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‘Anthem’ bug makes starter rifle the game’s most powerful weapon
You've gotta pay your dues in shooter game Anthem. Like Destiny 2 and Warframe, you get ahead with tireless grinding, repeatedly working through the same missions to get your hands on better guns and better loot. So a recently-discovered bug is threatening the entire gameplay. As player YeetLordSurpreme revealed yesterday, the game's level 1 rifle is actually the strongest weapon in the entire Anthem universe -- and developer BioWare has confirmed the whoopsie.
Bioware fixes 'Anthem' end-game just in time for launch
Like it or not, the Anthem and Destiny comparisons refuse to go away. Just days after its Origin Access and EA Access release, players spotted a loophole in BioWare's new shooter akin to the "loot cave" area from Destiny's early days. The chest farming trick essentially let level 30 gamers grab high-level Legendary and Masterwork gear in Anthem's open-world areas, effectively allowing them to bypass its end-game grind. Streamers on Twitch and YouTube outed the trick on Monday before a map was shared on Reddit pinpointing the chest farm route.
After Math: If I had no loot
It was a week of lost and found fortunes in the tech world. The Feds charged My Big Coin Pay over its $6 million cryptocurrency scam, Netflix is poised to take home as many a four golden statues for Mudbound, Bungie's in hot water again over tweaking its Faction token payouts and Google will be holding onto its $20 million XPrize payout thankyouverymuch. Numbers, because how else would you evenly divvy up the spoils?
WoW Archivist: Epics
WoW Archivist is a biweekly column by WoW Insider's Scott Andrews, who explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? It first appeared on our sister site on November 21st and is included here by permission. Leveling through Draenor has been a blast, but as I am a player from classic WoW, a few things have struck me as incredibly strange. Triple-digit numbers in the guild panel. Sending NPCs to do quests on my behalf. And most of all, getting epic armor and weapons from solo leveling quests. Many players in classic WoW (and not just raiders) opposed making epics more available to players. They called Blizzard's evolving attitude a slippery slope. "What's next," they argued, "epics for doing solo quests?" They never actually imagined that would happen. In 2005 it would have been unthinkable. Eight years later, here we are. But it's all been by design -- an evolving design with many steps along the way. Let's look at how we got here, one random drop at a time.
Dungeon Hotfixes, Need before Greed now default
When Warlords of Draenor launched, it brought with it a new loot system - the personal loot of Raid Finder was now in place for dungeons. There were advantages and disadvantages to this - one of the advantages was that loot didn't drop that no one wanted, for example. But a lot of players found it a less than compelling system. And apparently their voices have been heard, because it's back, baby. Rygarius posted a host of dungeon and raid hotfixes, including but not limited to the return of Need before Greed as the default loot system in dungeons. What else is happening? Completing your first Heroic Warlords dungeon nets you a reward of 50 Garrison Resources. The return of the Call to Arms feature for in-demand roles like tanks and healers. You will now once again be able to queue for dungeons from the Ashram cities of Stormshield and Warspear. What do you think of these changes?
Loot drops? Eternal Crusade says no.
If you haven't figured it out yet, Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade will not be like most MMOs or online co-op games, especially in the looting department. In an interview with 2P.com, Behaviour Interactive announced that the game will have not dropped loot but rewards from NPC bossses. "You'll be given rewards from your high command," Behaviour said. "Attack the enemy positions, defend your bases or free them from the Tyranids... this is what you are asked to do and this is what you will be rewarded for. Once you get enough reward tokens you can exchange them from some special ammunitions or equipment. There is no direct drop system in the game." The interview shed light on many of the game's features, such as its single resource (requisition points), the possibility of purchasing elite units, and the challenge of balancing melee and ranged classes. [Thanks to Halldorr for the tip!]
Destiny hotfixes out a loot cave, players uncover more DLC areas
Destiny has a bit of an issue with caves, particularly those that allow players to stand around and shoot until candy comes out. An upcoming fix will adjust auto-rifle damage, boost scout rifles, and also cut off another loot cave from the players. The development team is also working on fixes to under-performing Exotics and tweaking overall class balance. Meanwhile, the game's players have managed to uncover another DLC area in the video past the break, uncovering unpopulated regions on the Moon that tie into an unknown portion of the game's expansion content. Analyst Michael Pachter weighed in briefly on the game when he predicted that game sales for September 2014 would be in a slump compared to September 2013, stating that Destiny's ubiquitous media presence would provide an overall figure around 2.75 million, a bit below Bungie's stated 3.2 million daily logins.
Forget caves, cool kids hang out on Destiny's Loot Stairs
While Destiny's multiple "Loot Caves" lack deeper insight into the game's purpose, they offer a bunch of sweet gear. But who needs caves when you can hang out on steps? Ministry of Geeks guided players through a new loot-producing area in the early parts of the game in a new video, the Loot Stairs.
Rejoice: Loot Cave 2.0 surfaces in Destiny
Decided to blow up our Loot Cave, Bungie? Our precious, treasure-dumping respawn point in Destiny? Fine then, we'll find another one. In fact, PS4 Trophies did just that in a new video, detailing a new legendary farm point in the game's rocket yard area. Get it while it's hot, people!
Bungie closes Destiny's 'Loot Cave,' discusses future fixes
Well that was fun while it lasted. The infamous "Loot Cave" that allowed Destiny players to collectively shoot into the darkness and reap massive rewards has been fixed by Bungie. "The Hive of the holy 'Treasure Cave' have realized the futility of their endless assault on Skywatch and have retired to lick their wounds and plan their next attack," the developer wrote in its latest update notes. Bungie also issued notes on some of Destiny's other issues that it plans to address in the future, in which it said that "shooting at a black hole for hours on end isn't our dream for how Destiny is played." Aside from addressing the Loot Cave exploit, Bungie will "increase engram drops from completing activities" and allow players to opt-in to voice chat during online matchmaking sessions. The developer also plans to increase damage dealt by players and reduce the impact from bosses during Strike missions as well as issue a number of balance changes to impact the effectiveness of weapons at different ranges. [Image: Activision]
The Daily Grind: What's the best loot system in an MMO?
Massively commenters recently reminded me that one of the things that bug me about retro themeparks is the loot that drops in dungeons and raids -- or to be more specific, the lack thereof. You want me to pile how many people into a multi-hour raid and reward only one or two of them with a boss drop? Why we're so happy to bash lockboxes that abuse our money but not RNG lotteries that abuse our time stymies me. I'd love to see more games like City of Heroes that reward everyone with his or her own drops for making it through to the end of a mission -- no roll window required, no DKP necessary, no ninja-looters possible. You do a thing and you get a thing, not just a dim chance at a thing. What do you guys think is the best loot-drop system in an MMO, past or present? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Destiny has a cave-shaped loot exploit
Remember how Bungie wanted each piece of loot in Destiny to have a "badass story" attached to it so badly that it scrapped player-to-player trades? A new exploit documented by Force Strategy Gaming (video posted below the break) flies in the face of such hopes, as the trick lets Guardians mow down continuously-spawning waves of enemies to amass a pile of loot for everyone in the vicinity. The exploit involves a cave found on Old Russia, which Acolytes and Thralls spawn and rush forward from in waves. In order for the trick to work, players need to stand back far enough to allow spawns to keep happening, while ensuring that a lone enemy doesn't escape and go hide behind cover, therefore hindering future spawns. For a sense of what to expect, Force Strategy Gaming claims that 15 minutes worth of shooting rewarded them with stacks of green Engrams, as well as a few blue and legendary-tier pieces. The same area occasionally plays host to a public event however, so bringing backup would be wise. [Image: Force Strategy Gaming]
Vice vs Virtue PvP system arrives on Ultima Online's test center
In testing now on Ultima Online's test server is publish 86.3, better known as the Vice vs Virtue patch. You remember the virtues, those iconic and ambiguous philosophical principles guiding the Avatar? OK, now forget all that because peeveepee, guys. Yes, Vice vs Virtue is a a new system designed to bring a fresh version of Order and Chaos consensual PvP -- any PvP, really -- to landmasses that are currently PvE, including Trammel and most of the expansion territories launched in the last forever. The opt-in faction-based system brings the battle to the core cities of the game and rewards participants with a special currency that can be traded for everything from mounts and artifacts (gear) to murder pardons and hair dye. Look, UO players take their hair dye very seriously. The patch also introduces new trader quests to the game and revamps dungeon loot spawns to encourage ventures to the open-PvP Felucca facet. The devs have invited players to help stress test the systems this afternoon.
The Daily Grind: What in-game possessions do you cherish?
The other day in WildStar I got a pit, and I could not be happier about it. Oh, it's not just any pit, it's an elite mining FABkit for my housing plot that allows me to plunder the best ore nodes in the comfort of my own virtual home. I probably prize this higher than most gear, because I know that I'll have this mining pit indefinitely whereas my gear goes obsolete quickly and is replaced. It might be a little silly (or a lot silly) to value rewards that you get in-game, but these carrots are quite tasty for many of us gamers. We do love their crunch, oh yes. So which of your MMO possessions do you cherish? Is it that uber piece of armor that you spent months striving to get? Is it a rare vanity pet that faithfully trails after you? Or is it that crate of fireworks from the anniversary celebration that you love to bust out anytime the social scene gets dull? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Daily Grind: Have you branched out beyond traditional MMOs lately?
As I mentioned in this space last week, I've been suffering a bit of MMO burnout. I've still been gaming, though, mostly via single-player stuff but also a smidge of Marvel Heroes. I was never much for Diablo, which is why my ongoing MH fixation is somewhat surprising. Maybe I'm just an action RPG late-bloomer, and I'm curious to see if I might enjoy something like Path of Exile now, too. What about you, Massively readers? Have you branched out beyond traditional MMOs recently? How so? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Warlords of Draenor: No more Tier vendors
One of the more irritating and frustrating aspects of winning Tier loot from bosses is having to take the token to a vendor in order to actually get the piece of armor you won. Nowadays it's rare for me to equip a piece as soon as I get it, unless it's a truly huge upgrade, but I still find it annoying to have to take a token to a vendor in order to get the actual piece of gear. In addition, as a druid, there are four versions of everything available for each token, and scrolling through page after page of nearly-identically named armor pieces makes my eyes cross. Minor complaints, really, but nonetheless the following announcement by Lead Game Designer Ion Hazzikostas, aka Watcher, on Twitter really made my day: @RhoWoW @MeaganTC They will work that way in Warlords. No more vendors - you can get your set piece on the spot. - Watcher (@WatcherDev) September 1, 2014 This is a fantastic quality of life change for raiders. No more running to vendors and no more waiting to get your new piece of Tier gear. I'd say "no more accidentally buying the wrong piece" with your token too, but in Warlords, your primary stats will auto-change when you shift specs anyway, so that's no big deal. In any case, this new system will be more convenient for players, and I'm certainly thankful for that!
Diablo III previews the Vault
There's nothing worse in Diablo III than seeing a treasure goblin waltz up and snatch a valuable item away from you whilst you're dealing with a pack of monsters. It's endlessly satisfying to catch the little monster and take it down. But what if you could head back to the goblins' base and start taking stuff from them for a change? That's the idea behind the Vault, a new area being added to Diablo III with patch 2.1. Whenever you take down a treasure goblin in 2.1, there's a chance that a portal to the Vault will spawn. Inside the Vault there's a ton of items pilfered by the treasure goblins, as you'd expect. There's also the Baroness Greed, who doesn't take kindly to having her space invaded and her pilfered goods re-pilfered by someone else. Still, it turns the game on its head; instead of being annoyed when a treasure goblin pinches your loot, now you'll have a chance to get something even better.
Rust dev's next game is arcade shooter Riftlight
Rust developer Facepunch Studios recently revealed its next game, an arcade shooter called Riftlight. The brightly colored game will feature light RPG and looting elements, so players will constantly battle their way through stages and fend off enemies, like giant space squids, to improve their ships and abilities. The developer has three different ship classes planned for the game with varying talents: The traditional Ranged ship, the magical Caster class and the non-shooting Melee class. Riftlight will feature online cooperative multiplayer, in which players can "fly around and kill stuff with 2 or 3 people," and is already playable in its current prototype form. Facepunch wants the game to revolve around randomized level layouts, sections and missions to boost the game's replayability, so that players can charge through the same areas a number of times to collect new items.
The Daily Grind: What's the best loot you've ever scored in an MMO?
Everyone's got a a story or two about the time she scored that one really great piece of game-changing loot in an MMORPG. There was the time I won the piece I needed for my World of Warcraft Priest's Benediction/Anathema staff (still have it, too!). There was the time I landed a 120-skill powerscroll for my Disco-Archer in Ultima Online. And there was the time I lucked out on my first Guild Wars birthday and received a bone dragon, a minipet whose sale for a virtual fortune helped me bankroll my characters' gear and my obsessive trading habit for years to come. Even if we wouldn't call ourselves lootmongers, we still love getting a new shiny -- the rarer, the better. What's the best loot you've ever scored in an MMO? Let's hear some juicy tales! Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Nexus Telegraph: WildStar's first dose of Strain
The funny thing about launches is that they're like every other aspect of the game industry: They're based on momentum. Create the feel that you're coming out with new content on a quick basis and you get points from players, even if it's inevitable that some of this content is stuff that was almost-but-not-quite ready for launch and just had to be trimmed back a little before we first got to dip our toes in the official swimming pool. You can see the zones on your map in WildStar right now, even. Does it matter to me? Nope. I have to admit it doesn't. I'm satisfied. The bulk of the news this month has been about the game's first major patch, which is due for "early July" without a harder date. I have not yet gotten to go hands-on in this content; I've been too busy focusing on the live game and advancing there (up to 50 on one character, at least!), but let's talk a little bit about what's being added in the patch. Fair warning: Spoilers may ensue.
