Dota 2's Patch 7.33d has nerfed Vanguard, Octarine Core and some of the overperforming heroes
- By Ash
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[Update #2]: Dota 2's Patch 7.33e has brought in nerfs to most of the overperforming heroes from the Bali Major.
[Update]: Dota 2 is getting rid of its Battle Pass and instead focusing on more frequent updates.
Ever since the absurdly massive Patch 7.33, Dota 2's balance has been all over the place. It feels like every week a new strategy is discovered that completely eclipses all others and skyrockets a new hero or item to the top of the meta. While this sort of stuff is fun for a short time, seeing the same heroes appear over and over again does get a bit tiresome, which is why I'm happy to say that Valve has now unleashed the balanced-focused Patch 7.33d!
First and foremost, Vanguard has been nerfed. Both it and the Ring of Health now provide 4.5 regeneration instead of the old 4.75, while Vanguard's damage block has been decreased from 56/28 to 50/25 (melee/ranged). Additionally, you can no longer disassemble Vanguard to build Octarine Core as its recipe has swapped a Ring of Health with another Void Stone. All of this combined is a relatively small nerf to tanky offlane heroes, but given how these types of tweaks tend to go in Dota 2, I have a feeling it'll end up being quite significant once the meta settles down a bit.
Darktide's Update 1.1.10 is aiming to add Cross-play and an elite-focused modifier for missions
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[Update #2]: Darktide's August update is looking to fix long-standing issues like crafting locks.
[Update]: Darktide's Patch 11 has added Crossplay, a new Mission Modifier and buffed the useless Ogyrn Shield.
Even though Darktide's most recent update was dubbed "Rejects Unite", it unfortunately didn't bring with it cross-play between the Steam and Microsoft Store versions. For most games this would be a mild inconvenience, but for Darktide it's a serious issue since the Game Pass version simply doesn't have the player numbers to consistently fill out matches, which makes playing in any of the higher difficulty levels nigh impossible.
Thankfully, there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon! According to the latest developer update cross-play will finally be getting added alongside Update 1.1.10 in late June or early July, or if things go awry, shortly after the update itself. Once cross-play goes live both Steam and Game Pass players will be able to cleave Chaos cultists together without any sort of restrictions, though unfortunately it doesn't look like there will be any cross-progression between the two platforms.
Overwatch 2's Season 6: Invasion preview shows off the Story Missions and new Flashpoint game mode
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[Update #2]: Overwatch 2's July 11th update has added Summer Games 2023, a new Team Queue mode, and a variety of buffs
[Update]: Bad news, I'm afraid. It looks like Overwatch 2's downsized PvE content will be locked behind a $15 purchase.
Even though the Season 5 trailer hasn't launched yet, Blizzard has decided to skip ahead a few months and give us a teaser for the big features coming with Season 6: Invasion on August 10th. The highlights include the first series of co-op focused PvE missions, a brand new PvP game mode called Flashpoint with its own unique maps, a massive overhaul of the practice range, and even a brand new support hero!
There will be three PvE missions in total, and from what I can figure out, it seems that they'll be similar to the Archives missions we've seen through the original Overwatch. Story-wise, we'll once again be facing off against Null Sector as they appear to be trying to brainwash or otherwise mess with innocent Omnics. While I'm not expecting these missions to have a lot of replay value, especially if you're not into chasing high scores, they should still be a nice bit of fun and a welcome diversion from the highly competitive PvP matches.
Minecraft's Trails & Tales update has added two new friendly mobs and a whole bunch of cosmetic items
- By Ash
- in News
If you were hoping Minecraft's latest update Trails & Tales would shake up the gameplay or add something truly revolutionary, I'm afraid you're going to end up being dissapointed. Rather than expand upon the gameplay, the Trails & Tales is mostly here to offer you all sorts of new customization options to spruce up both your character and base.
These cosmetic items include such things as hanging signs, cherry trees and accompanying pink wood blocks, decorative bamboo blocks, as well as the ability to spruce up your armor with a variety of trims. You can also look forward to two new friendly mobs. The first of these is the Camel which has the ability to walk over obstacles 1.5 blocks tall (fences for example), as well as the option to seat two players at the same time.
Junji Ito inspired horror-adventure World of Horror will be launching on October 19th, 2023
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update]: I've now reviewed World of Horror's version 1.0 and I'm happy to say that, despite some issues, it's a highly enjoyable roguelike!
After spending a surprising amount of time in Early Access, the Junji Ito inspired horror-adventure World of Horror has now finally received a release date! You can expect to see the full version launch onto PC, Switch and PlayStation on October 19th, 2023. No further details have been shared just yet, but I can only imagine the launch version will come alongside a sizable update, and a price increase.
For now, however, allow me to share with you the recently posted trailer showing off the unique visual style and some of the gameplay. Have a peek:
Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks is a combat racing game starring hordes of angry Orks
- By Ash
- in News
If you feel like racing games would be greatly improved by arming everyone with copious amounts of explosives, you'll be happy to hear that a few billion Orks share your opinion. As such, the upcoming Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks is both a racing game where you have to get your ramshackle vehicles to the very end as quickly as possible, and a fast-paced shooter where you and the lads have to wrestle with the opponents for control of various objectives. It's pretty much Ork paradise!
What all of this madness looks like in action, that you can find out through the recently posted announcement trailer. Have a gander, it's pretty much what you would expect from the title alone:
All cards for MTG Arena's upcoming Lord of the Rings crossover set have now been revealed
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[Update #2]: MTG Arena devs have shared the Format Popularity Stats and their Plans for the Future.
[Update]: The Tales of Middle-earth expansion has now arrived, and unsurprisingly, it's quite flavorful!
After the success of two Dungeons & Dragons themed expansions, Wizards of the Coast has decided to get a little bit more ambitious with their crossovers. As such, on June 20th MTG Arena will be getting a full standalone set based on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings!
The aptly named The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth will be legal in the Alchemy and Historic formats, and it'll come with all of the same goodies as a 'normal' set. In other words, you can expect to see both draft and sealed formats, a lengthy Mastery Pass, a variety of cosmetic styles for the new cards, and more likely than not, a couple of themed events to mess around with as well.