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Blizzard takes rare World of Warcraft mount from players as the MMO's latest crack down on real-money transactions continues

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World of Warcraft is unsurprisingly no stranger to account boosting and other no-no forms of real-money transactions, with Blizzard cracking down every now and then on guilty players.

This month is no exception, as the developer has sent out another wave of bans against folks it believes are responsible for engaging in real-money transactions – namely in the EU.

You can find countless streams (some mid-raid and all) of entire guilds being wiped out by game mods over on Twitch and the like, seeing players pulled from the game unexpectedly. It's not the first time that Blizzard has taken action, and it certainly won't be the last.

One of the biggest talking points with this round of bans, however, is the removal of players that supposedly weren't participating in real-money transactions but were in guilds that have other people who are – and, you know, reports that Blizzard is also ripping a very rare mount from fans' accounts in the process: the Mythic L'ura mount, to be precise.

You'll find such discussions over on Reddit, where players post the message they got from the dev.

Just received this in the mailbox
 from r/wow

"During a recent review, we found one or more rewards gained on this account were connected to activity that violates our in-game policies," the supposed prompt from Blizzard reads. "As a result, we have removed these rewards from your account."

Comments also mention other allegedly affected players, with some describing how they lost the Mythic mount even though they didn't violate the Terms of Service.

"A LOT of people in my guild (including myself) lost it because people were in our group who paid for a boost without any of us knowing," as one reply puts it. "Kind of fucking sucks."

There are various other threads on the forum (and elsewhere online) claiming the same scenario. It's a tough one, for sure, because Blizzard technically isn't doing anything wrong by cracking down on real-money transactions.

On the other hand, though, it'd be nice to see a better system of detection that snapshots individuals rather than entire guilds – and, evidently, I'm not alone in thinking so.

Blizzard fires World of Warcraft dev after using "development-only spells on a live realm" to help a friend breeze through bosses



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Jagmas
4 minutes ago
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Round Rock, Texas
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5 Best Hannah Waddingham TV Shows That Aren't Ted Lasso, Ranked

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Before she was AFC Richmond's fiercest owner, Hannah Waddingham built a killer resume across comedy, sci-fi, and one of TV's most iconic fantasy dramas.

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Jagmas
19 minutes ago
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Round Rock, Texas
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Arc Raiders' next major update will present players with a 'new high-level challenge' with a frozen map and arcs which will 'challenge the ways you've learned to move'

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Embark has finally released some solid information on Arc Raiders' next major update, Frozen Trails. We've got details on all the big and small features players can expect to see, including a snowy map, new arcs, new weapons, and more ways in which Embark wishes to improve "the core Arc Raiders experience".

The biggest feature which Frozen Trails brings with it is the map itself which is unsurprisingly frozen. It'll take players beyond the mountains as they're tasked with investigating a strange signal emanating from the tundra. There's abandoned homes, villages, research facilities, and an observatory to explore and strip for loot. But, just as it is with any other Arc Raiders map, players will have to fight for the good stuff: "You’ll encounter threats above and below ground, and navigate environments that no Raiders have seen before."

Arc Raiders Frozen Trails screenshots

(Image credit: Embark Studios)

Some of these threats will likely come in the form of the new arcs which have been teased for a while now. "Our team has been hard at work developing new ARC threats that will arrive alongside the new map, each designed to challenge the ways you’ve learned to move, fight, and adapt," executive producer Aleksander Grøndal explains in a blog post.

All we know about these arcs so far is that they'll range from "small and nifty problem-makers" (which means they'll probably be similar to the likes of Pops or Ticks), to "an enormous machine that will halt you in your tracks."

It's all relative but when I hear enormous in Arc Raiders I think of the Matriarch, which could mean we'll be getting another map-uniting threat to go up against. Perhaps we'll finally see a glimpse of the rumoured Baron or Duke. But enormous could also just mean a Bastion or Vaporizer-sized arc which would still be a lot of fun to fight and likely just as terrifying.

Arc Raiders Arc Flex Rubber: A Queen enemy walking on a rocky ledge.

(Image credit: Embark)

"Creating new ARC is one of the more involved parts of development," Grøndal continues. "From early concepts and animation to behaviour and machine learning systems that give them their distinctive 'spark of life', every enemy goes through months of iteration to get right. We think it’ll be worth the wait, and we can’t wait to see what you think."

But these new arcs aren't just here to terrify players, it's all about creating another "new high-level challenge" for long time players to sink their teeth into. As more time passes and the regulars get better and better, it's crucial that Embark ups the ante, so in enters "an enormous new Arc Operation designed for experienced raiders looking to push themselves even further."

Arc Raiders Frozen Trails screenshots

(Image credit: Embark Studios)

"Without giving too much away, this new activity is built around many of the ideas that have become increasingly important to us throughout development: meaningful decisions, dynamic encounters, and moments that demand cooperation and careful judgment," Grøndal says.

"Success won’t come easily. You’ll need to balance combat, teamwork, risk, and survival in what we believe will be one of the most intense experiences ARC Raiders has offered to date – one that rewards those willing to rise to the challenge." More on this will be revealed later, closer to its release in October.

Without getting to see Frozen Trails first-hand, all players can go by right now are promises and vibes. But without getting ahead of myself, it seems like Embark is hitting the mark of what players need from this next major update. It's not enough to offer up new maps, arcs, and weapons on their own, players need variety and making small tweaks which will force players to expand upon their habitual playstyle sounds like the refresh Arc Raiders needs.

Arc Raiders guide: What's hot this week
Arc Raiders roadmap: New and improved
Arc Raiders best skills: Survive the surface
Arc Raiders best weapons: Just don't lose them
Arc Raiders Expeditions: Retire your Raider
Arc Raiders quests: All the missions and how to beat 'em



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Jagmas
24 minutes ago
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Round Rock, Texas
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Lanterns didn't originally feature a Green Lantern suit as star reveals the DC show creators "weren't sure" about including it

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One thing has really stood out in all of the trailers for upcoming DC show Lanterns so far, and that's Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan suited up. We've had a brief look at him in the Green Lantern suit in the early clips, and it looks pretty incredible.

However, it turns out that this was a pretty late addition to the series. Speaking on the Jimmy Kimmel Show, Chandler revealed: "So they weren't sure whether there was going to be a suit as I understand it. Then towards the end they decide let's have a suit. Then they had to design a suit, they came up with three different designs."

The actor went on to describe how the costume designers created the final piece, which he described as having "battle scars on it." He added: "It's an incredible suit, they built something that was just incredible. It took a while, it was in pieces. It took about 45 minutes to get it on."

The choice was clearly made to make sure the Green Lantern suit looked authentic too, given the backlash to Ryan Reynolds' CGI version in the panned 2011 movie. Lanterns takes place in a much more grounded reality as it combines the superhero genre with crime noir.

It follows Jordan as he teams up with a new recruit, Aaron Pierre's John Stewart, to solve a mysterious case in small-town America, which they believe has cosmic implications.

Lanterns begins on August 16 on HBO Max in the US and August 17 on NOW in the UK. For more, check out our Lanterns release schedule and our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and shows.



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Jagmas
25 minutes ago
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Round Rock, Texas
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Don’t Expect ‘Lanterns’ to Be the Last Place You See John Stewart

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'Lanterns' may follow John Stewart and Hal Jordan, but showrunner Chris Mundy thinks John's future in the DC Universe is especially bright.

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Jagmas
29 minutes ago
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Round Rock, Texas
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Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse Clip Has Leaked, and Sony Is Working Hard to Take It Down

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Fans still have to wait another year until Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, the third entry in the series, hits theaters. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse ended on a cliffhanger that left fans on the edge of their seats. But it appears not everyone is willing to wait until the next movie's official release.



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Jagmas
33 minutes ago
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Round Rock, Texas
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