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MMO Weekly Recap #460 July 23rd – Surprise Genshin Impact Collab, POE Royale Returns, & More!

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


Path of Exile brings back one of its April fools jokes, Genshin Impact is partnering with Playstation to bring in a really cool guest playable character, the latest Tom Clancy’s game went a direction we didn’t exactly expect and ready your high end graphics cards, New World has entered closed beta.

What’s good everyone, JamesBl0nde here with the weekly recap for gaming news and announcements for the week of July 23rd 2021 and kicking off the news this week…

The second expansion in the Price of Power series for GWENT has been announced!  Titled Thanedd Coup, named after a deadly battle between rival mages.  The set will feature 26 all new cards — four various rarity cards per faction and two neutral cards.  This pack was just announced, so you can look forward to more details emerging as the August 3 release date draws closer.

In other expansion news, Path of Exile has showcased more information on its upcoming Expedition expansion. Players will be asked by the Kalguur people to help them collect missing artifacts.  Of course, there’s a catch: to do so you’ll need to place explosives strategically about the relic site, and then fend off the undead horde the explosion will create!  Of course, new gems, items, and more will be introduced with the pack.  Grinding Gear Games has also revamped a mode that was once an April Fool’s joke: Royale!  With a separate balance to the main game, this updated mode will sport a new Royale-only passive tree, low level versions of many skill gems, and endgame items made specifically with Royale mode in mind, not to mention Spectator mode, leaderboards, interface improvements, and much more.  Expedition launches today, and Royale will be available every weekend during the Expedition league duration.

Ubisoft has revealed a brand new game in their popular Tom Clancy’s series, and what can we say but it’s quite the departure.  Tom Clancy’s XDefiant foregoes the tactical nature of previous installments, and goes straight to a fast-paced team-based arena shooter. Because, you know, we needed another one of those! With a variety of customization options ranging from cosmetic to skills and abilities, the game does promise you’ll be able to find a way to play your own way.  Closed beta testing begins on August 5, so if you’re interested, sign up on the XDefiant website for your chance to participate.

Similarly, Rogue Company is now on Steam!  The immensely popular team shooter was already launched on XBox, Playstation, Nintendo Switch, and via the Epic Games Store, and since its release in October has earned over 20 million players.  To celebrate this monumentous occasion, all players who start their Rogue Company experience on Steam will receive the Season 2 Battle Pass absolutely free.  Plus, the game is fully cross platform, so there should never be a problem finding games to play with other people!

Speaking of launching, the upcoming MMORPG New World has entered closed beta testing this week.  This highly anticipated title from Amazon Games is set to release on August 31, and this testing phase is intended to help final testing on key systems such as quests, expeditions, and general balance changes intended to make the game fair for everyone.  If you’re interested in the beta testing for New World, you can gain access by pre-ordering the title on Steam or Epic Games Store, or sign up on the New World website for a chance at access.

Next up Hi-Rez and Rooster Teeth have teamed up to bring you an incredible collaboration for Paladins: gen:LOCK!  The crossover pack for this collab unlocks five champion skins featuring the stars of the show: Chase, Valentina, Cammie, Yaz, and Kazu.  Each champion comes with their own voice pack as well!  Not to mention, as the game reaches 50 million players, the 50th champion has also made her debut.  Rei is a powerful support whose greatest skill comes in protecting and rescuing a single ally who’s in mortal peril.  Both the gen:LOCK collaboration and the newest champion Rei are available today in Paladins!

Want more collaboration news?  miHoYo Labs and Playstation are bringing Horizon Zero Dawn’s Aloy into Genshin Impact.  In the game’s 2.1 update, Playstation players will receive Aloy for free, who is a 5 star cryo bow wielder.  Additionally, players will receive a special bow specifically for Aloy, whose powerful special ability will only function while playing the Playstation version.  Aloy will be coming to PC and Mobile platforms in 2.2, giving Playstation players a chance to enjoy this collaborative effort just a bit longer than everyone else.

NosTale’s latest update brings plenty of new content to the game, including four new specialists.  You can unlock the Flame Druid, Waterfall Berserker, Sunchaser, and Voodoo Priest cards, each with their own unique set of skills and abilities.  In addition to the new specialists, players can tackle a whole new quest series about the ancient orc heroes, which will also provide plenty of background on the new specialists!  Plus, an all new challenging raid encounter has been added: the Spirit Forest.  Challenge this new quest and new raid with the new specialists today in NosTale!

Ready for some Apex Legends news?  The game has an update coming soon titled Emergence, and a brand new legend will emerge: Seer!  Seer uses microdrones and an eye for art to spot things others might miss, before claiming them for his own.  This is coupled with an all new weapon: the Rampage LMG, which will provide Legends with an absurd amount of firepower.  The World’s End map will see a major update, and ranked arenas will also be coming to the game!  Apex Legends: Emergence rolls out on August 3.

Also in the news MapleStory’s summer Neo update continues!  In Neo: Light’s Wrath, you’ll explore the desert unlocked in Hotel Arcus for a quest line that will hopefully give answers to the mysterious hotel. If a whole new area to explore wasn’t enough, there’s also a brand new, highly challenging boss to defeat!  Pit your strength against Seren by accessing the portal in Cernium Royal Palace Main Hall, and if you’re victorious, you may just earn some fabulous prizes.  Neo: Light’s Wrath is part two of the summer event, so look forward to further developments as the event progresses.

Another game getting an update this week is SoulWorker, the first for the game after being picked up by Lion Games.  Lee Nabi joins the SoulWorker crew, the first long range specializing character so far.  This second generation SoulWorker brings her skill with a sniper rifle to bear against your opponents, making her the ninth playable character introduced to the game since its global launch. Her combination of stealth and strength is sure to appeal to a ton of players.

Finally let’s talk about the two free games on the Epic Games Store this week! First up is Defense Grid: The Awakening, a tower defense game styled like a top-down RTS. The base game is available to keep for free this week, and offers about eight hours of campaign play alone, so if you enjoy this kind of strategy game make sure to pick it up. Also up for grabs this week is Verdun, an online multiplayer FPS set in the trench warfare of World War I. This even has a frontlines mode for 64 players if you really want to simulate the first big war.

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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