MMO Weekly Recap #426 Oct 2nd – WoW Shadowlands Delayed, Rogue Company Open Beta, PSO2 Ep 5 & More!

JamesBl0nde recaps the MMO gaming news for the week of October 2, 2020! Transcript and timestamps follow.

Phantasy Star Online 2 launched Episode 5 and shares more about New Genesis, both Paladins and Rogue Company introduce new characters, Skyforge is making the jump over to the Switch, and World of Warcraft’s Shadowlands expansion gets a probably needed launch delay.

What’s good everyone, JamesBl0nde here with the weekly recap for gaming news and announcements for the week of October 2nd 2020 and starting out the news this week,

RuneScape Coming to Steam: 0:21

As it approaches its 20th anniversary, RuneScape is finally joining the modern world and launching on Steam! Yes after all this time RuneScape will be coming to Steam on October 14th this year, alongside a dedicated Steam community team and the usual Steam features including achievements. For those who like the classics better, Old School RuneScape will also be coming to Steam at a later date – sometime in early 2021 Jagex says.

Skyforge headed to Switch: 0:56

In other interesting news, My.Games has announced that it will bring its free to play MMO Skyforge to the Nintendo Switch. The game won’t require a Switch Online membership to play, and all content updates are planned to be free, too. Of course there will be starter packs available for purchase along with free gifts for all Switch players during the launch period. No exact date has been set yet other than ‘Fall 2020’ – so sometime in the next couple of months I guess.

World of Warcraft Shadowlands Delayed: 1:23

Unfortunately World of Warcraft had less exciting release news this week as they announced late Thursday that the Shadowlands expansion launch, originally scheduled for October 27th, will be delayed to sometime “later this year”. While most launch delays tend to be hated, most WoW fans are glad to hear of this delay as the reports of bugs and other major issues during Shadowlands testing has been quite significant. You’ll have to play the pre-patch at least a few weeks longer it looks like. Let’s just hope that it’s all smooth when it does launch.

Hearthstone: Masquerade Ball: 1:59

On the other hand, Hearthstone’s rolling out the carpet for its newest in-game event, the Masquerade Ball. During this limited-time event players can challenge each other in the Masquerade Ball Dual-Class Arena, where you get a pick of both a hero and a different hero’s power and both of their card decks. There will also be a series of three Tavern brawls, starting this week with the Rise of the Zombeasts. Alongside this comes an update this week that introduces the new elemental minion type, four new heroes, and a new progression and ratings system. Later this month, on October 13th, a new free Book of Heroes adventure for Rexxar will be added too.

Phantasy Star Online 2 – Episode 5 Launches: 2:39

Meanwhile, Phantasy Star Online 2 has launched its Episode 5 update. This update brings the new Hero class, increases the level cap to 90, and introduces Buster Quests. But that’s not all: there’s also new missions, new enemy types, new titles, new seasonal events, new Alliance Quarters, improved Photon Art and Technique levels, new weapons, and, of course, a continuation of the game’s main story quests involving the Omega dimension. And if you’re looking forward to PSO2 New Genesis, the developers confirmed a few facts at the Tokyo Game Show: New Genesis will co-exist in PSO2 as a single game experience, and PSO2 will undergo a complete graphic overhaul. Certain elements may be shared while others may not be – it’s a little too detailed to break down here, so make sure to check the link in the description below for their recent FAQ.

Paladins Champion Reveal: Vora the Harbinger: 3:29

This past week Paladins revealed its 46th champion, Vora the Harbinger – a herald of Chaos. Story tells that this guardian once protected the Goddess, until she fell into despair and choose a path of vengeance. Vora is a flanker with a self-heal passive, an alt-fire that knocks back and offers momentary immunity, a closer, and an intense ultimate that grants 80% movement speed, 30% damage reduction, and stuns, cripples, and silences the enemy target while dealing a massive amount of damage. Huh, we just thought league of legends new champion Samira was the only one… a little bit broken, I guess others are wanting a piece of that action as well. The patch preview also reveals a visual rework of the Frozen Guard map, and a new Arcane Pacts battle pass.

Rogue Company: Open Beta, Dahlia Reveal: 4:18

And in other Hi-Rez news Rogue Company doesn’t want to be left out – this week the free to play shooter has gone into open beta, now officially free to play for all. Alongside the launch, there’s a new playable Rogue in town – Dahlia. She can link up with an ally for an entire round, able to help revive them in battle when she’s in range and inheriting their passive. She also uses a submachine gun so you can feel like a badass next to your buddy. As a reminder Rogue Company has full cross-save and cross-progression so you can play freely on the platform of your choice.

PlanetSide 2: The Shattered Warpgate: 4:57

If you’re itching for something a bit more sci-fi, PlanetSide 2 has also pushed an update this past week. The Shattered Warpgate introduces Campaigns, new open-world missions that offer lore over the course of multiple chapters and changes the landscapes of the game. In this first campaign, players will find a complete revamp of Esamir, new weapons and equipment, improvements to social hubs, and more.

Brawlhalla Mako Launch: 5:19

Next up in the news, Brawlhalla introduced its newest legend this past week: Mako, a humanoid-styled shark who’s ready to prey on other legends in battle! Mako uses a Greatsword and Katars, and swims into the season with three skins already available to grab, themed around the goblin shark, orca, and hammerhead shark. A new Synthwave Battle Pass, plus the usual collection of balance changes and events, are also out with this latest update.

World of Warships Update 0.9.9: 5:47

World of Warships is ready to weigh anchor this week with update 0.9.9. Two American Battleships, the Kansas and the Minnesota, are now in early access for those who want a head start with these ships. This new branch features a solid salvo weight and firing range at the expense of reload times, good maneuverability, and moderate anti-aircraft defenses. The update also introduces the mercenary feature for clan battles, and made additional miscellaneous improvements – check the linked patch notes below for the details.

Conqueror’s Blade Season 5: Legacy of Fire: 6:18

Conqueror’s Blade has revealed new details about its next Season – Legacy of Fire. Inspired by the Byzantine Empire, players will discover a new region, the Kingdom of Empyros. New seasonal units include a defensive militia with earthenware grenades and units equipped with hand-held flamethrowers. Of course there will also be a brand new battle pass with over 200 rewards including special cosmetics. Look forward to this free expansion on October 13th.

Gamigo Celebrates 20th Anniversary: 6:45

Gamigo is celebrating its 20th anniversary as a game publisher and inviting players to celebrate with them. Through the month of October, players can participate in events in all of gamigo’s online games, from ArcheAge to Wolf Team and everything inbetween. Players participate in contests on gamigo’s special anniversary website and purchase unique anniversary packs to unlock additional bonus rewards.

Apex Legends Aftermarket Collection Event: 7:09

Meanwhile Apex Legends kicks off its next Collection Event, Aftermarket, next week on Tuesday October 6th. This update will introduce the beta of cross-play, giving players a chance to test playing with others across different platforms. It’s important to note that PC players will still be kept with PC players in matchmaking to avoid keyboard & mouse advantages, and that cross progression is still not on the table. Of course the real star of the update is a brand new limited time mode: Flashpoint. Instead of healing items spawning on these maps, players must access Flashpoints located throughout the map to get healed up ‘in a flash’. The circle in Flashpoint is also always closing and set to close on a final flashpoint to make that last battle intense.

Destiny 2: Season of Arrivals – Festival of the Lost: 7:55

Also starting on October 6th is Destiny 2’s Festival of the Lost, their annual Halloween-themed in-game event. Free for all players, the event includes the Haunted Forest activity; new Wrapped rewards including an Exotic Sparrow, ship, and Ghost; new Triumphs; new festival masks; new armor ornaments, and more. This spooky festival to honor the lost will last until November 3rd.

Razer Naga Pro Review: 8:20

Also if you haven’t gotten the opportunity yet, the Razer Naga Pro gaming mouse video review I’ve mentioned in previous recaps is now live! This was another fun video to make, and made me realize just how handy it can be to rely more on your mouse rather than just your keyboard for better controls in game. Be sure to stop by and give that video some love when you get a chance.

Epic Free Game Spotlight: PikuNiku: 8:41

And finally let’s wrap up with this week’s free game on the Epic Games Store – it’s Pikuniku. This is a pretty unique indie puzzle adventure game, where things are bright and cheery looking but maybe not as wonderful as they look. It released last year and it’s become a highly rated success so probably worth downloading!

But with that said, that’s about it for all the major news and announcements for this week. Be sure to stay safe, and keep your families healthy! Like always you can find more information on the news topics, linked in the description below, feel free to discuss the news or even more news in the comments below and don’t forget to like, subscribe, wash your hands a bunch, hit that little bell icon to get notifications and of course share this video! But until next time guys that’s going to be it for me… I’m JamesBl0nde… see ya out there gamers!