In very recent news (so recent it’s only an hour old) the makers of free-to-play MOBA game Dawngate have announced that they are no longer planning on continuing the development of the game.

A post from Matt Bromberg, Group General Manager that was put up on the game’s website, and quickly reposted to the game’s sub-Reddit announced this to the game’s community saying that while Keystone Games had entered into the project with “great hopes and expectations” about Dawngate they ultimately weren’t seeing the progress they’d hoped for.

Dawngate was a new genre for Electronic Arts for whom Keystone is a part of, and the game has been in beta for around 18 months, with 6 of those being an open beta. Feedback from the players had resulted in some growth for the game but not enough for Keystone to justify continuing further with it.

The game will continue to run for another 90 days now, with refunds being given to all players who spent money during the beta period – most should be processed and done within the next 10 days.

They finished the post by thanking the community for their support and recognised the skills and talents of the team who had worked on the game, calling it a “labour of love”.

Dawngate site “An important announcement about the future of Dawngate”: [x]

Reddit post: [x]

Its been a long road for the teams fighting to reach the Smite North American LAN Tournament. Grueling weeks of competition all leading up to a chance to compete for a prize pool currently worth over $1 million dollars. For those teams that didn’t perform well enough to guarantee a slot, there is still a chance to get in via the Wildcard series. Unfortunately, for Team Five Angry Men, that chance has just been swept aside. Following questioning from some members of the eSports team, and an investigation by the Hi-Rez Admin team, it has been discovered that in Week 7 (oct 11, 2014) Team Acceleration “threw” their match against Five Angry Men.

Apparently, this was orchestrated by team manager “Clow” in order to improve their chances against VishusNDelishus. Upon examining the chat logs, it was discovered that members of Five Angry Men and Acceleration had in fact been in contact before the game, discussing a “fix”.  As a result, Five Angry Men have been stipped of their winnings in weeks 7 of the Challenger’s Cup and have been discqualified form the Wildcard event in North America. Team Acceleration meanwhile, will be stripped of all wins in week 7 as well as receiving a one year suspension of competition eligibility, to be lifted on Oct 21, 2105. This affects Jellly, oddtunes, mystx, radiomyst and dre10, collectively referred to as Team Acceleration.

The Wildcard will proceed with 3 teams.

Hi-Rez’s full log of the incident can be found here.

The Bark and the Bite patch brought a lot of rebalancing to the table for two gods. A core god to the eSports meta was hit with the shiniest of nerf bats and some more obscure or unused gods were given minor buffs and some just generally weird things were patched out of the game too (apparently Artemis’ traps were counted as wards by the system, who knew?). All in all there were not a huge amount of changes to gods in this patch, most if it was fixing animation bugs and little UI treats like a passive meter for Sobek (about time) but there was one very, very notable change that initial caused a collective sigh of relief: the bat had come for Mercury at last…

•  Mercury

• Made You Look

• Radius increase per rank reduced from 7.5/10/12.5/15/17.5 to 7.5/9/10.5/12/13.5.
• Range reduced from 55 to 48.

Now for those of you who follow Smite’s meta this seemed like it would cause a shift in the way Mercury was being played, maybe even push him OUT of the meta. But you would in fact be far from correct, this nerf (if you want to call it that) has not changed how potent Mercury is in the ADC, Solo and Jungle roles. Frankly this change has done absolutely nothing to affect him in the long term as he is still a hugely potent hyper carry entering the mid to late game. Granted this change has made him harder to take into a laning role but unfortunately it has barely reduced his effectiveness, he can still out box almost anybody in the game and he still brings a phenomenal amount of damage to the table. Nothing short of a huge buff to a certain controversial celestial plate helm will really balance Mercury properly.

Another less meaningless change in the long run was to a god who was not being played at all, Cabrakan. For his short life span in the game Cabrakan was plagued by annoying bugs and issues that made his very aggressive, short range and frankly warrior-esque kit feel underwhelming. As a result,  he was not being used. Of course Hi-Rez spotted this and decided it was time to rub him up with the buffing cloth;

•  Cabrakan

• Seismic Crush

• Cabrakan now increases his attack speed by 70% for his next basic attack during this ability.

• Refraction Shield

• Increased stun duration from 1 to 1.1/1.2/1.3/1.4/1.5s.
• Reduced recovery time from 0.8s to 0.2s.

• Tectonic Shift

• Reduced recovery time from 0.5s to 0.2s.

In combination with each other these changes have done a LOT to make him playable. Divios of Cognitive Red has taken it upon himself to educate his peers in the strength of Cabrakan solo but it does not feel like people wish to play him in top tier tournament play which is a shame but it is a step in the right direction.

What do you think of these changes? What do you think could be done to Mercury to make him balanced if anything?

After a week-long break, the Hero of the Storm’s alpha servers are back up, bringing with it a load of new features that have been added during the downtime. Of course, Blizzard want players to put them through their paces so the bugs can be spotted and stamped out in a timely manner, and the three biggest features are custom games, observer mode and replays.

Custom games are in a fairly early form, but they are basically the game mode that allows players to set up their own games with their friends rather than entering into the matchmaking pool of players currently looking for a match at that moment. The mode and battleground can be selected and the teams and their heroes are displayed in the lobby along with any observers. Empty slots will have an invite button to allow for the the invitation of those who might be observing the match, or if you fancy just filled with AI heroes. The host of the game also has other controls, such as being able to swap people around between teams, kick a player or make them an observer and some customisation for the AI players too.

Observers can see all the information that players can, as well as cycling between the POVs of all the players so they can see all the action of the matches.

Replays allow for you to relive victories and losses and have a bunch of commands such as slow down, pause and speed up for use. Clicking ‘Watch’ in the menu will bring up the replays from recently played matches to view.

Every three weeks or so Hi-Rez gives us the gift of a new god. They come in all shapes and sizes and sometimes they are completely and utterly broken, be it glitches or just being over powered.

This patch Hi-Rez have brought us Sylvanus, Keeper of the Wild. Sylvanus is a guardian and his kit is very clearly designed to be a support. Overall he feels like he is lacking in damage but what he lacks in that department he makes up for in control and team fight elements. On paper he seems like he will be strong through the entire game, really coming into his own during team fights where he can pull, root and knock targets up in a vicious CC chain that is inherent within his kit.Even his passive is designed around control, potentially rooting someone who attacks him!

Below you will find his kit and the entire Esports team’s thoughts on the new god’s abilities, also why not check out our video on Sylvanus;

Nature’s Protection – Passive
Enemies that successfully land a basic attack on Sylvanus have a 25% chance to be rooted for 1s. This may only happen once every 12s.

Clumzydeath: Even with the internal cooldown of 12s. this is an incredible powerful and awkward passive. He has little to no control over when the root will take place but on the other hand, neither does his opponent. It is great for dissuading trades and forces dominance with just his sheer presence in a fight. The medium length cooldown means that it can be “activated” more than once in prolonged engagements and at least once in a flurry of blows, in lane.

Darkseeker: With this much control and power available to Sylvanus, even in just his basic set, we could very well be looking at the most ridiculous support class Smite has ever created! His abilities inherently carry some form of damage or control, and the passive ability just makes him sound (On paper at the very least) like a total monster!

Digmbot: This passive is ridiculous. You can wade into a team fight with it knowing that SOMEONE is going to get rooted just for attacking you. Its just straight up evil. You can make it work for you even more by pulling someone in with his 3, forcing them to either attack you, or absorb massive damage from your team as they try to retreat. All in all, I think this might be one of the most team focused passives in the game, and its a real doozy. Just fighting against it a few times, I’ve been wrecked by being rooted and then pounced on by two other players.

Novindus: This passive seems very strong, in application it allows you to body block for your team mates to attempt to trigger the root and from personal experience once they are rooted they quickly suffer the wrath of the rest of your kit as you can then pull him and hold him in place even on low health for your team to secure the kill and get out safely, on the other end of the scale this passive is also great for escaping as once they are rooted you can turn, apply more CC and give yourself even more time to escape without being punished by movement penalties and diminishing returns because they are already CCd.

Verdant Growth
Sylvanus throws a seed to a target location. If it hits an enemy they will take 80/100/120/140/160 + 35% of your magical power as damage and become rooted for 2s. If the seed lands on the ground, after 10s it will grow into a flower providing 6/10/14/18/20 MP5 to nearby allies. The pod can be destroyed by basic attacks, exploding and releasing poisonous spores that reduce protections of nearby enemies by 5/10/15/20/25 for 5s. Cooldown 12s. Cost 60/65/70/75/80.

Clumzydeath: Well that’s a lot of text to read! This ability is in theory great for supporting before the game even starts by placing seeds in other lanes however that means little to no ward coverage and 0 damage potential until level 2 is reached. On the other hand once the game gets rolling the mp5 is extremely useful and the root of 2 SECONDS, is insane.

Darkseeker: MP5 regen with an AoE or straight up magic damage, with spores that reduce protections!? Sounds to me like a perfect balance between screwing over your enemies and buffing allies! Used wisely, this could really help set up massive team assaults or give a large amount of aid to solo laners or Junglers!

Digmbot: So, this one is a bit tricky. Throwing down MP5 regeneration is awesome. And the protection strip when someone destroys it is also awesome. But where this ability shines for me is that you can also use if offensively. An area root? Yeah, I’m all for that. Used tactically, this is a really evil way to lock down enemies while your jungle or ADC closes in for a kill.

Novindus: This is the diamond in the rough, Sylvanus’ kit is really strong but this is where it really shines. His kit comes with a huge amount of control but the truly supporting element is this ability, the power to strip protections away and root or to give protections and mana regeneration to team mates is REALLY strong.

Wisps

Sylvanus releases wisps that seek out nearby allies and enemies. Allies are healed 25/35/45/55/65 +15% of your magical power every 1s for 5s and have their protections increased by 5/10/15/20/25 for 5s while enemies take 10,15,20,25,30 +10% of your magical power every 1s for 5s as damage over time. Cooldown 18/17/16/15/14s. Cost 60/65/70/75/80.

Clumzydeath: Having any sort of heal as a support can mean the difference between winning or losing, mostly because trading in the duo lane is paramount. With a decent range, this ability can not only hit the full minion wave, but potentially your hunter and the enemy gods as well. Between this and his grab, being close to the minion wave strongly dissuades your opponents from getting too close. In team fights, its a one button wonder, applying heals and dots to all around him, what’s not to like?

Darkseeker: Healing and damage and protection buffs! Simultaneously? In one ability? Who would say no to that! Nov’s pretty justified in his opinion here don’t get me wrong, the damage is very low and the heal is more of a nice trick, but with the right builds and good positioning, this could be a nasty way to reverse any fight thats going awry!

Digmbot: Novindus is being a goober on this one. You can toss down a heal over time AND damage over time simultaneously? Thats fantastic. The damage might not be that great, but the heal is well worth it. Granted, the heal itself isn’t a ton, but sometimes 25 HP can make all the difference. Yet again, we see Sylvanus stripping protection in addition to buffing allies. Where I see this ability shining is when you start comboing it with Sylvanus’ 1, or with other gods that have tons of CC. Not a single target move, but in a group, the utility of this one is massive.

Novindus: In all honesty this is the only part of the kit that feels underwhelming, the tick heal is nice but the damage is very low. The main factor that makes this ability viable, useful and strong is the large amount of additional protection that it grants, this on a support means close to 40 or 50 protections being given to team mates just with one ability and a core item.

Nature’s Grasp
Sylvanus’s treant launches his rooty hand out in front of him. The hand stops at the first enemy god hit, stunning them for 1s and pulling them back towards Sylvanus. Cooldown 30/27/24/21/18s. Cost 70/75/80/85/90.

Clumzydeath: Not the easiest of abilities to land, but at the same time, it sets Sylvanus up to unleash verdant fury. Once the pull is landed, the easy root is inevitable, from there the ulti can be used for a ridiculous amount of crowd control. Yes the cooldown is long, especially in the early-mid game when it is not leveled but once it is used, successfully, the damage potential is insane.

Darkseeker: This move will require a lot of training to get the hang of, especially with the speed of the ability and the limited hitbox. That said, a well placed shot with this can pull a vital enemy hero right into the middle of your group, introducing them to a whole new definition of pain.

Digmbot: I hate this move. In theory, its awesome. Grab an enemy. Pull them in. Knock them up with the ult. Stun them with the 1, rip damage and more protections off them with the 3, and watch them get burned down by your team. Thats the theory. In practice, this grab moves to slow, the hitbox is either too small or just bugged, and it just doesn’t feel right. If they tweak it a little, it will be devastating. Even now, when you connect and drag an enemy into the middle of a team fight, its a great feeling.

Novindus: When they said they would be taking Arachne’s ultimate and putting it on another god I did not expect it to be so soon are so downright scary, giving a support the ability to grab a target out of a team fight is stupidly strong.

Wrath of Terra
Sylvanus’s treant slams his large trunks into the ground causing large thorny roots to break out of the ground around him. Enemies hit are knocked up and take 60/70/80/90/100 +25% of your magical power every 1s for 5s as damage. Cooldown 90s. Cost 100.

Clumzydeath: A knock up with a dot… not the most exciting of ultis, it is yet another AoE CC maneuver, similar to that of Geb. With the rest of the crowd control abilities that Sylvanus has at his disposal, it is a natural fit yet to me it feels lackluster with the similar ultimates that other gods possess. While I might feel another more creative option could have been explored, that does not mean that the ability is by any means bad. As mentioned the CC-combinations that are available can be amazing in teamfights and the dot is especially frustrating to deal with in combination with the wisps dot effect as well.

Darkseeker: The damage is a little lack-lustre I’ll grant, but just like Digmbot says, Momentum = cancelled. Nil, Zilch! Another example of the utter brutality that is is Sylvanus’ control!

Digmbot: People might not realize how evil this ult is. Yes, enemies that are hit by it are knocked up. But, in contrast to some other knock ups in the game, they are knocked STRAIGHT UP. Momentum is cancelled. This thing stops everyone hit by it in their tracks. Who cares if the damage on it is garbage. You knock up the entire enemy team in a team fight, and your own allies are going to react like sharks smelling blood in the water. Sylvanus’ ult is the capstone on one evil skill set.

Novindus: For those of you who have played support before you will recognize the origins of this kit, it feels like a mixture of Chaac and Geb’s ultimates and maybe a splash of Zhong Kui, the knock up is huge as just like a stun it allows them to be CC chained and to continue to be damaged but unlike a stun you cannot cleanse a knock up in the middle of it and the damage is not small, bring this to the field with a fully support kit that has a lot of CC and combo potential and it makes Sylvanus a truly terrifying force.

Thats it for our opinions on Sylvanus. What do you think about this new god? Let us know in the comments below!