Destiny: Here are the four new raid primary weapons from the hard mode of Crota’s End

In January, the Hard Mode in the raid Crota’s End will go live in Destiny. We present the four new primary weapons: The hand cannon Word of Crota, the scout rifle Fang of Ir Yût, the pulse rifle Oversoul Edict, and the auto rifle Abyss Defiant.

In January, the Hard Mode of Crota’s End is set to open. Dataminers have known for a while what weapons are expected to drop there. However, they are not yet official.

Destiny-Necrochasm

What else is there? Necrochasm and a new ship

In addition to the four primary weapons that we want to introduce to you, it is assumed that a new ship will drop in Hard Mode of Crota’s End (this was also the case in the Glassed Chamber).

There are rumors that there will be a “new, slightly better” raid set, but that seems quite unlikely.

And most likely, the legendary “Eidolon Ally” will be able to become the exotic Necrochasm here, but we have really reported enough about that now.

Actually, the raid helmet was also supposed to drop exclusively in Hard Mode, going up to light level 36. It has now already been added to the normal raid loot table of Crota. So maybe Bungie will come up with additional rewards besides the four primary weapons, but that is uncertain. The main attraction is the new primary weapons.

Destiny-Hüter-im-Dunkeln

The four new raid primaries with elemental damage in overview

Let’s take a look at the four new weapons. They are all legendary weapons, two of which deal additional damage to “majors” of the Hive, meaning the mobs with yellow shields. The other two are useful against specific mobs in Crota’s retinue. The auto rifle against the dreaded witches, the pulse rifle against the knights.

Thus, the four primary weapons are predestined to help guardians move through Crota’s End more easily.

All the weapons start with 272 damage, can be upgraded to a value of 331 and deal elemental damage, making them desirable for the weekly strike.

Destiny-Word-of-Crota

Word of Crota – Hand cannon with Void effect

The Word of Crota deals Void damage and could serve as a kind of new Atheon’s Epilogue, the new essential gear for Nightfalls with Void Burn.

The two unique effects of the weapons ensure that after three successful precision hits, one additional bullet appears in the chamber. Additionally, hits increase the stability of the gun. With, if everything goes perfectly, 18 bullets in a row, that would be ideal for a hand cannon.

Hand cannons are generally favorites. Many guardians swear by their last word, Hawkmoon, or Fatebringer. The Word of Crota is already considered extremely desirable loot from the raid.

Destiny-Abyy-Defiant

Abyss Defiant – Auto rifle with Solar damage

The Abyss Defiant is designed to take on the annoying Wizards. They are especially vulnerable to Solar damage. The Abyss Defiant has a special perk that works only against these Wizards and is meant to “confuse” them.

Otherwise, the Abyss Defiant looks like a “typical auto rifle” with a high rate of fire and low impact. There is another feature: When aiming with scope, the weapon decreases its rate of fire, but increases its damage. This is the same characteristic that the Suros Regime also has. It will be interesting to see how the weapon performs in practice.

Auto rifles were dominant in the Crucible for a while until Bungie nerfed them. However, they remain popular as they offer a strong compromise between range and power.

A primary weapon with Solar damage could, for example, provide an alternative to “Vision of Confluence” in strikes.

Destiny-Oversoul-Edict

Oversoul Edict – Pulse rifle with Arc damage

The Oversoul Edict has a natural nemesis in Crota’s End: The Knights. The Oversoul has a characteristic specially tailored for fighting them, allowing it to penetrate the “dark shields of the knights.” However, it was reportedly buggy previously, and other pulse rifles also had this feature.

Pulse rifles can be tricky in Destiny. Many outright reject them, as there are few truly dominant weapons of this category. It is difficult to assess how the Oversoul Edict will perform.

Destiny-Eris-Morn

Fang of Ir Yût – Scout rifle with Arc damage

The Fang of Ir Yût is a highly interesting scout rifle that some are already looking forward to.

It has the coveted “Third Eye” perk, which keeps the radar active while aiming with the weapon. This weapon also has, like the Word of Crota, increased damage against Hive Majors.

Scout rifles are relatively popular in Destiny. Many guardians are currently looking for a replacement for the “Vision of Confluence.” This gap could be filled by the Fang of Ir Yût. As the “new standard Arc weapon in Arc Burn,” it could replace the hand cannon Fatebringer.

How will it turn out?

It’s hard to give a dry and theoretical assessment of the weapons. On paper, some weapons look fantastic, but in the game, they can be disappointing. Whereas there are also underrated weapons like the Black Hammer, which prove to be “the hammer” in practice.

What is already available in Crota’s End in terms of weapons and armor can be read here in our article about the loot table.

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

Destiny: Xur’s stay extended due to PSN/XBL issues – remains until Tuesday morning

In Destiny, the stay of the black market vendor Xur has now been extended by 45 hours. The reason is the ongoing difficulties with the networks of Sony and Microsoft.

Many had hoped for this. Now it is official. Xur will exceptionally stay longer in the Tower. Until Tuesday morning at 7:00 AM German time, Guardians will have the opportunity to shop with him. You can read his offer here.

Xur’s stay exceptionally extended

The issues with PSN and Xbox Live continue even on the second day of Christmas. Normally, Xur would have vacated his spot in the Tower of Destiny by Sunday morning at 10 AM. But Bungie didn’t want to do that to the players of Destiny. In the end, many might not have even seen Xur because there were issues logging into Destiny via PSN and XBL over Christmas. If these problems persist, they even intend to further extend Xur’s stay.

Problems with the console networks persist

The situation with the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live is unclear, but tense. Further DDoS attacks are likely ongoing. It cannot be said who is responsible for this.

Some “claim” these attacks for themselves, many apparently want to increase the popularity of their Twitter account with such announcements and extortion-like demands. Whether they are truly responsible for what they promise to do or not do, if users do this or that, is highly questionable. It runs under the motto “Favorite this tweet if you want the sun to rise again tomorrow!”

Destiny-Kein-Land-Ausserhalb
This weapon is sold by Xur until Tuesday morning. Whether it is worth it, you can find out in this article.

Sony speaks officially for the first time of a targeted attack

In a post on the PlayStation Blog, Sony has now confirmed for the first time that the cause of the problems with the PSN is DDoS attacks. The technicians are working hard to resolve them.

The video game industry has been experiencing high levels of traffic designed to disrupt connectivity and online gameplay.

They apologize at Sony for the difficulties and explain to new owners of a console that their problems have nothing to do with the acquisition but lie elsewhere.

If you received a PlayStation console over the holidays and have been unable to log onto the network, know that this problem is temporary and is not caused by your game console.

The Xbox Live network has also been struggling with some issues today, according to reports from users on social networks.

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

AION: Gameforge wants to improve communication, patch 4.7 will only be available in March 2015

With the European free-to-play version of AION, Gameforge aims to address the most relevant questions from the community with the new video series “Ask AION” in the future. A step to finally show more transparency?

Nic, the Product Director of AION Europe, kicked things off and answered the most common questions that were tagged on Twitter with the hashtag #askaion in the first video.

That Gameforge has a questionable reputation among some players has not gone unnoticed by those responsible. Many a tweet was met with criticism that the Product Director handled very humorously.

He emphasized that this is a company that relies on revenues. How else could they pay the employees and cover all the other costs? However, Gameforge is important that players do not lose the fun of the game. With more players, there would also be more possibilities, and currently, Nic assures, AION is doing very well and NCSoft, the Korean developer, is very satisfied with the work in Europe.

[intense_blockquote color=”#f2f2f2″ author=”Nic, Product Director Aion Europe”]I can assure you that Aion is not dying (…). There are no intentions to discontinue the game.[/intense_blockquote]

Patch 4.7 will come in March 2013

Ask Aion - Translations

A very sensitive topic that is currently causing a lot of conflict within the community is of course the release of the major content patch 4.7, which brings new zones, large-scale siege battles, instances, and much more.

Especially in comparison to the other versions, they lag several months behind, which increasingly worries European players. The explanation lies in the translation. Unlike all other publishers, Gameforge has to translate the game into 7 different languages. The effort required to accomplish this is enormous, they say. “We are not just sitting here on our lazy behinds and hoping that the update will be released (…), but we are working very hard to get it done as early as possible.”

Anyone who wants to watch the video again and also learn something about events, server merges, and a hack shield client can watch the video here:

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Mein MMO states: First of all, it is positive that Gameforge is rethinking its communication model and wants to focus more on the community in the future. Especially in the past, transparency has always been a bit of a problem, and players often wished for more openness – whether in TERA, Runes of Magic, or Aion. And when looking at SOE, particularly with H1Z1, Everquest, Landmark, and co, it becomes clear that intensive communication with the community can be invaluable. The video definitely makes a good impression, even if not all players may be satisfied with the answers.

In the official forum and in the YouTube comments, players are upset that Patch 4.7 is not set to release until March. Most do not simply accept the explanation that it is due to translations. For there is a contradiction: If it is so important to Gameforge that the fun of the game remains, why do they allow it to take nearly half a year longer than, for example, in America – have they perhaps bitten off more than they can chew with the languages? Why did Gameforge recently manage to publish the big update “Fate of Arun” for TERA, which certainly required the translation of many text passages, faster than the American publisher EnMasse? This is actually a subsidiary of the developer. Admittedly, the range of languages for TERA is a bit smaller, but one still wonders where the catch is.

At NCSoft in America, the update was released in early November. Below is the invasion trailer 4.7, so players can see what at least 3 more months they have to do without and get a sense of why they are not entirely happy with the delay:

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Destiny: No Land Beyond – is the retro sniper worth it?

This week, Xur offers the exotic sniper rifle No Land Beyond in Destiny . Is the retro sniper worth it?

This week, Xur has the No Land Beyond on sale until tomorrow morning, a sniper rifle designed in the style of World War II. The quote and the weapon’s design are based on the Russian sniper Vassili Saizew , who is memorialized in the movie “Enemy at the Gates.” But what can this new weapon, which just came to Destiny with the “Darkness Rising” DLC, do? Is it worth buying?

Named after a Russian war hero from World War II

The weapon is presumably modeled after the anti-tank rifle PTRD-451, known in Germany as the Panzerbüchse Degtjarjow, which was used to “crack” tanks, as one can imagine.

It bears the name due to a quote from Saitsev, “There is no land for us behind the Volga.” A quote that is meant to illustrate his unconditional love for Mother Russia – for him, there was only this one land.

Destiny-LDR-5001
One of the alternatives to No Land Beyond …

Regarded as the weakest exotic weapon in Destiny

The “No Land Beyond” is currently regarded as the weakest exotic weapon in Destiny. Some Guardians even see it as a challenge to play with it in PvP. The humiliation for the enemy is even greater when they realize with what junk they were taken down, they joke.

The fire rate is far too slow to be effective, it’s hard to hit with it, the sights cause frustration for many, and the damage is nothing special either. Some regenerate the damage from the first shot while the shooter is preparing for the second.

However, some argue that precisely because the weapon is currently so extremely weak, it might be worth getting it from Xur now. Because it is so weak that it is guaranteed to be buffed by Bungie. Perhaps something useful could still come from it. This was also the case in the past with Bad Karma and Thorn.

Our friends from ziro.tv take a closer look at the No Land Beyond here, even with a fully upgraded version.
http://youtu.be/ZdGLEJBzPEY

Currently not a worthwhile investment, but more of a risky speculation

Conclusion: It is definitely not worth it at the moment. It is not worth the 17 strange coins. No other weapon is currently mocked as much as the NLB (“The NLB is not as weak as everyone says … It is much weaker!”)

There is also no indication that Bungie really wants to buff the weapon. That could be good, but even if there were a buff, one wouldn’t know how strong it would be afterward. You’re buying a pig in a poke.

Moreover, there are strong alternatives among the exotic sniper rifles with patience and time, like the Icebreaker – and also the legendary snipers like LDR 5001, which Black Hammer or the Efrideet’s Spear are quite useful.

Therefore: At the moment, better to keep your distance unless you are swimming in coins and really want the weapon. Don’t be fooled by the “special weapon in the primary slot” thing. Bungie has heavily countered the balance of No Land Beyond to prevent a God Mode like at the beginning with the Vex.

But: If you need a reason to convince yourself to get the No Land Beyond … of course it can shine in the hands of an excellent player:

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

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

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

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

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?

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.

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.


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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)

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

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?

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”

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

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.

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

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.

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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

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.

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

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

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

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Source(s):
  1. Dualshockers

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

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