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Overwatch Reveals Mercy’s Past In Valkyrie, A New Short Story–Here Are The Lore Highlights
A new official, canon Overwatch short story has been released. Valkyrie, written by the game’s senior lore and story designer Michael Chu, is a first-person story about Mercy coming to terms with the role she performed in the Overwatch organization after it has disbanded. The short story appears to be set shortly before the beginning of the game, and ties in to an in-game story event that can net you a new Mercy costume.
We’ve gone through the story and summed up the lore highlights from it below–stop now if you’d like to read it yourself without spoilers.
The story begins with Mercy remembering her parents, who were volunteering at a hospital in Switzerland during the Omnic Crisis, and were killed by an airstrike one day when she was still young. The story jumps forward to Mercy as an adult, working at an aid camp just outside Cairo. She’s been there for two years removed, having ended her tenure as head of medical research for Overwatch when the organization collapsed sometime earlier. Her reputation was in tatters when Overwatch was disbanded, and she headed to Egypt to help out because Overwatch was “responsible for much of the country’s suffering.”
The story then cuts to Mercy being reunited with Soldier 76 and Ana, who have tracked her down as 76 badly needs healing. Mercy and 76 have a heated discussion about the state of things–76 is out for revenge, especially against Reaper, and the two don’t see eye to eye.
The story flashes back to Mercy and 76’s first meeting, sparked by Mercy’s research into nanobiotic healing (which is, the story assures us, not related to nanobot technology). We’re given some insights into Mercy’s research background, and how she was brought on bought with the promise of letting her develop healing technologies for use off the battlefield–which is, of course, not exactly what happened.
Back in the present, the trio is jolted by an explosion at the nearby Anubis facility, and a reluctant Mercy straps into her Valkyrie suit alongside the other two to go help fend off Talon forces. In the heat of battle, Mercy finds Hanan, a young girl trapped by rubble, who recognizes her as Mercy when she uses her healing staff. She soon finds herself having to rescue Hanan’s brother, too, who is trapped in a collapsing building.
A mortar hits the building during the rescue attempt, and Mercy’s suit is badly damaged. She manages to save both children as the building collapses, getting trapped as the building collapses around her. But 76 comes back for her, and ultimately everyone survives. In the aftermath, 76 and Ana tell Mercy that they’re leaving to continue hunting Reaper, who was responsible for what happened that day. Mercy does not go with them, but as she continues her work, and as she reflects on saving the two children and how excited they were to meet Mercy, she starts to reassess the value of her work with Overwatch.
If you’re hungry for more Overwatch lore, the recently announced Overwatch 2 promises to deliver much more.
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/overwatch-reveals-mercys-past-in-valkyrie-a-new-sh/1100-6471395/
Major New Ghost Recon Breakpoint Patch Resolves Some Of Its Issues
Ghost Recon: Breakpoint’s 1.0.3 title update patch is available from today on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and the full patch notes have been released. The patch weighs in at 7GB on both PS4 and Xbox One, and a slightly slimmer 6.7GB on PC. It includes a number of bug fixes, tweaks, and improvements, as well as a few basic gameplay updates.
Some major issues have been addressed–drones will now deploy reliably, and players should no longer respawn under the map. The “Mission Completion” tutorial pop-up won’t display after loading screens anymore, and mission interactions are now prioritized over vehicle interactions. These are just a few examples, with the full patch notes listing many more.
Some controls and mechanics have changed too to make for a more enjoyable experience. Players can now do a camera shoulder swap in cover, which was not possible before. Your character’s base stamina has increased by 66% and regenerates 75% faster than before, while sliding now only consumes half the stamina it used to. This should make for a less frustrating game.
The full patch makes multiple changes to the enemy and NPC AI, as well as animation, audio, camera, chat, loot, and menu updates. Missions and general gameplay have also seen multiple improvements. The patch notes detail over 100 changes that have been made as of 1.0.3, which will hopefully go some way to improve the experience.
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Breakpoint has had a difficult launch period, and the game’s middling-to-negative reviews have disappointed Ubisoft, especially as the game has not sold as expected. In the wake of this disappointment, Ubisoft promised that the game would become a more “gritty and authentic military experience” in the future, and promised two major updates for November; this is the first of those.
If you’re jumping back in post-patch, make sure you check out our guide for dealing with drones in Breakpoint.
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/major-new-ghost-recon-breakpoint-patch-resolves-so/1100-6471393/
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Now Has Trials With XP Rewards: Here’s How They Work
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare released on October 25, meaning that some players have had a chance to put serious time into multiplayer and unlock Officer ranks. Officer ranks replace the prestige system from past games in the Call of Duty series, and allow you to chase a new XP target every season, unlocking new Seasonal Ribbons, Season Emblems, and Weapon Blueprints as you move between the 100 ranks available. Players are now be able to gain XP faster in Officer ranks by completing seasonal trials, now available on the main multiplayer screen.
Trials are live in Modern Warfare! Put your skills to the test and earn XP rewards through various training operations. Click the link for details! #ModernWarfare https://t.co/UKOJt6Gpdn
— Infinity Ward (@InfinityWard) November 12, 2019
Developer Infinity Ward has announced that Trials have officially come to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, describing how they work on Reddit. Once you level up enough to hit Officer ranks you’ll start to earn tickets, which can be spent on Trials. One ticket grants you three attempts at one Trial, and you’ll be judged on your performance at completion with a star rating between zero and three stars. Tickets unlock as you level up, but they also reset when the season ends, so it’s best to use them as you earn them rather than hoarding.
For a zero star performance in a Trial, you’ll get 0XP. One star nets you 5000 XP, two stars gets you 7500 XP, and three stars earns 10,000XP. Performing well in Trials will help you climb up the Officer ranks faster and earn more rewards each season.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is also getting a battle pass next month in lieu of a season pass, which will let you unlock new items by completing additional challenges. Infinity Ward is working hard: the 725 shotgun has received a few updates in patches already, while the game has also received new maps and modes since launch. The game received a 7/10 in our review, saying that the multiplayer is “up to par, with a variety of game types for different kinds of players.”
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-now-has-trials-with-xp/1100-6471391/
