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OG Announces New Dota 2 Roster for Rest of 2024

Sonu Banerjee
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0

Renowned esports organization OG has confirmed its Dota 2 lineup for the remainder of 2024, featuring significant changes from the previous roster.

The announcement, which was made from the official OG Esports X (formerly Twitter) handle, confirms key shifts, including the benching of their legendary position 5 support and two-time TI winner Sébastien “Ceb” Debs.

The void left by Ceb will be filled by Yap “xNova” Jian Wei, who will be stepping in as the team’s new pos 5 support for the remainder of the year. Meanwhile, Maurice “KheZu” Gutmann will assume the role of the team’s coach on a trial basis.

This announcement follows OG’s earlier reveal from a few weeks ago, when they confirmed that Nuengnara “23savage” Teeramahanon and Leon “Nine” Kirilin would be joining the team as their new carry and midlaner, respectively.

“Building on our recent additions of 23 and Nine to our core roster for 2025, we’re continuing to evaluate and trial players for other roles for the remainder of this year,” OG said in a statement. “As part of this process, KheZu will be continuing on trial basis as a coach, while xNova steps in at support for Ceb for the remainder of 2024.”

Dota 2 fans from throughout the world will undoubtedly be looking forward to seeing this new OG roster in action during the upcoming events.

Longer Finals, Bigger Payoffs: Why CS2 Fans Need Bo5

Pranav Nalawade
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0

Esports is a fast changing world and with the launch of Counter-Strike 2, the competitive landscape is about to see major changes. The format of major tournament finals is one of the most debated topics among fans and professionals. At the moment, many finals are best of three (Bo3), but there is more and more talk about best of five (Bo5) finals. In this article I will explain why Bo5 finals should be used in Counter-Strike 2 Majors, discussing the positives and negatives.

BO5 Finals are a better alternative to current three game formats.

The Case for Best-of-Five Finals

  1. Competitive Integrity Enhanced

The Bo5 format means the team that is better on the day actually wins. In a Bo3 a couple mistakes, or even a single map loss can completely decide the outcome. Bo5 allows teams to bounce back from early blips and show their depth and adaptability across multiple maps. This format minimises the impact of flukes and focuses on consistent performance, which is what we need to see in order to identify the best team.

  1. Greater Viewer Engagement

Esports fans are passionate and they are dedicated. They offer a richer viewing experience because they are longer, and more intense. Bo5s can be great for creating epic narratives with comebacks and momentum shifts. The extended format of this version also gives a more detailed analysis and commentary to the overall spectator experience.

  1. New revenue opportunities

From the business point of view, longer finals translates into more slots for advertising and sponsorship. It gives event organisers the opportunity to bring more value to sponsors and provides broadcasters with more airtime to capitalise on. This additional revenue can go back into the scene to increase the production value of the scene, as well as prize pools, all of which are good for the ecosystem as a whole.

Addressing Potential Concerns

  1. Player Fatigue

The most common argument against Bo5 finals is the players get tired. But, with the right schedule or breaks, this can be avoided. These are professional athletes and if they’re prepared properly they can deal with a Bo5 series. Also, the thrill and the prestige of a major final can give you the adrenaline rush needed to overlook exhaustion.

  1. Scheduling Conflicts

Matches that are longer may create scheduling conflicts in tournaments where there is a tight timeline. To resolve this, the organisers can schedule some days to be for finals while giving enough days for a Bo5 series without affecting other matches. It also means starting finals earlier in the day so that finals don’t finish late at night and inconvenience both players and viewers.

  1. Viewer Fatigue

Though matches lasting longer might be exhausting to some viewers, the vast majority of esports fans love it. Broadcasters can provide highlights and condensed versions of the matches to meet the preferences of different individuals. By doing this, casual viewers can still watch the highlights without having to watch the whole thing.

Bo5 finals in Counter-Strike 2 Majors are a step towards a more competitive and engaging scene for both viewers and upping the financial viability of the scene. There are challenges to overcome, but the benefits greatly outweigh the negatives. Given the continued growth of the esports industry, it is important to continue to embrace formats that increase the quality and excitement of competitions. Counter-Strike 2 Majors need to make the jump to the next level of excellence in esports.

Unlock the Evil Powers! Here’s how to get all the Disney Villain skins in Fortnite

Aathityaa Swaminathan
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0

The Disney universe’s villains skin collection just dropped in Fortnite as part of Fortnitemares 2024 including the Outfits and cosmetic packs for Captain Hook, Cruella De Vil, and Maleficent.

Of course, Fortnite’s yearly Halloween mode was released on October 12 starting from Epic’s 31.40 patch. This update has decorated the island with holiday visuals, added the Freaky Fields as one of the latest places of interest, a new set of returning villains, new and improved weapons, quests, and much more.

In return, Epic is also launching several new and shiny Fortnitemares skins that include creations from the Epic original Outfits and some of the most famous characters in beloved franchises. In the course of this event, new skins are unveiled, so the Disney Villains seem to have now arrived in Fortnite.

So, when are Disney Villain skins releasing?

Actually, the Disney Villains skins were released on Fortnite on October 18 at 8 PM ET.

You have until Thursday, October 28 at 8:00 PM ET to obtain these skins and cosmetics. It remains unclear – that which products from Disney the ‘Epic’ store will be returning to the store after this date.

But, how do I get Disney Villain skins?

In order to unlock Disney Villain skins in Fortnite, players will need to buy the individual Outfits for somewhere around 1,800 to 2,000 V-Bucks – if purchased separately, or the whole set or bundle at the 3,800 V-Bucks mark in the Item Shop.

The Cruella De Vil and Maleficent can be bought for 1,800 V-Bucks, while Captain Hook will cost players 2,000 V-Bucks to unlock. Meanwhile, all the solo skins come with their Outfits as well as the different themed cosmetic elements unique to each outfit’s theme.

Here’s a rundown of every Disney Antagonists skin and bundle in Fortnite along with their pricing. 

The entire Disney Villains Bundle 

Price: 3,800 V Bucks

  • Captain Hook’s Skin
  • LEGO Captain Hook’s skin variant
  • Maleficent’s Villains Skin
  • LEGO Maleficent’s skin variant
  • Cruella De Vil’s skin
  • LEGO Cruella De Vil’s skin variant
  • Captain Hook’s flag skin – “Black Bling”
  • Captain’s Fool Pickaxe
  • Tick-Tock Emote
  • Maleficent’s Raven Back Bling
  • Maleficent’s Scepter Pickaxe
  • Haute Handbag Back Bling
  • De Vil’s Grille Pickaxe

Captain Hook

Price: 2,000 V Bucks

Here’s a list of everything you get when you purchase the Captain hook Skin:

  • Captain Hook skin
  • Captain Hook LEGO skin style
  • Hook’s Flag Back Bling
  • Captain’s Fool Pickaxe
  • Tick-Tock Emote

Cruella De Vil

Price: 1,800 V Bucks

Followed by Cruella – the classic Dalmatians villain from the Disney universe, on whose skin purchase you get the following items: 

  • Cruella De Vil skin
  • Cruella De Vil LEGO skin style
  • Haute Handbag Back Bling
  • De Vil’s Grille Pickaxe

Maleficent’s Skin

Price: 1,800 V Bucks

Here is a list of everything you get when you buy this skin:

  • Maleficent skin
  • Maleficent LEGO skin style
  • Maleficent’s Raven Back Bling
  • Maleficent’s Scepter Pickaxe

To get more guides like this for Fortnite and for constant updates on the Fortnitemares 2024 event, click here!

Valve Ships Multiple New Deadlock Updates To Reduce Queue Times in Ranked

Sonu Banerjee
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0
Valve Ships Multiple New Deadlock Updates To Reduce Queue Times in Ranked

Valve has shipped a series of new updates to Deadlock with the aim of reducing queue times in the game’s newly introduced ranked mode.

As we had already discussed earlier, since Deadlock is still in its early stages of testing, Valve is still experimenting with its ranked mode in order to provide the best gameplay experience to its player base. Not only do players need to meet certain requirements to be able to play Deadlock ranked, but there are also specific queue times for the mode depending on their region.

This is not an entirely new formula in Deadlock, as the devs pulled off something similar during the game’s initial testing phase, where players could only queue during designated time windows each day.

Deadlock Ranked Changes Explained: Queue Times Reduced for All Regions

deadlock valve

Prior to the October 18th update, players were able to queue ranked from 1pm-4pm and 7pm-10pm in their respective time zones every day. However, this resulted in some players experiencing high queue times, especially players who were in the top ranks of the hero shooter.

The new Deadlock updates that were shipped to the game today address this problem. As per the official patch notes of the first update of the day, the devs have “adjusted the matchmaking schedule to not be split across many different hours throughout the day.” Moving forward, the hours during which ranked is enabled have been made wider and more concentrated. Additionally, users will no longer need to select their preferred ranked times each week.

Just a few hours after the initial patch, a second update was rolled out for Deadlock. This update introduced weekend-specific ranked hours and corrected time discrepancies in certain regions, including South America, Oceania, and Asia.

Valorant Episode 9 Act 2 End Date & Time

Sonu Banerjee
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0
Valorant Episode 9 Act 2 End Date & Time

Only a few days remain before Valorant Episode 9 Act 2 wraps up and a new Act is introduced to the game, bringing a bunch of exciting changes. The third Act of Valorant Episode 9 will feature a fresh Battle Pass, the Doombringer skin line, and much more that the players of the shooter are eagerly anticipating.

With Episode 9 Act 2 rapidly nearing its end, many players are excited to know more about the exact end date and time of the current Valorant Act. Once the Act ends, you won’t be able to progress further in your current Battle Pass, and your rank will be removed till you play one ranked game in the new Act.

In this article, we take a look at everything you need to know about the end date and time of Valorant Episode 9 Act 2.

Valorant Episode 9 Act 2 End Date & Time

Valorant Episode 9 Act 3

Taking a glance at the current Battle Pass, it’s evident that Valorant Episode 9 Act 2 will come to an end on October 23, 2024. The servers are expected to be down for a while before the Episode 9 Act 3 update is shipped to the game at around 6 am PT.

Note that the aforementioned release time is for the American Valorant servers. If you’re playing in a different region the exact time may vary.

What’s New in Valorant Episode 9 Act 3?

As mentioned earlier, the Valorant Episode 9 Act 3 update is expected to bring with it a number of new changes to the shooter. While the exact patch notes of the update have not been disclosed at the time of writing, we do know that the update will introduce a change in the competitive map pool by replacing Icebox and Lotus with Pearl and Split. The devs have also confirmed that Valorant patch 9.08 will bring some significant tweaks to Sunset.

There’s something for the fans of cosmetics as well, as Episode 9 Act 3 will add the Doombringer skin bundle and a new Battle Pass that includes three new skin collections along with a number of player cards, gun buddies, and sprays.

Deadlock Update Disabled Error: How To Fix

Sonu Banerjee
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0
Deadlock Update Disabled Error: How To Fix

Deadlock is still in its limited testing phase, which is why it’s not uncommon for players to encounter occasional bugs and glitches when trying to play the hero shooter by Valve. The ‘update disabled’ error is one of the most annoying issues that players can face when trying to play the game. When encountered with this error, players can get kicked from ongoing matches or queues, and they’re forced to restart the game.

The ‘update disabled’ error in Deadlock is generally caused when Valve ships out a new patch to the game and your client gets outdated. Luckily, this is an extremely easy problem to fix and it takes no more than a few seconds to solve this issue if you know what you’re doing.

If you’re encountering the ‘update disabled’ error in Deadlock and are searching for ways to resolve it, we’ve got you covered. In this guide, we’ll walk you through a few simple steps that you need to follow to fix the issue and get back to playing without any interruptions.

How To Fix ‘Update Disabled’ Error in Deadlock

The first thing you should do when you face the “update disabled” error in Deadlock is to restart the game. This triggers the automatic download of any pending updates. Once the update is complete, relaunch the game, and you should be all set. You can also try restarting Steam on your PC if you’re unable to download the new update.

If the problem persists, the next logical step for you is to restart your PC. Try launching Deadlock after restarting your PC and see if you still face this error.

If there are no pending updates, your Deadlock game files might be corrupt. The only way to solve this is to verify the game’s integrity or reinstall the game entirely. You can verify game integrity by going through the following steps:

  • Launch Steam.
  • Go to your Steam Library and right-click ‘Deadlock’.
  • Select Properties and go to Installed Files.
  • Select Verify Integrity of Game Files.

Wait for the verification process to complete. Steam will automatically download any files that are corrupt and the problem should be fixed.

That’s everything you need to know on how to fix the ‘update disabled’ error in Deadlock. By following the aforementioned steps correctly, you should be able to enjoy playing Deadlock once again.

Age of Empires Mobile Redeem Codes for October 2024

Aritra Patra
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0
Age of Empires Mobile Redeem Codes for October 2024

Age of Empires brand finally, after all these years, makes its jump into mobile devices to bring frenzied battles and strategic gameplay into the palms of our hands. As you delve into this journey, a great tool awaits you: the Age of Empires Mobile gift codes.

These codes mean a major improvement in the progression of your game. They really give you the advantage of trying to conquer the world. Let’s check out the active codes for this month.

Age of Empires Mobile Redeem Codes for October 2024

  • aoemgloballaunch1017
  • aoemlaunchshow1017
  • aoemobilelaunch1017
  • kingofaoem
  • aoemkr1017
  • AOEM10DAYS
  • EH1Z16EVT
  • AOEM20DAYS
  • M91Z1NC27
  • 8A2Z1B0NR
  • aoemgl

How to Redeem Age of Empires Mobile Codes?

Age of Empires Mobile Redeem Codes

Redeeming gift codes in Age of Empires Mobile is relatively straightforward and very close to what most mobile games use. For a more detailed process, check out this step-by-step guide:

  • Open Age of Empires Mobile by tapping on the Profile icon at the top left corner of the screen.
  • Scroll down and find “Settings”, represented with a gear icon.
  • In the Settings menu, you shall find the “Gift Redemption” option that can be easily identified with its chest icon. Enter and Confirm Tap on the “Gift Redemption” option and enter one of the valid gift codes from the list.
  • Then, you tap on “Confirm”.

Note: The codes will stay active for a limited time. While the time limit hasn’t been confirmed by the developers, we suggest you redeem the codes as fast as possible before they expire.

ESL FACEIT Group Announces $22M Investment for Counter-Strike Ecosystem in 2025 and 2026

Sarjyo Mukherjee
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0
ESL FACEIT Group Announces $22M Investment for Counter-Strike Ecosystem in 2025 and 2026

According to a press release ESL FACEIT Group will provide teams and players at least $11 million in addition to the money it now spends on travel, lodging, and practice settings for international competitions which aims to build “a cohesive and sustainable ecosystem,”.

This news follows the announcement of the 2025 ESL circuit which has been amended after Valve made significant changes to their rules for future tournaments. 2025 ESL events will see minor changes across several layers and will be more accommodating towards the teams.

Marc Winther, Director of Game Ecosystems – Counter-Strike at ESL FACEIT Group, said: “The EPT for Counter-Strike 2 is the definition of EFG’s commitment to fostering a fruitful competitive environment and continually nourishing Counter-Strike’s heritage.

“With a circuit that spans multiple continents and integrates diverse levels of competition, we are excited to further fuel opportunities for world-class teams and passionate fans alike.”

Together with the CS community, ESL and Faceit are looking to raise the quality of CS2 tournaments with every event. The latest regulations will preset the fans with enough tournaments to rejoice along with giving players the right resources to perform at their best.

How to Play Black Ops 6 Early? New Zealand Trick Explained

Aritra Patra
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0
How to Play Black Ops 6 Early? New Zealand Trick Explained

The wait for Black Ops 6 is agonizingly close, but for the true impatient soldiers, here is a potential way to jump into the fray a little sooner. The trick utilizes time differences among regions, but you really should know where you’re at before jumping on this early access mission.

Farewell to all the pre-launch events in Black Ops 6. Activision has finally decided on a simultaneous launch on all modes – whether it’s the single-player campaign or head-banging multiplayer, and the always popular Zombies – all set to come online on 25th October across the globe.

Black Ops 6 New Zealand Trick

But a seat may open up for a console-obsessive gamer who wishes to be among the first to experience the battle: New Zealand timezone trick. But there’s a catch, though video game consoles are going to matter.

Xbox

  • Navigate to Settings: Press the settings button on your console menu.
  • System Deep Dive: Navigate to the “System” section and click on it.
  • Language and Location: Select “Language and Location.”
  • Welcome to New Zealand: In the “Location” section, select your region as New Zealand.
  • Restart and Refresh: Tap on “Restart Now” to restart your system and finalize the transition.

PC

For PC gamers using Game Pass, it’s not entirely different. There are some changes to be made in Windows settings and the Xbox app, but the work is a bit more extensive.

  • Go to Time and Language from Windows Settings.
  • Then go to Region and select New Zealand.
  • Restart your PC and repeat the steps mentioned above to change your account region.
Black Ops 6 New Zealand Trick

PlayStation

PlayStation players are left in a murkier situation. Black Ops 6 is received as an add-on bundle via the Call of Duty HQ app, rather than its big, fat update. The New Zealand trick for PlayStation is still yet to be confirmed for this year.

For example, the PlayStation account tied to a region at the time of making cannot be changed later on. In the earlier days, people were creating fresh accounts with a New Zealand address to get around the aforementioned method. However, this strategy can be unsafe if not implemented wisely, hence caution needs to be noted here.

We will continue to monitor the developments and provide a full walkthrough here when the New Zealand trick works for console owners. Until then, it’s best to just wait since there may be regional account issues if you do it now.

Steam and Battle.net

Unfortunately, soldiers with Steam or Battle.net launchers are out of luck. The latter two platforms tie you to a region, which cannot be changed, thereby closing the New Zealand timezone trick.

By ensuring the deployment of the New Zealand timezone trick, in case it supports your platform, you will get a chance to have Black Ops 6 on the day of October 24th at 4:00 AM PT / 7:00 AM ET, meaning about roughly 20 hours earlier than if you were in the original region you had picked.

ESL Announces 2025 Pro Tour for CS2

Sarjyo Mukherjee
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0
ESL Announces 2025 Pro Tour for CS2

The ESL has unveiled the CS2 Pro Tour for 2025, outlining a circuit that would receive more than $22 million in funding over the course of the upcoming season.

The wide range of events announced by ESL will present a task for other organizers, who will have a tough time placing their own tournaments in the calendar. Having too many events within a short phase will result in a drop in the performances of teams which will further bring down the level of CS.

ESL CS2 2025 calendar:
  • IEM Katowice 2025: January 29th – February 9th
  • ESL Pro League Season 21 (Location TBD): February 25th – March 16th
  • IEM Spring 2025 (Location TBD): April 21st – 27th
  • IEM Dallas 2025: May 19th – 25th
  • IEM Cologne 2025: July 23rd – August 3rd
  • ESL Pro League Season 22 (Location TBD): September 23rd – October 12th
  • IEM Chengdu 2025: November 3rd – 9th
ESL CS2 Pro Tour 2025 calendar

All of the IEM will house the teams using the Global Valve Rankings to choose invitees. 2025 onwards, there will be no best-of-one matches and the Grand Finals will be best-of-five. These mark some significant changes brought in by ESL that will be applicable to all events with the exception of Dallas.

As always, ESL events bring out the best of CS from the best talents and teams in the world. Katowice and Cologne being two highlights of the year, they are all set to make the 2025 season an exciting one, to say the least.

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