In China, the Communist Party tightens its grip on gaming just before Christmas: The two largest gaming publishers in China, Tencent (LoL) and NetEase (the former partner of Blizzard) suffered such significant losses on the stock market that at one point, 80 billion US dollars in market value were wiped out.
This is the Party’s decision: On December 22, Chinese authorities announced new rules aimed at reducing spending on video games (via dotesports):
Online games are now prohibited from rewarding players for logging in daily.
Furthermore, games are banned from rewarding players who spend money in a game for the first time.
And there will no longer be rewards for players who log in on consecutive days.
All of these are typical reward mechanics in online games intended to encourage players to spend money in a game’s cash shop and to visit the game or shop daily. This is especially common with Free2Play titles and mobile games, which are particularly prevalent in China.
League of Legends is a gaming giant, backed by Tencent Games behind the MOBA:
Start video
LoL: The new champion Hwei fights with a brush -Trailer
The Penguin is Losing Feathers
This was the reaction: On Friday, the international gaming giant Tencent (mascot: Penguin) lost 9.84% on the stock market – they now have a market value of 379 billion US dollars. At their lowest point, they lost 16%.
NetEase lost 16.07% on the stock market, and at their lowest point it was 25%. Their market value has fallen to 54.8 billion $.
At the lowest point of the losses, a total of 80 billion US dollars in market value had vanished, and this was just for the two tech giants that have strong connections to the West:
Tencent is involved in a number of Western companies: They own Riot Games, which distributes League of Legends – and they have their Penguin fins in many other firms.
NetEase is best known in the West as the former partner of Blizzard: They played a leading role in Diablo Immortal.
Why are the companies falling so sharply? It is not so much the current restrictions that are causing the steep drop in stock prices, but rather the fear that more negative news could come that would scare the market, reports the news agency Reuters, citing an expert from Hong Kong.
The renewed strict regulation now raises fears among investors.
China and the Communist Party have often taken a hard line against video games, fearing that excessive gaming could jeopardize the eyesight of the country’s youth. At that time, video games were even referred to as “digital opium” – in the history of China, this is about the worst image that could be given to video games. At the same time, video games are a booming business in China, and Tencent is a global showcase company. It is likely difficult for the Chinese Party to find the right balance here.
In any case, Tencent is confident that it will continue to operate well under the new conditions. The company states that it has already taken some measures to protect especially young people.
Here is our article on the harsh regulations at that time:
A player of the MMORPG Oldschool RuneScape has set himself an extremely laborious task, which became even more difficult due to a handicap: He has spent three years on this Sisyphean task and is now lamenting his plight.
What did the player set out to do?
The player wanted to obtain an “untrimmed Herblore cape” in OldSchool RuneScape’s “Ultimate Ironman” mode.
Translated, this means: He had to level the skill “Herblore” (i.e., herb lore) to the maximum of 99 without leveling any other skill to the maximum level first.
And he did this under extremely strict conditions: Because in “Ultimate Ironman” mode in Oldschool RuneScape, you have nothing at all: You cannot trade, not even deposit items in the bank, and are limited to 28 inventory slots.
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Old School RuneScape shows the “Group Ironman” mode in the trailer
Shoveling 2 tons of sand with eyelashes
Why is this so hard? The skill “Herblore” is considered the hardest skill to level, especially in Ultimate Ironman, due to the limited inventory space – moreover, the player wanted to level this skill to 99 as the first and only skill, making it even harder because he had to restrict himself to the methods he could use to level Herblore. Normally, one would mix potions to level the skill efficiently.
The website “Gamesradar” compares the grind to shoveling two tons of sand with one’s eyelashes.
The player has detailed (via reddit) what he had to do to achieve his goal: A key component was to kill 150,000 to 300,000 chaos druids. He is not so sure about the exact number, as his tracker broke down at some point.
How long did it ultimately take? In the end, he took 3 years for the grind.
Does he regret it? He says: He does not regret the grind. It was “really interesting.” Because it is not a grind where you just sit in a room pressing the same button 500,000 times.
It is a “complicated series of intertwined systems.” He learned a lot about OldSchool RuneScape.
At some points, he thought he would give up and never make it, but then he distracted himself with another grind and got back to work refreshed.
“In a weird way, it was fun. Would I recommend it to others? “No, unless you are a bit of a masochist.”
He says he kept considering giving up, but then all the time he had invested in the task would have been for nothing. And that wouldn’t work either.
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The conflict around the German Twitch streamer Shurjoka is getting wilder: Now a psychologist released a YouTube video about the streamer and referred to it as “Psychological Analysis.” For Shurjoka, such a remote diagnosis is an abuse of her person to make advertising.
What is this conflict about?
The streamer Shurjoka positioned herself against the video game “Hogwarts Legacy” in 2022 and called for a boycott of the action-adventure because Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling supports transphobic views. This sparked opposition.
The streamers who criticize her believe: They only expressed “factual criticism,” to which Shurjoka reacted completely wrongly. However, Shurjoka and some observers (via keinenpixel.de) see the behavior of the criticizing streamers as a hate and incitement campaign for financial interest. Recently, the conflict escalated in December 2023 and reached a temporary peak with the Twitch ban of a streamer.
MontanaBlack is in the midst of this conflict, he reacted to critical videos about Shurjoka and significantly increased the reach of the criticism:
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MontanaBlack exposes 17-year-old in front of thousands of spectators for insulting his energy drink
Shurjoka criticizes YouTube video of a psychologist
This annoys Shurjoka greatly: On December 17, a video was released on YouTube: “The Shurjoka Dynamics – Psychological Analysis: Cog. Dissonance, Anger, Solution.” In this video, a psychologist comments on the conflict between Shurjoka and content creators such as KuchenTV, MontanaBlack, and Alicia Joe.
He provides a rough categorization of the situation and assesses the role of the various opponents from the outside: MontanaBlack is praised as a “bridge builder.” Alicia Joe is noted for handling the conflict well by not engaging in it further.
KuchenTV, on the other hand, would ridicule Shurjoka by overemphasizing her.
For Shurjoka, the video is an affront. She called it a “maximum moral and ethical violation” in a post on Twitter from December 21.
Shurjoka says: For her, it is incomprehensible how a psychologist can publish “remote diagnosis” about her on YouTube to promote his own coaching – and that entirely without her consent.
Several years ago, she made her own diagnoses public. Now, influencers use the psychologist’s video and misuse it as a weapon against her:
“It is hard to describe how it feels when meaningless, lukewarm psychological assessments by experts are misused as a weapon against those affected by real illnesses to gaslight them in public.”
Shurjoka cites several examples on Twitter, showing how she is portrayed as “mentally ill” in YouTube videos and depicted in thumbnails as “mad in a straitjacket.”
Shurjoka published a thumbnail from KuchenTV, showing her in a straitjacket. The video was released on December 12 and has now over 151,000 views.
It is a disgusting hate campaign and an expression of misogyny to portray her as “hysterical, crazy, or mentally incompetent.” One should be ashamed of that.
How do others see the video? Even the biggest critic of Shurjoka, KuchenTV, has criticized the psychologist’s statements in a video. He finds that it lacks any deeper insight. It seems that the psychologist’s video only wants to grab a few clicks (via youtube).
One cannot summarize an 11-month-long conflict into 3 clips and then judge it. Everything the psychologist says in that video, he could have said himself – and he hasn’t even studied, but is “just a high school student.”
KuchenTV rejects the psychologist’s advice to not escalate a conflict but to let it go and de-escalate. From a YouTuber’s perspective, it is wise to engage in conflicts: because conflicts between YouTubers bring reach and money.
Baldur’s Gate 3 promises you maximum freedom. Also the freedom to actually take any junk that is lying around. Including boxes. One player has fully exploited this opportunity and “decorated” his own room in the tavern.
This is what the room looks like: The player undernier posted pictures of his room in a tavern with the comment: “What can I say? I love stuff”. The room is your camp from a certain point in Act 3. That’s where you retreat when you rest.
Much of the actually open space, from where you access the beds and areas of the individual companions, is no longer visible with undernier, though. He literally built new walls out of boxes.
Hanging on these are pictures that he certainly “borrowed” from somewhere. And it doesn’t even look messy:
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What’s lying around here? In one of the screenshots, the user shows an overview of the names of the items that are lying around. Among them are some unique and legendary items, but also important ones that you shouldn’t just misplace:
The helmet of Balduran is lying somewhere in the corner.
The player has even “borrowed” a part of Raphael’s diary.
Particularly exciting is the Nesserstone from Orin, which is located somewhere under the pile of loot. The item is extremely important for the story and ends the game immediately if you lose it. The player wonders in the post: “Well… where did I put the stone?”
Problems with looting? Here are tips to reduce your carrying weight:
Start video
3 Tips to Reduce Your Carrying Weight in Baldur’s Gate 3
“We need a player house”
The community is quite baffled by the achievement. And not just because undernier apparently put a lot of effort into gathering all the loot with “kleptolach”, but also how it was arranged.
Others would have trouble hanging up pictures at all. This player built his own walls right away and arranged everything in a presentable way.
In a comment, someone mentions that we urgently need player housing for such displays.
However, it’s great that you can even display all your loot without mods if you put enough time and effort into it.
The only problem is when you face certain bosses. Then all the loot gets packed into the box. Underier doesn’t allow pets – unless they are petrified during their visit. Basilisk oil is a great solution for that. This will especially sadden scratches – and everyone else, because every NPC companion loves the dog, even Minthara.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The MMORPG Lord of the Rings Online announces concrete plans for 2024 after the expansion Corsairs of Umbar. MyMMO reveals the details.
The Executive Producer Rob Ciccolini revealed some details about the plans that the development team wants to implement for the next year in an interview with YouTuber Bludborn. Although the official roadmap for 2024 has not yet been revealed, Ciccolini provided a comprehensive insight into the future of the game in the interview.
We will tell you what specific plans there are.
Exploration of the Umbar Region and New 64-Bit Servers
Ciccolini announced that players will continue their adventures in the coastal region of Umbar in the expansion Corsairs of Umbar and that they will focus on it. The remaining areas on the map are still to be developed. Additionally, the Elves are set to receive a graphical update.
With the expansion, Lord of the Rings Online brought 350 new quests in four new zones and raised the level cap to 150 in November of this year. Additionally, there was a revamp of the crafting system.
You can watch the entire interview with Bludborn on YouTube here:
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One of the likely highlights of the plans for 2024 concerns the next legendary servers. Ciccolini hints that a new mechanic will be introduced where players will be hunted. Additionally, the team is exploring the possibility of launching regional legendary servers specifically for players in Europe.
Technical Changes
The promised 64-bit servers are reportedly ready to go live, according to Ciccolini. However, there are still delays in implementing two-factor authentication and the new LOTRO launcher. The team is working on it.
Finally, Ciccolini also addressed the long-standing battle against lag in the game, assuring that the introduction of 64-bit servers and future changes to how information is linked with characters will bring significant progress in reducing lag.
Do you want to level up battle pets quickly in World of Warcraft? Then pay attention now – this trick only works 2-3 times a year!
Pet battles are quite controversial in World of Warcraft. Either you love them as a fulfilling side hobby in Azeroth or you despise them. However, to receive certain rewards, pet battles are mandatory – even some mounts are hidden behind pet battles. Therefore, it is worth completing pet battles and having some pets at maximum level 25 for collectors of all kinds.
But did you know that leveling a pet to level 25 only takes 5-10 minutes? This can be done with a little trick that is only available on a few days of the year. In this guide, we will share how you can level pets super fast.
[toc]
This is the “Super Squirt Day” – Leveling battle pets in 10 minutes
What is the “Super Squirt Day”? In World of Warcraft, there is a bonus event for specific activities every week. Among these is the “Pet Battle Bonus Week”. During this week, all pet experience points received are increased by 100% – effectively doubled.
If this event coincides with the presence of the pet trainer “Squirt”, you only need 2 pet battles to level a pet from level 1 to level 25. This opportunity is referred to by pet battle players as the “Super Squirt Day”.
Squirt is only present about every 2 weeks – therefore the events rarely overlap. Image source: wowhead
When is the Super Squirt Day? The two events only overlap a few times a year. The next occurrence of the event will be on December 23, 2023 – that is today!
How to prepare for power leveling
In order to benefit the most from the “Super Squirt Day”, you need to make a series of preparations and meet some requirements. It’s best to complete them right away so you are prepared for future events of this kind.
Here are the necessary requirements:
1. Prepare your garrison
To benefit from the pet battle bonus, you need to prepare your garrison a bit. Complete the following tasks:
Have a character that is at least level 35.
Bring your garrison in Draenor to level 3.
Build a pet menagerie to at least level 1.
For most players, this should not be a challenge, and you probably completed this while leveling. If not, start expanding your garrison now so that everything is ready for power leveling.
The menagerie from the Draenor garrison will be important again.
2. Create a “carry team”
To “power level” pets, you need a “carry team” made up of two pets that are already level 25. These two pets will help you bring any other pet to level 25.
Since you will be battling Squirt repeatedly, there are some particularly good combinations of pets that you can use for this fight. We recommend these two pets:
Snarly (Abilities: Bone Storm, Bone Storm, Bone Storm)
Both pets should be at level 25 and of rare quality. You can often buy both in the auction house, or you can farm them yourself at the Argent Tournament (Enchanted Broom) and in Icecrown Citadel (Snarly).
Tip: In Boralus and Dazar’alor and in your garrison, you can buy items for “Polished Pet Charms” that instantly level your pets to level 25 or increase their quality to “rare”. This allows you to perfectly prepare your “carry team”. You probably received Polished Pet Charms during the Battle for Azeroth through “table missions” and from rare mobs.
At some vendors, you can buy items to level up your first pets.
Surely there are other combinations, but the guide focuses on the one mentioned above.
3. XP buffs for the pets
By default, you would need 3 battles during the Pet Battle Week against Squirt to level a pet from 1 to 25. However, if you use at least one additional bonus, this number drops to 2 battles. You have 3 options to further increase pet XP. They are:
Safari Hat: 10% additional pet XP. A toy, obtained through a lengthy achievement.
Small Treat: 25% additional pet XP. Costs 5 Polished Pet Charms at many pet vendors. Lasts for one hour.
Treat: 50% additional pet XP. Costs 10 Polished Pet Charms at many pet vendors. Lasts for one hour.
Note that you only need one of these three bonuses to reduce the number of battles from 3 to 2. It is not worth adding multiple bonuses, as this method does not provide an advantage!
4. Collect plenty of pets
To make the most of the “Super Squirt Day”, you should have a lot of battle pets to level. Therefore, build a large collection, as in one day, with enough free time, you can level 50-100 pets using this method. It would be a shame to pass up this opportunity because you have too few battle pets.
Here are a few guides that lead to particularly rare pets:
This is how power leveling works on “Super Squirt Day”
When the “Super Squirt Day” arrives, visit your garrison and go to the pet menagerie to fight Squirt. You simply need to use the following strategy. Ensure that your “Enchanted Broom” is in position 1 of your pet battle group. The position of Snarly and your leveling pet does not matter.
Your starting position for the fight against Squirt.
Start the fight:
Round 1: Enchanted Broom uses “Clean Up”.
Round 2: Switch in your “Leveling Pet”.
Round 3: Switch your leveling pet for Snarly.
Round 4: Snarly uses Bone Storm.
Round 5: Snarly uses Bone Storm.
Round 6: Snarly uses Bone Storm.
Round 7: Watch out – Snarly dies. Bring back your Enchanted Broom.
Round 8: Enchanted Broom uses “Wind Up”.
Round 9: Enchanted Broom uses “Wind Up”. The enemy pet dies.
Round 10: Enchanted Broom uses “Sweep”. The enemy pet dies.
Round 11: Enchanted Broom uses “Sweep”. The enemy pet dies. You win.
At the Worgen, you can heal your pets directly and then continue.
This strategy works in about 95% of cases. If it does fail (for example, due to an unfortunate critical hit), then heal your pets and try again.
After winning the fight, you should heal your pets (this is possible at the NPC right next to Squirt). Then repeat the fight or swap out your leveling pet if it is already at level 25.
Leveling pets is also suitable for all players who want to quickly earn some gold. There are several methods to earn a nice sum of gold.
Offer to level other players’ pets for gold. Then you can either level them directly with Squirt or use the leveling stones that can be purchased with Polished Pet Charms.
Alternatively, level your own pets and sell them for gold in the auction house. The price difference between a pet at level 1 and one at level 25 varies between 5,000 and about 20,000 gold coins, depending on the realm. For just a few minutes of effort, that’s a pretty nice sum!
Do you have any other tips and tricks for leveling pets effectively?
Ihr wollt mehr zum Spiel? Tolle Specials, heiße News und interessante Infos zu World of Warcraft findet ihr auch auf unserer WoW-Seite auf Facebook.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In 2019, Electronic Arts released the computer game Anthem , an MMO where everyone was “Iron Man”. Despite a relatively strong start, problems quickly emerged in the game, and eventually, the development of the game was frozen while EA planned a reboot. However, nothing came of the reboot, and Anthem died in February 2021. Now we know the reason for this, the sales figures have been revealed.
What is the new information about Anthem?
A former marketing manager at EA, Alexandre Scriabine, has shared his successes at EA on LinkedIn and also listed the sales figures of Anthem there. A Twitter user published a picture of these figures.
Anthem sold 2 million units in the 1st week and 5 million units over its entire lifespan.
Thus, it is clearly the weakest performer among the games listed by the EA manager: games like Battlefront (50 million units) or Battlefield 1 (21 million units in year 1) perform much better.
Start video
Anthem shows the four different combat suits in the launch trailer
Sales figures apparently collapsed after just one week
Why are the sales figures so disappointing? As media reports suggest (via gamespot), EA had relatively modest goals for Anthem, but even those weren’t ultimately met by Anthem.
As the then EA CEO stated back in May 2019, the sales figures for Anthem at launch did not meet EA’s expectations:
They wanted to sell 5-6 million units in the first month after release.
As we now know, the title sold only 5 million units over its entire lifespan.
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Negative vibe after the launch apparently doomed Anthem
What was the problem? As the numbers suggest, Anthem sold quite well at launch, in the first week, but it then lacked longevity.
When the many problems became apparent and the reputation of Anthem suffered, the sales figures of Anthem must have crashed and never rose again to a reasonable level.
When you see that EA sells 21 million units with other titles like Battlefield 1 or that it had 50 million registered players within 28 days for Apex Legends, EA probably made the hard decision not to invest more time and money in Anthem.
For MMO players, ultimately a significant setback. The poor performance of Anthem in 2019 contributed to the current MMO crisis we have been experiencing for the past 5 years.
Faker won the world championship for the fourth time in League of Legends. As is customary, the winners, namely the players of T1, decide which champions will receive special skins for Worlds 2023. Faker has now changed his champion once again, disappointing some fans.
On November 19, T1 became world champions and Faker secured his fourth world title against Weibo Gaming with a clear 3:0.
Now the T1 players were able to choose which champion will receive a new special skin for Worlds 2023. Faker is known for hardly ever playing with skins. He rarely plays even with a skin and prefers the standard form of his champions.
Faker changed his decision regarding the skin for Worlds 2023 again, causing a wave of disappointment among the T1 fans. Originally, Faker had announced that he would remember his fourth title with Ahri. However, in a recent stream, he revealed his choice: Orianna.
You can see the post here:
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With three Worlds skins in the past (Syndra, Ryze, Zed), Faker has a variety of mid laners to choose from. The rule states that players can only choose skins for champions they also played during Worlds.
Some LoL players celebrate the announced change, but others, who are fans of Ahri and were hoping for the skin, are expressing disappointment. Ahri is one of the most popular champions in League of Legends and has now counted 17 skins, including Prestige skins, which is really a lot.
This is exactly what Faker argued. His choice fell on Orianna because Ahri already has a considerable number of skins. In contrast, Orianna has 11 skins. It could also be a reason that Orianna has no legendary or Prestige skin – even though the Worlds skins have never been legendary skins so far.
Orianna without a skin.
Some fans celebrate it, others are disappointed
Faker’s decision to give the skin to Orianna is causing mixed feelings in the community.
We have summarized a few comments under the mentioned X post about Faker’s decision:
Broccolokid emphasizes: My day is ruined.
RetrixYeji writes: NO, NO, NO, I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THIS!!! WE NEED A T1 AHRI SKIN.
AraArahaChuu says: Oh, my friend will cry when he hears about this change.
Many players are also looking forward to the Orianna skin and find the decision to be better. Another player emphasizes that Faker might want the Orianna skin for his grandmother.
The story behind it is: Faker’s grandmother’s favorite champion is Orianna, as Dack47 writes on X.
Ultimately, it is Faker’s decision with which skin he wants to honor his fourth world championship title. Keria is also obviously uncertain about which champion he should choose now.
He started a poll on Instagram about his champion choice: The two supporters Bard and Renata Glasc were up for selection. Originally, he intended to choose Bard. It remains to be seen whether there will be a change in the decision. Update: He has now chosen Bard.
What do you think of the change? Feel free to write it to us in the comments.
Did you know that Tyler1 is behind a well-known meme? Here you can learn the story:
The gaming publisher Versus Evil announces its closure and lays off all employees just 2 days before Christmas. The indie publisher was founded in 2013 and released some great games: Especially “The Banner Saga” still enjoys a great reputation on Steam with 93% positive reviews.
For which games is the publisher “Versus Evil” known?
The tactical RPG series “The Banner Saga” has 3 parts, with the first one being praised for its narrative density and a great melancholic atmosphere. Part 1 stands at 88% positive reviews on Steam.
The RPG “Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire” from 2018 achieved 87% positive reviews on Steam.
Furthermore, the publisher has released several other titles such as Almighty: Kill Your Gods or Into the Dead 2.
Start video
The Banner Saga Triology – Launch Trailer
Indie publisher known for some RPG gems
This is the story behind the studio: “Versus Evil” was founded in 2013 by Steve Escalante, the former marketing director of Zenimax Online Studios, the then parent company of Bethesda. The publisher was supposed to focus on the indie gaming market.
In November 2021, Versus Evil was purchased by “tinyBuild”. Now Versus Evil closes just a few weeks after Escalante left the studio.
What is being said about the closure? The publisher officially states on X:
“Today is a sad day. After 10 wonderful years, Versus Evil is closing its doors.”
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What is the reason? As reported by Polygon, the new owner of the publisher, tinyBuild, was apparently dissatisfied with the profitability of Versus Evil. They were labeled as “under-performers”: Three of the troubled children’s games that were supposed to be released in 2023 have been postponed to 2024.
There seems to have been a dispute between the new owners and the previous heads of Versus Evil. The founders are said to have accused the new owners of not financially supporting the publisher as promised in 2022 and 2023. Founder Escalante left the studio.
With the closure of Versus Evil, 13 employees lose their jobs just 2 days before Christmas. As Polygon reports, approximately 9,000 people lost their jobs in the gaming industry in 2023.
2023 was generally a tough year for the gaming world. Even in Germany, long-established gaming institutions closed:
During his seven school years at Hogwarts, Harry Potter learns a lot. From Arithmancy to Potions, there are many extraordinary subjects at the wizarding school. Even outside the classrooms, the teachers at Hogwarts have a lot to offer. But which professor is actually the most powerful?
What was the ranking based on? This list focuses on magical abilities, especially in combat. All professors who worked at Hogwarts during Harry’s school years were considered. The basis is both films and books.
The ranking was created based on the personal assessment of MeinMMO author Linda B., who has been a huge fan of Harry Potter since her youth. She is an avowed Ravenclaw and has a special love for the audiobooks by Rufus Beck, which she almost constantly plays.
[toc]
10. Gilderoy Lockhart
Although he likes to pretend, Gilderoy Lockhart is anything but a gifted wizard. His fame is solely due to his talent for Memory Charms. He used these against talented witches and wizards to claim their successes as his own.
His abilities may be very one-dimensional, but they are still dangerous. Thus, Lockhart just barely makes it into this ranking with the most charming smile ever (at least according to Witch Weekly).
9. Dolores Umbridge
There is probably no character more despised in Harry Potter than Dolores Umbridge. Even though she always limited herself to dry theory as a teacher of “Defense Against the Dark Arts,” she was an unpleasant and ruthless opponent. She even attempted to cast an unforgivable curse against Harry.
With her resolute and efficient manner, she advanced far in the ministry. On the other hand, she had great difficulty dealing with the pranks of Fred and George Weasley. Therefore, she only lands in ninth place in this ranking.
Hagrid, the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts and later the Care of Magical Creatures teacher, was expelled from the wizarding school in his third year. His wand was destroyed by the ministry, but he managed to hide the broken pieces in a pink umbrella.
With this umbrella, he occasionally casts spells secretly, which is already remarkable. Because we know from Ron how difficult it is to control a damaged wand. He also managed to execute his spells non-verbally, meaning without incantations.
As a half-giant, he is also above average resistant. He withstood several Stunning Spells when five Aurors, along with Umbridge, tried to take him to Azkaban.
Despite his kind nature, Hagrid should not be underestimated in combat. If he had received a formal education, he would undoubtedly be ranked much higher.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Finnish guild Paragon is now considered a legend in World of Warcraft, known only to older players. Since 2016, one of the formerly best guilds in the world has not been active anymore. Paragon – or more precisely, its hunter Usso – is responsible for one of the most famous scenes in the MMORPG.
This is Paragon: The Finnish guild was once the second-best guild in the world, right behind Method – with both guilds trading places at the top several times. The group mixed it up at the top until Warlords of Draenor:
Paragon achieved the World Second Kill on Yogg-Saron with 0 guardians (WotLK) as well as on Garrosh Hellscream (MoP) and Archimonde (WoD)
Among the World First Kills are Ragnaros, Nefarian, Sinestra, and Al’akir (all Cataclysm)
The biggest achievement for which every veteran knows Paragon today is the World First Kill on the Lich King in the Icecrown Citadel in March 2010. The boss was considered at that time and still is one of the hardest fights. In the anniversary events, he still causes massive wipes today.
That’s why everyone knows Usso today: Usso was one of the hunters of Paragon. He is mainly credited for the guild being the first to defeat the hardest boss in the world at that time. The scene in which his raid leader repeatedly urged him to use his taunt is now already a meme.
During WotLK, Paragon gained world fame. The entire expansion is considered a masterpiece, among other things, due to the best cinematics in the history of the game:
Start video
WOW WotLK Classic: Die Pforte des Zorns
“Everyone must see this”
In the community, the World First Kill on the Lich King is considered a “Must Have Seen” because Paragon barely reached the end at all. The fight is divided into several phases, each of which has special mechanics.
After the last “ghost” phase ends, in which all players must avoid abilities while killing ghosts, the boss enters his berserk mode (“Enrage”). His damage is increased so much that he can virtually kill any player instantly, even tanks.
This enrage actually means the end of the fight, but good players can at least survive for a few more seconds. In the case of Paragon, the Lich King had 1% health left before the end of the fight. The guild decided to have a hunter taunt: Usso.
With “Distracting Shot,” hunters at that time could draw the focus of enemies for 6 seconds. Since the Lich King then had to run a long way to the distant hunter, the raid had enough time to finish off the boss. What followed is one of the first recorded nerd screams in World of Warcraft.
You can watch the entire kill video here. You’ll find the taunting scene starting at minute 16:53:
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2016 marks the end of the journey for Paragon, 2023 finds the guild nearly empty
Paragon secured the kill on the Lich King back in 2010. Subsequently, the guild continued to raid actively for another 6 years and achieved top positions in every content, often even the World First. Their peak time was during Cataclysm.
In 2016, however, Paragon announced its end. They could no longer find enough Finnish players to maintain a top raid, and opening up internationally was not necessarily the plan. The guild announced it would cease its raid operations.
Thus, the last great achievement of Paragon remains the World Second on Archimonde in the Hellfire Citadel in Warlords of Draenor (2015), right behind the world-famous guild Method – which also disbanded shortly thereafter. Method today exists again under the name Echo.
Paragon tried raiding one more time in Legion. Here they managed to defeat the final boss Argus, but only in the normal mode. This was enough for a rather sluggish rank of 26,846 worldwide (via wowprogress).
Today, the guild is nearly empty. There are still 8 characters at level 70, played by only 3 players. All others are far behind or left the guild a while ago. There is certainly no comeback – even though it would fit, as Cataclysm is soon to be released as a new expansion for Classic.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A participant shared a story in their React about 7 vs. Wild that was not shown in the series. It seems there was personal contact with the organization team multiple times during the supposed total isolation period, while being exposed in Canada.
This post contains spoilers for 7 vs. Wild Season 3 Episode 7 and the winners of the series.
Who broke the rules? The winning team of Jens “Knossi” Knossalla and Sascha Huber apparently had direct contact with the organization team multiple times.
It was already known in the past that Sascha and Knossi once failed to send a “Code Green” signal, thereby triggering a deployment of 7 vs. Wild rescue services.
One of the participants of Season 3 is the Twitch streamer Jens “Knossi” Knossalla. You can see more about him in our video.
Start video
From the Witness Stand with Barbara Salesch to the King of Twitch – Career and Life of Knossi
Survival series actually foresees total isolation of the participants
Why is this even bad? The goal of 7 vs. Wild is for the participants to survive 14 days isolated on a deserted island. Having contact with other people significantly destroys the survival feeling of the show.
“7 vs. Wild” founder Fritz Meinecke has repeatedly pointed out that the new rules would allow participants to come into contact with the organization team if they do not strictly adhere to the rules.
In this season of 7 vs. Wild, it is planned that participants will place their SD cards with the recorded audio and video material in “dead letter boxes” on designated days: that is, in places where the SD cards can be picked up by the organization team without contact.
However, if participants wait by the letter boxes, they will inevitably come into contact with the organization team. Waiting by the mailbox is actually prohibited; the handover is supposed to happen without contact.
Knossi and Sascha caused the organization team to intervene with their questions
What did they ask? Knossi and Sascha’s team did exactly that and waited at the mailbox for the organization team. When it arrived, they asked during the pickup of the SD cards about “Red Tide.” The candidates had previously caught mollusks that seemed unusually red to them.
The algal bloom refers to a sudden, massive reproduction of algae. A “harmful algal bloom” (called Red Tide) can negatively affect humans who consume seafood and lead to poisoning.
Because the “Ranger” who picked up the SD cards refused to provide them with a statement, Knossi threatened him and demanded information; otherwise, he would leave the show.
The candidates considered the algal bloom a threat to their lives. When the Ranger left without further information, the influencers concluded that the danger probably did not exist after all, because the Ranger would have prevented them from eating the mollusks and risking their lives.
Why did the organization team return? Apparently, the Ranger relayed the participants’ question to the organization, where alarm bells went off. About 30 minutes after the contact, a team would have been at Knossi and Sascha’s location to prevent them from consuming the mollusks, but the team had already eaten them.
According to Fritz Meinecke, there was no Red Tide on site, and the participants probably did not suffer poisoning from the mollusks.
An episode of the “Behind-The-Scenes” format is supposed to clarify this again, as Meinecke stated in a Stream (via Twitch). It remains unclear how the “Red Tide” algae situation was, though.
Should Knossi and Sascha Huber have been disqualified?
How is this being discussed? On reddit the incident is being taken very seriously:
Some discussion participants believe that the participants should have been disqualified for making contact. If the participants didn’t know whether they could eat something or not, they should not eat it at all. The option to ask is not okay and ruins “the authenticity” of the show.
Others, however, have understanding for the situation. Here, the fault is seen more with the organization: They should have explained to the participants before the show whether it was dangerous to eat clams or algae or not.
A reddit user suggests that surely Knossi was not disqualified for reasons of reach: His presence probably guaranteed high view counts for the show. Also, Knossi and Sascha Huber’s spot was “one of the best.”
Do you find the questions posed to the organization team during the pickup of the SD cards justified? Or do you agree with Meinecke, who sees the survival character as dead? Feel free to let us know in the comments.
Update 25.12., 13:11: There are now additional voices in the discussion:
Even in Pokémon GO, everything is under the sign of Christmas. What to expect in the upcoming Winter Wonderland-event, you will find out here.
When is the event? The Winter Wonderland-event starts on December 23 at 10 AM and ends on Sunday, December 24 at 8 PM.
In this event, you will receive various bonuses, be able to participate in showcases, and complete collector challenges. Additionally, the Raid Day with Damythir is also part of the event.
What bonuses are there in the event? During the event, you can make a whopping 5 special trades per day. The Stardust costs for trading are also reduced by 50%. Furthermore, you will receive double experience points for won raid battles.
Trailer for the current season Timeless Journeys
Start video
Pokémon GO shows the new season “Timeless Travels” in the trailer
Which Pokémon are there in the collector challenges? Within the event, there will be a collector challenge focused on catching and evolving, as well as one focused on trading. While you can encounter Damythir in the catching and evolving challenge, Enton in festive attire awaits you in the trading challenge.
The PokéStop showcases that you can participate in during the event revolve around the event Pokémon that are part of the Winter Wonderland-event. If you haven’t dealt much with showcases so far, feel free to check out how you can use showcases in Pokémon GO.
Who is the event worthwhile for? For collectors, the Enton in its festive attire could definitely be interesting. If you’ve been waiting for a while to trade legendary or event Pokémon with your friends, then this would be the perfect time during the event.
Both the increase in the number of special trades and the reduced costs could be very beneficial for you, allowing you to trade more and cheaper.
How about you? Are you looking forward to the Winter Wonderland, or are you more interested in one of the other events of Pokémon GO in December?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The year 2023 is coming to an end. Many developers are presenting their roadmaps for 2024, showing fans what they can look forward to in the coming year. Two major MMORPGs are getting an expansion, but smaller games are also being supplied with new content.
The highlights of the week:
World of Warcraft shows its roadmap for 2024. The next content patch is expected to arrive in winter 2024, between January and March. Additionally, there are announcements of several patches and the release window for the expansion “The War Within” set between late summer and early autumn.
Fallout 76 also revealed what new content will be available in 2024. In addition to the second part of the Atlantic City update, a new area called the forested Shenandoah will be unlocked next year. The MMORPG can look forward to over 17 million players.
What else happened? The Elder Scrolls Online has launched its winter event (via mmorpg.com). It features new quests, XP boosts, holiday-themed loot boxes, and more. There are 10 daily quests where loot boxes can be received as rewards. These may contain toys or recipes.
Additionally, players can win tickets for themselves by participating in the New Life Festival quest. This allows them to receive even more rewards. The event is set to run until January 9, 2024.
Blizzard has released a trailer announcing the upcoming expansion:
Start video
World of Warcraft: The War Within – Cinematic Trailer
Black Desert Online will also see numerous new content. Since December 20, 2023, players can experience the new class Scholar. In the coming year, the second part of the update is to follow, which will also include a new class that utilizes a sword, a pipe, and the power of Do.
For Final Fantasy XIV, it is currently only known that the new expansion “Dawntrail” is set to be released in summer 2024. Further information is expected at the fan festival taking place in January 2024 in Tokyo. The plan for this has been available since this week.
For WoW Classic, there will soon be a new Hardcore mode that is said to be even harder than the old one. The characters, as always, have only one life, but additionally, trading with other players will not be possible. Furthermore, the mailbox and auction house cannot be used.
What happened with the smaller MMORPGs:
The MMORPG Mabinogi has made the jump to Unreal Engine 5. The first teaser trailers show that the title suddenly looks like a completely different game. In the future, the technical aspects of the game are also to be improved.
Aion Retail and Aion Classic are opening the winter park and the Solorius Festival. At the festivities, there are XP buffs, races, boss fights, and a hunt for lost socks (via MassivelyOP).
The development team of The Lord of the Rings Online reflects on its progress. The new 64-bit servers are ready for launch, lag issues should not be a problem anymore, and the elves are the next to receive a graphical update (via mmorpg.com)
Tarisland has responded to accusations of Pay2Win. The team aims to ensure that in the future, players can earn gold through daily quests. This should make it easier for them to purchase the offered items in the in-game shop. For many players, the proposed solution does not go far enough.
Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen has been in the pre-alpha phase since 2017. The development team wants to pick up the pace, communicate more clearly, and try to attract more players to the MMORPG.
Thus, we have summarized everything important that happened this week in the world of MMORPGs.
What did you enjoy this week? What annoyed you? Let us know in the comments at MeinMMO. If you’re interested in which games are currently being celebrated on Steam, you should check out the following post: The 10 MMORPGs on Steam with the best ratings in December 2023
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Pokémon GO today there is the Raid Day with Damythir. How to make the most of the event is explained here.
When does the Raid Day take place? The Raid Day with Damythir runs today from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. This event is part of the current season Timeless Travels.
What kind of event is this? During a Raid Day, the featured Pokémon appears almost exclusively in raids. You will find Damythir in 3*-raids.
Damythir is making its debut in Pokémon GO as part of this event. Until now, it has not been encountered in the game. It is unknown whether and how Damythir will be available in Pokémon GO after the event.
Additionally, you can encounter Damythir in its shiny form on this Raid Day. If you are aiming for it, you should use the Raid Day to add this shiny to your collection.
What should I use against Damythir? Damythir has the type combination Normal-Psychic. Therefore, you should rely on Bug and Dark types when battling Damythir.
Top Dark-type counters include (Shadow-)Tyranitar, Trikephalo, and Darkrai. If you want to rely on Bug Pokémon, you could choose, for example, Ramoth, Genesect, or Donarion. If you want to look at more potential attackers, check out the best attackers by type in Pokémon GO.
Trailer for the current season Timeless Travels
Start video
Pokémon GO shows the new season “Timeless Travels” in the trailer
What bonuses are available during the event? During the event, the following bonuses will be active in the game:
increased chance to encounter Damythir in its shiny form
up to 5 additional raid passes by spinning gyms (this bonus lasts until 2 hours after the event)
the limit for remote raid passes is increased to 10 (this bonus lasts until 7:00 PM and has been active since yesterday 4:00 PM)
To benefit from the additional raid passes, you must use one first before you can receive the next one. You can go to a gym, finish the Damythir raid, then spin the gym disc to receive the raid pass and then go to the next gym.
You can repeat this process until you have used up all 5 free raid passes.
Are you out today to defeat and catch Damythir? Or are you not interested in this Pokémon at all? Also, check out the events in December in Pokémon GO if you are looking for more information about the current events in the game.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Today, the Raid Day with Pokémon GO featuring Damythir is happening. We will show you which Pokémon and movesets work best against this Pokémon.
What kind of Pokémon is Damythir? Damythir is a Pokémon from the eighth generation. It has the types Normal and Psychic. Damythir is the evolution of Damhirplex.
When is Damythir in raids? You can encounter Damythir in raids today between 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM. You can find more information about the Raid Day featuring Damythir with us as well. Below, we will also show you the best counters to fight against Damythir.
Trailer for the current season Timeless Travels
Start video
Pokémon GO shows the new season “Timeless Travels” in the trailer
Defeating Damythir – These are the best counters
Shadow Tyranitar with Bite and Crunch
Mega Rayquaza with Dragon Tail and Hurricane
Mega Houndoom with Howl and Foul Play
Shadow Snibunna with Howl and Foul Play
Mega Absol with Howl and Dark Aura
Shadow Kramshef with Howl and Dark Aura
Trikephalo with Bite and Crunch
Darkrai with Howl and Dark Aura
Mega Pinsir with Bug Bite and X-Scissor
Tyranitar with Bite and Crunch
Shadow Houndoom with Howl and Foul Play
Shadow Absol with Howl and Dark Aura
Mega Gyarados with Bite and Crunch
Shadow Regigigas with Hidden Power and Giga Impact
Ramoth with Bug Bite and Bug Buzz
Mega Beedrill with Bug Bite and X-Scissor
Shadow Scizor with Fury Cutter and X-Scissor
Mega Ampharos with Volt Switch and Crunch
Mega Gengar with Shadow Punch and Dark Aura
Mega Scizor with Fury Cutter and X-Scissor
What are Damythir’s weaknesses? The Pokémon belongs to the types Normal and Psychic. Therefore, it is only susceptible to the types Dark and Bug. If you focus on these types in the raid against Damythir, it will give you a significant advantage.
Can Damythir appear as Shiny? Yes, Damythir will also be available in its Shiny variant if you defeat it in raids.
Can I evolve Damythir? Currently, it is assumed that you can only obtain Damythir from raids and not by evolving Damhirplex. Whether this changes in the future remains to be seen.
Are you looking forward to Damythir? Will you head out today to fight against it and catch it? Also, check out the other Pokémon GO events in December.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A 10-year-old boy says that Apple7s nerd emoji is an insult to all glasses wearers. This is why he started a petition to change the mobile icon.
There was a time when people who did not fit the typical stereotype had to struggle with societal prejudices. Especially glasses wearers who are fans of technology, video games, or science fiction were unfortunately mocked too often by society.
To ensure this remains the case, a 10-year-old student has decided to start a petition against the glasses-wearing nerd emoji. He finds it insulting and therefore calls on Apple to change the symbol. Our colleagues from 3DJuegos.com reported on this as well.
Start video
How crash detection works on iPhone and Apple Watch
10-Year-Old Wants Apple to Replace the Nerd Emoji
What did the student do? The 10-year-old boy from England has launched a petition against Apple7s nerd emoji via petitiononline.uk. He is supported by his French teacher, who has put the petition online on his behalf.
Since he wears glasses himself, he feels personally affected. He wants to persuade Apple to change the current appearance of the emoji. His parents were not surprised by his action, as he has 2always had a clear opinion on everything,2 according to them.
Why should Apple change the nerd emoji? The student believes that the nerd emoji is insulting to all glasses wearers in the world due to its appearance. The protruding teeth particularly bother him. The boy even sees a comparison to rabbits or rats.
He worries about people who are wearing glasses for the first time in their lives. The Apple symbol could discourage them. The danger is too great that glasses are perceived as a negative trait because of the nerd emoji.
It definitely supports the idea that Apple has changed an emoji in the past. This was the revolver symbol. The US company saw the need for action and replaced it with the symbol of a water gun.
As a counter-design, the 10-year-old boy has created his own symbol. He calls it the Genius Emoji. The smiley on it also wears glasses. However, instead of the protruding teeth, his version shows a small smile.
Amid the festive lights and snowy landscapes in Destiny 2 there is a very special weekly visitor who delights the Guardians with exotic gifts – Xur, the mysterious agent of the Nine. Even in this festive season, he brings you exotic goods.
What happened this week in Destiny? For Bungie, this week marks the winter break. The developer is only around in the background to intervene in case of bugs and issues. The weekly blog will return on January 16.
However, this week in Destiny 2, it was almost all about good weapons for the Guardians.
In this dungeon, you must go if you want to have the new rocket pistol weapon type:
Start video
Destiny 2: Dungeon “Ruins of the Warlord” holds a brittle secret
All info about Xur on December 22, 2023 – PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S
When does Xur arrive? He appears in Destiny 2 weekly on Fridays at 6:00 PM and remains present in the game world until the following Tuesday at 6:00 PM. During this time, Guardians from all over the world can visit his shop and purchase exotic items.
Where is Xur? This is his camp for the weekend
Xur’s location: After the reset at 6:00 PM, the search begins and players fly to Xur’s possible locations. The MeinMMO editorial team is on hand and will tell you where to search.
Here is where Xur is: in the European Dead Zone, so fly to the Twisted Cove
Xur is in the ETZ, Twisted Cove
Xur’s inventory from December 22 to 26 – All Exotics at a glance
What does Xur have on offer? Xur offers a wide selection of exotic gear and weapons on behalf of the Nine, which he only sells to all Guardians in Season 23 for Legendary Shards.
His inventory changes weekly and particularly offers new players the opportunity to improve their skills through the use of Exotics and gear up faster for the challenges in Destiny 2.
This is Xur’s offer
Xur’s inventory from December 22 to 26.
Weapon: Coldheart – Fusion rifle for 29 Legendary Shards
Hunter: Celestial Nighthawk – Helm for 23 Legendary Shards
Mobility: +11
Resilience: +8
Recovery: +16
Discipline: +10
Intellect: +19
Strength: +2
Total: 66
Titan: Synthoceps – Gauntlets for 23 Legendary Shards
Mobility: +12
Resilience: +3
Recovery: +21
Discipline: +12
Intellect: +10
Strength: +10
Total: 68
Warlock: Felwinter’s Helm – Helm for 23 Legendary Shards
Mobility: +7
Resilience: +15
Recovery: +10
Discipline: +2
Intellect: +16
Strength: +14
Total: 64
Legendary armor set: “Kairos Function” set, the Mercury set
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In addition to the regular offerings, Xur sells unique rolls for Exotics from no longer available exotic missions from past DLCs. However, you can only buy these weapons from Xur if you also own the corresponding expansion.
Currently, he has one weapon on offer:
The exotic hand cannon “Hawkmoon” (Beyond Light DLC) with Snapshot Sights.
Trials of Osiris from December 22 to 26 – Maps, Weapons and Information
You can also obtain this iconic armor in the Trials
During Christmas, you can also play the Trials of Osiris to take a break from the delicious food, cookies and family gatherings. So stop by the 14th Saint.
Which map is active this week? In the Trials, Guardians need to focus on a specific map. It does not change and remains active until the Weekly Reset on December 26 at 6:00 PM.
This map is active: Meltdown
Meltdown, the Clovis Bray map in PvP
This is the reward for a flawless run: Every week, a special weapon awaits you at the Lighthouse, which you receive for your flawless run, meaning 7 wins, as a Master version. You can earn the weapon until the coming Tuesday, December 26 at 6:00 PM.
As a reward, there is always an Adept weapon if you made it safely to the Lighthouse with your ticket.
This week’s Master Trials weapon is: Igneous Hammer
When do the Trials officially start? The Trials of Osiris begin today, December 22, 2023, at 6:00 PM and end with the Weekly Reset on December 26, 2023, at 6:00 PM.
Focus on the loot you want: You can specifically focus your Exam engrams on your desired weapon at the 14th Saint. Additionally, there are Enhancement Prisms and Ascendant Shards. Your reward increases further once you have a complete pass – even if you lost one or two Trials matches.
On behalf of the Destiny editorial team at MeinMMO, we would like to wish all brave Guardians out there a reflective time. May your time in the world of Destiny 2 be filled with warm encounters, epic battles, and special gifts. Just like it was for this Guardian: Friendship in Destiny 2 leads to unexpected happiness: ‘Changed my life on my own’
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Winter Sale 2023 is currently running on Steam, the last wave of offers this year. The highlight: Baldur’s Gate 3, the game of the year. But other games are also cheaper now and worth it. MeinMMO presents the best offers to you.
Now there is a 10% discount on the price in the Steam Winter Sale. You pay €53.99 instead of €59.99 for the role-playing game.
The offer is valid until January 4th, so you have limited time to secure the discount.
Is the game worth it? Baldur’s Gate 3 is considered by many fans to be the best game of the year and was even crowned as “Game of the Year” at the Game Awards 2023. Actually a phenomenon, because the genre is rather niche and is aimed at absolute nerds.
Your decisions shape the world and influence what happens. The developers offer you 17,000 different endings and absolute creative freedom. That’s exactly why Baldur’s Gate 3 is celebrated.
Players praise the game for the ability to discover new content even after hundreds of hours. The entire MeinMMO editorial team is also enthusiastic about Baldur’s Gate 3, and even in the gaming industry, the game is considered an exception – or a new standard.
Colleague Michael Graf from GameStar explains here why Baldur’s Gate 3 is shaking up the industry:
Start video
Middle finger to the AAA industry: Baldur’s Gate 3 was no coincidence
Diablo 4, Starfield and many hidden gems are cheaper
Other highlights in the Steam Sale include Diablo 4, Starfield, and Jagged Alliance 3, all of which were released in 2023 and can boast significant successes for the most part.
Two of the biggest deals you can currently get are with Civilization VI and BattleBit Remastered. Civ costs only €5.99 (instead of €59.99) and BattleBit Remastered is available for €8.87 instead of €14.79. The shooter is considered the “better Battlefield”, despite the peculiar graphics.
There are also a few personal recommendations and hidden gems. If you like simulation games, you should definitely check out Against the Storm, a roguelite where you build villages against a storm. It is currently available for €19.49.
If you prefer playing cooperatively, Remnant 2 is worth it for you. The sequel to “Soulslike with guns” offers various classes and a new story, as well as a mode in which the world is generated anew and randomly every time, so you can farm. Remnant 2 costs €29.99 in the sale.
Start video
We played Remnant 2 – Is the co-op game worth it?
Finally, Lies of P is noteworthy. In this Soulslike, you play the puppet P (actually Pinocchio) and must find out who or what is responsible for the puppets going mad and slaughtering humans. The game combines a dark, Victorian atmosphere with tough Soulslike gameplay and is currently priced at €47.99. You can also get it in the Game Pass. Lies of P is by the way ideal, if you need motivation to go to the gym.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Call of Duty: Warzone there is a chance to come back into the match after being eliminated, if you win a duel in the Gulag. However, not all players made it that far, so the developers had to intervene.
All players who have been in a Gulag before will find the situation familiar: During the waiting time, stones fly around, players throw them at each other but cause no damage. So far, so good.
With the arrival of CODMAS in CoD: MW3, snowballs came into play – and thus also in the Gulag. Instead of stones, players could throw snowballs. The streamer DrDisrespect shows in a clip that you can actually die from this, even before the actual duel.
The new Warzone map “Urzikstan” can be seen in the trailer:
Start video
CoD Warzone shows the map Urzikistan in the overview trailer
Deadly Snowball Fight in the Gulag
How did he die? In a nearly 30-second clip on X (formerly Twitter) from December 21, DrDisrespect is seen waiting for his duel in the Gulag of Call of Duty: Warzone. The countdown counts down from 10 seconds.
Meanwhile, he chats with his audience, when suddenly his character takes damage out of nowhere – even before the actual duel. With each hit, he ducks down in front of the camera, looks around, and seems visibly irritated.
After 3-4 hits, his character dies just before the bell rings to start the duel. When the kill cam is displayed, it becomes clear what happened: The enemy pelted him with snowballs from the waiting area. DrDisrespect is speechless, and the clip ends.
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How did the developers intervene? After numerous accounts shared DrDisrespect’s clip on X, Raven Software also posted a message. They shared a post from the account “CODUpdates”, which informed the community that snowballs have been deactivated in the Gulag.
Raven Software shared the post and wrote:
Those of you who threw stone-filled snowballs at the Gulag candidates are now on the naughty list.
Since the developers did not deny the statement of the info post from CODUpdates, it can be assumed that you will no longer be able to hold a deadly snowball fight in the Gulag.
In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, the developers also intervened, but it was about cheaters who smuggled a powerful weapon into the multiplayer. In the end, the cheaters suffered more than their opponents:
