic percentages. By the way, I don’t want to completely condemn it – some offers really make me weak.
Now, I can only wish you a wonderful Christmas, many gifts, and even more games. Have a great time during the holidays and don’t complain too much, I’ll take care of that for you!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
ArcheAge offers its players the opportunity to take outstanding screenshots and express their creativity. During Christmas, fans gladly take this opportunity.
This year, ArcheAge may have the most beautiful Christmas among the MMOs. The game looks great in its details and continues to impress. Over the holidays, players have also activated the snow machines.
Additionally, players have the option to upload images from their computers and import them into the world of ArcheAge. And well, some criticize the cash shop, but what cosmetic items are available there are worth seeing.
So it’s no wonder that during the Christmas season, there are tons of screenshots. Whether a particularly creative user represents Disney’s “Frozen” with 9 cubes in their house, a guild celebrates a kind of Christmas orgy, or a bunny in a snow costume poses on a reindeer: it’s nice to see.
Do you also have screenshots lying around that you would like to show us?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The DLC “Darkness Lurks” brought two new rocket launchers for the MMO shooter Destiny , the exotic Dragon’s Breath and the raid boss drop Crota’s Hunger. In two video clips, a Youtuber tests them for damage and utility.
The lucky ones among you will say with a smirk: “What? There are other rocket launchers besides Gjallarhorn?” But due to its rarity, it is simply not an option for most, unless the Guardians’ prayers are answered and Xur distributes Gjallarhorns like candy on Friday, December 26.
For all non-Gjallarhorn users: The DLC Darkness Lurks brought two new and notable rocket launchers to Destiny. A Youtuber seems to have developed a fascination for rocket launchers and has taken a look at both in truly remarkable test videos that we would like to introduce to you.
Dragon’s Breath – exotic and leaves a damage zone
The exotic rocket launcher Dragon’s Breath was the star in a video with DrCripsy. Just because of its extraordinary design with the painted and snarling dragon face, it is worth a look.
In the game itself, it has the disadvantage that its rockets are extremely slow, so the Youtuber recommends choosing perks that compensate for this and increase speed.
The strength of Dragon’s Breath is that the rockets leave a damage zone, a void zone, on the ground behind. Enemies take damage when standing in it. It’s a good way to damage tightly packed enemy hordes that hardly move.
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Dragon’s Breath drops from the first chest, the so-called solo chest, in Crota’s End. However, it can also be found in strikes and numerous other locations in the game, albeit with a relatively low probability. It is a random exotic drop.
Crota’s Hunger – not Gjallarhorn, but close
The legendary rocket launcher Crota’s Hunger is one of the five raid weapons that can drop from Crota in the raid Crota’s End. The Black Hammer and Ir Yût’s Song have already made a name for themselves. Crota’s Hunger is also right up there. As a special gimmick, it has smart rockets that lock onto and track their targets. While this doesn’t guarantee a hit, it is useful.
Crota’s Hunger has the advantage of not taking up a valuable exotic slot and deals decent damage – right in the face of the enemies. Plus, it looks badass with the skull grinning at you while aiming. http://youtu.be/E_Qv_BP_Uvk
Alternatives to Gjallarhorn alternatives?
Although neither rocket launcher can replace Gjallarhorn, both are a useful addition to the arsenal of Destiny’s Guardians.
If you can’t get either of them, or if you want to do without the exotic rocket launcher Truth that Xur had recently, you can still strike a deal with the vendors of the Crucible and either get the One Way Ticket 000 for a Crucible accolade and 150 marks or you can get this treasure here, the Valedictorian 944, for Vanguard accolades and Vanguard marks:
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the fantasy MMO Lord of the Rings Online (LotRO), shortly before Christmas, players were banned for becoming stronger than intended through an exploit.
In Lord of the Rings Online, on December 22, shortly before Christmas, a message was released stating that players had been banned for willfully using an exploit to become significantly stronger in the game world.
The exploit was of such a nature that it could not be accidentally exploited. Turbine utilized logs and methods to determine who was exploiting, and banned accordingly. At the moment, they are working on a fix.
While Turbine remains silent about the exact nature of the exploit, some fans are suggesting that it is likely an exploit in PvM in the Ettenmoors. The “Freeps,” the free peoples, were able to deal significantly more damage than intended because of it.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the MMO shooter Destiny , a video has now surfaced that shows what it feels like to be on the other side of a “lagging player”: incredibly frustrating and it feels like the other is cheating on purpose.
For us, it is the video of the week. The streamer Ari “TripleWreck” Smith is about to explain why Destiny is his game of the year when a foe threatens to drive him crazy.
Fisho is elusive, teleporting around, killing Smith even though he isn’t even looking in his direction, and proves to be the toughest opponent wandering around in Destiny.
We have the interesting video here for you:
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The fantasy MMO Final Fantasy XIV: ARR is set to support DX 11 on PC in the upcoming year, in 2015. Additionally, they are revealing what Patch 2.5 will look like, which has been dubbed “Before the Fall”.
In MMOs, developers follow various strategies. Some reveal nothing about their future plans, out of fear of disappointing players if things change. This includes, for example, ArenaNet: What Guild Wars 2 plans for 2015 can only be speculated.
At the other end of the spectrum is Square Enix with Final Fantasy XIV. Here, the plans for 2015 are already very clearly outlined. In spring, the new expansion Heavensward is set to release. At the fan festival in Tokyo, they also outlined the final patch of the “old Final Fantasy XIV”, the 2.5 patch, which will be released in two parts.
In the first part, three new dungeons will be introduced:
The Keeper of the Lake
The Hard Mode of The Wanderer’s Palace
the Hard Mode of Amdapor Keep
Also in the first part: An end to the Hildebrand saga (though they keep that open), new crafting recipes, the main quest continues, and in the raid “Crystal Tower”, the bravest heroes enter the “World of Darkness.” They also hint at more “big surprises”.
In a second part, they will introduce a type of “fun island”, with Chocobo racing, the card game Triple Triad, and other activities. The main story will also come to a conclusion.
With Heavensward, the expansion, Final Fantasy will also offer a DX-11 client that PC players can choose. This brings mirrored floors, better shadows, nicer water effects, and similar improvements. This won’t turn the world upside down, but the difference is noticeable.
Here in a video you can see the changes: http://youtu.be/lMF91IgrpJg
Korea-MMO Bless Online wishes a “blessed” Christmas with a video clip that reinterprets the story of Santa Claus.
The Korean MMO Bless is currently in its second closed beta phase in Korea. However, that does not mean that the game is near completion or anything like that; in Asia, they have a different beta model. At the moment, the second playable faction is being introduced and the battle between the two factions is slowly taking shape.
It will take a while until we see Bless in its finished state, and even longer until it arrives here in the West (if at all). However, we can already enjoy the Christmas greetings from Bless in the form of a captivating video.
http://youtu.be/PGoaFMLcQbU
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
For the MOBA hit League of Legends, the probably most played PC game of our time, an Honest Trailer has been released that delightfully mocks the parallels of League of Legends to DOTA and takes aim at the community.
The Honest Trailers by Smosh Games are real highlights on YouTube. Whether Destiny, World of Warcraft, other games, TV series or movies, nothing is safe from the mockers.
This time, Smosh Games has chosen the MOBA League of Legends, one of the best games (that your parents didn’t have to buy for you). The game where every good move goes completely unnoticed, but the tiniest mistake spirals into a shitstorm. And the game that has allowed hundreds of teenagers to make a living on Twitch, as long as they either talk in a silly voice or hold up what the guy from Smosh Games loves to say: Boooooooobs.
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The current item changes on the public test server of WildStar are causing discontent among some players. Although it was promised that for “Contendrop 4” all items would be fundamentally revised and made significantly more useful, the initial feedback is almost overwhelmingly negative.
What has happened?
Currently, there are many items in WildStar that often have no use for the classes they are intended for. Brutality for healers is just one of many possible examples. To adjust this, all items have now been fundamentally revised so that they are more suitable for the corresponding role. It follows as a logical consequence that all items are stronger than before – they are supposed to be more useful. Many players are now concerned that this would make the game content easier and that one could “fly through” dungeons and raids because the players would be so overpowered.
Reassurance from Item Designer
“Don’t worry, WildStar remains challenging!”
The developer “Verizal” has directly addressed the criticism from fans and testers, emphasizing that currently many items are significantly too strong, but a test server is precisely for such things: to test how changes work and what kind of reaction they elicit from players. The long-term goal is indeed to empower players to tackle even the most difficult content like raids eventually, but they do not want to make all players uniformly stronger, let alone simplify the content. Of course, “better” items will help players master the challenges, but the currently overpowered items will be toned down in an upcoming change.
For most players, this means a reassurance: WildStar will not become significantly easier in its content – in the long run, players will only become a little more powerful through optimized gear, but this will likely balance out. Items that are already strong on the live servers should remain strong after the change – the hard-earned raid items will still be the top choice.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The team at Cloud Imperium Games recently released new material from Star Citizen just before Christmas. A video titled “Imagine” looks into the future of the space role-playing game and presents various features. The release of Star Citizen is expected to take place during the next year.
Star Citizen Looks into the Crystal Ball
As one of the most successful crowdfunding campaigns on Kickstarter, Star Citizen continues to grow. The developers around Chris Roberts showcased the future of Star Citizen in a 3-minute video. Shooter action takes place in spaceships or in space suits for exploration – Star Citizen is not only played with spaceships. At the same time, the video demonstrates how impressive the graphics in the world of Star Citizen will look. We particularly liked the flights of the individual spaceships along with reflections of the sun rays.
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To make effective use of the holiday season, the developers have also released 14 new spaceships, the Arena Commander 1.0 HUD, new ammunition, and additional features. The complete list of new developments can be found on the official homepage. The release of Star Citizen is actually dated for 2015. However, a specific date has not been established. We are curious whether Star Citizen can meet the requirements and compete with the genre leader EVE Online.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny the weekly Nightfall strike this Christmas week takes place on Venus. It features the Nexus, against the boss Sekrion and his Vex hordes.
The weekly Nightfall strike in Destiny grants a 24.5% bonus on reputation and experience gains. Right now, after the soft item reset, where so many Guardians have had to say goodbye to their beloved legendary weapons to find new friends, this bonus is very welcome.
The Nightfall is tuned to level 30 and features a new challenge each week. This time it takes place on Venus, battling the Vex for Sekrion.
The five modifiers for the Nightfall on Venus
This week’s modifiers are:
Nightfall – If the entire fireteam dies, it’s back to orbit, no pass go, no 4000 Glimmer, just start over
Epic – makes the experience feel heroically challenging like a stroll, mobs are significantly more dangerous, making the strike harder
Juggler – no ammo drops for the weapon with which you kill an enemy
Angry – enemies are relentless and come at you as if they’re really serious this time
Void-Burn – anything that causes Void damage causes a lot of Void damage; applies to both Guardians and enemies
The Arsenal – what weapon would you like?
At the moment, the Arsenal is still a bit of a mixed bag, as many Guardians already have new gear, but still mostly rely on the old stuff. This week, Void weapons are trending, as there are yet no real new super weapons compared to Solar (Black Hammer, Hunger of Crota) and Arc damage (LDR 5001, The Song of Ir Yût). Range is required in the Nightfall.
Special weapon: Praedyth’s Revenge, legendary sniper rifle with Void damage. Still good, still strong. For the Nightfall, you basically need a sniper rifle every week. Sure, you could also have the Iron Banner sniper Efrideet’s Spear rolled from Solar to Void, but … who has done that?
Heavy weapons: Truth, the Truth, exotic rocket launcher, was recently available from Xur. Should serve well, unless you blow yourself up with it, then not. The machine gun “Corrective Measure” from the old raid “The Glass Chamber” is also a strong choice. As for legendary vendor weapons, there’s also the MG18A Harm’s Way.
Not particularly spectacular right now. Let’s see if the pros come up with some more innovative suggestions later.
Tips and Tricks
As always: If you go in alone, play extremely carefully, don’t get caught in follow-up hits, always regenerate in between. If you go in with two or three, you can of course play a bit more aggressively.
Throughout the day, we will feature videos of exciting runs through the weekly Nightfall strike in Destiny.
The first one is this pretty straightforward run of a well-equipped 3-man team. They finish in just under 8 minutes. A lot of firepower, plenty of grenades, and while Sekrion remains at the top, one person consistently secures against the Minotaur in the back of the corridor. Much goes through the machine gun. http://youtu.be/W1khN1-XDtM?t=1m29s Another straightforward run of a fire team, quickly skipping over the more boring scenes. A hell of a lot of Atheon’s Epilog in the video, showing why it’s also regarded as a pea shooter. Then in the final battle against Sekrion, the Black Hammer is used, making it clear how difficult it is to land the three precision shots you want in such a situation. http://youtu.be/F4QLUnd69mM And one more: Solo run by Datto with 300 weapons: The Falcon Moon, Praedyth’s Revenge, and the Swarm. Datto mentions that the Nightfall used to be tuned so that Minotaurs died after 3 hits from the Praedyth, now they need 7. This explains why soloists struggle with the Nightfall. Datto also uses, although he probably knows them, no cheese spots to defeat Sekrion … Whether he makes it anyway, you can see in the video: http://youtu.be/aylO_p4lM1I And one more because it’s Christmas today. As many scruples as Datto has, this YouTuber has none at all: Solo run through the Nexus. With cheese spots for Sekrion, tricks to dodge as much as possible, and tips on how to do it. http://youtu.be/YkPQD_lSIjc
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
With the Content Drop 4, a new emote is also coming into the game world of WildStar. The inhabitants of Nexus will soon be able to flaunt their platinum wealth and attach a few banknotes to a lightly dressed Draken woman when they let the money rain with the new emote “/Fuffiesimclub” (English: “/makeitrain”).
It would be quite ironic if such emotes were to be made available for purchase in a real-money shop someday in the distant future, don’t you think?
The content drop is planned for February; as soon as there is a fixed date, we will, of course, keep you informed!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In The Elder Scrolls Online , the Champion System causes difficulties. The original plans have been thrown out and altered. Now there will be a hybrid phase where players are both Champions and Veterans.
This is how it is so far: Veterans are boring
So far in The Elder Scrolls Online, players advance from level 50 to Veteran Rank 1 and then have to grind quite a bit to reach Veteran Rank 14. Not much changes for the hero. The main advantage of ranking up is being able to use increasingly stronger items. For the best items in the game, you need Veteran Ranks 13 and 14. Character progression, which means the hero becoming stronger, mainly occurs in TESO through these Veteran Ranks, as they allow wearing stronger equipment.
Players and developers were not satisfied with the system.
This is what we thought it would be: Instead of Veterans, Champions, and everything will be fine
The Champion System was supposed to alleviate this. The plan was to replace Veterans with “Champions.” It was intended that players would “continue to develop” beyond level 50 by receiving Champion Points at regular intervals, which they could then invest in new skill trees. There would mainly be passive abilities.
There were to be 14,440 Champion Points. The experience points that players earned beyond level 50 would be converted into the new system.
So this is how it will be for now: Champions and Veterans at the same time – due to the items
The Champion System comes with Update 6, but for now, the Veteran Ranks will remain. They are still important for item development.
Additionally, players will not be assigned Champion Points proportionally to their progress but will be given a simple Yes/No decision. If a player has a Veteran before the change, they receive 30 Champion Points. If they do not, they do not receive any. How many Veterans they have and how far they have progressed with them plays no role.
Instead of 14,440 points, there are only 3,600. This means that each point has a significantly higher value than originally intended.
Hybrid model for now – but how will that work with weapons and armor?
Mein MMO says: The changes to the Champion System were presented on Friday evening in ESO Live and are now explained again in the official forum. They are significant. At the moment, players do not notice the changes and it is quiet accordingly.
The system will surely cause confusion when it goes to the test server, and especially when it is actually implemented in the game. The frustrating part is that for a long time it was said: Don’t worry, every experience point you earn as a Veteran is not lost, it will be converted into Champion Points. That will not happen. On the contrary: Players who have already completed quests will have the disadvantage of losing this easy source of Champion Points. Zenimax has already hinted that they will strengthen other EXP sources, PvP or dungeons – these would also be significant changes.
Another interesting question that currently has no answer is: How will you regulate the items? How will you determine who can wear an item that is currently intended for Veteran Rank 7 or 8, if later there are no Veteran Ranks anymore? Furthermore, Veteran progress is character-bound, while Champion progress is account-bound. If it is said: This item is available at 300 invested Champion Points, then every fresh level 50 twink of a “high main character” would immediately start with that advantage.
In the MMO shooter Destiny , complaints from European players are increasing that they are suffering from error messages such as “Anteater”, “Bee”, “Weasel” or “Canary”. No matter what error code appears, the result is the same: players are thrown out of the game at minute intervals.
It seems to be a European problem that players in Destiny have been plagued since the hotfix last week, on December 16: they simply cannot stay in the game, instead being thrown out of the mission or strike they are currently in at intervals of a few minutes.
Problems seem to occur with UPC customers
As always with technical problems, it is extremely difficult to follow a common thread from the various problem descriptions that run through countless different threads. However, it seems to be becoming clear that it is a European problem that extends across Ireland, Switzerland, Austria, Romania, and also reaches Germany.
Common among those who are complaining about problems seems to be that they are with the internet provider UPC, in Germany this is Unitymedia KabelBW, which only operates in Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, and North Rhine-Westphalia. However, not everyone who is here has these problems. They occur across platforms.
No response from Bungie yet
At UPC in Ireland, an employee replied that they have no reports indicating that these problems are on their end. Players should contact Bungie.net support. UPC is willing to collaborate with Bungie to resolve the issues.
We’ve no logged issues regarding this, while we cannot provide support for specific games I had seen the same issue affect myself last night. Error messages included ‘Bee’ ‘Newt’ and ‘Anteater’.
We’d recommend contacting Bungie support on this but if there’s any info they need from you regarding your connection just let us know your acc info on PM to UPC: Reps and we’d do our best to supply this to you.
The frustrating thing is: Currently, there is still no response from Bungie. In the past, they have always responded quickly to problems affecting all players on a console. For example, they just fixed “PS4 Connectivity Issues” last week. Normally, Bungie Help also announces when they know about a problem, but currently it is quiet there on social networks.
The issue preventing a portion of PlayStation 4 users from logging into Destiny has been resolved. Thank you for your patience.
It’s hard to say how many players are affected by the problems. What is clear: Those who are hit are currently having a rough time. After all, the holidays are approaching and surely many would prefer to spend it doing something other than struggling with “Anteater”, the aardvark.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Dark Fantasy MMO The Secret World celebrates Christmas. And how it should be: With killer clowns, chainsaws, and The Magic Flute.
The basic principle of The Secret World is quite simple: “Do you know all these crazy conspiracy theories? What if they were all true?” And so, the favorite holiday of The Secret World gamers is usually Halloween, but something is also thought of for Christmas.
Warning: Spoilers!
In addition to “old” events, this year the “Christmas Conspiracy” can be experienced. (Warning! Spoilers!) It starts with a performance of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” in London, leads to Venice, where one uncovers the bones of Santa Claus in a Freemason tomb (like I said, just an ordinary Tuesday in TSW) and with various clues (and the help of the internet), the mystery of the conspiracy can be solved.
As it is said, TSW has succeeded in embedding the Christmas event into the ongoing storyline about the “Filth”, the mysterious zombie plague, Other games could learn from this, as their seasonal events often seem quite disjointed.
Warning: Link to the solution for the Christmas Conspiracy
Those seeking the solution for the Christmas Conspiracy will again rely on Google and spoilers. We’ll do the searching for you. We’re placing this link, which you will never click, because you can of course solve the crazy puzzles by yourself , in the middle of the table, close your eyes and count to 23. And of course, no questions are asked.
The death of a player in Final Fantasy XIV led to stunning images on the servers over the weekend as players spontaneously gathered for a massive funeral.
In the Final Fantasy subreddit, a 29-year-old player posted that his RL friend, the bard player Codex Vahla, has been brain dead in the hospital since Friday due to complications from a failed surgery to treat a kidney disease. He is being kept alive artificially so that his family can say their goodbyes. From this post on reddit, a funeral spontaneously emerged as more and more players made their pilgrimage to the guild house.
At a beach near the house, players then bid farewell using the game’s mechanics. With spells and abilities, they drew a final greeting in the evening sky over Eorzea. These images were reportedly streamed into the hospital room of the dying man. There, the family of the dying man was said to be very moved. http://youtu.be/8YrhGja3Ghs It is a sensitive topic in MMORPGs. A topic that many long-time players will eventually face. What do you do when a player you know, with whom you’ve spent a lot of time, has health problems? What do you do when they succumb to those problems? How does one mourn in a virtual world for a real loss? Often, this is done in silence. Not everyone is so rooted in the virtual community or has RL friends who bring it to light.
As players, perhaps as friends, one might not even realize that someone is really struggling. Eventually, one might only see that someone no longer logs in. One might not think twice when a spot on the friends list remains empty. Not every death is public, not every relationship is structured in such a way that one discusses real-life problems with each other. The more virtual worlds become part of our real lives, the more we are confronted with the question of how we say goodbye and how we want to say goodbye.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Just a few days ago, our English-speaking colleague Phil Owen from “Kotaku” wrote a very nice article about Star Wars: The Old Republic that I personally couldn’t agree with more.
Unfortunately, the original text also contains some massive spoilers, which is why I will certainly refrain from mentioning them – those interested in the original text can find it as always in our sources.
What SWTOR Tried to Be
At BioWare, they were trying to satisfy a lot of fans at the same time, and the recent past (WildStar) still shows us that this often goes seriously wrong. On one hand, they wanted to create a gigantic game, a living galaxy, a home for all those who love the “Star Wars” universe so much.
Size and scope should simply correspond to an MMO that is unparalleled. On the other hand, there was of course the expectation that BioWare’s acclaimed storytelling must also be present in this game, and that despite the “MMO” in the name, one shouldn’t have to forgo a tight narrative and especially much “RPG”.
What SWTOR Ultimately Became
You can say what you want, but SWTOR ultimately fulfilled some promises: There were 8 different stories, which were told very well and excitingly at times, and there were also the necessary MMO elements like a very extensive world, plenty of quests, instances, raids, and more. The problem, however, was that actually, no one wanted both.
Some players wanted a lot of story and “to experience the world”; others wanted a solid MMO with balanced PvP, interesting new mechanics, and all that the competition offered. When you ask people why they play Star Wars: The Old Republic , you rarely hear that they wanted the story and MMO aspects at the same time – usually, one hinders the other.
New Content: The Forum Leads the Way
Since the launch, quite a bit has happened, and as is usual in this industry (with few exceptions), the original team has been reduced, the existing budget has shrunk, and generally, one has to make do with fewer resources. In the further development of the game, the voices in the forum became more prominent, and they delivered content that was desired there.
One of the best examples is probably the free expansion “Galactic Starfighter“, which was able to convey the right feeling of space battles within SWTOR for the first time.
[pullquote]We talked about this game as if it were KOTOR 3 to 10… and I believe we couldn’t keep that promise[/pullquote]
The recently released “Shadow of Revan” also falls into this category, as it addresses a story arc that especially veterans of the KOTOR games have longed for. For the conclusion, there’s a very nice quote from Jeff Hickman, the lead producer of the game: “We talked about this game as if it were KOTOR 3 to 10… and I believe we couldn’t keep that promise.”
At least insight is the first step toward improvement – and much has already improved in the gameplay, even though class-specific stories have now disappeared. Thanks to certain bonus actions, such as the 12x XP boost during the class quest line, fans of the story could fully experience it – while leaving the “boring rest” aside.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny rise the first guardians to reputation rank 4 with Eris Morn and her “Crota’s End” faction. At rank 4, there is a secret emblem. The shader Evening Red also looks nice. We present the new items and give you tips for a faster reputation increase in Crota’s End.
One has to defeat a lot of Hive, exploit some tricks, and belong to the class for which Eris Morn always has her class-specific bounties. You have to be a well-seasoned hunter to be one of the first guardians worldwide to reach reputation rank 4 with Eris Morn. This happened just a few hours ago. A guardian on reddit proudly posted that they received a “secret emblem” while leveling up to rank 4 in Crota’s End.
The shader “Evening Red” is available anyway, plus new class items for each of the 6 classes, in the case of the Hunter cloaks (Hood of the Taken, Cloak of the Hidden), for the Titan marks (Mark of the Taken, Mark of the Hidden), for the Warlock Warlock-bonds (Emerald Light, Song of Dusk).
And there is also the possibility to exchange luminous fragments for luminous energy and vice versa.
Apparently, the guardians on reddit are thrilled with the new look. How do you like it? What do you think about it?
Tips and Tricks for Reputation Farming with Eris Morn, in Crota’s End?
There is a tip, a trick, on how you can also get reputation faster with Eris Morn. For this, it is necessary that you visit Erin Morn at 10:00 AM when the bounties reset, accept the bounties, complete them without logging out, and turn them in to her.
Then you finally log out, take new bounties from her and can thus do the so-called “Double Bounties”. The reputation with her is so important because you need rank 3 to be able to purchase the “Balm Sphere”, which is necessary to upgrade the “Mantle of the Pit”, the white auto rifle “Husk of the Pit”, into the legendary auto rifle “Eidolon Ally”, “Eidolon Ally”.
http://youtu.be/Ljd-ma5Niv4
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In just a few weeks, the corks will pop again, alcohol will flow in streams, and the good intentions for the new year will soon be thrown away. With melancholic glances, we look back at the past year and remember the good and bad times – the good and the bad games. I would like to take a look back at the year 2014 together with you – focusing on the games released in the MMO scene.
It has been a long time since I spent as many hours in front of the PC as I did this year. No wonder, we would have to travel far back in time to experience a year filled with as many highlights as 2014. Especially the Western MMO market had its heyday. Long-awaited MMOs like The Elder Scrolls Online, Wildstar, Destiny, and others created indecision and a loss of reality. Titles like WatchDogs, The Evil Within, and Stronghold Crusader 2 also made the hearts of non-MMO players race.
But first, let’s take stock and address the prominent titles.
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft – March 11
With Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, Blizzard paves the way for online card games this year. Although the much better-known Magic: The Gathering has long made its way into the virtual world, Hearthstone enjoys enormous popularity among Warcraft fans. Who is surprised? Blizzard can turn even water into wine.
I spent countless hours and days building my own deck. In addition to the Arena mode, collecting and crafting cards provides long-term motivation. Right in the same year, two expansions, with Naxxramas and Goblins vs Gnomes, were also launched, which speaks for the success of Hearthstone. It’s not technically an MMO, but it is a very popular game in the scene – that’s why we’re covering it here.
The Elder Scrolls Online – April 4
Long awaited, finally released, and then it goes completely wrong: The Elder Scrolls Online. I claim it is one of the most anticipated games of this year. After the highly successful Skyrim, the MMO part of the cult game did not gain much glory. Before you stone me: Yes, I know that the single-player titles were previously from Bethesda and that the MMO part belongs to Zenimax, but nonetheless, the game belongs to The Elder Scrolls universe.
Right from the start of the game, there was a lot of fuss about the ambiguous subscription conditions. The free month was offered only after the subscription was concluded, and with fewer payment options than usual. And the questionable design decisions in the endgame contributed their part.
I had to smile when I saw the trailer for “World of Warcraft 2.0” for the first time. Comic graphics, a level cap of 60, and 40-player raids immediately transported me back to the days of Vanilla WoW. This is what happens when former Blizzard developers switch sides. With a very favorable release date in June and the promise of challenging dungeons, I got my summer tan this year on the planet Nexus.
Wildstar is very action-packed due to the non-target system, telegraphs, and the general gameplay dynamics, and the dungeons are also intense. A bit too much for my taste. The constant wipes quickly led to frustration while gaming. The randoms in Wildstar didn’t know how to move their characters. Without a guild, you were out of luck. But many of the guilds were simply too progressive for me. On at least 20 days a week, I tried my luck in dungeons, sometimes with less, sometimes with no success. A conflict between real life and Wildstar broke out – real life won.
Ultimately, I find Wildstar to still be a really great game, but for me, it’s too time-consuming. I used to play World of Warcraft intensively during the 60s, but I didn’t have a degree on my plate nor had to grocery shop, not to mention house cleaning. I need a bit more “casual” and better options to find a “capable” group for a dungeon without a huge effort.
Many probably think similarly: The strategy of focusing entirely on hardcore players proved to be not so successful – the sales figures and the introduction of the megaserver system speak volumes. However, I will definitely take another look at Wildstar in the course of next year due to the announced changes. At the latest when it becomes Free-To-Play. Moreover, the 40-player dungeons have since been phased out and WildStar needs to improve accessibility.
Destiny – September 9
Destiny is the only reason this year that I could have cried for not owning an Xbox or Playstation. Also, all my console friends prefer titles like FIFA or Call of Duty – that’s what I call destiny. Destiny is, with $500 million in production costs, the most expensive game that has ever come to light.
In the first week, Destiny sold more copies than any new game series ever before. In its first five days, Destiny generated $325 million in sales and was played for a total of 100 million hours by console owners worldwide within a week – that’s 11,415 years.
I do not want to pass a larger judgment at this point, especially since I still have not had the opportunity to enjoy this MMO shooter. But given Activision’s gigantic marketing machine for Destiny,some players were disappointed. A lot of wasted potential, a lackluster story, and despite the massive player base, areas that feel empty and static.
Nevertheless, even after many months, it is still played by a huge number of the total of 13 million players – this is mainly due to the MMO elements in the game design and the fast-paced gameplay. The MMO shooter provides a promising foundation for the next ten years, so we can expect a lot more from Destiny.
ArcheAge – September 16
While everyone was busy playing Destiny, ArcheAge brought a breath of fresh air to the MMO market. It was my personal surprise this year. No game had captivated me like this before. Even though I always approach Asian MMOs critically, ArcheAge conveys the fundamental idea of every MMO: barrier-free interaction with friends. Teamwork and a guild are therefore essential. The scope and the diverse activities are hardly manageable alone.
The many freedoms that ArcheAge offers you ensure a future-proof concept. You can decide whether to sail the seas as a captain, to join the economy as a farmer, or to act as a bounty hunter for law and order. Everything in ArcheAge is interconnected or builds upon each other. I could go on forever listing the new, interesting, and beautiful things, if it weren’t for the downsides.
Trion Worlds does so much right with ArcheAge – but also so much wrong. The release alone was a faux pas. Miles-long waiting lines at login and unplayable server conditions created the first frustration among players right at the beginning.
The next own goal is the free-to-play system. You can only create your character and complete quests without a subscription. If you want to experience the great things that make ArcheAge, you will have to pay. The so-called labor points required for any crafting or resource gathering generate extremely slowly as a non-VIP player. You certainly do not get the full gaming experience this way.
Nevertheless, ArcheAge is a great game in sandbox format. It offers variety and diversity as long as you pay. I will definitely start over next year to explore the recently released content Auroria. I am sure we will still hear a lot from ArcheAge in the foreseeable future, especially as new Asian MMOs will continue to shake up the Western market.
World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor – November 16
The best is saved for last: Warlords of Draenor. Here Blizzard did a great job. For me, it is the best expansion since The Burning Crusade. Finally, World of Warcraft regained its former strength by orienting itself to the classic Warcraft settings. They could have left the pandas in the zoo for all I care. The fascination of Warcraft quickly caught me again when I immersed myself in a captivating world full of heroes, threats, and adventures.
Warlords of Draenor is the first expansion without new races or classes, but with housing. The decorators among you will now raise their fingers and complain that we can’t decorate our garrison with our own interior and thus it isn’t real housing. Yes, that’s true. But I can fill my household with work and be my own estate owner. And that definitely provides long-term motivation. In addition to the character models, the new instances have also received an upgrade. Finally, you will be more challenged again.
Additionally, pre-order customers received a character boost to level 90 as an apology. Yes, as if Blizzard had foreseen it. Because the release didn’t go well at all. That’s not how I expect things from Blizzard, and if they can’t manage it, who can? Additionally, our skill repertoire has received a downgrade. Essential skills of my Hunter are now cleverly executed on a 4-button keyboard.
Despite all the launch issues, Warlords of Draenor is my personal highlight of 2014. It brings back the real WoW feeling that I haven’t experienced in a long time. With my garrison and the new instances, I have plenty of activities during the Christmas holidays. Upcoming balance changes will undoubtedly lead to some re-rolling, and Blizzard promises to deliver new content in shorter intervals. Phew, future secured.
Outlook 2015 – What can we expect?
As far as the MMO scene is concerned, 2015 looks rather scant with new releases.Except for perhaps Blade & Soul. That said, we have received plenty of supplements this year, so we can look forward to content patches and, of course, a lot of news and announcements for the upcoming years in this segment.
Especially in the Asian MMO market, there is a lot of activity – with Bless and Black Desert, high-profile titles await us. Nevertheless, there are a few games that I am still waiting for or particularly looking forward to their news.
Evolve
I must honestly admit that I usually turn my back on the first-person shooter genre. Although I occasionally take part in one of the battles. That’s why I’m even more excited that the guys from Turtle Rock are combining Evolve with frenzied shooting and strategic MOBA elements. Four players play as hunters against a fifth, who controls the monster. In a round-based hunt through the jungle, the better one wins.
The game was the biggest surprise at GamesCom and won countless awards. Unfortunately, I still have to wait a little longer. The official release is not until February 14, 2015.
Star Wars: The Old Republic
The award for the “biggest mouth in 2014” goes to Bioware with Star Wars: The Old Republic. In an interview, the developers stated that “2015 will be a big year” for the MMO version of Star Wars. I’m curious – at least regarding The Old Republic.
Because 2015 will continue the eagerly awaited saga with “The Force Awakens”. Bioware is probably hoping for potential players among the millions of cinema-goers. But the current player base should also be looking forward to an expansion in 2015.
Overwatch
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For me and many others, the highlight of this year’s BlizzCon was definitely Overwatch. When I first saw the cinematic trailer (afterwards, I watched it countless times), I knew right away “This is it, this is the game of a lifetime”. The surprise that Blizzard conjured up from their gaming workshop this time was truly great. In this sci-fi multiplayer shooter with MOBA elements, battles are fought in a 6vs6 fashion.
The nicely presented characters immediately caught my attention. It’s all in a comic style – I am really looking forward to it. The only downside is that a release in 2015 probably isn’t to be expected – maybe it’s better for my studies. However, we can sign up for the beta in 2015. Now I just need to be among the lucky participants.
Guild Wars 2
My personal concern this year. While ArenaNet regularly bombards us with sequels to the living story and world, not much new is happening. I see the largest potential in Guild Wars 2 among all the MMOs: Throughout the whole world of Tyria, we meet other players and fight together against monsters without food envy. Each class has its own healing spells because Guild Wars 2 forgoes the usual class-bound roles like healer, tank, and damage dealer. This makes the game so diverse.
Yet somehow, the available potential is wasted. I hope developer ArenaNet will slowly wake up and announce the long-anticipated expansion in 2015. Because the server consolidation and the disappointing quarterly figures do not bode well.
Enough about me. Now I’m interested in your highlights of 2014? And what are you looking forward to the most in 2015?
Let me know in the comments.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
