Overwatch 2 Season 6 is finally here, including the first co-op missions and a new heroine filling a requested role gap.
Overwatch 2 may have shelved the promised campaign, but that doesn’t mean it’s given up on delivering new content. Pushing forward with its seasons, it continues to inject fresh elements regularly, much to the delight of its dedicated fan base who still engage with this once-acclaimed shooter that propelled hero shooters into unprecedented popularity. And now, the spotlight falls on the sixth season, aptly named Invasion.
Overwatch 2: Invasion will include the first three cooperative story missions, which were initially planned as part of this year’s single-player mode that was subsequently canceled. Additionally, it will feature a PvE event in King’s Row, a capture mode named Flashpoint paired with two maps, and mastery missions designed to hone our hero skills. This practice will come in handy because the most special inclusion of all is a new playable character that seems to fill an intriguing gap between the existing roles.
Named Illari, this new heroine is a support character of Peruvian origin equipped with a unique healing ability and a healing drone that can attach to walls, along with some DPS capabilities. While her exact abilities have not been officially unveiled, the trailer introducing this new season has given us a rough idea of what to expect from this promising new addition to the game’s roster.
The release of Overwatch 2: Invasion is set for August 10th at 9:00 PM in Spain. The price for the release will be €15, which will include, along with Invasion, 1000 Overwatch coins, a new legendary skin for Sojourn, and Sojourn herself. A great deal for Overwatch 2 fans who have already thoroughly enjoyed this title.
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Microsoft is in the news for buying Activision, but those of us who are in luck are the players for an unexpected move by Steam
Anyone following the video game news is getting a bit tired of the legal drama surrounding Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Although it feels like it’s coming to a close with a happy ending for Microsoft, the truth is we still have to wait to see how everything unfolds. Nevertheless, it seems like the merger is already considered a done deal, and at the very least, there are some changes that already reflect Microsoft’s influence. For example, all Blizzard games are now set to arrive on Steam.
Until now, all Blizzard games were exclusively available on their own platform, Battle.net. However, that is about to change as Blizzard is starting to publish its games on Steam as well. The first game to make its way to Valve’s platform will be Overwatch 2, which is set to release on August 10.
While the most plausible explanation for this change could be Microsoft’s influence over the company, given the apparent certainty of the merger, there has been no official confirmation regarding this matter. All that Blizzard has shared so far is through their president, Mike Ybarra, who stated their intention is to reach a wider audience with their games. Listening to player feedback and recognizing their desire to play games through Steam, Blizzard has decided to collaborate with Valve to make this possible in the near future.
Exactly, this move to publish games on Steam doesn’t imply that Blizzard is abandoning Battle.net. They haven’t announced which games will follow Overwatch 2 to Steam or when this will happen. Additionally, their games will continue to release on Battle.net unless otherwise specified. Most importantly, to play Blizzard games on Steam, players will still need to have a Battle.net account for access. Therefore, while players can form teams using their Steam friend list and earn achievements on the platform, they will still be bound by the constraints of Blizzard’s proprietary platform.
Some of the links added in the article are part of affiliate campaigns and may represent benefits for Softonic.
Diablo IV releases its first season on July 20 and we explain everything you need to know to get ready for it.
Diablo IV has been among us for a month and a half now, and Blizzard is ready to launch its first season. Called the Season of the Damned, it will begin on July 20th and, in addition to featuring the game’s first battle pass, it will require us to create a new character to start from scratch. This may sound daunting, but it’s not as tragic as it seems. Each season brings new challenges that we can use to try out different classes, serving as additional adventures alongside the main storyline. If you want to continue playing with your main character in the Eternal Realm, there is no obligation to participate in the seasons.
However, it is quite likely that you have already squeezed a lot out of Diablo IV. If that’s the case and you want to enjoy this first season, here are some key points to keep in mind before diving headfirst into the Season of the Damned.
Campaign ends
One really important thing is to finish the main campaign of the game. If you don’t, not only will you miss out on important information, as the story of the Season of the Damned takes place immediately after the events of Diablo IV’s campaign, but you also won’t be able to access its content. This applies not only to this season but to all future seasons as well. Finishing the campaign allows you to skip it with all the characters you create from then on, which is necessary to start with a level 1 character in this first season.
Discover the map in its entirety
Each region of the map you uncover will reward you with a small amount of renown, so why not take advantage of it? Before diving into the first season of Diablo IV, take the opportunity to explore any areas you haven’t discovered yet because, unlike side quests, dungeons, and strongholds, renown is a form of progress that carries over to the season.
For the same reason we recommend exploring the entire map, we also suggest activating all of Lilith’s altars: they grant renown. That’s why making the extra effort to unlock them all is the best possible preparation for the first season.
Get your mount
Although it’s difficult not to have a mount if you’ve completed the campaign, it’s not impossible. Why? Because obtaining a mount is not part of the main quests. To get our first mount, we’ll have to reach Act 4 of the main campaign, and at the start of this act, we’ll be prompted to travel to Kyovashad’s Cathedral of Light. There, we’ll need to activate a side quest called “Mount: Donan’s Favor.” Completing it is as simple as heading to the city’s stable and speaking to the stable master, unlocking mounts for our character and all characters created thereafter. It’s a straightforward process that’s difficult to miss, but not impossible.
Unlock world level 4: Torment
Diablo IV, like all Diablo games, doesn’t end when we defeat the final boss. There are many dungeons and even main quests to complete after defeating Lilith, and we highly recommend doing so to unlock World Level 4, the Torment difficulty. This way, you can start the Season of the Damned in the highest difficulty, allowing you to obtain the best possible rewards in the game.
For some, this may not be a problem. But for us, it’s always a struggle. And we know it is for many people as well. All the classes in Diablo are intriguing, and finding a good name is always a challenge. Taking the time to prepare and decide on a name and class, committing to it, and choosing not to change it will help you avoid spending half an hour on the character selection screen, unsure of what to do, instead of doing what you really want to be doing: playing. Trust us on this, even if you ignore us on everything else. It’s important to know beforehand who you’ll be in this Season of the Damned.
Some of the links added in the article are part of affiliate campaigns and may represent benefits for Softonic.
Blizzard should enable an offline mode. You know, how video games were played before, although it seems that only the elderly of the place agree.
It was one of the most anticipated games of the year, and that’s saying something considering the abundance of releases. ‘Diablo IV’ has only been with us for three weeks, but it has already faced its first major nightmare: a DDoS attack on Blizzard that left players stuck in an endless queue, unable to enter the game. Of course, the issue was eventually resolved after several hours, but it has highlighted a significant problem with the game.
To play ‘Diablo IV’, you need to be always connected. While it makes sense in some games like ‘Overwatch 2’ or ‘World of Warcraft’ (after all, they are online battles), it is not the case with this fourth installment. Players are starting to request that Blizzard enable an offline mode to avoid waiting times, hacker attacks, and other issues. You know, like how games used to be played in the past, even if it seems that only the elders among us remember while stroking our long white beards.
For other games that have been out for several years, a weekend of respite may not be such bad news (some might even take the opportunity to step outside and touch the grass). However, in ‘Diablo IV’, it is unheard of and worrisome. After all, if you are playing solo, why on earth would you need the servers to be up and running or hacker attacks to be mitigated? Wouldn’t it be easier to just… play?
Few people remember the time when playing was as simple as inserting a cartridge (or a disc) and starting the game. Now, many behaviors that, let’s be honest, are not normal have been accepted as the norm: hours-long updates, the requirement of being online, day-one patches, vital expansions to continue the game… It shouldn’t be this way. And they know it. If ‘Diablo III’ already had this problem and received constant complaints, why persist with it in the fourth installment if, within the first month, it’s already preventing people from playing?
Come on, Blizzard, it’s not that difficult. It may sound old school, but in the end, you’ll come out on top. Promise.
After a bit of a bumpy ride, Diablo IV has finally been accidentally released, being an absolute success with critics and audiences.
Diablo IV has officially been released. After server issues, with queues of up to 30 minutes and lag even once connected to the game, Diablo IV is now available for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows.
Continuing the events of Diablo III: Reaper of Souls, Diablo IV was announced on November 1, 2019, at BlizzCon 2019. With glaring issues in the betas, problems due to the COVID crisis, and the scandals that Activision Blizzard has faced, Diablo IV has encountered numerous challenges that it has finally managed to overcome, given the impressive critical and public reception the game is receiving.
Diablo IV is one of the clear contenders for Game of the Year. And after its official release at 1 AM, it is now available for everyone.
Blizzard has officially launched Diablo IV, now available on all current and previous generation platforms.
Diablo is a saga with a complex lore, full of details and that we break down for you so that you know everything about Lilith before playing Diablo IV.
Diablo IV is a game that promises many hours of accumulating weapons, leveling up and slaughtering enemies and other players, but also continue to develop the complex lore of the saga. This is something that many people may not know, but Diablo has a deep story, which has been developing game by game, and that at this point, has enough details so that it is not easy to summarize with a simple cinematic. Or a mere encyclopedia within the game itself.
That’s why we’re here to summarize all the events leading up to Diablo IV. Everything you need to know to understand its lore without necessarily needing to unravel all the previous installments. Because although it may not seem so, since it can be well understood by itself, Diablo IV winks fondly at fans, rewarding them for having a deeper prior knowledge of the franchise.
The basic premise
Diablo IV takes place in Sanctuary, the fictional world in which all the games of the Diablo saga take place. Fifty years after the events of Diablo III: Reaper of Souls, a group of cultists summon Lilith, daughter and archenemy of Mephisto. Since demonic and angelic forces have been virtually eradicated from Sanctuary, Lilith encounters little opposition to take over the world.
What happened in Diablo III: Reaper of Souls?
To cut a very long story short, the nephalems, a species of mixed demons and angels with human blood to which the player characters belong, put an end to hell’s plans to unleash the seven Great Demons thus demonstrating the superiority of the nephalems over heaven and hell. With one problem: with a human heart, it also means they can be corrupted.
Who is Lilith and what is her involvement in Diablo’s story?
Lilith is Mephisto’s daughter, but the two are far from having a cordial relationship. Lilith at one point falls in love with the Archangel Inarius, leading to the events of the entire saga. Tired of the Eternal Conflict, the war between heaven and hell, they conspire with other renegade angels and demons to steal a powerful artifact called the World Stone with which they create Sanctuary. Ignoring the war of their species, they live in peace, and from the crossbreeding between angels and demons are born the nephalem, creatures of great power of human appearance, but with powers inherited from both species. Because of her connection with them, Lilith will be known as the mother of the nephalem.
What happened for Lilith to end up being exiled from Sanctuary?
Basically, the existence of the nephalem. Lilith wanted to use them to fight heaven and hell, while Inarius wanted to eliminate them. Finally Inarius banishes Lilith to the abyss for what he believes to be all eternity, while the Council of Angiris, a governing body of the heavens, delivers Inarius to the underworld to be tortured for all eternity in exchange for the safety of Sanctuary.
That is what we will have to discover in Diablo IV. At the moment we have some clues, but nothing for sure, but the story will revolve around it and the decision that the nephilim will take in their fight against heaven and hell. So, to have the rest of the answers, there is only one thing left: roll up our sleeves and play Diablo IV as soon as it is available on June 6.
Some of the links added in the article are part of affiliate campaigns and may represent benefits for Softonic.
Diablo IV is already practically among us and we give you all the keys you need to be able to get into it without having to think about it.
Diablo IV is just around the corner and chances are you already have it pre-ordered. In fact, there are many incentives to do so. Between the pre-load, the possibility of playing it a little earlier than the rest of the mortals and the very fact of being assured that you will be able to enjoy it from the very minute it is available, Blizzards has given us plenty of reasons to want to make our reservation of one of the most anticipated games of the year.
Now, all of this can get confusing. That’s why we’re here today. To guide you through the jumble of dates, facts, and to-dos that is Diablo IV’s release. Here we’ve compiled all the information you need to enjoy Diablo IV from minute one without having to worry about anything more than pre-ordering it.
If you want to make sure that you will not have any problem to play Diablo IV at its release, the best thing you can do is to pre-download the game. The possibility to pre-download the game will start on May 30 at 13:00, Spanish time. How to do this will differ subtly between PC and consoles. On PC you will only need to enter Battle.net, go to the games section, search for Diablo IV, select the final version and click Download. On PlayStation and Xbox you will have to enter their respective stores, search for Diablo IV and start the download there.
When can I start playing?
When you will be able to start playing will depend entirely on which edition of the game you have purchased. If you bought the Deluxe or Ultimate Edition, you will have early access that will allow you to play four days before the game’s official release, on Friday, June 2. If you bought the normal edition, you will have to wait until the official launch day, Tuesday, June 6. In both cases, the launch time in Spain is not considered midnight, as usual in these cases, but one hour later, at 1:00.
In short, you will be able to play Diablo IV as of these dates depending on the version of the game you have purchased:
If you have the Deluxe or Ultimate Edition: Friday, June 2 at 01:00 a.m.
If you have the normal edition: Tuesday, June 6 at 01:00 a.m.
NVIDIA, to ensure that the launch of Diablo IV goes as smoothly as possible, released on May 30 drivers specifically designed to improve the performance of its cards with Diablo IV. Although in principle the GeForce Experience application should update automatically or at least alert you that you have a new update available, if this is not the case, the drivers you need to download are the GeForce Game Ready 535.98 WHQL. With that, you will have your computer ready to play Diablo IV with the experience that NVIDIA has been refining for its users.
What’s up with PvP?
A lot of people are going to dive headfirst into PvP in Diablo IV and it’s normal. It has been part of the experience of playing Diablo for many years and it is normal that it is an intrinsic part of the experience. Now, Blizzards have already warned that this will not be honorable combat, but real carnage where we can expect the worst to happen and where people should go in knowing that people are not going to fight fairly.
That said, if you want to fight in player vs. player battles you will have to head to specific areas of Sanctuary called Fields of Hate, where players will be able to battle against each other to proclaim themselves the strongest. In any case, a word of warning. In Diablo IV’s highest difficulty mode, death is permanent, and that doesn’t change in the Fields of Hate. Therefore, if you want to avoid getting an upset, do not go into these places unless you are very clear about the consequences of your actions. And that nobody there thinks to play fair.
Do I have to checkout once I have purchased the game?
Diablo IV is intended as a game as a service and weight means that, to have all the content that will be released, we will need to go through box. With periodic battle passes, the first one in early June, and with content that advances the campaign every three months, the game will have a progression of 27 free and 63 premium categories. Thus, there will be three battle pass modes, divided between free, premium (which gives us access to premium rewards) and accelerated (which gives us access to premium rewards with 20 levels already completed and a gift gesture).
In summary, the price of each of the battle pass modalities is as follows:
Battle Pass: Free; only access to 27 rewards from the reward tree.
Premium Battle Pass: 1000 platinum, equivalent to 9.99€ ; gives access to the 90 rewards of the reward tree.
Accelerated Battle Pass: 2800 platinum, equivalent to 24.99€; gives access to all 90 rewards in the reward tree, with 20 rewards already unlocked and a gift gesture.
Conclusion
With this you already know everything you need to know to enter Sanctuary without fear. All that’s left is to get ready and enjoy Diablo IV.
Diablo IV shows us its story is a chilling trailer full of epicness, terrifying moments and old acquaintances just a few days after its release.
The story has never been the most important thing in the Diablo saga. That does not detract from the fact that it is very interesting to finally have the details of the plot of the already imminent Diablo IV. After millions of people were killed after the events of Diablo III by the forces of heaven and hell alike, Lilith, daughter of Mephisto and progenitor of humanity, returns from her exile promising humans that she will defend them from the atrocities they have lived so far. All following an elaborate plan to be the one who takes power not only on earth, but also in heaven and hell.
Knowing already the game’s plot, we already know all the basic details of Diablo IV. With several open and closed betas, a constant trickle of information and now the game’s story trailer, we now have everything we need to know to dive headfirst into the new iteration of one of the immortal Action RPG classics, due out this June 6.
Microsoft purchasing Activision came as a huge surprise to gamers, industry members, and business people alike. After all, the two companies represent a huge market share on top of enormous respective catalogs of games. The $68.7 billion USD deal is all cash and has some people wondering how Microsoft can get away with this regarding anti-trust laws.
Tencent, Sony, and other companies are still bigger than they will be even with Activision under their belt. But the PC giant purchased storied studio Bethesda recently, announcing that their next release, Starfield, will be an Xbox exclusive.
Of course, that doesn’t mean much for people who have Windows PCs thanks to Xbox Game Pass. With Phil Spencer, Microsoft’s Head of Gaming, making promises, what can Game Pass users expect out of the Activision deal?
How does Game Pass work?
Before we dive in, let’s have a quick refresher on how Game Pass works and what it offers for those who might be unfamiliar with it.
From streaming services to shipping services and even car companies, many are moving toward subscription modalities. While the user may not own an item, they will have access to far more and may even gain perks along the way.
In this vein, the Xbox Game Pass service provides access to more than 100 games, EA Play, and Xbox Live Gold for multiple devices using the cloud. At $14.99 a month, that’s a ton of games for the average user. What’s more: it spans a huge amount of companies and studios. For instance, you could play a Mass Effect then pick up the latest Yakuza title, switch to Halo Infinite for a while, and then play a fun indie game like Hades.
Better still is that purchasing a title on Xbox allows users to play the games on PC, as well via Game Pass.
How Activision games fit in on Game Pass
Blizzard is known for its heavy-hitting franchises like World of Warcraft,Diablo,StarCraft, Overwatch, Hearthstone, and more. While you can play MMOs on Xbox and PC, Microsoft doesn’t have true MMO experience under its umbrella.
All the same, Microsoft does have tons of experience with handling many server calls as you would need for managing multiple massive always-online titles. With Diablo 4 still in development, Microsoft also stands to influence how the game will come out, as well.
While future development of titles in other franchises remains opaque, it’s a sure bet to see Microsoft maintain service for current Blizzard/Activision titles. Current subscribers can maintain their service or postpone it until Microsoft ports over the Activision/Blizzard titles. Those on the fence about purchasing the service can take a look at the titles to see if it sways them or not.
Game Pass will protect Call of Duty on PlayStation
Though many people love Blizzard titles like Spyro or Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, many more gamers actively and often playCall of Duty. Since the franchise had already committed to releasing three more titles on the Sony PlayStation, Microsoft intends to uphold this deal, according to Bloomberg.
For now, Game Pass won’t afford any additional perks (that we know of) regarding Call of Duty games. Some sites have theorized that collaborating could prompt bringing Game Pass to Switch and even PS5. The likelihood of this move is entirely suspect right now.
Prepare for resurrecting older Activision titles
It’s common knowledge that Phil Spencer and other Xbox Studios members want to bring back classic Activision and Blizzard franchises. Of note are Guitar Hero, Crash Bandicoot, and Skylanders, but the gigantic company also houses many other popular and profitable games such as:
Though Game Pass holders should not expect to see these titles pop up right away, it is possible that Microsoft will pursue them down the road.
Number one step: find out what you want to play
As with anything, finding out what you want is the most important step to prepare for Activision games coming to Game Pass. If you’re an avid Overwatch player, the ~$15 USD per month fee makes sense as it not only gets you access to that game but a bunch of other new releases, too.
For Hearthstone fanatics, it might not make as much sense. After all, Hearthstone is free to play unless you purchase card packs, cosmetics, or expansions.
The bottom line is that Game Pass already had a ton to offer for that monthly fee. With Microsoft’s purchase of Activision/Blizzard, their supremacy in the games-as-a-service and subscription space is even more assured.
How do you alienate a legion of fans? This is how.
Blizzard’s announcement of the mobile game Diablo Immortal has set the internet aflame. This video shows the reaction to the game’s announcement at BlizzCon 2018:
The game’s cinematic and gameplay trailers have both received hundreds of thousands of dislikes on YouTube, as shown below.
Why is Blizzard, a historically beloved company with a famously passionate fanbase, facing the brunt of the biggest video game outrage in recent memory? There are a few factors that we’ll attempt to break down.
The BlizzCon Reveal
For those unaware, BlizzCon is an annual conference held in Anaheim, California that’s a celebration of all things Blizzard. The con is a major event, complete with game reveals, cosplay, Q&A sessions with developers, and even concerts. Tickets to the event are very expensive, so the audience is made up of the most hardcore Blizzard fans.
Blizzard had hinted at the appearance of some sort of Diablo news at this year’s BlizzCon, leaving many fans of the acclaimed series to believe that the highly-anticipated Diablo 4 would be announced.
Once the game was onstage to be a mobile game, fans were furious. The developers were met with boos after answering a few questions, as seen in the video above. The fact that fans (who paid hundreds or even thousands of dollars to attend) booed loudly displays the huge distaste for Diablo Immortal within the hardcore Blizzard fanbase. To an outsider, it may be confusing to see such intense outrage directed towards a new game in the Diablo series, even a mobile game, since the fans have been requesting a new game for years. Basically, the core Blizzard demographic and mobile gamers don’t overlap at all.
Note: Apparently, Blizzard planned to announce that Diablo 4 was in development after the reveal of Diablo Immortal, but they decided not to.
Hardcore Blizzard fans are not mobile gamers
Pictured: A screenshot of the mobile version of Heartstone, Blizzard’s only real successful foray into mobile gaming
For its entire existence, Blizzard has been a company that has focused on the PC gaming market. Its most popular games, including World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo, Starcraft, and Hearthstone, are played either exclusively or most commonly on PC. Diablo itself is a franchise that is most commonly linked with PC gaming and mouse + keyboard controls. Blizzard fans are apparently not at all psyched to play Diablo on a small phone/tablet screen with touchscreen controls. Since mobile gaming is a much more casual market than PC, some fans feel that Blizzard is ignoring its loyal core fanbase in favor of a wider, more casual audience.
Blizzard itself isn’t developing Diablo Immortal. Development is instead being handled by Chinese company NetEase, who has developed poorly received MMO’s like Crusaders of Light and Endless of God. Fans were quick to point out the similarities between Diablo Immortal’s UI and Crusaders of Light’s, leading many to speculate that the game was simply a reskin of CoL. Blizzard has denied this, saying that Diablo Immortal is a brand new game being built from the ground up.
In an interview with Kotaku, they acknowledged the UI similarities and said: “I want to assure you that Diablo Immortal is purpose-built from the ground up. In the East, that control method is becoming ubiquitous, and it’s becoming ubiquitous because it’s very natural, and it feels great. Less so in the West, but we’re now starting to see some games that are bringing that mechanic to the West. So it’s us taking inspiration from some of the work they’ve done already.”
Grindy, loot-heavy MMO’s like Crusaders of Light are extremely popular in Asia, but their popularity is lukewarm in the West. It remains to be seen if Diablo Immortal will take inspiration from these games, but fans are not optimistic.
There’s also the issue of monetization. While Blizzard hasn’t announced how it plans to monetize Diablo Immortal, mobile games are notorious for bleeding the player dry with microtransactions. One of the biggest reasons Crusaders of Light was panned in the West was because of its rampant microtransactions and pay-to-win structure, leaving fans worried that Diablo Immortal will follow in its footsteps.
What do you think about Diablo Immortal? Is the controversy deserved? Or are fans overreacting? Leave us a comment!
