Weekly Recap #405 May 1st – Legends of Runeterra, Paladins, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and More!

JamesBl0nde recaps the MMO gaming news for the week of May 1, 2020! Transcript and timestamps follow.

Legends of Runeterra launches with its first expansion, there might be a way for some of us to get free goodies for Smite, Trove is sporting some endless combat in its next major update and after 26 years its time to go back and clean up the streets with rage.

Whats up guys! JamesBl0nde here with the weekly recap for gaming news and announcements for the week of May 1st 2020.

Legends of Runeterra: Rising Tides Expansion: 0:22
To kick things off, Legends of Runeterra has officially launched out of beta this week. Alongside leaving beta, the game is getting its first official expansion! Riot doesn’t mess around that was quick! The expansion is called Rising Tides and it introduces the Bilgewater region, featuring 11 new champions, 120 new cards, one new board, and much more. The launch also marks the game’s arrival on mobile for both iOS and Android gamers. First week login rewards are still going on so make sure to grab your goodies before the time runs out.

SMITE Launches on Epic Games Store: 1:02

This week also marks the launch of SMITE, Hi-Rez’s god-themed moba we all know and love, to the Epic Games Store. Like other platforms, SMITE is free on epic games store and can cross-play with other clients on PC like steam or stand alone if that’s still an option, Xbox One, and Switch versions. To celebrate they’re giving away a free welcome bundle worth $50 of in game goods, which includes five gods, skins, and voice packs. You do have to claim it through the EGS store though, so be prepared to link up your account if you’re already playing and just want the bonuses. I might have to do this since I’m already a little involved in the epic games store, you know for the goodies, that I might not already have.

Age of Conan: Unchained Onslaught Trailer: 1:44

Meanwhile, a major new update has suddenly hit the mature-rated MMO, Age of Conan: Unchained. Proving it’s not dead yet, Funcom pushed the new Onslaught update, based around the “Black Colossus” story by Robert E. Howard, author of the Conan universe stories. This introduces a brand new raid with progressive scaling as players delve deeper. As you kill more enemies in this raid, a bloodshed meter builds up which will gradually summon bosses to challenge the group. It’s been a while since Age of Conan had any update like this so it might be worth a revisit.

Paladins Welcomes New Champion Corvus: 2:18

Switching gears, Hi-Rez’s arena shooter Paladins has launched its new update, Darkness & Dragons. This update marks the arrival of Coronavirus, I’m sorry… I did it again. Corvus, the 45th champion in the game who fills a support role, able to heal, teleport, and deal some potent damage too. The update also includes a visual rework to the Magistrate’s Archives map, reflecting its status as Corvus’ personal study. And of course, there’s the titular Darkness & Dragons battle pass, which offers four exclusive skins plus recolors and hundreds of other rewards. Check the link below for all the details.

This is Dual Universe (Official Trailer): 2:53

In the realm of space MMOs, Dual Universe has revealed its first official trailer, which showcases the open-world MMO’s single-shard universe. You can get a glimpse at the voxel creation system, organization system, player-driven economy, and more. It’s a solid introduction to the game if you haven’t spent any time learning about it yet. The game’s available to test in alpha now for the cost of a $60 founder’s pack, and beta is expected to launch later this year.

Trove: Delves Trailer: 3:19

Trove is meanwhile preparing a new update called “Delves,” which is already in testing on the public test server. Delves are designed to combine Geode cave gameplay with “procedurally generated endless combat” – meaning that you can continue to go further and further down for better loot. The update will also remove Shadow Towers, address some lag issues, and remove fall damage from all areas except geode caves. No exact date’s been given but expect to see the Delve update in Trove before the summer officially arrives.

Streets of Rage 4 – Launch Trailer: 3:49

Leaving MMO news behind, this week marked the launch of the long anticipated Streets of Rage 4. This series has been around for 26 years, call me old but I used to play the first 3 when I was little. The next in a classic retro series of arcade brawlers, Streets of Rage 4 includes iconic characters Axel, Blaze, and Adam, along with two new characters, Floyd and Cherry. With hand drawn artwork, updated game mechanics, and a retro feel, this one’s already getting high review scores. You can find it on PC, PS4, Xbox One, or Switch. The game will run you about $25 if you want to pick it up, I did see a discount on the humble bundle site so you might pick it up there to save a little.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Cinematic World Premiere Trailer: 4:35

Another awesome bit of news this week that surprised us was the announcement of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.  Yes this time the series is going to tackle the culture and stories of the Norse, and from the incredible reveal trailer here, it looks like Ubisoft’s done their research to try to avoid the historical inaccuracies and common myths about Vikings. It certainly looks epic, and it’s supposed to be here by the winter holiday season, so prepare to write letters to Odin instead of Santa this year.

Deals of the Week: Steam, Epic Games, and Twitch Prime (April 30, 2020): 5:05
Finally let’s take a quick look at the free games and deals of the week. Free on Steam this weekend is tinyBuild’s Secret Neighbor, a multiplayer spin off of their game Hello Neighbor. Epic Games Store is offering two games this week for free – Amnesia Dark Descent, a classic PC horror game, and Crashlands, a really unique action RPG mixed with gather and build type mechanics, check out the trailer for this one when you get a chance for a good laugh. And it’s a new month which means Twitch Prime is switching up its free games so be sure to head over to the free games and deals update post at MMOHuts.com or through the link below to see what’s in store!

And 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!