Weekly Recap #410 June 5th – Valorant Launches, Path of Exile Set to Harvest, & KartRider Returns!

JamesBl0nde recaps the MMO gaming news for the week of June 5, 2020! Transcript and timestamps follow.

Valorant moves quickly into its first new game mode, MapleStory paves the way for an eventful summer, Conqueror’s Blade celebrates its first year launched with some nice bonuses and apparently in Path of Exiles next expansion you can plant and grow your own monsters?

Whats up guys! JamesBl0nde here with the weekly recap for gaming news and announcements for the week of June 5th 2020.

Valorant Official Launch Trailer – Duelists: 0:20

News this week is off to an exciting start with the launch of Riot’s 5v5 shooter, Valorant. The launch update includes a brand new Agent, Reyna, along with a new map called Ascent. Also new in Valorant is the beta of its first new game mode, Spike Rush, which adds a new layer of chaos and urgency with shorter times, more aggressive Attack teams, and randomized team weapons. There’s also been some attempts to boost the game’s performance and fix graphical issues which are two of the major complaints about the game out there right now – the last being its mandatory anti-cheat software. But hey, if you’re looking for a free team shooter to try out, Valorant might be for you.

Total War: Troy Official Trailer: 1:06

This week, SEGA also announced that A Total War Saga: TROY will not only launch on August 13, 2020 exclusively on the Epic store, but that it will also be free to keep for players who download it in the first 24 hours of its launch. TROY is focused on the Bronze Age era, offering its own strategic retelling of Homer’s Iliad with a historical approach. This will be a great way for you to get a taste of the Total War franchise for free so mark the date on your calendars.

GWENT: Master Mirror Expansion Trailer: 1:38

Meanwhile the Witcher-based card game GWENT has announced its next expansion, Master Mirror. This expansion is named after Gaunter O’Dimm, the Master Mirror himself, and focuses on his lore. There are over 70 new cards in this expansion, including a brand new Legendary card, some faction-specific cards, 11 neutral cards, plus new statuses and abilities. GWENT’s already offering pre-orders if you want to nab one of these packs early.

MapleStory Rise: Promise of the Guardian Trailer: 2:07

In other news, MapleStory has announced that the first part of its next major update, Rise: Promise of the Guardian, will launch on June 10. The first update will include special new events plus a leveling event to help players boost up their experience. The following update will hit on June 24 and include a new class, the super-powerful Adele who wields Aether swords forged from magic. Then later in July a new region, Reverse City, will be uncovered. So there’s plenty to do in MapleStory this summer.

Path of Exile: Harvest Official Trailer: 2:39

If you’re a Path of Exile player, there’s some big news this week as POE announced its next major update and league, Harvest, which kicks off in two weeks on June 19. Harvest League’s key mechanic is the Sacred Grove – you can find special seed caches in areas as you explore, and bring those seeds to the Sacred Grove to plant them to grow monsters. You can then defeat these monsters and claim their Lifeforce, which can then be used to craft and customize your gear in new and powerful ways. The update also includes a passive skill tree rework, improvements to the Slam mechanics, new Warcries, Brands, and more. Allways awesome expansions coming from grinding gear games.

Old School Runescape Darkmeyer Release Trailer: 3:23

And over in Old School RuneScape, Jagex has released the Darkmeyer update. This vampiric update introduces a new quest, Sins of the Father, which unlocks access to the vampire city Darkmeyer. Inside this city are new shops, enemies, and skilling methods, including the Essence Mine for Runecrafters and the Hallowed Sepulcher for agility training.

Elsword Heart El Update Trailer + Elrios City Defense Event: 3:44

Elsewhere in Elsword, new Heart El transformations have been revealed for those who want to look classy day or night. These can be snagged through the new Elrios City Defense Event, running now until June 16th. Here players can take on one of two modes: a Shooter Minigame or a Tower Defense mini game. You can claim two free tickets into the event per day after logging in for 10 minutes. Seems like a fun simple event to do.

Armored Warfare – Enigma’s Legacy Trailer: 4:14

Armored Warfare has just launched a new battle path campaign titled Enigma’s Legacy.  For the next 90 days, you’ll earn battle coins every time you complete a mission.  You then use these tokens to level your rank which unlocks a ton of rewards like vehicle skins, avatars, and more.  The one players should most look forward to is the Type 10 Hitomaru Tier 10 Premium MBT. This update is live right now, so go get your hands on all the rewards!

Crossout Doomsday Cars Update Video: 4:44

Speaking of battle passes, Crossout has also gotten a brand new update, Doomsday Cars. If apocalyptic driving is your thing, you’ll be happy to know that all players can unlock new structural pieces, guns, cabins, and a special banner.  Purchasing a battle pass also gives you access to special crafted parts, in-game coins, more portraits, and a ton of brand new cosmetic items.  Keep in mind that you can’t unlock and of these things after the event ends on August 30, so you’ll want to get going on this as soon as you can.

Conqueror’s Blade: Year One Celebrations Trailer: 5:15

Conqueror’s Blade is celebrating its first year since launch with some nice bonuses!  First, enjoy 30% more Bronze and Honor, as well as Hero and Unit experience.  Plus, there’s no need for unit repair kits during this time!  If you log in 15 days during the celebrations, you can also receive the Paladin’s Hero Attire, and even an exclusive player title! The shop has also received some discounted items for the next three weeks, so if you’ve been wanting to spend some cash, now’s the time.

Astellia Launches Tulie Update With Free 3-Day Trial for New Players: 5:48

On the fence about trying Astellia?  Well, as part of its latest update, “Tulie, the City of Forgotten Time,” new players can use the promotional code 3DAYSFREETRIAL (that’s the number 3, and days free trial, all one word no spaces) to get, you guessed it, three free days of Astellia.  If you then purchase a game package from the website once your trial is done, you’ll also receive 10 types of summon cards as a special bonus. Notice the part where I said there was an update?  That’s right, a whole new region awaits players, where they can acquire a new tier of equipment and treasures.  Of course there’s also a new dungeon and boss to challenge here, and new summons were added too.

KartRider: Drift Closed Beta Starts Second Round of Testing: 6:30

KartRider: Drift launched their second closed beta testing this week for PC and XBox 1.  A whole new user interface has been released, along with an improved HUD and improved physics.  This should hopefully make the experience a whole lot better for racers.  A brand new character, Diz, and new tracks have also been made available, plus existing characters have been given new skins and emotes. As a thank you to testers, special daily login bonuses are being provided, and all testers will receive a White Cloud Balloon when the game officially launches.

SMITE Cthulhu Arena Map Preview: 7:04

A lot of SMITE fans are anxiously awaiting The Great Dreamer update that launches on June 16, perhaps with some … fanatical devotion?  After all, Cthulhu makes his debut in this patch, and his signature map has been showcased this week.  Deep in an underwater abyss, the gods and champions must face off in the land of madness. Also of note with the map is the fact the team has addressed ticket drops from minions in Arena.  Instead of being rewarded to players who get the last hit in, tickets will now be granted so long as they were damaged by a player.  This frees up a lot of problems created when minions were responsible for defeating other minions, and should do a great deal to be much more consistent now.

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!