Diablo 3 Season 17 Starts Next Week, And Brings A New Patch Update With It

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Blizzard has announced Season 17 of Diablo III will begin on May 17. The new season launches alongside the latest patch for Diablo III, which implements numerous quality-of-life changes into the game.

During Season 17, players will receive a set bonus provided by Legacy of Nightmares. “Classes with especially powerful Legacy of Nightmare builds will be able to experiment with new combinations, particularly ones centered around their ring slots,” Diablo III associate community manager Brandy Camel wrote in a blog post. “Meanwhile, classes traditionally dependent on a heavy amount of survivability from their ring slots have more freedom to experiment with build-changing Legendaries that don’t rely on a Class Set.”

Season 17 brings with it more cosmetics to earn, some old and some new. Several cosmetics from Season 5 make their return, allowing you to unlock them if you missed out the first time. Starting May 17, you’ll be able to unlock Season 5’s pants and boots slots of the Conqueror Set, Greyhollow Island portrait frames, and the Wickerman pet. In terms of something new, completing all nine chapters of the Season Journey will earn you the Galactic Wings.

The seasonal conquest rotation continues in Season 17 as well. Sprinter, Speed Racer, Avarice, Avaritia, The Thrill, Superhuman, Years of War, Dynasty, Masters of the Universe, and Masters of Sets all go live on May 17. In Season 17, the class set rewarded have rotated as well. Completing Chapters 2, 3, and 4 of the Season Journey earns you the three necessary Haedrig’s Gifts necessary to unlock a full class set. Each of Season 17’s class sets are listed below.

Diablo III Season 17 Class Sets

  • Barbarian — Might of the Earth
  • Crusader — Thorns of the Invoker
  • Demon Hunter — The Shadow’s Mantle
  • Monk — Monkey King’s Garb
  • Necromancer — Grace of Inarius
  • Witch Doctor — Raiment of the Jade Harvester
  • Wizard — Firebird’s Finery

May 17 also sees the release of a new patch for Diablo III that implements many quality-of-life changes. The full patch notes can be found in the blog post linked to in the text above, but we’ve outlined the highlights below.

Diablo III May 17 Update Patch Notes

General

  • Torment 14, 15, and 16 have been added to the game
    • Reward and difficulty levels of all new Torments closely match Greater Rift 65, 70, and 75 respectively
  • Portals left behind by Treasure Goblins may occasionally lead somewhere udderly ridiculous
  • Using an Ancient or Primal Puzzle Ring in Kanai’s Cube will produce a new result
  • Party portraits now display if a player’s Cheat Death buff has been recently used (PC Only)
  • When a boss is killed in a Nephalem Rift, a permanent ping will mark the location of the boss’ death until the Rift is closed
  • The Boss Notification screen has received a rework (PC Only)
  • The Greater Rift Notification screen has received a rework (PC Only)
  • The Greater Rift Completion screen has received a rework (PC Only)
  • Matchmaking no longer prevents players from joining a game while a Greater Rift is already in progress
    • Players who join the game will still be unable to join a Greater Rift in progress
  • The progress bar for a Greater Rift is now visible to all players in the game, regardless of whether they are participating in the Rift or not
  • Challenge Rifts
  • The amount of Death’s Breath rewarded by completing a Challenge Rift has been increased

Quality of Life

  • Seasons
    • The cap for earning additional stash tabs through the Season Journey has been raised from 4 to 5 (PC Only)
  • Search functionality has been added to Stash (PC Only)
  • All Crafters now have an Expand/Collapse All button for recipes (PC Only)
  • Most Bounty indicators are now displayed immediately after entering the Bounty area
  • Death’s Breath now drop in Horadric Caches

Seasons

  • The Season Journey Journal now displays all chapters, regardless of current progression
  • There is a new reward for completing the entirety of the Season Journey (Guardian)
  • For Season 17, the Galactic Wings are available
  • Added the buff for Season 17
    • Player’s damage dealt is increased by 750% and damage taken is reduced by 4% for every Ancient Item they have equipped while having no Set Bonuses Active

Items

  • (NEW) Bottomless Potion of the Unfettered
    • Become immune to control-impairing effects for 5-7 seconds after drinking this potion
  • Akkhan’s Leniency
    • Each enemy hit by your Blessed Shield increases damage of your Blessed Shield by 15-20% 30-35% for 3 seconds
  • Bloodtide Blade
    • Death Nova deals 80-100% 300-400% increased damage for every enemy within 25 yards
  • Carnevil
    • ​The 5 10 Fetishes closest to you will shoot a powerful Poison Dart every time you do
  • Chantodo’s Will
    • Every second while in Archon form you expel a Wave of Destruction, dealing 1000% 4000% weapon damage to enemies within 30 yards. Every time you hit with an attack while not in Archon form, 1000% 4000% weapon damage is added to the Wave of Destruction, stacking up to 20 times
    • Wave of Destruction damage now scale with attack speed
  • The Dagger of Darts
    • Your Poison Darts and your Fetishes’ Poison Darts now pierce and deal an additional [400-500%] damage.
  • Grace of Inarius
    • 6-Piece Bonus
      • Bone Armor also activates a swirling tornado of bone, damaging nearby enemies for 1000% weapon damage and increasing the damage they take from the Necromancer by 3750% 10000%
  • Iron Rose
    • Attacking with Siphon Blood has a 40-50% 100% chance to cast a free Blood Nova
  • Jekangbord
    • Blessed Shield ricochets to 6 additional enemies and has its damage increased by 225-300% 300-400%
  • Sage’s Set
    • Now doubles the amount of Death’s Breaths that drop
      • Previous: Increases Death’s Breath drops by 1
  • Sin Seekers
    • Now also adds 250-300% damage to Rapid Fire
  • Wojahnni Assaulter
    • Rapid Fire deals 60-75% 75-100% increased damage for every half second that you channel. Stacks up to 4 30 times.
      • The stacks gained from Wojahnni Assaulter now also stack much more quickly

Bug Fixes

  • Necromancer Simulacrums now benefit from the Trag’Oul’s Avatar 6-Piece Bonus
  • Fixed and issue where Xbox One/PS4 Voice Chat within public games was failing to work (Xbox One and PS4 Only)
  • Fixed an issue where The Immortal King’s Set Dungeon objective numbers were incorrect
  • Fixed an issue where Greater Rift 70 first-time completion Primal drops were occurring for players even if they did not succeed at the 15-minute completion time
  • Fixed an issue where Bounties that required interacting with an object would not update the next objective immediately after completing one
  • Fixed an issue where a second Puzzle Ring tab would be shown in the Kanai’s Cube UI when a Puzzle Ring was equipped (Console Only)
  • Fixed an issue where Keywarden icons would not show up on the map in Torment level games (Switch Only)
  • Fixed an issue where some subtitles in the Taiwan localization would exceed the screen limit (Switch only)
  • Fixed an issue where the mouse cursor may be hidden when launching the client (Mac only)

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/diablo-3-season-17-starts-next-week-and-brings-a-n/1100-6466813/

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Is Still Releasing In Multiple Parts

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Square Enix finally released a new Final Fantasy VII remake trailer during Sony’s State of Play presentation on Thursday. While light on new details, the video did give us another look at how the highly anticipated PS4 remake is shaping up, and now the publisher has shared a few more tidbits about the game.

Following the State of Play broadcast, Square Enix sent out a Japanese press release about the new Final Fantasy VII remake trailer. According to Siliconera, the press release reaffirms that the remake will be a “multi-part production,” and that more information about the game will be revealed in June, presumably during Square Enix’s E3 press conference.

The Final Fantasy VII remake was first announced during Sony’s E3 2015 press conference, but since then, details about the game have been scarce. One aspect that Square Enix did confirm soon after the game’s reveal, however, was that it would be released in installments. The company further elaborated on this remark, clarifying the remake would be made up of multiple, full-sized games instead of a series of smaller episodes.

“It will essentially be a full scale game for each part of the multi-part series,” producer Yoshinori Kitase told Game Informer in 2016, likening the production to Final Fantasy XIII. “In XIII, each installment told the story from a different angle. It was kind of like approaching an unknown territory in a sense.

“Whereas with Final Fantasy VII Remake, we already have a preexisting story, so it wouldn’t really make sense if that isn’t encompassed in a multi-part series… So if we’re just looking at each of these parts, one part should be on par with the scale of one Final Fantasy XIII game.”

Following Thursday’s presentation, the official Final Fantasy Twitter account shared a message from Final Fantasy VII remake director Tetsuya Nomura, reiterating that more details about the game are on the way soon. “Most of the plans are already in place in the run up to launch, so please bear with us a little longer until we can release more information next month,” the message read.

The Final Fantasy VII remake is still without a release date, but it looks like the publisher is gearing up to finally pull back the curtain on the game. Square Enix’s E3 press conference takes place on Monday, June 10, at 6 PM PT / 9 PM ET–the time slot Sony’s E3 briefing traditionally occupies. Of course, the company isn’t using that slot this year, as it announced back in November that it is skipping E3 2019.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/final-fantasy-7-remake-is-still-releasing-in-multi/1100-6466803/

A Flash Sale On PS4 Games Just Launched In The PlayStation Store

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The weekend is shaping up to be a good one for gamers. In addition to Steam’s free PC game offerings, you can also save money on dozens of PS4 games in the PlayStation Store this weekend. The flash sale just went live, so you can go take a look at all the deals available.

Some of the best offerings include Devil May Cry 5, which released two months ago and is now on sale for just under $40. You’ve also got Battlefield V, which is (once again) marked down to $30, and acclaimed RPG Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Definitive Edition, which is discounted to $39.

Several EA sports titles are considerably cheaper, such as Madden NFL 19 for $15, and FIFA 19 and NHL 19 for $18 each. Guacamelee 2‘s Complete edition is notably on sale for $13.79, and fans of Quantic Dream games may want to snag the Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls bundle selling for $20.

As “flash sale” implies, these deals won’t stick around long–they’ll be available now through Monday, May 13, at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET. So grab the games you want–and while you’re at it, check out the rest of this week’s best PS4 deals.

SHOP PSN’S FLASH SALE ON PS4 GAMES »

See more of the available deals below!

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/a-flash-sale-on-ps4-games-just-launched-in-the-pla/1100-6466801/

Fortnite To Host “Summer Block Party” Right After E3

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Epic Games has announced it’s hosting a Fortnite party just after E3 2019. The two-day event will start on June 15 at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Though not officially tied to E3, it is relatively close to the Los Angeles Convention Center and takes place just a couple days after E3–and its press conferences–end. If you’re already going to the industry event you may want to stay a couple days to relax and party.

The event will kick off with a Creative tournament on June 15 featuring celebrities and streamers. That tourney will include a new player-made game designed just for the event. Then on June 16, the event will host the Celebrity Pro-Am. Planned attendees include Ninja, Brendon Urie from Panic! At The Disco, Dillon Francis, KittyPlays, Cray and Jordan Fisher.

Pre-sale registration through Ticketmaster is now open, which will register you as a “Verified Fan” and gain you access to the sale period. That will put you in the pool to be notified about the ticket sales, to begin later. Battlepass pre-sale tickets will begin on Saturday, May 11 at 10 AM PT through Monday, May 13. Then Verified Fan pre-sales will begin on Wednesday, May 15 at 10 AM PT and run through Thursday, May 16. General public sales will begin the next day.

Tickets for the event will start at $35, and includes both days of events and tournaments along with other themed Fortnite activities like ziplining and Fortnite Mini Golf. You can even eat at Durr Burger, Pizza Pete’s, and Sofdeez Ice Cream Shop.

In the game proper, Fortnite Season 9 has just kicked off with a new futuristic theme. You can see the new skins and goodies and what’s changed for this season, and check out our challenge guide to unlock all the loot. There also appears to be another movie-themed mode on the way, after a leak of a John Wick update.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/fortnite-to-host-summer-block-party-right-after-e3/1100-6466807/

GranBlue Fantasy: Versus Closed Beta Date Revealed

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Japanese developer Cygames has announced that its upcoming fighting game, Granblue Fantasy: Versus, will have a closed beta beginning at the end of May. The closed beta will run for a short duration from Thursday, May 30 to Saturday, June 1.

Registration for the beta will remain open until Thursday, May 23, and will be available to any PS4 owner with a Japanese, US, or European PSN account and an active PS Plus subscription. The beta will run in a set of three rounds, each lasting approximately four hours. Head over to the Granblue Fantasy: Versus website to register, and check the full beta times below.

  • Round 1 (May 31): 2 AM to 6:59 AM (PDT)
  • Round 1 (May 31): 9 AM to 1:59 PM (GMT)
  • Round 2 (May 31): 6 PM to 10:59 PM (PDT)
  • Round 2 (June 1): 1 AM to 5:59 AM (GMT)
  • Round 3 (June 1): 9 AM to 1:59 PM (PDT)
  • Round 3 (June 1): 4 PM to 8:59 PM (GMT)

Arc System Works is developing Granblue Fantasy: Versus under the watchful eye of Cygames. The game is based on Granblue Fantasy, a 2014 JRPG available in Japan for Android, iOS, and web browsers.

So far, Granblue Fantasy: Versus features six playable characters and contains the same stylish action and smooth animation Arc System is known for. Granblue Fantasy: Versus is headed to PS4 sometime in 2019.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/granblue-fantasy-versus-closed-beta-date-revealed/1100-6466805/

Rage 2 Lets People Play A Game To Revive You If You’re Streaming

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Rage 2 will allow you to get a little help from your friends–or at least, your viewers. When the game launches next week, a Twitch extension will allow viewers to help out when the wasteland puts you into a tight spot, or just add some more flavor to the game world.

If you die in the game, viewers can help by playing the defibrillation mini-game to bring you back to life and impact your health total. If enough people participate, they could even bring you back to life with full health. The other application of the extension will pull viewer names for the other participants in an in-game race.

“We have integrated the Twitch extension into our game to try to encourage streaming,” id studio director Tim Willits told GameSpot. “Open world games are not really streamed as much as you would think. But we feel that with both the nature of the gameplay of Rage 2, and some of the fun stuff that we added in, we’re hoping to draw some more streamers.”

Willits commented that we may see more extensions added after launch, as well as rewards for those who view the game and participate in the streams with the extensions.

“Yes sir,” he said, in response to the addition of more extension functionality. “We’ll also have some drops. We’re working on the drops for people who participate, and that will be like weapons skins, wing stick skins, stuff like that. Like I talked about before we just wanted to see what people are gravitating towards, and if we find that streamers are enjoying streaming the game, we’ll definitely try to add some of those in with some of our live updates. If it takes off we’re going to chase as much as we can. If we can get viewers to participate more, and I do believe this is actually the future of gaming to have viewers participate more in the experience.”

Willits also said that the studio’s approach to extensions was partially influenced by his experience with Quake Champions. He expects that having some elements of randomness introduced by the game and extension should draw in more viewers than a usual open-world action game.

“You have the whole intro is a great time for streamers to talk about their strategy, and to talk about how they work with their teams, and they jump in,” he said. “So games need a little bit of downtime, for lack of a better word, that allows people to talk, and to kind of slow the pace down a little bit, so they can explain to the viewers what they’re doing. And this action that’s different from watching the same thing over and over again.

“Like normal classic linear first-person games, you know once you watch someone play it once, you’re done. So hopefully with the randomness of Rage 2 and some kind of fun extensions–they’re not super overly complex extensions–but they should be fun enough to draw some people in.”

Rage 2 launches on May 14 for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. Check out our pre-order guide for more details.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/rage-2-lets-people-play-a-game-to-revive-you-if-yo/1100-6466802/

More Id Games Could Get Rage 2-Like Twitch Extensions

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Rage 2 is adding a few special Twitch extensions that will let viewers participate in the action, with more with more potentially on the way for Rage 2. Tim Willits, studio director at id Software, indicated there could also be more to come for other games, based on how this trial run goes.

Asked if id Software games going forward will use Twitch extensions, Willits joked about “the big elephant in the room”–presumably referring to Doom Eternal. “Yes, we’re definitely looking at all things like that,” he told GameSpot. “But we’ll see how it goes for Rage 2.”

In fact, Willits thinks that more seamless and open participation between players and viewers is going to become an ongoing trend in the years to come. This echoes similar comments from Google about its new Stadia platform–which is notably getting Doom Eternal.

“That’s really the ultimate goal in these types of things,” he said. “And I believe looking at the industry, and even looking at how we approach games and game design, you know game developers will look more at how the game is streamed, what streamers can do, and then how those viewers can participate. So I think we’ve scratched the surface and you’ll see a lot more of that in the coming years.”

In the case of Rage 2, the extension has two functions at launch: to allow viewers to revive you through a defibrillation mini-game, and to place viewer names as opponents in the post-apocalyptic races. Willits did say the studio is planning to develop more Twitch extension functionality post-launch, and that it will be watching player and streamer trends to see what kinds of functions could be built. He also said that viewers who participate will get some drops in their own games like weapon skins.

Rage 2 launches on May 14 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Check out our pre-order guide for more details.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/more-id-games-could-get-rage-2-like-twitch-extensi/1100-6466804/

Where Is Xur? Destiny 2 Location And Exotics Guide (May 10-14)

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Destiny 2 got a surprise new mission with its last patch, Update 2.2.2, and with it, a new Exotic weapon: Outbreak Perfected, a new version of the Destiny 1 pulse rifle Outbreak Prime. Getting the gun is a bit of a struggle, though (we created an Outbreak Prime guide to help you out), so if you’re itching for Exotics but can’t get through the mission, good news: Xur’s back for a limited time, with a new Exotic inventory.

Head to the Tower to find Xur and his latest offerings. You’ll find him in the Hangar, parked behind the Dead Orbit area up on a catwalk. Turn left from the door and head to the back of the area where you’ll see some stairs; climb them and you’ll run right up to Xur.

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You can snag The Colony from Xur this week, an Exotic grenade launcher that’s almost irritatingly effective in the Crucible. It fires Insectoid Robot Grenades that run along the ground, tracking targets and blowing them up–a perfect fire-and-forget Power weapon. For armor, Xur has Young Ahamkara Spine for Hunters, a set of Exotic gauntlets that increase the duration and blast radius of your Tripmine Grenades, and give you grenade energy when you make ability kills. Warlocks can grab the Eye of Another World helmet, which increases the regeneration speed of your grenade, melee, and Rift abilities, while also highlighting priority targets. Finally, for Titans, there’s the Mask of the Quiet One helmet. It gives you ability energy when you take damage and regenerates your health when you make kills while critically wounded.

Here are all the Exotics Xur offers this week and what they’ll cost you:

  • The Colony (Exotic grenade launcher) — 29 Legendary Shards
  • Mask of the Quiet One (Exotic Titan helmet) — 23 Legendary Shards
  • Young Ahamkara Spine (Exotic Hunter gauntlets) — 23 Legendary Shards
  • Eye of Another World (Exotic Warlock helmet) — 23 Legendary Shards

If nothing Xur has strikes your fancy, you can also purchase a Fated Engram from Xur. Thanks to a recent update, Fated Engrams can now dish out Exotics from the Forsaken expansion, as well as from the original Year One group (but not from the Black Armory or the Jokers Wild expansions). Grabbing one of the engrams gives you a random Exotic that you don’t already have–if you can afford it. Fated Engrams will run you 97 Legendary Shards, and you can only get one per account each week. Xur also offers the Five of Swords challenge card for free, which allows you to add difficulty modifiers that increase your score in Nightfall runs.

Finally, if you haven’t completed your crop of Invitation of the Nine weekly bounties, you can snag one from Xur. Completing these gives you a Powerful gear drop, as well as a bit of story about the Nine and the Drifter, along with a new Lore entry that fills in the history of the Emissary of the Nine. As usual, you’ll have to clear out a mess of enemies of various types, and complete a Strike. Stick to the planet mentioned in the bounty to kill the enemies you need, as they don’t always count if you kill them in other places. Be sure to finish the bounty by Thursday’s daily reset, or you won’t be able to grab a fresh bounty from Xur on Friday.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/where-is-xur-destiny-2-location-and-exotics-guide-/1100-6466806/

Flash Deal: Get A Free PC Game From Humble Right Now

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There’s no better way to kick off a weekend than with free games, and this week Humble has stepped up with a great giveaway: Age of Wonders III. The turn-based strategy game is free to claim and keep right now–all you have to do is sign up for Humble Bundle’s newsletter. The deal ends tomorrow, May 11, at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET or while supplies last, so hurry over to Humble and claim your copy now.

Note that the free download will be provided in the form of a Steam key, so you must have a free Steam account to redeem.

GET AGE OF WONDERS FOR FREE AT HUMBLE »

The game earned a 7/10 in GameSpot’s Age of Wonders III review for its enjoyable tactical combat, streamlined empire management, and balanced randomization.

“Age of Wonders III is a well-crafted strategy game that doesn’t let itself get bogged down in needless busywork. It pushes your focus onto its strongest suit, the battlefield, while keeping everything else in the background,” wrote critic Maxwell McGee. “Some smart elements of randomness help keep you on your toes after multiple sessions, though you will find several go-to strategies still apply regardless of the sort of army you lead. Age of Wonders III is the welcome return of a long-absent strategy series and a tactically rewarding game.”

And while we’re on the subject of free Steam games: Heads-up that Conan Exiles is free to play this weekend through Sunday to celebrate the game’s one-year anniversary. The open-world survival game just received a huge free update that added two brand-new dungeons, a new feat, total revamp of several locations and enemies, new items (both lootable and craftable), various UI fixes, and more. Plus, new DLC, The Riddle of Steel, is now available with a range of items and cosmetics inspired by the 1982 movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The base game is 50% off until May 20, so there’s no better time to dive into Conan and check out all the new changes.

PLAY CONAN EXILES FOR FREE AT STEAM »

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/flash-deal-get-a-free-pc-game-from-humble-right-no/1100-6466796/

Rage 2 Walmart E3 Leak Gets Immortalized With Giveaway

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Last year, before its big debut at Bethesda’s E3 press conference, Rage 2 was outed by a large leak from Walmart Canada. Bethesda took those lemons and made lemonade by essentially acknowledging the leak was legit and making jokes about it. Now as it prepares for release, it’s immortalizing the leak with a special giveaway.

A tweet from Rage 2 account announced that for the one-year anniversary of the Walmart Canada leak, it’s giving away some specially stylized Xbox One controllers. The controllers are essentially a printout of the leak itself, showing the game page with Bethesda’s wise-cracking notes, along with the pink anarchy symbol. You can enter to win a controller by following and retweeting the Rage 2 account.

Of course, it’s no coincidence that this promotion is also coming just as the game itself is on the way. It releases next Tuesday, May 14, and Bethesda recently announced PC system specs and other technical details for the two console versions.

A separate giveaway, with a similar entry structure, recently gave away a custom Rage 2 “Dreamcast.” It’s actually a custom-built PC inside a Dreamcast shell, but it does actually play Rage 2. The game is also leaning into nostalgic references with NBA Jam announcer Tim Kitzrow commentary available as a pre-order bonus.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/rage-2-walmart-e3-leak-gets-immortalized-with-give/1100-6466799/