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5 reasons why The Lord of the Rings remains the most exciting fantasy franchise

November 24, 2021 by RSS Feed

When Peter Jackson adapted The Lord Of The Rings into a blockbusting, Oscar-winning movie trilogy, he achieved the impossible. Although JRR Tolkien’s magnum opus had long since established itself as the definitive, most influential tale in fantasy literature, its size, complexity and vast mythology led many to assume it was unfilmable.

Jackson and his co-writers, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, had other ideas, however, and their epic adaptations (released from 2001-2003) were made with such reverence and affection for the source material that they rapidly became every bit as beloved as the novels.

The success of the movie franchise quickly led to a swathe of officially licensed games, with notable highlights including: The Lord of the Rings: Middle-earth Defense and Middle-earth: Shadow of War. Even today, nearly twenty years after the release of Peter Jackson’s The Fellowship of the Ring, players can continue to experience the legendary director’s vision of Middle-earth thanks to the recent launch of The Lord Of The Rings: Rise To War for mobile.

To celebrate the upcoming anniversary of The Fellowship of the Ring, we’ve explored why Middle-earth remains fantasy’s ultimate destination for gamers…

It’s a story of hope

The Lord Of The Rings novels were partially inspired by Tolkien’s experiences as a soldier in the trenches of World War I. From those bloody horrors, he crafted an inspiring story of hope, a tale of good triumphing against evil despite the most overwhelming odds.

The Dark Lord Sauron – the Enemy who forged the One Ring to Rule Them All and threatens to plunge the whole of Middle-earth into darkness – is such a dangerous threat that Elves, Dwarves and Men must put aside their differences to defeat him. By bringing them together with Hobbits from the faraway Shire, he showed how even the smallest, most unlikely heroes can make a difference.

It features the most epic battles

Peter Jackson always saw the cinematic potential in Tolkien’s battle scenes. While the major skirmishes at Helm’s Deep and the Pelennor Fields are key events in the original The Two Towers and The Return Of The King novels, it’s in the movies that they really come to powerful, visceral life – with Tolkien’s heroes coming to blows with Orcs, Oliphaunts and Fellbeast-riding Ringwraiths in spectacular style.

It’s real cast-of-thousands stuff, as Jackson takes advantage of state-of-the-art CG – technology that would have been unavailable to filmmakers just a few years earlier – to bring the conflicts to convincing, realistic life. Even two decades on, this is fantasy action of unrivalled scale.

The characters are unforgettable

Many epic fantasy tales get so sidetracked with the “epic” and “fantasy” parts of the equation that they forget that humanity is important too. This is not true of The Lord Of The Rings.

Not every character in the saga is human, of course – the Fellowship Of The Ring itself is made up of Hobbits, a Dwarf, an Elf and a Wizard, as well as two mortal men – but many are memorable because they bring something unique to the party – as well as their own complex backstories.

The locations are breath-taking

When it comes to The Lord Of The Rings, New Zealand is much more than a shooting location. When Jackson and New Line Cinema chose to shoot in the director’s homeland, the country became synonymous with the trilogy, to the point the government appointed a minister to look after matters relating to Middle-earth.

It’s hard to imagine a more perfect substitute for Tolkien’s world, such is the richness of the country’s unique, untouched landscape. Inspired by real-life locations across the two islands, Jackson was able to bring iconic locations such as the Misty Mountains, the volcanic wastes of Mordor and the plains of Rohan to spectacular life. Thanks to New Zealand, Middle-earth is a fantasy world unlike any other.

Games that continue to transport you to Middle-earth

The Lord Of The Rings movies leave you in little doubt over which side you should be rooting for – but what if you’d rather work with Sauron and his forces of evil than Frodo, Gandalf and co? The Lord of The Rings: Rise To War allows you to choose your side as you take control of epic battles across Middle-earth – as you encounter Wizards, Orcs, Dwarves, Elves, Hobbits and more, deciding who to form allegiances with is part of the game.

Participating in battles across Tolkien’s famous map, you can recruit iconic commanders from the movies to help you conquer new territory – and take part in side missions. With Jackson’s The Fellowship Of The Ring about to turn 20, this is a welcome reminder of why Middle-earth remains fantasy’s most enticing destination.

Source link:https://www.148apps.com/news/5-reasons-why-the-lord-of-the-rings-remains-the-most-exciting-fantasy-franchise/

How to get the Green Flare Gun in PUBG New State

November 20, 2021 by RSS Feed

The futuristic sequel to the popular battle royale PUBG is out now. PUBG New State is set in the year 2051 and has a lot of new features. The drones and trams have managed to steal most of the spotlight while the new map Troi has been exciting players even before the release.

Exploring new maps with a squad is an exciting adventure. But when you’re the only one from your squad left behind, it’s daunting. This is where the Green Flare Gun comes to the rescue. You can revive one of your dead teammates with this new flare gun.

Where to find Green Flare Gun in PUBG New State?

You won’t find the Green Flare Gun in a particular location. Instead, you will have to collect Drone Credits and get it from the Drone Shop. Here’s a quick rundown on the process:

• When you collect enough Drone Credits, go to the Drone Store
• From the list of items, pick the Green Flare Gun
• Press the ‘Order’ button
• Pick a location for drone delivery
• Your Green Flare Gun will be delivered to you at the selected location

Keep a lookout when you go to collect the drone drop. Other players can loot this drop or ambush you too. So always watch your back!

How to use the Green Flare Gun

The Green Flare Gun is used just like the Red Flare Gun. All you have to do is point the gun towards the sky and fire.

Your teammate has to be gone for at least 90 seconds for the Green Flare Gun to take effect. Your mate will drop through a revival flight and get back to you, so you don’t have to face the enemy alone.

Check out more exciting features in PUBG New State!

Source link:https://www.148apps.com/news/how-to-get-the-green-flare-gun-in-pubg-new-state/

Everything you need to know about Kingdom Two Crowns: Norse Lands

November 19, 2021 by RSS Feed

This week, one of the absolute best real-time strategy games for mobile got a big new update. Kingdom Two Crowns now offers a new campaign type for purchase, and it puts you in the saddle of ruling over a Norse kingdom. I spent quite a bit of time with this new expansion, entitled Norse Lands, to see what kinds of things it offers beyond the base game. For the most part, it gives a new coat of paint to what is already a fantastic game, but there are a few twists it puts on the base game to make it a worthy pickup for anyone who enjoyed it.

The first thing to note about Norse Lands is it isn't free. This expansion is the first paid add-on for the game and it costs $ 3. For that price, you unlock access to start a new kingdom inspired by Viking culture and lore. A couple of things to note about this unlock before you even start playing it: This introduction of a fourth biome to the game doesn't coincide with expanded save slots, so if you've been managing kingdoms in all three of the base game's modes, you'll have to get rid of one to start Norse Lands. Secondly, the minimal UI in Kingdom Two Crowns might make it difficult to understand how to start a game using the new expansion. To access it, make sure to swipe over to Norse Lands when you see the new game title card to make the switch official.

Once you're on your way, Norse Lands doesn't feel like a dramatic overhaul to Two Crowns, but it offers some beautiful visual variety and some notable new mechanics. Most of these changes seem to center around managing combat. In addition to a new unit type--the dual axe-wielding berserkers--you can drop coins at statues that emerge by your kingdom gates to send soldiers out in front of your walls to defend them from attacking monsters. As a trade-off, you don't have access to catapults and it seems like your wall strength overall is a little weaker than other biomes.

There are also some seemingly universal changes to the game that come with access to Norse Lands. There are new mounts to discover and a new way for managing your kingdom's population. Previous iterations of the game had beggar camps you basically had to rely on to keep growing your populace. In this expansion, you can clear out beggar camps and replace them with houses that passively generate population, though you have to pay an increased price to put them to work for you. By universal, I mean that these particular changes seem to carryover into other biomes, so even if you want to pick up your Shogun or Dead Lands kingdoms, you can find new mounts and create houses in them as well.

All told, nothing in Norse Lands feels dramatically different than other aspects of Kingdom Two Crowns, but it does provide some more variety and discovery, all of which strengthen the overall package. One of the best parts of the base game was finding new interesting things in the lands that you slowly tamed over time, and now there is just more of that to do. For anyone who played and enjoyed Kingdom Two Crowns, Norse Lands is a great--albeit unsurprising--reason to hop back into this great game.

Source link:https://www.148apps.com/news/everything-you-need-to-know-about-kingdom-two-crowns-norse-lands/

The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War essential strategy guide

November 18, 2021 by RSS Feed

When you’re trying to increase your power in The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War, the very first thing that comes to mind is always rushing to do the quests. But of course, by just completing your main quests you won’t progress as quickly as you would just focusing straight up on expanding territory and increasing your army.

Therefore, below you’ll find a complete The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War strategy guide to help you figure out the best ways to increase your power, expand your territory occupation quickly and conquer as many tiles as possible. We’ll start off with the Ring Power, which is arguably one of the most influential sources of might.

How to increase Ring Power fast in order to get stronger

There is no quick (or easy, for that matter) way to increase your Ring Power in a matter of minutes. Since you need to actually deploy troops that take a considerable time to reach specific tiles, you need to also think about their Stamina consumption. The best way to do this would be to start by occupying all the tiles that are closest to your base.

If a tile is relatively nearby, you will not consume as much Stamina as you would by marching towards a tile that is 10 minutes away. As a result, you can use that Stamina to conquer a larger number of tiles which you can later dismiss.

Don’t be afraid to rescind the lower power territories once you have increased your army’s strength. The 1 Power lands will not give you much, and it will take 30 minutes to rescind them. If you’re near your territory limit, you should think ahead and remove some of them by the time your Commander’s Stamina fills up, so you can try to go for better ones.

Make sure to upgrade your Commanders at all times

Upgrading your Commanders is no easy feat, and it can only be done over time. There is no EXP potion to help you level them up, so all you can do is send them into as many battles as possible. Or, if you’d rather prefer a more pacifist approach, you can send them Commanders to complete Tips.

Each time a Commander levels up, they will receive one Skill Point which can be allocated into any of their first tier skills. At Commander Respect level 3, you will unlock the next level which will automatically unlock new skills. We’d recommend focusing on one skill at a time and maxing it out, since at max level (level 15) it will grant additional benefits.

Deploy the right troops for each Commander

Some of the Commanders will have passive skills that can benefit only specific troops. The same goes for the troops, which will be a lot stronger if deployed alongside other similar troops or a specific Commander.

For instance, Bow Knights (Tier III) are overall good, but you want to use them as a back line for commanders that can further increase their strength such as Boromir or Aragorn. Cataphracts are another good unit you can use with him, since they also deal a good chunk of damage.

Just keep in mind to always mind the equipment you give to your Commander, since it will automatically grant you some stats that affect certain units. So, you don’t want to use a type of gear that boosts Archers when you don’t have any Archers in your army.

Last but not least, make sure to always take advantage of your idle time

Whenever you are not actively conquering more tiles or expanding your land, you should use that time to conscript more units, upgrade your buildings, mock battling and completing as many Tips as possible.

The time you spend offline can be maximised by doing one or all of the above, since after a while upgrades take hours to finish, and you don’t have the Stamina (or time) to complete battles. That’s when you need to consider sending your Commanders to complete tips and letting them earn you additional EXP.

Source link:https://www.148apps.com/news/the-lord-of-the-rings-rise-to-war-essential-strategy-guide/

How to use Drones in PUBG New State

November 18, 2021 by RSS Feed

PUBG New State rolled out globally on November 17th and has already surpassed 20 million downloads. Much of the excitement surrounding the new PUBG title was the futuristic setting and unique features.

Right before launch, PUBG New State dropped a series of ‘field trip’ videos. These clips were focused on new maps and features with one of the most exciting being the drones.

PUBG New State features a Drone Store that delivers items by drones. Here’s a rundown on how to use Drones in PUBG New State

How to Find and Use Drone Credits

Obtaining Drone Credits is not at all difficult. When you’re looking for loot and gear, you will also find piles of Drone Credits scattered around the map. Make sure you pick those up! Useful items cost more and hence, the more Drone Credits you gather, the better.

When you have Credits in your hand, you can head over to the Drone Shop. This is where you will be spending the Credits.

How to Use the Drone Shop

Now, you will want to spend the credits on items. Here’s how to get to the store:

• Tap the inventory and then click on the ‘Drone’ icon
• A store interface will open up and display a list of items
• Depending on how many Drone Credits you have, you can add items to the cart
• When you’re done, click on the ‘Order’ button
• The next screen will prompt you to choose a location on the map
• Mark a place of your choice and wait for the delivery

The Drone will deliver the items on the spot that you have picked. Make sure to get to the spot on time and grab your order. Don’t forget to be alert while you collect it!

Source link:https://www.148apps.com/news/how-to-use-drones-in-pubg-new-state/