MMO Weekly Recap #449 April 23rd – PSO2 New Genesis Beta, Apex Legends Legacy Coming Soon, & More!

JamesBl0nde recaps the MMO gaming news for the week of April 23, 2021! Transcript follows.

Get ready to try New Genesis in Phantasy Star Online 2, Both RuneScape and Albion online head to mobile this summer, Go on a quest with Gilgamesh in Smite and what defines the legacy of a true champion? You’ll find out soon enough in Apex Legends.

What’s good everyone, JamesBl0nde here with the weekly recap for gaming news and announcements for the week of April 23rd 2021 and starting out this week

Enlisted has begun its Open Beta phase, so everyone can come and join the fight!  Fight together as a squad from amongst 12 different classes of infantry, each with their own weapons and equipment, and you have the ability to swap at any time.  You’re also able to enter the fray in tanks and aircraft too, with plenty of options to choose from.  Expect plenty of different weapons from small arms and rifles to mortars, flamethrowers, and even rocket launchers!  Two campaigns are currently available: The Battle of Moscow and The Invasion of Normandy.  Each campaign features its own set of unlocks, and they can be switched between freely at any time!

And speaking of betas, closed beta testing for Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis begins soon!  New Genesis is set 1000 years after the events of PSO2, and this will be the first time it’s available to play for global players.  The beta testing phase will begin on May 14 and last until May 16, only a couple of days there, so if you want to check out this upcoming content for yourself, you’re gonna want to visit the beta site linked in the description below to sign up.  Of course, there are also all new quests available in PSO2 that link these events together, so high level players should definitely check it out — we’re talking level 85+ on both main and sub jobs, here!

On a slightly similar note, Genshin Impact is coming to PS5 this April!  The open-world RPG has met with amazing success since its release last September, with frequent updates and new characters since.  The PS5 release will show a marked improvement over previous console versions, making the world of Teyvat more detailed and vivid, giving players a deeper immersion into the game.  miHoYo also states the engine they built for the PS5 release will allow them to increase performance and visual quality as the game evolves.  This will also allow the game to be run in a native 4K resolution.  The game is set to launch on PS5 on April 28.

Ever wanted to play RuneScape when you couldn’t be at your computer?  Coming this summer, that dream will become reality.  Every quest, every character, and all the lore will be completely included when it launches for iOS and Android.  Signing up for pre-orders will unlock up to five exclusive rewards depending on how many players do so, which include a hairstyle, teleporter device, sword, pet, and armor.  At the top tier, you’ll also receive a week-long 50% experience boost, so sign up today!

Albion Online is also going mobile soon. Launching this summer, Albion Online Mobile promises the full experience PC users get to enjoy.  In fact, they’re going to be playing on the exact same servers as PC users!  That’s right, with the launch of Albion Online Mobile, crossplay will be instituted between both versions, meaning everything is persistent no matter what version is played.  Players will receive a unique reward for cross-platform play once the mobile version has officially launched, and pre-registration is available right now!

In other news, the King of Uruk has arrived as Gilgamesh officially enters SMITE!  Argued to be the first mythical hero in recorded history, this Warrior will take a decidedly proactive role in beating back his enemies.  At levels 5 and 10, Gilgamesh will gain a quest — the first is to go to a specific point on the map while the second will require him to defeat half of the enemy team (rounded up).  Success will yield a Tier 1 item or 500 gold if his inventory’s already full.  His skills focus on slowing enemies, knocking them through other opponents and minions, and bringing his allies a movement speed and lifesteal buff.  His ultimate brings the Winds of Shamash to bear on the field, slowing enemies for six seconds and dealing damage every half second for the duration.  It also interacts heavily with his other skills, making skilled use incredibly powerful!

The Sage has awakened, at least in Black Desert Online.  Trading in their cube for a spear, the Sage gains increased speed and power and a whole host of new abilities.  Lightning Prison allows the Sage to call down a deluge of lightning spears to constantly damage enemies.  Impaling Flash gives their spear the lightning element, and throwing the weapon marks enemies; the more enemies marked, the more damage you’ll deal with the electric follow-up.  Divine Executioner will see the Sage toss the weapon in the air, and then back down into the enemies below. Finally, Spear Bolt fires the spear at foes, piercing through them like an electric current.  The awakening is live now on PC, and will be made available on consoles on April 28, so look forward to plenty of log-in rewards and more!

Meanwhile, it seems like Bilbo Baggins has gone missing!  The Further Adventures of Bilbo Baggins is now available in Lord of the Rings Online, the first of a new set of story-based mission quests.  This new story is available starting at level 20 through level 130 and is free to access for VIPs. The ten mission questline will complete a deed awarding a title, virtue XP, and Tokens of Further Adventure.  These tokens can further be bartered for rings appropriate to your level, cosmetics, and housing decor. Not a VIP?  Not to worry!  From now until May 9, everyone can pick up the module for free by going to the LOTRO store in game and using the code SAVEBILBO.

Time certainly flies when you’re having fun, and Warframe is no exception — the game is celebrating its 8th anniversary! That’s crazy! To celebrate, log in and receive a free Rhino Dex skin.  You can also earn Dex weapons and customizations from prior anniversary events by completing weekly alerts.  PC players can get 50% off of the Initiate Pack to help you out if you’re new to the game.  For vets, join up with your Squad and tackle your favorite Warframe boss.  Send in a screenshot and you’ll have a chance of winning access to Octavia Prime for you and your friends!

While Warframe celebrates 8  years, Vigor is celebrating 8 seasons! Trappers are the name of the game in Vigor season 8.  Inspired by fan feedback and brought to life by the imaginations of the artists, the Trappers are a group who seek to live in harmony with the natural world around them.  Trapper titles take the form of hunt trophies, so it won’t be hard to miss them in the game’s lobbies, even if they’re camouflaged in game!  One change in the new season brought on by plenty of feedback is the Anti-Camping mortars have been removed.  This was a hotly contested addition in the previous season, and the team listened carefully to ensure Vigor stays true to how they intended the game to play.  Multiple loot events are also making their return to the game, and XP changes have been made allowing more to be gained from encounters instead of resource and military crates.  Finally, guns have been given a once over, and improvements have been made across the board.  Season 8 is out now, so go explore the wilderness!

Apex Legends has revealed more information about its upcoming season: Legacy, and with it comes a brand new character.  Valkyrie — real name Kairi Imahara — spent her life with her father’s legacy, but now she’s set to strike out on her own and make a name for herself.  Meanwhile, Olympus has been infested, the city now strangled with roots and other natural growth that threatens to choke it out back to nature.  Also included in the update will be a brand new weapon: the Bocek Bow.  The bow is incredibly powerful at medium range, however Legends will need the skill to make every shot from it matter. As with every new season, an all new battle pass will be launched with tons of packs, boosts, and skins to acquire, simply by completing daily and weekly tasks.  Legacy launches on May 4.

Finally let’s not forget our free games this week on the Epic Games Store. That’s right there’s two this week, and first up is Alien: Isolation, a highly rated stealth survival game with a dark sci-fi horror twist. Worth grabbing if you like the Alien franchise, it will creep you out guaranteed. Play it in the dark with good headphones or with several friends as an audience if you enjoy a good horror experience. Also up for grabs this week is Hand of Fate 2, a pretty unique mix of board game, roguelike, and real time action RPG.

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!