While Battlefield 2042’s redemption arc is still on-going, to say the game had a rocky launch is an understatement. Not only did it not fare well critically at launch, but it failed to resonate with Battlefield franchise vets as well. One of the main issues players brought up were the Specialists, and how it deviated too much from the traditional Battlefield class system.
In an interview, DICE Senior Producer Ryan McArthur talks about one of main sore spots players had with BF2042, and that was with Specialists replacing classes. McArthur talks about the major overhaul DICE did in Season 3 to make Specialists feel more like your traditional Battlefield class, and how a lot of the issues players had with Specialists stemmed from the fact that they didn’t understand how it was supposed to work.
“When we look back at the data, and when we really started moving forward with introducing the class systems, one of the big things we really started to understand was that a lot of our issues came from the fact that players didn’t understand how the Specialists were supposed to work. And if you don’t understand how something is supposed to work, of course you believe that the old way was better. Feedback from players was really good around this. So we had to find a way to give them what they wanted, but still allow us the freedom and flexibility that we originally wanted too.”
McArthur talked about how DICE botched the communication part on how Specialists should work and how it should have fit each class structure.
Each of these Specialists were originally designed to fit within the class structure that we had in previous games. We just didn’t land that communication, or execute it in a way that players understood what role each Specialist was supposed to play…We underestimated the need to make sure that we constantly tie these things back to the original pillars of Battlefield – class gameplay, squadplay, and teamwork. This is one of the big places where we fell.
Do you agree with McArthur’s statements? Would the fanbase have reacted differently to Specialists if they were communicated better? Sound off in the comments below.
Following a few trailers for Apex Legends Resurrection, Respawn has now revealed the Apex Legends Resurrection release date and it’s August 8! In addition to that, Respawn has also shared the Apex Legends Revenant rework, weapon changes and loads more.
Apex Legends Resurrection – Revenant Changes, Weapon Changes, New Content:
LEGEND UPDATE: REVENANT
For the entire duration of the season, Revenant will be free for all players all season long. There will be challenges to complete during the season, and completing them all will unlock Revenant permanently after the season ends.
PASSIVE: Assassin’s Instinct
Highlight nearby visible enemies who are low on health. You crouch walk faster and have improved wall climbing.
TACTICAL: Shadow Pounce
Unleash a powerful pounce forwards. Hold to charge for farther distances.
ULTIMATE: Forged Shadows
Forge a shroud of hardened shadows around you that blocks direct damage and regenerates after breaking. Your shadows and tactical are refreshed on knockdowns.
Revenant will be unlocked for all players, all-season long. Players can complete challenges by using Revenant throughout the season in order to unlock him permanently.
CHARGE RIFLE UPDATE
The Charge Rifle has been re-designed for immediate use in the Apex Games. No longer does the infamous weapon fire a sustained beam. Newly fitted with an Extended Sniper Mag attachment slot and boasting a number of changes to its firing mechanisms, Legends familiar with the anti-Titan model available during the Frontier Wars should feel right at home.
Holding the trigger down will increase the weapon’s charge, while releasing the trigger will decrease it. Once fully charged, a powerful energy projectile is released which deals increased damage the further it travels. This projectile can pierce through multiple enemy Legends, so watch out which teammates you cozy up to!
Much like Revenant, the Charge Rifle is getting reworked in Season 18. Marked as an “outlier” in its mechanics, it’s been updated and brought in line with a certain other Charge Rifle from the past.
These changes include the removal of hitscan, making it a projectile based weapon with bullet drop, removing the pre-beam laser, and taking a pass at the handling timing (see: reloads, draws).
It also no longer automatically releases its projectile. You’ll need to charge it up (hence the name) and release the button once it’s fully charged to fire it. If you release it too early, it wont fire and will lose its charge.
The new mechanics also encourage longer-range gameplay, as it does more damage the further away the target is.
Finally, magazines have been reintroduced for use and the ammo consumption lowered per shot down to 1.
The Prowler: Select Fire Returns
…in the care package! The Prowler will be entering the care package in Season 18, but with the added fun of the much beloved Select Fire.
Disruptor Rounds
The Disruptor Rounds return in Season 18… with a twist. Dealing increased shield damage, it will still remain a hopup for the Alternator… and now, the Peacekeeper. Yes, a shotgun with Disruptor Rounds.
(Side note: my jaw literally dropped when I heard this.)
Other Weapon Changes
Mastiff
Blast pattern will be tightened for more consistency.
Hemlok
The Hemlok will return to the floor, and will be getting a damage and recoil buff compared to its previous non-crated version.
R-99
The R-99 will get increased horizontal recoil, and will have reduced max ammo with no mag and all the mags as well.
SMGs
All SMGs will have reduced strafe speed and a headshot multiplayer reduction.
MIX TAPE: BROKEN MOON
NEW TDM & GUN RUN MAP: THE CORE
Broken Moon is coming to Mixtape! The Core provides a new and exciting battlefield for Gun Run and TDM. Occupying the central building gives great high ground and wide-open sightlines making it a prime location to fight over. Or take to the outer ring for prime access to Care Packages.
The Core is a little bit bigger than what we’ve played previously. Zip rails help players rotate towards the action quickly and open sightlines promote a different style of gameplay and weapon meta than the other more personal, scrappier maps.
NEW CONTROL MAP: PRODUCTION YARD
It’s been a while since our last Control map and Broken Moon brings Production Yard to Control. Contrary to our other Broken Moon map for Mixtape, Production Yard provides an intense, scrappy experience in tight quarters. Lots of boxes and cover to duck around and tight corners to set-up defense or ambushes.
Also featuring Broken Moon’s Zip rails, combat pace is really high on this map and allows players to quickly shift from attacking and defending at a moment’s notice. We’re hoping players find a lot of different strategies in either bunkering up and covering angles or finding some sneaky back caps using zip rails and corners.
Ranked in Resurrection
The big takeaway is that the devs are prepared for this season with more tuning for ranks, and have patched out the bug that allowed large amounts of players to easily climb to Masters by getting larger bonuses than they should’ve. Players who earned Masters in season 17 will have a harder time climbing back up to that rank.
Players in Diamond and above will have higher stakes in the form in LP Losses and decreased Rating Bonuses and Loss Mitigation. This is in the hopes that it will better distribute players among the ranks.
All ranks will now have a “Minimum Bonus” for eliminations. While the bonuses might decrease for higher ranks, you’ll always be able to count on eliminations to give you a small bonus.
Note: whatever rank you did earn in season 17, you will keep the rewards for the highest rank that you achieved. Respawn has no intention of taking those awards away from you.
Speaking of rewards, however: After the Season 18 ranked season, dive trails will no longer be a reward you can earn from ranks. The reason being that players with dive trails were often targeted by others, and created a toxic feeling for something that should be a reward for achieving a higher rank. After Season 18, the trails will be replaced with Ranked Banner Frames.
As for badges, all ranked badges will now default to the animated version of the badges at the end of each season.
On Preventing Ratting
In addition to fixing parts of the map that allowed people to easily rat, and more rewards for being aggressive in fights, ring updates will will encourage more movement and fights. More ring movements, higher ring damage early game and less ring damage late game, all to bring shorter match lengths and increase the pacing.
DEATH DYNASTY COLLECTION EVENT
Death becomes you, Legends. Our first event of Resurrection will be launching with the season, and you’ll be handsomely rewarded with double XP in Battle Royale from August 8-15 and then in Mixtape from August 15-22.
COLLECTION EVENT ITEMS
Capture 24 limited-time cosmetics before they expire, with Legendary skins for Catalyst, Loba, and more!
All 24 items will be available in exchange for Apex Coins or Crafting Metals and in Death Dynasty Event Apex Packs for the entire duration of the event.
You’ll automatically receive Revenant’s Death Grip Heirloom set once you’ve secured all 24 items for your eternal collection.
REWARD TRACKER
Earn up to 1,600 points per day, challenges refresh daily and all challenges will stack with your Battle Pass so you can complete multiple challenges at once. Complete additional goals to unlock three unique event badges and complete all three to earn a final fourth badge.
Misc. Talking Points
Future Legend Reworks
As of now, there are not a lot of plans for major legend reworks like Revenants in the near future. Revenant provided a good opportunity for the devs to rework his kit to better fit in with the current landscape of legends.
Tracking People with Revenants Passive
There is no limit to the amount of enemies Revenant can track with his passive! As long as they are in a pretty close range, they will be picked up/scanned and shown if they are below 40 HP.
Seer Nerf
The buff Seer got in Season 17 was a little too strong, but in Season 18 his tactical will be slightly easier to evade and the tracking/slow time reduced.
Ballistics Tactical
Ballistics tactical was very hard to avoid in close quarters, often making it impossible to avoid. There has been a small leniency added to make it more predictable and easier to deal with in those close quarters situations.
Any more in-game story events like in Season 17?
There will not be any in-game cinematic events like A Thiefs Bane, but there will be in-game tie ins to stories they are trying to tell, with additional episodes of Kill Code as well.
Note that the official patch notes will be revealed on August 7, and once that’s live, we’ll be sure to let our readers know about it.
Blackbird Interactive has released Minecraft Legends update 1.08 (PS5 version 1.008) on all platforms, and this brings a ton of improvements across the board! Expect matchmaking improvements, hero improvements and more! Read on for the Minecraft Legends Aug. 3 patch notes, which is tagged as version 1.17.44512.
Matchmaking lobby improvements to get more players matched into games together
The sword can now inflict a small amount of damage on piglin bosses and buildings (except walls and portals) and deals more damage against most piglins
Banner View now shows health bars for enemy structures
Faster build, deconstruct, gather, and clear netherrack speeds in Campaign
Optimized and shortened the flow of the game’s prologue
Player objectives and goals now appear in the game’s second act
UI, HUD, and map improvements
Mob balance improvements
Gameplay Improvements:Matchmaking Improvements:
Improvements were made to the backend lobby creation/joining tech to ensure it’s easier for players and teams to find players when signed into a Microsoft account
Resolved an issue where players could be listed in the wrong team on the Team list
Fixed an issue where player profile pictures and nicknames could be missing after joining a lobby via matchmaking on PC
Fixed an issue where players could be brought to the main menu’s background with no user interface after exiting a PVP match (MCLG-27)
Hero Improvements:
The player’s sword attack can now deal small amounts of damage to most piglin buildings (Portals and piglin walls are exempt)
The sword attack can now deal damage to more enemies per swing
The sword attack’s knockback has been increased slightly
The sword attack now deals double knockback when sprinting
The sword attack is more effective against many piglins such as the Blaze Runt, Brute, Sporeback, and Warboar
The sword attack can now deal small amounts of damage to large piglin mobs like the Lava Launcher, Portal Guard, and Pigmadillo
The sword attack can now deal very small amounts of damage to piglin bosses
Mob Recall Improvements:
If mobs have been issued an order recently by another player, there is now a small delay before they can be Recalled
Improved VFX & SFX feedback on mobs during Recall action
Increased the duration of the Recall action to 8 seconds (was 2 seconds)
Players are now able to interrupt a Recall action being performed by another player on a specific mob or group of mobs by luring or directing those mobs before the Recall action is complete. This allows players to “hang on” to certain mobs and prevent them from getting recalled away by a teammate.
\Prologue Improvements:
The first village the player needs to go to at the beginning of the prologue has been moved so that it is closer to the Well of Fate, and always directly ahead of the player when they begin
Decreased urgency for the player throughout the prologue, to allow for extra time to explore the world
Improved the piglin spawn banner timings and the objective text during the village defense beat of the prologue, to help indicate where piglins will attack from and when they have been successfully defeated
Improved animation timing of cages during the village defense to be more in sync with the action bar on screen
The piglin structures in the prologue are now easier to destroy with Plank Golems
Targeting Improvements:
Health bars have been added to enemy structures while using Banner View
Improvements were made to the direct and advanced direct controls so units respond to orders more reliably
Fixed an issue where cobblestone golems would sometimes get stuck when attacking structures and become unresponsive
Resolved an issue where golems could get stuck under gates and no longer attack
Mob Balance Improvements:
Fixed an issue with the Pigmadillo roll attack so it more reliably hits enemies
Pigmadillos are now a much stronger counter versus plank golems and skeletons
Plank golems now take 125% more damage from a roll attack than before
Skeletons now take 40% more damage from a roll attack than before
Lava Launchers no longer get stun-locked by certain melee mobs
Building and Resource Improvements:
Increased build speed and deconstruct speed on most player structures by ~20-80% (Campaign only)
Increased gather speed on resources by 25-50% (Campaign only)
Increased Cure Netherrack speed by 30% (Campaign only)
strong>Campaign Objectives:
We’ve added in-game objectives to the map screen starting right after the prologue. This new addition will guide players more effectively by highlighting high-level goals, thereby providing a clear path through the game
Player Map Improvements:
New Player Icon: We’ve added a distinct icon to represent players on the world map, improving navigational clarity
Eye-Catching Icon Effect: To ensure immediate identification, we’ve designed the player icon with an eye-catching effect that triggers upon the map opening
Solo Play Update: For a less cluttered experience during solo play, player name tags will no longer be displayed on the world map
\Ramps and Bridges:
Ramp and Bridge maximum height increased from 12 to 24 blocks
Ramp and Bridge maximum length increased from 43 to 75 blocks
The user experience has also been improved to allow for easier placement of Ramps and Bridges
HUD Improvements:
The Songbook icon is now always present on the HUD
The Map icon is now always present on the HUD
Button hints have been added for PC players when using the toolbar menu
Button prompts were added to the directional toolbar
First golem icons are now displayed properly on the compass upon discovery of their location in the world
Difficulty Selection Improvements:
Players can now choose their preferred difficulty upon starting a new campaign. This improved flow allows players to more easily select the difficulty for their campaign games, as well as better understand the differences between each difficulty
Modding on PC:
We’ve released a repository of documentation for creating mods for Minecraft Legends on PC. It will help you understand how the data is laid out and how to make your own mods for the game. Watch this space as we’re planning on releasing more documentation in the future!
If you are a Diablo or League of Legends fan, then this upcoming ARPG might interest you. Wardens Rising is an upcoming action-packed multiplayer base defense shooter that takes elements and inspiration from Diablo and League of Legends.
Wardens Rising is an action-packed thrill ride that combines the hero-focused, base-defending mayhem of League of Legends with the hero-shooter gameplay and special abilities of Overwatch. Players have to use their Warden’s unique abilities and customizable gear builds to transform the battle and protect the core from enemy invasions – by yourself, or in co-op with up to four players.
Watch the Wardens Rising reveal trailer right here:
Wardens Rising – Key Features:
Solo Campaign or Multiplayer Coop Mission Mode with up to 4 players
5 heroes, each with unique stats and abilities
6 SPEC companions, each with a unique buff, attack and stats
10 defense towers that can be upgraded between battles
30+ maps to defend solo or coop + 8 mission mode maps
20+ upgradable tactical items
Coop Mission Mode with random invasions on 8 maps)
Supports controller or mouse/keyboard
More of Wardens Rising, including hands-on gameplay and developer interviews will be showcased at gamescom 2023. The debut title from Big Moxi Games is aiming for a 2024 release across Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC.
Recently, Quake 2 appeared in South Korea’s Game Rating and Admission Committee, suggesting that a Remastered version is underway. Today, a new report has corroborated the claims of a Quake 2 Remastered / Enhanced Edition and has provided more insight as to when players can expect it.
According to the report, Quake 2 Remastered will be called “Quake 2” and will not include the word “Remastered” as it appeared in Korea’s game rating board. It will officially be unveiled during QuakeCon which is scheduled to take place from August 10 till August 13. The exact date of the announcement is reportedly August 11
Just like the original Quake in 2021, the sequel will launch on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, PC, and Nintendo Switch. Of course, like every Xbox first-party title, it will be available day one with Xbox Game Pass for PC and consoles.
Undoubtedly this report seems convincing, and this lines up exactly with what Bethesda did with the original Quake, however, take this with a grain of salt until the game is officially unveiled.
Nintendo has announced its financial results for the first quarter of the current fiscal year. According to the document, the Nintendo Switch sales are nearing 130 million. As of June 30, Nintendo has sold a whopping 129.53 million Switch consoles.
The sales for the console were up by 13.9% compared to the previous year’s first quarter, thanks to Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, selling a total of 3.91 million units in the April to June window. Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has also surpassed 18.51 million copies globally since its launch on May 12.
Nintendo Switch Best-Selling Titles (As of June 30):
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – 55.46 million pcs.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons – 42.79 million pcs.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – 31.77 million pcs.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – 30.65 million pcs.
Super Mario Odyssey – 26.44 million pcs.
Pokémon Sword/ Pokémon Shield – 25.92 million pcs.
Pokémon Scarlet/ Pokémon Violet – 22.66 million pcs.
Super Mario Party – 19.39 million pcs.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – 18.51 million pcs.
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe – 16.17 million pcs.
Nintendo claims that the sales and profits this quarter were “large for a first quarter” thanks to the release of Tears of the Kingdom and The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
For those wondering, the best-selling console in history is the Sony PS2 with sales of over 155 million units. It will be interesting to see if the Nintendo Switch sales eventually surpasses the PS2, now that the Nintendo Switch 2 is reportedly coming out next year.
Multiple gameplay footage of Assassin’s Creed Jade, the mobile version of Assassin’s Creed from Ubisoft, have leaked online. Currently, Assassin’s Creed Jade is having a closed beta and is under NDA, however, some players in the beta have posted the footage online.
You can watch the Assassin’s Creed Jade leaked footage below:
The Assassin’s Creed Jade gameplay footage showcases the game’s combat and shares some insight into the storyline. According to the footage, it seems like the protagonist “Wei Yu” is being guided by Kassandra (Assassin’s Creed Odyssey protagonist) who will play a critical role in the upcoming mobile game.
This isn’t the first time codename Jade has seen a gameplay leak, as there was another leak late last year which showcased the game’s combat, customization options, and much more.
Rockstar Games has now released a new GTA Online weekly update for August 3 with a new set of activities plus discounts, GTA Plus benefits and more! Check out the full highlights and details in one neat list down below.
Lucky Wheel Top Prize: The Declasse Drift Yosemite (Muscle)
LS Car Meet Test Rides: The returning Pfister Comet SR (Sports), Karin Calico GTF (Sports), Bravado Greenwood (Muscle)
LS Car Meet Prize Ride: The Grotti Turismo R (Super) for placing Top 2 in the LS Car Meet Series for two days in a row
40% off Apartments, Hangars, and Hangar Upgrades and Modifications
Vehicle Discounts:30% off the Taxi (Service), Classique Broadway (Muscle), Willard Eudora (Muscle), and Bravado Greenwood (Muscle), 40% off the Vapid Peyote Gasser (Muscle), and 50% off the Schyster Deviant (Muscle)
Gun Van Discounts: 30% off the Widowmaker, and for GTA+ Members only, 30% off the Minigun
GTA+ Benefits: A free Penaud La Coureuse and Penaud Rally livery, free Santo Capra x Manor Suit Jacket and Pants, complimentary Anodized Lime Pearl Chameleon Wheel Paint, extra rewards on Junk Energy Time Trials, Land, Air, Open Wheel, and Stunt Races, and more
GTA+:
GTA+ Members can claim the new Penaud La Coureuse (Sports) for free at The Vinewood Car Club, and more through August 16:
Free Penaud Rally livery and Anodized Lime Pearl Chameleon Wheel Paint
Santo Capra x Manor Suit Jacket and Pants
1.5X GTA$ and RP on Junk Energy Time Trials
1.5X GTA$ & RP on Land, Air, Open Wheel, and Stunt Races
50% off conversion costs at Hao’s Special Works
And much more, including a GTA$500,000 bonus delivered upon billing each month. Visit the GTA+ websitefor full details.
Discounts:
Diversify your real estate portfolio by picking up an Apartment and Hangar, both at discounted prices this week, and add a swath of vehicles to your inventory from the list below:
The (Rainbow Six) R6 Siege update 1.000.060 has been released on all platforms by Ubisoft, and this is to fix some of the exploits that snuck its way out of the game. Read on for what’s new in the R6 Siege new update patch notes for Aug. 3.
R6 Siege Update 1.000.060 Patch Notes | R6 Siege New Update Patch Notes for Aug. 3:
Here’s what’s new per the devs:
Fixed:
Several crashing issues have been addressed
A cheat allowing the defuser to be picked up again after being planted
An exploit which players could spin next to the washing machines on Oregon to cause FPS drops for everyone in the match
That’s about it. While this might be a small patch, it’s one that’s needed and we’re glad Ubisoft rolled it out relatively quickly. For actual gameplay-related changes made recently, head on over here for the Y8S2.3 patch notes.
Ubisoft has released Rainbow Six Siege update 2.56 on all platforms and the patch stops crashing issues. Read on for what’s new in the Rainbow Six Siege patch notes for August 3.
Rainbow Six Siege Update 2.56 Patch Notes | Rainbow Six Siege August 3 Patch Notes:
Fixed:
Several crashing issues have been addressed
A cheat allowing the defuser to be picked up again after being planted
An exploit which players could spin next to the washing machines on Oregon to cause FPS drops for everyone in the match
That’s it for the patch notes. Keep it locked at MP1st for more updates about Rainbow Six Siege. If you haven’t seen the big Year 8 Season 2.3 patch released last month, head on over here.
The sequel to Death Stranding was initially announced at The Game Awards 2022. While the reveal trailer did not show much, it certainly got fans around the globe excited. Now, thanks to a new interview with Kojima-san, we have some new Death Stranding 2 details to share. In his interview, developer Hideo Kojima confirmed that the Death Stranding 2 story was written before the COVID pandemic hit in early 2020.
However, he says that he had to rewrite the entire story due to the pandemic. Kojima-san believed that due to the lack of human interaction and lockdowns during the pandemic, he should take a different direction with Death Stranding 2.
Kojima: “I had to rewrite everything because of Corona. In DEATH STRANDING, it was justice to connect, but with the corona crisis, pseudo-connections such as remotes have come to be emphasized. On the other hand, I felt that such pseudo-connections alone would not lead to fulfilling human lives. After all, humans need to go out into the outside world and move.”
Also due to the global pandemic, Kojima revels that the meaning of the word “strand” itself is changing in the upcoming sequel.
Kojima: “Isolation and division are continuing in the present progressive form, and the world is changing greatly. And while we can’t go back to the original world, thinking about “connection” again has changed the meaning of “strand” in DS2. At the end of the teaser, “Should We Have Connected? ( Should we have connected?) I get a message, but that’s what I want to convey in 2.”
Additionally, Kojima-san also touched a bit upon the upcoming Death Stranding movie. He talks about how the movie is progressing well, and that it will be something “completely different” from the game.
Kojima: “Yes, if it’s going to be made into a movie, I would like to make it something unique. So I plan to make it completely different. I think you’ll be a little surprised, and you’ll probably have different tastes.”
Death Stranding 2 is in development exclusively for the PS5, with no release date as of yet. Stay tuned to MP1st for more details about the upcoming sequel.
Farming Simulator 22 update 1.23 (PS5 version 1.220) is out now on all platforms, and this is for patch version 1.12. This update comes with a new farm suit as well as bug fixes. Check out the Farming Simulator 22 August 3 patch notes down below.
With today’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone Season 5 patch, not only did Infinity Ward release new content for both games, but it seems some items for Modern Warfare 3 (this year’s Call of Duty game) was included as well, and this includes the Modern Warfare 3 reveal date that’s set to unfold in Warzone.
In addition to that, a list of Modern Warfare 3 weapons and key art have been datamined as well. Before diving in, remember that nothing here is official and as such, should be treated with a bag of salt.
The purported reveal date is August 17, and as one might expect, it is set to take place in Warzone (as has been the case for the past few years).
In case you didn’t know, Activision confirmed that weapons, operators and other items from Modern Warfare 2 will carryover to MW3. With that in mind, don’t be surprised to see a lot of familiar weapons in the list. While these have been datamined, nothing has been confirmed officially, so with that said, take it with a grain of salt.
Assault Rifles:
jup_ar_acharlie = Bushmaster ACR in 5.56
jup_ar_acharlie300 = Bushmaster ACR in .300 Blackout
jup_ar_golf36 = Heckler & Koch G36
jup_ar_bromeo2m = CZ BREN 2 Ms in 7.62×39
jup_ar_bromeo805 = CZ 805 BREN in 5.56
jup_ar_foxtrot2000 = FN F2000
jup_ar_qbravo95 = QBZ-95 in 5.8×42
jup_ar_qbravo97 = QBZ 97 NSR Gen 3 in 5.56
No word on whether this is the complete list of launch weapons.
Finally, the game’s key art featuring Price has been leaked as well! While we’ve already seen the official logo thanks to Monster Energy, the images below features not only Price, but also what might might be one of the game’s prestige icons or perhaps a cosmetic that’s tied with another promotion.
Activision has not given a reveal date for Modern Warfare 3, but did confirm the reveal will take place in Warzone as a limited-time event in Season 5.
Once we know more about MW3, we’ll be sure to let our readers know.
Blizzard has deployed a new Diablo 4 update for August 2, and this is for Hotfix 4 & 5. This is a server-side patch, which means players do not need to download anything, as the patch will be applied once they connect to the servers.
Diablo 4 Update for August 2 Patch Notes | Diablo 4 Hotfix 4 & 5 Patch Notes:
Fixed an issue where Battle Pass tiers could sometimes not be claimed.
Fixed an issue where an explosion from the Barber Malignant Heart could sometimes not kill a monster when it should.
Further stability improvements
That’s about it. Given we are getting a huge patch on August 8 this is understandable. Speaking of which, you can check out the full patch notes for update 1.1.1 right here.
Once a new hotfix or patch is live, we’ll let our readers know.
Microsoft has provided more details about the Xbox gamescom 2023 presence, which will also be their “biggest” presence at the annual show. Xbox will have a lot of games, streams, and more at gamescom 2023.
The official Xbox booth will take place from August 23 through August 27, featuring presentations for Xbox first-party titles including Starfield, Forza Motorsport, and Ara: History Untold. Players will also be able to get hands-on with the latest content update for The Elder Scrolls Online, Microsoft Flight Simulator, and Towerborne.
Apart from its first-party studios, Microsoft has confirmed that they will have over 25 titles from third-party partners and ID@Xbox friends as playable games. These titles include:
Stalker 2
Payday 3
Persona 5 Tactica
Jusant
Armored Core 6
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Under the Waves
Party Animals
The aforementioned games are just the highlighted games out of the 25 playable titles.
If you are attending the show in Germany, here are the opening times for the Xbox booth:
Thursday, August 24 – 10:00am – 8:00pm CEST
Friday, August 25 – 10:00am – 8:00pm CEST
Saturday, August 26 – 9:00am – 8:00 pm CEST
Sunday, August 27 – 9:00am – 8:00pm CEST
However, if you’re not attending the show in Germany, no worries. Xbox claims that it will “bring” gamescom 2023 to the players. This includes three days of approximately three-hour live streams directly from the Xbox booth in Germany.
On 23, 24, and 25 August, viewers can join Team Xbox for a series of streams that will take a “deeper dive” into some of the highly-anticipated games at gamescom 2023. The livestreams will consist of gameplay, developer chats, and community segments.
Microsoft says that it will post the full content schedule in the coming days. Stay tuned to MP1st as we will be covering gamescom 2023 in depth, and posting all of the major news.
Epic Games has released Fortnite update 3.97 (PS5 version 1.000.109) and this doesn’t bring in any new content, but was released to bring matchmaking fixes. Read on for what’s new in the Fortnite patch notes for August 2.
Here’s the announcement from Epic Games regarding today’s patch which went out on all paltforms:
We've deployed a patch to Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Switch platforms to address an issue where players were taking a long time to load into a match. pic.twitter.com/ibfeRUKNdY
We’ve deployed a patch to Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Switch platforms to address an issue where players were taking a long time to load into a match.
That’s about it, and there doesn’t seem to be any gameplay-specific changes. For details on the v25.20 patch released last week, head on over here.
Once a new Fortnite patch is out, we’ll be sure to let our readers know.
If you’re seeing Reddit down reports surface this August 2, you’re not alone, as it seems the platform’s servers are experiencing issues for both desktop and mobile.
Reddit Down Status and Updates for Aug. 2:
The ever-reliable downdetector site has flagged a ton of reports from users unable to load pages:
Over on the Reddit status page, it state the following:
Elevated Error Rates:
Investigating – We are currently investigating elevated error rates across Reddit.
Same as always, we’ll be monitoring the situation and will update the article as more news develops. If you can connect and load Reddit, leave a comment below stating your platform and where you’re connecting from.
Striking Distance parent company Krafton has confirmed the layoffs and released the following statement:
Striking Distance Studios and KRAFTON have implemented strategic changes that realign the studio’s priorities to better position its current and future projects for success. Unfortunately, these changes have impacted 32 employees. Honoring the invaluable contributions of each departing team member with material support in the form of outplacement services and meaningful severance packages is our top priority during this difficult moment.
Let’s hope that this doesn’t deter the studio’s vision, as while The Callisto Protocol was a flawed experience, it did show promise, and most of its problems can be remedied in a potential sequel.
If you haven’t played it yet, go read our review here where our own Paulmichael Contreras said, “The Callisto Protocol is a good first shot at terrifying you in space. While not as scary as Dead Space, and lacking the same kind of satisfying combat, there is still fun to be had amidst the sometimes enragingly-unfair fights and odd story pacing.”
DNF Duel update 1.41 has been released by Arc System Works this August 2, and this is to fix a short list of issues. Check out everything new in the official DNF Duel patch notes straight from the devs.
DNF Duel Update 1.41 Patch Notes:
1. Spectre’s voice is not played when [Language Settings] – [Voice Language] – [Individual Settings] was applied before applying the patch Ver.1.40.
2. The character Spectre is changed when Ranked Match starts.
3. The default game Voice Language is set to Japanese.
4. Spectre’s MP recovery speed is slowed down in certain situations.
If you are engaging in local matches on Nintendo Switch, please ensure that your software version matches that of the other player.
We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused.
Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to your ongoing adventures in DNF Duel.
That’s it for this patch. Once a new one is released, we’ll let our readers know.
As promised, Blizzard has revealed the complete (and super long) Diablo 4 update version 1.1.1 patch notes ahead of its release on August 8! This includes class balance changes, overall gameplay adjustments and more.
Willpower requirement for bonuses reduced from 50 to 40.
Bonus damage per 40 Willpower increased from 2.5% to 4%.
Legendaries
Aspect of Empowering Reaper
Damaging enemies with Sever has a 10-20% chance to spawn a pool of Blight under the target that deals 20-60% bonus damage. This effect can only happen once every 3 seconds.
Aspect of Exposed Flesh
Lucky Hit: Up to a 10% chance to generate 30-50 Essence when hitting a Vulnerable enemy.
Aspect of Decay
Damage increased from 20-40% to 25-45%.
Aspect of Torment
Essence Regeneration increased from 20-30% to 90-170%.
Hulking Aspect
Legendary category changed from Resource to Utility.
Chance for Golem to reduce its cooldown increased from 1-4% to 2-5%.
Chance to Golem to spawn a corpse increased from 0.5-2% to 1-2.5%.
Uniques
Greaves of the Empty Tomb
Intelligence affix replaced with Bonus Movement Speed.
Minions
The following attacks now deal reduced damage to Druid Companions and Necromancer Minions:
Balrog
Fire Breath
Elite Affixes
Fire Enchanted
Electrified Obelisks
Shock Lance
GAMEPLAY UPDATES
Monster Density
We are increasing monster density in Nightmare Dungeons and in Helltide.
Bosses above Level 60 will have more health. Examples:
Bosses at Level 60 and below remain unchanged.
Bosses at Level 80 have 50% increased health.
Bosses at Level 100 have 100% increased health.
Bosses at Level 120 have 120% increased health.
Bosses at Level 150 and above have 150% increased health.
Bosses and Events
Developer’s Note: We are making adjustments to the health values of high-level boss monsters.
Level 35 and higher boss monsters will now have a 100% chance to drop a Legendary item.
Treasure Goblins now have an increased Legendary item drop chance from Level 6-14 and guarantee a Legendary item drop starting at Level 15.
Legion Events are now more rewarding and guarantee a Legendary item drop starting at level 35.
General
We have made multiple improvements on how damage and other effects interact with active barriers.
Bonus damage or bonus effects that are applied on-hit or when dealing damage will now apply that same effect through barriers.
Ex: The Exploit Paragon Glyph will now apply Vulnerable to enemies that have an active barrier.
Cheat death effects will now work properly when the player has an active barrier.
This also affects PvP play.
Varshan will now break through any Bone Wall segments he dashes through.
The cost for refunding Skill and Paragon Points has been reduced. The reduction starts small at lower Levels and hits a maximum of 40% at Level 100.
We’ve increased the stack limit for Elixirs from 20 to 99.
An additional Stash Tab can now be purchased at the Stash with gold.
We have restored the cast time for Leave Dungeon back to 3 seconds.
Developer’s Note: Leave Dungeon ability was being used as another method of easy escape from danger in dungeons, particularly for Hardcore players. However, we recognize that this is outweighed by the downside of the game feeling less responsive. We’ve heard your feedback, and are reversing this change.
Malignant Hearts
Caged Heart of Spellbreaking
Changed to: Upon taking Elemental Damage, gain 10-20% Damage Reduction for 5 seconds.
Generic Unique Items
Temerity
+ All Stats affix replaced with Max Life.
Barrier is now based on maximum Life.
Now properly accounted by conditions checking for the player having a Barrier.
BUG FIXES
Accessibility
Screen Reader support for reading class icons has been added.
Fixed an issue where the Screen Reader wouldn’t read out capitalized, accented letters, or special characters.
Cooperative Play
Fixed an issue where progression in the Final Straw quest could be blocked during Co-op play.
Fixed an issue where only the first player could activate Points of Interest during Co-op play.
Fixed an issue where using a Town Portal while attempting to enter a dungeon would cause both players to get stuck during Local Co-Op play.
Fixed an issue where follower NPCs could not function properly in scenarios where players were mounted during Local Co-Op play.
Fixed an issue where the quest progress tracker of other players wouldn’t display properly in certain situations during Local Co-Op play.
Fixed an issue where the Season Info would not properly display when Player 2 created a new character during Local Co-Op play.
Fixed an issue where a player engaged in conversation with an NPC would see a black screen if another player in their party teleported away.
Dungeons
Fixed an issue where progression in the Seaside Decent Dungeon could be blocked when the Butcher or a Treasure Goblin spawned behind the barrier.
Fixed an issue where the Determination malignant power wouldn’t function against the Resource Burn affix for Nightmare Dungeons.
Fixed an issue where the Resource Burn affix for Nightmare Dungeons was applying from close enemies and not just distant enemies.
Fixed an issue where the Boss in the Den of the Blighted could be damaged through the fog wall.
Critters, non-combative creatures,in Nightmare Dungeons with the Death Pulse affix will no longer explode on death (this explosion was never dealing damage).
Fixed an issue where players could leave their Party after dying in a Nightmare dungeon, re-enter their party, and then re-enter the dungeon and not have their revives count towards the Dungeon’s revive cap.
Fixed an issue where Animus carriers killed before the Animus objective was triggered would not drop Animus, blocking dungeon progression.
Fixed an issue where the Reset Dungeon button often malfunctioned.
Fixed an issue where Keeper Xor’lim sometimes would not drop Garan’s Key in the Garan Hold Nightmare Dungeon.
Gameplay
Barbarian
Fixed an issue where Charge didn’t carry all enemies hit along with the Barbarian.
Fixed an issue where Lunging Strike could cause the player character to get stuck under the ground.
Fixed an issue where the bonus Critical Strike chance granted by the Focused Rage malignant power could be consumed by non-combat skills.
Fixed an issue where the Aspect of Berserk Ripping wouldn’t cause targets to bleed when Berserking.
Druid
The tooltip for the Moonrage malignant power now also communicates the power’s additional Lucky Hit chance of spawning a wolf when damaging a boss.
This tooltip now properly communicates that it grants +3 ranks to Wolves.
Fixed an issue where Call of the Wild and Aspect of the Stampede were not properly affecting the passive portions of Companion skills and the active portion of Wolves.
Necromancer
Fixed an issue that caused more Blood Orbs than intended to be active at the same time. Blood Orbs now function like Crackling Energy in that they cap at 30.
Fixed an issue where guaranteed Overpower attacks from the Rathma’s Vigor key passive were not benefiting from the Paragon Legendary Node Bloodbath.
Fixed an issue where the automatic Corpse Explosion casts from the Sacrilegious malignant power could ignore the damage reducing effect from the power when using unenhanced Corpse Explosion.
Fixed an issue where the Untimely Death aspect only increased Overpower damage on the Blood Lance that was cast and not other lanced targets.
Fixed an issue where when the Decrepit Aura Malignant Power was equipped twice, the power with the lowest number of near enemies required to activate was not the one that would trigger.
Fixed an issue where shields held by a Necromancer would cover their face in loading screens. Fixed an issue where the Necromancer’s Imperfectly Balanced passive could only have 1 point allocated to it.
Fixed an issue where the Decrepit Aura malignant power wouldn’t trigger when mounted.
Rogue
Fixed an issue where Poison Trap could be infinitely cast without spending Energy by using the Concealment skill near zone transition areas.
Fixed an issue where the Shadow clone’s taunt effect from the Trickery malignant power could Taunt other players in PvP, and the taunt was not breakable by Unstoppable effects.
Sorcerer
Fixed an issue where the Elemental Dominance passive didn’t function correctly when using Core and Mastery skills that dealt Damage over Time.
Ex: A meteor cast at above 50 mana that would take you under 50 mana would not get the full damage bonus.
Fixed an issue where the Omnipower Malignant Power wouldn’t properly consume additional mana, which would then not trigger other interactions with additional resource consumption.
Ex: the damage reduction from the Mana Shield passive.
Fixed an issue where the Omnipower malignant power was inconsistently launching the appropriate number of projectiles. In addition, the tooltip has been updated to better describe the power.
Developer’s Note: The previous tooltip was a bit misleading as it did not consume the entirety of your mana pool. It will consume as much as it can depending on the number rolled on the affix.
Fixed an issue where the effects from the Dark Dance malignant power would reset the Align the Elements passive.
Fixed an issue where the random location teleport effect from The Oculus could cause players to get stuck in the environment.
General
Fixed an issue where the speed increase from the Spur skill while mounted was slower on Controller than Keyboard and Mouse.
Fixed an issue where Invasion portals spawned during certain Helltide events could be pushed off screen with Fear effects.
Fixed an issue where Paragon Rare Nodes would sometimes not provide bonuses with stat-boosting gear.
Fixed an issue where continuously enchanting an item could result in having the same stat show repeatedly in subsequent re-rolls.
Fixed an issue where post-death damaging effects ignored the damage reduction from stats of close or distant enemies.
Fixed an issue where mounting your steed while moving would behave erratically when playing on console.
Monsters
Fixed an issue where Elite enemies with the Teleporter affix could teleport from off-screen and deal excessive damage.
Fixed an issue where Tusked Charger enemies could still damage the player after dying.
Fixed an issue where the Corpse Spawn enemy wouldn’t attack the player.
Fixed an issue where the Mahjoob monster was more difficult to defeat than intended.
Quests
Fixed an issue where progression would be blocked during the Reject the Mother quest if the player left the game and came back.
Fixed an issue where Quest objectives could be missed while mounted during the Desperate Remedies quest.
Fixed an issue where the Fury Against Fate quest could have its progression blocked.
Fixed an issue where the Quest tracker pin would not be visible outside of the zone where the Ruins of Faith quest was located.
Fixed an issue where the Gore-soaked barricade could become indestructible after exiting and returning to the Cellar during the Fury Against Fate quest.
Fixed an issue where players could repeatedly fight Varshan during the final Seasonal quest by resetting the Dungeon where he spawns.
Season of the Malignant
Fixed an issue where the Prudent Heart malignant power would not trigger while mounted.
Fixed an issue where the Dark Dance malignant power could behave as if the player was damaging themselves, which could apply other effects that occur when the player deals damage.
Fixed an issue where the Invoker of Varshan recipe could be lost.
For any player that lost the recipe, it can be acquired from any malignant kill after the seasonal quest line has been completed.
Fixed an issue where the Barber malignant power would absorb damage from all other players and not just the player with it equipped.
Fixed an issue where the Urn of Bargaining season blessing was increasing the enchant costs for items.
Fixed an issue where the Dark Dance Malignant Heart could kill the player. It will no longer consume life if the player does not have enough life to pay.
Shop and Battle Pass
Fixed an issue where the Arise emote’s visual effects wouldn’t appear when playing on low graphical settings.
Fixed an issue where the Dagger Tap emote for Rogue from the Battle Pass would lock player movement for its duration.
Fixed an issue where the female Necromancer animation for the Cage Puppetry emote had visual errors in the preview.
Fixed an issue where the Phantasm Walker cosmetic set had multiple visual errors, such as clipping.
UI
Fixed an issue where text was missing when speaking to Kres during the Tangled Memories quest.
Fixed an issue where the subtitles during the Light Extinguished quest were out of sync with the voiced dialogue.
Fixed an issue where the tooltip would show the wrong name for Wrathful Malignant Hearts when equipping two rings with the heart socketed in it.
Fixed multiple issues with text description inconsistency in Shop Bundles.
Fixed an issue where the Scroll of Amnesia tooltip referenced stat points instead of Paragon Points.
Fixed an issue where the tooltips for the Social and Miscellaneous tabs in the action wheel were mismatched.
Fixed an issue where the tooltip for Battlepass emotes would erroneously describe the Emotes as Shop emotes instead of Seasonal emotes.
Fixed an issue where the Coldiron Aegis displayed as supporting all classes, even though not all classes can use shields.
Fixed an issue where the timer for Whispers could display incorrectly.
Fixed an issue where the Stele of Velkhova and Hero Overwhelmed headstones were missing names in the Wardrobe.
Fixed multiple Localization issues.
Fixed an issue where the button highlights for controller would disappear after dismissing the Buy More Platinum prompt while navigating the Battle Pass menu.
Fixed an issue where The Hero list could not be re-ordered.
Fixed an issue where the player’s displayed death marker on the minimap was inaccurate compared to where their corpse was.
Fixed an issue where the quest markers would display incorrectly if the player left the area and returned during the Answers in the Ashes quest.
Fixed an issue where Mount Armor and Trophies wouldn’t update when selecting other Mounts in the Stable Master Vendor menu.
Fixed an issue where controller button highlights could disappear in the Stablemaster’s menu.
Fixed an issue where the Battle Pass interface would not properly navigate to the appropriate tier after tier skipping.
Fixed an issue where the Die! Emote from the battle pass displayed its name incorrectly.
Miscellaneous
Fixed an issue where the Reins of the Bloody steed would reappear in the Stablemaster’s menu after it was already acquired.
Fixed an issue where opening multiple Clan Profile windows would cause a crash.
Fixed an issue where a certain Necromancer hairstyle would intersect the character’s neck in cutscenes.
Fixed an issue where Audio from Cormond could be heard even if the player was far away from him during the Enter the Forest Clearing quest step.
Fixed an issue where the weather effect and map color change to denote Helltide would persist after Helltide ended.
Fixed an issue where skipping the initial cutscene after creating a new character could cause a crash.
Fixed an issue where the Bloody Liquid Steed was not always rewarded after defeating Echo of Lilith.
Various other visual, stability, and performance improvements for all platforms.
Don’t forget, the actual patch will be out this August 8. Once it’s live, we’ll be sure to let our readers know.
