Around March 17, events related to St. Patrick’s Day take place every year. Little garden gnomes in green clothing wave from the advertising banners of the MMO developers. However, as various surveys annually show that very few know why we celebrate Ascension, we would like to report not only on what you can experience in World of Tanks this weekend – but also why!
When the Welshman Patrick Maewyn worked as a slave on Irish farms for six years, he would have never imagined that his name would still be floating around in our time. The son of a Roman-British army officer was sold to slave traders as a child, which dramatically changed his life. He found comfort in his faith in God – who visited him repeatedly and told him that he would escape on a ship. Driven by this idea, he fled across Britain to France, where he joined a monastery and was educated – and ultimately even became a bishop!
God visited him once again in his dreams and so he returned to Ireland and evangelized the pagan population. However, many more legends surround St. Patrick. For example, he is said to have freed Ireland from deadly snakes by driving them into the sea and drowning them.
Since then, St. Patrick’s Day has been celebrated internationally – in green and with lots of alcohol. However, to complete the holiday missions in World of Tanks, you should be sober!
The task “Let’s Celebrate!” can be completed once with a tier VIII tank in a random or team battle to earn 350,000 Credits. However, you must have won 25 battles and be among the top ten players in terms of base experience. The mission “Go All Out!” can be completed as often as you want in random and team battles, and you will receive 50,000 Credits each time. To do this, you must destroy at least two enemy tier VIII tanks during a battle and survive the fight.
Of course, there are also bonus XP this weekend! Grab a tank of tier IV or higher and earn the Warrior Medal. For each battle with a reward, you will receive 20% more experience points!
May the luck of the Irish be with you!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
What is the hype around the sandbox all about? The term has been circulating for a few years. It became popular through quirky titles like Minecraft or Dwarf Fortress. Now it is supposed to cause a stir in MMORPGs like Everquest Next or ArcheAge.
Current blockbuster games like WildStar, The Elder Scrolls Online or World of Warcraft are skeptical about the concept, yet the word can be heard everywhere on the internet. We at mein-mmo.de will take a closer look at the term “sandbox” and consider how it could shape the future of MMORPGs in 2014, 2015 and beyond.
What is a sandbox actually?
When we remember the best moments in our gaming time, there are two factions.
The roller coaster ride
One side raves about having defeated an incredibly strong opponent: How they took on Mother Brain in the second Phantasy Star. Or they talk about the wonderful atmosphere in Zelda, rave about the clever dialogues in Planescape Torment, or drone on for hours about the balanced, exciting maps in Warcraft 3.
Themepark fans, please take your seats! A ride on rails awaits you!
The game developer wanted them to see and experience exactly those things. The gamers boarded a roller coaster and passed by exactly the stations that the designer of the ride once dreamed up. This half of the player base enjoys the carnival, the trip in the amusement park.
They love sitting in a darkened room and cranking the speakers up. They enjoy the story unfolding before them like in a movie. And they love taking on the role of a character in a fantastic world that they can enter with a click of the mouse.
The games they love are also called “theme parks”: They are adventure worlds, roller coasters, amusement parks. It is Disney World.
Building and dreaming
The other faction of players still knows how fantastic their city looked in Sim City. They can remember every branching of a 300-year spanning family tree in the first Crusader King. They created huge realms with settlers and organized a perfectly running hospital with the rather cheeky Biing, even though only idiots worked there.
They have built a near-manic relationship with their creature in Black&White, which they tell a psychologist about every Tuesday and Thursday in individual therapy (“And then I dozed off for a moment and when I woke up, my wolf had devoured the entire Maya village and his fur was red and he grew horns.” – “(After a long pause) How was your relationship with your mother?”.)
At the moment, they are neck-deep in a primal survival struggle in DayZ, where survivors torture and massacre each other for a few valuable resources. Or they play Minecraft or even Dwarf Fortress and have cut off contact with the outside world months ago.
Who doesn’t love to play in the sandbox?
These players have been given a few tools by the developers, a few shovels and molds, and could build great things with them. They played in the sandbox and let their imagination run wild.
They often play games that don’t visually impress much because the important half of their gaming experience takes place in their heads. They become not just a character in a game but a creator, a builder, a world shaper.
They do not experience a story; they tell it.
Has this existed in MMORPGs before?
Hardly at all, but a little. Before the triumph of Blizzard’s flagship World of Warcraft, there were a few games that showcased sandbox elements. The open housing in Star Wars Galaxies is still missed and mourned today, and Ultima Online had significantly more of a sandbox than many current games.
Generally, the terms sandbox and theme park are absolute and theoretical terms that are rarely found in their pure form. Even a prototypical theme park game like World of Warcraft has sandbox elements. Not every detail is regulated by Blizzard.
Players can shape the economy themselves. Blizzard does not dictate how much an item should cost. The players decide that among themselves. Other parts of an online game can also not be predicted or controlled by Blizzard: the interpersonal, guild politics, the poaching of players between guilds disputing for first kills. All of this, if you broaden the term, belongs to the sandbox.
EVE Online is known for its numerous sandbox features
In EVE Online, players have whole zones for themselves, known as Null Sec, which they compete for. They shape and manage this space themselves. But even in EVE Online, there are elements of an amusement park in the early hours with a few introductory missions. And the developer regularly guides the course of the game with new expansions in a certain direction.
Why is there so little sandbox in MMORPGs?
Because Blizzard won with World of Warcraft and for years everyone thought that to guarantee success, one must imitate World of Warcraft.
After all, the development costs for an MMORPG are huge. The developers and their bosses in suits believed that success could only come from emulating Blizzard.
A sandbox requires a lot of trust in the players from a corporation. The developers relinquish responsibility and lose a piece of control over their creation. Corporations usually do not like that; otherwise, we would all have jetpacks. It is ironic that the giant Electronic Arts has so much success in a supposed sandbox world with The Sims. However, upon closer inspection, The Sims are also not sandboxers but rather a theme park wolf in sandbox clothing.
League of Legends or Minecraft?
In recent years, e-sports have been on the rise, especially in Asia. The MOBA League of Legends, designed entirely for e-sports and comparability, is breaking all records today. A MOBA or an e-sport game is the opposite of a sandbox. The developer needs absolute control over it to create comparable possibilities.
Only through the indie wave in recent years have titles like Minecraft developed so well that studios are now brave enough to incorporate sandbox elements into MMORPGs.
Why is the sandbox necessary for MMORPGs?
Most MMORPGs today have problems with the long-term motivation of their players. If a player wants to experience new adventures constantly, someone must be there to write and design these adventures. Not even World of Warcraft can accomplish that. Other games even less.
World of Warcraft: Even the most popular MMORPG in the world has to artificially stretch the content because players consume it too quickly.
Developers cannot keep up with the pace of players. Therefore, existing content is artificially extended. Quests do not need to be done just once, but fifty times – that is called dailies. Instead of developing three instances, only one is completed and it is offered in three difficulty levels. And when players really get bored, they simply invent particularly time-consuming tasks in the existing world and call that achievements.
While there have also been efforts in recent years to loosen a theme park, it usually results in offering the player just three alternative routes through the amusement park.
The relationship between developers and players sometimes resembles that of a babysitter and a child.
The child says: “I’m bored.” The babysitter says: “Read something.” “I already know everything.” “Then read it again.” “I’ve done everything already.” “Well, then read it backwards and upside down.”
With a sandbox, developers hope players can occupy themselves for months and years.
What are the hopes for MMORPGs then?
In Everquest Next, sandbox possibilities are taken seriously. Players should be able to creatively shape and change the world around them. At the moment, everything is still being discussed and is in the air. It will be crucial to see to what extent the world and the engine can keep up with the players’ creativity.
So far, the focus has primarily been on the ability to directly influence the game world in the fantasy MMORPG Everquest Next. One can dig a hole in the ground and reach a deeper level of a cave. But the plans for Everquest Next Landmark, the associated world-builder game, go much further and allow the construction of starships with the engine of the actual fantasy game.
[intense_blockquote color=”#f0f0f0″] You haven’t heard anything about it yet? Then read these articles:
In addition to Everquest Landmark, several other titles are in the wings that cultivate sandbox elements: including ArcheAge, which we have already introduced (the best MMORPGs 2014).
There could also be a surprise coming from the crowd-funding corner. With The Repopulation, a promising title is approaching beta, which aims to impress mainly with a sophisticated crafting system. And perhaps even Ultima Online will experience a renaissance with the spiritual successor Shroud of the Avatar.
But I already hear so much about sandbox; what’s going on?
At the moment, sandbox in a blockbuster title is still a thing of the future. While many games today advertise with “sandbox” elements because it is a new selling point, whether a relatively limited quest builder really deserves such a designation is another question.
Such advertising measures have not yet shown resounding success. In Star Trek Online or Neverwinter, players have the opportunity to build quests and design spaces. However, they rarely match the quality of a developer quest. Often, they exist only to grant other players items or experience points easily.
However, it could be that the year 2014 is the last big year for theme park MMORPGs, with the upcoming release of The Elder Scrolls Online and WildStar. Although these games already have larger sandbox elements than were conceivable a few years ago. For example, The Elder Scrolls Online gives a lot of responsibility in the trading area and in PvP to its players. WildStar, on the other hand, seems to be an advocate of the “multiple routes through the amusement park” strategy.
[intense_testimonies]
[intense_testimony]
[intense_testimony_text]One thing is clear: With Everquest Next (Landmark) and other high-profile “sandbox titles”, the world of MMOs is becoming more colorful and creative. We look forward to it.[/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.
The MMO The Secret World unfortunately has not gained as much popularity as it deserves, as it should – the concept and its implementation are really great! You will be thrown right into the web of intrigues and power of the three factions and must find your personal way. As if you didn’t have enough to do, you can try your hand at scenarios since last autumn and train your strengths and eliminate weaknesses.
In this virtual training through the Council of Venice, your reflexes are required! The hardcore challenges are not for the faint of heart and will demand a lot from you – but for your perseverance, you will of course be rewarded! The better you are, the more Aurei of Initiation you will earn, with which you can purchase great equipment, tool sets, or access to the Tokyo battleground.
Next weekend, from March 14 to 18, you will even receive an additional 50% of the earned Aurei of Initiation on top – whether as loot or a reward for completing a scenario. To continuously face this challenge, you should pick up the (currently) free Venetian waivers in the item shop to remove the cooldown on scenarios.
So what are you waiting for? Grab enough energy drinks, and then we’ll see you in-game! 😉 Oh, and one last tip:
If you purchase Funcom points during the scenario weekend, you will receive 30% more points as a bonus every time!
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With the Wood Elf in beautiful weather on the prowl
Yes, I know you would The Elder Scrolls Online rather play yourself than just getting our short impressions presented. But, as much as I regret it, at least until the next beta weekend you will still have to be patient. And for those who have come to like our little Wood Elf a bit, here is the start in the Aldmeri Dominion. Oh, and for anyone who has always wanted to see how to crack a treasure chest – and at a master level! – they should also check out our new little Let’s Play. 😀
Oh, simply wonderful – enjoying the beautiful weather with a few friends. 🙂
In this sense, have fun with the half-naked Waldi!
http://youtu.be/izvq9868fi4
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Carbine Studios and NCSoft have now officially announced the release date of WildStar, the slightly different MMORPG. The hopeful title is set to be released on June 3, 2014, a Thursday.
Furthermore, we are now also allowed to report on our beta impressions, which will happen very soon (EDIT: the first posts can now be found at the bottom of the article). Just continue to visit mein-mmo.de and always know what’s going on!
Pre-order WildStar
Among other things, a pre-order, which is now possible, will grant you access to all further beta phases, an in-game storage bag, an exclusive rocket house, as well as a trophy for your favorite accommodation on the planet Nexus. And with the head start, you can even start on May 31 and rock the refreshing sci-fi world!
http://www.wildstar-online.com/de/preorder/
P.S. You can also pre-order WildStar on Amazon, the bonus code for the additional content and beta access is of course included here as well:
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With this code, you will be able to participate in the following beta weekends, as mentioned above:
Friday, March 21, 3:00 PM CET, to Monday, March 24, 7:59 AM CET
Friday, April 4, 4:00 PM CEST, to Monday, April 7, 8:59 AM CEST
Friday, April 18, 4:00 PM CEST, to Monday, April 21, 8:59 AM CEST
Friday, May 2, 4:00 PM CEST, to Monday, May 5, 8:59 AM CEST
You can now also marvel at the trailer for this happy news in this article, so to speak as the cover image. On the WildStar page, you will also find all information about pre-ordering the different editions. I’m getting the Digital Deluxe Edition 🙂
[intense_testimonies]
[intense_testimony]
[intense_testimony_text]All beta participants can openly talk about their experiences and share screenshots, videos, livestreams, blogs, tweets, Vine, haikus, and much more.[/intense_testimony_text]
The release of the ninth expansion for the free MMO DC Universe Online was not that long ago, but unfortunately not all player groups were as satisfied with the DLC War of the Light as the developers probably hoped. Therefore, the new letter from the Creative Director addresses this issue directly: Future addons are to be designed so that all players feel engaged with the content.
The life of a game developer is often not that easy. You give your best for months to develop an exciting MMO or update while still working economically… And then the big day – release day is here, and not even 24 hours later the support forum is overflowing.
Some find the game too complicated, others too easy. Some feel neglected because nothing new was included for their beloved hobby in the game… and so on. The list can surely go on endlessly for anyone of you who has read player reviews right after the release of an MMO or patch. It sounds quite frustrating when you consider it from the perspective of the people who spent months sweating blood and water over the many details, right?
But once you’ve licked your wounds and read the posts more closely, as a developer, you can also discover a lot that can simply be done differently in the future. The team from DC Universe Online has taken these suggestions and player feedback to heart and developed a battle plan on how they can make the game even more exciting in the future – for all fans!
In the future, every expansion will include content for small and large groups.
In addition to 4- and 8-player operations, you can also expect combinations of duos, challenges, and open world components.
The design of the 8-player content ranges from single rooms to simple to complex raids.
In addition, your decisions during these contents will significantly shape the course in order to make everything as varied as possible. The different difficulties of operations and large-scale missions are also intended to offer additional challenges. Depending on how much experience you have already gained in DC Universe, you will soon have the choice to play a large-scale mission on normal or hard mode. Depending on which difficulty level you choose, this should not only affect the stats of your opponents but also which bosses you have to face.
Sounds great, doesn’t it? We are already very excited for the 10. DLC expansion pack! What are you hoping for?
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The open beta of “HearthStone – Heroes of Warcraft” is obviously going into its final round!
Tomorrow a new patch will be available for download, which, along with the long-awaited golden hero portraits, also brings some changes to legendary cards and fixes positioning errors. The ranking system is also being refined to not scare away new players right away. Last but not least, some achievements have been added, bringing the exclusive mount for World of Warcraft within reach!
+++Update++ As just announced on the official page (see source), the open beta was already in the last round, because the patch tomorrow marks the official launch!
But first, here are the two card changes in detail:
The “Tinkmaster Overspark” is now a 3/3 creature (previously: 2/2) and now transforms a random other minion into a 5/5 dinosaur or a 1/1 squirrel (previously: The creature to be transformed could be chosen).
The card “Nat Pagle” now has a 50% chance at the start of your turn to draw a card (previously: 50% chance at the end of your turn to draw a card).
Keep in mind that these two cards can be disenchanted for 1600 arcane dust in the coming days, so if you don’t need them, now is the right time to accumulate a large amount of arcane dust.
Hero portraits, achievements, and ranking improvements…
As previously announced, golden variants of the hero portraits can now also be unlocked, each requiring 500 wins with the respective class, so it will likely take a few more days until you actually encounter the first ones.
The “Hearthsteed”, an in-game mount for World of Warcraft, will also be available through an achievement, and you only need three wins to unlock it and should be able to collect it directly from the mailbox afterwards.
Additionally, achievements for purchasing the expansion of “Diablo 3” were found, with buyers of the standard version receiving a free card pack, while buyers of the collector’s edition receive two instead.
The ranking system is also getting a revamp that ensures that newcomers at the beginning of a new season do not constantly face hardened veterans. If you have achieved a high rank in the current season, such as “Black Knight” or even “Legend”, you will not start at Rank 25 at the beginning of the next month, but a bit higher up, around Rank 16 or 15.
But since we’re talking about the season: According to the patch data, the first “real” season begins next month, indicating a release in April.
Finally, the new card backs have been implemented into the game, so if you reach legend rank, you can show these new backs after the next season – so every opponent knows who they’re dealing with!
At the end, a little recommendation: Are you a newcomer and not doing very well? Then check out the helpful Arena Guide by Darion:
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The last beta for The Elder Scrolls Online is coming up. Just before the official release of the game on April 4, this will be the last chance to test TESO.
On Friday at 5 PM, it will happen: Tamriel will open its gates one last time without requiring a valid ticket in the form of the paid game. Until Monday at 5 AM, undecided players will still have the opportunity to test The Elder Scrolls Online for free. This time, they will even enjoy bonuses that are otherwise only available to buyers of the Imperial Edition.
Servers running with new beta patch and collision detection
The Elder Scrolls Online will officially launch on April 4; pre-orderers can start playing five days earlier. Therefore, the current beta is less about testing – there wouldn’t be much point so close to release – and more about a trial run.
Thus, the servers will run on the current beta patch, which has only been available to closed beta players: This means beta “testers” will be able to skip the starting island and enjoy an improved combat system with collision detection. These changes have been well received by testers of the closed beta.
The benefits of the Imperial Edition
The Digital Imperial Edition: Start five days before the official game launch and receive exclusive digital bonuses.
As an additional treat, players of the beta weekend will be treated as if they ordered the Imperial Edition. Therefore, they can create a character belonging to the premium race “Imperial.” The additional benefits of the Imperial Edition and the Explorer Pack are also unlocked, such as the experience-boosting Rings of Mara or the Imperial horse.
The racial bonuses of the Imperials make them an ideal choice for players who want to try out tanking with sword and shield. We have presented the premium race alongside the other races in this post.
Players also have the choice between the European and American mega-servers and can continue playing previously started characters from earlier beta tests. The beta is open to anyone who has participated in a previous event. Additionally, some beta keys are still circulating online that can be easily obtained.
Last chance for the monkey and to play for free!
For a free beta event, developer Zenimax is offering some goodies. In addition to the benefits of the Imperial Edition for the weekend, there will also be a monkey as a pet. You will even keep it when the game officially launches: you will find it in your mailbox at the “official” launch on April 4.
The benefits of the Imperial Edition will fade after the weekend; those who want to enjoy it long-term or want to continue sampling the air of Tamriel after the weekend will have to pay something for that.
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http://youtu.be/kFBFhM9cc2Y
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
What is more fun than playing a round of Hutball with friends in the evening? Although the team sport requires a lot of endurance and physical toughness, the victory over the enemy and the recognition of the galaxy’s inhabitants is a nice reward for all efforts!
Whether a citizen of the Galactic Republic or the Sith Empire – Hutball is always a welcome distraction from the chaos of war, where two teams of eight players fight over a ball – the deadlier, the more exciting. Those who manage to get the ball behind the opponent’s line score points and receive the cheers of the excited audience. A special highlight is the commentator Baron Deathseal, who diligently reports on every duel.
Even Giradda the Hutt is a big fan of the gladiatorial combat in Star Wars: The Old Republic, and has therefore built a new arena on the contaminated planet Quesh. Now, we just need brave heroes like you who are not afraid for their lives and are willing to test the new battlefield at will. But beware: The new traps are even more dangerous, and you should always be careful where you step!
Design of the new Quesh Hutball Pit
The layout of the pit also follows a completely new concept. While the old pit on Nar Shaddaa was rather rectangular, the new arena resembles an upside-down pyramid. Therefore, you not only have to pay attention to enemies but also to where you step so as not to fall straight down. To get up, you can use the grappling hook blaster tables, which will elevate you to the second level of the pit. As if that wasn’t enough excitement, the Hutt has something very special in store for you: Toxic slime rains down from the tubes in the arena, which not only burns like hell on your skin or damages your armor but also slows you down!
Who wouldn’t want to play a round of Hutball in SW:TOR with all this action?
The official test server has been opened since last week and offers you, of course, not only a new PVP area but much more. When exactly the long-awaited housing will find its way into the game is unfortunately still not clear – but as always: Mein-MMO informs!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
For connoisseurs and collectors, Blizzard also has the digital Deluxe Edition on offer. With it, you will become the proud owner of a new flying mount: a Dread Raven (in English, this guy isn’t called Chirpy as one might expect, but Dread Raven Mount). You can observe this beautiful specimen in full dreadful glory with the folks over at mmo-champion (or alternatively below the post).
Additionally, the Deluxe Edition comes with a pet (which is a code for one, otherwise shipping would be difficult). The Dread Hatchling, the mount in small, will surely serve you well in Pet Battles. Both skins resemble the Raven Lord from the Sethekk Halls, a coveted mount not many players own.
If you are also active in Starcraft, you can look forward to special portraits; if you enjoy the hack ‘n slash Diablo 3, you can call a special war banner your own after acquiring the Deluxe Edition of Warlords of Draenor. As always, the mount and pet will be exclusive to the Deluxe Edition.
Release date yet to be determined, likely in October or September
Blizzard can’t get any exact release date out, however. They only assure that Warlords of Draenor will be released in 2014 and give “Fall” as an approximate date. Wild speculation leads to October or September, approximately around the time Mists of Pandaria was released in 2012.
As of today, you also have the option to purchase a level-up directly in the in-game shop. Fresh level 90s will be equipped with green gear, the item level of the equipment being 496. The externally funded hero receives a palette of 22-slot bags. If they were already level 60 when using the boost, they receive professions of choice at the current maximum level of 600.
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Tera Rising offers a really good action combat system, which hopefully can be seen in this fight against a BAM (Big-Ass-Monster). It is quite amazing, especially in the endgame content, how the boss mechanics are tailored to the active combat system. I have not experienced anything better to date.
By the way, – Tera is a free-to-play MMORPG – so checking it out won’t hurt, at least until you encounter your first BAM 😉 The game is certainly not suitable for every type of player, as the Asian style cannot be denied and the quests are not exactly known for their variety. However, I found this, honestly, not too bad on my way to the end level, as I enjoyed the fighting and didn’t want to leave the beautiful surroundings untouched.
The spectacular BAMs are definitely a welcome change in the open world, which distinguishes Tera a bit from other games. I don’t know of any other MMORPG where you encounter such bosses during the leveling phase, outside of dungeons. At least not on this scale and quality.
By the way, I play a Slayer, a fairly agile class that can deal significant damage with a two-handed sword.
Well, just watch the video yourself ;-).
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
My MMO Plays the Start of The Elder Scrolls Online
Admittedly, this little insight into TESO isn’t exactly brand new. But since we briefly introduced you to the little wood elf in the (almost) Let’s Play just last week and the response was quite nice, we didn’t want to withhold his “epic” battle through the prologue from you. Those who have seen enough of the backstory of The Elder Scrolls Online probably need little help here. However, if you haven’t had a chance to take a look yet or simply cannot get enough of MMORPG, well, enjoy! 😀
And if you still need enough materials for “Invite Friends“, feel free to directly share and embed the video. A little tip at the end: You can find the TESO racial bonuses here! 🙂
http://youtu.be/wyPhbocBGFw
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
We take a look at the new trailer for World of Warcraft featuring the promised boost to level 90. Why is Blizzard doing this? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the maximum level from the mailbox? And what the heck does this have to do with cake?
Maximum Level with Pre-order of Warlords of Draenor
A gnome is stumbling through the desert of Tanaris and sees a mailbox on the distant horizon. After dragging himself there, he is greeted by postcard-sending furry creatures who seem motivated by sadistic pleasure to boast about their own lifestyle:
My axe, my raid group, my fun.
The message is clear: While the level 90s are celebrating, the gnome still has to wash the dishes until he finally reaches level 90. It somehow reminds one of a dish soap commercial: While Villariba is already celebrating… – you know the rest.
But the gnome also finds a way to become level 90 directly, accepts it, and the fun begins. Instantly level 90, instantly playing with friends, and off we go. Because those who pre-order the next add-on Warlords of Draenor will receive an instant boost to level 90.
Trouble in Paradise
Okay, now the trailer also glosses over some things. A fresh level 90 cannot immediately participate in the hot activities of his friends, but must first gather equipment at level 90, study the various boss fights, manage with his character, and orient himself somewhat before he can help a raid group.
All that aside, the exciting question is:Does Blizzard really believe that players can only have fun at the maximum level? Do they see their world as a desolate valley, the valley of dead content? Do they see low-level players trapped in eternal level limbo? Do they think, in Blizzard’s eyes, we spend our time lonely and alone in agony until, at the end, somewhere on the horizon, the paradise of maximum level awaits us? Is this the cake that we were always promised in the portal?
Blizzard and the Level Qual
Blizzard has been trying for years to make the leveling experience as painless as possible. Once you have a shiny level 90, you can send items to your own low-level character that guarantee him bonus XP. Furthermore, the leveling process has been repeatedly accelerated by simply reducing the required XP. With the Recruit-a-Friend program, there was also so much bonus XP that some levels went by unnoticed. While handing in quests or completing a dungeon, it seemed that certain levels were simply skipped.
Anyone who has ever experienced how a group equipped with heirlooms swept through an innocent instance and only stopped to congratulate each other on their level-ups is reminded of a swarm of locusts.
Blizzard and the Desolate Realms of the Shattered World
Blizzard really seems to be stuck on the idea that the path to the maximum level is for most players an annoying task that must be completed as quickly as possible. The fact that for many players the journey is the goal seems to have worn off over the 10 years of content.
Especially The Burning Crusade, the leveling distance from 60 to 70, feels desolate and empty today. The quest structure, the phasing, the storytelling of interconnected stories – all of this has been refined by Blizzard later, perhaps even perfected. In the oldest, unspoiled corners of the world, the storytelling quality and variety in quests are lacking.
The old world was upgraded significantly with Cataclysm. How did you like the overall picture?
Keeping all the old content constantly on par with the latest is not possible. With Cataclysm, a similar attempt was made:
[pull_quote_center]The old world, the leveling experience from 1-60, was changed. Players did not reward it because it took valuable development time away from endgame.[/pull_quote_center]
For years, Blizzard struggled to creatively deal with the problem. They combined low-level zones across servers so that players felt like part of a living world. They redesigned group quests so that they could also be tackled solo. Lucrative detours in dungeons were intended to distract from quest monotony; even in battlegrounds, you could now level up. Everything was done, nothing helped in the long term. The creativity seems to have come to an end now.
Then let them eat cake!
The level boost with a pre-order is therefore quite consistent. Blizzard sees the former hero’s journey from 1 to 90 as a tedious tour that many players want to get through as quickly as possible.
[pull_quote_center]Whether at the end of the journey, with the maximum level, a cake-filled paradise truly awaits the player or not… that is another question.
A rather stale taste sets in at the latest with the expansion. Players can then directly purchase a level 90 character for a considerable sum of real money in the in-game shop. So you pay Blizzard to not have to play a large part of the game in order to get to the delicious cake at the end as quickly as possible. Hopefully, it’s not a lie.
Additionally
Negative: It reminds of the infamous annual pass story, that with such an action, in a content drought that will likely last another year, they want to bind players to the game through a pre-order.
Positive: If it eliminates power-leveling or other absurdities like character buying on eBay from the game, then there is something good about it.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Elder Scrolls Online will be released on April 4th. Developer Zenimax gives you the opportunity to try the game one more time this weekend from March 14 to 17. The last beta weekend before the release has just been confirmed. For anyone who hasn’t had the chance to visit the world of Tamriel yet, this is the last opportunity. Or you can just check out our videos from the world of The Elder Scrolls Online.
Today we take a look at the UI. UI is short for User Interface, basically the game’s interface. It is essential in any game, but especially in an MMO, the UI is particularly important. Many things and information are accommodated here, such as the mini-map, the health display, or hotkeys for various abilities. However, the interface should not appear overloaded and should not distract too much from the game world.
Whether The Elder Scrolls Online manages this and whether the game succeeds in balancing singleplayer and multiplayer, we will take a closer look at now.
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If this day has brought you little good news so far, we have a great surprise for all Rift fans! With the next update 2.7, every class will receive a new soul. The first two have already been announced, and we certainly don’t want to withhold them from you:
The ancient Oracles have already averted the destruction of Telara in the dark future with their water and death magic and must now also advocate for the survival of the world in this time. Thanks to their powerful blessings, shields, healing abilities, buffs and curses, the new cleric soul will be a welcome ally and feared enemy in epic battles on the battlefields of Telara and against nasty boss opponents.
After the cleric’s area of expertise has rather been damage, healing or protection, many players will surely be pleased with the new role and its possibilities.
This soul seems a bit strange. When one thinks of healers, one usually imagines elegant, wise beings in long robes… But a warrior? Seriously? Yet the new warrior soul proves that everything is possible in an MMO:
The Liberator has recently returned from the plane of Earth and now supports the brave champions of Telara with his strong magnetic fields. While he fights at the front, he can protect his allies with powerful absorption shields – the more group members, the better. His great strength lies primarily in long-lasting healing for raid groups, where he can fully unleash his potential.
Katja: The aim of these changes is that every character can fulfill any role in the game – if they want to or if the group would benefit from it. However, it is noticeable that the souls presented so far apparently primarily rely on absorption mechanics. To what extent this will influence the healing of all healers in a raid or group will probably only become clear once patch 2.7 is deployed on the official servers. Unfortunately, it is still unclear when that will be – However, we can promise you that rogues and mages will also be able to look forward to new souls in the coming days. As soon as more is known, we will of course keep you updated.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The current beta skills of the Dragonknight in The Elder Scrolls Online
While nothing is set in stone yet, many TESO fans have been pondering their main character for weeks now, and the release date is getting closer. This is reason enough for us to gradually introduce you to the current skill trees of the different classes. Today we start with the Dragonknight, who is often referred to as Dragon Warrior. But whether knight or warrior, the overarching theme is: DRAGON! So what defines a dragon?
Fire, power, strength, toughness, magic or at least a certain resistance to magic, often a connection to the earth, and yes, dragons love to sleep on a huge pile of gold, as we’ve recently been reminded by J. R. R. Tolkien’s Hobbit.
Admittedly, the young Dragonknight lacks the latter initially – that’s something you have to work on yourself – but all other aspects are actually somewhat reflected in the skill options. And what is particularly noticeable about the Dragonknight is that with a little creativity, you can play him almost however you like.
A fiery multi-talent!
On one hand, I completely agree with Darion (see later in the video below) when he says that the Dragonknight is the fire mage par excellence. This is illustrated by the talent tree Ardent Flame, which we will introduce to you first. On the other hand, we also have a support character par excellence. Both in the skill tree Ardent Flame and in Earthen Heart, there are numerous talents that should make you very popular with your teammates.
You protect them, improve their weapons and attacks, you immobilize enemies, and ensure, for example, that they miss your group more often. Anyone who develops in this direction should be a sought-after companion in dungeons and raids. And what would such a character be with a healing staff in both hands? Possibilities galore, it should be exciting.
The ultimate tank?
Furthermore, the Dragonknight is already being celebrated in many forums as the ultimate tank. And indeed, taking a look at the third talent tree Draconic Power: Wow, those are impressive skill options, which could definitely yield a hard defender when mixed with a few talents from other branches. Ultimate or not, the Dragonknight can be excellently played as a tank. Innovative talent combinations are more than welcome! 🙂
The three talent trees of the Dragonknight:
So, to cut a long story short, here for you are the three skill trees of the draconic warrior from The Elder Scrolls Online at a glance!
Fire and flame with the Ardent Flame talent tree
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As already hinted, the Ardent Flame talent tree primarily features the use of fire effects. The passive talents Spark Flight, Warmth, Scorching Heat, and World in Flames increase damage from fire effects, slow enemies through fire effects, extend the duration of certain fire talents, and the area damage of all fire skills. In other words: You’re going to be a real little fire devil!
The active talents are also quite impressive. With Fiery Grip, you pull enemies towards you and deal fire damage to them. Yes, this talent is reminiscent of the WoW Death Knight and is likely to be very interesting for tanks in TESO as well.
“Scorching Strike“ also deals direct fire damage to enemies and starts a DoT (Damage over Time) that more than doubles the total damage. Of course, a dragon fire is also included, so “Fiery Breath“ inflicts cone-shaped fire area damage in front of you.
The “Lava Whip“ also deals considerable fire damage and knocks back stunned and immobile enemies (meaning: likely to fall).
With the talent Inferno, you gain a kind of fire aura that distributes area damage to all nearby enemies (radius 5 meters) and consumes Magicka over time. This skill needs to be manually deactivated, otherwise your Magicka supply will eventually run out.
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The Ultimate Talent in this tree is called Dragonknight Standard – making it clear for all know-it-alls that the class must be called Dragonknight. 😉 Just kidding, the standard, in any case, deals fire damage to all enemies in the vicinity and makes them receive a whopping 50% less healing for several seconds (certainly also entertaining in TESO PvP). An ally can activate the so-called Shackle synergy and deal additional damage to the affected enemies as well as hold them in place.
Conclusion: In summary, the Ardent Flame talent tree (without major mixes with other talents) focuses on delivering a decent amount of fire damage, making it generally well-suited for a damage dealer (DD) – whether melee or caster remains open for now. Nevertheless, we are dealing with a rather free character development system in The Elder Scrolls Online, so it wouldn’t be surprising if other roles like tank could benefit from some talents (e.g. Fiery Grip).
Draconic Toughness – The Draconic Power talent tree
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Moving on to the supposed tank tree, which is referred to in English as Draconic Power, let’s look at the passive talents first. Iron Skin simply reduces damage taken, Burning Heart increases healing received as long as you keep a Draconic Power talent active, Elder Dragon boosts your health recovery by 2% per equipped Draconic Power, and Scaly Armor increases your spell resistance. All in all – yes, it clearly outlines a full-time tank or at the very least a very sturdy resident of Tamriel. 😉
Visually impressive is the Spiked Armor. Large dragon spikes grow from your body, temporarily enhancing your armor while a portion of the damage you take is reflected back to the attacking enemy.
The talent Dark Claws deals damage to surrounding enemies, briefly immobilizes them, and allows an ally to activate the Impale Synergy, which deals damage to immobilized enemies.
In order for our showcase tank to survive briefly without a healer and endure empty healing potions, you use the talent Dragon Blood that lends you a small piece of draconic immortality, healing yourself and increasing the healing received. Uh, so this is also good if the healer is taking a nap.
In addition to spell resistance, the Reflective Scale helps against hostile casters. Once activated, you simply reflect all spell projectiles back for a few seconds. The last skill is also very amusing. With Inhaling, you absorb some life from nearby enemies, and after a short time, they take damage in return. 🙂
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An attack to charge in is common in many games and in TESO even exists in other skill trees. You do it in an extremely stylish way with Dragon Leap. Click, spread your wings, come in reeling with style, deal significant damage, and kick all affected enemies away – to quote Friedrich Lichtenstein: SUPER COOL! 😀
Conclusion: Well, I would say it is quite obvious that the Draconic Power talent tree is focused on the role of a resilient defender. However, who knows what cool combinations you will come up with. The Dragon Leap, for instance, should be exciting for all PvP fans as well. If I think of the shamans in WoW, who love to catapult people off cliffs, it’s surely fun… uh, well, or maybe not. Depends on your perspective.
Become the earthen heart of the group – The Earthen Heart talent tree
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Moving on to the last skill tree, the quintessential draconic supporter. Again for the Earthen Heart talent tree, let’s quickly glance at the passive talents. Eternal Mountain increases the duration of all abilities in this talent tree. This already suggests that there will likely be several effects with duration. Battle Cry helps only you but tremendously. You immediately regenerate 50% health, Magicka AND Stamina at the cost of activating an Ultimate Ability. This means you are explicitly benefiting from this passive talent when you use another Ultimate Ability – it almost invites you to do this. Blessing of the Mountain helps you to build ultimate power needed to activate Ultimate Abilities. In other words – even more frequent health, Magicka, and Stamina regeneration. 😀 And Helping Hands grants you 2% Stamina when you use an ability of the Earthen Heart.
“Stone Fist” – You deal physical damage to an opponent and knock them down after a few seconds. Okay, that could help the group, but direct support?
Now, here we go! “Melted Weapons” – increases the weapon damage of all nearby allies and is even more effective for you!
“Obsidian Shield” – You provide all allies with a damage-absorbing shield, and an even more effective one for yourself!
“Petrify” – You stun an enemy for a comparatively long time, and they only regain consciousness after taking considerable damage. Aha, so two different stun options, neat.
And with the Ash Cloud, you significantly slow down all affected enemies and reduce their hit chance by nearly one third.
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So what does the actual ultimate ability bring? “Magmatic Armor” – you limit your damage taken for a few seconds to 3% of your maximum health, and all nearby enemies also receive fire damage over that time. Hmm, certainly not uninteresting for tanks?!?
Conclusion: The Dragonknight of the Earthen Heart – sounds kind of romantic, right? – is indeed packed with active abilities, with which you can support your group. The passive talents further bolster the actives, and when things get tough, you could at least prevent the worst for yourself with the Magmatic Armor while also contributing to the decimation of the enemy group. Hypothesis: Without other ability combinations, this talent tree may not be of much interest to single players? Not necessarily, as the support abilities cleverly provide you with the greatest benefit. Therefore: Experimenting is the way to go with the Earthen Heart talent tree! 🙂
Little conclusion:
Well, there isn’t really much more to say about the Dragonknight for now. The fact is, The Elder Scrolls Online offers numerous possibilities to create your own class and playstyle. And even if one or another talent tree already seems fully playable, it is certainly advisable to experiment from time to time.
I hope you enjoyed our little overview of the truly stylish class of the Dragonknight and will soon start introducing the next one. As always at the end, the request – if you liked the post or wish to embed it in your fan forum, please share it directly on Facebook and more. We are glad to help you and wish all future Dragonknights much success in Tamriel!
Wait, that’s it? Really?
Oh right, I did mention something about a video, didn’t I? Well, we won’t withhold that from you. Here’s Darion’s post about the Dragonknight in The Elder Scrolls Online. Enjoy and feel free to ask questions and provide answers! 😀
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News about The Elder Scrolls Online: A few hours ago, Paul Sage, the Game Director, commented in the official beta forum on upcoming changes for the soon-to-be-released online role-playing game. Especially interesting is the announcement of the FOV Slider (Field of View), which provides players with a larger field of view.
So far, fans who prefer a third-person perspective have had a significantly better overview in the virtual world. Players who prefer the first-person view, like from The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, face the problem of having nearly no visibility, making it easy to overlook approaching enemies.
Additionally, Paul Sage addressed a few more points that will soon be improved:
Expansion of world interaction, which will not only increase the number of collectible items but also the variety of interaction options.
An optimized grouping mechanism: Players complained that they could no longer find each other due to phasing technology.
In the future, you will be informed about who or what was responsible for your death.
The option to enable or disable “Battle-Level” in Cyrodiil.
A Battle-Level is an artificially increased level, whereby a player is raised to a high level, but the combat power does not correspond to the same level at a “Normal” level.
Furthermore, we can soon look forward to in-depth information about the so-called Adventure Zones, which are said to resemble raids from other MMORPGs and are particularly important for the endgame.
The next beta weekend is just around the corner?
The rumors that the next weekend beta will take place on March 14th are gaining traction. Apparently, the Finnish edition of IGN has already leaked information pointing in that direction. However, that has since been taken down. It is assumed that Zenimax wants to be the first to announce the start of the beta weekend.
So please act surprised. It all makes sense, as when you start your client, you will notice something – a big update is coming your way 😉
On Star Wars: The Old Republic, turbulent times are coming due to the flood of MMORPGs this year, but the developer does not want to concede defeat with its interpretation of the universe we all know and jumps from one “Super-Secret-Project” to the next. Hopefully, the Force is with the creators, that would be nice.
Yesterday, we reported on the brand-new secret project that Bioware now named “SSHP” – Super Secret Home Project or something like that. Every clever fox probably realizes immediately what this is referring to. The formerly secret space project “SSSP”, to clarify and in the context we are discussing here, was transformed from the Super Secret Space Project to Galactic Starfighter, the spectacular 12vs12 space combat PvP, and is now freely accessible to everyone.
It could be a good omen that even after the release of space battles, one does not lean back and neglect this mode, but on the contrary – it is meticulously expanded every few weeks. Furthermore, they initially set low expectations for the space project and were positively surprised afterward.
Galactic Starfighter – in the spotlight: Scout and Bomber
This is the name of the new trailer in which Bioware once again introduces the agile scout and the strong and agile bomber through some combat scenes. If you weren’t sure about jumping into SW:TOR until now, maybe you are now – the digital expansion has been free to play for some time now. But veterans also get a piece of the cake in this video: With Update 2.7, which will be released in April, space combat will experience further innovations, including two new ships – the scout “Spearpoint” and the bomber “FT-3C Imperium”. You can also marvel at these starfighter variants here.
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The release of The Elder Scrolls Online, short TESO, is approaching. On April 4th, it will be here. Many players will take advantage of the Early Start option, which is offered, for example, by the Imperial Edition, and will dive into the world of Tamriel five days earlier.
That’s why we have been where the true TESO fans hang out in their free time: In the gaming and guild forums. We have kept our ears open and can therefore let the real players have their say in a kind of pub survey.
After all, you will be wandering through Tamriel together with them in just a few weeks. And perhaps we even overheard you chatting.
An MMORPG in the guild comes with obligations
In the forum of worldofplayers.de a large thread dominates the discussion, which has almost 300 posts. It addresses the question of how players actually find TESO. In the discussion, numerous forum participants share where they stand in their current MMORPG careers and discuss their enthusiasm for The Elder Scrolls Online. The thread has already been ongoing for almost 10 months. At the beginning, the discussion is still about “Online game: Yes or No?”
Too old for this?
Krysos1962, for example, is an Elder Scrolls fan but will not become a player of The Elder Scrolls Online after many years with WoW. He feels he has become too old to completely immerse himself in an online world. The numerous obligations that active raiding and guild life entail are too much for him. He doesn’t want a computer with a second life waiting for him; Krysos1962 wants to manage his time freely.
Dense atmosphere instead of mindless slaughter
The closer the launch of the game approaches, the more concrete the discussion about The Elder Scrolls Online becomes. Bluntschi has already participated in some beta sessions and shares his impressions. At first, the experience was quite disillusioning. He could not dive into the game as much as he had hoped. The difficulty level is surprisingly challenging, and time and again, he finds himself surrounded and defeated by skeletons.
Elder Scrolls Online impresses with a realistic graphic splendor that conveys a great atmosphere.
But right from the start, he noticed the beautiful graphics and game world. Unlike World of Warcraft, Bluntschi especially appreciates the seriousness of the presentation. No large damage numbers pop up here, nothing blinks or distracts. In The Elder Scrolls Online, it’s not about mindless hacking, but about atmosphere and story.
Watch a suitable video that demonstrates the atmosphere in TESO:
In the forum of http://www.elder-scrolls-online.de/, experienced MMORPG players mainly reside, discussing game mechanics and beta impressions in individual threads. In one of the largest threads, players provide first-hand impressions from the beta weekend of February 28th.
User Gannicus has a long MMO career. He started with Dark Age of Camelot, then moved on to World of Warcraft and Guild Wars 2 to Star Wars: The Old Republic. He sees noticeable references to Skyrim in the graphics, perhaps even a bit too obvious. It gives the impression that not much has been post-processed.
Generally, the world feels a bit too static to him. In market squares and quest hubs, this impression is less pronounced, but especially in the open world, it seems somehow dead to him. Monsters wait to be defeated; NPCs await their rescue. Gannicus would have liked more wandering mobs and quest givers.
Overall, he sees potential in the game but is also skeptical.
A great and atmospheric quest system
User Apokh, on the other hand, has already become an enthusiastic fan of The Elder Scrolls Online during the beta. He cannot agree with others’ criticism of the graphics at all. TESO has the best graphics for an MMO overall. Comparing it to Age of Conan or Morrowind is absurd to him.
Especially the quest system has captured him. Unlike other MMOs, often it is not enough to just look at the log here, but you need to think a bit. Especially a treasure quest on the Daggerfall side has particularly impressed Apokh.
In The Elder Scrolls, you sometimes have to look within yourself to solve a task.
The only problems Apokh had during the beta weekend were, besides forgivable lags, the level of the community on the American test server. He hopes it will be different at release.
Cheering among role-players: Finally the shared padded cell
A phase refers to an instance of the game world that is shared by certain players. Two players in the same location who are in different phases cannot interact with each other… just like (spoiler alert) the ghosts in “The Others”.
Some had previously predicted that on the massive mega-server, space for role-players could become tight. They would have to deal constantly with non-role-players, ruining their immersion. This is called complete immersion in a game world.
The world invites you to engage in role-playing.
The post immediately garnered applause and relief. A planned role-play guild will be put on hold for the time being. The idea that in The Elder Scrolls Online, as a role-player, you only encounter other role-players even earned the comment “Hooray, a padded cell for all”.
English as a fantasy language
In general, however, the topic is dicey and doubts will arise in the coming weeks. Will there really be a pure role-play phase, or will “role-play” just be counted as one of many indicators by which players are placed into shared phases? And what will happen if an English-speaking role-player appears next to a German player? That would ruin the illusion for him.
User Angier has a clever solution: You could simply pretend that English is some fantasy language that you just don’t understand.
Overall, the role-players of the forum are very much looking forward to the release of The Elder Scrolls Online. They have come together in this forum to form guilds and to embark on the journey in Tamriel together.
User Anti Snow has been excited about the idea of a trading system without an auction house from the beginning. Networking, interacting with other players, and talking in general – he finds that really great in an MMORPG. In the few days of the beta, he experienced more epic moments than in years of other games.
Now that he is informed about the trading guild system, it makes sense for him to be in multiple guilds. He plans to become a member of the main guild, the Shadow Wolves, and perhaps join four other trading guilds that would give him access to exquisite materials and items.
He can already imagine that when one of the Shadow Wolves gains access to an elite trading guild, that will lead to benefits for all other guild members.
His excitement has definitely increased again (“Excitement +1,” writes Anti Snow). He wants to settle down for the time being before diving into the topic further.
Great anticipation: Many can hardly wait any longer
If you, like mein-mmo.de, ask around in the forums about The Elder Scrolls Online, you get the impression: Many are ready and can hardly wait any longer.
YES, it’s starting soon! The anticipation is huge in the TESO forums.
But of course: In the TESO forums themselves, mainly fans of the title and past Elder Scrolls games will be around. That’s why we will also let the other side have its say in one of the next articles. But that’s a song that can be sung next time.
During our strolls through the taverns of Tamriel, we met interesting people and listened to their stories. Every player out there has their own past and looks forward to The Elder Scrolls Online and the adventures that await them for different reasons. Discussions in the forums are heated, and expectations are huge.
We will surely see each other in Tamriel
– and until then, we will keep you updated on the most important aspects regarding The Elder Scrolls Online.
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This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The free-to-play superhero MMORPG DC Universe Online is known to anyone who watches more than five minutes of TV a day from the constant advertising spots on Pro Sieben.
We pulled our underwear over our pants, shaved our heads luthor-like, practiced the creepiest Joker laugh this side of Gotham, and played DC Universe Online for you.
Brilliant idea to establish the setting
One thing up front: The backstory of how the player becomes a superhuman is fantastic.
This was not at all to be expected. Because DCUO faced a serious problem: Most of us know the DC universe. We know about Superman and Batman, we know the Joker, the Penguin, and General Zod. So, who on earth are we supposed to play? The cool hipster guy who can play Kraftklub out of a ghetto blaster? The mighty hairdresser Scissoria? Captain Arroganto? Or even Aquaman?!
All the superheroes and supervillains that now serve as player characters would certainly have stood out, don’t you think?
Well, DCUO had a stroke of genius. Because they elegantly solve their continuity problem in a typical nerdy way: Parallel universe!
What remains of Earth
The intro begins with an apocalyptic final battle, the great hero deaths. Lex Luthor has done everything in his power to finally get back at his arch-nemesis Superman. For this, he has gathered supervillains, devised brilliant plans, and surely hasn’t slept for two weeks until he has driven the heroes into a corner with an army of cyborgs, supervillains, and a mad Joker, defeating and annihilating them one by one.
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At the moment of his greatest triumph, the old egghead looks up at the sky and realizes that the final battle for the fate of Earth has attracted unwanted onlookers: An alien invasion fleet commanded by Braniac! Without superheroes and supervillains who have worn each other down in endless battles, the Earth is defenseless against Braniac’s invasion.
New heroes are needed in the parallel world
Now, two or three plot points are skipped. Luthor switches to a parallel dimension, informs the heroes and villains there that an invasion is imminent, and releases a virus (or … cryogenetic multi-textual monochrome thingamajig) that turns the muggles of the parallel world into superhumans! Because they were endowed with the powers of the superheroes and supervillains of the annihilated Earth. And now Braniac is already making an appearance.
The player begins their career as one of these freshly baked superhumans. The character creation process is highly praised for the numerous possibilities to design the costume and customize the superhuman exactly to the player’s needs.
But here one of the game’s weaknesses is revealed: The selection overwhelms the player. Should they play a fireball-throwing mutant being or become a higher ice monster based on technology?
And should they reach for their wallet the first time or stick with the free-to-play options? And how does everything differ in gameplay?
While the game roughly provides templates of existing superheroes and supervillains, it is unclear how a Bane or a Catwoman would feel in the game. Additional explanations would have been beneficial here.
BAM and ZOINK: Action-packed gameplay
Once in the game, a lot of joy becomes evident during the tutorial mission for the new superhuman. The graphics look smooth, the combat sequences are action-packed and entertaining. Although the combat system is certainly not innovative, it reminds one of a beat’em-up in its best moments.
Highlights of DC Universe Online also include the way one explores the world. Because of course a superhero does not take the street or the bus, but jumps over rivers, flies, or climbs on skyscrapers and chooses the shortest path from A to B.
In these moments, DC Universe Online feels like a superhero game
It’s just as great when one is suddenly caught up in a quest and meets someone familiar from the DC universe. While the Joker’s voice on the phone wears a bit thin, meeting Killer Croc or Catwoman in a warehouse or taking on one of the superheroes from childhood—these moments make DC Universe Online a lot of fun.
The wheel hasn’t been reinvented
Unfortunately, DC Universe Online also has some cons and flaws, especially in gameplay and quest design. The game was only released in 2011, but it feels a little like it’s a generation behind. The feeling of being a true superhero or supervillain and turning the world upside down is hard to reconcile with the sometimes very monotonous quests. I’ve never seen in a comic that the Joker bribed 12 police officers until 3 said “Okay, I’ll do it!” The new car smell of the combat system also fades quickly.
The other problem is the DC license. In recent years, Marvel has outpaced the DC universe with Iron Man, Spiderman, Thor, and other heroes, especially in terms of movies and pop culture. However, Marvel still has no MMORPG.
A game like DC Universe Online thrives on the fact that one comes from a movie or from the visitor of their comic book collection in the home storage and now urgently wants to experience the adventures of Spiderman or Iron Man in an MMORPG. Unfortunately, the brand DC has gone a bit quiet since the excellent Batman films with Christian Bale. Man of Steel, for example, was quite a stinker.
But rather for casuals?
Many fans have unfortunately not been able to be thrilled by the game during its run, especially the long-term motivation is lacking in DC Universe Online. This is undeniable.
All of this sounds negative; however, it is not that bad. It’s just that DC Universe Online is hard to reconcile with the expectations many hardcore MMORPG players have for the genre: There is hardly any addictive factor. Only a few will spend months and years of their lives playing the game and conquering it in every corner.
Not every game has to be the next WoW. DC Universe Online is at least free-to-play, caters to a niche with its superhero setting, and has a lot to offer. Especially the short-term kick is ensured by the game’s action-packed combat system. And who wouldn’t want to feel like a superhero for once?
Who is the game for?
We at mein-mmo.de can recommend DC Universe Online to the following players:
Anyone who is simply a passionate supporter of the DC universe. Those who grew up with Smallville or, better yet, with a complete comic collection from Batman to Aquaman (okay, just kidding… no one has Aquaman comics) – for them, DCUO is worth a trip.
Anyone who needs a quick kick from a fresh game – DCUO impresses with a fresh setting, good graphics, many strong ideas, and high-quality voice acting. The game is worth downloading just for its intro and the first levels. Especially if you have a fast internet connection.
Anyone who has always wanted to hop on the rooftops of the city: The moment when one realizes “Hello, I’m a superhero—Why don’t I just jump onto the roof of the skyscraper?” – priceless.
Anyone who misses the “beat” in beat’em up. The game sometimes resembles a top-down beat’em up more than an MMORPG. One can lift cars and throw them through the air and polish the faces of a variety of opponents in the best Bud Spencer style.
Anyone who enjoys coming up with their own superheroes or supervillains. The superpowers of the heroes are diverse, and the characters can be tailored precisely to the player’s needs. Here, the imagination has little limits, and much is possible.
Casuals, meaning occasional players. For them, the game is definitely worth a visit. There are no fees, and the game is wonderfully suited to log in and get started. In half an hour, you can accomplish quite a bit, and there is no pressure to hurry so you don’t lose playtime.
Conclusion: DC Universe Online is worth a download and a visit for casual players and fans of the genre. Expectations should, however, remain in realistic dimensions. It does not play in the same league as World of Warcraft or Guild Wars 2 – but it also doesn’t cost anything and is significantly better than many careless standard free-to-play games lurking on the net.
http://youtu.be/qunRXStS_D0
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
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