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MMO Weekly Recap #450 April 30th – Genshin Impact 1.5, Paladins Vatu, TFT: Reckoning & More!

JamesBl0nde recaps the MMO gaming news for the week of April 30, 2021! Transcript follows.


Paladins gets a new champion and map makeover, PlanetSide 2 concludes its Shattered Warpgate campaign, Elsword celebrates 10 years strong and Bless Unleashed devs are doing everything they can to make right with PC players before the final beta test.

What’s good everyone, JamesBl0nde here with the weekly recap for gaming news and announcements for the week of April 30th 2021 and starting out this week

Scavengers, a team-based PvEvP game set in a frozen wilderness, is launching into Early Access, and here’s how you can join!  First, create an Improbable game account and make sure to link it to your Twitch account.  Second, watch 30 minutes of any Scavengers stream to claim your Twitch drop, and lastly use the key they’ll email you to start playing! Umm kinda simple but… ummm maybe not. If you’re a longstanding community member who has already signed up for access or were a part of a previous playtest, don’t worry: you’ll automatically have access to the game. Just hit the link in the description below to get started.

Bless Unleashed has faced a lot of skepticism from the PC crowd, and that’s understandable. But if you think the devs aren’t listening, you might want to check in again.  During their recent beta tests, the team has carefully gone over every piece of feedback given to them, and with the game’s final beta test beginning next week, they want to highlight some of the sweeping changes done as a result of input from players like you.  For example, combat has been improved with control changes and updates to the skill system.  The UI has undergone revamping to further add functionality to the game.  Even something as simple as map transparencies have not escaped fixing from critiques the devs have received! The final beta test begins next week, so yeah, feel free to pass your suggestions along, seems like they’re listening pretty close!

Meanwhile a new champion has been revealed for the Paladins lineup, introduced in the aptly named Shadows update.  Vatu, the Shadow is a powerful flanking champion who uses kunai to deadly ends.  With his ability to teleport next to his targets, and shadow bombs that stick to his opponents, he also has the ability to dash away from danger to choose his fights carefully.  In addition to the new champion, Jaguar Falls has received a massive makeover.  According to the devs, they wanted to keep the feel of the stage the same, while adding touches of ancient wealth all over.  A giant stone jaguar head now spews a waterfall from it, imposing and impressive at the same time. Make sure to check it out on the test server before the patch lands officially in a few weeks.

When you think lawyers, you probably don’t think of them as combat savvy.  Well, Genshin Impact’s Yanfei is here to prove you wrong!  This fireball-flinging legal advisor is just one of the many new things in Patch 1.5: Beneath the Light of Jadeite.  Also included is player housing!  Complete a quick quest for your very own Serenitea Pot, and you’ll be able to choose from one of three templates to begin constructing your dream getaway, both inside and out.  A brand new Artifact Domain has also launched,  with two brand new sets to collect: Pale Flame and Tenacity of the Millelith, benefiting physical damage characters and shielding characters, respectively.  Maybe a brand new boss is up your alley?  Well, the Cryo Hypostasis should give you a bit of a chilling challenge.  Located in Dragonspine Mountains, this frosty cube might just leave you in the cold.  There’s even a brand new world boss to face off against: Azhdaha!  This monstrosity was sealed off millennia ago but now threatens to break free to take revenge against Teyvat.  Bring some friends and take this beast down.  Maybe you’d rather relax for a bit instead, in which case, why not initiate a brand new hangout event with everyone’s favorite bartender, Diona!  There’s even a new set of hangout experiences with the lovely battle maid Noelle if you’ve completed all her prior hangout events, too!  Genshin’s 1.5 update is live now, and there’s plenty more to come soon.

In other news, Star Wars: The Old Republic has launched it’s 6.3 update, titled ‘The Dark Descent.’  In the all new Flashpoint, Secrets of the Enclave, you’ll explore the ruins of the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine in search of Darth Malgus, and discover the secrets that brought the Sith lord there in the first place.  With this update also comes PvP Season 14, and an all new feature to the game called Galactic Seasons.  The first — The Stranger from Kubindi — rewards players for completing daily and weekly objectives to earn various rewards including a new companion, mounts, and much more!  This update is live now, so feel free to jump right in!

NosTale is cooking up something great!  The game’s brand new Chef specialist card will see you honing your culinary skills as you prepare meals for the most discerning of palates.  The chef is obviously not a combat job, but the food they create will still offer great buffs for the person who eats it. So fire up your wok, sharpen your knives, and get cooking today!

Meanwhile in Riot gaming news, Teamfight Tactics: Reckoning has launched, and it certainly delivers!  In addition to new champions and traits, three magical misfits join the little legends club!  Dowsie, Fenroar, and Nimblefoot offer three new friends to collect and develop.  Shadow items are the new mechanic this time around, and while they are much more powerful than normal items, using them poorly will result in doing more harm than good to your team.  Lastly, there’s the first lab in TFT, called Hyper Roll!  This lab promises faster gameplay, a new leveling system, and a focus on building the best team from the start.  The Reckoning is live right now.

May 5 is fast approaching, and with it comes the Guardians of the Ancient expansion for Legends of Runeterra.  The expansion features 42 new collectible cards, with several already revealed. Three new champions will also be joining the game!  New reveals happen every day at 9AM Pacific Time all the way up to the release of the expansion, so following the Legends of Runeterra twitter will let you know where the reveal is happening! Kind of a scavenger hunt.

Elsword’s 10th anniversary is coming soon, and they plan on celebrating this momentous occasion with several things to thank their players.  Starting on May 1, get double the experience and the double drop rates.  Plus, the longer you’re logged in, the more gifts you’ll receive — up to 10!  As a gift to everyone, you’ll receive an Elpheus Ice Burner set so long as you’ve logged up to 180 accumulative minutes.  Once the event itself starts on the 4th, enjoy triple the experience, double the drop rate, infinite stamina, and a +10 weapon buff.  10 years is a long time for a game to run these days, so enjoy the treats Elsword has to offer.

In other news, the final chapter in the Shattered Warpgate campaign in Planetside 2 has begun.  After months of struggles, the energy storm on Esamir has subsided, controlled by newly constructed “Containment Sites.”  What does this mean for gameplay?  Well, these massive underground facilities provide all new battlefields for Planetside 2 players to take over and control!  But watch out, because the defenders will be able to rise from the depths of the facility to try and repel your attack! The campaign lasts until June 30, however since the damage has been done to Esamir, these Containment Sites will remain even after the event concludes.

What’s new in Valorant Episode 2 Act III?  Well, a whole new map joining the rotation is a good place to start!  Welcome to Breeze, a Caribbean paradise complete with open space, wider choke points, and maybe some pretty dark secrets.  Some people might wonder where the new agent is, but don’t worry, the character is being given plenty of time and attention to ensure an acceptable release.  The Act III battlepass is ongoing, too, so feel free to snag exclusive rewards like the Lightwave Frenzy skin and more!

Looking at this week’s Epic Free Game of the Week is a bit of a unique one: a DLC pack for an already free game called Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms. It’s a bit of an odd choice for a free game of the week, given Idle Champions is already a free game, but if you’re interested, head on over to the Epic Games Store to pick it up!

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!

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