In Diablo 4 the first Winter Event of the hack and slash starts tomorrow: the Midwinter Plague. In line with the upcoming start, the developers have explained the event and provide tips on how to make the most out of it.
When does the event start and end?The Midwinter Plague starts on December 12, 2023 and ends on January 2, 2024. The exact times are not yet known. This is a limited-time event. If you cannot find time or join later, you will have to deal with the time Blizzard gives you until January 2.
The event offers you new mechanics, items, and rewards that you can earn throughout the winter days. In line with the upcoming release, Blizzard has released a short informative video where they talked about the new event and explain what you should pay attention to. We list the most important things for you.
Are you looking for information about the future of Diablo 4? We spoke with the developers:
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BlizzCon 2023: Diablo 4 leaders talk to us about the development and future of the game
3 Things You Should Know About the Midwinter Plague
There are three important resources: For the Midwinter Plague, you can farm three new resources that you need to build Midwinter Proofs. The following are known:
Contaminated Fragment
Location: You can find the contaminated fragments on the purple-tinted map of contaminated monsters.
Lost Heirloom
Location: You can find the lost heirlooms when you destroy the erected totems on the purple-tinted map.
Red-Cloaked Trophy
Location: You can find the red-cloaked trophies from the large goat bosses with red capes, which are also located on the purple-tinted map.
Midwinter Proofs need to be built: To collect the free rewards of the event, you need to build Midwinter Proofs with your farmed items. To do this, visit the event vendor “Gileon” in Kyovashad.
He is marked on the map with a purple symbol. He will be your direct contact when it comes to rewards and increasing your reputation for the Midwinter Plague.
So to build the Midwinter Proofs, you need to go to Gileon and look for a workbench nearby. There you can build three different proofs with the three collected items.
Depending on which material you want to convert, you will need more or fewer items for the process. For contaminated fragments, you need 300 pieces, 30 pieces if you want to rebuild lost heirlooms, and only one piece is required for the trophy to create a proof.
Farm the event for a strong elixir: If you are busy farming, Gileon will reward you with his unique elixir – Gileon’s Brew. This elixir has the following properties:
Increases your maximum health, critical hit chance, and XP gain by 15 % for the next 30 minutes
The elixir and other items from the event will remain available even after the event is over. So gather as many as you can.
The event serves to experiment: In a new video from Blizzard, the developers held a short Q&A where questions about the event were answered. Among them, Deric Nunez, “Lead Live Events Designer” of Diablo 4, spoke about the benefits of such an event.
According to him, the developers have the opportunity to try out new things. Depending on how the community reacts to the event and how the changes are received, the developers will create future content based on the data they have collected.
So feel free to provide feedback on what you like or definitely do not want to see anymore and let us know your opinion about the event in the comments!
Fritz Meinecke (34) reflects on his time at 7 vs. Wild Season 3 and admits mistakes. The founding father of the series recently spoke in detail about his mood after arrival and acknowledged errors.
Why did Fritz Meinecke speak out? As the founder of “7 vs. Wild”, Fritz Meinecke has always held a special position in the series. Even though he emphasizes that he is just a participant in the series and has handed over production, viewers often still hold him accountable.
In a reaction to “7 vs. Wild”, the outdoor YouTuber has now expressed his views on his attitude in the series, which many viewers found to be extremely negative and unusual.
The stream clip of his statement is currently generating a lot of positive feedback in the community, which is happy that Fritz Meinecke is reflecting on his mindset in the series.
What caused the bad mood? In the 48 hours leading up to the suspension, there were significant issues with the production. The participants were supposed to be stranded with a gas grill, which several of the participants, including Fritz Meinecke, rejected. The “7 vs. Wild” founder went so far in Season 3 as to say that this would completely undermine the credibility of the series.
The suspension of the teams was initially postponed but was then planned for the next day in the middle of the night. We have already reported extensively about why Season 3 almost did not take place.
One of the participants in Season 3 is Twitch streamer Jens “Knossi” Knossalla. You can see more about him in our video.
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From the Witness Stand with Barbara Salesch to the King of Twitch – Career and Life of Knossi
Fritz Meinecke: “It was a total flop” – The mindset was the team’s biggest problem
How does Fritz Meinecke now evaluate his behavior? In the stream clip, Fritz Meinecke regrets his behavior in the series. According to his own statement, the 48 hours before the suspension led to the team having a very negative attitude. The YouTuber tells the viewers in the video: “I need to work on myself, guys, I’m being completely honest with you.”
A viewer apparently said in the chat that the negative attitude of the two could also be seen in the series. Fritz Meinecke responded in the video: “I, reflecting on the situation, can clearly say: it was a total flop.”
How are his statements received by the community? The community is pleased with Fritz Meinecke’s statements. Many found his appearance in the series to be rather negatively charged, as he and his teammate Martin “SurvivalMattin” Rudloff (40) showed little fun and much frustration about the difficult conditions on site.
On Reddit, where the video was also posted, users wrote the following:
Sorst: “An impressively reflective assessment. Perhaps a main problem is that Fritz has already participated three times. As a result, he is naturally not as hyped as someone participating for the first time. It will be interesting to see what lessons Fritz draws from all this for Season 4.”
Armendariz93: “Insight is the way to improvement, cool thing, Fritz. Clearly, he also analyzed that Grumpy Fritz would lose more views than he gains in the long run; in a future season, I’d really like to see Fritz as the person responsible for the spots and possibly as a trainer in advance.”
Some, however, see it differently and take his statement as evidence of a possibly planned exit from Season 3:
St3pp3nwol4: “Maddin’s back pain would also not have been a problem with a better mindset? Sounds almost like that, especially since that alone was already prepared as a reason for an early exit.”
plumicorn_png: “You could tell from the beginning that excuses were being sought and found, and that they just wanted to give up. I had the feeling from the start that there was more to it and then this organizational chaos gradually came to light.”
We have already reported multiple times on the background of 7 vs. Wild. In Season 3, new problems with the organization of the series are continuously becoming known. Recently, some fans supposedly discovered that a team was stranded near a hotel resort.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Finals faced challenges with negative reviews shortly after release, but over the weekend, ratings improved and player counts rose to over 240,000.
The shooter places you in a virtual arena where you compete in 3v3v3(v3) matches (depending on the mode) to win in a game show.
Your goal is to collect more money than your opponents and deposit it in a so-called cashout to earn points.
To maintain the upper hand in battle, you can use various weapons, abilities, and gadgets and customize your loadout. The movement and gunplay of The Finals is relatively fast.
The biggest feature of The Finals is the massive destructibility of the map. You can tear down a variety of buildings down to their foundations and use that destruction tactically.
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In The Finals you can live out your destruction rage – Trailer for the Open Beta
The Finals recovers from initial problems
How was the launch of The Finals? Initially weak, then improving steadily.
Shortly after the launch of The Finals, there were several negative reviews on Steam. Players primarily criticized the reduced movement speed of in-game characters compared to the beta. However, the developers revealed that they didn’t change anything.
However, it seems that the “problem” has been resolved, as the reviews steadily improved over the first weekend and are now at a total of 73% positive reviews.
Many players on Steam praise the innovative gameplay – especially the destruction of buildings. It feels fresh and simply fun. Some players also write that they are having fun with a competitive shooter for the first time in years.
Ultimately, The Finals was able to celebrate a generally good release. On Sunday afternoon, player counts even grew to 242,000 active players, making it one of the most popular shooters on Steam over the weekend (via SteamDB).
For the future, the developers plan to release more seasons with new cosmetic content, weapons, gadgets, abilities, and possibly even new modes. It will be exciting to see how popular The Finals really becomes and how long it can maintain a position among the top shooters on Steam.
In the coming year, the 4th season of the anime Demon Slayer will premiere. As with previous seasons, there will be a cinema tour where fans can see the content of the first episode before anyone else. The tour will probably also take place in Germany.
What is Demon Slayer?
The anime has been airing since 2019 and tells the story of Tanjiro Kamado and his younger sister Nezuko Kamado.
Tanjiro’s family is attacked and killed by demons. The only survivor is Nezuko, but she has also turned into a demon. Tanjiro embarks on a journey to find a cure for Nezuko.
It is based on the manga of the same name, which ran from 2016 to 2020.
The anime is quite popular: On MyAnimeList it ranks 7th among the most popular animes and has a rating of 8.49/10. On IMDb it can reach a rating of 8.6/10 stars.
In line with the announcement of the start of season 4, Aniplex has released a trailer showcasing one of the most touching moments between Tanjiro and Nezuko. To avoid spoiling, it’s best to check it out yourself: it’s the scene starting at 0:35.
What happens to Nezuko at the end of season 3 and what we can look forward to in season 4 is shown in the released trailer:
Start video
Demon Slayer celebrates the premiere of Season 4 in 140 countries and regions
Demon Slayer: Everything we know about season 4
When does season 4 start? The premiere of season 4 is expected to take place sometime in spring 2024. The season will be available in Germany again on Crunchyroll. The first episode will be a special lasting 1 hour, while all other episodes will run for about 20-30 minutes.
However, there is a way to see the first episode before the official start on Crunchyroll. Aniplex announced a world tour during which the last episode of season 3 and the first episode of season 4 will be shown in cinemas.
Where can I watch the first episode? The premiere will take place in cinemas in 140 countries and regions. So far, only 10 dates have been revealed, to which special guests will be invited. The tour dates are as follows:
Tokyo: February 2 and 5, 2024
New York: February 10, 2024
Seoul: February 11, 2024
Mexico: February 17, 2024
Singapore: February 17, 2024
Jakarta: February 19, 2024
Paris: February 24, 2024
Taipei: February 24, 2024
London: February 25, 2024
Hong Kong: February 25, 2024
Only two cities in Europe have been confirmed so far. If you’re not too far from Paris or London, those would be good opportunities to see the first episode of season 4 before everyone else.
But don’t worry: there are still 131 other countries and regions where the episode will be shown. In Germany, the premieres of the previous seasons were also shown in cinemas. So we assume that Germany will be among those 131 countries. However, we will have to wait for the exact tour dates.
What is it about? The fourth season runs under the Hashira Training Arc. The Hashira or pillars are the highest-ranking demon slayers in the world of Demon Slayer. Some of them have already had a larger appearance in the first 3 seasons of the anime, including Love Pillar Mitsuri and Insect Pillar Shinobu.
Each of the pillars has its own specialty and element with which they attack. Tanjiro will seek the hands of all pillars to become a stronger fighter.
In 2024, another anime that could compete with Demon Slayer will be released:
Last week, the latest Midlaner named Hwei was released in League of Legends. Hwei caused quite a stir upon his announcement, as he possesses not 4 skills but a total of 10, which can be executed in various combinations. However, this complexity is also reflected in his disastrous win rate.
Who is Hwei, the visionary?
He debuted with patch 13.24
He is a Mage, intended for the Midlane
Has 10 skills instead of 4, which can be executed with different stances and combos
The skills provide him with mana regeneration, movement speed, or simply damage.
Based on his kit, Hwei is an incredibly complex champion and differs from champions like Briar and Naafiri, whose overall kits seem quite simple and rely on decisions made. However, Hwei’s complexity makes it difficult for him to win currently.
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LoL: The new champion Hwei fights with a brush -Trailer
Hwei starts with an incredibly poor win rate
After his release last Wednesday, things didn’t look good for Hwei. As Dexerto reported, his win rate was between 27% and 35%. This marks a disastrous start to the game. Riot responded quickly, releasing a hotfix on December 8 that buffed many of his abilities.
However, that doesn’t seem to have helped much, as seen on U.GG, where he is still in a poor state. Sorting the list by win rate, Hwei holds the last 3 spots as a Support, Midlaner, and Toplaner. His win rate ranges between 35% and 38%. This is indeed better than the numbers reported by Dexerto, but still far from good. (As of: 11.12.2023)
What is the reason? As one might guess, it lies in the 10 skills. Briar also had a poor win rate at release, but it was mainly due to the new self-taunt mechanics that players needed to get accustomed to. To even be able to execute the 10 skills of Hwei requires a lot of learning time, and then knowing when which skill is worth using and what rotations to perform is no easy task.
Then there are the matchups. It is currently challenging to compete against Sylas or Fizz in the Midlane as a Mage.
However, Hwei should not be seen as a failure due to his current poor win rate. Over time, players will become familiar with him, and only then will it become clear what to expect from this champion. The 10 skills can also be advantageous, making it harder for the opponent to anticipate the next move.
Many also compare him to the ADC Aphelios, who has a similarly complex mechanic with different weapons. After some time, many players adjusted to him, and he even became a significant problem on the Botlane for a while:
An employee stole hardware worth several hundred thousand euros over several years. Both culprits have now been caught and charged.
What kind of employee was this? The culprit worked as a “Production Manager” (which is roughly equivalent to a production supervisor in Germany) and was responsible for inventory control and had an overview of the company’s finances.
Between 2013 and 2019, the employee made various expensive products, including laptops, computers, or components disappear and sold them through a middleman on eBay and other platforms. The total amounts to around £200,000, which is approximately €230,000.
The two shared the money from the sales, with the court learning that the accomplice was dependent on the money obtained. This was reported by colleagues from Dorset.live.
At some point, the company noticed that hardware was missing and that someone within the company must have manipulated the system, possibly by adjusting inventory records. However, they could not find out who was behind it. Due to the financial losses, some employees were also reportedly laid off.
The theft was noticed when a very specific device was to be sold
How was the theft discovered? On June 28, 2019, one of the company’s employees discovered a specific laptop with a very precise specification for sale. He informed the managing director, who investigated the matter. This led to a fateful misunderstanding (via dorset.live):
They [the employee and the managing director] went to the seller’s house, and he told them that he had bought the item from […] where he regularly acquired items at low prices.
He thought he was selling it on behalf of his boss. The seller provided the [company’s managing director] with the middleman’s address, and on July 3, 2019, he visited his residence […]. There he checked the laptop and was able to determine from the serial number that it was missing.
Names and locations have been replaced with […].
The managing director explained the situation to the culprit and emphasized that there was considerable evidence pointing to the sold goods and that it was in his best interest to cooperate with the ongoing investigations.
The accomplice provided information about the agreement between himself and the main perpetrator and revealed that they had sold at least
20 to 30 laptops
10 desktop computers
50 GPUs and other components like hard drives and monitors
They were supposed to have sold. In addition, he handed over WhatsApp chats that illustrated the extent of the criminal activities.
How did the matter end? The main perpetrator receives a prison sentence of 3 years and 8 months. The police were able to secure €67,658.25 in total. His accomplice is still awaiting a verdict, which is expected to be announced soon.
There are also problems in other companies. A crypto bank now has to pay a large sum and fire its own CEO:
In Pokémon GO the new event “Hard Times” is coming, focusing mainly on Pokémon from the Kanto region. We summarize the most important content for you.
When does “Hard Times” start? It starts on Monday, December 11, 2023, at 10:00 AM local time. It runs until Friday, December 15, at 8:00 PM.
What does the event bring? Much of the event revolves around Pokémon from the Kanto region, meaning the classics from the first generation. Additionally, you can collect a lot of XP by completing research or using bonuses. Here is a brief overview:
The most important bonuses: “Hard Times” offers the following bonuses for you:
Triple catch XP
The guaranteed lucky trade limit has been increased from 15 to 25. This applies to Pokémon you have stored since 2018. This bonus remains beyond the event.
In Pokémon GO there is the new special research “Path to New Friendships”, where you are supposed to exchange gifts with Mateo. We will show you the known steps and rewards.
This is the research: The special research “Path to New Friendships” has been taking place since the start of the “Along the Routes” event. It is available as soon as you start Pokémon GO from December 5, 2023.
In the bottom right, you will meet the new NPC Mateo, who is traveling along the routes as a researcher. You will also receive a new task with him: exchange gifts with Mateo.
How do you exchange a gift with Mateo?
Where can I find Mateo? To encounter Mateo, you need to complete routes. At the end of a route, it is possible that you will encounter Mateo – but not guaranteed.
So complete several routes if it doesn’t work the first time. Also, keep in mind that the “Along the Routes” event officially starts on December 5 at 10:00 AM.
Per day, you can encounter Mateo once to exchange a gift with him. If you meet him at the end of a route, you can talk to him and exchange a gift with him. For this, you give one of yours and receive one from another trainer. Mateo acts here as a messenger. However, this also gives you the chance for postcards from unusual regions, which in turn helps with the search for the Vivillon patterns.
It is currently unclear how often Mateo appears and to what extent his appearance is left to chance. As soon as there is more information, we will keep you updated.
Stage reward: Upon completing the research, you will receive:
Encounter with Hisui-Sniebel
1,000 XP
1,000 Stardust
Note: Since Mateo only appears once per day, trainers have not yet been able to trade with him three times. Therefore, no one has progressed beyond step 3 of the research, and step 4 is still unknown. We will update the article as soon as it is clear how the research continues.
A short moment can change a lot in Minecraft – and often it is not even in our hands. After all, we can laugh about it now.
In Minecraft, there are plenty of dangers that can ruin players’ everyday life. One of these dangers is lightning, which only occurs during thunderstorms. Generally, lightning is not particularly dangerous – if hit directly, you suffer 5 damage (2 ½ hearts) and catch fire. However, since it is raining, the fire usually goes out quickly – at least on the lower difficulties.
But how much bad luck one can have with a lightning strike is shown by a clip from the Minecraft subreddit.
What can be seen there? In the video by Sad_Competition9186, we see a player’s farm during a thunderstorm. The player is currently sorting their inventory when lightning strikes – right on a trapdoor:
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However, under this trapdoor was the player’s entire chicken farm. Confining the animals in this way in a small space is a simple solution to easily gather eggs.
However, the lightning made short work of all the chickens, killing the entire coop. The player has no choice but to pick up the meat and feathers.
At least: The meat is at least cooked due to the lightning strike.
What else can lightning do? However, lightning also has some ‘mythical’ abilities in Minecraft. Because not only does it ignite objects, animals, and players, but it can also trigger some very special effects, most of which are rather negative in nature:
Lightning can cause four riders to appear on skeleton horses when the player approaches.
If a pig is struck by lightning, it transforms into a zombified piglin.
A creeper becomes a charged creeper with much greater explosive power.
A villager is transformed into a witch.
A red mooshroom is transformed into a brown mooshroom (and vice versa).
A turtle is instantly killed and drops a bowl instead of the usual loot.
Thus, lightning can trigger very funny, random effects – but it can also quickly become a deadly danger if, for example, your villager village is suddenly taken over by a witch.
The community is afraid of lightning: In the community, and accordingly in the comments under the video, there is a general agreement: Lightning is more dangerous than creepers.
The main problem is that the fire from lightning can spread rapidly, especially on higher difficulties. Whole houses or landscapes can burn down, along with tamed wolves and a base you’ve worked on for days.
Could this have been avoided? Yes. Since copper deposits have been introduced in Minecraft, players can also build lightning rods. These ensure that in the event of a thunderstorm, lightning strikes directly into the lightning rod and not elsewhere. This could have prevented this disaster and many others.
Do you protect yourself from lightning in Minecraft? Or do you like the risk?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The new role-playing game Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is currently exciting players. Although it may attract fewer players than genre giant Baldur’s Gate 3, especially fans of Warhammer believe: the game is an even bigger hit for them.
In Rogue Trader, you play as a so-called “Free Trader,” who has special powers: you explore the outer reaches of the universe and may even bypass laws if you find it necessary.
Rogue Trader was released on December 7 for PC (Steam, GOG, Epic), PS5, and Xbox.
How Rogue Trader is received: Players are enthusiastic about Rogue Trader. In the PS Store, the game has a rating of 4.7/5 stars, and on Steam, it is rated “very positive” with 84% of the reviews.
Our colleagues at GameStar rate the game similarly. In an initial rating, Rogue Trader scores a preliminary score of 85-90. However, the end has not yet been reached.
Rogue Trader is especially well-received by Warhammer fans. A player on Steam writes that while the game does not match the presentation of Baldur’s Gate 3, it is the better game for him: “mature and without adolescent influences.”
Start video
Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader – The release trailer for the role-playing game
“Detail-oriented, heavy, bloody, and the performance is perfect”
The implementation of the world in the style of a tabletop game is particularly well-received. Although there are no classic “classes” and the alignment behaves differently, Rogue Trader feels like a strong role-playing game. For newcomers, the game is a “great introduction to Warhammer 40k.”
The gameplay is reminiscent primarily of XCOM. In addition to spells and melee weapons like in Baldur’s Gate 3, projectile weapons, plasma guns, and laser rifles are also used.
The larger and only point of criticism that is repeatedly mentioned are the bugs. These have already caused in international ratings for some severe deductions in the score. Currently, the developers are working on patches for that.
I myself have now spent over 20 hours in the game and see it similarly: Rogue Trader plays excellently. I have hardly noticed any bugs so far, except for mainly typos in the German text.
It is, however, difficult to label the game as “better” than Baldur’s Gate 3, especially since it was just crowned best game of the year. Rogue Trader is different: more text and less spoken dialogue, less elaborate cutscenes, and visually not as appealing. The decisions are also somewhat more constrained but provide equally significant impacts and emotions.
All in all, Rogue Trader is certainly worthwhile for anyone who enjoyed Baldur’s Gate 3 and now wants to explore other universes, and especially for Warhammer fans. Lore nerds will find plenty of content here to indulge in.
If you are looking for further alternatives to Baldur’s Gate 3, we have prepared a few for you:
In Fortnite, there is now a new survival mode created in cooperation with LEGO – and even MeinMMO editor Dariusz Müller is having fun with it.
With LEGO Fortnite, Epic Games has officially declared war on games like Minecraft and Terraria. I myself am not a fan of Fortnite and in the editorial office, I’m even known as the shooter nerd who doesn’t like battle royale. That sounds almost paradoxical, but I really just don’t enjoy the subgenre.
Fortnite has an even tougher time with me than other “battle royale” shooters, even if I only refer to the gameplay. The third-person perspective and the art style have just never convinced me. Meanwhile, with Valorant, a similarly colorful shooter is currently my favorite game.
Yes, the big events that take place regularly are somehow impressive. Nonetheless, I’ve never had even a single minute of fun with Fortnite in my life – until the LEGO mode came.
If you want an impression of the mode, you can see the trailer here:
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Epic Games shows LEGO Fortnite in the cinematic trailer
Survival Game in LEGO Style
LEGO Fortnite relies on very classic mechanics of survival games. We spawn, farm wood and stone, build houses, beds, and workbenches, and take care of food procurement. Then we build more and more different buildings, machines, and items, upgrade our equipment, explore the map, and try to survive somehow. HoweverLEGO Fortnite has a significant distinguishing point, which is already in the title of the game: LEGO.
The game world of LEGO Fortnite consists of the small colorful toy building blocks that most of you know from your childhood. The parents among you have surely stepped on one or two blocks already.
The collaboration with LEGO has the advantage that it at least looks child-friendly visually and simultaneously evokes nostalgic feelings in many teens or adults. After all, who didn’t enjoy playing with building blocks in their childhood? Whether directly from LEGO or alternative manufacturers like CaDA or Unico.
LEGO Fortnite does not feel like a generic survival game in Fortnite; instead, it is THE opportunity to finally play with LEGO again.
If you have the opportunity to play LEGO Fortnite and like Minecraft or other survival games, you should definitely give LEGO Fortnite a try – especially if you already have Fortnite installed. It is a really solid survival game that can provide entertainment and fun.
In terms of gameplay fundamentals, I think LEGO Fortnite gets everything right. The game does make compromises in the small details that survival players are accustomed to from other titles. For instance, tools wear out very quickly, and you can only repair them at the workbench, not in your inventory. It’s annoying but not a major issue.
I’m still far from being a fan of the Fortnite shop and this type of funding model, but that’s an old known topic, and it won’t change anytime soon – neither in Fortnite nor other games.
I can’t yet assess how long it will be fun for me, but for now, I definitely plan to spend a few hours in the game and build a small town with LEGO blocks.
The new capital of the Night Elves in World of Warcraft is threatened by Horde players – at least a little. They are allowed to move freely there.
The war between Horde and Alliance in World of Warcraft has been definitively over for several years. But that doesn’t mean everything is now “peace, joy, pancakes” – there are still conflicts and old wounds that need to heal. The Night Elves, in particular, will not be able to forgive many easily.
Horde heroes are warned: If you enter the city of Bel’ameth as a Horde character, you will immediately be affected by a debuff called “Eyes of the Watchers.” This indicates: “By entering this land, the Eyes of the Watchers are upon you.” (via wowhead)
The Watchers are, simplified, akin to the city guards of the Night Elves. As Night Elves primarily operate from the shadows, the debuff simply states: “You are being watched. Don’t do anything stupid.”
On the PTR, this buff only ensures that you have a neutral standing with all NPCs in the region, meaning you won’t automatically be attacked by them.
Attacking an Alliance character does not change this – but it is likely that this is still a bug. After all, it would be rather strange if the shield guards simply overlooked the fact that you are currently beating up Night Elves in their new capital.
In Bel’ameth everyone is welcome – at least for now.
Why is there Horde in Bel’ameth? In fact, you can even see a few Horde characters in Bel’ameth, who are at least bound to neutrality through other organizations. The Tauren Hamuul Runetotem from the Circle of Cenarious is present and tells Horde characters:
Amirdrassil has blossomed. Bel’ameth marks a place of healing and recovery for the Kaldorei.
A part of this was due to our help. Tyrande has graciously allowed us to roam freely here.
Enjoy what this new land has to offer. Bathe in its beauty, but do not let the High Priestess regret her decision, [character].
The reason for the Horde’s presence is that it was also Horde heroes who contributed to the blooming of the tree. After all, they fought side by side against Fyrakk.
However, note that this is still information from the PTR – some details may change before the release of Patch 10.2.5.
Why is Blizzard doing this? On one hand, there is criticism for this decision. Some Night Elf fans find it hard to understand that after the loss of Teldrassil, members of the Horde are simply tolerated in the new capital so shortly after its settlement.
On the other hand, this treatment also has some advantages. Role players can benefit from a new place where RP is possible – especially in a cross-faction context. Additionally, it would be a bit of a shame if they jointly enabled this city, but in the end only the Alliance is able to enjoy the beauty of Bel’ameth.
However, Horde players should leave their lighters at home. Otherwise, this peace could change quite quickly…
After many years of waiting, GTA 6 finally received the official trailer that everyone has been waiting for. It contains many details and memes, especially from the famous “Florida Man”. One of these men now wants money from Rockstar.
This is what the “Florida Joker” says: The inspiration for this scene is allegedly a court case from Florida in 2017. The “mugshot” shows the tattooed face of the man, including “ripped” cheeks and a joker inscription on his forehead. He refers to himself as the “Miami Joker” or “Florida Joker”.
On TikTok, the man now claims that Rockstar used his viral image as inspiration for a scene from the trailer for GTA 6. After a dispute with other users on social media, there was even a second video.
There, the Florida Joker directly compares the scene to an image from his trial and says:
For everyone who thinks I’m hallucinating […] that is me. That’s the person from whom they got their inspiration. Do you see that? GTA, we need to talk […] You need to give me one or two million. […] The Florida Joker has had enough. You took my likeness, you took my life.
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Rockstar Games shows GTA 6 for the first time in the trailer
“Lindsay Lohan tried this already and failed”
Whether there will really be a lawsuit is unclear. It is, however, unlikely that the man will actually get money, as legal expert Rob Freund on X explains.
In response to a discussion, he answers the question of how the man’s chances stand: “Rather poor. Lindsay Lohan tried the same against Rockstar and lost.” The dispute back then was about an alleged similarity and only ended after 5 years (via GameStar).
In response to the comment that this time it is not a similarity but an exact copy, Freund replies: that’s not true. The tattoos are different, the face is different, and the hair is different. Rockstar will simply claim that this is just another guy with facial tattoos and that will give the studio success.
The trailer itself brings much joy among fans – even if they doubt that GTA 6 will really look as good as promised. However, a former developer claims that this will actually be the case:
Within the Star Citizen community, there is currently a significant conflict. PvP chaos escalated during a test and drove peaceful players to madness. Discovering new content and reporting bugs became nearly impossible.
While solo adventurers now look forward even more to a story-driven game that they can explore by themselves, the community believes that something is really going wrong in the multiplayer variant of Star Citizen.
We’re talking about Pyro, the next system with multiple planets and moons. For this purpose, the developers held a tech preview test to gather feedback from participating players on new content and bugs found.
However, diligent players were hindered by so-called griefers. These PvP pirates targeted everyone who crossed their path on the preview server. As a result, many players who only had good intentions for this test had their fun taken away. The victims here are all players of Star Citizen, including the griefers themselves.
If voluntary testers are missing from the servers of the preview versions, the quality of upcoming updates suffers. If toxic behavior continues to spread within the community, players will leave the Star Citizen universe, and new potential space pilots will be deterred. No one benefits from this. Neither PvE and PvP players nor the griefers themselves.
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Star Citizen shows the campaign Squadron 42 in the trailer
PvP players out of control, Star Citizen becomes the ‘Wild West’
What happened? Selected players of Star Citizen had the opportunity to check out a preview build of the space MMO. In this early version with new content, space pilots could examine the upcoming Pyro star system. The focus was on exploration and finding bugs to report to the developers.
However, the discovery of new planets and moons was out of the question. Bug hunting also proved to be a challenging undertaking. Both were massively disrupted by griefers with unfair PvP battles.
What does griefer mean?
A griefer aims to ruin others’ enjoyment. The word grief translates to sorrow. A griefer is therefore someone who wants to cause others distress.
Why did the PvP gameplay escalate? The game world did not have weapon-free zones during this test. Griefers shamelessly exploited this and ruined the fun for other players. Areas that players needed to cross to reach their spaceship were effectively monitored.
As soon as an unsuspecting character was spotted, the fire was opened on them. Since there were no penalties for such crimes at the same time, griefers had no consequences to fear.
Some players were targeted who had just entered the game world. Others managed to get into their spaceship but were shot down by griefers as they attempted to reach space.
A station in the new Pyro star system
How did the community react? Players who had to experience such situations multiple times quit the game in frustration. On Reddit and Spectrum, the official Star Citizen forum, players vented their anger and frustration over escalating PvP players. Countless posts and comments contain complaints about the toxic behavior of the griefers.
But the other side in the form of the griefers also spoke up. The result was debates about who was actually right. The PvP pirates argued, among other things, that there must be some level of risk in Star Citizen. The constantly recurring gameplay loops in PvE would not be enough.
Here are some voices on the conflict:
People who are currently doing nothing but killing everything? That’s just plain stupid. Especially since I bet these are exactly the people who constantly complain about bugs. (Usual-Application916 via Reddit)
As a former enthusiastic player approaching 40, I no longer have the time, energy, or patience to deal with such childish bullshit. (NKato via Reddit)
Yes. Go back to Stanton for a civilized, polite society. Pyro is a lawless hellhole and should be recognized as such. (False_Profit_ via Reddit)
As long as there are enough people actually looking for bugs and reporting them, I’m fine with letting the PvP players have their fun. […] Constant danger can enrich the game in a way. (Spectral_Disorder via Reddit)
What is being demanded now? The majority of posts and comments advocate for a structured PvP experience. For the Star Citizen community, PvP is part of the game. However, it only occupies a small part of the otherwise PvE-dominated game world for most players.
Some feel this goes too far. They demand a strict ban or technical implementation to ensure that PvP is generally impossible in testing environments. For them, the focus should purely be on exploring new content and bug hunting with reports to the developers.
Griefers defend their behavior with the developers’ lax approach to this issue. CIG states on their website, “What is deemed criminal activity in the verse is still in progress, but in most cases, your moral compass will serve you well.” (via support.robertsspaceindustries.com)
What does CIG say about this? The developers are aware of the issues. CIG is already working on a solution. Through the three mentioned systems, NPCs in the game will eventually respond accordingly to players who display too much criminal energy.
They will either prevent dishonorable space pilots from entering their territory with force or at least make it very difficult for them to set foot in the NPC-populated stations.
CIG recently also stated in a video that the PvP actions of other players are part of the lawless setting in the Pyro system. What is lacking here is a clear distinction from griefing. Where does PvP begin, and where does it end? And more importantly, when does toxic behavior in the game become a form of griefing? Until then, players are largely left to their own devices.
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At minute 14:30, a developer talks about PvP in the Pyro system
What would the consequences be without concrete rules and systems? The developers should not take too long to find a solution. Initially, griefing in preview versions leads to fewer willing testers. Who wants to be repeatedly transported to the digital afterlife defenseless?
The result would initially be less thoroughly tested updates and content with lower quality. If CIG does not establish clearer rules, active players might turn their back on Star Citizen. If the toxic behavior of griefers spreads more widely, it could negatively affect the registration of new players. Chris Roberts and Co. rely on fresh money for further development.
The development studio behind Star Citizen continuously raises large sums of money, as the funding statistics show. (via robertsspaceindustries.com)
Nevertheless, newcomers also represent a financial factor that should not be underestimated. Nobody wishes for the game’s failure who actively participates in its development. This would also not be in the interest of the griefers. Which side of history are you on?
CIG recently also stated in a video that the PvP actions of other players are part of the lawless setting in the Pyro system. What is lacking here is a clear distinction from griefing. Where does PvP begin, and where does it end? And more importantly, when does toxic behavior in the game become a form of griefing? Until then, players are largely left to their own devices.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
At minute 14:30, a developer talks about PvP in the Pyro system
What would the consequences be without concrete rules and systems? The developers should not take too long to find a solution. Initially, griefing in preview versions leads to fewer willing testers. Who wants to be repeatedly transported to the digital afterlife defenseless?
The result would initially be less thoroughly tested updates and content with lower quality. If CIG does not establish clearer rules, active players might turn their back on Star Citizen. If the toxic behavior of griefers spreads more widely, it could negatively affect the registration of new players. Chris Roberts and Co. rely on fresh money for further development.
The development studio behind Star Citizen continuously raises large sums of money, as the funding statistics show. (via robertsspaceindustries.com)
Nevertheless, newcomers also represent a financial factor that should not be underestimated. Nobody wishes for the game’s failure who actively participates in its development. This would also not be in the interest of the griefers. Which side of history are you on?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
During the Game Awards 2023, numerous new games were presented and Baldur’s Gate 3 received the biggest award: the “Game of the Year”. Now, as the emotions have cooled a bit, many gamers are analyzing what happened – and are disappointed with what was actually a great show. They believe that advertising was more important to the creators than the games themselves.
These were the Game Awards:
On the night of December 7th to 8th, the Game Awards 2023 ran from 12:00 AM to 4:00 AM German time. Over 400,000 people watched on Twitch alone (via sullygnome).
This is the discussion about the “Game of the Year”: Even during the Game Awards and shortly thereafter, there were heated discussions about the decision. Fans of various games argued whether Baldur’s Gate 3 or rather the new Zelda game Tears of the Kingdom or Spider-Man 2 deserved the award. Especially on social media, tensions ran high.
Such disputes are normal, as each of these games has a large fan base. The victory came as a surprise to many: even Larian expected “maybe 100,000 players” before the release, and before the viral bear sex scene, hardly anyone knew the game.
Nevertheless, many agree that Baldur’s Gate 3 deserved the award. Only the way it was awarded has provoked some disgusted reactions.
With this scene, Baldur’s Gate 3 quickly became famous:
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Creators of Baldur’s Gate 3 show intimate love scene with a bear and get banned instantly
“All that matters is that the Kojima circlejerk gets 10 minutes”
During the award presentations, most speakers received only a few seconds for their thank-you speeches, as users explained shortly after the awards on X and others. Fans agree: it’s not fair to properly honor an award (via Reddit).
Especially for Baldur’s Gate 3, studio head Swen Vincke dedicated the award to a deceased colleague from development. Even for that, there was no extension; after about 30 seconds, the speech ended.
At the same time, Larian announced Baldur’s Gate 3 for Xbox – and released it quite suddenly. Users on Reddit say: “If Swen had been given a little time, he could have said that too.” (via Reddit)
The mood is somewhat dampened, especially in light of the fact that advertising has been given much more space than fans believe is appropriate. However, since the “Game of the Year” concluded the event, there was no time left for advertising afterwards.
A user from Belgium complains: he got up at 2:00 AM to cheer on his compatriots from Larian. However, what they were given was disappointing and not compensation for the lack of sleep.
MeinMMO editor-in-chief Leya Jankowski sees it similarly:
The action movie is probably the genre with the widest age range. There are action films for the whole family, for young adults, but also for hardened adults who can’t look away from explicit violence. You can find 5 action films rated 18 on this list.
The 5 films on this list are all rated 18, whether due to the subject matter or the explicitly depicted violence. If you are prone to such films, you should inform yourself as well as possible about what happens or is shown in each film beforehand.
How was the list created? All films on this list are rated 18. Additionally, the list consists of a mix from different countries. If your favorite film is not included, feel free to let us know in the comments.
[toc]
1. The Crow
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The Crow – Trailer to the dark comic adaptation with Brandon Lee
Eric Draven and his wife are brutally murdered. After some time, Eric, played by Brandon Lee, is resurrected by a crow and seeks revenge. Thus, the antihero The Crow is born, who gradually exacts revenge on his wife’s murderers.
Compared to current superhero films, the movie is dark and draws on classic Gothic horror elements. If you have had enough of the MCU and DC and want to see an unusual comic adaptation with unrelenting violence, you should watch The Crow.
2. Hard Boiled
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Hard Boiled – Trailer of the Chinese action classic
Hard Boiled is the last film of action legend John Woo, which he shot in Hong Kong before he went to America. Inspector Yuen wants to tackle arms smuggling in Hong Kong while two gangster bosses fight for their territory. To win the fight, Yuen must use unusual methods.
Hard Boiled has an incredible amount of shooting. Typically for John Woo, the film mixes martial arts action with wild shootouts and is like the predecessor for what John Wick would do years later. For a long time, the film was indexed here because of its violence, but in February an uncut version of the film will finally be released here as well.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The new “Abattoir of Zir” dungeon, which moved into Diablo 4 on December 5th, has put players under significant pressure. So much so that the developers nerfed the challenge just a few days later.
“Abattoir of Zir” is a new dungeon that presents a challenge for all players who have essentially finished Season 2, including the Season journey, and have nothing left to do in Diablo 4.
Diablo expert wudijo talked with the developers about the event at BlizzCon and said at the time: “Abattoir of Zir” could be so difficult that your endgame meta builds will have no chance.
On Reddit and X, numerous players noted that the dungeon was too time-consuming and too difficult. Casual players, in particular, saw no point in attempting the challenge at all. But even professionals reached their limits.
The developers of Diablo 4 responded quickly to player feedback. On December 8th, they wrote in the Diablo Forum that they would soon deploy a hotfix that would simplify certain elements of the challenge.
What else is planned for Diablo 4 can be seen in this video:
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BlizzCon 2023: Diablo 4 leaders talk to us about the development and future of the game
Less Damage, More Glyph XP
What has been simplified? Incoming damage has been reduced, and the Glyph XP you receive for passing through has been increased. The affixes of the Blood Seekers in the dungeon have also been adjusted. They no longer spawn with the vampiric or suppressor affix (via Diablo Forum).
The increase in Glyph XP depending on the level of the dungeon since the hotfix as an example:
Level 1: Unchanged (1000)
Level 5: 1800 → 2800
Level 10: 3900 → 11600
Level 20: 11900 → 65400
Level 25: 17800 → 117100
The early levels of the dungeon have been adjusted so that the experience now starts with a difficulty level close to that of nightmare dungeons at level 90.
The monsters continue to scale quickly and reach a similar difficulty level as nightmare dungeons at level 100 by level 5. Incoming damage has been reduced by up to 20% across all levels of “Abattoir of Zir”.
Why was this changed? In the entry from December 8th, Community Manager Adam Fletcher thanked the community in the Diablo Forum for the feedback. With the changes, they want to allow players to experience the early levels of the dungeon.
They want to make things “a little easier to accommodate players who are just finding their way in this new endgame feature.” They have also noticed that the difficulty spike in the first level is excessive – even for those who have been able to complete nightmare dungeons at level 100.
How is the community reacting? On Reddit and X (formerly Twitter), the hotfix is mostly well received. Diablo expert wudijo writes on X on December 8th: “Good move, in my opinion. Great that the response was so quick.”
Players are also welcoming the hotfix on Reddit. “Great changes, honestly. They lower the barrier to entry for all of us and leave the upper tiers as a hardcore challenge for the super hardcore people,” comments “WMWA” on Adam Fletcher’s post in the Diablo 4 subreddit.
However, players have not only praise but also further wishes and criticisms. A few users write on Reddit that they find the costs of crafting the seals too high. Others wish for better rewards for completing the dungeon.
What do you think about the dungeon? Have you tried it out – before or after the hotfix? Feel free to leave us a comment.
Don’t worry: If “Abattoir of Zir” is not for you at all, the next event in Diablo 4 is just a few days away. In Sanctuary, the Winter Plague is coming in and bringing some new cosmetic rewards and new tasks:
Bad Santa is a pitch-black comedy and just right for those who are not into cheesy Christmas movies. You can currently watch it for free and without a subscription.
What kind of movie is Bad Santa?Bad Santa is a dark Christmas comedy by director Terry Zwighoff. In it, Billy Bob Thornton (Fargo) plays a rogue Santa Claus who really doesn’t want to do his job.
The film is aimed at an adult audience due to its crude and cynical humor as well as explicit language, catering to those who want to see a different kind of movie during the Christmas season.
Here you can see a trailer for Bad Santa:
Start video
Deutscher Trailer zur Weihnachtskomödie „Bad Santa“
What is Bad Santa about? Willie T. Stokes is probably the most corrupt Santa Claus there is. He drinks, smokes, curses, and insults the children who visit him in the shopping mall.
However, behind the Santa facade is a treacherous plan. Together with his accomplice and Christmas elf Marcus, Stokes wants to rob the department store after Christmas Eve.
But the store detective and a manager realize that something is off with the Christmas duo. Additionally, the bad Santa forms a friendship with a small boy and grows closer to his mother.
Where can I watch Bad Santa for free? Currently, you can watch the movie for free and without a subscription on the ZDF media library. You can go directly there through this link.
How long is Bad Santa available? You have until December 29, 2023, to watch Bad Santa in the ZDF media library.
Little insider tip: Besides Bad Santa, you can currently watch Trapped: Caught in Iceland, a gripping thriller series from Iceland in the ZDF media library. All 3 seasons are currently available for free.
Trapped: Caught in Iceland also made it into our recommendations for gripping “Nordic Crime” series:
World of Warcraft is under criticism – as the new talent system reveals more and more flaws and has missed what it was supposed to achieve.
World of Warcraft is doing better than it has in a long time. The gearing system is praised, the overall gameplay is great, and the new raid is a lot of fun. However, there are still points of criticism and some contradictions in the game that become clearer week by week.
This topic has now also been addressed in the Subreddit of WoW. In the post “Meaningful talent choice shouldn’t mean choosing between good single-target damage and good AoE damage,” the topic is discussed lively.
The thread starter pentarion explains his view on this:
When people ask how a particular specialization is performing, many say ‘It’s okay, but right now, the talents force you to either do good single-target damage or good AoE damage, but not both at the same time.’
This seems like such a fundamental issue that Blizzard shouldn’t have allowed it when they created the talent trees. (…)
It’s not fun to choose to be good in one aspect but bad in another. The choice should change how a specialization feels and plays or which types of utility you prefer and not directly determine if you are good or bad in certain content.
MoiraDoodle adds to that:
It feels even worse when your ONLY AoE is a talent, which means you’re effectively losing a talent point that you could have spent on something fun instead of something necessary.
Amelaclya1 further adds to the argument:
That’s what bothers me most about the talent trees. I believe talents should have been limited to cooldowns, buffs, or new interactions between abilities. It just feels bad that absolute core abilities are now also “talents.” That’s just the illusion of choice. Or can you imagine a beast mastery hunter not choosing Wrath of the Wild?
Moregaze writes about this:
WoW is having an identity crisis. On one hand, there is a cry for “meaningful decisions,” and on the other hand, there is a desire for a competitive game that actually tries to make everything competitive. These two things directly contradict each other.
The choice of talents is often predetermined – otherwise you are simply useless.
Tier sets make everything even worse
This problem is further amplified by another major aspect of the game: the tier sets. These sets have been extremely popular since the Vanilla version of World of Warcraft. When Blizzard temporarily removed them from the game, the outcry was huge – tier sets are just part of the game, and after some criticism, they returned at the end of Shadowlands and are still an integral part of the game.
But tier sets only exacerbate this identity crisis. Because these equipment sets are practically mandatory in each season. Almost everyone is focused on obtaining the 2-piece and 4-piece bonuses of the sets as quickly as possible, as these mean a significant performance boost.
However, the sets achieve this by enhancing certain abilities of a class. While the ability “The Hunt” is enhanced for a Havoc Demon Hunter, Shadow Priests receive an enhancement for “Shadow Word: Death.” One can really get worked up about that.
This, however, completely undermines the intended freedom in talent selection. Because when specific abilities are enhanced by a tier set, those abilities and all associated talents become mandatory.
The tier set therefore directly dictates which talents one must take to be efficient.
All this leads to a strange situation in World of Warcraft’s talent selection. On one hand, Blizzard wants to grant players maximum freedom while simultaneously wanting them to make a meaningful choice. However, that is simply not possible when absolute core abilities of a class are part of the talent tree and other talents become so significant due to tier sets that they become mandatory.
Even though the current talent system is fundamentally a good idea, it still needs significantly more overhaul and a change in the tier set and talent philosophy for the system to realize its full potential and be as the developers intended.
Or how do you see it?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The PvP shooter The Finals was surprisingly released on December 8th. Just shortly after that, the game is now facing mixed reviews on Steam, which the developers, according to Discord, cannot comprehend. We have the details for you.
What is The Finals? The Finals is a first-person PvP shooter by Embark Studios. In it, you fight in teams of three for victory in a game show. The setting is a virtual arena.
There are a total of three modes:
Tournament & Tournament Ranked
Quick Cash
Bank it
You can compete with three different classes, called candidates:
The Light Build
The Medium Build
The Heavy Build
Each class has its own gear and can be customized to your desired play style. You can read more about the game here:
Why are the reviews on Steam only mixed? Although the game was the most wanted game on Steam at the beginning of November, the reviews shortly after release are now only mixed.
On one hand, players criticize that feedback from the open beta regarding the Heavy class was not accepted by the devs. It also comes up occasionally that AI was used for the voice-overs. Another point of criticism is the balancing. However, the bigger issue is that many players perceive the movement speed of their character as slowed down.
Whygena Draws: “The movement speed was significantly reduced after the open beta, and the light class is far too sluggish to be even remotely survivable. The balance disparity between heavy and medium/light is glaringly obvious, and everyone hoped it would be fixed, but instead, it has worsened significantly.”
Foxsnow:I played the beta version for about 60 hours. How can you make the game worse than the beta? Everything is much slower. FPS is much worse.
What do the developers say? The developer team behind The Finals spoke up on the game’s Discord server:
You can join the Discord server yourself through this link: discord.com/invite/thefinals. The post can be found in the channel game-announcements.
The developers write that they themselves did not revise the movement speed between the beta and the release version. In fact, they suspect a combination of minor adjustments to the animations, sound, and settings as the background for the problem.
Currently, they are working on a solution and hope for increased player feedback.
How can you solve the problem? In fact, some players have already found a solution that seems to work: With the release of the release version, the field of view has been set to a default of 71. In the beta, it was apparently higher.
If the movement speed seems too slow for you as well, taking a look into your settings might help. However, we cannot currently confirm if this is the entire solution.
Have you tried The Finals yet? How do you like it at the moment? Let us know your comments.
Editorial Note: In an earlier version of the article, we mistakenly wrote that the field of view in the release version had been reset to 60. In fact, it was reset to 71.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
