Carzy Zarx’s PC Gaming Emporium - Catch Up on All the Latest PC Gaming Related News

[JEMC]

Surprise! Blizzcon has left so many news that I've decided to put them on a separate post:

Blizzard remasters three classic games as the Blizzard Arcade Collection
https://www.pcgamer.com/blizzard-remasters-three-classic-games-as-the-blizzard-arcade-collection/
If you're one of the five people who fondly remember Blackthorne as "that game about a 1990s comic book-looking dude who can shotgun an orc behind him without even looking back" then I have good news for you. And also for enthusiasts of two other Blizzard games from the '90s: co-op puzzle platformer The Lost Vikings and vehicle combat derby Rock N Roll Racing. Though DOS versions of the three were previously available for download in Blizzard's Classic Games section, definitive editions are now available as the Blizzard Arcade Collection, announced today during BlizzCon.

World of Warcraft: Shadowlands' next big update, Chains of Domination, revealed
https://www.pcgamer.com/world-of-warcraft-shadowlands-next-big-update-chains-of-domination-revealed/
World of Warcraft's next big update was just announced during BlizzCon 2021, though we all knew it was coming because Blizzard accidentally leaked it on Thursday. The announcement, though, confirms that Patch 9.1: Chains of Domination is a big'un that includes a new raid, a new mega-dungeon, new areas to explore in the Maw, and lots more. If you want to read an in-depth interview about it, head here.

World of Warcraft Classic is getting Burning Crusade servers this year
https://www.pcgamer.com/world-of-warcraft-classic-is-getting-burning-crusade-servers-this-year/
When World of Warcraft Classic was first released in 2019, it caused WoW's subscription numbers to more than double. The opportunity to return to a much more challenging and mundane version of Azeroth, untouched by expansions and over 15 years of changes and improvements, was just too enticing. And now WoW's first-ever expansion, The Burning Crusade, is getting that same Classic treatment.
>> But... will the Lich Kings also get its servers?.

WoW: Burning Crusade Classic will let you level boost once so you can jump right in, but you'll have to pay for it
https://www.pcgamer.com/wow-burning-crusade-classic-will-let-you-level-boost-once-so-you-can-jump-right-in-but-youll-have-to-pay-for-it/
Blizzard announced today that World of Warcraft Classic will soon include its first expansion, The Burning Crusade. If you're already level 60 in WoW Classic (or plan on getting there soon), having a whole new continent to explore is obviously exciting, but brand new players and everyone in between have a reason to get excited too: Blizzard will be offering a one-time level 58 character boost so you can jump straight into the Dark Portal when Burning Crusade Classic launches later this year. The catch? You have to pay for it, and you can only do it once.
>> It will also pre-nerf raid bosses.

WoW's director talks about its endgame loot problem: 'Raiders, we hear you'
https://www.pcgamer.com/wows-director-talks-about-its-endgame-loot-problem-raiders-we-hear-you/
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands has been a great expansion so far, but if there's one undead fly in the ointment it's the way endgame gear is dolled out. While PvP players are swimming in an ocean of loot, those tackling Shadowlands' ultra-tough Mythic+ dungeons or its new raid are left feeling starved for good equipment.

World of Warcraft's roguelike dungeon is being overhauled so that failing to beat it won't ruin your night
https://www.pcgamer.com/world-of-warcrafts-roguelike-dungeon-is-being-overhauled-so-that-failing-to-beat-it-wont-ruin-your-night/
Torghast, Tower of the Damned is one of World of Warcraft's most ambitious features ever. It's a sprawling, multi-floor dungeon that's basically a self-contained roguelike. The layout and enemies change each time you explore it, and as you progress to harder floors you accrue wildly over-powered abilities that can turn you into a demon-slaying badass. It's a lot of fun—unless you fail to kill the final boss, in which case that 45 minutes of effort is thrown out the window and you have nothing to show for it.

World of Warcraft might one day let Alliance and Horde players raid and do dungeons together
https://www.pcgamer.com/world-of-warcraft-might-one-day-let-alliance-and-horde-players-raid-and-do-dungeons-together/
(...)During a World of Warcraft Q&A panel as part of BlizzCon 2021, game director Ion Hazzikostas said that, while preserving the rivalry between the two sides is a crucial ingredient in WoW's appeal, concessions could one day be made to let players from different factions do cooperative group activities together like raids or Mythic+ dungeons.

Hearthstone's new Core set gets reimagined versions of Malygos, Ysera, and Deathwing
https://www.pcgamer.com/hearthstones-new-core-set-gets-reimagined-versions-of-malygos-ysera-and-deathwing/
When the next annual standard rotation takes place in Hearthstone, the Year of the Phoenix ending to be replaced by the Year of the Gryphon, it'll be a bigger shakeup than usual. This year, the Basic and Classic sets are going to be replaced by the Core Set, a bundle of 235 cards (160 class cards and 75 neutrals) that will include rebalanced and reimagined versions of well-known favorites alongside completely new cards.

Hearthstone's next expansion is Forged in the Barrens and it's very much for the Horde
https://www.pcgamer.com/forged-in-the-barrens-brings-the-horde-noob-player-experience-to-hearthstone/
The teaser for the next Hearthstone expansion suggested we should expect something Horde-focused, featuring orcs and quilboars, and delving into some old Warcraft lore. Today at BlizzCon, Blizzard revealed the new set, called Forged in the Barrens, and that's exactly what it is.

Hearthstone Mercenaries is a roguelike mode with teams of heroes and simultaneous combat
https://www.pcgamer.com/hearthstone-mercenaries-is-a-roguelike-mode-with-teams-of-heroes-and-simultaneous-combat/
Not content with having Battlegrounds mode to compete with autobattlers, it seems like Hearthstone is coming for the roguelike deckbuilder genre with its next mode, Hearthstone Mercenaries. Announced today during BlizzConline, Mercenaries will be about building a team of mercs—some familiar faces like Sylvanas Windrunner, King Krush, and Ragnaros the Firelord, while others are new to the mode—then pitting them against a set of randomly generated challenges on the way to a final boss.

Lord Jaraxxus will be joining Hearthstone's Core Set as a Hero card
https://www.pcgamer.com/lord-jaraxxus-will-be-joining-hearthstones-core-set-as-a-hero-card/
BlizzConline 2021 has seen a flurry of Hearthstone announcements, including the new Mercenaries mode and an exciting new expansion focusing on WoW's Horde. The Year of the Gryphon will also shift around the existing formats, introducing the Classic format that will take us back in time to Hearthstone in its original 2014 form, and a new Core Set which will be free to all players.

Hearthstone patch nerfs the top deck in Standard, brings changes to Battlegrounds
https://www.pcgamer.com/hearthstone-patch-nerfs-the-top-deck-in-standard-brings-changes-to-battlegrounds/
For the last few weeks a deck called Ramp Paladin, or Cheese Paladin if you're feeling unkind, has been sitting at the top of the meta in Hearthstone's Standard format. The aim is to use Nozdormu the Timeless to bump both players to 10 mana and then hit you with one of its big 10-drops, but also swamp you with Corrupted Clowns and Murlocs before then. Patch 19.6 hobbles Ramp Paladin with one seemingly minor change: increasing the cost of High Abbess Alura by a single point, from four to five.

Diablo 2: Resurrected won't affect Diablo 2 classic, unlike Warcraft 3: Reforged
https://www.pcgamer.com/diablo-2-resurrected-wont-affect-diablo-2-classic-unlike-warcraft-3-reforged/
When Warcraft 3: Reforged launched last year, it turned out to be more controversial than you'd expect from a remaster of a beloved game. Fans were upset about Blizzard making more conservative enhancements than it originally showed, but the real heart of the controversy came from how Blizzard merged Reforged's multiplayer with the original game—and in doing so removed features like clans, LAN, and ranked ladder that had existed in Warcraft 3 for nearly 20 years. Even players who didn't buy Reforged were mad.
Blizzard isn't repeating that mistake with Diablo 2: Resurrected, the remaster it announced today.

Diablo 2's 'lost' assets weren't really a problem for Diablo 2: Resurrected
https://www.pcgamer.com/diablo-2s-lost-assets-werent-really-a-problem-for-diablo-2-resurrected/
In 2019, Diablo creators Erich Schaefer, Max Schaefer, and David Brevik told a story about Diablo 2's development, saying their entire backup of the game's source code and assets had been lost. As Gamespot quoted, it was "Irrevocably, fatally corrupted," according to Max Schaefer.

How open world PvP works in Diablo 4
https://www.pcgamer.com/diablo-4-pvp-fields-of-hatred/
Diablo 4 will take place in a shared open world. You won't have a choice in that, although you won't see other players in your game all the time, such as during big story quests (I wrote about how the shared world works a year ago). You also won't have to participate in PvP if you don't want to. The main parts of Diablo 4's world will be safe, give or take an endless war between angels and demons, and PvP will be contained within clearly marked zones.

You can turn off enemy glow in Diablo 4
https://www.pcgamer.com/you-can-turn-off-enemy-glow-in-diablo-4/
Something I pointed out when we discussed Diablo 4's figurative and literal 'darkness' back in 2019 is that, although you can't see it in the official gameplay trailers, hitting them makes them flash with whitish light. That's a pretty normal videogame thing, but it does somewhat undermine the sense of being swallowed by darkness. Good news if you're not into it: You can turn it off.

Check out Sojourn's devastating railgun in Overwatch 2
https://www.pcgamer.com/check-out-sojourns-devastating-railgun-in-overwatch-2/
Even though Overwatch 2 is still at least a year away, the folks at Blizzard sure had a lot to say about it at Blizzcon 2021. One of the best moments of the Overwatch 2 behind-the-scenes talk was our first good look at the game's standout new hero: Sojourn.

Tanks may go by a very different name in Overwatch 2
https://www.pcgamer.com/tanks-may-go-by-a-very-different-name-in-overwatch-2/
Blizzard is trying out some major changes to tanks in Overwatch 2. During a behind-the-scenes look at the sequel during BlizzCon 2021, game director Jeff Kaplan revealed that the team isn't happy with tanks as they are in Overwatch now. According to Kaplan, the goal is to make each tank feel more like a "toe-to-toe brawler."

Overwatch 2's roles may come with extra passive abilities
https://www.pcgamer.com/overwatch-2s-roles-may-come-with-extra-passive-abilities/
Blizzard is interested in adding a bit more complexity to the three core roles (tank, damage, and support) in Overwatch 2. The developer has always preferred to keep things simple for its competitive shooter (which is why you have three to four abilities instead of ten), and part of that is not including many invisible, passive abilities. That could change if a recent experiment called "role passives" pans out.