World of Warcraft: Rammfaust the new time-lost proto-dragon – Is rare because no one wants to share

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

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.”

WoW-Poundfist

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.

WoW-Rammfaust

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.
Source(s):
  1. mmosite

Final Fantasy XIV: A Happy New Year – FF XIV Celebrates Year of the Sheep

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

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.

Black Desert: Too weak on the content front? Interest in open beta is dwindling

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

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”.

Black-Desert-Packesel

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).

Black Desert Trading

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.

Black Desert - Battle with the group

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.

Before the open beta, a report from the Korea Times stated that publisher Daum was under financial pressure.

Black Desert

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.

Destiny: The Christmas gift will be available only in the new year

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

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.

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.

The reason for the bad mood of most Destiny fans is probably not due to Xur’s offerings, but rather the ongoing issues with the console networks PSN and Xbox Live.

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.

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

MMO game design: predefined classes or free skill choice?

Marcel Heck Marcel Heck Reading time 4 minutes

Whether it’s a change of scenery or a fresh start – we are constantly faced with the question: Which class should I play?

Which class WoW

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

WoW Talents

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

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.

ArcheAge Skilltree

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.

Diversity vs. Balance

Class design MMORPG: WoW and DAoC

Of course, there have been other games that have taken one path or another. We have already discussed the issues of class and skill balance in this post: The Class Struggle: Diversity vs. Balance in Class Design.

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.

Destiny: Xur, Agent of the Nine, Offer and Location on 12/26.

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 4 minutes

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.

It was a rough night in Destiny and when Xur appears at 10:00 AM in the Tower, not everyone will be able to log in right away to joyfully jump into his arms. But it’s not just the network issues that make Xur’s appearance in Destiny special today; it’s also Christmas. Many Guardians are hoping for a gift in the form of an exotic weapon or exotic armor.

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.

Destiny-Xur

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

When Does Xur Come and When Does He Leave Again?

Xur comes today, Friday, 26.12., at 10:00 AM German time to the Tower and leaves again on Sunday, 28.12., also at 10 AM.
Update 28.12. 0:30: Xur has exceptionally extended his stay. He will remain until Tuesday, 30.12., at 7:00 AM: Destiny: Xur’s Stay Extended Due to PSN/XBL Problems – Stays Until Tuesday Morning

Where is Xur? What is His Position?

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?

Destiny-Kein-Land-Ausserhalb
Destiny-Titanen-Heilruestung-2612
Destiny-Achylophagen-Symbiont
Destiny-Klauen-von-Ahamakara-2612

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.

More about Destiny can be found on our topic page. And if you want to stay updated on what we are doing here, check out our Facebook page and subscribe there.

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

Destiny login issues: PSN and Xbox Live had DDOS problems over Christmas (Update: Kim Dotcom likely resolved the crisis)

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

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.

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.

Both companies are working on a solution, as they confirm to gaming sites like Polygon. They do not comment on where these problems arise from or who is responsible.

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.

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.

The Elder Scrolls Online wishes a Merry Christmas, looks forward to the console release in 2015

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

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.

TESO

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.
Source(s):
  1. Elder Scrolls

Destiny: Yes, is there something for Christmas?

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

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.

But then Halloween came, and Destiny did something. To everyone’s surprise, three days before the actual holiday, there was a pumpkin helmet as a head and a swarm of bats. And the Guardians thought: Now this must happen every time!

Destiny-Gjallarhorn
This would be a candy cane…

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.

But here the hopes were dashed. Xur had nothing special for Black Friday. The wish was the father of the thought.

For Christmas, Bungie promises a small token

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.

Destiny-Christmas-Kryptarch

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.

Destiny-Hüter-im-Dunkeln

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.

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

Criticism Wednesday: Steam and the “Super Discounts”

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 3 minutes

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 Bloodlines
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.

Steam Vote

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
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 celebrates Christmas: Players use the Snowbox for screenshots

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

ArcheAge offers its players the opportunity to take outstanding screenshots and express their creativity. During Christmas, fans gladly take this opportunity.

ArcheAge-Weihnachtsbaum

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?

ArcheAge-Frozen
ArcheAge-Weihnachten
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. reddit (Frozen)
  2. reddit (Gruppenbild mit Damen)

Destiny: The rocket launchers of darkness lurk in focus – What can Dragon’s Breath and Crota’s Hunger?

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

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.

Destiny-Dragon's-Breath

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.

Recommended editorial content

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Link to the YouTube content
Destiny-Hunger-of-Crota

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:

Destiny-Valedictorian-944
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

The Lord of the Rings Online bans players who exploit power

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

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.
Source(s):
  1. LOTRO Forums
  2. massively

Destiny: Crazy Crucible Match in Video – Forget Crota, lagging players are the real challenge

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

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.

Final Fantasy XIV presents plans for 2.5. “Before the Fall” and will also support DX11 in 2015

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

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”.

Final-Fantasy-XIVPatch2.5

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.

Final-Fantasy-XIVPatch2.51

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.

Final-FantasyXIV-Schatten

Here in a video you can see the changes:
http://youtu.be/lMF91IgrpJg

Learn more about the new expansion Heavensward in this article: Final Fantasy XIV Details, Images, Videos about the expansion Heavensward: New Races and Jobs

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

Bless wishes you a blessed Christmas with the Santa Ogre and his Goblin Elves

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

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.
Source(s):
  1. MMOSite

League of Legends: Honest Trailer has DOTA parallels and targets the community

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

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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WildStar: Is everything getting easier now? Players are upset about item adjustments on the test server

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

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

WildStar Gold
“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.

WildStar Protostar Academy 2

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.
Source(s):
  1. www.wildstar-arkship.de
  2. forums.wildstar-online.com

Star Citizen: Impressive trailer shows what the release version will look like

Nico Saborowski Nico Saborowski Reading time < 1 minutes

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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New Ships for the Holiday Season

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.
Source(s):
  1. spieletipps.de

Destiny Nightfall: Venus, Baby – Weekly Nightfall Strike on 23rd December against Sekrion

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

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.

Destiny-Praedyth'srevenge

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
Destiny-Atheons-Epilog

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.

Primary weapon. Atheon’s Epilog, legendary auto-rifle with Void damage. Solid choice.

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.

Destiny-Wahrheit1212

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.