Deadlock, Valve's new MOBA Shooter has taken the gaming world by storm with its unique twist on the familiar genre. Access to the Deadlock Beta test is 'limited', but there is a s??urefire way to jump into it, which I?? am about to share with you right now.

How to get into the Deadlock Beta

If you are interested in playing Deadlock, know that you can't just go sign up or download the game without a proper invitation. The ongoing beta test is limited for this reason, but this is only due to how Valve has decided to distribute invites. So, to get int??o the beta, you'll need an invite from anyone who already has access to the game. Valve may be sending out their own invites on occasion, but the best way to join the beta is to get an invite from someone you know.

If you're in luck, and know someone in the beta, have them invite you through Deadlock's r?eferral system, which can be found right on the game's main menu.

Simply have them click the 'Invite your Friends' button on the bottom right, and then click on your name. Doing so will automatically submit their name to Valve as a suggested invite. Valve has to give the green light for you to receive the invitation, so it may take a few days to get it. When you do, however, it will appear in your Steam Notifications tab, letting you know you now have access. Also, in case isn't obvious, you do need a verified Steam Account to play the Deadlock Beta (and likely the full release as well).

Once you have access to the Deadlock Beta, you will also be able to invite others to it using the method ?I described above. There are no secondary qualifications, so practically anyone can join in and play s??o long as they receive an invite from another player. I have heard of no situations where Valve has refused to invite someone.

How long will the Deadlock Beta be active?

Valve has not released information on the Beta's duration, implying it will last indefinitely. This is further supported by the fact that Deadlock remains in active development while online and that Dota 2, Valve's previous MOBA, had a similar beta schedule until its official release. This is fantastic news for myself, and those who adore Deadlock, as it? means we can play and enjoy the?? game whenever we like.

The post How to get Deadlock Beta Access appeared first on Destructoid.

The closed beta kicks off today

Odyssey Interactive is officially revealing its first title. It's a fast-paced competitive game that mixes sports, MOBA, and more called Omega Strikers.

The new three-on-three "knockout striker," as Odyssey describes it,?????????????????????????? is a free-to-play and cross-platform competitive game. It's launching a clo?sed beta on PC via Steam today, and will launch on mobile later this year, with a console release aiming for sometime in 2023.

But what is Omega Strikers? The best description might be that it's like if soccer, League of Legends, and physics-based fighters like Smash Bros. all blended into one new genre.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1kEGXtaJsc

Each team plays on a top-down arena, with a goal on either side. The idea?? is to smack the puck, called the core, around and knock them into the enemy's goal to score points. Victory is achieved when a team hits five points and goes up by two.

Rough play is en?couraged though, as characters can not only fight over the core, but also just plain fight. Abilities allow players to knock each other off the arena, creating power play potential i??n the interim.

An interesting cross-up

It's an interesting combination of different competitive genres, which isn't too surprising given the team behind it. Odyssey Interactive is a new studio, but its founders are former Riot Games developers, who have worked on League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics. With Omega Strikers, they're tackling a different kind of game that still has some familiar ideas. Hero characters, fast combat, and designs that pop. Just add a puc?k and a goal.

Omega Strikers will launch with ten Strikers, their individual characters wit?h unique designs and abilities to use in the arena. It plans to add more in future updates, alongside additional arenas, skins, unlockable??s, and more ways to compete.

Crucially, Odyssey also says there will be no loot boxes, consumable power boosts, or paid competitive advantages. All Strikers will be unlockable through regular play, as well as purchasable through the in-game store. Omega Strikers will also be cross-platform for play and cross-progression. So as other pla?tforms start to roll out, players won't have to rebuild their roster ??of Strikers.

The closed beta goes live on PC via Steam today, with plans to distribute keys via Twitch drops à la Valorant. Tune into anyone playing on?? Twitch and once you've watched ?enough, you can get access for yourself.

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Theia Sky Ruins

A new Pokemon Unite map is on the way, according to a tweet fr?om ?the game's official account.

While Unite has experimented with extremely uneven events, minigames, or quick maps (five minutes), this is the first time?? a real new core mode (10 minutes) map has been? teased. On paper, it looks like it'll have the same basic two-lane layout as the core one, but with a few changes.

What's different about the new Pokemon Unite map Theia Sky Runs:

• Rayquaza is the boss in the middle
• Jungling will be different, with new layouts
• It has a new aesthetic

It's not a complete departure from the norm, which is honestly OK. When Unite tries to go for far-out wild pitches, it can often miss. So having? a layout that's mostly the same but has a complete visual reboot is likely for the best. After a year of playing on the same tired arena, it'll be great to finally get another option.

Of course, details are very slim, as is customary for the game. The only tease we're given is ?to "stay tuned for future information," so it's unclear how this map will rotate, or if it'll completely take over the original battleground for a while.

As usual, the Japanese Pokemon Unite site has a page upfront beyond the sole tweet from ?the English account.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdmbokV5qak

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DJ and Pop Star skins

Heroes of the Storm skin ideas were among some of the best in any game �back when the game was at its height. That uh, isn't the case anymore, but these concepts from Blizzard senior arti??st Juyoung Oh really showcase how creative the team could get.

Found on Reddit, these skins are actually a few years old, and were done d??uring a "HOTS Hackathon" (sprint) in 2018, with Oh revealing them two years ago. Oh calls them a "personal pro?ject," but I can easily see these becoming skins in the game's heyday.

The skins are DJ Kid Mur??ky, Pop star Li-Ming, and Selfiegenic Stitches. All of them have concept art of various parts of their kit too, and a few are genius. Murky's egg (where he hibernates if he dies in battle, only to get resurrect??ed quicker than most MOBA characters) has a router and a cell phone charger on it. Li-Ming is centered around a technological-disco theme, and Stitches even puts a party on for people he eats.

Azmodunk was perhaps the best example of how out-there the Heroes of the Storm skin teams could get. They even recorded real basketball noises just for the ??sk??in! 2016 Blizzard: it feels like a different timeline.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKa4A-oas74

[gallery link="file" ids="338293,338294,338295"]

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It goes away on August 21

Pokemon Unite has been out for a full year, and the team is celebrating with some ?anniversary events. Quite a few events, actually! Whenever I've logged in during this period I've had a heck of a time delving into various menus to accept all of the login bonuses. But by far my favorite element of the event is the Pokemon Unite boss rush mode: a limited-time ??almost "MMO raid-like" set of encounters against three bosses in a co-op format. I hope it sticks around permanently.

So amid the introduction of Glaceon (July 21), Buzzwole (August 3), and Tyranitar (August 15), there's a bunch of different campaigns and bonuses going o??n. You have several team-up/friend/invite-a-friend schemes meant to entice people to invite acquaintances into the game, the aforementioned login bonuses (which are tied to getting Glaceon for free, as well as anniversary cake bonuses); but the one that's had the biggest impact for me is boss rush.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=noFwSGb3iA8

As a short five-minute diversion (or less, if you can clear it fast enough), you'll jump into a game with four other players and take on three?? waves of bosses to get the best clear time/score. The game takes from a pool of five bosses for the first two rounds, with a f?inal showdown against Regigigas.

Interestingly, Unite boss rush has MMO boss fight elements

A lot of typical MMO conventions apply, and some are taken directly from World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy XIV. One mechanic involves hiding behind a block of ice during the Articuno battle to avoid a blizzard wiping the party. Another ?has players strategically spread out to dodge shocking other players, with a giant area-of-effect ring emanating out of your character to denote said ability range. Although there has been a bit of telegraphed dodging and PVE fighting against bigger enemies in the regul??ar game (like Zapdos), it's never been shown off quite on this scale: and I'm intrigued.

Even against the smallish pool of enemies, I found myself wanting a full-time PVE mode to tackle whenever I'm feeling the fatigue of competitive play (which, in Pokemon United, is ofte?n!). I have a lot of characters, costumes, and item?s at this point, and getting to use them against something other than the same old competitive fare is a great way to keep a lot of people invested in playing.

Maybe this mode is a test at the moment, but I hope it passes. You actually ha??ve two more chances to partake in it, as the first boss rush period has ended. ??The next one starts on July 31.

Here are the full dates and times for the Pokemon Unite boss rush mode:

• July 21, 2022, at 12:00 a.m. PDT to July 24, 2022, at 4:59 p.m. PDT
• July 31, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. PDT to August 7, 2022, at 4:59 p.m. PDT
• August 14, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. PDT to August 21, 2022, at 4:59 p.m. PDT

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Unite is celebrating its first year with a heap of new content

It's been one year since the launch of Pokemon Unite, and the team is celebrating. Over the next few weeks, Pokemon Unite is getting new playable Pokemon, cosmetics, and more to celebr??ate its firs??t anniversary.

The celebration starts next week, with the release of Glac??eon, the icy Eevee evolution. Glaceon joins on July 21 alongside a challenge, which will let players earn a free Glaceon Unite License.

Two more are expected to join the fray, too. The gig??antic Buzzwole enters the arena on August 3. And on August 15, Tyranitar lumbers into battle.

Alongside the new playable Pokemon, a new mode is also debuting. Boss Rush will have players team up to take on powerful bosses and earn rew??ards. Those who finish with higher scores will earn more. The Boss Rush will be available for three periods of time.

Pokemon Unite Boss Rush windows

• July 21 at 12:00 a.m. PT to July 24 at 4:59 p.m. PT
• July 31 at 5 p.m. PT to August  7 at 4:59 p.m. PT
• August 14 at 5 p.m. PT to August 21 at 4:59 p.m. PT

New duds for the new year

A new Battle Pass season will also start rolling out on July 21. Season 9 will have new rewards and levels to pursue, all for the goal of having the coolest-looking Pokemon on the Pokemon Unite field.

There will also be a festive log-in bonus for the first anniversary of Pokemon Unite. ??Logging in for five day?s between July 21 and October 12 will net you rewards for each day:

• Day 1: Pikachu and Fashionable Style: Pikachu
• Day 2: Lucario and Concert Style: Lucario
• Day 3: Blastoise and Firefighter Style: Blastoise
• Day 4: Snorlax and Bedtime Style: Snorlax
• Day 5: Sylveon and Checkered Style: Sylveon

With those, plus a festive anniversary reward chain to chase too, seems like a lot of freebies are up for grabs in Pokemon Unite. The first anniversary might be a goo??d time to log back in if you've lapsed over the last ??year.

The post Pokemon Unite is adding new Pokemon, cosmetics, and mo?re for its first anniversary appeared first on Destructoid.

End of an era

The expectations for the recent Heroes of the Storm update were low, especially after the recent announcement, but this is something else.

Here is what Blizzard hit us with this week for the Heroes of the Storm July 12, 2022 update:

General

• Hero Rotation will update every 1st, 8th, 15th, and 22nd of every month.
• Each new Season will now have 4 New Seasonal Quests for new Ranked Season.

Collection

• Epic Chaos Lizard Mount has been added for Login reward.
• Spectral Butcher Skin is now available for purchase.

To be clear, this is the content push that's being done right after announcing that the game is going into maintenance mode beyond the state it was already in following the "Brack Letter." Players get a mount and the opportunity to buy a skin. Oh, and free heroes will continue to r?otate. That's...pretty much it. No balances, no reworks (which were said to be in the works last time we spoke with the ?team), and definitely no new heroes this week.

For many Heroes of the Storm community members (and former developers!), this past week has been a punch in the gut. Most notably, the Into the Nexus podcast �which has been the marquee Heroes podcast since the game launched seven years ago (and with pre-launch episodes, before that) �is saying goodbye to the game this month, and will shift the podcast to a new focus.

It's been a heck of a run. Heroes remained one of my favorite games since it arrived in June of 2015, year after year. I know a handful of people that still play it regularly, and the community is among one of the most passionate pockets of gaming I've witnessed in my entire life. I mean, with the servers still?? online maybe there's potential down t?he road for some miracle to happen (especially under the Microsoft banner); but for now, the game is decidedly in a state of cryostasis.

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Well, it's still here

Come December, it'll have been four years since Heroes of the Storm was given the dreaded maintenance mode treatment. While the game wasn't abandoned, developmental assets were significantly curbed, and Heroes hasn't had much in the way of major new content updates since. For the time being that may not change; as Blizzard is giving us a heads-up that Heroes of the Storm will remain online in the future, but do??esn't promise anything big.

Here's the full, far-too-brief statement:

Moving forward we will support Heroes in a manner similar to our other longstanding games, StarCraft and StarCraft II. In the future, we’ll continue seasonal rolls and hero rotations, and while the in-game shop will remain operational there are no plans for ne?w for??-purchase content to be added. Future patches will primarily focus on client sustainability and bug fixing, with balance updates coming as needed.

So I had to re-read this multiple times to actually understand it. The big takeaway is "there are no plans for new for-purchase content to be added." While that is vague, it likely puts th?e kibosh on big content patches that people will pay money for, and potentially additional heroes. Support "in a manner similar to other games" means that it will basically be kept online, and a small team will manage bugs and the like.

There's two ways to take this news. For many, it's business as usual. The positive spin is that the game isn't dying anytime soon, and you can still log in and play it. Everyone also gets the "incredibly rare epic arcane lizard mount" for free. So there's that!

The bad news is that for the time being, there is little hope of Heroes being "revived" with a regular cadence of?? new heroes and big events. As someone who does still play, I'm happy it's still around, but the? team and the community deserve more.

Heroes Lounge �one of the community's biggest unofficial efforts to continue competitive play after Blizzard dropped support for the game —�a href="//www.reddit.com/r/heroesofthestorm/comments/vuhiu1/heroes_lounge_statement_on_blizza??rd_announcement/">has commented on the matter, saying that they're "disappointed" by the news, but will "continue to support competitive Heroes" for as long as they are able to do so. Former senior Heroes designer (and current Diablo IV lead class designer) Adam "AZ" Jackson took to T??witter to share their disappointment as well?, sharing how much the game means to them, with the pointed message: "I still love playing this game, and in a perfect world would still be happi?ly working on it today."

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"When developing Blizzard DOTA, we started with things we already had"

The Blizzard of today is insanely different from the Blizzard of 11 years ago, and this old video of the Blizzard DOTA concept shared on the Heroes of the Storm reddit from the Arkentass YouTube channel proves it.

Embedded below, you can watch footage from BlizzCon 2011, where the team showcased a build of Blizzard DOTA: the MOBA that would eventually be released as Heroes of the Storm four years later. Keep in mind this was back in 2011, when the MOBA genre was still very fresh and League of Legends had barely been out (it was just two years old and Riot wasn't quite the empire it is now); and there was some actual MOBA competition going on. By the time Blizzard actually shipped what became Heroes of the Storm out of the door (mid-2015), it was a little la?te.

Here are some choice quotes and takeaways from the Blizzard DOTA presentation:

• The game was "coming soon-ish (tm)" back in 2011.
• The team was "playing around with the cyber world area...the main idea is that the heroes are abducted to provide entertainment" (this evolved into a unique setting called "The Nexus" with its own fantasy lore).
• Blizzard DOTA was going to originally have a [Goblin] shop (this was removed for Heroes).
• Kerrigan "had every function [they] needed to start making heroes" directly from Starcraft, as well as the Dwarven Marauder, which was crafted from Starcraft Marauders.
• Tassadar was built from a Sentry.
• Uther was chosen as the natural first healer, as one of the preeminent healers in the Blizzard universe.
• Arthas was put in the game "because he was awesome," and there was no real agenda for him being there: the art informed the gameplay.
• Thrall used to be mounted permanently on a wolf, but that was changed because he didn't look "epic" and appeared small on-screen: this led to the design of using mounts in the game in general.
• Replenishment (healing/mana) globes picked up in lane were always part of the design.
• NPC camps and bosses that went into lanes were always part of the design as well (rather than bosses that provide buffs in other MOBAs).
• The character of "Warfield" used to be a different version of what ended up becoming the Siege Tank hero: Sgt. Hammer.

As any Heroes player can attest to, it's a pretty wildly different game in many respects. The thing that intrigues me the most is the "cyber world" concept, and how different that could have been from the in-game universe of the "Nexus," which never really caught on the way some other Blizzard worlds did. The idea of a Blizzard "Mojoverse" is not?? only delightfully silly, but it's a blank canvas to bounce creative ideas off of. At this point, I think?? I would have preferred it, as the team could have gotten a lot weirder and further differentiated themselves from the mostly fantasy-heavy MOBA fare.

At the risk of preventing an??xiety out there, I'll refrain from calling 2011 "retro." It made you shudder to think about, right?

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ183XKcVV0

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The first premium membership skin is underwhelming at best

The Pokemon Unite membership program is now live, and sadly, it wasn't really tweaked from its original leaked incarnation.

Now live worldwide, the Pokemon Unite membership program (called the "Unite Club") costs $9.99 per month, which is a rather large disconnect compared?? to what ?other subscriptions offer. Here's what you get:

• A "first time membership benefit" of a trainer outfit
• 40 gems a day (more on that later)
• One premium skin a month (more on that in a moment)
• Additional unite licenses each week (read: a few more "free rotation" characters, which is useless if you own them all)
• Trial Holowear (skins) each week
• Special portrait frames and speech bubbles
• 10% off new fashion items

Don't all cheer at once!

Naturally, these sorts of programs (like a similar one for Fortnite) come with a marquee monthly skin. And really, this is one of the most front-facing disappointing aspects of the Pokemon Unite membership. Like many Unite skins, this Greedent Holowear outfit can barely be considered a tweak f??rom the original model.

Also, note this proviso: "you will receive 40 Aeos gems daily as a login bonus." Digging into the FAQ, it's important to note that even the membership program is a method of getting you to log in every day: "If you log in and forget to claim the bonus or if the bonus resets without you logging in, you will not be able to receive Aeos gems for the missed day." The Fortnite membership service by comparison provides the equivalent of $10 worth of V-Bucks no questions asked, on a monthly bas??is (that isn't drip-fed).

One more caveat to keep ?in mind: "Club mem?bership benefits can only be received on the platform used to join."

You can find a full FAQ on the membership here, if you are planning on getting it.

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Two teams of two Sylveon + Espeon

A Pokemon Unite Espeon update is arriving soon, and has been dated for May 15, 2022.

The psychic-type will be a ranged attacker in Unite parlance, which aligns with the current Eeveelution situation; also a ranged attacker. At the moment, Sylveon is also in the game, which evolves from Eevvee into the fairy-type. That means both teams can presuma??bly start with two Eevee's each: not confusing at all!

We sort of knew this was coming, as Espeon was recently datamined (alongside of Delphox), but it's nice to have confirmation with this firm Pokemon Unite Espeon update. Further datamining claims that there will be an event to pick up Sylveon for free, similar to how Hoopa was released. It stands to reason that eventually every Eeevee-lution will make it in, given how popular the branching Pokemon is in general. Can a speedster Jol?teon be next? Maybe with a speedster rework?

As far as how the bigger picture is going, the news comes directly after Pokemon Unite decided to "postpone" the??ir unappeal?ing subscription service, potentially to retool it after user reactions. Right now the game is on Season 7 of its battlepass, which adorns a Japanese aesthetic, and is accompanied by a?? "challenge series" that rewards floral currency that can be spent on rewards.

It's not super exciting! Fundamentally Unite has thing??s to like about it still, but it's failed to hook me content-wise outside of the occasional new character drop that I resonate with. A subscription service would? actually push me further from the game if anything.

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Sub of the month club

A Pokemon Unite subscript??ion service is coming to town, and it doesn't sound great on paper based o??n what they're offering.

Here's what a whopping $8.99 per month (the current estimate off of 1,150 yen, which will be finalized) will get you with the upcoming Pokemon Unite subscription (thanks to info from Dotesports), which is more than some streaming ?channels' monthly fees:

• 40 gems (premium currency) per day (at the lowest purchase tier, it's $1 for 60 gems).
• A "Holowear of the month" (a character skin â€?this month it's for Greedent).
• Two licenses to try out skins each week.
• Two license trials for characters each week (Wigglytuff and Absol are shown for the first month).
• New portraits and quick-chat cosmetics.
• 10% off trainer cosmetics (and a bonus Hoopa day one trainer outfit).

As a whole, it feels like a pricey way to get people to spend more money rather than a bonus. This is on top of the microtransaction system (which still feeds into gameplay via held item level boosting: a practice some have come to terms with) and the season pass mechanic, which has a premium track. With convoluted trials worked in as "perks," it feels like a first draft.

Pokemon Unite has been struggling to deliver hard content for a while outside of new premium characters to buy, login events that provide cosmetics, and gimmicky seasonal modes that all feel the same. Even many of their skins are underwhelming, including the monthly premium Pokemon Unite subscription cosmetic: which is just Greedent wearing a bow and?? a berry hat (which would admittedly make Malibu Stacy jealous). Currently there is no start date.

I'm still occasionally going back to check out each seasonal meta, but this Pokemon Unite subscriptio??n servi?ce as-is is doing nothing for me.

[Update: The Unite Twitter account claims the May 1 date was an error and it has been "postponed.?"]

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The game is still free-to-play

Pokemon Unite downloads have hit a whole new high, as The Pokemon Company reports that over 70 million people worldwide have grabbed the game. While the figure wasn't broken down (and of course, does not denote active players), the number comes from a new Japanese YouTube ad (below), with the subtext that the 70 million Pokemon Unite downloads? m?ark includes both the mobile and Switch editions.

As a whole, Pokemon Unite hasn't changed much in the past few months. For the most part we just get a new character every so often (Azumarill is the latest), a typically polarizing limited-time event mode, and a whole bunch of login bonuses for some type of currency (music no??t??es, cowboy paraphernalia, Easter eggs).

Because of that, like many seasonal games, I wander in and out depending on how fun the meta is at that current time. The excitement of nearly everyone I know playing it has gone, which is typical of free-to-play games like this that require less of an ongoing investmen?t.

Still, Pokemon Unite does its job. It's easy enough to jump back in, and I still log in regularly to get free rewards, which I've used to pick up new characters after they've been nerfed/buffed and settle into?? the meta. MOBA characters are premium real estate for free players!

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7elQQ3qTdM

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Duraludon is out on March 14

[Update: Duraludon is now live in Pokemon Unite, and here are the accompanying patch notes. There ar??e a few minor changes, including alterations to Mr. Mim??e's Guard Swap, and Ninetails' Aurora Veil.]

Last week The Pokemon Company unveiled a new fighter making its way into Unite on March 14, and now we have the Duraludon character spotlight video to make it official.

D?uraludon is an attacker, which will feel right at home to a large number of MOBA players who just want to trigger abilities and see numbers fly across the screen. Interestingly it employs a turret-like strategy with its ranged attacks, and has access to AOE (with a damage over time effect) with stealth rock.

As per usual (and this applies to cross-regional patch notes for Pokemon Unite as well), the six-and-a-half-minute Japanese spotlight video is actually more educational, providing an actual rundown of the character with commentary and text. The English version is a 30-second gameplay dro?p that forces you to glean every bit of info without specifics.

You can find both below, but Sivalus ov??er on Reddit actually translated most of the former for stat-hungry players. The gist is that Duraludon is a tanky attacker, with the power to cancel a knock back or knock up once every 30 se??conds (heavy metal), and has the ability to "mark" enemies to deal more damage to th??em.

This mechanic is commonly known as a "hunter's mark," and could add a lot more depth to Duraludon than we first thou??ght. Duraludon also adds quite a bit of utility as stealth rock can slow, and it seems fairly resilient.

English Duraludon character spotlight:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvtomYyB60E

Japanese Duraludon character spotlight:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHe-mCVu7wI

The post Here’s the Pokemon Unite Duraludon character spotlight (Update) appeared first on Destructoid.

Bank error in our favor: skip multiple days of challenges

If you want to finish the Pokemon Unite free Hoopa challenge early, just log in and che??ck your mail. You're going t?o be a lot closer.

In case you haven't signed into Pokemon Unite in a while, there's currently a "Hoopa Special Event" running right now. The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Hoopa itsel??f: via a full character license (which will save you 1000+ coins).

Right now, the best way to finish up Hoopa's event is to play at least one game, and complete the special quest at the top ?of the "get ingredients" menu (usually it's something easy like scoring three times in a match, or use your unite move twice: but it's something you need to be aware of and actually do). If you log in each?? day and simply do one round and that quest, you'll actually finish two quests (one of them is "play a game"), and you'll be on your way to getting Hoopa.

Of course, you can just skip a lot of the pageantry and get it early, then forget about logging in if you want, as a result of a new mailer from the Unite team. The letter notes, as a notice of apology and compensation: "We sincerely apologize f??or the recent inconvenience our users have experienced. Please accept the attached items as compensation." To access the le??tter, click on your character portrait in the top left, then go to "mail."

The "inconvenience" dealt with the Hoopa event being bugged a bit. And the "compensation" is 200 ing?redient reagents: which translates to roughly 10 levels for the Hoopa challenge.

While the ingredients are set to expire ??in 29 days via the mailer, the actual event is only running for around 13 more days. S?o log in, claim the ingredients, play a few games here and there, and get your free Hoopa.

Hoopa has been shaking up the meta since its arrival a few days ago, mainly with its ability to warp between lanes with hyperspace hole. It's one of the most powerful traversal powers yet in Pokemon Unite, so with a coordinated team, it can be incredibly effectiv??e.

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Whether you're a lapsed player or a new fan

Three years ago, then-Blizzard-president J Allen Brack (remember those weird times?) delivered what was henceforth k??nown as the "Brack Letter," which dropped the hammer of Heroes of the Storm esports and essentially put the game in maintenance mode. It was a devastating blow for the community, but it persisted, and is as strong as ever. If you wanted to catch up with all the Heroes of the Storm 2022 goings-on, this is the place!

Here are a few ways Heroes of the Storm (which is still free-to-play) continues to cement its legacy, and differentiate it??self from a lot of th??e other MOBAs out there.

The CCL (esports league)

Just because Blizzard killed official esport support, it doesn't mean that esports ever really died for Heroes of the Storm.

In short, the Heroes CCL (or Heroes Community Clash League) is now the defacto big dog Heroes of the Storm esport organization. You can find the full rundown on how and why it was created here.

Here's the latest info on season 4 (and the o??rg itself) directly from CCL leadership:

"HeroesCCL Season 4 is a 13-week long Heroes of the Storm league composed of Masters-plus players fro?m any region. HeroesCCL is owned and operated by Wisdom Gaming Group d/b/a Heroes Hearth and not affiliated with or administrated by Blizz??ard Entertainment, Inc. in any way. The eight (8) Orgs from Season 3 will continue to be a part of CCL and those Orgs are selected by CCL Admin. Orgs are responsible for drafting their team, managing their rosters and paying Players their monthly stipend and prize money."

That's right, they're on season 4, which is a testament to how passionate everyone is about Heroes esports, from top to bottom. CCL games will kick off on Saturdays and Sundays at 2PM ET, and the regular season into the playoffs will run from May 7 through August 7, 2022 (with pre-season starting on April 8). If you're interested, you can apply via the free agent pool here. Yes, the CCL has a free agent pool: it's ar??guably more put together and better ran than a lot of officially supported/publisher-ran esports orgs.

Speaking of general Heroes esports happenings, there was even a big Heroes of the Storm LAN tournament recently in Miami, Florida. If you're looking for more; Khaldor, one of the finest commentators in HOTS history, is still going strong, providing recaps ?and commentaries o?n their YouTube channel, just in case yo??u wanted to chase that old esports BlizzCon finals high.

The Into the Nexus podcast

Into the Nexus is one of the lon??gest-running Blizzard podcasts, and in my eyes, the finest.

Without missing a beat, hosts Garrett and Kyle dive into the latest Heroes of the Storm events and patches in granular detail, and aren't afraid to shy away from topics involving Blizzard's current situation. If there's a new piece of Heroes news happening, they're typically talking about it first. You can find the homepage for the podcast here (if you aren't seeing the latest episodes on the hub, check here), and they're supported by their Patreon campaign.

Kyle al??so has a YouTube channel that ?is very approachable. Speaking of YouTube!

YouTube and evergreen tutorials

For a game like Heroes of the Storm, which has been around for a long time and has undergone so many changes and cha??racter reworks, it's super hard to find up-to-date info.

A lot of esports/strategy sit?es have came and went, and although they prov??ided fantastic information at the time; some of it is outdated, due to reworks that fundamentally altered the characters so much that they barely resemble their former selves.

Kiyeberries' YouTube channel has a host of videos on the recent Heroes meta. Fan has been doing similar videos for quite some time now. The aforementioned Grubby is also an inval??uable resource, and they create general interest Heroes videos, too. The same goes for NotParadox.

Some older videos are helpful though (like Kala's coaching series), as they go over basic MOBA/Heroes of the Storm principles that are still in place today.

HOTSLogs and data trackers

Once you're actually playing and have exhausted all your tutorial resources, it's time to get a little more precise. That's where HOTSLogs comes in, which provides winrate and talent data based on Heroes of the Storm replay files. It's just one tool in your toolkit, but looking at what currently works and what doesn't can be very helpful when deciding which character to try out, especially at higher?? ranks.

Heroes Profile is another option if you're looking for more stats.

Into the unknown

Who knows what Microsoft is going to do?? with the IP.

But in my mind, it's ripe for a rejuvenation of the development team with more resources, a full "3.0" launch, and possibly even an engine upgrade (to alleviate technical concerns and push the game forward for the next 10 years with a higher ceiling). The Heroes team has created something really special over the past eight years or so (more than that if you count pre-technical-alpha development), and? it deserve?s to live on.

In any case it's alive right now, so take advantage of it! If you're looking for even more resources, you can find them on the Nexus Compendium.

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Due this week

A Pokemon Unite Aegislash update is on the way, and it's due out on February 10. The news comes directly from the development team, who? provided a new look at the edgy all-rounder.

In case you haven't been keeping track, here is the rundown on all post-launch DLC for the game:

• Gardevoir
• Blissey
• Blastoise
• Mamoswine
• Sylveon
• Greedent
• Tsareena
• Dragonite
• Trevenant
• Aegislash

That's roughly 10 characters in six months, several of which a??re going for 10,00??0 gold a pop. If you're already juggling one or more similar games, it feels like a lot. But it is a MOBA after all, so the initial injection cadence is going to be high to help sustain an interesting meta; and there generally doesn't seem to be many costs associated with these characters, given the complete lack of voice acting and some basic animations in several cases.

As for the Pokemon Unite Aegislash rundown, it'll actually level up as Honedge, then Doublade at level five, and finally Aegislash at level seven. As an all-rounder, Ae?gislash has the appealing option of flexing into a more tanky or damage-dealing build, as evidenced by their first ability choice of Shadow Sneak (damage) or Iron Defense (shield). I really hope they nail this concept because it has a lot of potential, especially in competitive play.

I haven't been this interested in a character literally since the launch of the game. I low-key love this Pokemon, and it's one of my favori??te designs in recent years. The flex playstyle and formidable nature of the design really sell it for me.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpDVY3cZhSc

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Worlds is back and better than ever

The Pokémon World Championships is one of the biggest events in esports, and this year, it sounds like it's getting an upgrade. After the tournaments were canceled for the past few years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Pokémon Unite will finally be making its debut at Worlds in August of 2022. If that wasn't good enough news, The Pokémon Company also disclosed in a producer letter that Unite will also be getting a new tournament mode to prepare fo??r the game's debut at Worlds that will "even the playing field for players, regardless of their held item grades."

This isn't the first time the event has seen changes, as the original Worlds only featured the Pokémon trading card game. Mainline Pokémon video games were added in 2009 (with a different game being played every year), while Pokkén Tournament got its own championship series in 2016. It was also announced last year that Pokémon Go would be added to the 2022 World Championships as well, along with Unite, so it? sounds like this ye?ar, the event is going to be bigger than ever.

In addition to the news about Worlds and the tournament mode, the producer letter also announced that Pokémon Unite will soon support additional languages, including Bahasa ?Indonesia, Brazilian Portuguese, Hindi, Russian, Thai, and Turkish. The Pokémon World Championships already welcomes players from all around the world, so hopefully these language updates can help even more players be part of the franchise's largest event of the year.

This is all we know so far, so make sure to keep an eye out for any more updates about Worlds and Pokémon Unite's new tournament mode. And of course, jump in-game and start practicing, because qualifying rounds are just around the corner, and August wil??l certainly be here before we know it.

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Press X to blink?

Valve has launched the Winter Battle Pass for Dota 2, filled with shiny new cosmetics to collect and a new game mode to take part in. But amongst the usual festivities, a new feature was added to Dota 2: controller support.

The latest Dota 2 update includes experimental controller support, with an emphasis on experimental. In an FAQ about the feature, Valve notes that the option is in active development, and they're looking for feedback. So if you w??ant to opt in, you can follow the instructions on the page and do so. "We don't think controller support is ready for everyone yet, but if you're curious and willing to offer feedback we'd love to hear what you think!" the FAQ reads.

Any controller supported by Steam Input should work. This includes Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch Pro, and PC gamepads, as well as the Steam Controller. (Remember the Steam Controller?)

There's a rundown of the controls on the FAQ page, and it seems reminiscent of other MOBAs with controller options. Keep in mind, Dota isn't the first to tackle this problem. But for a game like Dota 2, there are definitely a bit more modifiers and options needed to manage the breadth of potential inputs and actions called for in a Dota 2 match.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuR9Bf5-034

The FAQ specifically notes some characters, like the many-hero Meepo or? complicated spellcaster Invoker, saying all of them should be playable with a controller. And you can also, at any point, drop the controller and pick up the mouse and keyboard to resume regular play.

It might seem a bit outlandish for a complicated game like Dota 2 to get controller support, I think it's an interesting step—at least for accessibility, if nothing else. I'd be curious to see something like the Adaptive Controller take on Dota 2, and see how it all maps out. Will someone j??ust try and hook up a flight stick o?r racing wheel? Yeah, probably. But the potential of this feature could be really good for some folks.

And while you're testing out Dota 2's experimental controller support, you can also work on those Battle Pass points playing through the new version of Aghanim's Labyrinth, a recurring seasonal mode that's a bit like a co-op dungeon crawler. That spectacular Drow Ranger Arcana at Level 333 and Dota: Dragon's Blood-inspire?d Mirana Persona aren't ??going to earn themselves.

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The 'Brack letter' (that term didn't age well!) is nearly three years old

[Update: The new Heroes of the Storm patch is live, with very minor tweaks to a few elements. You can find those in orange here.]

Three years ago on December 13, Blizzard posted that very ominous letter detailing the fate of Heroes of the Storm. In short, it was being put on the backburner, with official eSports support coming to a complete close. It was a devastating blow for the game. But that was three years ago. It's still around! And we're getting a Heroes of the Storm patch this week.

The big focus this time is Rehgar, a hero who has been r??eworked and reconfigured in the past, but not so much lately...until now. The little orc healer is getting an increase in attack damage (with a decrease in attack speed), with a buff all around to lightning shield, earthbind totem, and a purge trait, which is a straight-up cleans??e on 30 seconds (that cannot be used on himself). As a long-term Rehgar fan that's lapsed on the character in the past few years, I'm anxious to try him out: he even has extra skin tints now.

Auriel, Brightwing, Dehaka, Falstad, Imperius, Jaina, Johanna, Junkrat, Lunara, Probius, Raynor, Stukov, Tyrande, and Zarya were also touched in this patch. Dehaka is one of the standout choices, as he's been dominating some lev??els of play in recent weeks. Another general patch focus is a change in health values for structures. Healing Wells are "now invulnerable," and will be destroyed when their accompanying fort or keep is destroyed, which is a huge change that?? will outright eliminate the "well sniping" strategies from certain levels of play (where an enemy team would dive a well, blow it up, then escape intact). Forts and keeps also had their health values increased across the board and have "absorbed the health of the nearby healing wells."

Sadly, there's no content in this Heroes of the Storm patch, just existing reworks and balance changes. So there's no new hero to play during the upcoming winter break. Maybe next time? You can find the structure changes below, and the full patch notes here. The PTR will be in operation until December 6, at which point the patch will be pushed live shortly af?ter as l??ong as everything is in order.

General November 30, 2021 Patch Notes

Building Changes

• Healing Wells
  • Additional Functionality: Healing Wells are now invulnerable, and are destroyed when their nearby Fort or Keep are destroyed.
• Forts
  • Health increased from 12900 to 15450.
• Keeps
  • Health increased from 17000 to 20050.

Developer Comment: We're h??appy with how Healing Wells function in our ARAM game mode, so we're giving it a try everywhere. Additionally, Forts and Keeps now have additional health as they've absorbed the health of ?their nearby Healing Wells.

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Get it after the December 9 update

[Update: It's live now! You just need to log into the game and you'll net your free Pokemon Unite Tsareena license. You don't need to wait until the reset, get it while it's convenient, and keep in mind that there are more?? holiday events going on.]

Even if you aren't actively playing Pokemon Unite, but intend to come back one day, you may as well try and log in daily. The game always has some sort of bonus going on, including the current Pokemon Unite Tsareena promo.

That promo is straight-up getting the character for free. If you log in after the planned December 9 update, you'll ea?rn the license to play it right away. No timeline for the promotion was given officially, yet.

Described by the team as "a powerful All-Rounder that will dance around the competition," Tsareena has been fully revealed, with all its animations and moves on display in the trailer below. The fact that this character is an all-rounder is pretty important, as it's the first DLC ad?dition from that classification.

Movement seems to be key for the new addition, as do auto-attacks. I'm getting big Zeraora vibes based on the trail??er, and the Unite move looks to be a killer direct takedown. Like many MOBA characters before it, at first glance, Tsareena could be a "duel" Pokemon that excels in one-on-one matchups. That sort of style is perfect?? for solo queuing, as you can potentially carry your team by picking off enemies. We'll find out how things actually play out once Tsareena is in the mix this week.

No matter how you feel about the new character choice, make sure you take advantage of the Pokemon Unite Tsareena promo come December 9. Also don't forget that you can claim a bunch of Aeos T??ick?ets for free until December 31. You just need to log in two separate days to grab two sets of 2,021 ticket bonuses. This is on top of all of the aforementioned?? "weekly" login bonus promos, and the Tsareena bonus itself.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdHgbuI-sZ8

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The Unite arena will be filled with holiday cheer, and also snowmen

Pokemon Unite will be celebrating the season from this month into next, and a beefy slew of updates are on the way to make it all happen. Alongside the previously announced Tsareena, Dragonite will also enter Pokemon Unite as a playable Pokemon later this month.

From Dec. 15 through Jan. 16, 2022, players can log on to get special gifts and rewards in Pokemon Unite. Of particular interest will be a free Pokemon: Tsa??reen??a's Unite license will be available for free between Dec. 9 and Dec. 31.

Then, on Dec. 20, Dragonite arrives in Pokemon Unite. Both are melee-focused All-Rounders, so congratulations t?o those holding out for some new brawlers to play.

//twitter.com?/PokemonUnite/status/14685668526412062?75

If you aren't looking for an All-Round??er, there's still plenty to do. The Illumination Challenge, running Dec. 15 through Jan. 16, will let you complete missions to light up a holiday tree and earn rewards. Likewise, the Photo Challenge (running Dec. 24 through Jan. 6) will add more challenges and rewards too.

Another Quick Battle map will also arrive, similar to the pumpkin-flinging Halloween event. In the Snowball Battle?? in Shivre City, you'll be able to snowball other Pokemon to turn them into snowmen. (Snow-Pokemon? Snow-mon?) It sounds a little frustrating, but Delibirds will also appear in the arena, rewarding special one-time battle items to use. Plus, Avalugg gets replaced by the legendary bird Articuno.

There are also a bunch of log-in gifts you can read about on the Pokemon Unite blog here too. Basically, it sounds like there are a lot of reasons to be logging onto Pokemon Unite for the holiday season. You k??now, aside from avoiding family time?? or something.

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Celebrate 2021 with 4042 Aeos Tickets

'Tis the season to be giving, and TiMi Studio Group is giving away a ton of Aeos Tickets in Pokemon Unite. Right now, you can log in and score two free batches of 2,021 Aeos Tickets for a limited tim?e.

Shared on the Pokemon Unite Twitter account today, players can log into Pokemon Unite and get a free batch of 2,021 Aeos Tickets between now and Dec. 31. You can claim Aeos Tickets once a day on two separate days, so you can accumulate a total of 4,042 Aeos Tickets overall, just for logging in. It's all in celebration of Pokemon Unite winning the Google Play "Best of 2021" User??s' Choice Award in mul??tiple regions.

//twitte??r.com/PokemonUnite/sta??tus/1466120434168975360

With more Pokemon arriving and seasons bringing in plenty of new cosmetics, a few extra tickets is a pretty good deal. Plus, over 4,000 tickets is a whole lot of Item Enhancers. Time to boost up whatever items you didn't already max out from the previous Item Enhancer surge.

I've been pretty surprised at the amount of support still rolling out for Pokemon Unite as the months have rolled on. Granted, Pokemon Unite was already pretty enjoyable at launch. But little updates like this give me a decent reason to take a Halo break and log back in. All the while, I'm still crossing my ??fingers for an Umbreon or Arc??anine addition to the game.

Pokemon Unite is currently available for Nintendo Sw?itch and mobile devices.

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The archer flies into battle

The next Pokemon arriving in the Unite arena is set to land next week. Decidueye joins the lineup of Pokemon Unite on Nov. 19, 2021.

After being teased and leaked earlier this week, the Pokemon Unite Twitter account officially confirmed the addition today.

??//twitter.com/PokemonUnite/status/1459144194966966279

The Arrow Quill Pokemon first appeared as the final evolution of Rowlet, a Starter Pokemon in Pokemon Sun and Moon. It's likely that Decidueye will, like other Starter Pokemon, evolve up from Rowlet during the course of a Unite match.

From the short overview shown above, Decidueye seems like what you'd expect: a ranged character with an evasive, poking playstyle, constantly peppering opponents with quills. The design of Decidueye in Pokemon Unite reminds me a bit of the League of Legends character Xayah, honestly.

The new Pokemon will debut next week, and continues to build up on the lineup of Pokemon Unite. Since launch, the roster's included new and old Pokemon, from Blastoise and Blissey to Mamoswine and Greedent. God, Greedent. That little squirrel was the bane of my Pokemon Unite existence for a solid week.

It's surprising that the next Pokemon joining the lineup isn't from the upcoming Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, given those games launch on the same day. Feels a bit like a missed opportunity, but considering the pace at which Unite has been adding Pokemon, there's certainly st??ill a window for more Gen 4 to land in.

Pokemon Unite is currently available on both mobile platform?s ?and Nintendo Switch.

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Unless something changes

We got a Decidueye Pokemon Unite tease recently,?? and it was?? pretty clear that the archer-bird would make it into the game at some point. But thanks to a number of leaks, including an errant early social media post, we have a fully confirmed date, trailer, and movelist.

First up, you should probably check out the trailer below if you're interested, which showcases all of Decidueye's moves. A moveset, mind, that's been fully leaked, along with the character's stats. The news broke in the middle of the night (US) after the trailer and the full announcement leaked early on Facebook. The post was taken down, which confirmed a Novem??ber 19, 4:00PM JST release of Decidueye.

It's weird for several reasons. Decidueye evolves from Rowlet, a Pokemon from Gen VII: the Pokemon Sun and Moon era. November 19 is the same day that the Pokemon Diamond and Pearl (Gen IV) remakes are out. Uh, what? There's a big missed opportunity here for cross-promotion and awareness, with a fan-favorite from Gen IV. Instead, this release seems kind of rudderless, especially given some of the new seasonal changes. At least daily mis??sions are back on the menu a??s of today!

Decidueye itself also looks like a very common MOBA character based on its moveset. While I'm?? willing to give them a chance and see how they play, the fairly generic trailer isn't really doing it any favors. It's a far cry from Greedent; a very unique roster additio?n that plagued the game for several weeks without nerfs or fixes.

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Season 3 removed a few things and didn't add much

So far, Pokemon Unite has solidified itself as an uneven, but bite-sized take on the MOBA genre that I liked to dabble in on a weekly basis. But so far based on Pokemon Unite's new se??ason, the newly launched Season 3, I'm finding it a bit harder to log in.

Inexplicably, without communication (crucial to every live service game in 2021, much less MOBAs), several elements were removed. Dail?y missions are now eliminated: one of the better reward-earners for casual fans who just logged in for 30? minutes or so per day. Many of the quests are now tethered to playing with a friend like last season, which is a detriment to anyone who plays solo or just wants to get on for a bit and unwind.

Several skins were also removed from the in-game storefront without warning. Stakeout Garchomp (the detective-style trench coat costume), the big one of the lot, is now completely gone. The vast majority of MOBAs, if not all in the modern era, provide a heads up to fans if something is going to be removed? from the game to avoid obvious counts of FOMO. But given developer TIMI's past, it makes sense.

My other big issue is with the lack of personality with the season pass. The first one was basically a mulligan, but in the end, gave us a striking skin for Cinderace: who's still a popular character at all ranks. Season 2 was a huge step up, going all-in on the "space" theme, providing your trainer with a really fun astronaut outfit to match the Space Gengar skin reward. But Season 3's "Sun, Sun, Sunshine" isn't doing it for me. The theme just makes zero sense since it's taking place in November, like it was planned for a future spring or summe?r season and thrown in last minute. The skins for Ch??arizard and Venusaur are also mediocre to the point where I would consider not buying them with the in-game cosmetic currency (fashion tickets).

In a few weeks, we could see a Pokemon Diamond and Pearl tie-in character (all info points to Decidueye though) and more quality of life upgrades (we are getting an incredibly smal??l balance update tom??orrow, after the season arr??ived). But for now, this celebrator?y season ring-in has made the game feel more stale.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF_ewpXtlZU

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But that's just fine, says developer Riot Games

It might be one of the biggest esports scenes in the digital gaming sphere, but mega-popular MOBA League of Legends is yet to turn a profit as a sport in over 10 years of operation. That's according to comments from LoL developer Riot Games.

Speaking in an interview with The Washington Post (as reported by GamesIndustry.biz) Riot Games' head of esports John Needham openly admitted that League of Legends' competitive scene simply hasn't been profitable for the company in the decade since its initial launch. Importantly, Needham notes that profit for Riot isn't a key goal of the LoL professional league, and apparently has never been a key focus of the competitive scene at all. Moreso, the goal is to make it profitable for sponsors, teams, and the professional players themselves, in order to? keep the ??scene attractive and sustainable.

"We like to call ourselves the future of sport??," Needham told The Washington Post. "That’s what we think we’re building [...] If I can’t make esports a great business for teams and our sponsors, then we’re not going to last long. We’re ve?ry much thinking about, 'How do we make the entire ecosystem profitable?'"

It doesn't take a business wiz to understand that League of Legends as a professional sport might not bring Riot Games profit directly, but is one hell of an advertisement for what has become one of the biggest video games on the planet for the best part of 10 years. Through its competitive scene and myriad tournaments, Riot Games can make announcements, show off new characters, drop rad music videos, and generally introduce players globally to the world of LoL. It might not make any profit, but the ensuing merch and in-game sales no doubt cover the spread. If Riot can ensure that the competitive scene breaks even, then the ??st?udio will be sitting pretty, at least financially, for years to come.

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Don't get sucked in

The Pokemon Unite Halloween mode is here, and there's a lot of stuff to unpack here. In addition to Chanseys everywhere dominating the Halloween map through Safeguard, we also have the opportunity to unlock a free character, and potentially partake in the sheer slot machine that is Pokemon Unite pumpkin boxes.

The thing is, it's pure gambling. While the idea of a "box" seems like it would grant a random cosmetic, Unite isn't quite there yet. Yes, you can buy the new?? Lucario skin that's worth the equivalent of $40 in gems (that Ninetails skin set a bad precedent), but the? pumpkin box racket is actually more insidious somehow.

The short of it is that players will accrue ?pumpkins as a secondary currency to unlock several Halloween-themed rewards. The big prize is the aforementioned Greedent character for 70 pumpkins, but you can also grab cosmetic things for your trainer for less. Or, you can buy a pumpkin box for two pumpkins, and gamble. Here's how it works.

Breaking down the Pokemon Unite pumpkin boxes percentages

• x1 Pumpkin - 63.27%
• x2 Pumpkin - 31.64% (read: break even)
• x5 Pumpkin - 3.16%
• x10 Pumpkin - 1.58%
• x20 Pumpkin - 0.32%
• x50 Pumpkin - 0.03%

So that drops off quite a bit yeah? To be clear, there is a 63.27% chance that you will actually lose money gambling on more pumpkins. There is a 5.09% chance that you will get anything better than breaking even. The house ?always wins!

It's baffling that Tencent made this system so opaque in such a big franchise, and it's kind of crazy that The Pokemon Company and by proxy, Nintendo, are hitching their wagon to this. I mean, I get why they might want to throw some franchises to the gacha wolves for quick cash: that makes sense. But Pokemon? This feels like poking the bear, akin to how major general news outlets picked up the Star Wars Battlefront loot box controversy.

I can only describe?? this whole scheme as a social experiment. Ignore the boxes, j??ust accrue pumpkins the old-fashioned way and get what you can get. Remember that if you do buy Greedent before you get it via pumpkins, you will get the coin [in-game cash] equivalent if you acquire the license through the pumpkin menu.

As another tip, if you're having issues earning the "win games in the new Halloween mode" pumpkin rewards, you can swap to CPU Matches in a little purple menu near "start" [match] and clean? up that way. The Halloween map is extremely swingy, so this is actually preferable, and you can just ??get it out of the way and coast on login pumpkin bonuses.

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They've been there since the last big update, whether you realized it or not

So I've been playing a lot of Pokemon Unite since launch across all three modes, and have been gravitating toward some of the more meta picks to better understand the game. And I don't just mean which characters to pick: ability and held item builds as well. The thing is, instead of relying on an outside "winrate API" like a lot of other MOBAs, there are a chunk of tools right in the actual game that you can peruse first. Here's a Pokemon Unite spectator build guide.

Pokemon Unite spectator build guide

See that image above? It's a master list of the held item ??builds for every Pokemon in the game, made by top players. That's where you're going to start really honing in on what the pros are playing. And it's right there in that held item menu you've probably gone to a billion times! Let's access it.

Head to the "held item" section of the updated master menu. Then select "change Pokemon" and pick the character you want to investigate. On mobile you can just hit "example sets" to get to the above menu. Scroll past the "recommended" non-meta developer picks and stop once you get to the third entry and beyond: those a??re used by top players.

You might find Buddy Barrier and Focus Band are being used a lot, which should clue you into the fact that ?both are very meta right now. You might also see that several builds a?re basically the same or are 66% the same: that's normal. In any case, it should give you a decent idea of what held items to level up, and which ones to hold off on (until the next potential game-changing balance patch).

If you take some notes, you can find several items that line up between all of your?? favorite characters, and f?inally use those level 30 item boosters with confidence.

The other side of this coin is spectati??ng. Again, the option is right?? there on the main menu, you may have breezed past it.

Here, you can check out a menu fo??r "top-ranking trainers" across multiple modes to get an idea of how they're using certain characters: or the fact that they're using specific characters at all. Yo??u might notice that Lucario is heavily utilized for instance, which would lead you down the path of checking out builds using the above method, as well as watching these in-game replays.

The thing is, these replays are extremely info-heavy, in a good way. You get to see everything in the match, from the opening rotation to the abilities chosen. Just open the scoreboard (on mobile you click the little "??list" with dots and lines in the upper right-hand corner) and you can see all of that information. You can also fast forward? or pause.

Another low-key boon is the chance to swap freely between everyone on both teams. Yep, if someone i??s doing very well on either side and you want to get a look at them, you can do that in the replay. This l?evel of control is a massive upgrade from the complete lack of an in-game spectator mode in the past, so take advantage of it!

Aeos Clubhouse podcast member Mochrie is actually going through some of these top-ranked replays themselves, and compiling them on YouTube. It's a great resource if you can't access the gam?e but want to see what the pros are doing.

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