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‘Apex Legends’ update attempts to balance its most powerful weapons
It's the stuff of nightmares. You're looted out of your mind, there are only two squads left standing, and you get double-tapped from the other side of the world by a Wingman-wielding Pathfinder. Well, you can sleep soundly now sweet Lifeline, because the first Apex Legends balance patch has dropped and the inevitable has occurred: The Wingman's been nerfed. Specifically, the pistol's maximum rate of fire has been reduced, and the Skullpiercer attachment doesn't increase headshot damage by quite the same degree anymore. Also, when firing wildly from the hip in moments of sheer panic, the Wingman is less accurate and bullet spread takes longer to settle after your frantic volley (assuming you won the firefight in the first place).
EVE Evolved: Odyssey 1.1 and PvP balance
It's been just under three months since EVE Online's exploration-focused Odyssey expansion went live, bringing in a new hacking minigame and significantly buffing the underused tier 1 and tier 2 battleships. With a complete rebalancing all of the tech 1 sub-capital ships now complete, CCP has turned its attention to some of the oldest tech 2 ships in the game: Heavy Assault Ships and Command Ships. Developers have been testing out changes to these ships on the test server and hitting up players for feedback since Odyssey went live, and the results are finally ready to deploy. Odyssey 1.1 will go live in two days time on September 3rd and contains some pretty big changes that are sure to shake up the PvP landscape. Medium-sized long-range weapons have been buffed beyond all recognition, and a buff to active tanking may soon make it viable in PvP. Heavy Assault Ships and Command Ships have been beefed up, the Dominix is getting a small nerf following its absolute dominance in the Alliance Tournament, and the Nosferatu energy vampire module may be about to make a return to PvP setups. In this week's EVE Evolved, I analyse the upcoming Odyssey 1.1 patch and what the new ship balance changes mean for the average player.
Guild Wars 2 brings out big changes with the Sky Pirates of Tyria
It's all fun and games at Guild Wars 2's dragon bash until someone turns up murdered in Lion's Arch. That's what sets the stage for the newest game update, Sky Pirates of Tyria. Launching on June 25th, the update will see players thrown into a murder investigation headed by Inspector Ellen Kiel, forcing everyone to take part in several events to track down the perpetrator. If you're thinking it's going to have something to do with the eponymous pirates, well, that's a reasonable guess. This update sees the addition of a new dungeon, the Aetherblade Retreat, which pits players against pirates of a decidedly aerial nature. It also features a wide-scale revamp of traits and skills for every profession to promote a wider range of playable builds, a variety of new rewards including miniatures and monocles, and an all-new event tying into the upcoming novel Sea of Sorrows. Custom Arenas and Spectator Mode for PvP are also leaving beta, giving players more ways to enjoy a spirited battle with friends and enemies. Our own Richie Procopio will be taking part in a press preview this weekend, so tune in before launch for a closer look at the details. [Source: ArenaNet press release]
