Weekly Recap #485 February 25th – Destiny 2, WoW + SWTOR Expansions, FFXIV’s 10 Year Plan & More

JamesBl0nde recaps the MMO gaming news for the week of February 25, 2022! Transcript follows.

Get ready to take back the light in Destiny 2 The Witch Queen, Everquest 2 offers a new take on some classic servers, Paladins latest champ is a bomb lady strapped to a rocket and Final Fantasy XIV has over 10 years of future planned content, so you better start now.

What’s good everyone, JamesBl0nde here with the weekly recap for gaming news and announcements for the week of February 25th, 2022 and sorry about missing the recap last week, had a family emergency to take care of, I haven’t had the best luck so far this year. Either way on with the news.

Destiny 2: The Witch Queen has officially launched, and it’s up to the Guardians to take back the Light!  With the expansion launch also comes the latest season for the game, Season of the Risen.  Guardians will fight back against the forces of The Witch Queen and her minions, who are now imbued with the same power of Light the Guardians have used for centuries. The expansion gives you the ability to craft powerful new weapons and give upgrades to the ones you already have.  An all new melee weapon — the Glaive — will also be yours to unlock.  With a whole new realm to explore, new activities to pursue and a challenging raid to conquer, this expansion is shaping up to be a unique experience!

Meanwhile Star Wars: The Old Republic is celebrating its ten year anniversary with a brand new expansion.  Aimed at giving players more accessibility than before, Legacy of the Sith also provides brand new story campaigns, major customization options, and more.  Players will see a level cap increase to 80 with the expansion, along with new content in the form of the aquatic planet Manaan as Republic and Sith forces alike seek to stop the plotting of the main villain of the series, Darth Malgus.  Players will also be able to take a specific origin story they like and combine it with their preferred ability set to give an even greater control over the storyline your character goes through.  Tenth anniversary events will be running frequently throughout 2022, so now’s a great time to check out The Old Republic again!

Classic servers seem to be all the rage for older MMOs these days, and Everquest 2 is no exception. The game has launched the first of what it’s calling the Lore and Legend server, acting as evergreen content for players who want to experience the game as it was when it first released.  Available to subscribers, you’ll start out at level 90 in full gear and adept spells, able to tackle the full range of content available up through the first seven expansions to the game.  You’ll also be capped at 300 alternate advancement points which is the cap for the server.  Of course, all new loot, achievements, and much more will be available on this new server type, so if you want to get yourself upon the Lore and Legends leaderboard, log in today!

Endwalker may have wrapped up the current Final Fantasy 14 storyline, but that doesn’t mean the game is going anywhere any time soon.  In their latest live letter, the team behind the hit MMORPG revealed a 10 year plan for the game that includes loads of updates and improvements to the game.  Up first is allowing the trust system of NPCs to function in the main scenario dungeons in A Realm Reborn to get new players through the content faster.  Graphical updates are also on the horizon for the game, with the next expansion planned to carry them going forward.  The game’s roadmap going forward looks very promising, with a whole new storyline, new side quests, all new beast tribe quests,  a brand new housing district, and much more.  Best of all, the generous free trial is now open for all players once more, so everyone can experience the game!

In other news, Black Desert Online has given us quite the teaser for their upcoming expansion, Mountain of Eternal Winter.  The new zone features stunning new snow covered areas and deep crystalline caves and in typical Pearl Abyss fashion looks absolutely stunning.  To celebrate the reveal, the game is offering special log-in rewards from now until April 6 to celebrate the game’s 6th anniversary.  Various 20 day buffs will be granted, and 21 total rewards will be offered for logging in 21 consecutive days which also include outfit boxes and more!  More information on Mountain of Eternal Winter is scheduled for March 10, so look forward to even more news soon!

The long awaited Eternity’s End update for World of Warcraft Shadowlands is finally out this week. Players will enter the new area, Zereth Mortis, and even challenge the new Eternity’s End raid. The update features a new progression system that lets you learn the language of the First Ones to uncover the secrets of the area, to unlock new achievements, daily quests, rewards, and more. There’s a new legendary belt, a new PvP brawl, and more, so if you’ve been waiting for this update make sure to check it out.

Next up Aura Kingdom seems to be in the midst of a robot rebellion.  Patch 85, titled Whispering Abyss, tasks players to quell the invasion of the Starstruck Plateau in Northern Midgard.  Invade their strongholds to earn Rebellion Storm Boxes for tons of fancy loot!  Two new dungeons also await you as part of this update: Tree Cave and Obscure Temple, where you’ll be facing off against demons galore.  Of course, new side quests will be made available, complete with nice rewards, and dedicated Rockstar players will be happy to note the class has received a huge balancing check, increasing damage and decreasing cooldowns on a lot of their abilities!

And gamigo’s also got an update for Grand Fantasia, which is inviting players to go on a treasure-hunting trip in its latest update, Raiders of the Lost Treasure. The Carso Church is on the move, and players must seek out answers in the Ancient Polar Ruins of the Alternate Dimension. Obtain treasure maps which can take you to rewards that include mounts, weapons, and more. The Quill Library also has new quests available, letting you earn a formula for Quill Crystal.

Bombs, bombs, and more bombs!  That’s what Paladins’ newest champ, Betty La Bomba brings to the table!  Bouncing bombs, cluster grenades, an explosive satchel, these are all tools of this highly explosive character with a personality to match.  Oh, and did I mention she rides on a rocket?  Speaking of explosive, Paladins is also teaming up with music label Monstercat to bring you thumping electronic beats.  With songs from GG Magree, Justin OH, WHIPPED CREAM, and Bossfight, you’ll be able to earn several rewards in the Crossover pass including new skins for Skye and Khan as you progress.  Skins for Cassie and Koga will be launched in April and May, respectively, with the Monstercat Crossover event beginning officially on March 23.

And for those of you who are SMITE fans, it’s time to face The Destroyer!  The second update of season 9 has launched and with it brings one of the most sought after champions, Shiva.  Designed by a team to ensure the Hindu god was properly represented, Shiva is a physical damage dealer that utilizes a stance switching mechanic to buff his allies and hinder his opponents.  Also part of the update are new Dharmic Era skins for several champions as well as the release of the Big Gun Khepri and Shadow Prowler Bastet skins.  New players also gain access to the  Welcome Pass, giving specific rewards for the first 20 games played which include gems, special skins, and four permanent god unlocks in the form of Cerberus, Medusa, Kukulkan, and Nu Wa, with a final reward of a god unlock of your choice!  Now is a great time for people who’ve been looking to get in to playing SMITE!

Meanwhile, Crossout has deployed its newest update – Steel Gladiators. This update includes the new limited time mode, Arena, which will be available until March 20th. These 3 v 3 matches pit players to win as a team in a best 3 out of 5. It’s perfectly timed with the new Steel Gladiators season, with 54 levels of rewards to obtain by April 27th. Check out all the new content, tweaks, and more in the patch notes linked below.

Eternal Return is about to launch season 5, and with it comes all sorts of brand new content.  First of all, the hybrid MOBA and Battle Royale will be launching an all new character in Laura, a phantom thief with a penchant for stealing victories from her opponents.  In addition, an all new 4v4 ranked mode will be added, streamlining ranked matches and giving the game an eSports centered feel.  Of course, you’ll also be able to look forward to new active items with powerful abilities, and special equipment that will add more skills to dominate your opponents.  Look forward to special Spirit Hunter skins as the season launches, as well, for that dark, edgy style as your team takes down its foes!

In other news the Prime Vault is open in Warframe, and now’s your chance to obtain the Banshee and Mirage Prime!  The combined pack allows you access to these two powerful frames, along with several prime weapons, accessories, armor, and glyphs.  Each pack can be purchased separately, including the accessories, but the greatest value is in the combined pack.  To sweeten the deal, you’ll also get a huge amount of platinum with your purchase, so if you’re looking to pick up some sweet rewards, the Banshee and Mirage Prime Vault will be right up your alley.

And as always, last up we bring you the Epic Games Store free game of the week.  Up on the block is Cris Tales, a turn-based RPG where classic meets modern.  This dark, fairytale like world will have you seeing past, present, and future all at once as your decisions shape everything to come.  Form your party and take down the evil Empress!

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!