Dota 2 is getting rid of its Battle Pass and instead focusing on more frequent updates
- By Ash
- in News
[Update #2]: Dota 2 devs have started up a new blog detailing development challenges and interesting bug fixes.
[Update]: Dota 2's Patch 7.33e has brought in nerfs to most of the overperforming heroes from the Bali Major.
Out of all the Battle Pass systems I've interacted with over the years, I'd argue that Dota 2's is one of the absolute worst. Progressing through it is slow and extremely grindy, the majority of the actually interesting cosmetics are locked behind high levels that can only be reached by spending copious amounts of money, and a solid 90% of the 'rewards' are either useless filler or quite literally nothing. Even after getting it for free thanks to Valve's giveaway last year, I found the whole thing to just be highly disappointing.
As such, I am delighted to say that Valve has now announced they're giving up on the whole Battle Pass system! Not only that, but they're also aiming to refocus their efforts on adding more elaborate events and gameplay updates, such as the absurdly massive Update 7.33 that expanded the map and reworked many core mechanics.
It looks like Overwatch 2's downsized PvE content will be locked behind a $15 purchase
- By Ash
- in News
[Update]: Overwatch 2's July 11th update has added Summer Games 2023, a new Team Queue mode, and a variety of buffs
As a part of a recent announcement, the Overwatch 2 team revealed that they will be drastically downscaling the scope and amount of the long-awaited PvE missions. Furthermore, the unique and powerful talents first shown during the reveal trailer many years back have been cut entirely, and with them a fair bit of potential replay value as well.
Instead, a couple of new Story Missions will be introduced as seasonal content every once in a while, starting with the upcoming Season 6. The first batch of mission will have us face off against Null Sector yet again, this time in an effort to prevent them from seemingly trying to brainwash innocent Omnics. While the exact details are still few and far between, the gameplay shown so far makes them appear like slightly more spruced up Archives-style missions. Nothing too groundbreaking, but still a fun little diversion from the endless competitive PvP.
Dota 2's Patch 7.33d has nerfed Vanguard, Octarine Core and some of the overperforming heroes
- By Ash
- in News
[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
- By Ash
- in News
[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
- By Ash
- in News
[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: