MMO Trends: Wildstar up, The Elder Scrolls Online down

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

The numbers from Ratpr for June are out. The program measures which games users spent the most time on among the players who have it installed. In June, the release month of WildStar, the SF-MMO jumps to an excellent sixth place. The Elder Scrolls Online, on the other hand, loses twelve ranks and falls below its own single-player release, Skyrim.

World of Warcraft behind League of Legends and DOTA 2

This month, there is little change at the top. League of Legends and Dota 2 are in 1st and 2nd place – LoL with a significant lead. A quarter of the time was spent by the Raptr users in the two MOBAs. In 3rd place then WoW, slightly weaker than in the previous month: No wonder, Blizzard is currently taking a creative break in the live version and is putting all its creative energy into the upcoming expansion Warlords of Draenor.

WildStar debuts at 6 – Numbers will surely drop soon

Surprisingly strong at 6 then Carbine’s WildStar makes its entry. Passing titles like Minecraft and just behind Diablo 3. It can be assumed that the numbers were driven by the hype around the release, the guest passes, and the general “I game through to max level” feeling of the first days and will soon decline. Nevertheless, a great success for the science fiction MMO.

The Elder Scrolls Online has the blues, falls below Skyrim

The Elder Scrolls Online Boss fight

On the other side of the scale lies Zenimax’s The Elder Scrolls Online. It lost 12 places compared to the previous month, and is now behind Skyrim. June was difficult for the MMO. New content came, but it was also accompanied by lags.

The numbers are clear: It is undeniable that TESO has continued to lose players in the third month after release or at least gamers are not playing it as intensely anymore. But it is also clear that an MMORPG always has a very strong phase after release that later dwindles as players game less or turn to new games. The question is only: At what level can MMORPGs establish themselves?

Guild Wars 2, World of Tanks, Final Fantasy XIV with slight losses

Other games that we cover on mein-mmo.de also lost some places. While World of Tanks is still excellently placed at 11th. Final Fantasy XIV and also Guild Wars 2 had rather little new content throughout June and only towards the beginning of the new month with the start of the second season of the Living World (Guild Wars 2) or a large content patch (the 2.3 for FF XIV) was added. It will be interesting to see if these efforts will also be noticeable to the players.

Hearthstone can also look forward to a more turbulent July after a solid June, provided the expansion Naxxramas is released in the coming weeks. Otherwise, August will simply be a success for the free-to-play hit.

Completely dropped out of the top 20 are Star Wars: The Old Republic and War Thunder. Although the games are so closely ranked at the bottom that even minor fluctuations can make the difference between whether the name shines on the list or is one searches in vain for it.

Raptr User June 2014

It must be said about the Raptr numbers that they do not provide an absolute and undeniable picture of how the gaming behavior of millions of gamers really is. They only indicate how many hours Raptr users have spent in the respective games. With its over 20 million active users, Raptr should, however, be a reasonable approximation.

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

H1Z1: Snow Falling on Zombies – Weather Matters

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

In the upcoming zombie MMO H1Z1, weather will play much more than just a cosmetic role. This has become clear from an interview with the developers.

In a conversation with our colleagues from mmorpg.com, Senior Designer Jimmy Whisenhunt and graphics programmer Ryan Favale clarified that weather in H1Z1 is much more than just a minor issue or a topic to start a conversation.

While it is exciting when the rain pours down at night, and it creates the right atmosphere for the zombie apocalypse, the H1Z1 creators say that it is far from enough. There need to be sandstorms or even blizzards. The weather will have immediate effects on the players. They could get wet, catch a chill, and will have to do something to protect themselves from the elements.

But: It will not only be the player who suffers from the weather. Zombies will also react to the tides. In the snow, they will move slower, making them an easy target for melee attacks or the recently introduced bow.

And snow will not only help against zombies: Players could use it to protect themselves from their kind, from other players who may be hunting not zombies, but humans. A snow-covered outfit in a field of snow is hard to spot.

There are plans to introduce certain rewards for particularly brave players who still defy the most adverse conditions. But no further details were provided about this.

One thing is clear: the weather will be varied, and this should also translate into the MMO. No day in H1Z1 should be like the other.

Currently, the team at H1Z1 is not only working on the weather but also fine-tuning the last details until they can present the game to the public. They are putting the final touches on things like support or server technology.

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[wpw_ba_img src=”https://images.mein-mmo.de/magazin/medien/2014/07/h1z1-wetter3.jpg” data_alt=”https://images.mein-mmo.de/magazin/medien/2014/07/h1z1-wetter2.jpg” title=”H1Z1 Weather”]
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This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. www.mmorpg.com

Blade & Soul Release in the West – Will the announcement come soon?

Dawid Hallmann Dawid Hallmann Reading time 2 minutes

NCSoft’s graphic wonder Blade & Soul has long been a desire for local MMO fans. Could this Asian wonder finally come to Europe and America?

There are always rumors surrounding every attractive Asian title that is not yet available in the West. And a hot Asian hit like Blade & Soul attracts even more attention. After all, the gameplay videos look fantastic, and the game has proven to be a real cash cow for NCSoft as a real money maker. In the past, guides circulated on some sites about how to play the game on the Korean server despite all difficulties. However, much time has passed since the announcement in September 2012 that Blade and Soul would be released in the Western market. And hope for a localized version fades more and more each month.

However, there is again movement in the rumor mill. The occasion is posts from NCSoft on Facebook. “We hope to have an update for you in the West soon,” it says.

Blade and Soul

The speculation is further fueled by alleged reports in the Chinese and Asian press that NCSoft is planning a major announcement for Gamescom in Cologne. Although the sourcing for these “alleged reports” is unclear, there seems to be no better date to announce a port of Blade&Soul.

There is also a rumor circulating that Blade&Soul is now being prepared for the West because WildStar (also published by NCSoft) is falling short of expectations. This rumor is referenced by a gamona column, without citing any sources. NCSoft has, however, pointed out several times that the two titles are completely independent of each other.

A few weeks ago, a petition was started, which has since garnered over 3000 supporters. The initiator cannot understand the decision to favor both the Russian and Taiwanese markets over the Western one. After all, it is the more profitable market. The goal of the virtual signature collection is to show NCSoft the high demand for a EU/NA version.

Mein MMO says: We don’t really believe that Blade & Soul will be released in the West anytime soon. However, we would like to be proven wrong. In any case, it is striking that NCSoft has not made any retreat to date. On the contrary: With the comment on June 9, they bring the coveted MMORPG back into discussion. However, this is too little to instill hope.

It is likely that those responsible are still undecided about how to proceed, which is why a final decision is being postponed as far as possible. Localization would represent quite an expensive endeavor, especially for B&S. This already starts with the synchronization since Blade & Soul relies on voiced dialogues and cutscenes in storytelling. Moreover, players have expressed concerns here and there about whether the mass could actually warm up to the Asian gameplay and peculiar art design.

UPDATE 18.08.2014: We must have had a good intuition. At Gamescom, there was indeed a hint from NCSoft. When Blade and Soul is supposed to be released in Europe and America, you can find out in this article.

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Source(s):
  1. www.bladeandsouldojo.com

Hearthstone: Sind das die Fähigkeiten der Naxx-Bosse?

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 4 minutes

While Hearthstone fans eagerly await to finally be let into Naxxramas or for Blizzard to reveal details, most facts may already be known. The key to everything are the supposedly leaked images from the expansion, which are analyzed like the Zapruder film or images from the moon landing.

Mister Bigglesworth already out of the bag?

There is still silence from Blizzard about the exact circumstances of the first Hearthstone expansion Naxxramas. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that Mister Bigglesworth has probably been out of the bag for some time and that the alleged “leaks” are real.

Originally, the images appeared along with a longer description on a website as “high-quality fan idea for an expansion.” But shortly after the images were online, Blizzard apparently asked the site to take them down. Even for fleeting viewers, it quickly became clear: “Whoa, that doesn’t look like fan art.”

When the bonus card back for the current season was presented in early July, players already knew it: they had seen it in the alleged “fan art pics.”

The background of the alleged “leak”

Therefore, it is strongly suggested that Blizzard’s expansion “Naxxramas” is already largely known. In addition to the pics that by now everyone has surely seen, some information was also posted at that time, which we covered in our preview of Naxx. It will be against the 15 bosses from Naxxramas in a “normal” mode and later also in a “heroic” mode. The Hearthstone bosses reflect the characteristics of their World of Warcraft raid boss counterparts.

More details have now surfaced, as the text to the “leaked” images can be read again (everything from here on is currently unofficial and speculative). If the information is correct, the first 10 bosses in Naxxramas could look something like this:

From Anub’Rekhan to Patchwork – do Naxx bosses look like this?

  • Anub’Rekhan’s hero power will be to summon a 3/1 Nerubian. In the heroic version, this will become a 4/4.
  • The Grand Widow Faerlina will play minions that increase her attack power. Her hero power deals 1 damage to the player for each card they hold. In Heroic mode, Faerlina’s minions will increase her attack power by 3, and her hero power will only cost 1 mana.
  • Hearthstone Boss Maexxna
    Maexxna     can bounce minions back to the player’s hand for 3 mana. In the HC version, she can return 2 cards without spending any mana. As a reward for her death, players get “Maexxna” – a 2/8 creature for 5 mana that kills all minions that take damage from her.
  • Noth has cards that kill all non-skeletons. As a passive hero power, he summons a 1/1 skeleton whenever a minion dies. In the HC version, that’s 5/5 skeletons.
  • Heigan plays a card that gives the player and him 2 mana and 2 cards. As a hero ability, he deals 2 damage to the leftmost card of the player. In the HC version, only he draws cards and gets mana, and the damage to the creature increases from 2 to 3.
  • Loatheb starts the game with 75 HP. He has cheap and strong cards, but they leave 0/1 spores with a deathrattle that greatly enhance the player’s minions (+8 attack). As a reward for the plague spreader, the player supposedly gets Loatheb. The card increases the costs of minions with battle cry by 5 mana.
  • Instructor Razavious starts the game with two 0/7 students that have the ability taunt. The player starts the fight against him with a card to take control of one of the Elves. However, you should wait until Razavious buffs his students. Razavious himself has strong damage cards that should ideally go into a controlled and taunting student. If they hit the player, they deal double damage. In HC, he hits even harder.
  • Gothik the Harvester plays minions that land in the player’s hand after their death and deal damage at the start of each turn. As a hero ability, he can draw a card for 2 mana. In HC, his cards become stronger.
  • Hearthstone Baron Rivendare
    The four horsemen are represented by Baron Rivendare, who starts with 3 1/7 skeleton riders as minions. He himself has only 7 life but remains immune as long as the skeleton riders are in play. He plays cards that become stronger when the riders die. In HC, the riders have 2/8, and Rivendare starts with 20 life points. His cards also become stronger. Those who survive the military quarter receive Rivendare, a 1/7 card for 4 mana. When it’s in play, deathrattle is triggered twice …
  • Patchwork is the only boss that always attacks first. He draws no cards and has a meat hook as a weapon with 5/8. If he is destroyed, he simply regenerates (the hook, not Patchwork). In HC mode, he supposedly has Windfury, so he hits twice.

[intense_testimonies][intense_testimony][intense_testimony_text]The abilities of these bosses very closely mirror the abilities of former raid bosses. If someone came up with this in their quiet chamber, Blizzard should hire them, as they really have a knack for it. Seriously: It seems that the cat for the expansion has been out of the bag for some time. How the bosses look after Patchwork is currently still unknown. Many players are currently pondering about him and his enormous damage output.[/intense_testimony_text][intense_testimony_author image=”https://images.mein-mmo.de/magazin/medien/2014/01/Logo-022.png”][/intense_testimony_author][/intense_testimony][/intense_testimonies]

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. docs.google.com: Naxxramas Rewards Spreadsheet
  2. www.reddit.com

H1Z1: “We hope that our world will be as large as the USA”

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

The upcoming zombie survival game H1Z1 is about to enter Early Access. In an interview, Adam Clegg, one of the game designers of H1Z1, talks about zombies, more zombies, and how far the concept of zombies in H1Z1 is supposed to go. Should they, for instance, populate a world as large as the USA?

How much zombie is enough?

The issue of “too many” zombies has not gone unnoticed by the interviewer from Games-tm. He asks if Clegg fears gamer fatigue, especially since two rivals with similar motives, Rust and DayZ, are around. But Clegg dismisses the concern: “If people had had enough of jump-and-run games after Mario and Sonic, then there would never have been such games again after the 90s.”

When the designers first heard about the plan to create a zombie game, everyone was excited. After all, they are true zombie enthusiasts. They devour The Walking Dead, love The Last of Us, and even enjoy older films like “Land of the Living Dead.” One of the developers even had zombie films running non-stop, Clegg adds. It is particularly appealing to approach the development so openly and transparently, developing the game side by side with the later players.

Before concluding, the interviewer wants to know in which direction the existing world of H1Z1 will develop over the years as it continues to grow.

“I think that the world of H1Z1 will expand exponentially. The players start somewhere in the middle of America, but one day the world could become large enough to correspond to the entire United States. That is our hope.” With the world, the possibilities in crafting and exploration are also supposed to grow.

On Wednesday evening, a photo gallery was also released, giving viewers a glimpse of the dynamic weather effects in H1Z1.

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Elder Scrolls Online: This was behind the FPS drops

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

Since Tuesday, the FPS drops in the fantasy MMO The Elder Scrolls Online are a thing of the past. It is now known where the mysterious performance issues originated: An attempt to combat botters and cheaters is responsible.

For weeks, unexplained drops in frame rates caused long or frustrated faces in The Elder Scrolls Online. We have reported several times on how two patches that were supposed to help even worsened the problems at times and how hotfixes fizzled out ineffectively. Players were repeatedly assured in the forums that a solution to the problem was being worked on. Players of TESO as well as Zenimax employees were puzzled.

This led to wild speculation among players about what could be the cause, in which situations the FPS drops occurred, and which configuration was to blame. Only a hotfix early Tuesday morning could resolve the issues. The root of the problem is now also known: Introducing a new security check caused a congestion due to multiple threads overlapping, as several threads attempted to access the same data simultaneously, creating a sort of bottleneck.

In the official forum for The Elder Scrolls Online, the community managers of Zenimax responded to repeated requests and questions from the community on the subject, solved the mystery, and called for understanding. They stated that they are constantly striving to enhance the security of The Elder Scrolls Online to combat botters, cheaters, and spammers. In one of the recent rounds of improvements, they had introduced a security check that interacted with the players’ client in unforeseen ways. In combat-intensive situations (in PvP or raids), this led to frame rate drops for affected players. They thanked the players for their patience and support.

The initial reactions from the community to the forum post from the staff are positive. They wish for this level of transparency at all times and in every situation from Zenimax.

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

WildStar: Carbine rewards security thinking with hover bike

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

The MMORPG WildStar is currently very active in the fight against hackers and cheaters and rewards players who protect their accounts with two-factor authentication with a mount, the flying motorcycle Retroglider.

The reports about Carbine’s fight against botters and cheaters keep coming. Thousands are being banned, as a dev mentions how he personally wrote a ticket for each botter in the style of a space meter maid. Yet the complaints and issues are like a space hydra. Every fallen botter seems to be immediately replaced by two new ones. There are PvE bots that only become briefly visible when they materialize in front of the hard-working player to steal his resource nodes. And in PvP, bots make some battlefields unplayable.

At every opportunity, the developers encourage players to use two-factor authentication. Most of the bots are hacked accounts of players who haven’t protected themselves well enough. With two-factor authentication, players are on the safe side. Since the release, security-minded players have been rewarded with 2% more experience, prestige, and fame; a cybernetic eye patch and a title as “Certified Certified”.

In our news from the last Nexus Cast, we have already mentioned that Carbine wants to increase their offer here. Now it has also been revealed how: with a motorcycle.

Starting from July 10, anyone using an active authenticator will receive a not so fancy-looking, but actually brand new vehicle: the Retroglider.

Details about the authenticator and a way to set it up immediately can be found on the official WildStar site.

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

Guild Wars 2 is growing, TESO is attempting a restart & prices for Naxxramas known – Update!

MeinMMO MeinMMO Reading time < 1 minutes

It hasn’t been long since critical voices increased in the forums of Guild Wars 2. But since then, a few things have changed and the game is thriving again. To be precise, the number of sales has almost doubled – to now around 7 million. There are 2 reasons for this development.

The current success of GW2 is something that The Elder Scrolls Online can only dream of. The game released a few months ago seems to be struggling a bit and is therefore revamping everything. The main goal of these changes are the veteran ranks, which will be implemented in several phases.

The first expansion for Hearthstone will soon be released and now it is finally known how much one has to pay for it. “Curse of Naxxramas” will include 5 wings that will be unlocked weekly. The first wing, the Arachnid Quarter, is free, while all others must be paid for – with in-game gold or real money.

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Shareconomy in WildStar: Share Yourself Rich

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

In the SF-MMO WildStar, players are now discovering a trend: Shareconomy. Normally, you share a car; in WildStar, you share resources in your own house.

Shareconomy – this is a reaction of our society to increasingly smaller households and the breakdown of traditional family structures. According to the theory, 8 parties in an apartment building could share two cars and a whole range of other things: three bicycles, two washing machines, and cleaning services for the stairwell.

WildStar Mining Resources

But what does this have to do with WildStar? Quite simply. Players can plant a garden in their houses above the stars and – depending on their profession – own resource fields, either for arcane relics, ores, or wood. The plants and resources grow and can be harvested after some time. The tricky part: They also grow when the player is not logged in, at work, or just sleeping. This means the player misses out on resource cycles because no new ore is generated in the mine until the old one is mined out.

On US servers (and it is rumored on some European ones), clever players have now founded so-called 50/50 circles. Here, a player teams up with others and makes them “neighbors.” Neighbors can maintain the houses of friends and also harvest resources. In the housing menu, you can now set that resources are shared equally between the owner and the “harvesting helper,” fifty-fifty.

A neighbor who has a different daily and gaming rhythm can scout the houses of sleeping or working partners, harvest the fields, clear the resources (if he has the corresponding profession), and keep half of the yield for himself. The actual owner of the property logs in the next day, after work or school, and receives his share of the resources, in addition to what is still growing.

WildStar House Sharing
You can adjust the distribution of resources by pressing Control and F2 on your property and then clicking the blue field next to your estate’s name.

Such fifty-fifty circles are specifically designed by WildStar’s game system and can enhance the community of players.

Perhaps after reading this article, you will start your own fifty-fifty circle? You will surely find like-minded people in the official forums.

It is a clever idea, after all.

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

Guild Wars 2 flourishes and thrives

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

Guild Wars 2 starts in a week with the second episode of this season of the Living World and provides a trailer.

It hasn’t been long since we at Mein MMO were wondering how Guild Wars 2 would manage to make headlines again. The game seemed a bit dormant just two months ago. Now it is summer, and Guild Wars 2 seems to be bursting at the seams. Sales are booming in China. The second season of the Living World is receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback from fans.

Furthermore, there is no need to worry about staying in the conversation now. For weeks, there was hardly anything to report about GW2, and gaming sites had to highlight every discount promotion in the item store, but now they use the ongoing story of the Living World to stay relevant.

For the second episode, there is a trailer that plays with the “Fallout – New Vegas” atmosphere of the new area Drytop – and features some B-movie motifs.

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The third episode will be released on July 29, and the fourth on August 12. After that, there will be a short break until the next episodes are published. Players have just under a week left to log in and unlock the first episode.

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The Elder Scrolls Online Reborn: An MMO Reinvents Itself

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 4 minutes

Significant changes are coming to The Elder Scrolls Online. In a letter from development head Matt Firor, he discusses the relocation of the European mega-server, major changes to the veteran system, and the next update.

Matt Firor reaches out to fans once a month to give players a preview of upcoming changes. It has been known for some time that significant changes were planned for the veteran system. However, the extent of these changes is becoming clear only now. One could speak of a rebirth of the game, referring to The Elder Scrolls Online Reborn. The MMO is undergoing a transformation.

Veteran Points Will Soon Be Abolished

According to Firor, the plan is to comprehensively change the player experience after reaching level 50 in three phases.

  • Currently, we are in Phase 1. The difficulty of the zones will be reduced to allow players to progress even solo.
  • In Phase 2 , veteran points will be abolished and replaced with regular experience points to continue progressing. Additionally, the experience gain through PvP will be significantly increased.
  • In Phase 3 , a completely new system will be introduced that gives players opportunities to develop and customize their heroes. More details will be announced at Quakecon.

Mega Server Relocation at the End of July/Beginning of August

For European players, Firor has finally provided a more precise date for the relocation of the European mega-server to a data center in Frankfurt. The move is scheduled for the last week of July or the first week of August.

The Third Update Will Be a Guild Update

The next content update for The Elder Scrolls Online, following Kargstein and the Heart of Crypta patch, will focus on guilds. It should appear on the test server soon. On one hand, it will simplify the work of a guild leader and make it easier to create a clear structure within the guild with ranks and permissions. On the other hand, a new type of trading system will arrive in The Elder Scrolls Online with the Guild Casino.

Here, guilds can offer their goods to non-guild members as well. Apparently, there will be multiple NPCs that can be hired by different guilds. The auction of auctioneers, determining which guild will buy a merchant, will occur via blind bids .

The Elder Scrolls Online Wapprenrock

With the third update, heraldry known from numerous other MMOs will also be introduced in The Elder Scrolls Online.

Item System Will Be Revamped

In the long term, Zenimax also plans to address the item system, which some players consider too boring. Players should find better items more frequently than what they are currently wearing. Additionally, armor visuals are set to become more distinct from one another. Armor colors will also arrive in Tamriel with the third update.

For the future, a system is announced that should make it easier for players to obtain set items more quickly. Quest rewards are also intended to be more logical and tailored to the hero’s class and skills.

Changes to Combat and Balance

Surprisingly, as it had never been properly mentioned before, Firor states that they also want to work on the combat system of The Elder Scrolls Online. Apparently, some animations and processes have come under the developers’ scrutiny. They aim to provide players with a smoother and more enjoyable experience. In battles, reacting to opponent actions will become more important.

In terms of balance changes, it is suggested that the werewolf, templar, and nightblade are to be further strengthened. For the dragonknight, they want to ensure post-nerfs that he remains fun and competitive.

Firor suggests in his letter to fans multiple times that major announcements will be made at Quakecon in Dallas.

The Elder Scrolls Online
We predicted back then that a fresh start could calm the waters and make players happy again Zenimax is now doing everything it can to get the MMORPG into top shape by the console release.

Mein MMO says: This is quite a surprise that catches us a bit off guard, and we have been following the game for some time now. The details about the third update were clear. It was also known that they wanted to improve the items and endgame, the veteran system. However, how extensive this would be was not known. Here, Zenimax questions almost everything that was started three months after release. With changes to the combat system, they open another major construction site.

Implementing such significant changes in an MMO already in operation and after such a short period is relatively rare for AAA titles. Usually, such upheavals occur only with expansions, one or two years after release. The fact that they are already being discussed and are pending shows, on one hand, that Zenimax is listening to the players, and on the other hand, that many concepts did not function as intended.

Zenimax seems to have the unwavering goal of getting The Elder Scrolls Online in top shape for its release on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. PC players can only benefit from this. All changes appear, as far as we can tell, to make sense and have merit.

However, it would be desirable for the next changes to occur without larger bugs or lags plaguing the game for weeks. The last two changes to The Elder Scrolls Online sadly brought both technical difficulties for players.

You can read Matt Firor’s complete letter on the official site for TESO: elderscrollsonline.com

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

Hearthstone: The cost of Naxxramas

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

Blizzard has just announced the prices for the first expansion of the free card game Hearthstone. The first wing in Naxxramas will be open to all players, while further wings will cost 700 gold or 5.99 euros.

Actually, this announcement was supposed to come out on July 1. It took a little longer after all. When Naxxramas opens its doors later this month, the Arachnid Wing with Anub’Rekhan, the Grand Widow Faerlina, and the giant spider Maexxna will be open to all heroes. However, this is only valid if they are present at the – as Blizzard calls it – “opening celebrations.” If you miss this time window, the Arachnid Quarter will also be behind a paygate.

When the Plague Quarter opens a week later, access will have to be paid for in any case. Either you pay 700 gold or 5.99 euros. With a week interval, following the Plague Quarter, the Construct Quarter, the Military Quarter, and the Frostwyrm Lair will open, provided the tribute is paid.

Blizzard offers packages that grant discounts when purchasing more than one wing at the same time. All five paid wings open for 21.99 euros, if you have unlocked one and want access to the remaining four, it costs 17.99 euros. Three can be had for 13.99 euros, and if only two wings are missing, they cost 8.99 euros. Outside of such package prices, a wing costs 5.99 euros or 700 gold, the in-game currency.

Blizzard confirms Heroic Mode, entices with card backs

Additionally, Blizzard officially confirms that there will be a heroic gameplay mode. Anyone who defeats all the bosses within a wing can face stronger versions of the arch-villains. Those who conquer each individual resident of the terror necropolis of Naxxramas in heroic mode will receive a special card back.

This news about the heroic mode is nothing new for regular visitors to our website. We have already inferred this from relevant sources in the “preview of Naxxramas”.

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

New MOBA Battleborn: League of Legends meets Borderlands

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

Gearbox, the minds behind Borderlands, have announced a MOBA called Battleborn that aims to conquer the genre. Already, the familiar mix of humor, clever game design, and substantial firepower characteristic of Borderlands is apparent.

That’s quite a surprise, dropping like a bomb. There was no mention of Battleborn at E3. They have saved the big reveal for the August cover of Gamesinformer magazine. On the magazine’s website, they plan to reveal a little more about the game every day.

What is clear is that Battleborn will be a mix of MOBA, first-person shooter, and the loot elements of RPGs. Just as Borderlands changed players’ perceptions of what a shooter can be, they now aim to alter perceptions of what a MOBA should look like.

The background is new. Battleborn takes place in a completely original world. A whole series of “extraordinary” characters, who share only a fondness for firearms and bloodbaths, fight over the last star in a fading galaxy. Players will unlock the heroes gradually. They are meant to resemble “archetypes” that seem to have sprung from other games: a tough space marine or a nimble elf huntress.

The game is being developed for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.

From MOBAs, they want to draw the rapid gameplay style, fast leveling, and minion crushing, while from shooters, they seek the arena-like game feel. There should be more than just one game mode available. Gameinformer has already visited the developers, tried it out, and particularly enjoyed the “Incursion” mode, a 5 versus 5 game reminiscent of League of Legends or Dota 2. There is also expected to be a co-op campaign for 5 players.

The maximum level of the heroes will be 20. On the way to the max level, they want to provide players with various options to customize their heroes to their playstyle.

They especially praise the quirky humor of the creators, known from Borderlands, who can find darkly humorous aspects even in a post-apocalypse.

A first taste of the style of Battleborn can be seen in the short announcement trailer:

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

World of Tanks for PC, Xbox and iOS: This is how they differ

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

World of Tanks is now available on PC, Xbox 360, and iOS. Producer Gareth Luke discussed the differences between the versions in an interview with an English website.

In an interview with examiner.com, Gareth Luke introduced the different versions of the successful game World of Tanks. They differ in order to meet the demands of the platform.

The PC version is aimed more at a “hardcore” player base that values the simulation aspect, according to Luke. There is also a strong eSports element, and the vibrant community constantly provides feedback that is integrated into the game.

The Xbox 360 version is focused more on fast-paced combat and action. Since neither keyboard nor mouse is available, the controls had to be made more intuitive. This makes the entire experience feel more arcade-like. Even the camera was adjusted to the typical couch-TV distance of 3 meters instead of the chair-monitor distance of 30 centimeters.

World of Tanks Blitz for iOS resembles the other two versions but is generally much faster. The maps are smaller, the battles shorter, and the level-ups and progress in researching occur more quickly. “It’s not designed to be played for 5 hours straight. Mainly because the batteries can’t handle that,” joked Luke.

A Android version is also planned for the future.

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

The Lord of the Rings Online: Update 14 almost Mini-Expansion

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

In the free-to-play MMO The Lord of the Rings Online, update 14 is coming in a week. It brings so many features, quests, and new content that one could almost call it a mini-expansion.

A journalist from the US site massively was granted an appointment by Turbine to take a first look at the upcoming trip to Gondor, which will also be available to players in update 14.

And update 14 brings an astonishing amount of new content to Middle-earth on July 14:

  • 5 new levels await the heroes
  • 3 new quest regions
  • over 100 quests
  • a continuation of the epic story
  • and a new feature with the essence system.

In Aragorn’s Footsteps

The story follows the footsteps of Aragorn, who leads the undead oathbreakers into battle. The developers faced the question of what they could make the players do while Aragorn leads the oathbreakers: the caves would be deserted.

The solution was found in recalcitrant undead who are so bitter that they do not seek redemption from their fate but choose to remain behind. The army of the dead and their story will run like a red thread throughout the update. This will allow players to take a glimpse into the past to confront the oath-breaking. And they will visit a terrified village – the night before, Aragorn had stayed here… with his new troops.

Essences to be Introduced Cautiously

The colleague from massively raves about the Mediterranean flair of Gondor. It is just as beautiful and lovingly designed as Rohan, but with a slightly different twist.

The Lord of the Rings Online: West Gondor

The devs promise to introduce the new essence system cautiously. These are “essences” that players can add to their armor to achieve specific effects and further refine their character and item composition, their “build.” The essences are expected to be rare at the start of the fourteenth update to avoid flooding the market.

In a conversation with the massively reporter, the developers of The Lord of the Rings Online candidly acknowledged the challenges of working on an aging MMO in today’s market. However, the greatest strength of The Lord of the Rings Online, the fantastic book source material and world, remains unmatched.

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

In the god MMO Skyforge, Gearscore is more important than the level

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

The deity MMO Skyforge deviates further from the beaten paths of conventional Western MMOs. Now there will not only be no classes, but also no levels in the actual sense.

A bit of Final Fantasy XIV, a bit of The Secret World, but a whole god

In the latest news about the upcoming MMO Skyforge, we reported that the developers from Team Allods planned to forgo a conventional class system. Now they are also discarding the level and tier system and want to let a kind of “Gearscore” decide which tasks await the aspiring god or goddess, so to speak.

This concept is not actually new – in The Secret World, a game that also dispenses with classes and levels in a strict sense, the same design principles are followed. However, Skyforge seems to take its class orientation more from Final Fantasy XIV with the multi-classes, without having to level each class from scratch.

“Which instances you can enter depends on how much prestige the character has. The more developed the characters are, the more prestige they have and the more adventures they can undertake,” the team explained according to massively.

No date known yet

Conventionally, they remain consistent in other areas: Skyforge will be client-based. A mega-server is set to provide a home for the aspiring gods per region. The background for the hero saga is an invasion by foreign powers trying to fill a power vacuum left by the vanished main god. In Skyforge, the goal will be to withstand this invasion, to perhaps bring the fight to the aliens in a later expansion.

Unfortunately, in response to inquiries from the magazine “mmosite”, no release date is known yet, not even the timeline for the beta is currently set.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. massively.joystiq.com
  2. news.mmosite.com

World of Warcraft: Day-Night Cycle Returns

Dawid Hallmann Dawid Hallmann Reading time < 1 minutes

In the fantasy MMORPG World of Warcraft, the wishes of many role-playing players are finally coming true: The nights in Warlords of Draenor will be darker again, allowing the day-night cycle to return more prominently to the world of Azeroth.

About two months ago, we reported that Blizzard apparently plans to approve “darker nights” again.  Our editor Katja had then drawn conclusions about the darkness level of the nights from a screenshot.

Nights in Azeroth used to be “dark,” but over time they became increasingly day-like, rendering the day-night cycle that many RPG players appreciate absurd. As the images from the beta of Warlords of Draenor now show, the night has indeed returned to World of Warcraft. Whether it will be as full of dread as in the Game of Thrones quote “The night is dark and full of terrors” remains to be seen.

And on Reddit, some are already mocking: One cannot speak of a real night. At most, it looks somewhat dim or shady in the pictures.

[wpw_ba_viewer width=”auto” disable_intro=”false” hide_titles=”false” alternate_skin=”true”][wpw_ba_img src=”https://images.mein-mmo.de/magazin/medien/2014/07/wow-wod-nacht.jpg” data_alt=”https://images.mein-mmo.de/magazin/medien/2014/07/wow-wod-tag.jpg” title=”World of Warcraft Day and Night Cycle”][/wpw_ba_viewer]

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

Final Fantasy XIV introduces new hunting system and world bosses

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

Producer Naoki Yoshida pulls back the curtain a day before the content patch and reveals: a cyclops. In the Hunt system of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, players will hunt down really big monsters.

Much was already known about the patch 2.3. in advance, but the “Hunt” system remained a mystery. A day before patch 2.3. goes live, bringing players Ramuh, the Crystal Tower, and desynthesis, producer Naoki Yoshida now reveals the intricacies of the hunt.

It somewhat resembles monster sightseeing. Because the oversized hunt targets will only appear under certain conditions. These oversized, often towering “elite” targets require more than just a brave hero. Entire groups should band together here to put an end to the “high game”. It’s good that it does not say “first come, first served,” but “free for all” – anyone can participate in the chase for such a giant. This giant monster cannot be shot down by a single group and claimed for themselves.

Those who bring down these elite targets will receive hunt badges. They can exchange these at their state society for items. There is no limit to how many the hero can hunt per week. In addition to these truly big targets, there are bounty lists featuring less troublesome monsters that provide less loot.

Final Fantasy XIV Hunt

Mein MMO says: It seems that the high-hunt system could bring some variety to Eorzea. At the moment, players are chasing from Fate to Fate, from event to event, on relatively predictable routes. A kind of “world boss” that requires more than just one group and has an irregular spawn timer can hopefully bring some variety and danger. Because alone, one should definitely not get under the hammer of such beings.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. forum.square-enix.com: Letter from the Producer

Elder Scrolls Online: Hotfix solves FPS issues +Update+

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

In the fantasy MMO The Elder Scrolls Online, the patch 1.2.5, which will be applied to the servers on Tuesday morning, will likely still not resolve the performance issues.

The 1.2.5 patch has already been applied to the US servers since Monday afternoon. The disappointing reaction from US players: Unfortunately, there has been no change to the FPS problems. They first occurred with the 1.2.3 patch, which, alongside the veteran dungeon Crypt of Hearts, also brought new lighting effects.

With patch 1.2.4, which was supposed to address them, the issues apparently worsened. Even hotfixes that were applied in the meantime could not manage to stop the frame rate drops. This primarily affects PvP players, who find themselves in stop-and-go traffic the closer they get to the action in Cyrodiil. The problems are puzzling: Some experience them more acutely, others hardly at all, and some suffer even in PvE. Some found relief through the hotfixes, while others barely noticed them.

So far, Zenimax had set the 1.2.5 patch as the target for a fix. Apparently, the problem is even more stubborn and serious than previously suspected. In the patch notes, it is acknowledged that even with this patch, the problems have not been fully resolved. They refer to a “partial correction” and assure that they continue to work on the issues. They have the highest priority.

The patch 1.2.5 also brings a nerf of the veteran content, as well as some quest and bug fixes.

You can read the full patch notes for the 1.2.5 patch here.

Update 12:00 PM: Zenimax has announced in the official forum that a solution to the problem has finally been found. A hotfix has been applied to the servers. Initial reactions from the community are positive. Apparently, Zenimax has managed to resolve the FPS issue. To benefit from the hotfix, players will need to restart the client.

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

Guild Wars 2: Twice as many players in GW2

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

The buy-to-play MMO Guild Wars 2 has doubled its player count in the past few weeks. However, this is not due to success in North America or Europe, but rather due to its expansion into China.

No, it is not the “Puzzles of Maguuma” that are leading to such a significant increase in players for Guild Wars 2. In the land of eternal smiles, China, Guild Wars 2 has reportedly hit around 3.7 million accounts on the Chinese servers, as reported by the website 17173. This is slightly more than the 3.5 million accounts that Guild Wars 2 maintains in North America and Europe, if the site’s figures are to be believed.

Guild Wars 2 launched in China with some fanfare and expectations. To make it more appealing for the Chinese market, some changes were made to the gameplay. For example, blood is purple, out of respect for the dead, the minions of the necromancer are displayed differently, and weapon skills are unlocked not through extensive use of the weapons, but with level-ups.

Since the open beta, it has become apparent that GW2 could succeed in China. Shortly after the release, half a million units were sold. Early in June, we reported that Guild Wars 2 is becoming an e-sport success in China, thanks to a very impressive presentation and generous prize pools. And a week ago, the amusing story circled the globe that a tourist discovered Gollum. However, it was an actor in an Asura costume who was filming a commercial for Guild Wars 2. The confusion brought 16 million clicks to the studio. Some even speculated it was a deliberate PR stunt.

However, there is a downside: According to information from the Chinese site “17173”, players are unevenly distributed across the servers. The two largest servers each housed over 300,000 accounts, while the smallest server, Ed Byrne, had just over 11,000. This will likely be negligible in the overall numbers.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. gw2.17173.com
  2. www.guildnews.de