Weekly Recap #480 January 7th – Hi Rez Expo 2022, Genshin Impact 2.4, and more!

JamesBl0nde recaps the MMO gaming news for the week of January 7, 2022! Transcript follows.

Genshin Impact brings in the new year with two new characters, RuneScape decides to get rid of a popular problem and rebuild, EVE Online is doing a pretty sweet collaboration event, and yeah, the rest of the news is, pretty much, all about the Hi-Rez Expo so stick around.

What’s good everyone, JamesBl0nde here with the weekly recap for gaming news and announcements for the week of January 7th, 2022 and we’ve got a short and sweet recap for you this week as it takes a little while for the game companies to get back into gear from the holidays and the new year but…

This week marks the annual Hi-Rez Expo, and to start us off let’s look at the Season 9 preview for SMITE! There’s a gods teaser for the upcoming gods this year, that looks like it might include a Knight of the Round Table, Maui, and perhaps even a Korean pantheon! Leading the charge though is Shiva, the Destroyer, who will arrive in February. Here’s some more exciting news, there’s a brand new, permanent game mode coming to SMITE called Slash! This is a 5v5 game mode that serves as a more casual, objective focused mode that’s a bit between Siege and Clash. Of course a new season will also mean changes to the Conquest Map. Make sure to check out all the links below for all the details.

Meanwhile Rogue Company got a glimpse at its Year 2 plans. Coming up soon is the new Rogue, Glimpse, who is capable of going invisible through a camouflage ability – though this ability comes with a lot of limitations and is intended more for stealth gameplay than simply disappearing to gank the enemy. Also coming in the game’s first update for the year is the new multi-level map, Meltdown, situated at the volcanic heart of the arctic. The team also announced “Project Saint,” an effort for the first part of the year that will focus more on quality of life improvements and community requested features over new Rogues. Keep your eyes out for those improvements!

And finally at Hi Rez Expo, Paladins revealed its season 5 patch notes, complete with the introduction of a new champion – Seven, spelled in roman numerals, V I I although I suppose some people will call him Vii no matter what. You know how that goes. Seven takes a Flank role, and can lock onto his enemies with his mask to cause extra damage and fear. The year will offer five more champions, along with a new map, two reworked maps, a new Rambo crossover, and much more.

Also revealed this week was the first trailer for Embers Adrift, previously known as Saga of Lucimia, an upcoming MMORPG by the small development team Stormhaven Studios. This MMO promises a PVE focused sandbox style environment without quest hubs and mini-maps, designed to be a more immersive experience than most modern MMOs. It’s also offering a more group-focused gameplay, rather than a solo experience. Think of it as taking inspiration from tabletop RPGs and putting that into MMO form. The game is accepting backers for its alpha phase, and will eventually launch as a subscription MMO.

This week Genshin Impact launched its first major update of 2022, version 2.4, Fleeting Colors in Flight. This update introduces two new characters, Shenhe, a five star Cryo Polearm user, and Yun Jin, a four star geo polearm user. These new characters are already available on the current banners, along with a rerun of the five star character Xiao, so make sure to pull if you’re interested! More important, the update expands the game’s story with a new area, Enkanomiya, along with a new main story quest, new hangout events, new world bosses, and much more.

After 18 years – doesn’t that make you feel old – RuneScape has removed its Duel Arena, an iconic PvP area that has been troublesome for the community for years. Instead players are now welcomed to Het’s Oasis, featuring an all new landscape where players can rebuild the area where the old arena once stood, participating in daily tasks with the community to earn exclusive rewards including a new crocodile pets and – yes – a pair of “crocs” for their feet. Cause why not? After this two week event, Het’s Oasis will offer new skill related content for those who want to build their Agility, Hunting, and Farming Skills, as well as a place to visit the new Het’s Tomb.

Meanwhile Old School RuneScape is ready to bring the story of the God Wars Dungeon to a close, with the introduction of Nex: The Fifth General, originally released 11 years ago. In order to battle Nex, players have to complete the Desert Treasure quest and a miniquest to unlock the Frozen Door. This difficult group boss can be faced with up to 80 players, with the chance to earn coveted rewards like the Ancient Godsword.

EVE Online is entering the realm of crossovers on January 13th, as it will be doing a special event collaboration with Doctor Who! The in-game event, called the Interstellar Convergence, will be set before the Time Lord’s conflict with the Daleks, and will run until February 1st. This will feature a new area of space, a mystery to solve, multiple challenges, themed rewards and more. Make sure to check in on the EVE news page to find out more before the event begins.

Finally let’s check out this week’s free game on the Epic Games Store – it’s Gods Will Fall! This is an action-adventure game where you play the role of a band of Celtic Warriors, seeking to end the tyrannical rule of the gods over humanity. It’s a different take on the hack’n’slash, and hey, it’s free so check it out!

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!