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This Blow by Blow Account of an Apex Legends Cheater Getting Banned Repeatedly Will Make Your Day

Regardless if you play online multiplayer games a lot or not, it’s no fun having to play against cheaters. Sad to say though, there will always be those who not only cheat in online games, but also profit from it by selling cheats. Well, thankfully, the story we’re running now mentions how this kind of individual can be deterred to the point that they stopped.

Over on the Apex Legends subreddit, user microKEEL posted a blow by blow account of an Apex Legends cheater — who streamed and bragged about his cheating — get banned, taunt Respawn, get banned again, until he stopped!

Respawn Entertainment Associate Producer Josh Medina even hopped on the subreddit saying that this was how he spent his 45 minutes this morning (from banning this dude again and again).

Hopefully, this dude just stops his cheating ways, though it’s highly unlikely. If that’s the case, let’s hope gets banned (hardware ban might be best for people like these) in other online games where he wants to cheat — and sell cheats — in.

In other Apex Legends news, Respawn has acknowledged the Battle Pass XP bug on the PS4 version of the game, as well as issues reporting players. You can also read up on the latest patch for the game right here.

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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Battlefield 5 Upcoming Vehicles Leaked, Most Likely Set for Release in Chapter 5

While players are wading through Battlefield 5 Tides of War Chapter 3: Trial By Fire, it seems DICE has already planted the seeds of some of the game’s content set to come in Chapter 5 given Chapter 4 focuses on Greece.

Related Reading: Battlefield 5 2019 Roadmap Revealed, Here’s What’s Coming for the Remainder of the Year

Spotted by reliable dataminer temporyal, there are 14 new Battlefield 5 upcoming vehicles included in the game files, and they run the gamut from ground, air, and sea vehicles! Check out the list below.

We’re going to cover a variety of U.S. and Japanese equipment so therefore please be aware that these vehicles won’t be available in the next weeks or months and are probably scheduled for Tides of War: Chapter 5 (“Awakening the Giant”).

Remember: This is not a wishlist – all vehicle names (or abbreviations to be exact) came with the latest patch into the game files.

Thank you for your support!

​Ground

https://i.redd.it/ikhlnxt28hq21.png

M4A3 Sherman (Medium Tank)

“The M4 Sherman, officially Medium Tank, M4, was the most widely used medium tank by the United States and Western Allies in World War II. The M4 Sherman tank was produced in several variants and it was also the basis for a number of related vehicles. The M4A3 was the preferred US Army vehicle.” (Wikipedia)

Note: Since I’ve spotted Calliope Rockets linked to the Sherman I guess it’s safe to say that we will see a T34 Calliope variant or a specialization in the future.

https://i.redd.it/4n3qydp38hq21.png

Type 97 Chi-Ha (Medium Tank)

“The Type 97 Chi-Ha was a medium tank used by the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Battles of Khalkhin Gol against the Soviet Union, and the Second World War. It was the most widely produced Japanese medium tank of World War II.” (Wikipedia)

https://i.redd.it/oqikgsc48hq21.png

Type 3 Chi-Nu (Medium Tank)

“Type 3 Medium Tank Chi-Nu (“Imperial Year 2603 Medium tank Model 10″) was a medium tank of the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. Like the Type 1 Chi-He, this tank was an improved version of the Type 97 Chi-Ha. It incorporated a Type 3 75 mm tank gun, one of the largest Japanese tank guns during the war.” (Wikipedia)

https://i.redd.it/uzqhknz48hq21.png

Ford GPW

“The Willys MB and the Ford GPW, commonly known as Jeep or jeep, are off-road capable, light, military utility vehicles that were manufactured during World War II (from 1941 to 1945) for the Allied forces.” (Wikipedia)

https://i.redd.it/09aldrm58hq21.pngStaff car

“A staff car is a vehicle used by a senior military officer, and is part of their country’s white fleet.Staff cars are often painted in camouflage colours, or plain black. In the U.S., Brazil and other American countries the frequent colour is flat olive-drab.” (Wikipedia)

https://i.redd.it/r57q3im68hq21.png

Kurogane Type 95

“The Type 95 was a Japanese scout car built by Tokyu Kurogane Industries, and was used during the war with China and World War II in the East. Between 1936 and 1944 approximately 4,700 were built. It was the only completely Japanese designed reconnaissance car ever used by the Imperial Japanese Army, which tended to use civilian cars.” (Wikipedia)

​Air

https://i.redd.it/uereosl78hq21.png

Vought F4U Corsair

“The Corsair was designed and operated as a carrier-based aircraft, and entered service in large numbers with the U.S. Navy in late 1944 and early 1945. Some Japanese pilots regarded it as the most formidable American fighter of World War II, and its naval aviators achieved an 11:1 kill ratio.” (Wikipedia)

https://i.redd.it/25lh1o388hq21.png

Mitsubishi A6M Zero

“The Mitsubishi A6M “Zero” is a long-range fighter aircraft formerly manufactured by Mitsubishi Aircraft Company and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1940 to 1945. The Zero is considered to have been the most capable carrier-based fighter in the world when it was introduced early in World War II, combining excellent maneuverability and very long range.” (Wikipedia)

Sea

https://i.redd.it/srvkjhs88hq21.png

Type 2 Ka-Mi

“The Special Type 2 Launch Ka-Mi was the first amphibious tank of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). The Type 2 Ka-Mi was based on the Imperial Japanese Army’s Type 95 Ha-Go light tank with major modifications.” (Wikipedia)

https://i.redd.it/2xvdjjf98hq21.png

Landing Vehicle Tracked

“The Landing Vehicle, Tracked (LVT) is an amphibious warfare vehicle and amphibious landing craft, introduced by the United States Navy. Originally intended solely as cargo carriers for ship to shore operations, they evolved into assault troop and fire support vehicles.” (Wikipedia)

https://i.redd.it/onvzezaa8hq21.png

PT boat

“A PT boat (short for patrol torpedo boat) was a torpedo-armed fast attack vessel (MTB) used by the United States Navy in World War II. It was small, fast, and inexpensive to build, valued for its maneuverability and speed but hampered at the beginning of the war by ineffective torpedoes, limited armament, and comparatively fragile construction that limited some of the variants to coastal waters.” (Wikipedia)

https://i.redd.it/14w7xt0b8hq21.png

LCVP

“The landing craft, vehicle, personnel (LCVP) or Higgins boat was a landing craft used extensively in amphibious landings in World War II. The craft was designed by Andrew Higgins based on boats made for operating in swamps and marshes.” (Wikipedia)

https://i.redd.it/z30y4fqb8hq21.png

Dinghy

“Submarine warfare in the Battle of the Atlantic led to casualties among warships and merchant ships. In the military, inflatable boats were used to transport torpedoes and other cargo. They also helped troops land in shallow water, and their compact size made overland transport possible.” (Wikipedia)

Note: I have no idea what kind of “Dinghy” they are going to implement…

MTB T1

Note: I am not sure about this “Motor Torpedo Boat”. There is a german T1 torpedo boat (1935 Type) but you can also find Japanese boats with this class identifier. I guess it will be the latter since we’re talking almost exclusively about U.S. and Japanese vehicles in this patch.

Additional notes:

  • As some of you might know there are still a few unreleased (and unfinished) british and german tanks in the game files (Bishop, Marder, Grille…) but I’ve no idea when Dice is going to implement them into the game.
  • I know a lot of you care about about vehicle customization but unfortunately nothing has changed since my last postregarding this topic.

Don’t forget, there’s no guarantee that all these vehicles will make it into the game, so make sure to not take everything as fact just yet.

Earlier today, we also posted a look at the French soldier skins that are also in the game files, though it’s unsure whether when these will see the light of day.

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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Apex Legends PS4 Battle Pass XP Bug and Player Reporting Issue Acknowledged by Respawn

If you’re playing Apex Legends on PS4, you might have noticed a few things off if you bought the Battle Pass. Not only that, but there’s an issue with reporting players on the system too. Thankfully, both problems have been acknowledged by Respawn!

Over on Reddit, Respawn Community Manager Jay Frechette posted a message allaying fears regarding the Apex Legends PS4 Battle Pass XP bug!

REPORTING ON PS4

We are temporarily turning off player reporting on PS4. We need to do some dev work on it to comply better with how this information is provided to Sony and we’re working with them on the improvements. This is an important feature that we want to bring back and will turn it back on once we’ve done the necessary work.

BATTLE PASS XP BOOST FOR LEVEL 12 BADGE SHOWING WRONG %

After some investigating from our awesome QA folks, we were able to confirm that this a bug with the UI and even though you may see the percentage change, you are still getting the 2.5% XP boost. We’ll fix the UI in a future update but you can rest assured that you are getting the XP.

For those who bought the Battle Pass, don’t fret regarding your XP as you’re still getting the boost, though the UI might not show it.

This isn’t the only few bugs seemingly introduced in Apex Legends’ latest patch. Just yesterday, the penalty for leaving a match early was accidentally switched on, though it has since been remedied.

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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New Mortal Kombat 11 Character Called The Kollector Revealed in New Trailer

Tired of seeing all those familiar faces in Mortal Kombat 11’s roster? Today, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has announced “The Kollector,” a new Mortal Kombat 11 character confirmed for the roster!

A new fighter joining the Mortal Kombat franchise, The Kollector was born into poverty and seized his collections duty with a zeal that impressed Shao Kahn, becoming one of the Emperor’s most feared associates. As more of a corrupt, mafia enforcer than a government official, The Kollector stole riches from Outworld’s people, rewarding himself with wealth and status in turn, but when Shao Kahn died, Kotal Kahn vowed to weed out the former regime’s corruption. After years in hiding, living off his ill-gotten gains, The Kollector was captured and now faces execution, determined to destroy anyone in his path.

The current roster has the following fighters confirmed: Scorpion, Raiden, Sub-Zero, Sonya Blade, Skarlet, Baraka, Geras, Kano, D’Vorah, Kabal, Jade, Johnny Cage, Cassie Cage, Erron Black, Jacqui Briggs, Kotal Kahn, Noob Saibot, Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Jax Briggs, and Cetrion.

You can watch the reveal trailers for most of these fighters on our Mortal Kombat 11 game hub.

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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DICE Announces Battlefield 5 Battlefield Moments Contest, Winners to Get Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Cards

Who doesn’t want free stuff, right? If you’re a Battlefield 5 player, DICE is giving away a few Nvidia graphics cards just for submitting clips of the best “Only in Battlefield Moments”clips!

For those who have stored clips of multiplayer, sadly, this is for Firestorm only. Full contest details are below (via Reddit).

Welcome to the Battlefield V #OnlyinBattlefield #Firestorm Nvidia Contest.

Starting April 5th, 2019 at 10:01 AM PDT / 5:01PM UTC / 7:01PM CEST, we will be accepting your BEST #OnlyinBattlefield Firestorm moments. The contest ends April 19th, 2019.

So, what’s the contest?

  • Squads – Show off your #OnlyinBattlefield skills in Battlefield V: Firestorm! Send us a 90-180 second clip showing us your most outrageous, intense, or funny #OnlyinBattlefield moment AS A SQUAD in Battlefield V: Firestorm. Video submissions must be a 1080p at 60fps (YouTube links). No copyrighted or 3rd party music, but you can check out the official Battlefield V soundtrack on Soundcloud.com/Battlefield and include tracks from here. Be sure to include the words, “Battlefield V: Firestorm #OnlyinBattlefield #Firestorm Nvidia Squads Contest” in the Entry.
  • Solo – Show off your #OnlyinBattlefield skills in Battlefield V: Firestorm! Send us a 90-180 second clip showing us your most outrageous, intense, or funny #OnlyinBattlefield moment IN SOLO PLAY in Battlefield V: Firestorm. Video submissions must be a 1080p at 60fps (YouTube links). No copyrighted or 3rd party music, but you can check out the official Battlefield V soundtrack on Soundcloud.com/Battlefield and include tracks from here. Be sure to include the words, “Battlefield V: Firestorm #OnlyinBattlefield #Firestorm Nvidia Solo Contest” in the Entry.

How do you enter?

Are there other ways to enter?

What’s the prize?

  • Squads – Out of ALL the Squads Videos we receive, we’ll pull 10 Top Videos out. We’ll then have our judging panel narrow it down to TWO. Those two winners will EACH receive FOUR NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti graphics cards – one for each of the members of their squad.
  • Solo – Out of ALL the Solo Videos we receive, we’ll pull 10 Top Videos out. We’ll then have our judging panel narrow it down to THREE. Those THREE winners will EACH receive ONE NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti graphics cards.

Are there any restrictions or rules? Who is eligible to participate?

In other Battlefield 5 news, go check out the patch notes for yesterday’s title update right here. There’s also a recent datamine regarding the game that showcases French soldier skins!

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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Anthem Store Update for April 5, 2019

For this week’s Anthem store update, there’s a bunch of new items once again for Freelancers to buy and apply so their respective javelins can stand out from the pack!

Check out the full Anthem store update item list for April 5, 2019!

  • Scout Armor Pack – 61,000 Coins or 850 Shards
  • Exalted Armor Pack – 61,000 or 820 Shards
  • Decal: Machine Works – 6,000 or 200 Shards
  • Big Arms – 12,000 or 300 Shards
  • Martial Arts Bow – 23,000 Coins or 475 Shards
  • Fabric: Tartan – 5,000 or 175 Shards

In other Anthem news, a lot of dust has been kicked up regarding Anthem’s troubled — and toxic — development. You can read up on what BioWare is planning do right here.

Source: Reddit

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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Samurai Shodown 2019 Roster Revealed in New Trailer

In case you didn’t know, arcade favorite Samurai Shodown is getting a reboot/remaster of sorts, and it’s set to launch later this year! Simply titled “Samurai Shodown,” it not only manages to remake the graphics, but will even introduce new gameplay elements.

Today, SNK revealed the Samurai Shodown 2019 roster in a new trailer! Watch it below!

Based on the trailer, the current Samurai Shodown 2019 roster includes:

  • Haohmaru
  • Nakoruru
  • Earthquake
  • Galford
  • Hanzo Hattori
  • Tam Tam
  • Kyoshiro Senryo
  • Jubei Yagyu
  • Ukyo Tachibana
  • Charlotte
  • Genjuro Kibagami
  • Shiki
  • Darli Dagger
  • Wu-Ruixiang
  • Yoshitora Tokugawa
  • Yashamaru Kurama

It’s unknown whether there’ll be more fighters available at launch, or will be available as DLC characters. But given the climate of the gaming landscape, I wouldn;t bet against it.

Samurai Shodown is set for release this June 27 on the PS4 and Xbox One.

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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Battlefield 5 French Soldier Skin Sets Unearthed via Game Files

Yesterday, DICE released a significant patch that not only fixed technical issues, it also had gameplay balances, and new content. However, the patch also brought in something DICE didn’t intend to make public, and that’s data leaks!

Once again courtesy of Battlefield 5 data miner temporyal, a  slew of new Battlefield 5 French soldier skin set has been unearthed via the game files! There’s no guarantee that these will make it out in the game, but take comfort that they are in the game files, which means that there’s a good chance DICE will release these at some point, or at least thought of releasing them at some point in time.

In other Battlefield 5 news, the Battlefield Currency is now live in the game too! You can read up on that right here.

Speaking of character skins, the community isn’t happy that even months after launch, pilots and tankers are still locked to female character skins only, and it doesn’t seem like it’ll change anytime soon.

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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How Online Poker Can Make You a Better Multiplayer Gamer

When you think about online gaming, poker isn’t the first thing to come to mind. That’s not surprising, as it’s a far cry from the adrenaline-fueled bouts of CS: GO battled out far into the wee hours of the morning. But poker does deserve to have its place in the online gaming hall of fame. Not only does it provide an entertaining pastime by itself, but it can also help you become a better player in all your other multiplayer ventures.

Poker Instills Teamwork-Oriented Values

Online multiplayer gaming takes a different skill set than popular single-player games or single-player modes. According to an article published on the popular online science journal Phys.org, the way that teamers think is different — it’s the social aspect of the game that is crucial to them. Many players flock to online gaming not only to experience the thrill of the chase but for interaction and camaraderie as well.

It’s no secret that this social aspect of gaming with an online team can help you out in the real world. Communication between players must be quick and efficient, and problem-solving must happen in seconds. Each player must connect mentally to the others, seeing the screen from the other teammates’ point of views and incorporating the rest of the team into every decision made in the game.

Caption: Gaming is a team sport. Often, users may not be able to see each other, but they still must rely on each other to make critical decisions regarding the game.

Poker is pretty much a solo sport. So, how can it help to instill these teamwork-oriented values? It’s true that online poker doesn’t foster the same ride-or-die mentality that many online games do, but it does provide a way for people to connect, share insights and socialize via poker rooms and gaming chatrooms. More than that, it provides a crucial learning opportunity.

Players, once connected, may debate strategy, skill sets, requirements, bets, hands and all manner of aspects of the game. These sessions might occur in the form of friendly discussion or heated debate, but the fact remains of a common platform in which players can learn from each other, solving problems as a group. Entering into a platform like this allows you to become more adept at sharing ideas, taking constructive criticism and opening yourself up to other people, all of which will come in handy when you pick up your controller.

Learning Strategy and Honing Intuition

It’s well-known that poker is a game of skill and strategy. But so is every other online game out there. In fact, many people play for the express purpose of developing strategy skills. And while poker is different, how you learn and play in a poker room translates to how you play online multiplayer games with your friends afterward as well as instill crucial lessons transferable to everyday life.



Caption: Professional poker player Liv Boeree talks about how critical thinking skills gleaned from playing poker can transfer over into everyday life.


To become a better poker player, you need to learn about strategy. In fact, as you learn the basics of the game, you won’t be able to help learn about strategy. Just like with any game, it’s intrinsic. That’s why games are fun — they make you think. And just like in poker, it requires a decent amount of strategic and critical-thinking skills to play your video games. To accomplish this, you need to figure out how best to approach a situation, how to act instantaneously and without hesitation, and how best to salvage a situation without losing your cool if and when it does go wrong.

Playing poker online can perhaps be even more useful to gamers than playing offline because it helps to hone intuition, which transfers in an online setting. Since you cannot see your on-screen opponent, you cannot read their face and determine from their expressions, tics or any other action what they’re going to do next. That means you need to deduce from their past actions and your intuition what your opponent will do and take preemptive action to turn this into your favor. The same is true for video games.

Caption: Online poker players get to hide behind the safety of an anonymous screen. You can’t see their faces or read tells, making intuition paramount to success.

It turns out that playing online poker can instill several transferable skills, not only limited to social and intrapersonal. These include analyzing, strategizing, critical thinking, mathematics, problem-solving and self-control. Every single one of these skills can help you become a better multiplayer gamer as well. From keeping score to thinking quickly to making snap decisions and deductions, poker and video games are related in ways which perfectly complement each other.


Choosing Your Game and Getting Started

If you want to play poker as a way to develop your online gaming skills, keep in mind that not all games are equal. There are many variations of poker, with Omaha, Stud and Hold ‘em among the most popular. Texas Hold ‘em is the most well-known and one of the best for learning strategies and developing a gaming-oriented skill set. That’s because it is generally quite easy to learn, yet still, attracts players from all over the world who possess a wide variety of skill levels and competitive edge — which means once you get good at it, you won’t have to find a new game. You’ll only have to engage better players.

Texas Hold ‘em might be one of the best poker games you can play to hone your skills, but you don’t want to go in blind. In other words, if you haven’t played before, you need to brush up on the basic Texas Hold ‘em rules and strategies before entering a tournament or a simple cash game. However, this is nothing fear. This variation is relatively simple to play, which makes it accessible to any gamer hoping to fine-tune any skill they may lack in their multiplayer games.

Caption: If you don’t know how to play Texas Hold ‘em, this chart can help you figure out how it’s done or how it’s different from the variation you know.


If you do want to try out online poker, make sure to pick a reputable venue to host your fun. Always go with a legal site licensed and regulated to ensure that you learn the skills you want to learn and not get taken for your money.

Once you do find a room to play in, consider the fact that an online poker game is quite different from the multiplayer games you may be familiar. It is not a free-for-all, and you must observe the rules of etiquette. So, that means no cursing, berating, belittling or rambunctious behavior of any sort while playing online poker. Players here can be quite serious, and many consider this to be their art form. Some of them even make a living from it, and not comporting yourself with respect can lead to removal from the room. Remember, this is a friendly and fun game. So, there is no need to stress or lash out at other players.

If you want to become a better online gamer, learn how to engage with your team and discover how to strategize like a boss, online poker could be the solution. It can’t hurt to try out new things. After all, new input may activate a part of your brain that remained dormant, allowing you to thrive with new skills and beat that final boss. So, why wait? Hit up the online poker rooms today.

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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World War Z Game Overview Trailer Gives Us a Quick Summary of What to Expect

Saber Interactive anf publisher Focus Home Interactive have released a new World War Z trailer today, and it gives us an overview of what to expect when the game launches later this month!

In this World War Z game overview trailer, the Creative Director of Saber Interactive narrates how the game has episodic content, the zombie game’s unique take on PvP, classes and more!

Saber Interactive and Focus Home Interactive have just released a new Gameplay Overview Trailer for World War Z, the highly anticipated co-op shooter inspired by Paramount Pictures’ blockbuster film. Narrated by Saber’s Creative Director Oliver Hollis-Leick, the new video dives into the intense action that players can expect while scavenging, running and blasting hordes of hundreds of zombies.

World War Z’s co-op campaign takes place across four episodes, each containing three chapters, set in New York, Jerusalem, Moscow and Tokyo. Before diving into a chapter, you will need to select a class and weapon loadout. Whether supporting the team with ammo and heals, specializing in explosives or unleashing devastating firepower, you’ll find a class suited to any playstyle.

In World War Z, every play session tells its own unique story of survival through the help of the AI director, which constantly adapts to the actions of you and your squad. For example, a stealthy approach is rewarded with far less zombies spawns, allowing you to conserve precious ammunition. When it comes to massive swarm events, struggling squads may also be granted additional defensive equipment such as an extra auto turret or mortar.

Alongside the narrative-driven campaign, players can also compete against each other in 4v4 across a variety of Player vs Player vs Zombies modes. This includes zombified twists on classics such as King of the Hill, Domination and Deathmatch, alongside the all-new Scavenge Raid and Vaccine Hunt modes. Watch our PvPvZ trailer here to catch up on the competitive undead action.

World War Z will launch this April 16 on the PS4, Xbox One, and PC. We’ll get a review up once we can

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Alex Co

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The Division 2 Update 1.05 Now Live, Brings New Stronghold Mission, World Tier 5 & More (Update)

Update:

Here’s the full patch notes for The Division 2 update 1.05 via the Ubisoft forums:

New content:

  • Invasion: Battle for D.C. is now live. You can find a content overview in this article.

Weapons, Mods and Gear:

  • Overhauled the Weapon mod system, see the table at the end of the patch notes for detailed information.
  • Fixed a wrong long-range damage value for M4 (super 90) and P416. Previously, they could sometimes increase damage over longer ranges instead of the other way around.
  • Rifles:
    • Damage on the MK17 rifle reduced by 14%, also corrected this weapon not having a damage falloff over distance.
    • LW M4 damage increased by 5%, RPM increased from 240 to 360.
    • LVOA-C RPM increased from 240 to 380.
  • Marksman Rifles
    • Model 700 damage reduced by 13%.
  • Shotguns
    • AA12 damage increased by 16%.
  • LMGs
    • MG5 damage increased by 12% and fixed reversed falloff, causing the weapon to do more damage over a longer range.
  • Updated initial accuracy on the Sig Sniper MCmillan T1. It should now be much more reliable to shoot as soon as it’s shouldered and the transition to scoped view is over.
  • Reduced the amount of Critical Damage and Headshot Damage that can roll on Gear, including the amount on existing Gear. The actual values will differ depending on the level and quality of the gear it occurs on. This is partially in preparation for another world tier, where we felt these values were already at the limit of what was healthy in WT4.
  • Complete overhaul of skill mods to give more achievable requirements and more reasonable bonuses.
    • A closer equivalence between required skill power and the bonuses granted.
    • Changed the amount of skill power on gear to not increase exponentially with level, but instead more linearly. This results in most skill power values on gear being lower, but in accordance with the lowered requirements.
    • Tweaked the ranges of bonuses to be within acceptable bounds where they had extreme values before due to scaling errors. Most notably radius and ammo/charges values.
    • Players will see both the bonuses and the requirements of almost all skill mods change as a result of this overhaul.
    • In end game, both Superior and High-End skill mods exist to cover the different needs of different builds. They can overlap in power, but High-End mods have a higher maximum roll potential.
    • We are looking at ways to provide lower value/quality mods in end game world tiers in the future to provide a solution to the fact that on very low skill power builds, there would be room for those mods, and currently we are aware that means you have to save mods from your leveling experience.

Player Skills:

  • Fixed an issue which caused the Bombardier Drone to get destroyed while climbing up/down a ladder or rope.
  • Improved feedback of Bombardier Drone crashing into obstacles during the bombing phase.
  • Fixed an issue with Firefly payload sometimes failing to activate when reaching its target.
  • Fixed an issue where Revive hive would not self-deploy if the agent was busy performing a different action such as using different skill when it triggered.
  • Revamped the Sniper Turret version of the turret skill.
    • It now will automatically target the hostile nearest to the players’ center-of-screen (the same method it uses to pick other turret targets) and will fire at that target when the button is pressed, without a lock-on order needed.
    • If a player aims at a hostile, the sniper turret will attempt to match their aim, allowing precision shots using the sniper turret.
    • An issue where the sniper turret wasn’t correctly getting bonus damage when hitting headshots has been fixed.
  • Revamped the Chem launcher skill platform.
    • Pressing the skill button will now equip the chem launcher similar to swapping to a weapon. The player can aim and shoot with normal weapon controls, as well as run with the skill and blindfire it.
    • Quick deploy at the agents own position is still available for the repair version of the chem launcher, using the same controls as before.
    • Unequipping the Chem launcher can be done using the skill button, the B (XBOX) / Circle (PS4) button or just using the weapon swap controls.

Loot & Rewards:

  • Control Point reward containers are giving the correct number of items for the corresponding Control Point’s defense level. Defense level 4 now awards 5 items instead of 3.
  • Reduced DZ XP gain from Landmarks in Dark Zones.
  • Reduced the quality and power for items dropped in Propaganda Broadcast and one drop of Settlement Blockade activities to be more in line with other open world enemies and activities.
  • Updated XP rewards for low-level player playing in World Tiers to scale with player level.
  • Supply Drop activity loot container items now scale with every consecutive container you open. This includes lowering the reward of the first crate, but results in similar rewards for the activity as a whole.
  • Added 5 Specialized Apparel Cache Keys, awarded with levels 2 – 4.
    • As a thank you for playing, all players that played before April 4 get 5 Specialized Apparel Keys, regardless of their level.
    • Apparel Keys will be coming for those players later next week.
  • Faction Key loot drops from Bounties are now guaranteed and are displayed in the loot preview.
  • Adjusted bounty credit rewards to use scaling values in World Tiers instead of flat values so if a lower level player is playing with a higher-level player, they will receive an amount of credits more appropriate for their level.
  • Changed Skill Unlock rewards to be non-invaded only so that players who co-op with a higher-level friend to play invaded before playing on story won’t receive the rewards.
  • Added Apparel cache key fragments to the PvP reward caches.
  • Adjusted the rewards for the street execution activity to give slightly lower quality/source level gear so the rewards are more in line with the difficulty of the activity.
  • Reduced the quality and source level charts used for item drops from the living world activities settlement blockade and Propaganda broadcast to be more in line with other open world drops and the difficulty of the activities.
  • Updated Collectibles set XP reward to scale with player level.
  • Fixed an issue which caused the Drone Helicopter to not use the correct loot table.

Crafting: 

  • Increased Material cap for Standard and Specialized crafting materials to 400 (with all perks).
  • Increased Material cap for High-End crafting materials to 50.
  • Materials required for crafting weapon mods does not scale as aggressively and has much lower values in endgame.
  • Removed a small increase on materials required for crafting weapon mods after upgrading the crafting bench quality.
  • Changed the upgrade blueprints for exotic weapons Lullaby and Ruthless to not show up on the vendor until you are level 30.
  • Increased the power for the wandering vendor so her inventory has a narrower Gear Score range closer to the top of the World Tier Gear Score Range.
  • Set all exotic upgrade blueprints to award you the upgraded weapon on the max gear score of the current tier.
  • Removed a tiny increase on materials required for crafting weapon mods after upgrading the crafting bench quality.
  • Exotic weapons are now pre-equipped with lore text mods. These mods do not have stats and cannot be equipped elsewhere.

Talents:

  • Blind Justice – Modified the Buff that increases damage to your next shot now expires at end of combat and when out of combat
  • First Blood – Updated Normalized MMR Talent First Blood Text to correctly explain that the first shot after reloading from empty is the enhanced bullet.

NPCs:

  • Decreased damage of all NPC Automatic Shotguns
  • Decreased damage of all NPC SMGs
  • Hey agent! Staff in the Base of Operation will now shout at the player less frequently than before.

Main Missions Difficulty:

  • World Bank – Invaded – Server Room
    • Increased the time which the Black Tusks needs to complete the download in the Server Room from 200 seconds to 250 seconds.
    • Reduced the difficulty in the Server Room by setting the Enemy group composition to light, light, medium – Instead of medium, heavy, medium.
  • DCD Headquarters
    • Mission level has been changed from 17 to 18.
  • Roosevelt Island – Invaded – Quarantine Docks
    • Reduced the difficulty of the first wave of enemies encountered in the last beat of the mission by lowering the amount of Elite and Veteran enemies.
    • Enemies in this part of the mission can only use mounted weapons if there are 2 players or more.
      • This should make it less punishing for solo-players attempting this mission.

Open World:

  • Removed death of civilian squad as a failure condition for Control Point takeover.
    • The Officer will now remain in downed state until players complete the takeover or wipe.
  • Black Tusk presence has been increased in invaded Open World zones.
  • New Ambusher NPCs now roam the streets of DC.

Social:

  • Added a “Friends & Clan” option for Call for Backup that only shows calls from friends and clan members.
  • Added a “Do Not Disturb” group privacy option that blocks all incoming invites.

PC:
UI

  • Added a Field of View slider

PlayStation 4

  • Fixed an issue that could cause players to be stuck in the Specialization tutorial

Bug Fixes:

  • Fixed an issue that could cause undesired appearance changes to agents after login in or using the barber.
    • Players that have been permanently affected by an appearance change will unfortunately not be changed back with this fix. We want to apologize for any inconvenienced caused by this and we’re looking into options to allow players to fully customize their agent in the future, but we do not have a timeline for this feature.
  • Fixed an issue where the Cluster Seeker Mine could split up more often than intended.
  • Fixed an issue where the Defender Drone could have unlimited uptime.
  • Fixed an issue which prevented players from finishing the Unite cypher riddle.
    • We’re confident this is not bugged anymore.
  • Fixed an issue that would cause the Stronghold activation animation to always play when entering the Base of Operations.
  • Fixed several instances of Audio logs not playing automatically when picked up.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause players being unable to finish the Side Mission Worksite Community.
  • Fixed an issue where players were unable to update their crafting bench after reaching a new World Tier.
  • Fixed an issue with NPCs sometimes not reacting properly to cooked grenades
  • Fixed an issue with Hunters not always appropriately despawning if a player flees a combat space
  • Fixed rare issue where NPCs could get stuck when attempting to melee a player in cover
  • Fixed issue with the Explosive Seeker Mine occasionally failing to path to its target
  • Fixed bug where players could fast travel to non-friendly Control Points
  • Fixed bug that made encounters with friendly NPCs requesting resources too rare
  • Fixed bug where underground enemies would come to the surface during the day
  • Fixed an issue where players were able to obtain gear with a higher gear score than intended
    • Any owned High-End items will be lowered to Gear Score 500.
    • Any owned Superior items will be lowered to Gear Score 490.
    • Clan caches no longer award items higher than the maximum loot Gear Score.
    • Recalibration still allows Gear Score to increase slightly past the maximum loot Gear Score.
  • Fixed a bunch of weird stairs and invisible walls.

 

Weapon attachments
Name
Attribute (pos)
Attribute (neg)
Magazine
Belt
Nimble Link Belt
5% Fire rate
Tactical Small Pouch
20% Reload speed
Non-disruptive Link
Calibrated Link
15% Stability
Large Pouch
35 Extra rounds
5.56 Magazine
Light Extended 5.56 Mag
10 Extra Rounds
Sturdy Extended 5.56 Mag
20 Extra Rounds
10% Reload Speed
Tactical 5.56 Mag
10 % Crit Damage
Infantry 5.56 Mag
30% Optimal Range
Balanced Spring 5.56 Mag
20% Stability
7.62 Magazine
Light Extended 7.62 Mag
10 Extra Rounds
Sturdy Extended 7.62 Mag
20 Extra Rounds
10 %Reload Speed
Weighted 7.62 Mag
20% Stability
Precision 7.62 Mag
7% Headshot Damage
Thin 7.62 Mag
20% Reload Speed
9mm Magazine
Oversized 9mm Mag
10 Extra Rounds
Extended 9mm Mag
20 Extra Rounds
Heavy Spring 9mm Mag
10% Crit Damage
Segmented 9mm Mag
20% Reload Speed
Special Forces 9mm Mag
10% Damage to Elites
.45 ACP Magazine
Extended .45 ACP Mag
10 Extra Rounds
Oversized .45 ACP Mag
20 Extra Rounds
10 % reload speed
Short Spring .45 ACP Mag
20% Reload Speed
Force Feed .45 ACP Mag
10% Damage to Elites
Precision Feeding .45 Mag
20% Stability
Marksman 7.62 Magazine
Tightly Packed Marksman Mag
5 Extra Rounds
Lightweight Marksman Mag
20% Reload Speed
Sturdy Marksman Mag
20% Stability
Compact Marksman Mag
10% Damage to Elites
Mended Marksman Mag
20% Optimal Range
7.62 Integrated
Compensated Integrated Spring
20% Reload Speed
Overbalanced Integrated Spring
20% Stability
Stiff Integrated Spring
5% Damage
Underbalanced Integrated Spring
10% Damage to Elites
Revolver drum
Speed Loading Revolver Drum
20% Reload Speed
Pistol mag
Extended Pistol Mag
11 Extra Rounds
Field Pistol Mag
30% Optimal Range
Police Pistol Mag
20% Reload Speed
Tubular
Hard Tubular Spring
5% Fire Rate
Counter-Clockwise Tubular Spring
10% Damage to Elites
Flexible Tubular Spring
20% Reload Speed
Muzzle
5.56 (5.7)
Loud Vent Brake 5.56
10% Optimal Range
Muzzle Brake 5.56
5% Damage to Elites
Compensator 5.56
10% Stability
Flash Hider 5.56
5% Crit Damage
Large Suppressor 5.56
10% Accuracy
Omega 5.56 Rifle Suppressor
20% Stability
10 % Optimal Range
7.62
Loud Vent Brake 7.62
10% Optimal Range
Muzzle Brake 7.62
5% Damage to Elites
Compensator 7.62
10 % Stability
Flash Hider 7.62
5% Crit Damage
Large Suppressor 7.62
10 % Accuracy
Omega 7.62 Rifle Suppressor
20% Stability
10% Optimal Range
9 mm
Loud Vent Brake 9mm
10% Optimal Range
Muzzle Brake 9mm
5% Damage to Elites
Compensator 9mm
10% Stability
Flash Hider 9mm
5% Crit Damage
Small Suppressor 9mm
10% Accuracy
Osprey 9 Suppressor
5% Crit Chance
.45 ACP
Loud Vent Brake .45
10% Optimal Range
Muzzle Brake .45
5% Damage to Elites
Compensator .45
10% Stability
Flash Hider .45
5% Crit Damage
Small Suppressor .45
10% Accuracy
Osprey 45 Suppressor
5% Crit Chance
Optics
Short
EXPS3 Holo sight
8% Damage to Elites
Russian Red Dot Sight
5% Crit Damage
T2 Micro Red Dot Sight
10% Accuracy
PRO Red Dot Sight
5% Stability
Small RDS Scope
15% Stability
5% Accuracy
Reflex Sight
20 % Crit Range
Low Reflex Sight
10% Damage to Elites
10% Optimal Range
Rugged Mini Reflex Sight
5% Crit Chance
Long
Acog Scope (4x)
20% Optimal Range
CQBSS Scope (8x)
30% Headshot Damage
Digital Scope
45% Headshot Damage
5% crit damage
C79 Scope (3.4x)
5% Damage to elites
552 Holo Sight
10% Accuracy
MK5 Scope (15x)
40% headshot damage
20% Reload Speed
VX1 Scope (12x)
35% Headshot Damage
10% Reload Speed
Iron Sights
Streamlined Iron Sights
10% Reload Speed
Weighted Iron Sights
10% Stability
Open Iron Sights
10% Accuracy
Underbarrel
Short
Angled Grip
10% Stability
Laser Pointer
5% Crit Chance
Small Laser Pointer
7% Crit Chance
Vertical Grip
10% Accuracy
Long
Short Grip
5% Crit Damage
Handstop
10% Reload Speed
Gadget
Compact Coupled Laser Pointer
10% headshot damage
Compact Coupled Small Laser Pointer
10% Crit Chance

Previewed yesterday via a new trailer, Ubisoft has dropped The Division 2 update 1.05 today, and it’s live! In it, players can expect the Tidal Basin endgame Stronghold mission, World Tier 5, a new PvP map, a bunch of bug fixes and lots more!

While Ubisoft Massive hasn’t released the patch notes that include a detailed breakdown of what’s new and what got changed, the update history shows us an outline of the new stuff, and what fixes were implemented.

Here’s a more detailed look at the changes and additions via Reddit user JokerUnique:

Content

Tidal Basin Stronghold

With this update, the Black Tusk Stronghold Tidal Basin is unlocked. It is the last of the four Strongholds that need to be conquered to progress to World Tier 5.

Tidal Basin is a military base and in contrast to other “real world places” it has been constructed with the goal “How would a high-tech faction set up a base to make it defensible” in mind. That makes it very different from other missions/strongholds because it is in essence one big testing ground for the Agent that will throw everything it has at you to stop you from completing your mission. Overall the Stronghold has approx. the same size than Roosevelt Island but it will also be very challenging.

=> Stronghold Summary

 

World Tier 5 Unlocks

Once you have completed the Tidal Basin Stronghold on World Tier 4, you will be transferred automatically to World Tier 5.

=> World Tier Summary

 

Gear Sets

=> Image

Once you enter World Tier 5, in addition to the by now well known Brands, the Gear Sets will be added to the loot pool. There will be three Gear Sets in total (True Patriot / Ongoing Directive / Hardwired) and they can drop from Black Tusk enemies or in Invaded Missions

=> Gear Set Summary

 

Weekly Invasions

Upon reaching World Tier 5, you’ll be introduced to weekly invasions, which see the Black Tusk taking control of main missions and strongholds across the city. Weekly invasions will present a stiff challenge but offer a chance to grab some of The Division 2’s best weapons and gear. When a mission is invaded, you can also replay the mission as invaded and on multiple difficulties.

 

Heroic Difficulty is unlocked

Once you hit World Tier 5, Heroic Difficulty becomes available for the Main Missions and the Strongholds. Heroic Difficulty missions are very difficult but also very generous with rewards.

 

New PVP Map

The Map “Fort McNair” will be added to the Conflict rotation

=> Image

 

Two new Exotics

With this update, we also get two new exotics:

=> Exotics Summary

 


First Apparel Event

With the “Invasion: Battle for D.C.” we will also get the first Apparel Event. The Special Event will last for four weeks (April 5th – May 2nd) and during that time players can get the Special Event Caches. The Special Event Caches contain cool new outfits and other things like emotes or masks.

 

Everybody will get one Special Event Cache for free in the first week – if you log in before Thursday. Year 1 Pass owners get three additional free caches when they log in during the event. There will be ways to gain more free caches – like specific projects that you can finish. Special Event Caches don’t have any duplicates.

 

=> Summary – TBA

=> Weapon Skins

=> Masks

 


Fixes and Changes

These are only highlights – the full list of changes are in the patch notes.

 

Announced Bug Fixes

  • When your Crafting Station is stuck on a lower World Tier, that will be fixed with this update.

 

Balancing Changes

  • The Sniper M700 and the Rifle MK17 will get a damage reduction.
  • Crit Damage and Headshot Damage will be lowered across all existing gear, so if you have equipment with these stats on it, they will be different when you log in.
  • “Safeguard Talent” (extra healing) will get an internal cooldown so that it can’t be up all the time
  • Demolitionist Talent “Crisis Response” (when armor breaks you replenish your ammo) will also get an internal cooldown.

 

Skills Changes

  • Sniper Turret
    • Sniper Turret has been reworked
    • You will have a button above an enemy and the Turret will then shoot that NPC and it will automatically track it.
    • When you aim at the same NPC you can also specifically control where the shot will go (headshot or weakpoint etc)
    • That should make the Sniper Turret more accessible.
  • Chem Launcher
    • The handling of the Chem Launcher has been a bit awkward.
    • Now when you activate the Chem Launcher, it will activate and you can use it like a weapon until you put it away.
    • That should also give you more control about the skill
  • Firefly
    • Aiming mechanism has been reworked, so you can mark targets faster

 

Skill Mods

  • The Skill Mods have been revamped
  • The Bonuses you get from the Skill Mods correlate now with the amount of Skill Power required to unlock them.
  • They are now within the bounds of the Skill Power that you can get on your gear and they also changed the amount of Skill Power that you get on your gear.
  • So even when you have less Skill Power on your gear when you log in on Friday, don’t panic, you may be able to unlock a lot of mods that you could before.
  • With these changes skill builds should become a lot more viable.

 

Weapon Mods changes

  • All the Weapon Mods have been revamped:
  • All weapon mods got new values, new positives, more in line what they would do in real life
  • They also have lower values – since they don’t have their drawbacks anymore.
  • The only time there are negatives now on the Weapon Mods is when there are multiple mods – like magazines – one of them will have higher positive values, but also some negative values.
  • For every slot, there is a mod for every type of stat that has no negative values.
  • Now you can choose the mods you want to use and that should also be more fun.

 

Other Changes

  • Sharpshooter Signature Weapon has a faster lock–on, so if you had the feeling that you often missed the shot with the signature weapon, this should be addressed.
  • LVOA-C, the Lightweight M4, the Shotgun AA12, LMG MG5 got a buff
  • You will get a sensitivity slider for when you are aiming down sight.
  • Field of View slider will also be added with this update.

Not a bad content update, no? You can check out what Ubisoft has planned for the rest of the year, right here.

Check out some of our The Division 2 guides linked below.

More The Division 2 Reading on MP1st:

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Borderlands 3 Cross-Play: 2K Games “Looking Closely” Into It

With more and more games now allowing cross-play (meaning PS4 players can play against or with Xbox One/PC, etc.), it’s not unusual for players to expect this feature in online-centric games like Borderlands 3.

Now, if you’re hoping for Borderlands 3 cross-play out of the gate, you might be sad to hear that it doesn’t seem like it’s happening in time for the action game’s release this September 13. However, there is a small silver lining! Publisher 2K Games confirms that it’s looking closely at the game feature! Speaking to GameSpot, a 2K rep said, “Cross-play is something we’re looking at closely, but we don’t have anything to confirm or announce at this time.”

Related Reading: Borderlands 3 Loot Stream Will Be Individualized, Co-Op Allowed With No Level Restrictions

Mind, “looking” closely at something isn’t a guarantee that it’ll happen, but one can hope, right?

In other Borderlands 3 news, go check out the announce trailer released yesterday to get you hyped up for the game’s May 1 hands-on reveal. We also posted about the looter shooter’s different editions that will be available at launch.

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BioWare GM Sends Letter to Whole Studio Promising to Discuss Workplace Environment Issues Amid Reports

Just a few days ago, a report cropped up online exposing the toxic work environment BioWare employees suffered through in creating Anthem. While BioWare responded to the report, it didn’t really tell much other than they know the report exists, and they treat their employees well (their claims).

Today, it seems BioWare General Manager Casey Hudson is indeed taking this situation seriously (as he should) as a letter was sent to the entire studio which mentions how they’ll look into this issue. The full letter, which was obtained by Kotaku, can be read below.

Hey BioWare,

I wanted to get a note out to you to share my thoughts on the Kotaku article and the online discussion it has raised.

The article mentions many of the problems in the development of Anthem and some of our previous projects. And it draws a link between those issues and the quality of our workplace and the well-being of our staff. These problems are real and it’s our top priority to continue working to solve them.

What we found out-of-bounds was the naming of specific developers as targets for public criticism. It’s unfair and extremely traumatizing to single out people in this way, and we can’t accept that treatment towards any of our staff. That’s why we did not participate in the article and made a statement to that effect.

When I was offered the opportunity to return to BioWare as GM, I came into the role knowing the studio was experiencing significant challenges in team health, creative vision, and organizational focus. I was – and continue to be – excited to help drive improvements in those areas because I love this studio, and above all I want to create a place where all of you are happy and successful.

I’m not going to tell you I’ve done a good job at that, and on a day like today I certainly feel like I haven’t. But some of the steps we’ve taken towards this include a more focused studio mission and values, so that we have clarity on what we are here to do and how we define a high standard for our studio culture. We updated our studio structure around a matrix so that department directors can be fully focused on individual career support and well-being. We are defining better role clarity so that people can succeed better against clear expectations. And we are putting in place production changes that will provide for clearer project vision as well as a significant post-production period that will further relieve pressure and anxiety on teams during development.

But I know there’s much more to do, and we will talk in more detail about other actions we have been planning in response to internal feedback and postmortems at next week’s All-Hands. As always please continue to provide feedback on further steps we can take to make BioWare the best possible place to work.

I’m committed to getting us to a place where we are delivering on the highest expectations for BioWare games, through a work environment that’s among the very best in the world. With your help, we will get there.

Please let me know if you’d like to talk in person and I will be happy to set up time to hear your thoughts.

Casey

This is very good news to hear/read. Will this make Anthem a better game? Maybe, maybe not. But it should make lives better at the studio, and that’s what matters most.

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First The Division 2 Raid Teased in New Trailer, Tidal Basin Stronghold Coming Tomorrow

Those who have played The Division 2’s Strongholds and other missions to hell and back and want something new, you’ll be getting your wish starting tomorrow! In a new trailer, Ubisoft teased the Tidal Basin Stronghold which will be available tomorrow, April 5!

Not only that, but we get our first glimpse of The Division 2 Raid called “Operation Dark Hours,” which is the franchise’s first eight-man co-operative mission!

Agents, get ready for Invasion: the Battle for D.C., starting with April 5’s Title Update 2: Tidal Basin. This update brings the most heavily defended and dangerous stronghold, along with new exotic weapons, gear sets, events, and more. Then, get ready for Operation Dark Hours, the first ever 8-player raid for The Division 2, along with plenty more as part of our expansive post-launch plan.

To know more about Ubisoft’s year-one plan for The Division 2, click here.

More The Division 2 Reading:

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Borderlands 3 Loot Stream Will Be Individualized, Co-Op Allowed With No Level Restrictions

If you’ve played past Borderlands games or even any loot-centric co-op games, chances are you’ve encountered a free for all when it comes to item drops and loots. Thankfully, this won’t be the case with Borderlands 3!

As part of a feature on the game on the PlayStation Blog, Borderlands 3 Art Director Scott Kester revealed that the Borderlands 3 loot stream will be discrete to each user! Not only that, but players will be able to co-op online or via couch, regardless of their character level!

With that in mind, one of the things that I’m most excited about in Borderlands 3 are the improvements that we’ve made to co-op. Regardless of your respective levels or mission progress, you and your friends can play together online or on the couch, and not only will each of you deal a meaningful amount of damage, you’ll also receive your own discrete loot stream. No more loot ninjas! Of course, if you prefer to play with classic Borderlands 2 co-op rules—where loot is shared—you can choose to do so.

This is amazing news, no? Now we don’t have to rush over to beat others to the punch when picking up loot! Players can now also play co-op even with beginners if they want to “power level” someone up!

Don’t forget, the full hands-on impressions first look for Borderlands 3 will take place on May 1! In the meantime, go watch the release date announce trailer here to get your inner hype train started.

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Alex Co

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New World War Z Trailer Shows Us the Dynamic Swarm of Zombies

While zombie games are a dime a dozen, World War Z aims to differentiate itself from the rest of the pack by not only giving the player options for classes, but also on how the game’s zombies behave, and even look.

In a new video, Saber Interactive showcased what it calls its “Dynamic Swarm” tech that looks impressive. Remember the Jerusalem scene in the movie where the zombies climbed atop each other to scale the wall? Yeah, that’s possible in the World War Z!

In case you didn’t know, World War Z will also bring the zombies to other parts of the world. Check out this trailer showcasing the zombies in Japan!

World War Z will eat brains this April 16 on the PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

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Alex Co

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Apex Legends Leaving Early Penalty to Be Implemented Soon, Accidentally Included in Yesterday’s Patch

Just yesterday, Respawn released a new Apex Legends patch that focused on squashing technical bugs more than anything else. While it had the unfortunate issue of erasing progression, that doesn’t seem to be the only thing that was accidentally part of the title update.

In an announcement on Reddit, Respawn mentioned that an Apex Legends leaving early penalty feature is being worked on, which was accidentally included in yesterday’s patch! Good thing it has since been remedied, but there are people who got affected by it.

We’ve Disabled the Leaving Early Penalty
byu/Jayfresh_Respawn inapexlegends

So internally, we have been working on and testing this feature but it wasn’t our intention or plan to have it go live with the update that went out today. There was a piece of script that was missing and caused the leaving match early penalty to be turned on when it shouldn’t be. That’s why it wasn’t in the patch notes.

We updated the script, tested with QA and it’s now disabled for all platforms. We don’t have an ETA for if or when this would come out for real. Apologies for the confusion.

For those who got affected by this, is this a change you’re looking forward to or just something that will make you play the game less?

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Alex Co

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Battlefield 5 Update Today Version 1.14 Now Available, Here’s the File Size and Full Patch Notes

DICE has rolled out the Battlefield 5 update today which is what we reported on yesterday. Clocking in at 3.6GB on PS4 (6.59GB on PC), the Battlefield 5 update today version 1.14 includes a ton of gameplay tweaks, changes to Firestorm, the introduction of Battlefield Currency, and lots more.

Check out the full Battlefield 5 Trial By Fire update 2 patch notes below.

Firestorm – Gameplay fixes and changes
• Fixed an issue which was causing a weapon to be misaligned when a player was in a man
down state while being spectated.
• V-1 and Artillery Strikes now count as “gadget kills”.
• Pistols that have been picked up by the player now properly drop on the ground if the
player dies.
• Players are now able to use the Flare Gun while in water.
• Increased the draw distance for grenades and melee weapons.
• Grenades now collide with the cover of the pickup truck instead of going through it.
• Fixed an issue where the active VOIP icon would not always show if the entire squad
would be talking at the same time.
• Players will no longer deploy a grenade automatically when dropping an item as a
passenger.
• When in a tank, the player will no longer switch to the selected tank gun while zooming
on the map.
• Added a red outline for the Artillery Strike on the map to make it more visible.
• The health cooldown UI no longer freezes if a player drops their healing items when it is
in progress.
• Getting an invite from a player while looking for players enables you to join the squad.
• If the user cancels and resumes the interaction with a safe, it will always reset.
• When the player is watching another player being revived, the camera will remain in the
same position.
• The Napalm Helmet will no longer obstruct the player when aiming down sights.
• Players can now jump as soon as they reach the start of the jump location.
• When waiting for the other players, the squad list shows the correct Armor Plates
number that the player had before death.
• Players will no longer reload when opening doors.
• The loot rarity icon is no longer visible through soldier bodies and vehicles.
• When getting killed by another player, the text for the weapon used will show properly.
• Switching weapon while dropping a weapon will no longer make the weapon being held
invisible.
• The Swap and Drop button callouts are updated if the player changes the keybind ingame.
• Interaction detection has been improved to avoid issues with loot near Objectives and
vehicles.
• The interaction prompt for safes will no longer be offset when the player interacts with it
repeatedly.
• The interaction prompt for safes will no longer double when the player interacts with it
repeatedly.
• Interacting with a safe repeatedly will no longer make the progress bar disappear.
• When the player is killed by an Artillery Strike, an icon is displayed in the kill feed.
• The first wave of capture points now start earlier, before the zone starts to shrink for the
first time.

Firestorm – Map improvements and fixes
• Improved the rock wall textures near Pluto (Dig Site A).
• Removed a piece of terrain that was clipping through the bridge towards the farm from
the lake, causing vehicles to flip if they drive over it with speed.
• Fixed a floating telegraph pole that was placed east from Nannahavn.
• The crates located west of Hansen Farms are no longer floating in the air.
• Fixed a floating tree west of the Halvoy Dam.
• Players can no longer get stuck between the gap of the barrels inside Hansen Farms.
• The shed door is no longer clipping through the barrels at Minerva Docks.
• Players can no longer interact with the backside of the ladder near Guderos.
• Players can no longer get stuck while prone under the wooden platform next to the
fishing cabin near Halvoy Dam.
• Players can no longer get stuck between the wall and the railway sleeper stacks East of
Minerva Docks.
• Players can no longer get stuck when jumping between the metal bars at Pluto (Dig site
A).
• Improved rock textures near the Odenberg area.
• Player can no longer get stuck between the tree and the wall north of Minerva Docks.
• Players can no longer hide behind the waterfall South of Minerva Docks.
• The wooden crates are no longer floating above the floor inside the shed southeast of
Hansen Farms.
• The wooden crate no longer blocks the player from vaulting through the window in arctic
house west of Hansen Farms.
• Snow effect is no longer present inside the house southeast of Hotstad as well as the
house north of Minerva Docks.
• Fixed an issue that was causing mild flickering around the windshields inside vehicles.
• The PAK-40 AT towable located southeast of Halvdeler has been moved ten meters to
make it more useful.

Vehicles
• Fixed a bug that enabled players to use airplanes during the match start timer period.
The animation when entering and exiting vehicles is now smoother and should have less
unintended sudden camera movements.
• Fixed an issue that could cause a temporary black screen when reloading a stationary
turret while using its zoom functionality at the same time.
• Made audio improvements to audibility of other players’ tanks.

Weapons, Gadgets, and Specializations
• Fixed the Ribeyrolles aperture sights being misaligned and using the wrong
magnification.
• Tweaked the Gewehr 43 reflex sight to look better.
• Tweaked the Bren max recoil which was too low.
• Reduced the M1897 damage drop-off start distance by 1 m for all ammo types. Our data
indicated that the 1897 had a bit too much range compared to other shotguns.
• Changed the way camera recoil works. When firing, weapons are allowed to go a bit
more off center now. The true point of aim will follow the weapon and is not fixed to the
screen center.
• Changed the way SMG and assault rifle dispersion increases while firing in ADS. The
second, third, and sometimes fourth shots (for low rate-of-fire weapons) are now more
predictable while later shots are less predictable. Also shortened the time it takes for
dispersion to decrease when no longer firing. This means short bursts are a bit more
effective, while long bursts or mag dumps are a bit less effective.
• Fixed an issue that would prevent shotgun damage decals to appear on vehicles.
• The knife animation no longer triggers after firing the last round of a Panzerfaust.
• Bullet impact sounds have been further localized and the amount by which they can
attenuate non-player weapons has been reduced.
• Improved audibility of single-shot weapons.
• Improved audibility of late reflections for automatic weapons based on distance from
listener.
• Adjusted headphone mix for low frequencies to smooth out positioning.

Soldier
• Fixed a bug with the Medic class that would result in the weapon floating in the air while
the player was running briefly after reviving another player.
• The first-person animation when picking up health packs and ammo packs have been
moved to take less screen space for improved visibility.
• Soldiers that die in a vehicle are now ejected and can be revived.

Maps and Modes
• Fixed an issue in the Practice Range where vehicles would not spawn when the user
restarts the range.
• Fixed a visual bug in the Practice Range which would cause the player’s body to be
invisible while driving the Kubelwagen in third person.

UI/HUD/Options/Assignments
• Fixed an issue where the ticket counter was not visible when playing Breakthrough,
Frontlines, and Airborne.
• Disabled the saturation effect when regenerating health.
• Fixed a hang that could occur if players looked at server info from within the social hub
while being in the Your Company screen.
• Fixed a bug which could prevent players from deploying, prompting the error message
“The Class you have selected is violating the server rules” if they had equipped a newly
unlocked sight.
• Fixed a bug which prevented players from speeding up the bleed out timer when being in
a down state.
• Improved responsiveness and accuracy of the Commo Rose and the Squad
Reinforcements Rose when using a controller.
• Fixed an issue that would cause equipped vanity items to get unequipped when players
purchased and equipped something else.
• Fixed the placement of the buy button in the Replace Weapon screen to no longer clip
into the divider line.
• Fixed an issue where players would purchase something with Company Coin and get a
“Not enough Company Coin” error message even if they had enough currency.
• Fixed a bug that would cause the idle kick functionality to not always work.
• Improved how class characters are loaded when scrolling through them while in the
hangar between matches.
• Added the soldier stance icon from single-player into multiplayer.
• In the grenade selection menu, the smoke grenade selection will no longer show the Frag
Grenade demonstration video.

Stability
• Made multiple crash fixes and stability improvements.

PC-Specific Improvements
• Increased maximum ray count in DXR Ultra to improve reflection quality.
• DLSS is now also supported in borderless mode.
• Made improvements to DLSS sharpness.
• Fixed an issue that caused the Customization screen to be darker than intended when
having DX12 enabled.
• Fixed a rendering issue that could cause graphical corruption when spamming various
player actions.
• Fixed a bug that would cause the game to hang if the player mashed all the keyboard and
mouse buttons while in the key binding menu. The player that found this must have
eaten too much pineapple pizza.
• In Firestorm, opening the map and using the “scroll” button while inside a tank in the
gunner position will no longer switch the selected tank gun as well.

If there are new bugs introduced, or new features that are not in the patch notes, we’ll let you know.

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

Home > News

Battlefield 5 Currency Release Date Set for Tomorrow, Here’s an FAQ About It

Announced even before the game’s launch, Battlefield 5’s in-game currency called “Battlefield Currency” or what the community refers to as “Boins” will be available in the game starting tomorrow when the patch drops.

Before anyone panics, Battlefield 5 currency will only be used for cosmetics and what EA calls “time savers, which will help those strapped with time (or just lazy) to obtain the chapter reward items, XP boosts and more.

Check out the full FAQ regarding Battlefield Currency below (via EA).

What is Battlefield Currency?
There are two types of in-game currency: Company Coin is earned through gameplay (you can read more about Company Coin and progression in our previous article), and now Battlefield Currency, purchased with real-world money.

How Do I Purchase Battlefield Currency?
From the Battlefield V main menu, go to either My Company, or the Armory, or any offer featured in the game menus. From there, press the “Get Battlefield Currency” option and then select and buy one of the quantities available. When the transaction is successful, Battlefield Currency will be immediately added to your Battlefield Currency balance. You can see your Battlefield Currency balance in the upper right of the screen alongside your Company Coin balance.

Battlefield Currency can also be purchased in first-party stores for your preferred platform.

What Can I Use Battlefield Currency to Get?
Inside the Armory, Battlefield Currency can be used to acquire:

  • Cosmetic customization items
  • Elite sets
  • Time savers

Elite sets and time savers will not be available on April 4 but will arrive later in Battlefield V.

Cosmetic Items
Today, you can get cosmetic items of all rarity levels through direct progression, such as Chapter Rewards or Career, Class, and Weapon Ranks. You can also get other Common, Uncommon, and Rare items through Company Coins.

Starting April 4, using Battlefield Currency, you’ll get access to new Epic items. You’ll also be able to get a number of cosmetic items already available through Company Coin.

Looking ahead, we will continue to release new cosmetic items that can be obtained through direct progression, Company Coins, and/or Battlefield Currency. We want to give every player a chance to access new cosmetic items, whether they choose to spend real-world money or earn content through gameplay.

The Elite
Coming in Chapter 3, we’ll be introducing something new to Battlefield: Elite sets that let you play as a distinct soldier in multiplayer modes, including Firestorm. Each Elite is a unique character with a name and background. They consist of a themed assortment of cosmetic items, character voice overs, a Best Squad animation, and an exclusive Special Assignment that helps bring to life the story of the Elite and unlocks a signature melee weapon.

Elites play like any other soldier and do not grant any type of gameplay advantage. We’ll provide more details on our first two Elites, Seamus and Ernst, closer to their arrival.

Time Savers
Later this spring, we’ll be introducing two types of time savers that can be acquired with Battlefield Currency: Tier Catch-Ups and XP Boosts.

Tier Catch-Ups unlock Chapter Reward items, providing an option for those players who don’t have the time to earn all those items through gameplay.

XP Boosts accelerate the amount of experience points you earn while you play, allowing you to reach Chapter, Career, Weapon, Vehicle, or Class Rank at a faster pace.

Are There Other Ways to Use Real-World Money?
Yes. In addition to Battlefield Currency, you can use real-world money to get value bundles. These bundles are available for limited times and can contain a mix of cosmetics, currency, time savers, or other items. The contents of a bundle will always be listed so you know what you’re getting before you make a purchase.

Starter packs are one example of a value bundle. Let’s take a look.

There’s also going to be a Starter Pack and Premium Starter Pack that will go on sale tomorrow as well.

Starter Pack and Premium Starter Pack
Arriving with the April 4 launch of Battlefield Currency are two ways to kick off your customization spree, the Battlefield V Starter Pack and the Battlefield V Premium Starter Pack. These packs are meant to help new players get a head start on building and customizing their Company.

The Battlefield V Starter Pack contains:

  • 500 Battlefield Currency
  • Glacial – Face paint (Rare)
  • Night Owl – Weapon Skin Set (Rare) for four weapons:
    • Sturmgewehr 1-5
    • Sten
    • KE7
    • Lee-Enfield No.4 Mk I

The Battlefield V Premium Starter Pack contains:

  • 3,500 Battlefield Currency
  • Demolisher – Axis Soldier Outfit (Epic)
  • Cool Hand Duke – Allied Soldier Outfit (Epic)
  • Skorpion – Panzer IV Vehicle Skin (Rare)
  • Icefire – Spitfire MK VA Vehicle Skin (Rare)
  • Chromed Finish – Weapon Skin Set (Rare) for four weapons:
    • Sturmgewehr 1-5
    • Sten
    • KE7
    • Lee-Enfield No.4 Mk I

I know, I know, microtransactions and the like aren’t welcome in games, but at least they won’t affect gameplay in Battlefield 5, right? Once the Boins and the patch are up, we’ll let our readers know.

Make sure to bookmark our Battlefield 5 game hub for the latest news regarding the game.

Related Battlefield 5 Reading:

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

Home > News

Borderlands 3 Different Editions Detailed, PC Will Be Exclusive to Epic Games Store for 6 Months

Earlier today, Gearbox announced the Borderlands 3 release date with a brand new trailer. In a press release, Gearbox has also detailed the Borderlands 3 different editions the game will have come launch this September 13!

There’s going o be four different versions of Borderlands 3, and we’ve outlined each one below along with the prices and what it’ll contain.

Borderlands 3 Standard Edition – $59.99 USD

The Borderlands 3 Standard Edition includes the base game.

  • Pre-order bonus: Gold weapon skins & weapon trinket
Borderlands 3 Deluxe Edition – $79.99 USD

The Borderlands 3 Deluxe Edition includes the base game, as well as bonus digital content:

  • Retro Cosmetic Pack: Vault Hunter head & skin, Echo Device skin, weapon skin;
  • Neon Cosmetic Pack: Vault Hunter head & skin, Echo Device skin, weapon trinket;
  • Gearbox Cosmetic Pack: weapon skin, weapon trinket;
  • Toy Box Weapon Pack: 2 Toy guns, Toy grenade mod, weapon trinket;
  • XP & Loot Drop Boost Mods;
  • Pre-order bonus: Gold weapon skins & weapon trinket.
Borderlands 3 Super Deluxe Edition – $99.99 USD1 

The Borderlands 3 Super Deluxe Edition includes all the bonus digital content and pre-order bonus of the Deluxe Edition PLUS the Borderlands 3 Season Pass, which includes:

  • Four (4) campaign DLC packs featuring new stories, missions and challenges;
  • Butt Stallion weapon skin, weapon trinket, and grenade mod.
(1LIMITED TIME PRICING – Starting September 17, 2019, the digital version of Borderlands 3 Super Deluxe Edition will update to the full MSRP of $119.99 USD.)

Borderlands 3 Diamond Loot Chest Collector’s Edition – $249.99 USD

Celebrate the return of the original shooter-looter with the Diamond Loot Chest Collector’s Edition, a swag-splosion of collectibles digistructed straight from the worlds of Borderlands 3 – available at GameStop.

This edition includes the full game, season pass, and all bonus digital content and pre-order bonus of the Super Deluxe Edition, plus:

  • Diamond Loot Chest Replica: Featuring a functional retractable lid, this chest is perfect for storing your real-world loot;
  • Borderlands 3 character figurines (x10): Make room on your shelf for the whole crew, including the four new Vault Hunters, the fanatical Calypso Twins, and some of your favorite characters from the Borderlands universe! (Approximately 3” tall.);
  • Sanctuary 3 snap model: Construct your very own Sanctuary 3 model ship and display it proudly on its included stand;
  • Vault Key keychains (x4): Because you never know when you might stumble across an unopened Vault;
  • Cloth galaxy map: Discover new worlds beyond Pandora with Typhon DeLeon’s map of the Borderlands;
  • Character art lithographs (x5): Unique character prints starring the new Vault Hunters and fanatical Calypso Twins;
  • Borderlands 3 Steelbook case: A gorgeous metal case for any collector’s shelf.

For PC players, Borderlands 3 will be exclusive to the Epic Games Store for six months, and will be available on other digital storefronts on April 2020.

Don’t forget to check back this May 1 as Gearbox will be unveiling the first public hands-on look at Borderlands 3!

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.