In Pokémon GO the Smoke Day has been announced. When it takes place and what to expect there, you will find out with us.
When is the event? The Smoke Day will take place on Sunday, May 26, 2024, from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
During the event, you will be able to attract more Kastadur when activating smoke. The chance of encountering a shiny version is also increased. If you are a shiny collector, you should take the opportunity.
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Pokémon GO: It’s time to #RediscoverGO!
More content from the Smoke Day
What kind of Pokémon are available at the event? During the event, there are more Pokémon that you can attract with smoke. The Pokémon will change every hour, similar to the Habitats of the Sinnoh Tour. You can encounter the following Pokémon when you activate smoke:
Smoke encounters plant:
Hisui-Voltobal*
Tangela*
Hoppspross*
Lilminip*
Paragoni*
Bubungus*
Smoke encounters steel:
Galar-Mauzi*
Magnetilo*
Stollunior*
Tanhel*
Schilterus*
Togedemaru*
All Pokémon marked with a * can also appear in their shiny form. The chance is not increased like with Kastadur, but corresponds to the normal shiny chance. There are no Pokémon at the event for which the shiny chance is already generally increased.
Kastadur and Tentantel in their normal forms (each the 1st) and as shiny
When can I encounter the Pokémon? During the event, the Pokémon will rotate every hour. You will be able to attract the Pokémon at the following times with smoke:
11:00 AM to 12:00 PM: Plant Pokémon
12:00 PM to 1:00 PM: Steel Pokémon
1:00 PM to 2:00 PM: Plant Pokémon
2:00 PM to 3:00 PM: Steel Pokémon
3:00 PM to 4:00 PM: Plant Pokémon
4:00 PM to 5:00 PM: Steel Pokémon
What kind of bonuses are there at the event? In addition to the already mentioned increased chance of attracting Kastadur with smoke and the increased shiny chance of the Pokémon, your adventure smoke will also have a longer duration.
If you activate the adventure smoke during the event, it will last twice as long (30 minutes instead of 15 minutes).
What other content is there in the event? In the event, you can buy an event-exclusive bundle in the in-game shop. This will cost 1 PokéCoin and will bring you one smoke.
There are also field research tasks in the event, where you will be rewarded with stardust, nanab berries, as well as super and hyper balls.
What do you think about the event? Will you participate? If so, what are you most looking forward to in the event? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments. If you want to know what events are coming up soon, take a look at our overview of the events in May 2024 in Pokémon GO.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Since 2014, MMO shooters like Destiny or The Division have been one of the major hype genres. They took over the consoles PlayStation and Xbox and opened up new dimensions. Every company wanted to have one. But in 2019, this changed when EA’s “Iron Man” shooter, Anthem, crashed. Now, development of the new “The Division: Heartlands” has been halted. What’s going on?
This was the beginning of MMO shooters: In 2014, the legendary shooter developer Bungie launched their new project Destiny, introducing a new idea. To be more precise, they mixed three known ideas into a new one:
and packed MMORPG mechanics from WoW like raids, traders, and reputation factions into the mix
Then they brought everything to PlayStation and Xbox, where there was nothing comparable and players did not know MMO mechanics. It was only the PS4 and Xbox One that were truly capable of online gaming to this extent. GTA 5 had initiated this console revolution a year prior, but Destiny followed through.
Admittedly, the mix was not entirely new. Even before Destiny, there had been forerunners like Defiance and Planetfall, but it was only with this trailer that the hype really started:
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Destiny – Become Legend Official Trailer
Destiny sets high expectations with 2 great expansions
This was the peak of MMO shooters: The golden age ran with some highs and lows approximately until 2018:
The highlights were in 2015 when Destiny received the very good expansion “The Taken King”
And in 2018, when “The Forsaken” was released for Destiny 2
The exciting thing about that time was that the expansions provided a glimpse of how great the genre was yet to become. There were epic campaigns, refined boss fights, and raids.
Ubisoft’s The Division demonstrated with exciting DLCs what new elements could be introduced into the shooter.
In Destiny, speculation arose: Players could race on their Sparrows, have a small apartment in the tower, or live in their spaceship.
Many had the expectation back then to never take the Destiny disc out of the PlayStation or Xbox again. They wanted to play the game with their friends forever, and there should always be something new, with new great expansions constantly being released.
2019 looked bright for the shooter world, then it fell apart
This was the break: 2019 ultimately became the decisive year for MMO shooters, for better or for worse.
That year saw the release of “Anthem” from Electronic Arts and “The Division 2” from Ubisoft. Moreover, Destiny announced an epic turnaround: They had separated from Activision Blizzard and planned to make the game that the players and the developers themselves wanted.
All three projects looked good at first glance:
Anthem impressed with a strong gameplay loop and great graphics
The Division 2 launched with a fantastic campaign that hooked players to the screen
Destiny 2 was able to create a real sense of excitement with a stream back then
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Anthem shows the four different combat suits in the launch trailer
Destiny, Division, Anthem take the worst possible turn
But what went wrong? All three projects then went in completely the wrong direction and took the worst possible course:
Anthem utterly failed at the “MMO” aspect, had huge problems with game systems and updates. It crashed bitterly within months.
The Division 2 had simply nothing to offer after the campaign, was significantly worse in PvP and expansions than its predecessor, which had only improved over time.
In Destiny 2, the idea of “The game we always wanted to make” turned out to be an excuse for “Now, without Activision, we have fewer resources, can do fewer cool new things, so now we all grind much more.”
This was the aftermath: For fans of MMO shooters, five bitter years followed: While more content was released, the number of “highlights” was rather limited.
Alternatives to the games were not really developed. Individual attempts by publishers to somehow break into the Destiny niche ended in futility.
Yes, people played a few weeks of Outriders or Borderlands 3 – but it was not the same.
A Division 3 has been announced, but Ubisoft doesn’t seem to have much confidence in the franchise. Division developer Massive has been assigned to Avatar, a game that hardly seems to interest anyone. Recently, a Division spin-off was canceled.
Genre proves to be too costly and alternatives are easier
What is the problem? The loot shooter genre with Destiny and The Division has always had a content problem: Players constantly want new content: campaigns, raids, new enemies, new mechanics.
However, creating this content is labor-intensive and cannot be delivered as quickly as players want. Especially since the foundations for a game like Destiny were created back in 2012 and are apparently completely outdated.
Furthermore, the games prove to be prone to bugs and require a constant live service to handle bugs, exploits, and balance issues. The developers completely underestimated this.
Additionally, loot shooters have never really managed to establish new ideas and systems in the ten years they have existed to advance the genre. There is a lack of creativity and ideas. You can see this in how, in 2024, there will be a frenzied celebration that after six years, a new enemy is finally set to appear in Destiny.
Moreover, in the last ten years, other shooter genres have been in the hype, and the original “MMO shooter” trend has been flanked first by hero shooters (Overwatch), then by battle royale shooters (Fortnite), and finally by extraction shooters (“Escape from Tarkov”).
Even the developers of MMO shooters want to do something different now
This, in turn, seems to be causing even the few companies that have experience with MMO shooters to prefer to exit the genre rather than continue working on the formula and improving it:
With Destiny 2, ‘The Final Shape’ a new expansion is set to be released in a few days. Whether this can give the genre an uptick seems questionable at the moment.
Overall, this is a very disappointing development over the past five years. Ultimately, the breaking point was reached a while ago when Bungie simply failed to implement Activision’s master plan, which was supposed to deliver us a great future: Destiny 2 and Activision’s grandiose master plan
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Borderlands series is entering the next round. First hints of a fourth installment in the series are appearing – and a trailer should follow soon.
When thinking of loot shooters with the maximum possible amount of loot and a quirky world, Borderlands inevitably comes to mind. While the first part had relatively little story, the series really picked up pace from the second installment onwards, delivering a great story with some of the best villains of all time.
Almost five years have passed since the release of the last part of the main series, Borderlands 3. Now there are first hints of the next installment.
Borderlands 2 is still considered one of the best loot shooters of all time – also thanks to Handsome Jack:
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Launch Trailer for Borderlands 2
Multiple Hints for the Release of Borderlands 4
Where does the info come from? The Twitter/X account of the Summer Game Fest has sent a quite clear message into the world, stating:
“2K plans to present the next part of one of their biggest and most beloved franchises at the Summer Game Fest on Friday, June 7.”
This is of course meant to build excitement for the event – at the same time, it’s a clear indication that it could be Borderlands 4.
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What speaks for Borderlands 4? During an “Investor’s Call”, Take-Two’s CEO, Strauss Zelnick, spoke about Gearbox. The studio was acquired by Take-Two a few months ago, apparently with a clear goal. Zelnick explained:
We have great respect for Randy Pitchford and his team. He has the ability to bring AAA titles to market in a reliable and quite fast speed. And he is a hit-maker. It is very difficult to produce a new hit. And Tiny Tina was a new hit.
The last installment of the Borderlands series was the spin-off “Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands” – and that was another hit for Take-Two. In 2022, it was said that Wonderlands had “exceeded expectations” (via pcgamer.com).
Zelnick further stated that they already identified a future for the Borderlands series:
We have already identified many growth opportunities for the Borderlands series and Gearbox’s catalog and want to pursue these once the studio is integrated into our organization.
What else speaks for it? Currently, a Borderlands movie is in production. This is expected to hit theaters in August this year, barring any delays. Releases of movies and series have often led to increased sales of games in the past (like with the Witcher series or Cyberpunk: Edgerunners). It would only make sense to present a new installment of the series alongside the movie.
However, one should also consider that it might be too early to really expect a release soon. Since Gearbox was only recently acquired, it seems likely that at the Summer Game Fest – if at all – only a teaser for the next Borderlands will be released, and the actual release might still be many months, if not years, away.
What other games could be meant? There is also the possibility that it is not about Borderlands but rather about another game series. After all, 2K has also created other popular series. A new installment in the “BioShock” series or another chapter in the “Mafia” series would also be possible.
Together with Borderlands, these are three popular game series. Even though Borderlands 4 seems the most likely, we will probably only get a final confirmation at the Summer Game Fest on June 7 – as 2K will finally present a trailer then.
Would you be excited for a new Borderlands? Or would you prefer to see a new BioShock or Mafia?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Fans of Final Fantasy 14 were excited about a new livestream from the producer team. In the 81st producer’s letter, Naoki Yoshida, also known as Yoshi-P, and Toshio Murouchi provided insights into the upcoming changes for all job classes in Dawntrail. The gameplay videos featuring the Viper and the Piktomant were particularly thrilling.
Yoshida and Murouchi revealed that the Viper is designed to have as many actions as other jobs. However, the job is designed to require fewer actions on the command bars. Instead, in the combo frenzy, old actions are replaced by new ones. In Reawaken Mode, many attacks can then be executed incredibly quickly in succession.
The Piktomant, on the other hand, uses a brush in combat and is a magical painter. It can paint three motifs, which can be a creature, a weapon, or a landscape. Each motif has an effect: for example, a Moogle causes many pom-poms to fall from the sky, while the hammer deals significant damage.
The Piktomant is able to cast buffs for the group and itself. An example of this can be seen in the video below, showcasing a wave. Its attacks appear colorful and are completely differently designed than the other jobs currently available in FF14.
The following video not only shows the gameplay of the two new jobs but also all the changes for the already existing jobs:
Start video
Final Fantasy 14: The New Jobs from Dawntrail in Gameplay
Other changes coming in Dawntrail
What else was shown? Yoshida and Murouchi revealed many other things that will change with Dawntrail (or even before it):
There will be two new important NPCs named Bakool Ja Ja and Koana.
There will be several events and collaborations that take place before or during the release of Dawntrail, including the return of the Fall Guys event and collaborations with Mountain Dew and KFC, unfortunately not valid in Europe.
New merchandise for the MMORPG will be available, including cable ties and keychains.
Interested players can test the Immerse Gamepack Version 2.2 starting now, which promises a new sound experience.
The new start screen for Dawntrail has been revealed.
The MMORPG is currently also suffering from the largest DDoS attack since its release. The development team is working hard to implement appropriate measures and improve the situation.
Players can also look forward to a free item. By completing a quest started by an NPC in Ul’dah, they can obtain a copy of Fantasia. This item allows you to change your appearance. Even your race can be changed afterward.
This item is particularly useful because there will be a new graphics update. With it, players can adjust the appearance of their character if they are not satisfied with the new graphics. Previously, fans had complained, for example, about how ugly the teeth of the Lalafell now look: One race in Final Fantasy 14 has an ugly set of teeth – the developers are making it even worse
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A former student destroyed 59 PCs and other technical devices at a university with an electrical shock. The USB Killer stick used caused hardware damage of over 47,000 euros.
However, there are also USB sticks that are free of malware but still have a destructive effect. Our colleagues from 3djuegospc.com reported on a former student who caused 47,000 euros in damage to his old university with a USB Killer stick.
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Manufacturer shows sleek case, gamers are thrilled: “Great design! Goes directly onto my wishlist”
Former student uses killer stick to destroy 59 PCs
What did the former student do? A man destroyed a total of 59 computers, 7 monitors, and PC-based podiums with open USB ports at the College of Saint Rose (Albany, New York) in 2019. Since he completed his studies in 2017, he was no longer a student at the time of the act.
All devices were rendered unusable by an electrical shock. The former student used a special USB Killer stick, which he connected to the USB slots of the affected devices. Some researchers have already taken it a step further and “fry” phones in a wireless manner.
The damaged hardware was worth 47,000 euros. Additionally, there were 7,000 euros in labor costs for employees due to the investigation and replacement of destroyed hardware. The student was ordered to pay the total costs and was sentenced to one year in prison.
How do these sticks work? USB Killer sticks look like ordinary USB sticks from the outside. However, there is no flash memory installed inside like in regular sticks. Instead of memory chips, killer sticks contain electronic components that cause an electrical discharge.
The killer sticks can be charged with any USB power supply. When discharged in the target system, about 200 volts are reached. This is sufficient to permanently damage electronic devices, necessitating their replacement or repair.
Why do these sticks exist? The possession of USB Killer sticks is legal and can be purchased from various online retailers. In the professional field, killer sticks are used to identify problems and security vulnerabilities, similar to Microsoft’s USB Death Van.
This way, different systems can be tested for surge attacks. This includes, for example, in-car entertainment systems and critical medical systems, whose surge protection must withstand such criminal attacks.
But electronic locks and access control systems are also checked to ensure proper functioning in case of system failure.
This case shows that technology, which originally serves an important purpose, can also be used maliciously. This is similar to the project of a German artist. The dead drops, which facilitate offline data exchange between like-minded individuals, can unfortunately also be used by criminals for the distribution of malware: In Germany, there are over 400 USB sticks protruding from walls – What is the ‘Dead Drops’ project?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The tech YouTuber Gamers Nexus tests Asus’s customer support and sends in his ROG Ally. And although only a defective joystick was supposed to be replaced, Asus wants to replace the entire display instead.
What is it about? The YouTuber Gamers Nexus has published a video in which he harshly criticizes the customer support of the hardware manufacturer Asus. It primarily concerns the repair process:
Gamers Nexus received increasing messages about dubious repair processes at the hardware manufacturer Asus. Often, according to viewers, horrendous sums were demanded for minor repairs, and damages were noted that were previously unknown.
He decided to get to the bottom of the matter and submitted a repair request for his ROG Ally (a competitor to the Steam Deck). This has a defective joystick, which Asus claims is a warranty case and should be replaced for free.
For this test, the YouTuber documented everything in detail, took photos of the entire device, and made sure that only the joystick was really defective.
Asus wants to replace the screen instead of the joystick
This was the manufacturer’s response: The response from Asus to the repair request was particularly curious. They suggested replacing the device’s display – for a total of about 200 dollars.
Even though it had no damage at all. This was justified by minor scratches on the plastic above the display. Gamers Nexus even mentioned this flaw before shipping and showed under the microscope that it was just a small cosmetic scratch.
Asus then gave 5 days to decide whether to proceed with the repair or not. And if the money was not transferred in time, the device could be sent back without repair and dismantled.
Especially disastrous for a complicated device like a ROG Ally. Most owners would likely be unable to reassemble it.
This is how Asus justified itself: In response to a query from Gamers Nexus about why the display needed to be replaced, Asus replied that they discovered the aforementioned case damage. And to repair this, the display would have to be replaced. After all, it is directly connected to the case – a logic that leaves the YouTuber dumbfounded.
To show you how tiny this flaw really is, check out Gamers Nexus’s video at minute 1:34:
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After a back and forth, the manufacturer then suggested that it would also be possible to ignore the case damage and only fix the joystick. This option was only offered after Gamers Nexus expressed surprise over the proposed display replacement.
And that’s exactly what happened. Asus replaced the joystick and surprisingly also replaced almost the entire device. The motherboard, SD card reader, and the SoC (System on a Chip) were also replaced.
Gamers Nexus smells fraud: Unwary customers could certainly find themselves in trouble here, says the YouTuber. Because the threat of having the device returned dismantled and the various decision deadlines can create quite a bit of pressure.
His conclusion at the end of the video, which will be followed by a second part: “Asus’s warranty service is absolute garbage based on our experience. We cannot recommend it at all if you ever need it.”
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
With The War Within, addons in World of Warcraft are being curtailed. Especially in “Mythic+”, new abilities are introduced where addons will not help.
When it comes to tough dungeons in the “Mythic+” category, most players of World of Warcraft use various addons. Interface enhancements like “DBM” provide clarity in fights, WeakAuras tracks many abilities and can be massively customized.
However, for The War Within, some heroes of Azeroth may already be coming to terms with the idea that the effectiveness of these addons will be limited. Because Blizzard is introducing more “Private Auras” in dungeons.
Start video
WoW: The War Within – All the major features of the new expansion
What are “Private Auras”? “Private Auras” are effects in the game, such as abilities from bosses or debuffs, to which addons have only limited access.
Normally, interface addons can read extremely accurately when and where which effect comes into play. Players are often immediately informed through addons when they receive a negative effect and usually know right away how to react.
With “Private Auras”, the ability of addons to read these effects is drastically reduced. Generally, only basic information can be displayed. This means that players must act themselves in the case of these auras and cannot rely on an addon to suggest the best course of action.
What does this mean concretely? In short, this change means that certain abilities can no longer be tracked by “Boss Mods” or WeakAuras and therefore will not work with these addons – or only in a very limited way.
Of course, it remains to be seen whether Blizzard will stick to this idea or if they will revert these adjustments during the course of the alpha or even expand upon them.
How the community is reacting: This change is being heatedly discussed in the community. Depending on where you look, the introduction of “Private Auras” in dungeons is seen particularly negatively or as an opportunity to force Blizzard into better, clearer gameplay.
On wowhead, this is viewed critically, with comments like:
“What the hell is wrong with this company?”
“Actively fighting against the joy of the player base is really a good hill to die on.”
“Why are they trying so hard to implement bad ideas? This has clearly failed, please take it back and do something else, Blizzard.”
In the WoW subreddit, the discussion is somewhat more neutral, and at least the possibilities are acknowledged. It mentions:
“Okay, hear me out: How about they make the sound effects, graphics, telegraphs, and colors uniform instead of making them random every time, so that we need WeakAura to even recognize anything?”
“Hopefully they will continue to implement and adjust them throughout the expansion, along with the design of the mechanics, so that one day we won’t need addons anymore.”
What do you think about the increased number of hidden “Private Auras”? Is it a good thing that makes the game in The War Within even more challenging? Or does Blizzard need to first get a handle on the effects chaos? We would love to hear your opinion in the comments!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In League of Legends, items are constantly being removed or new ones added. Some players demand that a certain Mage item be removed because players buy it even though it is actually not good. However, not all players agree.
Which item is it? Stormsurge is a relatively new item that was only introduced in Season 14. It is a Mage item that provides you with AP, Magic Penetration, and Movement Speed. What makes the item special are its abilities, Stormraider and Squall.
Stormraider: If you deal damage to an opposing champion within 2.5 seconds equal to 35% of their maximum health, you will gain 25% Movement Speed and the opponent receives the Squall status.
Squall: After 2 seconds, the opponent is struck by a lightning bolt that deals different damage depending on whether you are melee or ranged. If the opponent dies before the lightning comes down, all nearby opponents are stunned and you receive 30 gold.
Basically, the item sounds good, but Reddit user Redditpaslan finds that the item is useless and only entices players to buy it.
Among the comments on the post, some agree with the contribution. User xChrisMas finds the item to be true bait. onitram52 agrees with him and sees as a big problem that the item is suggested to many champions.
Other users, like Lipat97, believe that the item is actually well designed, but that Riot has nerfed it too much. FunkyXive also agrees with this argument: They have nerfed the delayed damage effect to insignificance.
Is the item really that bad? Looking at the current statistics of the item on League of Graphs, it doesn’t look that bad. It has a win rate of 52% with a pick rate of 4.8%.
Many users in the comments find Luden’s Companion paired with Shadowflame better than Stormsurge. While Luden’s has a slightly lower win rate, it has a higher pick rate with Shadowflame and Shadowflame even has a higher win rate.
What do the pros play? Looking at U.GG at the currently best mid-laner champions in Emerald and above, few of the best builds include Stormsurge. Burst champions like Lux, Zoe, or Vex perform better with Luden’s Companion. Depending on the champion, a Zhonyas, Lich Bane, or Horizon Focus is then preferred.
League of Legends is a difficult game for newcomers. Countless champions, items, and their respective abilities and builds must be learned. Learning all this requires a lot of time, and often the community itself is not patient with new players. A WoW streamer shared his experience as a new LoL player: Twitch streamer from WoW gives an honest review of what LoL is like as a new player
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Ubisoft has announced Assassin’s Creed Shadow, the latest installment in their popular game series. Streamer Asmongold is frustrated on Twitch about the monetization and the new main character.
What is Asmongold frustrated about? Twitch streamer Asmongold reacts in his stream to the reveal of Assassin’s Creed Shadow on May 15, 2024. He primarily addresses two points:
The various pre-order editions
The male main character
In the new installment of the series, as in Assassin’s Creed London, there are again two protagonists: Naoe, a Shinobi assassin from the Japanese province of Iga, and Yasuke, a Black samurai.
The latter causes initial excitement for Asmongold. He believes Ubisoft wants to distract from its pricing policy. Here he gets really angry, as the game is offered in several versions:
The base game costs €69.99 and is also available in two much more expensive versions that come with different goodies.
The Gold Edition costs €109.99 and comes with pre-order bonuses, a season pass, and 3 days of early access.
For €20 more, the Ultimate Edition includes additional in-game items and even skill points for the player’s character.
Finally, Ubisoft offers to simply subscribe to its own subscription service Ubisoft+ in the premium edition. For €17.99 a month, you get the game in the ultimate edition with all related content.
Pre-order buyers of all editions will also receive the quest A Dog’s Life.
What is Asmongold’s view on the matter? In fact, Asmongold mainly vents his anger about the editions and prices:
Add a main character to a game who is really controversial, and use that to divert people from the fact that they’re trying to get people to spend $130 on the damn game.
Asmongold via Youtube, May 16, 2024
According to Asmongold, Ubisoft is trying to blind players. Potential buyers would only want the base version, switch to the expensive edition because of the goodies, only to be positively surprised by the much cheaper subscription model.
Finally, Asmongold states that he doesn’t care if Ubisoft wants to “butcher” Japanese culture. But the monetization and the editions are a problem.
Here you can watch the trailer for the game:
Start video
Ubisoft presents the new Assassin’s Creed Shadow in feudal Japan with a first trailer
Complicated prices and editions? Ubisoft has experience
Is the pricing policy new? Assassin’s Creed Shadow is not Ubisoft’s first ride with complex versions, bonus distributions, and day-one DLCs:
The direct predecessor Assassin’s Creed Valhalla was released in a standard, gold, and ultimate edition with a distributed season pass and ultimate pack. Additionally, there was a physical edition with a figure.
The recently released Skull and Bones was also offered in both a standard and a premium edition.
As early as 2014, there were different versions and pre-order bonuses for games. South Park: The Stick of Truth could be pre-ordered in two different versions: once as Super Samurai Spaceman Pack and as Ultimate Fellowship Pack.
Ubisoft has long-standing experience with the pricing and pre-order policy used for Assassin’s Creed Shadow. In fact, Ubisoft is not the only one: different pre-order editions are also available from many other publishers such as Square Enix and Activision/Blizzard.
Why is the protagonist being discussed? The male protagonist of Assassin’s Creed Shadow is currently being discussed because, as a man with dark skin, he does not fit the image of feudal Japan for many. However, there is indeed a historical counterpart for the character.
Who was the historical Yasuke? The samurai Yasuke fought on the side of Oda Nobunaga and was part of his army. He only appears in historical records between 1579 and 1582 – during this time, according to Ubisoft, the game is also set.
Almost nothing is known about his life before this; even his birth year cannot be precisely determined. It is believed that he was a victim of the slave trade and was trained as a child soldier in a Portuguese colony. The Italian Jesuit Alessandro Valignano eventually brought Yasuke to Japan (BBC.com via Web Archive).
In Kyoto, he met Oda Nobunaga (Time.com), who hired him. According to records, he spent his further time in Japan in the service of Nobunaga and was even elevated to the rank of samurai by him (Britannica.com). However, from 1582, Yasuke disappears from the records. The reason for this, such as his death or a return home, is not known.
If you want to read more details about Yasuke’s life, you can do so with the colleagues at Japandigest.
There is still quite a while until Assassin’s Creed Shadow is released in November. In the meantime, you can occupy your time with the recently launched Season 4 of Diablo 4 or the upcoming expansions of Destiny 2 and Final Fantasy XIV. If you are a PS5 owner and looking for specific suggestions, you can refer to our list: The best PS5 games according to Metacritic
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In League of Legends the best player from the West, the Dane Rasmus “Caps” Winther (24), had a standout day in LoL. He eliminated a team from the overwhelmingly powerful rival China at MSI 2024 with G2. Caps made some bold statements and has a chance to prove himself. Because today, on May 17th, the final boss awaits him: Faker and T1 play against G2 on May 17th for everything or nothing.
Which game did G2 win? G2 managed to eliminate one of the 4 overwhelmingly strong teams from the East at MSI 2024:
Caps and his team clearly defeated TES, Top Esports, the second-best team from China, with 3-0
Top Esports features professionals, real LoL stars like 369, Tian and JackeyLove – but this time it wasn’t enough
After all other teams from the West have now been eliminated, G2 is the last representative of Europe. Alongside them are 2 teams from South Korea (the neighboring Gen G. with Chovy and T1) and one team from China, BLG with Xun and Knight.
He waits for Caps tomorrow:
Start video
The Life of Faker – Why He is a Living Legend
Standout Day for Caps: G2 Outsmarts Team from China
How well did Caps play? Caps is seen by experts as one of the crucial players on his team. The previously heavily criticized bot laner Hans Sama won the MVP award of the game.
This particular play is considered a perfect example of Caps’ strong performance:
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What Caps said: After his victory against the team from China, Caps was inspired to some clear words in an interview with Dexerto . He says:
“I think the effort I put in every day determines how well I play. And if I win Worlds? Then it’s just because of me. When people say things like ‘Oh, we’re from Europe’ or ‘Oh, I’m too old’, those are just excuses.
He speaks highly of his teammates in the interview: Hans Sama has proven that he is the best Draven, better than Jackeylove. His top laner Broken Blade played fantastically in Game 3.
At G2, he now finally has a team that goes all in and gives everything.
Caps says there are still big mountains to climb. Gen G. and BLG are very strong. If you want to have a chance against them, you have to improve even further.
How is this being discussed? Although Caps is seen by many as the best player in the West, this is regarded as a bold statement. It is believed to be a challenge against players in the West who are belittling themselves.
Faker and T1 Await Caps Today
When can he prove it? Today, on Friday, May 17th, T1 and Faker await G2 in the rematch.
This is for everything: Whoever wins will be in the semifinals against the Chinese team BLG. Whoever loses goes home.
HandOfBlood is regarded as one of the most successful Twitch streamers and influencers for gaming content in Germany. However, before his career, he had to go through hell during an internship at VW, as he revealed in a podcast.
What kind of internship was that? After his high school graduation, Maximilian Knabe, known as HandOfBlood, initially didn’t know what he wanted to do. Therefore, he completed a trial internship for 3 weeks at the automotive giant “Volkswagen” (VW) in Wolfsburg.
From this brief time, Hänno, as he is affectionately called by his fans, took away many lasting impressions. In the latest episode of Feelings, the podcast by comedian Kurt Krömer, the streamer shares his experiences as an intern in “Body Engineering Planning”.
He also touches on some unpleasant details from everyday work life. “That was hell,” the streamer summarizes his time at VW. At least, after 3 weeks, Hänno knew for sure what he did not want to do in the future.
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HandOfBlood: The most important thing about the YouTuber and Twitch streamer in under a minute
“Nothing was fun there”: Hänno on his job at VW
What experiences at VW does HandOfBlood report on? Just the first impression of his workplace would have put the streamer off considerably. Besides the numerous dreary cardboard walls that separated the individual workstations, it was mainly the smell that burned itself into his brain, according to the streamer.
“It was like in a large disco. 2 toilets for everyone. It smelled like a pigsty,” HandOfBlood recalls.
Even his tasks during the internship could not distract him from the “stinky environment”. According to him, Hänno spent his working hours editing Excel spreadsheets. He was done with that after just 10 minutes. The rest of the day he just watched the clock until he could finally leave at 3:00 PM.
You can listen to the entire episode of Feelings with HandOfBlood for free on Thursday, May 23rd at podcasts.apple.com.
How else did HandOfBlood pass the time at VW? After finishing his tasks quickly, he tried to make time pass on his computer. But that didn’t work out.
“Browser games, YouTube. I checked everything. Everything was blocked. Everything that could bring joy to life,” that was Hänno’s sober analysis of his failed attempts at distraction.
At least, from time to time, his team leader came to him and took him for a currywurst in the cafeteria. But even that was more of a burden for HandOfBlood, so he must conclude about his time at VW: “Nothing was fun there.”
One positive thing he could take away from this experience, at least. Because he felt so much boredom, he was certain afterward that he wanted to pursue a career as an influencer. He probably doesn’t regret that step. By now, Hänno is also very successful with his LoL team: Twitch streamer HandOfBlood wins the Champions League of LoL with his team
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Season 4 brought numerous changes to Diablo 4. Some of these were announced in advance, while others only became apparent in the game itself. You can find out more about it here on MeinMMO.
Since May 14th, Season 4 has been live in Diablo 4, attracting numerous players. The features have been largely well-received. The revamped Helltides are chaotic and deadly – and that’s exactly what players love.
Other innovations have only become apparent to many players in the game itself. Even the smallest changes are a tremendous relief. We show you 5 changes that make Season 4 even better.
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Diablo 4: The boss explains Season 4 in 60 seconds
Crafting Seasonal Potions with Oboluses
In Season 4, there is no special new mechanic, like the Warden in Season 3 or the vampiric powers in Season 2. Instead, there are a few seasonal items, including two potions that not only increase your XP gain but also grant you helpful skills for 15 minutes. And the best part? You can craft them yourself.
How do I craft the seasonal potions? You craft the potions just like all other potions at the Alchemist in Diablo 4. For the seasonal elixirs, you need 350 Oboluses and 2,000 gold per potion.
Oboluses are becoming much more important with Season 4, as you need them not just for potions but also to secure the best loot in the game.
The following seasonal potions are available:
Elixir of Holy Bolts: When you kill an enemy, Holy Bolts are fired from the corpse. Your XP gain is increased by 6%.
Elixir of Momentum: Your movement speed is increased after an enemy is killed. The effect can stack up to 15 times. Your XP gain is increased by 6%.
You can craft the seasonal potions at the Alchemist starting from level 10.
Herbs Available in Bundles
Herbs that you find in the open world of Sanctuary are now grouped into bundles. This might sound quite trivial at first, but it is still a tremendous relief because: You need herbs, among other things, to craft potions. Previously, you’d collect many different herbs and sometimes had to convert them to get the right ones for a specific elixir.
What do I need now to craft elixirs? Unlike the seasonal potions, you now craft the basic and advanced elixirs at the initial levels only with herb bundles and gold. For elixirs starting at level 40, gem fragments are added, and for advanced elixirs, you need Angel’s Breath.
This change seems to have positively surprised the community. A user writes on Reddit that not having to worry about specific herb types is “damn refreshing.” Another user writes in the Reddit post: “This is a wonderful QoL change!”
At World Levels 3 and 4, there are different types of chests. You will find chests with specific items that are accordingly labeled. Additionally, you will find “Tormented Gifts of Secrets,” which contain Legendary items, an occasional Unique, and each a “Living Steel” with which you summon the boss Grigoire.
What chests do I find at World Levels 1 and 2? However, at World Levels 1 and 2, there are only “Tormented Gifts of Secrets.” These, however, do not cost 250 Ash like in World Levels 3 and 4, but only 100. Besides Oboluses, the chests can contain rare and Legendary items, but also Uniques.
Opening chests is more rewarding in Season 4 than before, and the treasure goblins also often provide better loot. But the Helltide rewards you as well if you are diligent and collect certain resources.
How am I rewarded with better loot? It is even more worthwhile than before to chase a treasure goblin and take his loot before he can escape through his portal. He often has Legendary items with him, and there is a chance he drops boss materials.
In the Helltide, you will be rewarded when you donate the Torment Hearts needed for the ritual. Every player who contributes a Torment Heart receives a bonus on the loot that the summoning of the Blood Maiden yields at the end.
According to “jabirttok,” the bonus is not stackable, so it suffices if you donate 1 heart (source: Reddit). After all, those hearts have to be collected in the Helltide first.
In addition to the general revisions to loot and Helltides, there are massive changes to the crafting system. When you open the “Transmutation” tab at the Alchemist, you now find a new item: the Granting Chest.
What do I do with the chest? This new chest from the Alchemist contains a random legendary item. However, you need specific materials and a lot of gold if you want to craft it. It’s worth it if you plan to start another character, as you can equip him with items this way.
On May 14, Season 4 titled “Loot Reborn” launched in Diablo 4 and brought numerous changes to the ARPG. Here you will find everything about the season theme, features, and the new crafting system.
Update from May 10: We have updated the article with the latest information.
Was there a PTR? There was a PTR (Public Test Realm) that ran from April 2 to 9 and was available to anyone with a Battle.net version of Diablo 4 on PC. Players had the opportunity to test new content in advance on the PTR. After the first day, almost all experts were absolutely thrilled.
The developers emphasized in the livestream on May 2 how important the PTR was for Season 4 and the changes:
What is the new season theme? The theme of the season will be the Iron Wolves, which many have already suspected. The mercenary union has been a fixed part of the world since Diablo 2 and plays an increasingly important role since then.
Furthermore, Season 4 is all about the motto “Loot Reborn”. While Season 4 will not receive a special mechanic, it will fundamentally reshape everything, including the loot and crafting system, even beyond Season 4.
What’s included in Season 4? In the last “Campfire Chat” livestream, the developers reported on the numerous updates for Season 4 that they have been working on for months. Players then got a glimpse on the PTR. An expert has already presented the strongest builds for Season 4.
The patch notes for Season 4 specifically show what new content, changes, and “quality of life” improvements are included in the update:
Smaller affix pool with stronger, “noticeable” values: From Season 4, there will be a smaller pool of affixes, which removes many duplicate or conditional effects. The overall values of the affixes have been increased. The amount of affixes on items itself has also been reduced. Legendary affixes can drop in a “larger” version, which is 1.5 times stronger.
Aspects no longer clog chests and inventory: From Season 4, legendary aspects will be transferred to your Codex of Power when you dismantle items. Thus, Blizzard addresses an annoying problem, and players say: “This completely changes Diablo 4.”
Less “useless” loot: Enemies from level 95 now always drop items with level 925. Unique items and Uber Uniques drop at earlier levels. At world level 3, only “sacred” items drop, and at world level 4, only “legacy” items. And the developers are simplifying complicated armor values – you will only need to remember one number.
Trading: Trading will also be revised in Season 4. You will be able to trade legendaries and uniques, except for Uber Uniques or items that are bound to your account through crafting.
Curiosity Trader: The “gambling” aspect should also become more interesting, because: the special trader will receive a better offer, and the maximum limit of Obols has been raised to 2,500. Starting from level 100, you will be guaranteed legendaries with an item power of 925 from him. And the items have a chance to possess “greater affixes”.
New endgame content: With Andariel, a new boss enters, who according to the developers drops the same loot as Duriel. In the new activity “The Pit,” you will find new materials called “Stygian Stones,” which allow you to summon “Level 200” versions of the bosses.
Revision of Hell Floods: The more monsters you slay, the more your “threat” increases. At maximum threat, assassins will appear who are targeting you. With a currency that you find in Tormented Gifts, you can also start a new event for a boss fight and strong rewards. Additionally, Hell Floods in Season 4 are also available in world levels 1 and 2. Players love the changes, but say: the best feature is too good.
In the video, you will get an insight into the changes for Season 4 in Diablo 4:
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Diablo 4: Trailer shows the changes for Season 4 ‘Loot Reborn’
Season 4 – Tips and Builds
How do I best start in Season 4? The latest season completely revamps Diablo 4. Some even say it is now a completely different, new game. You will no longer find an overwhelming number of affixes and can compare items more easily. Additionally, there is a completely new crafting system and new endgame content. If you are starting in Season 4 now, we provide you with some tips for the ideal start.
Which class is suitable? At the start of the season, necromancers dominate the top of the tier list and have three builds in the S-tier when it comes to endgame content. The minion build is suitable for both leveling and endgame activities.
The strongest classes and builds in the endgame in Season 4 of Diablo 4 can be seen in our tier list. There, we present three strong builds for each of the five classes, along with a brief description of what the builds are capable of and what makes them so good: Diablo 4 Season 4 Tier List of the best classes & builds – This is how you play them
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Blizzard has announced the Tempest as a new class for Diablo Immortal and now explains exactly what these mythical warriors can do. The skills sound a lot like classes that are already incredibly strong in Dungeons & Dragons and Baldur’s Gate 3.
The warriors come from a now-sunken empire and are, according to lore, the last fighters of a powerful empress.
Even if the initial impression is that the class seems like just a better monk from Diablo 3, there is apparently much more behind it.
This is how the Tempest plays: Tempests are melee spellcasters who fight with the power of wind and water. Blizzard has explained the skills in more detail in a new blog post and MMORPG.com has already had a chance to play them.
At its core, the Tempest weaves spells in melee combat, creating zephyrs that mimic some skills. This way, it can easily melt even large bosses with mirror images. It primarily focuses on speed and magic, reminiscent of storm magic.
Two classes in Baldur’s Gate 3 work similarly: Clerics of the Storm Domain and Monks of the Open Hand. Both are at the top of the tier list in Baldur’s Gate 3 and Tempests sound like a mix of both. MMORPG.com comments:
The Tempest feels hectic and seems easy to start with, but with a lot of depth. It feels like a class that anyone can play well, but in the hands of someone who has mastered it, it becomes wild and crazy.
However, one significant difference for Tempests: They fight with blades. Something that Clerics and Monks in D&D generally refrain from.
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Diablo Immortal: The trailer for the new class Storm
Diablo Immortal introduces a new class, changes the most cumbersome systems
If you play a Tempest in Diablo Immortal and create a new character, you have the choice to play a specially created intro for the class. Alternatively, you can simply switch classes or play the regular intro.
Blizzard has also announced further changes, especially to the game’s Paragon system and various difficulty levels. Both will be significantly streamlined:
A Reddit user shared their idea on how crimes might be punished in the strategy game Manor Lords in the future. However, they are being publicly criticized by history fans.
Since its release, Manor Lords has excited many fans of the strategy genre. Twitch streamer and our colleague Maurice Weber already states: Manor Lords is THE building game of the future.
Since then, there have already been some good additions, as the game is currently still in Early Access. As our colleagues from GameStar reported a few days ago, a new patch addresses bugs and balancing issues, for example.
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Manor Lord Release Date Trailer
But even though developer Greg Slavic Magic Styczeń surely has many plans for his game, players are also voicing their wishes for the future of Manor Lords here and there.
What wish has now been expressed? In his post on Reddit, user Nucleif expressed the wish that there should eventually be gallows in Manor Lords. He posted a picture of a gallows on a large platform in the middle of a quaint village.
While some players agreed with him in their comments and generally seem to wish that crimes in Manor Lords could be punished appropriately in the future, most comments quickly bring Nucleif back to reality. One could also say that the user was ultimately put on the spot for his suggestion.
What reactions were there? “It is interesting what some people consider historically accurate,” writes a user in their comment on the original post. In fact, many users clarify in their responses that gallows were not built in the middle of villages and small towns.
The right seemed to be reserved for the king. Moreover, they would more likely be erected outside the town because corpses often hung for several days, and that was not something needed in the town. This way, it was also often shown at various waypoints who held the power, as user Piekentier explains in his response.
Others clarify that crimes in smaller towns and villages were regulated differently at that time. Although there was punishment by death, other methods – such as imprisonment or being publicly humiliated – were more common during that period.
So will there be no gallows? Even though many history fans are excited about how well Manor Lords represents life in the Middle Ages, it cannot be entirely ruled out that some not-so-accurate things might find their way into the game here and there.
Players must come to terms with it
Developer Styczeń himself has already stated that you cannot die on every historical hill. “I think it must be understood that the foundation of the game is definitely rooted in historical accuracy, but there will certainly be deviations to develop a game. And many of you need to come to terms with that,” he says in his own statement.
Manor Lords already has a system for public order, influenced by unemployment, homelessness, or the lack of administrative buildings. It is, therefore, quite conceivable that a system for crimes and punishments will be introduced at some point in the future. Recently, a player has built the perfect village: A player built the perfect city in Manor Lords: With 3,200 inhabitants and only one market
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Fortnite has less than 3 weeks left until Chapter 5 Season 3 starts. When the new season starts, what leaks say about upcoming content, and the status of a live event can be found in our overview.
Update, May 16: Today begins the mini live event of Season 2. A large dust cloud is supposed to engulf the map. Head into the “Battle Royale” mode soon. It is set to start at 8 PM.
When does Chapter 5 Season 3 start? On May 24, 2024, at 08:00 AM, it will happen. Epic Games will shut down its servers again to roll out a big update for Chapter 5 Season 3.
In addition to map changes, a new battle pass, and items for battle royale, the modes of Rocket Racing, LEGO Fortnite, and Fortnite Festival will also be equipped with new changes to entertain you until the next season release.
Epic Games is currently staying silent, and there are no official teasers for Season 3. Although the information situation looks poor, there is a promising leak that announces many upcoming contents from Fortnite.
Start video
Fortnite Battle Royale Chapter 5 Season 2: Myths & Mortals showcases battles with gods
Leaks suggest content for Chapter 5 Season 3
What was leaked? On April 19, a large leak was revealed on x.com (formerly Twitter). It concerned the internal roadmap of Fortnite that Epic Games has put together for its employees. It shows not only the contents that are already known but also content that is still to come and extends until December.
If you don’t want to be spoiled, you should stop reading now. We will show you the leak and the potential new content for the coming months:
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The potential season image for Season 3 shows a scenario that could come from Mad Max
LEGO Fortnite is supposed to get a Klombo update
Metallica is supposed to be the new collaboration for Fortnite Festival
Pirates of the Caribbean is expected to have a collaboration in Fortnite Battle Royale in Season 3
Additionally, more artists are set to appear in Season 4, including Karol G and even Snoop Dogg. Fortnitemares is scheduled for October, and a brief OG: Season will be marked in November, until Chapter 6 is supposed to start in December.
How credible is the leak? Whether the leak is true cannot be verified. While many credible leakers have initially expressed their doubts and did not believe the leak much, two things have already proven to be correct from the leak: the new “Star Wars” event in Battle Royale and LEGO Fortnite, as well as Billie Eilish for Fortnite Festival.
Live event at the end of Season 2: What you need to know
Will there be a live event? Epic Games has planned something small at the end of Season 2. According to leakers, the large statue in Olympus is already starting to move. In the event, the box of Pandora and the statue are supposed to play a major role. Leaker Shiina was able to capture a small preview of the end of Season 2:
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The statue will whip up a large dust cloud at the end of Season 2 and envelop a large part of the map. What effects this will have on Season 3 and how the map will change is still unknown.
On the evening of May 15, the premiere of the first trailer for the new Assassin’s Creed took place. Players and fans quickly reacted to a detail they noticed on the PS Store page. They believe that Ubisoft is imposing an online requirement on them, but that’s not entirely accurate.
Fans could finally enjoy an official name, release date, and the first trailer for the new Assassin’s Creed. The latest installment is now called Assassin’s Creed Shadows and will take you to feudal Japan. As the trailer shows, the story revolves around a mysterious Shinobi assassin and a legendary samurai from Japanese history.
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Ubisoft presents the new Assassin’s Creed Shadow in feudal Japan with a first trailer
What criticisms are there already? Even if the excitement over the latest news may have been present, it quickly soured for some fans and players. They discovered a small detail on the PS Store page that caused discontent.
In a post on x.com, user Wario64 pointed out that according to the store page, Assassin’s Creed Shadows “requires online play,” meaning players need an internet connection and a PSN account. This topic seems to be poorly received by many players. Under the post, there are numerous comments expressing disbelief and anger about it.
“Assassin’s Greed,” writes one user simply in their comment, seemingly implying that Ubisoft is just showing their greed with this wordplay. User Sunny writes: “I understand it for multiplayer, but there should be no reason for a single-player game to always be online.” Other users state that they would not spend 70 dollars on it and some thank for the warning.
Your games do not belong to you, says Ubisoft
User ItsLucasKim also points out in their response that Ubisoft recently claimed players should get used to the idea that their games do not belong to them. ItsLucasKim wants to remind everyone that Ubisoft games “do not belong to you once purchased” and claims that Ubisoft could take the game away from you at any time.
If we look at the further reactions, many players assume that you have to play Assassin’s Creed Shadows online all the time and fear that the game may simply stop working if the internet goes down. However, Ubisoft quickly addressed this issue now.
Here’s what Ubisoft has to say: Ubisoft has confirmed that an internet connection is necessary for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, but always being online is not accurate.
In a later post on x.com, Wario64 shared a screenshot of Ubisoft’s official statement regarding this matter. The team saw the community’s questions and wanted to share some information in response.
“Assassin’s Creed Shadows does not require a mandatory internet connection at all times,” they clearly state in their statement. While an internet connection is required to install the game, after that you can experience the entire story and Japan offline until the end.
Season 4 revises almost every aspect of Diablo 4 and brings a ton of new content to the game. Some of this can easily be overlooked, including new equipment for your second characters. You only see this if you have the right level.
What’s new in Season 4:
Season 4 is titled “Loot Reborn” and the name says it all: All loot is now better. You can find our summary of all changes in Season 4.
In general, it is supposed to be easier to get good loot, and in the endgame, you have more options to influence your items yourself.
This is the feature for new characters: In addition to the general revisions of loot and hell floods, there are huge changes to the crafting system. For one, upgrading is replaced by hardening and perfection, but what many will certainly overlook are the new recipes at the alchemist.
When you open the “Transmutation” tab at the alchemist, you will find a new item: the allowance cache. This contains a random legendary item and is quite expensive:
you pay leather and iron, depending on the level at which you are crafting
plus a pile of gold – up to a million, also depending on the level
This new item is easy to overlook because you can only craft it when you are over level 20 and have not yet reached level 50. Before and after that, it is simply not available at the alchemist. There is a reason for this, as a similar system was already introduced by Blizzard in WoW.
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Diablo 4: The boss explains Season 4 in 60 seconds
System from World of Warcraft helps you level classes
In itself, you can already find everything you need in hell floods. However, these allowance caches have some advantages:
With Season 4, the codex has been completely revised; all legendary affixes found are transferred to the codex when disassembled.
Accordingly, you get potentially everything the codex has to offer for your class at level 20 with the chests.
You will eventually have an abundance of resources anyway, so you can spend them on crafting.
The fact that you only have to farm hell floods to get everything excites players. The chests make it easier for heavy players who want to try out other classes. Only the gold could become a problem.
The allowance caches are somewhat like a “kickstart” for a new class. This helps you easily acquire the appropriate affixes to play a level build or even hoard for later.
However, if you don’t get to play much, we rather advise against the chests. Because the gold can quickly become a problem, you need many millions to later get to the best items. Still, a good option to try out builds early on. If you are not sure what you want to play yet, you can find the best builds and classes in Season 4 in our tier list.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The MMORPG ArcheAge is closing in a few months. This is a big catch for the pirate servers of the game, which offers naval combat anyway. Events are starting on privately run servers, and they are professionally attracting players with a page that explains the differences between the official servers and the pirate servers.
The situation is an ideal breeding ground for so-called “pirate servers,” which are privately run servers where one can play the MMORPG, albeit with different rules.
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ArcheAge Launch Trailer
Pirate servers scent opportunity, invite players from ArcheAge
What are the pirate servers doing with ArcheAge? As massivelyop writes, the two most well-known and largest private servers for ArcheAge immediately launch with the end of the official servers:
AA Classic has run a boost event over the weekend and is appealing for donations to operate the servers. With its own page (via wiki.aa-classic), they aim to attract players who want to switch from the official server to them.
On their own page, retail players learn what is different in the classic version. For instance, some purchase items can be crafted here, and it generally orients itself to an older version of ArcheAge: The pirates know their customers and entice them with freely available building plots. However, they also warn: When new players come, they could quickly be gone.
The server ArcheRage has now announced a “start event” where players can hunt a dragon. The server has 150,000 registered accounts and over 1,000 guilds. There’s a lot happening here.
Is this legal? No, not really. Such servers obviously violate copyright and intellectual property rights, but the logic behind it is: They won’t do anything to us as long as they no longer offer their own game.
For many years, such servers tried to stay under the radar, hoping nothing would happen to them if they didn’t advertise aggressively and didn’t promote too commercial an orientation.
In some games, however, the server providers feel so secure that they advertise and clearly pursue commercial intentions. Some even do so with the consent of the developers, although not necessarily with the blessing of the current rights holders.
In the past, however, there have repeatedly been blows against private servers. The end of a major private server for WoW is still legendary to this day:
In FC 24, a serious mistake shook the FIFA scene. EA distributed rewards that were far too generous due to a miscalculated pack probability, at least to some players for a while. While some were able to enjoy really strong cards, the majority of the community has to suffer under the bug fixlosses.
What was the error? On Friday night (May 10), several users on different platforms posted showing strong player choices from the Ultimate Team Champions Finals rewards.
Many posts showed that several players were rewarded with the Team-of-the-Season versions (TOTS) of Mbappé and Dembélé. Here you see a sample montage of these player picks:
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One pick alone with Mbappé and Dembélé, who are the most expensive players from the current TOTS of the French Ligue 1, is worth over 20 million coins.
That one single player pulls both superstars is likely to happen in the rarest cases. However, since the cards circulated on the internet at an unusual frequency, it quickly became clear to attentive observers that this must have been an error by EA.
Start video
EA Sports FC 24: Update teaser for the UEFA Euro 2024
“Unwanted outcome”: EA corrects botched rewards
How did EA react to the significant error? EA acted immediately and posted this message on X/formerly Twitter late Saturday night (CET):
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The brief statement reads: “We have identified an error where the Champions player picks resulted in unwanted outcomes. This has been corrected in-game.”
New, weak rewards at the expense of players
What impact did the correction have on the player picks? And indeed, the revision by EA was clearly noticeable. While most player picks before the intervention contained at least one player worth over a million coins, the strong rate dropped significantly after a certain point.
You can see this turnaround in this highlight video from a German streamer, who captured both the good and the bad rewards. You can skip to 11:30 after the first strong player picks to see the weak player picks after EA’s intervention:
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Instead of the million-dollar players in the player picks, only the cheapest cards from the TOTS of Ligue 1 appeared after a certain point. The most valuable and valuable players seemed to have disappeared as if swallowed by the earth.
The first reactions from the community to the changed rewards were quick to follow. Many players, as well as some well-known streamers, commented on EA’s blunder and how they handled it.
What does the community say about EA’s actions? In the comments, the FIFA community vented considerable steam. Under EA’s announcement on X/formerly Twitter, well-known international figures from the scene also commented.
For instance, FC-24 content creator NepentheZ wrote under the post: “You must be joking. Leave it as it was. Everyone was happy. Crazy, really crazy how you want to trick people who play your competitive game mode.”
His comment received over 10,000 likes. Many other posts directly address the perceived unfairness.
The comment by BEASTAF summarizes the community’s opinion: “So, because I didn’t play on Friday, there’s no red Mbappé or Dembélé for me. This gives me Messi TOTY vibes.” (referring to the controversial compensation for a mistake during the TOTY period, when many players were able to pull TOTY Messi with way too high probability for a short period, Ed.)
German streamers also voice their opinions: The German content creator and former FIFA pro Tim Latka made a statement on his YouTube channel Saturday morning. In this, he also referenced EA’s announcement.
He finds the handling of the mistake particularly questionable. Instead of simply sweeping the blunder under the rug and making the player picks worse, he sees it like NepentheZ: the error should simply be kept in place to provide the same opportunities for everyone.
Even if EA was unable to come to this conclusion, they should at least meet the community halfway and offer a sensible compensation. Tim Latka advocates for additional player picks to at least slightly increase the odds of getting a Mbappé or Dembélé.
However, it seems that only those who benefited from the mistake on Friday night/Saturday night are allowed to be happy. The majority of the community seems to be left out in this regard. If you think you had bad luck, perhaps the story about an absurd streak of misfortune will cheer you up: Trading expert in FC 24 loses 45 million coins in one shot, is plagued by bad luck.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
