It’s A Steal: World of WarCraft Subscription Changes

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Not a lot of gamers jump into an MMO for the first time if it’s already five years old or more. Everyone except you already got the mechanics memorized by heart and has a competitive-level character that runs endgame content, while you’re just catching up when it comes to level, gear, and game knowledge. Blizzard, however, came up with a way to entice new players for World of Warcraft: free base game and expansions.

Pay to Play Legion

Aside from the aforementioned reasons, another deterrent for new players is the fact that they have to buy the base game and all the expansions just to play the most recent one. And while Blizzard has come up with some steps to lower this particular hurdle, such as offering bundles and packs that get you the expansions for a single purchase and a much lower price as compared to buying them one by one.

As if that deal isn’t a steal enough, Blizzard decided to do give expansions – including Legion – for free simply by subscribing to the game. This basically means the game has become pay-to-play – until Battle for Azeroth rolls out on August 14, that is. No doubt that a lot of prospective players see it as a good move, especially since it’ll be saving them a lot of money.

On the other hand, older players and those who just recently bought Legion are pissed, and understandably so after paying for something that they never imagined would be free later on. Hopefully, Blizzard comes up with a solution that will appease the veteran players.

Past for the Future

Blizzard is intent on bringing fresh blood into Azeroth’s circulation because it’s going to have its new expansion: Battle for Azeroth. To get new and returning players up to speed, the latest expansions have been all about bringing the game to its roots.

Legion was about revisiting the Burning Legion, the army of demons headed by the titan Sargeras; they’re also the chief antagonists of Warcraft III and the reason for the events of World of Warcraft’s base game.

Battle for Azeroth, on the other hand, brings the conflict between Alliance and Horde to the forefront once again. Truce after shaky truce, the two major factions are finally done with the handshaking so off to war against each other they go. The war between the two hasn’t been this focused on by the franchise since WarCraft II, so a lot of long-time players are excited for this.

Looking Forward to the War

In true World of Warcraft style, the new content for the upcoming expansion is going to be tightly tied to the lore. A good example of this would be Battlefronts, a Warcraft II-heavily inspired game mode which will put you in the battle boots of a commander. With 20 allied players, you’ll either be launching an assault on an enemy stronghold or defending the stronghold that you conquered.

As for other additional new content, players will be getting the Heart of Azeroth, the new “artifact weapon”. There is also the Island Expeditions, which are 3v3 PVP content where you’ll face off either AI or other players in islands while trying to find Azerite and Tratures. Last but definitely not least, there will be 10 new dungeons, which are definitely enough to last until the next expansion.

World of Warcraft is headed in a new direction, not only when it comes to lore and in-game content but also in its history as a game, thanks to Blizzard’s creative new idea on how to get new players on-board. After all, war is coming, so both factions should pump up their numbers.

The Inflation of WoW Gold and Why You Should Care

While it has only been a few weeks since the release of Battle for Azeroth, the game's economy is already going bonkers. Sure, that's to be expected with all the updates and the ‘soft reset' of crafting resources and crafted items in the Auction House. There's also the rush of new and returning players which muddles things even more. To sum the problem up, the price of WoW Gold relative to real money has plummeted. You may think this expansion's economy problem won't affect you because it didn't before. Well, there were factors and circumstances during those expansions that kept things stable. They protected the majority of players from inflation's effects.

Things are different now, so you have to be ready.

But First, Let's Look Back

During the days of Legion, the announcement that WoW tokens could be redeemed for Blizzard credit should've had the same effect. However, here are some circumstances that kept prices stable.

First, the value of goods and gold stayed the same relative to each other. Factoring into this is the fact that the announcement came about six months after the launch of the expansion. By that time, players have leveled up their professions and established trade supplies.

Then, Legion was the expansion that introduced flying and aerial travel routes. Farming resources and traveling became more efficient, increasing the gold output of players. Combine that efficiency with how Blizzard made gathering easy and you get a sustainable trade.

Lastly, even though it's illegal, botters were able to provide enough goods and resources to keep things in balance.

Because of all the circumstances listed above, prices were stable enough even as the demand for more tokens increased. A surplus of goods offset the surplus of gold. Thus, casual players didn't feel or see anything amiss.

And Now, Let's Look Forward

Circumstances for Battle for Azeroth are quite different. For one thing, Blizzard is making ingredients scarcer again. Players need the Anchor Weed to create the newer flasks, but they're found randomly in place of other herbs. With the influx of new and returning players, demand for new equipment and consumables will spike hard. It'll intensify once players start running the mythic+ dungeons and raids.

The problem is, everybody's still leveling up, either in professions or character level. Otherwise, they're exploring the new content, quests, and locations. They're not prioritizing collecting and crafting yet. That means a scarcity of trade goods and a high demand for it. All of this contributes to the plummet in the value of gold relative to real money. To sum it all up, there's a surplus of gold, but not enough supplies.

Expect and prepare for expensive goods. You might have to shell out real money for some stuff. Then again, it would be difficult to sell tokens since it'll be expensive. At any rate, it'll be tough trying to get stuff from the AH. The economy will settle soon enough, so just hold on until then.

See you in the battlefields of Azeroth!

The Overwatch System Makes CSGO Skin Collection Secure

Here's how the Overwatch system keeps your CSGO skin collection safe from unsavory players. There's also the hows of the system, as well as a bit of an update for the Chinese version.

The presence of hackers, griefers, and generally rude players in CSGO is a given. They're such a nuisance to ranking up and collecting CSGO skins. That's why Valve introduced the Overwatch system. It's not related to Blizzard's competitive shooter game. The system lets players self-regulate. ‘Investigators' review collected evidence of unwanted behavior. Depending on their verdict, recipients may get permanent or temporary bans.

Keep in mind that Steam Support has no jurisdiction over the application of these bans. This means they can't revoke or reduce the duration of the punishment. As a result, players who receive permanent bans from this system have to make another account or buy the game again just to resume playing.

How It Works

Investigators receive clips of a player with an outstanding pattern of complaints. That pattern can either be a spike in reports or many that built up over time. The investigator would then review the replays and judge whether it is ‘Evident Beyond Reasonable Doubt' or ‘Insufficient Evidence'. They can also ‘Postpone' judgment and restart it later.

However, those replays are also sent to other Investigators. There must be an overwhelming verdict before setting a ban on a player or not. It's not one person who judges and has the final say. The more times an Investigator submits accurate verdicts, the more Overwatch points they receive. XP rewards from participating scale with those points, so this can help with ranking up.

The pool of Investigators increases steadily. Players who play in official Competitive Matchmaking often have the best chances of getting chosen. Other criteria are account age, play time, and skill level. The selection is random so it might be a while before you can become one.

The System in Perfect World

Now that CSGO has come to mainland China through Perfect World Entertainment, the Overwatch system also migrated. While it has almost been a year, there are still many bugs and kinks to work out. The latest update for the launcher, however, made downloading evidence much more reliable.

Considering the newness of the Chinese servers and launcher, there's bound to be problems that will come up in the future. The Investigator pool will also be smaller than the one already established in the West.

Let's look forward to the continued improvement of the Overwatch system and launcher, as CSGO – Perfect World gets better.

Toynk Toys Holiday Gift List - The Fallout NanoForce Army Builder Collection

Toynk Toys has officially announced their highly anticipated Fallout Product line! The Fallout Nanoforce™ Series 1 Army Builder Collection Line includes 52 highly detailed, army men styled figures from the Fallout Universe, designed for diehard Fallout fans who want to decorate their vault with the newest collectibles found in the Wasteland! The Series 1 Collection will be packaged in collectible boxed and bagged sets, and will be released in phases, starting from late 2018, to early 2019. All products are officially licensed by Bethesda and will be exclusively distributed by Toynk Toys. The line can be pre-ordered now at Toynk.com.

99 Runecrafting Guide for Old School RuneScape

Runes are necessary to cast magic. They can be bought from various magic shops around Gielinor. If you're unwilling to buy these runes, Runecrafting is the way to go. It's a skill players can learn, and here's how to reach 99.

Free-to-Play Players

Free-to-play players have no access to certain features which limits their options. They can craft Air, Earth, or Fire runes till level 20. Earth runes become available to craft at level 9; Fire runes at level 14. At level 20, players can craft Body runes until they reach 99. Body runes yield the highest experience for Runecrafting for F2P players.

Alternatively, they can craft Water Tiaras from 1-99. These are the most cost-efficient tiaras F2P players can make and has the 4th highest experience yield. It will require unenchanted tiaras, water talismans, and a water rune. Collecting enough talismans is probably the most difficult and time-consuming part of this process.

Pay-to-Play Players

With access to more features than F2P players, P2P players have more options to take advantage of. They start out like F2P players, with crafting Air, Earth, Fire, and Body runes. The difference starts at about level 23 when crafting Lava runes become available. Lava runes yield high amounts of experience. Crafting them is the fastest way to level Runecrafting. The drawback of this method is that it's pretty costly.

At level 27, players who have completed the Lost City quest have the option to craft Cosmic runes. Upon reaching level 35, they can craft Chaos runes. It is quite inefficient if only done for leveling the skill, though. At level 44, Astral runes become available. It requires completing the Lunar Diplomacy quest. Astral runes don't require a talisman or a tiara when crafting at the altar.

After that, other runes become available. Nature runes start at 44, Law runes at 54, Death runes at 65, Blood runes at 77, and Soul runes at 90. If you'd like, there's also the option to double craft runes. Cosmic runes can be double crafted at 59, Astral runes at 82, and Nature runes at 91.

Alternatively, there's also the Ourania Altar, which creates random runes. Because of this randomness, the experience yield is random. It also depends on the level of Runecrafting you have. The teleport spell needs 71 Magic and completion of the Lunar Diplomacy quest.

At any rate, you'll end up with more runes than you can use, so you can sell them for OSRS gold.

Recommended Gear and Items

Monsters surround most of the altars, so you'll have to tank/run away from creatures. Even if you'll need the space to make the most runes every run, there are still some things you have to bring. First of all, are rune pouches. They increase the number of runes you can craft by collecting more essences. Don't forget to repair them often as any pouch bigger than small decays.

As for equipment, the Boots of Lightness, Spottier Cape, Penance Gloves, and a Graceful Outfit are your best bet. However, stamina potions or a high Agility skill level can fill in gaps in equipment. Lastly, if going through the Abyss, bring a Black Pickaxe. It's the lightest pickaxe in the game and won't slow you down.

Check out other guides for a more in-depth explanation and how-to. Enjoy leveling Runecrafting in OSRS!

CSGO New FBI Character Models Introduced

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive aka CS:GO is proof that the classics are still the best with regards to their simplicity and longevity. The six-year-old game shows no signs of slowing down. Constant game updates and bug fixes keep it from going stale. Speaking of which, one of this month's updates finally refurbishes character models for some game modes. The counter-terrorists' FBI character models are now clad in blue jackets and blue jeans. Also, a tactical vest covers the jacket.

So go out and collect those CSGO skins in those spiffy new duds! The new character models are on the maps Nuke, Office, and Agency.

Other Updates

One other major recent update is the "mp_solid_teammates 2" setting. It lets players stand on and walk through teammates. Then there's the change to the starting money of the team on a losing streak. Some guns have updates on their accuracy and price. New maps are available and some old ones are now unavailable in different matchmaking modes.

While nothing too exciting is happening in CSGO, no events or teaser for a big update, the blog reports over 11 million unique players last month. Also, CSGO trading is still in full swing, for skins are always in demand.

Enjoy CSGO!

The Need for Steeds: World of Warcraft Battle for Azeroth Mounts

New expansion, new WoW mounts – that’s been the trend with World of Warcraft for quite some time now. The same goes with Battle of Azeroth. So, if you want to ride into battle in the snazziest way possible, check out this guide!

Other than Horses

With Battle for Azeroth’s focus on the reignited conflict between Alliance and Horde, it’s fitting that many of the mounts for this expansion are not only faction-exclusive, but also reflective of the faction they belong to.

For the goody-two-shoes Alliance, you get solid but pretty vanilla options, as they’re all horses.  There’s the black Smoky Charger, the beige Admiralty Stallion, and the Dapple Gray, whose color is pretty self-explanatory. To obtain them, you’ll first need to get Exalted-level reputation for a particular faction. For example, if you want a Smoky Charger, you’ll need Exalted-level reputation from the Order of Embers. As for the other two, you’ll need the same level of reputation from the Proudmoore Admiralty and Storm’s Wake, respectively. Only after then will you be able to buy the mounts from their respective NPCs for 10,000 WoW gold.

For the brutish and sometimes grotesque Horde, there’s a wider variety of mounts. There’s the spider-like Expedition Bloodswarmer from Talanji’s Expedition, Alabaster Hyena from Voldunai, and Cobalt Pterrordax from Zandalari Empire. Unlocking them is very much like unlocking Alliance mounts – get Exalted-level reputation for a particular faction and buy them for 10,000 gold.

Mounting Oppositions

Other than the fixture faction mounts, Battle for Azeroth will also be giving players access to additional mounts when the player unlocks Allied Races as playable races. For the Alliance, unlocking the Dark Iron Dwarves grants them the Dark Iron Core Hound –which is much cooler and edgier than the other Alliance mounts. As for the Horde, unlocking the Mag’har Orcs gives you theMag’har Direwolf. Finally, for both Alliance and Horde, getting the Zandalari trolls means getting the Zandalari Direhorn. Given the lack of diversity in the Alliance’s mounts, they’ll need it more than the Horde does.

Another way to get Alliance-exclusive mounts would be through Rated Battleground PVP. By participating in this kind of PVP, you’ll earn saddles, which in turn is used to buy mounts. For Alliance, it’s the hippo-like Vicious War Riverbeast, for the Horde it’s the Vicious War Clefthoof, and both factions can buy the Vicious War Basilisk, whose armor varies depending on the faction.

Rides Outside the Team

Outside of the Alliance and Horde dichotomy, there are the more traditional ways of getting WoW mounts.

First, there’s the PVP Arena mounts. For top-tier teams for a particular season, they’ll be getting a Proto-Drake. Currently, the only one confirmed is the Dread Gladiator’s Proto-Drake, which is for Season 1. From the game data, however, it can be seen that this World of Warcraft mount comes in six other colors: black, blue, gold, green, pale, and purple. It’s not yet known which proto-drake will be for which season, but it’s without a doubt that all of them command bragging rights.

And for World PVP, players can unlock the Conqueror’s Scythemaw by unlocking the Conqueror of Azeroth achievement.

For the mounts dropped by the dungeon bosses in Mythic-level runs, they are the following:

• ·         Tomb Stalker – King Dazzar in King’s Rest.
• ·         Underrot Crawg – Unbound Abomination in The Underrot.
• ·         Sharkbait – Harian Sweetie in Freehold.

Yet another way to get mounts and at the same time have fun exploring would be through Island Expeditions. Although it’s a random and slight chance, the mounts unlocked this way are pretty cool and colorful nonetheless. There’s the purple dragon-like Twilight Avenger, Surf Jelly, the simian Craghorn Chasm-Leaper, Squawks the parrot, and Qinsho’s Eternal Hound.

Battle of Azeroth has a lot in store for both Alliance and Horde, and mounts are just a small part of that. Mind you, these aren’t even all of the mounts this expansion has to offer. So, what are you waiting for? Go out into a bigger and better Azeroth and get yourself a good mount.