Destiny wins awards for “best online experience” and sound, Hearthstone as a mobile game

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Bungie’s MMO shooter Destiny was awarded in Las Vegas last night for its soundtrack and the best “Online Experience”. Blizzard’s Hearthstone stood out in the mobile market. However, single-player RPGs won the big prizes.

The MMO shooter Destiny was successful last night at the “Game Awards 2014” in the category “Best Online Experience” and beat competitors like Titanfall, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Dark Souls 2, and Hearthstone. In the “Shooter” category, Destiny was nominated as well, but had to concede defeat to Far Cry 4.

Destiny-Martin-O'Donnell

A little bittersweet was Destiny’s victory in the category “Best Soundtrack.” There, Marty O’Donell accepted the award. He had worked at Bungie for a long time and had also composed the soundtrack for Halo before Destiny. However, in April 2014, they parted ways. It wasn’t exactly a peaceful separation.

Hearthstone-Tablet

According to O’Donell, he was unlawfully fired without reasons stated. Bungie denied this claim. A lawsuit filed by O’Donell was settled out of court in June 2014. Regardless, he composed the music, and it has now been officially recognized.

Hearthstone, which was previously defeated by Destiny in the “Best Online Experience” category, went on to win against Super Smash Bros. on 3DS, Bravely Default, and other games in the “Best Mobile/Handheld” category. It hasn’t even been released on smartphones yet. “You’re doing great, Hearthstone,” to quote Goethe.

This year’s real stars were single-player RPGs. Dragon Age: Inquisition won the award for Game of the Year. Fans are most eagerly awaiting The Witcher 3 in 2015.

Who wonders: Destiny? Sound? Can it be any good? Well, you could give it a listen. What do you think?

http://youtu.be/TddbSgrh5vI
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Source(s):
  1. polygon

The Secret World: Geishas and Secrets, Issue #10 is out

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

That went faster than expected: The release #10 of the dark fantasy MMO The Secret World is now out.

One managed to stay at the front end of the time window. On Tuesday, we quoted from the Producer’s letter, stating that the 10th issue of TSW would be released sometime in the first half of December, and a few days later it was already here.

Issue #10 has been available in the Item Shop since December 4, giving players 3 days of early access, or as it is officially stated:

Issue #10 is now available to all members in the Item Shop, as they are allowed to play the new content 3 days before everyone else. Those who join now will also receive early access and bonus points worth €10 (enough to purchase Issue #10).Please note that you must have Issue #9: The Black Signal and access to Tokyo to play Issue #10.

A comprehensive patch has also been released; here are the patch notes for 1.10 in German.

In a preview trailer, they present Issue 10 “Nightmare in the Palace of Dreams” – and yes, in The Secret World there are assassins in Japanese schoolgirl costumes with a giant bunny head, which is just about the 48th weirdest thing you can find in The Secret World:
http://youtu.be/0F8D9t23nV8

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Source(s):
  1. TSW

World of Warplanes has a video guide for evasive maneuvers, gives tips for aerial combat

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

The aerial warfare MMO World of Warplanes now gives rookie pilots tips on how to shake off those pesky pursuers.

In the movies, it all looks so easy! You have an enemy fighter on your tail, and then it crashes into the next mountain without any interference, flies into the machine-gun fire of a wingman, or somehow takes itself out. In Wargaming’s “World of Warplanes,” such things happen rarely; you have to shake them off yourself. But those guys know all the tricks.

To give newcomers tips on how to best manage shaking off a pursuer, Wargaming has started a series of video guides—a kind of flight school. The first video covers the Canopy Roll, a spiral evasive maneuver.

http://youtu.be/NJTDtas_jpQ
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Black Desert: Legendary Character Creator in Full Action – 4 Classes at Launch, 4 More Coming Soon

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The Korean Free2Play MMO Black Desert is about to start its Open Beta. To raise the excitement, they showcase the four classes in all their glory in the character generator.

Until half a year ago, hardly any MMO fan in the West had a clue what Black Desert was. Then a video showing just the character generator caused “Aaahs” and “Ooohs”. Even from non-genre fans: This graphics, this selection, these details! “Why do they get this and we don’t?”, was heard in many forums.

Now Black Desert is about to be released in Korea, and publisher Daum has released videos for the four currently playable classes. Each video first features the character creator for 30 seconds. Daum has also noticed how well it resonated with players worldwide.

Black-Desert-Ranger2

Overall, the interest in Black Desert has reached such a high level that they want to take advantage of the moment and bring the game to the West in the second half of 2015. Hopefully, the game will be polished and in good condition by then. From Asia, there are currently concerns about why the game starts with only four classes when eight were actually planned.

Hype or not: However, the gender lock is not well received in the West. There is a reason why you can only see a male Giant and no female Giant: The class/race Giant exists only in male form, just like the other three classes are also fixed by gender and race. This is a very deliberate design decision by Pearl Abyss. In Asia, it is considered super boring to just make a male and female version of a class; instead, they prefer to create two different classes right away.

The four classes that are currently playable in Korea are:

The Ranger, a female archer.

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The Warrior, a classic male tank with sword and shield.

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And the Giant, a huge berserker as melee-DD with two oversized axes.

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Sorcerer, a sorceress who moves agilely and shines from a distance with damage spells.

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Not playable at release yet, but already planned, will be the following four classes:

  • Tamer, a “tamer” who relies on a sword and her animal companions. So a pet class.
  • The Wizard, a male wizard, a kind of Gandalf with a staff focusing on AoE spells.
  • Valkyrie, the valkyrie, as a counterpart to the male tank focusing more on support skills.
  • And the Blader, another melee-DD variant that fights with more finesse and elegance than the brutal Giant.

Read more about the sandbox MMO Black Desert in our extensive preview: Black Desert Preview: If ArcheAge and Tera had a child…

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Source(s):
  1. MMOSite

World of Warcraft Hotfixes 5.12.: Fishing Daily is worth it, Reroll dealer relocated

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

In the fantasy MMO World of Warcraft, some things have changed overnight again. The daily fishing quest now gives 15 skill points instead of just a measly one.

Thank you, Blizzard! Just three days ago we wrote an article about needing a GPS to find the completely out-of-the-way reroll quest givers and a few days later you put them in the center of each capital next to the Apexis vendors.

Also on offer with the hotfixes: the fishing daily in the garrison, which previously only gave one skill point, now increases the fishing value of the diligent quester by 15 points. This is worthwhile even for fishing novices, as skill progression can be a bit tricky later.

In addition, it has been ensured that Apexis shards now actually drop in the daily quest areas in Draenor.

You can read the rest of the hotfixes (especially changes to the open PvP zone Ashran and in the BGs) here.

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

Destiny: The Thing About the Third Slot for Subclasses

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

In Destiny, the riddle of the slot for third subclasses in the interface has been solved: It is a remnant of an earlier design idea.

The major US gaming print magazine GameInformer was a guest at Bungie and had a hearty chat with the decision-makers, revealing some information that had previously remained hidden.

Destiny

In the MMO shooter Destiny, it seems to be only a matter of time until the third subclasses for Hunters, Warlocks, and Titans arrive, or until something else exciting happens with the ominous third slot in the subclasses. This is evident from an interview with lead designer Tyron Green.

“Leaks” regarding subclasses turned out to be fake

There are two subclasses per class in Destiny, but the interface appears to be designed for three subclasses. There is already a supposed third slot for a yet nonexistent third subclass. It must be coming soon, right? The space is already there, it just needs to be filled with life. It’s a bit like the blocked DLC areas in Destiny. They also look as if everything is already there and just needs to be activated.

This third slot for the subclasses has led to all sorts of fan speculation: Currently, the two subclasses of a class are each associated with an element, so it would be logical for a third subclass to have the remaining element.

There were also “leaks” from alleged developers, which now seem to have turned out to be fake.

But what does Bungie say about the third subclass and this ominous “third slot”?

Destiny-Third-Subclass
Why is there a circle in the top left? The question drives Guardians insane… well, that and the offerings from Xur this week.

The third slot is a remnant of an earlier design idea…

Lead designer Tyron Greene told GameInformer initially that he couldn’t say anything about subclasses before then discussing everything there is to say. This “third slot” is there for other reasons; it has nothing directly to do with sub-specs.

It is leftover from an earlier design idea where players could store and define “builds”. In this idea, players would choose certain talents and then save them. Those decisions would have been “locked” and Guardians would have received a bonus for that.

If one had then created a new “build”, they would have first copied the old one and placed it in this “third slot” to then create a new one. This was the purpose of the third field.

Destiny Wallpaper

… players should still be looking forward to it

Greene does not want this to be understood as a promise, BUT: the fact that Guardians could switch between the individual subclasses should give them reason to be happy and look forward to the future.

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Source(s):
  1. GameInformer

DC Universe Online player count: 18 million registered users – PS3 and PS4 players are hardcore, spend more money than PC gamers

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

The superhero and supervillain MMO DC Universe Online is quite a success for Sony Online Entertainment. There are currently 18 million registered users. Recently, the trend is towards the Playstation 4. Console players spend more money in the Free2Play MMO than PC players.

DC Universe Online launched on PC and Playstation 3 in 2011, followed by the Playstation 4 a year later. There are now 18 million registered players in the Free2Play MMO. However, SOE’s president John Smedley does not reveal how many of them are really active in an interview with VentureBeat.

DC Universe Online

The superhero MMO has clearly become a console affair: 76% of the playtime is distributed between PS3 and PS4. And especially the Playstation 4 is on the rise.

Interestingly: Console players are also more generous than their PC counterparts. They spend significantly more money in the Free2Play MMO. In Smedley’s view, this is because console players are “hardcore gamers” and therefore more willing to buy something in a game.

In the future, SOE aims to develop its Free2Play MMOs for PC and consoles. Next up for SOE is the port of Planetside 2 to the Playstation 4, followed by the zombie MMO H1Z1 .

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Source(s):
  1. VentureBeat
  2. massively

Destiny: Xur will only occasionally have exotic engrams, but will sell more powerful items

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

In Destiny, the exotic engram vendor Xur will only occasionally have exotic engrams available. However, his offering will be more powerful next week than it is this week.

This was a shock for many Guardians today in Destiny. Not only the sight of Xur, who, with all due respect, would not win Mr. Tentacle, but also his offering: there were no exotic engrams left. For the last 15 weeks, Xur had either an exotic helmet, chest, or gauntlet engram and parting with it for 23 Light particles. Not today, instead the exotic shards.

This will happen more frequently in the future, but not always. This has now been confirmed by the community member DeeJ, who is responsible for Destiny, in the English forum reddit:
“I can tell you two things,” it says there. “Exotic engrams will sporadically appear in his offering. And next week his offering will be more powerful than this week.”

It therefore seems to be the case as suspected, that starting next Friday he will sell the new edition of the exotic weapons and armors. This will then have a higher base value than currently fully upgraded items.

However, this sentence might also imply that Xur will start selling the numerous new exotic items that are coming to Destiny with “Darkness Lurks” starting next week.

Destiny_Thorn_Exotische_Waffe
Alt: Buuuuuh
Destiny-Thorn
Neu: Yeaaah!
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Source(s):
  1. reddit

Black Desert Release Date: Is it now coming to the West in 2015 after all? (Update: Not until 2016)

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

The sandbox MMORPG Black Desert is now set to come to the West earlier than announced. Publisher Daum cites the enthusiasm and feedback of the Western audience as the reason for the haste.

Previously, it was said that Black Desert would arrive in the West in early 2016, that being a realistic date. Apparently, the plans were reviewed by Publisher Daum and it was determined that 2015 is achievable after all.

In a press conference at the Ritz-Carlton in Seoul, as reported by the “Koreatimes”, Hong mentioned that they are aiming for the “second half of 2015” and are hopeful to invigorate the “stagnant” market. Black Desert has been developed since 2010 by 100 developers and 100 additional staff.

Black-Desert-Pferd-ist-was-wert

The article from Koreatimes is quite critical and states that Publisher Daum needs a “big hit” to survive as a publisher of its own titles.

Also, in a conversation with a fan site, it was confirmed that Black Desert aims to launch in the West in 2015. The reason for this, the fan site speculates, is likely a positive response and an unexpectedly strong “hype”, meaning a mix of fan and media interest.

The statement comes from both the CEO of Daum Sean Hong and Brian Oh from Pearl Abyss, the actual developers. 2015 is the official target for a release in the West.

Last week, there was already a trailer for the combat system in Black Desert, here is another one that shows everything else: boating, sailing, a kind of sim-like housing, gutting carcasses, chopping wood, stone mining, super complicated potion brewing, cutting onions – what you do in a sandbox.

Anyone wanting to know more about the game will find a big Black Desert preview with numerous information.

Black-Desert-Irgendwie-zickige-Frau-wartet
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Update 8.12.: Stand down. It is now said that the Koreatimes mistranslated it. The fan site also received incorrect information from the press office. Now the release in the West is again planned for 2016.

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Source(s):
  1. Korea-Times
  2. Black-Desert.com
  3. MMO Culture (trailer)

World of Warcraft: Blizzard is considering 6-man groups – and the future of the garrison

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

In World of Warcraft, it seems that nothing is sacred to the developers. Now game director Tom Chilton has even brought up the idea of increasing the normal group size from 5 to 6. The reason is a surplus of damage dealers.

6-man Groups in WoW – for the sake of the damage dealers

There are few healers, tanks are even rarer, so the damage dealers, or DPS, in WoW often have to wait a long time for a spot to open in the queue so they can visit one of the 5-man dungeons via the LFG tool.
Game director Tom Chilton has a solution for this: “We might increase the group size from 5 to 6, then we can bring 4 DPS instead of 3, adjust the dungeons accordingly, and let them scale so they are suitable for both 5-man and 6-man groups.”

So Chilton said yesterday in a large Ask-me-Anything on Reddit. He has not committed to the idea, but the fact that one can break such a “sacred pillar” of the now ten-year-old WoW shows how willing they are to carry the game into the future.

World-of-Warcraft-Untoter
INV!

A lot of questions revolved around the future of the garrison and patch 6.1

Speaking of the future: Flying will not be available with 6.1 in Draenor, but the garrison could be further expanded with 6.2. This is also being considered loudly.

The current drought of missions for players who have levelled all their followers to 100 is not intentional, a fix is expected soon.
With 6.1, players will also be able to select and play their own music tracks in the garrison, a piece of sandbox.
And with 6.1, it should be easier for twinks on the account to expand the garrison if dad or mom has already achieved something there.

The “Heirloom” interface is to be revised with patch 6.1, and it will then be account-wide, which has been in consideration for a while.
In a later expansion, something similar could also be imagined for transmog gear, to make it a bit easier for players.

WoW-Keine-Missionen
Players who level all their followers to 100 are currently facing some problems.

Perhaps a different final boss for Warlords of Draenor

The relaxed atmosphere at the AMA was also noticeable in the typical questions. One user wanted to know if a surprise could be expected regarding the final boss Gromm Hellscream, after all, they had just defeated his son in the last expansion Mists of Pandaria. “Of course!” was the answer. Players can expect a surprise.
Who knows if it was meant that way. But perhaps they will pull another surprise out of the hat this time, just like last time when it got serious in Draenor.

And how the fight against Sargeras will play out in the distant future. Certainly, it will take 2 hours, have 10 phases, and in the end, there will be a 10-minute cinematic to say goodbye to WoW.
“Take all of this and multiply it by 10!” was the developers’ answer to the questioning fan.

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Source(s):
  1. reddit

World of Warcraft: No flying in Draenor with 6.1

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

In World of Warcraft there will be no flying on your own flying mount with patch 6.1 in Draenor either. Instead, the flight routes are intended to be improved.

There will also be no personal flying in Draenor in the upcoming patch 6.1, Blizzard confirmed in a Q&A session on reddit. They are satisfied with how things are currently going in Draenor and that “Ground Travel”, the journey on foot or on any mount, has become important again.

Whether a player is currently looking for treasures, pondering how to get to a mountain peak, or simply finding their way around the world, this is something that is only possible because there is no flying.

The reasons for not allowing flying remain in place even with patch 6.1. However, with 6.1, the flight routes will change. Players will then be able to fly directly from point A to point B, even if they have already discovered stations in between.

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Source(s):
  1. reddit

Destiny: Offer and Location of Xur, Agent of the Nine, on December 5th.

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

In the MMO Destiny, Xur, the Agent of the Nine, is at the Tower on December 5th, selling a selection of exotic weapons and armor for Strange Coins. You can find out what he has this time in our article.

Last week, we wondered if Xur might lose significance with the DLC “Darkness Awaits”. What fools we were. Of course not. He will be even more important than before.

It’s Xur’s world in Destiny, we just live in it

Starting next week, he will have “Upgrade” options available, and he will continue selling the old Exotics, which will presumably be stronger; everything revolves around Xur. It’s his world in Destiny. We just live in it.

The dependence of the millions of players on the mysterious weekend vendor is shown in the influence he has on the gear of Destiny players. He has already offered the Suros Regime twice, which is quite popular.

Destiny-Xur-Upgrades
A preview of next week.

However, the machine gun Thunderlord has so far been missing from his offerings, which is why not many have it. What armor pieces Warlocks, Titans, and Hunters have never seen, you can find out in our article.

Maybe it’s better to wait a week?

Destiny-Exotic-Shard

Today will be the last time before the DLC in Destiny that Xur appears in the Tower and sells his goods. Perhaps one should wait to purchase until he has his new offerings next week.

The Strange Coins and Light particles that he wants for his exotic weapons are, after all, the most important way to stock up on exotic shards. And… perhaps he will have every item in the “upgraded” version available next week…

Everything about Xur in Destiny on December 5th, 6th, and 7th.

When does Xur come to the Tower and how long does he stay?

Xur arrives on Friday, December 5th, at 10:00 AM German time in the Tower and stays until Sunday, December 7th, at 10:00 AM

Where is Xur? What is his location?

Xur is in the Hangar. In this video from our partners at ziro.tv, you can see everything wonderfully.

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What does Xur have? What is his offer for Warlocks, Titans, and Hunters? Which weapon does he have with him?

For Titans, especially for fans of the Striker subclass, the so-called Punchbros, he has the exotic helm “Helm of Inmost Light” available for 13 Strange Coins. He has offered the helm twice before, quite a while ago, in the third and fifth week. This week, the helm comes with a strength of 95/102, which is an above-average roll.

Destiny-Helm-des-Innersten-Lichts512

 For Warlocks this week in Destiny, there is the Light Beyond Nemesis, an exotic helm for 13 Strange Coins. He has only had the helm once before, so some will surely be happy, at least neither Sunbreakers nor Voidfang Vestments. This week, the helm has a strength of 88/95, which is rather a mediocre roll.

Destiny-Licht-Hinter-Nemesis-512

For the Hunters, Xur has exotic gloves for 13 Strange Coins, which are “Young Ahamkara’s Spine.” He recently had them in his showcase. This week they have 88/94 points in Discipline, which is an above-average roll for gloves.

Destiny-Ahamkaras-Rückgrat512

Xur is offering the exotic Fusion Rifle Plan C for the second time in a row. It costs 17 Strange Coins, it’s not that impressive now.

Destiny-PlanC-512

This week, Xur is not selling an “exotic engram,” but instead an “exotic shard” for 7 Strange Coins.

In terms of telemetry, he has Pulse Rifles, Hand Cannons, and Machine Guns. Additionally, there are Synthesis for Heavy Ammo, a Stealth Drive, and a Void Drive.

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

The Crew: Im neuen Racing-MMO düst Ihr quer durch die USA

Marcel Heck Marcel Heck Reading time 2 minutes

Attention, fans of demonstrative high-speed driving: In the new open-world racing game “The Crew” from Ubisoft, you can hit the gas and speed through the USA since the beginning of the week.

In a “huge small edition” of the United States of America, you race from the east coast to the west coast or from one state to another. The open world offers plenty of space to accelerate with 5000 square kilometers and 6000 km of road network. Whether off-road or properly on the road – the entire terrain is freely accessible.

At every street corner, you meet other racers and therefore also potential crew members or opponents. Spread across the large map are hundreds of skill events and of course missions that need to be completed. The latter emphasize the racing with a story. In the process, you speed through the lively streets of the USA to expand your prestige in the underground racing scene or to sabotage the activities of gangs.

Role-playing on wheels

The Crew

The Crew is a role-playing game on wheels, as each of your cars can be tuned in different directions through completed tasks and earned parts. Overall, you can expect five different types of cars, which are particularly suitable for different mission types. For example, so-called street cars excel in classic city races, while dirt cars perform well in open terrain.

Singleplayer fun included

Even though you can complete the entire campaign with friends, there is an attractive singleplayer mode. The Crew offers a singleplayer campaign lasting about 20 hours. Here, you acquire street districts or fend off hostile gang takeovers.

Also available for consoles

The Crew is available for Windows PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Xbox 360 for around €50-60. However, a version for PlayStation 3 will not be released.

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Additionally, Ubisoft relies on microtransactions, which can be compared to typical models of free-to-play titles. Those who wish can invest real money and gain advantages in the shop, including performance accessories. According to Ubisoft, it is not strictly necessary to spend money, as purchasable content can also be gradually unlocked with game progress. However, this requires a bit more time. Furthermore, the game requires a permanent internet connection.

In line with the launch, there is also a thrilling trailer:

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Source(s):
  1. Offizielle Website zum Spiel

Destiny Weekly Update: Upgrading exotic items faster and easier than before

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

In the Weekly Update for Destiny, it has now been revealed that fully upgrading exotic items will be significantly faster and easier in the future than it has been so far. It will take much less material and time.

The Weekly Update for Destiny covered a lot of topics this week. The Iron Banner event is returning on December 16 and brings level 31 items, the raid “Crota’s End” can also be accessed before level 30, and Bungie is grappling with the upgrade shitstorm and is struggling with itself.

Iron Banner returns on December 16

Destiny-Saladin

The Iron Banner event in Destiny has proven to be popular and returns on December 16, just a week after the expansion launches. Lord Saladin will have “level 31” items this time, the Weekly Update states. It will start from “Rank Zero” this time. You will not need the expansion to participate.

No one probably expected an answer to the question: “When does the Iron Banner start again?” so quickly.

Normal raid starts immediately, you don’t need to be level 30

Destiny-Eris-Morn

The raid Crota’s End starts “on normal” directly on December 9. Players do not have to meet any prerequisites, need no quests, no minimum level, nothing.

But: The leader of the fireteam must be level 30. So out of the 6 people, one has to be level 30. And: You will still need the expansion “The Dark Below”, without it the Abyss is blocked.
http://youtu.be/WUEiKU0hkc0

Bungie feels the rough winds regarding upgrades

The dominating team in the Weekly Update was, however, the stress regarding upgrades of exotic armor. The discussion started with an article from GameInformer and overwhelmed Bungie a bit in the last few days.

This was not intended. They have also realized errors in their communication.

They never wanted guardians to look at their items and think that they are now worthless and that all the effort that went into them was in vain. The items are still effective at level 30.

Destiny

Upgrading exotic items should go much faster

Internally, Bungie is heatedly discussing the topic and is leaving nothing off the table. The past has shown that everything can be changed with Destiny.

Until then, they want to tell the guardians that upgrading “old exotic weapons” is just one of many ways to become stronger. In addition to this “Xur-option”, there are many others. And they believe that when players get to know the new item system and see it in action, they will also find their friends involved.

Xur sells new exotic items, there will be fresh opportunities to progress, to face new challenges. Better gear can be looted in raids, and even more often. The best way remains to face new challenges.

And the new versions of the exotic weapons are also stronger than the previous exotic weapons when fully equipped, at least in terms of base damage:

Destiny-Thorn

Leveling up and upgrading exotic items, from “bare” to “fully equipped”, should go much faster, requiring less materials and time than before:

Exotic upgrade paths require much less time and material

It is also important for Bungie that guardians who do not acquire “The Dark Below” continue to be part of Destiny and also have opportunities to advance their guardians.

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

Destiny: Caution with exotic loot! Submit only from December 9th

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

In Destiny, there is further confusion regarding upgrading exotic armors and weapons with Xur. It seems that “old” exotic items, which drop after December 9, do not require this upgrade and come into the world as a “new” version, so to speak. Therefore, players should probably refrain from completing exotic loot acquisitions for the moment.

This turns out to be quite complicated. Apparently, guardians who have accepted a bounty with an exotic weapon at the end should be cautious. If you hand in this mission before December 9, you will receive an “old edition” of the weapon, which can later be “upgraded” by Xur. Those who hand in this mission after December 9, when the DLC “Darkness Awaits” is active, will likely receive the “new” edition of the weapon and will not need to upgrade it.

It seems that also the exotic weapons and armors that are already available will drop in the “better” edition when the DLC “Darkness Awaits” becomes active in Destiny on December 9.

So in short: Do not upgrade exotic weapons and, if possible, do not “find” or receive exotic weapons as rewards at the moment.

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

ArcheAge: Compensations for Server Outage are Known

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

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.
Source(s):
  1. Forums.ArcheAge

Hearthstone: Now take a free round in the arena! With the new cards

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

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.


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.

Hearthstone Arena New Cards

For the little gamers … or rather pioneers among you: The new board with loads of fresh gimmicks is also already active.

Hearthstone New Board
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Hearthpwn

Destiny: Official launch trailer for “Darkness Lurks” is here

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

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.

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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.

Darkness Awaits, the first DLC for Destiny, will be released on December 9th for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. On our well-organized theme page for Destiny, you will find everything else.

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

The Elder Scrolls Online: Update 6 introduces the Champion System, coming to the test server in 2015

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes
TESO-Championsystem

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.

TESo-Justizsystem

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.

Champion and Justice systems also have such high priorities, because the successful implementation of them is crucial for the important port of TESO to PS4 and Xbox One.

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

The Elder Scrolls Online pulls back release date for PS4 and Xbox One

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

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.

They want to wait until two core systems have been implemented: The Champion System and the new Justice System.

TESO-Pickpocket

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.
Source(s):
  1. The Road Ahead