MMO Weekly Recap #438 Jan 15th – League’s Season 2021 Rundown, DCUO 10th Anniversary & More!

JamesBl0nde recaps the MMO gaming news for the week of January 15, 2021! Transcript follows.

Shadow Arena focuses a bit more on its 3v3 mode, Elsword brings in its newest character and first path, you can gain access to the new talent in Mabinogi, and the new agent in Valorant lets you drift between dimensions and tear into reality.

What’s good everyone, JamesBl0nde here with the weekly recap for gaming news and announcements for the week of January 15th 2021

Last week we left off with Hi-Rez hitting it hard at the Hi-Rez Expo and Riot followed up immediately with its Season 2021 preview! The next champion, Viego, has been revealed, and his kit starts out with an ability to possess enemies briefly to gain their attacks, items, and non-ultimate abilities plus movement speed when gaining on other enemy champions. Viego also comes with a stun, a camouflage, and abilities that focus on bringing down enemies with low health. There’s also been changes to ranked as the new season begins, and an ongoing vote for which champion should be updated for 2022. Guess Riot’s getting started early! There’s also some updates and previews for Teamfight Tactics and Legends of Runeterra so make sure to check out the links below if you want the full details.

Also with Riot, Valorant has just released its 2.0 Patch, more commonly known as Episode 2. Starring in this update is the new Duelist Agent, Yoru. Yoru’s abilities include a tether you can teleport to, a fake echo of footsteps to trip up your opponents, and the ability to shift into a special dimension where Yoru can’t be seen. Valorant’s also taken steps to improve gameplay for its two Controllers, Brimstone and Omen, an update for the ranked system and other game improvements. Whether you play the game or not, its hard not to admit this trailer is epic.

Meanwhile Shadow Arena is stepping back from its 40 player battle royale mode to focus on its 3v3 mode, Trio, after extensive player feedback and demand. As part of this major shift, Pearl Abyss has also adjusted its Heroes so that each falls into one of three roles: Brawler, Dealer, and Support. Other new features include new Black Spirit Skills, a  new in-game shop for boosting team stats, post-battle stats, and improved visual clarity and viewing angles. This is all in efforts to focus the game more around tactical team play, but those who enjoy the battle royale mode can still access it to play casually.

If you need a fresh take on Elsword, now’s your chance – the game is releasing its newest character, Noah, who uses a sickle as a main weapon. His first path is also open, giving you the chance to become a Second Revenger, Silent Shadow, or Liberator – you know, just embrace that dark edgelord feel that’s been brewing in you all last year. Along with Noah’s release are several new events, including free login rewards and the Moonlight Gala.

DCUO is celebrating its tenth anniversary starting this week with events and bonuses running through the rest of January. The game is giving away over $50 in free player gifts, including a free Character Advance, a gear suit with a new style, a combat pet, two 10th anniversary emblems, and more. DCUO’s also hosting a special event raid and elite raid in the Metropolis Anti-Matter Invasion Zone, and check out some classic content making a limited time return as well.

If you play Star Trek Online on console, good news – the House Shattered update which released for PC a couple of months ago is now available for Xbox and PlayStation. The update introduces a new chapter of the Klingon War with a new playable episode and a new five-player Task Force Operation. It also features four revamped Klingon missions from the Warzone Klingon Storyarc, and a special event to earn the four piece Imperial Rift Space Set.

Also in the news this week, Guild Wars 2 is ready to continue the Icebrood Saga with the Chapter Two: Power. The next story chapter arrives on January 19th, and includes new Dragon Response Missions at Fields of Ruin, Thunderhead Peaks, Lake Doric, and Snowden Drifts. A new global faction event begins as well with the Deldrimor Dwarves. And of course, there are new rewards, including a new stretch emote, Stoneskin Infusion, and more.

In other news, Aura Kingdom has just launched its Patch 71 and 72 updates, introducing the Astral Challenge. Players can access floors 51 through 55 in the Sky Tower, or tackle the new Eidolon Story dungeon and Monster Story dungeon. The game has also added a Crystal Mine event, a new chapter of the Gaia Chronicle event, and five new four-star Eidolons are added to the Intimacy system to bond closer with their favorite Eidolons.

Next up, Mabinogi has revealed its next update, G25 Hypernova: Glyphwright, bringing new story, talent, and technique updates to the game. Players will encounter the divine beast Nuckelavee, learn a powerful new technique to reduce an enemy’s magic defense and protection, and gain access to the new talent Glyphwriting. You can even design your own glyphs in an editor in game, which is pretty cool!

Meanwhile Brawlhalla has just launched its 5.02 update, which includes the new Legend Magyar, the Spectral Guardian. This champion uses the Greatsword and Hammer, and launches with three skins available. The patch also introduces some new visual effects, balance improvements to the Greatsword, and other miscellaneous bug fixes.

Finally let’s highlight this week’s free game on the Epic Games Store – it’s Star Wars Battlefront II: Celebration Edition! This edition launched in late 2019 and includes the base game, over 25 Hero appearances including six Legendary Apperances, and over 125 trooper appearances, over 100 voice lines and emotes, and over 70 victory poses. While the game is no longer getting regular updates, it’s still a solid experience.

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!