While most of the Warcraft Direct was...well...direct, Blizzard did end the show with a bit of a teaser: Player Housing is finally coming to World of Warcraft. The brief 44-second teaser showed a character walking into his home, with the walls adorned with the head of Onyxia, a Mechanical Shredder statue, and other various items from the popular MMORPG before taking a drink from a mug with the words "Home sweet Home" on it. The teaser ends by showing the World of Warcraft: Midnight logo, hinting that the feature will be part of the upcoming Midnight expansion.

It's a feature that players have wanted since the start of the MMORPG's life back in 2004. Without many details, it's hard to know what exactly we're going to be getting with this, but as long as it's heavily customizable, we can show off some of our best achievements with it, and we can invite our friends, I think that would ??be a good start. Just no Garrison 2.0, please.

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It seems as though there are three certainties in life: death, taxes, and there must be a World of Warcraft Classic server running. During today's Warcraft Direct, Blizzard announced that World of Warcraft will once again be returning to its Vanilla roots with the launch of World of Warcraft Classic 20th Anniversary Edition. Thos??e interested in once again reliving the glory days can look forward to doing so when the servers launch globally next week on November 21.

Despite how much I enjoy the retail version of World of Warcraft, there's just something about WoW Classic. I'm sure a lot of it is th??e nostalgia; the reverberating memories of a simpler time is admittedly part of the appeal to me. But even from a gameplay standpoint, despite the many similarities between the old and new versions of the MMORPG, there are equally as many differences.

According to Blizzard the new Classic servers have been highly requested by the playerbase and have led to the "third time is the charm" relaunch. There are some pretty interesting additions this time around, though. Several Quality-of-Life features are going to active on the servers right out of the gate includin??g the Chronoboon Displacer to save world buffs and and the improved PvP Honor Ranking System that came out later into Classic. Other helpful additions include a new Looking for Group (LFG) tool, a new Services chat channel, and a revamped Guild UI.

For players interested in the more Hardcore experience, several realms will launch with the Hardcore ruleset. This means you get one life; whether you die to fall damage, aggroing too many enemies, or even drowning, you will have to start over in order to continue playing. Players will also have the option on Hardcore servers of creating a 'Self-Found' character meaning they are prohibited from trading, using the auction house, and sending or receiving most mail. This essentially m??eans your character and its progress is entirely dependent on you and your drops alone, and cannot be assisted by others in that regard.

An interesting note about the servers is that Blizzard has already revealed both the normal and hardcore rulesets of servers will eventually progress into through all of the content in Classic and into The Burning Crusade. What happens from there? Will it keep going? Does this mean we'll eventually hit Cataclysm Classic on these new servers as well, and then see the launch of yet another Classic server ruleset? It's going to get difficult juggling all the live versions of World of Warcraft that are progressing; do we call this one WoW Classic Classic?

World of Warcraft Classic 20th Anniversary Edition servers are set to go live on November 21 and will be accessible to anyone with an active WoW subscription.

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I'm pretty sure everyone had this on their Bingo Card for Warcraft Direct, but in case you didn't: surprise! As World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Classic nears its end, Blizzard has officially announced the Classic servers will continue progressing forward onto World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria Classic. No exact release date was given, but the switch from Cataclysm Classic to Mists of Pandaria Classic will happen in 2025.

Although this natural progression into Mists of Pandaria Classic was expected, I still can't help to be excited. I didn't play much of Cataclysm Classic because if I'm being quite honest, I'm not too fond of the expansion. Mists of Pandaria however is responsible to some of my favorite memories in World of Warcraft outside of Vanilla and maybe Wrath of the Lich King.

The expansion ups the level cap to 90 and adds the new Pandaren race and Monk class. The Pandaren are rather unique as the player can choose to join either the Horde or the Alliance at the end of the starter zone questline for the race. Mists of Pandariaalso added Challenge Modes for dungeons? as well as the Pet Battle system.

World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria Classic will begin in 2025.

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Blizzard revealed today that Warcraft 3 Reforged, the updated and remastered version of the classic RTS, is getting a big 2.0 update addressing some of the problems players have had with the Reforged version since launch. Alongside further visual updates to textures, lighting, and effects, Warcraft 3 Reforged 2.0 also comes with a much-needed revamped ranked ladder system and in-game hot key customization. Warcraft 3 Reforged 2.0 is live now and available to those who already purchased Reforged.

The highly anticipated Warcraft 3 Reforged launched back in January 2020 but immediately had a rocky start with washed unit graphics that blended in with the background, major performance issues including frequent crashes, barely any actual upgrades or changes, and features that were promised in the Reforged edition missing entirely. Blizzard began issue refunds to those who requested one, and Warcraft 3 Reforged went pretty silent.

The upgrades with 2.0 are definitely a step in the right direction, and a deserved one. Warcraft 3 is still one of the best RTS of all time, so seeing it get some extra love and?? care is a good thing.

The Warcraft Battlechest includes Warcraft 1: Remastered, Warcraft 2: Remastered, Warcraft 3: Reforged 2.0, and the original versions of Warcraft: Orcs and Humans and Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness. It also includes some cosmetic DLC across many Blizzard games including Warcraft 3: Reforged multiplayer hero skins and a World of Warcraft Meat Wagon mount. It will run you $39.99 and is out now on Battle.net.

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As part of Blizzard's Warcraft Direct celebrating 30 years of Warcraft, the developer has announced remastered versions of the original Warcraft RTS, Warcraft: Orcs and Humans as well as the sequel Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness. The remastered version of both games allows you to switch between the classic graphics and a remastered look with improved visuals. Both games are available now on Battle.net and also in a returned Warcraft Battlechest that includes both games and Warcraft 3 Reforged.

Other improvements to the RTS includes a new setting to enable click to move, faster overall game speeds, and new UI and UX improvements to both games. The UI improvements include updated tooltips, HP bars, a new mission select screen, and increased unit selection sizes when dragging over?? your armies of units.

The Warcraft Battlechest includes Warcraft 1: Remastered, Warcraft 2: Remastered, Warcraft 3: Reforged 2.0, and the original versions of Warcraft: Orcs and Humans and Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness. It also includes some cosmetic DLC across many Blizzard games including Warcraft 3: Reforged multiplayer hero skins and a World of Warcraft Meat Wagon mount. It will run you $39.99 and is out now on Battle.net.

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It's hard to believe, but World of Warcraft is now two decades old. The original vanilla World of Warcraft launched back in 2004, and has since then received ten expansion packs with two more already announced and on the way. As part of the 20th-anniversary celebration, another Blizzard title, Diablo Immortal, is hosting an event to honor the MMORPG's long history.

It would have been awesome to see this event in Diablo 4 as opposed to Diablo Immortal, but I'm assuming the recent release of the first Diablo 4 expansion, Vessel of Hatred, played a role in preventing that. Instead, starting November 13 at 3 a.m. local time, players will be able to take part in the Eternal War during the 20th-anniversary event and acquire event-specific rewards themed around World of Warcraft.

Here are all the rewards you can obtain in the first few tiers of the Eternal War in Diablo Immortal during the event:

• Mourneskull (Two-Star) Legendary Gem
• 1 New World of Warcraft Weapon Skin
• 10 Legendary Crests
• Frostmourne Weapon Cosmetic
• Icecrown Pathway Portal

The Frostmourne Weapon cosmetic and Icecrown Pathway portal were previous available in the Shadow of the Frozen Throne event, so it's possible you already have them. As part of the event, players can then take on the pinnacle boss of the World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King expansion, the Lich King himself. Considered by many to be the most famous—or infamous—character in all of Warcraft, fighting against the Lich King will reward players with Frozen Boons, a new currency that can be used to unlock various cosmetic Weapon Skins for each of Diablo Immortal's eight classes.

I have to admit, these are some pretty legendary Weapon Skins from Warcraft lore including Gorehowl, Atiesh, and Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker. Y??es, that Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker. Here are all the Weapon Skins each class ??can get:

• Barbarian: Gorehowl
• Blood Knight: Remornia
• Crusader: Truthguard
• Demon Hunter: Thori'dal, the Stars' Fury
• Monk: Fist of the Heavens
• Necromancer: Shadowmourne
• Tempest: Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker
• Wizard: Atiesh, Greatstaff of the Guardian

For Diablo Immortal players interested in some PvP, there's also the opportunity to partake in the Cutthroat Basin PvP event. Themed after the popular WoW Battleground Arathi Basin, players will be assigned to either th?e Horde or Alliance and then fight against the other faction across the Arathi Basin. Victory in the Cutthroat Basin rewards players with progress towards the Eternal War event as well.

The Diablo Immortal 20th anniversary event crossover with World of Warcraft starts on November 13 at 3 a.m. local server time and runs through December 11 at 2:59 a.m. local server time. Players who login to Diablo Immortal and join in on the fun on a Level 10 or higher character during the event will also receive a Treasure Nabbin' Bag cosmetic in World of Warcraft: The War Within.

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Blizzard has released the need-to-know details about Diablo 4's upcoming Halloween event, which wi??ll run between October 29 a??nd November 5.

Diablo 4 recently released the Vessel of Hatred expansion, which has reinvigorated interest in the game. The new Spiritborn class is some of the most fun Diablo ???content in years, so it's a great period to hop back into the action.

Diablo 4 Halloween event details

In a Blizzard blog post, Diablo 4's Ha??lloween event was confirmed as starting a?t 10 AM PT on October 29. The spooky celebrations will run until 10 AM PT on November 5. Throughout this period, you can log in and claim some limited-time cosmetic goodies for free, as detailed below:

• October 29: The Recluse’s Host Mount
• October 30: Ichorflame Torch Mount Trophy
• October 31: Recluse’s Flask Mount Trophy
• November 1: Reclusive Trappings Mount Armor

If you miss the c??osmetics on the above dates, don't worry - you can still log in before the event finish??es on November 5 and claim them from the in-game store.

While the Diablo 4 Halloween event is active, Dungeon runs will be much more interesting, thanks to Meat or Treat. This "harrowing game of chance" al??lows Shrines to? apply a surprise effect on top of its usual effect when activated. As Blizzard puts it, "Will the Shrine bestow unexpected riches upon you, or will your Dungeon run go up in smoke?"

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Dragonflight may be over, bu??t one of its best features - ?customizable mounts - remains. This time, there's just one mount to customize: the Delver's Dirigible.

What's a dirigible? I think it's just an...old-timey flying machine? I mean, it sure looks like one. Here's how to get it.

Complete Chapter 1 of the War Within Campaign

First, you'll need to complete the entire first chapter of the campaign, which takes you through each of the expansion's zones, introducing you to new allies and races along the way. This i?s probably a given if you're, you know, playing the expansion.

Finishing the campaign will lead you back to Dornogal, where you'll pick up chapter 2 after reaching Renown level 4 with each faction.

Begin Chapter 2, and accept the 'Bountiful Delves' quest from Brann

A few short steps into the campaign's second chapter, you'll be shown around to various stations in Dornogal that pertain to the endgame, such as item upgrade? vendors and the Delver's headquarters. The quest Bountiful Delves appears as a purple exclamation mark above Brann during this step, and you'll need to accept (and complete) it for the mount.

This quest requires you to get your hands on a Restored Coffer Key and complete a Bountiful Delve on any difficulty. You actually don't need to use the key in the Delve (which is helpful if you, like me, blew all yours during early ??access) to complete the quest, you only have to get your hands on one.

Wit?h those steps done, return to Brann and turn in your quest to get another one, which only has one step: receive your new mount. ??Congratulations!

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Greetings, fellow spelunkers. If you're enjoying The War Within's new Delves (well, what's curr?ently available, anyway), then you're also probably gunning for those Restored Coffer Keys, which give extra rewards at the end of their Bountiful variations. A word of warning, though: if you want to put them to good use, keep them in your back pocket a while longer.

Bountiful Delve rewards and you

Bountiful Delves reward a guaranteed piece of gear, assuming you've got a Restored Coffer Key to unlock their exclusive chest, of course. This piece of gear's item level and upgrade track will vary depending on the level of Delve you're tackling, with a hard cap at level 8 of item level 603.

This means you'll get the absolute best possible gear from any given Bountiful Delve at level 8. The problem? Those don't unlock until September 10, so if you're blowing your keys on the ??current highest level 3, you're doing yourself a disservice.

If a level 8 is a bit too salty for your taste, you can get "Champion" level gear (the highest upgrade tr?ack available in Delves) from level 7 as well.? It'll just be two upgrade tiers lower, at an item level of 597.

Getting Restored Coffer Keys

None of this matters if you don't have keys. I have a whole heaping guide up over here, but the long and short of it is this: You get four guaranteed keys a week from "caches," those chests you get from weekly quests like Theatre Troupe, Spreading the Light, Special Assignment World Quests, etc. Beyond that, you'll need to ?get fragments from lucky World Quests or Worldsoul Memory Events. I'd say you can expect to get about five keys a week on average. Happy Delving!

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Ahead of the Early Access release for the new World of Warcraft: The War Within expansion, I had the opportunity to chat with two of the developers on the WoW development team: Associate Design Director Maria Hamilton, and Assistant Lead Quest Designer Mateusz Albrewczynski. As the first chapter in the new Worldsoul Saga trilogy, I feel like the story, and by association quest design headed into The War Within expansion are more important than ever. After all, the Worldsoul Saga will be told over the course of three expansions and is the first time Blizzard has told a Warcraft story in this way.

DESTRUCTOID: With The War Within being the first part of the Worldsoul Saga trilogy, what's the scope and scale going into this expansion?? from a s?tory perspective compared to some of the crazy things we've gotten into the past few expansions?

MATEUSZ: Oh I love the premise that we've done a lot of crazy things! That's 20 years of doing these things, and we like to think that those 20 years kind of led to this moment. When we first started talking about what's next, we figured that now is the time to tell a story that is so epic and so big that it cannot simply be contained in our usual one expansion, which is why this time around we're doing a whole saga about it. And this is not just a culmination of 20 years of WoW storytelling, but this will also set the stage for what is coming after. ??We have no intentions of slowing down, and we have lots of ideas.

MARIA: I would add that yes we absolutely get i?nto it right away. There is no slow roll with this one, the action starts early, and big things happen and keep happening. It's been really exciting to pace out an entire trilogy and make sure each individual release is interesting and meaningful while still pushing our overall story. Hang? on, it's a wild ride!

DESTRUCTOID: Character development and individual character stories are one of my favorite aspects of Warcraft and of WoW. Any specific characters we should look forward to delving into either in The War Within itself or over the course of the trilogy?

MATEUSZ: A lot of our characters have been through a lot of intense events recently. For some of them, the world was literally ending, and so they are starting to really feel it. They are starting to feel it, that once again they are finding themself in this situation. I'm absolutely excited to see how players will react to Xal'atath's story. This is not your usual Warcraft villain. She's way more complex, and we need way more time with her to explore her motifs as they are not all exactly known to us when we begin The War Within. So seeing th??is multi-dimensional villain is really int??eresting and I can't wait to see player reactions to it.

MARIA: I don't want to spoil anything, but we've got so many characters that we're going to see, characters that players love, and some new ones as well, like Faerin Lothar, who is quite important to our story. I really don't want to spoil it, but there are a lot of favorite characters that you will see and stories you will hear. Part of the theme for The War Within is family, so we're spending some time with Moira, Dagran, Brann, and of course Magni, so we're getting more of their story. But there are other stories we'll be looking at is well, such as Alleria. Her relationships and family?? also have a lot of meaning here. Once again, I don't want to spoil here, but lots of cool faces are coming back!

DESTRUCTOID: How does the new Delve system tie into the worldbuilding in The War Within? Any quests or stories tied directly to Delves, or is it a completely side-optiona??l thing?

MARIA: We wanted everyone to have the opportunity to try out Delves, so we did use this new feature in our main campaign. As you play through the main story, leveling up, you will enter a Delve and have specific goals in that Delve to complete to have the opportunity to see what they are like and learn about them. We can put objectives in Delves that feed into quests. Later, o??nce you've reached max level, the later part of the story takes you through another Delve. The ability to change the difficulty of the Delve and have more of a challenge and greater rewards is something we want players to understand, so we did a lower level one and then a max level one. But we also know they may not be everyone's cup of tea. I think they're very fun, but it's a matter of personal playstyle, so we didn't want to force people to do Delves. We also haven't seen how much people actually enjoy them; we haven't gotten much feedback on them yet, so we didn't want to p??ut a lot of questing into them. We want to avoid the early impressions we had with Torghast where people felt they were forced to play Torghast when it may not have been something they personally enjoyed. So we're waiting to see what kind of reception they have before we invest heavily into putting quests in them. It is a tool in our toolbox, and I'd very much like to use them more for questing, but I want to be respectful of player time and feedback around the feature, so we'll reassess once we have more player feedback.

MATEUSZ: What's great about Delves is they reinforce the worldbuilding and storytelli?ng that's happening in their zones. For example, on the Isle of Dorn, we have a region that has a lot of Nerubian presence. So when you go into the Delve, you have to help rescue miners that are under attack by the Nerubians. So it's definitely a tool that helps us tell the stories we have throughout the zones.

DESTRUCTOID: Time for a fun one. Which of the new dungeons are each of yo??urs favorite from a lore perspective?

MATEUSZ: I'm going to go with I think the very first dungeon we encounter which is The Rookery. It's right in the Isle of Dorn, right in Dornogal, the new capital city. This is the home of Stormriders, the elite force of ??the Earthen, the guardians of the Isle. It's a very important place for them, as it's where they tend for their Rooks and get them. And then something happens inside The Rookery, and it's our task to make sure it's safe. I love this story because it shows the connection between Stormriders and their mounts. It's an excellent experience that reso??nates with me very well.

MARIA: I was going to say The Rookery too, because I also have enormous interest in that one,?? but I think the Cinderbrew Meadery also resonates with me. In the course of our questing, we learn about an extremely volatile sub??stance...they drink it, but they also explode things with it. It's an entertaining idea in itself. But the Meadery has been overrun, and so it's quite interesting what happens when someone else has control of the mead, and how we have to deal with that. In some ways the humor aspect of it appeals to me especially; I'm a fan of those tongue-in-cheek moments. So for me, that's a fun one because it does a lot of good characterization and worldbuilding for the Earthen, and I quite like it. We've got another one, The Dawnbreaker, which is an airship that's trapped in Nerubian webs. That one is pretty amazing too because the whole circumstance is pretty epic, but a lot more serious.

DESTRUCTOID: Another fun one?? to end on. Any specific side quests I need to make sure I hit and don'??t miss?

MATEUSZ: What's great about local stories is they expand on the overall narrative of the zone over the expansion. I would ?definitely recommend diving?? into all the Earthen local stories in the Isle of Dorn. This is an interesting culture that has lots of little secrets waiting for you. Their relationships, how they perceive the world, and their very reason for being alive are very interesting. All of that is sprinkled across the zone waiting for you to discover it it. Some are high adventure, others we try to squeeze some tears out of you, and others are pure joy to watch and observe as they unravel.

MARIA: If you're looking for lore tidbits, I think you'll find something in every zone that is a local story that expands on lore. If you're looking for "Don't miss because it's funny or cool," I'm going to suggest you play a quest in Azj-Kahet, which is a Nerubian who is absolutely terrified of bipedal creatures like yourself. You don't have enough limbs, it's really creepy, and they are just freaking out. It's such a wonderful and amusing take on arachnophobia but for a spider creature. The NPC is really struggling to see you as anything other than just something to be squashed because you're so creepy to them. I like when we flip things on their head like that. It's particularly amusing because we were aware of the impact spider-like creatures and Nerubians have on a portion of our community. Worldwide it's not an uncommon phobia. So we went ahead and created an option to turn them all into crabs, visually at least for you, so it's fun to have a quest and narrative designer that partnered up to create this comical situation: the Nerburian that can't cope with its fears. There are many local stories worth checking out; they are the ones that aren't marked with the shield campaign marker. It's highly recommended to dive into those quests if you want to really understand the places and cultures in The War Within.

World of Warcraft: The War Within launches globally on August 26, 2024. Players who purchase the Epic Edition can gain Early Access later today on August 22, 2024 at 6pm EST.

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The Mother’s Blessing event is coming back in Diablo 4 Season 5, and it’s probably an even better incentive than ever to get back in. With all the positive changes that have been implemented this season, it’ll be great for many reasons, so her?e’s what you need to know.

Diablo 4 Season 5 Mother’s Blessing event details

To start off, the Mother’s Blessing event for Season 4 in Diablo 4 will begin on August 20, 2024, at 12 PM PST. It will run until August 27 at 10 AM PST. 

During this time, all players will earn 35% more XP and 50% more gold. You can do this either on your Seasonal characters or Eternal characters. 

Is the Mother’s Blessing event worth going back in?

??With the big increase in XP and gold gains, you can easily level up another character to level 100 in a few days. 

If you haven’t played Season 5 yet or are getting bored with your current character, now is the best time to hop in. The time it takes to level to 100 is a lot quicker compared to previous seasons and this just makes you hit the endgame faster.

Better yet, with the amount of Tempering, Enchanting, and A?spect Imprinting you’ll do, the amount of gold needed will increase dramatically. Namely, Enchantment re-rolling will cost upward of a million per re-roll after a few tries. 

With newer and way better ways to farm gold, you can make enough to comfortably re-roll your favorite items until you get the right stats. Alternatively, you can also use that gold to trade with other people. With it being fixed prior to an exploit that needed to be patched out, there’s more use of it there.

If you’re willing to take the dedicated grinding route for the best build for your seasonal characters, you have to grind gold sinc?e it’s the ultimate endgame resource. Take that over the XP.

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There's a new expansion in a month, and a new major patch just released to prepare for it. Whether you're returning to Azeroth for the first time in a while, or are a regular player who wants a refresher on all the latest? happenings, this guide's for you.

How does Skyriding Work?

When Dragonflight launched, one of its biggest features was known as Dragonriding. It was a new, dynamic form of flight than previous forms of mount flying. However, it was restricted to specific Dragonriding mounts that were introduced throughout the expansion. Now, it's been renamed as Skyriding, and is available for ??(almost!) all of your flying mounts.

Howev??er, if you need the old "steady" style of flying for any reason, you can change it by going into your Mount screen and clicking on Skyriding at the top. It'll give you a drop down to change it, as well as the ability to look at your unlocked skills. Make sure y?ou go in there to select optional talents when you can.

How do Warbands work?

Warbands might be one of the most heavily appreciated updates to character progression since the implementation of collections. This feature allows you to share unlocks, ?renown, achievements, collections, and even a special bank between all of your characters, across your entire Battle.net account. The only limitation to this is if you have accounts in multiple regions (like US and EU).

When you log into WoW ??for the first time, it might take a few minutes as the system compiles all of your character data for the new system. Once that's done, you won't need to log into every character; everything will already be done and waiting for you.

As soon as you log in, you'll notice the first change from the Warband?. Your list of characters will feature a spot for four favorites at?? the top, who then all display together at a new campsite screen. It's a great way to have all of your characters across all realms, so long as they're part of the same account. Apparently, there's even plans to add more backgrounds later, adding more fun customization options for your character screen.

Warband reputation

Reputations now belong to your Warband, not just individual characters. Any reputation you gain on one character is added to the whole total now. That also means that rewards will be available to all of them, though keep in mind that some rewards are character specific. For the process of logging in, whichever of your characters has the highest renown will become the total renown for yo?ur entire warband. Also, older content reputations might not be immediately converted, but will be over time.

Some smaller reputations will not become warbound, however. The Winterpelt Furbolg, to use a recent example, will still be character-specific. Older specific reputations, like Covenants in Shadowlands, will not be Warband wide either.

Warband achievements and quest rewards

Now that warbands are implemented, all achievements are pooled together for one total score. Effectively, all of them are now account wide. So??me achievements will remain attached to specific characters, such as "I?nsane in the Membrane." Other achievements that do not benefit from shared progressions, like "Memories of Teldrassil," will also remain applied on a character-level. These kinds of achievements can be found under the Legacy category.

While quests aren't completed across all characters, there are bonuses depending on how many times you've completed a quest. The first time will grant you reputation to the appropriate faction as a bonus. A??ny characters that complete that same quest afterwards will receive a currency bonus, similar to Dragon Isles Supplies in the current expansion.

While your currencies aren't all? dumped into one big Warband bag, they are easily transferrable between your characters. So you can send Dragon Isles supplies to another character so they can pick up whatever item it is you're looking for. T??his is all done from the currency tab.

Warband gear and collections

Gear will now feature a new type called "Warbound until Equipped" (WuE). Similar to Account Bound items, this gear can be sent to any ?of your characters in your Warband. This also leads into enhancing your Transmog collection!

Any character can now collect any item appearance, regardless of the ability to equip it personally. Getting a two-handed sword in your transmog runs with a Priest will now grant that appearance to your account, regardless of the fact that Priests?? can't equip it. Note that the ability to equip an item still affects whet?her your character can use it for transmog.

Because of this, it's also easier to have appearances added to your collection, as you no longer need to manually equip the item. Any time an item is des??troy?ed or sold, you will automatically collect the appearance anyway. The only exception to all of this is class-specific gear, which still requires that class to collect it. If you're not sure if you have an item, your appearance tab and sets tab now have a dropdown to select a different class to view what you have.

How do I unlock Warband Banks?

Warband Banks are a convenient new bank that works similar t??o a guild bank, but is intended for all of your own characters. You will receive up to 5 tabs with 98 slots each for all of your characters to access. Any item that is not soulbound can be added to it, including reagent items and gold.

To unlock this feature, you'll need to complete a storyline called Warbanding Together, starting in Gadgetzan. Once you finish, you'll obtain the Warband Bank Distan?ce Inhibitor spell that allows you to summon a personal portal to your Warband Bank. This is similar in function to the Mobile Guild Bank spell.

To start the quest, you'll need to go to Gadget??za??n in Kalimdor. Speak to the character Blue and follow a short series of quests. You'll venture south to beat up on some teleportation ghosts and close rifts. Note: Beating up on the teleportation ghosts is to collect a rift essence that might not drop a lot right away. Just keep knocking them down, you'll start collecting it eventually.

Once you've turned in those quests, you'll have to venture a little further southwest to activate a device. It'll summon some unfortunate enemies, but they shouldn't be a problem. Turn that in, and your last task is to go to the Gadgetzan Auction house to set up one final device. Once that's done, you'll learn the spell to summon your Warband Bank. You'll also be able to find this on a new tab whenev?er you visit a banker in game. As a note: right now the Warban?d Bank is actually disabled due to an issue, but that should be resolved soon.

What is the Radiant Echoes pre-expansion event?

We'll cover this ??more in a separate guide, as it does not start unt??il July 30.

What are some other changes for the pre-patch?

There are a few more things that might be good to know, but that don't re?quire guides.

• Dragonflight is now the default leveling experience for new characters leveling from 10-70.
• Guilds can now have members from across different realms. A Cross-Realm Guild Bank will be added soon.
• Humans have a new Racial to replace the Rep Gain one. Their hearthstone cooldown is now reduced by 5 minutes and gains an extra charge.
• Several new Map and Quest icons have been updated to help identify what types of quests are being used. Most map icons can now be left-clicked to track.
• Spellbooks have received a much-needed redesign, featuring a search option and sorting.
• Arachnaphobia Mode lets you replace spiders with crabs.
• Camera collision has been severely reduced.
• Classes have each received several adjustments for the new expansion. You can read about specific changes here.

The post World of Warcraft: The War Within pre-patch guide appeared first on Destructoid.

Today, Blizzard introduced Juno, the next Support Hero joining the ranks of Overwatch 2 �and you can see what she's about sooner than you think. Juno will be play??able this weekend, so you can check out her abilities before she arrives in August.

As a? Support Hero, Juno can dish out pain and heal it in equal amount. A Martian, she zi?ps around the arena with anti-gravity skates like Shadow the Hedgehog and wields just as mean of a gun. Taking a page from Ana's book, it appears Juno's weapon—the Mediblaster—can heal allies and also damage enemies. She's not a sniper, though; it's a burst weapon that looks more akin to an SMG.

Overwatch 2's next support hero is playable this weekend

You'll be able to try out Juno, who becomes available as part of a limited-time ??hero trial beginning July 19 and ending July 21. It'll be your best shot until she joins the game??'s roster when Season 12 starts on August 20.

As you can gather from her trailer, Juno is all about speed and vertical momentum. She can leap into the air with a Glide Boost ability that lets her float. It also seems like she can use it to deliver a nasty kick that likely violates the Hippocratic Oath?. Her Hyper Ring creates a field that gives her and her allies a speed boost when entered. If it stacks with Lucio's speed boost, we?'re probably looking at a new rush strategy.

There are some damaging moves mixed in. Her Pulsar Torpedoes lock onto both allies and enemies alike, delivering healing or damage.?? Her Ultimate move seems to be the Orbital Ray, which fires a massive beam that slowly sweeps the field boosting ally damage and healing.

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In a recent blogpost from Blizzard, we got new details on one of the biggest features coming to World of Warcraft in The War Within: Wa?rbands. These aren't just a boon for players who have a baseball team's worth of alt-characters, they're a bit of a technical marvel as well.

Warbands are, in the simplest terms, a gaggle of four characters across any faction, realm, even account, limited only by region (e.g. Americas, E?urope). These four characters can share a whole slew of features, ranging from a collective bank, parallel progression for faction reputation, the ability to trade currencies, and more. Gear will even feature a new binding modifier, "Warbound until equipped," so that you can toss gear for y?our alts into their shared bank.

The most impr??essive bit of black magic is the sharing of things like reputation, mounts, transmog, achievements? and currency across accounts. Blizzard is assuming, of course, that these accounts all belong to one player, but the ability to quickly access characters across different subscriptions probably took no shortage of backend labor.

H???ere's a quick list of what's shared within a Warband:

• Gold and most currencies, though some older currencies may incur a character transfer fee
• A collective bank of Warband items, non-soulbound items, and reagents
• Mount, toy, and pet collections
• Most reputation progress
• Most achievements and their rewards
• Map exploration progress
• Flight points

While there are several exceptions to what is shared, like certain achievements and reputations, the trend toward an utterly alt-friendly World of Warcraft that kicked off in Dragonflight seems ??to be continuing. Warbands are arrivin??g with the pre-expansion patch, which goes live on July 23.

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According to the Blizzard China team, NetEase commemorated the new deal between the two companies by unveiling a 15 meter long (~49 feet) Li??ghtforged Gorehowl sculpture at the Lujiazui Waterfront Park in Shanghai. The hulking statue will be on display from 10AM - 10 PM local time from July 4 through July 7 for fans looking to visit.

In Warcraft lore, Gorehowl is a legendary two-handed axe wielded by the orcish Hellscream family. In the games, Gorehowl was originally wielded by Grommash Hellscream before being passed on to his son, Garrosh, who wielded it through the Mists of Pandaria expansion before discarding it for an Old God replica of the weapon called Xal'atoh, Desecrated Image of Gorehowl. Players can acquire their own version of Gorehowl ?from the final boss of Karazhan, Prince Malchezaar, though canonically it's not actu??ally the Gorehowl weapon.

The statue is celebrating the return of World of Warcraft to China which is scheduled co commence this summer. The popular MMORPG was taken offline in China last year after Blizzard and NetEase failed to reach a new agreement. NetEase had originally built a replica of the Gorehowl weapon back during the Warlords of Draenor expansion release in 2014, but dismantled it after the two failed to come to an agreemen??t. The new "Lightforged" variant of Gorehowl that is now on display represents a resurrection of sorts, which is fitting for the new agreement.

The first 5,000 visitors to the site each day can complete a "photo-t??aking quest" to earn a commemorative inflatable Gorehowl to help them remember the event.

The next World of Warcraft expansion, The War Within, is set to release next month on August 26. The MMORPG will b?ecome available again in China on August 1, just in time for players to reacquaint themselves ahead of the expansion launch.

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Blizzard revealed in a new Developer video for World of Warcraft Season of Discovery that the final phase for SoD, Phase 4, will begin on July?? 11, 2024. With this final phase, players will be able to reach the final level cap of 60 as well as enter the fin??al two raids, Onyxia's Lair and Molten Core.

WoW Season of Discovery kicked off back on November 30, 2023, with each subsequent phase hitting about 3 months later. This has brought us to now, with WoW SoD going into its fourth and final phase. The final Phase will stagge??r content releases for a couple weeks once Phase? 4 begins.

On July 11, Season of Discovery officially enters Phase 4, raising?? the Level cap to 60 and unlocking all the remaining quests and zones.

A week later on July 18, two World Bosses will become avail??able through new Instance Portals. The two World Bosses are Azuregos the blue dragon of Azshara, and Lord Kazzak, the Doomlord from the Blaste??d Lands.

Finally, a week after that on July 25, the two final raids of World of Warcraft Season of Discovery will go live. First, is Molten Core, a 20-player raid with 10 classic bosses featuring revamped loot, redesigned Tier 1 gear sets, and 'more'. Blizzard has been mum on the more part, but I have a feeling something cool Sulfuras-relat??ed awaits.

Also releasing on July 25 is the Onyxia's Lair raid which featur??es the infamous black dragon and her many many whelps. ??Handle it!

Blizzard hasn't revealed what's next in store for World of Warcraft Classic once the Phase 4 of Season of Discovery ends, but World of Warcraft Cataclysm Classic has been live for just over a month now.

Season of Discovery Season 4 begins on July 11, 2024.

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With Overwatch 2 Season 11, Blizzard is continuing to try and lure me back with collaborations that scream my name. The latest trailer showcases what's coming to Overwatch 2 this week, ranging from Super Sentai-inspired content to Transformers.

I'm strong, and I have little time on my plate, so I'll still resist the temptation to yeet hooks once again �though Blizzard hasn't been making it easy. Somehow I managed to ignore the mind-blowing Cowboy Bebop collaboration (I'm still so tempted). Now that the company is roping in Transformers and Power Rangers (sort of), I'm running low on excuses.

Overwatch 2 Season 11 begins on June 20, and the new trailer showcases what's involved. It'??s a short, coming in at 3 minutes, but it's jam-packed with new info covering skins, game modes, and the return of the Pink Mercy charity skin.

Super Mega Ultrawatch buddies arrive in the Overwatch 2 Premium Battle Pass

A new set of Premium Pass skins is arriving in Season 11, inspired by the famed Super Sentai television franchise that couldn't stay locked only to Japan forever. Genji, Cassidy, Sojourn, Ana, and Wrecking Ball can all rock Sentai-themed Ultrawatch Legendary skins. In case you?'re wondering, yes, it looks like there are Victory Poses inspired by the show, which means you can see Ana bust out a silly pose along with her allies.

Naturally, there can't be heroes without villains. Ashe is taking on that role as "Calamity Empress Ashe," who has a skin variant with Rita Repulsa-esque hair horns. Excellent. Zenyatta, Reaper, and Roadhog join Ashe with K?aiju skins.

Here's everything that comes in the Overwatch 2 Season 11 Pr??emium Battle Pass (courtesy of Blizzard):

• Up to 80 Mythic Prisms
• 5 Legendary Skins
• Lifeguard Lucio Epic Skin
• 500 Credits
• Additional Rewards including Souvenirs, Weapon Charms, Victory Poses, Highlight Intros and Emotes
• Everything in the Free Battle Pass including two additional Epic skins, 600 Overwatch Coins, an additional 1,500 Credits, and more

Maps, Masteries, and the return of the Pink Mercy charity

A new map enters the rotation in Overwatch 2 Season 11. Runasapi is a push map t??hat takes you to Peru, and will be available in Quick Play and Competitive when the season launches. Another Push Map, Colosseo, is getting a rework in Season 11. Blizzard announced that it removed the glass on the map following player feedback and added "a variety of other changes that will allow team fights to take place all over the streets of Rome."

New Hero Mastery missions for Kiriko and Soldier: 76 are coming. According to Blizzard (Solider?), these will be part of a limited-time event that runs from June 20 to July 9. Playing the missions earns re?wards and experience points that go toward the Battle Pass.

Pink Mercy's return was announced late last week, but we'll go over it for those who haven't heard. Back in 2018, Blizzard sold a Pink Mercy skin as part of a charity push for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The charity was incredibly successful, raising $12.7 million for the foundation. Pink Mercy has returned along with a new Rose Gold Mercy bundle which are being sold for charity. Bli?zzard will send 100% of the profits once more to the Breast Canc?er Research Foundation.

Blizzard teases a collab between Overwatch 2 and Transformers

If Super Sentai and Cowboy Bebop aren't enough to draw in those dwindling millennial dollars, Blizzard is teasing a Transformers collab for Overwatch 2. It's probably better than a Porsche collab! At the end of the trailer, the Overwatch 2 logo, well, transforms into the Autobot insignia �complete with the ear-tickling audio. The trailer doesn't reveal much beyond the te??ase, so fans of the famed Hasbro franchise will have to use their imagination. I mean, Wrecking Ball and Bastion are obviously getting skins, right? They already have the transforming part down.

There's plenty more to come in Season 11. Reinhardt is getting a Mythic Bound Demon weapon skin that causes flames to erupt with every slam. We'll also see the return of the Summer Games, along with lifeguard skins for multiple characters. The blog released by Blizzard contains an in-depth rundown of everything you can expect. Overwatch 2 Season 11 begins on June 20 for those intereste??d in striking goofy poses.

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It's Sunday, and Microsoft is taking the stage to unveil everything it's got for the future of Xbox. It's one of the largest showcases ??this weekend at Summer Game Fest in Los Angeles, and it's certainly going to set the tone for Xbox moving forward into late 2024 and beyond.

This showcase arrives amid a tumultuous time for Xbox as a whole. Though it's finally secured its acqui?sition of Activision Blizzard, Xbox has also gone through a streak of layoffs and studio closures in the last few months. And on top of that, the Xbox brand is looking to expand beyond its own box, moving some of its games to other platforms.

Today's show is a unified showcase, almost easy to see as a solidification of the new face of Xbox. So what happened?? today? Here's every game? shown during the Xbox Games Showcase 2024.

• We start with a teaser for Call of Duty Black Ops 6, tackling clandestine operations and warfare once again. We'll hear more about that later, during the CoD portion of the stream.
• Phil Spencer appears for the first time, to introduce the world premiere of Doom: The Dark Ages, a medieval-style Doom arriving in 2025. It's got dragons! Honestly, Doomguy in the dark ages really works.

• Next up, Undead Labs shows a cinematic look at State of Decay 3. It looks to still prioritize the "surviving together" community aspects, as well as the little stories of survivors in the zombie apocalypse. No date, but day one with Game Pass.
• BioWare arrives with a look at the freshly renamed Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Formerly known as Dreadwolf, this look showed off a bunch of the companions we can expect to see, and likely romance. Plus, it's got a Fall 2024 release window now.
• Starfield is getting its Shattered Space expansion sometime this year, and we got a little tease for that. But there's also some additional content coming tonight, for those eager to explore new sights and sounds in space ASAP.
• Bethesda keeps the ball rolling with Fallout 76's Skyline Valley update on June 12. Love the rendition of "Oh Shenandoah".

• It's world premiere time once again. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 from Sandfall and Kepler might have just stolen the show for me, a fascinating new RPG with an intriguing style, combat system, and more. Plus, that was definitely Shadowheart VA Jennifer English. It's planned for 2025, and I'm keeping an eye on it.
• Back to the Xbox studios, Compulsion Games is showing off a look at South of Midnight, its next game after We Happy Few. The southern folklore vibes are really something cool to see play out. It's definitely a third-person action-adventure game, but I think the style and concept are really going to be what makes or breaks this, and I dig it so far. Its arriving sometime in 2025.
• Time for Blizzard, to talk about World of Warcraft. August 26 is when The War Within. It's a big moment for WoW and the first expansion since the takeover. WoW-heads will certainly be looking to see what the MMO looks like under Microsoft.
• The Metal Gear Solid 3 remake shows up and shows off some gameplay. It looks decent, and though I think the original is still an incredibly playable game in the modern age, I'm curious to see how a remake approaches it. No date for that.

• Sea of Thieves shows off some of its 13th season, going live on July 25. Honestly, good for Rare. It's nice to see this game still thriving.
• Flintlock The Siege of Dawn arrives on July 18, 2024. It's an interesting-looking setting, and I'm curious to see how it's received.
• Age of Mythology is an underrated part of the Age series, and its getting retold on September 4, 2024 for both Xbox Series and PC.
• Oh, it's Perfect Dark, and we're not just getting a cinematic. We've got a surprisingly in-depth look at the gameplay of this new entry in the series, from free-running to gadgets, and of course some guns too. It's got a great spy-thriller vibe to it, almost reminding me of the modern Mission: Impossible run. No date, but it looks great.
• Head of Xbox Game Studios Matt Booty takes the stage to recap what we've seen so far, and then introduce Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred. We get to see the intro cinematic, which is frankly haunting. It arrives October 8, 2024.
• Here's Playground Games, with a look at Fable. It's looking pretty good so far, as the team shows off adventuring and a little bit of combat. It's aiming for 2025.

• Fragpunk looks like a competitive shooter with some card-based world-shifting abilities. Seems neat? It's a crowded market out there for shooters, but maybe the cards can be an X-factor. It's aiming for 2025.
• Aw, a little mouse game! It looks adventurous but cozy, and is probably activating the neurons of anyone who ever read Redwall growing up. Winter Burrow is coming 2025 and looks delightful.
• Another tonal shift, to an adventure game with some summer vacation coming-of-age vibes. This feels like an attack on a generation, personally, with a host of incredible artists locked in. Mixtape is arriving in 2025.
• Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 arrives on November 19, 2024 and sure looks gorgeous. I'm happy for all the aircraft aficionados who are getting to live out their beautiful airborne dreams.
• Bethesda is back, with some Elder Scrolls Online news. All DLC is going to be free for a limited time. Neat!
• Oh hey, it's Life is Strange! Double Exposure is a new Max Caulfield adventure arriving on October 29, 2024, where she solves the murder of her friend across two realities. It looks incredible, and I'm really curious to see how they handle returning to a protagonist like this.

• It's Indy time. We're getting a new look at Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, the MachineGames first-person adventure. It looks and sounds gorgeous, and they're really nailing the feel of the movies. Still no date, but it is aimed for sometime in 2024.
• Here's Mecha Break from Amazing Seasun Games, a mecha battler with tons of high-octane goodness. It's arriving in 2025, though a beta is set for August 2024.
• Wuchang Fallen Feathers is a dark fantasy, Souls-y looking game. We've got a variety of looks and inspirations, and seems to be all about killing monsters. You can hunt some of your own monsters in 2025.
• Still hungry for more fantasy adventure? Obsidian's Avowed is looking pretty good, and it's still targeting 2024. Honestly, this was a much better showing than previous ones, and I'm starting to get drawn into this world.
• I'm not sure exactly how to describe Atomfall. Destructoid's own Zoey Handley says of it: "it looks like absolutely everything." It's first-person, with a smattering of different visuals and ideas. It'll hit in 2025, if you want to see what everything looks like.
• Here's a teaser for Assassin's Creed Shadows, which we'll doubtless be hearing more about tomorrow at the Ubisoft Forward. I'm enjoying the dual protagonist concept though, and AC really feels at home in this Japanese setting. It's set for November 15, and I'm down for it.
• STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is showcasing some gameplay and looks excellent. This game has had a long and troubled development to the real-life situation in Ukraine, and it's heartwarming to see them bring this project to life. It's set for September 5, 2024.
• Xbox president Sarah Bond is here to announce new digital-only Xbox Series X, as well as expanded colorways for the Xbox Series line.

• It's time for one more thing, and surprise, it's Gears of War: E-Day. Seems like a prequel entry in the series.

That's it for the Xbox portion, though the Call of Duty portion of the showcase is going live as I type this. Honestly, a solid showing, and I wouldn't be surprised to see this touted as Xbox trying to right the ?ship after making so many cuts.

We'll see how these games?? pan out as?? we head into 2025, but there are at least some big banner-bearing titles on the horizon for Xbox.

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It's a good time to be a Blizzard fan. Not long after revealing a release date for the upcoming World of Warcraft: The War Within expansion, Blizzard revealed the opening cinematic as well as a release date for the first Diablo 4 expansion, Vessel of Hatred. Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred will be released on all ??platforms on October 8, 2024.

The cinematic trailer is just as hellish as you've come to expect from Blizzard and its Diablo 4 cinematics. Tempted by the Prime Evil Mephisto, Neyrelle heads to the new jungle region of Na??hantu.

Players will follow Neyrell to Nah??antu where they can play as the new Spiritborn class, recruit mercenaries to join them? in combat, and participate in an all-new PvE co-op activity with friends.

Following the recently released Season 4: Loot Reborn, this feels like a great release time for the expansion. The Loot Reborn season essentially changed how loot works in the popular ARPG, paving the way for a great opportunity for some new Diablo 4 content using the new systems.

Diablo 4: Vessl of Hatred wi?ll be released on all platforms on October 8, 2024.

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Blizzard and Microsoft announced the release date for the upcoming World of Warcraft: The War Within expansion as August 26, 2024. The expansion marks the first chapter in the new Worldso???ul Saga trilogy for the popular MMORPG.

World of Warcraft: The War Within recently moved from the Alpha phase ??to the Beta phase, which historically has indicated an imminent expansion release. However, August 26 puts the expansion just over two months away, which is a bit sooner than I expected.

Players who pre-order the Ep??ic Edition for $89.99 will get access to the MMORPG four days earlier on August 22.

From what ??I've played in the beta, though, it feels quite polished, so I'm not surprised that the upcoming release i?s so close.

World of Warcraft: The War Within will launch on PC on August 26, 2024.

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No one arguing in good faith could reasonably claim Diablo 4's new season, Loot Reborn, hasn't been a massive boon for the game's longevity. The game reached a new all-time peak of over 28,000 players on Steam over six months after its initial launch thanks to this season's major overhauls to loot systems, upgrades, class balance, and more. With all this knob-turning and sweeping modification, however, comes a new problem: game balance??.

Diablo 4 is now too easy

When I say game balance, I don't mean how one class performs compared to others. Gone are the days of Barbarian and Sorcerer supremacy: now every class has a nearly equally-busted collection of fantastic builds. No, I mean game balance of the player-versu??s-enemy variety. The game is, for the majority of an average player's experience, easy to a degree that borders on braindead.

This isn't an unexpected result of objective increases to player power and agency in the form of Tempering and the new, absolutely bonkers affixes it brings. Even just throwing a few build-appropriate affixes on your weapons will give you more felt power than ten or fifteen levels would. But still, in an ??effort to preserve "fun," it seems the team more than slightly overshot the ma?rk, resulting in a leveling experience that feels about as frictional as a freshly-Zamboni'd hockey rink.

Until endgame, the game is a breeze

I knew there was a slightly more serious problem than the game being a little too easy when I was face-rolling Capstone Dungeons (required to progress to the next World Tier difficulty) upwards of 20 levels earlier than I should have been just to feel something. Even then, when I'd progressed to a zone wher?e enemies' levels displayed an ominous?? "you're not supposed to do this yet" red hue, I was cutting them down all the same.

To be fair, blasting enemies in the dozens, hundreds, and thousands is fun.. for a little while. But after reaching level 80 or so my eyes are starting to glaze over every time I enter the game, run headfirst into the Helltide after popping a Profane Mindcage and utterly decimate every foe with the press of a button. Even World Bosses die in a matter of seconds. There's no longer a measuring stick for player power besides the endgame Pit because from the moment your build?? starts to function until the moment enemies start one-shotting you in the Pit, the amount of pushback you'll be getting from foes will remain around zero.

The Diablo 4 grind is no longer rewarding

Diablo 4 is primed to be the perfect "brain-off" game. Action RPGs in general are my go-to "second screen" games that I use to catch up on YouTube videos which may or may not have recently included a four hour essay on the failed Star Wars hotel. But the "brain-off" properties should probably come after you've spent some time crafting?? a build, earning great loot, and upgrading your character until your mere presence causes rooms of enemies to explode instantly. By offering this fantasy almost immediately, players are being robbed of the draw of action RPGS entirely: to start out annoyingly underpowered and eventually becoming a God.

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Blizzard has revealed the upcoming Season 6 of Warcraft Rumble as its biggest yet with the addition of Sieges and Raids. The first Siege, Stormwin?d, will launch on May 29 followed by the first raid, Molten Core, just a week later on June 5. The company also announced that Season 7 a month later on July 10 will feature the first-ever new Family, Cenarion, adding two new leaders and three more troops.

Siege of Stormwind and Molten Core Raid

The first Siege in Warcraft Rumble, Stormwind, will offer bite-size three-mission co-op adventures? for players and their guildmates to lay siege to the Human city of Stormwind. Successful sieges will earn all participants some mighty rewards for their efforts.

Raids on the other hand, the first of which will be Molten Core, will serve as the tower defense/RTS hybrid most challenging content yet. Designed as a co-op gau?ntlet, Molten Core will require two players to strategize and execute that strategy to take out Ragnaros and his minions to earn powerful rewards including the ultimate prize: Ragnaros himself as a playable Leader.

Season 7 to add new Cenarion Family

Just over a month after Season 6 begins, Season 7 will follow suit. This season will include the biggest expansion of Warcraft Rumble's Mini roster to date, adding the Cenarion Family. Cenarion will include t?wo new leaders and three more troops allowing players to build and wreak havoc with druidic-centric armies.

Blizzard plans to share mor?e about the new Cenarion family as well as details on Season?? 7 later this Summer.

I wonder what Cenarion Circle memb??ers we'll get as the two new ??leaders. Obviously answers include Cenarius and Malfurion Stormrage, though we may see more notable yet not mainline Cenarion figures such as Remulos from Moonglade or Naralex from inside the Wailing Caverns.

Warcraft Rumble Season 6 kicks off on Ma??y 29 on mobile devices, which is also when we will get the Stormwind Siege.

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Blizzard revealed today that the upcoming fourth season of Diablo 4, titled Loot Reborn, will not have a seasonal-specific mechanic. In fact, all of the systematic changes and updates in Loot Reborn are also coming to the Eternal Realm, ??affecting all characters and servers as opposed to just seasonal ones. This asks the question: why bother making a seasonal character?

Big core changes...

A lot of the changes to Itemization as well as the new Tempering system, revamped Codex of Power, Masterworking, and addition of Greater Affixes have all been received positively from players who played the PTR. For the most part, Diablo 4 at its core seems to be headed in the right direction. A lot ??of the useless base affixes on items have been removed, and equipment can now be upgraded an?d customized to fit your build so you don't feel like you have to throw away really good items every few levels.

Helltides have also been revamped adding new encounters and a progressive event that results in fighting Hellborn that drop new materials required to perform Accursed Rituals featuring a new Helltide mini boss, the Blood Maiden. A new end-game activity, The Pit, also allows players to unlock rare craft??ing materials to further Masterwork their gear once they've reached the end-game.

...but not much of a season

However, for an actual new season that requires a new seasonal character, Diablo 4 Season 4: Loot Reborn seems very underwhelming. Every season has been named around the themed seasonal mechanic for that season. And Loot Reborn makes sense; after all, these loot changes are monumental to the game and will overall change the foundation of Diablo 4 moving f??orward. But these are changes that affect the entire game, not just the season. If you played Season 3, ?your character will be transferred to the Eternal Realm, where all of these changes also exist.

In a game like Path of Exile, seasonal mechanics are often worthwhile to experience with its new leagues(seasons), but also you get a fresh economy with each league which is reason enough to start over every few months. But in Diablo 4, there is no economy in that rega?rd. The seasonal mechanic is the focal point of each season.

Players over on the /r/Diablo4/ subreddit are wondering the same thing. "Wait, hold up, the season is just the changes to the loot and systems, but marketed as a season because it took dev time that would have normally been put towards an actual season? The only difference between Season 4 and Eternal Realm in 2 weeks is a questline that gives more masterworking recipes and the battlepass track.," said user Brandonspikes. I'm inclined ?to agree here. While the core changes are in fact a big deal, hyping it up as an actual season just to throw in a Season Pass feels a bit icky.

The only seasonal feature not also coming to Eternal Realm right away appears to be a questline with the Iron Wolves where you join up with them and progress through Seasonal activities to progress your Seasonal Journey. It s??eems like more of the event-based mechanics we've gotten in the past, not an actual fully-fledged thematic seasonal mechanic.

Diablo 4 "Se??ason" 4: Loot Reborn starts on? May 14 on all platforms.

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Blizzard revealed today that the big annual convention celebrating its popular game franchises such as World of Warcraft, Diablo, and Overwatch has been canceled. Instead of the weekend-long event usually packed with reveals and announcements, Blizzard plans to host multiple in-person events around the world to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Warcraft.

The party will return

Despite the cancellation, Blizzard does confirm that it plans to bring BlizzCon back in future years. The company also plans to attend various trade shows and conventions throughout 2024 such as Gamescom. Even though Blizzard usually atte?nds them anyway, it does ma??ke sense not to host a big event when there probably really isn't anything *new* to announce this year.

This is also the first year after following the massive $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft. It's quite possible th??at Papa Microsoft just doesn't have enough time to Mic??rosoft-ify the convention that is normally held in November.

One of Blizzard's flagship franchises, Warcraft, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. To celebrate, Blizzard is still planning to host multiple global in-person events as well as in-game celebrations throughout its Warcraft games.

A year of big expansions

At the end of the day, this makes a lot of sense. Even without a BlizzCon 2024, this is a massive year for Blizzard, primarily because of its upcoming expansions for its biggest franchises. The now two-decades-old MMORPG World of Warcraft is set to see the launch of World of Warcraft: The War Within, a major expansion that is the first of three designed to reignite the MMORPG as part of The Worldsoul Saga.

Also scheduled for release this year is the first-ever expansion of Action RPG Diablo 4 with Vessel of Hatred. Scheduled for late 2024, Vessel of Hatred introduces a completely new class never seen before in the Diablo fr??anchise as players adventure to a new playable region?? called Nahantu, a mystical jungle.

As a long-time Blizza?rd fan who plays all its games pretty reg?ularly, I'm happy to see Blizzcon skip a year if it means these very promising and important expansions get some extra love to make them all they can be for release. We can throw the party next year.

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Blizzard is shaking things up in a big with its troubled hero shooter. Starting with Season 10, Overwatch 2 heroes will become free. Yes, all of them??, including new heroes in the future. The game will also include alternative ways to earn Coins and Mythic Skins.

There's a chance it could be a new dawn for Overwatch 2. With the launch of the maligned sequel, Blizzard made the controversial decision to lock new heroes behind a Battle Pass. Those who opted for a Premium Battle Pass gained access right away. But with the release of Season 10 in April, every player can use new? heroes right out of the gate. All previously released heroes will also be available.

There doesn't seem to be any kind of surprise catch, either. New players still need to jump through the tutorial hoops to unlock the original Overwatch roster. But? once that's complete, all 39 heroes will be ready for service.

Blizzard announces free heroes and Mythic Skin changes for Overwatch 2 Season 10

Overwatch 2 heroes going free is surprising news, to be sure, but more changes are coming to Mythic Skins. Blizzard is introducing the Mythic Shop, a place where you can progress toward Mythic Skins. You apparently don't need to work toward unlocking everything for a skin, either. Colors and model variations are among the aspects of the skin you can earn. But if you don't want a specific color or model type, you put that progression toward other Mythic Skins. Starting in Season 10, e?very Mythic Skin from past seasons will be available in the shop.

Overwatch Coins, the premium currency that longtime fans begrudgingly embraced, can now be earned in new ways with Season 10. Coins will be earned in the free and ??paid Battle Pass tracks, with up to 600 for the taking rather than the typical 540.

Blizzard has even more plans for the future of Overwatch 2, of course. The team plans on continuously tweaking gameplay mechanics and twisting every knob and throwing every switch to "give?? the game a regular heartbeat," according to Game Director Aaron Keller. Will the announcement of free heroes and updates keep the ol' game moving for a while longer? Only time can tell. But I know what can help.

Overwatch 2 will get more maps in Seasons 10 and 11

Blizzard is preparing to unleash a new map in Overwatch 2 Season 10. Hanaoka is a map designed specifically with the new Clash mode i??n mind. Both will be ready at the start of Season 10 for a limited-time t?rial.

Though we're far and away from Season 11, Blizzard is teasing a new Push map. Runasapi will send players to Peru. Blizzard also announced that some maps are getting updated, and those include Dorado, Numbani, Havana, and Circuit Royale. Colosseo is getting reworked for Overwatch 2 Season 11.

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Exactly nine months after the release of Diablo 4, the action RPG will be receivi?ng its new Gaunlet and Leaderboards fe?atures. Both feature??s were supposed to come out earlier in Season 3 but were delayed four times before receiving the new release date of March 5.

Hopefully the Gauntlet provides new end-game goals

Diablo 4 has a pretty big end-game content problem? right now. There's not really much to do and hardly a reason to level all the way up to 100 other than just to say you did the grind. However, that might?? change with the introduction of the Gauntlet.

Accessible for both Normal and Hardcore characters, the Gauntlet unlocks for players on the Seasonal Realm once they've gained access to World Tier IV. However, the monsters in the Gauntlet are over Level 100, so it's recommended players hit Level 100 themselves before giving it an h?onest try.

The Gauntlet will be a fixed layout and non-linear dungeon that changes weekly. The goal is to get the highest score possible, which is based on the number of Proofs of Might you obtain in the Gauntlet. They are ?acquired by killing Monsters and opening chests during the eight minutes you are in the Gauntlet. Even though it changes weekly, you can run it as many times as you want, allowing you to learn a weekly layout and get better and more efficient with each attempt.

Each week the Gauntlet ?will close on Tuesday at 11 a.m. EST and then reopen with a new layout at 1:15 a.m. EST.

Enter the Hall of the Ancients

Leaderboards are finally coming to Diablo 4 and will be centered around pro??gress in the Gauntlet. There are separate Leaderboards for each Class, Party Size, and Normal vs Hardcore character. You can also filter the Leaderboards to only show your Clan members or Friends to see how you rank against those you know.

Those who reach the Top 100 in any Ladder will receive a Conquerors Crest Mount Trophy. But for those who master the Gauntlet even further and reach the Top 10, you can imm??ortalize you?r character in the Hall of Ancients.

In the Hall of Ancients, your nam??e and character are immortalized with a permanen??t spot in the Hall, allowing future players to see how you did.

Both new features will be added as part of the Diablo 4 midseason update that goes live on March 5 on all ??????????????????????????platf?orms.

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Now that the dust has mostly settled on Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the question remains over when those games will start to trickle onto Xbox Game Pass. Xbox head Phil Spencer seems to still want Call of Duty and other big titles on the pass, but ?it remains to be seen when it could happen.

In an interview with Game File, Spencer said the "flagship" franchise for?? Activision Blizzard is "still coming" to Game Pass.

"Our intent is the full portfolio of games from Zenimax, Activision Blizzard, and Xbox ??Game Studios �will be on Game Pass, day? one," Spencer told Game File.

Recently, Xbox confirmed that Activision Blizzard games are making their way onto the Pass, starting with Diablo IV on March 28. The door is open, but Microsoft advises players that there may be a "lag" on making Call of Duty games available on Pass.

The future of Activision Blizzard games on Game Pass

With ??such massive hits in the Activision Blizzard library, putting those titles on Game Pass could be a significant advantage from Microsoft's acquisition.

Many video game players, especially more casual ones, probably only play Call of Duty and maybe a few other games here and there. If Xbox consoles allow them to play the new games from day one with just a subscription fee, it could lead to a massive shift towards Xbox, either through its consoles or just its se?rvices.

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World of Warcraft Classic Season of Discovery enters its highly anticipated Phase 2 on February 8, bringing with it a trove of changes, as is the theme of Season of Discovery. While previewing what to expect from Phase 2, Blizzard included a small paragraph simply titled "No More GDKP Runs". According to the post, Blizzard will be experimenting with a?? new policy for Phase 2 that will no longer allow GDKP runs specifically in Season of Discovery.

Wait, what is GDKP anyway?

To understand GDKP, we first need to discuss DKP. Grab some popcorn as I try to make this long story short. Back during the launch of Everquest in 1999, players became frustrated with how loot was distributed when defeating the toughest encounters in the game: dragons. Over time it ??would take hours and hours of learning the encounters, for the boss to only drop a couple of pieces of loot that would be randomly rolled on by the 25+ players who participated in the actual kill. At a glance, that sounds pretty reasonable. But if you were there for each attempt on the kill over days and days, and then someone joined last minute and was there for the kill and got the piece of loot, it could be quite frustrating.

So came the birth of DKP (Dragon Kill Points). Originally, guilds would give players who participated in guild activities DKP for their contributions. Then, once a boss was killed, players could spend their DKP to acquire items for their hard work. Over time variations of this system came into fruition: some would opt to bid their DKP while others would default to whichever player had the most and needed the item. This system would go on to be used in many MMORPG's, including World of Warcraft.

The rise of GDKP

Eventually came GDKP (Gold DKP). This system was originally?? designed for random groups that got together to kill bosses. Instead of accruing DKP from past contributions, players would just bring gold they have acquired in-game. They would then bid that gold to acquire items, with the total gold collected being split amongst the participants at the end of the raid.

GDKP has become a huge part of raiding in World of Warcraft Classic. The retail version of World of Warcraft doesn't quite support it in the traditional sense,? but it's still commonplace for players to pay gold for raid carries with dibs on certain loot for their character. Some argue GDKP is bad for the game. It doesn't really reward players for completing content, but rather just amassing as much gold as possible.

Unfortunately, GDKP has a very commonplace side effect: RMT(Real Money Trading) or gold buying and selling. Players would often just buy gold from third-party websites for cheap, as opposed to spending the time actually accruing the gold in World of Warcraft. This is against the Terms of Service, but that's a whole different story. To some, it made sense t??o go work a job for an hour and buy enough gold to buy the item they were looking for that would spend hours farming gold for. I personally feel at this point: why are you even playing the game? But once again, that's a different story.

So what does no more GDKP mean?

According to Blizzard, they understand that GDKP can be a convenient way to gain gear. However, they feel that it erodes the traditional sense of guild and social structures that are a huge part of World of Warcraft Classic, and therefore Season of Discovery. Blizzard decided to utilize the experimental nature of Season of Discovery to try something new, which will be the restriction of GDKP runs. No details have been provided as of now on how they plan to prevent it, but they do plan to share m??ore information soon and will monitor feedback about this change.

At a glance I'm not sure how they can fully restrict GDKP runs. But honestly, I'm hoping they have found a way and that it works. One of the things that makes World of Warcraft Classic so special is its community, and GDKP as a whole is bad for it all around. I'm excited to see how this shakes out and how it may affect the future of all versions of World of Warcraft including retail WoW moving forward, where the buying and selling of carries has become a major part of the game economy through the use of WoW Tokens.

World of Warcraft Classic Season of Discovery enters? Phase 2 on February 8. Those wanting to catch up to the max level of 25 before it ups to 40 w?ith Phase 2 can take advantage of a 50% experience buff leading up to its release.

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Blizzard revealed the next limited-time event coming to Diablo 4 as Lunar Awakening. A mysterious phenomenon is taking over the shrines throughout Sanctuary, empowering them. By activating these shrines players will earn 50% bonus XP, have their movement speed increased by 30%, and will ea??rn Ancestor's Favor reputation. The event goes live on February 6 at 1 p.m. EST and will run for two weeks until February 20 at 1 p.m. EST. Unlike some events that have been exclusive to seasonal servers, this event will be active on the Eternal Realms as well.

Moon, wake up!

With the Lunar Awakening event, players can visit a new hub in the northern section of Ked Bardu. T??here players will find a new NPC, Ying- Yue, and the Lunar Night Market. As players find and activate Lunar Shrines through?out Sanctuary—including in dungeons—they will gain the experience and movement speed buff while also earning Ancestor's Favor reputation for slaying enemies while under the effects of the Lunar Shrines.

With the new reputation, players will ascend through ten reputation levels and obtain event-exclusive Lunar-themed rewards. There are six unique rewards in total?, and look to be all different types of cosmetics including a Mount, Mount Armor, weapon skins, armor, and more.

Also part of the event??, Nightmare Dungeon Sigils can have the Ancestor's Favor affix during the event. This affix guarantees that only Lunar Shrines will spawn in the dungeon, and also gives 10% bonus Glyph XP for completing the dungeon.

The event sounds rather simplistic in nature, which sort of seems to be the trend so far with Diablo 4 Season 3. ?Of course, I'm always up for bonus XP and the ability to earn some cool free cosmetics.

The Diablo 4 Lunar Awakening Ev??ent goes live on February 6 across all platforms.

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As part of the 1,900 job cuts that Microsoft made last week, perhaps the most surprising was the coinciding departure of Blizzard president Mike Ybarra. It has been announced that Ybarra’s position will be taken over by Johanna Faries, an executive who helped oversee recent Call of Duty titles at Activision.

Ybarra stepped into the role of company president in 2021 with the departure of then-president J. Allen Brack, following reports of sexual misconduct, harassment, and discrimin?ation within Blizzard. Ybarra initially shared the role with Jen On?eal but became the sole president wh??en Oneal left the company shortly after.

Prior to starting work at Activision Blizzard in 2018, Faries was an NFL executive. Her work with Call of Duty was largely in regards to its esports league.

There was some concern by fans that Microsoft would ins?tall their own leadership to?? the company following Ybarra’s departure. While this isn’t the case, as Faries was already working at Activision Blizzard, I’m not sure it’s going to be of much comfort. Or maybe it will be if you’re someone who enjoys the esports side of Blizzard’s games. I don’t really have much of a horse in this race.

Faries introduced herself to Blizzard employees in an email where she identifies herself as a Diablo IV fan. She states that she’s aware that Call of Duties priorities differ from the way Blizzard does things and says she walks “into this role with sensitivity to those dynamics, and deep respect for Blizzard, as we begin to explore taking our universes to even higher heights.�/p>

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