Recently, there were some issues with the servers in the sandbox MMO ArcheAge. Now the promised compensations are known.
As announced, players will be compensated for the last days when they could not log into the servers. Patron players will receive more than non-Patron players.
Patron players receive: 5 days of Patron time, 15 labor potions with 500 labor points and 30 loyalty tokens.
Non-Patron players receive: No Patron time, 10 labor potions with 500 labor points and 15 loyalty tokens.
Both types of players also receive 3 candies each for 10% bonus EXP, 10% increased drop chance, and 3% movement speed. These will, of course, only last for a limited time.
All these items are not tradable. A Patron is defined as someone who had Patron status before the server outage. There is no distinction between EU and NA, nor does it matter which server one is playing on. Players who play in both Europe and North America are still entitled to only one package.
These packages are currently being assigned to accounts, and this should be completed by Friday noon our time. Emails will then be sent to players on how they can pick up these packages. Players in ArcheAge will have to decide which character they want the package for. This will likely proceed similarly to when players could assign the character-specific founder pack rewards.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Hearthstone, you won’t have to wait until December 9 to play a round with the fresh cards from the “Goblins vs Gnomes” expansion.
Surprise cuddle! A few hours ago, patch notes briefly went live in the USA, suggesting that you will be able to play the new cards in the Arena even before the launch of “Goblins vs Gnomes” next week. However, the 123 new cards will initially only be available exclusively in the Arena; they cannot be earned or purchased for now.
The patch is currently not live. They are apparently still working on it, having only revealed it beforehand, and the fans saw it.
We’re still working on the patch, but I’m glad people are enjoying the patch notes. 🙂 We try to make them interesting.
Not only the cards are expected to be playable in the Arena, but the new “Spectator Mode” is already active. When that will exactly come, is not known at the moment, but it looks like we might experience it relatively soon.
Without guarantee: As data miners found out, it could even be the case that the Arena run is free. Allegedly, they also found an event that gives away 3 free packs if you play during the opening. And: Anyone who plays Hearthstone on an Android tablet will also receive a free pack. It seems that the release of Goblins vs Gnomes is indeed accompanied by the release for Android tablets. But: As is often the case with datamined information, this is all still unofficial, although highly likely.
Update 21:25: The free round in the Arena with the new cards is already active and can be attempted now. This means that every player logging into Hearthstone will receive a free ticket for an Arena round. In the draft, when the player assembles their deck, cards from the “Goblins vs Gnomes” expansion will be available alongside the usual previous cards.
#GVG in the Arena is LIVE! Go get a free Arena run AND play with the new GVG cards! Go go go go go! I’ll see you there!
The official launch trailer for “Darkness Awaits,” the first DLC for the MMO shooter Destiny, is here.
Destiny has revised the trailer for “Darkness Awaits.” Two weeks ago, a version was “leaked” where Eris Morn, the new vendor in the Tower and key NPC, murmured darkly. A week ago, Dr. Crispy was featured in a special trailer.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
Now they seem to have gone back and added substantial gameplay scenes to the Eris trailer, clarifying what “Darkness Awaits” is supposed to bring. This makes the expansion seem quite a bit more appealing.
The fantasy MMO The Elder Scrolls Online is still waiting for Update 6. It is expected to arrive on the test server in early January. The Imperial City will be left out for now in favor of the Justice and Champion systems.
Update 6 is taking significantly longer than fans anticipated. Until now, players were actually waiting day by day for Update 6 to become available on the test server, but that won’t be happening anytime soon. It is expected to be released shortly after New Year’s 2015: then it will come to the test server.
What will be included in Update 6 for The Elder Scrolls Online?
Therefore, not much is revealed about what it will bring. The details will likely only be available in the patch notes shortly before the test run.
It is already known that The Elder Scrolls Online will get a new inventory system, to better organize pets, costumes, and mounts. There will also be significant changes to the provisioning profession. The TESO columnist from mmorpg.com even mentions that new animations will be introduced to the combat system.
As mentioned in the Road Ahead by Matt Firor, Update 6 will primarily bring the third phase of the Champion system. Here, passive abilities of the Champion system can now be activated.
The Imperial City, the expansion for the PvP area Cyrodiil, will not make it into Update 6. It seems to require more time, and if it does come, its arrival should be well prepared.
Work is currently focused on Champion and Justice systems
A lot of work is currently being devoted to the Justice system, which will also be integrated into the game in several phases like the Champion system. It is still unclear whether the first phase will be included with Update 6. It seems likely.
In the first phase of the Justice system, players will already be able to commit crimes. However, they will only need to defend themselves against the guards, NPCs, and justify themselves before them. Other players, and thus an open-world PvP component, are expected to come to The Elder Scrolls Online in a later phase.
In the fantasy MMO The Elder Scrolls Online, the release date for the console port to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One has officially been withdrawn. Although work is still ongoing on the port and good progress is being made, no specific date will be set.
In Matt Firor’s “The Road Ahead” letter, new information regarding the planned port of The Elder Scrolls Online to the current-gen consoles PlayStation 4 and Xbox One has emerged after a long silence. The previous release date of “late 2014” is now being withdrawn for the time being. Until now, “late 2014” was still relevant, after the planned port was postponed by half a year to “the end of the year” last summer.
Firor mentions in the letter that work on the implementation for the consoles has been continuously ongoing. They are also making good progress. However, it is still too early to provide an official release date.
At Zenimax, they want to tailor the console version of The Elder Scrolls Online for the consoles. They plan to replace the PC interface with a console UI, keeping in mind that console players want to play TESO comfortably at home on the couch with a controller.
Furthermore, Zenimax wants to make the console version fully compatible with Xbox Live and the PSN network, as well as integrate a voice chat feature. Players should expect to receive many more details about the console port by early 2015.
Mein MMO states: While the Champion System is coming soon, with Update 6 in January, the Justice System is actually something that was expected to arrive much later. It belongs to a series of new ideas and game systems conceived during extensive renovation works on the PC version. They aim to introduce these gradually: A lengthy process.
This system will also be introduced in “phases.” This means it will take several updates until it is fully implemented in the game. So this might still take a while. If one assumes Update 8, 9 or 10 as a likely date for the final phase of the Justice System, it would be around April, May, June 2015. And whether the console port will occur immediately afterward is another question.
There is, of course, no official timetable… not exactly good news for players waiting for a console port.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
New hotfixes have been applied in World of Warcraft. Players now need the final boss for the tavern missions.
Even experienced developers like Blizzard sometimes overlook something obvious: NPCs appear in the taverns of player garrisons, offering quests and daily quests. To obtain them, it is necessary to loot a specific item in instances, which is often found in the middle. But why should players who have looted the quest item stay further in the instance? There are no special rewards for completing the instance like marks or similar anymore. The 630, at best 636 items are not particularly lucrative at a certain item level. Well, 50 garrison resources… but one can also do without them.
Therefore, in recent days a picture has frequently emerged: After looting a quest item, players left the instance groups, leaving the rest behind who might still need items. This is now being changed with a hotfix: To complete the tavern missions, something from the final boss is required.
In addition, the infamous WoW legend Millhaus Manasturm will now always hang out in the tavern. He is moving in.
Many have searched for him in vain, and now we know what happened. After he distributed his tavern quest, for which there is Maestro “Doomsday” himself as a follower, the famous gnome mage took a break and disappeared for a while. It seems he wasn’t too urgent about completing the task. The yellow question mark that marks a quest turn-in appeared out of nowhere, and there was no trace of Millhaus: that has now come to an end. From now on, players will know where to find him: on the second floor of the tavern.
Also in the hotfixes: the first changes to the bosses in the Highmaul raid and numerous minor talent changes. Yesterday, the first raids struggled with Butcher and Tectus, but they should be a bit easier now. Tectus now has a 10-minute enrage timer on “Normal” and “Heroic.”
An NPC in the garrison, Borok Ironfist, had been mysteriously giving away leatherworking tents at the tannery for free, which are actually relatively complex to craft. Blizzard has now put a stop to that.
The spawn behavior of the two world bosses Tarlna and Drov continues to raise eyebrows. After it was said yesterday that only one of the two is active, and it seemed that Drov was up for Europe, both world bosses are now being spotted on servers.
In the MMO shooter Destiny, the “hard” mode of the raid “Crota’s End” will only start at some point in January, four to eight weeks after the release of the DLC “Darkness Awaits.” What is behind this decision to stretch the game content?
Yesterday, a lot of new information about Destiny and the DLC “Darkness Awaits” became known. So much so that one of the most important pieces of information was almost drowned in the sea of Destiny news: Destiny players will have to wait four to eight weeks before they can access the centerpiece of the new content “Darkness Awaits” in the hard mode of “Crota’s End,” which will only start “at some point in January.”
This decision by Bungie indicates that they were not entirely satisfied with how quickly Guardians had worked through “The Vault of Glass.” In the “normal” mode, hardcore players cleared it in just a week and were already nibbling at the endgame, which was supposed to last four months.
Meanwhile, other players experienced the raid for the first time in November and would only now be ready to see it in “hard mode,” but the new content is already on the way.
Bungie opts for a gating tactic: Content needs to last longer
Now Bungie is coming with a “gating” tactic: instead of unlocking the entire expansion from the outset, they are rolling it out in stages. This means that players are initially confronted with locked doors that only open after a certain period of time. Maybe the timing is not even set yet, or they may wait to unlock the hard mode until a certain player threshold is exceeded, which is now ready for it.
Such a gating tactic buys the developers time to create additional game content.
Guardians are supposed to thoroughly experience the raid in a first wave on “normal,” defeating it four to eight times, playing the story missions from Eris Morn, and maybe also engage in new events before the DLC takes the next step in January: a kind of “Darkness Awaits – Part 2 Electric Boogaloo.”
What is behind this tactic in Destiny?
Why is Destiny changing its schedule now?
This could indicate that they are taking a bit more time with the next DLC “House of Wolves” and thus buying more time for the subsequent game content. It is extremely difficult for an MMO to satisfy the growing hunger of players for new content: developers cannot create new stuff as quickly as players get bored of the old. This is one of the core problems of MMOs. Especially as players become more skilled and approach new raids and instances in a more methodical manner, the novelty wears off.
The advantage of such gating for the developer as well: players have a point to “re-enter” the game after a break. Too long breaks are difficult for MMO developers. If hardcore players are finished with the new content by the end of December and the next DLC does not come until April or May, some regular players might be lost. Therefore, they give them another entry point in January. Special events serve a similar function. And some players might check in with Xur at least once a week, even if they are not playing, to see what he has.
Destiny learns from World of Warcraft
These tactics in the MMO genre to stretch content are not new. The current World of Warcraft expansion “Warlords of Draenor” also employs gating. The raids were locked for 3 weeks, then the first raid was opened on “normal” and “hard,” and a week later it would start on “mythic.”
But it will probably take 2 months before the next raid, which is already in the game, opens up. In general, it seems that Destiny is picking up a trick or two from the father of the MMO genre. The idea of being able to complete the same game content, whether it’s a strike or a raid, at more than one difficulty level and thereby significantly extending the content is an established Blizzard idea.
And what to do until then? Nightfall? Old raid?
How Guardians will spend their time in December and whether there will be anything in the endgame besides the new raid “Crota’s End” is still unclear. It is already known that the weekly Nightfall strike will be raised from level 28 to level 30. It will therefore likely remain relevant.
Also, the event “Trials of Osiris” or new editions of “Queen’s Wrath” and “Iron Banner” could keep players engaged.
Perhaps they will also add a new difficulty level in the then old raid “The Vault of Glass” to entertain players. Dataminers have found hints in this direction. That would be an idea where they could surpass the grandmaster Blizzard.
Perhaps one can only reach the new max level in January
In the “hard mode” of “Crota’s End,” a number of particularly powerful legendary raid weapons are set to drop, all of which count as “primary weapons” and are therefore sure to be sought after.
Moreover, it seems that in “Crota’s End” a complete raid armor will drop, which is stronger than the “normal” version.
This could mean that one might only be able to reach level 32 with this new raid armor. There will certainly be reason to check back in January. One could almost say: The DLC “Darkness Awaits” only starts halfway on December 9; things will really get going in January.
This gating tactic for the raid is currently receiving little criticism, as most players are upset about the upgrades for exotic weapons. Only a “few” percent of players who have already completed the “normal version” of Crota’s End will probably be affected by the gating.
The Korean MMO with sandbox elements “Black Desert” emphasizes its tab-targetless action combat system in a new trailer for the open beta.
Black Desert is about to release in Korea and thus also shortly before an open beta. In Asia and now also in Europe, it is common to offer players a kind of trial period before the actual release. Aside from warming up the servers a bit, that probably has nothing to do with testing anymore, but is more of a PR thing to ensure everyone is excited for the launch.
While Black Desert also has quieter moments in gameplay, where you build relationship matrices with NPCs and send your own workers around, the game has two major “tempo” elements: One is the way you move through the world in a sort of “climb-and-jump” parkour style, and the other is the free action combat system. It does without tab-targeting, which we associate with MMORPGs like World of Warcraft, Star Wars: The Old Republic, or ArcheAge. Instead, it relies on combos and flashy effects. Typical for newer Asian MMOs.
The combat system is presented in this almost 6-minute trailer for the open beta. They also emphasize the 60 FPS.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A Chinese teaser page from Shanda Games grabs the attention of shooter fans. Is there perhaps an MMO version of Borderlands coming soon, a Chinese Borderlands Online?
Borderlands established the “Shoot’n Loot” genre, in which Destiny is currently thriving. Rumors of a possible MMO version likely gained traction when Destiny took off. Additionally, many large offline franchises are currently moving towards “MMO,” as they can earn money in the long run: An MMO never really ends.
The Asia MMO specialized site “mmoculture” has now discovered a nebulous Chinese teaser page for a possible Borderlands Online; “BLOL” appears in the code, which could be a way to abbreviate BorderLands OnLine, if one wished. Moreover, some logos of 2k Games can be found in the code.
On the website: The silhouette of Claptrap. A countdown that goes until Monday, and the phrase “Earthlings, we will bring you hope!”
For us Europeans, this may not mean much yet. Asia is a strange market when it comes to licenses, as there has long been a “Call of Duty Online” there, which doesn’t have much in common with our Call of Duty.
Conclusion: On Monday, we will know more; those who are dreaming of a Triple-A Borderlands Online heading towards Destiny should urgently temper their hype.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny , the complaints of fans have been heard, and the way loot is distributed is going to be made a bit fairer in the future. This includes taking bad streaks into account and distributing strong items through quests as well. However, the system won’t be completely frustration- and randomness-free. Additionally, the raid “Crota’s End” in the DLC “Darkness Rises” seems to be becoming more important than the previous raid.
Players, developers, and wrestling star annoyed by loot system
The RNG loot system, the random allocation of items as loot, has always been polarizing. Recently, wrestler “The Big Show” expressed his frustration about only getting junk in the Destiny raid, while others who play much worse walk away with the good Exotics.
Hardly a Destiny topic goes by without someone sharing how incredibly unlucky they are. Nothing ever drops for them. There is always one piece missing.
Bungie is aware of this. They play Destiny alongside the players, and as GameInformer reports, even some Bungie employees curse the current loot system.
They have already made some adjustments a while ago so that disappointment is not as great when legendary engrams only yield a blue item, but apparently that wasn’t enough. Although players’ hopes are no longer solely dependent on the cryptarch Rahool, they are now focused on the drop rates in the raid, which doesn’t really improve the situation.
Protection against bad streaks in the raid “Crota’s End”
With the DLC “Darkness Rises,” they want to implement a so-called “Bad Streak” protection in Destiny, a safeguard against bad streaks. The game is supposed to “know” which drops the Guardian has received recently and provide something better when they have been unlucky for a while.
However, this is not a guarantee for “great loot” or that one will get exactly what they still need. It merely increases the chance of drawing a win when one has repeatedly only received materials.
This protection only applies in the new raid “Crota’s End.”
Better items through quests, increased importance of the raid
But that’s not all. They are continuing to work on the idea that players can also “earn” equipment. Special “raid” loot, i.e., equipment that can only be obtained in the new raid “Crota’s End,” is now supposed to drop significantly more frequently.
Bungie wants players who raid to be rewarded more regularly.
They already know that there is a fusion rifle called Murmur for the quests from Eris Morn, which can grow to “legendary.” Not through luck, but through the Guardian’s effort. This seems to be a direction Destiny is headed towards, rewarding endurance and success rather than just sheer luck. Right now, there is a lot of grumbling when, for example, in the Nightfall, one Guardian gets rewarded with two Exotics, while the other two go empty-handed. While they are not completely eliminating randomness, they do seem to intend to provide alternative ways to gear up.
The legendary armors before the raid and those afterward will be more distinctly separated
However, the change does not only affect the armors from the raid but also the legendary items preceding it.
There will be new “legendary” weapons and armors from the vendors of the Vanguard and the Crucible. For these, in addition to the marks, players will also need the new “recommendations” from the Vanguard or the Crucible. These are given for progressing in reputation tiers with the faction. These legendary items can also be obtained without purchasing the DLC.
Reputation progressions with the factions have always been relatively uneventful. In the future, players can look forward to that.
Bungie is apparently working to make the “raid” legendaries more distinct from the “non-raid” legendaries.
Previously, both armor types were legendary, but the “raid” sets were significantly stronger with a light value going up to 30. This difference is likely to remain and may be even more pronounced. The raid items will soon have greater variety and selection when it comes to upgrade options.
Additionally, raid armors and raid weapons will require their own upgrade materials, “Radiant” materials – again separated into energy and shards. These can only be obtained in the raid by dismantling other raid items. “Non-raid” legendaries will continue to require ascendant materials.
We have already addressed the significant changes regarding the exotic items and what upgrade materials they will require, here.
Mein MMO says: It seems that Bungie, after the positive experiences with “The Glass Chamber,” is now assuming that raids work and are interesting for the target audience of Destiny. This was previously uncertain, as they were primarily addressing console players, shooter fans, and Halo enthusiasts. Whether they would take to raids was at least questionable. Raids were the biggest gamble. Now that they know they are successful, they want to reward raiders even more and continue going in this direction. For this, more refined systems are needed.
The background story of the Free to Play action MMO Tera Rising is admittedly a bit abstract, but it offers virtually endless possibilities for design; for the world, divided into the continents Arun and Shara, was created from the dreams of powerful Titans resembling divine beings. These names also embody their creators.
The territories reflect very imaginative thoughts, for in an extremely beautiful world, not least skillfully presented by the technically advanced Unreal 3 Engine, you will encounter very diverse settings during your explorations. The areas in Tera differ quite strongly from one another in a world that appears very open.
In any case, centuries passed before the first living beings saw the light. But as dreams go, not only peaceful thoughts emerge but also dark ones that spring from the depths of the subconscious. You will feel this conflict firsthand in Tera.
This also paves the way for many features where players interact with and against each other, including a political system that revolves around valuable resources and the rule over provinces.
The real-time combat system in TERA provides unique moments
Tera is a free online role-playing game that has received much acclaim for its dynamic real-time combat system, enriching the MMO genre. Gone are the days when you mindlessly hammer on hotkeys!
In “The Exiled Realm of Arborea”, so the full title goes, you have to dodge attacks yourself and escape the danger zone with a dive or teleport, for example. Good reflexes and a forward-thinking playstyle can save your life in many situations.
Moreover, aiming is a significant factor, as you only hit enemies if you aim in their direction. This makes player-versus-player fights particularly unique. There are plenty of opportunities to engage in such battles.
Of course, a combat system alone is not enough, but fortunately, this promising foundation has not gone to waste. The bosses in Arborea not only look spectacular but also come with demanding mechanics that, combined with the “True Action Combat”, make it anything but boring.
TERA: Free-to-play with premium benefits
At some retailers, it is still possible to purchase the PC box version. With the code included in the box, you receive a Club membership for 30 days (essentially a premium month), but almost more important – the veteran status. The benefits included with it are permanently tied to your account.
What advantages does this status bring you?
Among other things, 4 permanent bank slots and 8 permanent character slots, which would be much more expensive in the shop. In addition, there are no restrictions in the auction house and when sending gold.
On Amazon, this version is available for about 15 euros: Here you can go directly to the Amazon product page of TERA:
Oops, unfortunately this affiliate widget is no longer available.
http://youtu.be/Sx1g4c95fkc
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The creators of the Final Fantasy XIV MMO have made an impressive comeback. The first version of the game did not meet the expectations of players or developers. Therefore, it was decided to take the game off the market to improve it from the ground up for almost 2 years. A bold step that no one had dared to take in this form before, but in retrospect, it was definitely the right decision. With the relaunch, FF XIV: A Realm Reborn plays much smoother and impresses with high-quality content.
Fascinating graphics with great attention to detail, overwhelming landscapes, and magic-filled, action-packed battles are far from everything this game has to offer.
The extensive class and job selection allows for a variety of individual player experiences. All classes can be learned by one character – after registering with the respective guild, a convenient weapon or tool switch makes the biggest leap into a new experience.
This gameplay offers many possibilities to shape the intense and color-filled war and battle scenes to your liking. On your travels, you will also frequently encounter familiar Final Fantasy creatures, such as Moogles or the loyal Chocobos, the strong and fast riding animals. FF XIV: ARR offers a multitude of stories, companions, and villains, which, like in previous installments, build unique tension and whet the appetite for more.
Also works cross-platform!
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is worth every penny due to its superior graphics and unique gameplay and is a must for anyone who has played even one previous FF title. The developers have also created a huge network of players: This MMO is cross-platform, meaning that PS3 and PC players can play with or against each other. A novelty that players worldwide have often hoped for, and is just one of many details that make this game a distinctive experience. The first expansion for Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward will be released soon.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
There are new details about the first expansion of Destiny, the DLC “The Darkness Awaits.” Old exotic weapons can actually be upgraded. A key role is played by Xur and the new material “Exotic Shards.” For Guardians, it is important to leave the exotic weapons and armor as they are for now, because with the upgrading, there are new exotic items “naked.”
One has already thought something like that: In a week, the new DLC “The Darkness Awaits” is coming and brings new, powerful, shimmering, tentacled, somehow spiky Exotics. They are supposed to be stronger than the current ones: The exotic armors will rise to a light level of 32, and the new weapons will deal more damage than the currently strongest exotic weapons in Destiny.
More important than expected: Exotic Shards.
But what will happen to all the old golden weapons and armors that Guardians have painstakingly collected? Should Hunters, Warlocks, and Titans part with them already a quarter of a year after the release? Could it be that what was once important and which Bungie said, that it was for collecting, is now already to become a second-class Exotic?
No. GameInformer has learned that they are revealing new details about the expansion “The Darkness Awaits” in Destiny.
You can continue to use it at level 32 if you pay the price …
Xur has done it again: Remains super important even in “The Darkness Awaits”
When Xur, the black market dealer, appears in the Tower for the first time next Friday (around 10 AM), he will offer a new service: upgrading exotic items. However, he will not offer the same options every week, but they will change like the rest of his offerings. This applies to exotic weapons and exotic armors.
It looks like, based on a screenshot from Bungie, that every week there will be 6 different weapons and 6 different armors available for upgrading. It is possible to upgrade more than one item per week, as long as there are enough materials and Xur offers the corresponding option:
It does not matter whether the “old” exotic item has been upgraded or not. You exchange the armor or weapon along with an “exotic shard” with Xur for a new “model.” Additionally, 7000 Glimmer is required.
Whoever pays the exotic item, the exotic shard, and the 7000 Glimmer will receive a “new” version of the exotic item with a higher damage or armor value.
Remains the most important dealer in Destiny: Xur, Agent of the Nine, black market dealer, Warlock hater, sadist.
Attention! Stop upgrading everything immediately!
The item is then “naked,” meaning it has no upgrades left, the weapon is as if you had just received it freshly. The weapon must be leveled up again. Therefore, you should probably wait for now with upgrading exotic weapons and armors that you want to use in the expansion. Farming some Glimmer is probably a good idea too.
This upgrading option from level 30 to level 32, so to speak, is only available for exotic weapons and armors. Legendary weapons and armors are not affected.
My boss thought it was a brilliant idea to give me a new theme idea. “Yrel – the Jar Jar Binks of World of Warcraft?” at least sounded like a good hook to him – it’s a pity he didn’t suggest it to Schuhmann, because I am definitely on the “Pro-Yrel” side!
Who or what is Yrel?
Yrel is like Jar Jar Binks? Never…
But let’s clarify the most important question first: Who is actually Yrel? The blue-skinned lady is a Draenei from “Warlords of Draenor” and especially as an Alliance player you will encounter her quite often.
No matter which faction you belong to, you will encounter her in the introductory mission that brings you through the dark portal and right into the enemy territory of the Iron Horde. There you rescue her from a dire situation, and when I first heard her voice and the wonderful Draenei accent (read: Greek accent), I was already hooked.
I was really worried Blizzard would kill her off at the end of the introductory sequence – but lucked out! She stayed with me for quite a while. But why are so many people complaining about Yrel?
Why are people complaining about Yrel?
“Warlords of Draenor” is dripping with strong male personalities. Especially among the titular Warlords, you only find men, which of course is due to the already two-decade-old background story. It would be strange if suddenly a great Orc leader appeared that no one had ever heard of. But to not completely alienate women as players, of course, a few strong female characters must be offered. And in the eyes of many fans, Yrel is simply not one of them.
You rescue her at the beginning from captivity and even afterward, she is heavily reliant on the help of others. Nevertheless, she is assigned troops that she soon sends to their deaths in a failed mission. If we, as players, hadn’t been there, she might have fallen during that mission as well. But even after that, things don’t get much better. Time and again we must motivate her, protect her, support her, and encourage her as she slowly works her way up in the ranks of the light-loving Draenei. For many, she is thus not a “strong woman,” but once again the damsel in distress who cannot survive without our help. But is she really?
What she really is…
So why do I think she is being treated unfairly? Why is she more than the stereotype of the weak woman in video games?
It is clearly due to the development she undergoes. She starts in chains – one of the darkest moments in her life, as thousands of her people have just been slaughtered when we rescue her. Shortly after, she is assigned great responsibility – she is made a commander of troops, even though she is in no way prepared for it. She partially fails in these tasks, yet does not lose sight of the good and continues to fight for the light and her people.
…Yrel is more like Garrosh.
So, who does that remind you of? Which character does she have huge parallels with? Right, with Garrosh Hellscream!
This (almost likable) young Orc was found in a dark hour (depressively mourning in Nagrand), was given way too much responsibility (as Warchief of the Horde), and miserably failed (corruption by the Sha/ destruction of the “old” Horde).
The challenges both personalities face are very similar. But where the strong, tough Garrosh failed and succumbed to madness, Yrel stands firm, does not let herself be beaten down, and always maintains faith in her goal. She is quickly built up into an absolute heroine who is still plagued by healthy doubts. And this alone makes her, in my eyes, stronger than all the Warlords combined – she reflects, doubts, reconsiders, and seeks advice. A consideration that is almost entirely absent from male heroes of Warcraft.
So in the end, all I can do is say in a screeching voice:
“LEAVE YREL ALONE!” – because this lady also has nice horns on her head and demons must stick together.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
The first raids are starting in World of Warcraft today. Players are looking for the vendors for the bonus rolls, the seals of the forged fate. However, they are quite hidden this time.
Update 6.12: With a hotfix from 5.12. the bonus roll vendor Fateweaver Tiklal has been moved from his remote location (which we describe here in the article) to the center of the respective Draenor capitals. He is now located close to the respective Apexis vendors, that is in the main buildings. For Horde players at 64/61 in Warspear; for Alliance players at 64/62 in Stormshield.
“Where is the vendor for the reroll coins?” “Where can I get the rerolls?”, “Where is the guy with the bonus rolls?” are currently the most frequently asked questions in World of Warcraft, after the story with the world bosses.
The vendors are not real vendors, but weekly quest givers where you can purchase the seals of the forged fate for garrison resources, gold, honor, or Apexis crystals. These are the rerolls or bonus rolls in this add-on.
Both vendors (for both Alliance and Horde) are located in the respective capital on Draenor in Ashran and not in the garrison. The quest giver for the Horde is located quite far away, all the way in the southwest of Warspear.
The vendor for the Alliance has chosen a similarly remote position in Stormshield, he is at the southernmost point of the area.
Three seals can be purchased from the vendor per week. If you use a resource repeatedly, the price increases, so it’s advisable to spread the expenses over several resources.
Furthermore, it is also possible to obtain additional rerolls, for example, through special high-level garrison missions.
The vendor for the Horde hangs out at the hero marker.
At the wildly creatively drawn cross stands the quest giver for the Alliance.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the asymmetric MOBA Evolve, the last four hunters are also the most challenging. They rely on teamwork, have interesting special abilities, and the somewhat rustic attitude needed for monster hunting.
As reported by the US magazine Polygon, a while ago they visited Turtle Rock Studios, the creators behind the MOBA Evolve, and got a look at the last group of remaining hunters.
In Evolve, a hunter team always consists of 4 “classes.” These are four roles that one of 3 pre-made characters can assume. In the Big Alpha, 8 of the 12 characters were already playable, while the last 4 were withheld. These include Abe (Trapper), Parnell (Assault), Caira (Medic), and Cabot (Support).
These four hunters took longer to be revealed, as their play style will also be the most challenging. It is intended that players first familiarize themselves with the four “starting” characters, then unlock the advanced characters, and finally also gain access to the now presented “expert” characters. The other 8 characters were already playable in the Big Alpha, where each advanced character had to be unlocked through success with the starting “character”.
Abe, the Trapper: From now on, monsters need to watch their diet
The Trapper Abe is a kind of “Han Solo” character. Armed with an electrically boosted shotgun, he does more damage than other trappers. The shotgun has a greater spread the faster Abe fires it.
Additionally, he has a sort of static grenade that slows the monster down when it sticks to it. He carries a tracking pistol. With it, he can mark the monster to track it more easily and lead his team to the prey. This even works as a kind of trap: Abe can mark wildlife. If the monster eats them, the transmitter ends up in its stomach, allowing the hunters to pick up the trail.
Caira, the new Medic: Know-it-all with a Napalm penchant
Caira is set to be the smartest of the hunters. She is described as “incredibly clever” in an interview with Polygon, constantly lecturing the other hunters about the idiosyncrasies of Evolve’s flora and fauna.
She is armed with a grenade launcher that can either fire napalm, causing devastating damage, or launch healing grenades. She will be the only Medic in Evolve to have a kind of group healing capability. Additionally, she comes with a speed boost field.
Parnell, the Assault: The super super soldier
Parnell, the new Assault, is a comic book fan and dreams of being a true super soldier. With a kind of “stim pack,” he can boost himself to become faster and stronger, jump farther, and reload quicker.
His weapons of choice are an automatic shotgun and a rocket launcher. He is probably not particularly complex or nuanced to play, just a cool killing machine.
Cabot, the Support: Radioactive and having fun
Cabot, the Support, is an offensive choice with a “railgun” that fires relatively slowly, but its projectiles are incredibly fast. He can work on the monster so that the other hunters find it easier to deal damage.
Additionally, he can request an orbital strike that spreads radioactive dust in the area. This allows the hunters to see through walls and obstacles.
Evolve is set to be released on February 10 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
At the sandpark MMO ArcheAge the server issues have been under control since this afternoon and the various game worlds are accessible again. However, some functions are still disabled in the marketplace, the game’s cash shop, such as APEX.
Around noon our time, at 2:00 a.m. local time, Community Manager Ocho sent the “All clear” message. We are pleased to inform you that as of now all servers in ArcheAge are available again and the connection difficulties have been resolved.
Now it’s time for cleanup. ArcheAge is a living MMO with various cycles: when players have no access to their characters for two or three days, a lot can break or go wrong. For that reason, Trion Worlds has already assured that players in ArcheAge will be generously compensated for the problems caused. Patrons are supposed to be “compensated” differently than Free2Play players. How exactly that will be done has not yet been revealed.
A rollback, which some players see as the only solution, is not going to happen. That we definitely will not do.
There are still issues with the marketplace, here APEX are temporarily disabled until further notice. This is a tradable item that allows you to obtain the premium currency credits in-game, after someone bought it for real money from Trion Worlds. The deactivation of APEX is a measure that has been taken twice in the last four weeks already. The system seems to be turning out to be its Achilles’ heel. If something goes wrong here, exploiters go wild and within a few hours huge amounts of credits are generated out of nowhere. This risk is probably something they don’t want to take at the moment.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In World of Warcraft (WoW), the world bosses Tarlna and Drov will not spawn together in Gorgrond, but only one will spawn each week. This week, Drov is up in Europe, while Tarlna is causing havoc in the USA and leading to server crashes.
It looked so good in the compendium: Three world bosses: Rukhmar, the stronger world boss, will come a bit later with the next raid to WoW. But Tarlna and Drov with the same loot and the same item level, that was definitely a safe double loot. It should kick off today at 11:00 AM. Well, both are placed in Gorgrond, which was a bit confusing, but still –
As Blizzard employee Zorbix is tweeting now, only one of the two will appear each week. They share a spawn. Sneaky!
The two Gorgrond world bosses alternate every week – you won’t see both Drov and Tarlna today.
In the USA, Tarlna seems to have spawned on every server this week. Let’s see if it is the same in Europe. We will find out in the next few minutes. It would probably be better if Drov was up. Because Tarlna causes server crashes when too many adds spawn. Overall, the encounter seems to be quite buggy. In the USA, it has been live since midnight. Players have been complaining since then that the servers felt like they were under a DDoS attack and that WoW players were still fighting Tarlna while they were already home in their garrisons.
Update 11:25: Yup, it actually seems to be that way. While Tarlna is active in the USA, Drov is present on the European servers, roaming around the end of the Gronn Gorge, Gronn Canyon, in Gorgrond, which is quite accessible by flight path and then on foot. Phew, lucky break again. So: “Where does Tarlna spawn?” This week only on US servers.
The respawn timers seem to be quite low. In the US forum, they are talking about approximately 10-15 minutes.
It probably won’t help to use cross-realm tricks to loot the same boss multiple times. They probably decided to make the same boss spawn on each server just to prevent something like that.
Update 4.12. 18:30:It looks like the Blizzard employee got it wrong with the tweet. Numerous reports are coming in that Drov and Tarlna “switch daily.” Since it is only the second day since they started spawning at all, it might be a bit early to see a pattern. In Europe, it seems to be Tarlna-Day on Thursday, December 4. There is no official statement yet. Maybe it has to do with a server restart or it is simply a bug.
This level leads to the spawn of Drov when coming from the south.
The fight is currently not very challenging, but it also likely depends on the number of players. It’s just an open-world boss aka loot piñata.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Exotic shards are the new stars in Destiny. Everything about the exotic upgrade material that has become so important for exotic weapons can be found in this video guide.
Strange coins, ascendant shards/ascendant energy, light particles – that was the holy trinity regarding materials in Destiny so far. That changed on Monday night: Exotic shards – that is supposed to be the thing. Only with them can the exotic weapons be raised to the highest damage level. To ensure they can still pack a powerful punch tomorrow, guardians now need exotic shards on a constant basis. Exotic weapons need to be fed in Destiny.
But where can you get exotic shards? What is the most effective way to obtain them? Do you really have to spend 7 of the precious strange coins at Xur, and then they are gone next Friday when he might have Gjallarhorn? Or do you have to dismantle the exotic collectibles after all? Can the system be bypassed in some way? Can you maybe use light particles to get to them?
Our friends from ziro.tv have shared their thoughts about this in this video.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
P.S.: Our tip: Keep in mind that exotic armor can have different values. You might get a “better” version of your gear from Xur and then dismantle the old one for an exotic shard. And one more note to keep in mind: Dismantling fully upgraded exotic weapons gives you two shards right away.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A trailer and new screenshots of the new faction in the northern part of the continent have been released for Bless Online. With the second Closed Beta from December 16 to 22, both factions will be playable for the first time.
Bless Online, a Korean AAA-MMO, will start its second closed beta phase in 2 weeks. For the first time, the Peoples of the North will be playable, who are in an eternal war with the rather free peoples of the South – similar to the Alliance and Horde in World of Warcraft. Numerous screenshots and an impressive trailer have now been released for the beta.
If you look at the images and think: It doesn’t look Asian at all, you are right. In fact, the North is designed after a truly exotic fantasy world for Asians: the European Middle Ages.
http://youtu.be/g9UJr5pNGmE
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
